Ouran High School Host Club 1. Starting Today, You're Hosts! What!

**_((A/N: Good Day fellow OHSHC lovers and admirers. You're Probably wondering why the f*** in the ducks face am I writing another Ouran Story. Pft, the answer is quite simple really - I LOVE WRITING OKAY!? Sorry, I should have used caps, my bad. I just had an awesome idea like idea so awesome, J.K Rollings would smile at how determined I was. I don't know, Miyazaki proud? Who knows. _**

**_Okay...I'm just going to give you the proper summary that I had about this story :3 This story is also in Quotev too - with the same name and stuff. _**

**_Mao Kurosaki's passions have always been food, watching T.V and making her dream of becoming a famous chef come true to find the family that had abandoned her on that dark alley one winter night. She receives a Culinary Scholarship to Ouran Academy, a prestigious school where only the rich attend. Add a dash of the Host club, some slices of an annoying Otaku sister, plus a pinch of random Asian Drama references, a teaspoon of random violence/Tsundere moments, dices of guy crazy fan girls, and you get a story full of drama, adventure and so much Shojo!_**

**_I have a good feeling about this story you guys! Better some of them which I'm going to have to up on hiatus (Except 100 percent Music Born, that story is my most popular one! I don't know why but I"m going to continue it for you guys!) Where was I? Oh yeah, you guys reading the story! Sorry about that! I'll shut up now and let you guys read! _**

**_ENJOY THE STORY! ~ ))_**

* * *

_I remember the first time I tasted something I made with just my bare hands…I remember watching these chefs make food and smile when the people enjoy their creation…..I remembered that I wanted to be just like that…_

_But…I don't even remember my own past…_

It's no wonder Mika never applied to this school, it's huge, costs a lot of money, and there's not really a scholarship that can they give just to be pretty. Her exact words, believe me. Inside the building, it was much bigger and so many people in the reading rooms that it really wouldn't be a great place to study.

These rich kids come here just to hang out huh?

And what's worse, I can't even have those strawberry tortes that they get. I'm sure they make them with strawberries imported from France or something.

_Mom…Dad…I finally made it this far into my education but I somehow feel like something's missing. These rich kids seem to be in a world of their own and – "_OW!"

I guess I bumped into someone on my way to study somewhere else.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was going!" I said, backing off to give this person some room. It wasn't just another one of those rich students because he wore some clothes I would get at the Salvation Army store. Yes, I shop there even though I'm not that poor but the caregiver of the orphanage brought me clothes from there.

"It's my fault, I was thinking and not paying attention to my surroundings." He said, looking up at me, noticing I wasn't one of those rich students.

"Say…You…"  
"Wouldn't happen to be…."  
"..**A scholarship student?"**We said together and ended up laughing because of our harmonization. I like this person.

"I'm Haruhi Fujioka. Nice to meet you." He said; extending his hand out.  
"And I'm Mao Kurosaki, nice to meet you, too." I said, taking his hand, smiling. "You're that Honors Scholarship student, right?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah. You're that Culinary Scholarship student I think. We're in the same class together."

How could I forget something like that? And I'm supposed to be smart. I guess I need some work on my brain or two of us walked for a good amount of time until we stopped in front of this music room that wasn't used or we did, we didn't think anything would bother us until we opened the door and out flew some rose hips all around us. Instead, we found the host.

"OH MY GOD! I'M FOREVER BLIND!"

"Ouran Private Academy is defined by one, prestigious families, and two, wealth. And prosperous people have much time on their hands. Therefore, this Ouran Host club is about six handsome men who also have too much time on their hands give hospitality to these lovely ladies who also have too much time on their hands and profit from them. It's an elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful."

Haruhi and I backed up to the door; a bit frightened at all this.

"Ho-ho-host club!?" We said.

"What? They're guys?"

Oh crap, they think of us as guys….Wow, I knew I was flat, but was it really that bad?

"Hikaru, Kaoru. You two are in the same class as these two, right?" This guy with glasses said. This is something in Mika's manga would happen. I didn't think it was possible! Where's that door knob!?

"Yeah but those two don't really socialize with others so we don't know much about them." Those two red heads said. Everyone was just staring at Haruhi and I. I never felt so uncomfortable in my life except the time I had to cook a special dish to earn the scholarship and the time I had to present myself in front of everyone today in class.

After some silence, a light bulb lit up.

"Well, that wasn't really very nice actually. Welcome to the Ouran Host Club Scholarship students."

"What! So those two are those scholarship students, Haruhi Fujioka and Mao Kurosaki?" The blonde that was sitting said but I really didn't pay attention because I was busy trying to quickly open the door. Well, that was the plan until they said our names.

"Why do you know our names?" Haruhi asked while I was still trying to open the door.

"Well, the way this school works, it's not every day a commoner or two get in much less scholarship students." Said the guy with glasses.

To make it even more like those anime Mika watches, the work Commoner appeared.

"They say that it's pretty hard to be accepted as a special student unless you are a studious bookworm." And then the word studious appeared. I didn't know if I should thank him nicely or thank him sarcastically.

"Ah…geez thank you…"

"In other words, you two are heros. Welcome to our world of beauty!" Said the blonde again, appearing out of nowhere.

"Please excuse us." Said Haruhi. Just when we're about to get out, some kid grabbed Haruhi by his wrists and then pulled us back.

"Hey! Haru-chan! Mao-chan! You two must be like superheroes or something right!?" He said. _He's so cute! _ I thought to myself.

"We're not superheroes, we're scholarships students - ! AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING HARU-CHAN!"

"Who would have guessed that the two scholarship students would be so openly gay."

Openly gay!? RICH BLONDE DUDE SAY WHAT?!

If he didn't have such a high title, I would have hit him in the face.

"So tell us? What is your type? The wild type? The boy-lolita type? The little devil type? The cool type? Or do you prefer me?" The blonde from before asked us, grabbing Haruhi's chin.

We only wanted was some quiet place to study but we didn't expect to be involved with this host club. Especially when Haruhi knocked over some expensive looking vase. I knew I should have paid attention to that arrow!

"I got it! I got it!" I said, sliding over to catch it, but I missed by a few centimeters and I heard a crash. "I…don't got it…."I muttered

Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. CRAP!

"Ahh… That vase was going to be the target of our school auction..."

"Now you've done it commoners. The bidding was going to start at eight million yen!"

"What!? Eight million yen!?"

_I'm __so __dead! I'm so completely dead! What the hell am I going to say to mom and dad!?'Hi mom, Hi dad! Listen, I broke a vase worth eight million yen so…could I borrow some…?'_

"They'll disown me…." I muttered while Haruhi was counting how many thousand were in eight million. I sheepishly turned around to face these rich bastards. Not noticing that stupid glasses guy behind us, picking up a piece of the broken vase.

"What should we do, Tamaki?" So that's the blonde guy's name.

All of a sudden, what I suspect the leader of the group, changed his whole attitude. I was actually scared.

"Have you ever heard of this saying Fujioka-kun, Kurosaki-kun? "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." "If you don't have money, then work it off." Starting today, you're….the Host Club's dog!"

Even there were words in front of him saying his attitude changed. But there was also behind us a background of the word for is pretty bad…I only been here for half a day and already, I owe someone money.

_Mom, Dad…I've been held hostage by this bizarre host club. I'm sure you guys will now favour Mika now…_

_**The Host Club is now open…**_

I should be studying for exams or working on homework, maybe even looking for a job to pay for my uniform but I'm stuck here playing as an errand 'boy' for this silly little host club. There was one good thing that came from all this though. There were a lot of sweet smells like Earl Grey and Darjeeling. Along with some Vanilla beans, cinnamon, mint, rosemary, rose hips, camellia, and all these smells that I imagined when I read the French cuisine magazine.

I smelled strawberries and lots of chocolate. Cream too, for the tea or coffee that they drank. Wow, so this is how expensive coffee beans smell like. I like it.

"Speak of the devils. Little piglet's, I hope you've gotten everything from your errand." Tamaki said as Haruhi and I walked back in to the club room. I carried some bags and Haruhi carried some, too.

"P-piglet's?" He said

"Eh? What is this?"  
"It's coffee, as you can see." Said Haruhi.  
"I haven't seen this maker before. Is this the one that's already ground?"

"No, it's the instant kind." I said and these girls were so awed by it, so was Tamaki the moment he realized it was instant.

"Oh! This is the type where all you have to do is put hot water in it!" He said.

I looked up and was surprised to see so many girls than there already was before.

"So it's true that commoners use this since they don't have time to grind their own coffee beans." All the girls nodded.

"Commoners are pretty smart." GAH! When did Kyoya get here!? More importantly, when did they all get here!?

"300 yen for 100 grams huh?"  
"What a price!"

"Okay fine! We're sorry we bought the wrong coffee!"

"No wait! I will drink this commoner's coffee!" Everyone was just so surprised, even some of the host club members. I really wanted to bash my head on a wall because I was the one that suggested this coffee. Damn.

"I'm sorry Haruhi. If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have been this excited."  
"It's fine. Let's just hope we pay off this debt." He said. At least there's someone that understands me.

"Haruhi! Mao! Come and make us commoner coffee!"

I'm pretty sure we were both thinking, 'Rich bastards…'

"They're just messing around you know. That stuff won't even suit their taste." That girl that Tamaki was talking to before said. She seemed to be talking to us when she said that but she then said that she was just talking to herself.

"Haruhi! Mao!"

"Ah… Yeah, yeah." When Haruhi just poured the water into the cups, I just pouted because it was too plain. Good coffee, especially the instant kind, should at least have some amazing flavour in them. With some of my coffee, I took out some products that I usually buy for the café to make hot chocolate or coffee. There was peppermint cream, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, vanilla cream, toffee, chocolate. Just all the things you can name.

Everyone was keen to watch me make this but I didn't mind, I was in a world of my own when I started to spell out something with the chocolate syrup. "Enjoy", "Smile" is what I mostly wrote.

"Here we go. Coffee is served." I said, handing out the coffee. Girls were questioning if it will actually taste good but then Tamaki did the unthinkable.

"What if you drank it from my mouth?"  
"Well then I would drink it."

All this squealing and 'Kya', 'Kya', 'Kyah' was giving me a headache. I haven't been this annoyed since we took a trip to an anime convention for Mika. I only enjoyed the bento boxes and the video games you live with a girly Otaku, you tend to start learning things from them..

_It's too late for me! Save yourselves!_

Things were just getting stranger and stranger yet as we passed the Hitachiin twins as they were doing their brotherly love thing. Oh god, ! Don't think about Junjou Romantica Mao! It's just an anime! An anime! Just an anime, Mao! THINK ABOUT ONEW OPPA INSTEAD!

"I don't get it." Said Haruhi.

Then there was this suppose third year who was actually Mitsukuni Haninozuka. Ah, this is a place where the impossible is possible isn't it? Haruhi was staring at the same place we were.

"Is he really a senior?" He asked.

"Looks can be deceiving. Honey-senpai is a brilliant student. As for Mori-senpai, silence is his thing." Out of nowhere, Kyoya come and startles me. Why can't people just normally appear?

"Ha~ru-chan! Mao-chan!" Honey-senpai said, twirling us around. How was he able to do that? He must be some top class fighter or something ((You have no idea)).

"Wanna eat cake with us, Haru-chan, Mao-chan?"

Cakes….cakes…..cakes….CAKES!

"Ah..no, I'm not really fond of sweets." Said Haruhi.  
"Then I'll lend you bunny!" Said Honey-senpai.  
"No. I don't really like bunnies either…"  
"You..don't like my Usa-chan either?" He said. I stopped and looked at the bunny and I swear, I thought I saw that bunny blush!

"S..so..so cute.." I said, looking down at the little stuffed animal. Wait, did I see a light bulb go off?

"Take good care of it okay?"

Wait! Do I at least get to taste cake?!

"We simply apply our individual talents to meet the needs of our customers. Tamaki is our number one host – the king. His request rate is 70% rate. By the way, your debt of eight million yen, you two will be our host club's dog until graduation. I'm sorry, I mean errand boy. You're free to run away but I'll remind you that my family has around a hundred talented private police officers."

_In breaking news, we are still in search of the fugitives, Haruhi Fujioka and Mao Kurosaki. They are very dangerous and owe the nation's richest family eight million yen_

"By the way, do you two have passports?"

_**Translation: You'll want to get out of Japan and quick!**_

But I don't want to be exiled out of my country of origin. I still haven't tasted blue lobster!

"You know you two won't be popular with the ladies if you two are like that." Tamaki said. An angry vein popped in my forehead.  
"What's that supposed to mean! It's what the inside that counts! But then again….when you look at a culinary creation, you also count points in the foods appearance…bonus points if it tastes like heaven on earth!" I said, in my own little fantasy while I just got stares from everyone like I was crazy.  
"Then you understand Mao-kun! How cruel it is when it creates perfect beings both inside and out." He had me and now I'm lost. He just started rambling about stuff like why show art work at a museum. For everyone to question why the artist painted it, that's why. Haruhi just looked like he was having trouble calling Tamaki something. Wow, all that thinking just too bluntly say something about a person.

"Ah! I got it! Obnoxious!"

10 points to Haruhi for making Tamaki got to the emo corner! Wait….THIS IS LIKE A SHOJO MANGA! NOOO~!

But then he recovered with lots of roses in the background.

"My lord, even if you were teach them the basics of being a host they don't even reach the criteria of as a host. Maybe if we take off their glasses it would help a bit…" One twin reached for our glasses and they were both shocked. Yeah, I would be shocked too if I saw my own eyes for I have really horrible eyesight. Suddenly, we heard Tamaki's fingers snap. "Hikaru, Kaoru!" He yelled out.

"Yes sir!" They said and they grabbed our wrists, taking off with us somewhere!  
"AHH!"  
"Kyoya! My hair stylist! Mori-senpai go get some disposable contact lenses from the infirmary!"  
"What about me Tama-chan?!" Honey said.  
"Honey-senpai!"

"Yes sir!"

"Go eat some cake.." He simply said to Honey-senpai. He quickly went to his little corner and ate cake. As for me and Haruhi, we were forced to change into the boys' uniform somewhere in the changing room in the back. And when did they add all of that in this room?!

"Here! Change into these!" The twins asked, holding up the boy uniforms.

"What! Why?"

"No time for questions! Change! Change! Change!"

"Alright but you two have to get out!" Haruhi and I kicked the two gingers out. Little did I know that two light bulbs plus one went off. I looked at Haruhi and thought about it more.

Haruhi's a girl!

…I'M NOT ALONE!

~/+/~

"Um..senpai.." Muttered Haruhi from inside the changing room.

"What? Aren't you two done changing yet?" Tamaki asked.

"You sure it's okay for us to keep the uniforms?" I asked, pulling the curtains.  
"You two could have told us you looked that cute." The twins said.  
"Who knows, maybe he'll draw in some customers?" Kyoya said.

"That was just what I was thinking!" Tamaki said. That's obviously bullcrap! "Our errand boys have ranked up! Starting today, you two are hosts! I'll personally train you two to be hosts!"

"If you two can get one hundred customers to request you, we'll forget about your eight million debts!"

…_.I don't want to be a host…I don't want to get kicked out of the country either! What will I tell Mom and Dad!? Dad and Mom will have a heart attack! MOSTLY MOM!_

~ The very next day ~

"Mao, what are your hobbies?" Girls, just so many girls around me that I felt like Go Mi Nam from _You're_ _Beautiful_. Only in this situation, I'm not a singer for a band but a host to some High school Host club. They should make a drama about this! GAH! Enough of your drama things! Focus!  
"So, Mao, why did you decide to join the host club?"

On second thought…I should just leave and never come back. I feel nauseous…..

I looked around everywhere for a possible escape or at least some comfort food. Yeah, food! I hardly ate because I'm so worried over these guys. But if I don't do anything, they'll charge me eight million yen and my family will have a heart attack because of me! And after all that they've done for me!

_I know just the story!_

"Oh dear, you were adopted eleven years ago? What happened?" This girl asked me that was sitting beside me. I stared off at the teacup and brought the best smile I could produce.

"Well…I really don't remember much before I was five years old. The caregiver from the orphanage said that she found me crying in the streets one winter night. Six months later, I was adopted by the Kurosaki's along with this girl Mika, who's my sister now. There are times I ask myself why my parents abandoned me but I couldn't be happier with the Kurosaki's because I met all of you lovely ladies." Their faces turned red and I saw hearts above their heads? Damn you laws of Shojo!

"Um…Can we r-request you again tomorrow?" They asked and I just smiled again, on purpose holding up a teacup up to my face to add some cuteness.

"I really appreciate that, thank you girls." And there goes another smile. Did you know you use up thirty of your muscles just to smile? Yeah, I learned that from this medical show_. _I learn a lot of things just by watching T.V, reading books or surfing on the internet.

"Why are they so popular?" I heard Tamaki ask Kyoya. "Haruhi's a natural and Mao uses strategy." How did he find out!? "No training needed." The twins said.

Tamaki snapped his fingers and I looked up. "Haruhi, Mao. Both of you come over here." He ordered. I'm not a slave but I am in debt so I sighed and got up, walking to him along with Haruhi who had the same expression as I did.

"I'd like you to meet someone." He gestures to this girl beside him. "This is my regular, Princess Ayanokoji." She looks like that stereotypical evil mistress type like in that _My Princess_ drama where Lee Sol is the princess of Korea and…ah…never mind (^ ^;)

"Very nice to meet you, Princess." I said, grinning, stepping back, having Haruhi a turn.

"Pleased to meet you." I maybe a girl addicted to dramas, food, and some violent video games who's airheaded at times but I know a person who seems troubled from a mile away. Tamaki basically glomped Haruhi around like a rag doll after that, "That sooooo keeyoot! Ha! Good! Very good!"

"Tamaki-sama…." Said Ayanokoji; sweat dropping.

"Mori-senpai! Help me!" Haruhi shouted. Mori stood up, swinging Haruhi out of Tamaki's grip. He somehow blushed and there goes another light bulb.

"Mori-senpai…that was a bit too much."

"He asked for help so I helped him." Wow, that's the first time I ever heard him talk! That's a mighty attractive voice…No, bad Mao! I can't think that way!

"Alright Haruhi, come back to daddy!"  
"You're no dad of mine!" Said Haruhi.

"You guys are weirdoes, I'm going home."

~ The very next day ba bmp babubmp (DUCK SONG...)~

Where did my bag go? I could have sworn it was in my desk before I went to lunch. I basically looked everywhere until I spotted it in the pond. All my books were there and so was my checklist of foods I want to eat. I began sprinting but I came across Ayanokoji in the middle of the hall, she was just standing there like she was just waiting for me but I still didn't stop. I could feel her hatred. Whatever she has against me, I most certainly didn't like it one bit.

"You look great. Better than that disgrace of a look you had before. By the first look, you look like any student here. It's such a pity it can't match your background." She chuckled as I just kept running toward the pond outside.

"Damn…the list is ruined." I muttered to myself, looking at the list that was all smudged. Oh well, it's just a list...

MY FOOD LIST! NOW HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT FOOD I ATE!?

"GAH!" I fell into the pond and I ended up getting all wet everywhere. I checked around and see that no one was nowhere in sight. A part of me was happy because of that but the other part just wanted to at least come over and help me….

Damn…and my coin purses missing too. I need that for lunch today!

"You're looking too slow! You got to dive deep! Get wet!" I'm sorry but I got distracted by your shirt to even pay attention to what you're saying Tamaki. Dang…shirtless Tamaki…and water running down his body…No! Bad Mao! Bad!

"Whoa! Where did you come from! And I don't need help! I'll do fine by myself!"  
"Idiot! You're slow on your own. Besides, a good friend helps out other friends!"

Maybe…this guys' not really as weird as I thought he was.

"Boss sure does the weirdest things for the new guy." I quickly turned to see Kaoru and Hikaru with the others just following behind them.

"We're going to have to close the club for today." Kyoya said already taking off his glasses, his watch and whatever he had to like everyone else. Mori and the twins took off their shirts and at one point, Mori caught a fish.

Ha! I have lunch now!

"Found something!" Haruhi yelled and held up a rectangular item. It had my I.D and my coupons for this sushi bar that will expire next month. It's my wallet!

"My wallet! Thank you Haurhi! Thank you, Thank you!" I said, hugging her, almost at the brink of tears myself if I ignored the thought of the others being here.

"I say we celebrate with something to eat! Let's eat some sponge cake!" I said.  
"You can cook Mao-chan!" Said Honey-senpai.

"I didn't get the culinary scholarship for nothing. Now come on, I'll even throw some herbal tea so you won't get colds. The trick is to add blueberries and some honey."

Little did I know, there were some light bulbs going off from my little episode.

~/+/~

I glared at Haruhi's table because I was scared if Ayanokoji was going to do something to Haruhi.

"Mao-kun! Is something wrong?" Uotani, a girl with blonde hair, asked me.

"Um..I'm just looking out for people that will hurt you. A beauty like yourself should never get hurt." I smiled.

"Kyahh~! The sweet and protective type! How romantic!" All the girls at my table squealed. Oh wow, it's just like an episode of Hana-Kimi only without the injured athlete and the soccer player in love with the female lead and a boy school. Suddenly, my spidey sense went into overdrive and I heard a table falling, a scream and Haruhi on top of Ayanokoji.

"EEK! Haruhi made a disgusting suggestion! Somebody help! Teach this commoner a lesson!" How dare she? Unless she did like girls, she wouldn't assault you. I stand up, ready to do something if needed to but the twins beat me to it, pouring water on them.

"W-why did you do that?" She asked, all wet, to the twins. Tamaki helps her up while Haruhi was still on the ground. "Do something Tamaki. Haruhi just assaulted me." He's seriously not going to choose her over Haruhi right? Haruhi's far cuter and better than Ayanokoji. That's a fact!

"I'm disappointed in you, you were the one who threw Haruhi's and Mao's bag into the pond, weren't you?" He said, moving her bangs to the side. Later on, pictures of her doing the act flew on the ground and there stood Kyoya, holding some of the photos.

"Did you take us for blind fools…who wouldn't notice your shenanigans? We have all kinds of pictures of you skulking about." Okay, Note to self: Never get on Host clubs bad side because who knows what kind of dirt they will dig up.

"You know, you are a beautiful girl. But, I'm afraid you aren't fit to be our guest. If there's one thing I know, Haruhi's not that kind of person!"

"Tamaki you…You idiot!" She runs off, tears in her eyes. I don't know why but I chased after her, catching up to her to grab her wrist. I know, she bullied me but her emotions got the best of her. I mean, she liked someone and she got jealous and didn't think of anything else besides ruin that person that got in the way. Common Korean drama logic. In the end, she's human just like me and the others.

"You! What else do you want?!" She yelled at me. I smiled and held out my hand.  
"You were just jealous. That's all it was. Sure, you might have gone a bit too far but it's in the past and it can be forgiven."

Wow, I sound like one of those cool female leads in a Korean drama. Check that one off my list.

"Wha-?"  
"Come now, no need to cry. A girl loses her beauty when she cries." I said, smiling and walking back to the host club.

"Both your quotas are now 1000!" I think I might be having a heart attack just right when I walked in. "I've got high expectation for you my rookies." He winks at us. I think they barely noticed I was gone but it's just a secret between me and Ayanokoji-san.

~/+/~

Oh my gosh, I was holding in my laughter just when Tamaki figured out Haruhi was a girl. Wow, this is great. Just like in Men Doll Idols only that was just a fantasy part. But how Tamaki found out was walking in on her changing. That pervert.

"Listen senpai, I don't care if you recognize me as a boy or girl. In my opinion, what matters the most is what's on the inside." That's my Haruhi! Acting so oblivious over something like this!

"Well, isn't this an interesting development." Kyoya said. This sign "Knew from the start" said above him.

"Oh yeah." The others said. "Figured it along the way" was above their heads.

"I thought you were pretty cool earlier senpai!" Tamaki turned red. I hear wedding bells in the distance!

"Wait, does this mean Mao-chan is a girl too!?" Honey asks. I sigh in defeat, putting my hands up. I tried to back away but I bumped into Kyoya's chest. Damn him!

"Yeah! Mao's a girl." Haruhi says.

"WHAT!?" Tamaki and the twins shout. I chuckle, awkwardly rubbing the back of my head, "I just wanted to have fun…"

"You'll be punished for that!" The twins and Kyoya said, troublemaking smirks on the twins faces and a smirk on Kyoya's face that just make me want to go home and get a passport. "Crap!"

"We'll have to call everyone 'dude' and 'bro' from now on!" Haruhi said, grinning. That's the stereotypical boy.

Wedding bells…is really being heard?

"I'd have to call everyone 'Noona' or "Hyung". I said, chuckling to myself as I heard Tamaki scream to 'Mommy' about us using bad words. He doesn't even know what they mean.

_I guess the Host club isn't as bad as I thought it was Mom, Dad. There's nothing to worry about…for now…_

* * *

**_((A/N: ...*parents watching to Telanovelas in the background* _**

**_Did you guys like it?_**

**_No...? WELL TOO BAD! *BEEP* Sorry, I acted out again. Yeah, a girl who's obsessed with K-Pop, J-Pop, and asian dramas. Yep, never heard of that one before!_**

**_*listening to Spanish Music* I should also do a bio of my character and her adopted family like Mika. I think you'll guys like Mika. She's sorta what I'm am...an Otaku weirdo who likes to have fun XDDD _**

**_Favorite...Review...Follow...I don't know, just do anything to support this story. Please!_**

**_Until then my fellow readers/writers! And remember...xXCROSSxGAMEXx does not allow the consumption of herbal substances~ ))_**


	2. Our Job as High School Hosts! Have food!

_**((A/N: Welcome back readers to another chapter of Love Myself or You. Now, I'm only going to say this once and maybe twice because I'm that awesome...You guys are allowed to ask questions and blah blah blah. Sorry, I just played Five Nights at Freddy's and a bit jumpy because I have a slight phobia of animatronics (SP I know!) and the Chuck-e-Cheese in my town has them and I don't like going near them unless I have someone with me. **_

_**That and I was reading Prussia x Reader fanfictions! Yeah, I write Hetalia fanfictions! Deal with it! Also, I'm going to let you guys read the story so...**_

_**I'll talk to you later~ **_

_**ENJOY~~ ))**_

* * *

"Another A+ for you Mr. Kurosaki. You may leave." My Culinary teacher said and I smiled, heading out towards the third music room. I was already running late and I can't get another punishment. I'm already on the night duty at the café for breaking a eight million yen vase. I could sprint if I want to since I'm not wearing heels.

Did you know heels are a male invention to make your butt look smaller? Plus, you can't even run away with them…unless you're a pro. If you are, TEACH ME!

"You're running late too Haruhi?" I said to the brunette ahead of me. She must have come from the library since she still looks to have some energy left. "You know how far the library is." She said. That probably isn't the entire story, I can feel it.

We reached the room, opening the doors. The club room totally had a makeover, looking like some tropical rainforest.

"What's this? Where are we?" Haruhi asks. I was just as shocked as she was, looking like "Yuki-kun when he saw the kitchen in the first chapter of Fruits Basket!"

"Welcome." We looked ahead and we noticed the guys sitting or standing in poses like they were when I first saw them but then I noticed they were …..Shirtless…oh dang…so…se-!

_BAD MAO! No! You're true love is Lee Min Ho!_

While I was thinking of that, some Toucan landed on Haruhi's head, looking all stressed out. Poor Haruhi.

"Oh it's two. You're late." Said the twins in sync. It's not my fault I wanted to perfect my latest culinary creation! Haruhi takes out a calendar, the Toucan still on her head. No fair, I want a bird on my head! Can mine be an owl? They're smart and they have big eyes! Make mine snowy white too!

"Last time I checked…it was still early spring…"

"Huddling under the Kotatu, fearing the cold would be nonsense. Why else do we have this perfect heating and cooling system?" What a strange stance. This is Tamaki we're talking about. You know, now that I think about it, the club would make a pretty good Japanese Drama.

"Do you have some sort of criticism of our club's policies? Keep in mind, Haruhi and Mao, which you owe us eight million yen." Kyoya says. Yeah, like I would ever forget breaking a vase that I will have to be punished for both at school and at home. Curse you good looking Kyoya with flashing glasses! Wait..what? O.O

"Fine men don't bundle up in heavy clothing!" Ha. Bundle, I love that commercial. "It may be a chilling early spring out in the world but in our club, we welcome our chilly little kittens to a warm, south tropical aura! Yes! Today, this place is a supreme paradise, a hot, hot island of everlasting summer!"

And that's a good thing? I stopped paying attention when I he said kittens. I don't really like hot climates but then again, I do hang around in the kitchen a lot.

"That's funny because I feel a massive chill right now." Haruhi said. I'm so shipping TamaHaru now. I backed away from the two, not ready to play cupid yet, ending up next to Kyoya, the shadow king! Yeah, I'm calling him that now. I feel the uneasy aura already….

~/=/~

This is my story and I don't really want to type all these sentences Tamaki says. He talks too much. I'll just summarize. "We, the men of the Ouran Host club, entertain ladies at the Ouran private academy."

"Mao-kun, these fruit salads are just so cute! They're all in different shapes!" This girl asks me as I handed them this bowl of fruit salad that even a nine year old could make. Well, the hard part was making non-alcoholic beverages. I smiled as I went on to the next table.

"Oh yes, next week, the Ouran Host Club will be sponsoring a dance party." I heard Tamaki announce at his table. Some girls snap their heads to hear what they needed to be filled in.

"There's a party?" I asked, along with Haruhi.

"What kind of party is it going to be, is it going to be formal?" Some girls asked from the twins' table.

"Yes, in fact, we've rented the school's largest hall." Hikaru informed. I just turned away because I knew there was some Yaoi coming on. I just ignored everything even their smirking faces, and talked to Haruhi and Kyoya.

"What's with the girls today? They seem more…excited?" Haruhi asked.

"A little moderate exposure is popular." Kyoya simply replied.

"I bet you planned all this. Didn't you Kyoya-senpai?" I asked, all up in his face and tempted to poke him in his chest but I didn't want to touch a good looking guy at his bare chest..

Did I just call Kyoya good looking? Pft, Tom Hiddleston's hotter than Kyoya.

"I have no decision making authority. All club policies have been laid out by the club's king. But, I will admit to casually slipping a Bali photo book onto his desk." Kyoya says smirking, fixing his glasses.

Oh wow, so much like Shou-kun from Alice Nine! So hot!

_No! Stop thinking that way!_

AWW! Honey-senpai was acting so cute!

"Mao-kun, you should wear your tropical paradise outfit too!" Nana said, blushing.

"Yeah! I'd like to see it!" Some other girls said. Oh crap.

"_Here you go ladies."  
"Oh god, Mao-kun is actually Mao-chan! Eww!"  
"I thought it was don't judge a book by its cover! I'm sorry I crossplayed! I just wanted to be like Go Mi Nam!"_

"Oh. Well, they don't have a spare for me.." I said,

"That's not tru–" Kyoya starts, appearing behind me but I slap his mouth shut and push him away. I can already tell he's glaring at me. _CRAP! HE'S GOING TO ADD 20 MORE TO MY QUOTA! And possibly dish duty…._

Life just likes biting me in the butt doesn't it?

"You're so strongly sensitive to the season, how noble!"

Man, the girls at Haruhi's table are so buying the act. Haruhi was born a natural. I was born to eat and watch T.V. And whoa! I spot a new guest for Haruhi!

~/+/~

I just figured out how much of a drama king Tamaki was, being all annoyed and overreacting over the Haruhi and Kanako thing, over at a table eating instant Ramen. If he's going to eat all that, he might as well eat Ramen with some flavour or something!

"Hey boss! Why don't you stop eating that commoner's ramen and help us with the party planning." Hikaru shouts at Tamaki.

"Are you jealous that Princess Kanako has taken a liking to Haruhi?" Kaoru continued.

"He shouldn't be surprised as she's got the illness for a long time now." Kyoya just suddenly says, typing into his laptop. No wonder he's got glasses, I knew staring into a computer screen will screw up your vision! Look at Kyoya!

"Illness?" Asks Haruhi, a bit confused.

"She's got the host-hopping disease…" Hikaru said. Kaoru appears from behind him. "Also known as "never the same boy twice" disease." Wow, he appeared behind his twin just like Kagamine Len in that _Butterfly on your Shoulder_ Live show. Is that some kind of twin thing? Because I want to have that ability.

"Oookay?" I said, a little unsure of this whole rich kid world.

"Usually, our customers choose a favourite host and see them regularly." Kyoya informs, starting to multitask, "However, she tends to change her favourites on a regular basis. She's been through everyone at least twice."

"That's right! Cause before she chose you, she was with Tama-chan!" Honey appeared next to Haruhi and had these flowers everywhere. So cute! And poor Tamaki, he's like being replaced by the second lead actor! Technically, the first female lead!

"Oh, so he's upset because I took her from him." Haruhi asks, now getting it. "SHUT UP! I COULDN'T CARE LESS!" Tamaki shouted, almost sending Honey flying through the air.

"I'm running out of patience! Haruhi! It's time you started dressing like a girl! Tamaki shouts even more, pointing at Haruhi.

"Huh?"

"I don't understand how you're so popular with the ladies when you yourself are a lady!" Goddamnit! He's going to end up bursting my eardrums!

"But, what about Mao? She's a girl too!" Everyone turned to me, me looking up from watching the latest Korean Drama, _The King 2 Hearts_. "Ah.." I said, a little confused since they always forget that I'm RIGHT HERE!

"HER TOO!" What?!

"They opted out of taking gym class." "Attendance numbers are mixed between boys and girls, so no one can tell." Wow, so that's how the whole school hasn't figured out the two of us are girls yet. They're so…..stupid for not noticing something so obvious!

As the twins move out of the way, Tamaki brings out a chest labelled 'The Kings property', quickly pulling out two frames, "Daddy wants….daddy wants…TO SEE YOU BOTH TO THE WAY YOU WERE BACK THEN!"

"DON'T GO BLOWING UP OUR PHOTOS WITHOUT ASKING US!" Oh my god, how did they find a picture of me in middle school!? That was me with long hair still and on the trip to Kyoto. That was our class trip that year if I remember.

"….Where did you find this? I thought sensei lost the photo after she took it on the trip…."My eyes followed Kyoya, who looked at me innocently. CASE CLOSED!

"The more I look at these pictures, the more I am amazed. How did these turn into that?"

"The day before the entrance ceremonies, I had some gum stuck in my hair from one of the children in the neighbourhood. I just cut it all off; I didn't care if I looked like a guy." Haruhi replied, making Tamaki cry a bit more. All eyes were turned to me.

"Before school started, my sister played a cruel joke by placing some gum on my pillow. My mom cut my hair. I didn't care, at least I don't have wear a hairnet." I chuckled nervously. Did I mention I was such a tomboy?

"You look so pretty Mao-chan!" Said Honey-senpai. I really didn't think about it at first until I realized it was the first time someone from the opposite gender called me 'pretty', so I blushed.

"Ah…thanks Honey-senpai…" I already felt eyes on me! WAH! I must be hallucinating! Like a whole group of guys are watching me! Hahahaha! Funny!

"GIRLS SHOULD NOT BE REFERRING TO THEMSELVES AS 'ORE"! MOMMY! Haruhi is using dirty words!"

"Who's "Mommy"?" Kaoru asked Kyoya.

"From club position standpoint, I guess I am." Kyoya replies. I feel so bad for Kyoya, yet I want to abuse that power.

"Well, after all, the two of us can pay back more of our debt before we graduate by being hosts than some errand boys." Haruhi says.

"By the way, do you have any experience in social dancing? It's essential for the party." Hikaru announces. By the mention of dancing, I stopped what I was doing and deadpanned.

"What?!" I said.

"Huh? No, but the party has nothing to do with my quota, right?" Oh boy, Haruhi asked, scared. "We're not all that interested in going to events, so if we could be excused…" I continued but I felt Tamaki's eyes flash.

"No, social dances are a common practice for a gentleman. If you two want to walk the path of the host that badly, then you have to show us how far you're willing to go, Haruhi-kun and Mao-kun." What? I never said anything but not wanting to come. I'm an aspiring chef not a social butterfly. I want to stay in the kitchen than in the dance hall!

"If you two cannot master the waltz in one week, and demonstrate it to us at next week's party, then I will expose the face that you two are girls, and bust you two back down to errand boys!" I wanted to just throw a can of my least favourite juice at him because we'll be technically errand girls. OH MY GOD! THAT SOUNDS SO SEXUAL! AHH!

"AH! Guys! I got to go!" I said, already packing up my things.

"Go? Where are you going Mao-chan?" Asked Honey-senpai. "Ever since I told my parents about the debt, they gave me the night delivery shift at the café."

"Café?"

"Save your questions for tomorrow! Gotta run! Bye!" I said and ran out toward the parked motorcycle that I came with just to make deliveries. I didn't mind, as long as I'm making someone happy!

~/=/~

"Ah! I have to practice dancing the waltz! Kyoya Oppa! Who's my dance partner?!" I asked quickly, not realizing that I used a Korean honorific. He must have caught it because he stared at me a bit confused.

"Oppa? And I will." WHAT!? KYOYA'S MY DANCE PARTNER!? NO! I WAS HOPING LEE MIN HO!

"Um..okay! Is this like revenge for shutting you up or something? And _Oppa_ is a pronoun for a girl's older brother or for men whom girls trust. It can be used for – ANYWAYS! Let's get to practicing!"

"But–"

"Yeah! Let's dance the waltz! Yay!"

I can't let Kyoya find out what else it's used for. He'll start thinking I like him, which is not true! My one true love will always be Lee Min Ho, even if he's in his late twenties or late thirties.

Wow, you can just feel the awkward.

~/-/~

"Okay…1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. Keep your eyes on your partner. The gentleman always leads." Kyoya instructed. I tripped about twice so far on my feet. "Got it!" I said.

"Hey! I'm actually pretty good at this!" I yelled excitedly, dancing a bit more faster, not even bothering to pay attention to anything else, not even noticing Kyoya staring at me or the others that were just in the background.

This is just like when Jan Di was invited to a dance with the F4 at a cruise and Jun Pyo was so jealous at his friend!

I was having so much fun until he decided to take a small break. I didn't want to!

"You're looking gloomy, sir." The twins asked just as I was about to sit down and there was Tamaki looking all glum and depressed.

"He did say he wanted to be the one they practiced with." Said Hikaru.

"He's too tall to stand in as a woman for both Haruhi and Mao." Kaoru said.

"Really? Is that it?" I bluntly said, making my own tea and some more for the others if they needed it. What else am I supposed to do while Kyoya and I are taking a break, "Aish, if you wanted to dance, I could save you one if you like you know." I said.

"REALLY?!" He cried and I nodded.

I couldn't hear some twins or a shadow king muttering to themselves because I started to watch _The King 2 Hearts._

"_[You're beautiful opening] x4" _And this just had to be the time for my phone to go off.

"Hello?" I answered, knowing its Mom or boss when I'm working for her.

"_Mao! Where are you?! There's a delivery you need to make by 5 o'clock! We need you! NOW!"_

"Okay…. I'll be there ten minutes tops! Love you too…Bye!" I hung up and picked up my motorcycle helmet I had in the backroom.

"Leaving again Mao?" Asked Kaoru.

"Well duh! I have a job you know! Maybe tomorrow, I'll dance with you!" I grinned, not realizing that his cheeks were turning slightly pink and his brother was angrily glaring at him.

"O-okay…." He said.

"Alright! Mao Kurosaki! Fighting!"

~/ONE WEEK LATER/~

"My little lambs, who have gathered here tonight, the Ouran Host Club bids you a fond welcome…" I've practiced so hard to make sure I don't make a fool out of myself. All of us, excluding Tamaki were standing at the grand staircase of the hall, me in the middle and Tamaki above me, since he's the king.

"We invite you to enjoy yourselves to your heart's content, as you dance with the Host Club members. In addition, the guest who is recognized as the best dancer, and is chosen as tonight's queen will receive an impassioned kiss on the cheek from the king."

"Good luck to you, baby." Tamaki winked. There go 75 percent of the people. I looked at Haruhi with a face that said, 'REALLY?'

"Haruhi, Mao, your enthusiasm is low." The twins said in sync to me and Haruhi.

"I'm not used to these kinds of dance parties. The only dance party I've ever been to is the _bon-odori_ festival at the neighbourhood park." Haruhi said.

"You probably can't call that a dance party. Well, you're both here anyway, so why don't you at least try the cuisine? There's a real spread." Kyoya says.

"A spread?" Haruhi muttered. "L-like with fancy tuna?" She continued, "And with Blue lobster?" I muttered, lightly blushing because I can probably check blue lobster off my list of foods I want to eat before I die. Everyone was in shock, so was Kyoya when his nib broke.

"Fancy Tuna and Blue lobster!?" Haruhi and I were mushed together, the twins pulling us into a hug, caressing our faces with their heads, tears in their eyes.

"You poor things…oh you poor things…" The twins added as Tamaki got Kyoya to call whomever to get us some deluxe sushi.

I don't know how I escaped but I did and went off to the buffet table to get some Blue lobster. Blue lobster, from what I've heard, is AMAZING! It's the 'Noblewoman' of seafood cuisine and looks so elegant! One of the rarest of the rare ingredients for your seafood dish! And I must try it!

I saw it and I had my sights on it…..

"AH HA!" I said, aiming to grab it, but some girl came soon after words and took the last of the blue lobster….

"NOO~!" Goodbye world….goodbye my one and only chance to have tasted the 'Noblewoman' blue lobster…..

~/-/~

"WAHH!" I was just dancing with one of my regulars and I was just whisked away. When this happened, I knew this was something the host club planned but I was too depressed to care because I didn't get to eat Blue lobster.

"Change into this!" I was pushed into the changing room with the package the twins gave me.

If we're all here, who the hell is out there entertaining the guests?

"Having an "accident" happen right at the end would be more thrilling. Remember, Mao, your time limit is 20 minutes to the party climax." I heard Kyoya talking while I was changing into this blue-white dress that reached below my knees.

"We've already called Suzushima to the adjoining classroom." Who is Suzushima?! And why did they have a wig that was wavy and black?! And why AM I DOING THIS!?

I came out and the twins were over there, ready to do my make-up. Great….my face is going to be fifteen pounds heavier….

"Gracefully ask him what his feelings are." Honey-senpai said. I think I'm going to call him Honey-Oppa now!

"Although, since this is his highness's strategy, there's something unsettling about it." The twins said.

"Hey! What's the big idea, having everyone in here? Haruhi's out there all by herself looking after our guests-" Tamaki said, barging in and then paused because of something. Oh god, I hope it's not me! Do I look ugly with make-up on!?

"What do you think, sir?" The twins popped up beside Tamaki.

"Mao-chan, you look cute!" Honey-oppa said.

"There is a reason why Mika is the girly sibling. I have clown make-up…I'm not wearing a skort…."I mumbled, standing up and fixing what needs to be fixed.

Oh my gosh, Kyoya's smiling…looking at me from top to bottom and smirking!? What is he?! Goon Jun Pyu!? My face isn't red isn't it!?

"Good luck in there!" The twins cheered behind me. I was so tempted to say "Go to hell" at them.

"She's so pretty." Tamaki muttered.

"Yeah…"

"Wait till she finds out that this is punishment for leaving early last week and that Kyoya added 20 more requests to her quota."

THOSE BASTARDS!

~/=/~

I opened the door to what I suspected was 2-C and there was who I thought was Suzushima. Man, I wish Haruhi was the one doing this because I could be in the grand hall eating that German Chocolate cake.

"You wrote this letter? You're a lot different from what I imagined."

"Letter?" I tilted my head, confused.

_**I'm in love-love! From the first time I ever saw you, my heart fell in super love-love! Tee-hee! It's like, I'm in a never-ending tropical cyclone, not unlike a typhoon, where love is whipping around in my heart, and I want to have a rendezvous with you on Noah's Ark! I do, I do!**_

What a horribly written letter! Who even wrote this!? 5000 yen saying it was Kyoya, Hikaru, and Kaoru.

"Excuse me but, have we met before?"

"N-no! This is the first time we've ever met!" THIS IS NOT ACTING! I am actually nervous! I'm going to kill the guys beside Haruhi, Honey-Oppa, and Mori-Oppa.

"I'm sorry." He said, getting me out of my thoughts, "I appreciate what you've said, but I cannot respond to your letter. I already have another girl who is dear to me." AWW~! If my ringtone for my friend from middle school played, it you be Love Love Love by Roy Kim. I love that song! It's so cute!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND!? MAKE HER YOUR GIRLFRIEND! I'LL PLAY THE SONG IF YOU NEED ME TO!

Well, this was a nice and lively chat, me convincing him that he should make the person he loves happy and stuff and then Kanako came. What a WTF moment that was. This kind of stuff happens in dramas and I love it!

"Kanako! KANAKO!" YES! GO RUN AFTER HER YOU SUPPOSE BORING MAN! GO AND CONVICE ME TO SHIP YOU TWO! *SNIFF* SO BEAUTIFUL!

_Ouran Host Club….exists in order to bring happiness to girls, huh?_

~/-/~

Spotlights went off and the cherry blossoms were in blooms. Suzushima caught up to Kanako-san and I just watched with excitement, hoping no one is watching me closely.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, this enjoyable evening of ours has to last come to its final song. The Host Club's last waltz falls upon this couple." Tamaki announced as everyone came outside to the balcony and watched Kanako and Suzushima dance so cutely. Awww!

All these lovey dovey feelings are just everywhere tonight and yes, I changed back into my boy attire. But back to the important stuff, THEY WERE DANCING! And I swear from the bottom of my heart, that I heard him confess and propose again to Kanako! AWWW! She looks so happy now!

"May this awkward couple be blessed!" Said Tamaki, Haruhi barely escaping a smack on the face!

"Tonight's dance queen…"

"…Is hereby declared to be Princess Kanako Kasugazaki!"

"Now then, the blessed kiss from the king…has been switched to Haruhi Fujioka!"

SAY WHAT!?

"After all, Kyoya-senpai said that having an "accident" happen right at the end would be more thrilling."

"Of all things to put me through…." Mumbled Haruhi.

"If you do, I'll cut the debt by a third." Kyoya says, writing down something.

"It's just a peck on the cheek." She said and started walking towards Kanako.

"Say, by any chance, could this be Haru-chan's first kiss?" Honey-Oppa asked.

Tamaki was startled and interfered, running right when Haruhi was about to kiss Kanako on the cheek but he slipped on a banana peel and Haruhi had to kiss Kanako straight on the lips.

"AHAHAHAHA~!" Oh wow! It's Men Doll Idol all over again when 'Kai' got her kiss from that Mika girl and then ends up turning lesbian or like they say, an 'L'.

"Why are you laughing?" Kyoya asked me while I tried to control myself.

"Her first kiss was from a girl…PFT! Wow! I wish I had a camera! It lasts longer! Hahahaha~!"

"Did you get your first kiss?" Hikaru asks me while Kaoru nods.

"They can't handle this! Besides, my mouth is too busy eating and tasting food." I said, finally in control.

"Oh." They all said. "Oh"? Really!? "OH?!"

Oh hey, cherry blossom petals are falling…..Mika would have such a Bleach moment.

~/=/~

"MAO-CHAN~! I heard you're calling Kyo-chan Kyoya-Oppa! Can you call me Oppa too!?" I'd like to see you guys try to say no to this guy! His face is too adorable to say no to!

And wait…when did he find out I called Kyoya, Kyoya-Oppa?! Did I say it too loud!?

"Um…sure!" I smiled.

"Great! Mao-chan, your oppa wants you to eat cake with me! Okay?"

I can finally have cake! YES!

"Cake for Mao! Yes! Fighting!" I fist pumped the air, not really paying attention to three guys staring at me as I ate to my heart's content.

* * *

_**((A/N: Avoiding telling about your first kiss huh Mao? *Smirks***_

_**MK: Shut up! I prefer a sizzling hot steak to a guy!**_

_**Host Club minus Haruhi: *broken hearts***_

_**CG: SHe didn't mean it you guys. She's just being what Mika calls "A Tsundere" *Does that air quotes thing***_

_**HH: That explains a lot. **_

_**KH: She should be called the "Tsundere" type then XD**_

_**CG: Okay...You guys talked long enough! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^^ I'll see you guys next chapter and remember...xXCROSSxGAMEXx does not allow the consumption of herbal substances :3**_


	3. Beware the Physical Exams! Seriously?

**_((A/N: "I- I just died in your arms tonight! Must have been something you said!" *notices you guys watching me and stops singing* er...Hahahaha. You all did not see anything. _**

**_Why the heck is there a third chapter!? Oh yeah, to continue the story, duh! XDD_**

**_As you can see, more like read, I listen to a lot of 80's music and it was the era my mom lived through. (Out of Topic, you guys better respect your moms! They gave you like and they can take it away (not really) I owe my mom everything. Sure, she can't understand why I love what I love, but she was a teenager once. Every adult was once a teenager believe it or not.)_**

**_I should at least do this once or else the fire marshal will come in my room and shed its human and then kill me!_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC That's Bisco Hatori's work! I just own the fanfiction, the OC's and all the other funny a/n's that I make here (If they're funny at all, which I think they're not). There, I said it!_**

**_Now go read the story ~ ))_**

* * *

Hi.

If you're still following the story, you probably already know that I'm Mao Kurosaki. Yes, I'm the other scholarship student that attends this elite school called Ouran Academy where the rich attend. It's so like Shin Hwa Academy with the Elementary, Middle, High school, and University.

Yeah, you can already tell that I'm such a Korean Drama addict, but I like food, too. So, I made a friend with this girl named Haruhi Fujioka and the two of us ended up breaking this vase worth eight million yen that we have to pay back by getting requested 1000 times each. Well, me 1040 since they raised my quota. And now I'm having a wonderful dream about Macaroonlandia until…

BEEP BEEP BEEEEP BEEEP!

"GAHH~!" The alarm went off and I ended up rolling out of bed, still tangled up by my bed sheets and Mika still sleeping soundly. Trust me, there can be an earthquake and she'd still be asleep. I got up and tried to smooth out the bed hair I had and threw a pillow at my sister.

"Wake up…we have school!" I told her, hitting her at least four times until she budged.

~/+/~

The Prince of Asia, Jang Geun Suk, is so sexy and I just love how he's so OCD in _You're Beautiful._ That drama, along with _Coffee Prince,_ is one of my best Korean dramas where the female lead gender bends. I love it because that's technically what I'm going through right now only instead of being surrounded by two or three guys, it's six.

So today instead of having host club hours inside the third music room, we had them out in the gardens for a flower viewing reception. Honey-Oppa, Mori-Oppa, and Haruhi, were wearing kimonos while the rest of us wore these waiter outfits. PFT. Kai Qi**[1]** wishes she had a cooking uniform like mine!

"Oh Mao-kun, you look so dashing wearing that waiter uniform. Have you made anything for us today?" Nana asked me as I came with a dessert cart, revealing White Blueberry tea and some different coloured Macaroons. "I made these two days ago. The shells become slightly soft from absorbing the fillings flavour. As for the tea, it's shipped all the way from the Fujian province in China. It leaves a clean and refreshing finish and it's very aromatic."

"Wow, you really know your things Mao-kun."

"I just do what's best for my dear ladies who give me the energy to pour my heart into everything I make."

Squealing fangirls will last for about five minutes. Yay, it gives me time to at least taste some treats from Honey-Oppa's side. But wait…I told mom I was going to calculate how much we have in our savings and how much we're going to have to pay for the bills.

I took a break from requests and at least tried to enjoy the viewing. It's really beautiful; I really wish some drama's had some cherry blossom viewings in some of scenes. I guess I wasn't the only one since Haruhi came over to also take a breather.

"Haruhi, Mao. How are you two doing? Are you having a good time?" Oh Jesus Christ! When did he get here?!

…..AND I DROPPED CAKE!

"Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi said.

"The flower viewing reception is going over quite well. But even so, it's rather daunting to spend more time being admired and doing the admiring." He said doing those poses that I just didn't give crap about because I was more worried over my dead cake. My cake….

"Oh wow senpai, you're blooming in more ways than one." Haruhi sweat dropped. I really didn't know if it was a comment or sarcastically.

"You noticed! Today my beauty is quite splendorous as I'm in full bloom. I bet you two will fall for me soon!" No way! He reminds me of that guy that wants to marry Kai Qui…What's his name? GAH! I can't remember!

And for Haruhi, she just couldn't believe Tamaki and I'm guessing her respect for the guy dropped, which explains the kite or something.

"So Haruhi, Mao, have you decided your elective courses for this term?" Hikaru and Kaoru just appeared out of nowhere, hugging both Haruhi and I. Hikaru with me and Kaoru with Haruhi. They gave me this list of the Elective courses and I just happened to look at them.

"How about Conversational French?" Kaoru asks us. Wait…where is his hand?

"I don't know." Haruhi says.

"I think the four of us should take it together."

"It makes perfect sense." Hikaru continued.

"We are in the same class." The twins grinned at Tamaki, sending him over to his emo corner. He must like Haruhi; he's just too narcissistic to know about it!

If he stayed to hear about my version of it, he would know that I'm actually going to take Entrepreneurship, Conversational Spanish and German, Economics, and French cuisine.

"Say, mommy dear?" Tamaki asks. I wonder that I can hear his conversation.

"What is it now..Daddy?" I can't believe Kyoya-Oppa is going along with this act.

"I have a new theory, I mean, it's just my hypothesis, but, it seems by being in the same class, Hikaru and Kaoru are able to spend more time with Haruhi and Mao than I get to here at the club! This gives them a chance to get close to them…and if that happens…" Tama-Hyung…you're so stupid…I thought you were in class A.

"Tamaki, you just realized that?" Kyoya asks calmly, Tamaki instantly freaking out. Out of nowhere, Kyoya-Oppa pulls out two different charts.  
"According to my research, in a single day, the twins spend roughly nine hours of class time with Haruhi and Mao. Meanwhile, your contact with them is limited to a couple hours of club activities. In other words, your involvement in their lives is merely a three percent."

"Wait. Aren't you exactly the same? You're not counting yourself." Tamaki asked.

"Me? I'm involved in Haruhi's life for three percent, like you. For Mao…" I felt eyes on me and I tried not to pay attention. Wait, he can't be in my classes' right? I'm just a first year. However, I am in Social Economics now (1½ hrs.), German I and II (3 hrs.), club (3 hrs.), and I think art class (1½ hrs.) So, three times three equals nine. He's in nine hours in my life! How the hell did that happen!?

"AH! I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT! I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!" Tamaki freaks out again, running over and grabbing us from the Twins. "Listen, Haruhi and Mao. I want you to stay away from those shady twins and Mommy! Especially Mommy, from now on!" He was looking at me specifically when he said that.

"Hey! Who you calling shady?"

"Yeah! Take a good look at yourself, boss!"

He moved back in horror. I was tempted to hit him with a frying pan and sadly, there was none around.

"Alright then! We can't go on, hiding the fact that you two are girls from the school any longer!" Tamaki cries. "UGH! All that Daddy wants is you two going back to the girls you used to be!" Tamaki continues. If only he knew the situation. Kyoya was in the background, writing on his notebook.

"For the two of you to surround yourselves with girlfriends and start leading a wholesome life!"

"Who are you calling Daddy?" Haruhi mutters.

"So do it! Change back! Change back right now!" Tamaki shakes us violently. I could feel my lunch coming up right now.

"You don't have to rush things…They're going to be found out soon enough." Hikaru said.

"Physical exams are the day after tomorrow." Kaoru said. Physical Exams…..Isn't that where….

~_Mao's inner thoughts theatre~ _

_ROSES! SO MUCH ROSES! AND THERE, DAZALLING AS ALWAYS, WILL BE LEE MIN HO TAKING OFF HIS SHIRT! KYAH! AND INSTEAD OF GIVING HEAT TO JAN DI, HE GIVES SOME OF HIS WARMTH TO ME IN THAT EPISODE!_

_But in the way of my little fantasy are a shirtless Tamaki and Kyoya! NOO! GIVE ME LEE MIN HO! OR THE PRINCE OF ASIA!_

"That's right, I forgot all about it." Kyoya-Oppa said. HOW CAN HE FORGET!?

Every one of the guys, including Mori-Oppa and Honey-Oppa, were staring at us.

"Then that means…" Haruhi says. "There's no doubt…" I said, joining in with her. "They're gonna know…We're girls!" Everyone, excluding Kyoya-Oppa, freak out.

~/+/~

_In Tamaki's brain imagination:_

"_Haruhi!" He shouts, running over to a Haruhi wearing the uniform the girls wear. She turns around, looking at Tamaki. She has a cute braid in her hair. "Been waiting long? What's the matter, you look a little down." Haruhi blushes._

"_I can't help it…everyone keeps staring at me for some reason…I'm so embarrassed!" Haruhi says, shyly. Tamaki grabs hold of her face and waist, bringing her closer, "They're looking at you because you're lovely! Don't you worry. I promise that I will protect you no matter."_

"_Oh, senpai. That makes me feel better. Thank you, I mean it." Haruhi grabs him._

"_Oi! GET AWAY FROM TAMAKI-OPPA!" Another voice yells out, Mao. She was also dressed in the yellow frilly uniform, a scowl on her face. "I won't give him to you Haruhi! We maybe friends but we're rivals for Oppa's affections!"_

"_You're so stupid Mao! He likes me!" Haruhi argues._

"_No! He likes me!" Haruhi argues back, walking face to face. "Ladies, Ladies!" Tamaki grins. "I can be both of yours!"_

"_Oh wow Tamaki-senpai/Oppa! That makes us so happy! We're in love-love with you Tamaki-senpai/Oppa!"_

"_Haha~! You two are so cute!" _

_End of Tamaki's imagination._

"He must be having a great daydream" Honey Oppa says.

"He's kinda creeping me out." Hikaru mutters.

"Envious, Hikaru?" Tamaki jumps up, "Yes, this is all part of my strategy. While your wasted time blinded by jealously, I've foreseen the outcome of this charade."

"This anime is obviously a love triangle school romcom! Haruhi, Mao, and I are the main characters! So that means we're love interests! They are competing for my affections!" I'm right in the kitchen if you need me!

"Yeah, then what are we?" The twins asked in unison.

"You guys…" He pointed towards them and said, "Are the homo-sexual supporting cast!"

He drew a line with a stick, separating them from him. How did he do that?! He's not even outside in the dirt! "So please make sure that you don't step across this line."

"Listen boss. I don't think you get it." The twins said, saying their own little sentence.

"If word gets out that Haru-chan and Mao-chan are girls, then they won't be able to be in the host club anymore."

Tamaki turned white, "But, if Mao-chan and Haru-chan wore girl's clothes, I bet they'd be even more cuter than they are now." Honey-Oppa said. God, If being cute is a crime, then Honey-Oppa is guilty!

I came out of the kitchen to at least give them something to drink and it wasn't until my life in middle school that I became involved with this.

"You and Haruhi dressed as girls in middle school, right? You must have been pretty popular!" Hikaru said to me.

"I'm not sure about Haruhi but for me, yeah I guess. I couldn't wear anything frilly or anything like that because it could catch on fire in the kitchen."

"Yes, according to my investigation report, someone would declare their undying love for Haruhi every month. As for Mao, someone would declare their hatred because she was friends with all their boyfriends." He makes it sound so bad that I talk to guys that are in a relationship. It's not my fault that people want to hang out with me, some girls actually didn't mind because I made sure the guys didn't cheat on them.

"Oh I see, so the boss wouldn't be able to get close to them." "But, we'd be able to because we're in class with them all day long." Ah. You forgot Kyoya-Oppa you idiots, I have some classes with him apparently. Speaking of Kyoya-Oppa, his nib broke again. What's wrong with these people!?

"Hey guys…sorry I'm so late.." And so came Haruhi and Tamaki pulled the two of us, seriously saying, "DON'T YOU WORRY HARUHI, MAO. WE'RE DETERMINED TO KEEP YOUR SECRET! NO ONE WILL FIND OUT THAT YOU TWO ARE REALLY GIRLS DURING TOMORROWS PHYSICAL EXAMS! SO, PLEASE, PROMISE US YOU'LL BOTH STAY OUR SECRET BELOVED PRINCESSES!"

"Ah….." That was all that came out of my mouth….Sometimes, I do have fantasies where I wear a cute outfit and then a boy notices me. I enchant him with my ability to cook and we both fall in love!

"Sure…" Haruhi replies, not really knowing what's going on.

"You know, I think both of us would be a bit peeved if we have to watch all the boys flirt with them. Especially _her_ since she's inexperienced! She just watches dramas and gets the general idea!" Hikaru said and his twin agreed. HEY! I KNOW A COUPLE OF THINGS! I KNOW HOW TO SEE LOVE WHEN SOMEONE ELSE CAN'T!

"And that settles it!" Kaoru agreed.

So…"_Operation Conceal Haruhi and Mao's Gender! Also named "Operation: I Swear Haruhi and Mao are Boys!" is underway!"_ was written on this white board that just appeared out of nowhere. There was a thing about things appearing here out of nowhere huh?

Tamaki was instructing them…almost like a military plan, telling them at the physical exams to position themselves in position 'A' or something. They agreed, mostly the twins, and Honey-Oppa gasped, and clapped.

"I got it! You guys are worried that if they find out we're girls, we can't be hosts and won't pay off our debt." Haruhi said and then started to calculate the number…I did too but that also reminded me to tally the number on everyone's account.

"Our balance is 5, 033, 332 Yen. Well, I guess we're going to come up with another way to pay you back, right Mao?" Haruhi asked me.

"Um...excuse me…Okay my bank account balance is 99,567 yen. Salary from the 'Princess House' café is 6,700 yen…cram school costs about 35,000 yen per month…Savings is about 60,000…Mom's and Dad's account balance equal to 6,456,898 yen but since they spent it on some new ingredients…take away 67,430 that gives them 6,389,468…but their savings has about 893,233 that equals 7,282,701…We'll have enough money after all!" I said outloud…

"Do something! The subjects appear to not have any motivation!" The twins told Tamaki, deadpanning.

"Uh...why'd we get stuck with such difficult heroines...Are you both saying you hate being hosts?! That you hate this club!?" Tamaki shouted at us.

"To be honest, I have to say yes." Haruhi replied bluntly which sent Tamaki to his emo corner. I looked up from my little notepad and looked at everyone, besides Haruhi and me, on one side.

"Hey I know you guys aren't bad but if word gets out I'm a girl, there's nothing I can do about it." Haruhi said pleasantly.

Is like saying the last word my thing or something now?

"Uh…actually, I kind of like this host club…" I said and all heads snapped at attention. Tamaki might actually have some hope or something. "It's kind of nice being a guy and now dad doesn't have to worry giving me away because I will always have Lee Min Ho Oppa~!...you know I think I'll reveal myself as a girl just to piss him off. " I said, sheepishly rubbing my head and they sunk their heads in shame.

"They don't seem to care one way or the other!" Hikaru said, eying me without me noticing when I started daydreaming about Lee Min Ho and him being younger and then taking his shirt off. What about Kim Hyun Joong? He actually looks better with his hair short instead of that long hair! Such deep eyes and irresistible smiles!

"Before we do anything else, we have to find a way to motivate them." Said Kaoru.

Mori-Oppa got to thinking and said, "Fancy tuna and Blue lobster!" Haruhi's and my eyes widen. Not only widened but my mouth started watering just thinking about how delicious it tastes.

"Oh that right! You didn't get a chance to eat it during last episodes party, did you?" Oh crap, Tamaki's in his black mode. "Mao's lobster was taken away by that girl, and you're a drama addict, right?" I winced. Don't tease me about food! WAH!

"Did you hear that? She's never eaten fancy tuna before! And Mao's poor chance to eat some rich food." Hikaru mutters in some gossiping way to Kaoru.

"Wow, talk about a difficult childhood and an obsession!" Kaoru mutters.

"If only they'd stay in the host club, then Haru-chan could have all the fancy tuna and Mao-chan could have all the blue lobster and yummy things whenever they want." Honey-Oppa whispered to Usa-chan.

"What are you talking about don't be silly? Just cause I'm poor and never had it doesn't mean I'm so much of a glutton that I go around fooling everyone about my gender just to try some fancy tuna." Haruhi mutters, basically saying things that just might make her stay.

"And just cause I'm poor and run a café with my family doesn't mean I won't be able try some blue lobster. I can't go around fooling everyone about my gender to only try some blue lobster. I mean I can always try it in ten to fifteen years from now when I'm a chef and….." I trailed off, looking at them smirking, and then slowly limp into their group.

"Can there also be curry with it?"

"One, done." Hikaru said. Kaoru, Honey, Tamaki and Kyoya nodded.

"Am I really going to try it?" Haruhi mutters. Everyone shouted excluding Mori-Oppa and Kyoya-Oppa.

"Why are you anxious to try Blue lobster? Isn't normal lobster enough?" Kyoya-Oppa asked me, writing down stuff as always. I pouted and decided to give a nice a beautiful rant about it.

"Blue lobster is also known as the "Noblewoman"! It got its name during the Victorian era because its colour reminded everyone of how beautiful it was! One of the rarest of rare ingredients that you can only get in the English Channel! Its meat is full of flavour and described to be sweeter than the red lobster!" I said, in the background, a blue lobster showing itself, surrounded by other spices for some curry!

"You're pretty passionate about food." The twins said in sync. Is that something bad or good? Oh well, I just smiled it off. "Yeah! Throwing away food is like throwing way happiness! When I cook or eat, I feel more happier."

**~/The very next day baba ba bmp baba ba bmp /~**

"We will begin conducting physical examinations shortly. All students please proceed to the clinic in your respective school building." Okay magical talking box coming from the wall. I wish Honey-Oppa or Mori-Oppa was here, those two I can trust but everyone else, I have to watch out for them.

"What do they do here during physical exams at Ouran anyway?" Haruhi asked as I trailed behind them.

"It's no different from a physical exam you'd get at any other school." Hikaru answers. "Yeah. Why would a physical examination be any different just because we're rich?" Kaoru finishes. Well, there are many things about that. Back at my old school, they would call student to student to the nurse's office. And then we get a lollipop.

"Ha, you're right. I didn't think about it that way." Haruhi said. We opened the doors of the infirmary and all these nurses and doctors were standing in a straight line, bowing to us. "Welcome students."

CRAP! I feel like I'm in an episode of _House_ only without the doctor that really just doesn't give a crap and something has to go wrong.

"Whoa!" I said. "W-w-what is this?" Haruhi said, a bit panicky.

"Just a regular physical exam…" Hikaru said.

"The usual." Kaoru said.

If this is happening, do I get at least a lollipop?

"The usual?" Haruhi questioningly asked. I don't care as long as I don't embarrass myself or if I get a reward for going through this.

Two nurses showed up, bowing to the twins, "Excuse me, Hitachiin brothers. Please follow me to have your height measured!" One of the nurses said politely. Wow, I'm starting to see so much niceness.

"Sure thing!" They said in unison, walking to follow the nurse. If I remembered right, they're sons to some popular fashion designer…almost as popular as Jeon Ji Hyun, who is Korea's #1 fashionista. I love her!

"Mr. Fujioka?" A nurse walks up to Haruhi. "I'm your nurse for these physical exams this afternoon." She smiled and Haruhi followed. I'm alone now…..

_Papa! Papa~! PAAPA~!_

I looked, ignoring the headache and saw Honey-oppa and Mori-oppa dressed as doctors. I sweat-drop, and looked at Haruhi, who was right now in front of me. We just looked at each other, trying to at least come up with an answer as to why they decided to do that.

"I brought those two for backup in case something happens." Yay, something Kyoya done right! I can trust Honey and Mori-Oppa a lot than the other.

"But why are they in doctor disguises?" Asked Haruhi. "They're just helping to set the mood. Disguises make our operation feel like a real espionage mission." Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up his nose. I thought about it carefully and it sounded something like Iris when those twins confused both the drug dealers and the police force! So awesome!

"Wow, Mrs. Shiramine!" Some doctor said to this chubby yet cute girl, "You've lost two whole kilograms since last year!" The nurses there clapped for the awesome news. "That's so good to hear! I thought for sure I was heavier!" Shiramine said, all happy and stuff. "Not at all. Keep it up and you'll be even healthier next year!" The doctor says, smiling.

I like how all the doctors and nurses were just so nice to the students. It's actually good to cheer up people like that. This is one of the things I like about the rich world. I was too happy to even see Kyoya looking at me from the corner of his eyes, thinking. _She's fit to live the life of first class_.

"Don't you think it's weird? That these doctors are jolly and nice?" Haruhi says. "Well, wouldn't you like to be treated that way when you visit the doctor instead of visiting the office with the receptionist filing her nails and popping gum?" I said, really not liking the family clinic my parents go to.

"They're chosen by the school's chairman. This maybe a school, but it's also a business." Kyoya answers. "Therefore, he wants to keep the students happy. After all, most of the students who attend Ouran Academy come from prominent family that have their own private doctors at home. So this…is just a formality."

"Well, it's working! I'm already happy that I'm allowed to study here!" I said, probably having flowers or something fly around me like Honey-Oppa that I didn't pay attention to some doctor bumping into me. "I'm terribly sorry." He apologizes. "That's okay. I was not paying attention!" I said as he bows quickly and goes away, running.

"Huh…" Kyoya says, deep in thought. It's actually pretty nice to see him like that…wait…what? "What's wrong?" I asked him and he just shook his head." Nothing. Come along." He really does sound like an Oppa~! Tee-hee!

Tee-hee?

Sure enough, I was just standing there, watching the twins bare-chested again. All the girls were 'Kyaa! Kyaa! Kyaa!' while I was must red faced, possibly thinking about Jang Geuk Suk Oppa shirtless. That reminds me! They made a Japanese version of _you're_ _Beautiful_ and I must watch it when I get home!

"See, Haruhi? A rather impressive turn out today!" Kyoya says, as I try to cover my eyes from all the hotness. Haruhi was sweat dropping, wondering what was wrong with the girls here at this school. "Physical exam day is quite popular with the ladies, isn't it, Mao?"

"Huh?" I turned my head and then I imagine Gackt shirtless like in that video…..Oh snap… I turned and tried to cover my mouth from squealing too much. Some of my saliva slipped from my mouth and then my whole hand smelled like peppermint and saliva. Eww. And I was going to make Lavender-Honey Ice Cream today.

"Here." Kyoya handed me a handkerchief and some sanitizer. "Thank you." I said and wiped my hands carefully to get every corner and crescent, slipped some sanitizer everywhere because if I make anything, I must be clean!

"That reminds me. I got to start carrying some hand sanitizer. Maybe I'll head to the mall today and get some." I said, handing back his sanitizer, wherever he got it. "I'll clean the handkerchief and give it to you tomorrow."

"No it's fine. Keep it with you." He said.

"Cool."

My train of thought disappeared as I looked around to see where my friend had left. As for Mori and Honey, they left as well. Since Haruhi's a girl, how will she come out?

"Mr. Kurosaki, I'll be your nurse for today." This nurse just came out of nowhere, "After they're done with Mr. Fujioka, we'll go next." She said. I nodded my head, surprising Kyoya that I'm actually going along with this idea. What they don't know is that I planned something.

"Mr. Fujioka? Are you ready to be measured now?" Asked the nurse. While all the girls waited anxiously to see manry Haruhi. ((I MENT TO SPELL IT THAT WAY!))

"Yes." I heard Tamaki-Hyungs voice. What?

The curtains opened when I heard the voice and there was Tamaki with a brown wig on his head. "Yes. I'm Haruhi Fujioka."

Weirdest Physical Exam day…ever…

The girls were asking if he was trying to be funny or something and then the twins bursted out laughing. Poor Haruhi.

"Mr. Kurosaki, time for your measurements!" Said the nurse and all the girls just turned their heads from the whole incident and focused on me. I smiled and followed the nurse to the curtain. Kyoya almost stopped me but I told him to just trust me. Big surprise, he did.

"Once you finish disrobing, will you please come with me?" The nurse asked while I started to unbutton my jacket and untie my tie.

This is going to be easy.

I opened the curtains and the girls just frenzied over how 'slim' and 'lean' I was. I only had my shirt and pants on, the shirt was open because….

I was wearing tape to have an open shirt chest binding. Super effective! TAKE THAT LAWS OF NATURE!

~/+/~

"How…?" Tamaki asked while he got over his funk. I was tying my tie as I had all the guys look at me as I'm some sort of magician.

"Having a sister who's an Otaku and cosplays like a guy 80 percent of the time can be really affective!" I answered them excitedly; a bit happy that I have a sis that's such a pro.

"Way to go sis!" The twins gave me four thumbs up.

"Please explain." Kyoya said.

"Okay…well. There are at least three ways for a girl to cosplay as a boy. Tape is what Mika used on me to make sure I looked like a boy when my shirt was open. ((I shall explain this carefully later))"

"Mika-chan sure helped Mao-chan big time, right?" Honey-Oppa asked.

"You got that right. I'm going to be honest, I was scared. I didn't think they would be so gullible."

~/+/~

Special boys clinic! Haruhi's over there! Pervert Doctor! MUST SAVE FRIEND!

"Tama-chan kick!" Tamaki burst in, kicking the guy in the face, making him hit the wall. Poor guy.

"One . . . good looks that attract the public eye. . . ." Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison, looking a bit dark.

"Two . . . more wealth than you can imagine . . ." Kyoya said as he stepped in. That line really does have a certain ring for Kyoya-Oppa. And he looks a bit more dark than usual…so awesome!

"Three . . .Chivalry that will never to be able to overlook . . . . ." Said Mori-Oppa. Wow, so cool

" . . . . . .the hideous wickedness of this world. . . ." Said Honey-oppa: finishing Mori-Oppa's sentence. I watched as Tamaki put his shirt on top of Haruhi. Such a gentleman.

"Four. . . To aide those that need true happiness..." I said this black aura surrounding me because this is my friend we're taking about. "That's what makes up the Ouran Host club!" Tamaki said.

"We're here! Watch out!" Everyone, excluding Kyoya, and Haruhi said toward the man who was now begging for mercy.

We all stepped outside to hear his story.

"I live in the next town over, I'm a doctor of a small emergency clinic there. My name is Yabu." The man said.

"That's crazy, what a terrible name for a doctor. Unless your quack." Both the twins said.

"I know but I'm here hoping to see my daughter. My wife left me last month and took my daughter with her but I know she attends school here."

"Not to pry into your family life but why did your wife leave you." Haruhi asked.

"I'm not a person that is good with money and I live in a life full of constant debt. One day, my wife said she had enough and decided to leave to her mother's house and took my daughter with her! I can't say no to anybody. I don't blame them from leaving me when we live our life in constant debt!" Geez, that sounds like my family when Mika decides to spend almost a million yen just for new anime merchandise or pretty clothes.

"That's so tragic!" Tamaki seemed to be the only one moved by the story of poor Doctor Yabu out of the guys and Haruhi. It's amazing that he's travelled this far just to see his daughter one last time.

"Doctor Yabu, I think you have the wrong place. Are you looking for Ouran Public High School?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"I figured that might be the case. This is Ouran Academy, a private institution. Your daughter doesn't go here." Kyoya, just say to the whole world why don't cha.

"Man, that's sad, you don't even know what school your own daughter goes to?

"I bet your relationship is messed up because you don't pay attention to her not because of some stupid debt." GRR. I grabbed their ears and looked at them angrily!

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU EATING ONLY OUT OF EXPIRED BENTO BOXES AND LIVING IN THE STREETS WHEN YOUR CAFÉ RUNS OUT OF MONEY AND PAY BACK THE PROPERTY OWNERS!" I yelled at their ears.

"OW OW! OKAY! OKAY! SORRY!" I let go as they started rubbing their ears. I hate it when they talk about debt that way. Debt is much harsher than they think it is…..

"Wow Kyo-chan, I'm impressed that you figured out that he had the wrong school." Honey-Oppa said.

"Well there's no way the daughter of such a small time doctor would ever be able to get into Ouran Academy." Hey, I'm the daughter of a small time café owner and I got in! Man...and you think you know a person…

"Kyoya...will you please get a map of all the public school in this area. I'd like to help this man find his daughter." Tamaki said. I was surprised to, along with Kyoya-_san_ and Haruhi.

"Whatever you say." Kyoya said. We all said our goodbyes to Doctor Yabu and he went his way to go see his daughter. I just ignored everything and stared out the window, watching the doc's figure get smaller and smaller.

*Sniff* *Sniff*

"Mao-chan, are you crying?" Honey-Oppa said. I looked at the guys and Haruhi, smiling and wiping my eyes.

"Sorry…these kinds of things just get to me. It's kind of sweet he walked all this way just to speak to his daughter."

"Are you sure about that?"

"After all, even if he did find his daughter, there's a chance she won't speak to him." Kaoru said.

"Well then, it's just something that he'll have to find out by himself." Tamaki said, sounding much more mature than how he normally acts. Haruhi's level of respect for Tamaki just rose higher than expected!

I glanced back out there to the cherry blossom path and smiled.

"'A man thinks of changing the world but a man thinks less about changing themselves.'"

"Hey listen, can you guys all get out." Haruhi said, shocking Tamaki.

"Haruhi, you're not thinking about quitting the host club are you? You're not angry with me are you?!"

Haruhi started chuckling, "Don't be silly senpai, I just got to finish my exam as a male student of course." She's growing up little by little. "Oh and I'm not doing this because you're bribing me with fancy tuna, I'm doing it to pay back my debt!" She smiled and Tamaki's gone to Haruphile mode and blushed.

"You're so cute Haruhi! I know you're just after that fancy tuna!"

"Get off of me senpai! Hey, don't touch me there!"

"Red card! Tamaki-Hyung is the real pervert!" I said. "Red card! Red card!" Said the twins.

"Who cares! Will you guys just get out of here!?" Yeah, these are my crazy friends. The Ouran Host club! "Hahaha~!"

* * *

**_((A/N: *drinking Coca Cola and eating a big Mac* Man, now I know why America loves these and I mean the Hetalia America not the Real life america! Get it right!_**

**_Wow, I just realized Blue Lobster to Mao is like Fancy tuna to Haruhi XDD_**

**_Random Hetalia Pick up line: Norway - "I grind harder than coffee." _**

**_Yeah I couldn't help myself! XDDD GASP I should make my own OHSHC pick up lines. That would be great! I feel another pick up line coming up~_**

**_Levi Ackerman: "You're the only thing that I like dirty." PFT~ I'm sorry. _**

**_Well...Favorite, Follow, Review, I don't know. Just keep supporting the story! Remember okay, I don't allow the consumption of herbal substances~_**

**_Now I'm going to go crazy with BABYMETAL and some K-Pop bands ~_**

**_Until next chapter~ ))_**


	4. The Lady Manager! Another Otaku?

_**((A/N: Chapter four huh? Well, I had to because the episode Renge appears is one of my favorites (episode 7, 8, and 19 are like the comedy that I like) **_

_**So...What will happen with Mao when she meets Renge, the other Otaku that somehow wandered in her life! Oh and if you read my stories a lot, yes I copied then pasted some stuff from my other previous works. Sorry, got a bit lazy and had writers block /shot TT~TT**_

_**Well, I'm not going to just sit in front of the computer and have you read my rants! I'll let you guys read the story now!**_

_**Enjoy ~ *makes a dramatic Tamaki pose* ))**_

* * *

"Welcome"

As you have known, Lineage comes first followed by money that is the order of precedence at Ouran Academy. Most of the female population gathers like butterflies in the spring to the gardens of the Ouran Host Club, who thirst for nothing but a woman's happiness.

"Tamaki, why oh why, are you so beautiful? _**((PFFTTT I laugh at this part no matter what XDD))**_

"So as to be pleasing in your eyes…"  
"Why is your voice so lustrous?"  
"So my feelings will reach your heart."  
"Tamaki, why are your eyes so dewy and glistening…?"  
"Your beautiful smile...it makes the pool of my soul brim with joy…"

"Oh Tamaki…."These girls sigh so much but what kind of woman cannot resist a guy that is at the brink of tears. I was customerless, most of them are at their other clubs like the Culinary club. _"WAIT! THEY HAVE THAT!? I SHOULD JOIN!"  
"You can't. You may practice your culinary skills here in the club. It'll decrease your debt by one third."_

Yeah…that's what's stopping me from joining other clubs. I can't afford getting more debt, not while I still got to pay for my cellphone bill. Speaking of cellphone, I just got a text message from Mika.

_To: Mao-kun_

_From: MikaThEotaku_

_Mao-kun! CaN yOu PlEaSe TaKe PhOtOs oF yOuR hOsT cLuB fRiEnDs!? PlEaSe!?Also, if you need any more cosplaying stuff just ask me!_

Yep. My sister is Mika Kurosaki and she's an Otaku, obsessed over Anime, Manga and Homestuck. Don't get me wrong, I like anime and Homestuck and all that Sherlock stuff but my true love has always been Asian Dramas! Mostly Korean because they truly are 'dripping' with human emotion'!

Anyways, the guys, Haruhi, and I, are all wearing Kimonos. I'm just serving the tea and sweets if they wanted me to. I can't tell you how many times I had to watch Hikaru and Kaoru do their brotherly love act in front of me when I've clearly seen enough drama where this kind of stuff happens. Oh crap….I just simply wore a blind fold like any sane person would do!

"Good for you, Mao." Haruhi said, untying my blindfold when I passed the twins hopefully the last time. They were booing silently because their plan didn't work. What plan?

"Haruhi!" Some of Haruhi's customers pop up, "You look so cute in that kimono!"

"Yeah! Just like a girl!" I know right? She's even cuter than Mika. Don't tell her I said that!

"Mao-kun! You look so manly and you have it almost open all the way." One said at me. I smiled and blushed a bit just to add to the sweet side of me. "Thank you, it means a lot from you Asami Noona." I said, making the girl blush when I called her Noona.

"What does Noona mean Mao-kun?" The girls asked me, "Noona is Korean for big sister both literally and figuratively. Just like Hyung, we used it to people we're close to or give high respect." I said. "That's cute! I wonder how you say 'I love you' in Korean?" They left once Haruhi said thanks.

_It's saranghaeyo!_

"Haruhi, Mao." Kyoya-Oppa says, writing in his book or whatever it looks like. I rather write on a notebook with these cute Korean pens Dad got for my birthday, "It seems you both have had a steady flow of customers, including you Mao." I feel so proud of myself. I just fist pumped the air, "I just work hard!"

"Keep up the good work." Kyoya-Oppa continues, and smiling at us. Shouldn't I call him Kyoya-_Hyung _since I'm a _guy _now? "I'm not going to add interest in your debts as I normally would so keep this up and you two should be able to pull it off." All of a sudden, a ridiculous amount of roses surround him like in a drama, "Although, the rental fee on those kimonos you two are wearing is nothing to sneeze at." Look at him….looking so innocent….such a tax collector.

His eyes narrowed and he smiles again, "That's another 1000 yen to your debt Mao."

EH!? O⌂o Haruhi slaps my head and I attempt to super glue my mouth.

"Hello Kyoya." Two random girls pop up. "I can't get over on how great you look in that kimono!" They say. _Stop flirting with my Kyoya-Hyung!_ Wait…'My Kyoya-Hyung?!' Who died and made Kyoya my property? "Are you planning to release anymore of the picture books of the host club?" The same girl asks. Okay…I shall make my sister write your name on her Death Note then. Ahahaha….Kyoya's watching me….What…?

"Unfortunately, we don't have anything planned at present ladies." Kyoya says, smiling at them. Why do these girls blush at guys like Kyoya, Hikaru, Tamaki and etc.? They should be blushing like crazy at guys like Gackt, Lee Min Ho, Kyu Wo Bin, Taemin, Hyung Seong, Han Geng, Alexander, Kibum, and Onew. Too many Celebrities crushes' Mao!

"But doesn't the club make a lot of money?" Hikaru asks. "From the sale of promotional items?" Kaoru finishes as they pop up from the screen behind Kyoya. His face then turns unreadable. "That's true but the items are poor quality…those pictures were nothing but amateur hidden camera shots…" Wow…so that's how I look like as a boy in a photo. I look sexy! I think, I couldn't tell because it was so blurry!

"However, if we want to create some high quality money making products, I'm afraid we'd have to draw money from the schools budget." Aww, he pulled out his calculator! Speaking of math, I need to ask Kyoya if he can pass me his notes from Social Economics class. The host club sure does run well with Kyoya around.

"Hey do you smell something burning?" Asked Haruhi.

"NOT THE BLACK FOREST CAKE!" I said, running off to the kitchen and hopefully I saved it from burns.

After I saved the cake, I went back to the room and saw Honey-Oppa crying to Haruhi about his lost sandal.

"Mitsukuni…" Mori-Oppa says, "You dropped it." He said, slipping on Honey's sandal on his foot like a loyal servant. Wow, a master and loyal servant relationship running through the Haninozuka and Morinozuka family, huh? That's so cute~!

"Takashi…TAKASHI!" Today is so full of tears. First, Tamaki-Hyung then the twin and now Honey-Oppa. It would be the end of the world if Kyoya started to tear up.

"Looks like tears are popular with the ladies today…" Haruhi says. "Yeah…I wonder how they're able to cry so easily." I said, 'bumping' into someone. By someone, I mean Kaoru and on the floor was an eye drop bottle. Haruhi picked it up, already glum. "What's this?" She asked.

"For your information, it is common practice for hosts to use eyes drops." Kaoru says. "No woman alive can resist a man on the brink of tears." Hikaru mentions. "Yeah…well, you're not Lee Min Ho…so I can resist…" I said, facing another direction.

"That's cheating." Haruhi says and Hikaru starts poking at her cheek. "Oh don't be such a party pooper." He said. "Yeah Mao, Lee Min Ho's all the way in Korea and we're here!" Kaoru says.

"Yeah…you have a point….TRY KAMIJO-SAMA!" I said, grinning that I just fooled them in their own game. Hahahaha! I can feel some glances and smirks…

"Anyways…Here…these are for you two." Kaoru hands us two boxes with pink sweets in them.

"It's for me?" Haruhi and I say in unison. If we had the same hair and eyes, we could pass as twins only I'm taller! "Aren't you two the cutest?" They said in unison.

"I didn't know you liked sweets, Haruhi!" Some of Haruhi's customers asked with hearts in their eyes. I smiled, "Well, to be honest with you, I don't really, but you know, I think it would be a nice memorial offering for my mother." Haruhi says…Haruhi…If you really were a boy I would be falling for you right now.

I ended up letting a few tears escape my eyes. "Idiot why are you crying?" The twins asked me. "I'm sorry; I let my emotions get the best of me. This is all from watching too many dramas." I said, somehow ending up in the background where Tamaki's handing sweets to her.

_Yeah…these are my friends' mom. Aren't they amazing? _

"Let me guess, the tears are fake." Haruhi bluntly says.

"How could you? My tears are always genuine, Haruhi! Being able to cry without the use of eye drops marks a true host." Tamaki says. I don't know about hosts but I know actors that can cry at will even kids. All you got to do is focus on something sad. If you can cry without the use of eye drops, you're a veteran and this girl on Happy Together 3 speaks and acts like a veteran!

"Tell me, do I impress you? Have you fallen for me yet?" Tamaki asks. Good luck Haruhi, Tamaki's all yours.

"Kyo-Hyung, when does the club end?" I asked, turning to him as he sweat drops, "Kyo-Hyung? And it ends just in a couple hours."

"Yeah well, in Korea, guys call guys Hyung not Oppa. It kinda sounds cool hence your host type! Oh and thanks!" I smile, not really looking forward to staring at his face a long time, even if he's sporting a tiny little blush. "You're welcome." He says.

I turned around and spotted someone at the entrance, "Who's that?" I asked, everyone else turning their heads to see the new guest, a girl who stood hidden in the shadows at the entrance.

"No idea." Kyoya whispered. Oh great, he responded.

"Looks like the host club has a brand new guest!" The twins said in unison. They rush over to the girl to welcome her but failing when Tamaki pushes them away, the girl backing away a bit. Good luck random girl.

"Stop that. How many times do I have to tell you boys to be more courteous to our first time guests." Tamaki says, holding a rose. Courteous? What's their definition of courteous? They didn't do that when we first showed up. They just made us all panicky and look at where we are now. Dad…please give me your strength for the rest of the year! I want to make it to my second year without something else happening.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! YOU'RE PHONY!"

OMG! I see a red mark on his face! This girl drives a big punch! New best friend! Maybe.

"What do you mean? I'm phony?!" Tamaki shouts in disbelief. This mysterious girl pointed at Tamaki and said, "JUST WHAT I SAID! YOU'RE PHONY! I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS THE PRINCE CHARACTER OF THIS HOST CLUB! YOU SHOULDN'T GO SPREADING YOUR LOVE SO EASILY LIKE THAT! YOU STUPID," And then this arrow that said 'Stupid' hit Tamaki right in the back, out of nowhere, "YOU MUST BE A DIMWITTED NARCISSIST!" Thank you! And another arrow, "YOU'RE INCOMPETENT!" Score tally is now three, "YOU'RE A COMMONER!" Ah…. "YOU'RE DISGUSTING!" There were five arrows in total, along with the lightning. Something about this girl reminds me of myself when I was younger….but what? Hmm…it must be the ability to make good comebacks.

He then falls back in slow motion; I thought they only do that when they do those special effects. "He's created a new technique!" Kaoru says.

"One man slow motion!" Hikaru said and Tamaki falls down hard.

"I don't suppose you are…" Kyo-Hyung starts thinking, putting his hand under his chin. So he really does know her? Hm..I wonder who she is. I was about to find out when she noticed him. Her eyes softened and then…

"IT'S YOU! Kyoya!" She yelled and ran towards Kyo-Hyung, purposely stepping on Tamaki. I tried to at least hold in my smile. It's a lot easier when you're getting mad at some random girl hugging Kyo-Hyung. Hugging KYOYA!

"Oh how I longed to meet you! My one and only Prince Charming!" The girl says, sounding like Mika when she hugs her boyfriend that dresses up like Hatori.

The whole room is then surrounded by a ridiculous amount of roses while I'm still processing what's going on. Is there something Kyo-Hyung didn't tell us about?

~/=/~

"You're fiancée?" Hikaru asks.

"Kyoya-senpai?" Kaoru asks. Ah….so Kyo-Hyung's engaged…huh…that's nice….

"Of course! My name is Renge Hoshakuji and I'll be transferring into Ouran Academy's first year class A tomorrow!" She tells in a voice that so reminded me of Mika.

"Why is he sulking?" I heard Hikaru ask Kaoru, looking at Tamaki at his emo corner. "It's because mommy was keeping a secret from daddy." Kaoru answers. "Whatever. Why does everyone insist on referring us like we're husband and wife?" Kyoya asks.

Ah…what a nice reason….very nice…..

"Okay, now why is _she _sulking?" They all turned their attention to me, me ripping paper into pieces at a table, noticing all the arrows that said Mommy, Daddy, and Fiancée...what a nice romance story…..

"I don't know…." Kaoru says. Well, I don't know either…This is just not a moment where I'm happy.

"Our story was love at first sight! I couldn't resist the way you adored those flowers in the backyard when you thought no one else was looking!" Renge chants, fangirling. Yep, she reminds me like Mika alright. "And how sweet it was when you reached out to that poor little injured kitten!"

I grabbed onto the table and started clawing at it.

"Could you have the wrong person?" Haruhi asked.

"NO WAY! I COULD RECOGNIZE MY LOVE ANYWHERE!" Renge shouts at her! HOW DARE SHE! GRRR~! *SNAP*

…..Oh my. I seem to have broken a table… hahahaha….

"He's a kind man who's kind to everyone but doesn't ask for anything in return! He likes solitude, but in fact, sometimes he gets lonely!" In the background, there were the twins running around all confused like the word "Who's that?" and "Who?"

"He looks like the star of the popular dating game, Uki-Doki Memorial! You're my real life ICHIJO MIYABI!" She pointed at Kyoya, looking all stoic and unemotional. The rest of us stayed silent for a moment until Tamaki was the first to speak.

"Uki?" Haruhi asks.

"Doki?" Honey-Oppa asks innocently.

"OTAKU!" Tamaki shouts in horror!

Mori, still the man without words. Silent but strong.

"OTAKU!?" Hikaru and I question in horror. "I've never seen one!" Kaoru exclaims in horror. Not another Otaku! I already have to deal with one at home; I now have to deal with one here at school! NO! MY LIFE IS SO OVER! GOODBYE CHEF DREAM!

"I get it now. You're in love with that character. You're projecting that love onto me and you somehow deluded yourself into thinking we're engaged." Kyoya says, not really paying attention to Renge running around like a madman, "I assume that this 'Miyabi' character probably wears glasses as well." He said, ranting to himself.

"So she…made it up. You're not really her fiancé? Right?" Tamaki asks Kyoya.

"Well, no…I don't remember ever asking for her hand in marriage. Besides, this is the first time I've ever met the woman." Kyo-Hyung replies. So…I guess I broke that table for nothing….crap…I got to hide that table later. Hm…it's a nice table…Dad can probably make it into a chair or something..

Anyways, Tamaki and I sigh in relief, kind of glad that Kyoya wasn't really hiding anything. Wait…I sighed in relief? Why? And I'm pretty sure Tama-Hyung saw me as he smirked slightly. Please let him be the only one who saw!

"According to my research I understand that you're in charge of managing the club, is that true, Kyoya?" Renge looked up at Kyo-Hyung admiringly. Pft, so stupid. I rather admire at Lee Min Ho and his shirtless body.

"That's right! Kyo-chan is our director." Honey-Oppa says. "Kyo-Hyungs only doing it since no one else bothers." I muttered to myself.

"You're the clubs director? That's perfect!" Renge exclaims? Why, what are you thinking about? Wow…I must be bipolar or something….

"Oh wow! I've always wanted wear a sandwich board to advertise a business!" Renge exclaimed again. "We don't advertise" Said the twins in unison again. "We're just a host club."

"I've made up my mind! From now on, I'll be manager of this host club!" She's not listening…..

NO! I DON'T WANT TO BE MANAGED BY SOME OTAKU! BECAUSE OF MIKAS CONSTANT OTAKU MERCHANDICE PERCHASES, WE'RE BASICALLY IN DEBT IF SHE GOES ABOVE HER BUDGET!

"Um…listen, Kyoya…" Tamaki started, looking a little uneasy.

"Ms. Hoshakuji is the only daughter of a very important Ootori family client. So please be polite and try not to offend her, alright?" Kyoya says. So, I'm going to have to be nice to an Otaku? I don't like it. I really don't like it at all. Even Tamaki didn't agree with me.

"Well boys, I'm looking forward to working with you all!" So for whatever reason, it's the birth of a lady manager? Great…

"What's gotten into you? You're normally smiling and bubbly." Kaoru asks me while I try to kick away some pieces of the broken table. I scoffed and dug my hands into my pockets. "Whatever. I knew my life is cursed. I have to deal with an Otaku here and at home." I said, finally getting the last table piece.

"Oh yeah, your sisters' an Otaku, I forgot all about it. Is she that bad?"

"She buys random merchandise that every week we set up a budget just for her. We've been in debt for at least 16 times because of her but not as bad as I did….." Uh….just talking about it hurts my stomach. I think I'm about to ….

"Whoa, are you okay?" Kaoru asked me. "I'm fine." "No you're not; your face has gone green." He said, "Should I take you to the infirmary?"

"No no! I'll take myself! Thanks though!" I said, running off to get myself checked out. However, when I turned by back, I didn't notice some hosts looking at me.

~/+/~

"I thought about it all last night. And maybe having a lady manager isn't such a bad idea!" Tamaki said, not really liking where this is going.

"And why do you say that?" Hikaru and Kaoru ask at the same time. I was so tempted to say Jinx.

"Well, it's fairly obvious, isn't it? Renge just transferred into the same class as Haruhi and Mao. So, if those two have a girlfriend around, it could bring out the female within them!" Tamaki continued. Why the hell is he involving me? I though he was in love with Haruhi. Well, who am I to care anyways? I'm over here sitting in between the twins anyways!

"Renge's girlish air of tenderness might be able to stimulate Haruhi's and Mao's own femininity." Tamaki said.

"Why are you involving me into this!?" I asked. "Because I said so now sit down!" Tamaki says. He didn't give me a reason!

"I demand a reason Tamaki-Oppa!" Without realizing it, I just yelled out something I would only say to either Mori or Honey. Tamaki caught on and started to tear up a bit.

"Are you now finally thinking of me as someone you can rely on Mao!?" He said.

"What!? No way! I can't call you Oppa! I'm a guy now; I'm supposed to call you Hyung! I gotta be a guy because who else is going to protect Mika from those idiots in the streets." I said, sticking my tongue out.

"Yes, and you're a good girl for that." Tamaki said, chuckling. That actually feels nice being complimented.

"You're still a girl to me no matter what…" Kyoya quietly says but I was able to hear it. What….?

What's he getting at? I can only admire Lee Min Ho.

"Now it's our chance for Haruhi and Mao get in touch with their feminine side! They don't have any friends except these two Shady twins! That's no good for them!" Tamaki said, pointing at the twins that I was sitting with.

"Like you have room to talk." The twins say almost in disbelief.

The door open and reveal Renge-Noona at the door. What? If she believes Kyo-Hyung is her fiancé okay….I hope nothing happens. And I used to be like that, deluding myself that Taemin was in love with me, all those fanfics~! AH!

"Hey everyone! You'll be happy to know that your new manager, Renge, has baked you all cookies!" She said.

"Aw! Isn't she lady-like?!" Tamaki does another ridiculous pose next to Renge, who watched with a WTF face. "I'm so moved by your generosity!" HEY! HOW COME YOU'RE NOT MOVED WHEN I BAKE SWEET!?

"I didn't bake these cookies for you, you phony prince!" Renge mutters. Yes! Another point for the Otaku for talking smack to Tamaki and for sending him to his emo corner.

"I'm sorry I burnt them a little bit." Renge said, hearts flying all around her like some love sick puppy. "I did the best I could! And I already know what you're going to say!"

If it's "anything you make is going to be delicious my dear', then you might as well give up because he's not going to say that. I know that, I tried. I get no thanks around here when I bake things!

She still kept on day dreaming and she left her cookies lying around. Might as well try one, it can't be that bad.

"She wasn't kidding…these cookies really are burnt…" Honey-Oppa says, eating one.

"Don't eat that Mitsukuni! It's bad for you." Mori-Oppa says. I wish they didn't say that out loud because now Renge-Noona is chasing those two. She even turned into Medusa, the snakes for hair and everything.

"I'll see if it's good or not." I said, making a little "ah' sound, taking a cookie and then bite almost half the cookie. "Hm...Chocolate chip with some coffee beans in them…..the brown sugar you can taste after words. They're really not that bad…I had worse." I finished off; these are probably the best cookies I've tasted from another person. I take another cookie and before I even take a bit out of, "May I partake?" Hikaru says in front of me, biting off half of the cookie. I see a strongly worded letter in your future Hikaru.

"Hey, Mao, you got some crumbs on your face." Kaoru says and before I even let him near my face, I backed away.

"DID YOU SEE WHAT THEY WERE DOING!? THEY!?" Tamaki-Hyung said to Kyo-Hyung, I'm not really sure what he was trying to say though.

I looked darkly at them as they tried to do the same thing to Haruhi. Poor Haruhi. Not really getting it.

"And suddenly, the three classmates are closer than before." Kyo-Hyung says though I see his glasses flash. What does it mean when his glasses flash?

"Hikaru. Kaoru." I say, smiling so sweetly at them, their grins still there, not really expecting what's going to happen until, "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY GERMS ARE IN THE MOUTH, LET ALONE THE TONGUE!? GAH!" I pulled on their ears like last time during the physical exam episode only much worse. I could do worse but Dad said that I must do so when I'm really in trouble.

"YES! OKAY! OW! We're sorry! Ow! LET GO!" Yay they apologized, they deserved that since I hate germs. They spoil food…..*Sniff*

"Very good, Mao! That's exactly how you should react to that kind of behaviour." Tamaki-Hyung said, ruffling my hair. I blushed and looked at another direction, avoiding eye contact, "Yeah…whatever…I just did what my dad taught me." I said.

"Dad? You're dad sounds scary." Said Haruhi. "He's a wrestler." I plainly said, letting everyone's imagination run wild just to scare them. Hehehe….that should scare the twins….

"Every single one of you!" We heard Renge-Noona shout and turned our heads to her. "Except for Kyoya, all of your characters are Lukewarm!" Lukewarm? What's that? Hang on. I got to check my mental library.

Lukewarm – Lacking enthusiasm.

WHAT!?

"Each of you needs to have a dark side! You understand? Girls are vulnerable to handsome young men who are troubled! If you keep carrying on like this, it's only a matter of time before the girls get tired and stop coming altogether! Are you trying to ruin my precious Kyoya's business?!" 'My Precious Kyoya?' who died and made Kyo-Hyung your property? Where's the lease? And why is the room spinning? "As your manager, it is my duty to change your characters!" She said kind of scaring me. Last time I got this scared, I had to sleep at a friend's house because Mika was trying out some demon summoning spell. Dumbledora the explorer I think is what she chanted…..

"Let's start with you!" Renge-Noona pointed at Honey-oppa. Poor Oppa.

"If your cut inside and out then you're no different than a baby! Therefore…from now on, you're the baby-faced thug!" Where did the lightning come from?

"Mori-senpai, you're his childhood friend, the flunkie!" She yells at Honey-Oppa but she calmly talks to Mori-Oppa. What's up with Otakus? I thought they're supposed to be "Moe moe! Kawaii Lolita boy!" They confuse me.

"The twins will be basketball players enslaved in their own world." She said.

"Haruhi! You're the honour student who's constantly being bullied!" Not Haruhi! Anyone but Haruhi! Poor Haruhi, she was shocked.

"Mao!" She shouts at me and I winced, "You'll be the culinary student who's an orphan! On the outside you don't mind and act sweet but on the inside you are alone in this world, not wanting others to be at the level you are! THE BIPOLAR ORPHAN!" I'm Bi Polar? Wow, Mika is going to have a field day, knowing that I'm just like her 'Alois' from Black butler! I hate that little – Oh my god, I am Bipolar! NO!

"As for you Tamaki. You're the schools idol who's admired for your good looks but you actually have a very extra-ordinary complex you're hiding from the world! The Lonely Prince!" Tamaki looked shocked when Renge-Noona said 'Lonely Prince."

"And Kyoya, you're just perfect the way you are now! So I want you to be as kind and affectionate as ever, Okay?" Renge-Noona says fangirling still. Tch. Why is this bothering so much again? "Thank you, I'm honoured." Kyo-Hyung says.

"The Lonely prince! It's perfect for me!" Tamaki-Hyung exclaims happily. Well yeah, who knows what he's hiding in his family secret. It always happens in dramas!

Ah! Why didn't I think about it sooner! In Korean dramas, it's the guys with the troubled past that always get the girls! Lee Min Ho played Goon Jun Pyu in _Boys_ _Over_ _Flowers_ who had this trouble about swimming and getting Jan Di to be his girlfriend because she was in love with his best friend as well! Ah! I'm so stupid! Stupid, stupid!

"The bipolar orphan? Great." I said. Nothing can be closer to the truth than that. It's just what I needed to start out my week, having girls swoon over my past. It's called the past for a reason but…..she's got a point….I can't let go because…I want to find out who my parents were and why they left me in the streets….

"Oh wow Mao! You're pretty good at that! Do those poses again!" Renge Noona asked me when I was clenching the part of my shirt where my heart is. I didn't even mean to get in that pose! I just go in it!

"Poses? What are you talking about? Poses are for amateurs! Acting is for amateurs! And I'm glad I'm an Orphan! I'm the happiest Orphan in the world because I have the best parents ever!"

"KYAA!" Renge Noona says, "So perfect!"

So much sweat dropping and deadpanning….

"I bet it'll be interesting. It always is." Kyoya says, smirking.

~/+/~

And so, the scene changed and the next thing I knew, Hikaru and Kaoru were in the basketball team, dribbling the ball. This really could be a good drama but let's see where this leads off to. Hikaru passes the ball into the hoop, earning a lot more screams from the girls in the background! I was in the background, watching from afar how my friends are doing. Suddenly, he hears a whistle. Hikaru spots Kaoru, lying on the floor, clutching his knee.

"Get a stretcher! Take him to the infirmary! Quick!" A voice shouts. Hikaru's smile vanishes and kneels down next to his brother on the stretcher. "Kaoru! Kaoru!" Yelled Hikaru. "You've got to get back in the game Hikaru! C'mon!"

"SHUT UP!" Yelled Hikaru again.

"It's okay…" Kaoru mutters. "We can't… share everything." Kaoru caresses Hikaru's cheek. "It's my pain and your game. Go on." He said.

Hikaru starts letting tears escape, "I..I can't!" He then clutches Kaoru's hand on his cheek, "It hurts…It hurts so much!"

_It's not our pain, it's ours!_ Renge Noona's narrating voice echoes, _if no one understands, too bad! We have each other…We're here for each other…That's how it is!_

"I'm sorry." Tamaki whispers, his hair covering his eyes, "But I'm envious."

Hikaru and Kaoru look up at him. The scene changed and now it was raining, "Never alone, supporting each other…."

"But Suoh-senpai…" Hikaru started.

"How can you be envious of us?" Questioned and finished Kaoru. "You're the schools idol."

"Idol huh?" Tamaki brushed away some hair in his way. "If that's what all the praise I get is about…Then I'm probably better off being alone!"

"Don't you dare say that!" I suddenly made my appearance. "Be glad that you have your real family that loves you! The three of you!" I said, my shirt now getting entirely wet. Thank goodness I have a compression shirt.

"Mao Kurosaki? How can you be lonely? You have a family! Is it not your own?" Hikaru asked me.

"…The family that adopted me were kind to me all these years…I look nothing like them which reminds me that I'm not their true child….I-…" I suddenly let the tears escape my eyes, letting them flow down my face, "You're alone as well…?" Asked Tamaki, walked towards me. I scoffed, moving away. "You help those that need it the most, you bring a smile with their food and yet…you can't bring a smile to yourself…" I paused and didn't respond.

"Don't worry…I'll make sure you're never lonely again…" He said, bringing me into a brohug but it must have been more because I could hear his chest beat fast.

_One lonely heart meets another…They pass each other, wounding one another, sharing their stories. What are the hearts of these young men made of?_

As much as I love dramas, I have to stop. This is getting way too hilarious for a serious drama. A serious drama must have a love triangle! Where is that love triangle!?

"How did we go from changing our characters to making a movie?"

"And why is there an entire film crew to shoot it?" Haruhi and I appear, apparently saying the same thing in sync once again. We looked at each other and chuckled. It's like we're lost twins or something. Hahaha~!

"Apparently, she flew them in from Hollywood, don't you recognize the director? He directed the vampire movie "Millennium Snow." It was the number one grossing box office film in America last year." Kyo-Hyung explained. Unknown to everyone, I had my eyes flash and a grin slowly appear on my face.

"So….to put it up all in summary…..She's an Otaku with money?" I asked, worry in my voice. Hikaru and Kaoru nodded their heads while I just zoned out of the world. She's an Otaku with lots of money?! I never thought I'd hear the two words in the same sentence. What is this world of rich people!?

"Anyways, how come the script portrays Kaoru as the pitcher?" Hikaru asks. I dropped my towel in shock. "Yeah…" Kaoru agrees. I look at them in terror and then back at the film crew. Oh my…..not this all over again!

"Pitcher?" Haruhi asks. "SHHH! Haruhi! Don't say that word! I don't want to go back into the world of slash ever again!" I said, sweat dropping.

"Again?" Kyo-Hyung asks. Crap! "Ah! Never mind! Hahaha! Oh, I hear Tama-Hyung calling for us Haruhi! Let's go!" I said, dragging Haruhi with me to Tama-Hyungs direction.

"Haruhi! Mao! How was my acting!?" Tama-Hyung asked us, running over to us. Haruhi handed him a towel which he took to dry out his wet hair. I was still drying myself.

"To be honest, it was pretty awesome. I'm surprised you were able to get into your character like that!" Haruhi said. She's so cute!

"I discovered a new darker side of myself. I'm starting to think it might be a good idea to explore it." He said.

"Are you sure about that? Because I think you're find just the way you are." Haruhi says, making him blush! Haruhi, you player! Too bad I can't say that out loud. TT~TT

"She has a point there!" I said, grinning, "In the rain scene, it was very believable! Just like in a Korean drama! It was full of melodrama! You could be a very good actor Tama-Hyung!" I finished off with a chuckle and covering my towel on my head.

"Hey, Haruhi! You're on!" Renge Noona shouts. "Coming!" Haruhi shouts back and leaves me with Tama Hyung.

"It's because…I wasn't acting…." He mutters. "What? Did you say something?" I asked, not really catching what he said. He must have noticed and ruffled my hair again. "It's nothing. You did well today, too you know." He said. "Kamsahamnida!" I yelled out and he just gave me a confused face. "It means thank you in Korean." I smiled and he smiled back until we heard a crash. "What's going on!?" I said, looking at Tama-Hyung, knowing that he must be thinking the same thing.

We ran to where we heard the crash, "What happened Haruhi!?" We said at the same time and saw Haruhi on the ground crying, the guys that might have started this still over there and Renge Noona kneeling next to Haruhi. Something just snapped in me, same thing happened to Tama-Hyung as we grabbed the nearest guy by the collar.

"So which one of you jerks started this?" Tama-Hyung said; his personality changed. So did mine as I just glared endlessly at the other guy, tightening my grip on his collar. "You're going to pay for messing with my Haruhi-Hyung!" I said.

"Wait Suoh! That girl started it! She was giving us a hard time!" The other guy yelled at Tama-Hyung. Haruhi got up and still tried to wipe her face from the tears that she had. "He's telling the truth…senpai…Mao…" She said. "It wasn't their fault. They were provoked." Tama-Hyung let go but I still held on, looking at the guy with a face that said 'You do this again and I'll beat you into a coma' look. He and his friend must have got the message as I looked at them until they were out of the scene. I looked back and Tamaki was chuckling about Haruhi crying without eye drops, making her a true host. Cool. I'm glad everything is all and well.

"You…you… Please tell me you got that cameraman!" Renge Noona shouts. Oh my god! Did she not learn still?! She's even denser than Mika and that's saying a lot. "Other than Haruhi's contacting falling out, that was an ideal final scene. All it needs now is a moving narration from my sweet Kyoya!" She said. 'Your sweet Kyoya?' Tch! Yeah right.

All of us suddenly hear a shattering noise and then we look to see Kyo-Hyung holding a rock and a camera lens broken into pieces. The cameraman was stunned, not really happy that Kyo-Hyung broke his very expensive camera. On the inside, I tried not to squeal in excitement but tried to keep it cool like Amber from f(x). She's my idol!

But I felt bad for Renge Noona.

"A pest…" She said, tearing up. "But you're supposed to pat me on the head and tell me not to worry! You're supposed to be kind and affectionate, Kyoya! Why are you acting so differently now all of a sudden?" Renge cried even more.

"Because that's not the real Kyoya." Tama-Hyung replied. She turned around and faced the three of us and fell to her knees. She cried more and more….

"_Papa! Papa! Paaapa! Paapppa! P-p-paapa!"_

"Who cares if Kyoya was a little different than you expected him to be? Take a good look at the person insides and get to know them little by little. It's a lot more fun that way!" Haruhi to the rescue! And so am I!

"You wanna know something else?" I walked towards Renge Noona, kneeling down a bit with my hand extended, and, "Think about what you learned today as an experience that you don't have to worry about in the future. At least now you'll really know how to judge people both inside and out!" I said.

"Have….you…liked someone by just their outsides before?"

"Only once…I was so blind…" I muttered the last part so low it was not auditable. That person, I thought he was nice….he fell in love with Mika but his motives weren't pure…..I kicked him where the sun doesn't shine and now he's in jail for attempted rape….

~/+Some days later+/~

Another spring afternoon going by at the host club.

"Hello ladies, come on in!" Tama-Hyung said, inviting the girls in.

"I bought the video of that film you made!" Some brunette said with wavy long hair.

"I bought it too!" Some other girl said. "And so did I!" There goes another one. I was confused. Video? The only video we made was….

No….it couldn't be….it was destroyed….

"The rain scene was phenomenal!"

"I love the lonely and protective prince!"

"I'm in love with the bipolar orphan!"

"And the loving relationship between Hikaru and Kaoru was so sweet!" And so the customers have finally turned into fangirls….the time has come people!

"Kyoya?" Tama-Hyung asks.

"I may have broken the camera lens but the footage we had already shot wasn't damaged. Naturally, I did cut out that one violent scene. Sales have been good so far. That Hollywood crew did a fantastic job. But, then again, that's to be expected." Kyo-Hyung said, pushing up his glasses. STOP LOOKING SEXY AT A TIME LIKE THIS!

*Looks up* I can't believe I thought that! AHH!

"Good day, everyone!" Oh crap, I can hear Renge Noona's voice still from a few days ago! She already left but I can hear her voice! WHY!?

"Renge? But I thought you had gone back to France already?" Wait..WHAT!? She's still here!? I turned around and there she was with her pink bow and everything.

"Hey Renge Noona!" I said, smiling at her while on the inside, I'm dying.

"I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner. It was so chivalrous of you to protect me! I could feel the love when you both lectured me!" Say what? I lectured? "When you said it was fun to get to know people little by little and to learn from mistakes, you both were talking about me!" She said.

There was another ridiculous amount of roses again, Tama-Hyung screaming things that were not easy to figure out and Haruhi was unsure how to answer Renge Noona.

"Come on, Haruhi, Mao! Let's go to my house and play some games together! Maybe even watch some dramas that Mao likes a lot! So you two can get to know me better!" Okay….this French Otaku isn't as bad as I thought I did.

"Okay….Can we watch _Winter Sonata_?" I asked and I got a nod. YES!

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai?" I heard Hikaru ask.

"Are you okay with that?" Kaoru finished.

"To be honest," Before I was even out the door, Kyo-Hyung grabs my shoulder and pulls me towards him and just lets Haruhi go. "Everything's okay. Everything Renge said is true. Mao maybe right but I won't allow her."

"No it isn't!" Tama-Hyung says.

"But I thought you were the one who wanted Haruhi to have a female friend in the first place?" Kyoya smiles. Wow, I can just feel the awkwardness.

"Well, yeah, a female companion! Not a girlfriend!" Pft Same thing only one doesn't know the other is a girl! Hahaha!

"Hey, Renge Noona? Can you bring me that Uki Doki memorial game? I kinda want to play it now.." I said, wondering how great of a game it is. "Sure!" Renge said.

"What are you going to do? Have a tea party with Miyabi or something?" The twins said in unison. I grabbed their ears and pulled on them.

"What I do is none of your business. I own my life and I'll do whatever I want. Besides, I was just going to press the things that will only piss Miyabi off. Oh, I'll just laugh at how Kyo-Hyung would be like if he was like that." I said, holding in a laugh.

"Mao, that's 1000 yen more into your debt." Kyo-Hyung said.

"WHAT?! NO FAIR! HONEY-OPPA!" I yelled and everyone got a laugh out of it.

~/=I hate bribery=/~

"Mao…" I heard Kyo-Hyung say.

"Yes?" I replied and headed towards his direction after I finished cleaning up the dishes.

"Who broke this table?" He said, pointing to the broken table that I took out my frustrations on. I mentally slapped myself for not really taking care of it properly. I smiled at innocently as possible and looked at him. His glassed flashed and took out his notebook and then something amazing happened.

"Mao….I will give you a whole collection of Korean Dramas if you tell me who did it." Crap…I hung my head and he noticed, already writing it down.

"Ms. Kurosaki, another 1000 yen." He calmly said.

Maybe I really should get a passport and a visa to happily live in Korea that way I can live closer to Onew Oppa.

* * *

**_((A/N: This is like the longest chapter so far and I'm pretty sure they'll just get bigger as we progress through the story..._**

**_If any of you guys are not big fans of long chapters, well, I'm sorry and I understand you'll never want to talk to me or read from me ever again._**

**_..._**

**_Everyone: ...What?_**

**_I'm sorry, I got a little emotional because I finished a Korean Drama called Nail Shop Paris and I was confused that it had that supernatural element in the story when if should have been about her falling in love with (2) guy(s) while she was writing her story about a romance. I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT THE ACTION ONE SHE HAD SHE WOULD CHANGE IT TO A FLUFFY ROMANCE WHERE SHE HAS THREE PEOPLE AND IT TURNS TO A LOVE TRIANGLE! NOT A DRAMA WHERE SHE'S HALF GUMIHO! TT~TT_**

**_So disappointing ..._**

**_Well, you know what I'll always say you guys, xXCROSSxGAMEXx does not allow the consumption of herbal subtances...unless its for medical purposes. _**

**_Remember to review, Review and REVIEW! Favorite, follow or whatever you do to like this story ~_**

**_See you soon ~ ))_**


	5. The Grade School Host's a Kid?

_**((A/N: *Waiting intensely for 11:30 to come because I'll be watching Attack on Titan with little bro* Yeah you heard me! My brother and I will be watching Attack on Titan tonight. A full thirty minutes without going to the internet...**_

_**Worth it...**_

_**So...While I was writing and going through Spotify to find some songs that describe Mao's relationships with the Host Club. and I was thinking "I should change the stories name, it doesn't fit well" and I was right. I was thinking of something more deeper like "My Princess" or "Love is Like a Flower". It has to be something!**_

_**I want to get my Mom a 70' plasma wide screen T.V with Netflix and with no 3-D because what Alucard says, it's a stupid gimmick. That way, I can watch all the Korean Dramas that are on Netflix and the anime and documentaries! MWAHAHAHAHA~!**_

_***Cough* Sorry...**_

_**REVIEWS~! YAY!**_

_~ AnimeBestie - Aw. I'm sure Mao would appreciate your concern , but she's a stubborn one and doesn't really like to accept peoples help sometimes. The calls to her parents are just something I've written because I was so into the moment of writing this chapter. So sorry. And no, you're not an idiot. Yeah, Korean dramas are the tear jerkers of the asian dramas. (True story, I haven't cried as much in Japanese dramas than Korean Dramas). So you want to watch Japanese Dramas huh? There is one that I would recommend. It's called Koizora and it's both a Drama and a manga. It might be a novel, but its been a long time ago. Another Drama would be the Live action version of Ouran which is done in a beautiful comedic way. That's my opinion, but at least check it out. Last one, there's Hana Kimi. Its the story about a girl dressing up as a boy to get close to her idol at an all boy school. It's funny and sweet. Just ask me if you want more dramas to check out ^^ Oh the question I really don't like to think about, but I'm going to have to think anyways for the sake of the readers. I honestly don't know who Mao would end up with. I could do separate chapters of whom she'll end up with like one chapter, she ends up with Tamaki and another she'll end up with Kyoya or one of the twins. That way, everyone would be happy and I won't have "Why did you let Mao end up with Hikaru? They belong together!" _

_~ justaisilinn - Oh wow. I laughed at this because my family is racist (My cousins are. How I became to love foreign movies is that before I was born, my Mom flirted with a Japanese guy at Wal-Mart XDD That and I love learning a new language by watching a movie from...I don't know Germany or something. Yes, I have watched 200 Pound Beauty. It was one of the Korean movies I watched before I left for Mexico for Christmas and New Years. Like a lot of Dramas and Korean movies I've seen,I felt every emotion! It's super funny too - i agree - especially the parts where the taxi drive's head was bleeding and he was still trying to flirt with Hanna. My other favorite part is Hanna's friend confusing her with another woman in the police station. XDDD Btw, if you haven 't seen Winter Sonata or Coffee Prince, you should check them out. They're great and beautifully acted. Oh, we all know Haruhi is oblivous, but we still lover her ^^_

_*facepalm* Oh my goodness, my music theory teacher would be furious at me because I she always used the waltz as examples to find majors ,minors or if it was harmonic or melodic. Yeah. I think I'll fix it for the sake of band geeks everywhere and lovers of music! Also, Mao being Haruhi's long lost twin, I can't reveal too much, but that's a good theory_

_~ The Golden Compass - And I love that you love this story. Thank you so much~ ^^_

**_I think the first comment I talked a lot. If you don't like to read review responses, you can skip them and read the story. If you're doing that..._**

**_ENJOY THE STORY ~ )) _**

* * *

What a great tragedy! I missed yesterday because I had to go take mom to the hospital and dad wasn't here in the country at the moment. Haruhi told me that I missed the twins fighting and that their plan about going to her house was a success. I feel bad for Haruhi but I'm just glad they don't have to come. Even if I don't invite them, they'll bound to come, Kyo-Hyung's ability is to find about people especially where they live. He'll just give them my address and he'll come as well…

"So…today's theme is Arabian Night…..Hey, I like the movie Aladdin but really? And there's no way I'm wearing that!" I said, appearing in front of this Arabian cook uniform. I rather wear a duck for a hat than that. I'm not really fond with food from the desert, they're interesting but not enough to peak my interest.

"You have to make it up from yesterday. You're 78000 yen short than what Haruhi has." Kyo-Hyung said. Grrr! There's a reason why I hate numbers…..

"Hey! I had to accompany my mom to the hospital! My dad would have gone but he's not even in the country! He's overseas, visiting grandpa." I said, crossing my arms and not facing their direction. Silly Host club and their money.

"What's wrong with your Mom Mao-chan?" Asked Honey-Oppa. I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head and replied, "Mom's a little weak and sometimes she gets these episodes. They've been getting worse so I took the day off to make sure she was relaxed."

"How sweet. Tell your mom to get well soon okay?" Haruhi said. "I will." Before we said anything else, the door knob opened and then the rose petals just flew out of the door and then we had to say our famous line to welcome everyone and I mean everyone.

"Welcome!" We said and we just wasted like ten seconds on an elementary kid.

"Oh, it's just a kid!"

"And a boy, no less.." Wow guys…You guys have hearts of lions…

"What's wrong, little lost boy? Did you need something from our palace?" Tama-Hyung asked, acting out the Arabian king perfectly. The kid got up from his shock and asked if Tama-Hyung was the Host club King. King? More like Dramaking! And I'm the Queen of Drama trivia!

"Am I wrong?" Ah, kids….so innocent.

"Here, little lost boy." So the kid walked up to us. I tried not to make another "WTF" face while this was happening. "What did you call me?" Asked Tama-Hyung. "King." Said the kid.

"Oh! "KING! Yes indeed, I am the King of this Host Club!" He must be happy since not many of us call him that because we're not used to call him that. Tama-Hyung yes. Tama-chan…yes. Senpai…yes….Boss…yes…King….eh…

"I'm Shiro Takaoji, Elementary 5th year Class A! I hereby petition the Host Club King to take me on as an apprentice!" Said this Takaoji kid. An apprentice!? What the hell was Tama-Hyung thinking?! Letting a little kid join a High School club like this! Is that even possible!?

~/+/~

That poor kid….Takaoji watching very closely at what he needed to know about making a girl happy. Very closely. I tried smiling and fixing my hair because I was a bit nervous at how freaked out he will be around the others but I guess I didn't have to worry about anything because this kid made a rude comment about the girl Tama-Hyung was flirting with. I almost spilled my tea and covered my hand as she ran out crying. Poor girl but bonus points for the kid!

I walked over to pat him on the head. If looks could kill, I would be six feet under now.

But I guess it was a good thing because he's just like how I acted when I was in elementary school. He was blunt, awesome, and cold to others! I like this kid! He'd be the best little brother that I taught to be tough and not give in to others! Not afraid to speak his mind. "You're pretty cool you know that kid?" I said. Tama-Hyung was a bit upset that Shiro acted like this and the twins had to intervene.

"Hikaru…would you wish to have a little brother like him?" NOO! HIS ADORABLE LITTLE EYES AREN'T READY FOR THAT STUFF!

"Silly…I could search the whole world, and not find a better brother than you, Kaoru."

"Oh, Hikaru…" TONE IT DOWN! TONE IT DOWN! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT LIFE WHERE SLASH IS DANGEROUS! BEAUTIFUL BUT DANGEROUS!

Everyone was just scaring him because we're High Schoolers, the Homo twins and Mori-Oppa thing scared him the most. He was so startled; he kind of bumped into Haruhi and me, carrying Tea to some of the other tables. Haruhi went on about how abnormal things were here, throwing the both of us into a loop or something.

"Are you two crossdressers or something?" He asked. I was startled myself because the fastest that figured the two of us were girls was Kyo-Hyung but….Shiro beat him by three seconds. Amazing!

"Hey Haruhi, Mao! Why don't you let Shiro take care of those tea sets!" Hikaru and kaoru said. Like I'm that dumb. "You two are stupid. Like he'll be able to carry two plates like these." In truth, I didn't want him to drop the tray and break the cups and stuff, that could bump my debt up more than it already is! Sadly, it happened to Haruhi.

"Haruhi, - 100,000 yen." Kyo-Hyung said. So he took away some money from the debt to pay off for the tea set. Harsh!

"Hey, you should let the crossdressers do all the work. Instead, hurry up and teach me how to make women happy!" Even though he called me a crossdresser, I like him still. Tama-Hyung didn't like it at all.

"What kind of an attitude is that? Above l, I'm not letting you get away with smarting off to Haruhi and Mao." Thanks Tama-Hyung but I can take care of myself.

"Place him in isolation!"

"Yes sir!" The twins said and this steel cage just fell down from the celling! WHAT KIND OF MUSIC ROOM IS THIS!? Even Haruhi was giving the same look when she saw it.

"Come on! Let me out! Is this any way to treat your dear apprentice!?" Yeah Tama-Hyung, is that any way to treat a kid like him? He's just confused with something that's all.

"You stay in there until you learn your lesson. I took you as my apprentice because you were serious about wanting to become a host, but maybe my expectations were wrong." Geez, what gave you the idea? The fact that he's an elementary kid or that he wasn't host club material?

"I'm serious. Seriously serious." Shiro said, holding onto the iron bars…..Normally, some kid like Shiro wouldn't just come to some Host club and say "Hey! I want to know how to make girls happy! Teach me! NOW!". I'm just going to see how this will go. "I want to become a host too!" And Tama-Hyung just kept on sipping his tea or coffee.

Geez, you're going to be a great father to your kids one day Tama-Hyung…

Shiro dropped to his knees, practically begging, "I don't have much time! Show me how!" My drama knowledge senses are tingling rapidly now! "You like girls, too…You like seeing girls faces smile…so that's why you're a host right?" Oh, now you stop sipping your drink!? How dare you neglect a child!?

"Please, show me how to do it! You're a genius at it, aren't you, King!?" Crap…now Tama-Hyung ego fuel tank is overflowing.

"Well, you may seem sassy but your will to become a host does at least seem to be genuine." So he does have a serious side…hmm…kinda cool and attractive…wait, what? "Moreover, you are a lot like me in some ways." Huh?! No he isn't! He's more like me! Haruhi popped up, "You poor kid." Yeah…you poor kid being compared to Tama-Hyung….

"Then, you'll turn me into the kind of host that can make women happy!?" Shiro said, now blushing and smiling all happy like.

"A host that is unable to make a woman happy is no host at all." Tama-Hyung said, "Very well, if that's how badly you want it, think about how best to use the material you've got, to work with." He finished, confusing the kid until Kyo-Hyung came in to fill him in on the stuff.

"At the Ouran Host Club," Kyo-Hyung said, Shiro turning around, "Our fundamental policy is to use our own personal characteristics to meet the needs of our guests. Starting with the "princely type," Tamaki." And Tama-Hyung appeared, his arms crossed and holding up two white roses, surrounded by an unnecessary amount of roses. "The Wild type…" Mori-Oppa came into the picture and held up a dark blue rose. "The boy-lolita type…" Honey-Oppa appeared with a pink rose and Usa-Chan, smiling widely. "The little devil type…" Hikaru was with his orange rose and Kaoru with his blue, their arms entwined, "And "the cool type." Kyo-Oppa said, holding up his violet rose. All of their backgrounds had the unnecessary amount of red roses! "We pride ourselves on our many variations. With the addition our honour student, natural rookie, Haruhi…

She also had the unnecessary amount of roses in the background, pointing to herself, confused…"Natural Type?" She said. "And our Culinary student, Mao, the Sweet and Protective type." So….my rose colour was this light green colour. I smelt my rose for some weird reason but I was sort of enjoying it.

The ….eight of us stood in front of the cage, facing Shiro while there were roses flying in the air for no reason at all.

"…We've got just about the perfect assortment. I'm not so sure we're going to find a new type beyond these." Oh…my…god…are they that stupid!? GAH! I really want to say something but I'm too busy worrying about Shiro since he really didn't understand the stuff the guys were talking about. I feel your pain my friend…

All I remember is that Honey-Oppa's eyes started watering and he stared at Tamaki, crying.

"Am I in the way now?" Stupid Hitachiin twins! How dare you make a person like Honey-Oppa cry!? I hugged Honey-Oppa, patting his head. "Don't say that Oppa! You're never in the way!"

Suddenly, I heard Renge Noona's voice echo. Where did that come from? And then this powerful sound of a motor echoed and the floor started shaking. Then the floor started opening and out came Renge Noona.

"What's up with this place?" Haruhi asked.

"This is supposed to be a music room, right?" I said; sweat dropping when I saw Renge Noona twirl around. What the hell?

"Gentlemen of the Host Club, to think that you'd be so lackluster in your character analysis," Renge noona questioned, "I am a little bit dumbfounded."

"Alright, Renge, how would you work with the material he's got?" Tama-Hyung asked. "We've already got the boy Lolita type covered with Honey-senpai." Tama-Hyung said as showed a crying Honey-Oppa to Renge Noona. ITS HONEY-OPPA TAMA-HYUNG! GET IT RIGHT!

"This is why I say you're lackluster! Listen up!" Renge Noona yelled at Tama-Hyung and everyone jumped from her sudden voice. "While it's true that there are some girls who feel their hearts beat faster in a way that's hard to explain over boys of a younger age group, or who have baby-faces, who we call shotokon fans," In my head, I was agreeing with what she was saying. I had my fair share with all of this; I live with an Otaku if you guys remember.

"It is still a fairly broad category, whose preferences can be further split into even more delicate classifications." I like how everyone was staring at Renge Noona in awe while Kyo-Hyung was writing, maybe, all of this down. I kept my eye on Shiro and listened. "Yes, while Haninozuka-senpai may represent the little boy type of this boy Lolita category, in Shiro's case, the direction he should take…." Renge noona gestured to Shiro, who was bundled at the back of the cage. "Is the naughty-boy type, without a doubt! My goodness, don't you listen to Mao-kun when he goes ranting on about drama!? He's basically an encyclopedia with this stuff!" DON'T TURN THE ATTENTION TO ME!

"The naughty type?" Shiro repeated, fear all over his face. Oh crap, the cage is lifted off the ground, going back where it once came. Renge noona blew a whistle, pointing to Shiro as if to coach him.

"The essentials of the naughty type include…always wearing shorts. OKAY!" She said, giving the okay sign. She blew the whistle again. "Playing up your naughtiness…with skinned knees and cheeks!" The twins drew in some scratches and some bruises, putting on some bandages. Renge Noona blew the whistle again, everyone else hid behind a pillar while I sat like in my old middle school days. Ah…I miss those days…

"RUN LIKE A SPOILED CHILD!" Shiro started running and broke into a wild run, really scared of Renge Noona. Who wouldn't be? Otaku's are scary! "Make it reckless!" Another blow of the whistle. That gets annoying you know! "When you get there, trip, and make it big!" Shiro screamed as he tripped over this rope that I didn't bother finding out who held them. I flinched and trembled a bit because Renge Noona could be a coach for a real sport and I know….

_She has the skill to be the Cross Country Coach….._

Renge Noona knelt down next to Shiro and asked, "Are you okay, little boy?" but in a kind voice. She blew the whistle again. "Okay! Now give 'em your catch phrase!"

"No big deal, it was nothin'." Shiro told her, wiping the dirt of his face. There really is dirt there, do you know how many germs are in the floor, but worse of all, the keyboard! ((*looks at keyboard* ….))

"Perfect! It's perfect!" Renge noona said with her hands on her face and hearts flying in the air. Tama-Hyung clapped. "Outstanding! That was perfect coaching Renge." He complimented. Renge Noona started laughing loudly as Shiro stood, face in disbelief almost saying "Idiots…these people are idiots!..." I understand perfectly Shiro…."NEVERMIND!" He suddenly yelled, everyone's heads turning to the boy. "There's no way I'll make her happy with this." I looked at Haruhi and she had the same look as I did.

"Who's 'her'?" Shiro turned around and started running. "Wait, Shiro!" Tama-Hyung called after the boy. "We haven't taught you how to apply the techniques you learned yet!"

"Younger boys are just no good for anything, huh? After I took the trouble of coaching him, he suddenly quits." Renge Noona said. That kind of made me upset because people once thought I was a boy when I was little and I've been told I was no good at anything until…

"_Mama! Happy mommy's day!"_

"_Y-y-you made all of this?!"_

"_Yeah! Thank you for taking care of me and Mika-chan! *smiles*"_

"What a selfish kid, not taking a liking to the lessons he was getting." Tama-Hyung said, annoyed and surprised. No one would like lessons, I don't.

"No one would've liked that lesson but never mind that," Haruhi stated, a hand on her hip causing Tama-Hyung to look over at us. "Didn't you listen what he was saying? He said he didn't have much time and said "her." I said, putting down the cake I was eating. "I think it has something to do with a girl." Tama-Hyung looked back towards where Shiro left, a somewhat of a thoughtful look on his face.

~/+/~

"How did we get to this point?" Haruhi muttered, annoyed. I completely agree with her…..

"I haven't worn a skirt since middle school…have they always made them this short?" I asked, trying to at least make the skirt longer. One good news though….Honey-Oppa was there to cheer us on.

"Don't worry Haru-chan, Mao-chan! We easily snuck in. I look like I'm grade school dressed like this." Honey-Oppa said.

"We can understand you wearing an elementary school uniform Honey-senpai and we can agree you look awesome in it but…do Mao and I have to dress up in a middle school outfit?" Haruhi asked. She was wearing a wig just like how she wore her real hair in middle school. My hair was wavy and like my hair colour was.

"We stick out like a sore thumb." Haurhi and I said together. "What was the reason for wearing these disguises?" I asked, not bothering to be stared at by the kids because they were giving me the "Why are you here?" face.

"There is a reason. There's a damn good reason." I heard Tama-Hyung say. Don't tell him I heard him! I felt eyes on me from that door and it was scary! The others watched as Honey-Oppa grabbed our arms, dragging us somewhere.

"This way Haru-chan, Mao-chan!"

"Aren't they the cutest?" The twins gushed. If they're thinking about perverted thoughts, I'll let them know why I'm called the 'Bipolar Tiger'!

"Look at those miniskirts! They look like dolls!" Tama-Hyung daydreamed! It's called a dream for nothing! PERVERT!

"In other words, you just wanted to see them like that?" Kyo-Hyung asked and everyone sweat dropped. From what they heard, he sounded a bit angry but why?

"In here." Honey-Oppa told us as we opened up a classroom door. "This is Shiro-Chan's classroom." Honey-Oppa opened the door fully and ran in. "When I was in elementary school, this was my classroom, too." The three of us walked around a bit. I was trying to take in how big the classroom was. It was as big as two classrooms back in my elementary school. What the hell?

"There's nobody here." Haruhi said bluntly and the other host club members walk in like it was the normal.

"This sure takes me back." The brothers say with their hands in their pockets.

"I wonder if my graffiti is still here." Kaoru asked. Graffiti! HOW DARE YOU MARK ON A GOOD TABLE?!

"The school changes out all desks each year." Kyo-Hyung replied. THEY DO THAT?! MY SCHOOL HAS ENOUGH MONEY TO EVEN AFFORD NEW DESKS!

"Let's go the cafeteria after this." Hikaru said. "And the gymnasium, too!"

"Good idea, good idea!"

"If you're going to come in such large numbers, there's no reason to disguise ourselves and sneak in, is there?" Haruhi asked. I knew she was just annoyed as I was because I was still flipping over at how the hell they replace the tables every year! They're rich Mao, of course they'll do that!

"Who cares!" Hikaru says.

"There's nobody here." Yeah right, then what's with the footsteps! FOOTSTEPS! All of us ducked under the desks, whispering quietly.

"If the teacher finds us," Kaoru began. "It sure will be a pain coming up with an excuse why we snuck in." Hikaru finished.

"Shh! Be quiet!" Haruhi and I whispered together. "Zip your lips!" We made a motion with our hands to our lips. When we did that, there were about three red faced hosts along with two blushing lightly. What the hell?

Haruhi was the first to get up and see if the teacher walked off since we started to hear the footsteps vanish. She gave the okay sign and I was relieved I got up. I hate crawling with a skirt on!

"But now that we've snuck in like this, how are we going to find out more about Shiro-kun?" She asked, looking at the other hosts. Hey, where are Kyo-Hyung and Honey-Oppa?!

"Here's something interesting." Kyoya spoke, making the rest of us turn to him when he was just at the other side of the room along with Honey-Oppa. The two of them were starting at these pictures the kids of the class were doing.

"What is it?" Haruhi asked, my head cocked towards the left as I tried to gain a clearer view of the picture Kyo-Hyung was pointing at. It was Shiro and some cute girl playing a piano.

"The Classical Music Club, huh?" Kyoya questioned. "He looks like he's having fun." I said, smiling a bit. I don't know why but when I see a kid like Shiro smile, I just feel like smiling.

"_Okay class, today we're doing show and tell! Mao! What do you have for show and tell?" The teacher asked me and I ran to the front of the classroom with a piece of paper with me and a smile on my face. _

"_Um..It's a picture of grown up me and my family all happy! One day, I want to be a chef that makes people happy! I'll have my own café and bring smiles to everyone when they have a bad day!" I said and the kids were all clapping and aweing. _

"So Shiro-kun really can look like that, when he smiles." Haruhi said. Tama-Hyung stared off, thinking in his own little world. "Yeah…"He said softly.

~/=/~

"There he is. That's Shiro-chan." Honey-Oppa exclaimed as we all stood outside the music room. This is considered stalking you know. Well, whatever, we all saw the cute girl from the photo approach Shiro while he was sitting at the windowsill. From what I could tell from reading lips, she asked her to play the piano with him. Shiro shook his head, the girl looked sad but she put on a smile to look happy in front of him. I got to admit, it was so sad but yet so beautiful! GAH! DRAMA MOMENT! GO MI NAM! DO YOUR BEST TO FIND MAMA!

The girl walked over to the piano and started to play. I could hear it and it sounded amazing. Then again, anything that someone else can do that I can't, that person is considered my senior since there's still so much that I need to work on.

"Pardon me, miss…" A little girl walked out from the room and Tama-Hyung spoke to her, kneeling down in front of her, holding out a white rose. "I could not find a rose more beautiful than you, but please, take this." He handed it to her and she was just staring at awe. If a handsome prince came to me and handed me a beautiful rose, I would be speechless too!

Wait…what?!

"Incidentally, I wonder if you would tell me about that girl playing the piano." He asked softly.

"Kamishiro Hina-chan?" The girl said. "Hina-chan, is it?" Tama-Hyung questioned. "You better not go falling in love with Hina-chan." She said. My god, was my voice that cute when I was little? Was everyone's voice that cute when we were that young?! Tama-Hyung looked at the girl surprised. "Want to know something? Hina-chan is going to be moving away real soon. Her father has to move to Germany for his job before the end of next week." I suddenly felt tears trying to come out of my eyes. What a sad love story! A young boy being separated by his love because she has to move away!? WAHHH~! SO HEARTBREAKING! SO HEARTBREAKING THAT I HAVE TO GO TO THE CORNER AND CRY! WAHHH~!

"Someone give me a tissue, I think I'm about to erupt…"I muttered, crying to control my sobbing but failing to do so as I went to my own emo corner. Better yet, my feels corner…my beautiful feels corner that I even wrote my name on. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Oh I wasn't supposed to do that right? Oh wait, that was Shiro yelling at all of us, ticked off "  
Tama-Hyung just about had it when he bent down and tossed the kid over his shoulder. Shiro shouted, pounding his fists on his back. "PUT ME DOWN! WHAT'RE YOU DOING!?" He screamed, pausing when he saw Hina walking out to stare at us in shock. Shiro wouldn't give up though. "PUT ME DOWN! LET GO!" I walked over to Hina and smiled. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. I'll make sure of it Hina-chan!" I said, patting her head and waltzed over to the guys that were already leaving without me.

~/=/~

Geez Tama-Hyung, you could at least gently put Shiro down once we reached the Music Room and I just realized it was darkly lit. Crap..

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM YOU IDIOT KING!?" Shiro demanded, sitting up.

"You're the idiot!" Tama-Hyung snapped, glaring at him with his bangs covering his eyes. Was it wrong to say it was attractive? GAH! Mao, this isn't the time to say stuff like this!

"You said you want to make women happy. Don't make me laugh!" He said, now scaring me. "However much you ask, how are we to answer that? It's not some unspecified number of girls you want to make happy, it's just one girl, Hina Kamishiro isn't it?" Shiro gasped, twice since he's not really used to a serious Tama-Hyung. I'm even more surprised because Tama-Hyung acted much stranger today than usual when Shiro's problem was a girl.

"Only you can find the way to do that. Listen to me, as hosts, it's our job to make the girls happy. But the truth is, when it comes to a single girl that you like, it's not as a host that you must face her but as a man!" Wow, you can actually feel the melodrama in here! I loved it. "You didn't come here to become a full-fledged host, you came here to become a full-fledged man, right?" Tama-Hyung asked. There was a pause and Shiro looked so sad again.

"It doesn't matter anymore. There's no time. I just wanted to at least watch her play as much as I could before she left. That's all." It's sad when a man has his love get taken away from him but it's even sadder when a kid like Shiro, has the girl he likes move away. I almost cried again and I would have it Tama-Hyung pull on a yellow curtain.

"That piece she was playing…" Tama-Hyung said. "It's Sonata Mozart D Major for two pianos right?" How in the hell did he know that?! Tama-Hyung smiled as he lifted the piano cover, showing off the keys.

"Hold up…"I said, staring in disbelief at the piano.

"Has there always been a grand piano in this room?" Haruhi asked, finishing my statement.

"This is supposed to be a music room, after all." One of the twins behind the pillars said. Hey, I'm out of it today okay? My emotions from watching Korean dramas are getting to me!

"Yeah, even though it may not be in use." The other twin said, grinning alongside his brother.

"It is a music room, after all." Kyoya said from his spot at the table behind me with Honey and Mori-Oppas'.

"Music room." Mori-Oppa spoke. Dang, I forgot how deep it was. It still surprises me like Kei's voice in Nail Shop Paris.

"It was there before. It was just where you two couldn't see it." Honey-Oppa replied, already eating his cake. I sat next to the guys at the table, begging Honey-Oppa to give me some cake, especially the German chocolate one!

My eyes widened when I saw Tama-Oppa play the piano…..without a music sheet. Like I said, anything that I can't do and a person can do, that person has talent.

"Awesome…"Shiro and muttered together I think but he looked down when I just looked on, amazed that Tama-Hyung can play like that!

To Shiro-kun from what I was able to read, he must have been thinking about Hina-chan. How cute.

"For the next week, your early mornings, lunch recesses, and after-school periods will be spent in concentrated piano training with me." Tama-Hyung told Shiro as he played. Oh so you can talk while playing the piano. Hmph. Maybe you aren't bad than what I thought Tama-Hyung….

"W-why?" Shiro asked.

"You did become my apprentice right?" Tama-Hyung questioned, a little amused by the tone of his voice. "Besides, that girl looked like…she wanted nothing more than to play the piano with you."

~/+/~

_The Ouran Host Club exists to make girls happy….it exists to make people happy….It's the type of club that I dreamed about…_

"_What do you want to do Mao-chan for show and tell?" The teacher asked me, smiling widely at me when we were going over at something that involved our plans. She said that we didn't have to think too hard on it. I drew a picture because I wanted to show everyone what I wanted to do for everyone._

"_Teacher, I can't tell you now. It'll ruin the surprise." I said with a giggle. Before I knew it, Show and Tell came._

"_Okay class, we'll start with Mao-chan since she seems so happy about it." I got up, protectively hiding my drawing, covering it with my arms. I smiled and flipped it over to show everyone._

"_Um…What I have here is big me and my family all happy with our customers at this café I want to open one day….I want to be able to make people happy with food and put a smile on their face! Even when I'm sad or angry, I will do my best to make people happy!"_

"_You want to make people happy Mao-chan?"_

"_Yes! Happiness is one of the world's best things. People are much prettier when they smile!" _

"Ah…." Ha, I'm now remembering a promise I made when I was a little kid.

Tama-Hyung was growling, his fingers twitching and some fire background behind him. "You little brat, what are you doing with my guests!?" Shiro turned his head and started to tease Tama-Hyung.

"It's easy to be popular with the women. You had your guests taken from you so easily, are you sure you can call yourself the Host King?" And there goes another ridiculous amount of red roses in the background. Tama-Hyung had about enough of it and both Hikaru and Kaoru had to hold Tama-Hyung back. I watched in amusement because serious Tama-Hyung only fills the melodrama. I needed the airhead Tama-Hyung back just to make me laugh.

"I thought he'd make it through without exploding this time!" Kaoru exclaimed. His arms wrapped around Tama-Hyungs waist. Hikaru had his arms around the torso and neck.

"We should've known he was going to blow up sooner or later!" Hikaru said.

"He really is just like Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi said. I just noticed that Kyo-Hyung was writing something in his book again. "I'm sure that senpai must have been like that when he was a child, too." So blunt as always Haruhi. Tama-Hyung stopped, giving the twins some rest and shouted at Haruhi's direction.

"I WAS NOT! I ABSOLUTELY WAS NOT, HARUHI! I WAS…I WAS…JUST A LITTLE PRECOCIOUS INNOCENT BOY!" He said.

"SHUT UP! GAH! YOU KNOW WHAT!? I MIGHT HAVE PREFERED THE SERIOUS YOU THAN THE AIRHEAD YOU BETTER! YOU LOOKED MORE ATTRACTIVE THAT WAY!" I said, flicking his forehead. I could have done worse. Tama-Hyung looked at me in surprise along with everyone else in the club.

"Ah…why are you all staring at me like that?" I said, sweat dropping.

"Mao…did you just call Tamaki-senpai attractive?" Haruhi said. "I did?" *Looks up*

….

"….Y-Y-YOU MISHEARD! I WOULD NEVER SAY THAT ABOUT TAMA-HYUNG! HE'S MY 'OLDER BROTHER'AND ONLY LIKE AND OLDER BROTHER! GAHH! YOU KNOW WHAT! SCREW IT! I'M GOING HOME AND MAKING DELIVERIES! DON'T YOU DARE LOOK FOR ME!"

Yeah…Only like an older brother. Nothing more….The others are just like brothers. There's only one guy for me and that's _Goon Jyu Pyo_ No one can compare to him…Actually…NO ONE CAN COMPARE TO LEE MIN HO!

"Wait, Mao! Come on, tell daddy what you meant!" I heard Tama-Hyung say as I busted open the door. I turned around and grinned, finally saying something else.

"You guys mess with Shiro-kun, I'll bring in a world of hurt. You'll regret it! BYE~!" I said in my happy tone and ran to the front entrance to the motorbike.

"Don't worry Mao….You're strong. You have to be if you want to find him…."

* * *

_**((A/N: *pacing room a lot* dammit, I just destroyed my brother-in-laws hard work in fixing this hole in the wall of my room! AH I hate myself TT~TT**_

_**He probably hates me and I hate it when people hate me. Well, you guys know what I'm going to say next.**_

_**xXCROSSxGAMEXx does not force the consumption of herbal substance...**_

_**Mao: Why do you say that to people?**_

**_ME: I don't know...It's fun to say though ^^_**

**_Favorite, Review, Follow...do anything to support this story. I'll also try improving the story as well. Correcting Grammar, pointing out mistakes, etc. just about almost anything really. Well, see ya~_**

**_Be safe and until next chapter ~ ))_**


	6. Mao's Bio

_**((A/N: I'm going to be telling you guys something here on this update because there are a few of you that want to know Mao's Bio. **_

_**Even though I don't like including updates after a chapter because I just get peeved off that the number of the chapter does not match the update number *pouts* **_

_**Anyways, I'm going to be sharing Mao's Bio now so listen well! ))**_

**Name: Mao Kurosaki**

**Age: 15-16 ish**

**Class: 1-A; Ouran Academy**

**Family (adopted): **

**Mika Kurosaki (Sister, 16 and Otaku), Yuki Kurosaki (Mother, Half Korean, Doting mom, and **

**Masato Kurosaki (Father, deceased, architect)**

**Family (biological): **

**Wiliem (father, Prince of Denmark, Deceased)**

**Aiko Shinate (Mother, Famous Chef, Deceased)**

**Clubs: Ouran Host Club, Cooking Club (sort of)**

**Friends: Tamaki Suoh (2-A, Host Club President), Kyoya Ootori (2-A, Host Club Vice President), Haruhi Fujioka (1-A, Host Club member), Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin (1-A, Host club members), Mitsukuni 'Honey' Haninozuka (3-A, Host club member), Takashi 'Mori' Morionzuka (3-A, Host club member)**

**Blood Type: O (? I don't know TT~TT))**

**Host Type: Sweet and Protective Type**

**Rose Color: Red-Orange ((I know I up light green, but I think the red-orange fits Mao's hotheadedness. She's, like Mika and I say, a tiger))**

**Likes:**

**\+ Cooking/baking**

**\+ Cleaning**

**\+ Asian Dramas/K-pop/J-Pop**

**\+ Lee Min Ho (Who wouldn't?)**

**\+ Tigers (A lot of animals)**

**\+ Eating/Food**

**\+ Money**

**\+ Working and making people happy**

**Dislikes: **

**Disorganization **

**Being left alone (abandonment issues)**

**Being bribed**

**Being pranked**

**Lied to**

**Personality: Gets worked up easily (mostly when it involves school, work, and family); modest; a bit Tsundere; energetic; very generous and kindhearted; trustworthy; hard worker; stubborn; self-confident.**

**Bio: At the age of five, Mao was found abandoned in a dark alley during winter and was then sent to the local orphanage, befriending a girl named Mika. They were inseparable then and they are inseparable now. Months after becoming friends, a man by the name of Masato Kurosaki sought to adopt only Mika, but then adopted Mao as well. Mao lived happily until Masato, her adopted father, died in a plane crash while visiting his family. Mao then decided to work part-time jobs and sought out to make other happy – deciding to make something of herself to earn more money for her family. She also began to admire a famous chef, Aiko Shinate, dreaming of becoming the best chef in the world. After her final year in middle school, she gets accepted to Ouran Academy with the Culinary scholarship. However, before the first day of school, Mika accidently places gum on Mao's hair, making her cut it to look like her fathers. She's going to Ouran and befriends the other scholarship student, Haurhi Fujioka. Together, they meet the Host club and have many adventures together.**

**Eye Color: Light emerald green**

**Hair Color: Red-orange/brown**

**Height: 5'4**

**Weight: 120 lbs.**

_**((A/N: *fell asleep on the keyboard and alarm goes off* OH MY GOD! THE POLAR BEARS HAVE WITCH CRAFT! Eh? Oh, sorry. I fell asleep. I've been sleeping late, but I'll sleep earlier because I have school in a few days and I don't want to go. The people are jerks there, especially the students TT~TT**_

_**This is as much of Mao's Bio I can do. I can make Mika's, but I'm a little focused in the story than making bios with a lot of details (I'm an artist; I need details in anything and everything!). **_

_**Also…. *whispers softly* don't tell Mao that her real parents are dead because she's still trying to find them and stuff. Shhhh ~**_

_**Mao: What was that? *turns to me with confusion***_

_**ME: Nothing! I didn't say anything! *working on story and stuff* Anyways, be on the lookout for updates and stuff**_

_**xXCROSSxGAMEXx does not endorse the consumption of herbal substances okay? Don't ruin your lungs either, it's not good! Don't drink and drive and die! **_

_**I don't know, that's just how I say Hi and Bai to people so don't judge me!**_

_**See you until the next chapter update and keep supporting the story!**_

_**Until then ~ ))**_


	7. Jungle Pool SOS! They're all Crazy!

_**((A/N: ...What? What? Where the heck did these reviews come from?! **_

_**Never mind about that...I just realized that I haven't asked you guys how your Christmas, New Years and Dia del Los Reyes days were. I'm so sorry. I never meant to avoid it. I just forgot about it. *going deaf with my cousins and brothers screams on a game* They're playing air hockey in my room and I'm going deaf. As if I wasn't deaf enough ~**_

_**REVIEW TIME ~**_

_~ AnimeBestie - Well, Mao has always had a soft spot of kids since they're still innocent and stuff. Yeah, I was sad too that I had to skip it. I felt bad about it because no one would imagine how Mao would react to the twins fighting. Probably scold at them for acting immature and knock some more sense into them when she finds out they were just faking it. Your welcome with the suggestions and there's plenty more where that came from! Yeah, I decided to go with your thought and make a poll. The ending was something that was for comic relief but with a hint of romance that will occur soon. _

_~ Jazzy-Booey - You're the reason I decided to post Mao's Background XDD And I'm glad you like this story so much._

_~ liznightangel - Yeah she is. _

_~ justaiislinn - Bios tell a lot of a person so I'm going to have to agree with you here. Tamaki's ego is like a sponge, it absorbs something and it grows with it, like that saying, "Children are like sponges". :3 Mao just dodged a bullet (sort of) and will deny anything about it because she can't handle too much attention (unless its Lee Min Ho). Since you're having that feeling, I might bring out a little surprises here, but not those surprises that just disappointed me in Nail Shop Paris. Yeah, just not too big surprises like her being related to the twins and killing the ship that people were or will root for. In the original plan that I made for this story, I wasn't going to involve Nekozawa much except in the Halloween episode, but I guess Mao could share some advice when the Host Club have to help Nekozawa and his little sister Kimiri (I think that's how it's spelled). I still don't know about who Mao will end up with. She might just decide "Listen, I got my chef dream to think about first and a family to find, maybe soon" or "No. This kind of thing shouldn't be this easy. It's not a drama! This is real life". I don't want to speed things, there has to be process, especially with Romance and that's something some people take lightly...sadly. _

**_I talked to much in that last comment. Oh yeah, if you guys are reading this, I have a poll up for this! It's deciding Mao's Boyfriend/Husband or whatever you want to call him. Vote okay? _**

**_Enjoy the story ~ ))_**

* * *

Today was such a blur, I mean, it's not every day you forget how your day ended but my day was just starting out. This afternoon after school ended, there were no host club hours and somehow, I ended up in this huge water park….

"Behold, Haruhi and Mao! Bask in the beauty of this tropical paradise!" Tama-Hyungs voice was ringing in my head while he had his hands around the two of us. We were wearing jackets, mine was green and hers was blue. I looked at Tama-Hyung, a little annoyed that he dragged us out here when I should be home, cooking and making deliveries. Actually, I'm still annoyed at him because he won't stop bugging me about how I thought he's more attractive when he's serious.

"Aren't they breathtaking? I wonder what they're called…" He said…

"Where's the exit again?" Haruhi asks. I chuckle.

_FLASHBACK 3:38 P.M_

"_Haruhi, can I borrow your notes from our second period? I forgot to ask you about that because I'm so busy with the café." _

"_Sure. Your 'Umma' must be worried about your grades that they're this low." I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my head when I realized I have to keep at least a B average to keep the scholarship. Aish. _

_Suddenly, the two of us felt some arms lock around our waists. "Wha-!"_

"_Targets." Kaoru says, holding me. "Captured." Hikaru says, holding Haruhi._

"_What the! What the hell!? What's going on!?" Some limo ends up pulling in front up us. The window rolls down and there was Tama-Hyung, looking like his hot sh*t when he's not, shades and everything. YOU CAN'T COMPARE WITH TEEN TOP OR SHINEe! "Good work. Now take them with you." _

"_Roger boss!" The twins say, dragging us somewhere. "WHERE ARE YOU TAKING US!?" Haruhi and I say together in horror. _

_FLASHBACK ENDS_

"Try to make the most of this down time and just relax. We're so worried about keeping our good looks day and night, we deserve a little vacation." Tama-Hyung ranted about taking a break and stuff. I just deadpanned and looked and the whole tropical place with a glare. I was going to try out a new marshmallow sauce that I found on the internet.

"This is clearly ridiculous and really troublesome so can you guys escort me to the exit so I can go home?" I said, a little pissed off because they basically kidnapped me and dragged me over here to some random water park belonging to one of those idiots.

"This place is a brand new theme park the Ootori group runs. "Tropical Aqua garden" is what it's called." Kyo-Hyung says calmly, drinking what I hope is nonalcoholic. Sometimes, I JUST WISH THESE RICH PEOPLE USE MONEY TO SAVE FOOD AND KIDS AROUND THE WORLD! BETTER YET, DONATE TO FIND A CURE FOR CANCER!

"I don't get it. I thought the Ootori group ran hospitals and focused on medical stuff, Kyoya-senpai." Haruhi said.

"Yes but my family likes to diversify and try different things. Besides, this place could be classified as a healing facility." Kyo-Hyung says while Haruhi just hmm's out loud. I just dug my hands into my pockets.

"It's therapeutic. Think of all the people who are overworked who would love to vacation in the tropics. However, they may not be able to get the time off or they may not be able to afford it."

Wait….is he calling me poor again only in a polite way?! Why that arsehole! Just cause he's rich and good looking doesn't mean he'll escape my criticizing wrath!

"The park doesn't officially open until next month but the host club was given a special advanced invitation." Kyo-Hyung said, his whole face sparkling like in one of those Shojo manga's that Mika has lying around in the house.

"Relaxing at a tropical country…actually…there's a good rate of hospitality and tourism….Hm…" I was starting to wonder out loud, not really noticing where I was going or where I was.

~/+/~

"Haru-chan! Mao-chan!" Honey-Oppa yelled for us two, appearing everywhere from behind or beside the two of us. "Wanna share coconut juice with me?! Or do you want to try a piece of the mango cake!?" I turned to him with some sparkles in my eyes and smiled like a kid on Christmas.

"MANGO CAKE!? COCONUT JUICE?! I'll try everything! Will there be Kiwi!? Pineapple!? Banana?! Watermelon?! Oh how about some oranges and sugar canes!? That's really yummy if it's in a fruit salad!" I said happily.

"Yeah, sure. I'll have some coconut juice with you." Haruhi said, not really sure what to respond to him. Honey-Oppa twirled us around while the two of us smiled at him at how adorable he was. I heard a pencil sound on paper and no doubt that was Kyo-Hyung.

GASP! You know what I just realized! This is like the episode on _It started with a kiss_! The two go to Hawaii in the Taiwanese version! I remember the episode they finally do it! No, it wasn't graphic, just a lot of kissing and stuff, that's about it! (In all the versions I've seen, the girls house is burnt down, shot down by a meteor or destroyed by an earthquake…..wow…)

"We have a variety of fruits Mao. You're allowed to choose whatever you wish…my dear…" Kyo-Hyung said. I looked at him like he just told me Lee Min Ho wanted to meet me. I silently walked up to him and briefly hugged him. I didn't even notice that he just called me my dear…

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I said, running back to Haruhi and not even staying with Kyo-Hyung to tease him about his slightly pink face. Ha! Such a nerd!

"Haruhi! Mao! Wanna go check out the water slide?" Kaoru asked us while his twin brother was eating some banana.

"Hang on, what's the deal with those pullovers you're wearing?" Hikaru asked. I deadpanned and then remembered what happened when we first got here to the water park.

FLASHBACK

_It was 4:02 and the twins were escorting us to the girls changing rooms. While we were there, these twin maids were waiting for us right there with bright smiles._

"_Here. Do what you've got to do." The twins said while Haruhi and I just stared at the maids a little confused and scared like deer on headlights. _

"_Okay. We'll do what we can." The one on the left said, tilting her head towards her right. The other one did the same thing, saying, "Miss Fujikoa, Miss Kurosaki….Just follow me." And her eyes gave off that glint that everyone had and scared me. I wasn't the only one apparently because Haruhi moved back a bit. It really didn't help us moving back behind Hikaru and Kaoru because they had the same glint in their eyes. _

_The twin maids grabbed us quickly and pulled us to the changing rooms, undressing us._

"_Whoa! What's going on!? I need clothes! Clothes!" I yelled. _

"_We were asked to help you choose a swimsuit." Said one of the twin maids. She said it so casually. Outside of the changing room, I heard the twins saying something and then another pair of footsteps appeared. _

"_Just pick which ever one you want." _

_There was a whole variety of swimsuits and not that many that were just my style. I preferred swimsuits that had some shorts I could wear with them. They also had go along great my figure if I were to choose something pretty. I liked this one swimsuit that a second piece and the top part was a tube top with string to wrap around my neck. It was light green, too like my eyes. _

"_Are you ready Miss Fujioka, Miss Kurosaki? It's time to pick one!" The maids said in unison. Is it weird to say that I enjoyed their maid outfits? _

"_No thanks but I don't need a swim suit." Haruhi said as I clearly went over to grab the swimsuit I've been eying on._

"_Why don't you let me select one for you?" One of the said as I grabbed the swimsuit I wanted and went to change. "Got mine! I just need you to clap or boo if you hate it! Okay?" I said and they nodded that they agreed with my plan. _

_I started laughing to myself when I heard Haruhi complain with every single bikini and swimsuit she was thrown at. I almost peed myself when this happened._

"_I bet this one would be cute." Said the one with the lower voice. "But…that's nothing more than a couple of strings."_

"_BWAHAHAHAHA~!"_

_Okay, after Haruhi was done changing, it was time for my big reveal. I came out and the girls started clapping._

"_Oh my gosh, you look so adorable!"_

"_You really are cute! Your figure goes well with the top!"_

_And so we went out, trying not to get noticed by anyone, even Tama-Hyung cause we all know how he is. Well, that didn't work out too well as he was right there when we came out and the moment he opened his eyes to see what we wore, he blushed red and handed us some pullovers. Her's was yellow and mine was blue. _

"_Senpai/Hyung?" Haruhi and I asked._

"_J-just hurry up and put it on." He said. "Uh…A proper young lady should not show that much skin until after she's married." Holy crap, he's so old school!_

_Then again, I am up for marrying as a virgin and stuff._

END OF FLASH BACK!

"So you're not going to swim?" Asked Kaoru, throwing the banana out somewhere. THAT'S LITTERING MISTER! PICK IT UP!

"Hold on, you two do know how to swim right?" Hikaru asked.

"I can swim as much as the next guy!" Haruhi and I said in unison and we freaked out when we did. It's not unusual for us to do that but it also wasn't common.

"We're just going to spend our day goofing off." Haruhi said and then this label said "Lazybones Heroine" was in front of her. "I appreciate you guys thinking I need a break from work but I'll be fine taking breaks when I need them. Thanks to you guys, Mom's probably over roasting the coffee beans and Mika might have set the cake on fire." I said.

"Yeah. All you need to play in the water is a plastic pool." Haruhi said, looking at me if I agreed. I sort of agreed because it is fun to play on a hot day, but that thing has germs from other people and I don't want the germs of the things they were touching before they got it. Who knows what they were touching….

"A Plastic pool? What's that?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked. Haruhi and I turned to them and we began to explain to them what it was.

"To use it, you have to pump it full of air and it's round." Haruhi said while I had another idea of it.

"My idea of a pool is those that are five to six feet deep. Ones that are about twenty feet in diameter? I think there are ones made of wood with metal as well." I said.

"You idiots."

"That's an inflatable boat and a life boat you dummy's." I can actually see it now. The pools now being boats inside their imaginations.

"There's no way something that small and stupid can be pools."

"Guys, they're a small pool and a pool! Haven't you seen little kids playing in one or a family in their back yard for a barbeque?" I scolded them. Tama-Hyung came up to them, whispering that if we thought they were pools then they are pools.

I don't need sympathy you idiot!

Then the carrot tops were asking the idiot why he made us wear the pullovers we were wearing, saying that he was some kind of jealous pervert. That explains so much now.

To Haruhi and I, he lost total sane points from us.

"Haru-chan! Mao-chan!" Oh, did you hear that? I'm starting to hear the voice of an adorable little boy that just makes me smile because of his cuteness!

"Let's play! You two want to swim in the current pool with me?" Honey-Oppa asked us. Haruhi declined while I just volunteered to at least sit by the edge and wet my feet a little.

"Hold on." Haruhi said after she declined to swim. "You know how to swim; do you really need that float?" She asked while Honey-Oppa shook his head so cutely.

"It just looks cuter this way! You know?" He said, his smile beaming like a thousand suns!

"I'VE GONE BLIND BY CUTENESS!" I said, covering my eyes. Everyone sweat dropped and chuckled at my silliness. That kid is so innocent and cute!

"No way! You got it all wrong!" A voice echoed and then I heard the oh so powerful motor yet again. How many times am I going to be hearing that in my school years here at Ouran!?

"Is that Renge?" Asked Haruhi. No, it's the milkman!

"Ohohohohohoh~!"

"OH MY GOD! IT'S THE OTAKU!" I screamed, not really wanting to deal with the whole anime thing. She was even trying to cosplay as some character from that Lala Magazine

"What's with the tattoo on your stomach?"

"Oh that? You don't recognize it? I'm cosplaying." She said. I KNEW IT!

"Perfect teen and slender frame! Her blue eyes light up young men's faces! Her singing voice! LA! I'm Qua Kisoragi! (Correct me if I'm wrong. I've only got the English dub version with me right now)

"NO! YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG!" I yelled out suddenly and all heads turned to me. I had a rant speech coming by.

"Kisoragi is much more than that! COSPLAY IS AN ART FORM! ONE CREATED MY THE MIND AND BODY OF A PERSON! ONE SIMPLY DOES NOT COSPLAY WITHOUT GETTING INTO CHARACTER! YOU DON'T JUST ACT LIKE THE CHARACTER! YOU HAVE TO BE ONE WITH THE CHARACTER! BE THE CHARACTER YOU STRIFE TO BE!" It must have been a pretty amazing rant because even Haruhi was clapping.

"Do you cosplay Mao-kun?" Renge asked me. I thought about it and then remembered all those concerts that I've been to along with driving Mika to those anime conventions and I had to dress up for that too.

"I once dressed up as the male lead of that drama _Winter Sonata_. I cosplayed as Kamjio from Versailles. One year, I was England and Spain from Hetalia, Roy Mustang from Full metal Alchemist, Jean Kirstein from Attack on Titan, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy…..Oh! And the eleventh doctor from Doctor Who." I pondered out loud.

"Doctor Who? Hetalia?"

"Versailles? Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Final Fantasy? Attack on Titan? Are you sure you're not an Otaku Mao?" Hikaru asked me. I lightly slapped him on his head and pouted.

"NO! I'm just informed! You don't need to worry about me because I'm the Asian Drama addict! Oh! I can't wait for the Taiwanese version of Absolute Boyfriend to come out next Monday! I didn't like the Japanese version…the characters were so…different from what I imagined."

"Listen up gentlemen! You obviously need help understanding Haninozuka's hidden motives! Look!" Renge said, pointing at Honey-Oppa.

"What are you talking about?" Tama-Hyung said. Wait…..HOLY MOLE! NO WAY!

"Think about what he said to you earlier. He's not being as sweet and innocent as you think." OTAKU UP IN MY FACE! SOMEONE GET ME BOYS OVER FLOWERS! QUICK! I MUST FALL MORE IN LOVE WITH LEE MIN HO! NO! I MUST GET THE PRINCE OF ASIA!

"_It just looks cuter this way, you know?" "I look cuter this way, you know?"_

"I agree."

"GYAAHH!" I yelled, shocked and surprised that Kyo-Hyung appeared behind me unexpectedly. He also did that glasses thing that he always does. "Try putting an 'I' in the beginning of his sentence." He said. I already imagined it and I was shocked. He must have done that because of what happened with Shiro and stuff.

I looked behind me and glared at Kyo-Hyung.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again." I warned and took my seat under the shade after I couldn't deal with Tama-Hyung and the twins water gun fight. Not after what they said…

"Haruhi. Mao. I think it's about time we got married."

"How about we honeymoon in Korea?" I lit up because that's my ultimate destination to go when I have a passport. It would be come true and then I realized it was just a trigger for Tama-Hyung to play along with the twins.

"Are you enjoying yourself Mao?" Guess who's sitting right next to me?

Yeah…the famous Shadow king, Kyoya Ootori. Kyo-Hyung for short.

"More or less." I said, taking a little sip of my kiwi strawberry drink that I was able to make. I like the flavor and smell of the two combined. (If you get close to my hair, you can smell it there too.)

I took a quick peek at him and then noticed that he had that look that wanted to ask me something. I got annoyed that I just narrowed my eyes and looked towards the current pool.

"You got something to say, say it now or forever hold your peace."

"It's just that-!" Oh, I guess he doesn't have nothing to say to me because the two of us looked at Tama-Hyung land face first to this totem pole and then the floor. The floor started shaking, a rumbling noise being heard and then Honey-Oppa yell.

"HONEY-SENPAI!"

"MITSKUNI!"

"HONEY-OPPA!" OH MY GOD WHERE DID HE GO!? I dropped my drink and started running towards the way the current was going. I didn't care if Kyo-Hyung was going to charge me for that, Honey-Oppa, my senior, he's in trouble and I gotta find him! I can't let anything happen to him!

"Gentlemen! We're going after Honey-senpai!" Tama-Hyung exclaimed and then said we should follow the quickest way Honey-Oppa went.

"Wait! I wouldn't go-!" Kyo-Hyung said, everyone else noticing that there were alligators over there. WHAT THE HELL!? WHY ARE ALLIGATORS ON THE LOOSE!? THIS ISN'T THE ANIMAL PLANET CHANNEL! DO I LOOK LIKE STEVE IRWIN TO YOU!?

"They're everywhere! I'm not the turtle man you know!" I said, pretty exhausted already with all the running.

"Those alligators belong to the parks tropical animals exhibit. I guess it is quite dangerous to let them run wild." Kyo-Hyung said. No. It's perfectly safe. Yeah, this alligator chewing on my arm in perfectly normal mom! The blood loss is part of the attraction. "Well, the cause of present situation seems to be the location for the switch for the current pool. I'm going to have a chat with our designers. Thanks a lot you guys, I got some great data today." He said with a smile.

So….YOU BROUGHT US HERE TO COLLECT DATA! WHY YOU~!?

"LEMME AT HIM! I'M NOT A GUINEA PIG YOU KNOW! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR BUTT INTO NEXT YEAR!" I said, being held back by Haruhi and Mori so I don't end up hurting Kyo-Hyung.

"Calm down Mao. All this fighting isn't going to help Honey-senpai." Said Tama-Hyung and I knew that he was right. Honey-Oppa could be somewhere in the jungle looking for us and this jungle is pretty big and who else, there could be other things way dangerous than alligators. I took a deep breath and calmed down.

"You're right….Nothing shall keep me from doing my mission! We must save Honey-Oppa!"

~/+/~

"_Hey Mika, why does your sister seem protective of those close to her or children?"_

"_She hates seeing people get hurt or separated from the group. Mao's over protective that she'll smuggle in some illegal drug that maybe a cure for a disease just for me to get better. No matter how dangerous, she'll do it for her loved ones."_

"_Explain to me why she's called the 'Bipolar Tiger' then…"_

"_Oh..that…it's a long story…"_

Jungle…Jungle…even more jungle…there was just so much jungle that I was starting to get sick of it.

Remind me never to go to the amazon or the Yucatan Peninsula…

"You're family made this way too authentic Kyo-Hyung. If I die, you're explaining this to my mom…" I said. He's glasses just glared at me, signaling me to shut up. I can say whatever the hell I want okay?!

All of us stopped because Mori-Oppa was acting as clumsy as Tama-Hyung was. I don't even want to think about the whole world acting as clumsy as that blonde idiot.

_Well….I can say that he's pretty worried about Honey-Oppa. They're really close like family._

What? It's not every day that you hear two different families with the –inozuka part in both their names.

"Ah…guys…why is the sky so dark now?" I asked, looking up to the sky and watched these rain clouds come in.

"Uh oh. It's about time for the squall." Kyo-Hyung said, looking at his watch. I looked at him confusedly and felt not one raindrop but ten per second, maybe even more. Because of the storm, the seven of us that remained had to find some dry shelter.

"Some break…tch! I SHOULD BE HOME WATCHING THE HEIRS STARTING LEE MIN HO! OR HOT YOUNG BLOODS LEE JONG SUK! GIVE ME MY XIE KUN DA!" I said, making unnecessary hand gestures that started to worry the guys and Haruhi.

"So…Mori-senpai...are the two of you like childhood friends?" Haruhi asked. While she was asking, I stopped my crocodile tears in the meantime and started to hear what the guys had to say.

"You mean you don't know?" Hikaru questioned. "That they're cousins?" Kaoru finished. I looked at them and realized that it was about to become story time! Yay! Story time, story time!

"What?" Haruhi was surprised. "You're kidding me! They're related?!" What did you miss? The somewhat same surnames or how close they were?

"The Morinozuka's have been serving the Haninozuka family for generations." Kyo-Hyung sort of explained. Inside Haruhi's and Mao's imagination, we saw Honey-Oppa being a lord and Mori-Oppa being the loyal shinobi servant kneeling down towards Honey-Oppa.

"However, two generations ago, the families became relatives by marriage and the master and servant relationship was a thing of the past."

"But even so, Mori-senpai has always made a point to accompany Honey-senpai."

"Must really get his bloody going," Tama-Hyung said. "The blood of a loyal servant flows like a mighty river in Mori-senpai's veins."

"Such a beautiful story!" The carrot tops and I said, weeping into our handkerchiefs that we had with us. It really was a beautiful story. It could make a good drama starting back in Feudal Japan and then towards modern times! I love it!

"I don't know if I'll call it a beautiful story…" Haruhi dead panned. I stopped my weeping and went up her face. "Don't say that! Haven't you watched those historical dramas where you have the lord and the servant! I'm going to send a strongly worded letter towards KBS and MBS today…." I said, my inner fangirl blood getting fired up.

"I still don't get it….still, I do know that Mori-senpai's pretty worried about Honey-senpai, cousin or not."

"Yeah…"

The two of us walked up to Mori-Oppa and smiled at him.

"It's going to be alright Mori-senpai. We're sure Honey-senpai is safe." Haruhi said. I smiled more.

"Yeah, he's a lot strong than he looks like and if he gets hungry, there's a bunch of food in the trees like bananas!" Everyone in the background deadpanned and wondered what the hell Mori-Oppa was going to do. Well, I found out when he placed his palms on top of our heads and smiled.

"You two are right." And then cue the unnecessary pink glittering background!

"GAH! Don't tell me Mori-senpai is out for my spot as Haruhi's and Mao's Daddy!"

"No one wants that spot, but you, boss." The carrot tops said. I just paused and tried to focus on Haruhi and Mori-Oppa, but they disappeared when I turned to at least talk to them.

"OH MY GOD! WHERE ARE MY NOONA AND OPPA!?" I said and everyone averted their attention to me freaking out. "They must have left once the storm passed." Kyo-Hyung said. That did not make me feel better at all because this place is a man-made jungle to look like an actual jungle. If something happened to those three…there's no telling what'll I'll be able to do.

"Oh screw this! I'm going to find them on my own!" I said, following the footsteps that Mori-Oppa was kind enough to leave. (He didn't do it on purpose though.)

"Wait, Mao! It's too dangerous!" Tama-Hyung said, running after me followed by the rest of the guys that were left. I looked back them and gave off a pretty pissed off glare that meant I mean business.

"Dangerous? Honey-Oppa's lost, Noona and Mori-Oppa could be lost as well!" While I was at my rant, Hikaru and Kaoru hugged each other in fear but I learned soon enough that it wasn't because of me. Kaoru pointed it out for me.

"Mao…t-t-there's a jaguar behind you!" He yelled. I scoffed and turned around that he was actually telling the truth. S***.

"Mao! Get behind me and Kyoya! We'll take care of it!" Tama-Hyung said. Did he seriously just brush me off while Kyo-Hyung agreed and pulled out his cell phone!? No!

"NO! You two get behind me! NOW!" I yelled and they just backed off while I started to get in a fighting position. The jaguar was getting in his pouncing position and it did so while I raised my fist and upper cutted him in the lower jaw, yelling,

"SUPERMAN PUNCH!" I heard gasps and a phone drop on the floor. I can't get distracted, one wrong move and I'm finished.

The jaguar did that circling thing while I followed in example, again pouncing back at me while I did a high kick on its stomach. "FALCON KICK!" I yelled and noticed that it was getting tired. I smirked and that seemed to piss it off as it growled and showed its teeth.

Damn…look at those teeth. Nature you're really scary….

"Mao! Look out!" Tama-Hyung yelled out as the came running at me and clawed me on my arm. It cut through my pullover!

"Mao!" The carrot tops and Kyo-Hyung yelled at me and I just shrugged it off. "Okay, I had enough of this!" I ran at it at full speed and then speared it. Making sure that he didn't have enough energy, I threw him over me and yelled, "GERMAN SUFLEX!" I purposely let him go while I smiled and he flew seven trees down.

He didn't come back after that.

"And don't come back!" I said, dusting off the dirt from me and looking at the guys that were just in awe.

"WHAT THE HELL! HOW DID YOU KNOW ALL OF THOSE MOVES!?" Tama-Hyung asked me while I tried to take care of the battle scar that I got.

"I'm not called the "Bipolar Tiger" for nothing. Dad taught me everything he knew! Now come on." I said, sending off a wink and then ran towards the direction Noona and Mori-Oppa went, not really paying attention to the guys that were still standing there in shock and awe or the flesh wound that I got from the stupid jaguar.

"Come on! Hurry up!" I ushered them. I ran faster than those guys did and stopped when I saw Honey-Oppa kicking ass. He really is stronger than he looked…..

The guys hurried up and got here when all the fighting was done.

"Haruhi-Noona! Mori-Oppa! Honey-Oppa! You guys are okay!?" I yelled and Honey-Oppa smiled at me like normal.

"HARUHI!" Tama-Hyung yelled and then went back to his normal host club ways while he hugged Haruhi-Noona. "I was so worried…" And then there were unnecessary sparkles everywhere.

"I'm not sure what happened here…but at least they're still alive."

"It's pretty amazing that this was all Honey-senpai's work. He must have really been holding back."

"What do you mean holding back?" Haruhi questioned, pinching Tama-Hyung's hand.

"You don't know about senpai? The Haninozukas are famous for their martial arts. Not only have they trained the police and the SDF forces but several overseas militaries." The carrot tops explained. I was amazed at it.

"Honey-Senpai in particular has been called the "dreadknot" of the Haninozuka family. By the time he was in middle school, he's become the national champion in both Karate and Judo." Haruhi and I looked at the smiling Honey-Oppa surrounded by flowers. Now I know the meaning "Never judge a book by its cover…"

"Mori-senpai's no slouch either. He won the national championship in Kendo when he was just in middle school." Tama-Hyung said and then I looked at Mori-Oppa..

_**MAO PROCESSING INFORMATION**_

_**MAO PROCESSING INFORMATION  
MAO PROCESSING INFORMATION**_

THEY'RE MY MORI AND HONEY SEONGBAE!

"WE HUMBLY APOLOGIZE!" The police force suddenly said. I joined in once I realized that this was Honey-Oppa we're talking about

"I HUMBLY APOLOGIZE!" I yelled, bowing down like he was the emperor or something. Every guy was shouting out what Dojo they were from.

"And I'm a third generation student at the Shinate Dojo!"

"We're in your debt!" The police force and I said; sweat dropping because we're in the presence of the great Mitsukuni Haninozuka!

"Okay….I get you police force guys apologizing to me but why you Mao-chan?" Honey-seongbae asked, turning to me. I didn't lift my head, even though if I knew Honey before he became my seongbae.

"I was a student at the Shinate Dojo, my dad being the sensei. He highly acknowledged your fighting skills Honey-Seongbae! He'd be so happy to know that I'm actually meeting you!"

_Dad! Can you believe that I'm actually meeting the great Haninozuka that you acknowledged!? It's something alright._

~/+/~

What a day.

It lasted alright….the sun started to set the moment we finally made it back to the place we began at.

"Hey, maybe we should go to the beach next time." The carrot tops said. Tama-Hyung intervened.

"You idiots. Haruhi and Mao aren't interested in things like that." He said. Well, I may not like getting sun burned but I do like a scavenger hunt where I can try to find red algae for Miso soup!

"Actually I might like to go to the beach." Haruhi said. NOO~! I wanted to get a job at the Edelstein café!

"I may not like the idea of a water park but I do like the ocean." She said. I hung my head low and gave out the white flag. "You all are just going to drag me to the beach anyways….I'll go as long as I don't have to fight jaguars….." I dead panned and then everyone's eyes adverted to the claw mark I got today.

"Mao-chan! Doesn't it hurt?!" Honey-Seongbae asked me. I shrugged it off and ruffled his hair, despite the fact that he was on Mori-Seongbae's shoulders.

"Nah. I'm fine. I can check off 'Fight off a Jaguar to protect someone' off my checklist!" I said, giving them thumbs up, not even noticing that I used the shoulder that I got hurt at. I winced a little but I kept on smiling. Dad always said that you should look on the brighter side of things when screwed up events come at you at any direction.

"Hey. Why called the "Bipolar Tiger" anyways? Is it some fancy nickname or something?" Kaoru asked me. I tilted my head at him and at everyone. Maybe I will tell them my story? What do you think dad?

"Ah…well…you see, I…" Just when I was about to begin, Kyo-Hyung chimed in.

"Mao was part of the tae kwon do club and the boxing club during middle school. Because her sister received a lot of love confessions from boys, she had to step up her game. The boys then called her the "Bipolar Tiger" after witnessing her beat up a rival school gang." He finished, closing his book. Tama-Hyung took hold of my face and made me look at his teary eyes.

"MAO! YOU'RE IN A GANG!? HOW COULD YOU!? IS IT BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY IS SO POOR THAT YOU WOULD RESULT TO VIOLENCE!? DADDY WON'T ALLOW IT!" He screamed close to my ear that I just wanted to slap him to Antarctica.

"THAT'S JUST A RUMOR!" I yelled unpleasantly. I coughed awkwardly and blushed a bit.

"I was beating that jerk up because he wanted to see my underwear." I muttered quietly that it sounded like gibberish. Somehow, they were able to hear and Tama-Hyung just went on into a rant. Kyo-Hyung dropped his cell phone again and blushed? No wait, he broke his pen again.

"THAT PERVERT! GOOD JOB MY DEAR DAUGHTER! YOU BRUSHED OFF THAT NASTY PERVERT! WELL DONE!"

"Eh!? You're underwear Mao-chan!? What a meaie!" Honey-Seongbae said. Ah… maybe I shouldn't have told them that.

"Okay before you guys go out on an adventure to beat this guy up, I'll just say that the beach sounds awesome and we should go!"

"Great!"

"TO THE BEACH IT IS THEN!"

"YAY!"

Dear Freckled Jesus, what did I do now? 

"Hey guys, I know you have a reputation to keep things all happily and bubbly but do you think you can check, oh I don't know, MY ARM THAT JUST GOT SLASHED BY A JAGUAR!?" I yelled, keeping away from anyone that were going to poke the wound and then let it hurt me. It's like a claw mark from that Alice in Wonderland move.

"We must get the wounded treated in case of infection. My family's hospital is not far from here. I'll simply make a call." Kyo-Hyung said.

"No way. Then I'll be in more debt. Take me to Mika and my mom. They'll know what to do.

Yep...This is my crazy life with this so called Host Club...Rescue me Freckled Jesus...

* * *

_**((A/N: *watching Rush Hour 3* Dang, I just love those movies! According to my brother I'm Carter and he's Lee. XDD I have no arguments because I do get annoyed with peoples names and getting confused with them. Another peeve I have.**_

_**I wonder how France from Hetalia would react if he saw the movie?**_

_**...**_

_**Oh, Check out the song Wonder What You're Doing for the Rest of Your Life - Train. I think that would be the theme for the story, don't you think?**_

_**If you have suggestions, don't be afraid to tell me :3 **_

_**Next chapter is the beach and what will happen to our little chef? Find out when I update next time :3**_

_**Until then ~ ))**_


	8. To the Beach! making Vanilla and Salt!

_**((A/N: NO TIME FOR A/N! NO REVIEWS EITHER! MUST!**_

**_UPDATE!_**

**_ENJOY THE STORY~~ ))_**

"The beach?" Asked Haruhi and I. The two of us were working on some of our homework until the twins said something about the beach.

"Yes! The beach!" They said together. As much as I like the idea of going to the beach, I had some other things to worry about. Who would take care of the restaurant when Mom was sick? I can't trust Mika, she'll just close it for the day and go off shopping.

"The beach…" Haruhi said again. Hikaru spoke, "You said it before didn't you?"

"You wouldn't mind going to a real beach." Kaoru finished off for him.

"I did?" With attitude Haruhi, I sometimes wonder if you even remember my name. Hikaru and Kaoru looked annoyed like I did, saying, "Yes, you did. And so…" They moved aside and showed off these swimsuits that I wouldn't want to be caught dead with!

"…We prepared some swimsuits for you and Mao!" They said. "Isn't this cute?" Kaoru asked. I slammed my pencil down on the table, glaring at the swimsuits. I haven't worn one since elementary on the trip. The swimsuit the twins showed us was a two piece with some frilly stuff that I don't know the name of. Crap, I hate my memory!

Honey-Oppa popped up, "I think…that this would look good on Haru-chan!" Honey-Oppa said with a one piece suit that was blue, almost like a sailor outfit. He lifted another one and it was pink. "And this one would look good on Mao-chan!" He said. The outfit that he picked for me was frilly at the top and bottom, a two piece suit. It had strings over the neck to easily untie and some ribbons.

Hikaru and Kaoru tsked. "You don't get it, huh Honey-senpai?" Said Hikaru. Oh my god, why is everyone looking at the swimsuits! Them perverts! So not like Lee Min Ho and G-Dragon! So much more like my type!

"Just wearing this uniform helps to gloss over the fact that Haruhi's as flat as a cutting board." Said Kaoru. The two were holding Haruhi like some kind of rag doll with one of their arms. Is she really that light? "A one-piece type suit like that would only invite tears, by making it obvious how utterly poor her figure is." Wow, and to think they're the sons of a popular fashion designer.

"And for Mao, she's has _them_. They're the miracle breasts. Not too small or too big. But with her figure, it would be so obvious how poor it is with just a one piece suit. Don't get us wrong Honey-senpai, that suit you picked for Mao is not that bad. On that point, we carefully selected these separate-type suits!" They said in unison. I lost interest after I heard 'miracle breasts'. I stared, well, more like glared, when I saw the stupid suits. Haruhi's looked alright but mine was even more girly. There were frills at the top and bottom with ribbons. It was sort of like Honey-Oppa's choice but the top part more looked like a tube top that Mika has.

"The frills make a fine job of covering the absence of any bust!" The twins said. They're idiots. But they're my idiots!

Wait…..what?!

Just then, Tama-Hyung came and used them as balls for his baseball thing, getting a homerun!

"How dare you guys' heap sexual harassment on my little girls! That's enough of that!" Wow, he was really angry that I sweat dropped.

"Then, we aren't going to the beach?" The twins said, hiding behind the table Haruhi and I were using to study. Tama-Hyung swung his baseball bat on his shoulder. "Whoever said we weren't going?"

Crap! Then we are going!

"Oh, then you do want to go!" The twins said.

"Can Usa-chan come, too!" AWW! Honey-Oppa was just so cute!

"I have no objections." Kyo-Hyung said, still writing on his notebook.

"Huh? We're really going?" Asked Haruhi, more confused than usual.

"WHAT!? Who's going to take care of the café! I have a business to run there!" I said, kicking down a figurine because going to the beach seemed like a waste of time.

"Come on, let's go to the beach!" Tama-Hyung said.

"_This host club sounds fun! It sounds like one of those Korean dramas where the heroine genderbends to learn more about the boy and they end up falling in love! Maybe, Mao, you'll have a reverse harem!" My mother said, placing the plates on the table. I spit out the water I was drinking and started coughing. _

"_MOM! No way! They're all my Hyung-nims! Well, technically, they're my Oppas but you get the point!" I yelled that the neighbors could hear us. _

"_Ah! Mao…. YOU BARELY TALK ABOUT CUTE BOYS BESIDES THE ONES IN THE DRAMAS! SOMETIMES, I TALK TO YOUR FATHER AND WE AGREE THAT MAYBE YOU LIKE GIRLS! HOW FRIGHTFUL! HOW DID YOU BECOME SUCH A GIRL LIKE THAT! IF YOU ARE DEAR DAUGHTER, I'LL STILL LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE MY LITTLE GIRL! I'LL APOLOGISE FOR YOU! I'M SORRY MY DAUGHTER LOVES GIRLS! SORRY WORLD!" My mom yelled, holding onto my shirt. I seriously sweat dropped._

"_GAH! MOM! OKAY OKAY! I GET IT! AND STOP DOING THAT! THE NEIGHBORS ARE GOING TO THINK WE'RE CRAZY!"_

"_But…we are crazy. Now, anyways, about the beach they invited you to?" _

~/+/~

"So, why Okinawa?" The twins asked.

"Kyoya's folks have a private beach here."Of course he does! It's seemingly impossible for a rich family to not own a private beach!

"It's a beautiful place, huh?" Honey-Oppa said. "Yeah." Mori-Oppa agreed with Honey.

"But as long as we're going somewhere, why not…"

"The Caribbean…" Hikaru asked. "Or Fiji?" Said Kaoru.

"Do you think commoners like Haruhi and Mao have a passport?" Kyo-Hyung said. "Ah…" The twins said together.

"Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness." Said Haruhi. I just turned my head away from the guys and walked towards the beach. "Yeah…thanks so much for thinking about us!" I said sarcastically. Now you gotta admit, the beach is really pretty and the ocean was so….blue…

…

…..

BLUE LOBSTER! MY LOVE! THE OCEAN COLOR REMINDS ME OF YOU! I WANT TO TASTE YOU AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE I DIE! WHY MUST WE BE APART!

"Did you happen to eat sugar before you got here Mao?" Kyo-Hyung asked, drinking some bottled water. "Yeah. Sorry, I stayed up all night cooking some food for Mika and mom, Kyoya-kun~!" I said and he started choking on it. Tama-hyung hits him in his back while I skipped happily to the beach. I didn't see the others looking at me so…possessively or angrily. So…Jealous…

~/=/~

Tama-Hyung was flirting with the customers again. Man, I knew there was a catch for coming here. If I knew about it, I wouldn't have come. Damn, now I know how Jan Di felt when the F4 came in their yacht and interrupted her on her fishing trip with her friend.

Everyone was working besides me and Haruhi.

"This suck." Haruhi grumbles. "I though going to the beach was a day-off." She said.

"I was just thinking the same thing." I said, sitting upright after leaning back on the map we were sitting on right now. I turned my head and saw Honey and Mori-Oppas doing some weird exercise.

Seconds later, some of Haruhi's customers come and talk to her.

"Umm…Mao-kun." I heard my name being called and saw some of my number one guests. I remember Nana anywhere!

"Is there something wrong?" I asked them, getting up. You know, since I'm standing up, I just realized that I'm a like six inches taller than all of them but compared to the guys, excluding Honey-Oppa, I'm a pipsqueak!

"Aren't you going to swim." Nana asked me. I tilted my head. Well, I was going to swim but something was stopping me…

"_Papa! Swim! SWIM! They're coming!"_

"I would but I must stay here. I must look after all of you, my Noonas. I don't want anything to happen to you all." I said, blushing a bit at the thought of it. I gotta look after my seniors and make them happy! "No, Mao-kun! Don't mind us! Please stay here and look after us!" They said. I smiled and patted their heads. One of them fainted and I helped carry her until she woke up. "Be safe!" I said and walked back to the map. Haruhi sent off her customers too. She looked at me funny with her raised eyebrows.

"What?" I said. She shook her head and chuckled. "Nothing. I'm just impressed how you look after those younger and older than you. Even me." She said. My eyes widen and my mind was blank.

"I can't believe he fooled us." Hikaru whines. I turned my head to look at the twins.

"Yeah. Who'd have thought he'd bring guests with us?" Kaoru asked.

"I invited you club members along for free," Kyo-Hyung said, "So be sure to perform your services." He finished. SO IT WAS HIS IDEA! MOM, AND YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THEM!?

"But the guests here…"Kaoru said.

"…Haruhi and Mao won't be able to wear her swimsuits."

"Everything has been taken into account!" Meanwhile when Tama-Hyung was talking, Honey-Oppa was chasing some girl. "Did you think I would let my dear little angel and my precious tiger in their swimsuits be exposed to _your_ eyes?" Tama-Hyung finished. The real pervert here is you Tama-Hyung. Don't forget I haven't forgotten the Physical exam episode! YOU ALMOST TOUCHED HARUHI NOONAS BREASTS! He then goes into his little mind theater.

_INSIDE-TAMAKI'S BRAIN THEATRE_

_And then, come sundown, Haruhi, Mao and I will take a stroll, just the three of us, along the shore. _

"_It's such a beautiful sunset. I could just stare at it forever." Haruhi says, her hand behind her head like in one of those Korean dramas that she admires. "It would be our greatest wish to stay here like this and watch it together forever with you Tamaki-Oppa." Says Mao, smiling._

"Or something along those lines! That would be just too much, huh?" Tama-Hyungs face turned red and started to act happy, squirming around everywhere.

The twins and Tama-Hyungs talk to each other while I stomped my way over and flicked his forehead, getting his attention. "You're such a pervert! You-! You-! IDIOT! YEAH! Idiot! There's no way Haruhi Noona will belong to you! Haruhi Noona is a beautiful person that deserves the best of the best!" I said with my head up high. "Do something to her and I'll make sure that you end up the same way like that jaguar the other day!" I screamed. I looked at Tama-Hyungs expression and saw him wince. Great, he's totally scared of me.

"Bu-but…I wasn't thinking of Haruhi. I was th-th-thinking of y-y-you!" Tama-Hyung says. I blushed lightly. Yeah right! I've been known to scare people way because I would always watch out of Mika. The best I could do was lifting my fist in the air and lightly punch Tama-Hyung's head and still blush. "Pft! Right! You'd have to be insane to love the "Bipolar Tiger"." I said, walking off with Haruhi and angrily stare at the guys.

"Haru-chan! Mao-chan!" I looked up from my muttering to see Honey-Oppa, calling Haruhi and I. I smiled as he waves. "Wanna go hellfish hunting with me?" He asked.

"You mean shellfish hunting, right?" Haruhi sweat dropped while I just looked around to look for shellfish. The beach is a good place to eat some marine life like fish, especially some cod or fish tacos Dad used to eat a lot. Dad would have loved it to be at the beach again.

"And this doesn't seem to be that kind of beach, Honey-senpai…" Haruhi started and then looked at the bucket Honey-Oppa had next to him, it already had a mountain of shellfish in it.

I looked around again and saw so many crab and shellfish that it wasn't funny. "WHAT THE HELL!?" I heard Haruhi scream the same. The whole shore was covered! And no blue lobster in sight! WAH! OF COURSE THERE ISN'T! THIS ISN'T THE ENGLISH CHANNEL!

I tried not to get in the way of the crab that just wanted to pinch my toes off and headed where Mori-Oppa was, looking over the rocks. What I saw didn't even surprise me as much as it should have. Kyo-Hyung with his folks police force, wanting to say sorry for Honey-Oppa and so they brought this many shellfish. Well, I'm glad that they're making up from the water park incident.

I sweat dropped. Suddenly, my feet began to get slippery from the sea algae that were around the rocks. "Crap…crap crap!" I yelled. I closed my eyes to embrace impact. Luckily Mori-Oppa was there, holding me bridal style. I blushed because this seemed like a scene of _My Little Bride_. I didn't really bother looking elsewhere, not even where Kyo-Hyung was when he tightened his grip on his pen and clipboard.

"Look out for algae next time." He said. I nodded quickly as he sets me down.

Well, that escalated and dwindled quickly.

I went back into helping Haruhi Noona and Honey-Oppa. Yeah…I'm calling Haruhi Noona now because she's a few months older than I am.

"Amazing! What a haul!" Honey-Oppa said. I grinned, "Yeah. I can't wait till dinner! It's going to be so tasty! Hey, I wonder if there's some red algae here? It's great with Miso soup!"

"We're going to have a fancy side dish tonight huh?" Haruhi smiled, radiating with happiness. She was so happy. I nodded with agreement and thought about all the dishes I could cook! Crab cakes, steamed crabs, Oyster soup, crab soup. Oh, the possibilities are endless!

"Senpai!" She screamed happily as she spotted Tama-Hyung with Mori-Oppa, "We caught a big haul for tonight's supper!"

Then that got me to thinking…why would she call Tama-Hyung? ….

COULD MY BEST FRIEND HAVE A CRUSH!? TAMA-HYUNG'S GONNA HAVE TO GET THROUGH ME IF HE'S GONNA HAVE HARUHI-NOONA!

"Oh, I'm so proud of you two! Look at my little girls!"

"_Papa! Look! I found some seashells for you! Aren't they pretty!?"_

"_I'm so proud of you! You have a good eye Mao!"_

~/=/~

"Tell me, Haruhi, Mao," Tama-Hyung held up a crab, "Don't you find this large crab…crab-tivating?" He poses while Kyo-Hyung writes on his clipboard or whatever.

"Yeah!" Haruhi grins and I smile a bit but continue to look for some shellfish.

"So cute~!" He exclaims. All of a sudden, some centipede started crawling out…..

"CEN," "TI," "PEDE!" Everyone, the customers and the twins shouted, running away. I sweat dropped. Some were screaming in terror or laughing and smiling. Haruhi picked it up when she saw it and threw it over the rocks. "Okay…that's one way to get rid of a bug…" I said.

"Hey Haruhi, Mao!" I heard the twins say. "As much as it would pain me to think that you're a bug loving kindhearted girls…" said Hikaru. "Couldn't you have at least set that thing free more gently?" Said Kaoru.

"It's okay. It will take more than that to kill it." Said Haruhi. I nodded in agreement. "Yeah…to kill it you need a wooden sword or a frying pan." Yeah, when I find a bug in my kitchen or anywhere else, I must destroy it so everything must be clean!

"Haruhi-kun is so manly!" The customers all fangirled behind us. Oh crap.

"Hey boss! You know what would be great!?"

"If one of us found out what Haruhi and Mao were afraid of!"

Wait…when did Hikaru and Kaoru leave the scene with Tamaki?!

"Then let the games begin!" They said. It could be my imagination but I heard some beep sound effect…..I'm now regretting eating sugar on the plane.

~/=/~

"This place here…is said to be a paranormal spot, which not even the locals will come to very often." Hikaru said as we all walked inside this dark and spooky cave. Wow, I'm really shaking.

"It's a cave that only shows itself at low tide. Up to now, they say that a lot of people have drowned down here." Kaoru continues. I looked around the cave and saw some good seaweed. I know what I'm making with the crab tonight~!

"They say that their lingering resentment drabs passers-by into the dark!" Kaoru says in a scared voice.

"What's that over there!?" Hikaru pointed at some rock and behind it was some poorly made ghost. I felt sorry for the girls since they were almost about to wet themselves. Poor things.

A hand grabbed Haruhi's shoulder and she turned to the prop, not really fazed by anything. "Is this a test of courage or something?" She questioned to the boys

"Aren't you two afraid of ghosts?" Hikaru says. I shrugged and picked up some seaweed. "I don't know, I never really seen one.

**Paranormal terror line of attack failed!**

"Haru-chan! Mao-chan! Over here, Over here!" Honey-Oppa shouts. Behind Honey-Oppa was this huge truck that belonged to Kyo-Hyungs family. I wouldn't be surprised if it had his face on it or something.

"Is this thing even allowed to be on the beach?" Asked Haruhi. Somehow, we end up on either sides of Honey-Oppa on the truck.

"Okay, private police people!" Honey-Oppa says and then bows, "If you please!"

The police guys saluted and then the door shuts.

It was dark and I could barely see my hands. Honey-Oppa started to freak out. I felt bad for him.

"It's dark, and confined, and scary!" He shouts. I think I was hit by one of his arms in my stomach.

"GAH! Honey-Oppa-!" I said, kneeling down in pain.

"I'm sorry Mao-chan! I can't see! It's dark and scary!"

**Closed, dark space terror line of attack failed!**

"Mori-senpai. This is a harpoon, right?" What a play with words. I haven't seen something that sharp since my job at _Princess Heart_.

**Sharp object terror line of attack failed!**

"Something's up. I never saw the guys act so strangely in my life." I said, fixing my hair a bit as I was with Haruhi, who was picking out the last of the shellfish. "They're always weird. Leave them be." She said. I picked some seaweed as she picked up another shellfish. "And another side dish~!" Wow, she really loves shellfish.

"Haruhi-kun! Mao-kun!" Nana and some of Haruhi's guests shout. My eyes widen and I hope the worst doesn't happen. "It's dangerous up there!" Haruhi shouted. "Be careful girls!" I yelled at them. I looked at the sunset and smiled. I thought for once, something was so peaceful. I thought wrong as I heard the girls screaming and see some locals annoying the hell out of the girls. I grit my teeth and started running up there to help them.

If anything happened to them….

"_There are multiple bruises around her body. It's a good thing you came in time before something worse happened."_

Haruhi throws some shellfish at the guy while I start cracking my knuckles.

"Would you go away now? They don't want you. They say you're bothering them" Haruhi said so coolly. "Get your filthy hands of them you idiots. Can't you tell when a girl doesn't want you here? Get lost." I said.

"Haruhi-kun…Mao-kun…" Haruhi's regular said. I gritted my teeth more and turned my head to her. "Get help! GO!" I asked her. She nods quickly and runs off while I looked back at the girls with the other local. How dare they touch girls like that? You're a boy. You are to respect girls and treat them right!

"SUPERMAN PUNCH!" I said, aiming at that guys face and I smirked as it hit directly, him letting go of the girls. They started running away as Haruhi dealt with the other local, but then Haruhi was then thrown into the ocean by the guy with the short ponytail. My eyes widened and falcon kicked the bastard in the face. The guy that I punched started to get up but I kicked him in the face and jumped after Haruhi.

"HARUHI-NOONA!"

I didn't know Tama-Hyung was right behind me.

Haruhi-Noona's eyes were closed and that sinking feeling in me started acting up and swam as fast as I could to her. I grabbed her hand and swam up shore but there was Tama-Hyung. I handed Noona to him and the two of us started swimming to the surface and shore.

I was the first to get to the shore, walking slowly because I blamed myself that I didn't take care of the guys well. I acted on my own record and endangered Haruhi-Noona's life.

"Haru-chan! Mao-Chan!" I heard Honey-Oppa shout ahead of me. "Sir!" The twins shout. I clenched my fists as I thought of those bastards for disturbing the peace. I could have lost my Noona because of them and that stupid alcohol.

"Where are they?" Asked Tama-Hyung.

"We've kept their ID cards, and respectfully asked them to leave." Kyo-Hyung said. That wasn't enough for me. They should have done much worse, they should have been punished. "The girls went back to the hotel. I've called a doctor, who should be here shortly." Kyo-Hyung continued.

"I'm alright. I don't need a doctor." Haruhi asked. I really didn't say anything. There was nothing wrong with me and I felt fine. I may not be a martial arts person but I knew how to protect myself. I stared blankly at the scene before me.

"Are you two one of those? Actually a martial arts master, like Honey-senpai?" Tama-Hyung says, looking at us seriously.

"How could you both think that you two, girls only you two, could do anything against those boys!?"

"It had nothing to do with being a boy or a girl. We were there and didn't have time to think about doing something else." Haruhi protested.

"She's right. Besides, my dad was a wrestler and I knew how to defend myself." I protested.

"Well think about it you idiots! You two are girls! And just because your dad is a wrestler doesn't mean you are one! What would your dad think!?" Tama-Hyung shouted at us. I glared at him because he doesn't know my dad. Neither of them do. "Listen here, I had it handled! My dad taught me well. Besides, my Noona's were in trouble. I wasn't going to let something like that happen again!" Tama-Hyung scoffed and I clenched my fists again.

"I will apologize for making you and Mao come after me, but I can't understand any other reason why you'd be mad at us." Haruhi glared. "And don't insult her dad, he taught her well and it wasn't her fault that she wanted to protect me and the girls! We haven't done anything wrong!"

"You haven't, huh? Then you two go right ahead. I'm not speaking to you two again until you admit you are wrong!" Tama-Hyung shouts, walking away from us, leaving us two and the rest of the host club.

"FINE! GO AHEAD! BE ANGRY WITH ME! FINE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Fine!" He screamed back at me. That stupid Tama-Hyung! He's basically insulting Masato's, my adopted dad, honor. Call him weak! He was far from that! He was the strongest man I knew and taught me well!

~/+/~

I looked into my pack and saw my mom and Mika repacked the whole thing. Instead of shirts that I stole from Masato, I saw some tube tops and shorts to go along with them. There were also some wedges that went along with it. It was kind of cute but I'm a boy now and head of the family. Masato's gone and I have to act accordingly.

I should have checked my bag before leaving. Something like this shouldn't have happened. Especially the whole thing that happened today.

~/=/~

"Woah!" I heard Honey-Oppa shout as the twins and Honey-Oppa examine us. "Haruhi. Mao. Did you buy the outfits yourselves?"

"My dad. He must have repacked my bags for me. He always wants me to wear stuff like this." Haruhi said.

"My mom and sister. Same as Haruhi, they want me to start wearing stuff like this again. This is actually Mika's since I never really bother to buy girly clothes." I sigh.

"Good job, Haruhi's dad! Good job, Mao's family!" The twins grin while I looked at the table already ready with the food cooked and stuff.

"WHAT?! YOU GUYS DIDN'T BOTHER TO CALL ME TO COOK!? I could have made crab cakes or something!" I said, tsking them.

Wow….you could actually feel the awkward and I'm talking serious awkward because Haruhi and Tama-Hyung were sitting next to each other and there's the other thing. I was sitting next to Tama-Hyung on his left.

"Let's eat, Haru-chan! Mao-chan! I'm sure the crabs we caught today are delicious." Honey-Oppa said to us as we were in our "Not going to talk to Tama-Hyung" mode. "Thanks Honey-Oppa." I said, smiling a bit awkwardly because I really wasn't used to a quiet Tama-Hyung or a quiet Host Club.

Haruhi immediately starts eating like she's never eaten before. I ate slowly because I didn't do well with crab if I ate too fast. Wow, look at Haruhi go! That's amazing!

"This crabs taste…..incrabable. Get it?" Haruhi said. "Yeah. They are. They're crabmazing." I said, starting my second one.

"Don't you two think that's enough? You're eating a lot!" Tama-Hyung said.

"I'm sorry, I thought you weren't speaking to us." Haruhi said.

"Y-you're not being cute you two." He said. Haruhi shot him a look while I nodded my head. He quickly stands up, banging his hand on the napkin. Poor thing.

"Okay, I get it. You're not going to reconsider what you two done. Fine, then. I'm going to bed. Kyoya, if you'll show me to my room!"

Kyo-Hyung then stands up and shows Tama-Hyung to his room. Go ahead! See if I care! I'm not going to care because you insulted Masato!

_To make people happy is what you want to do right? Do so my little Mao!_

"…Dad wouldn't have approved me doing something so reckless…." I muttered quietly, flinging the crab leg back to my plate.

"Maybe I really should learn some karate or something." I heard Haruhi mutter.

"Ah. Then it is bothering you two." The twins say, looking at the two of us back and forth.

"Honestly, I wish you two reconsider how rashly you acted today, too." Hikaru said, looking at us. "Why? Hikaru, we didn't make trouble for you guys, did we?" Haruhi asked and the two carrot tops shrugged.

"That's not true, Haru-chan, Mao-chan. You should tell everyone you're sorry, okay?" Our heads turned to Honey-Oppa who smiled at us. "You two should tell sorry to Tama-chan especially for worrying him so much, too."

"Worried?" I muttered. Not many worry about the Bipolar Tiger and this came to a surprise because they all nodded. I looked down shamefully but there was this feeling inside me that just tickled. They were all worried about the Bipolar Tiger. "I see…" This is going to be so hard to admit but…"I'm sorry for acting the way I did. Haruhi-Noona was in trouble so I…" Haruhi was a little slow but then apologized and then were hugged by everyone, excluding Mori-Oppa. "Aw! You two are so cute! We forgive you!" Hikaru said and Kaoru finished.

Just when things were about to get lovey dovey, Haruhi's stomach rumbles. "Ah…I don't feel so good." She said. I facepalmed. The seafood was getting its revenge.

"Come on, over to the washroom! The washroom! Mao, stay here with the food!" Kaoru asked me. I felt my heart beat fast and I attempted to follow them but the doors closed on me. When I got them open again, everyone was gone.

"…Um…guys?" I said softly, taking a few steps. Before I knew it, I got lost and I was alone…."Guys?" I asked again, my voice shaking.

~/=/~

"Tama-Hyung!" I yelled when I spotted him in front of me. I ran up to him like my life depended on it but I ended up tripping because I can't run on heels.

"Ah! Mao!? Are you alright!?" He asked me, running to my side. He helped me up and noticed my red eyes. "Have you been crying?" Tama-Hyung asked me. I pouted and regained my confidence now that I had someone with me.

"N-no! I wasn't! A-anyways….I wanted to apologize to you! I shouldn't have made you worry!" I said, wiping my tears that were still tempting to come out of my eyes. I heard Tama-Hyung chuckle and then felt a hand rest on top of my head. "It's fine. At least now you get it, my little bipolar tiger~!" He said. The way he said it, it made my heart beat faster than normal. I know what I said was lame but that's the best how I could fauqing damn describing it! I pouted and looked up at him, the red blush still on my face.

"So why did you run at me? You're not scared of the dark are you?" He said jokingly. I glared at him and lightly punched him on his shoulder. "NO! I-i-it's complicated! I'm not comfortable on my own anywhere."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't believe I'm telling you this…" I muttered and sighed, "Since I could remember, I hated being on my own. I gotta be with someone else in a room or location."

"_Mao-chan~~!"_

"_Mika-chan!" I hugged my sister tightly when I saw her enter the room. "Don't leave me alone! Please don't leave!" I screamed, tears running down my face._

"_What are you talking about? I was just going to the bathroom." She said. I looked up and saw her smiling down at me. "Y-y-you weren't going to leave me?" I asked her._

"_Why would I do that silly~?" She said, rubbing my back like Masato-san and Yuki-san would only they're on their romantic dinner today. "We should sleep. We have school tomorrow. 'K?" _

"Wow…it really affected you huh?"

"Of course it did! Now, where are we?" I asked, looking at the door we were standing in front of.

"Kyoya's room, why?" He said. "I saw a flash of pink going into that room." I replied worriedly. Haruhi's a girl….and that's Kyo-Hyungs's room….He didn't come back so he must still be in there, so, Haruhi and Kyo-Hyung are in the same room together…..

No…they would not! Not while we're on a trip! Come on Mao, don't let the drama get to your head! This is real life! It's not like the heroine of the story has some interest with the supporting male cast! Ha! Right! …

"Kyoya?" Tama-Hyung questioned as he turned the knob. "Do you have any lotion? This sunburn is worse than I thought-" He stopped and I decided to take a peek inside and what I saw was just unbelievable!

Kyo-Hyung was just there standing casually with a towel around his neck, shirtless. And Haruhi-Noona was there, sitting on the bed. What's more, the lights were off.

I clenched my fists together, but I had to keep strong. I didn't want to cause a scene, not even when I had this pain like a thousand needles stabbing me. The bipolar inside me snapped and started running away, retracing my steps if I have to. I wanted to get out of there and away from people that way I wouldn't snap at them. It happened before and I didn't want it to repeat itself. I even hurt Mika-Noona because of it.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Tohru-kun! I love you! Pl-please accept my feelings!" I looked down on the ground, not really up to looking at the guy that I had feelings for. He was a great kid who I fell for when we met at the club._

"_I'm sorry Mao-chan, but I like Mika-chan better." He told me and walked off somewhere. I quickly ran out of the place and towards the classroom that I first was, smiling the best I could without crying of course. _

_~/=/~_

"_Come on Mika-chan, I know you want it as much as I do!" _

"_No! Leave me alone! Kyah! You sick pervert!" I just came home from an exhausting day at work and I heard my sister screaming for help. I opened the door to her room and I saw my sister almost being raped by the guy I liked. I quickly ripped him away from her and started punching him, the bipolar tiger awakening. _

"_Mao-chan! Stop! He's hurt enough already!"_

"_SHUT UP! HE'S SCUM! HE DARED TO TOUCH YOU LIKE THAT! SUCH IMPURE THOUGHTS! HE SHOULD DIE! DIE DIE! HOW DARE YOU!" I didn't even realize I was even hurting Mika until she fainted. I called Masato and Yuki and the police. I was scared…._

_I didn't even go to school because school wasn't the same without Mika…_

_FLASHBACK ENDS_

No…Kyo-Hyung's not the same as that guy….He was much worse….but….the thought that he could have done that to Haruhi-Noona…..It makes me sick!

_Come on Mao, admit it. You like this guy don't you? Well too bad, that's why we became the Bipolar Tiger. To protect those that might hurt your Noona. You don't want to make the same mistake right? Admit it. I can help with that…you just gotta turn back into a girl._

Yeah right! How can I like some first class idiot!? I don't belong in their world! And I'm not becoming a girl yet!

_And yet you watch those Korean dramas where the poor girl swoons the rich guys and she becomes rich! That can happen to you! _

That's a drama! It can't happen in real life!

_You never know. Tee Hee~_

"Mao?" Gah! Who else is going to call for me today?! Huh? I turned my face to look at Kyo-Hyung, with a shirt on. Thank goodness! I thought I would have to force him into one. "Y-yeah?" I asked, rubbing my face to clean up the tears. "What do you want?"

One minute he was in front of me and the next, when I opened my eyes, he was there kneeling down and looking at me in the eye.

"Why are your eyes red Mao?" He asks me. Crap, he must have seen me behind Tama-Hyung. Well, I did have a peek of before.

"Because I'm allergic to dust that's why! *Sniff* your housekeepers or something should clean the house more!" I exclaimed. He looks at me, not really buying what I said. He suddenly places his hand on my back side of my head, pushing me forward. My face was just on his chest. "You're so horrible at lying, you know that?" He said with a chuckle.

I was tempted to make myself taller and bite his shoulder but this…actually felt nice…It felt nice getting this kind of warmth from someone familiar….It felt like Masato-san's, Yuki-san's and Mika-Noona's hugs when I was crying back then.

_See what did I tell you? You like this guy don't you?_

Shut up. He's just a good Hyung. He saw me crying and he's comforting me, nothing more! Idiot!

_You're the idiot! Pay attention to hottie over there!_

You're wrong! Who's hot is Lee Min Ho and G-Dragon! End of discussion!

"You know because of you and Haruhi, we had to send bouquets of flowers. What am I going to do with you?" He mutters. Sigh. It's just like Kyo-Hyung to keep track of our debts. Stupid! Stupid!

"Well, I'm sorry! Okay?! I didn't mean to make you or everyone else worry! And let go! I can't breathe!" I said, some tears escaping my eyes. He chuckles again and I just get an uneasy feeling on my back. "Stop crying. You're going to ruin your top." He plainly said.

"It's not mine Damnit! I don't shop for girls clothing! These are Mika-Noona's!" I stuck my tongue out at him and he started chuckling more. "No matter, you look beautiful though." He smirks slyly just like a fox. I stare at him at shock and then my face suddenly heats up.

"WHAT!?" I yelled and he just smiles. Why that rich bastard! I should give him a taste of a little Bipolar Tiger. I stand up quickly but was pulled down again. "Where are you going?" He asked me.

"Back to Tama-Hyung and Haruhi-Noona! That's where! Who knows what's going on over there!" I said quickly. Kyo-Hyung looked at me seriously and I just covered my mouth quickly, feeling his arms wrap around me again. He must enjoy embarrassing me or something…..

Don't tell him this but…..what a sadist!

"Don't go…I actually enjoy this…" What the hell?! He can't be serious.

_He's Kyoya Ootori….of course he's serious…_

Shut up conscience! No one asked you!

"Hey! Can you let me go now!? I gotta go sleep you know!"

~/+/~

"Be careful Haruhi!" Hikaru says ready to head back home after we returned from Okinawa. It wasn't the best of my trips to somewhere else, but it wasn't the worst either.

"His highness apparently has a thing for S&amp;M, too." Kaoru said. Honey-Oppa told me all about it this morning and I looked at Tama-Hyung disapprovingly. There was some murder in my eyes because Tama-Hyung really is a pervert.

"Geez, what a pervert. To think, I actually was thinking about calling you my Oppa." I said, glaring at him. According to reports from the carrot tops, I had an angry vein popping out of my cheek.

"I told you, it wasn't like that!" Tama-Hyung exclaimed in anger. Haruhi murmurs about knowing what S&amp;M was and closed the window. I sat next to her in the car and gave Tama-Hyung one more glare.

"Next time you touch my Noona, I will beat you into a coma and beat you again when you wake up." I said and hugged Haruhi protectively. "Don't worry Haruhi. I'll keep you away from the nasty pervert."

"How many times do I have to say it!? I didn't do anything to her!" Tama-Hyung yelled at me and I stuck my tongue out at him. "Five hundred, twenty five thousand six hundred times! Starting…NOW!" I said and we sped off, purposely leaving him behind.

While we were doing that, I have a smile creep on my face.

"This is a trip I'll never forget…"


	9. Lobelia Academy! NOT THE L'S!

_**((A/N: Good afternoon ladies and gentleman! I am your host for this story, xXCROSSxGAMEXx and this story is called Love myself or You! **_

_**SO, I've been getting pretty awesome reviews from you guys. Some made me laugh. Other just made me think about stuff that I should announce them a bit more clearer. THat's my fault. Oh well...**_

_**REVIEW TIME!**_

_Justaislin: Freckled jesus was something I picked up from Attack on Titan. Marco is freckled jesus because there was this crack video and somehow Levi was Santa and the person made Marco Jesus. Yeah, I looked over that chapter and thought about it. I felt pretty stupid, but I made myself feel better and fixed it! I might just do that! Be warned, that chapter will make you a bit sad. _

_Flowerchild23: I was aiming for that. Ouran is a freaking Romantic comedy with some wee bit of drama. Gotta love that drama~ *epic pose*_

_TotalSebbyFangirl: Really? The funniest. Oh stop it~ *makes that cute pewdiepie face* Kyoya does seem to be 'interseted with Mao. By the way, I love your fangirl for Black butler should now be renamed as Fangrells :3 just saying :3 _

_Guest: Whoever you are. You're awesome! Oh and I actually got to look that song up. Good song~ Sorta fits the story plot and stuff!_

_AnimeBestie: I didn't even realize it was an F4 reference until you mentioned it and you brought it up! XDD Yeah! Tamaki to the rescue! WHOO! Sorry, I must be drunk~ Anyways, yes, it's a good thing I updated~ OMG! That's amazing! You watched them!? That's great! I'm so glad you liked Hana Kimi! Wait, which version did you watch? __Whatever. OH and you have to watch Koizora. It's so sweet, but at the end it's a little sad. You'll know when you watch it. _

_Jazzy-Booey: Ahem~ *puts glasses on and starts reading off of book* Seongbae iused to address senior colleagues or mentor figures, e.g. students referring to or addressing more senior students in schools, junior athletes more senior ones in a sports club, or a mentor or more experienced or senior colleague in a business environments. Oh and yeah, I gotta write Mao and Twin action! WHOO!_

**_WEELLL~ That's about it~ I'm gonna let you guys read now! Enjoy ^^ ))_**

"_When you're having trouble, don't be afraid to ask for help. Lean on me and I won't hesitate to help you."_

_My father…my adopted dad, Masato, said that to me when I was very little. I didn't think I would be told the same thing twice in my life time….._

I woke up much earlier than the alarm clock wanted me to, which was set to five o' clock. My early mornings begin with preparing for the school day that'll start soon for me. I then make breakfast before Umma and Mika wake up. That would usually be Dad's or Masato-san's job, but he's gone and won't be coming back for a while so I handle most of the stuff around the house.

"G-g-good mooorning my Maaaaooo-kuuuun~! DID YOU SLEEP WONDERFULLY LAST NIGHT!? DID YOU DREAM ABOUT BOYS!? DID YOU!?" I spotted my mom and she started getting all into my face and yelling loudly. This was the normal.

Like I said before, my mom's pretty weak and usually rests. She tries to help out to seem useful in the house, but I tell her to rest up. I tried not to wince at her questions and calmly answered her while I gave her the usual morning tea that the doctor recommended for her. "I slept well Umma. Thank you for asking. And no, I didn't dream about boys." I said calmly, not really noticing the gloomy look on my mothers' face.

"That's too bad….I was hoping the boys in your dreams would be a sign that you are in love and then you, Mika-chaaaan and I could talk about boys and sex when you twwwooo get hommmeee~~!" She said it like it was the most normal thing ever. Well, it is normal, but I had two people to take care of.

"Uaaahh~! Good morning~!" I heard a voice coming downstairs and it was Mika with her bed head still. She walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed some milk. "Mao-kun, can you make me some coffee please?" She said, sitting herself down and then resting her head on the table. I sighed and started preparing some coffee.

"Mika-chan, guess what? After school when yoooou two come, we'll sit tooogettther and taaaalk abouuuuut boooys? Does that sound fun or wwwhhhaaaat~~?!" Mom said softly but with a firm voice. Mika wasn't making the situation better as she smiled happily even if she wasn't fully awake. "What a great idea. It's been a while since we all sat and talked together. Mao-kun, when the coffee's ready, give it to me in the living room. I'm going to watch _Toradora!_!" She lazily said and walked to the living room. My eyes widened and remembered that the show showed up at the same time _49 Days _shows up.

"Hey! Wait a minute! At least let me record the drama!" I said, running to the living room, trying to get the remote as Mika fought back, saying "where's my coffee!" Really? Our mom was still in the kitchen, drinking her tea while she was laughing to herself saying,

"Thooose are my girls~~!"

~ /+/ ~

"Huh? You mean there are no afternoon classes today?" Haruhi asked while I paused at writing down this new recipe that I wanted to try out, and looked at the girls.

"Oh, you didn't know? For these two days, today and tomorrow, the whole school is holding an exposition for the cultural clubs. It's an annual big event that we hold." Said this girl to Haruhi. I blinked in surprise. I didn't know Ouran did that, which sounds like fun.

"Is that right?" Haruhi said.

"Eh? You've never had any?" The carrot tops were in the back, questioning Renge-Noona about something.

To make matters worse, I felt some hands place themselves on my shoulders and Haruhis'. I didn't need to turn around to see it were the carrot tops. I'm going to call them carrot tops because it sounds awesome.

"Haruhi! Mao! Go buy some!" The twins said. I felt glum all of a sudden, same with Haruhi.

"How does that work?" Haruhi asked. I wanted to leave I couldn't. So the twins started to tidy us just to get instant coffee. Wow.

"Because you two are the only ones that know where to buy it." Hikaru said. They were shining our shoes and making sure our hair was nice and neat. They fixed our clothes and made sure there wasn't any dust or anything of the sort there.

"We've been serving it to the guests lately. It's your job, it's your job." Kaoru cleaned our faces and I flinched.

"The cultural clubs' exposition is about to start, right?" Haruhi asked. A angry vein on top of her head. The twins started carrying her outside the classroom while I followed them in worry. They better be careful in not dropping her.

"It's free participation, so if you're not interested, you don't have to go." Hikaru said.

"With that being said," Kaoru said.

"Come back safely!" They said together while Haruhi and I deadpanned. This really was going to be a long day. So will tomorrow since this is going on.

"Damn these rich people…" Haruhi said. I 'hn'ed in agreement and tried to cheer her up at least. Then, some of the girls that we were talking to came by outside with us.

"Haruhi-kun, Mao-kun, thanks for all that you two do." Haruhi's customer says.

"For crying out loud, they can't even buy their own instant coffee." Haruhi said. I chuckled and patted her on the head. "Well, they never really haven't been to our type of stores so they wouldn't know." I said. The girls nodded in agreement and continued.

"Still, Hikaru and Kaoru both seem to be enjoying themselves. Good for them." One of them said. "It's all thanks to you two, Haruhi-kun, Mao-kun." The other one said, the one with short hair. The two of us looked at them confusedly.

"Enjoying themselves?" We asked.

"We've been in the same class as those two since middle school, but they've never been as friendly with the rest of the class as they are now."

"It's like they never let anyone get too close."

"I don't think the two of them liked school very much."

"I wonder if it was when they started the Host Club. They've started to talk to us, little by little, haven't they?"

Even when we went out to get the coffee, those girls' voices echoed me and Haruhi's mind when we came back to the school.

"It's been especially since you two came to this school, Haruhi-kun, Mao-kun, that they started to talk to all the other classmates."

"That's why we are so very happy now. After all, it's important to have fun every day, right?"

How was it that I made some impact on those two? Really? Those girls must be mistaken. Haruhi and I exchanged words a couple of times until we reached the end of the school gates. I regretted to say this to her, but…

"Hey Haruhi. Would it be alright if you go on by yourself? There are some things I need to cover for next week's exams and I need to practice for this cooking competition. It's not like I don't want to go with you or anything, it's just that I really want to focus on my priorities and-" Before I even had the chance to finish, Haruhi put her hand on my mouth to silence me and I just stopped talking despite inside my thoughts that I wanted to scream because there were germs all around me now.

Haruhi smiled, saying, "It's fine. Just as long as you lend me your recipes for some dishes I want to make for my dad and your History notes." I looked at her in disbelief that she would even want to make such a deal with me but I grinned and ruffled up her hair.

"You got yourself a deal!" I said and ushered her on towards the gates while I headed back towards one of the many home economics classes of the school. I took off my blue blazer, rolling up my sleeves and then grabbing a nearby apron to then start taking some supplies from the cabinets and started letting my hands go with the flow.

_Heat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Combine confectioners' sugar and almond flour in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until fine. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add in sugar and continue beating until medium-stiff peaks form. Add food coloring, if desired. Carefully fold dry ingredients into meringue. Place batter into a piping bag fitted with a ½" tip. Pipe batter onto prepared baking sheets into 1" circles about 1" apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the countertop, then bake for 15–18 minutes. Let cool completely. Fill with buttercream and sandwich cookies together. Store filled cookies uncovered in the fridge for 1–2 days before consuming. Filled cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month._

"What are you doing here?" A voice said to me. I stopped quickly what I was doing and then looked up at the ceiling. "God?" I said a little scared. The voice started to laugh and then I felt someone's hands on my shoulders.

"H-hikaru?!" I said, swallowing back my pride now because this sly smirk started to creep on his face. Crap.

"I thought we sent you to get some coffee with Haruhi." He said. I backed away and went back to cooking to get my mind cleared a bit.

"I was…but I needed to practice for this cooking competition next month. It's going to be judged by someone from the Edelweiss Corporation. The grand prize is an internship and I want to win it!" I said as I started to whip some crème for this tart that I was going to make later. I felt Hikaru's eyes watch me as I moved my hands fast and elegantly.

"A chef, huh?" He asked me. I finished the chocolate bites and put them in the fridge for them to harden more. The macaroons were stored in a container and then put them in the fridge as well. I turned back to Hikaru and smiled at the thought.

"When I was little, the teacher told us to share what we wanted to be when we grew up for show and tell. My friends picked a firefighter, a soldier, a princess, or the prime minister. Not me, I wanted to be someone that made people smile."

"Smile?"

"Yep! Look at how we made people that came to the host club happy. Kanako-Noona's happy with her fiancé and I hear Yabu-Ujusshi doing better with his family. People have the right to be happy and I'm going to try to help that whichever way I can." I might have surprised Hikaru by my little speech thing that he even started to blush since I got so close to him. Time to abuse the crap out of that.

"Hey, do you like Haruhi or something?" I asked and his blush just got redder. Softie!

"Why would I like Haruhi? She looks like a Tanuki! …However, there is this girl I like…." He muttered quietly but I was able to hear him clearly. I grinned and pinched his cheeks playfully. Well, I did put some pressure on it because he just called my best friend a tanuki! How dare he!?

"Aww! Hika-Hyung is in love with a girl! How cute! So?"

"So what?" He asked. I mentally facepalmed and looked at him.

"So…what's she like? Is she cute? Is she in our class or something?" I asked, jumping up and down.

"She has these green eyes that you easily get lost in, pretty brown hair, and she's very energetic with the things she likes." He said. Wow, it's almost like he's describing me but there's a bunch of girls like that so it can't be me or anything, DUH!

"Wow….she does sounds cute! Well, you got my full on support!" I said, going back to the coat hanger that we hang our aprons. When I looked back at Hikaru, he seemed a bit deflated and couldn't believe at my attitude. What's wrong with him, my attitude is always like this!

"But.." Hikaru began again, "Kaoru also likes this girl, but too shy to even tell her how he feels about her."

Am I witnessing a real life Love triangle that's full of twin drama?! YES I AM! That Sirius Drama has that but not that much romance! No no! Wait, Hana Kimi! (I'm talking about the Japanese version. Yep! Even though they're not really twins! Love it!)

"Kao-Hyung too?" I pondered and pinched my nose in annoyance. "Aish, aish! Hika-Hyung, be honest with me." I looked up at him, getting all in his face and he started to blush again. Man, I think he's sick or something. "Would your brother be the second lead of a drama?" Again, I got the "You're so stupid" look from the older ginger twin.

"The second lead? As in, the second male lead actor?" He asked while I nodded. He began to think about it a bit more and then looked back at me about it. "When you put it like that, yeah."

I folded my arms and shook my head.

"I feel sorry for Kao-Hyung now. It's always the first male lead that gets the girl. From the dramas that I have watched, about 80% get the girl. 15% get the girl and the remaining 5% just go back and forth and stuff."

"….You scare me sometimes, you know that?"

"Yep! Hey, why'd you come here anyways?" I asked, poking his chest and he just playfully acted like he was in pain. That idiot..:P

"I heard you come here to make sweets and I wanted to try some…" He 'innocently' said. I know those devilish twins game so well! I scoffed and pushed him out of the room with me right behind him.

"Okay Mr. Simple (PFT GO SUJU!) You want sweets, at least ask me and I'll make them for you, 'Kay?" I said, punching him lightly on the shoulder and then smiling at him, saying, "And I'm supporting you 100 percent about your whole crush thing. I'll even help you if you want."

If there was one thing I never would have expected from Hikaru, it was that he smiled and then ruffled my hair, making it messier than it already was. "Thanks. Now, come on. You still have to do some host duties."

Oh the infamous host duties….

"_Microscope slides. I'm not that strong but… Prepared, I will catch you someday *Breaking sound* If you don't watch out, I will stab your fingers." _

What the….Mika changed the ringtone to my alert for Dramafever news! WHAT THE HELL!?

I sighed deeply and looked at the video message that it alerted me about. I tapped on it and got the shock of my life.

"_BREAKING NEWS FROM GIRLS GENERATION'S JESSICA! JESSICA HAS QUIT SNSD AND SM ENTERTAINMENT! THE K-POP STAR LAUNCHED A FASHION LINE, EXPANDING NEW HORIZONS. HOWEVER, THE OTHER MEMBERS SAW IT AS A BAD THING THAN A GOOD THING, ASKING JESSICA-UNNIE TO EITHER QUIT HER FASHION LINE OR QUIT SNSD FOR GOOD. WE'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THE LATEST! BYE-BYE!"_

…

*Poke Poke*

"Mao…Earth to Mao…WAKE UP!"

"GAAAHHH~!" I dropped my phone and then looked at the host club all dressed as knights like actual knights with all their chivalry and stuff. Quickly, I picked up my cell and then sheepishly rubbed the back of my head.

"Are you alright? And shouldn't you be with Haruhi?" Tama-Hyung asked me, leaning towards my face and smirked when he saw me blush and look around the room just to avoid his gaze. Stupid Black Tama-Hyung that makes him more serious nd stuff!

"H-haruhi and I made a deal that if I shared with her my History notes, she would let me stay to practice for this cooking competition and for this exam! And yeah, I'm fine! Just shocked about my ringtone being changed by Mika…her anime…." I said all deflated and crap. I limped toward some random table and rested, not really up to anything today. However, Kyo-Hyung just had to come by and tell me otherwise, looking all sexy like Xie Kun Da.

_Xie Kun Da!? Really!? Kyo-Hyung would wish he was the actor that played the Taiwanese version of Soshi! HA!_

"Hurry up and get ready, guest would be coming any minute now."

"Ah…sure…I was just thinking. Maybe…I would just serve the tea and snacks today. I-!"

Have you ever been rudely interrupted by a door opening quickly and then two girls you never seen around the school were responsible of interrupting you? Well, that's exactly what happened to me and I was so pissed off but the guys weren't able to see it and then everyone has to deal with Tama-Hyung's amazing swooning quotes.

You know, since this is my story, I'll cut out what Tama-Hyung says. He kneels down in front of the two girls and I guess every single one of us was surprised by what they said next.

"My, at the expense of his own life, he says? That's quite an arrogant sentiment, is it not? I wonder if he thinks that's what makes a woman happy." The one with long hair says, hearing criticism towards Tama-Hyungs actions. The smaller girl with the sort of bobbed hair agreed with her, saying,

"What can you do, Sister Suzuran? Men are lower life forms who prize their own honor above all else. They take their own futility in being unable to protect even one of their kind and change it into something to suit themselves. Isn't that condescending?" She said and I think I just saw the male population starting to weep from this girl's harsh comments.

"My, you're such a clever girl Hinagiku." Said Suzuran? So that short girl's name is Hinagiku. I guess….

Tama-Hyung stood up and reacted a bit calmly than what he normally would but he's in front of girls so…yeah…

"That's pretty harsh, don't you thing? Well then, what would you like me to tell you?" He asks.

Out of nowhere, a deep female voice comes in and for some reason I see a spotlight shinning on a white lily.

"Good question. In my case, it would be, "I would never leave my lover alone." Every head turned to the voice and saw thing tall female that could pass as a guy if she hid her breasts at least. That just wasn't all that I noticed about her, she had in her arms, for some reason, Haruhi with a bag of instant coffee and the tall brunette just well, looked to be in character…

"If we are to fight, it will be together. If we prevail not, we shall meet our fate together. Even though I perish, I swear to you, I will never leave your side." Said brunette said and then placed a kiss on Haruhi's hand. I, along with Tama-Hyung, started pointing fingers and freaking out. On the other hand, I'll be honest to say that I was at least moved by the quote and felt the drama fan girl inside me starting to come out.

"Benibara-sama, you're late." Hinagiku said, walking out the room to meet up with this Benibara person.

Suzuran said, "What are we to do with you? And where did you find this adorable lady?"

**MAO PROCESSING **

**MAO PROCESSING **

**MAO PROCESSING **

**MAO PROCESSING IN 3…2…1…0…**

OH MY FRECKLED JESUS! THEY'RE L's! AHHH! AND THEY'RE HITTING ON HARUHI!

"Oh, just over there. She may be dressed as a boy, but I could tell right away. Look here. She has such clear, maidenly eyes…" This Benio person got into a pose that maybe Tama-Hyung would make and then started to stroke below Haruhi's eye as she deadpanned, thanking her for complementing her eyes. NO! BAD REACTION! BAD!

"Wow, her skin is incredibly pretty."

"It sure is. Shining natural material, if polished." Oh my god, they're even touching her! OH MY FRECKLED JESUS! Oh, I'm sorry, I was trying to have a serious freak out but I'm failing and I'm sorry. It's just that I first have to deal with my sister who changed my ringtone, then Jessica leaving SNSD and now I have to deal with L's who are now touching my best friend.

"Hold on! Don't go touching my Haruhi without asking first!" Tama-Hyung said, charging at the girls and then failing at it once Benio just punched him back.

"Leave her alone." She said. I winced in pain and stepped back a bit so these girls wouldn't see me. That failed epicly as Benio just grabbed me by my arm and pulled me towards her. Oh crap…

"How could we miss this adorable creature? Look at her eyes. They shine like emeralds…a perfect shade…" And she did the whole thing with me like they did with Haruhi-Noona.

DAD! HELP ME! I'M BEING HELD BY AN L!

"And her skin is so soft!"

"You think that's soft, feel her hair! It shines brightly under this light as well!" As much as I like being complimented about my hair and skin, I would really much appreciate you guys not touching me!

As if things couldn't get any worse, Tama-Hyung had to come to the rescue and he ended up the same way he did the first time.

"So I guess the rumors are true... They're even feebler than we'd heard. A fledgling, cobbled-together mishmash of frivolous fools." Benio said, harshly.

HEY THEY MAY BE FOOLS BUT THEY'RE MY FOOLS!

…..

….

Wait…did I just say that?

"Those uniforms. You three are students from the Lobelia Girls' Academy." Kyo-Hyung stepped in and I silently screamed in my head when I heard Girls' Academy. I even freaked out when the three started to dramatically rip off their clothes and then introduce themselves.

"LOBELIA~~"

"LOBELIA~~"

"LOBELIA~~"

They sang and then a ridiculous amount of lilies just blocked my view.

"St. Lobelia Academy, High school 2nd year, Benio Amakusa." Benio said and this sign that said "Lady Benibara" was right beside her.

"2nd year student, Chizuru Maihara." Said Suzuran and "Lady Suzuran" appeared beside her.

"1st year student, Hinako Tsuwabuki." Said Hinagiku and..well you know what appeared beside her.

I can't tell you how many times they have sung "Lobelia" that it almost made me want to hate the flower now. Poor flower.

"We are St. Lobelia Academy's white lily league, also known as…" Benio said, throwing her hat off into the distance and then the room for some weird reason, was surrounded by light and then the girls changed outfits again. "The Zuka Club!"

They were more extravagant with their introduction than the Host clubs, I would have to admit. And that even shocked poor Tama-Hyung when he saw that. The carrot tops on the other hand…they just started to laugh while I tried to cover my mouth to stifle it.

"The Zuka Club! My stomach hurts!"

"The Zuka Club! That's great!"

They kept laughing until a voice caught all of our attention..

"You shouldn't underestimate the Zuka Club!" First I heard the "Ohohohoho~" sound and then the familiar powerful motor that made me fear it to this day. Out from the ground came the host clubs manager, Renge, the second Otaku in my life!

"I may not know instant coffee but I what I do know is girl schools." She took one sip of the instant coffee and then she regretted it. "St. Lobelia Academy – truly a woman's world there. The Zuka Club is a gathering of damsels that consider females to be especially superior, even for there. It prides itself on its 30 year since its founding, as a society of maidens, by maidens, for maidens. The Zuka Club's activities include "Maidens Tea Parties," "Maidens' Debate Forum," and most importantly, singing and theatrical routines performed by the top members."

Oh wow, Renge-Noona sure does know her things about girl schools. All that I got from all of this was that St. Lobelia Academy has been promoting L's since XXXX and they're at their rant again….

"A maidens beauty…" Said Suzuran, "It is to have a spirit pure enough not to give in to superficial beauty, power, or lust." And then her costume appeared to have been like a goddess. Someone has been reading too much mythology! But she had a point. A woman shouldn't give in to power or lust! A woman is already beautiful as it is!

""As a girl, you…" "For a girl, you…" We're fed up with all the oppressive male contempt for women kind!" And she just appeared to have worn a she devil costume….I mostly agree with Suzuran. A WOMAN MUSTN'T GIVE INTO LUST!

"Our pride…" For some reason, we now turn to a scene where we're at a city penthouse with a bird's eye view. "It comes from having soulful relationships based on equality, as a result, being with the same sex. Including, yes…even relationships of love."

"You tell them Benio.."

"Benibara-sama…"

I think I'll start wearing black because I just lost hope for humanity….

Poor poor humanity

"And to think that they're dragging down these sweet, innocent girls along with them, though…" Benio kind of trapped both Haruhi and I near the door and then we looked at her confused. While Haruhi was looking more confused, I was looking more disgusted.

"I don't know if their president is supposed to be a halfer or not, but spreading around false love with impressive appearances, and toying with the pure hearts of young maidens is positively demeaning towards women!" When the hell did it turn into a rant? What's even worse, she still continued while I had to watch with a dead panning face.

"It is outrageous how you claim to be carrying out club activities, while satisfying your own appetites." Let's see, everyone else was not really worrying, besides Tamaki who was unconscious. Well, count me that was really worried. You never mess with an L! I know…

"I swear that I will bring down the Ouran Host Club at once! Heil Zuka Club!" The three girls saluted and wore an outfit that was so familiar. The outfits were looking great although I'd prefer black. Wow, they even got their own little flag!

"Indeed, I understand what you're saying." Kyo-Hyung said, pushing his glasses up like he knew he was hot sh*t. WHAT!? Tell me you're not agreeing with these L's! Don't tell me that you are Kyo-Hyung! "However, could we continue this at another time?" He asked the girls. Benio glared at him like he was the devil himself. You have no idea…

"Are you saying you cannot take us on?" She asked.

"No." Kyo-Hyung said plainly. "Our president is still bedridden from the culture shock."

"You see, Tama-chan is having his nappy time right now." Honey-Oppa said, hugging his Usa-chan cutely. Wait, when did a bed get in here!?

"WAKE HIM UP!" Benio then had that Medusa face that Renge-Noona always had and Haruhi-Noona to the rescue! Sort of.

"Um..I made some coffee and I was wondering if you would like some." Haruhi asked, the Zuka club girls already falling for her sweetness! Aish, Haruhi-Noona!

"Thank you. How kind of you." Benio said, the three of them taking the coffee from the tray. I stayed put after I was shocked of the whole L thing and started watching some You're Beautiful on Netflix.

"You're a real pearl among swine." Suzuran said.

"You know, coffee made by a maiden possesses such a fragrant aroma." Said Benio.

"It's just instant coffee." Said Haruhi, bluntly.

"Well then, why don't the four of us have a little tea party?" Asked Hinagiku. I froze and turned my attention to the girls. Benio chuckled and then adverted her eyes on me, along with Suzuran.

"Mao-chan why don't you join us for some coffee?" Suzuran asked me. I sweat dropped and looked at the coffee that just looked more like black coffee than what I'm pretty much used to at the café. I shook my head and put up my hands, smiling, "I don't really drink coffee but I guess we could talk."

Then I heard someone write something down on their notebook and that someone just happened to be Kyo-Hyung. Really? At a time like this too? Are you really seriously doing this?

"What did you say your name was again fair maiden?" Benio asked me as I was just about to go onto my phone and watch _I'm Sorry, I Love You._

"Ah…Mao Kurosaki…" I said, now ready to watch the first episode. Well, I guess I still was when I was dragged by the Lobelia girls and then I was in front of them. Crap….I'm in front of the L's.

"What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like yourself, Mao." Benio said in a seductive tone that just sends an unwanted shiver down my spine. She was just about to take my chin and make me look up at her when I got common sense knocked into me and then put up my hands in the air slowly.

"Whoa there! I don't go that way! Sure, I respect your whole school tradition thing, but it's not my thing! Hahaha~" I said nervously and backed away. At first they seemed shocked but they all smiled and Benio spoke, "You will in due time." She said.

….

I think I'm starting to get Goosebumps…there's no way I would ever like girls that way. I know I said this so many times, but I'll say it again if you guys just skip my rants. I respect everyone's decision on liking someone that includes if you like someone of the same gender, but I don't want myself to be confused on my sexuality. I'm straight and straight I will forever be. I LIKE BOYS!

"…S-s-so…y-y-you've done it….with…." I somehow managed to say. The one thing that was in my head, I managed to make those into words.

"Yes." Benio said.

…

MY INNOCENT MIND! HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK! NO! I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT! OH MY GOD!

Tama-hyung must have noticed my confusion and got up suddenly from his little shock.

"WHERE IS THE FRUITFULNESS IN A GIRL BEING IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER GIRL!? WHY ELSE WOULD GOD HAVE CREATED ADAM AND EVE!?" He said and had his arm extended to grab one of us back, but he stepped on a banana split and his index finger dipped into the hot coffee.

What a klutz….

"Geez, be a little more careful." Haruhi said, taking out some first-aid tape and wrapping it Tama-Hyungs burn. Aww~! It's so cute! It looks like an episode of Good Doctor or Absolute Boyfriend! Perfect! Haruhi's bound to become a good house wife! Oh, is that a blush I see from Tama-Hyung!?

"Thank you, do you always carry around first-aid tape with you Haruhi?" Tama-Hyung asked her.

"Nah. The supermarket was giving them away when I bought the instant coffee. The store always have giveaways."

"Giveaways?" Tama-Hyung said, looking at Haruhi in awe. While those two were having a moment together, I was right behind them taking pictures and sending them to KBS network to give them a few ideas for a new drama! Yes, it would be perfect! All I have to do is just write a strongly worded letter and then it will be complete!

"This conversation doesn't seem to be going anywhere." Benio said and grabbed Haruhi by her wrist and holding her like she was her lover or something. Oh my god, they're trying to drag Haruhi to the Dark L side! Don't go over there Haruhi! They may have cookies but don't join! Don't get tempted by the cookies!

"Mao-chan." I heard my name being called and then saw myself in the same position as Haruhi only the person holding me wasn't Benio, but Chizuru-san. What the hell is going on?

"Now that we know the situation, we cannot allow these maidens to remain in this club. We must prepare the paperwork for a transfer to Lobelia at once, and welcome them into the Zuka Club!" Benio said. My eyes widened and I just hope I wasn't the only one that was surprised myself.

Leave Ouran?

And just when I was starting to get comfortable with these idiots! I can't leave now!

_Oh, what will Kyoya say? What will the twins say? What will Tamaki say? Help me Hyung-nims!_

SHUT UP BRAIN! You know we can't depend on them! We must depend on ourselves as always.

_I know but did you see Kyoya's face when he heard the news? It looked…oh I don't know, hot!_

Why are you my brain again?

"Whoa! Whoa! WHOA! W-w-wait just a second here! You girls are obviously misunderstanding something here!" I said, getting myself off Chizuru's grip while Haruhi did the same with Benio.

"First of all, you labeled Tamaki-senpai a halfer." Haruhi said, holding her hands out to the girls.

"Cause Tama-chan is! He's half French and half Japanese!" Honey-Oppa said all cute while Tama-Hyung was behind him and blushing, rubbing the back of his head. YOU'RE NOT HELPING THE CAUSE!

Haruhi and I sweat dropped, but still continued to make our points and see if we hit something that wasn't true.

"B-but still, it was rude to be calling the Host Club fledglings and other stuff like that!" I said and then stopped when the twins talked.

"No, we're pretty new."

"We were only founded two years ago." Hikaru said and I had to slap myself on the face for that. YOU'RE NOT HELPING THE CAUSE EITHER!

"W-well, be that as it may, saying that their club activities are only held to make money is going too far." Haruhi said. Well, I should expect the worse when I turned around and saw Kyo-Hyung on his laptop. Haruhi and I just lost our souls by then.

"I wouldn't call it a charge, but we do have a point system. We do offer priority service, depending on the price of items won in net auctions on the club's homepage. Ah, look at this Haruhi. Mao." Kyo-Hyung said while I tried my best not to faint or anything while walking towards the table.

"Your used mechanical pencil just sold 30,000 yen. Good for you. As for Mao, your autographed handkerchief of SNSD sold for 50,000 yen. Well done."

My….handkerchief of….SNSD?

JESSICA! NOO~!

"I THOUGHT I LOST THAT HANDKERCHIEF! STEALING IS BAD KYO-HYUNG, I THOUGHT YOU KNEW THAT!" I started yelling and cried over the lost handkerchief that once belonged to my idol. Jessica-noona! I'm sorry!

"It wasn't stealing."

"We found it on the table after class ended." I didn't need not stupid arrow to tell me that the twins were the ones responsible of this crime. I stayed still and balled my hands into fists, trying my hardest not to lift it up and make it meet everyone's faces. That would be so violent of me and no one wants that.

"WAH! We're sorry Haruhi! Mao! It's not like we were hiding anything for the two of you!" Tama-Hyung started yelling and he was holding us in his arms like when your dotting parent hugs you after they made a mistake or something. I prefer mom's hugs better than this.. "Here, you can have my pencil Haruhi. And Mao, here, you can have my handkerchief!"

Tama-hyung showed is spare pencil that had a bear that will soon be a gift for Haruhi and then showed me a white handkerchief that had his initials embroidered in it. That's cute I guess..

"I don't want it." Haruhi and I said at the same time. Wow, we're twins!

"Then if you two like to, I'll tell you all the secrets of my success, together with the grand memories of my seventeen years.

"I care about that information the least." Haruhi said.

"That's stupid. Why the hell would I want to know that? I don't care about every single detail nor do I want to hear it stupid French frog!" I said with a British accent that I picked up from last night. Oh crap, I'm so mad; I'm starting to become an Otaku!

NOOOO~!

"You don't care?" Tama-Hyung said, going off into his emotional distress corner that I have yet to acknowledge.

YOU SONSOFBITCHES!

"You poor things. It must be a shock to be lied to." Said Chizuru-Noona. THE HELL I AM! I'm f**king pissed off because they thought it was so genius to sell my one-of-a-kind signed handkerchief from Jessica-Noona!

Well, from what I heard from the L's, they said that they will be back, expecting a favorable answer tomorrow. I didn't hear everything because I was so pissed off, I could burn Kyo-hyung book if I was able to get a hold of it. I could burn their houses, but that's arson if you didn't know that.

Haruhi-Noona and I stood there for a least a good two minutes till she turned around to face the guys and they were startled to see the "Haruhi Stink Face" face. I still had my back turned and was not ready to face them yet.

"I'll be excusing myself now, too." She said. Everyone was wiping off their nervousness while Kyo-Hyung took snapshots of this. That…BASTARD!

No…control the anger Mao, control the anger….control….1,2,3….OTP….

Haruhi left first and everyone turned around to see my body standing but they saw emptiness. They turned and saw me sitting down at one of the tables, and scoffed loudly.

"That was my favorite autrograph…by SNSD….So, give me an explanation why I shouldn't kill you bastards.." I said, pausing a few times and joked about it. This made Tama-Hyung so nervous and then he scolds at me for saying a bad word. I did not care.

"I'm leaving now…I'm not talking to you guys until you apologize to me and Haruhi-Noona soon…."I said, shaking a bit because I seriously wanted to choke someone out but that would be murder. I have to control my anger….

~/+/~

"…."

Today for lunch, we had Chicken Alfredo with some garlic bread and iced sweet tea.

I guess I'm still hungry after lunch and then had to go and watch the performance of the L's, which sucked by the way. The uniforms….Mika-Noona does a better job on costume than what they must have at Lobelia. Halfway through the performance, I left and met with Haruhi in the halls.

"So? Are you going to take up the offer, Mao?" Haruhi asked me. I started laughing and then shook my head.

"No. There's no way I'm going to a girl school. My mom would have a fit and besides, they don't have good connections with file records of some people…." I said. I must have gotten a weird look from Haruhi but before she said anything else, we turned to a corner and saw the Lobelia girls.

Oh crap…

"Hello there young maidens."

"As promised yesterday, we've come to ask you again."

"We are really going to set things straight with those Host Club people today."

I didn't really get a say in anything, they just told us that we're maidens and that we should be in a place that is appropriate for us. I'm not a delicate flower, I am a girl yes but girls can handle the same things guys can. At some point, we become stronger than boys too! So take that logic!

As the Lobelia girls opened the doors, we saw total darkness and I just thought that the guys didn't pay the electric bill or something until I saw the dark shadow figure in the back. The girls all saw it too and just paid attention to it.

"Ouran"

"Ouran"

"Ouran"

"Ouran"

"Ouran" The lights came on and I saw the biggest surprise of my life.

"Ouran"

"Welcome

The entire Host club was….in dresses, including Kyo-Hyung. In what universe would you ever consider Kyo-Hyung wearing a dress? And he's the only one with good make-up unlike the others which tells me something.

"Oh, Haruhi, Mao, welcome."

"Haru-chan! Mao-chan! I'm a princess now! Don't I look cute!?" Honey-Oppa asked us and did that twirl thing that most girls sometimes do with long dresses.

I'm. Speechless.

"What is this!? Are you trying to make fun of our culture!?" Benio-Noona said, pretty pissed off.

"Make fun? No, certainly not. I have taken everything into account." Tama-Hyung said. His make up…. "This is a surefire technique, guaranteed among commoners to make even a crying child happy, the Freebie Campaign!" The what now?

"You ladies who have lived sheltered lives at Lobelia might not know this, but commoners are apt to have a weakness for free things." It's true. See a free sample for some swiss chocolate at the store, I will eat it all.

Well, since Tama-Hyung is on his rant, might as well summarize what the hell he's trying to say. He's saying that Haruhi-Noona and I may be attracted to the appealing offer that the L's are offering but the Host club has an even better one, saying that if we choose them, not only will we have brothers but sisters as well. Long story short, they want us to feel like in the Zuka Club while still staying in the Host Club.

"You see, Haruhi? Mao? Aren't I pretty?" You will once you put some appropriate make-up.

"We're the Hitachiin sisters! Which one is prettier?" "Just teasing!" "Ohohoho~"

"Haru-chan! Mao-chan! You two can now call me big sister or noona now."

….

"Y-you think a maiden can be taken in by this!? We've had enough of your fooling around!"

I had enough; I just had to laugh now. Same thing with Haruhi, we had to laugh at how stupid this was. Haruhi just went for the straight out laugh while I facepalmed first and then started trembling from the big laugh I'm about to do.

"PFT! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~! Calling a dude Noona!? AHAHAHAHAHA~! *In Korean/You guys are so stupid! What the hell!?* Ahaha~ Ha! *insert awesome Prussia laugh for some reason* WHAT THE HELL!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA~! This is too much! I knew you guys were goofballs but geez…..Hahahahaha~!"

"Are we really that funny?" Hikaru, Kaoru and Honey-Oppa went up to Haruhi and started chasing her around while I stayed put and kept laughing until tears were flowing out of my eyes. I was laughing so hard that I fell back and clenched my stomach.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA~! I can't! I just can't! You guys look-! Ow! Ow! It hurts to laugh! Ahahaha~! *hic* ahahahaha~! AHH!" I kept yelling out while the three were saying Big sister and Haruhi saying to stop. I got on my knees later on because the pain was getting pretty bad that I started laughing without the noise.

Okay, we stopped laughing and then we got up when Benio wanted to ask us something when the guys commented that they didn't want us to leave the host club. Leave the Host Club? Never!

"Maidens…" She said. Haruhi was the first one to recover and explain while I still tried to wipe off some of the leftover tears. Haruhi, from what I've heard, is that she never even thought about leaving. Then, I noticed everyone staring at me. I had passion in my heart and I'm not afraid to show it, show it, show it….They're stupid and they know it!

"I like difference…difference is good you know and you're school has that, which I like I guess, but, I chose to study at this school because I want to make people happy with what I love to do and because of that, I never intended to quit school here." I got some approvals from the guys and then some shocked responses from the girls of Lobelia.

"Haruhi! Mao!" Tama-Hyung said with tears in his eyes. Kyo-Hyung had a glint from his eyes and I could have sworn that there was a small smile behind that fan!

"Hold on!" Tama-Hyung yelled and pointed at the two of us, "If you two weren't planning on quitting, why were you acting all angry and scary yesterday?"

I facepalmed and then gave him a freaking glare, then yelling at him.

"I think I have the right to get mad when someone sells other people's things without asking them! I'd be pissed off! That handkerchief was a birthday present from my mom when she went to Korea on Christmas and went through a lot of trouble to get to it! She even endangered her health too for that thing!" I said and Tama-Hyung just gave me and Haruhi-Noona that look that made me think twice about what I've done.

"Sorry about that." He said in the softest voice I've heard I guess. I don't know why but for some reason, my heart started pounding a lot and I blushed.

_I like this serious side of Tama-Hyung! Him and the others! Tee Hee~!_

SHUT UP BRAIN!

"Still, I offered you this teddy-bear pencil, didn't I? And Mao, I tried to give you my handkerchief!"

"No way. It looked like you tried to confess your love to me…" I said and blushed at the thought of that. Him? Confess his love towards me? Yeah right, like that would ever happen….

"Still….We shall not give up on the maidens! We will come back for them and still abolish this host club!" Seriously, don't you guys ever learn when to quit? God, now I know how other people feel when they deal with my stubbornness….

Luckily, they fell on some banana peels that I thanked God for them. They tripped when they were twirling away and I smiled about that!

"Weirdest episode….ever…" I said, some depression still attached towards me when I tried to process all that has happened.

"I agree." Haruhi said while I went into the backroom to make myself some spearmint tea….

CLICK

Hehehe…I just took a picture

~/+/~

"Hey Mao." I was being called out by Hikaru and turned my head towards him and the others, Haruhi was there as well and they were all smiling. What the hell was going on?

I walked towards them when they told me and then looked at them like they were crazy, which they are.

"We have a surprise for you." Tama-Hyung said and was smiling the biggest now that I noticed.

"What is it?" I asked and tilted my head to at least have a good peak on the thing that they have behind their backs. They were being so secretive that it annoyed me until they quickly took it out and my eyes widened when I saw what they got me.

An F(x) signed poster by the whole group and then Jessica-Noona's designer jacket, signed and everything.

"Think of it as an apology for selling your handkerchief." Kaoru said and they handed me my gifts. The signed poster had their own special message like Amber said "Never give up! Fighting!" Jessica-Noona signed the jacket with a message and everything.

"'Hey Mao, thank you for the support that you had for me during the rough times with the group and now. Word of advice, don't be scared of taking big steps. You have some great friends too so thank them well okay? They told me the story how your mom went through the trouble in getting SNSD to sign something for her daughter. Nice woman by the way. Say hello for me. Jessica. P.S: Here's a jacket as a thanks. It's my latest design too!'"

KYAH! I got a true autograph from Jessica-Noona and she gave me advice too~!

I held it tight and behind the jacket, I smiled and thought of ways to say thanks to the guys and Haruhi-Noona. I can't believe they went through this much just to say I'm sorry to me….

"We're sorry we sold your handkerchief Mao-chan. Haru-chan got the idea of getting your idols to sign them! Kyo-chan then contacted them!" Honey-Oppa said and I turned to look at him with some pink dust on my cheeks. I looked at Kyo-Hyung and everyone else.

This was just like in a drama!

"Well?" They asked me and then waited for my response as I tried to control my baffled up emotions.

"….I think you guys should shut up and just do your host duties….Anyways, I'll be making some more tea!" I said, dropping down my stuff near my bag and left to make whatever.

To this day….I still have the jacket and I never parted with it since…

A/N: AWWW! That was so cute! Btw, the Jessica incident is true, Jessica from SNSD did decide to quit SNSD and SM entertainment and start out her new fashion line! Forgot what it was called but I saw it on Dramafever while I was trying to watch Go Single Ladies and Bride of the Century. I was so sad you know! Well, no one can keep singing Gee forever….

_**((A/N: GUYS~! WHY HAVENT YOU VOTED YET! I PUT THE POLL UP NOW! VOTE! NOW! WHO SHALL MAO END UP WITH!? **_

_**Also, I'm gonna update again within the next minute~ See ya next chapter~! ))**_


	10. Life of the Kurosaki Family! Mom STOP!

**_((A/N: What did I tell you? What did I tell you? HA~! ))_**

_Hey Mika…remember when we first met at the orphanage?_

_Yeah…who can forget that day? That day…we made a promise to each other…_

_**And so the Host Club has decided to stop by at the infamous house of their beloved secret princesses. Haruhi Fujioka and Mao Kurosaki. However….**_

"_**Ah…." **_

_**They all stood outside the Fujioka residence, which was nothing more than a ruined house with chipped painting and over-growing vines.**_

_** "This can't be right…." Tamaki said, the first one to speak from all the shock they had taken in. The door started to open and there they saw the brunette, Haruhi. She looked pain and tired but still wore that smile.**_

_** "Hey everyone. Why don't you come in?" She asked. The inside was also as bad as the outside, the lights flickering and dusty. "I know it's not much but please, make yourselves at home. I'll make us some tea."**_

_**They all talked and were shocked at the presence of the brunette until another familiar person showed up, slamming the door and with a battered up face and blood dripping down her mouth. **_

_** "Mao! What happened!?" Haruhi asked and tried to settle the green eyed girl down, taking out a medical kit that she carried around. **_

"_**Them bastards. The deal was a set up! I simply got away before they pulled out something more dangerous." Mao said, wiping her mouth more and throwing the bloodied up bat that she had at a neglected corner. Everyone else started to shiver in fear because they've known the Bipolar Tiger was not someone to mess with.**_

"_**We're sorry Mao-chan! Haru-chan! If we've know your living conditions, we wouldn't have come! Please don't die!" Honey said. Mao looked at him and gave him a smile and ruffled up his hair. **_

"_**I'm not gonna die. Dad taught me enough. Besides, I just have to join a group more powerful than the gang I'm in. I hear that the Yakuza are looking for recruits.." **_

_**At that, everyone just stopped what they were doing and then….**_

"NO HARUHI! NO MAO! THAT JUST REGULAR TUNA! IT'S NO MEANS FANCY! MAO! DON'T JOIN THE YAKUZA EITHER! IT'S NOT NECESSARY!"

All it was was just a terrible nightmare that Tamaki had about the beloved commoner princesses he had in his live.

~/+/~

"Mika, just how many kilos did you order from that coffee company again?" I asked my sister as she was running the register. That's one job I didn't trust her on too much, she mixes up the numbers so much, it's not cute. Mika pouted for the second time today and answered my question.

"For the umpteenth time, Mao, two kilos! Honestly! I may mix up my numbers, but I don't forget!" She scolded at me, "Don't forget, I'm the older sibling!" She said and poked at my cheeks.

"Whatever you say, Mika. Anyways, I better go get them. Meantime, you look after….the café…Make sure _Umma_ **[1] **doesn't get out of her room and run the café." I told her and she saluted like one of her favorite characters from that anime…ah…what's it called? Hetalia?

"Si Kaiser! I mean, yes sir!" She said in an Italian accent. I grew a tick mark on my forehead, but brushed it off and grabbed my helmet, walking to the motorbike that we were able to buy from all the money we made with the café. Today, the café isn't packed like it usually is so I thought it would be a good idea to go get the coffee beans. Mika waved at me and smiled.

"Be careful!" She said and I zoomed off all the way to Ikebukuro. I just hope by the time I get back, Mika hasn't made us bankrupt or something. Hopefully, that won't happen – I made lots of coffee of all kinds so all she has to do is take orders and serve.

BEEP BEEP

I honked the horn to tell the people that I'm driving through and I almost ran into someone. I warned them and they're still angry at me? Hm…

The trip wasn't that bad – except for the part that I had to stop at some stop lights and then some girls came over and decided to flirt with me. I forgot to change into my normal clothes. I guess I just comfortable in wearing guys clothes now that I joined the host club.

As I was returning to the café, I saw Haruhi carrying some groceries and so I decided to help her out.

"Haruhi!" I said and by the call of her name, she turned around and smiled. I guess before she knew it was me, she must have thought of the Host Club.

"Hey Mao, are you doing your deliveries?" She asked me and I took some of her groceries, putting them next to the coffee beans and patted a seat behind me for her to sit on. I shook my head and smiled.

"Nah. Business is slow today so I thought I'd get more coffee beans from Ikebukuro. Where's your house?" I asked and kick started the motorbike, driving around corners as fast as I could without crashing too.

"Around this corner and then make a left. You'll see an apartment complex there." She told me, hugging me tightly, since this is her first time riding a motorbike. I don't blame her; I remember when I rode with Dad. I started crying at first because I thought we were going to die but then I started to trust him more.

Like Haruhi told me, there was an apartment complex in front and I quickly stopped the bike, taking out her groceries and then handed them to her.

"Thanks Mao. I'll stop by your house today after I'm done with my chores. 'K?" She said and I nodded my head, quickly putting on my goggles and gave her a thumb up. "Sure! Mom would be happy to see ya~ Bye!" I said and then sped off and prayed secretly that Mika didn't burn the place.

RRRING RRING

_*Sigh* _ "Coffee Prince Café? This is Mao speaking." I said and listened quickly and then sped off to the direction this person lived. It was like in the suburbs of the city so why not? Luckily for that person, I had that order with me. I was going to eat it as soon as I had some time but….

"Mao! Fighting!" I screamed and sped off once I got into the highway.

((Mika's POV))

Ah~!

I wish Mao-kun would trust me more. Sure, I am a bit of a ditz but it's not my fault I became that way! Oh yeah, Hi. I'm Mao's older sister. I'm older than her by a month. I also go to Ouran Public High School, not that far from where Mao goes. That was my idea – To stay close to my little sibling in case something happened.

"Ah~! What to do? I'm stuck babysitting both Mama and the shop!" I said in a bored tone and walked upstairs to get my latest purchase! My Uta No Prince Sama DVD that I bought along with Sebbas-Chan plushie! I got my laptop and put in the DVD, watching it on the counter. I started squealing so loudly that I got some 'Are you okay?' from the customers. That and I completely ignored the fact that there was some care was in front of the café/house. Everyone in the café went outside and tried to see what's going on while I sang along with Syo-Kun and the others. Masato-kun is so totally Mao's type!

"Miiiiiikaaaaa-chaaaaaan~" I heard even through the full volume of the laptop. I turned around and saw my wide eyed mother, almost about to scream. I changed my attitude and gently pushed her back upstairs.

"Mom, you gotta go back to bed! Mao-kun will yell at me when she sees you out of bed!" I said. Mom just ignored me and turned herself around and walked outside for some natural sunlight. Mom was a bit pale and her hair was sort of a mess so I decided to comb it while we walked out to see what the commotion was about. The two of us looked at these fancy cars.

"Here you are, master." Some guy said, opening one of the cars. A blonde guy wearing sunglasses stepped out along with a megane with black hair, two gingers, a really tall guy with black and then a cute blonde kid. The last to come out from the cars was this girl with short brown hair and the cutest outfit combination I ever seen. Why couldn't Mao dress up like that!?

"So this is where Mao lives?" I heard one of the gingers say, hands on his hips.

"Pretty big don't you think?" The other ginger said. "It's bigger than what I imagined it to be. Even Haruhi's place isn't this big."

"Wow!" The kid with blonde hair said excitedly, "Mao-chan has a lot of rooms in her house!"

"This is the typical commoners' house." The megane said with his arms crossed. Everyone looked at him except the one with blonde hair that was pacing back and forth. "I'm guessing they also put a little restaurant underneath their home."

""Kyoya…." The blonde said, slamming his hands on his friends' shoulders. Oh wow, I think I'm getting a Yaoi moment! KYAHH! "Why, why'd you bring these idiots with us!? Especially those two doppelgangers!" He pointed to the group behind him, but turned quickly and tried to calm the brunette that he kind of pissed off. "N-not that I'm calling you an idiot Haruhi. You're allowed here. It's the others I don't want here!"

"Well you see," The one called Kyoya said. "I knew you wouldn't have the courage to come here alone so I thought it'd be best if everyone came along." He said, walking up the twins and leading them away. "Alright let's go home. Guess I underestimated our leader." He said.

"You know Mika-chan," Mom said as I turned towards her, "We should go and get some ice cream. I know how much you and KAITO love it." She said with a smile. I dropped everything and quickly got my purse, already heading out, linking my arm around Mom's and started skipping.

"Ice cream! Ice cream! I scream, you scream! We all scream for Ice cream!" I said, not realizing that the red motorbike was coming our way and then awesomely avoid us like one of those movies that use awesome tricks!

…I overused the word awesome didn't I? ….Somewhere in the world…Prussia is sneezing…*nods*

((Mao's POV))

I just finished delivering a meal for a customer and it was a long way back but I made it anyways and I just got a surpise of a lifetime when I saw these really expensive cars parked up front and the neighbors were surrounding it, gushing over like it's some kind of movie shoot or something. If it is, I'm going to try and get closer to Lee Min Ho Oppa if he's anywhere near here! Better yet, I'll get closer to Taemin Oppa or Onew Oppa. Yes! It will be perfect!

"Now listen up men, this is polite "just happened to be in the neighborhood" kind of visit. We are not here to judge the Kurosaki family lifestyle. Words like shabby, cramped and rundown are forbidden!" I knew that voice anywhere and it gave me headaches every time I heard it, however, according to Mom and Mika, I seem to like to hear it or something.

"We don't want to offend to offend Mao or her family that will cause us to ask us to leave!" He said. As he said it more, the more pissed off I got and the more angry veins popped out on my face and the more I had to control my anger.

"Well, it's too late for that! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" I yelled and Tama-Hyung quickly spun around to see me wear the outfit that I had decided to wear today. It was a bit girly and my hair was not styled like it normally was that made me look like a guys.

"Mao….That outfit is pretty cute!" The guys told me and by guys, I mean Tama-Hyung, Honey-Oppa, and the twins. Mori-Oppa and Kyo-Hyung stayed pretty neutral about it.

"You look pretty cute angry, you know." Said Hikaru with a smirk. I looked at him with a glare so terrifying; he would be six feet under now. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm about to get pretty *BEEP* adorable now!" I yelled and Tama-Hyung started yelling at the twins for teaching me how to curse. Well, actually, I learned my cuss words by Dramas, T.V, songs, and violent video games. That and Mika watches some mature anime…

~/+/~

I quickly got out the keys to the shop since I just realized the shop was closed and then I noticed that Mika and Mom weren't home.

_Dammit…that means I'm left alone with this idiots and Haruhi…._ I thought to myself and then guided the motorbike into the shop, putting it in the backroom. I got some weird looks from everyone and got annoyed.

"Haruhi, did they drag you into this?" I asked to my best friend and she nodded her head, saying that they met her dad and right now, Ranka-Ujusshi despises Tama-Hyung. Good for Ranka! I knew there was something great about that man! I sighed and came back with some refreshments since they are on a visit.

"Here Mao-chan, I brought you and your family some cake! There chocolate, some strawberry and peach!" Honey-Oppa told me, holding up a box that said Luxury confectionaries. I wasted no second to get out the proper silverware and the tea to eat with. Anything made by a five-star chef, I'll take the advantage to use it no matter what. I need to eat it and memorize what kind of ingredients in the dish! I'll be like in that book Kitchen Princess!

"You guys didn't have to, I could have baked us some sweets or something." I said and then tightned the apron that I used before I went on my missions today.

"That's a cute apron Mao-chan!" Honey-Oppa told me, smiling while I noticed Tama-Hyung and the twins blush. I tried not to kill them or anything so I pretended not to see or hear any of it.

"So, when can we see your house Mao?" They asked me. While I was quickly making their tea, I 'accidently' put on of the cups some salt and quickly smiled.

"That's asking a lot for you guys." I said, handing them their tea and guess who got the one with salt? My idiot, Tama-Hyung.

…My idiot?

…..I gotta stop saying that….

"Sorry, I must have accidently put salt on the tea there Tama-Hyung. I gotta start labeling my spices, you know." I smiled like one of Mika's anime characters when he does something like this. What was his name again? Sebastian Michaels?

"T-t-that's quite alright….I forgive my lovely daughter…" He said, taking the glass of water that I offered him. I saw the twins snicker quietly and gave me a thumbs up, which I returned back. All in a day's work for Mao Kurosaki!

"Hey Mao-chan! Go on ahead and pick your cake! We have one for everyone!" Honey-Oppa told me and opened up the little box and revealed all these delicious cakes that I can only dream of making. I looked on and tried to pick the best one. I did like strawberry but there's also chocolate, German chocolate, Peach, Tres Leche cake that Dad taught me how to make and then there was vanilla sponge cake.

"Oh geez….cake…I can't just choose one you know…they all look delicious and I want to try all of them…AHH!" I said, knocking my head on the table in distress. Everyone took notice and sweat dropped. I wouldn't blame them; I took these kinds of things really serious when it comes to really delicious and prestigious food like this. Everything must be perfect and have great and amazing taste!

"I think you'll like the German Chocolate one Mao-chan~!" Honey-Oppa told me and handed me the piece of cake while I raised my head, looking at it while on the inside, my mouth was drooling and my taste buds were on overdrive.

"Thanks Honey-Oppa for picking for me!" I exclaimed and then the three idiots that I've gotten to know have started to exclaim about how cute I was and complaining about the little moves that they'll do, they'll offend me or something. They already did offend me from arriving here unannounced.

I quickly ate the German Chocolate cake, enjoying every bite of it when I realized it had some nice mousse filling that I liked a lot. I kinda ate a bit messy, feeling that some icing was around the corner of my lips or something.

"Mao, you have something around your lips." Kyo-Hyung said to me, the first thing that he told me after entering the house. I tried to rub away the mess that he told me about, but he said I didn't get it. He came closer towards me and used his thumb to wipe the icing off my lips. Then, he did the one thing I didn't expect for him to do. He then licked his thumb clean from the chocolate icing that he wiped my lips with. I blushed after that and then thought about it..

_Is that considered and indirect kiss or something? Are there rules about the indirect kiss?! Are there!?_

"Wow, eating all that cake sure wiped my appetited." Said Honey-Oppa.

"Yeah, isn't it about lunch time right about now?" Kaoru asked and all heads turned towards me. I looked behind me to see if there was anyone behind me like in my Korean dramas but no such luck. They were all looking at me.

"Well then, what's for lunch?" The idiots told me, including Honey-Oppa. I got annoyed a little bit when they asked me.

"How the hell should I know? I really didn't think about it since I have my part-time jobs to think about you know." I said. Kyo-Hyung stood up and told be something about dropping here unexpected. The hell you guys did! And where the hell are Mom and Mika!? They should be here right about now!

"I'd really love it if you cook something for us Mao-chan." Honey-Oppa told me. The idiots started freaking out and then were shocked to find out that I agreed with Honey-Oppa.

"I guess I could do that since you asked me so nicely but I'll take me some time to whip something up." I explained and as my response, I got an overload of cuteness. MY EYES!

"We can wait!" He said. I shielded my eyes from the blinding cuteness and then turned around to not get blind.

"Okay. I'm gonna have to go to the supermarket or the farmers market a few miles back. It's where I get most of my ingredients when I make a foreign dish." I muttered out loud.

"If you're going then we're going too!" The twins told me. Haruhi did her infamous facepalm and I was tempted to do the same.

Everyone just decided to go on ahead and agree that everyone's going. God, help me with this because I don't know how to deal with this. I at least know that Takeru-Nii wouldn't have done this with me! I know Lee Min Ho Oppa wouldn't have done this to me!

"Dammit, some day off." I said as soon as everyone left. Well, almost everyone since there was still someone in the restaurant, looking up at the photos of the past people that have worked here and one of those people was Dad. He saw the picture of dad cooking and then looked at me.

"Hey Tama-Hyung, are you not coming?" I asked and tapped his shoulder. He looked at me and then back at the picture.

"I am. I just wanted to look around some more before I left." He told me and looked at Dad's photo again.

"Is this your adoptive father?" He asked me and I nodded my head.

"Yeah. Doesn't he look cool?" I said and looked at the photo that he was looking at. That photo had him smiling at the camera while I hugged him from behind; the both of us smiling for the camera. Tama-Hyung chuckled and took the picture off the wall to get a better look at it.

"He does. He looks handsome I guess I know where you took your inspiration. And he seems like a hard worker too." He said.

"I wouldn't say handsome. Ask my mom if you need to but I knew he was a hard worker. He did have a few part-time jobs just to give us some of the stuff he didn't have growing up."

"Oh yeah? I bet he was a good man then. Trust me. You can't fool these eyes Mao." Tama-Hyung said and smiled. I averted my eyes at another direction and looked at him blankly.

"Ah…I wouldn't say that…" I said and I felt him change moods. "But dad…."

_Okay Mao-chan! Mika-chan! Daddy is off to work! Take care of Mommy for me okay!? Watch, we'll reach the good American dream even if we aren't in America! You'll see!_

"He was a good man." I said, in my memory trance as I was remembering all the good that Dad has always done. It was nice to think about it.

Tama-Hyung noticed my silence and maybe he let his imagination go wild. I mean, he and the other don't know what happened to Dad. I just talk about him a lot in a tense that says he's still here. That's partly my fault.

"Well, we really should be going. The others will be wondering where we are~!" As he turned around, he slipped on a banana peel and started falling on me. What the hell!? He fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book?!

"AHH~!" I yelled and then felt a really heavy pressure pressed on my body. I opened my eyes and then saw Tama-Hyung's hands pinned down on the sides of my head. I blushed at the position we were in because I'm not like Haruhi, who will come up with a snarky remark of someone getting off of her. I've seen enough dramas that have the heroine get in this position with the main male lead. God dammit.

"Ah. Mao, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Tama-Hyung asked me and then looked for some sign of pain. The only sign of pain that I had was my mentality and the incoherent words that I was stuttering out.

"Ah! What..!? N-n-n-n-no! Now get off of me!" I yelled, not really noticing how close he was towards my face, more specifically, my lips. God, why do you do this to me!?

"Mao-kun~~! We're home! Hey why's the door open?" I heard Mika and Mom say in sync, entering the café. I got a bit nervous when they saw firsthand in the position I was in with Tama-Hyung. I couldn't muster any words and quickly thought of the first thing that came to my mind.

"Where the h-h-hell were you two!? Some Mom and sister you two are." I said and Tama-Hyung just freaked out, comparing the face that he had written all over his head.

~/+/~

My mom and Mika stood still, watching the scene before them and probably thinking of ways how to pry Tama-Hyung off my person and killing him slowly. I didn't want any part of this but I couldn't move despite how strong I was against Tama-Hyung. After some minutes passed by, Mom quickly walked up, putting a hand on Tama-Hyung's shoulder and threw him to the wall. Mika was next to me, helping me up. Those two were like two peas in a pod, considering that they ignored Tama-Hyungs grunts of pain. Even I wouldn't have done that much if I've known the situation.

"I'm sorry to having to leave you this morning Mao-kun. You must have been lonely." Mom said, smiling and ruffling my hair. I noticed Mika glaring at Tama-Hyung and making sure he wouldn't come near me. I sweat dropped at the situation. "That sound…that actually sounded like it hurt…" I muttered. Mom started massaging her arm, still smiling to purposely crush Tama-Hyung's ego, if he still had it.

"Oh dear. My left arm has been bothering me lately. It's as if I just confronted a ferocious beast that was trying to put the moves on my little Mao-kun. I really could go for some of that delicious herbal tea that you make for me." Mom said and then Tama-Hyung just sprinting up as fast as he could to go and make some hot tea for mom. Mika tried to stop him but Mom ended up stopping him by pressing her foot on his head.

"You…..WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER, MY LITTLE MAO-KUN!? TO GET TO MY DAUGHTER, YOU MUST GET THROUGH MEEE~!" She yelled, causing everyone in the neighborhood to instantly recognize whose scream was that. She looked like a character from a horror movie when she did that, so you wouldn't want to get on her bad side, okay? The neighbors that day laughed, saying things like "There goes Kurosaki-san again" or "Oh Kurosaki is at it again."

Just in, the twins came back.

"Hey boss! What in the world is taking you so long?" Hikaru asked.

"Whoa, check it out. Who would have that the woman and girl we passed by was Mao's Mom and sister." Kaoru said and then before Tama-Hyung tried to ask for help, the two started to walk on him and introduce themselves to my family.

"Nice to meet you Mao's mom and sister! We're good friends of your daughter/sister, the Hitachiin brothers." They said in unison.

"So you're the Otaku sister we heard so much about?" Hikaru said with a smile.

"You're the prettiest Otaku we've seen so far! And this woman is Mao's mother. I didn't think of you as the energetic type." Kaoru said, earning a shocked face from me. How dare they say that in front of me?

"You finally put the moves on Mao didn't you, boss?" They said again in unison.

"Sorry about that, he's like a pheromone machine."

"I bet he's fooled around with more girls than you can count!"

What the-!?

"So he fools around, huh?" Mom said, an angry vein growing more and more as she thought of it.

"No! I'm not a ladies man! I'm a good guy! I care about Mao!" Tama-Hyung yelled all of a sudden. For some reason, I started blushing when he said he cared about me. The twins looked back at him and thought the same thing. This type of scene was something I would have seen in a drama, but this type is different because I know this is real life.

"I'm being completely honest here!" Tama-Hyung said, bowing down in front of Mika and Mom, "I care about Mao like she's my own daughter." He finished.

You know the moment I said that I was blushing when he stated he cared about me. I honestly thought he meant more like a friend type of deal but no. I was a bit disappointed…..

Wait…why was I disappointed?

"Oh I get it, you must be the host club I heard so much about!" Mom suddenly had a mood change and started smiling cheerfully.

"Wow, Mao, you never told us how handsome these guys are, right Mom?" Mika said, blushing and having a fangirl attack, probably from the compliment Kaoru said about her being the only pretty Otaku he's met.

"They are certainly quite a group of handsome young men! I'm not really sure who I like more!" Mom said as she started giggling while most of the guys were smiling like idiots while Tama-Hyung was over at his corner. Mom then turned towards me and asked me a question that was absolutely forbidden. "What about you Mao dear? Who do you like more?"

My face just turned into a tomato and I so wanted to hide under a rock right now.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you all call me Yuki or Mom? We're bound to be close friends so let's start now!" She said, embarrassing me more.

"Mom? Are you sure?"

"Yes I am Mitsukuni!"

"Hold on, how did you know my name?" Honey-Oppa asked Mom and mom returned one of those heartwarming smiles towards Honey and Mori Oppa's direction.

"You two are third years Takashi Morinozuka and Mitsukuni Haninozuka!" Mom said, making Honey-Oppa smile happily. Oh, the cuteness! She then moved on to the twins and explained some more.

"And you two first years and in the same class as my little Mao and her friend Haruhi, the Hitachiin brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru. I'm not sure which one of you is which, but I'll figure it out soon. I heard a lot about you all~!" She finished off.

"Hold on, so Mao told you two about us?" Hikaru asked Mom. Mika and Mom shared a similar smile, blushing lightly. What they were about to say was so surprising, I still couldn't handle it to this day.

"Nope. Kyoya-Kun told us all about you over the phone~! YAY!" Mika said, a really unnecessary amount of roses in the background while Mom and Mika high-fived Kyo-Hyung, which he gladly returned, smiling.

"You know, you two are really lovely people. I can see how Mao was influenced by it." He said.

Wait….did he just…indirectly call me beautiful!?

WHAT THE HELL OOTORI!? *Insert ridiculous amount of Korean + Spanish cuss words*

"Kyoya~!" Tamaki outwardly grabbed Kyo-Hyungs shoulder, demanding an explaination.

"We've been entrusted with the care of their precious sister/daughter. It is only natural that we introduce ourselves. Ordinarily, that would be your job." He said, which earned an arrow of pain towards Tama-Hyungs heart. Poor guy but Kyo-Hyung had a point there.

"Oh my, I'm so impressed that the club has a capable vice president. You must be such a hard worker; taking care of all the money and all the things the president would do, aren't you? I guess the president is just there for show!" Mom said, hurting Tama-Hyung with words while Kyo-Hyung was so getting on Mom's and Mika's good side.

"You never mentioned this to me Mom! Mika! How dare you two not say anything to me about getting calls from Kyo-Hyung!?" I yelled at them angrily. They gave me that face that said "I'm sorry and won't do it again but we'll end up doing it again anyways" face, which pissed me off more.

"What are supposed to do Mao-chan? You hardly talk about your day at school to the both of us!" Mika said and Mom nodded sadly. "It's also not my fault that you barely talk about boys! I worry about you sweetie!" Mom started and quickly stood up, doing one of those poses that pointed towards the sky, "I worry about you sweetie! I have a feeling that you like girls or something! Even if that happens, I'll still love you...but you still have to give me a grandchild and he must be cute!" She said, dramatically crying into a handkerchief.

"So that makes it okay to talk behind my back?! Besides, talking about boys is a waste of time! I'm a busy gal! OH MY GOD TAMA-HYUNG! WOULD YOU STOP MAKING THE HOUSE EVEN MORE DIRTY!? GROW YOUR MUSHROOMS SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

"Mao-chan….the thing about you is…." Mika began while I started to relax and look at the two with suspicion.

"You're cute even when you're mad!" Mom said, engaging in super hug attack mode, along with Mika, surprising me.

Yeah….I have a super doting family that act like children. I've been dealing with this for the last four years since…..yeah….

I finally got out of their hug and started walking away, ending up having to listen to their questions as I neared the staircase.

"I gotta go to the supermarket and buy more groceries. We only have enough food to feed three so yeah." I bluntly said. Mika started to laugh while mom joined in with a hearty chuckle.

"Sometimes your silliness is cute! We have enough food downstairs in the cellar. I mean, we own a restaurant/café, don't we?"

…!

EPIC FACEPALM

Sometimes, I ask myself why I live with these people.

"Aw, but I wanted to go to the commoner supermarket!" Whinned Hikaru and Haruhi glared at him.

"You've already been there thanks to my dad!" She said and I smiled in secret as I headed downstairs to grab whatever to make something for lunch.

"Now…what would those idiots want? How about some Mexican?"

~/+/~

((Mika's POV))

Mom looked at the host club, Mao's friends, and smiled, calming them down once Mao walked off to get supplies to make some dinner.

"I wouldn't get in her way. Once she puts her mind to work, it's hard to drag her out of it." She said and then continued to talk for a while until bit her tongue, blood dripping from her mouth. Everyone got worried for a while until she grabbed a napkin and I started to explain.

"Don't worry. Mom does this a lot when she starts rambling about things. Also, she'd like to apologize to Tamaki-kun for scaring him. Her health's a little on the weak side so she really doesn't have that much control." I said, waving my hand casually. Tamaki's eyes widened at the mention of his name and quickly came out of the closet area.

"Wait, you know my name?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with hope. Mom looked at him and smiled.

"Of course, you're Tamaki Suoh." She wiped more of her blood that was around her mouth and then turned more serious.

"You know, Mao's an independent spirit. She even decided to do all the enrollment papers by herself without me or Mika knowing about it." Mom said, thinking clearly about that day she found out about Mao's enrollment to Ouran. "I sort of admire that about her but sometimes I wish she'd depend on me some more." She said, probably thinking off all the times Mao did all the work around the house.

The day that dad never came back…she started doing all the things around the house and began applying to so many part-time jobs.

FLASHBACK

_Somewhere around three years ago. _

"_Mao-chan~! So, tell me why your report card said D- on every class!?" Mom said, this cloud of anger appeared behind her while Mao was at the dinner table, doing some paper work and all these other things. Mao turned to Mom and started frowning._

"_Sorry mom but I had more important things to worry about than school work!" This gave my mom some shock that lasted through until the next day, which was pretty bad, and a good friend of the restaurant noticed it and commented it._

"_What? She said that? I'm sorry but I don't think it's a rebellious phase. Sorry to tell you this Yuki-san but I think she's a bit embarrassed that her mother has something no one knows about." The friend said, pissing my mom a bit._

"_So what if I have it?! Masato knew about it and he never had a problem with it!"_

_That night…._

"_Mao! Mika! You mother drank herself stupid again so I brought her home!" Mom quickly went to hug Mao and she commented on how Mom smelled like a bar. _

"_She's pretty upset that you didn't tell her about your report card. Why don't you tell her next time when the grades come in, what do you say?" Her friend suggested and I nodded my head in agreement. Mao widened her eyes and slowly gave mom a hug._

"_I can't….I didn't tell you because you already worry about other things….My grades became that low because I took on three other part-time jobs so I could pay off the electric and hospital bill. I know your health isn't the best but I want you to rest up so you can get your strength. I want you to get better for us and for dad." Mao said. I heard mom shuffle around and hugged Mao tightly, softly crying with her in her arms._

_Three other part-time jobs? That's incredible…and she's doing this so we can get by all of this….._

END OF FLASHBACK

"Let me just say that I'm really grateful for all that you boys have done. Ever since she entered that school, I see her smiling a lot so that means she's having more fun." Mom smiled happily. I'd have to agree with that too since she's a bit happier now. She's even got a reverse harem like in Amnesia or Diabolk Lovers, even though that they're not vampires or anything. Anyways, during my little fangirl, I noticed the megane guy looking at Mom's direction and then thinking to himself.

"Come to think of it, she did also mention you boys and Haruhi giving her an autographed jacket of her favorite idol, Jessica from SNSD." I said out loud and that sparked some interest in mom. Before she even spoke, Mao came back with at least a bag of potatoes, a ten piece chicken breast package, some spices, and few other things that I didn't know how to pronounce. I noticed that she had some trouble with it but didn't bother to say anything about it.

"Oh, hello Mao dear. So, what will it be today?" Mom asked while Mao started to walk towards the kitchen.

"Huh? Oh, I hope you guys like Mexican food." She said and Mom started fangirling like crazy like I do when someone mentions Captain Levi or Sebastian Michaels.

Those two are crazy hot! I love them so much that I would totally let Levi *BBBEEEEEP BEEP BEEP* and Sebastian can so totally take my soul while I wear cat ears and he can *BEEP BEEP BEEEEEP* to me~! Tee Hee.

"Do you need help with that Mao?" Haruhi asked and Mao just shook her head. "Nah. I got this." After she said that, she almost tripped and the only one fast enough to catch her was Mori-kun, who was super tall and handsome. Wow, this is so totally a reverse harlem!

"Um….thanks Mori-Oppa." Mao said and subconsciously handed some of the supplies to him and he simply smiled. I did the typical dramatic pose and turned away.

"Oh~! Such a beautiful scene, I can't take more of this!" I screamed in my head.

"Well, I may not be a five star chef but I'll see what I can whip up to compare with that taste." She said, rolling up her sleeves and tightening her apron as she quickly entered the kitchen, turning on the stove and started chopping up whatever that she was chopping.

"Mao-chan looks so cute dressed that way!" Honey-senpai said.

"She looks like a real girl when viewing her this way." Tamaki-kun said, admiring the view that can be seen from the kitchen. Mom and I didn't waste taking pictures of the guys and Mao and we got some strange looks from Haruhi. Sorry Haruhi, but only insanity is allowed here. Tee hee.

"Um…Yuki-san, when will your husband be home? I can't wait to meet him." Tamaki asked, smiling. I heard Mao break an egg from the kitchen and I sensed Mom straighten up quickly, looking glum at first but smile quickly before someone noticed. Well, I guess the megane noticed since Mao did say he knew about a lot of things and did his research on people. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew that dad won't be coming back.

"My husband? Oh but he's home already! Here, I'll introduce him to you!" Mom said, getting up and went to the cabinets that we had dad's most recent photo. She took the photo frame and put it on the table as gently as possible, all while still wearing the smile that dad always said was beautiful.

Everyone but Kyoya was shocked and I knew from the silence in the air besides Mao's cooking in the next room. Kyoya, like I said before, must have known already.

"Handsome isn't he? Every day, I wondered why in the world he married someone like me." Mom said, holding the frame and looking at it with loving eyes. To this day, she's still madly in love with dad….

"He always took on part-time jobs just for the family and still married me despite his parents' protests. He had a good heart and that's why Mao's with us right now. Originally, we wanted to adopt Mika-chan but the moment he saw Mao, she adopted her as well…." Mom said, still smiling despite the sadness behind her smile. "We never saw him again after the plane went down on his way back…." She finally finished and got up again to put the photo away properly in the cabinet.

"I-I'm s-s-so sorry that I asked, Yuki-san! I d-d-d-didn't know!" Tamaki said. Mom smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

"It's alright Tamaki, you guys needed to know. Mao wouldn't have had the strength to tell you guys anyways."

"What do you mean Yu-chan?" Honey asked, tilting his head.

"Well, as you know, Mao lost two fathers while she was growing up. When my husband died, she quickly started handling all the chores around the house and restaurant."

"Yeah," I said, "Even if I'm the older sibling, Mao-chan's the more mature one. I just hope one day she realizes that I can be mature too!" I said, pouting, not realizing a shadowy figure behind me who then decided to hit my head with a wooden spoon.

"Oh, really? I'll call you mature once you start cleaning up you room that way I won't find that doushinji yaoi manga of your OTP, Levi x Eren, while I'm studying." Mao's voice said and there was also that look that I happened to see a lot during middle school. The look of the Bipolar Tiger.

"Mao! How's the food coming along?" Mom asked and Mao sighed, handing her some herbal tea that the doctor recommended for mom. "It'll be ready in a few minutes so wait a little longer." She said as she had the spoon still on her hand as she crossed her arms and going back into the kitchen to check on the chicken.

"Do you need any help Mao?" I asked boredly and she responded with the same monotone voice.

"No, just make sure the guys don't leave the room. I don't want them touching anything without my permission." She said. I stifled a laugh and watched the host club sweat drop, excluding Kyoya and Mori-kun.

"I don't know if it's either she doesn't know how to rely on others or she refuses. It's beyond our understanding," Mom said, drinking her tea now that it's cooled off a bit. "Like my husband, she's so strong and protective of us. She stood up for us when others didn't. He taught her too well I guess." She said, smiling at the memory at how close those two were.

"It's true. I've seen it with my own eyes. She's protective of her seniors and the little ones…I guess she's like a split image of her father…" Tamaki said.

~/+/~

_One day…Mao-chan…you'll be able to take care of others, but you also need someone to take care of you…._

_Papa…what if they're not at my school? What will I do then?_

_Silly, this world is full of people! I'm sure that person will come to you or you go to them when you least expect it! Just remember okay?_

((Mao's POV))

After a few more minutes of cooking, I handed out everyone's plates while I poured them some tea lemonade. The first one to eat was Haruhi and her reaction was just a small blush on her cheeks and continued to eat more.

"This is great Mao. You really know your stuff." She said. I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head, blushing a bit. The guys ate and they also had some blush on their faces.

"Mao…can you be the head chef at our house?" The twins asked me and Mom started laughing while I started blushing like crazy. I looked like one of the tomatoes I used for the salsa.

"W-W-W-WHAT!? NO WAY!" I said, blushing more.

"This is even better than what the cooks make at my mansion!" Tama-Hyung said.

"Mao-chan! You made mine sweet! Thanks!" Honey-Oppa said, taking more bites. "It's nothing really. You like sweets so I just thought you'd want your sweet." I said casually.

"Isn't she thoughtful?" Mom said, getting up and pinching my cheeks, "She'd make a great housewife!" I blushed at the suggestion – not even compared to the blush I had before – while she pinched my cheeks and they all laughed. Haruhi must have felt bad for me because she gave me a reassuring look.

"Yeah…I feel sorry for that idiot already…" I muttered quietly so the other didn't hear me. I looked around the room and saw Kyo-Hyung smirk at me. Oh god, what the hell is he thinking about!? He's not really….!? Well, he did indirectly kiss me and indirectly called me beautiful…

No…there's no way! No way! Get it together Mao!

There's no way, nope! Like one of these guys are going to marry me! Ha! That's hilarious!

"Can I be the wedding planner Mao!? Can I!? Maybe even the maid of honor!? Mao-chan has no sense of decoration unless it's food! Wow, thinking about it now, it reminds me somewhat like_ Toradora_ or one of those Korean Drama's you watch Mao! You're the Tsundere and these guys are your love interests!" Mika suggested while I did a spit take with my tea lemonade. Well, that's a waste of something delicious.

"So, who is it? Can you tell us who you like?" She said, getting way too close towards my personal space as I blushed heavily in front of my so-called friends.

"Mika!" I yelled at her. Mom then joined in the conversation, purposely ignoring me to see more of my reactions that I barely get to show. "Silly Mika, it's obvious that it must be the president and vice president! Either one, they're bound to make beautiful babies. Mao, who would you pick?" Mom innocently asked me, although in her eyes, they tell a whole different story. I blushed more at her suggestion and facepalmed.

"No one," I scoffed. "If you two keep this up, I might just run away and join a traveling circus." I said and Mika gasped loudly.

"If you do, can you get Joker and the whole Noah's Circus group plus Sebby-chan, William and Ciel to autograph something!? Please!?" Mika begged. I facepalmed again at how stupid the idea was. Her and her Black butler manga and anime. She's been watching the whole Black Butler anime ever since the Circus arc episodes came out. She even reread the manga for the occasion.

"Mika….REMEMBER THAT BLACK BUTLER IS AN ANIME DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA! THERE'S NO WAY I WILL GET THEIR AUTOGRAPHS BECAUSE THEY DON'T EXIST!" I yelled.

"But their voice actors are~!" She said in a sing song voice.

"They're not real."

"Aw! You're no fun Mao-chan!" She said, pouting and taking her plate away. "Hey, I wasn't done with that!" She exclaimed but I ignored her and brushed the leftovers into a decomposing container. Yeah, I have one of those that way I don't have to waste food. As I was washing the dishes, Haruhi came in and handed me more of the dishes and she decided to dry the ones I've washed.

"Haruhi, as much as I like you, you don't have to do this. You're my guest. The only sane guest." I said to her but she gave me a stern look at me.

"It looked like you needed some sane company…Your family is… interesting." She said. I looked at her and started laughing; she then joined in the laugh.

"Yeah…despite the insanity around the house, I owe them a lot you know." By that time, I didn't realize that my mom was looking at me from the living room, along with Mika, explaining more about me to the guys. And each time I came back to the living room, I saw the guys straighten up and then my mom smiled more. Something was going on but for now…..I'm just glad my mom can smile happily now.

_There's this one girl that deserves the most happiness in this world…she's been through a lot for such a young girl. And now, these boys, this host club, could be her future. Mao may not be my biological daughter but she's a big part of my life. She's my daughter and she has the right to do what she wants like Mika, who also isn't my biological daughter….She has the right to be happy as well with one of these boys, whoever that will be. I just hope with either of them, they'll make her the happiest girl in world…. _

_I have but one wish….lean on to someone Mao…have someone else to look up to when you're in trouble…have someone else care for you…._

"There's a lot you don't know about Mao-chan! For instance, she joined the local swim team and when she was just ten years old, she won a trip to study abroad in America but she declined…" As my mom was rambling about, Kyo-Hyung was writing more about me and the others were listening intently. As for me, well, I had to control the situation.

"Oh my god Mom! Stop telling them my not-so-important achievements!"

"Oh I didn't even get to the best part, she has cute *MMMMMFFF*!" Phew, I covered her mouth before something came out that would ruin my private life.

"Mom, stop telling my secrets too!"

And that was day with the Host club at my house….

_**((A/N: Told you so~ Tee Hee~! ))**_


	11. Mao -chan in wonderland! No breaks, huh?

Ouran Academy…It's an elite school that most of my friends recommended because I was crazy smart.

Mom and I walked together to Ouran Academy the day of admissions. I grew a little nervous, but I remembered that this was all for Dad.

The bells were ringing wildly, indicating that it was now the afternoon.

"I'm here to say that your daughter's future at Ouran Academy is assured. Her test scores were one of the top ten and earned the culinary scholarship." The man said that was giving the interview. I stayed seated a bit far away, but I could still hear their conversation. I heard my mom chuckle and answered back.

"That's the trouble. She's too smart for her own good." She said, amusingly smiling. "She insisted on coming here alone because I had a doctor's appointment today. I couldn't miss today; this is her biggest moment of her life. Can you imagine that?" Mom said amusingly. She wasn't wrong about that; I did want her to go to the hospital, but yesterday, she called and cancelled the appointment and bumped it up to next week.

The main giving the interview seemed to be amused, saying, "Is that right?" He then turned towards my direction and said, "Miss Kurosaki, would you mind if your mother and I spoke privately? You're more than welcome to explore the school grounds. Of course, most of the students are gone for spring break but you might make some new friends even so." He said. Mom gave me a reassuring smile, silently saying that she agreed with the man.

"Go on Mao, dear. Let mommy and the nice dean here handle all the boring paperwork for you, okay?" Mom said. In the back of my mind, I really wanted to trust her, but something told me that I needed to say here. I shook it off and agreed anyways.

"Okay, thanks Mom. Let me know if you need anything." I said, standing up and leaving the room to look around the school and see if they're really any people around here. I didn't see that much people around though.

"She's quite a responsible and protective person. Children of her intelligence mostly are. You must be quite lonesome."

"Not at all. She's like her father. I have a feeling that she'll enjoy herself here. Masato did."

I made my way to the second floor. I'd never seen so many stairs in real life. There was that temple with the thousand steps but that was just a picture.

I stopped a couple of times when I saw the birds flying outside and then continued my way around the school. The halls were pretty big, I was impressed by that.

Before I knew it, the clock stroked at three.

I turned by head to my right and I saw this rooms door open. Something inside started moving that peaked my interest. Squinting my eyes, I saw my sister, Mika, eating a banana.

How could that be? Mika was at home or somewhere with her boyfriend.

I was awed by that, that I started to run towards the room, Music Room #3, and snuck a few glances through the door opening.

The room was big and wide and Mika stopped at the middle of the room before this motor sound started to echo around the room and grew brown bunny ears.

"What the-?!" I said. Before her image started to disappear, its ear was making a 'come on' maneuver, confusing me.

"Hey! What the heck is going on here!? Stop!" I said, running up to the Mika. Before I ran even further, I stopped when I noticed the banana peel on the floor. I've seen too many comedies where people slip on these things; I was not going to fall for that either so I stepped over it

"Ha! Serves you right comedy logic! I'm not going to be fooled by your tricks! I've seen it all! I-!" Before I even finished, I took one step too far and started to fall down the hole.

"WWWAAAAAHHHHH~! DAMN YOOUU LLOOOOOOGGGGGIIIIIIICCCC~!" I said while I was falling down the hole. I kept falling and falling, starting to think that maybe this was some bottomless pit that I even wanted to pull out some random peach soda and drink it.

"AAAAHHH~! WHEEERREEEES THEEE BOTTOM!" I yelled until I saw a bright light and landed on my face on the floor. And to think, I was going to be okay when I started the bicycle thing like in Harry Potter; it didn't work for me!

"Oww...I'm never trusting a hole ever again…." I muttered, my lips still attached to the floor because I wanted to make out with it. Yeah, got a problem with that?

I got up and dusted off all the invisible dirt that I had on me. Around me, it was still the same as the room I walked in only there was a grand piano in front of me, a stand where an expensive vase was, and some kind of banana tree. When I looked back at the piano, some person started to come out. She looked vaguely familiar and it just kept bothering me!

"What kind of world is this?" I muttered quietly as she realized I was over here and started to panic. I didn't notice it and then walked carefully towards her.

"Hey!" I called her attention, "I'm a little lost here so if you could just-!" Before I even finished, she jumped into the banana tree and grabbed one, biting into one and she turned small. Things just got weirder and weirder the moment I saw the girl run inside that small door. I went over to the door and saw the girl and Mika have a conversation. They both left, disappearing into the darkness and I was left there in the room, trapped and no way to get out of here.

"There has to be something to make me that small! That's the exit!" I said, walking around trying to think of something that would make me fit through that opening. I looked at the bananas that the girl dropped and then ate at least one until I was the right size to fit through the door.

"Gah! Why didn't I eat it when I was near the door more?!" I yelled at myself.

These light bulbs were in the formation of "Female" as I continued to walk down the dark hallway. Then the light bulbs started to count down and showed a picture of a banana.

"What the-!" Because of that banana, I rode it like it was some moped and all the light bulbs started to flash brightly. At the end of the hallway, I was in the same position that made me fall down that hole in the first place. Above me, the caution sign was there.

"STUPID WONDERLAND EEPPIISSOOOOOOOODDDEEEE!" I last yelled and then landed on what I think was water. I got panicky and swam to the surface and looked around me. This world is just so full of surprises that I can't even imagine. "Okay….How the hell did I get into a pool?" I asked myself, swimming to the edge of the pool where there were ladders.

"You cried quite a bit, huh?" This voice said. I looked around until I saw this giant caterpillar…or…a guy, hopefully, wearing a caterpillar costume. And he was sitting on top of some mushroom. I looked questionably at the guy, knowing that I must have seen him somewhere before, but where?

"What?" I asked, giving off a 'What's it to you?' face.

"You must have to fill a pool this size." He said, but continued on, "See, this water is an accumulation of all the tears you shed in life. It's rather impressive actually. It looks as though you've been through your fair share of hardships." How the hell did he even know what I was going through!? Behind his back, I stuck out my tongue and almost flipped him off until he interrupted my thoughts by his blowing of bubbles.

"Speaking of which, I'd get out of there if I were you. It isn't safe." He said. What?

'It's just a quiet pool with nice and clear water. How can a quiet pool be unsafe?' I thought to myself, not really agreeing if this caterpillar boy was telling me the truth or not.

Well, that thought just flew out the window and I started to hear something come up to the surface a few meters behind me. These girls heads were surrounded by some glass bowl and then these heads of alligators rose. The middle girls alligator showed her teeth along with the other ones.

"OH MY GOD! AHH!" I said, almost about to be bitten until I brought my legs up to my chest and skipped towards a random pillar. The alligators landed back into the water, retreating when they realized they couldn't get a catch or something.

My heart was pounding fast – I don't know if I'll be able to take all these surprises; what a pain.

"What the hell!? What kind of place is this!? Whoa, whoa wait…..I'm at my normal size, right?" I asked myself.

"Not yet, but we can take care of that for you." The caterpillar boy said, blowing more bubbles. Hey, I want a turn! "If you're interested." He finished. I'm not sure if it's the way that he said it made me double think about it. It just sounded so suspicious.

"What? What are saying?" I asked and he just blew more bubbles. Someone's addicted to bubbles.

"Ah, we have guests." He said and in the distance, I saw some capped guy in all black, holding – What I assume – his younger sisters' hand.

"Yes, hello. Might my little sister and I have a bit of mushroom?" The guy said, making the puppet in his hand make gestures. For some reason, that puppet reminded me of Mogeta.

Stupid Mika and her anime.

"Of course, we can settle your tab at the end of the month." Caterpillar boy said, writing on his little black notebook that was just so familiar. I had my head rest on top of the mushroom just to be able to get a little close to him to see his face. "You know Kyo-Hyung, you're about as shrewd as KAITO from Judgment of Corruption. You even write down on that silly notebook of yours when it's about business." I said, looking up at Caterpillar boy.

"Well, it's nothing new. I write about anything and everything really." He said, still writing down stuff. He stopped and looked at me curiously. "That's odd. You just said one of my many nicknames and knew about what I write when it's clear that we never met." Caterpillar boy said to me. I tilted my head, confused.

"You're nickname? You sure? I say a lot of things, you know? It's kind of weird of me…." I said, hearing both the boy and girl take a mushroom. I looked on as they started to glow when they took a bite out of the mushrooms. The oldest was getting younger and smaller, and the youngest was getting bigger and older.

The oldest was now an adorable baby with a cute hat while the youngest was now a teenager or something with a revealing waist and pink miniskirt. If I was drinking water, I would be spit taking right now.

"That is not what I thought about when I said, "Getting back to size." I said, dead panning. A door opened and I looked out to see the baby was now crawling away. "OH MY GOD! WHERE ARE THE PARENTS!? SOMEONE DO SOMETHING! MINOR ON THE LOOSE! MINOR ON THE LOOSE!" I yelled, looking back at Mr. Caterpillar boy and the now older girl, sitting at the top of the mushroom and Mr. Caterpillar boy was tapping his pen on her chin.

"It's not any of my business." The caterpillar said, not even looking at me.

EW! Not in front of me!

"Hey! Hands off the caterpillar girly!" I said, dragging the girl away and throwing her into the pool. Oops, I didn't mean to do that. I didn't even know that those alligator things were waiting and then took the girl away.

Crap…I think I just became a murder. Mao Kurosaki, murder at age fifteen….

"Okay…I didn't do that because I was jealous, Okay!?" I yelled at the caterpillar and ran off to the runaway baby, the door shutting behind me. Not even noticing the caterpillar boy smirking and blowing more bubbles saying,

"What an interesting girl."

~/+/~

I ran around, looking for the child, running through some doors until I slipped at some bananas and landed face first again, my lips kissing the floor.

"Why me?" I asked painfully and jumped up, wiping my mouth from the dirt. Gross.

"Hahaha~! Nice going!" I heard another male voice speak, followed by some high pitched girl voice that was so aware of. "You may refer to me as Duchess!" She said, holding something in her hands.

"What?" I asked but she just ignored me. How rude! "The woman making banana soup is my cook." She said in some spiteful tone and just as she said, there was a woman making banana soup. Banana soup? Will they be some vanilla and chocolate pudding?

"And this worthless lay about is my cat." The girl said, referring to the guy with orange hair and smirking a lot. What a Cheshire cat. Then something flew past my long wavy hair.

"WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE STUPID COOK!? IT'S NOT FAIR! I QUIT! YOU'RE ALWAYS HAVING FUN AND I HAVE TO PLAY THE VILLAN!" Settle down Ayanokoji! Is it really Renge's fault? Well, I really didn't say that to her but I was thinking about it when she starting to pant like she was letting out some relief. And did you see how Duchess was so badass at dodging all those plates? It's like she was born to be in the Matrix or something!

"Tamaki! You idiot!" She said, running off somewhere to cry. Should I go chase her or something? I asked myself when I turned to the direction she went. I had more important things to do as to worry about the kid that ran off to this lady.

"So…are you this kids mom?" I asked, clearing my throat a bit, walking up to 'Duchess'. She looked at me blankly, asking, "Are you concerned for the child?"

I smiled a bit, watching the kid suck his thumb like the cutie he is. "I guess…I'm glad he's home with his family that's all. Being with family is always nurturing and makes you feel safe." I said, looking at Duchess while she looked on to the window.

"Well…I'm afraid I must be off now. Would you look after him while I'm gone?" She asked, handing me the child. I extended my arms out and cradled the baby in my arms gently. Oh crap. I've never done this in a long time. Sure, I babysat for a few families and looked after the younger ones with Mika at the orphanage, but it's been so long.

The motor sound appeared again and the lady started to descend. "How long are we talking about here?!" I said.

"Who knows? I've been summoned to appear in court!" She said, smiling or something. Who would be happy to be summoned to show up at court?! What a weird wonderland episode…..

At last, she disappeared and all that was left in the room was the cat, the baby, and I.

"You know, she's just pulling your leg. That doll doesn't even belong to her in the first place." The cat said, earning my attention. I looked down and there I saw the baby replaced by some wooden doll. I looked at it curiously and a little scared.

"What the-!? Where's the-!?" I turned to look at the cat but he disappeared, too. That bastard! I settled the doll on the couch and began walking to find where else I needed to go. That place was some sort of gala and there, I saw the cat again.

"Over here." The cat said, talking to me when it disappeared and it just appeared again behind me. "Pretty neat huh? I can disappear…." He said, vanishing from behind that pillar that he was just at.

"And reappear anywhere." He said again, from behind me. I scoffed and continued off somewhere else.

"Really? Are you sure about that you carrot tops? It's not like because you teleport, your voice changes. Come out and face me like the men you two are!" I said, storming off, not really realizing the two ginger cats coming out from behind the pillars and watched me disappear into the distance.

"What an interesting girl…."

~/+/~

I walked more until I reached this dining hall of some sort and there were only three people there. Well, four if you count me. I came up to them and was about to ask them something until the one with the bunny ears say, "Sorry, no room."

I looked at him confusedly, but pulled up a chair and sat down, looking at the two blondes and the raven haired mouse boy in question.

"Ah…listen, could you guys answer me this question?" I asked but the blonde on my left ignored it and commented something about my hair.

"Your hair's pretty long. That's actually a good look for you. Be that as it may, you'll still have to wear it much shorter in the future, you know." He said to me. Now that I think about it, he's dressed up as the mad hatter.

"Shorter hair? What are you talking about? My hair is always going to be this long and wavy! And why are you interested in my hair anyways!?" I yelled. Some pastry cart rolled by over here by itself somehow and the cute hare kid asked,

"You're wearing a skirt today! It's so cute!" I rubbed the back of my head.

"Yeah…I'm a girl after all, even though I can't kick someone when I want to. Skirts are too revealing…" I muttered, looking at the adorable little kid happily eating tons of cake. Hey, I would eat cake too if I also didn't have a craving for salty, spicy, sour, and everything delicious!

"Whoa! Slow down now Oppa! You're going to get a cavity if you keep eating like that!" I said, maybe over reacting. The kid was shocked for a moment and the mouse in front of me, his bubble erupted and then spoke.

"Be sure to brush your teeth when you're finished." He said, opening his eyes for a while and then went back to sleep. Why can't I do that?! Mika was right, nose bubbles do pop!

"Ah a riddle!" The other blonde said. I looked at him questionably and dead panned. "I got a better riddle, Why is a raven like a writing desk?" I said smirking.

"Good one Mao." He said. Wait…how did he know my name?

"Hey! Would you like a glass of red wine?" The hare said. I looked up with shinning eyes and held out a cup. "YES! Yes! Please! Anything to taste high quality wine from wherever it came from!" I said.

The hatter, I think, went behind the mouse and whispered to the hare. "She's more fun than Haruhi was. Making her play Alice was a good idea!" He said.

"She's really getting into the part!" The hare said. "She's really cute though!"

"Yes she is!" The two of them were looking at me weirdly; I still drinking my red wine but it turns out it was just fruit punch! NOO! First the Blue Lobster and now the red wine! WHY WORLD!?

Just then, the clock bells rung when it struck 3 o'clock.

"Can you guys explain to me what this place really is? A few minutes ago, I was with my mom filling some papers to this prestigious academy. I'm really worried about her, she gets these random episodes and her health is weak." I said, looking at the guys again. The hatter looked at me curiously and then smiled.

"Riddle me this. What will you do once you've enrolled here?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"When you enrolled here."

"…Do my best in school and work hard to provide my family. That's what I got to do."

"And what else?" The hatter asked me.

"What else? What are you talking about?"

"What for? What for?" He kept asking me.

"That's it! I'm studying to be known around the world and maybe my real dad will come and find me! I want to find my family that abandoned me!" I said, a little pissed off

"Is that all?" Okay, now he's starting to annoy me! "Surely you must have a dream?"

"…Honestly, I want to make people happy….I like seeing their faces smile when they taste food." I said, starting to remember the very first time I cooked and then gave it to my first customer, who remembered their mothers cooking.

"But how will you make people happy when all you do is study and work a lot? You don't depend on others as well….you should be having a good time."

"Having a good time?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side. The other two repeated after me and then the bugle sounded.

"The Queen is now holding court." Said the Hatter.

"The Duchess is scheduled to be executed!" The hare said. My eyes widened and stood up quickly, almost knocking over the table.

"No! That's not fair! She doesn't deserve that punishment, it's cruel!" I said. "And don't give me that crap about not fighting back! I have to do something!" I ran off to where the court was, leaving behind the hatter, the hare and the mouse.

The Duchess has a child! They can't just kill her! What about her child!? That child is going to suffer!

~/+/~

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" I said, opening the doors to the court room and there they were; the queen and the king. Somehow, there was also a masked man standing aside the king.

"Who disrupts this court?!" The king asked angrily. The guy, I'm going to guess his butler, started smirking. "You must be foolish dear girl. Only ones with a death wish disrupt the royal court." He said. The King raised his arm at the joker to silence him.

"I disrupt the court! I come here to stand up for the accused!" I said, walking right up to them but still keeping my distance. The Queen lifted her head up, possibly to get a better view of me.

"With all due respect Your Majesty! It is my duty to attend the Royal Music Festival!" The Duchess said.

"Even if it mean leaving your precious child alone?" The Queen said. "Your crime is not a question of attendance but of abandonment! This act is unforgivable! To cause such loneliness in a child!"

"She didn't abandon the child! The child understands that a mother has to provide for the family! The child will understand even if they get lonely! You execute the Duchess, who else is going to take care of the child!? Huh!? The child will then be lonely and has to fend for itself!? A CHILD NEEDS A MOM OR ANY FAMILY FIGURE!" I said, yelling my entire thoughts into this, not even noticing the miniature tiger behind my leg, roaring at the people.

"SILENCE YOUNG LADY! THAT'S NO WAY TO TALK TO THE KING AND QUEEN! DON'T LET YOUR EMOTIONS MAKE ROOM IN THIS COURT ROOM!" The joker said, now really pissed off.

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! PASSING JUDGEMENT WITHOUT EMOTION IS JUST LEAVING IT UP TO A MACHINE!" I said. Great, now I pissed off the King. It really will be off with my head.

"Insolent girl! Are you not guilty yourself? Why don't we describe your crime?" The king said, amused that he was even bringing it up. I looked at him like he was a mad man and the light came on to shine on this broken vase.

Whoa, whoa, wait…..that vase was not like that when I got here! I barely even touched it!

"This is the renaissance vase that you destroyed. Do you admit that you destroyed it because of your foolishness?"

"What are you talking about? That vase was in good condition when I first saw it!"

"If not you, then who? If couldn't have just grown legs and broke itself you know. This maybe wonderland but don't be ridiculous." The Joker said, smirking and sounded amused by his little joke.

"I'll tell you three straight out that it wasn't me!" I said. Just when I said it, these images of me sliding on the floor to catch the vase with my hands came to my head. This girl…wanted to catch it at first but didn't catch it on time. I slid to catch it before it hit the floor.

It hit the floor because I heard the shatter and I remembered missing it by a few centimeters.

'What the….'

"WITNESSES! YOU ARE COMMANDED TO COME FORTH TO TESTIFY AGAINST THIS SO CALLED 'INNOCENT' CITIZEN FOR HER CRIME!" The king said and the Joker opened the doors. The room was dark one moment and then the hatter appeared.

"It would be my pleasure your majesty!" He said.

"What are you doing here!?" I said, looking at him as he knelt down to pay respect towards the King and Queen.

"This girl is what you would call a drab to school and work. School and Work, School and work. She also has a mother and sister that she says she needs to provide. Anything fun is just against her routine."

"FUN!? Oh~! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I LIKE FOR FUN TAMA-HYUNG!?" I yelled at the hatter, bawling my fists beside me, ready to fight.

The lights turned on and around us up at least two or three stories, masked girl were squealing and looked down at the court.

"Now, how is it that you know my name?" I turned to him as he got up.

"My name. How did you know it?" He asked again and then the girls started to ask the same, saying, "Yes, how is it that you know his name? However do you know it?"

"How?" I said, tilting my head.

"Yeah, how? And somehow, you knew that we were twins." The twin Cheshire cats said.

"And about my nickname and my little black book, let's we forget." Mr. Caterpillar boy said, his side was now surrounded by bubbles and mushrooms.

"And about my cavity." The hair said with the mouse by his side.

Everyone just started asking "How is that", even Mika, who came with Haruhi, showed up and asked the same thing. I stared at them blankly while I tried to process it all.

"You were always slow with these kinds of thing, Mao." A familiar voice said that brought me out of my little trance. I looked at the Joker and he took off his mask and saw this man with black hair and brown eyes.

"D-dad?" I said, surprised that Masato was the joker. "You met some quite interesting people. Don't you agree Mika, Yuki?" He said, turning to his right, motioning the girls to get close. "Yep!" I almost wanted to cry because my adopted dad was here! He's here in my dream!

"Daddy…." I said. "You're the Joker? But who are the King and Queen?" I asked. The King and Queen looked at each other, silently exchanging words with each other. "No way…. I don't remember them at all….How…?" I saw them get up and walk up to me, smiling.

"Look at you, you've gotten so big." Said the Queen.

"Where does the time go?" The King asked, "You've really grown up into a fine young lady sweetie." He said, going for his mask to remove it. I really wanted him to remove it! I need to know how he looks like!

"I'm afraid that it's still too soon for you to see our faces. We're sorry, but we know that you will soon understand why we're doing this." The Queen said, sounding like she was at the verge of tears.

"There isn't a day when we don't think of you, honey. We wish we were with you at times like these. It's okay though, you have an amazing family right now. Trust them more and don't be scared to ask for help and take a break. You're only child now, have fun and enjoy yourself." The King said, extending his hand out to hold the Queens hand. The two of them looked at me clearly and started to tear up.

"Have fun Mao. Be happy Mao." They told me just as I was running up to them to give them a hug, along Masato, Mika and Mom when they walked up behind them. I felt streams of tears leaving my eyes as I jumped to wrap them all around me.

Everything turned white…..

"Masato….Dad….Mom..." I muttered in my sleep. I fell asleep because I was bone tired from the night shift last night. Distantly, I heard footsteps and then a hand rest on my shoulder.

"Mao…hey, wake up." The voice was gentle that I stirred a bit and looked up to see Haruhi. I jumped a bit when I saw her sort of dressed up as the male version of Alice. She then looked at me worriedly when she saw the stream of tears running down my face.

"Hey, are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" She asked me. I looked at the others and they were dressed up sort of like they were in the dream.

"Wow…this is the first time we've seen you sleep like this!" Tama-Hyung said. I looked at Haruhi, knowing that she still didn't get an answer to her question. "No…Actually…it was a good dream…." I said, smiling gently and then smiled back at the guys.

"Hurry up and get ready. We have guests coming any minute now." Kyo-Hyung said, dressed up as the King of Hearts. The twins were the Cheshire cats, holding up a spare Alice in Wonderland Costume, which was a White Queen costume, but male. I cleaned up my face that could still have a few tears left and smiled.

"Sure, I could do that." I said, taking the costume that was ready for me.

_Have fun Mao…Be Happy Mao….._

"Hey, did you guys hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what Mao-chan?" Honey-Oppa asked me. Everyone looked at me, but I shrugged it off and went on to the changing room.

"It's nothing…I must be hearing things…."

_No….I was pretty sure I heard two voices saying I should have fun and be happy….._

**_((A/N: I'm going to edit this chapter as soon as I can. I feel like this could have gone better...,_**

**_Well, I just finished the chapters that are theepisodes! Moving out towards the non CanoN chapters! *fistpumps*_**

**_Adieu! A biento! ))_**


	12. Covering the Famous Host Club! CLICK!

DING DANG DONG DING DING DING DANG DING

((Sorry, I had to do it. I tried imitating the school bell…I think I failed…TT~TT))

And so ends another good day at school, my school day at Ouran Academy. Ouran Academy is mostly a school that has the sons and daughters of the super-rich and well known. Ouran Academy is known for that and makes it super hard for ordinary folk, like me, to get into the school without a scholarship. However, I did end up getting a scholarship to Ouran Academy, along with another girl and my best friend now, Haruhi Fujioka. Unfortunately, during the beginning of the school year, we were mistaken as guys and broke an eight million yen worth vase that belonged to the schools host club, the Ouran Host Club. Because we had to pay it back, we had to become hosts and along the way, they found out Haruhi and I were girls and now, we're trying our hardest to keep that secret so we can pay our debt back quickly. Pretty cool, huh? Sounds like something out of drama doesn't it?

Only, stuff like that doesn't happen in real life.

I'm Mao Kurosaki and I'm the Host Clubs Sweet and Protective type. Yeah, in the host club, we try and get everyone a type that seems to fit their personality or something. I got into Ouran Academy with the culinary scholarship since my dream is to become like my cooking idol, Aiko Esmerelda Shinate! Along the way, I'm hoping to find my real dad because I heard Ouran has good connections with everyone. Must be because they're rich and donate money to the Olympics or something.

I'm adopted in case you haven't been reading the story carefully. I was adopted by a real nice family, the Kurosaki's, along with my best friend from the orphanage we met in, Mika, my sister. Be careful around her, she's a diehard Otaku. As for me, well, I guess you can say I'm a drama addict. I watch Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese or Spanish Dramas. Because of my love for that, I became in love with K-Pop, J-Pop and everything related in that note. I started learning Korean since Korean dramas were the ones I watch the most.

Now, on a beautiful autumn day, the Host Club, have decided to go outside for the second time that year, and host. Everyone, including me, was dressed up for the occasion. We went with a traditional style only this time, we didn't dress up in Kimonos. For me being Japanese, I have no clue what we were wearing and that's a shame.

As soon as host hours started, everyone went towards their designated places and then did what they did best here.

_To be honest, I'm a bit angry that they're doing this kind of thing! Those idiots thinking of hitting on me while they flirt with other girls!_

What the hell!? Me? Angry at them hosting when it's they job to host!? HA! Don't make me laugh brain! You probably just absorbed something that you didn't liked today. You're so stupid!

_Still, I have to admit that this is the most peaceful time we've gotten since the beginning of the year. We've never gotten this much quiet in a long time, don't you agree?_

Actually yeah…I'd hate to agree with you brain, but you're right. They've never been so quiet in a while… I guess I can take this day as an advantage and-!

"Mao! Watch out!" I turned my head to the left and saw Tama-Hyung run towards me. Not only was Tama-Hyung in my view, but a ball spinning around like a baseball and aimed at my face!

"AAAHHH!" I yelled and embraced for the balls impact. I felt an impact, but not from the face. I opened my eyes and had Tama-Hyung speared me towards a Hydrias bush. I'm glad that he was okay but I was still on the ground, in pain and not able to move.

"HIKARU! YOU CAME THIS CLOSE TO STUFFING OUT THE LIGHTS OF MAO'S LIFE!" Tama-Hyung said. The only person suffocating me and ending my life right now is you Tama-Hyung.

"Hey. It's your fault for not catching the ball in the first place boss!" Hikaru said.

"Yeah, who knew you'd be so bad at Kimari?"

"Yeah..."I said with grunts of pain escaping out of my mouth, "Who knew that this is the second time you hurt me!" I swear, I almost saw my soul leave my body and fly up to heaving.

"Boss, get off Mao! Can't you see you're killing her!?" The twins yelled and quickly pushed Tama-Hyung out of my way and then hugged me.

"Are you alright Mao?" Hikaru asked me. He made me look at his face while Kaoru dusted off all the dirt off me. I had this light pink tint on my cheeks while this was happening. I'm trying to control that horrible blush starting today and from this fanfiction that Mika told me with a reader insert that had Levi from Attack on Titan, all I have to do is breathe and stay relaxed.

Breathe and stay relaxed….Breathe and stay relaxed…

"Y-y-yeah I'm alright! NOW LET ME GO! I GOT OTHER STUFF TO DO!" I yelled and walked off to see if my small mochi's have finished baking and I have to get them cooled down.

MOCHI! MOCHI! MOCHI'S!

Gotta love the mochi's! However, Mika ruined it for me after she showed me something called Mochi Porn for Hetalia.

EWWW! I THOUGHT THEY WERE INNOCENT! I CAN'T EVEN EAT MOCHIS ANYMORE! GAHH!

"STARLIGHT KICK!" For some reason, Tama-Hyung started yelled his signature kick and kicked the ball off to somewhere. To be honest, I was impressed at how great that kick was. It was powerful, but the kick didn't have proper precision like he tried to aim at the twins but it ended up crashing towards a window of the school and hit a person on the head.

"Oh crap…."

~/+/~

And that is how we ended up apologizing to the newspaper club. Well, Tama-Hyung had to apologize while Haruhi-Noona and the others went and cleaned up the glass. I looked at the newspapers that were printed and saw the most ridiculous stories I've ever read.

"Really, we're terribly sorry about that." Tama-Hyung apologized, bowing his head. The twins followed my example and read the newspaper that I've been reading now.

"Don't worry. It's no big deal. It could have happened to anyone, right? Just a ball flying through a window and hitting me upside the head." The way this guy worded it, he seemed like he was sarcastic.

"Please, accept our apology." Tama-Hyun kept saying. For some reason, there was this label that popped out of nowhere in front of the other guy with glasses. It read "Ouran Academy Newspaper Club President Akira Komatsuzawa, High School 3rd year"

"Well, this works out perfectly. I was just thinking about approaching the host club about a cover story." While this Akira guy was talking, another label appeared. It said "Newspaper Club Member Chikage Ukyo, High School 2nd year". Is it just me or was his hair covering his eyes? "I don't suppose you'd be interested?" Akira-Oppa said. As he asked that, another label popped up. I hope this was the last one but this one said "Newspaper Club Member Tomochika Sakyo High School 2nd year."

Haruhi, using her cuteness powers, looked on over at the guys, saying,

"I didn't know we had a newspaper club." That's Haruhi for you! Hikaru popped up and showed Haruhi some part of the newspaper, and it was the best one that made me laugh.

"It's more gossip rag than newspaper" He said.

"Yeah, like a trashy tabloid. It's filled with stories about scandalous love affairs, family power struggles, and junk like that."

"It's just a lame gossip rag that specializes in stirring up scandal."

"**And everyone knows it's all lies so nobody reads it anymore." **The twins said in unison and I see why no one reads the newspapers here. I was wondering why no one at this school read the newspapers; it's because of these gossip articles. But, there was some hope because they were so dang funny! I bet Mika will have a field day after reading all of these.

"You know, we kinda have lost sight of the truth cause we've been so worried about drawing in more readers. It's a shame that we're just now realizing our error now that the paper is at risk." Akira-Oppa said. I drew my attention from the newspaper I was reading and looked up at him Tama-Hyung must have noticed the sadness in Akira-Oppa's voice since the newspaper club is now being dissolved or something. But, that's what you get for creating newspapers that have gossip. Didn't you hear about the newest sensation that's sweeping the nation? Bitches love canons Note to self: SO WHAT!?

"We finally realized what we should have been reporting to the students of Ouran," The three boys, Akira-Oppa stood up, and they all bowed. I didn't know whether to feel sorry or something, "Help us please. For our last paper of the semester, we'd like to do an up-close special edition, revealing the charms of Ouran's Host club members." Akira-Oppa practically begged Tama-Hyung. He stood there shocked that they were asking him for help. I should be shocked because he was asking Tama-Hyung. No offence to him…but he's a jackass…an idiot.

_But our idiot!_

SHUT UP BRAIN! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!

Anyways….Charms? I have charms?

….

Well duh! I am a pro at getting more customers at our restaurant! It's a gift!

"I'm begging you, without your help, our club will close."

!

_Mao…please help us! Without your help, our club will close if we don't come up with something for the next pep rally! _

Well…let me just quickly explain all that has happened because remember, this is my story and the only reason I'm allowing this to go on public is because I made a deal with the author about giving me…Peach soda. I'll tell you that stuff is good!

Anyways, Tama-Hyung wanted to help out the Newspaper club but before he said anymore, Kyo-Hyung quickly elbowed him in the mouth and shoved him off the view, making that infamous fake smile that he usually does.

"I'm sorry, but we have to decline." He said. Tama-Hyung was complaining about it and everyone was giving their reasons why they shouldn't be involved with the Newspaper club. You know, I'm down with helping people in need and not sharing my personal information with other people, but I draw the line when people start spreading rumors and gossip! It happens a lot in the drama I watched on T.V last night. Well, I was watching some reruns of My Princess when Lee Sol's sister sold her out, claiming that she was the princess instead of Lee Sol and that just to be better. Lee Sol's enemy also has romantic interests in Lee Sol's loves. It's like a freaking Love rectangle or something.

"I understand. Well, I guess you really can't erase the sins of the past, can you. People won't really give you the opportunity to try and redeem yourself." Oh God, is he trying to guilt trip us?

If he is, it's sorta working.

Tama-Hyung ended up agreeing in helping the Newspaper club but the twins disagreed and tried to drag Haruhi and me out of the room. Well, they tried dragging me out of the room. As if things didn't get any worse for Tama-Hyung, Kyo-Hyung, Mori-Oppa and Honey-Oppa left, saying they don't want a part of this. I was probably the only one that was left standing in the middle and I felt like I was in some kind of tug-of-war with who to agree. Me, trying to be a peaceful person, I tried putting my hands up and saying that I'm agreeing with both sides fifty-fifty.

GAH! I DON'T KNOW WHO TO SIDE WITH!

"Well then, I guess you really can't erase the sins of the past can you?" Akira-Oppa said and started yelling, saying that he was getting dizzy and stuff. Poor guy, but I'm not really sure if he was actually telling the truth about that or not.

_No…can't you tell? He's being sarcastic and giving you some hints too! Geez, I would have thought those Drama's we've watched did a number on you!_

SHUT UP!

"Count us out Tamaki. We're holding an evaluation meeting, mostly about you. Come along Mao." Kyo-Hyung basically ordered than asked me to. What the hell was going on?! Were they really not willing to help these guys? Tama-Hyung did have a reason to help out because everyone does have the opportunity to always make a fresh new start. I mean, I was able to make a fresh new start from you know what.

"We're not going to do it!" The twins and Kyo-Hyung flatly said, breaking Tama-Hyung's heart or something. I really don't know, but it was something.

"So, Mao. Who are you siding with?" Kaoru asked me. Really? Just when I said I don't know who I'm siding with. I kinda felt bad that this was happening to the Newspaper club, but from what they said about them, it made me feel sort of uneasy about trusting them….

"Don't ask me that! I'm confused because you guys give good points! Grr!" I said annoyingly. I was at the couch, trying to forget everything and trying to eat mochi's but that doujinshi manga with the mochi porn….GAH! WHY TODAY OF ALL DAYS!?

"Look at him Mao, he's all depressed."

"I hate it when he ignores us when we're right in front of him. He's such a child." Kyo-Hyung says and I pinch the bridge of my nose tightly because this was ridiculous. It's so ridiculous that I even bought a newspaper just to read and have a good laugh. This laugh is not doing me any better right now because that guilt trip…

AISH!

"You know, I'd hate to give in, but would it really be that bad to help them out with their newspaper?" Haruhi asked Kyo-Hyung. Hikaru and Kaoru turned their attention to Haruhi as I made my way up to them, watching Tama-Hyung pout like the girls in Taiwanese Dramas. Seriously, he's such a child.

"What?"

"Hey, since when are you taking his side?" Hikaru asked.

"Since never, just hear me out, okay." Haruhi began and then looked at Tama-Hyung as she said it. "Any minute now, he's gonna look over here with those puppy dog eyes he uses when he wants something and none of us will be able to say no and so he'll win." She finished. The way she said it, she sounded like she was speaking from experience. I'm gonna have to agree with that too because Mika and Mom always use "That look" when they want something from me and somehow, it always works.

"Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't this usually the kind of things you guys go for?" Haruhi asked and I really wasn't prepared for that answer.

"**Well, no. This seems like more trouble than its worth."**

!

"Y-y-y-you know what? Maybe we should stay out of it! If these guys say its trouble, then let it be! Hahahaha~!" I said, nervously rubbing the back of my head. Kyo-hyung noticed this and seemed confused about it.

"You're obviously energetic than usual Mao. Is something wrong?" He asked me. What the hell am I supposed to say? That every time I see Mochi's, I think of the photos that Mika showed me just to scare the living crap out of me? No, that's not good.

"Well, first it started off with the Mochi's. Then it escalated when the twins said this is more trouble than it's worth. I've seen enough Korean dramas to spot trouble and this is definitely trouble when the Newspaper club asked us for help! I just have that feeling!" I said, trying to take my mind off the mochi's. Damn mochi's. . .

_Oh, you watched dramas and you instantly know when there's trouble, but when you watched dramas, you can't tell that you're in love or when a guy notices you? Wow, you're so….stupid._

I'm about to kick you out of my head you stupid piece of BEEP. I don't need love. I'm only after success. I don't need a relationship!

When I was about to say something else, I looked over to Tama-Hyung and he looked back at me and the other with the puppy dog eyes that Haruhi-Noona warned us about. I covered my eyes and went off towards the other side of the room, far away so I wouldn't be able to see them. I really didn't think how the others will be able to resist the puppy dog eyes, but I guess they didn't because now I'm hearing footsteps and when I uncovered my eyes, I saw Tama-Hyung's head on my lap, looking up at me with his eyes. I took deep breathes and tried to stay calm. I'm a nonviolent person, I'm a changed person. I shall not use my skills to harm another person unless it's for protection. I'm a nonviolent person, I'm a changed person. I shall not use my skills to harm another person unless it's for protection….I'm…

_LOOK AT THOSE CUTE EYES! SO CUTE!_

"…*insert sweat drop* If something bad happens, I'm never talking to you again, got it?" I said, quickly pushing him away so he can bark happily and wag his tail or something. I slammed my hands on my face and tried to rethink everything that is right and wrong.

Puppies are cute but try giving them tough love….Murder is wrong, it will always be wrong…Adultery is bad; incest is *BEEEP* UP….Telling the truth comes with limits…..Yeah…that's it I think…

"Damn those puppy eyes! One day, I'll try inventing an item that helps people resist the puppy eye dog trick….No more buying manga or Otome games for her and no more worthless merchandise that just collects dust!" I muttered out loud and glared out whatever I could glare at which was basically the windows and the wall because Kyo-Hyung and I were walking towards the Newspaper Club to negotiate with them. I was against it at first but then I realized that I should get away from the insanity for now, especially because Tama-Hyung was there to get all excited for helping these guys.

"Well, then. You may start tomorrow." Kyo-Hyung said and his voice brought me out of my train of thought. Good thing too since I really didn't know how in the world I ended up in room safely.

"Excellent." Akira-Oppa said. Since we were in the newspaper club, I decided to browse around and look for some more papers that brought me to laughs. There were quite a few and they were funny. There was also one that had the picture of the football club. Wait…we have a football club? Like….football like they call it in the UK or the football where men are tackling each other to get a touchdown in the US?

For the stories sake, I'll tell what was happening.

Kyo-Hyung gave Akira-Oppa one of his company's first-aid kits. Funny, I bought Mika one of those a long time ago…for her nursing club I think. Anyways, as soon as we gave it to Akira-Oppa, we excused ourselves and headed to the door but no. Akira-Oppa then got into the topic of Kyo-Hyung being one of the sons of the Ootori group. Well, I always knew Kyo-Hyung had brothers, but I don't know them that well, I stopped listening to Mika that day since I was busy doing a report while she was watching Diabolik Lovers. Well, I don't remember if she was watching it or playing it. I think it's an Otome game….

…..

….

OKAY! I played it, alright! Geez, don't get on my back! Just promise me every time I mention an anime or Otome game, don't assume I watch it or anything, please?

By the way….I like Reiji…. don't tell anyone, okay?

I learned about a few more things about these people, I learned that Akira-Oppa's dad is the president of their family publishing group. However, his dad over looked him and then started to consider that his younger brother should be the one to inherit the company. So, Akira-Oppa's angry that his dad is even considering the younger brother to be the company head?

Geez, talk about selfish. I say give up if you're not cut out to be the successor!

"Well Akira-Hyung, it's nice our clubs are working together and all but we gotta go. I'm afraid that my new sweets will burn if I don't hurry back." I said, turning my head and headed out the door. Well, that was the intentioned plan until….

"A-akira-Hyung?" I heard him say curiously and was obviously confused. Well, I couldn't blame him. There weren't a lot of students here that understood Korean honorifics or Korean at all. Come to think of it, I don't think they offer Korean here at this school…..

"Yeah," I said, smiling a bit despite my nervousness, "I call all the second year guys Hyung. It stands in like Nii-san, but Korean and said by males only. Yeah…Well, bye!" I quickly finished and walked out the room with Kyo-Hyung following quickly.

"So…what's the plan Kyo-Hyung?" I asked and turned to him to see if I hit some kind of hidden motive that he had in store.

I guess I did since he seemed to smirk and started walking ahead of me.

"You'll just have to wait and see…" Was all he said. Realizing that I was about to be left alone, I quickly picked up my pace and followed Kyoya-kun….

….Kyoya-kun? No….I can't call him like that. He's my Hyung and shall stay as my Hyung. It's my nickname for him because he's the cool type!

"The newspaper club…..Hm…." I pondered out loud again. You know, because it really doesn't have any good thinks like in some newspapers I've seen before, they're really not good quality and it sounds pretty stupid. They should have stuff like horoscopes, quizzes for the ladies, fashion news, newsletters that are around the school like the cooking club having their own competition next week and three professional chefs will be judging. Yeah, stuff like that! But no, they have to write about scandals don't they? Akira-Oppa acts like freaking paparazzi, getting the juicy when it's really not true. He's more like into "stretching the truth".

"Also…." I turned my head to pay attention to Kyo-Hyung, but I really didn't expect him to pin me to the wall and him looking at me seriously like that Rin and Haru moment in Free. That's at least what Mika would say, but in my words, I would say he looked at me seriously like Lee Sol staring into Dae Han's eyes in My Princess.

It took me some seconds to realize how close his face was to mine and I tried to take deep breaths to control the blush. This really wasn't working this time….

_BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP_

_**W-w-w-what the heck is he doing to me!?**_

"I want you to stay away from them as possible…" Kyo-Hyung said.

"What?" I said, the only thing I was able to say. This is embarrassing Host Club moment number three. What the hell! I already have enough with Kyo-Hyung!

"I don't want them finding out your gender…"

….

Well duh! Like I would ever let these guys find out something private as that! The guys and Haruhi are the only ones from school that know I'm a freaking girl and I plan on keeping it that way until graduation. I hope I can make it last till then because I have a future to look up to. I still won't give up!

_Wait….did he say'I'?_

He did…

_BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP_

"I'm going to sit this one out you guys, I'm not really into games like these." I said, laying down on the grass and looking up at the sky. Tama-Hyung grew a fit because he wanted everyone in the host club to play. I didn't want to play. I only played those when I was a shy kid. Guess what? I'm not shy anymore so I can't play anymore. Besides, playing like that is for little kids in middle school and elementary.

….I guess when you're working to support your family, you don't have much time to have fun, huh?

"You have to play Mao-chan! It won't be the same without you." Honey-Oppa asked me.

"Well, it's been a while since I played games like these. To be honest, I hardly played games at all. I watched Mighty Morphing Power Rangers though…" I thought out loud and while in my train of thought, they guys started playing without me. While they were playing, the Newspaper watched from a far and seemed troubled at how stupid this game must have looked to them. I didn't blame them though.

I liked Power Rangers better. I got to see awesome teenagers being heroes and I'm a teenager!

My complaint to the American Power Ranger people, WHY ARE YOU MAKING SUPPOSE TEENAGED HEROES BE ACTED BY PEOPLE THAT ARE 23 OR SO!? THAT'S NOT RIGHT! KEEP IT PURE! YOU'RE RUINING MY CHILDHOOD! They are supposed to be teenagers! TEENAGERS! Not freaking adults!

"JUST IMAGINE THE FRONT PAGE NEWS! "The Handsome Boys of the Host Club Enjoy Commoners' Games" with pictures of us frolicking in the scenery of early summer. It will be the perfect face lift for the front page. And it gives you the chance to show that two certain commoners are happier now living their childhood here with us!" Tama-Hyung ranted to the Newspaper club. I lifted my head and looked at him looking at Haruhi and me with sort of the same look that he gave me yesterday.

I do not love that look. I do not like getting bribed. Not after these idiots promised me Blue lobster and Kyo-Hyung promised me to give me a whole collection of Drama DVD's if I told him who broke the club table. And that person was me. If you don't know, read the chapter where Renge-Noona comes along.

What a rip off. It's just like when some person promised you free Doritos when you do something for them. The next day, you ask them where your free Doritos are and they lie about it.

That's how it is with me.

"Kurosaki was it?" I heard someone mention my name and then looking up, I saw Akira-Oppa along with the other two with camera and the lighting thing people use. I don't know, they just have to make the photo perfect more than it is already is. Well, if they somehow make Lee Min Ho Oppa look awesome and handsome, then I'll reconsider.

"You wouldn't mind if I asked you a few questions, do you?" Akira-Oppa asked me and I just looked at him like he told me about this new anime being released today. I. Don't. Care.

"Not really. Go ahead anyways." I said, sitting and then getting up.

"So exactly why did you join the host club?" He asked me and I dead panned. Why did I join the host club?

_Well, we broke an eight million yen worth vase and we're trying to repay the debt, but along the way, I starting to fall in love with the guys. _

Would you shut up, Brain! That is so far from the truth! The debt thing is real, but not the love thing! GAHH!

"Well, I sort joined because Haruhi-Noona did." I said without thinking. They really wouldn't think Haruhi is a girl that quickly. This school is filled with some dense people and they have a great education ….or it's the possibility that they really don't know what the difference is in a girl or boy are when they crossdress or cosplay…probably both…..

While I was giving answers to Akira-Oppa, the other two were taking pictures.

"And you're a culinary student on a scholarship, correct?" Wow, does news spread around that fast about the two commoner scholarship students? Well, it was pretty big news around the school….I really shouldn't be surprised anyways.

"Yeah, of course I am." I said and noticed him writing down notes about it.

"So in other words, the fact that you're a member of this club is just another example of how the Suoh family loves to flaunt their power!" Akira-Oppa muttered to himself, but audible for me to hear him. There was some type of hidden message in his voice and in that sentence.

_We would love for the newspaper club to interview the host club, that is if you'd let us…._

_So in other words, the fact that you're a member of this club is just another example of how the Suoh family loves to flaunt their power…_

_My father decided to give the company to my younger brother instead of me, the elder son. That is why I can't let the club fall apart. I must come up with a successful newspaper article….._

….! That's his plan huh? He wants Tama-Hyung to suffer…I won't let that happen!

"Please, tell me all about Tamaki's dark side. If you can help me out here, I might just be able to set you free." Akira-Oppa…no…Akira said, basically trying to make me snitch on Tama-Hyung and all the dirt….and what the hell was this deal about setting me free? I'm not a freaking animal….well, technically we are, but I'm not a caged animal….((Me: WELL…. Mao: SHUT UP!))

Behind my back, I was clenching my fist tightly, restraining myself from even trying to hit this guy while my face just showed confusion and answered his question.

"Sorry….but from what I've seen, Tama-Hyung doesn't have a dark side." I said and he scoffed.

"That can't be right. You expect me to believe that a group of high schooler's actually enjoys these childish games?" He said. I looked at the guys that were still playing the game with Haruhi by their side. They didn't seem childish to me; it's a fun game to play and great for everyone. I just didn't play because I'm tired and wanted to look at the clouds not because it was childish. Even adults can act like children. Look at my mom for instance.

"There's nothing wrong. It's not that strange either. They grew up different than I did you know." I said and I think I just drove his patience off the meter.

"You got to be kidding me" He yelled and the next thing I knew Hikaru and Kaoru came over, separating me and Akira and dragged me out of the questioning session.

~/+/~

"Next we're playing Kanke! ((SP? CORRECT ME! I'm sort of deaf when it comes to the Eng. Dubs! TT~TT )) Kyoya, you're it!" Tama-Hyung exclaimed, pointing at a cross armed Kyo-Hyung who simply agreed without any argument needed.

Tama-Hyung had that glint before we even got involved with the newspaper club and for some reason, he suddenly changed into a football uniform. ((In the USA, it's called Soccer, but in the UK and other places, it's called Football. AH~ America!))

"STARLIGHT KICK!" He kicked the can and then flew past Akira, who was scared sh*tless and calmed himself down when it missed him by a few inches to the side. Well, that really didn't last long since the can few, hitting a few objects before it hit Akira's head again. Everyone was running around to find a good spot to hide while I stood and looked around to find somewhere to hide, but my issues came up and I didn't want to be alone. I tried following Tama-Hyung and he just grabbed Haruhi-Noona, dragging her into the rose bush maze. I tried to pick Honey-Oppa and Mori-Oppa, but they were already gone.

Kyo-Hyung's out since he's it and that just leaves the twins…

….Where are they?

"Mao! Hurry up!" I heard Hikaru say, but I didn't see him. However, I felt an arm go around my waist and then dragged me along in the direction they were headed. I didn't mind at first until I saw Kaoru and Hikaru leading me behind a bush to hide at. I just deeply sighed, knowing that I won't be alone after all.

Well, that was the good news.

The bad news was that I was between the two.

GAAAAHHH! WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH GOD!?

"Quiet down Mao or Kyoya-senpai will find us." Hikaru whispered to me while I was having my panic attack. Those bastards!

As I was about to stand up and just be a sore loser for today, I felt a grip on my wrist and it turned out to be Kaoru while Hikaru covered my mouth so I wouldn't say much. What the hell was this!? I hate this!

_BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP_

Dammit….my heart's acting all weird again…Why the hell is it around these guys though? Not only the twins, but Tama-Hyung and Kyo-Hyung…What the hell does this all mean!?

_For a girl that watches a lot of Romantic Korean Dramas, you sure are oblivious with yourself. You can't even tell that you're in love! Pity.._

SHUT UP! I'm not in love! Falling in love with guys like these is just irrational. This is real life, not a Korean drama where the heroine suddenly becomes rich when she finds out she's from noble blood or something! I'm not her! That's a fantasy and will only be a fantasy! I have my education and my family to worry about!

While in my inner rant with my brain, Kyo-Hyung appeared, saying that we should follow him to the Newspaper club. As I looked up, I saw his face cringe in jealousy or something. Jealous of what?

Jealous of what?

What is he jealous of? There's nothing to be jealous of!

Or is there?

~/+/~

The doors of the Newspaper club have opened and they have revealed the three members of the club. Hikaru and Kaoru have sat on top of a table.

"So…we were right all along." Kaoru said.

"You two." Akira said, referring to the twins in front of him.

"Well, I guess it was pretty obvious." Said Hikaru.

"The boss is the only one that hasn't figured it out yet. He can really be dense when it pertains anything about himself. " Kaoru said.

"I should warn you," Hikaru began once his brother finished talking, "If you threaten him, there will be consequences."

"Are you ready to have the Hitachiins and every other club member's family as your enemy?"

"I knew it! You're nothing but his lackeys! Tamaki's holding his parents power over all of you!" Akira said. I gritted my teeth that he would even assume that. By the way, does Tama-Hyung's family really hold that much power? They're that powerful.

"That's not true." I heard Honey-Oppa's voice say and then all of us turned to see the sweet and cute Honey-Oppa, holding his Usa-chan and Mori-Oppa behind him, "We don't hang out with Tama-chan because of his parents. We love him. We like being around him and that's why we choose to be here." Honey-Oppa finished, blushing a bit.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Kyo-Hyung sitting on a pile of disregarded newspapers that were yet to be sold. That's a lot of trees. Those poor trees. Damn, those go-green people will really hate these guys….

"He may be a hopeless idiot," Kyo-Hyung said, "But even so…" Turning the chair around, it reveals little me sitting on the chair and smirking. "He's a friend that I hope you'll never mess with again

'_Are you alright Mao!? You're not hurt are you?'_

'_Only you can find the way to do that. Listen to me, as hosts, it's our job to make the girls happy. But the truth is, when it comes to a single girl that you like, it's not as a host that you must face her, but as a man.'_

'_T-t-that's quite alright….I forgive my lovely daughter.'_

"Well," Hikaru says, intimidating. "What will you do?" Kaoru says, also intimidating.

"Please leave Tama-Chan alone." Honey-Oppa says cutely.

"I'll get you all! This isn't about Tamaki anymore! I'll write an article that will ruin all of you!" Even if he received some threats from all of us, he was still set on writing gossip articles. Talk about a scandal addict.

"Go ahead, be my guest. But what about this little disk?" Kyo-Hyung went over to the desk and picked up the first aid box, pressing the button at the bottom and out came a disk. Wow, so spy like! I feel like in an episode of City Hunters or Sirius! Serious investigation is going down now!

"You see, it's been here since yesterday and it recorded everything." That's so cool….yet, it's a reminder that I really shouldn't mess with these guys families. Yeah, don't mess with these guys or else.

"President!"

"Just give up already!" The guys tried to convince their president and he just falls to his knees. There in that talk, I started to hear exactly how powerful these families were. Apparently, they were so powerful that they had control on what they can do with Akira's dad.

"However, we would never do something like that. We're not like you." Kyo-Hyung pushes up his glasses and stares down at Akira, "What we strive for is fundamentally different."

…

"…Can you guys leave for a second?" I asked, looking down on the floor and all heads turned towards me.

"Mao-chan?" Honey-Oppa questioned me and I stared at all of the seriously. I was not joking about this.

Somehow, they did what I told them to do and they all left, leaving me and the newspaper club in the room. They were a bit shaken because they were left all by themselves in a room with the rumored Bipolar Tiger.

I quickly walked up to Akira and grabbed him by his collar, making sure that he looks at me in the eyes. The other two looked at him with worry while I tried my best to suppress the anger inside me. This incident just made me madder because he was someone that was jealous of Tama-hyung…

"I don't want you messing with my family again!" I yelled, tightening my grip around the fabric of his collar. I got some confused faces that were the same when Tama-Hyung mentioned that their family was breaking apart.

_I just wanted that home, love and family that all other people have….Those people that don't remember their parents are lucky. They don't have that pain or some hope that keeps on searching…_

_Blood maybe thicker than water, however, _


	13. The Unnecessary Battle in Karuizawa! UGH

_Now then…here begins the cook's true work…_

_Finely chop the best dark and milk __couverture__ and mix. Melt over bowl of 60 degrees Celsius water. After boiling and then cooling slightly, add some fresh cream. Cool while stirring, and add some Cointreau when the mixture is at body temperature. Then pour into the ould-!_

"MAO! Table 9 is experiencing low supply on fresh earl grey!"

I went over to the table and gently with a smile, served the people sitting there some fresh tea that I was able to make this morning. This bed and breakfast inn was a place that was so clean and what I wanted in a good hospitality business. People could relax and it's beautiful.

"Now…where was I?" I asked myself, taking a skillet and then looking at the ingredients.

_Place the butter and water in a skillet and bring to a boil. Extinguish the gas. Sift the flour and baking powder in the mixture. After stirring the mixture quickly with a wooden spatula, Heat on a low flame –"_

CRASH

"What the hell!? What is it this time!?" I yelled, looking out from the kitchen window and towards the eating room and saw a person that broke some dishes by accident. I quickly acted in picking up the broken pieces and made sure to replace the old ones now.

I left the scene and walked back to my work place, slamming the door.

"I gotta finish right away." I said, taking out the brown sugar from the cabinet.

_Spread the brown sugar on a baking sheet. Heat the oven at 80 degrees Celsius. _

"MAAAOO~!" Mika came out of nowhere and starting bragging about how there was a fight going on and I was the only one I could stop it. I tighten my apron around my waist and headed outside where the fight was.

Let's just say that the guys will never piss off another girl ever again after what I did to them.

I went back to the kitchen and there were not really that many customers left because they had left and Haruhi have taken care of it. With the chocolate that I was making, I was creating a little statue of Big ben that will be seen by in coming customers. If there was any more left, I would be able to make the Tokyo Tower. Oh and later today, I'll be making some bento boxes that have anime characters in them due to popular demand…..*Cough*Mika*Cough*

You're probably asking why I'm here at this bed and breakfast with Haruhi and my sister, Mika, in Karuizawa.

Well, it's a long story….

FLASHBACK

"_MAAAAAOOO~! I'm bored! Do we have to run the business while Mom is visiting her family in Korea? I wanna do something fun this summer!" Mika was complaining that the café at our house was not really exciting to do for the summer. Mom went to Korea with a relative of hers since you know I can't trust her with her condition. (BTW, Mika and I gave her a list of Manwha and I gave her a list of all the new CD's that were available. GO MBLAQ and U-KISS and BLOCK-B!) I kind of agree with that. For the summer, I expected to at least go to the country side and enjoy the nice and clean air over there. _

_As if God was hearing me, my cell rang and it was Mom's house number in Korea._

"_Mom? What's up?" I asked her._

"_Hi Mao-chan! Guess who I just got on the phone with?" She asked me with a really happy tone. I shrugged and asked her who. "I spoke with Ranka right now and he's taking his daughter to an old friends' bed and breakfast in Karuizawa. Since me and Ranka are good friends now, he's asked me if you and Mika would like to go with Haruhi-chan~!" _

"…_Sure…that sounds nice…..can we close the café? …Okay…I'll call at five every day okay? Take care of yourself, Umma. Bye." I hung up when the other line hung up. Mika looked at me curiously, noticing that I was changing the "open" sign to "closed." She gasped loudly, almost making me worry if she forgot to breathe or something._

"_Mao! You never close the café! Is something wrong?! You don't have a fever do you?!" She said, placing her hand on my forehead to check my temperature. I groaned and slapped her hand away. _

"_No, you silly Otaku. Haruhi's dad asked mom to ask us if we want to go to Karuizawa for the summer." I plainly said, already in our room, taking out my luggage bag and packing up. _

"_Karuizawa? Are we going?!" Mika asked excitedly, really wanting to grab her luggage bag to pack. _

"_Do you not see me packing my clothes? Of course we're going!" I said, grinning slyly. "Yay! Mom's the best! So is Ranka!"_

"_Yeah…Ranka-Ujjushi is amazing…" I muttered, smiling that Ranka was such an awesome person. I was in my happy place until Mika said something that I didn't want to hear._

"_Hey, didn't the guys invite you to different places?" She said. If you were in the room, you could actually hear me freeze up in the stance that I was in. _

"_Y-y-y-yeah! But I didn't want to go and leave you here by yourself you know! You eat potato chips with ramen! Do you know how unhealthy that is!?" I said, grabbing her shoulders, crying crocodile tears._

"_You turned down Honey-senpai's offer to go to Switzerland, The Hitachiin twins' offer to go to Bali, and Kyoya-senpai's domestic resorts in Osaka with discount? You turned down three trips that were sort of free! I COULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF MYSELF! I WOULD HAVE GONE WITH MOM TO KOREA! YOU SHOULD GO AND HAVE FUN WITH THE GUYS!"_

"_I DON'T NEED A GUY TO MAKE ME HAPPY! I CAN ALWAYS HAVE FUN WITH YOU! BESIDES, THEY ANNOY THE LIVING HELL OUT OF ME! THEY DO THINGS TO ME WITH MY HEART THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT!"_

"_MAO! I THINK YOU'RE EXPERIENCING LOVE! Geez, and after all those dramas that you watch, you might have known what you're going through. You're so oblivious!" Mika said, putting her hands on her hips and did one of those common sassy poses that I've seen a lot._

"_SHUT UP! NO I AM NOT! DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! LOVE IS IRRATIONAL! LOVE LIKE THE DRAMAS DOESN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY! I'M NOT A ROMANTISIST SO I DON'T KNOW! OKAY?! ANYWAYS! SHUT UP AND START PACKING! WE'RE HEADING TO RANKA-AJJUSHI'S PLACE IN THRITY MINUTES~!"_

And that is how Mika and I ended up going along with Haruhi to Karuizawa. At first, I was a bit anxious about leaving the place unattended when there shall be people wanting to go to the restaurant, but then after seeing the place, I was kinda glad that mom made up the plans with Ranka-Ujjushi to make Mika and I stay here in Karuizawa.

It's so calming and peaceful.

On the plus side, there's no host club to embarrass me more than they need to and there's no stress. It's just a peaceful vacation at a remote location where I can breathe fresher air and relax. Finally a place to study and work quietly.

"Ah! Who would have thought working at a bed and breakfast could be the ideal work place?" I said and tightened my apron and went back into the kitchen and stayed there until my shift ended. After that, it's my duty to change the bed sheets of every room and put new ones and clean the rooms as well.

As I was working, I heard loud giggling from Mika, who was on window washing shift. I took off my bandana mask and looked at her seriously.

"What the hell are you giggling about?" I asked and Mika giggled more.

"Oh nothing. It's just, when you clean, you remind me of Levi Heichou from Attack on Titan." She said. We're already three day into summer vacation and she finally thinks about an anime right now, and it's Attack on Titan for Pete's sake. When I finished cleaning all the rooms, I went outside and decided to start cleaning the patio where some of the guests have tea at. From that place, you could see Haruhi-Noona put up the bed sheets up on the clothing lines for them to dry out. For dramatic effect, the wind started blowing.

Haruhi-Noona and I both agreed that this was the perfect spot to have come here.

Things are turning great for all of us.

_You know….I was iffy about the situation. I never really have gone to the country side in a long time so I was a bit nervous. Also, I didn't even want to tell the guys about my plans for the summer. It's not like they have to hang around me 24/7 you know? This place has fresh air and a quiet setting. It's the perfect place for me and my friends to relax…._

_Well…that was the plan until….._

"HARUHI! MAO! DISPAIR NOT! DADDY'S COME TO SAVE YOU!" I heard Tama-Hyungs voice from that helicopter above us and then the bed sheets flew away.

_When I meant great….I meant a nightmare…but.._

_That helicopter noise…_

"_**Daddy, what's going on?"**_

"_**Don't worry, everything will be fine. Just stay behind me…"**_

"…..!" I don't remember if I told you guys but every time I try to remember something from before I was five, I get these headaches. Mom always said that I must have gone through some mental and tragic pain as a kid and blocked out all memories but I don't know. Even if I do remember, I have some trouble knowing if these memories are just made up ones like Mika has. For example, she tells everyone that she remembered when Wall Shingashina fell down.

It's only an anime. Even if it did happen, we'll somehow make through it. I mean, humanity went through the Black Death and both world wars, plus natural disasters. I think we can get through the Titans if we work together…

~/+/~

"Oh my! What dashing young men you are! These hunks must belong to Haruhi and Mao!" Here at Pension Misuzu, there is a person that owns it and that person is who is talking right now. Forty-two year old Misuzu Sonda, who is also a transvestite. He started giggling like a school girl the moment he saw the guys as they followed us inside and we had to explain the sudden arrival. I stayed in the background, Mika holding me down so I wouldn't go and attack the guys in a choke hold.

"Why don't you call me Misuzu-chi?" Misuzu-Ujjushi said, somehow having a blinding background of light around him. I went temporarily blind because of that.

"MY EYES!" I exclaimed.

"He's an old friend of Rankas. They used to work at the same shop years ago." Kyo-Hyung said casually. Tama-Hyung got a little hissy fit and glared at Kyo-Hyung.

"Naturally, you would know!" He said. Beside me, I heard Haruhi mutter, "Kill me". Poor thing, I feel your pain. "Another time…" I muttered back.

"I went into business myself two years ago and believe you me, running this adorable little pension is like living in a fairytale!" Misuzu-san said, twirling around.

"So is Haru-chan and Mao-chan like your indentured servant?" Honey-Oppa asked, using his cuteness that always had an effect on me. That cuteness!

"They're more like unpaid employees. This also happens to be Ranka's preferred method on keeping track on his daughter while he's busy working." Kyo-Hyung said casually. Damn him and his freaking brain of his! What's his IQ anyways? 350 or something?

"What the?! How do you know all this stuff?" Tama-Hyung asked. That's what the universe is asking Tama-Hyung and so far, the universe doesn't know. I don't even know that much.

"Take my little girl under your wing he says. He practically begged me and since I still can't afford the expensive hired help, it works out for everyone! Haruhi and Mao are model employees really! It's such a shame I can't pay them anything!" Misuzu-san said. I like how they still haven't asked how I even came to come here in Karuizawa along with Mika, who was now wor- er…well she was working but she then decided to read her Attack on Titan Doujinshi with one of her OTPS, Levi x Hanji. I gave her a "WTF" face.

"What do you guys think of these cute little aprons on these girls? I made it myself!"

"You are quite an exquisite seamstress!" Tama-Hyung said, followed by five thumbs up. Honey-Oppa noticed me and walked towards me, using his cuteness! Oh god, that cuteness!

"So, Mao-chan, how did you and Mika-chan end up here in Karuizawa?" He asked me and I got into my thinking pose as I tried to recall the memory of just one day ago.

"Let's see. Well, my mom's cousin from Korea came over and took her to South Korea to visit her mom so we were left to tend to the restaurant. However…"

"However, her mother asked Ranka if she and Mika could go with Haruhi to Karuizawa until she returns." Kyo-Hyung interrupted. He interrupted my story while I was telling it! That bastard!

"Geez Kyo-Hyung, you're so nice." I said sarcastically and I got a smirk in return.

BA-BMP BA-BMP

DAMN YOU!

~/+/~

"A summer job huh?"

"I don't get it, you and Haruhi turned down our invitation to Bali for this?" Hikaru asked Haruhi and I, guilt tripping me. Mika wasn't affected because she's not a part of this, no matter how much she wanted to.

"We even asked them to go with us to Switzerland, didn't we?" Honey-Oppa asked me and Mori-Oppa ended up agreeing with him. By the way, he was standing right behind Honey-Oppa. Kyo-Hyung was at another table all by himself, writing down god knows what in his little book. Does he always have to take that thing along with him everywhere?

"Yeah, well I still don't have a passport, remember?" Haruhi said.

"Which is precisely I recommended one of our domestic resorts and at a discount no less." Kyo-Hyung said, intentionally saying that to the two of us.

"Yeah, well, I had a restaurant to run so I can't!" I said. Out of nowhere, Mika came and started skipping everywhere.

"Eh? That's not what you told me Mao! You said, 'THEY DO THINGS TO MY HEART THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW! IT ANNOYS THE LIVING HELL OUT OF ME!'" Mika said, doing a really good impression of me. As she said that, I started blushing tomato red and turned my head towards the west, not really going to put up with the guys looking at me with a blush of their own on their faces.

"That's not a good impression of me you stupid! I w-w-would never say that!" I said, crossing my arms and then heard something rustling around the bushes. Then I realized it was Tama-Hyung, who was now covered in leaves and twigs.

I didn't listen to half the things he said and just turned to the guys.

"Why were your cellphones turned off?" The twins asked us. To tell you the truth, I actually put my phone on vibrate and ignored all their calls because I was 'busy' working.

(Kyoya: Mao, that's 1000 yen added to your debt.

Me: SAY WHAT!? NOO!)

"Haruhi and Mao have a cell phone?" Tama-Hyung asked. I almost did a face table as he asked that and I pulled out my cellphone, which had a really cool charm of Donald duck, a tiger, and a strawberry! Disney is great and by the way, Tiana is one of my favorite Disney princesses. One day, I was thinking why they don't do a Korean princess or something?

"Well of course I have a cell phone you ditz! How else would I know if Mika's in some kind of trouble or not? I have the family and friend plan too." I said and clang my cell with Mika's who pulled out hers as well. By the way, she had a dozen cell phone charms, which were Sebastian, the Survey Corps wings, some Totoro, Pikachu, and a lot more. Those were just examples.

"I already have Kyo-Hyungs number!" Mika said, "He's on my top ten!" She said and giggled, continuing to skip around. I was going to yell at her but then I remembered that she and Mom were talking to Kyo-Hyung behind my back several weeks back.

"Wait, I'm both your daddy and your buddy so am I in the plan too?" Tama-Hyung asked. I dropped my expression and handed him my cellphone. At first he seemed confused but he figured it out as I told him.

"If you're gonna whine about it, let me save you the trouble. Put your contact information at least so then you don't complain in the future." I said. He did as I told him and then gave my cellphone back. I looked at it and saw his contact information.

_His contact information….Kyah! I just got Tama-Hyungs contact number! Now I can call him for no apparent reason whatsoever!_

WHAT!? And waste all those minutes on calling Tama-Hyung!? No way!

"Hey, Mao-chan! Can I add my number on there too?" Honey-Oppa asked me. I gave him my phone willingly and smiled at the sight of him typing his number quickly on my phone. Soon enough, Mori-Oppa, Haruhi, and Kyo-Hyung put in their contact numbers and I looked at them.

_WE GOT ALL THE HOTTIES NUMBERS! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PUT SPECIFIC RINGTONES ON THEM! _

Shut up. They're not that hot and I guess your right about the ringtones….

Meh. I'll do that later…

"Well, now that that's settled, why did you guys drop in unannounced? I think Haruhi, Mika and I have the liberty to spend our vacation time away from you guys." I said and then I covered my ears because this is usually the part that I would start hearing the bad news that Kyo-Hyung had to pull out.

"According to the handbook, jobs are prohibited." He said and I froze in place. That means, I've been taking on part-time jobs without permission? OH MY GOD! WHY DO RICH PEOPLE HAVE TO BE SO LIKE THIS!? THAT'S NOT RIGHT! GAHH!

"Hey did you hear? Haruhi and Mao got themselves some jobs without the schools permission." Hikaru said and that just made me freeze more. I felt like that scene in Frozen when Anna was completely frozen.

"No way," Said Kaoru, "That grounds for expulsion." THOSE DAMN BASTARDS! THEY KNEW AND THEY DIDN'T BOTHER TO TELL ME BECAUSE THEY WANT ME TO SUFFER! ME AND HARUHI!

"Well, I guess I should go since this really doesn't do it in for me since I'm not part of the Host Club! Well, see ya later Mao!" Mika said, skipping off towards where she's really not needed. There's no way she was getting off easily that way. I ran at her and tackled her to the ground without a second thought and pinned her down to the ground, glaring at her.

"You're not getting out of this one! We're in this together! Got it!?" I asked and she nodded quickly.

"I think Karuizawa is much better than Switzerland anyways!" Honey-Oppa said, already on Mori-Oppas shoulder, looking over a Karuizawa guide book.

"And overseas travel is exhausting." Said Kyo-Hyung.

"Of course, you're allowed to spend your summer vacation as you please. However, like it or not, so do we," Tama-Hyung said, starting to freak Haruhi and I out. Mika, she was not affected since she really doesn't go to our school. He turned around to look down at us, which I didn't like at all, "You know, I for one, find Pension Misuzu to be exceptionally charming." He said. Haruhi and I got into our depression stage and did that freakout eye twitch.

"NOOOOO~! NOOOOOO! NOOOOO!" We both yelled out at the same time and fell down to our knees at the same time due to depression. Watch, one day, I will have post-dramatic stress due to these idiots, just watch! I'm going to send the medical bill to them because there's no way Mom and Mika will pay it because they already have too much on their hands, I don't want them to worry more.

Wait…does that mean the sane one is going to be here? When I mean sane, I mean Kyo-Hyung…

WAIT A TICK! I CAN'T THINK LIKE THAT! HE'S KYO-HYUNG! THIS IS A HOST CLUB! I DON'T WANT TO! I CAN'T FREELY DO WHAT THE HECK I WANT TO WITH THESE IDIOTS HERE!

Hooray for summer vacation….

…

TAMAKI'S MIND THEATRE

_As Tamaki was waking up towards the shining light that came through the window, so did the soft knocking on the door that could be heard, even though he was still half asleep. As he woke himself up even more, he paid attention towards the figures that entered towards the door. The familiar sight of both the brown eyed girl, Haruhi Fujioka, and the green eyed girl, Mao Kurosaki was upon his view. Both of which, had a tray full of breakfast._

"_Rise and shine! My sleepy headed senpai!" Haruhi said, wearing a smile on her face._

"_Good morning Tamaki-Oppa! Time to get up!" Mao said, also wearing a smile. "We both made some special breakfast, just for you!" She continued and the two walked towards the table near the bed and placed the two trays on them._

_And cue the unnecessary amount of sparkles around Tamaki because that's what was around him._

"_Oh, how lovely. Come sit with me. Stay awhile." Tamaki asked the two girls as he drew their faces closer to his. Both Haruhi's and Mao's faces had turned a bight shade of pink and quickly pulled away._

"_No, we can't," Haruhi began. For some reason, Tamaki had his bed sheets wrapped around him on his waist, which was pretty weird if you ask me. Mao blushed still and had to cover her eyes since this was her first time seeing a male, much less her older classmate, in such a situation. Not including that she had seen _

"_We're employees here and you are one of our honored guests. We're not allowed." Mao said, blushing some more._

"_But who's to find out if it's only the three of us?" Tamaki began and slowly walked towards the two girls and wrapped his arms around them, sitting them on the bed with him. "Stay here with me and silly rules will no longer matter." He said in a soft voice. Haruhi and Mao both shared the same blush at the offer that their Tamaki had offered. _

"_S-senpai…."Haruhi said._

"_O-oppa…" Mao said. _

_END OF TAMAKI'S MIND THEATRE_

Haruhi and I both looked at Tama-Hyung like he was insane, which I'm pretty sure he was. We sweat dropped and tried to get him out of his little trance or whatever he was in, but he seemed stuck in his own little imagination, which I hope I won't find out what it was about.

"Ah…Tama-Hyung? Hello!?"

…..

MAO'S MIND THEATRE

_I had a tray full of breakfast that I made all by myself, all was by hand. And in front of me, there was door that separated me between me and my seongbae. I smile a bit and keep the tray close by, knocking the door and quickly opened it to finally see Kyo-Hyung already up and ready for a new day. _

"_Anneyong Kyo-Hyung! I brought you your breakfast today!" I said, setting the tray on the table a few feet away from the bed. As I was turning to leave, I felt someone's arms around my waist and saw that Kyo-Hyung was the one hugging me. _

"_K-k-kyo-hyung!?"_

"_I didn't say you could leave Mao.." Kyo-Hyung mutters in my ear with a still sleepy tone. "B-b-but, I have to get to work!" I said and then I felt his lips press against my neck. "Work will come later…"_

_~/=/~_

_Oh boy, that was not what I had imagined my morning to spend with Kyo-Hyung. Anyways, that was a few minutes ago. Right now, I have to get the twins their breakfast that they ordered. I knocked on the door and quickly entered._

"_Annyeonyaseo! Good morning Hikaru and Kaoru!" I said, setting their breakfast tray on their bedside table and then bowed down to them, still wearing that smile that Misuru told me to wear when greeting the guests. What I didn't suspect was a pair of arms wrapping around my waist and then a hand grabbing my wrist and the next minute, I was looking up at Hikaru and Kaoru as they looked down on me, resting on my back on the bed they just slept on. _

"_W-w-what are you doing?" I asked, my cheeks probably turning red for the second time that day, "I gotta get back to work." I said, trying to get back up, but I was pushed back down by some aggressive gingers._

"_Ever heard of the new sensation that's sweeping the nation, Mao?" Hikaru whispered in my ear while Kaoru went on my other side and whispered before he bit on my ear._

"_Double your pleasure, double your fun…" Kaoru said._

END OF MAO'S MIND THEATRE

OH MY GOD! I slapped myself silly and pouted, looking at the guys and that blush returned. Damn it! I really should not be thinking about this!

I'm working and hoping they really don't do anything rash!

~/+/~

"I'm so sorry boys, I'd love to have you all as guests but I'm afraid there's only one vacant room left." Misuzu-san said. I smiled about that news and then went up to them.

"Oh, that's too bad. Well, I guess you guys gotta look for another place to sleep at~!" I said, smiling as best as I could to make it seem real but sarcastic looking.

"Only one room you say?" Tama-Hyung said, "Well that settles it. I'll have to stay to represent the club!" He said.

WHAT?! HELL NO!

"Hey, that isn't fair!" Complained Honey-Oppa, hugging his Usa-chan, which Tama-Hyung had to see. I saw it too because it was a cute scene I had to watch.

"Have you no feeling of loyalty?" Hikaru asked. "Of any solidarity Boss?"

"Togetherness is our guiding principle." Said Kaoru.

Well, long story short, the guys had decided that they were going to throw a refreshing battle. The only good thing about this game was that they were going to help around the place instead of sitting around and doing nothing. Haruhi and I really didn't want to be a part of this plan so we stayed out if it. The only sane one around here was probably Kyo-Hyung, who was still at his table, drinking the tea that I had prepared for him.

As Misuzu was going about how the guys would win by how refreshing they should be, I looked around and tried to find Mika. I looked over to where the fence was and saw her talking to some boys, who were flirting with her. God, she so reminds me of that girl from Avatar. What was her name? Tai Lee?

"MIKA! GET AWAY FROM THEM! THEY'RE TRYING TO HIT ON YOU!" I yelled and glared at the boys, who screamed and ran away just around the time they saw me. Mika turned around towards me and pouted.

"You're no fun Mao~! I was trying to find a boyfriend for you!" She said and I just looked at her like she was insane, which she was since she is an Otaku and Otaku's are crazy.

"I don't care if you're trying to find me a husband! Right now, you're going to help around the inn while the guys are having their contest!" I said.

"Contest? What type of contest?" She said excitedly and then looked towards the guys with shining eyes.

"Um…they're having a refreshing contest to see who'd get to stay at the pension." I said and Mika just squealed with delight.

"EEEEK! HOW EXCITING! They're doing this just to get close to you! My money's on the twins right now!" She said.

(_ _)||||||| ╬

~/+/~

"Five refresher points!" I heard Misuzu said and Haruhi made her appearance, asking what the heck a refresher point was. You're not the only one that's confused Haruhi. I'm as lost as you are.

"What do you think guests are after when they come all the way out here to Karuizawa?" Misuzu-san said and looked at the two of us.

"Um..the nice weather?" Haruhi said.

"The peace and quiet?" I said.

"Oh, it's much more than that! They come for what they can't get at the city! Refreshing air, refreshing scenery and refreshingly—."

"**GORGEOUS YOUNG MEN!" **Mika joined in on Misuzu-san and imagined all these images of gorgeous guys. If you want refreshing Misuzu, you should check out Lee Min Ho and Taemin-Oppa.

Yeah, I was secretly rooting for this contest…

"And thanks to your friends, my pension would be the hotspot for eyecandy Karuizawa can offer!" Misuzu-san went up on top of the building, twirling around and joining him was Mika, who was also twirling like they were insane. What is it and everyone wanting to twirl around the roof? That seems more dangerous than dramatic.

What's even stranger is that Misuzu rememinds Haruhi and I of someone else, but who?

_Ohohoho~! Girls are a sucker for guys with tragic backgrounds!_

!

Oh…I remember now…..Come to think of it, I haven't seen Renge-Noona in quite some time after the Lobelia incident….

~/+/~

"Geez, just wait. One day, because of their dumb games, they're going to give me post-dramatic stress or something! They're going to send me to the hospital, I just know it!" I said, kneeling down on the ground outside and crying out to the sky.

"That would be quite a shame if you ask me." I heard Kyo-Hyung say and then drink more of the tea I left him since he couldn't get enough of it. You know, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him participate in the contest as of yet. Haruhi must have noticed it too. Hey, when the heck did she get here?!

"Kyoya-senpai, you're sure keeping your distance from all this." Haruhi said.

"Of course. Winning means I'd end up staying here alone, which frankly doesn't appeal to me, unless someone would like to volunteer." Kyo-Hyung said, and then looked at me when he said that. I turned around to see if someone was behind me that might have peaked Kyo-Hyungs interest, but then there was no one. Oh god, so he was looking at me.

"I'll just sit back and watch things unfold and head back to the cottage." He said.

"Cottage? You mean your families?" Haruhi asked and Kyo-Hyung nodded.

"That's right. We all have one in the area." He said. The mental image of the guys having their own cottage in Karuizawa just burned in my head and then I super facepalmed.

"Those damn idiots…" I muttered out loud, clenching my fists together, "They can always visit! WHY MAKE A FUSS ABOUT IT!? GAH! I'm going to kill them!" I said, glaring at the land in front of me, thinking that there standing were the idiots I was talking about. I should have known they had their own private homes in the area; they're rich for crying out loud! This is just making me so mad that I can't even explain how angry I am. Dammit!

"So who's your favorite to win? There must be someone you have in mind. Do you care to bet?" Kyo-Hyung asked.

…..Ha…Why do I get the feeling that he was asking me?

"Hm..no thanks..I don't have a clue." Haruhi said.

"I want no one to win. I actually liked this place more before you guys came along." I muttered out loud on purpose for him to hear, which amused him I guess.

"Really? Well, it's easy enough to tell at a glance. Honey-senpai's brand of cuteness doesn't quite fit misuzu's notion of refreshing so I'm afraid he's out. Tamaki comes a little closer to the ideal, provided that he keeps his mouth shut." Kyo-Hyung said and I tried my best to stifle my laugh that wanted to come out, "But we know the likelihood of that. Ordinarily, you'd figure Hikaru and Kaoru. Then again, seems we have a dark horse." He said and then I thought of Mori-Oppa.

At a place like this, he could be chopping firewood and he'd still get refresher points. Which he did, about twenty did he get. While I was thinking about that, the sign, 'Cutting Firewood, for some reason' popped up in front of Mori-Oppa.

GASP

"I can see how that can happen! Ah!" I said, having a silent battle with myself.

"So do you think he's the one?" Haruhi-Noona asked.

"Except that Honey-senpai drops out, then Mori-senpai bound to go along with him. His competing in the game at all is more or less conditioning to them." Kyo-Hyung answered.

"Which means…" Kaoru says, grinning. "Victory is ours." Hikaru says. The three of us turned our heads toward the twin's direction and then I dead panned.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that the only room available has a single bed." Haruhi stated. "Yeah, and if you guys did win, you guys wouldn't have separate beds." I answered.

"No big deal, we can just bring another bed from the cottage anyways," Hikaru told us. "Yeah, we can even squeeze into the single bed." Kaoru says.

"How sweet. I guess you guys really are always together." Haruhi says smiling while I tried not to think so much about it in a perverted way and slapped Mika's head, who popped out of nowhere, for blushing red. Idiot.

"Always." Kaoru answered to Haruhi, looking up to Hikaru. Well, more like a glance. "The two of us have been together since we were born. So we haven't ever needed anybody else." Hikaru says.

Never need anybody else…?

"We never bothered making friends until a few years ago. We thought the world was made up of idiots." Kaoru says. Damn….

"Oh really?" Haruhi and I said in unison. We looked at each other for a moment and we chuckled together.

"But then…"Hikaru said and paused to think, "That was before we knew you two." Hikaru looked at us, "We'd totally let you both sleep with us."

"I'll pass." Haruhi said. I made an 'X' with my arms, "No thank you. I prefer sleeping on my own bed." I muttered.

"Well, what about those times you crawl into my bed saying you want to sleep with your big sister?" Mika jumped in like she was part of the conversation since forever. I froze for a couple of seconds until I covered Mika's mouth with some tape that I had before she said anything else that was embarrassing.

"I never said any of those things…she's high on Doujinshi, don't listen to her." I said.

"The contest winner hasn't been decided yet. There are still a number of ways to make this game more interesting." Kyo-Hyung said, pushing up his glasses.

Haruhi looked at each other and had the same thought about it.

'_This guy always has something up his sleeve….does that count as refreshing?'_

'_Why does he always plot something?'_

"Thinking about helping the boss are you?" Kaoru stands up. "We're not going down easy, you know Kyoya-senpai. It's no use." Hikaru straighten up as well while I was ready to walk away.

Kyo-Hyung just smiles and I watched…

_Wow…he actually looks sexy smiling like that despite the fact he's plotting something…_

_And the twins look pretty hot the way they're so determined…._

My cheeks started burning up and turning red I guess from what I could tell with my hands and I swiftly turned around, hiding my face.

"You guys do what you guys want. I'm leaving." I muttered to myself and I went to the room Mika, Haruhi and I share, and started packing up my clothes and a tent.

~/=/~

_And goes another day of a promising chef._

_Mix together the tomatoes the 3-4 tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded and chopped, the fresh ½ cup of basil that have been coarsely chopped, the tablespoon of olive oil, the minced clove of garlic, the quarter teaspoon of salt and the quarter teaspoon of pepper. _

_To make garlic butter, mix together in a separate bowl the quarter cup of softened butter, the minced garlic, and the salt and pepper. Slice the bread (a baguette) and top each side with a little bit of garlic butter. Broil the bread for a few minutes until it is lightly browned. Put tomato topping on bread, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and put back in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese just slightly starts to melt. Removing from oven and, if necessary, drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar over the top…_

"And that is how Bruschetta is made." I said, cleaning off my hands for the second time when making this dish and then glanced at the basket full of strawberries that Mika had picked out. For a girl that's obsessed with Anime and Manga, she does know a few things about food like how perfectly ripe some fruits are.

_Place strawberries on a new bowl and start cleaning them without bruising them. Clean for at least thirty seconds and grab some unused lollipop sticks and insert them on the stem of the strawberry without destroying it. Grab a knife and start making small slices on the strawberry until they have the shape of a rose. Repeat the process a number of times until you are satisfied with a certain number and grab a glass. _

"Ah…Do I still have time to make the tea?" I asked myself and looked at the watch. I heard some clapping and saw Honey-Oppa and Mori-Oppa clapping for me for…um…cooking?

"That was great Mao-chan! You looked so cool and cute cooking that way!" Honey-Oppa told me; taking one of the strawberry roses I made and bit on it, smiling and blushing. "Yum!" He said. My cheeks turned a small pink shade and I smiled sheepishly.

"I don't think it was great…I'm just a novice and stuff! I have a long way to go." I said.

"You looked professional enough," Mori-Oppa says, in a deep voice that I forgot he had. Surprise, surprise, "You should compete." He told me.

"Huh?!" I said, dropping the frying pan that I was just going to use to make to make Bibimbap. It's a really great dish; it's the first thing I ate when I went to Korea at one point. I mean South Korea! North Korea is off limits for me! Hahaha.

"I d-d-don't think I should. Competing with people that practiced much more than I have is something I don't stand a chance in Mori-Oppa," I said, waving my arms frantically, "I don't like being in the spotlight and…"

"Well, can we help around Mao-chan?" Honey-oppa suddenly asked me and then stood on my right as Mori-Oppa stood on my left.

"What?"

"What do you want us to do Mao-chan!? We're helping you out."

I was awe-strucked. I never really had too many people help me out with cooking or helping me pay off the medical bills and stuff. I just did things on my own or found a way to do it on my own. Honey-Oppa's and Mori-Oppa's sudden want to help me was a big surprise that I didn't know what to do.

"Um…sure. T-take the fruit vase out to the buffet table and bring out the tray of used trays here so I can wash them." I timidly said and pointed out where they should place or get the things. They both nodded and went on their merry ways while I stood in the kitchen and watched do what I wanted them to do.

"Strange…"

~/+/~

If there is something a girl can't resist, its musicians and especially guys that can play the piano. In this case, it's Tama-Hyung who is now playing the piano. The piece that he played was the one he played for Shiro. The perfect piece that has a very peaceful and melodious tone that you can't compare to the city noises, and it was given here by yours truly, Tamaki Suoh.

Wow, I just said his whole name for the first time and….

It felt kind of strange…but in a good way..

His performance was so great that he even attracted the outside visitors and stuff.

"Uh oh, so much for winning." I said, giggling as I saw Hikaru passing by.

"What? Oh come on, there's always something happening, you know." He grins at me while I picked up the left out tea cups. Great and they mistreat these little guys. I always liked Ginori and Portabella Rose. They should be treated properly since they are a work of art.

"That's true," I said, hearing the piano clearly at least, "Kyo-Hyung created a freaking monster. No woman alive can resist a musician." I pointed out chuckling. But before I was able to get inside, I felt someone's hand on my wrist and I turned around to see Hikaru with a sly smirk.

"Is that so?" I felt my cheeks heat up but before things went further, the two of us suddenly heard a loud voice, "LOOK OUT!" It said and following that yell was a loud crash.

Oh crap…I hope no one was hurt. Including the porcelain!

"What happened?" I asked in a worried tone, running to where the incident was. "Kaoru!" Hikaru shouts and runs past me with some speed that the track team should need some day. The two of us ran and looked over at Haruhi and Kaoru.

"We're terribly sorry! Are you okay?" The girl from the window shouted from above.

"Haruhi-Noona!" I shouted and ran to her.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru yelled, running towards his brother. I really didn't realize then, but I got a good look at Kaoru's face and saw a scratch mark.

"Kaoru, you're hurt!" I yelled, pretty concerned that Mika heard me and saw the situation, deciding to go and bring out the first aid kit. I sighed in relief over the small little cut that Kaoru had while Hikaru started calming down.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked his brother when Hikaru placed his head on Kaoru's shoulder, "Don't scare me like that."

"Hey…I'm sorry…do you forgive me?" Kaoru asked and they really smile at each other. Awww, brotherly love that is just so precious, I'll tell you. You guys should check out Philly, the brotherly love state. Hikaru and Kaoru will fit right in at Philly.

"AND THE VICTORY GOES TO, THE HITACHIIN BROTHERS!" Misuzu-san screamed at the top of her lungs and with glee.

At the announcement of the winner, Tama-Hyung played that dramatic tune that has been played so many times in movies and stuff. I sort of feel sorry for him.

"Congrats you guys." Haruhi says while I golf-clapped for them.

The twins turned to face us and then there was an evil grin. "Oh, it was nothing, really." They said. I paused and then thought things through.

"Hang on. Was all of that….staged?" Haruhi asked, not really believing it.

"Well…no. Who could say?" They replyed.

Damn…I think I know why they're called the devilish type now.

…..

"Well…Time to move out I guess." I said and went to the kitchen and started to rethink all my things.

~/+/~

"Come on…I said I'm sorry! What do you want me to do?" Hikaru complained, "I didn't mean to kick you out of bed. It was an accident." He said.

"Accident or not, my back is killing me." Kaoru said back. I put on my neutral face and then served them tea and headed back to the kitchen where I belong.

Ah, the kitchen.

"Get us some breakfast please," Hikaru said to Haruhi while I started mincing some of the onions to make a classic, omelets, along with some biscuits and some other things that I like. "I'll have two pieces of baguette toast with clarified butter and Garner sells syrup." Hikaru ordered while I just scoffed. Poor Haruhi, clearly didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

"I'll take poached eggs with bacon and a bowl of whole-grained cereal – the kind with those little pieces of fruit with it." Kaoru ordered as I already decided to cook up some food for the customers, not including what the twins wanted.

"Hold on, we don't even have that stuff on the menu." Haruhi answered as I smiled.

"Huh?!" The twins asked, not really believing what they were told.

"Behave!" Tama-Hyung suddenly appeared out of nowhere and slaps them at the top of their head with a roll of paper. "Just who do you think you are? Acting like some privileged aristocracy on holiday?" He said, pretty pissed off that they're asking too much from Haruhi.

"Uh…we are aristocracy." Hikaru was the first to answer and sounded like it was so known and yet Tama-Hyung didn't know or something. "So are you boss." Kaoru answered back.

"You are missing the whole point of travel! When in Rome, do as the Romans do that's what I say!" Tama-Hyung says and pulls out a tray, "Just look at this!" He said, pulling the top and then revealed a really impressive dish of Karuizawa cuisine! "Karuizawa cuisine fit for a king!" He said.

"Cold pasteurized Jersey Steaks, fresh juice, Highland vegetables, smoked salmon cooked over cherry wood – the local proal I might add and the loveliest bread with homemade jam. Bon appetite~!" Tama-Hyung finished and I was almost tempted to clap for him for knowing this stuff.

Almost.

"Since when have you been such a connoisseur boss?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh, since he started learning from Misuzu and Mao. He's been in the kitchen with those two all morning long." Haruhi explained and I just happened to remember what happened early morning.

"_And you arrange them like so."_

"_Mhm! Brilliant! And Mao, homemade jam! That's even more brilliant!"_

"_You should try homemade marmalade with Scones."_

"While the two of you were sleeping the day away, I decided to start a refreshing host workshop! I even wrote a manual." Tama-Hyung said.

I grabbed one of the manuals and I just almost bursted into laughing with some of these.

"You really need to get a life Senpai." Haruhi said while I subconsciously ate some of the omelets that I made.

"While you're acting as my apprentice, you may not treat me as your senpai or –Hyung." Tama-Hyung declared, looking at Haruhi and me.

"Hey wait, have you got to rule number 5 yet? It says we have to get up at 6 A.M." Hikaru says.

"Hey, have Kyoya-senpai and Honey-senpai read through the manual yet?" Kaoru asked. Why? Is there something that I need to know about those two? Come on, it's not like those two are type AB and wake up grumpy or something…are they?

Tama-Hyung starts crying at his corner and the two had to apologize. I didn't care so much as they don't interfere with my work or anything.

"Good morning! Arai produce!"

"Morning! Yamaguchi bakery!" Two voices shout at the door. I turn my head and look at those two guys. I don't know why, but something about one of those guys looks so familiar.

"Good morning to you!" Misuzu-san greets the two guys, "Working boys, eh? High schoolers?" He wondered out loud.

"Yes, ma'am." The guys reply, "We're helping our uncle's shop for the summer." They said.

One second, two seconds…

"OH! REFRESHING!" Misuzu said, creeping the two boys out. Poor boys. "Haruhi, Mao! Would one of you put these in the refrigerator for me? And also put these pastries out in display?" Misuzu says. Wow, those goods look amazing.

"Okay." Haruhi and I reply. The guys caps fall down when they try to get a good look of us. I stopped and then took a good look at the boy with black hair.

"Haruhi…Fujioka?" The boy with the produce said with a blush on his face. The black haired guy looked at me with his eyes wide, "Mao…Kurosaki?" He said and there was also a blush on his face…

Man, it's been forever since I've seen that face and since I heard that voice.

"….Hi…Kohaku." I said.

The guy that was friends with Mika's boyfriend. Kohaku Yamaguchi, this uncle who I started working for him for a few months.

"_Hey Mao, we got another order."_

"_Mao, you're always such a hard working. You should take a break."_

"_Mao…I like you."_

"_I like you….I like you…"_

In the background, there was a mysterious flow of wind all around us and there was also some flower petals flying about.

"A new rival for a heart? A past co-worker of the girl they all like? What will happen after this sudden arrival! Find out soon on the next chapter!" There was some echoing voice in my head….

…..

That was not in my head; that was coming from my loud mouthed sister, who somehow had a microphone in her hands and now she decided to narrate the story.

"SHUT UP! AND WHO TOLD YOU TO NARRATE THE STORY?! MY LIFE, MY STORY!"


	14. 15: Kyoya's Reluctant Day Out! No Date!

_Since adopting the Sabatsu system since its corporate model generations ago, The Ootori Group has advanced the medical field to unprecedented….._

…_.Today, we continue that proud history of innovation and leadership through our cutting edge approach to hospital administration…_

…_.A prospective successor of this legacy will do well to remember that merely standing in the shadow of his brothers achievements will not suffice to ensure his future…._

_The life of the Royal Family in the house of our great queen of Denmark has been able to survive for generations from the formation of our great nation and as those of our allies….._

…_In this decade, we live through that proud history and will always will. The Danish look up to the Royal Family as a figure head, and it must be that way if we are to be a Royal Family…._

…_.Keep in mind that once taking the choice of being in the Royal Family, one must leave their prospective future that they once dreamed about and ensure their future to become the next ruler….._

_The King or Queen of Denmark…_

The Izumi mall….

I at least worked at a few shops here and Mika currently has a job here and I'm surprised that she's still employed. Don't get me wrong; I'm happy for her that she's kept a job this long.

So, what Mom, Mika, and I were doing at the mall is to buy some new clothes for the summer before we all went back to school and there's no way I was going to let Mom and Mika pick out the clothes. They'll end up buying me some girly clothes that are pink and stuff. I don't do well with wearing pink; light pink is okay and so is neon pink but pink like Umbridge wears…It's just evil…

"Mao-chan! Hurry up! 50% off on all one piece dresses! Mom, look! This dress will look cute on Mao, right?" Mika said, holding up one of those classic one piece dresses that I liked. They were classy and cute I guess. The one that Mika picked out for me was a blue shade so I guess I was okay with it.

"Yeah, sure….It's okay." I said, turning my attention to the food that was imported all the way from Korea. I was thinking about making a Korean dish that Mom would like; she is half Korean after all.

"Whoa, check out that cutie! Should we go talk to her?" I heard voices behind me and saw these two boys that were eying Mika. When they turned around to face me, they went away because I sent them a glare so evil, even the devil himself will shiver in fear. Mika, being the oblivious person she was about being 'hit on', she didn't even notice and then went on with Mom to the Book store to buy her manga and not even telling me because I was left at the store and then had to look for them. I got a little panicky, but just when I was leaving the store, I looked at some kid bumping into a guy that looked strangely familiar and then the kid ran way because of the way he stared at him.

Poo kid….

"Tamaki's a dead man when I get my hands on him…" The guy muttered. I paused and my brain was processing all that was within that little space. My hands got a little sweaty and then I noticed that his hair looked exactly like Kyo-Hyungs and Kyo-Hyung is by far, the only other person that can threaten Tama-Hyung like that.

"Kyo-Hyung?" I asked. His head turned around to my direction and just stared at me like "Oh, I found Mao; I should ask her something but what" face. I got a little nervous the way that he stared at me. I hope he wasn't starring at the outfit I was wearing. It was a letterman jacket that I got at a 2NE1 concert and on the inside it was signed by the whole group, some skinny jeans, a pair of some flats that mom got me from Korea, and I had a shirt that had a penguin on it.

"How much money do you have on you Mao?" Kyo-Hyung asked me, still having that face that I was telling you about. I tilted my head in confusion and looked at him like he was crazy.

"Say what?"

"I hate to repeat myself Miss Kurosaki, but how much money do you have on you?" He asked me again. I was already growing a tick mark on my forehead. How dare he call me by my last name?! I thought we were friends! Oh, who needs him? I have Lee Min Ho and Kyung Hyung-nim!

Well, despite the fact that I was a bit pissed off, I reached into my pockets and pulled out a few thousand yen.

"It's not much but I guess it's enough for me to buy you something to eat and to buy me some new cookbooks." I muttered and put the money back into my blue backpack that I got at the EXO concert a year ago.

"Eat?" Kyo-Hyung asked, "You're treating me to lunch?"

"No Kyo-Hyung. I'm going to leave you here so you can make more little children cry all because Tama-Hyung left you here. Yes, I'm going to buy you lunch! Sadly…." I said, pinching my nose in annoyance, really wanting to say 'Aish' because of this, but I held it in.

"Sadly?"

"I hate fast food restaurants. They think that they're so great that people can now eat in a hurry instead of savoring the flavor of the food. That's how those big shot restaurateurs make their money." I muttered with hate. I really did hate fast food restaurants….

That's why calm cafés are the way to go in my book. It's so calm and I really can relax.

"Whatever, let's just get something and quickly. You're in a hurry aren't you?' Kyo-Hyung asked me. I deadpanned and almost wanted my hands around his neck but I shook if off.

"Fine. Just don't complain to me if it doesn't suit your taste." I spat out. "Like you're one to speak." He said and smirked at my reaction, which was shock. Dammit!

"Hey, should I get a receipt?" I asked him and then I saw the hateful glare. "Of course. Tamaki will reimburse you tenfold." WHAT!?

NO! DON'T MAKE ME SUFFER JUST BECAUSE OF THAT IDIOT!

_How did this happen anyways Mao? All you wanted to do was go shopping with your already crazy family for some clothes and some Korean products. Did I really have to run into Kyo-Hyung who's spoiled and so out of my league….Did I really just say that? AISH! MAO! STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT! I do like this idiot, but really? _

"Mao, I think it's our turn. How do I order?" Kyo-Hyung asked me and I turned my attention to the clueless rich bastard that I'm starting to see that he reminded me of Goon Jun Pyo. Not really but close.

"Ah….you know what? I think I'll order for us. You know what you want?" I asked, running up to the counter and taking out my wallet from my backpack. Kyo-Hyungs hands were in his pocket and thinking that he was hot sh*t or something.

"You pick. Just get us a lot of it." Wow, he really is hungry. God help the girl that starts hitting on him next.

"O…kay.. We'll have two of the 1 and one order of the 5. Combo meal please." I asked. I noticed the cash register girl notice Kyo-Hyung and started blushing. Yep, God help you girl. Kyo-Hyung's in a bad mood.

"Okay coming right up. Now, would you be interested in adding one of our delicious desserts?" Unless it's handmade and with love, I'll take it!

"Thank you, but no. I don't really care for sweets." Kyo-Hyung said and the cash register girls eyes sparkled even more. Sh*t.

Okay….for the stories sake, I'll shorten up what happened. The girl wanted to talk to Kyo-Hyung more but Kyo-Hyung was even more annoyed. I noticed it and pushed him off to our seat where I watched him and I had to apologize for his attitude.

"Geez, control your boyfriend missy." The girl asked me. My whole body froze and my face must have looked like their ketchup because I blushed like no tomorrow. Oh my god, she actually believed we were girlfriend and boyfriend! Nope! No! No way! I'll only date Lee Min Ho Oppa and Woo Bin Oppa!

"J-just include the receipt!" I yelled and turned around, waiting near the counter for the tray of the food that will soon come. Once it did, I made my way where Kyo-Hyung was sitting at. That bastard.

"Okay, who died and gave you the right to speak like that!? Just cause you want to kill Tama-Hyung because he dragged you here doesn't mean that you should act like that because of your mood! She's just doing her job dammit!" I scold at him while he reached out for my order of one. I slapped his hand and gave him his chicken wrap.

"That girls job is to serve us food not irritate me with some weak sales pitch." God, would it be a crime to hit the son of a very rich medical companies CEO or something?

_Yes, it would be._

DAMMIT!

Well, I'm not going to let this food go to waste, even if Kyo-Hyung's going to be a picky eater or that the food is from a fast food chain, I'm going to eat all of it and I sort of skipped breakfast this morning since I ran out today.

"*Munch* Mmm…*slurp* *Munch munch*" Somehow, I felt like someone's eyes were on me. Guess what? I was right. It was Kyo-Hyung. I noticed and glared at him; if he's in a bad mood, let's see him trying to deal with my bad attitude! Hahaha~!

"What do you want? Haven't you seen me eat?" I asked, annoyed.

"For someone of your size, you do eat a lot." He said in an amusing tone.

"I have high metabolism okay!? You should have known if your write a lot in that notebook of yours." I spat at him again in annoyance. Great, now his bad mood is affecting me and I haven't even….

Oh right, Mika and Mom left me at that clothing store….Thanks a lot you guys, I feel so loved….

Because I was annoyed, I bit off more of my hamburger and ate more until I finished the two and started eating my fries. I felt so disgusted but it would be such a waste to waste food like that. Kyo-Hyung was even watching me eat and that was kinda weird, even for him.

"A chef, right?" He asked, bringing me out of thoughts. I looked at him, not really sure what he was up to but even so, I adverted my attention to him.

"The culinary scholarship. Your dream is to become a chef to find your father. Exactly why because it doesn't even make the slightest sense."

Why the hell was he even bringing it up now? He had from April to ask me that he picks the time to ask me during summer break. I stopped where I was with my fries and at least tried to remember the earliest memories that I had about my biological dad, the dad that promised me he'll come back for me. He's going to come back for me…I just know it…

"I really don't remember much, but I think I was around five or four when I was eating this dish that my dad and I were eating. He said that it would be nice to have a daughter that would inherit her mom's ability to cook and I guess I did." I chuckled lightly and fiddled a bit with my hands, looking down at the floor just for the fun of it. Surprisingly, Kyo-Hyung was being a great audience.

"What happened to him?" He asked. I shrugged and sipped more of my soda drink.

"I don't know. The orphanage caretaker found me that night I was abandoned; I was crying from what she told-! WHY THE HELL AM I TELLING YOU!? You're just going to use it for blackmail or something against me! If anything that will benefit me to finding dad, it's telling a private investigator." I said, finishing up my second burger and went on to finish my French fries. How do people eat this? I like home cooked food better since you get a better taste in the flavor there.

"I was merely asking. What was it that your sister called you? A bipolar Tsundere tiger? Besides, this type of food is meant to be eaten quickly."

"Hey!" I yelled and shut up when everyone's heads turned to me. Oh my god, I bet Lee Min Ho would never do that to his dates. This guy is far from being Lee Min Ho!

_Yep. But that's what you love about him!_

SHUT UP BRAIN! I THOUGHT WE AGREED THAT WE'RE PART OF THE "I LOVE K-DRAMA BRIGADE"! My only love will always be Lee Min Ho Oppa, Kyu Wo Bin, Hyung Seong Oppa and the Prince of Asia!

"Oh my gosh girls! That guy with the glasses is a total hottie!" Some random girl said that was walking next to us, along with some of her friends. "You're right he's gorgeous!" I heard them said. I kept my eye on them while Kyo-Hyung kept a calm and cool.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if you're not using this chair. Can my friends and I borrow it?" The girl asked. I raised an eyebrow. What a lame way to get a guy to notice you and I know, I've seen enough Korean Dramas to know what the hell I'm talking about.

"Whatever." Kyo-Hyung said. The girls just turned into part of some rabid fan girl session that annoyed me even more than in the host club. "Thank you so much! That's awesome!" They said.

"You're quite welcome." Kyo-Hyung said. Oh wow, I guess this idiot is oblivious to the ways of how middle class teenagers go out and crap. I got annoyed that I did the unthinkable. I quickly rose, taking his hand in one hand and the other picked up the tray to throw the food away. GASP!

WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO!?

_I never seen Mao act like this, Must have thought Kyo-Hyung._ _She must act differently than what we're used to at the club. Even she didn't act this differently when we dropped by her house unexpectedly or in Karuizawa. _

We left suddenly from the place and then proceeded to walk around anywhere besides the food court place.

"I really hate shopping here." I muttered, "Don't you have your cell phone or something?" I asked and he simply shook his head. I sighed and took out my own cell phone that I was able to get during my job at the Edelstein Café. Quickly, I send a message out to the twins and to Mika if they had their cell phones on.

"Hey, can't you get like a cab or something? I'm better off with myself here and finding Mika and Mom you know. I bet you're tired." I said out of nowhere and walked off, busy looking for some food that I could use for the Korean dish I was planning to make. Yeah, I'm not giving up on that, even if I do have a rich Ouran bastard that I sadly know.

"Tamaki shared with me that you feel uncomfortable with being alone." !

HE DID WHAT NOW!?

"Forget all the great things I said about that bastard. I'm going to kill him." I said, cracking my knuckles already. Kyo-Hyung must have noticed and started to chuckle quietly.

"What are you laughing about this time you rich bastard?!" I yelled, harshly poking his chest.

"I find it highly amusing that you react this way about your personal life." He said. I made a fist and almost aimed to punch him in the face if it wasn't for us being in public, I would so kick him where the sun doesn't shine.

"Sorry! It's not my fault that my life is the way it is! It could be worse, I could have ran away from the orphanage and lived in the streets!"

"But you didn't."

"What is this? Ask Mao Kurosaki personal questions day? You got a lot of nerve Kyo-Hyung. I know second to nothing about you and you keep tabs on my Mom!" I really shouldn't have come.

"I'll answer that question if you answer me this first. Why are you even here anyways? You usually buy your ingredients at the supermarket, don't you?" He asked me, getting into that thinking pose that he's mostly known for. Dad, I'm sorry but I have certain temptations to hurt this guy so badly that I probably might be arrested for assaulting the son of a rich guy. Well, whatever, I gotta answer them because you did teach me to have pride, honor, and work hard for my stuff.

"Umma wanted to buy us some clothes before the break ended. I was going to buy some ingredients but I was dragged into the clothing store with them."

~/+/~

"Hey! I thought you were going to take a taxi home, not go around the shopping center and buy something!" I scolded and had to follow the second year idiot that I don't want to lose. It's not like I have to take care of him, it's just that I don't want to be alone and there isn't anyone else that I know here since I haven't come here that often to buy stuff.

"I am but might as well have a look around first." Kyo-Hyung said. There was a lot of stuff here like bananas from South America, rye bread from Russia, Oranges from North America, Sugar canes from the Tropics, and so much more. I could get lost and pick the right one that is exactly ripe and perfect. There is a trick where you can pick the best of the best watermelons and it's cool. I can't tell because it's a secret.

"Black Pearls from Ishigake Island. Odd to find them here, considering how much they go for." Kyo-Hyung said, looking at a pair of black pearl earrings that caught his eyes. I really don't find them that interesting; they were just jewelry after all.

"I'm not all that impressed. Still, how did you figure it out though?" I asked.

"I am the product of excellent breeding." He said. Ouch, it sounded like he made himself some kind of animal. Well, we are animals, but did he have to go so far as to call himself that. Boy, would I give to have a slapstick right now to slap Kyo-Hyung on his head.

"You're a hard woman to please Miss Kurosaki." Said Kyo-Hyung, smirking.

"Forget the formalities Kyo-Hyung. Mao is just fine you know." I blurred out like I really didn't care and I don't.

_Basshunter – Boten Anna_

"That's an interesting song. Do commoner malls always play foreign music?"

COMMONER MALL PLAYING FOREIGN MUSIC

COMMONR MALL PLAYING FOREIGN MUSIC

MAO IS PROCESSING

MAO IS PROCESSING

MAO IS PROCESSING

"I guess you aren't the smart one anymore Kyo-Hyung." I muttered exactly loud enough for him to hear and I caught his glare, which I was happy that I made. I chuckled back at his glare and shook my head. "I'm only kidding…..Kyoya-Seongbae…" I winked at him and walked down the food aisle where I saw some seafood that was always mom's favorite. She likes eel by the way.

"Seongbae? Another Korean honorific?" Kyo-Hyung asked me. I looked at him and smiled.

"Don't like it? Okay, I'll call you Kyo-Hyung as always, Kyo-Hyung ." I smirked when I said that and followed him to where he was heading. It was almost too quiet for us; we know each other but we're not talking like the friends we are.

"Just so you know, there really is nothing for you to know about my family, at least, nothing that should be of interest to you." He said. I pouted and lightly punched him on his back.

"That's unfair you idiot! I should at least know something about the family Mika will be working for in a couple of years." I said and that sort of peaked Kyo-Hyungs interest because he turned his head around.

"Just what do you mean 'unfair'?" Kyo-Hyung asked and put his hands inside his pockets again; probably because he thinks he's hot sh*t or something.

"When it comes to my personal life, you keep contacted with my family and even the people my family know but for me, I know second to nothing about you. I call that unfair since I have to know about the Ootori Group at least a bit. I would google it but the internet stretches the truth."

"That's a very intriguing notion in its own way." He said. The rich are so clueless sometimes. I pinched the brim of my nose in annoyance and then turned to him seriously.

"Two older brother's right? Mika's interested in medicine, so she's told me a thing or two about the Ootori Group; why not you tell me? Let's start there." I said

Too personal?

Yeah, I could tell since Kyo-Hyung looked a bit spaced out, starring out ahead.

"They are rather exceptional. Enough so that my father puts enough stock in them. Though as the third son, things work out a little different for me."

_Any approachable academic record and social focus are accomplishments your brothers laid claim long ago so your own achievements would have to outshine these considerable in order to impress me Kyoya._

"That must be a lot of pressure for you Kyo-Hyung." I said out loud. I didn't want him to hear that but he did.

"Pressure? Oh no Mao, I can think nothing more fun than this."

_Mao dear….I want you to grow up into a fine young woman; one that will decide what she wants to be and not by her title….._

"*Sniff*…..*Sniff*"

"Mao? What's wrong?" I heard Kyo-Hyung say, but I didn't raise my head to look at him in the eyes. No, I really couldn't because then he'd realize that I was crying for him. Damn me and my feels for stuff like this. I cry so easily when something that should belong in a K-Drama comes up.

I really didn't get a chance to keep my tears secret because the four eyed bastard lifted my chin up and then his eyes widened when he saw the tears stream down my face and then the red eyes.

"What's bothering you?" Kyo-Hyung asked surprised to say at least. I wiped some of the tears away from my eyes and shook my head.

"I'm sorry. I guess from watching all those Korean Dramas, I get a little emotional when I hear about another person's troubles." I chuckled and then thought more on that smile I see a lot at school, but one more sincere and more free. That really would be interesting to see because then he'll be happy…. He and everyone else that I know have to be happy…..

"In my most honest opinion Kyo-Hyung….I think you'll be the one to take over the company…." I said. In my mind, that song from _The King 2 Hearts_ sung by Hyun Seong from Boyfriend, played in my head. You guys gotta watch it! It's like the unification of East and West Germany but involving Korea and the Royal family and stuff!

"How so?" Kyo-Hyung asked in an amused tone. Behind those eyes that I stared at before, I can see he was confused as well.

"Well, just cause your dad puts a lot of stock in your brothers that doesn't seem to interest me more in your brothers. You're more different than most guys I met…..You're sly, smart, and pretty cool. Kind of like Go Min Nam's love interest in _You're Beautiful_. Your brothers, to me; they seem kind of boring and will end up marrying someone that will interest your dad. You, however, I can see you're the type of person that will want a partner to be proud, carefree, someone that will make life more interesting. Though, I see you marrying a princess of a foreign country or a president's daughter."

"Princess?" Kyo-hyung said out loud. It was quiet for a short time until he started chuckling and then a hand was placed on top of my head the moment the chuckling started. I looked up and there was Kyo-Hyung, winking down on me. Why the hell was he winking down at me?! I don't like it!

"W-w-well yeah! I think your dad would pay a lot of attention if you married a foreign princess or something! Just like in _My Princess_! Lee Sol was the Korean Princess and married the grandson of the Dae Han group! Well, more like going out and thinking about matrimony! It's so cute that he was so protective!" Okay….maybe I got a little too over excited when I started mentioning _My Princess_ but it's a good drama! The female lead is in love with her professor and also the heir to the Dae Han group!

Don't judge me!

"First you cry for me and then you think about my future love life as if you known me for years now. Strange theories."

"I-I'm just looking out for my friends that's all! I mean, I kinda did the same thing for Mika and her boyfriend." I muttered and averted my eyes toward the 50% off sale on potatoes.

"_Hey Mao! Be honest with me! Who do you think I'll end up with? Word is that you can predict the type of person someone will be with! Come one tell me!" Some girls in my class bugged me every day to ask who their boyfriend will be. Same thing with guys. I was then known as the "Matchmaker" of the school._

_One day…._

"_Mao-chan! Can you tell Onee-san who'll she'll be with? Please!?" Mika's face was then up my face when I was trying to read a book before class started. I wanted to get to a certain page but then I was interrupted by her. _

"_You seriously want me to say? Really Mika?" I asked, sighing about the umpteenth time that day. Mika nodded her head quickly and crossed her fingers to hope that she'll end up with the person she liked._

"_Honestly, you'll end up with a guy that's quick thinking and still love you for what your heart says. He's the guy that will stay by you no matter what. Someone like…Hatori-kun."_

"_Eh? But he's so plain looking!"_

"_Hatori-kun's not plain! He loves you for you Mika! He likes how sweet and hardworking you are! I think you should give him a chance before you pass by a chance to get to know someone. Give him a chance will you? I don't want just any guy for you, you know Mika."_

"Mika-chan and Mom are really important to me you know. Maybe we're not related but we're still family. They loved me like their own sister/daughter and I loved them as well. I work hard to repay them back after all that they've done for me." I said, fiddling with my hands inside my coat pockets. I felt a few stares coming from all around me and I felt a blush showing up across my face. This is Kyo-Hyung we're talking about; of course people will be staring at our direction and for some reason that just pissed me off even more that those idiots around us were staring at him. Those bastards. And I thought the fast food restaurant was bad.

After that, I returned to normal mode.

"If you tell this to other people, I will kill you in your sleep just to make sure you won't tell another soul." I muttered out with a dark aura surrounding me. Yeah, smart move. Threatening to kill your Seongbae Mao, great job. I deserve a gold star!

"Dear me. Pieces from the Komatsu Shoen collection?" A woman said out loud and Kyo-Hyung and I turned our heads toward this guy that's supposable selling them. "I never thought that I would find them here." The woman said again and thought to myself that it's pretty hard to find absolute pieces.

"Why madam you have an astonishing eye~!" The male said. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Kyo-Hyungs eyes darken at the scene. I got a little confused and just went on and watched the scene unfold itself in my eyes.

"You know, they have such exquisite color don't they? To tell you the truth, I'm not really supposed to have these out on display. The beak of the Komatsu family has been privately held for ages. Pieces rarely come up for sale." The man said. I may not know much but I have a feeling this guy is a conman.

"H-hey, Kyo-Hyung we should-! And where'd he go?" I asked, turning my head at all sides until I saw him walk up to the display place. Oh crap, is he going to use his excellent breeding skills like in those scenes in _Bride of the Century _or _You're Beautiful_?! Kyo-Hyung, don't you dare go embarrassing yourself or me!

"With all due respect, these are fake." You know, it really comes in handy when you start googling about stuff in the UK and then you land on a link where they tell you about what the British say and what they mean and then you start going to the weird side of the internet. Anyways, the "With all due respect" part, the British mean "you have absolutely have no idea what you're talking about" or "I think you're an idiot". Ah, the British, the exact definite definition of Tsundere according to Mika and her Hetalia fandom.

"Huh?"

"Hey get out of here kid, what do you think you're doing?" Stopping a scam? Helping a poor helpless person out? Stopping idiot bastards like you into scamming people?

Kyo-Hyung held some blue bowl from Shoin's collection and observed it as if he wanted to find something wrong with it in case it really was a fake.

"The shade of blue is strongly reminiscent to Shoin's but looking closely around the base, you notice the color graduation isn't quite dark enough to be authentic that and the lacer is too clear." Whoa, Kyo-Hyung can I take you to a trip to Vienna so I can tell what's authentic and what's not? That already annoyed the sales guy because he grew a tick mark.

"That's enough of you Mr. Expert. I'll report you for obstructing my business." The man said and we were now drawing a crowd. Great, just what I needed on my last day of summer break. Not really interested in the man's threat, Kyo-Hyung turned the piece of pottery over and then noticed something at the bottom.

"Just as I thought." Kyo-Hyung said, "The brush strokes on this seal are uncharacteristically broad as well. For your sake, I hope you have a certificate." Man, I think he just made the guy pee his pants or something because he started shaking. "That is, if you still insist its real."

"O-of course it's real. I have the certificate at home!"

"Oh. Then surely you won't mind if I call the Komatsu family right now to verify your claim. My family has had dealings with them for generations. It will only be in a matter of minutes." Said Kyo-hyung. Wait, why the hell did Kyo-hyung help a complete stranger? From all that he told me, I didn't think of him as the type of person to help random people.

"You mean you don't know? That woman's husband is the CEO of a major electronics company." I looked at the woman and saw her talking to the people that worked here. "This is my first time meeting her but that ring on her left hand is unmistakable. My family has dealings with her husband's company." Talk about heartless. He's just wanting to impress his dad by doing these things then again….I did say nice things about Kyo-hyung, which I'm now taking back due to reasons.

"Ah, one of the Ootori boys. Imagine, running into you here in Kognito. The next opportunity I have, I'll be sure to take advantage of one of your families beautiful health resorts."

"We'll be honored."

"It's nice meeting you Kyoya, and your little girlfriend too. She's an adorable little creature." The woman said. I froze and declined all rights at being his so called girlfriend, all while a very noticeable blush appeared on my face.

"N-n-no! You have it all wrong! Kyo-Hyung and I are just friends! Yes! I'm just showing him around the place! Hahahahaha~! Yeah nothing is going on with him and me!" I said quickly and nervously chuckled while awkwardly rubbing the back of my head. I didn't realize the woman left, laughing heartily to herself about me cutely declining my relationship with Kyo-hyung and comparing it to how she felt about her husband when she met him. I didn't even realize the idiot himself ran off somewhere because I was thinking about how Kyo-hyung knew that woman was who she was if the ring wasn't even shown.

"Hey Mao, is Lemon the preferred flavor among snack makers?" He asked me and I looked at him with a "Did you just ask me what I think you did?" look.

"It doesn't make sense. If the primary ingredient is corn, why go to the trouble of artificially making taste like fruit. Seems counter intuitive." He said. Oh my god, he's like another Tama-hyung only smarter and cooler.

"Pft! Bwahahahaha~! What an interesting notion in its own way!"

"Did I say something funny?" He asked. I kept laughing because he was acting so cute like the F4 from _Boys over Flowers_. "Even though you guys are different, you and Tama-hyung act somewhat alike! So alike that it's hilarious!"

"You think so? This is something he and the twins would fond over. Very well, I'll buy them. Mao, your wallet." WHAT THE HELL! I'M NOT A BANK!

"Aish! Why can't you be like normal rich people and tape your wallet around your leg or something?" I said, remembering that episode Dad watched on George Lopez. "Damn, just remember to pay me back and get me the receipt!"

~/+/~

"Oi! Kyo-Hyung, I have a question to ask you." I said, pouting. Damn, now I'm inheriting that pouting look those Taiwanese girls get a lot in the dramas! Like the leading actress for Absolute Boyfriend, the Taiwanese version though!

"Hm?"

"Not that I want to know it for the rest of my life but why do you think Tama-Hyung likes to help people when they are in need?"

"You mean when there's nothing to be gained from? Who knows." He asked. WHAT!? ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT YOU SHOULD ONLY HELP PEOPLE WHEN THERE'S SOMETHING TO GAIN!? WHY YOU HEARTLESS~!

"Tch! Yeah right. There has to be a reason that you help people like that. I mean, from where we were standing at, there's no way someone like you would have been able to see that ring! You're not freaking Superman or anything!"

"And what is your point in this discussion?" He said in an amusing tone. I glared at him but not without a blush written all over my face that just seems to be out in public just so it can embarrass me. Stupid blush! GO AWAY!

"M-my point is that you and Tama-hyung are not that different!" I decided that I should be fiddling around with some of the stuff I bought for the guy. The lemon mochis were amazing by the way.

"And you don't count yourself as well?" Kyo-Hyung said. My eyes widened and then tightly squeezed the box I was holding tight enough that it surprised me.

_I drew a picture of big me helping people find their families and to make them smile when they have a gloomy day! I'll make them smile with the food I make!_

_Mika! If you're really in love, appearances aren't important. The best house is the one you build in each other's hearts!_

_I may be an orphan but I'm the happiest orphan in this world. I got lucky and I'm going to make sure everyone else is just as lucky as I was._

"I-." Before I said anything, I was interrupted by the intercom and its surprising announcement.

"Attention shoppers! This is an announcement for two lost children. Attention shoppers! This is an announcement for two lost children. A little boy named Kyoya Ootori and a little girl named Mao Kurosaki are lost inside the store. I repeat, Kyoya Ootori and Mao Kurosaki are lost. Their guardians, Suoh and Kurosaki are waiting for them at the second floor information counter. Kyoya is five feet eleven inches tall with black hair and wearing prescription glasses. Mao is five feet four inches tall with strawberry blonde hair and wearing a blue backpack."

MIII~KAAAAAAA~~! MOOOOMMM~!

There is doubt in my mind that both Kyo-Hyung and I were pretty pissed off. Especially when people around us were talking about us.

"That damn idiot! I'LL KILL HIM!"

"That damn idiot! I'LL KILL HER!" The two of us yelled together and I just marched right up to the second floor with steam coming out of my ears and my face red with anger. They just had to embarrass me with that intercom announcement! Me and Kyo-Hyung too! Why not just Kyo-Hyung? I could have lived with that!

"Kyoya! There you are! We were so worried about you! Why is Mao with you?" Tama-Hyung said excitedly and then he went quiet. Next thing I knew, there was a crash on the ground and then Mika lunging straight at me with a tight grip around my whole body, almost sending me to the ground if I didn't catch myself on time.

"MAO! I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!? I HOPE YOU DIDN'T GET SCARED! THANK GOODNESS KYO-KUN WAS THERE! YAY FOR KYO-KUN FOR PROTECTING LITTLE MAO-CHAN!"

"Oh boy oh boy! Mao-chan has come to play with us!" Honey-Oppa said and the twins appeared, saying "play play!" I facepalmed and sat down quickly, crossing my arms.

"Hell no! Sorry to tell you this but I'm exhausted! Next time you come to a place like this, DON'T LOSE ANYBODY!" I yelled at the group in front of me and they just cowered in fear while Mom, Haruhi, and Mori were at a corner drinking tea. At least someone is thinking about Mom's health when I'm not around. Thank you Mori-Oppa and Haruhi Noona.

As if things didn't annoy me even more, I started to hear barking noises and then saw a golden retriever licking Tama-Hyungs face.

"What's with the dog?" Kyo-Hyung said. I paused and looked at the scene in silence.

"Isn't she beautiful? I got her at an amazing place they call a pet shop! Hey, cut it out Antoinette!" Tama-Hyung giggled and was knocked down by the dog. Mika noticed my silence and then poked my cheeks, giggling as well.

"Does Mao-chan want a wittle pet too? Mao has always had a soft spot for animals, mostly animals that are cute. Isn't that right sis?" She said smiling while I looked at her in shock like she just told the guys I still wear diapers, which I don't!

I shook violently to at least try to control my urge to go up to the dog and pet it but it was no use. I sped up to it and then petted it, scratching it behind the ears and watched her wag her tail playfully.

"You're so cute~! Hahaha~! Who's the cutest? You are Antoinette! Yes you are! Yes you are-!" And then I got attacked with a bunch of licks from the dog, knocking me on the ground. "Hahaha~! S-stop it! That tickles you know!" I said with laughter in my voice. I guess this wasn't so bad after all. I got love licked by a cute dog and with a cute little bow around its neck! Tee Hee!

"Mao-chan!" I heard my Mom call out for me. I turned my head to her direction, seeing her hands behind her and then saw her smile. Well, that's how she had them until she swiftly showed me what the hell she had behind her.

"This is a present from me to you! Since you've been working hard, you deserve some new clothes for some potential dates with the guys! Enjoy!"

/ (O⌂O) ╝└──┘

"MOM!" I blushed again for the umpteenth time that day and then I turned around, heading towards the exit of the information center and then towards the shopping centers exit. I'm tired off all this crap. "Screw this, I'm going home! Tama-Hyung, you owe me for paying this bastard his lunch and the stuff he wanted to buy! With interest!" I said, throwing him the receipts and stomped my way out. While I was heading out, Mika was laughing.

"Don't worry, I guess she just had fun with Kyoya~!" She said and I stopped just after I turned around in the corner. When she said that, I didn't notice that I was smiling and then paid for a peach flavored drink to calm myself down.

Kyo…ya Ootori….. Hm…Has a nice ring to it….

"GAH! What am I saying?! Me? Like that four eyed bastard!? Ha! First of all, I have my studies and my mission! I can't let my feelings get the best of me especially the fluffy ones that make me want to ship that person with the other! Damnit Mao! Get it together!" I yelled to myself and tugged on my hair in frustration, not really paying thought to the footsteps that were behind me.

"Mao?" I heard the voice say. Turning around, I saw Kyo-hyung.

_Kyoya….can I tell you a secret?_

_What is it?_

_It's just that…I've been feeling strange ever since that night in Okinawa…I think I'm in love with you!_

_Mao…I feel the same way._

"AISH! Hold up Kyo-Hyung! Before you take another step, I like to know if you got my money! Y-y-yeah! My money!" I didn't mean to say that! All I wanted to say is that could he go home now and stop making me feel uncomfortable. Damn him! Do I feel this way around him and the others!? Wait, others? …Does this mean I'm having feelings for the guys!? DAMN YOU FEELINGS! WHY DID THE DRAMAS ENCOURAGE THIS!

"Actually, I do." He said with a chuckle. I thought he didn't have money! HE LIED TO ME JUST SO I COULD BUY HIM STUFF?! That-! THAT BASTARD **** **** WAFFLE! GAHH! AND TO THINK I WAS SO NICE TO HIM TODAY!

_That's was nice?_

Shut up~!

"Here." Kyo-Hyung said and pulled out a tiny rose, gently placing it on my hand. I stared at the rose and then at Kyo-Hyung with a blank expression. "I owe you this much." He said, lean in towards the top of my head and felt something press on my forehead.

It was soft and warm…..

Did….I just get kissed….by Kyoya Ootori….on the…forehead…?

_KYAHH! MAO! WE GOT KISSED! KISSED! By a hottie! _

Shut up brain!

"K-kyo-hyung?!" I stuttered and looked at him like he was completely insane while he smirked. "By tomorrow, I'll have your money."

"F-f-f-fine! Just make sure you have it!" I said, already flustered enough from the day I just had. I just want today to end and go home now.

_Mao Kurosaki…..You may not know, but today was really enjoyable because you were right beside me…you cried for me, something that not even Tamaki or my sister have done yet…_

_I can't help, but be more fascinated by you and your morals…_

_If you want to make everyone happy, make me happy because…_

_I've fallen in love with you and deeply…_

~/+/~

DING DONG

"Hm? I wonder who that is." I asked myself after we all got home and I was preparing dinner that night. I asked Mika to watch for the food and yell for me when it started bubbling. While I got closer to the door, I checked if someone was there but no human soul was in sight. I opened the door and didn't see anyone. Just when I was about to close the door, I looked down and noticed a little orange box with a purple bow on top and a note written in neat handwriting. Whoever wrote this is amazing at writing.

I took the note off the basket and then took the basket inside, setting it on top of the table and I sat down to read the note.

"'This present I present to you now reminded me of you and what had happened today. I hope this makes you smile. Name him whatever you like. – Kyoya.'"

….

I GOT A PRESENT FROM KYO-HYUNG!?

I quickly opened the box and I was surprised at what had popped up the next moment I looked in the box. A little white Scottish terrier puppy with a little red collar around its neck and then it attacked me with a lot of licks on my face. I startled giggling happily and I had to pry it off my face before he got used to it a lot. I know it was he since in the letter Kyo-Hyung did say it was a boy.

"Ha. You're a cute little guy, aren't you?" I asked the puppy as he barked happily and then rested himself on my lap as I started scratching him on his head. I found it cute and smiled at the scene since I always had a weakness for cute and innocent things like this.

"Okay. Well, I'm your new owner I guess. Kyo-Hyung, the person that bought you, said that I should name you however I want to…so, do you like the name Erwin?" I asked the pup as if it understood me. At first, I could have sworn I saw him growl at the name so I indicated it that he hated the name. I thought more carefully about the name I was going to choose next…

"Hm…Okane? Kyo-Hyung reminds me of money and we need money luck you know." I said and he just made that sad face, saying that he really didn't like it. Just when I was about to give up, I thought of another name that was amazing. It's one that's just cute and yet fierce. With one final attempt, I smiled and then said,

"How about Caesar then?" I asked him. The pup looked at me differently than the other times that I've suggested names for him. He barked happily and then started to lick my face again when I brought him close to my face again. I started giggling again and then settled him down as I had enough.

"Okay okay, you're names Caesar then. Now come on, you must be hungry. I don't have any dog food right now, but I'll make some if I can or something." I suggested and then he wagged his tail as he followed me upstairs to the kitchen and saw my sister. He barked and Mika was a little startled when he saw Caesar.

"Mao, did you pick up a stray again?!" She yelled at me and she started to pick Caesar up. I slapped her across her head, making her stop and think twice.

"Idiot. Kyo-Hyung dropped by and gave it to me. His name is Caesar!" I said and Caesar barked once more before Mika squealed happily.

"Oh, a gift from Kyoya-kun!? That's so sweet of him! I think this is the start of a romance then! Usually in the mangas, the guy gives some kind of gift to the girl he likes and right now, Kyoya-kun has given you Caesar! I wonder who's next on the list." Mika said whispering to herself at another direction and covering some part of her mouth. I wanted to bang my head on the table but I had to watch over the food and the new mouth to feed.

But, right now, that didn't seem to matter right now.

….I got a nice gift from Kyo-Hyung

…and yes…it did make me smile…

….Kyoya….


	15. Lobelia Strikes Back! I'm singing now?

It's a typical day for the neighborhood that I lived in. Before the sun even peaked up from the horizon, my alarm broke out and I had to get up to prepare everything. It's the weekend so there really wasn't any hurry to go to school.

Everyone went to bed pretty late last night; same thing for me but I don't really have an excuse. I stayed up till everyone went to bed, even Caesar who slept with Mika and I. I think he liked the side of my room better than Mika's or something because he woke up there next to me and also licking my face.

"Okay…okay! Calm down Caesar!" I said, pulling him off of my face and then ruffling up his head, getting that one spot that he loved for me to scratch.

7:30

If I leave now for the supermarket, there wouldn't be that many customers out there and they would be awake by the time I get back anyways.

However, the supermarkets closed right now and wouldn't open in the next two hours or so.

*BARK BARK*

I looked down to Caesar and he used his nose to guide his food bowl to my feet. I looked down on him and he used his cute little puppy eyes that I really couldn't ignore from him. Anyone else that tried to use the puppy eyes on me, I would just punch them in the face but with Caesar, it's a lot different for him. Caesar was a gift from Kyo-Hyung to me and I have to take care of him.

I bent down to his eye level and then chuckled at his cuteness.

"Okay. I guess you could use some breakfast while I try to make something for the others. Do you want the Caesar Dog food?" I asked Caesar and he barked in response, his tongue sticking out and his tail was also wagging around. I giggled at his cuteness and went to the cabinets to get some of the dog food that I buy for him. I gotta start making some dog food for him that way I know what the heck I'm feeding him.

"After you finish eating, what do you say we go to the living room and we watch _Stairway to Heaven_?" I asked him and he wagged his tail again as he lifted his head to look at me and in his eyes, they shone with happiness.

"Alright."

~/+/~

9:50 A.M

After finishing the morning episode of Stairway to Heaven, I was able to make breakfast for everyone on time too.

Everyone else was now awake and laid out for them was a table load of breakfast that I have always been able to prepare. A little tray full of bread that I've been able to prepare, along with some freshly squeezed orange juice and some Denver omelets. Believe it or not, the three of us have a big appetite and high metabolism.

"UWAAH! It's so cute looking! Look at the muffins! So cute looking!" Yeah, I know how Mika enjoys muffins in the morning and I made her favorites too, Banana nut muffins. Because of all that breakfast, I needed more ingredients for next week when we open the shop again. I quickly got dressed with my favorite shirt that I happened to wear to bed the other night (I washed it!) and subconsciously put one of Mika's shorts. I don't know, they must have ended up in my closet after I did the laundry yesterday. Whatever, clothes are clothes.

I headed out the door and down to the streets with Mika holding Caesar into her arms and Mom at the window.

"Be careful!" They yelled at me. I made my way outside the house door instead the shop door and when I even made it out, someone or some people grabbed me by my arms.

"Target."

"Captured." They said. Those voices were so familiar and I know exactly who it was.

Lobelia.

"What the!? What's going on!?" I yelled. I swear, I heard Caesar growl and then mom looked at the uniforms of the girls.

A limo pulled up in front of me, Hinako-Noona and Chizuru-Noona. Great, if that limo has Benio-Noona in there, I swear, I will try to get out of this place. Better yet, get out of the country because I'll end up pissing off the guys anyways..

The window rolled down and there in the car was Benio…..

_Yep…I'm getting out of the country now._

"Good. Bring her in. Now we just need is the other one." She said, probably talking about Haruhi-Noona. I got worried and just when I was about to ask, she rolled up the window and then told them to take me somewhere. I didn't know where and I was too afraid to ask. I'm being touched by L's and I didn't like it…

"MOMMMM! DAAAADDDDD!" I yelled mentally and faked cried too. This was so not what I pictured this to have happen this week. I just wanted to do some grocery shopping.

~/+/~

**((Caesar's POV))**

It was strange how my master was taken that way by some strange girls from another school that my master didn't go. Mom and Mika didn't react to it that much. I guess it's because Master always had a way of making friends easily despite her harsh ways and the hard work she does to occupy her time.

I waited at the door step for my master to return from what she needed to do and right now…it's the afternoon. It usually takes her for about half an hour to shop for groceries but she still hasn't returned. I was getting worried. Just before I was ready to go to the door and use my cute dog tricks to get me outside, the doorbell rang. My ears perked up and then instantly thought that maybe my master has returned. I started running around at how happy I was and then Mika came to open the door and at the doorsteps was this whole group of guys that I might have seen before.

Whoever they were, they had masters sent on them and I got into defensive mode and stayed near Mika. Master cares for everything that was in this house, that's all that I know about Master here. Masters Mom came in looking paler than this morning and then the group went off.

"Sorry, we have the wrong house." The blonde said, waking away and the group followed along with him. He must be a very influential person if he can make a group like that follow him.

"Hey. Hey, wait a second!" Mika said, rushing towards them and yet something to admire Masters Sister, Mika rolled them up to a ball into a wheel, pushing them inside the house. I barked approvingly and comforted Masters Mom, who held me in her arms as she watched the group talk to Mika.

"Sorry that I had to do that. It's still early in the morning you know! Well, that aside, what that you got there Tamaki-kun?" Masters sister asked the tall boy with a package. I just realized that I'm color blind. Ha.

"My dear Yuki and Mika. I hope this day finds you two in excellent health." This boy called Tamaki said and I just looked at him weirdly.

…..

*CAESARS FIRST IMPRESSION OF TAMAKI…HE'S AN IDIOT*

"Oh, thank you so much Tamaki-Kun. How nice of you and the boys to stop by here so early in the morning! Also, you brought along some treats as well; how wonderful!" It's almost the afternoon miss and there's still no sign of Master.

"Is Mao-chan at home?" The boy that held the bunny said. While he asked that, I watched Mika open up the box and looked happy when she saw what was in there. Some kind of sweets I guess.

"I'm afraid not. She's out with the girls today. They picked her up this morning!" Masters Mom said, remembering at what happened, "Oh heaven knows when they'll be back~!"

"So she's not home?" The boy sounded sad as he asked and the boy from before sounded sad as well and then collected himself after that.

"Well, Mao is entitled to spend some time with her old friends from Middle School once in a while." He said. I barked loudly enough and everyone were surprised to see me. Oh that's right, Master got me when someone bought me and then put me in a box as a present.

"I can't believe she's not home like Haruhi." The two look alike's said and then left out the door with the others behind him.

"This is why I was against a surprise visit." The one with the glasses said. He seemed mature, almost like the other black haired one but more intellectual.

"You know," Began Mika and took another bite of the sweets inside the box, "I don't think those girls were even from our old middle school. Then again, Mao-chan has always made friends despite her harsh attitude."

"Just imagine it," Masters Mom, Yuki, started, imagining Master in one of the uniforms of the school that typically kidnapped her, "My little girl hanging out with girls from Lobelia." Just as Masters Mom and Mika began to walk inside the house, Mika had a hand on her shoulder and the three of us turned around to see the grief-stricken faces of the boys, who were in shock about the news we've just given them.

"Did you say…"

"LO!

"BE!"

"LI!"

"AAAAA~!" The look alike's and the idiot said, more shocked than the others.

Learning that they know Master very well and from the looks of how they reacted that this so-called Lobelia school took Master, I did not like the tone of their voices.

_Masters in trouble! We have to get her back!_

~/+/~

((Mao's POV))

KYYYYAAAAHHH! KYAAAH! KYAAAAAAH!

That's all I heard around this area where I was in as I had to, well, I was more like forced to, get dressed into the school's girl uniform. I found it a bit cute except for the part that the uniform had to put heel on the shoe instead of Mary Janes. I prefer Mary Janes because my feet would still be on the ground instead of being two inches off the ground of my sole.

As I was fixing my skirt, all the yelling just increased and then I felt my ears just bleed from my eardrums forever damaged from all the fangirling that I've been hearing.

…..

Hey, I fangirl too but it's never that serious! K-Pop fangirls are super protective of their Noonas, Oppas, Unni's and Hyungs! We're a fierce group that protects them from other people that insult them. We're like the freaking Yakuza to the whole thing. We're fiercer than those Justin Bieber fangirls….

"Chizuru, where are our guests?" I heard a door open and then three types of footsteps entering the room. No doubt it's the Zuka club girls. More specifically, the L's.

Lobelia Girls' Academy is a school that promotes….ah…how does Mika put it? Oh yeah, Lobelia Girls' Academy is a school that promotes yuri ever since XXXX

"In the changing rooms, of course." Chizuru-Noona said and footsteps were heard from behind the curtain I was in.

"How's that size?" Hinako-Noona asked me and then moved on to the other curtain. I fiddled a bit with the shirt and then I looked up to see Chizuru-Noona looking at me like I look at Lee Min Ho Oppa.

"You look gorgeous maidens! I mean, Haruhi and Mao." Benio-Noona said and I just looked at her like she was crazy. This is why I don't hang out with too many girls because I get worrisome that one will then use their L powers to try to make me into an L! I'm heterosexual and that's that! End of story!

"You absolutely look beautiful!"

"So adorable!"

I kept hearing gibberish and then all of them complimenting how cute Haruhi and I are. I don't see it. I don't see how we're adorable. I think the two of us are just average.

"Oh my dears!" Benio-Noona said, a tear drop wanting to come out of her corner of her eyes. "You and those uniforms were just destined into each other. Most befitting innocent girls like you two. Yes." She said, wrapping her arms around Haruhi while I had Chizuru's arms around me.

"One's still unfamiliar with young loves first tender kiss." Chizuru-Noona said, lightly touching my lips with her index finger.

What the hell….

"Maidens!" Suddenly, we were all surrounded by the girls and then Haruhi and I had to push them off of us.

"H-hey! Get off of me!"

"Wait a minute!" I yelled, not really liking the sudden attention these girls were giving me.

Somehow, Haruhi and I were able to pry them off ourselves and we were pretty pissed off at how we got here.

"What is this? Could someone explain it to me?" Haruhi said, looking towards Benio-Noona and Hinako-Noona. "Yeah, cause one moment I'm on my way to the super market and then the next I'm brought here." She said. I nodded my head and explained the same thing, only settings.

"Me too. One moment, I was in my house, on my way to the super market as well and then the next minute, I was brought here." I recalled after what happened earlier this morning. What a pain…Caesar and the girls must be truly worried for me…

Well, you guys know what the heck happened to me so I do not really want to relive all my experience. …

"The three of you have as much sodality as the host club." Haruhi said.

"How dare you maiden! We're nothing like those idiots!" Benio-Noona screamed and then pointed out to somewhere in the room where a cloud of imagination, where at least six poorly drawn people appeared and there was the impression of the host club in the eyes of the Zuka Club. Wow, they really must hate guys then.

"Ah, forgive my outburst! It's only natural that you two would be upset after all. In our haste, we whisked you two away this morning in your night shirts." She said, probably imagining what we were wearing this morning. That was not my night shirt that was my style of dressing up! Sometimes, I dress up in clothes that look like you gotten them at the Salvation Army. I do that to save money!

"Those weren't pajamas, you know. That happens to be the way I usually dress!" Haruhi and I say at the same time.

So like, do rich people have some kind of living style that is so different than us folk?

"All attracts aside maidens; we have a small favor to ask of you two," Benio-Noona asked as I was trying to calm down Haruhi since she had an angry vein popping out of her forehead. "As you know, one of our responsibilities at the Zuka Club is to arrange the regular performance of musical numbers and original plays." She said, zoning off to one of the many performances that she might have had.

"Today is Pink Carnation day, when we celebrate the birth of the White Lily Leagues founder by putting on the most glorious production of the entire year," Chizuru-Noona said, Haruhi and I turning around to see I her clearly as she talks. So, it's like celebrating the day the school was founded when in middle school.

I wondered off into the costume racks that they had and then looked around to see what's going on. Strange, I could have sworn Mika has this costume of that Otome game she played. The costume was like that outfit of Shuu from Diabolik Lovers. Don't tell me how I recognized it, I just did.

"We've been rehearsing non-stop in preparation of today's performances."

And then switch off to Hinako-Noona.

"Tragically, the lead actresses were in some tragic accidents and are currently in the hospital," I tried to picture all that in my mind and it all just looked funny. "But even so, without her, you know what they say 'the show must go on'. Which means," She said, then turning serious and later, there was a big sparkling background with a violet rose and lilies all around.

"This is your big opportunity to be in the theatre!" The three girls said while they were doing some ridiculous poses, even more ridiculous than Tama-Hyungs.

"We can't." Haruhi and I said making an x with our arms. There was then a silent pause.

"Not a chance." We said again, waving our hands. There was another silent pause and they were still in their pose.

"We're sorry." We said for the last time hopefully and bowed down.

"You would only have to memorize a few lines." Benio-Noona said, the first one to recover.

"The roles are more symbolic than anything." Chizuru-Noona said, recovering later.

"They just stand there looking beautiful."

"You two can manage that can't you? We promise it will be the easiest thing ever." Hinako-Noona said. Haruhi was already walking out of the door and I had to break into a light jog to catch up to her.

"We'll show ourselves out." She said.

Well, let me summarize some more on what happened after that. Benio-Noona started freaking out and there was a spotlight surrounding her. Turns out, her mother was a really popular graduate of Lobelia and really distinguished. Chizuru said that there was still no woman that looked lovelier in men's clothing. And to honor her, they celebrate this day that made the woman famous in the Zuka Club and Benio-Noona's dream is to follow in her mother's footsteps.

_Hahaha! Your mom is a sick person! No one would want your mom anyways!_

_That's not true! I have another mom! My mom is a great chef! A chef so great that she's rich! I have two mom's that love me so much!_

Come on, that was just a lie to get those idiots off my back. It wasn't easy, but I did it.

~/+/~

((Mika's POV))

"If my daughter is held captive in there, I can't sit back and do nothing." Ranka said and we just went on look at the prestigious Lobelia Girls Academy that my sister and her best friend were held captive.

"Me neither!" Mom started, puffing out her cheeks, earning the attention of the guys and Ranka, "My little Mao-chan is in there in an unknown environment!"

"We must play it cool! Once we're finally inside, it'll be hard to get ourselves out again if we get caught in the Zuka Clubs web of lies." I chimed in, holding Caesar in my arms.

"How do you know so much you three?" Honey-senpai asked us, holding that cute pink Usa-chan of his.

"Haruhi and Mao don't really seem to be the types to get involve with the Zuka Club." Kyoya-senpai said.

"But neither did Kotako. She always seemed like such a strong woman."

"Neither did Masato. He has always been a kind man."

"Kotako? Masato?" The twins said.

"Haruhi's late mother and Mao's late adopted father. They unconsciously try to imitate. Perhaps there's some connection between them and the Zuka Club." Kyoya-senpai said.

"We were so blind. We were newlyweds and we were in love." Ranka and Mom said, remembering the time before. I knew this story like the back of my hand.

"One day, while cleaning the house, I discovered my husband's/wife dirty little secret." Mom said. Mom remembered going into the closet and then uncovered a secret compartment of Dad's secret box. She uncovered the box and then was surprised to see all the pictures of all the stuff that had all the Zuka Club pictures! It was the fabled Zuka Club memorabilia!

"What are we going to do!?"

"What if Haruhi and Mao do want to join the Zuka club to be like their mom and dad!?"

"Are Haru-chan and Mao-chan going to be bankrupt? They're practically broke already!" Honey-senpai said. I just wanted to slap them so silly and just correct them. Don't worry, Mao-chan has always made money for us and then….

"_What in the blazes do you want?! I have a business to run you know! You don't have the stuff, you pay with your body!"_

"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" Tamaki-senpai and I yelled, not knowing each other's wild imaginations. Yeah, wild imaginations because who knows what kind of crowds those two attract.

"KYOYA! Order us all some Lobelia uniforms! We're going undercover!" Tamaki-senpai said and he was quickly kicked by Ranka who told him about insulting him since he was a professional that dressed up like a woman. Yeah, well, I could get the uniform since I need to look the part.

"Mom, what do you think?" I said, turning to my mom, "This is something that's serious! You know how Mao tries to be like Dad even when she doesn't realize it!" There were anime tears that were coming out of my eyes and Caesar tried to comfort me. He's such a good dog.

"Let's see what Ranka says first! He does have an idea and I barely know about Lobelia anyways." She said and listened carefully about his plan.

~/+/~

In the rehearsal room that we have been able to see from the windows, there were a bunch of girls rehearsing for two plays apparently.

I barely paid attention to Haruhi's, well; I barely paid attention to this Benio persons performance because girls like here were…well….way worse than Tamaki-senpai. Haruhi was even wearing the school uniform while practicing The Senorita's Love. Mao was sitting traditionally, which was cute, at some corner next to the music player.

"Oh, my lord Frederick!" Haruhi said. The girls all around were in tears or were admiring the scene that Benio Amakusa was doing. I got to admit, she was a great performer. Do you think she ever thought of Broadway?

"Can you see them? What are they doing?" Honey-senpai asked us while mom and I knelt down to see what we could see. Kyoya and Mori-senpai were not really paying attention to the play. Good for them, it kinda seems a bit bland.

"It looks like Haruhi is playing the heroine…of a sentimental tragedy. But…" Tamaki-senpai paused.

"She sounds like a robot. Like a daikon radish!"

Well, what came after that surprised me since I had hear and see Haruhi sing and as much I was impressed, that dream came shattering down and there she was lip syncing. Well, I do that too when my singing is too much for the customers.

"That's enough girls! Let us all practice for the other play!" Benio-senpai said and then Mao-chan rose from her position, followed by Chizuru-san.

"This is the first time Lady Suzuran is playing a male part." I heard the girls whisper in the room and the guys must have heard to.

When I saw my little sister perform, I was kinda wondering if she secretly took acting lessons or something because she looked professional.

"I never knew Mao acted…"I heard the guys say.

"Neither have we. She must have picked them up with the dramas she's watched." Mom said, crying at how beautifully she moved.

"I think she's about to start singing." Kaoru said. Mom and I started freaking out.

"NO! Mao-chan's grades in music haven't been the greatest!" I said, sweat dropping, but it was too late, the music started playing louder and she just got that face.

_Heart don't fail me now,_

_Courage don't desert me,_

_Don't turn back now that we're here!_

_People always say life is full of choices; _

_No one ever mentions fear~!_

Oh my god…I still can't believe that's actually Mao-chan singing and she's even making the guys fall more in love with her right now. I mean look at their faces, their cheeks turned red!

_Or how the world can seem so vast!_

_On a Journey to the Past~~~!_

_Somewhere down this road_

_I know someone's waiting years of dreams can't be wrong_

_Arms will open wide_

_I'll be safe and wanted._

_Finally home where I belong_

_We'll start and learning fast_

_On this Journey to the Past~~!_

_Home, love, family._

_There was once a time I must have had them too!_

_Home, love, family. _

_I will never be complete until I find you!_

_One step at a time, one ahead another_

_Who knows where this road may go!_

_Back to who I was_

_I'm to find my future, things my heart still needs to know~!_

Okay, let me tell you how things are going down right know. You see, even Kyoya-senpai was wanted to watch Mao-chan perform and it was so cute how he was blushing and watching Mao-chan's every move. Actually, everyone was amazed as Mom and I were because she was singing so great that the people from Disney would be wanting to get her a role in an upcoming movie.

She was skipping and tossing her invisible hat in the air and was still rolling with it even if the music unexpectedly stopped because one of the girls accidently unplugged the switch. She didn't care; she was getting into the role and loving it.

_Yes!_

_Let this be a sign!_

_Let this road be mine!_

_Let it lead me to my past!_

_And bring me home, at last~~~!_

~/+/~

"Ah.. .! What the hell." I said, laying down, as Caesar was trying to cheer me up with some licks on my face. I giggled, stilling sitting down next to Honey-senpai and the twins.

"Glad to have you newbies."

"What do you like most about Lady Benibara?" These two girls appeared and then stumped us with that. What do I like about that girl? I don't know, I don't pay attention to girl schools! Luckily, Ranka came and saved us all.

"I can't wait to see the plays! They're supposed to be romances. They both have their own mixtures of tragedy!" The girl with the ribbons said and her friend chimed in.

"They're called The Senorita's Love and Anastasia! In The Senorita's Love, Lord Frederick fakes his own suicide against his father for coming between him and his lover Mary-Ann. But the gun he uses, supposedly filled with blanks, are actually filled with live rounds!" She said. What kind of a play was that?

"Oh, that's so terrible. In Anastasia, Anya befriends two people that used to work at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and the two help her to pretend to be the Princess Anastasia who lost her family in the palace raid of 1916. Along the way, she actually falls in love with the kitchen boy, Dimitri, but there is a man named Rasputin to come and kill off her, the last Romanov, and Dmitri starts falling in love with her along the way!" They explained.

"I have my suspicions about the girls playing Marry-Ann and Anya though." The brown haired girl said.

"Whoever they are, if they ruin Lady Benibara's plays our very own maiden warriors will be waiting patiently in the wing to critique her performance." The girl with glasses said, pointing to a group of girls with weapons and what Mao could have been if she still skipped school. Mom, Ranka, Tamaki-senpai, and I stood there shocked as hell and I almost wanted to cry.

"If Haruhi and Mao perform in front of these psychos, they'll be done for!" The twins said.

"They'll beat the daylights out of them!" Honey-Oppa said.

"Haruhi!" Ranka said, crying already with worry.

"MAOO!" Mom cried, already weak and I had to keep next to her so she wouldn't fall or anything.

"Don't you worry," Tamaki-senpai assured us, "We're going to get them out of this place." He said, then turning serious. I don't know how though and I'm the girl that reads manga and understands weird.

~/+/~

((Mao's POV))

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, OH CRAP!

I'm not ready for this! I don't think I'm ready for this! I only agreed to this because they told me I could have food later on after the play. You know I can't resist food, food is nice and a great way to pay people with. I was behind the curtains and heard all the girls coming in as mobs and filling the whole place up with screams and cheers as they came into the room. I think my ears were bleeding for the second time that day. From behind those curtains, I was able to see the performance and then I saw some people that I recognized.

"Mom!? Mika!? Oppa? Hyung?!" I screamed silently to myself and tried to hide away. Crap, now I got to perform after them once Haruhi-Noona is done.

"Hello Mao." I heard and felt someone's presence with me in that little corner of the stage. I turned and saw Kyo-Hyung there. Wait, now that I noticing, he wasn't there with the others. WHERE THE HELL HAS HE BEEN THE JACKASS!

"Good luck." He said to me, taking something out and did something I never thought he would have done.

I felt the familiar warmth that he gave me on my forehead the other day.

Only this time…..It was on my lips.

All the blood, as they say in the books, movies and stuff, flushed straight onto my cheeks, suddenly turning red.

As quick as the kiss came, so did a sudden flash and that warmth. Then he was gone.

OH! YOU KISS ME AND THEN RUN OFF!? STUPID BASTARD! YOU'RE NOT TOUCHING THESE LIPS ANYMORE!

"Mao, you're on!" Hinagiku-Noona said, signaling me to appear on the stage. I liked the music of the play honestly.

It almost made me waltz in to the stage, but I contained my excitement and started singing that song that I practiced during rehearsal. I'm just glad I memorized those lines as quick as I could despite it was just in a few hours.

Scene from scene, I was able to act perfectly and mask the nervousness and the guys, mom and Mika haven't gotten me off the stage as of yet was a plus because this was actually fun. Well, for some scenes it was. I just hope we won't do nothing stupid or anything.

We got to the scene my character stumbled upon the Winter Palace and uncovered some things of her past.

_Dancing bears, painted wings_

_Things that I almost remember!_

_And a song, that someone sings_

_Once upon a December!_

_Someone holds me safe and warm_

_Horses prance through a silver storm,_

_Figures dancing gracefully_

_Across my memories!_

From all around, people started coming out and started dancing with whomever they could. I did too and changed quickly with the song. From behind in the background, there was supposedly the Romanov family that died during the raid, my characters family that didn't make it out. I started dancing with the girls that had the red and gold imperial uniforms. This felt like I have done this before…but why.

_Someone holds me safe and warm!_

_Horses prance through a silver storm, figures dancing gracefully,_

_Across my memories!_

_Far away, long ago_

_Glowing dim as amber!_

_Things my heart used to know_

_Things that yearn to remember!_

_And a song someone sings! _

At this, I had my characters father dance with me a bit and then he kissed me on top of my forehead.

_**Lights were on and Strauss was playing repeatedly around the golden rooms. A man with handsome blonde locks appeared in front of this girl, a man that held her arms and lifted her up with glee, smiling now that the girls was having fun. **_

_**Everyone around us was dancing to the music that played and laughed at how fun they were having...**_

_Once upon a December~~~!_

!

I can't get distracted; I have to focus on the play!

~/=/~

The play was almost over; Rasputin was dead and I was on the pretend boat with Dmitri, a.k.a. Chizuru-Noona. Yeah, I heard that this was the first time she's playing the guy part of a play. But why?

"Anya…" Chizuru-Noona said, grabbing my chin and made me look into her eyes with a scary husky voice that I didn't think she was able to do. She must be feeling something from what I could tell in her eyes, but what I was feeling was totally different than hers.

"Right before their very eyes, I shall steal your first kiss….." She said and then spotlights appeared on the guys that were on the stairs of the auditorium and I noticed Kyo-Hyung wasn't there. Just my family and the crazy host club.

"Mom! Mika! Tama-hyung?!"

"….All for the sake, of revenge." Chizuru-Noona said, pulling me towards her.

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

F**ck, I was part of their plan to get me to transfer to Lobelia, wasn't it?

_No sh*t, Sherlock! When did you figure that out?!_

Shut up Brain! No one likes you!

_I beg to differ. Apparently, Kyo-Hyung does! Hm? Tee Hee. And many others too~~_

Stop laughing like that! That does not sound like us alright?! And let's do something! We're about to get kissed by a freaking L! I don't want my first kiss to be a girl!

…_**MAO'S BRAIN PROCESSING**_

_**MAO'S BRAIN PROCESSING**_

_**MAO'S BRAIN PROCESSING**_

_You're such an idiot….._

"Victory is mine filthy Host Club. Lady Benibara may have failed in getting that kiss, but I shall not with this one! Watch as we embrace!" Chizuru-Noona said, making me look into her eyes again when Tama-Hyung attempt to get me off the stage failed. My body started resisting Chizuru's attempt to kiss me. I'm not letting an L kiss me no matter what. Stupid L, Stupid Zuka Club, Stupid Girls, Stupid Lobelia Girls Academy.

STUPID FEMINIISTS!

_Don't worry Mao, Kyo-Hyung has something up his sleeve._

How would you know? You're just my brain that has the girly side of me. You're bluffing.

_Mao….You're slow. Just keep fighting and watch!_

"Stop! Get off of me Noona!" I yelled, not really paying attention to some panel dropping down and then a picture of Kyo-Hyung and me…..bumping lips.

_Bumping lips? Really?_

"What…..?"

"Oh no!" Chizuru-Noona said.

"WHERE WAS THAT PICTURE TAKEN!? I DEMAND AN ANSWER MAO!" Tama-Hyung said.

"As we're seeing right now," Hikaru began

"Mao has had her first kiss." Kaoru finished.

First….Kiss?

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

WTF?!

"MAAAAOOOO! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL you had your first kiss!? I could have brought a video camera and videotaped it! WHY!?" Mom said.

"Yeah! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING TO ONEE-SAN!? MOI! I GOTTA MAKE ANOTHER OTP! ALTHOUGH I ALREADY MADE ONE FOR YOU AND KYOYA-KUN, I GOTTA MAKE FAN ART! THIS IS SO GOING ON DEVIANTART!" Mika yelled.

Well, I'm going to cut this short. There were a few people that were injured from running after me to get my second or third kiss. More specifically, the Zuka club. It was hard to run with a dress on, but somehow I managed. Something else too. We made it out of Lobelia safely and I got good review from my singing and acting from the Benibara club! Yay. Not really. Even if they were going to send the yankee girls after me, I would have been able to take them on. I can take care of myself. Where I am right now is walking out of Lobelia, deciding to never come back here again. The founder or something of this school is going to hear a very strongly worded letter from me and my family. The injured were taken care, but this is a Romcom anime, a lot can happen in here that normally doesn't happen in real life.

_**~/Extended Ending/~**_

"So, Mao." Tama-Hyung said my name and I lifted my head to look at him. Yep, it was the day after the whole incident and we were all in the host club.

"When did you and Kyoya kiss?" He asked me. A lot of heads turned and I just stared at nothing for a good while. You know, just stared at the air and thought of stuff. Well, that was the plan until stupid Hikaru had to comment on my blushing red cheeks.

"Then why are your cheeks red?" He asked me when I just told everyone that it was nothing.

"B-because…! GAH! FORGET IT! THAT KISS IS JUST TO GET ME OUT OF TROUBLE! I DIDN'T WANT TO GET KISSED BY AN L! NO! NO! NO SEXUALITY CONFUSION HERE!"

"But…"

"LALALALA~! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" I covered my ears and thanked whichever religion I was following that the guests weren't here right now. Yep, super glad that they weren't here.

"Mao…Admit it. Kyoya was your first kiss." Haruhi told me. Stopping at my childish behavior, I looked at her and did the pouting thing a lot of Taiwanese girls did in the dramas. I hung my head low, suddenly snapping my head up and angrily blushed.

"FINE! KYO-HYUNG WAS MY FIRST KISS! NOW STOP BOTHERING ME ABOUT IT! It's bad enough Mika is drawing fan art about it; I don't need you guys telling me more about it…." I muttered the last two sentences. I just hope no one heard them especially a freaking Cool typed host that had a stupid smirk on his face that just annoyed me.

However…..It was nice that he stole my kiss and not someone that I didn't know or didn't care about…..

_Let us just love…..I hate the fights and you're the only guy that makes my heart beat….._


	16. And So Mao Started to Feel

_Why me?_

_Why was I left alone on that cold winter night? Would my Dad really come back?_

"Okay! Today, Sir Mao Kurosaki will be serving his delicious Macaroons and his famous Cherry Limeades to all you girls! I'll be your server for today, Mika Kurosaki! *TWINKLE*!"

That was my sister, Mika.

As you can see, she's a very energetic spirit that I had to look after every day for the last ten years. You really couldn't tell, but she's actually the oldest sibling and I'm the youngest.

"Mao, do you think it's a good idea for Mika to be like that?"

"Is Hatori alright with it?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked me, the two on both my sides as the three of us looked at the energetic girl that was bouncing around everywhere like a second Tamaki. I looked at the guys that actually came here to see Mika and her cute little waitress outfit, which I made sure to the twins that it wasn't too revealing, and I was pretty pissed off that the guys were staring at her like that. So inappropriate!

I clenched my teeth and my fist and swallowed down my anger, replacing the anger with a smile that behind it was pure evil.

"Not at all! That's why I'm here though! To beat down whoever makes a pass at my big sis!" I said and quickly glanced back at the guys that caught my glare and then flinched when they saw in my eyes, how they will go out in this world. I chuckled silently and then looked down at the kotatsu's all around the room.

"Seriously, why did Tama-Hyung decide to do this anyways?" I said and pointed to the tall blonde guy who was standing there like an idiot.

"Ah! Mao! You're such a killjoy! I remembered you when you were shy and cute and always had fun, now you're a worry wart that pays attention to their savings account." Mika said. I grabbed her shoulder before she moved away and gave her a noogie. She began to yelp from the small amount of pain and then laughed. "Mao! Stop! Ow, that hurts! Hahaha!"

"Oh yeah? I'll make it worse by taking away your allowance that way you won't buy new manga! Say goodbye to your _Black Bird_ manga for the month!"

"NOOO! Not _Black Bird! _Anything but that! Please!" She fake cried and tried to get out of my grip.

The Kurosaki siblings couldn't be more related than right now. That was just the thing; we weren't related, not by blood of course. We're adopted…adopted by the same family that gave us a home.

"How could they be so different and yet so alike?" I heard the gingers mutter out loud. Haruhi, who was just next to us, looked at Mika and I and we stopped what we were doing and then looked at her back.

"What's wrong Haruhi? Something on Mao's face?" Mika question and poked my cheek. I gritted my teeth so I wouldn't try to look more annoyed than I already was and then slapped Mika's hand away.

"So the two of you were both adopted by the Kurosaki family right?" Haruhi asked. Mika and I looked at each other and then back at Haruhi, nodding our heads. "Yeah…."

"Okay, so here's what I don't get. How are you so alike yet so different? Also, why did someone like Mao change into who we all know today?" Haruhi asked again. Mika and I had the same look of surprise when we heard the questions. We were asked so many questions during elementary and middle school, but the questions from High school were more different and more personal. I didn't know whether I should answer or not. For a split second, Mika and I looked at each other and studied our looks quickly before we turned to Haruhi with a smile.

"Did you ever wonder why Mao is called the Bipolar Tiger?" Mika said and folded her arms quickly.

_**TEN YEARS PRIOR**_

_Back then, the two girls, who would eventually become best friends, were to become sisters._

SNIFF SNIFF

"DADDY! Daddy!" There was a woman passing by this one street at night to get more milk for her children. They really weren't her children, but she at least treated them like her family. That one alley that she was passing was the alley that I was in that night. I don't know how I got there, but I got there and this woman came to be because I was crying.

"Are you okay?" She asked me. I looked up at her, my eyes still blurry with tears. She was a nice woman with warm hazel colored eyes and black hair. She was so different from how I looked like. I wiped my tears and cried so more before I felt some warm arms around me.

"There, there. Everything will be okay." She told me and lifted me up. "We're going to my house now. I think you'll like it there. There are children off all ages there." She said to me, smiling down at my small form. We walked in the cold snow on a cold night.

I was tired and the tears on my face were freezing. We reached the place this woman was talking about and it was huge. Not huge like a castle, but big enough to fit at least fifty people or so. I watched in awe you could say and stopped crying when she brought me inside.

"You can sleep in my room tonight. I'll introduce you to the others in the morning she said." She had the voice of a caring mother and I really liked it. That night, I realized that I haven't seen my mom in a long time. I didn't know where she was and I didn't know where she was. I remember my dad saying that she was a beautiful woman who loved me so much. What I didn't understand though was why she left me all alone here with my dad and then dad said he was going to come back for me.

I waited and waited from that night until I realized he never came back.

That was it. He never came back because he forgot about me….

~/+/~

"Children!" The woman, Haruka, called out in the big dining room. She called them out with just a clap and all their heads turned to me and Haruka. I hide my face with the long hair that I had and blushed. Believe it or not, I was a little shy when I was little.

"I'd like you to meet a new addition to our family. Tell them your name." Haruka told me and I looked at the whole room, who were waiting to say my name. I opened my mouth, closing it soon enough, but I knew they weren't going to stop looking at me until I said my name. It took me a minute to realize what my name was. I just said what the first thing came to my mind was.

"M-mao. I'm Mao. It's nice to m-meet you all." I said. I then went over to this seat and I didn't realize who I was sitting with until I looked and there was this girl with blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She was a pretty girl and she wore a smile on her face.

"Hi!" She said to me, smiling at me. I looked behind me to see if she was talking to someone behind me, but I checked and she was talking to me. I didn't know what to do so I just said hi back. She giggled at me when I said my quiet hi.

"You're so quiet!" She said, extending her hand, "I'm Mika! Let's be friends~" She told me, grabbing my hand and shook it. I didn't know what to say so I just stayed in the same position I was in and looked at this strange girl that automatically made me her friend by force. I was little, I didn't know if she was just lonely or anything. I just assumed that she wanted to be my friend or something.

All I cared was if I was going to eat something.

I was new to the orphanage.

_**She was new to the orphanage.**_

I didn't know one soul.

_**She didn't know one soul.**_

I was alone in the world, like everyone else in this place.

_**She was alone in the world, like everyone else in this place.**_

Until I met her, my best friend.

_**Until she met me, her best friend.**_

That girl, the one that I'm sitting next to in the mess hall is my best friend, Mika. She's been in this orphanage longer than I have. She's had my back since day one and I tried my best to have her back, but I was such a meek and shy person that I still don't believe it to this day.

As I was lost in thought, some of the older boys came up to me and snatched the necklace I had on me. I looked back at the boys and they were the ones that always picked on the younger kids, kids like me. I looked at them and back at the necklace with tears in my eyes. They smirked at me and raised the necklace high in the air.

"Ha! Such a crybaby!" They said. I started crying when I tried to jump up to get my necklace back.

"Give it back! Give it back!" I said desperately.

"What are you gonna do? Cry to mommy? Oh wait, you don't have one!" They said and that made my cry again. I couldn't take any more and I almost decided to give up and run away. However,

"FALCON PUNCH!" I heard someone yell and when I looked up, I saw the same girl that became my friend, punch the boy right in the face. She glared harshly at the boys that they could now be six feet underground. They ran away, dropping the necklace on the ground and she turned her attention to me, who was sitting on the ground.

"It's okay now." She said, picking up the locket that they dropped. "Here, it belongs to you!" She smiled. I looked at her curiously and then hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you onee-san!" I said. She patted my head and from then on, we stayed by each other's side. We looked after another.

"Hey, what's with that necklace anyways Mao-chan?" Mika-chan asked me and pointed to the thin necklace that I always carried around with me since I could remember. I squeezed it in my hands and smiled.

"Dad gave it to me. It gives me hope that he'll come one day even if I'm adopted, I know he'll come back for me!" I grinned and ate more of my breakfast that day. My dad is going to come back. If he doesn't, I'll just look for him.

"That's amazing Mao-chan! I'll support you hundred percent!"

"Yeah!"

~/=/~

"Mao-chan! Mao-chan! Guess what?! Guess what!?" I heard Mika-chan yell out in the hallways and saw her running towards me. She turned to me and smiled brightly. "What is it?" I said softly. "I'm getting adopted! I'm going to have a family! And I came over and-" She stopped and saw me look at her sadly, but quickly changed my face before she even noticed it. I smiled brightly and led her to our room that we shared together.

"That's great Mika-chan! I hope you have a happy life! Write to me okay?" I tilted my head and got out her luggage. "Let's pack!"

When we finished packing, we walked together to the couple that adopted me. They smiled at Mika and looked at me.

"Is that Mao?" The woman, Yuki, said. She nodded her head and turned to Masato, the man beside his wife. He walked over to me and ruffled my head. "Hey, you're friends with Mika, right?" He asked me with a smile. I slowly nodded her head, looking at Mika and then back to Masato-san. His smile grew and wrapped his arms around my small frame carefully.

"Yuki…today we'll have two daughters." I couldn't believe my ears and neither could Mika. The man wanted to adopt us both.

That's when we both realized….

We were going to be sisters….sisters that were the best of friends…God wanted us to be sisters, even if we weren't biologically….

"Mao-chan! Let's go pack your things!" Mika said to me and I nodded, smiling once again.

Mika-chan…is precious to me…my family and my best friend…

_**Mao-chan is precious to me…my family and my best friend…**_

And then, she and I became sisters.

_**And then, she and I became sister.**_

"Mao. Mika. Hurry up if you don't want to be late for school." That was dad calling for me and my sister downstairs to go to the local elementary school. It was our last spring in the elementary and next year, we'll be in middle school. Mika and I were adopted by very kind folks that cared for us. The woman, Yuki or as I like to call, Mom, was half Korean and half Japanese. The man, Masato or Dad, was half Mexican and half Japanese.

I never met such kind people that treated the two of us like their real daughters.

"Let's go Mika! I don't want to be late!" I yelled at my older sister. I call her my older sister because Mom told us that even twins had to have an older or younger sibling so she made us play rock, papers and scissors. I lost so I then became the younger sibling.

"Coming!" Mika yelled as she was coming downstairs with a pink hair bows in her hair. I had my hair loose and let it be beside the little blueberry bow. Mika grabbed my hand and then the two of us went out, saying bye to Mom and Dad, on our way to school.

I wouldn't say that we were perfectly happy – Dad had his moments with his family and flat out ignore them. Mom tried to be nice to them when they were around, but they brushed her off and us too. Mom's family was different, they accepted us and loved Dad very much like their own son. I liked Mom's family too and they were the ones that introduced me to this thing called Korean Dramas. My favorite right now is Stairway to Heaven.

Whenever all this unhappiness happens, it pushes me a little to embrace it and not let get to me.

~/+/~

I learned from Dad that Mom was hospitalized one day when Mika and I were at school still. The teacher came and announced it to us and excused us to visit Mom and Dad at the hospital. The two of us feared the worst was going to happen to my Mom and I didn't want anything to happen to my Mom, not while I had this new family and I'm on a mission to look for someone.

We reached the hospital Mom and Dad were at and quickly met with Dad, who was sitting in the waiting room, his head hung over and not even looking up to know that it was us. When Dad was this depressed, we knew that it was bad. Dad was our strength and normally didn't look depressed or anything.

We sat next to him, rubbing his back to comfort him at least and waited for the doctor to come. When he came, he looked at us sincerely and announced to us,

"I'm very sorry. I wish I had better news for you. We ran every possible test that we could think of. Mrs. Kurosaki has stage one cancer." He said.

My whole world just stopped and I'm sure the same thing happened with Dad and Mika. Dad started shaking and dropped to his knees to bring us into a hug. I didn't know what was happening to Dad, but something came to my mind that he wanted to cry and he did because I felt my shirt becoming wet from the tears that he was shedding. He was shaking pretty badly.

I didn't know much about cancer, neither did Mika. We researched it and we found out that it's an incurable disease that you can get on anything in your body. There was brain cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, vaginal cancer, blood cancer, breast cancer, etc.

We were going to live with a Mom that will probably die.

None of us didn't know when will that happen, but we knew one thing…..

We weren't going to let that happen.

Dad did everything in his power to work his hardest and paid for the best treatment that there was possible and that happened to be the Ootori Medical Hospitals. Their treatments were pretty expensive, but that didn't matter to Dad, he wanted Mom to get better and beat cancer. We wanted the same thing for Mom too that we started doing most of the chores to help out Dad so he wouldn't have to worry.

I started cooking and I happened to be really good at it that I also joined the cooking club. Because I was really good at what I did, Dad decided to rebuilt the house and put a restaurant underneath our house. I liked cooking and he didn't have to do all of that.

He insisted and soon enough, we had a restaurant and our business was great.

"Happy Mommies Day, Mom!" I yelled, along with Dad and Mika. Mom was laying on the bed and smiled when we came into the master bedroom and in front of her was a tray full of first class food that looked like it just came out of a food catalog.

"Y-y-you made all of this?" Mom said to me and I nodded happily, pushing the food toward her.

"Yeah! Thank you for taking far of Mika-chan and I!" I said.

~/=/~

"What do you want to do Mao-chan for Show and Tell?" The teacher asked me, smiling widely at me when we were going over out plans for Show and Tell. She said that we didn't have to think too hard on it. I started drawing a picture because I wanted to show everyone what I wanted to do for everyone.

"Teacher, I can't tell you now. It'll ruin the surprise." I said, giggling. Before I knew it, Show and Tell came.

Parents were invited to see what their kids were doing in school. It was a good day and I've been working on a drawing that would surely impress the teacher and the parents.

"Okay class, today we're doing Show and Tell! Mao! What do you have for Show and Tell?" The teacher asked and I ran to the front of the classroom with a piece of paper with me and a smile on my face. The parents were awing at how excited I was and Dad just happened to take a picture. I flipped over the picture and it showed a drawing of the family and I.

"Um…It's a picture of grown up me and my family all happy! One day, I want to be a chef that makes people happy! I'll have my own café and bring smiles to everyone when they have a bad day!" I said and the kids were all clapping and aweing. "Even when I'm sad or angry, I will do my best to make people happy!" I finished.

"You want to make people happy Mao-chan?" A kid asked me.

"Yes! Happiness is one of the world's best things. People are much prettier when they smile!"

~/+/~

I was a troubled kid, not the kind that turned into a yankee or anything, I just liked to fight and because of that, Dad signed me up for some Tae Kwan Do, Judo, and boxing. I was excited that day.

"Ah!" I yelled and then looked up at the kid that beaten me black and blue from our match. Dad watched and made the other kid the winner. I was so sad that day because I at least wanted to show Dad that I could have what it takes to be strong and awesome at the one thing that he likes. I like martial arts; I can control that anger whenever I wanted to towards a punching bag.

"Mao, are you okay?" Dad asked me when I was still lying on the ground and looking at the boy. I rose my head and looked up to my Dads face to see him still smiling. I was confused, why was he smiling about my loss.

"Dad, don't look at me! I failed my first tournament! I'm so sorry!" I started crying and then winced in pain when I wiped away my tears. While I was crying, I had a hand rest on my head and some arms enveloping me in a hug.

"So? You try and you fail, you try and you fail, but true failure is when you don't try again."

Dad taught me how to protect myself and taught me some stuff that I will try to remember. He was my favorite person in the world and the one that wanted me to become his daughter. He was my Dad and I loved him very much! I was proud to be his daughter!

I wiped my eyes and nose, smiling at him. "Okay Dad! I'll keep trying!" I said, giggling.

Dad's my Dad and he's one of the best Dad's in the world. He was good at being my Dad that I almost forgotten about my real Dad that left me alone that night. I gave up on looking for my Dad when I was shown so much love and happiness that I barely experienced sadness and anger. Mom was also getting better from her cancer and was able to help around the restaurant when Dad wasn't home. I helped out too.

My life couldn't get any better than it is now.

~/+/~

"No! Are you sure?!... Lost!? No! Masato…! MASATO!" On a summer day on my second year in middle school, the house got a phone call from dad's workplace.

The house wasn't sad until that day. The house never wept or cried until that day. It was almost as if the house was one with Dad. The color around the house has never looked so bleak and colorless until that phone call. Mika and I were in the kitchen finishing up our chores and then saw Mom collapse on the floor. We were scared and called our neighbors to call the hospital. Then, we found out what happened to Dad.

Dad's gone. Dad won't be coming home to give us hugs or some mementos from his travels.

Everyone cried….Everyone cried except me….

"It's so sad for the Kurosaki family to have lost Masato." I heard a person say. Friends and relatives – relatives that didn't even talk to us before Dad died – were invited to the funeral and I never seen so much black in my life until that day. My world was black for a while because my favorite person in the world is now gone. Why him of all people?

"Yes, it seems as though the Mao girl doesn't seem affected at all. Didn't she love her father enough to even shed one tear? How disrespectful." I kept hearing whispers that wounded me on the inside. On the outside, I kept stoic and emotionless. Of course I'm sad about my dad passing away and I try not to pay attention to the whispers so that they don't affect me in a negative way, but…

I forgot how to cry…

"Mao, cry! Cry! CRY! Why can't you cry!? Didn't you love Dad enough that you can't cry? You-! YOU HEARTLESS GIRL! I WISH YOU WEREN'T MY SISTER!" I remember Mika saying that to me and didn't talk to me for two months. I somehow forgiven her and that just pissed her off even more, but somewhere deep in me, I was mad at her. And yet…

I had to be calm.

I had the silence I wanted, but I lost my best friend. I lost my dad and I didn't know what to do. I was lost yet again in that cold dark alley that I told myself I wouldn't end up again.

I was at that dark place again and I lost another parent figure…something just snapped in me….

"Mao! What are you doing up so early?! Wait, are those the taxes?!" Mom said when she came into the kitchen to make some breakfast before we went off to school that day. I shrugged and then continued more with the paper work.

"You're busy all the time with the shop so I thought I'd do something around here." I said and then pulled out the calculator to make sure I added up everything up. I didn't stop there though. After mom got into her sickness, I began running the business and started doing most of the chores. Right now, I don't think I would be able to take a break from very long because I have two people to take care of right now. My sister and my mom.

"Mao, you've been working too hard. Why don't you take a break and get some fresh air?" Mom asked me, coughing up a bit until she forced a smile on her face. There wasn't time to take a break. I had to work on my applications to some high schools despite the fact that high school is a few years away.

"I would mom, but then who'll run the café?"

"I will of course."

"No you're not mom. You're pretty weak right now and you gotta keep your strength up. Besides, I'm gonna have to come up with some money to pay off half of your medical bills and Mika's cram school."

"What about you Mao? Aren't you going to get anything for yourself?"

Anything for me?

No….I owe them this much….I have to repay for their kindness to me.

"All I want is to pay the electric bill on time." I said, putting up a smile on my lips.

~/+/~

*CLICK CLICK CLICK*

"Oh my, look at my little girls! All grown up and ready for their third year in middle school! How exciting is this!?" My Mom's personality was given to Mika, my older sister. They were two peas in a pod while I was like Dad.

Mika joined the Nursing and Art Club during that third year. I still stayed in the Tae Kwon Do Club and Boxing club, but I joined the Cooking Club too. I wanted to be close to something I want to be. I want to be a chef to make everyone happy; that's what I wanted to do for Mika and Mom. Dad too; I wanted to make him happy even when he's in heaven looking down on us and smiling later on when he recognizes how much I worked to keep this family happy. I want them to be happy while I can just continue on and making other people happy. I don't deserve being happy because I insulted my Dad's memory.

Maybe that's why I'm working so hard to get peoples forgiveness.

Maybe that's why I inherited the title of being the "Man of the house" after he left.

Who knows because I forgotten why I was doing this.

"Mao-chan! You know Kurosawa from 2-4 right? You have a crush on him don't you?" Some friends of mine at the school, from the same class as mine, came up to me and smiled at me when they found out I liked Tohru Kurosawa from 2-4. How did they even find out? That was supposed to be a secret between Mika and me! DAMN THAT GIRL!

"N-no! W-why would I like him!? I can't have a relationship with someone just yet! I have to focus on my studies!" I said, stuttering with my sentences and the more I did that, the more my friends teased me about it. I was getting more pissed off, but I had to keep a calm face.

And then, I did end up liking that boy even more.

I never seen such a hard working guy in my life and, that to me seemed to be the most attractive quality in a person. Eyes that shone brighter when he smiled and his face lit up when he laughed.

"Tohru-kun! I love you! P-please accept my feelings!" I said, looking down on the ground, not really up to looking at the guy that I had feelings for. He was a great guy who I ended up liking a lot when we met at the Student Committee. It was silent for a moment and then I heard something that I didn't want to hear in my life.

"I'm sorry Mao-chan, but I like Mika-chan better." He told me and walked off somewhere. That was my hit of reality that maybe my mission really is to make sure everyone is happy while I wasn't. I quickly ran out of the scene and towards the classroom that was my third period of the day, smiling the best I could without crying of course.

~/+/~

They ended up going out. Mika and Tohru-kun. I was happy for them. Well, I was until I came home from work at the bakery that day.

I was already exhausted that day from work and then I heard screams from Mika in our bedroom. Quickly, I opened the door to our room and saw my sister almost being raped by the guy I liked. I couldn't believe it, how could such a sweet person like him turn out to be this type of guy that wanted my sister's innocence? And that guy was the one I had a crush on. Mika being in the position of being raped, I had something snap in me and then next thing I knew, I was throwing him to the ground and punching him in the face multiple times. I heard his screams of pain and I enjoyed them; I ignored my sisters' plea to stop what I was doing, but I kept on punching him.

"Mao-chan! Stop! You're going to kill him! Stop! He's hurt enough already!" Mika said, trying to pry me off by grabbing me on my arm. I was getting angrier and then pushed Mika to the wall with all my force. I had so much anger in me.

"SHUT UP! HE'S SCUM! HE DARED TO TOUCH YOU LIKE THAT! SUCH IMPURE THOUGHTS! HE SHOULD DIE! DIE DIE! DIEE! DON'T EVER GO NEAR MY SISTER AGAIN YOU DIRTBAG! YOU BASTARD!" I yelled at his face and then turned to Mika when I grew bored of him. "I HATE YOU MIKA KUROSAKI! I HATE YOU!" I said, grabbing her shirt and slapped her across the face, leaving a hand print on it. I didn't even give her the chance to touch it because I slapped her gain. "WHY DID YOU CALL ME HEARTLESS!? HUH?! YOU THINK THAT DIDN'T HURT ME!? I LOST ANOTHER DAD WHILE YOU'RE STANDING THERE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE TWO DADS! YOU STUPID BITCH! YOU HAD NO DAD UP UNTIL NOW AND LOOK AT ME! I LOST TWO! GO TO HELL BECAUSE I HATE YOU!"That was the last thing I said before I slapped Mika one more time until she fainted.

When I did calm down, I realized what I have done and called Mom and the police, the ambulance. Anybody that could help me.

"She's suffered from some severe bruising and some broken ribs. It's a good thing your other daughter was there before something worse happened.

What have I done? Why did Mika have to suffer and why did I take out my anger on a person and not on a punching bag? I hurt my sister, my best friend, and she's been hospitalized now because of me!

"Mika! Mika! Wake up! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just that…! I was so hurt when you called me heartless after dad died! I forgot how to cry because I was too happy! I did all of this that way Mom and you can be happy while I can just sit in the back and smile like the robot I am! MIKA! DAMMIT! WAKE UP! I DIDN'T CRY BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW! OPEN YOUR EYES THAT WAY YOU CAN BE MY SISTER AGAIN!" Around the hospital, you would know that the one screaming was me at my sisters sleeping body. Even while she was still like this, she still looked beautiful like in the story of Snow White. During those months my sister was hospitalized, I dropped out of high school temporarily due to some debt problems when really; I was by my sister's side until she woke up.

I never seen anything so beautiful in my life than my sisters eyes open for the first time since I attacked her. I quickly enveloped her in a gentle hug and apologized as much as I could while I heard her sweet and gentle laugh that I've been hearing since we were kids. With that laugh, I also felt some tear drops on my hand and saw her tearing up.

"Mao…you don't have to smile anymore….you can cry, frown, throw things in the air….anything, but smile when really all you want to do is express yourself. Don't hide all your pent up emotions," She said, "And I'm sorry as well for saying your heartless, it's my fault….you're kind and you should also be thinking of your happy future too...now, stop hugging me. My ribs are just beginning to heal!"

~/+/~

_And there goes another day in paradise._ I thought and cleaned up the tables in one of my friends families restaurant. They own a place called Yamaguchi Bakery and I got the part-time job to be their bread maker. Yeah, I made bread and I had to study twice as hard to figure out what the heck I was going to do with the bread and which ingredients I was going to use. However, there was very little I had to do because I was a natural in the kitchen.

I had co-workers too. I worked alongside Mika's boyfriend's friend. He was a sweet kid yet I had some hard times trusting boys again, especially after the incident. Kohaku was different though. He was like the sweet guy of a Korean Drama, he was everything a guy could be in a Korean Drama.

"Hey Mao! We got another order!" Kohaku said, giving me the request for this kid's birthday cake today. They wanted one with strawberries and that edible colored gel. The cake should also be chocolate and fit the theme of Bakugan. Kids these days…..

I nodded my head and worked hard today to fulfil the request. By the afternoon, almost an hour before the kid's birthday, the mother came and I presented her the cake that her son wanted. She was awestricken and paid me extra.

"Jeez Mao. I don't think I saw you leave the kitchen for hours. You sure you don't want a break?" The black haired boy asked me and I winked at him.

"Nah. You know Mika. She wants me to pay for the new home of her manga collection. That girl is so weird." I said, heading to the sink to clean my hands and then got ready for a new batch of cinnamon rolls and some chocolate mint cupcakes.

I didn't know that my co-worker, my boss's son, Kohaku, was watching me with a blush on his face.

_Then one day…_

"Hey Mao." As always, Kohaku greeted me with a smile that I bet millions of girls would melt for.

"Hey yourself." I greeted back and then walked over to where I always hanged my apron. I tied it around my waist and then began to work. Kohaku was where he usually was and then gave me an order of eight little cupcakes that had letters on them saying "I love you". I got these kinds of requests from people everywhere and I think it was sweet of someone to do this.

When I finished them, I handed them to Kohaku, but he handed them back to me with a blush on his face. I looked at him and he kept looking back at me. I didn't know what to do and just stand there.

"Mao. There's something special about you." He said; the first one to speak, "I only heard things about you and I was kinda curious of how you would be like. You didn't seem like how I imagined, but that was the best part because you were better! Mao Kurosaki! I…I like you! I like everything about you!" He confessed to me.

"W-w-what do you mean by like me? L-like me as in a friendship kind of way?" I asked him and the next thing I knew, he drew his face closer to mine.

"In a sexual way!" He said, blushing more. His blush wasn't helping mine because it just intensified.

I didn't know what to say to him. It was a sweet confession, and he used food.

"Kohaku…I appreciate your confession…but…why me?" I asked.

"I like how hard working you are, and I worry when you over work yourself. I love your determination and don't take no for an answer. I love your selflessness and how you cook!" He told me. This was too much for me….

"Kohaku….I…"

~/+/~

"Everyone line up!" I ordered from the megaphone that I had with me during a school committee announcement in the court yard. Surprisingly, everyone listened to me and then got into a perfectly formed Military line with their arms stretched.

"Normally the President of the School Committee would be making these announcements but he's absent due to some circumstances! Lately, a bunch of you numb nuts have been forgetting your student handbooks! Proof is out there too since during last week's inspection of personal belongings, there were around sixty who've done this." Honestly, I really was disappointed when I had to make this announcement, you could hear it in my voice.

"Coming to school without your student handbook is like forgetting your pride as students at Karuzazaki! You drill that into your skulls, alright?!" I asked and I was pleased with the answer I got.

"YEAH!" That echoed loudly around the court yard.

"That's all the announcements for today! DISMISSED!" I yelled and pointed to the school and everyone marched right on into the building. I was kinda proud that I rose to such a position. I really liked having people trusting me and forcing a disciplinary committee for the school since a lot of some Yankees liked picking fights with some of the students. I taught the committee myself to learn how to protect themselves.

"Aish! Pay attention you idiots! When are you guys going to learn that we're not a school to be picked on! Our pride of being students of Karuzazaki is much stronger than letting people like you bully us. There's a new leader within the student body and that's Mao Kurosaki, the Bipolar tiger!"

~/=/~

"There she is."

"The Bipolar Tiger! Wow, she's scary, but so cool!" I'm not that scary, I just focus on my studies a lot because I want to become a great person. However, there were always the rumors that spread around like the one that I beat up some rival schools Yankee's and that I myself turned into one.

"Kurosaki sure is tough! It's no wonder she's a Yankee! She doesn't need that long skirt to be a Yankee or anything."

"Did you guys hear? She beat up a whole group of guys near the Shibuya district. They say they were real Yakuza guys!" A girl said, whispering to her friend.

"No way! How can our top student turn into a real Yankee in just a year? Scary."

"Do you think we should stay clear from Mika as well? They're sisters and all."

"Hey! You idiots! Mao was just looking out for me and she beat up the guys for trying to look up at her underwear! Any girl would do the same thing! If you guys make false stuff about my little sis again, I'll summon up Russia from my demon summoning song!" Mika….

Even if she doesn't look like it, she's the elder sister and she looks after me even when they were talking about her when they talked about me.

I owe her that much.

I want be like Aiko Shinate. She was amazing and created her Edelweiss Restaurant franchise. They served everything from the formal menu to the café menu.

I guess I knew why I took on so many waitress jobs at so many restaurants and cafés. I want to know the business inside and out.

Question is, which school would really help me to make sure I would be the same as my hero Aiko Shinate?

"Check it out! That's the school some kid in the Ikebukuro district went in several years ago. I hear he's doing well now with his Newspaper business."

"Wouldn't it be great if one of our guys was accepted there? They have a scholarship for everything there." I heard some guys say and quickly went over to the guidance counselor.

"Mr. Namikaze! I want to go to Ouran Academy!

~/=/~

"Aww! It's so sad that our beloved Bipolar Tiger's going to go ahead with attending at Ouran Academy! Everything will be so different without her!"

Graduation was coming around the corner and then we'll all be in high school. I was going to a prestigious school that I found out had some connections to finding my real dad. I wanted to find him! I want to find him so he can tell me straight to my face why he decided to leave me alone that night!

"I just can't believe she got accepted."

"Well, she's one of the school's top students. Who would pass a chance to accept a smart person like Mao?"

"But it wasn't for the Honors Scholarship, she was accepted through a Culinary Scholarship."

"Wow! That's awesome!"

Well it really wasn't, I just had to work just as hard to even make sure the scholarships stayed in place.

_The real war now begins…with just one footstep…_

"MIIII-KAAA! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU EVEN DO THIS TO ME!?" I yelled so loudly, the neighbors of our neighbor's neighbor could hear us from five blocks down. Mika was crying some crocodile tears when she was me point aggressively at the mess that she did to my hair. You see, she thought it would be funny to hide gum on my hair just when she saw me lying down on the living room sofa, defenseless and asleep. Mom had to help me cut my hair and the next thing I knew, my hair was just as short as Dad's when he was in high school. At least, that's what I saw in the old photographs of his.

"You gotta look the part now that you're "Man of the House"! So, I'm gonna have to call you Little Brother! Hahahaha~"

"Oh! I should buy you some boy's clothes too! Just remember to not get too overboard!" My mom said and I just went along with being a boy act.

"…Ah…mom…"

"What type of style would the rich girls like? The cool type? The jock? The rebel? Oh, how about the sweet and charming type?! Yes! You'll be that so we must buy you clothes that fit that! TO THE MALL!"

"MOM! WAIT! AT LEAST LET ME FIX MY HAIR! IT LOOKS LIKE A FIVE YEAR OLD TOOK SAFETY SICSSORS TO CUT A PIECE OF PAPER!"

"That's so mean Mao-chan! I only did this because I would be heartbroken that the guys at that school would then be interested in my little cute and smart sister~!" Mika said. I scoffed at her, laughing at her little joke.

"HA! That's funny. That will be some brave guy Mika. Worry about yourself instead of me. You have Hatori now!"

"Speak for yourself! Now come on! The Mall's going to close at eight! We're going to have to reorganize your closet so you can have the best of both worlds!"

_**PRESENT TIMES**_

"It seemed like a long time ago…." I said, looking down on the floor and looked up with a smile, smiling back at my hyper big sister. I rolled up my sleeves and walked toward the cooking room so I could make everyone a batch of Chery limeade like Mika told them I would.

In the kitchen, I looked all around and saw the little tiger stuffed animal that Mika bought for me as a birthday present and its button eyes stared back at me. Its collar was around its neck still and on it, it said,

"To the best sister and friend a girl could wish for, The Bipolar Tiger!"

Collar…

Necklace…

_Here Mao…This is a present from me to you._

_What is it Papa? It looks like a jewelry box._

_Give me your collar. _

_Whoa! It plays our lullaby! _

_It's a prized family item. It's one of the things I got from the palace before I came and met mommy. I want you to keep this and always remember papa with this song. _

_But how will I remember the song Papa? What if I forget?_

_You won't forget. And you know why?_

_Why?_

_Because, __**Forever, we will never have the pain of separation (or a sad goodbye)**_

_**Sometimes, we may cry because of the deep sorrow but...**_

_**Together we can share all the pure dreams**_

_**Until the blue sky keeps us apart**_

"!"

I got a severe headache when I remembered that faceless man talking to me or what I thought was me and then held me like I was his own daughter or something. He began singing to me and….Guh! Even thinking about it when I was just remembering my past was just so painful. It's not like I hated my past, I just get these awful headaches when I just think about it too much.

"Mao! You have an order for some parfaits! Two strawberries and three peach flavored!"

"Coming right up! Hey wait! Since when did this host club turn into a restaurant anyways!?" I yelled through the door.

"Since the ladies liked your food. Think of all of this as practice for your own restaurant in the future!" Tama-Hyung said, throwing his hand out and smiled down at me. As much as I was pissed off right now, I really didn't have the heart to ruin that smile because I myself was smiling at the fool and the crazy idea he made me believe.

"Yeah. I guess I'll try, you idiot." I said teasingly and went back work.

_Dear dad, the guys of the host club…might be changing me little by little….I just don't know it yet, I guess... _


	17. Yay for Halloween! NOT!

Today is the day…..

A day where Mika can actually get an excuse about dressing up as her favorite character at school. Today is the day where everyone goes and celebrates a holiday that started out in the small little country of Ireland, leaving pumpkins out at their doorsteps to ward off evil creatures or dress up as them to make sure they don't get noticed.

Today is October 24th….just a week before Halloween. Yep, the big October 31st…

Right now, every class at Ouran is having a meeting with their class representatives. Yeah, that's the reason I'm stuck here and not off in the home economics class, cooking some cake and some little treats for kids tomorrow. I always done that since it's also an excuse to have a sweet tooth.

"Alright, next item on the agenda," The guy up in front, he's our class representative, Kazukio Soga. "I move to discuss what the class plans would be for next week." He said and the whole label of his name and all that information from the last episode or chapter appeared.

"Next week?" Haruhi and I said together, earning attention from the twins and everyone else.

"Yeah! Halloween!" Hikaru said.

"Oh Haruhi. Mao. You two have only been a student at Ouran Academy since High school so you don't know." Again, the label appeared and this time it said Vice Representative, Momoka Kurakano. If you didn't know, that's the girl up front with the Class Rep, Kazukio. Like a lot of the girls here at this school, she had brown hair.

Now that I'm mentioning it, why are the host club members, Haruhi, Nekozawa, and I have different colored haired than the rest of the school?

…..

Yeah, that's my question to everything here!

"After we finish taking exams for the fall, we're allowed a few days off until the end of October," I like the sound of that. "And we get throw costume parties on campus to celebrate." She said, blushing a bit.

"And also, each class is allowed to use an entire day for a special class event of their choosing." He said.

"Event?" Haruhi and I questioned.

And then out of nowhere, Kaoru pops up and then starts explaining what they do around that day.

"Right. They're pretty fun actually."

Haruhi and I were there to let our imaginations go wild in imagining what the hell they do around this holiday. In the background, there were a bunch a roses and an awesome color of red, mahogany and orange. There were also some thought bubbles, which was my imagination.

"We socialize, and watch some old movies stuff like that." Hikaru said. Old movies? GASP! YOU MEAN LIKE THE OLD UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HORROR MOVIES LIKE DRACULA!? WAIT! HOW ABOUT OLD BOY! DANG THAT'S A GREAT MOVIE! It's more suspense than horror, but according to this survey done by that show Thirty Even Scarier Movie Moments, it was ranked number three I think. I don't know how that happened, but it happened. Now I'm going to shut up and let you enjoy the story.

Out of nowhere, the room got dark and the background was counting down. However, it wasn't a movie that we were going to watch.

"Boring! Boring! BORING!" Yep, the big screen showed Renge in some strange uniform that wasn't our schools. She startled us big time that she became 3-D. 3-D's a f****** gimmick and everyone knows it!

Wait….when did the hell did the darkness have sparkles?

"Ah! Halloween! The day that sounds the death knells ((SP? I absolutely no idea what the hell they're saying. Sorry. (_ _) )) of summer and ushers the breathy wind of winter!" Renge then started to rant about Halloween like I was in the beginning of the chapter and/or episode. Before Renge-Noona started ranting again, the background behind her was surrounded by an unnecessary amount of roses.

"Once a day when ghouls walk the earth and disguised as ghouls we try to ward them all off." She said. That sounds like something Mika would say at her school to her classmates. I feel sorry for them just as I feel sorry for my classmates and friends. Again, the background changed and it was orange with pumpkins.

I find it strange that I'm the only one that notices these small details. Hmmmm. That skill is necessary within the culinary arts anyways.

"Halloween….A day to wear costumes!" Renge said. "And playing pranks on trick or treaters with reckless abandon." Renge-Noona paused with her rant and then started posing in front of me, Haruhi-Noona, Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Some people don't wait for Halloween to dress up." You got that right. "Some people cosplay year round." I said it once and I'll say it again, you got that right. I live with someone like Renge-Noona and that's my sister. As I have mentioned in many chapters and/or episodes now, she's an Otaku. Like in obsessed with something and that something is Anime and Manga. *Reads from card that Mika gave me* She's also obsessed with Homestuck, Harry Potter, and many more. She's also got a boyfriend so don't flirt with her or else.

While I was in my own thoughts, Renge-Noona revealed that she got that uniform from bribery, saying that the uniform is not scheduled for release until next spring. It's already fall so we got like a season left until it's released. If I was rich, I would totally bribe someone to hand me the demo CD's of Super Junior.

_Ah~! Eun Hyuk and Lee Teuk! KYAAHH~!_

….Lets never speak of this again.

"Miss Hoshakoji, we're having homeroom now. Could you get off of the desk please?" Asked the Class Rep to Renge-Noona. Good luck my friend.

One thing just leads to another and then the next thing I know, Renge says this,

"So I propose holding a Halloween Test of CourageTournament! The bravest student wins!" At this, everyone just starts going at it. To be honest, it does sound exciting, but I don't think there are people that agree to this, especially the class rep since he started looking a little nervous about the idea. The idea was so great, there was even that little banner that I was talking about. It said Halloween Test-of-Courage Tournament.

"And anybody who leaves gets featured on the front page of the newspaper as Captain of all Cowards." Is anybody noticing how nervous the Class Rep. is or am I the only one? I think I am since I started noticing the sweat dripping down.

"SECOND IT!" Everyone yelled, including me surprisingly since this is an idea that will go to waste if people oppose to it.

The class rep. then got his cool back and asked if there was anyone opposed to the idea. When he meant anyone, he meant Haruhi, who was the only one that didn't vote. I don't know if she didn't want to vote or that she was just lost and didn't know what to do. Typical Haruhi…

He spent so much time staring at Haruhi and then ended up having to agree with the idea. Poor guy.

"Oh very well, then the motion passes unanimously. The Class 1-A event this year will be the special Halloween Test-of-Courage Tournament."

Everyone seemed pretty happy about, even me because I started smiling. However, that smile will then be replaced by a look of doom as I remembered what happened last Halloween.

_Flashback_

_It was some days before Halloween and the principle gave the announcement for students to be allowed to dress up for Halloween so long as it isn't inappropriate like revealing parts of the human body say a womans ****** or a mans ******. Yeah. Typical Mika, she started rambling about her costume being Misa from Death Note or Hungary from Hetalia. _

_Everyone always wondered what she would dress up on Halloween or during special events like Conventions or during school fairs. She was the Queen of Cosplay you could say. I joined her a few times, but it was for her own protection and only when we're around strangers that were the same as her. Being Otakus._

_Then, during class…_

"_This year, I'm planning on someone else to join me on my Cosplay glory!" I heard Mika say as she was in front of the class, talking about her latest news. She looked at me and then smiled._

"_MAO KUROSAKI! MY OWN SISTER WILL DRESS UP AS ENGLAND FROM HETALIA!" She said and I just broke the nib of my pen and tore my math book in half from the news. _

"_Say what?!"_

_On Halloween, I showed up to school with the England cosplay. Wig and everything. I never been so embarrassed in my life._

"_We're doing this every Halloween Mao-chan!"_

END OF FLASHBACK

"Oh no….."

F*** my life…Dammit all…F*** my life, F*** MY LIFE!

_The host club is now open for business in Music Room 3_

All around the host club, I saw Halloween decorations and everyone was dressed up as vampires. Some of the guys had bows, but others wore a cravat. *COUGH*Kyo-Hyung*COUGH*

That was just the guys, excluding Haruhi and the twins. I was the only one of the golden quartet that had to come straight to the Host club. Because of that, I had to wear a uniform that was so familiar and belonged to Mika.

I was wearing the Diabolik Lovers Reiji Sakamaki Cosplay. Contacts, wig, clothes, glasses, everything. Why would Mika make me wear something that would be better pulled off by Kyo-Hyung? He'd make a better Reiji Sakamaki and I'm not lying. *COUGH*Mika told me*COUGH*

"Oh Mao-kun! You look so handsome!" "And more proper too!" Are you telling me I didn't look proper enough?! *insert irked face*

"Is that a Reiji Sakamaki Cosplay?!" One girl asked me and I gave one of those famous smiles Reiji is known for. According to Mika, he's sadistic….like his brothers and all other vampires in the world.

"It is," I deepened my voice a bit to fit Reiji a bit more, also lowering my face to look into one of my clients eyes and held her cheek, making her look at me. She was blushing like mad too. "And you can't ever escape." I said, lowering my face to her neck and blowed on it. I felt her cheeks getting warmer than usual and then I looked at her once again.

"Oh Mao-kun. Are you trying to be protective of me again?" Nana said, blushing as red as Spain's tomatoes.

….Dammit, I'm hanging around with Mika too much!

I smirked and said to her,

"That's right….and I won't let you go…." I gave a dramatic pause and then, "Do you understand? So be mine forever." I said.

Countdown for rabid fangirls in T-minus….

Three….

….Two…

….One….

…..Huh, I guess it was false alar-!

"KYAAAAHH! SUCH SWEET WORDS FROM A POSESSIVE VAMPIRE LIKE MAO!"

"HE TOTALLY FITS THE IMAGE OF REIJI!"

"KYAAAAHHH!"

O~O;;; _DAD HELP ME! I'm surrounded by rabid fangirls! _

"Hello!" The twins came along with Haruhi. I forgot what class they had together. I know for a fact that I don't because cooking class is my last class of the day and I just meet them after words. If they came here to pick me up for the thing, I really don't mind at all because I'm really don't want to cosplay right now, especially someone with glasses…..

….N-not that there's anything wrong with glasses! I mean, I wear glasses too when I'm tired and need to read. It's just that the glasses character would be better off left in the care of Kyo-Hyung. He could probably pull it off better because he's that hot!

_Did I just hear you say Kyo-Hyung's hot? *insert devious smirk*_

…..*looks ups* AHH! NO! I did not say such things! The only one that I think is hot is Lee Min Ho Oppa and Eun Hyuk Oppa!

"Sorry boss, from now on until Halloween," Hikaru started out. "Count us out."

Tama-Hyung started freaking out and Honey-Oppa was wondering what they meant by that.

"Count you out? 

"We're in the middle of preparations for a special event! Class 1-A is sponsoring it!" The twins said in unison.

"Duty calls then." Kyo-Hyung says.

"Well, good luck without us here for a week." Hikaru and Kaoru said, dragging Haruhi and I out. I was struggling and wanting to undress at least to my normal uniform. I don't want to walk around the school with the Diabolik Lovers cosplay! No!

"Wait! Why are Haruhi and Mao going with you!?" Tama-Hyung asked the twins.

"Well boss, we are in the same class together."

"Oh and the special event, is an after dark test of courage tournament."

Watch, I'm not even going to look up or down to know what Tama-Hyung is thinking about.

First the whole imagination is probably named,

THE MIDNIGHT THEATRE OF TAMAKI'S MIND

He's also probably imagining that the four of us are walking around the hallways at school in the dark and something just pops out that scares Haruhi and I. We yell "AH! I'm so scared! Protect us Hikaru!" and while that happens, Hikaru is smirking deviously. Something pops out again and it's Renge-Noona's medusa mode and the two of us hug Kaoru instantly, saying, "AH! I'm so scared! Protect us Kaoru!" and like Hikaru, he makes the devious smirk.

"Haruhi. Mao. Please tell me you two are not going to be a part of it! PLEASE TELL YOU WON'T!" He yells up in front of our faces like a bad metal song. ((Oops…sorry metal fans! TT~TT))

"Calm down senpai, it's only harmless fun." Haruhi says with her hands up. He loses hope with Haruhi and turns to me.

"Don't look at me! I got caught up in the moment. Besides, I'm only doing this because there's no way people will figure out what I'm scared of. Trust me on this; I've seen so many Korean and Japanese horror movies that I don't think some person in a mask will scare me." I said, sweat dropping. It's true though. There was that Red Eye movie, the Cantonese version that scared the crap out of me and couldn't sleep for like a week or something. There was also that Human Centipede movie that Mika made me watch with her.

Long story short from that movie, we're never trusting random stranger doctors at a foreign country who's obsessed with that type of crap. ….We burned the movie after watching it…..No wonder it's banned in a few countries. Just like the Hostel movies, they are banned in some Scandinavian countries and others in Europe because of some…scenes.

Tama-Hyung didn't look convinced and grabbed me by my shoulders, shaking me.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT FIND OUT WHAT YOU'RE AFRAID OF!? YOU TOLD ME AND I TOLD KYOYA THAT YOU WERE-! MMRPF!" As quick as I could, I covered the halfies mouth before he slipped out something that I will resent him for the rest of his rich and dramatic life.

I grew a tick mark on my forehead because of that too.

"I. Said. No. One. Will. Find. Out. Besides, you have to be pretty stupid to mess with me. Remember the jaguar at Kyo-Hyungs resort?" I said, grinning so hard that my face would probably fall off or something. While I was doing that, there were four guys that were remembering that day I beat up a jaguar. It was something I'll probably never do again, that's for sure. It was fun, but I'll never do it again. Ever.

I think I still got the scar. *Checks for the scar* Yeah, I still got the scar. Even with the professional help from the Ootori Medical Hospital, after Kyo-Hyung mentioned that he would pay, and Mika's expert advice on this kind of stuff, the scar still hasn't healed yet.

"Well, we gotta go boss." Hikaru said, pulling me while Kaoru pulled Haruhi. I waved nervously at the rest of the guys and called out, "It's not like I'm going to enjoy it. I'm not since I'm going to Cosplaaaay~!" I yelled from the hallways and all I just saw was darkness.

~/=/~

"So what kind of budget limit should we put on costumes?" The Vice Class Rep. said. I would say her name again, but that would lead to another introduction and I already did her introduction so yeah. "Once everyone starts shopping, they'll go all out." She said.

"Why don't we follow the commoners rule of keeping it under three hundred yen?" Hikaru said.

"That would be interesting." Kaoru said.

"It would be a good idea to have a doctor handy. Just in case if anyone faints or have a heart attack or jumps out of window or something." Just what are you saying Renge-Noona? I don't think it would be that terrifying. However, it would be a good idea since we don't know everyone's handling in fear and getting scared. Heck, they could scream like they saw death if they came across a little mouse if possible. All of this talk as really great and everything, but then I saw something that caught my eye and it wasn't the latest K-Drama like Pinocchio or Modern Farmer. Watch Tomorrows Cantabile, you won't regret it. Oh yeah, who caught my attention was the Class Rep. and I'm sure Haruhi noticed it. The two of us excused ourselves and then went out to meet him.

"So…..you have nectophobia?" We both said at the same time, kneeling down to the boy that just told us his fear. What's even more ridiculous was that he told us he was afraid of scary ghost stories, loud noises, horror movies. All I'm getting from this is that he's a….scaridy cat. Then, he told us about how he was giving signals to Haruhi, but we all know she's as dense as lead, not having telepathic powers and stuff.

"Please Fujioka! Kurosaki! You have to let me be on your team! If I'm with you two then maybe your peace of mind will help me! AND I CAN REMAIN MORE CALM!" Is it just me or did his face get a whole lot bigger like the time Tama-Hyungs arm grew.

"Class rep!" Haruhi and I said.

"And one more thing, you can't tell the Hitachiin brothers!" He told us, but his luck just ran out. They just suddenly came out of nowhere.

"Is someone a fraidy cat?" They asked and not even three seconds did Koga-Hyung just freaked out. When I mean freaked out, I really mean freaked out like he just went through the stress of cram studying.

"Oh, there you are." Kurakano-Noona said, "We're about to choose groups. So do you have any idea who you like to have on your team?" She said. All of our heads turned and she just looked so cute and innocent. That's normally how Mika stood. That thought just made me smile and bring back some happy memories.

"Yeah! The five of us will be one!" The twins said, a fanfare and a colorful background appearing.

"Great. Then you guys will be Team B." She said.

Poor Koga. He's going to have to deal with two troublesome twins.

~/+/~

"Mom! Mika! Caesar! I'm home!" I called out. I just came home from my shift at a bar that somehow allowed a minor to work there. Yeah, I don't get Japan at all sometimes. Caesar, a Scottish terrier that Kyo-Hyung gave me as a gift, came running to me and I gave him a treat that I always gave him, a container full of cooked chicken that I made. Caesar very much likes human food better than dog food. Yeah, I have a dog that's a picky eater. I don't mind at all, but I just wish I could give him some decent dog food.

"Mao-Chans home!" I heard Mika call out and then came in the room, holding something behind her. I was a little scared to as and then saw mom come down the stairs, smiling like always.

"Mika-chan told me. Sheee says your school has sort of like a week off and has fun, right?" She told me and I nodded.

"Yeah. We can have tea parties and thanks to Renge-Noona, I won't be able to make food, but instead decorations for this Test of Courage tournament in my class." I said, putting down my bag and then began tying my apron, getting ready to accept late night customers. Mika and Mom just smiled down at me while I was working and then I turned to them with an annoyed face that I didn't like at all. I put down the note pad and pencil, looking at them seriously.

"Is there something you two would like to tell me? Mom? Mika? Anything?" I said, crossing my arms. The two giggled and then Mika surprised me with something that I dreaded since the day she's been into anime.

"I dug into the closet of our past cosplays and found your England cosplay! The wig and everything! I made some adjustments and you're ready to wear them to school all the way until Halloween!" She said with a smile. A SMILE! I sweat dropped and looked at the costume that I haven't worn since seventh grade. I gulped and backed away from my crazy Otaku sister, but she came nearer than my usual comfort. Mom joined in and then grabbed me, dragging me upstairs.

"CALL THE POLICE! I'VE BEEN ABDUCTED BY AN OTAKU!" I yelled, never to be heard of that night.

~/+/~

"Mao, what are you wearing?" Haruhi asked me when I entered class that day. I was getting looks, but I wasn't violating the dress code since had some sort of armband and the tie on me. I was going to wear the coat, however, Mika said that it wouldn't fit Iggy well. She's also dressed up as Fem!England at her school so she wanted to match. She said we're going to be doing this for the whole week until Halloween is over….in about a week….*Sigh*

"This? Mika and Mom ganged up on me and I'm forced to wear cosplay all week until Halloween." I said, "Today I'm England and Mika is the genderbend." I sighed loudly and sat on my chair, trying to sound out the girls that were fangirling that their precious Mao Kurosaki is cosplay England from Hetalia.

That week, I dressed up as Levi Ackerman, Eridan Ampora, Ciel Phantomhive, and on Halloween, I'll be…..Taiga Aisaka. Yeah, I'm cosplaying as a girl and no one is going to notice that. Hahahahaha~

I'm so dead.

**~/+Halloween….night+/~**

Things weren't turning out nicely because the stupid twins were scaring our class rep and Haruhi was holding a fishing pole that held something that cost fewer than three hundred yen.

Did they really have to tell that scary story to him? I mean, it's pretty immature.

"You look great Mao. That wig almost looks realistic to your own real hair." Haruhi said to me as the boys were still bickering and scaring the class rep.

"You think so? I'm dressed up as Taiga Aisaka. Hmph! Mika and her Toradora phase." I muttered

"You look great! Mao upgrade in looking cuter!" The twins said. I looked over and then upper cut-ed them. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear Kyo-Hyung say that I just raised my quota to another 10,000 yen. Great. That's probably what he's going to do when he finds out I punched the twins.

"Shut up! Shut up! Stop hitting on guys dammit!" I yelled at them and began holding the jelly thing Haruhi bought. I forgot how this stuff used to be scary and why the heck did it have to be under 300 yen. Well, I wasn't the one that made up the rules so I don't have a say in this.

"Knock it off! The point is to scare someone else not on your team!" Haruhi yelled at the twins, who admitted they were bored.

"Look Class Rep. I borrowed a book from the library to help you with your anxiety." Haruhi said, pulling out a worn out book that seemed to have been neglected for so long that I could have sworn there was mold.

"First, pretend everything is okay. Second, whistle a cheerful little tune. Thirdly, repeat to yourself 'I'm brave'." Haruhi said, reading from the book. As she was doing that, I could see the class rep just crack and tur white in fear because those don't really work. What you need is food. Food just always makes everything better. It's a scientific fact.

"Are you kidding me!? None of those things work! Call me the Captain of All Cowards! You can scream it from the roof top! Just get me out of here!" Class rep. said, panicking when we barely did anything. It's been nice knowing you class rep just make sure your soul makes it to heaven and doesn't get eaten by demons or something along the way. "Really? Even if it mean Kurokano would think you were a big chicken?" Kaoru said and his soul just retreated back to his body and because of where I was standing, I was a pink blush and heard a sigh of happiness.

"Whoa! What's going on between you and Kurokano?" Haruhi and I asked at the same time! Jinxs! She owes me soda! The class rep just freaked out, saying that they were just friends. Pft, yeah right. I know when a guy likes someone and the class rep is no exception.

"No! It's not what you think Fujioka! Kurosaki! We're just friends! I've known her since we were little kids! None of this has anything to do with it!" He said.

"Oh. Fine, we understand." The twins said, having this creepy face. I wonder if they were born with the genes to make those faces or they practiced in front of a mirror and made them like that.

"Funny how you have told us you didn't want to throw your weight around," Hikaru said, "When the reason you agreed to any of this is because you didn't want to look like a fraidy cat." Kaoru finished off.

"No, that's not it." Class rep said, looking down at the floor and even though it was dark and stuff, with the moonlight, you could see this light blush on his face. "That's not the reason I couldn't oppose it."

_**Warning! Your feelings are about to move on towards the feels train. Prepare anything that is necessary for them and the journey of weeping and excitement! If you're a beginner, please stay seated for the whole ride.**_

I stood up and saw the class rep start fidgeting and it was kind of cute because he reminded me of a little boy about to talk to his crush and there will be no teasing involved because this is just so cute and adorable!

"Kurakano…well, she had her heart set on this tournament…I didn't want to let her down so…I couldn't say no." He said, blushing more and avoided eye contact with any of us. He also had his arms crossed, his legs up to his chest so his chin rested on his knees. And for some reason, colorful bubbles surrounded him and his adorable little crush.

"You mean!" The twins said out of nowhere.

"Oh crap! He's totally pure!" Hikaru said and I looked at him in confusion and yet I knew what the heck he was talking about. "He's got a heart of gold Hikaru!" Kaoru yelled as they both sweatdropped and I had question marks pop everywhere around me.

"Our powers are nothing against his wholesomeness!" They said in unison.

_**MAO PROCESSING **_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING**_

_**MAO PROCESSING…IN 3…2…1…**_

"Oh my god! You mean the pure type that is so pure you just can't pick on!? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! IT DOES EXIST! KAMI-SAMA_**[1]**_ IT DOES EXIST!" I yelled and fist-pumped the air in glee, confusing the heck out of my classmates.

"So, does that mean we have to help him now?" Hikaru said and I clasped the flustered boys' hands and looked at him with a determined look. "We are going to unite these two like we're in a Korean Drama! Class rep, you have my support with this and I won't rest until you two are happy together!" I finished and stood up quickly. I like where this is going. The only problem with this is that it's during Halloween and in the dark and not many romantic things happen during Halloween.

Just when I was about to tell everyone about my plan, there was some strange shadow passing by the window and Haruhi seemed to notice it. "Did you see that? That creepy shadow just now outside the window." She said and sweatdropped. I looked over to the window and noticed nothing. I went over to investigate and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary that I should be worried about.

"Not you too Fujioka! Cut it out!" Class rep said, freaking out again and this time, he has an excuse. "There's nothing over-!" I stopped mid-sentence because there was this knocking noise coming from upstairs. The five of us slowly looked over at the stairs and saw something tumbling down. I'll tell you, it was not a ball. When it landed on the last stair, we found out it was a human skull. Okay, I'm not archeologist, historian or a paranormal investigator, but is there by chance a Native American burial ground here where the school was built or a whole village? Well, according to our history books and geography, we're not in America, we're in f**king Japan.

"AHHH!" We all screamed, "WE'RE IN AN INDIAN BURIAL GROUND! CALL GHOST ADVENTURES!" I said.

"No way, it's a sneak attack from those A team hacks." Kaoru said. As I was calming down, I could see the soul of the class rep starting to come out. Poor soul and poor us because I feel like this was Mika's idea of a sneak attack. That girl knows how to scare people so it's understandable that this was her idea. "Hey, it's not your turn guys!" Hikaru said, "Follow the rules!" He said and then aimed to kick the skull. If you listened carefully, you could hear how nervous he was and I felt how uneasy the room was because of what just happened. When Hikaru kicked the skull, I sweat dropped because I believe in spirits and stuff, even though it was a fake skull and that skull wasn't properly handled with care if there were some eyewitnesses, you'd know what I mean.

"My skull…"

"Yeah! You show 'em!" Kaoru said. I don't know if they know, but did they hear a voice say "My skull"? Again, the voice repeated it and the voice soon followed in with a figure and the noise of the bell tower. We heard the voice call over and over again, not really able to take our eyes off of them. Sh*t, I should probably take this time to make my will….

_On this black and white sheet of paper, I have deliberately written who of my loved ones get the belongings I have earned in my life. To my beloved mother who loved me like her own child, I give her my bank account and all the money that I earned. To my best friend and elder sister who acts like a child, Mika, I give her my food because I know she has the appetite of an elephant. _

Yeah, that sounds about right…

Up in the stairs was a white clothed figure with long black hair. The guys were going over how this figure was the clock tower witch and I always thought that was a load of crap, but now starring at it face to face, sort of, I kinda believe it now…

"Why did you kick….MY SKULL!" It said and there was blood coming from her mouth and her face was all dried up! PUT SOME LOTION ON LADY!

"AHHHHHHHH~!" We all screamed and decided to run away from the scene. I didn't care where I was running right now, I just wanted to be far away from that apparition as far as possible. Transfer me to another country please, anything just to be away from that! Wherever I was running, all I paid attention to was my heartbeat and the lonely footsteps of my own…

_Wait…lonely footsteps? _

I stopped after I got a good distance away from the frightful hotspot to catch my breath, I turned around and saw that no one was following me nor was I following anyone.

"G-g-guys?" I stuttered and ran back to where we started. I got there and waited. Maybe they ran and decided to come back after they weren't scared no more. Yeah, that must be it. They'll be right beside me in exactly thirty seconds.

.

..

…

….

…..

…

…...

….

…

..

.

Thirty minutes have pasted and there still no sign of them coming back.

"Guys?" I said with a whimper apparently, slowly walking around the hallway in pitch black and with only the moonlight to guide me. My pace and my heartbeat started to quicken and so did my imagination. When my imagination got this wild, I would kneel down in a secluded corner and count to thirty if I could so I could calm myself with my eyes shut and ears covered. That's exactly what I did.

"_Daddy, where are you going?" _

"_I'm going to lead the bad men away. Stay here okay?"_

"_Are you going to come back?"_

"_I will come back."_

"_Promise Daddy?"_

"_I promise. Stay here and don't move. Count to thirty, close your eyes and cover your ears." _

"MAO!" A voice screamed for me.

_**((Mika's POV))**_

This tournament was so much fun and to prove how much fun it would be, Mao and I decided to cosplay for the Halloween week. Today for Halloween, I made her cosplay as Taiga Aisaka, but my favorite would always be the England cosplay. As for me, I dressed up as Hungary from Hetalia and teamed up with the A team tonight. We waited in our posts for such a long time for Mao's group to scare us, but nothing came. We waited and waited until we decided to call it all off and go looking for them. Even though Mao is responsible for being the younger sibling, I still worried because when it comes to being alone, she's like a defenseless child with nowhere to go.

I might not have explained it much, but Mao has always had abandonment issues. She doesn't like being alone in a room for long because it reminds her of the night she was abandoned and she hates it. There was one time it got so bad; we had to take her to the hospital to relieve her stress. Since then, I didn't leave her side until I thought she got over it. I thought she got over it when we went on to high school and then she told me about the Okinawa trip and it worried me.

The only ways she can cope with it if she's in a public area like the mall or the park where there are people or if she is distracted.

I'm scared that she'll have an 'attack' and it'll be much worse than last time.

Just when I was about to go out into the dark hallways and look for her myself, the group and I saw Mao's group and smiled, but as soon as that smile came, worry soon took over because Mao wasn't within the group.

"There they are!" Renge said, someone who I've been able to become friends with in a couple minutes.

"We were so worried about the five of you!" Kurakano said.

"Why did you leave you're post in the middle of the tournament? And where is the fifth member of your team?" A boy said when we ran over towards them, ready to beat up someone when they didn't answer properly.

"We called off the whole thing to go looking for you."

"Huh? That wasn't you guys trying to scare us?' Kaoru said.

"And Mao isn't with you guys?" Hikaru said. At that, my heart just sunk to my stomach, and no I'm not talking dramatically. I'm serious about this because my sister is out there all alone! ALONE!

Well, as if that wasn't the problem, we all got scared of a shadow by the window, well, everyone except me because I'm pretty dense when it comes to getting scared. As Mao's classmates were getting scared, I went off and tried to find Mao by myself if I had to. I had my handy dandy S3 and its amazing flashlight.

"Mika! Where are you going?" Haruhi asked me once she recovered from the scare fest. I gave her my famous look of worry and went off into the dark to find Mao.

"_Mika! Please don't leave me alone! Please don't leave me!" Little Mao asked me, holding onto my sleeve and my dress when I was walking out of the room. _

"_Mao, I'm just going to the bathroom." I told her as I sweat dropped._

"_Still! Don't leave me! I'm scared! Don't abandon me!" She yelled and started crying._

The one thing the famous Bipolar Tiger is scared of is being alone….alone and abandoned….

"Mao!" I called out.

"Mao! Where are you!?" Haruhi called out from behind me.

"What are you guys doing?" Hikaru, who just happened to pop out of nowhere, asked us and we jumped, looking at them when we realized it was just him and Kaoru. I puffed out my cheeks and smacked them upside their heads!

"Don't scare Haruhi like that! And for your information, we're looking for Mao! You idiots will pay once we find her! You guys gotta stay with her or else! GOT THAT!?" I yelled at them and marched on.

"Hold on!" Hikaru spoke and grabbed my shoulder, turning me around to look at him and he had a pretty pissed off face, "Why does that make this our fault!? We weren't the ones that simply left her sister with us to join another group with a fellow Otaku!"

"Yeah! Well, I thought you guys were able to take care of her! Now look at how you're babysitting has done! Mao is probably curled up in a ball because of you! She trusted you!" I yelled and didn't seem fazed at the look he and his brother game me. They seemed to have blushed and had a shocked expression.

"She….trusts us?" Kaoru said. I shook my head and continued my glare, ready to turn around and keep on with my search.

"You mean trusted! You abandoned her! You two ran at different directions and didn't bother to keep close to her! Think about her than just yourselves!"

"Abandoned her?! Just who do you think you are yelling at me and my brother like that!? Why is it such a big deal?!" Hikaru yelled back and that was the final straw. I gritted my teeth and held back my fist because I was so ready to punch him.

"BECAUSE MAO IS AFRAID OF BEING ALONE!" I blurted out and everything became deathly silent, more silent than Dads funeral.

"What?" Was all that Hikaru and Kaoru were able to say. Haruhi didn't say anything and decided to stay away from this argument. Smart girl and she were also smart to hold me down from attacking the twins for their stupid decision.

"She's afraid of being alone. Mao has abandonment issues and it's gotten so bad that we have to take her to the hospital. This all started ever since she was five when she was left there in that dark alley and no one ever came back. It got worse when Dad never came back from his trip." Somehow, I started to explain and still continued to walk with the three following behind me.

"The airplane accident," Haruhi said. "Yeah. She still talks about Dad in present tense like he's still around. I guess it's her way of silently saying she hasn't gotten over it. Mom and I never understood why though." I said, shinning the light at every corner that was around, we even looked at different rooms to see if she slipped in there. "Mao may act tough and mean, but she's as vulnerable as a tiger cub when it's born without someone to protect them. I guess that's a reason why we call her the Bipolar tiger." I smiled

"We never knew…Do Tamaki-senpai and the other know?" Kaoru asked me and I simply shrugged, "I guess so. It happened again when you guys were at Okinawa. Kyoya-kun called Mom about it and didn't question further when we said we didn't want to talk about it."

"Then why are you telling all of this right now?" Hikaru asked me, pretty much annoyed.

"So that you won't make the same mistake again and…try to make my little sis happy." I finished and flashed my light at a secluded corner to where I started to hear small whimpering. The three started to hear it as well and rushed towards the sounds source. I still kept the light shining at the corner and almost started crying when we all figured out who or what that was making the noise.

"MAO!" I yelled and I saw her lift up her head and saw her looking up to Haruhi, the twins and I.

_**((Mao's POV))**_

A voice was calling out my name and I looked up to see my sister face along with Haruhi and the twins. Mika's face looked like she was about to burst out crying and Haruhi let out a sigh of relief now that she knew I was safe and stuff. Hikaru and Kaoru were strange though; they didn't do anything, but stare at me. I tried getting up, but my feet were still petrified in the position I was in. I didn't want to get up for anything or for anyone. Well, that was the plan until I saw Hikaru's hand extend towards me and had this look of worry on his face. His look of worry almost topped Mika's worried face.

"It's okay Mao. I'm here. I'm back." He softly said to me. I don't know why he said that and I don't know how he said, but his words…It made me trust him and it made me ease the stiffness of my whole body and I jumped into his arms, into an embrace. I don't know why I did that nor do I know how it happened, but right now, all I cared was that someone was with me and that someone was comforting me.

"Please don't leave! Please!" I cried out and violently shook. I bet Hikaru could feel how badly I was shaking and even though that was happening, he never let his arms leave my persona. They were still wrapped around me and they were one of the warmest arms I ever felt around me.

So warm….Hikaru's warmth…

~/+/~

"'Everyone in Class 1-A, except Mao Kurosaki, is a Captain of All Cowards.'" I read from the newspaper. The only reason I wasn't called a Captain of All Cowards was because I wasn't there when Nekozawa's Belzenef's shadow made his appearance.

"Mao-kun! Is it true you went as Taiga Aisaka that night on Halloween!?"

"Are there any pictures? I bet you looked so cute!"

"Cute? He so fits the image of Taiga, but the boy version of her!"

"That's true! Mao-kun always struck me as a Tsundere. The King of Tsundere's, Mao Kurosaki."

More like the Queen of Tsundere's. If they want pictures, they're going to have to contact Mika and Kyo-Hyung must have her number and won't hesitate to call her to get a copy of those photos and then make more copies of those photos and every girl at the school will have a photo saying, "Mao Kurosaki, the King/Queen of Tsundere's".

_Vanilla salt day, Vanilla_

_If it's only sweet, sprinkle salt._

"Mao." Hikaru, the one pulling away the newspaper away from my hands, made me stare at his eyes and I sighed because I was really enjoying that newspaper.

"Yes?" I asked and what I got as a response was not what I expected.

"Are you alright?" He asked me. My eyes widened and then notice him blush a bit. I felt my face heat up a bit and I knew I was blushing too. I looked at another direction and pulled my knees to my chest, my chin then resting on top of my knees.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Wow, talk about awkward. "S-say, how's that girl that you like? Is she doing alright?" I asked.

"She's doing great although I'm worried about her. Her sister told me something I should have known before. I learn more things about her. It's kind of funny since she should be the one tell me herself." He chuckled at the end. Please don't tell this to anyone, but his chuckle is kinda cute and nice to hear.

"Honestly, I kinda envy her," I said, "I haven't known you long, but I know you're Hikaru and I can say that you changed a little bit. It's kinda exciting to see how much you'll grow up." I muttered the last part and got out my seat, off towards some other place that I won't embarrass myself.

_Since I want to be understood, more and more than anyone else, I want to expose myself,_

_Yet I can't do it. I have nothing. It's so irritating._

_But love that's only sweet is a bit different from what I seek for_

In drama's, they call it love. Mom and Mika call it love too. However, when I have these strange feelings towards these guys that I have feelings towards, I call it "friendship". They are nothing more than my friends and they will always stay that way, if they can. I keep hearing that it's love, but love is much stronger, isn't it? I know it's a powerful word and a powerful feeling, but is it enough?

"Those pictures of you cosplaying last week have been so successful; we're on our third printing process. Congratulations Mao." Kyo-Hyung told me and I sheepishly shrugged it off.

"Thank Mika. She and Mom ganged up on me so I would have to wear them."

"She has excellent photo skills. Maybe I should ask for a photo of you cosplaying Taiga." He said out of nowhere and I dropped my stuff. "What did you just say?" I asked, all up in his face. He chuckled and believes me, his chuckle sounded nice.

_BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP_

"It's nothing."

It's just "friendship", right?

_I can't help saying black when told white. _

_I'm a contrary person who can't be mild. If I'm told, 'I love you', I answer 'I hate you so much'._

_Why am I saying that when I'm so happy?_

_Just like sprinkling salt onto vanilla_


	18. The Host Club Declares Dissolution! Wut

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

I threw the covers of my bed off of me and sat up quickly when the clock rang the fourth time. I looked over at Mika and saw that she was still sleeping. At the foot of the bed, I saw Caesar waking up, doing the adorable puppy yawn that was so cute. I don't think I ever thanked Kyo-Hyung for the present. Mentally, yeah, but physically and stuff, not really. I rose from the warm bed and passed the clock that said 7:30 and went to the bathroom to do the great daily routine that is my life style.

Wait…

Walking back out from the bathroom, I looked at the clock and it said 7:30…7:31….

HOLY SH*T! I'M LATE FOR SCHOOL!

"GET UP MIKA! WE'RE LATE FOR SCHOOL!" I yelled, flipping her off her bed and onto the floor. I went over to the Ouran uniform and quickly put in on, passing by my mom's bedroom and ran downstairs and out the house, not even bothering to cook breakfast for everyone because we had a long night last night. I'm going to be telling it anyways because the guys will make me tell them. First of all, the three of us reported to the hospital because there was some tests that they wanted to run on mom. She obliged and we sort of stayed at the hospital all night until two o'clock in the morning, eating breakfast at this pancake place because I was too tired to even want to cook at the house. How the three of us got home, I have no clue about. All I cared about is that I have a note saying I have excuse for being late and I have ten minutes left before class began!

I ran as fast as my legs could go and started panting heavily when I reached the subway. I won't bother taking the subway since it's only about six blocks or so away from the house. Just when I was about to give up and drop down on the floor, I spotted the gates of my beloved Ouran Academy and sprinting in, not really noticing the golden gates in front of the other gates and sprinted past students that looked at me weirdly when I ran into the school. I ran in the hallways and then forcefully opened the door to my classroom.

"I'M SO SORRY I'M LATE!" I yelled, "I HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR MY MOM TO RUN TESTS – DOCTORS ORDERS! WE ALSO HAD SOME MIDNIGHT BREAKFASTS WHEN WE CAME HOME! I HAVE A NOTE-!" Before I continued more, I looked at the classroom and there was nothing, but empty chairs and sunlight shining through the windows.

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

Guys, todays the Ouran Fair. *Facepalm*

~/+/~

Today is the start of the 43rd Ouran School Fair. Every student around here is preparing for the fair and right now it's the morning before the fair. The fair goes on for two days – today and tomorrow. Everyone, not including students were carrying things and preparing for the opening ceremony, which will be no doubt, spectacular.

I ran towards where most of the students were at and luckily for me, I found where Haruhi and Kyo-Hyung were at – who was, as always, on his notebook. I stopped and dropped on my knees when I was in front of the two, inhaling and exhaling all the air that I needed or didn't need.

"Mao, are you alright?" Haruhi asked, bending down to my height. Sweat was all around my face and my cheeks were a bright red.

"I'm…*huff* fine. *Huff* I just…ran six blocks from my house…because my alarm woke me up late…*huff* Ah~!" I said, deciding to lay down on the ground because even on my knees, I still felt my energy being drained away.

"Geez Mao, didn't you know today was the Ouran fair?" Haruhi asked me again. I looked at her and pouted. "If I remembered about it as soon as I woke up, I wouldn't have ran here a panting mess would I?" I asked, feeling my strength and breathe coming back to me now. To help me out here, there was a bottle of water in front of me and I simply took it, gulping it down and wiped the excess water that dripped out of the corners of my mouth.

"Thanks Haruhi." I said, smiling and my breathing becoming a bit stable now.

"Uh…That wasn't me, that was Kyoya-senpai." She said, pointing to the raven haired "megane" who had a smile on his face. The heat on my cheeks from before started to come back; it was probably from my heart that still wouldn't stop beating even after I finished running. Yeah, keep telling yourself that Mao.

"T-thanks Kyo-Hyung." I finished, getting up and dusting myself and decided to stand next to Haruhi and look at where they were looking at. But at the corner of my eye, I watched over at Kyo-Hyung and when he caught me eying him you could say, I watched what was in front of me, leaving him with the question as to why I was looking at him. Damn rich bastard….

He has to look so cool looking doesn't he?

"Uh, aren't school fairs meant to be, I don't now, more about students proudly showcasing unique things they made by hand?" Haruhi asked to Kyo-Hyung, who was writing on his notebook now.

"Perhaps for a mere average school – yes." He said. And what's that supposed to mean?! For your information, my school hired workers for us to display fireworks and pyro-dynamics or to help us arrange for the fair! IN YOUR FACE RICH SCHOOL!

Kyo-Hyung stopped writing and closed up his notebook. "But at Ouran, emphasis on planning leadership skills." He said, "Keep in mind, most of our students are being groomed in positions of leadership. So they're required to showcase proper mobility not arts and crafts." WHAT'S WRONG WITH ARTS AND CRAFTS?! Just yesterday, I made a snowman and named it Olaf. Yeah, Mika and I are getting ready for winter and already watching Disney movies.

"Oh." Haruhi only said. I dead panned and looked around the whole area to see the whole display. If there's a food display, I'm going to sample everything and or take it home with me to eat it all by myself.

Out of nowhere, there was a horse whine and some kind of carriage stopping. Haruhi and I looked to our right and there it was.

"Whoa~!" Hikaru said, holding the rails so the horses wouldn't go too crazy. Mori-Oppa was sitting next to him on the front.

"Nicely done. You handled the reigns like a pro." He said. And that concludes Mori-Oppa's weekly sentence of five words or more.

That wasn't the only surprise though. The background suddenly turned pink and there were flowers floating in the air. That could only mean one thing, Honey-Oppa was about to speak.

"Haru-chan! Mao-chan!" He called us out, holding his Usa-chan. He stepped back and in came Tama-Hyung.

"Climb onboard." Tama-Hyung said, holding his hand out, "We're rehearsing for the Ouran Fair parade!" I think of all the four of them on that black and red carriage, Honey-Oppa and Tama-Hyung were the excited ones. Between Haruhi and I as we were sweat dropping and stuff, there was a sign saying "horse-drawn carriage?"

"Oh wow! It's right out of a fairy tale!" One girl said blushing and fangirling. Well, make that all the girls were blushing and fangirling once the carriage came out of nowhere. Two other girls had hearts in their eyes.

"How romantic!" They said. If the guys wanted romantic, they should have at least gotten a white and light pink carriage and decorate it with flowers. Well, this is coming from a non-pro of romance, but I think riding in a carriage with just another person is already romantic enough. It's peaceful.

Rose petals flew in the air and Hikaru started driving as soon as we got on the carriage.

"Hey, you know, you gotten pretty good at this!" Kaoru said to his brother. Hikaru turned to face his brother saying, "There's nothing to it. You should have practiced with me earlier."

"Well, just because we're twins doesn't mean both of us good drivers." So, in the rich world, you can get carriage drivers licenses? The CMV?

"It's kind of neat having all of us together like this for a carriage ride, huh?" Honey-Oppa said.

"Yeah, whatever." Haruhi said.

"Well, it is relaxing a bit. No wonder Disney and Europe have tourist attractions…That's actually a good idea, I gotta make a note to that." I said, taking out my pen and wrote on my hand. I don't have paper and I'm kind of scared to ask Kyo-Hyung.

"Oh and for the actual parade tomorrow, we'll all be in 18th century French costumes." Tama-Hyung said. Wait, what?

"Your outfits will be especially opulent Haruhi, Mao."

"Oh, wonderful."

"Fantastic. So long it's not matching." I said. Not long after that, the bell tower started ringing. It's now eleven o'clock in the morning. I've only been awake for four hours? Dang, I guess the saying, time flies by is true.

"Ah. The fairs opening ceremony has started." Tama-Hyung said, looking at Haruhi and I, "Let's make this fair, the best one yet." He finished, a very light blush appeared on his cheeks. Haruhi took one minute before she finally smiled back at Tama-Hyung and agreed. It took me a little while longer to think about it, I had to even look at the sky to think what I was going to say.

"Sounds good to me."

"Mao?"

I glanced back at Tama-Hyung and smiled one of my rare genuine smiles that I usually give out at my friends or at work.

"Dad always said to enjoy life to the fullest." I said, turning my attention to the sky again.

_He also said…to keep an open heart…_

~/+/~

Everything at the Ouran Fair was starting out great. Music was playing and it was the opening ceremony – people were dancing and all dressed up. Somewhere in the crowd, there was a certain couple that wouldn't be happy today if it weren't for our meddling host club, Suzushima and Kanako-Noona. They were dancing together, smiling at each other like the lovey dovey idiots they were. There was also the class rep. with a flustered face, looking away from Kurakano-Noona, yet, I never seen such a goofy and perfect couple. I SHIP IT!

Just like how I ship Nakatsu with Mizuki in Hana-Kimi, they're so perfect! But then again, I also ship her with her idol.

There was also Kasanoda being surrounded with girls and behind the bushes were his followers now happy and crap that he's getting attention from the opposite gender.

All around these dancing and socializing fools were rose petals flying alongside the wind around the whole grounds. What a waste of perfectly good rose hip tea and rose inspired cakes because rose hips are good for your health.

Speaking of food, here I am in the Central Building Salon with a cart full of sweets of all kinds. The Host Club is now open to the general public, well, at least for these two days. I didn't mind as long as Tama-Hyung wasn't getting carried away with all of the stuff. Before the opening, I spent some time with the Culinary Arts Club preparing some sweets. I'm especially proud of this Ptichye Moloko Cake, translated, Birds Milk Cake. Haruhi and I were in charge of giving out cakes to our guests and we were also dressed up for the occasion. No more blue uniform, just black button-up shirt with a cream waistcoat, black slacks and an awesome red ribbon. I wanted a bow tie. Curse you Tama-Hyung!

"Now remember, the host club will be open to parents and visitors for the next two days, which means we'll need to be even more charming than usual. Let's get out there and show our honored guests the time of their lives." I heard Tama-Hyung say to me in my head. Everyone was out there talking to parents. Tama-Hyung was surrounded by the parents, the twins had their hair down – which was weird – and charming up the moms, Kyo-Hyung was out at the roulette table and Honey and Mori Oppa's were chatting with some older women, probably the moms of some of our guests.

As for me, I had my own bid which I win over the parents taste buds with my culinary gift. I spotted this girl out of the corner of my eye talking about the Host Club with her mom, at first she didn't seem to be one bit interested in us until Tama-Hyung went over and used her French charm.

WARNING: Every time Tama-Hyung charms a woman, there will always be sparkles!

Before you know it, it was a mother-daughter fangirl act.

Looking over at another direction, Mori-Oppa was rebuttoning up Honey-Oppa's vest or waistcoat. Aww, even if they're not siblings, they act like they do. That won the hearts of many mothers or so. I mean seriously, a mother could dream about doting siblings.

Don't even get me started on the twins, they got the women by using the "parents abandoned us, so we play by ourselves" story. I know that story because Mika and I used that trick a lot.

Lastly, Kyo-Hyung was using the smart approach. The adults around him were impressed at how accurate he wanted the club to be on our costumes. It sounds like he wants to impress the adults that own museums or something.

All this is really quite impressive. I mean, everything here just seems so expensive. I wonder how Kyo-Hyung is dealing with all of that, I mean, have you seen him act depressed when we put sweets back on the menu after Honey-Oppa's cavity was fixed? It was scary seeing him smile like that, but I guess what makes you happy at least counts.

"This is way too much, even for our standards. You could buy a whole country with all the money we're wasting." Haruhi said.

"Or donate to find a cure for cancer or diabetes. Maybe try to sponsor a poor fellow who just wants to go to college." I said and Tama-Hyung just appeared out of nowhere. He was going on about how happiness is about any price tag or something until Haruhi pinched him on his hand. Ha!

"No, Haruhi and Mao are right. You have overshot the budget." Kyo-Hyung said, still typing on his Pineapple laptop. Haruhi and I were kind of surprised that he told us we were right. Oh my god, I'm right for a change!

Seeing Tama-Hyung and Kyo-Hyung fight like this amuses me, there was one time I even got a chair and popcorn to watch the fun unfold. I didn't get a chance to do that because I felt someone jump at my back, making me fall down on the ground. This person's arms were wrapped around my shoulders and her voice just echoed near my ears.

"MAO-KUN! YOU LOOK SO HANDSOME!" She said, her caramel colored hair was just getting in front of my view.

"M-Mika-Noona?!" I yelled, looking back at my older sister, I repeat, older sister. What she was even wearing wasn't even what I had expected either. Her hair was curled up in loose curls; she wore some pearl earrings and a necklace. Her dress was also pretty because it was a sleeveless knee-length white dress with a shawl and sliver fastenings. If I didn't know any better, I would say she was just a random stranger.

"W-w-what are you wearing!?" I said, shoving her off of me and sort of causing a scene because I felt all eyes were on me, looking at this beautiful girl that the famous Mao Kurosaki must know.

"Aww! You're flustered because your big sister is here right? The shy little brother who would always cling onto me so I wouldn't leave the room has now become a Host. How perfectly novel." Mika announced with a smile.

"M-Mika-Noona!" I yelled, blushing at the embarrassment.

"Look over there."

"Who could that girl be?"

"Girls check it out, it's Mao-kun's older sister!"

"Older sister? I didn't know he had a sister."

"His sister is awfully beautiful. I can't wait to see the parents."

"Wow! He has a beautiful sister!"

"Do you think he gets a bit over protective?"

"You should have been here when she visited, Mao-kun became over protective!"

That's all that I heard and it plain annoyed me. Not only that, but Mika was all alone and without an escort! Where is Hatori!?

"Where's Hatori Mika?" I asked very seriously.

"He's checking out the photography club." She said.

"And where's mom?" I asked, getting more worried than how I usually am. Mika just kept on smiling.

"She's here! Last time I saw her, she was right behind me!"

…

…

….

…

"SO SHE'S IN THE SCHOOL HALLWAYS ALL BY HERSELF!? NOT ONLY THAT, SHE CAME ALONG!?" I yelled, shaking her shoulders. Just as I said that, I heard Tama-Hyung say,

"Father!"

At the entrance, there was a man in a white suit with a woman in blue standing there. The man was someone as old as my Mom, but still had some youth in her, and he also had like some kind of chestnut brown hair I think. I like his tie, it's purple and yellow, but I think it would have been better if he had a red or black tie because it would have said, "Look at me! I'm professional! Listen to me and you'll be fine!"

"Do not refer as father." He said, "The term is far too familiar." As he was speaking, the sign appeared again, saying "School Board Chairman, Yuzuru Suoh" and then switched again to "Tamaki's father". I didn't know Tama-Hyungs dad was this serious. Well, if you have your assistant standing next to you, you must be serious.

"You will address me properly as Chairman." He finished and Tama-Hyung just pouted.

"Also, this young woman is looking for her two children." The chairman stepped aside and there in the middle was my Mom, dressed up nicely in her green party dress and her hair was nicely groomed and she also wore make-up to hide the bags under her eyes and her paleness. I'm going to have to thank Hana's mom later.

"Mom!" Mika yelled and ran up to her in an embrace.

"Mika!" Mom yelled back, hugging Mika like she hasn't seen her in year when in reality, she only saw her this morning I suspect. As that lovely welcoming was happening, Kyo-Hyung walked up with a smile and showed the Chairman to his table. I sweat dropped at how foolishly my family was acting.

"And won't you lovely women accompany me? I'm sure your son will come along soon." The Chairman said, making Mom and Mika follow him. They agreed and I just kept some distance, going back to serving some sweets and drinks to our guests while Tama-Hyung was hiding up in the ceiling chandelier. I saw Kyo-Hyung listening to the Chairman's request and then stand up. Mom and Mika were sitting perfectly still and smiling like the sweet angels they were. NOT!

They're evil…..

"Haruhi, Mao. You're needed." Kyo-Hyung said and Tama-Hyung just dropped on the floor in surprise. I looked toward their direction and smiled nervously.

"Ah, Okay." I said.

~/+/~

"So you're Haruhi Fujioka and Mao Kurosaki." The chairman said, "Come sit with us." He said – a crap load of roses and sparkles were in the background. What is it with this school and their roses and sparkles?

"Okay." Haruhi and I said at the same time, sitting just as how the chairman requested. What the hell does he want with us?

"Nice to meet you Chairman. I was just thinking earlier that I ought to have paid my respects to you a long time ago." Haruhi said.

"And I'm sorry if my mother was a hassle. She's at a very delicate state right now and should have not gotten out of bed." I said, mentioning my mom in a way that sounded like Kyo-Hyung. I gotta stop talking and hanging around him. Mom simply laughed and Mika joined in.

"Its fine Mao, she was no trouble at all. I find it amazing that your mother would do come to anything and support you. As for you, Fujioka, chairman is so dry, why don't you call me…Yes," What the hell was happening?

In front of Haruhi and I were two roses and then my whole vision was filled with sparkles.

"Call me your uncle." The chairman said, "It would please me." He finished.

…

…..

I guess he isn't serious as I claimed him to be….

"Mao…if you're are in ever need of help, don't hesitate to come to your uncle for anything." He said.

Does that make him my Suoh-Aujjushi?

"Okay..?"

"Father~!" Tama-Hyung said. The chairman looked back and then had that look…

"That's chairman to you." He said.

"Mao, I didn't know you had such a caring chairman for your school. And my, he's such a charmer like Tamaki-kun." Mom said, giggling. Mika followed her example while I just glared at those two while Tama-Hyung and the Chairman were talking.

Out of nowhere, there was a loud clap echoing the room following by a loud Clank noise coming from something metallic. Where the sound came from, I saw Kyo-Hyung and a man that looked like him. Kyo-Hyung knelt to the ground to pick up his glasses while the man had his back turned. There were so many whispers and I stood on my feet, watching everything from where I was sitting. I can't tell you how much I wanted to hit that man.

Mika must have sensed it and held onto my shoulders tightly in case I decided to run over.

"Is this how my son has been wasting his time?" The man said. So, that was his dad.

What a horrible Dad.

"That's Kyo-chan's father isn't it?" Honey-Oppa said, looking at the same direction I was looking at.

"Yes." Mori-Oppa replied.

"Yoshio Ootori." Mika said softly without the bubbly voice that I've gotten used to.

"You are an embarrassment to the Ootori name." Ootori-san said, walking off toward Suoh-Aujjushi. When he did that, I saw my mom stiffen a bit, stayed where she sat since I sort of trust Suoh-Aujjushi. I saw some eye contact made with her and Ootori-san. I could have sworn I saw that man's eyes widen at the sight of my mom and my mom just looked away, not wanting to look at him or anything.

Did my mom know him or something?

"Kyoya, are you alright?" Tama-Hyung said.

"Kyo-Hyung," I said with a bit more worry than I intended for.

"Your dad is so mean." Hikaru said, holding onto Kaoru in that Brotherly love thing. Honey-Oppa popped out,

"You should never ever someone who's wearing glasses." He said and I couldn't help, but dead pan at that. He's just so cute even at the wrong times.

"Senpai, he wasn't upset with you because of the Host Club, was he?" Haruhi said, not really noticing Tama-Hyung thinking about something new. Great, Haruhi can be blunt, but in ways that she's blunt in the wrong moments.

"Don't worry about it," Kyo-Hyung said, pushing his way through between Tama-Hyung and Haruhi. I only got one glimpse of his face and it looked like he was in some kind of pain or so.

"It's not like I haven't been expecting this." He said, walking off like it was nothing and his back was turned so I wouldn't see his face.

"Because of the Host Club?" Tama-Hyung last said.

Everything….up until right now has done nothing, but piss me off, especially Kyo-Hyung's Dad slapping him across his face. That's not good parenting, that's just making sure your child is afraid of you.

A parent is supposed to support you no matter what; a parent is supposed to be proud of any accomplishments that you completed. What kind of parent slaps their child across the face in public?

I clenched my fists so tightly that I was pretty sure I must have dug my nails deeper into my skin and drew blood. I paid more attention to my hand that I didn't notice my mom walk up to me and smile sadly at me.

"Everything won't always have a happy ending Mao," She said, "Everything will always have a price and it's a price that we all have to pay."

Like Dad, Mom always had great sayings and advises that I was able to follow. I followed them and stayed out of trouble up until now. She was right about everything and I've been thinking about that ever since Dad died. I started to think that the happiness that I was having wasn't going to keeping being like that forever. To be happy, you have to….

"Make your own choices to be happy." I uttered, looking up and heard a satisfied chuckle from Mom.

"Only ones self can make themselves happy. Not money nor fame, Mao."

As I was thinking about this more, the doors creaked open and there was another figure that I'm going to have to memorize. It was an elderly woman with a kimono on. I stayed with the group and Haruhi came over with a smile on her face.

"Aw, that's so sweet. So that's Tamaki-senpai's grandmother?" She asked.

"I hate that woman." Honey-Oppa muttered loud enough for the host club, or what remained, to hear.

"Please come in, take a seat!" Tama-Hyung said, gesturing to the elderly woman.

"Don't patronize me," She said.

What?

"Filthy child."

What?

"Lady Éclair, please come over here please." The woman said in a louder voice. At that name, a girl with lighter hair than mine walked on over to Tama-Hyung and his grandmother. Haruhi mentioned, sort of, that she was talking to that girl earlier than before.

"Mao?" Mika called out my name as I kept looking towards this new world that just opened up to me. I didn't bother answering to anyone because I was watching this troubled world. A world that I once hated because of the stupid people….

"For the remainder of today and tomorrow, you will be Lady Éclair's personal escort." His grandmother said. This Éclair person walked up to Tama-Hyung and smiled at him, and then had a bunch of purple flowers and a blue-white background popped up.

"What's wrong? I gave you on order." The grandmother said in a cold tone. Actually, her tone was not friendly at all from the moment she walked in except when calling out for Lady Éclair.

"Very well, Grandmother. I will do everything in my power to ensure her happiness. Just as you wish."

_A beautiful and yet cruel world…._

…_A world that I have seen so many times before…._

_~/+/~_

"Tama-chan isn't coming back is he?" Honey-Oppa asked while I just finished up with my dessert route. I sat down in front of Kyo-Hyung and decided to listen in on the conversation rather than be a part of it like Mika and Mom are.

"Does he really plan on spending the entire fair escorting some stranger?" The twins shared in that one sentence.

"I guess that's what family does for one another. Do whatever that family member wants, even if they don't want to right, Mom?" Mika asked, turning to mom's direction as she was drinking the especially made tea that I've been working on.

"That's true. Mao does cope with us especially when we ask for things while she's at the market."

Geez.

"Éclair, right?" Hikaru said, "Or something like that."

"Who is she to him, that's the mystery." Kaoru said. Kyo-Hyung kept typing on his laptop, not even bothering to lift up his head to look at me.

"I could tell you." A voice rose from the distance. Everyone, besides Kyo-Hyung turned to look at Renge, who was dressed up in a pink dress.

"Oh, Renge."

"Éclair Tonnerre. She's the youngest daughter of the renowned French Tonnerre family. A descendent from royalty." She said, not even sporting the excited voice that she always had around the host club. Is it just a coincidence or is today just not one of those days?

And descendent from royalty!? As in royalty like Prince William and Kate sort of deal or do they seem like royalty?

"Indeed. The family has quite a history. Their wealth is sort of a legend among financial heavyweights. In fact, just being associated with them makes your part of a very elite group." Kyo-Hyung said, finally looking up from his laptop. I think I know how he got those glasses because I'm pretty sure he wasn't just born with those. Also, something tells me that he wants to be a part of that financial group that the Tonnerre family is known for.

"They also own Grand Tonnerre. It's been buying up many businesses in Japan lately. Of course, that doesn't explain why Lady Éclair has come to visit Tamaki." He finished, going back to his typing on his laptop. Not far from where we were, I saw Haruhi standing by, quite like I was. It's a sight not normal, especially for me since I worry and act a lot, especially when Mom's around.

"Mao, you've been awfully quiet. Is something wrong?" I've been asked and I paid attention to Kyo-Hyung, who stopped typing and everyone else looked at me in worry. Yep, they're not used to a quiet Mao. A quiet Mao is a messed up Mao and they know it.

No matter how shocking and how dramatic all of this was, I lifted up my head, showing a smile to replace all that glum I was feeling from the leading guy.

"I'm fine. It's not like I haven't heard of this stuff before. They always show this type of stuff on Korean dramas. It's nothing new." I said. I think I might have fooled the guys, but I wasn't so sure about Mom or Mika since they went about with their worried looks. I got up from my chair and went into the kitchen to make some more cake for everyone and some drinks. Everyone loves non-alcoholic lemonade with paper umbrellas on them. I decided to make some while the guys take care of Mika and Mom.

"I'll be back, don't go wondering off, okay?" I asked Mika and Mom and went off.

"_Of course, that doesn't explain why Lady Éclair has come to visit Tamaki."_ I heard Kyo-Hyung's voice ring in my head still as I was giving out drinks and sweets. Even when I tried thinking about something else that thought of Tama-Hyung hanging out with a girl his grandmother ordered to hang out with doesn't seem right to me.

It also didn't seem right that his grandmother was being so cold towards him. I thought grandmothers were supposed to be sweet and nurturing to the children of their children. That woman though it more different than others, especially mine.

And that woman, she had some girl to cling onto Tama-Hyung.

I've seen many girls cling onto him and it didn't bother me one bit and yet this one came into my life and immediately, it's been bothering me. Why?

Why is this bothering me?

Why is all of this bothering me so much!? Just because so much drama is happening, that doesn't mean it's a f**king drama! This is real life! There won't be a damn prince charming to make me fall in love with him! There won't be an evil stepmother who'll try to ruin my life! There won't be a way for my family to just suddenly appear right in front of me!

All these things bothering me….It's just….!

"PISSING ME OFF!" I yelled out loud and punched the window beside me. I didn't know I punched a window until I heard the shards of glass clatter on the floor and then I felt a sharp, stinging pain which resulted in a small cut line that I was going to have Mika or the nurse tend to it. Speaking of Mika, she came running towards my side and grabbed my hand to look at it.

"Mao, what did you do? Are you alright?!" She asked frantically. Mom came as quickly as she could and saw the broken glass around me. As Mika was about to pull me with her to her travel-size first aid kit, I pulled my hand back, shoving it in my pocket so I wouldn't have to show it to the others. My eyes widened at that pain and I gritted my teeth, which hurt a lot. However, it wasn't as painful as Tama-Hyung's grandmother forcefully making him hang out with Lady Éclair. It's not right!

"I said I'm fine! Stop worrying about me!" I said, walking past them and past the guys, who looked at me with the same look Mom and Mika gave me.

Why the hell is it bothering me this much!? It can't be…!

_I'll protect you Mao._

_Are you alright Mao?! You're not hurt are you?!_

BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP

No. It can't be because I like him. There has to be another reason! I already know that he likes me and so do the others, but the question that's still left unanswered, do I like them the way that I like them?

I don't know! All these noises in my head and chest, they hurt a lot when I think about this! It's probably because I'm going to have a heart attack.

I just…want to know why I'm so…so jealous of that French girl!

CLACK

"Who is it?" I heard Éclair say and I just opened the door, all dressed up in one of the outfits that Tama-Hyung has gotten for us.

"Mao, what are you doing?" He asked me, getting up from his seat.

"I just came here to get changed," I said, hiding my injured hand behind my back. "I mean, after all, you were the one that thought of the idea to have three outfits in one day." I chuckled lightly when in reality, I was pissed off.

"I'm pretty sure Haruhi-Noona said all that was needed to say so I won't say anything, got that?" I said and I almost wanted to laugh when I saw Tama-Hyung's shocked face.

"My apologizes, I'm afraid he belongs to me for the time being." Lady Éclair said, looking at me with her opera glasses. Is it weird that her name makes me think of chocolate éclair's and it's making me hungry?

"Forgive me asking, but do I detect a hint of jealously much like your friend from before?" She asked me. I was fazed on the inside, but I didn't react at all on the outside.

"Mao~! Is it true? You're jealous?!" Tama-Hyung said all enthusiastically and then I saw the familiar lightbulb from the beginning of the year appear and this one belonged to Lady Éclair.

Dammit, she figured it out!

"Why would I? Jealousy is irrational. Being jealous for a person hanging out with another person is stupid. Now, being jealous over a person making a better cake than you makes much more sense!" I said, turning around to make my back face them. "I'm going back since someone needs to bake the sweets at least." I finished, closing the door as I went out.

"Wait a second!" Tama-Hyung said after I walked out. I didn't stop, I just kept walking and tried to forget everything. I don't want to remember that or that girl.

"Oh!"

"So dashing!"

"Such a handsome face!" That's all I heard from all the ladies when I walked down the steps. I fixed up my hair a bit before I stepped out to the crowd and hid my wounded hand from everyone. Because if I showed it to others, they'll just start worrying and annoy me with questions.

"Mao-chan looks great!" Honey-Oppa said, flowers floating around hm.

"She does." Mori-Oppa replied. I didn't know if I should smile or blush. I went with a smile and still walked off to greet any new guests since I'm still trying to get my mind to forget it all. I spotted Kyo-Hyung still typing on his laptop, but I felt one more pair of eyes on me.

"Not bad." Hikaru said, "Where's the boss anyways?"

"Are you going to say the same thing Haruhi said?" Kaoru asked me and I turned to him.

"His highness is still showing Lady Éclair around. Honestly, I don't give rats ass about anything so long as it doesn't involve me." I said.

"Well, well well. Sounds like someone's a little jealous." The twins said. I haven't had a stronger urge to choke someone today until right now. It didn't help at all that Mori-Oppa and Honey-Oppa agreed with the gingers.

"What do you guys know about jealousy anyways? Jealousy is just an irrational emotion that isn't worth the time. He's being more….irresponsible more than usual."

How can I say something like that when I really do feel jealous? Me and my big mouth, I gotta start thinking about what I say.

"True, but he's only doing that under the word of his grandmother." Kyo-Hyung said and I froze, not daring to move when I remembered that woman acting so cold at her own family member.

_Why did you have to marry her Masato? _

_She isn't worth your time. Look at her, she didn't even bare you any children. You two just adopted two girls whose family didn't even want them._

_Be quiet uncle. Just because she couldn't bare me any of my own children doesn't mean I'll begin to hate her for that. Love accepts all perfections and flaws. _

…_The children better become successful like you have. Make them someone that I'll be proud of._

_I can't do what you always say uncle…they're human begins and they'll do whatever that makes them happy…Have limitations, but still love what they do._

"His grandmother? That's the excuse? That still doesn't explain why she's so hostile towards him. Tama-Hyung's her grandson and should be helping him not be annoyed by anything that he does or will do for her!"

"You obviously don't know much do you?" Kaoru said, not purposely provoking me.

"Well, everyone else knows about it except you." Hikaru said, leaning his head on his hand.

"See, Tamaki-senpai is illegitimate."

_You're not really your parent's kids, you're frauds._

_Your real parents didn't even want you, what makes you think my son and his wife will love you?_

"Twenty or so years ago, the Suoh family patriarch died at a young age. For political reasons, Chairman Yuzuru was rushed into a marriage in the behest of his mother to a woman of her choosing. That's how he became head of the family."

"But several years later, the chairman fell passionately in love with a beautiful young woman he met in Paris."

"Not long after, Tama-chan was born."

_No mother! I'm leaving my wife! I'm going to marry her!_

"The bosses' grandmother vehemently objected."

"Because of her poor health, living in Japan proved too difficult for senpai's mother. And so, she raised him in France until he was fourteen."

"His childhood seems to have been a happy one, but as time wore on, the family business on his mother's side went belly up and when they were forced into debt."

"The bosses' grandmother worried that there'd be no male heir to carry on the family name came up with a proposal."

_I will provide you with the means to live comfortably for the rest of your days. In exchange, Tamaki's to come and live with me in Japan…without you. All contact between the two of you will be prohibited forever. These conditions are non-negotiable. _

"The current patriarch maybe Chairman Yuzuru Suoh technically, but for the time being, all the family assets remain under the control of Tamaki's grandmother. What's more, with his mother's health being so frail, Tamaki understood the grim prospects facing her if she were left to live in debt. So…"

All that Tamaki was doing…everything he did from the moment he came to Japan; he was doing it for his mom who's just as frail mine.

_I've decided to go to Japan. It's all for the best. Just promise me mom, promise me that you'll take care._

"Not long afterward, whether out of anguish or just plain guilt of having her bordered her son away for financial security; Tamaki's mother left France in shame and went into hiding. Her current whereabouts are unknown. To this day, he's never seen her again. Not once." Kyo-Hyung finished.

I hung my head in shame, remembering the day that I will never get to see my dad ever again. That day, they haven't even recovered to body.

_At a windy and chill fall morning, all family members and friends gathered by the sea that lead to the Pacific. Why bother with a grave on land when there was no body? Why bother with spending that money for an empty tomb when all there was to that grave was that sea and that plane that crashed that day._

_A young Mao and Mika held onto their mothers hands, who shed tears silently while watching everyone that were close to her husband light up candles or throw flowers into the ocean to be drifted away by the currents._

"_We won't get to see Daddy again?" Mika and Mao said together which made their mom tighten her grip onto their small hands. _

"What's wrong with me?" I finally said after such an amazing story that I was just being told to me. I find it hard to believe still that this was Tamaki's story.

Wait…

Did I just say…Tamaki?

Tamaki…Tamaki! Why didn't you tell me sooner you idiot!? I could have helped you out!

_Don't ever mess with my family ever again!_

_They're idiots, but they're my idiots._

_All I want for those people around me is to be happy. I just hope the things I do and make for them is suffice._

_I may be an orphan but I'm the happiest orphan in this world. I got lucky and I'm going to make sure everyone else is just as lucky as I was._

"It's easy to feel sorry for him, but the hardships that he endured as a child help mold him into the person he is today. He'll be fine." Kyo-Hyung stood up and tried to get me to calm down. I think everyone was trying to do that since I punched a window earlier. "The Host Club is his refuge which means when all is said and done, he still has us."

_The Host Club exists for a reason…To make people happy…_

"Would you just stop with the Korean Drama crap? I was going to watch something like this once I got home and now you guys ruined the episode!" I laughed, smiling at them as they returned the smile.

Just when things were about to get better, I heard the doors open and saw Tamaki and Lady Éclair standing next to each other.

"Tama-chan!" Honey-Oppa said.

"Everyone I have an important announcement." He said, surprising everyone.

"As of today, Lady Éclair Tonnarre are officially engaged. Furthermore, the Host Club will be permanently dissolved after the Ouran fair. That is all."

What?

What?!

WHAT!?


	19. This is Our Ouran Fair! You know Him!

Chapter 19 – This is Our Ouran Fair! Mom Knowns Kyo-Hyung's Dad?!

A quiet morning was what I awoke to today. Mom and Mika stayed put at the dinner table while I just finished putting on my shoes at the door.

"Mao, are you sure you don't want any breakfast?" My mom asked me.

"No thanks…I'm not hungry." I said and turned around, "Well, I'm off then!" I headed out in the early hours of the morning to get to the school earlier than usual. Yesterday, I arrived to school late, but I forgot that it was the Ouran Fair. Today, it was the continuation of the School fair. Day 2 is the main fair. Yesterday was the opening ceremony and not what I expected yesterday.

Like yesterday, we were at the central building salon and this time, I made sure that Mom and Mika would stay put at the house. Mika didn't have school today since they were closed due to the Ouran fair so Mika would have to take care of Mom until I got back so I left her with instructions on how to make Mom's afternoon herbal tea.

As I was serving drinks to the guests like yesterday, I caught glimpse of Kyo-Hyung talking to Lady Éclair. He seemed to have stiffened a bit at something that Éclair said, but I didn't know what it was until he called Haruhi over. The two started talking and talking until I finished up and I had to pick up their dishes to wash them. As I was about to leave, I felt Éclair's hand grab my wrist. I had to turn around and look at her and she looked at me with a smile. No, not a genuine smile that I've seen a lot with the Host Club, but a sarcastic smile.

"Oh Mao, won't you sit down and talk to me?" She said to me. I pulled up a chair, but Haruhi stood up saying that she'll take up on my shift while I talk to Lady Éclair. One side of me wanted her to not leave me here alone with Lady Éclair and one side of me said that she should go away quickly and not come back because I really wanted to hurt someone and badly.

"It has come to my attention that Tamaki has some kind of fondness for you and your friend, Haruhi." She told me.

"I'm sorry, what exactly are you saying? You're not jealous are you?"

"Oh, look at you." She leaned her arm forward and then rested her chin on her hand, "Tamaki won't be coming today. I warned him that if he ever showed his face here at the Host Club again would make me upset." She said.

What exactly did you do to that poor boy?

More importantly, what exactly is Tamaki thinking about? Someone just doesn't become all happy and then within a few hours announce that they're going to quit everything that they worked for. It just doesn't seem right!

_It's Tamaki's business, not yours Mao. Just enjoy the moments while you can._

You're right; I should enjoy everything while I can. Tamaki will live on to do what he needs to and I will as well. Same goes with the others. I'll be going back to my ordinary life as a culinary scholarship student and step up my mission.

"What did you do with your hand? It wasn't from sheer jealousy was it?" Éclair stated. Sh*t, I forgot to hide my hand from her view. I pulled back my hand and hid it on my lap, pulling up a smile to keep up with my act.

"Now, why on earth would I do that? As I have said yesterday, jealousy is irrational." I said.

"Also, are you Tamaki's lover?" She said. Oh great, one of those huh?

"No Miss Lady Éclair. I am not." I said.

"Oh, that's good to hear. I guess you mean nothing to him."

"As cliché as it sounds, as long as I am around and breathing, I will know that I am not nothing to him. I just..." I said and that seemed to have irritated her a bit so she stood up and walked away. We did talk for some time, longer than she had with Haruhi. Not saying that this is a contest or anything, who was counting anyways?

As she did so, I soothed my bandaged hand to comfort me at the change that was happening. I understand that everything changes, but I would have thought it would have taken some time before this kind of thing would have begun. We still had a few months and years before we started dissolving the Host club. It's all just too soon.

In these past months that I've been in the Host club, I started noticing some small things like the way I started to feel some kind of weight lift off my shoulders. I started having much more fun than what I would have in middle school.

I've been through so many things with these guys that I'm not looking back at them and just wanted to laugh at the things we did together. I even had a blush sneak onto my cheeks when I remembered all those moments with the guys. That night in Okinawa with Kyo-Hyung…That day when Tamaki found out about my dad, that night in school with Hikaru, that date with Kyo-Hyung, that work day Kaoru came in, the day when I was hospitalized. All those moments, I've spend time with some of the most amazing guys I've ever knew.

"Thank you for all of your hard work Mao." I came out of my train of thought and looked up at Kyo-Hyung, who stood up in front of me and smiled.

"That request from Lady Éclair. Your debt and Haruhi's has been paid. You finally repaid us from that renaissance vase you two broke. So you and Haruhi are free to quit the host club. If you want, that is."

I looked down at my injured hand I got and started thinking about all of that. I've been through so much trouble along with Haruhi all because of some stupid eighty million yen worth vase that we broke. These rich kids lived in another world that I haven't known so well beside the Dramas I've watched and now, looking down at my hand, I've realized that I got this injury because I cared for Tamaki. Not only Tamaki, but the twins, Kyo-Hyung, Mori-Oppa and Honey-Oppa. Haruhi-Noona. My mom, Mika, and Caesar aren't the only ones I care about anymore.

_I want everyone to be just as happy as I have been all these years. There may be those days where the world is against you, but that's the beauty of it. Instead of accepting the glass half-empty, try to make things better for you and the people you care about. But remember, if you want to do anything for others, think about yourself first. _

I was going to reply to his indirect question, however, that wasn't just going to cut it since I heard footsteps coming at our direction. Kyo-Hyung glanced at that way and I lifted my head up slightly to see it was Ootori-san walking behind him and then some other guy. His dad stopped just right behind him.

"When they're young, many assume that they have all the time in the world but really that is never the case." He said, glancing back at Kyo-Hyung. "And don't waste your time that will ultimately have no value." He finished. I gasped quietly and stood up quickly without even thinking. I don't want another person I care about hurt much more than they already are. It's just not fair.

"You have no right to say that!" I said loudly, stepping in front of Kyo-Hyung and looked at his dad and I carefully predicted my actions, even when Ootori-san looked back at me. "More importantly, you shouldn't take your frustrations on your own son, your own flesh and blood. This Club does much more than you may see. I don't give a damn what you say Ootori-san, more importantly, I don't give a damn what high position you may hold and that just makes me sick thinking I would pay my respect to you just because you hold such a high title. It makes me sicker that you think all that Kyo-Hyung is doing here is wasting time! Kyo-Hyung does his best for you and yet that's still not enough for you! A father, no, a parent must always support and encourage their child in a positive way! Kyo-Hyung's one of a kind! And I'll be damned if anyone discards him as how you think!"

Well, it was nice knowing you guys.

I'm about to get slapped in the face by Kyo-Hyung's dad and I was prepared for that until I felt hands on my shoulders.

"Mao, is everything alright?" I heard a soothing voice and I looked back that it was my mother.

"Mom!? What are you doing here!?"

"I wanted to spend all the time I can get at this school. I always wanted to come here, but I couldn't. However, Masato was able to do that for the both of us." She said, smiling softly at such a memory. My eyes are tired now from that entire eye widening thing that I just merely blinked in shock.

"Dad…was an alumnus here?" I said.

"…Yuki?" Turning over, I saw Ootori-san look at Mom and vice versa. Kyo-Hyung must have noticed it too and Mom broke eye contact, giving out a weak smile.

"It's nice to see you once again Yoshio." She said, surprising me and Kyo-Hyung.

"Mom, what's going on? Do you happen to know Ootori-san?" I asked her and she just avoided eye contact with me and instead looked over at Ootori-san, at which Kyo-Hyung stood next to.

"Father, how do you know Mao Kurosaki's mother?" He asked.

"Mao Kurosaki?" Ootori-san said – more shocked than concerned from what I would have guessed. "She's the culinary scholarship that you've been telling me about, is that correct Kyoya?"

"That's correct sir."

…

Mom was probably the only person that tried to reassure me from all this awkwardness and the silence. It wasn't comforting.

Man, I wish Mika was here now. It would have been much better if she were here.

"She's very much like her father, Yuki. I'd like for her to visit my manor one of these days. If you'll excuse me." Ootori-san said, walking off into the crowd.

Say what?

That can't be right. Isn't the rich supposed to be like cruel or so to the middle class? My family is in middle class.

Wait, did he say he knew my dad?

"Mr. Ootori! Wait!" I called out, but it was too late. I didn't get a chance to run up to him and catch him. I was a little slow and he already disappeared. Dammit!

"Mao, I was wondering if you'll make mommy here some sweets? Would you do that for me please?" Mom asked me, smiling sweetly when I know that that is the smile of a she-devil.

"Mom, at least tell why are you even here anyways?!" I yelled, earning a haughty laugh from her.

"Mika dropped me off here when she and Hatori wanted to have a romantic date at the park. She's fine and I met the Chairman, who brought me here. Such a nice man. Now, about my sweets?" Despite the fact that she tries her very best to hide her worry, she still keeps up the act of the innocent woman who only wants her sweets. I sighed deeply and turned around in defeat.

"Sure Mom. Kyo-Hyung, can you watch over my mom please?" I asked. He replied with a smile and lightly pushed me off to where I was headed.

_**((Yuki's POV))**_

"She certainly has changed, hasn't she?" I turned to the Ootori boy beside me as I looked over to him and he began to type on his laptop. Cute.

"Indeed." He replied in a small smile that I've only been able to see only once before. No matter, I think of it sweet that he would do anything for Mao. I mean, look at him. He promised Mao that he'll look after me before she returns from getting me some sweets that she's always been making for me ever since she was a little girl.

How Mao ever made him and others fall for her charm, I'll never know. She's never been interested in dating because she's always been busy with school work and actual work that she barely has time for anything else like fun or actually enjoy teenage life. Other parents would have wanted a child as Mao since she's obedient, but I only want her to enjoy things at a slow pace instead of trying hard to grow up. She's still only a child and should be worrying about her next three years of high school instead of worrying about the next cell phone bill payment. They didn't just make the youth just because you know. There are things that they should be doing and they do indeed have all the time in the world. People like me, we don't.

"Kurosaki-san, exactly how do you know my father?" Kyoya asked me. I straighten up in my chair and fiddled with my hands, thinking about what I was going to say.

I sighed deeply and what I was about to tell Kyoya should not even reach Mao's or Mika's ears. They should not know about this under any circumstances.

"Masato-kun always had such good connections around here. He was an alumnus here after all!" I said, smiling even though it was a sad day for everyone, especially Mao. If Masato were here, he would say to always look on the positive side of everything, especially the bad.

"But that still doesn't answer my question Kurosaki-san. How can your husband know my father especially since-! Unless of course…" Everything was starting to piece together in Kyoya's head; I could see how it was working with that look in his eyes. It was entertaining to see, yes it was.

"Masato De Las Nieves Kurosaki was his full birth name. Masato-kun hated his father's name because how cruel the family treated his mother. They weren't really fond of interracial people. His grandparents named Masato's father the patriarch of the De Las Nieves group even before he met his mother. Before Masato was born, they got married here in Japan before Masato's grandparents got word of it. After he was born, his father was denounced as the patriarch and moved to the second eldest, Masato's uncle. He saw potential in Masato so he provided everything Masato would need to get a good education and so he applied to Ouran Academy against his parent's wishes. That's when he met your father and another man, and became friends. Your father and the entire family, besides the Kurosaki's and his parents, don't even know if he's alive anymore. He broke all contact with everyone after he married me and adopted the girls; disappointing his father's family since he was a potential candidate as the next patriarch." I said.

There was still too much that these children needed to know and it was all too soon for them to find out as well. I promised Masato when he adopted Mao and Mika that much. I promised him that I wouldn't tell, no matter how much it hurt me.

"_Yuki, Mao is to not know anything about herself or her past until she becomes of age. I don't want you to go and continue talking with my old friends either. I promised Wiliem that much." _

"_But…Masato, I!"_

"_Listen to me please. I promised Wiliem that his child would go on living a lifestyle much different than his and the others. Look at me, my father and mother raised me this way as well and they never been so much happier. I'm happy as well, even if these children are not truly mine and even if you have frail health. I love you and the love you give to me is much stronger than what my father's family tells me. I married you because I love you, not because I pitied you._

"_I will raise these children as my own. I will raise my friend's child as I have promised him upon his death. He knew of our trouble and has made our family grow more."_

"_Are you really sure it doesn't bother you Masato? What if everything won't be planned out like you and the others wanted?"_

"_My father and mother taught me to always look into people's hearts, to always do the right thing even when others don't agree with you. A true family is made when you are surrounded by the people that love you, not by relations of blood. I love these girls, even if they belong to another family, I love them with all my hearts and I'm glad that I have become their father and you their mother."_

"And do your daughters know about this?" Kyoya asked me as I tried to remember that I was in a conversation before I started to begin a flashback. I shook my head.

"They don't. I promised Masato that I would tell them once they become of age. You see, Mao's past has a secret and I promised to not tell one soul."

"Kurosaki-san, your daughter has been searching all these years for her family and you happen to know! Why can't you tell her now?" Kyoya asked me, really wanting to know why on earth I am not telling my own daughter this vital information. I shouldn't even have told this to him since this was really important. I understand that Mao has been looking for her family all this time and I also know that she applied here to find them and use the resources available. She's no fool and neither am I to not even notice this.

"I can't Kyoya. As much as I want to, I can't. I care about Mao more than you can imagine. Even if it's keeping one clue to her past a secret, I can't let her know. It's to protect her and I don't want her exposed to danger."

"Expose me to what kind of danger?" I heard Mao say, holding out a plate of red-velvet cake with her famous cherry flavored icing and some of her herbal tea that has kept me from getting majorly ill. I straightened myself and Kyoya continued to work on his laptop as I gave her another smile, messing her hair up like I always had.

"I don't want you exposing yourself to fire young lady. I've seen you eying on that liquor the other day to make a meat dish. You know alcohol is flammable!" I scolded at Mao as she gently placed the tray on the table, beginning to fix her hair from before.

"Mom, I just wanted to try something new. Everyone's doing it." She said. Yeah, that will only work for Italians just like how they get their drivers licenses on Grand Theft Auto.

I think I'm buying way too many video games for the girls and then been secretly been playing them along with reading every meme Mika creates.

"Nope. You're not doing it. I don't want to say I told you so when you're at the hospital being treated from your burn wounds." I told her and started to laugh. Kyoya joined in on the laughter by chuckling and Mao just pouted.

"Mom, what did you do to Kyo-Hyung?!"

~/+/~

_**((Mao's POV))**_

"_Oh? Pardon me for asking, but are you Tamaki's lover?"_

"_No Miss Lady Éclair. I am not." _

"_Oh, that's good to hear. I guess you mean nothing to him."_

"_As cliché as it sounds, as long as I am around and breathing, I will know that I am not nothing to him. I just..." She stopped to rethink her words and lifted her head up right. Something that morning told her that she's just going to have to accept things as they are now and in time, she'll be rewarded. Even if she was hurting on the inside because she felt as if her family was leaving her again, she had to keep being strong like her dad always told her._

_There will be no more hiding in fear and in anguish. There will be change and that change will make her become a better being….a better person that could handle anything._

_She gave her signature smile despite the fact that she didn't like this girl, she kept on._

"_I just want you to know that I hope you make Tamaki happy. You may hate me, but I'll cope with your hate only to have my friend be happy, to you as well." Mao seemed to have surprised Éclair with what she said that she stood up in shock and proceeded to leave until._

"_Do you really care about him that much? You care about him so much that you'll leave him in my care?" Éclair asked. Mao looked at the girl, not knowing what to say._

"_I may become the saddest fool on earth, but I'll be more than happy to know that Tamaki will be happy, same with the others. Their happiness is my happiness. Tamaki, after all that he's been through, should have a person that cares about him stand beside him. He may forget about me one day, but I just want to leave his side forever by knowing that I at least done something to make his life better." _

What the hell was I thinking?

It's not like my words are going to soften up her heart and get Tamaki to stay in the Host club and stuff. That will never happen because he's just going to accept things the way they are right now and that pissed me off a lot like yesterday. Don't worry; I won't be punching any windows anymore.

I'll be punching tables now.

However, that's the least of my worries.

"Kyo-Hyung, I know I was going to wear a dress, but did I really have to look like freaking Maria Theresa?" I said, gasping for air since this is the first time I'm required to wear a corset. Take my word on this, don't go about tightening a corset too tightly if you're a beginner. You'll regret it!

"We told you and Haruhi that it's a costume for the special parade!" Hikaru told me.

"I think it looks adorable on you Mao. This is my second time to see you so dressed up as a girl." My mom cried, wiping the fake tears out of her eyes.

"You look so cute Mao-Chan! Haru-chan!" Honey-Oppa yelled, being all cute as always.

"I don't understand. Why am I the only one dressed up as a girl?" Haruhi asked. She obviously missed me and I don't know how she did since I'm so hard to miss. I mean seriously, this dress was not that hard to miss. Look at me, I feel like I'm impersonating a historical figure, which I sort of am.

"Haruhi, you need glasses or those contacts are dull now. As you can see, I'm wearing a dress!" I yelled, making her jump and sweat drop.

"Sorry Mao. Things have been on my mind lately." She admitted and I understood why she would get that distracted.

"Aw, come on you two. It's cosplay so it's okay for you two to dress up as a girl." Hikaru said, giving the thumbs up.

"I agree. Finally, my daughter is getting her girl genes back! Yay for cosplay!" Mom said, high-fiving Hikaru and I just glared.

"Well?" Kaoru said suddenly, looking at Kyo-Hyung.

"No luck." He said, closing his phone shut.

"I don't get it. I thought for sure he was going to show up despite what she said." Haruhi said and here comes the unwanted gloom in the room. Mom noticed it soon enough and placed her hands on my shoulders to at least comfort me. The whole room was just silent and I didn't like it. A quiet Host Club is a messed up Host Club.

Kyo-Hyung tried again in dialing Tamaki, pressing the buttons much more than he needed to. This is just like when some idiot presses the button harder to make the attack more powerful. It's not going to happen you know.

"Hello Shima, its Kyoya. It's been a while." Kyo-Hyung said. If I'm right, Shima is one of the head maids/keepers of the estate Tamaki was living at.

I couldn't hear well from the phone conversation that Kyo-Hyung was having, but I could tell that on the other line, they were just as upset as we were and the news of whatever Kyo-Hyung was hearing, it was just making him upset.

"How can he be so stupid?!" He said. The rest of us looked at him in worry and anxious to know. He pulled his phone out of his ear and decided to announce what was so troubling.

"Evidently, Tamaki is planning to return to France." He said. All of us straightened up, all surprised.

"Tama-chan is going to leave us?!" Honey-Oppa yelled.

"You're kidding me! We can't just let it end so suddenly!" Hikaru yelled, shaking if furry and Kaoru looked over at him in worry. I was too, but I was in more shock than anyone else right now. Haruhi maybe, but not a whole lot of people will understand the pain that I'm going through.

I think of Tamaki as a family member to me, someone that just so happened to waltz into my life accidently and made me care about them. That accident, despite how many times I said I hated the things the host club did, I was always glad that I was able to join this club despite the fact it was due to breaking a freaking renaissance vase.

"Do you know when he's leaving Shima?" Kyo-Hyung asked as calmly as he could.

"I'm afraid his flight is this evening." She said.

"What?! Why is he leaving so soon!?"

"He said he would have left sooner, but he wanted to wait until the Ouran fair ended." At that sentence, I heard a car zoom pass by. As that sound came, I leaped off my chair and looked at the window to spot a car. Not just any car but a car that Éclair was on as well as Tamaki.

"Tamaki!" I yelled, pounding on the window as much as I could without breaking the glass. I looked over to my mom with an exasperated look and she understood immediately that I had to take action now.

"The Ouran fair isn't even over yet!"

"My family's car should be in the parking lot! Haruhi, Mao! Let's go!" Kyo-Hyung called out for us. I looked at my mom and she nodded her head as the two of us and Haruhi ran as fast as we could with the other to the parking lot, wherever that is. However, Mom decided to run off into another direction.

"Mom! Where are you going?!" I asked her.

"Just go! I'll meet up with you later! Get him back Mao. I know you can." She last said to me before running off to God knows where. It's not that I don't trust her, but I worry a lot.

~/+/~

It took us a while to get there, but we made it to this black car. Kyo-Hyung led the way and was now talking to the driver.

"We're in a hurry! Can you drive us?" He asked the driver, who seemed hesitant at his request. What the hell? Can't that man see that we're in a hurry?!

I didn't understand what the hell he was getting at until I started hearing footsteps from behind us. I looked back and I saw all those police force guys from the water park and the beach.

"You want to tell me your orders." Said Kyo-Hyung darkly, "Let me guess, you've been hired to protect Lady Éclair."

Hikaru and I pushed Haruhi behind us. He was almost about to push me back as well until I gave him that look and then he remembered what I did to that jaguar.

"I'm truly sorry it has come to this. But as you know, as members as the Ootori Private Police, we answer to your father." One of the police guys said. I looked behind to how Kyo-Hyung would react to it and he freaking punched the car hood and dented it. Damn!

"I'm terribly sorry sir, but we're not to allow any of you to leave even if we have to stop you by force." The police guy said again. Okay.

I'm just going to summarize as much as I could. I have a friend that's about to leave the country. I have friends here that want to stop that. My friend is also blinded by that fact that he's holding us back when in reality; he's the one that pushed us forward into who we are today. I'm really pissed off and I'm so close into taking out all my anger into these police guys and it's not going to be a pretty picture once I'm done with them.

Just as when I was getting in my fighting stance, a familiar clotting noise was heard from my left and then so came the carriage with Honey-Oppa and Mori-Oppa. As if that wasn't a surprise enough, a motorbike came out of nowhere and the person on the bike did a front wheely, kicking down a few of the police guys. They stepped out of their bike, ready to join in on the fight.

"Hikaru, take the carriage. If you use the Bike Hills Bypass, you can cut them off." Mori-Oppa said, stepping off the carriage and stood beside Honey-Oppa who just looked like he was just ready to kill. The person with the helmet pointed at me, motioning me to hop on the bike.

"It's Haninozuka! And Morinozuka!" All the police force gasped and started having second guesses on if they should fight us or not.

"Come on!" Kaoru stretched out his hand to Haruhi, who was worried about all this.

"Haruhi! Go get that idiot!" Kyo-Hyung said to Haruhi, pushing her into the carriage as he looked back at me to get on the bike. Funny, this bike looked like the one I used to make deliveries. I started the bike anyways but before I took off, I ripped off some parts of the dress and the hair piece to get more aerodynamics going on. Hikaru motioned the carriage to go and the police force guys wanted to stop us, especially me since I was easy to take on and the little vehicle that I was in. I was about to be tackled down when the helmet person jumped in and kicked that guys jaw, sending him flying towards his buddies. I gave that person a thank you nod and quickly drove off to catch up to the others and protect them from any other police force what will come at us.

Luckily for us, there were no other police force guys as we made it out of the parking lot. Little did I know that I will be surprised to know who the masked bicyclists will be. I think Kyo-Hyung and the other have figured it out once they were done fighting.

"_Picking on my friends is a big no no!" Honey said, yelling at the police force. Well, it was more like a pile of them stacked one by one. Mori cranked his neck left and right at the satisfaction of getting some frustration out at least. _

"_You should never underestimate the Ouran Host club." Kyoya said, his arms were crossed and also looked on at the pile. The masked bicyclist nodded their head and cracked their knuckles, earning the attention of the three host club members that were left behind._

_They didn't know this person and this person just so in fact had the same fighting style that their very own Bipolar Tiger uses. There wasn't that much connection…yet…_

"_By the way, who are you?" Kyoya asked the bicyclist, staring into the eye piece of the helmet that the bicyclist wore. The said person crossed their arms and finally decided to speak._

"_Come on now. Surely, you all don't recognize my husband's and daughters fighting styles. Who do you think taught me?" The person said, earning surprised looks from the boys. They were even more shocked when the person removed their helmet and revealed brown layered hair and the familiar blue eyes of Mao's mom._

"_Yuki-chan?! You're the masked bicyclist?!" Honey yelled, really surprised that the frail woman could even fight._

"_I sure am Honey. It's good to know that I have some fight left in me yet." Yuki said, chuckling lightly and maneuvered the others to follow her into one of the cars that she borrowed from a friend of hers. Speaking of her friend, she also borrowed the helmet. _

"_Come on. We have a host club member to bring back."_

We were pretty far from the school right now and I was having trouble keeping up with the others and they were in a carriage. I underestimated the velocity of a carriage and I now respect them.

"Hikaru, aren't you going a little too fast? Someone could get hurt!" Kaoru said to his brother just when I was able to catch up to them.

"We're not slowing down until we get the boss back!" Yelled Hikaru. I could tell, even though the sound of the motorbike was louder, I could still hear Hikaru's and Kaoru's yells through all of that.

"But Hikaru!"

"If it wasn't for Tamaki, then the two of us would still only be lost souls. We were able to become friends with Mao, Haruhi and the others because the Host Club brought us together. To think that it can all end so suddenly like this! It's something I can't tolerate!" Haruhi looked on at Hikaru as he was yelling. I was paying close attention to what he was trying to say and he had a point. This host club brought us together and here was Tamaki trying to get us all to spread out and go back to the lives that we all had before. I once thought that it was a good idea until I started to realize that I liked this host club and this host club started to become a group that I really can't live without especially the people that are in it.

Tamaki. Kyo-Hyung. Hikaru. Kaoru. Mori-Oppa. Honey-Oppa. Haruhi-Noona. Renge-Noona. Everyone is just as important as Mika, Mom and Caesar!

While in my thoughts, I didn't notice that the carriage that Hikaru had under control was now losing control because of how fast they were going. It jumped way too high and it resulted with Hikaru flying out of the driver's seat and landing on the pumpkin patch not too far from the crash landing site. Luckily, Kaoru and Haruhi were still in the carriage unharmed. I quickly stopped the bike, looking over to Kaoru, who jumped off the carriage and ran to his brother.

"Hikaru! Are you okay!? Is your arm hurting you!?" Kaoru said.

"This can't be the end boss! It's just not fair! The Host Club is the only thing that made us happy! Dammit!"

I was just there, watching the two brothers comfort each other as by the second, we're closer to losing the one guy that was able to bring us all together.

"_Well, I'm off then!" I said, opening the door. Well, I was about to until my mother's voice broke the silence that was only there for only a few seconds._

"_What? You can't talk to your Mom about it? What's wrong Mao?" Mom said to me and made me look back to the dining table where she and Mika were sitting, both looking at me. I turned around and still kept on smiling. I felt as if petroleum jelly was smeared on my teeth. _

"_What do you mean?" I asked and all that I got as a reply was silence. "I'm just not that hungry this morning, that's all."_

"_Mika, go get ready." Mom suddenly said and Mika, surprisingly, did what Mom told her to do and went upstairs with Caesar and I was just left alone with Mom on the second floor. _

"_You're not fooling me Mao. The last time you skipped breakfast was after your dad's funeral and it was some time later that you could eat again." _

_The image of the ocean appeared and the flowers, sunflowers and roses, were thrown all over the currents for them to float towards the crash site if it could reach over there. I held my mother's firmly on one end and Mika had her other hand. We looked at Dad's family – his parents and brothers – come over and cry over such a loss. Mom's family was there as well and they did the same._

"_We won't get to see Dad no more?" Mika and I said in unison._

"_Mao. You can't always change the past no matter how hard you try. However, you can always rebuild…start over again and make the best of it. Masato may have been our strength but his strength has always been us. He always wanted you to know that no matter what, always be strong even when things don't go according to plan." My mom walked up to me despite how comfortable she was sitting, she stood up and walked up to me to at least comfort me from all that I've been through today. She wrapped her arms around me, bringing me closer to an embrace. I just wanted to cry right there and then, but something told me to save my tears for another time. _

No.

No! I'm tired of all of this sadness! I told myself that I wasn't going to let anything get me down. Not even this sudden dissolvent of this host club. Starting the bike once again, I took a few seconds to rev up the engine and stared down at the road in front of me. Haruhi looked at me for a brief second until she started noticing that this Host Club is anything but trouble. It's anything but just a Host Club. She took off her hair piece, revealing her short brunette hair. She also took off some part of her dress and picked up the reigns of the carriage. Haruhi stormed off with the carriage as I followed right behind her, not really bothering to look back at the twins.

Not far on the road, I was able to spot the car on the road. Haruhi must have noticed too since she looked to her right and then went faster with the carriage.

She actually had more control to the carriage than Hikaru did back there.

I looked on ahead and saw that there was no more road left. I hesitated in slowing down at first until I felt my hand twist the handle, accelerating the bike more. Haruhi landed perfectly on the road and I was beginning to jump off the cliff and then spend a few seconds in midair.

I thought for sure I was going to miss my landing when the motorbike was so close to the ground. I closed my eyes so I won't have to see stuff that I will regret. I already regretted watching the dramatizations of this ER show that showed a bunch of emergencies like a pike going through a guy's mouth and out the back of his neck. And he was still texting. When I realized I made the jump, I sped up as fast as I could, catching up to Haruhi and Tamaki.

"Haruhi! Mao!" Tamaki yelled when he looked back at us. Éclair also looked back, staring at us in awe at just how far we'll go to get Tamaki back.

"What are you two doing?! This is dangerous! Stop the carriage and stop the bike!" He said. I didn't know what pissed me off more, the fact that he left without a goodbye or the fact that he's still old fashioned and crap about this stuff.

"Senpai! Please come back to Ouran!" Haruhi yelled back, not heeding to Tamaki's demands.

"I mean it! Stop the carriage Haruhi! Mao, tell her!" Tamaki turned to me and wanted for me to convince Haruhi into stopping the carriage. It's not going to happen you idiot!

"Shut up and just listen to us will you!" I said.

"All of us will be completely lost without you senpai!" At those words, Tamaki stopped and then relaxed and looked confused.

"But they all said they were put out by the host club." Exactly, how do I like this guy?

Wait…

Did I just admit that I….like Tamaki?

"TAMA-HYUNG YOU IDIOT!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, earning the attention of the half French idiot and Éclair.

"You really are an idiot! What's wrong with you!?" Yelled Haruhi, "After all this time we've been together, you still can't tell when we're joking and when we're serious?!" Boy, this is as pissed as I'll ever see Haruhi. She was beyond pissed off as she was yelling at Tamaki. "Everyone loves being in the Host Club. They really do! Even me senpai!" She said, taking one of her hands off the reign to grab Tamaki's hand if he changed his mind.

"I love being part of the Host club too!"

"Same with me!" I said, speeding up to the car, "This stupid and troublemaking Host Club may have gotten me in debt, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life! Because of you, everyone was able to be friends! I was able to be friends with Haruhi, the other and you Tamaki! I love being part of the Host Club!" I retreated back and watched as he reached his hand out towards Haruhi until Éclair stopped him with her hand.

I'm running out of ideas and I'm running out of time especially when the horses started acting crazy and Haruhi just lost grip on the reigns all together. The carriage rammed into the side of the bridge and before I knew it, Haruhi was flying out of the carriage, out the bridge and flying in midair to await her demise. Okay, not really her demise but she's was going to land on water.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki and I yelled out together. I decided to take some drastic measures and it involved sacrificing the bike. I stood up on the bike and threw myself into the air, basically running towards Haruhi to catch her. I was only a few inches off from grabbing her hand and I was flying off into another direction. Damn!

"Haruhi! Mao!"

"Senpai!"

What I saw next would make my teeth rot away from all that sweetness. Tamaki jumped out of the car and towards Haruhi's direction and grabbed her hand. Within those few seconds I was able to see that, I smiled before I went head first into the water.

"MAO!"

SPLASH SPLASH

There were utter silence and total darkness when I opened my eyes. I opened my mouth to utter a scream, but that was a really stupid idea; don't ever do it. I almost lost all the air in my lungs because of that. My head turned left and right to find those two. When I couldn't, I guessed that they might have swum back to land and here I am, ruining a perfectly good dress. Great, Kyoya's going to kill me…

_Kyoya? Did you just call him Kyoya? What happened to Kyo-Hyung?_

…You're right…I didn't call him Kyo-Hyung like I always did. I called him Kyoya.

That's just going to have to wait. I had to get to the surface quickly before I worried any other people. I swam as fast as I could to the surface that I didn't realize that I sunk so deep. As I broke surface, I breathed in as much air as I could and swam to where a worried Tamaki and a frantic host club were waiting at the bank and all ready to dive into the water.

"Mao!" They called out. I cracked a grin and waved at them, swimming with much more encouragement.

"Mao!" The twins yelled and helped me stand up with the wet dress that I had on. "You're all wet." They said.

"Shut up. I can see that." I playfully punched them on their shoulders and I made sure I was careful in punching Hikaru's good arm. They laughed with me alongside just when I noticed the masked bicyclist. They gave me an approving nod and that's when I realized who it was.

"MOM! I TOLD YOU TO NEVER FIGHT AGAIN! DON'T YOU EVER LISTEN?!" I yelled at her while she bursted out laughing and removed her helmet to reveal her long brown hair and a smile written all over that pale face of hers.

"Come on! I have to admit, this is the most fun I had in years! Besides, I always wanted to be a part of a high speed chase like in Grand Theft Auto."

"Mom! Just how long have you been playing the video games!?"

"Ever since you bought them for Mika. Oh, have you ever considered buying Need for Speed? Or better yet, Assassins Creed?"

"No! Are you crazy?! I can't buy more video games right now! I'll be broke because I just did heavy damage on my bike! You know, the bike that I make my deliveries with!" While I was arguing with my mom, all the others were watching in amusement because who wouldn't want to watch me and my mom bicker at each other over silly, little things. One time, we fought over which accent was hotter. It was a tie between German and Russian and that was just Mika.

"Kyoya, shouldn't we stop them? We have to get back to the fair." Said Tamaki.

"They can fight on the way back. Besides, let them have this. Kurosaki-san hasn't been able to get along with Mao since yesterday."

~/+/~

Well what do you know? Everything does end happily like in a drama. Well, at least for this week it did end happily.

I guess now I'm a true believer in happy endings now.

I never would have thought that I would get to dance the waltz again until tonight where most of the population that's at the school here now was dancing it and we're basically required. I laughed when Honey-Oppa was dancing with Haruhi and they twirled all round. Mori-Oppa was pretty funny too because he's too tall for Haruhi and yet, it couldn't have been better. Hikaru and Kaoru got their chance to dance with Haruhi as well and Haruhi made the mistake of grabbing Hikaru's bad arm caused by the carriage accident. They all danced happily until they made the switch again and in front of Haruhi was Tamaki. However, Kyoya cut in at the last second and got his chance to dance with my best friend. It was hilarious to see Tamaki angry that his best friend got to dance with Haruhi before he did. The girls loved this though. They even had hearts in their eyes. The last Host to dance with Haruhi was Tamaki; those two smiled at each other like they could only make each other happy.

I think I hear wedding bells now!

"Hey Mao-chan!" Honey-Oppa's voice interrupted my thoughts and I looked in front to see a well-dressed Honey with a smile. "Let's dance!" He said, grabbing my hands and began twirling me like he had done with Haruhi. I was surprised that I didn't get dizzy at all from all that spinning.

"Go Mao-chan!" He said, lightly pushing me towards the dance floor again and the next person who I was dancing with was Mori-Oppa, who grabbed my hand and led me through the dance.

"_I'm sorry that we caused you concern. It looks as if Grand Tonnerre will not be purchasing my company after all." Kyoya's father said. Present in the chairman's room was the Chairman himself – who was standing in front of the window with his back faced to his guests, Yoshio Ootori and Mao's mother who was personally invited by Yoshio himself. Yuki was surprised herself that after all these years, who would have thought she would have ran into her husband's old friend. She didn't know that Yoshio was in trouble with that Grand Tonnerre Company. _

"_An unexpected banker turned up and bought the company before Grand Tonnerre had a chance. The banker said he was turning all the management rights over to me." Yoshio finished, receiving a smile from Yuki._

We exchanged a few words until he stopped in front of Hikaru and walked away. I didn't know how to react until Hikaru grabbed me by my waist and we began dancing. I was careful enough to not touch him on his bad arm, I just hope he heals soon because he's my punching bag if Mori-Oppa's not around.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" He said to me near my ear. My eyes widened as I tried to keep eye contact with him until he swung me off to his brother who caught me and made me spin into him. This wasn't part of the waltz by the way. If there was a waltz that I prefer, it's that waltz in that Harry Potter movie and the Viennese Waltz. Just saying.

"_That was a bold move. Which funds manager was it?" The chairman asked in amusement. _

"_A student investor called KO. He cleverly left his name from part of the deal, but it didn't take me long to figure out who it was. KO is Kyoya Ootori. He was none other than my own son." Yuki giggled in delight, sipping her tea before glancing back at the man who gave her a concerned look. She said it was nothing and the two looked at the Chairman to hear more._

"_I guess we don't have to worry about the future." He said, his back still turned to the other two adults, "I knew how brilliant Kyoya was, but it seems he's smarter than I thought."_

Kaoru smiled at me as I tried to keep up with his advanced dance moves. He was full of surprises with our waltz that he even picked me up a few times. He laughed lightly when he was the blush on my cheeks. Before I knew it, I came face to face with Kyoya and he gently took my hand with his, making me put my other hand on his shoulder and his other hand on my waist.

"I see you've been practicing." Kyoya said, smiling down at me. I returned his smile because how could I ruin such a perfect and happy night?

"Always have Kyoya." I answered, seeing that his eyes widened in surprise at the call of his name. Yeah, he knows that I've only been calling him Kyo-Hyung, but not anymore.

"What? Can't handle me calling you Kyoya? That is your name so might as well." I teased.

"It is," He chuckled, "If I can call you Mrs. Ootori."

"J-just Mao is fine. Thank you." I blushed. I don't know, but did he just indirectly say he wanted me to be his wife?

"_Maybe so, but I think your son is truly amazing." _

"_Hm?" _

"_I am responsible for the entirety of Kyoya's education. I always knew that he'd surpass his older brothers someday."_

"_If only you would have said that sooner to Mao, Yoshio. Mao told me everything about the other day and made you her public enemy number one." Yuki said, giggling. Yoshio awkwardly coughed and continued._

"_However, I must say, I'm shocked. While I can imagine Kyoya taking over a company, I'd never dream he'd turn around and give it right back to his original owner. As Kyoya grew up, I was constantly dangling the Ootori company right into his face, torturing him with something he could never have. Now, not only has he taken it from under me by force but he's basically told me that he doesn't want it and has thrown it back in my face." _

"_Do you understand what that means?" Finally, the Chairman looked back at the Ootori man, curious at what his friend was about to say._

"_It means he's finally found it."_

Kyoya stopped dancing and turned me around to lightly push me towards Tamaki, who waited patiently for me. Like Kyoya, he grabbed my hand gently and proceeded to led me into the dance.

"Having fun?" He asked me.

"It's better than the other one I was in. This time, I get to do some dancing." I replied back and he chuckled at my silliness. What I didn't realize was the small pink-red blush on his cheeks as he smiled at me.

"I told you."

"Told me what?"

"I told you and Haruhi that this will be the best Ouran fair yet." Oh yeah…he did tell us that.

"I guess you did Tamaki." I think he waited for a few seconds before he realized that I meant to say only Tamaki. His reaction was priceless.

"T-tamaki?"

"Yeah. It's your name after all."

We stayed put for a brief minute until I looked over to my left and saw fireworks lighting up the night sky. Wow, they got pyro-dynamics! Fireworks! Man, I'm kinda glad that I applied to this school. Tamaki noticed my enthusiasm and watched with me the whole firework show. The only times I ever get to see these kinds of shows is whenever New Year's comes.

"_He's finally found something that has even greater value to him." Yoshio said, "And that's probably thanks to Tamaki."_

"_Let us not forget Kurosaki's daughter, Mao for this. She brought some wisdom to those two that I've seen from only one other person; a friend of our past Yoshio." _

"_I didn't think I was ever going to see her again after that night. And after everything Yuki has told me, I still can't believe it."_

"_Now, now gentlemen, that's all in the past. As Masato would say, think about now and what's to come. I think you two will get along just fine from now on." Yuki said, gesturing the men to talk about something non-depressing after all that she's been through right now. She had to beat up Ootori's Police Force just to make her daughter happy today. The two gentlemen nodded their heads. _

"_I agree. I think we'll get along famously like our children do."_

_In content, the woman looked over to the window to enjoy the firework show being displayed. All these colors in the sky near the heavens. _

"_I almost forgot. There was one more thing I wanted to run by you and Yuki here."_

Whoever brought these pyro-dynamics, they're cool in my book from now on. I just think they're so cool and from they were showing, I hope dad could see them from where he's at right now. He always liked these kinds of things.

The guys came around to enjoy the firework show, along with everyone at the fair. We all stopped what we were doing to marvel at the colors displayed in the sky like it was a canvas for these lights.

"_The Culinary student girl, Mao Kurosaki yes? I think she'll make an excellent wife for my Kyoya in the future. She's grown up in a way Masato and Wiliem would have wanted her to. I just wanted you two to know my intentions." Yoshio said so suddenly that Yuki had to spit out her tea in surprise. _

"_Well, it looks like we're not going to get along after all," The chairman said, "I'm sorry, but that's the one thing I could never allow my friend. I too want my Tamaki to have a wife like Mao in the future. I am considering Haruhi Fujioka as well." Yuki was surprised that these two were even considering having her daughter get married to two of the most powerful families in all Japan. Let alone be friends with their fathers?_

"_Whoa! Mao's not a bargaining chip! I demand that you speak about my child in an appropriate manner! I won't allow Mao to find out so soon about herself." _

"_Yuki, she's at that age now where she's to find out who she is. She should-"_

"_No Yoshio! I promised Masato that until she's eighteen she'll find out!"_

"_Masato is dead. This changes everything especially with what's happening in Denmark right now. Mao deserves to know what happened that night ten years ago. She's the rightful heir, not that crook that led to Wiliem's death. We have to tell Mao everything one of these days! I want her to come to my manor to hear everything from me." Yoshio suggested, looking down at his hands. _

"_Yoshio…"_

"_Yuki, Denmark deserves to have their princess back. Please have her come to my manor."_

TO BE CONTINUED…


	20. Starting Today, You're a Princess! What!

**_((A/N: *taps microphone a bit* Yoo Hoo! Testing! One! Two! Two! One! Yay! It's on! _**

**_Good morning/afternoon/evening/night fellow Ouran lovers! It's been such a long time and now I'm finally updating! Yay! So...who shall Mao-chan end up with? Well, according to my poll, my followers (about 480+ and counting) voted alternative endings and it's tied with Kyoya's ending and Someone else (Another love interest). Hmm. A lot of people just love Kyoya, huh? You know, while I'm at this, I'm going to edit a lot on this story once I get the chance off work and chores and going to be here all night long! Whoo! *not really because then my mum will yell at me and start lecuring me how I should and shouldn't act. (I think she's related to the person that wrote the ettiquite book). _**

**_Oh and yeah, Mao's the Danish Crown Princess! Who knew right? XD I'm going to write an episode about how they go to Copenhagen and meet the Danish Royal family (There is such thing. So is Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish and all other countries. You know, I could have just made Mao the Luxembourgish Crown Princess. :3 Oh well, I already wrote it down! Haha. _**

**_MK: I'm a what?! *screaming eternally*_**

**_KAS: Oh sh*t! You weren't suppose to hear that! Um...*grabs human traquilizer darts and shoots on on Mao's arm, watching her fall to the ground asleep*_**

**_Host Club: ...*sweat drops and silent*_**

**_KAS: It's for the best. *puts gun away and smiles* I don't own OHSHC or the characters. I only own Mao Kurosaki, Yuki, Mika, Masato, his family and Yuki's family, and the non exsistant parents of Mao who happen to have Royal blood. I also don't own the Danish Royal Family. (If I did, I want to be ruler and I shall be named Kaiser Author-san III *I already know Kaiser is German for Emperor so...DON'T RUIN MY DREAM. Actually my real dream is to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II or some royal family and be a knight!*) Anyways..._**

**_Enjoy the story! ))_**

* * *

_"The Culinary student, Mao Kurosaki yes? I think she'll make an excellent wife for my Kyoya in the future. She's grown up in a way Masato and Wiliem would have wanted her to. I just wanted you two to know my intentions." Yoshio said so suddenly that Yuki had to spit out her tea in surprise. _

_"Well, it looks like we're not going to get along after all," The chairman said, "I'm sorry, but that's the one thing I could never allow my friend. I too want my Tamaki to have a wife like Mao in the future. I am considering Haruhi Fujioka as well." Yuki was surprised that these two were even considering having her daughter get married to two of the most powerful families in all Japan. Let alone be friends with their fathers?_

_"Whoa! Mao's not a bargaining chip! I demand that you speak about my child in an appropriate manner! I won't allow Mao to find out so soon about herself." _

_"Yuki, she's at that age now where she's to find out who she is. She should-"_

_"No Yoshio! I promised Masato that until she's eighteen she'll find out!"_

_"Masato is dead. This changes everything especially with what's happening in Denmark right now. Mao deserves to know what happened that night ten years ago. She's the rightful heir, not that crook that led to Wiliem's death. We have to tell Mao everything one of these days! I want her to come to my manor to hear everything from me." Yoshio suggested, looking down at his hands. _

_"Yoshio…"_

_"Yuki, Denmark deserves to have their princess back. Please have her come to my manor to explain to her."_

* * *

_'I want you to stay here Mao. I'm going to come back.'_

_'Promise, papa?'_

_'I promise. Stay here where I told you while I lead the bad men away.'_

_'Be careful papa. *Danish: I love you, Papa*'_

_'*Danish: I love you too, my little one. Now, stay quiet.*'_

* * *

Since the Ouran fair, I've been having dreams about this man - this man that I call 'Papa' and I was speaking some language I don't recognize. This man is the man I'm trying to look because he had promised me that he would come back after he has lead the bad men away that were trying to get us. This guy is my dad because who else would have my eyes?

Oh, Ouran Academy is the school that I was able to get into because of a culinary scholarship that I received, but some students were stupid enough to confuse me as a boy since instead of my long wavy brown-copper hair, I had short, layered and messy brown-copper hair. My looks caught the attention of the guys in the Ouran Host Club. I have something that Tamaki gave me as an introductory for the club, but knowing me, I'm not going to do it. The Ouran Host club is made up of six (now eight) members with different host types and entertain ladies so they are never unhappy. This is something Tamaki prizes because he views all girls as beautiful and never wants a girl to be unhappy. I guess that's what I like about that doofus. I joined the Host club due to my friend, Haruhi.

"Mao, exactly what Korean Drama are we watching?" Nana asked me as I came back with some refreshments that were perfect for watching dramas. I set down the lemonade and caramel popcorn that I was able to make for the girls and took my seat between Nana and Mina.

"It's called Stairway to Heaven," I said. "It was amazingly popular some years back and it still is."

"What a cute name! What's the drama about?" Ai asked me.

"I can't tell you that. You guys would have to find out on your own~!" I taunted with a smile which met with a bunch on whines and giggles.

"That's so mean Mao-kun!" Said Nana. I nodded my head in agreement and pressed play on the home made theater that I was able to create. All I needed was just a DVD projector and a blank white wall with nothing on it and done. I guess you're probably asking why I'm watching a drama in the Host Club when I should be hosting.

Well, Kyoya said during the Ouran fair that Haruhi and I paid off our debt and are free to quit the Host Club. I was all like "Oh, hell no! I worked my butt off and you're telling me to just quit or not?! I'm staying and that's final!" I really didn't say that. I didn't quit because these guys wouldn't make me laugh like they usually do. I'm not missing another chance to see them dressed up as girls again. That reminds me, I still have that photo on my phone and I send it to Haruhi. Good thing we don't post that much things on our Facebook.

Anyways, since the girls wanted to know more about me, I decided to bring in one of my favorite dramas of all time to see so they know why I love these things. Stairway to Heaven is a really famous one and I'm not talking about the Led Zeppelin song.

Things were working out pretty great if you ask me when I said that they were crying at the sad parts of the drama.

"WHY JOON SOO! WHY!? SOON JOO IS YOURS! NOT THAT OTHER GIRLS!" I heard the girls say. It's funny how that I reacted the same way when I first saw the drama and now the girls were saying this stuff.

At the end of the day, I say my goodbyes to the guys and head on home to my two story house – not including the restaurant – and then go to work for who knows how long before my shift ends and then I head on towards another part-time job. I work because I want to provide for my family once Dad died. In case you're wondering why I am working when we already have the money from Dad's life insurance, it's because there isn't enough money to cover mom's medical bills, the cell phone bill, water, electricity, entertainment and now I have to pay back for the motorbike. I only have six thousand left. Boy, did I get a scolding for my boss who almost fired me for mistreating the bike (He didn't fire me because I'm a quick delivery girl).

_**~-.~-.~-.~-.~**_

"Mao, exactly how many more episodes does Boys Over Flowers have?" Tamaki asked me as he sat at the end of the seat and about fifteen girls were sitting with us as we watched the episode where Goon Jun Pyo (SP?) took Jan Dai to his mansion and made her all pretty and stuff.

"More than twenty now shut it!" I said, drinking more coffee and munched on some chocolate coated strawberries that I was able to make that day. No, it's not Valentine's Day; that would be stupid if it was.

"Not to ruin your drama week, but Mao, have you studied for the personal finance class exam before winter break starts?" Haruhi asked. I dropped by coffee on the floor and I don't even know if Kyoya's going to put me back on debt for that. Who cares anyways right now? I have a freaking test and I didn't even know about it. I turned my head around to see Kyoya right at his usual spot for the whole week – sitting on a chair at an empty table with his laptop and typing away. He wasn't even watching Boys Over Flowers with us.

"Every personal finance student must pass this exam before graduation. Luckily, you are able to retake it before winter break – which is two months away." He said.

"Say what?"

"You didn't study did you?" He said. I was about to answer him until the episode stopped. I didn't study again because mom was sick again and we had to grab a taxi to take her to the hospital, where they're running tests on her as we speak. I didn't go to bed since there was the late midnight rush and I didn't remember that there was a big exam. I would have remembered something so important if….wait a minute...

_"Okay class. I want you all to write this in your notebooks that in next week, I want you all prepared for our exam. I suggest you study so you can relax even before winter break starts." _

_"Tch. I don't need to be reminded. I have a photographic memory."_

"DAMMIT! Me and my big mouth!"

_**~.-~.-~The next day~-.~-.~**_

"AAAH! How the hell did this happen…again!?" I yelled, wrinkling the seven paged paper and threw it into a trash bin. Luckily for me, Kyoya walked by when I did such an action and dug up the poor, mistreated test. He unwrapped it and his eyes widened at the test score.

"A thirty-six?" He asked as I just pouted, almost at the brink of tears. I can't even bear to hear that number.

"That's even lower than that trigonometry test back then!" I yelled back. "Why does the personal finance teacher hate me!?" I yelled even more and Hikaru and Kaoru came in and then scoffed at me playfully. "Yeah, yeah. You only failed because you forgot to study." They said in union. I grew an angry vein at the top of my head and Haruhi had to hold me down….again.

"I wasn't asking you, you ginger doppelgangers!" I said, waving my fist around like a madman.

"So you didn't study?" Asked Kyoya. I paused my fury and went into a depression at the table with my hands hiding my face. This was a new low, even for me because I've never gotten a grade that low in my life. I know I wasn't the smartest of kids like Haruhi, but I wasn't also the dumbest.

"Did you at least study before class?" Haruhi asked me as I nodded my head in response.

"I just began guessing when I reached the questions that just didn't make any sense anymore," I said. "I had to go to the hospital again for my mom. There was a freaking midnight rush hour at work and I just wanted to go to bed!" I defended.

"And you're a scholarship student for the culinary arts; you must have-"

"You must have a minimum of 3.0 or higher GPA. I know. You told me this Kyoya." There was that returning fear of my scholarship being taken away again. I would have to go back to public school and I'll lose my chance on finding who my real dad is and who knew. There was no way that I was going to quit after coming so long. I even had jobs – thanks to the chairman that he gave me permission to work – to worry about. It's not a flexible time schedule, I'll tell you that much. Someone has to maintain the family on money support and it isn't going to be Mika since she can practically get us into debt if she goes off and buys more stuff out of her budget. We learned that lesson when dad was still around. It took us three months to come up with the money and a budget sheet on how much we should spend each week.

"I think I might have a solution." Someone finally said and it just happened to be Kyoya and everyone just looked at him.

"Tutoring." He simply said.

"Tutoring?" Everyone repeated after him…well, everyone excluding him and me.

I groaned and rested on the sofa since it couldn't possibly get any worse. This is the worst because I've never been this bad at stuff like this. The lowest I had on my grades were a D- and here I am in high school and I'm getting F's in personal finance class and I'm on a scholarship.

"Yes, tutoring. We'll begin your tutoring today after club activities." Kyoya said, closing his notebook and began with his typing again. I looked at him like the crazy guy he was. Dude, we have two months until winter break starts and he wants me to start now? I mean, sure I'm all up for the idea of starting early and getting it out of the way, but so soon?

"Oh. And don't even think about skipping out because I will be able to track you down." He smirked and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he leaned back a bit I his chair.

Sh*t. What a sadist.

_**~-.~-.~-.~-.~**_

Well…Kyoya was right about everything. When was he never wrong?

He was able to track me down once school ended and when club ended.

Today is the start of tutoring by none other than Kyoya Ootori who just happens to have nine hours of class time with me all school day and two extra hours with the host club. It was already awkward enough for me that I had to call home that I'll be home later than usual. Mika got the message and wished me luck on the private tutoring today and hope that I become someone girlfriend or something. I'm going to resent her for that until the day I die.

I waited for the guy to come out to the school gates already. What the hell does he have to take so long and why would he take so long? He's just a freaking guy. And I've been waiting for him for the last five minutes! Not that I'm keeping track or anything like that, I'm just annoyed and want to eat something and then get this whole thing over with.

Why did I even agree to this in the first place?

That's the real question of all this. It was like a freaking dark cloud haunting me even when I was leaning against the wall, already having my imagination go wild. What if he's going to make me tell him my secret recipe for my famous parfaits? Oh my god, not my parfaits! That's how I make my money!

Sighing heavily, I looked around the lonely road and the many limos that I've see park here have come to pick of their masters and drive them home or wherever they need to go. It's still better than waiting at the park where there're lovey-dovey couples holding hands and displaying PDA everywhere. And here I am, waiting in the blistering cold of fall and winter mixing together – the beginning of October.

"Mao."

My head shot up at the sound of my name being heard in the air. I was a bit caught off guard since I was paying attention to something else in mind.

Oh there he is – the source of all my uncertainty and my impending doom or my demise. He's the freaking son of the Ootori family group, Kyoya Ootori. Yeah, the name still sounds nice when I say it. What am I saying!? I shouldn't be saying these stupid things and random things about my senpai! He's a good friend and only a good friend!

"W-what took you so long?" I yelled, trying to look like I was annoyed and bored of waiting, but that failed miserably since it sounded like I was stuttering from nervousness when it was clear that I was stuttering from the cold!

"You waited here? In the cold?"

"N-no sh*t, Sherlock. Where else would I have waited for you?" I resorted and gave him a glare.

"My family limo." He said, pointing to two limos down and there waited a guy and a door open. I felt really stupid that I really should smack myself in the head or repeatedly smash my head on something that could probably knock the sense into me. I found a good wall and started to gently smash my head on it.

Kyoya chuckled and said, "Shall we?"

The two of us walked to the limo, climbed in and waited for the limo to start. The only time I've ever been in a limo was the time we all went to Okinawa to the beach. It was good to be in the limo because it was quiet and the only noise you heard was the breathing and the wind outside.

"How were your classes today?" He asked and opened up one of his many books while I gave him a 'are you serious' look. He knows very well how my classes were today since he's there almost seventy percent of the time.

"They were okay. I cooked up some German Chocolate cake with coconut sprinkles today and got an A+ if that's what you mean by okay." I answered and glanced over at him. Wow, even if we've become friends, there was a lot of tension around this little space that Kyoya and I shared. Maybe I should start calling him Kyo-Hyung again?

But in Korean dramas, the guy always acts awkward and nervous and sometimes does nice things for the girl that he likes. Is that what Kyoya is doing? Acting all awkward and stuff? If it was, it's the end of the world because Kyoya Ootori is not the type to act all awkward and nervous. May I be hit by lightning if I'm wrong!

'He's helping you study for the retest isn't he? Maye he likes you more than a friend?'

I don't know how to feel about it though. Kyoya only did those things since he's a nice friend. He got me out of trouble from Lobelia with that kiss, right?

'That kiss may have done that, but he also wanted to be your first. Admit it, he likes you and you like him~!'

After telling the voice to shut up, I looked up at Kyoya who was staring at me for some reason.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You looked like you were arguing with yourself."

"You don't know the half of it." I muttered softly and felt that the car came to an erupt stop, which it did. I was about to open the door when the driver opened the door for me and I immediately hopped out. Once I did, I was met with the stare of a really big mansion and a line of employees all lined up to greet someone. When I said really big mansion, I mean really big because it was even bigger than what I thought Kyoya's house would have been. I thought for sure it was going to be some kind of villa or some cool condo, but no. It had to be a mansion that could rival the Blue house! (The Blue house of South Korea is equivalent to the White House of the US.)

"Welcome home master." The house employees said and bowed down when Kyoya's presence was around. I stayed right behind him and followed him inside his house. It was even bigger on the inside than on the outside. It looked as big as a museum!

"This is it?! This is your house Kyoya?!" I turned my head to him.

"It's not much."

"Not much!? Your house could rival Tom Cruise's! This house looks like a freaking princess could live here!"

"You're that surprised? It's just a house."

"Just a house!? Kyoya, there are people in the world that don't have house and you're here in a mansion that's about fifteen acres!"

"It's actually thirty acres including the grounds."

"Okay! Didn't need to know that! And let's get this studying over with! I really want to pass the retest!" I said, already running around the house like a little kid.

"Wait, Mao. I-"

"Kyoya! I can't find your room anywhere!" I yelled as I ran back to the main entrance hall or whatever rich people called it.

"If you waited, I would have shown you. You really are persistent." He said.

"Are you calling me stubborn?! How dare you!?"

I followed him to his room and I was surprised that it was like a two story bedroom. The first floor of his room was like the living room and there was a flat screen too! That wasn't the only thing that surprised me, there were a lot of Kyoya's clothes lying around on the floor and I was so glad there weren't any underwear lying around, just shirts and pants. Boys will be boys I guess.

"Damn. Fuyumi is rummaging through my drawers again." I heard Kyoya mutter to himself.

"Fuyumi?" I asked, tilting my head to the side in confusion.

"My older sister. I asked her a million times to stop doing this." I looked between the pile of clothes and back at Kyoya and thought briefly about his sister. And that's when it hit me.

"I'm guessing you and your sister a pretty close." I set my stuff down and then knelt on the floor near the pile of clothes and started folding his clothes and separated them between color and length of the sleeves or if they were pants. Kyoya must have been pretty confused now since I just started picking up his clothes and folding them like I was some kind of maid….which I kinda was…only for three weeks since the guy was such a jerk and tried to make me do things I did not approve of. Pervert….

"What are you doing?" Asked Kyoya.

"I'm folding your clothes. I'm not studying in a room that's a mess so we're not starting until I clean up." I said, folding another shirt and laid it down in the drawers. Damn, this Fuyumi person really knows how to mess up the drawers with her…special folding skills. I had to be quick with my job here, but I also had to take my time since I didn't want the drawers to be stuffed and the clothes shouldn't be wrinkled. When I finished, I set them in three different piles. Short sleeved were on the right, pants or shorts were in the middle, and long sleeved shirts were on the left. I also color coated them so lighter colors were at the bottom and darker colors were at the top. I stopped and thought for a moment because I started imagining our future together.

_**"Kyoya, I just finished up with dinner now." said Mao, well dressed up in a simple yet cute white dress with an apron that she had made by hand. Right at the doorway to the kitchen was Kyoya standing there with his hair slightly slid back with a few strands of hair sticking out. He was also dressed up in a black suit that suited him so well and his tie had been undone. **_

_**"You cooked dinner again? We have maids and butlers to do this, you know." Kyoya said in an amused tone and playfully wrapped his arms around his beloved wife of ten years. Mao giggled and playfully smacked at her husbands arms, but then turned to him in a very serious tone.**_

_**"You know I like to do things on my own. What good would it do if my husband doesn't eat the food 'I' make for him?" Kyoya chuckled and pressed his forehead onto Mao's, smiling.**_

_**"Then please cook as much as you like." He leans close to Mao's lips as she blushes profoundly and waits for the kiss that's about to come. After so many years together, Kyoya's kisses are just magical and amazing.**_

What the heck am I doing?! I shouldn't be thinking that way right now! And what the heck!? Married for ten years?! Marriage is a long way from now and I don't think I'll marry Kyoya at any time! Sure, he's handsome, smart, cute at some times, funny, charming, cool, caring, kind and swe-! GAH! What am I saying?! I shouldn't be saying such things and he's the total opposite of that despite him telling me that he'd rather call me Mrs. Ootori back at the Ouran Fair, but I just brushed it off as a joke! Was he really serious?

"Are you done?" He asked me as he was just sitting there watching me fold. Why the hell was he even watching me? His voice was the one thing that brought me out of my thoughts over something really silly.

"Yes, little master. I'm done." I said and took my seat across from him of the table. I heard him chuckle and opened up a few books of the stuff that we're going to cover. I followed his example and took out my Personal finance notebook. He looked over at it and somewhere in his thoughts, he thought of snatching it and taking a quick peak at it.

"Could I see that?" He asked me and I just handed it to him. It was already a mess and he noticed it.

"Your personal finance books could be better if you actually do something about it Miss Kurosaki." Kyoya said, flipping through my Personal finance notebook. He scrunched up his eyebrows and closed it quickly.

"It's no wonder you have a C- in class. Your notes are horrible and unorganized. At least they're better than Tamaki's." He plainly said. "Well I'm not you! The teacher goes too fast than what I'm normally used to. A lot of the curriculum has changed ever since I got here."

"Well, it's not too late for you to change that. Ready to study, my dear?" He said with a smirk.

Did he just actually say that? Did he really? I almost ripped my notebook because he said that. I felt my face blush but I kept it down and tried to concentrate.

"Y-y-yeah, yeah! Okay! Stop using your host looks at me! It's not going to work!" I yelled at him. He smirked playfully again and threw my notebook in the trash.

"Hey! I need that notebook you know Kyoya!" I said. "That won't be necessary. I provided you with a new notebook. With that, let's start off with vocabulary. Salary is…" Kyoya asked me. I remembered this from the top of my head!

"It's a regular payment; often at monthly or biweekly intervals, made by an employer to an employee, especially in the case of professionals, or white-collared employees. Salaries are paid for services rendered and are not based on hours worked."

"Correct. Now...screening effect?"

"Ah…it's the idea that education increases the efficiency of production and results in higher wages?" I said questionably. Kyoya looked at me and held up the "Wrong" card.

"The definition you just said is for learning effect. Screening effect is the idea that a college degree is a signal to employers that a person is intelligent and hardworking. You have to know these since it's on the test next Friday." Kyoya said to me calmly. I gave him an "Am I stupid?" look that I hope no one saw.

"You better loose that attitude Mao. You wouldn't want to fail the exam, would you?" He said.

I quickly turned my attention to the book and wrote down the definitions for all the highlighted words and wrote some examples. While I was doing that, I didn't notice a shadow king sneaking a few glances at me.

"You have beautiful handwriting." He commented. I looked up and brushed it off. There wasn't anything special about my handwriting except that it kind of looked Victorian inspired.

"Thanks." I said and continued writing, still not noticing Kyoya's secret glances at me. Sometimes when he looks at me, I wonder what he thinks about me...

I like this side of her...so focused...and so cute.

Everything was so quiet that the only thing that made noise was the pencils writing on the paper and the two of us talking about the notes for my retest.

That was until…

"Kyoya! Everyone in the manor told me you brought home a visitor!" I looked up at the bedroom door to see some woman that almost looked like Kyoya. She wore a pretty green dress that I wouldn't mind wearing…that is if there was a copy and her hair is down really elegantly if I might add. I would have mentioned more if it weren't for us making eye contact and then cue awkward silence.

"Oh." She and I said at the same time. I heard Kyoya sigh and stood up from his place and I followed his example.

"Fuyumi, this is Mao Kurosaki. Mao, this is my sister Fuyumi." He said and I put on the best smile I could muster.

"It's really nice to meet you Fuyumi. I hope we can get along." I said and looked at her while she just stood there watching her as she did the same to me. It was a few minutes until she spoke again and good thing too because I thought she was going to turn around and say she didn't like me or something.

"Kyoya," she said and walked up to me to do the unexpected, she hugged me. "She's absolutely adorable! And she's such a sweet heart!" I felt my cheeks turn red from all these complements she was giving me and hugged me tightly that I swear my face was turning purple or something. Did Kyoya's sister do this a lot to all the girls that came across Kyoya's interest or just the ones that are special? I don't know.

"Fuyumi, get off of her." Kyoya sighed again and pushed his glasses up his nose and stuff and then pulled me off his sisters grip and then brought me closer to his person with his arm around my waist. It was embarrassing enought that he kissed me and showed the picture to everyone at the Lobelia school's play, it was embarrassing to see that I had to tell stories of how I did 'many' things in middle school and now I have Kyoya holding onto my waist?!

"Is she your girlfriend Kyoya?" Fuyumi proclaimed with a slight giggle and my face turned the darkest of reds that day that it took some time for the color to flush out and I'm pretty sure I made a new shade of red. I pouted and shook my head furiously.

"W-w-we're just friends! Y-yeah! We're friends and I only came over to study! Kyoya is helping me with my personal finance class!" I uttered loudly and stayed perfectly still since this is Kyoya's older sister for goodness sakes! She could kill me if she wanted to! Fuyumi then broke into a smile and started to laugh and I was confused as hell. Aren't older siblings overprotective over their younger siblings? I should know since I have Mika.

"She certainly is like you told me, Kyoya." She said in between her laughter and laughed even more when she noticed Kyoya blush more, but I just stood there in shock because…

Kyoya talks about me? To his own family?

"Fuyumi…" Kyoya muttered angrily, but his face was turned the other way from me and from the glance up that I had, I knew for sure that he was blushing.

"I'm sorry Kyoya. Why don't you let us girls talk for a bit. Mao deserves a study break and you can get us something from the kitchen. Please?" Fuyumi pleaded and Kyoya gave a "I give up" sigh that he agreed to his sisters' wishes and dismissed himself and walked out his room, leaving me and Fuyumi in the room.

"Well, Miss Mao Kurosaki, how does it feel to know that Kyoya talks about you to me?" She asked me and I instantly blushed at the thought of Kyoya talking about me to his family. Does he really like me that much? Wait, did he talk about the good things about me!?

"...Should I be flustered or...should I be be estatic?" I quietly questioned, looking down at my fingers as I was fiddling with them. Seriously, I don't get to hear often that a guy talks about me to his family. Don't get me wrong, it's sweet and it makes my chest hurt a lot. Isn't that a medical health problem? Your chest hurting a lot? Is that normal?

"The first time a girl falls in love is always the scariest." She giggled and my eyes widened in shock. Me? In love with Kyoya?

"You mean that-?" I began to ask a question, but I stopped myself and tried to process all of this. I'm in love with Kyoya? No, I can't possibly be. If I was in love with Kyoya, then why do I also get this feeling with the others?

"Fuyumi-Noona, what are you talking about?!" I asked and she jumped back in surprise.

"Fuyumi-Noona?"

"Noona is a Korean honorific that boys use to call their big sisters. Since I'm playing off as a guy at school, I call all the girls older than me Noona because it's also used towards girls that you're really close to." I explained much more than I wanted to and she was just so fixed by what I was talking about that her eyes shown interest.

"Oh! That's wonderful. If you're calling me Noona, that means we're close now, right?"

"I guess so. You are Kyoya's older sister…Anyways, what does Kyoya talk to you about me?" I asked, a little curious what that cool host bastard says about me. Fuyumi noticed and smiled.

"The first time that he told me about you was during the spring dance I think. He told me about a girl that had red-brown hair and the prettiest green eyes he's ever seen. He also said that the girl wanted to become a chef to find her family and obsessed with Korean Dramas."

"It's not an obsession. I just…really like the plot of the show and really want to meet the actors."

The two of us talked for quite a while that we even exchanged a few laughs. Kyoya's sister is a really funny and sweet person. I'm kinda glad that he has someone like her in his life. At least I won't have to worry about him surrounded by his big jerks of his brothers and his non supportive dad. Everything went smoothly for a bit until she asked me the one question I hoped she wouldn't ask.

"Mao, do you like my brother?" I stopped right there and froze on the spot. This is what I was talking about before. I realized that when I'm around the guys, my chest starts hurting and I've talked to a lot of people and they said that I was in love. A girl falling in love in real life is different from a girl falling in love in a Korean Drama or any other drama show from another country. It's an exageration and to make it more dramatic than it's suppose to be. But what I'm feeling for Kyoya and the other's can't be love. It's got to be friendship since that's what I think of them as - just friends.

"For a girl that watches Korean Dramas, you sure are dense about love." She laughed at me and I pouted.

"Hey! I just don't pay attention to it when it's about me! I could have thought that I was going to be an unmarried woman! Also, not all Korean Dramas have romance! Some of them are filled with action!" I yelled, getting up with a red tomato colored face; It looked like that and I hated it.

"Mao," Fuyumi-Noona called out and reached over to grab my hands and looked at me straight in the eyes to make me know that she was being serious. I know she was serious already. She cracked another smile on her face and I just looked at her back, wondering what the hell she's going to say. "If you're in any trouble, just come see your big sister!"

Say what?

"B-big sister!?" I exclaimed.

"Having this talk, I feel like we already have become siblings. Welcome to the family Mao!" She reached across the table, letting go of my hands, and embraced me in another hug of hers. Fuyumi-Noona reminds me of a certain someone as she's doing this...

_"Mao-chan~! Come and give big sister a hug!" _

_"Mao-chan~! I'm drawing my favorite OTP! KyoMao!"_

"Is there something I missed?" Kyoya's voice just appeared once he entered through his own room with a few snacks in hand. Fuyumi suddenly stood up and smiled at me as she grasped my hands.

"I enjoyed our talk Mao. Feel free to come to me whenever you want to, okay?" She asked and I simply nodded since I didn't want to be rude or anything. Fuyumi then dismissed herself and walked out of the room, leaving me and Kyoya alone in the room.

Wait…..Kyoya and I are alone….in the same room…..

…

**SOMEONE HELP ME! I'M TRAPPED IN A ROOM WITH A HOT GUY! AND HE'S MY SENPAI!**

"Mao, would you stop making weird gestures to the audience and pay attention to your study guide at least?"

"And would you stop breaking the fourth wall, Kyoya? They already know they're reading a fanfiction. And they love me!"

"Whatever you say."

And there goes my confidence.

As we quietly studied, we slowly ate the snacks that he brought for Fuyumi, himself and I and it was just me and Kyoya. What he brought up were some finger sandwiches.

"One of the maids will be bringing the tea later." He said, not taking his eyes off the notebook in front of him.

"What kind?"

"Chai. With cinnamon and milk."

"Yummy! I like the scent of Chai tea. Let me guess, your tea is imported from India, right?"

"Correct. I'm not surprised since you are on the culinary scholarship."

"It's not much, but I'm still learning." I said, putting down my pen and closed my eyes to remember everything that I have done up to this point. Everything from that night up until now started projecting itself into my head and I could see it all with my eyes closed.

With my eyes closed, I know for sure that I can still see what I've been through; however, I can't see what I'm really looking for.

My past. My past before I was five years old.

_'Mao, I need you to say here while I lead the bad men away.' The man with a reassuring smile said to me._

_'You promise, papa?'_

_'I promise to come back. I love you, sweetie.'_

_'I love you too papa. Come back safely.' As I squated down and watched the mans' figure disappear down the alleyway, I saw the men that were chasing us run after him and they haven't even noticed me hiding in the dark. I...I..._

_SCCCRRRREEEEEECHHHH CCRRRRAAAASSHH_

"Why did you stop writing? Is something wrong?" Kyoya asked me and sat closer to me than he normally did before and his voice was a concerned one. I opened my eyes again, pausing the movie of my life and saw Kyoya's face close to mine. His own forehead was pressed against mine. This sudden gesture was making my face all red and my heart beating like no tomorrow. What is it? Make-Mao-Kurosaki-Blush Day?!

"You don't have a fever." He said.

"No s*** Sherlock."

"Since when did you start using such words?"

"Since that idiot got me worried over nothing! Do you know how frustrated I am?"

"I doubt it. You're talking to a man that works through the night and don't sleep until five in the morning."

"Geez. Are you like a vampire or something? Well, you do look like vampire material and the good kind too."

"Where do you come up with these ideas?"

"Didn't you say the same thing at Karuizawa?"

"No. I said it differently."

….

…

…..

….

"I'm bored Kyoya! We've been at this for what? Two weeks now?" I exclaimed and laid on my back, looking at the ceiling despite the fact that I didn't want to whatsoever. Dang, that's a really tall ceiling. I can't even touch it or anything. What kind of sick game is this!? Anyways, for the last two weeks, I've been coming to Kyoya's house to study and stay there until it starts getting dark and crap. He always takes me home with his fancy limo every night and it gets annoying to know that the neighbors are asking me if I can ask my new 'boyfriend' to get some things they want.

"What do you want me to do about it?" He asked me.

"I don't know. Play some music, anything actually." I said, pointing to the stereo he had. Wait, he has a stereo?! Well, it's right over there and it has the speakers. GET IT TOGETHER MAO!

"Okay. Since we're taking a break, why don't we have fun?" He suggested and I gasped.

"Who are you and what have you done to Kyoya!?" I exclaimed, placing my hand where my heart is.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Kyoya I know barely has any fun. Well, his definition of fun is calculating money and playing around with his calculator or laptop." I said.

"I do much more than that, thank you. I'm just like any other person out there so don't think of me that differently." He finished, walking to his laptop. "What do you prefer?"

"I'm feeling a sing-along. What do you have?"

"The Sound of Music."

"You do!? That's my favorite movie with Julie Andrews! Play it, play it play it!" I said, jumping up and down like a child – something I normally wouldn't do even with someone I know, but I let my passion of a movie get to me that day. Kyoya chuckled at how enthusiastic I was and quickly pressed play and the song started to play.

_The hills are alive with the sound of music_

_With songs that have sung for a thousand years_

_The hills fill my heart with the sound of music_

_My heart wants to sing every song it hears_

I sang, spinning around like she had done in the movie while Kyoya was sitting and watching my performance. I was so into the roll that I started imagining that I was in the same scene as in the movie.

_My heart wants to beat like the wings of a bird_

_That rise from the lake to the trees_

_My heart wants to sigh like a chime_

_That flies from a church on a breeze_

_To laugh like a brook when it trips _

_And falls over stones on its way_

_To sing through the night_

_Like a lark who is learning to pray_

Just when I was about to catch my breath and start singing again, I heard another voice from behind me. I'm pretty sure that I didn't sing that deeply. Despite not being my voice, it sang as beautifully.

_I go to the hills when my heart is lonely_

_I know I will hear what I've heard before_

The only other person that could sing along with me was Kyoya. It would have been impossible since he's not much of the singing type from first glance, but what do I know? He could secretly sing to himself before he became the wannabe accountant that he is today.

Well, there was one way to find out. To turn around and see if it is.

…..

Guess what? It was Kyoya.

There were so much of Kyoya that I didn't know or understand and this is one of them.

_My heart will be blessed with the sound of music_

_And I'll sing once more._

He finished singing as he cupped my face and made me look straight up into his eyes – the same way the male lead actor in a drama would do to his loved one just as they're about to kiss or such.

"Um….Can you like step away from my face please? I realy really want to watch a movie now." I said quickly, pushing his face away from mine as fast as I could before something happened.

"You misspelled really that first time."

"Wha-!? How do you even know!? You weren't even near us while we were writing the chapter!" I exclaimed, backing myself out of his way.

Well, he did do what I wanted him to do and now we're stuck in an awkward silence. Where the hell's my movie?!

"So, a movie?"

"Yeah! Do you have Hayato Miyazaki?" I asked, walking towards his flat screen and trying to find the cabinet that held a bunch of movies and stuff.

_**~-.~-.~-.~-.~-.~**_

I'm just going to give out some important and small details of what I've experienced at Kyoya's house.

There was just something that I wanted to know more about him – more about the life of being Kyoya Ootori. Does that sound a bit stalkerish because if it does, I swear, someone lock me up before I become even more dangerous.

Anyways, Kyoya and I kept up with the studying sections and there were a couple times where we actually had fun. We took breaks by him showing me around the house and I gotta admit, it was an amazing time – we even played Hide and Seek just because I wanted to and he simply agreed. I still don't know why he agreed to it – it didn't sound like something Kyoya would do, but I guess everyone has a little kid in them that comes out every so often.

The two of us were counting the days that the exam would be. Right now, we're just two weeks away from the exam and Kyoya was not wasting any time about all of this.

"Okay, can you give me the definition of Conglomerate?" He asked and I dropped everything and responded,

"A corporation that conducts business in at least two different industries."

"Good. Now, how about franchise?"

"It's an arrangement in which an established company sells the right for others to use the company's name and operating plan to sell products or services."

"Good. Limited liability?"

"You cannot be legally forced to use personal money and possessions to pay business debt."

I paused because Kyoya paused and I waited for him to say something until he closed his notebook and smiled at me gently.

"You did good Mao." He said. Something in me must have been broke or something because the next second that I noticed was that I jumped from where I was sitting and then wrapped my arms around the four-eyed Ootori bastard, smiling.

"Thanks Kyoya-Oppa! Thanks a lot!" I exclaimed and then…

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING**_

_**MAO IS PROCESSING…IN 3…2…1…**_

"Ah…..W-w-w-what I-I m-m-m-mean to say i-i-is…w-well–I'mleavingnowandthankyou! GOODBYE!" I yelled and then picked up all my things, rushing out of his room as quickly as I could.

"What?" He finally said and stood up to catch up to me. I was already at the entry hall of his house – which he didn't need since you're already seeing the person when you open the door – and I opened the door, not seeing a very important person; VIP, wanting to come inside the house and I happen to bump into them as I was wanting to exit the house to escape the awkwardness that I created with Kyoya-Oppa and I.

Oh great, I've gone back to using Korean suffixes on Kyoya now and this one is the most embarrassing of them all.

"Wha-!" The man that I bumped into said. I heard footsteps behind me and they stopped immediately when they saw that I bumped into someone. I backed up and bowed down as an apology.

"I am so sorry sir! I didn't see you there! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I quickly apologized and didn't even look up to see who it was.

"Young lady, I'll-! Oh, Miss Kurosaki."

Wait…what?

How did this person know my name? To only find out, I lifted my head up and felt like an idiot in that moment because I dropped all my stuff and looked at Kyoya-Oppa's dad, Yoshio Ootori, the Head of the Ootori Medical Group – or so I've been told.

Picture this. Imagine yourself in front of your one true enemy that you're really afraid of. Imagine yourself in front of your crush and you did something really embarrassing. That's the exact look I had when I was facing Ootori-Ajusshi.

Oh great, I'm back to my old Korean honorifics.

"Miss Kurosaki, what a pleasant surprise. Ah, excuse me for being in your way and for asking…why are you in my home?" He didn't sound sarcastic or harsh; he actually sounded like Masato when he was embarrassed and didn't know what to do. Wait….the great and powerful Yoshio Ootori is embarrassed….embarrassed of what? Look even Kyoya-Oppa was confused at this.

"Um…Y-you see. Kyoya is helping me out for this Economics retest coming up and I come by so he could tutor me." I said.

"A retest? I could arrange you the best tutors I know-"

"That won't be necessary! Kyoya's the best! Believe me, he's the best of the best! And I doubt you'll find anyone better." I finished, giving off a smile – a failed smile that could have become a bad poker face. Ootori-Ajusshi did the unspeakable next….

HE PATTED ME ON THE HEAD! THE HEAD AND SMILED!

"I know he is. Anyways, I'll be in my office if you two need me." He last said, leaving me and Kyoya wonder "Who was that and what did he do to the real Yoshio Ootori?"

…

….

…

"Did that really just happen?" I asked Kyoya and he nodded his head.

"I think it did. I never saw my father act that way, not even to close family relatives. He's only acted that way around two or three other people from what I've heard of." He said, turning his attention to me. "He's started acting that way ever since he saw Yuki-san during the Ouran fair."

"Weird. Of all the people she knows, she happens to know your dad….Wait, is that how you got her phone number?!"

"I searched my father's contact and I happened to find your fathers and then dug deeper to find the current phone number your family had."

"You're such a stalker."

"I am not! I was just trying to get a hold of your mother in case something was to happen."

"Kyoya, your family is in the medical business and if something did happen, I would hope your first instinct is to take me to the ER and then call my mom with my cellphone. I can trust you." I uttered out loud without even thinking and he heard me for petes sake. Dammit, I didn't want him to hear that.

"You…trust me?" He said it like it was something that's unbelievable and stuff. Am I really that heartless and don't really trust people? Am I really a person that just doesn't want to let people in? Am I really a person that has a wall up and just keeps people out for the sake of not being hurt again?

'Are we really not going to see daddy ever again?'

'Daddy, where's mommy again?'

'Mommy's gone to sing with the angels now. Mommy's now gone and become an angel herself…'

'Daddy, why are you crying? If mommy's an angel, she'll do everything to keep us safe, right?'

'T-that's right…you're right, darling, she'll keep us safe...just…keep believing in the one thing that you'll never lose…'

"Why wouldn't I trust you? You trusted me when I had the take the Physical Exam as a guy so I technically owe you something?" I said, fiddling with my fingers and just tried to keep a calm face, but it's really hard to do that since my heart is doing the opposite.

_BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP_

"W-we've known each other for about eight months Kyoya-Oppa and I was…" I paused and bit my lip trying to think about anything that didn't sound stupid especially when I said it out loud. A lot of embarrassing moments in life are caused by what you say with your mouth and are led by what you think. I'm pretty sure a majority of people do not want to be embarrassed and do something stupid unless it's on purpose.

"Yes?" Kyoya said, looking at me right in the eye.

"I was just wondering…the day before the exam, can we throw a little movie to wish me good luck on the exam? You pick a movie and I pick one?" I finally said and looked up at his face. When I did, I saw the fallen look on his face or at least that's what it looked like when I saw it. I think I saw it – it was there one second and then he replaced that crest-falling look with a smile at least.

"I think I can do that. Do you want me to take you home? You…still have your motorcycle in repairs, right?"

"No. My motorcycle's all fixed up…I just need to pay it so it's still at the mechanics." I said.

"T-then, could I…" What is this? What is this?! Kyoya Ootori is stuttering! Kyoya-Oppa does not stutter! WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY!? Wait, why am I even worrying about that!? Kyoya-Oppa..! I'm really going back to saying Korean honorifics! No, I rather just call him only Kyoya!

"Can I at least give you a ride?" He said. I shook my head and smiled.

"I'm fine Kyoya-Oppa. T-t-thank you though! …I'm gonna go now so yeah! See you tomorrow Kyoya-Oppa!" Great, even I'm studdering. Why is Kyoya making me do this?

'Mao Kurosaki….why is your heart feeling this weird around this guy?'

'I don't know…things have been weird ever since the Ouran Fair…maybe…it's almost time to grown up some more…'

_**((Kyoya's POV A/N: OMG FINALLY! ))**_

"I'm fine Kyoya-Oppa. T-t-thank you thought! …I'm gonna go now so yeah! See you tomorrow Kyoya-Oppa!"

I'm just glad that it's not too cold or snowing right now.

It's late November and in a few weeks, we'll be out of school for winter break; I hope she makes it home before nightfall.

As she left, I walked back inside and sat down on the sofa, thinking nonstop about her.

Eight months.

Eight short and amazing months that I'm kind of thankful for.

Mao Kurosaki, a girl that I once thought was just a lost and lonely girl that I didn't think would affect my life, but I was clearly wrong.

This girl, a girl with green eyes and a dream...a dream to make people smile and hope of finding out some small glimpse of her past. Slowly, but surely, she's making me fall in love with her more and more. How she gets so determined when a challenge arises, how she gets flustered and denies everything (such a Tsundere), when she smiles when she's with someone she likes - I like everything about her.

'Dammit! I should have done it then!' I thought, resting my head on the wall because today, I wanted to tell her how I feel. I wanted us to be alone so I could just tell her-!

"She certainly grew up just like her mother." A new voice that sounded amused appeared up above me and my father was there, watching over at the direction Mao headed out. He was up there smiling and almost sounded as if he were teasing me. Father then did something I never really thought he'd ever do in front of the family; he laughed as he tried covering his mouth. Did he eat something strange?

"And she's certainly like her father." Her father? He could only mean Mao's adopted daughter, right?

"W-which one?" I asked despite myself knowing father should know only Masato-san. When I asked, the amused look on my fathers face was replaced by a look of sadness and admiration; I have never seen him this way before and it was interesting. As it did, he looked down on the ground to avoid eye contact with me and I saw his hands turned to fists and he kept them that way for a full three minutes (with a few sounds of some grunts) until he looked at me again and said,

"Her biological father."

_**((Mao's POV)) **_

That was so dangerous! It's still so dangerous! Oh my god, I thought I was going to die of embarrassment or something! Why did I act like such an idiot at such a time like that!? I shouldn't feel like that since this is Kyoya and Kyoya's dad and his house! Or is it manor? Which one is it? Oh, listen to me, I can't even tell the difference between a house and manor! I'm so pathetic!

"Mao, if you're going to worry about how pathetic you are, do it somewhere else while I'm watching a few episodes of Winter Sonata." Mika said as she walked into the kitchen to see how dinner was going. Tonight, we'll be having some Chicken Teriyaki and some of dad's favorite dishes that I got from his mom. I was trying so hard not to burn anything from Mika's words, but it was proving to be hard.

"Geez, don't you think you should go back to watching anime?"

"Geez, don't you think you should realize your feelings for Kyoya-senpai and the others?" Feelings? What feelings? They're friendship feelings, right?

"Oh, come on Mao! Even a blind man can see that they like you and you like them! However, I'm not sure if you're allowed to marry more than one man!" She said with a laugh that just scared me; I'm think I'm buying her too many sweets.

"I like them as friends! And Kyoya is just helping me out with my retest in two weeks." I said it in a obvious tone, but Mika didn't seem to buy it.

"But what about the time he tried to help you with the physical exam?"

"You helped me out there because you're such an Otaku..."

"And the time he and the others dressed as girls to get you to stay at the host club?"

"That was hilarious. But still, they mostly did that for Haruhi."

"And the time he got the whole Lobelia school and the Host club to see the picture of you two kissing? He practically saved your first kiss from being a girl."

"That was to make sure my first kiss wasn't a girl. A-a-and...GAH! Don't remind me of that incident! It was horrible!"

"Okay...then how about the time Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi and I found you in that corner on Halloween? You ran into Hikaru's arms and started cryin-!"

Oh, what do you know? I burned the food. Hahaha~! I guess now Mika has to eat Ramen out of a cup. I shoved her a cup and gave her a pot too for the water. She looked at me with shock, but she was only looking at the invisible figure of me as I walked to the living room and looked at my dad's shrine from the corner of my eyes.

'There's always someone special for everyone, Mao. It just takes time to figure out who they are.'

They're all right though - I watch so many Korean dramas and yet I don't know what I should do when someone wants a romantic relationship with me. I'm already in my bed ready to go to sleep and nothing has been bothering me more than all those gestures from the guys and the tingling sensation of when they had their arms around me or when we held hands.

_'Don't worry ever again, Mao. I'm never going to leave you alone again.'_

The next morning, I woke up early like usual and the first thing I did was dress up in my school uniform and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to clear my head. Before I knew it, I was walking to the neighborhood in which I was found in and the orphanage that I lived in was still there. The image of that night struck me again and I held my head in pain. Familiar green eyes and a sweet voice rang over and over again, saying "Stay here, Mao. I'm going to lead the bad men away."

Six o'clock came sooner that I hoped and I made my way home again, but this time, everything felt strange and unfamiliar for a while. I shrugged it off and walked to the train station with Mika and we both went our separate ways since Hatori met her there and they went to the same school. I went the other way and walked in pure utter silence to Ouran Academy where students in the familiar blue and yellow uniforms were walking to the building. Many of them greeted me kindly, saying 'Good morning' while I smiled back. I really didn't know that today was going to be a day that would change my life forever.

Like any other morning, I saw Haruhi and headed to class together and there we saw the twins. We all exchanged laughs and made conversation. They teased us during our classes and we just ignored them. Unconsciously, I reached down my shirt a couple of times today and glanced at the necklace I always wore when I started a new day (I always take it off before I go to bed and I never let it out of my sights). The necklace is red and gold with an golden inscription - "For My God, My Country, My Honour" - whatever that meant. Sometimes when I look at it even more, I can't think of it as just some kind of necklace accessory, but something else.

I've been distracted all week that during lunch time one day as I sat with the guys, I heard some commotion going on behind me and the next thing I knew, some men in black suits. While this was happening, the television was going on about the anniversary of the disappearance of the Crown Prince of Denmark. They were going on about his daughter, whoever she is, still missing and searches all around the world were going on. The men in black suits swaggered to my direction, leaving me and the others surprised.

"Miss Mao Kurosaki," One of the men said. Kyoya was the first one to speak out of all of us.

"What is the meaning of this Tachibana?" He asked, but Tachibana ignored him and his other acquaintances helped him to grab me and started escorting me out. What's going on? People were now talking about what's happening now and talking about what's happening and why Mao is leaving the room with these strange men. Before I even asked what was going to happen, I was being escorted outside and toward a limo. Everyone was trying to follow me, but Tachibana was not letting anyone come near me. The limo drove out of sight of the school and then before I knew it, I was at Kyoya's house. A million questions were going through my head and one of them was why was I at Kyoya's house? Yoshio-san was standing outside and a person came over to open the door for me before I even had a chance to open it myself. I stepped out and really wanted to know why the heck I was at Kyoya's house again and why did they take me out of school.

"Mr. Ootori, why did you bring me here?" I asked finally and what happened next surprised me. He knelt down like I was royalty and then the people behind me followed his example, bowing in respect. Why is he bowing down at me when I'm clearly middle class and he's first class!?

"Your Royal Highness, Princess Adelheid Mao Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg Glücksburg. Welcome back." He said.

What?

* * *

_**((A/N: BECAUSE I was lazy, I didn't look up the translation of what I wanted in Danish. So yeah, Mao now knows she's a princess! Sort of! Hooray! Finally! So...what do you guys think? Is it okay or do you guys want to rip out my eyeballs and cut off my fingernails and strip me naked and watch my body burn in Siberian cold weather? Well, anyways, Review!))**_


	21. 14: Our Date Together! Not Really

_**((Mao's POV))**_

Where was I again? Oh yeah, the twins and Tamaki kept looking between Haruhi, Arai, Kohaku, and I. Actually, everyone was looking at the four of us.

"Uh…these your friends Haruhi?" Arai asked Haruhi. Looks like he beat Kohaku to that because he looked like he wanted to ask me that.

"Oh, yeah. The twins are Hikaru and Kaoru. They're in our class." Haruhi pointed to the twins and mentioned me, "And this is…." Haruhi paused in that sentence. Looks like she was thinking about what to say about Tama-Hyung. "An acquaintance." She said. I didn't really say much and Tama-Hyung practically writhed with mental pain and to make it more dramatic, Misuzu added a dramatic tune on the piano. It was almost laughable.

I said ALMOST!

"Hey Mao." Kohaku came up to me and gave me the same smile he always shone around the bakery I've had a special privilege to work at. That was a great place by the way. I recommend their Danishes and their amazing churros! I gave them the idea and I taught them how to make it!

"Hey Kohaku! It's been a long time." I returned the smile back, but I'm pretty sure Mika noticed this and decided to interrupt! Thanks Mika!

"Kohaku-kun! It's been so long!" She said, running up to him and gave him a tight hug as he gladly returned it. Kohaku is such a friendly guy.

"Yeah. Who are these guys? Your friends Mao?" He asked me.

"You have no idea." I answered him back. Yeah, all of this was just getting crazy and they'll have to get to know a guy that confessed to me. Yep…..it was awkward….

~/+/~

"I haven't seen you since graduation!" Mika said while I just nodded.

"Yeah! It's been so long! And I see time did a good number on you! You matured so well!" Mika said, flashing that Yui Horie smile. She's as cute as her and as pretty as…..Jennifer Lopez! I think….

"Yeah, I see Mao cut all her hair off," Kohaku smiles. "That's such a shame." Out in the distance, I heard Hikaru say, "They haven't seen each other since graduation so in my opinion, they're not friends, just classmates."

What's up his ass? … I said ass, sorry.

"It's easier to maintain than that long wavy mess." I said, grabbing a piece of my hair and started imagining how my hair was back then. In middle school, it was so long it ended up being down to my butt. The three of us were sitting on the table, chatting like good old times in middle school as Haruhi and Arai were catching up with each other. The others were sitting somewhere else and Tama-Hyung was at….his little corner of the world….the Tama-Hyung emo corner.

"So, how's Ouran treating you guys? Are you guys still in touch with anyone from middle school?" Kohaku asked us. I sweat dropped and tried not to show it to him. He's such a sweet guy that I don't have the heart to tell him that at the school, I'm supposed to be a guy….he'll have a heart attack! I don't want to do that to poor Kohaku, not after all that he's done for me!

"Yeah! Hana always keeps me updated with what going on to the others at Higashi High. That girl always updates her profile. Kimi and I applied to Ouran Public, so did Tsubaki." Mika replied.

Somewhere off at the other table, the guys were watching and talking about us ….I think….I'm still going to talk with my middle school friend anyways. Even if it pisses you guys off and is working.

"So….are these guys you're in the club with Mao?" Kohaku asked me while I try to remain calm and not shoot anything that I'll regret.

"Yeah. I'm not sure if you know, but I have another friend. She's actually talking to that guy over there." I said, pointing to Haruhi as she was talking to this Arai guy, who was blushing and obviously in love with her, but knowing Haruhi, she's too dense to notice her feelings and others when they like her. And I mean really really like her.

"Oh, Haruhi Fujioka? Yeah, I know her!" He said bluntly and I almost did a spit take at what he said.

"You what now?!"

"I know Haruhi Fujioka. Yeah, I'm friends with some of the guys that went to school with her. She's quite a heartbreaker~" He said cheerfully.

"Oh~! Kohaku, you're just as cute and sweet as Kureno in Fruits Basket! Actually, you remind me so much of him! Mao you shoul-" Mika got cut off when Hikaru shouted, "Hey! Haruhi, Mao! Don't you think you both should be working? You shouldn't be slacking off!" He shouts more at the last part. How rude Hikaru! I was just talking to an old friend and since he was being so rude, I gave him the "Bipolar Tiger glare" while I noticed Haruhi sweatdrop and then said, "Misuzu said we could take a break!"

Yeah, I bet she said that because she wants to see drama.

Well, if I was in her shoes, I wouldn't blame her. I love with kind of drama where an old flame comes in and sort of makes the love interest all jealous and crap. The only problem is…I was never in a relationship and the guys are my family and think the same right?

…

…

…

Uh….right.

We suddenly hear ruffling sounds and we see Tama-Hyung tearing up tissues. "Quit making more garbage senpai." Haruhi shouts at him. She and other people may be wondering about the trash they might have to pick up, my question is where the hell did he get the paper and when did he move to get the paper? It's not like he carries that paper and has it in his pockets! If he did…whatever floats your boat?

"It's not garbage. I'm making a hamster home." He replies, depressed. Not even depressed, he was … majorly depressed.

"Since when did you have a hamster, Tama-Hyung?" I questioned and Haruhi nodded in agreement.

"I'm not your senpai or Hyung. I'm just an acquaintance." Tama-Hyung replied. I took at least a two second pause and facepalmed deeply at how stupid he can be sometimes. I was so close into dropping my head onto the table and just kill myself. I don't know if you can tell, but we middle-class people and first-class people are different than one another…we think differently too…

"I never said anything about you being my acquaintance Tama-Hyung."

"Wow, who knew your Ouran guys were so funny." Arai and Kohaku said in unison. Wow, that was so scary because Haruhi and I do the same thing sometimes and we don't even mean to. They looked at each other for a brief second and then start laughing at the unison thing. "Yep, they're hilarious." I muttered sarcastically and I feel their eyes drilling into my skull and soul. I turn to them and brush them off. No, I didn't do that, I gave them my typical "You-better-behave-yourselves-or-I'll-stop-cooking-for-you-guys" stare.

Tama-Hyung starts sweating for some weird reason and then we all turn to Kohaku who still smiled despite how intense the atmosphere is. "Well, it's such a prestigious school and I've always imagined it was a whole different world – you know, almost like _Great Gatsby._" Kohaku said.

"It's a whole different world alright." Haruhi mutters.

"To be honest with you, Fujioka, I was always worried that you would have a hard time going to school there." Arai replied to Haruhi. Uh oh, I hear a boiling hot twin seething with jealously. Well, I'm not sure if that's true, but I'll find out if it's true or not. But since I'm too lazy and still interested in what's going to happen, I didn't bother looking back at the guys.

"And I was worried too Mao. You matured more quickly than most of the kids at school especially after the incident. I was worried since you adapted to situations a bit slowly." Kohaku said to me, scratching his cheeks in a cute way and looked at me directly in the eye like he did before that day. While I was looking back, I noticed his cheeks turn a bright pink.

"Not being selfish or anything! Lots of people were you know! They miss you and Mika!" He rubs the back of his head and stared at the two of us. People miss me? It's no surprise people miss Mika, but people miss me? Wow, and I barely know some of them. "I'm glad Ouran's treating you two well, especially you Mao." Kohaku said and that made me turn pink because he especially mentioned me. Oh god, please don't tell me he still….yep….he does.

"A-as you can see, I-" Again, I was being rudely interpreted by MY OWN SISTER as she pushed me out of the way and started talk to him.

"Mao's been doing well! She's straight on her way on becoming a chef!" She replied, grinning.

I feel a cold front and stare and I look behind to see Hikaru glaring at Arai and Kohaku.

Like the idiot that I was, I shrugged it off and turned around, barely hearing "What's with them? They're trying to use the refreshing innocent and gentlemanly approach. Someone should tell him we already had a refreshment contest."

Well, would it kill anyone if there was another contest?

…..

Sorry, my Korean Drama fangirl is coming out. But anyways….

WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH GINGER #1?! He should be pissed off with the fact I can't serve him his favorite breakfast, not bitch about how a guy is trying to flirt with me.

Wait….Kohaku's flirting with me?!

No, he's too sweet for that. He's too much of a gentleman to try to confess to me again after that day…we agreed to be friends and only friends!

"You're being unusually critical." Kyo-Hyung observes and I hear the chair screech or whatever and Hikaru start yelling.

"I'M JUST SAYING! IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THESE GUYS HAVE A THING FOR HARUHI AND MAO! It's sickening to try and watch them flirt! UGH!" Hikaru stated loudly for the whole world to hear and he wasn't wrong, but he didn't know that I knew. Well, that scientifically impossible, but because this is a fanfiction, anything can go. Technically, this is an anime fanfiction and a lot of things can happen in an anime, a simple fact about the whole world hearing Hikaru shout is possible.

Speaking of Hikaru, sounds like someone is jealous~!

"Hikaru, what's wrong with you? Quit acting like such a jerk." Haruhi stood up, looking more annoyed than ever. I really wanted to say something, but I was too busy watching the drama unfold despite the fact that it involved me. Mika was probably walking away and starting to be responsible on doing her work.

PFT.

Nope, we got her video camera and started videotaping, muttering "This is so going to be a new anime drama~!" I want my life to be anything, but an anime drama! Korean dramas are filled with tear jerking, dripping emotions that leave you wanting more!

WHO CAN'T RESIST A PERFECTLY GOOD DRAMA WITH SO MUCH FEELS AND SO MANY HOT KOREAN GUYS!? Well, there's also Japanese guy with amazingly hot voices and sing a bunch of great songs for anime, which I have to admit are awesome! By the way, I like that boy group from Uta No Prince Sama. They have voices of angels and I also like Daisuke Ono and the voice actor for "Smexy William T. Spears". Mika's words not mine. I also like STYLE FIVE's Splash Free.

"Hey, it's no big deal! He's right; I did have a thing for you, Haruhi once!" Arai said. BEEP BEEP. I heard alarms go off. Okay children, I want you to read what Arai said before. The keyword there is DID HAVE. "But, that's already in the past. You turned me down, right?" He stammers. And then everyone in the whole room, even Kyo-Hyung (Not really) looked surprised, even Haruhi looked surprised. Wait, why would she be surprised? As soon as I asked that, like a prayer or something, Kyo-Hyung looked at Haruhi and asked her something.

"Why do you look so surprised?" He asked her. For some reason, I wanted to know the answer to that.

"Uh…..well…I didn't know." She replied back so awkwardly.

Tama-Hyung, recovering from his emo state, jumped up and confronted Arai.

"You have to tell us this story, Arai! Now, when did this happen?"

"Well, it was about a year ago…"

Oh, grab a pillow, we're going to be here for a while….

Okay, because this is my story and I'm pretty sure you guys don't really want to read anything that's super boring and I can't really do flashbacks of other people, I'll try to shorten up what Arai had told us.

So, when Haruhi was going to write the exam for Ouran, Arai came up to her and said that he would like to go where she was going. This was an indirect confession by the way and being typical Haruhi, she took it directly and told him that maybe Ouran allows two students – I say two because like I say countless times in so many places, Haruhi and I never went to the same school – and Haruhi was like they should ask the teacher and stuff, but Arai grabs her hand and stammers that he wants her to go with him – again indirect confession; technically saying that he wants her to go out with him – and Haruhi replies that she wanted to take the application deadline. "Let's go to the staff room together!"

Damn….what a way to get rejected….I've seen pretty bad rejections….but this one. Man, Haruhi should get the award for "Best yet worst rejection ever".

Poor Arai.

"Haruhi…." We suddenly hear Kyo-Hyung mutter in his scary voice. Then, all hell broke loose and an interrogation took place and everyone was dressed up in police uniforms. Kyo-Hyung looked amazingly good looking with his uniform while he was scribbling on his notebook. "You broke this innocent man's heart just to get a laugh from some sick joke." He said. Wait….stop and reverse what I just said! *looks back and reads over it* HOLY SH*T! WHY THE F*** DID I SAY THAT?!

"This crime is pretty serious, huh?" Honey-Oppa asked Mori-Oppa as he nods.

"OBJECTION!" Mika and I shouted, "Typical Haruhi, she didn't understand the meaning! She's not the type to read romance novels!" I said while Haruhi turned on her heels and bows, formally apologizing to Arai.

"Don't worry Fujioka, I'm already over it. You didn't realize what I meant so it means you weren't interested." He said, denying his feelings.

This is such a cute scene, it makes me want to jump up and fangirl like I did when Park Shin Hye and Jang Geun Suk hugged and kissed in You're Beautiful and…..GAH! Too much feels!

"And what about you?" Kyo-Hyung then turned to Kohaku, who was still perfectly seated at his chair, watching the craziness unfold before him. When Kyo-Hyung was talking to him, he jumped slightly and flashed his sweet smile. Before he could tell his story, I took my seat in front of him and Mika took out her notebook to "write down an idea for a KyoMao fanfiction". Her words not mine.

"Well, my confession happened a year ago just like Arai's. Mika was my best friend's girlfriend at the time…." He began.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_And there goes another day in paradise. _

_I thought and cleaned up the tables in one of my friends' families' restaurant. They own a place called Yamaguchi Bakery and I got the part-time job to be their bread maker. Yeah, I made bread and I had to study twice as hard to figure out what the heck I was going to do with the bread and which ingredients I was going to use. However, there was very little I had to do because I was a natural in the kitchen._

_I had co-workers too. I worked alongside Mika's boyfriend's friend. He was a sweet kid yet I had some hard times trusting boys again, especially after the incident. Kohaku was different though. He was like the sweet guy of a Korean Drama, he was everything a guy could be in a Korean Drama. _

"_Hey Mao! We got another order!" Kohaku said, giving me the request for this kid's birthday cake today. They wanted one with strawberries and that edible colored gel. The cake should also be chocolate and fit the theme of Bakugan. Kids these days….._

_I nodded my head and worked hard today to fulfil the request. By the afternoon, almost an hour before the kid's birthday, the mother came and I presented her the cake that her son wanted. She was awestricken and paid me extra. _

"_Jeez Mao. I don't think I saw you leave the kitchen for hours. You sure you don't want a break?" The black haired boy asked me and I winked at him. _

"_Nah. You know Mika. She wants me to pay for the new home of her manga collection. That girl is so weird." I said, heading to the sink to clean my hands and then got ready for a new batch of cinnamon rolls and some chocolate mint cupcakes._

_I didn't know that my co-worker, my boss's son, Kohaku, was watching me with a blush on his face. _

_Then one day…_

"_Hey Mao." As always, Kohaku greeted me with a smile that I bet millions of girls would melt for._

"_Hey yourself." I greeted back and then walked over to where I always hanged my apron. I tied it around my waist and then began to work. Kohaku was where he usually was and then gave me an order of eight little cupcakes that had letters on them saying "I love you". I got these kinds of requests from people everywhere and I think it was sweet of someone to do this. _

_When I finished them, I handed them to Kohaku, but he handed them back to me with a blush on his face. I looked at him and he kept looking back at me. I didn't know what to do and just stand there._

"_Mao. There's something special about you." He said; the first one to speak, "I only heard things about you and I was kinda curious of how you would be like. You didn't seem like how I imagined, but that was the best part because you were better! Mao Kurosaki! I…I like you! I like everything about you!" He confessed to me. _

"_W-w-what do you mean by like me? L-like me as in a friendship kind of way?" I asked him and the next thing I knew, he drew his face closer to mine._

"_In a sexual way!" He said, blushing more. His blush wasn't helping mine because it just intensified. _

_I didn't know what to say to him. It was a sweet confession, and he used food. _

"_Kohaku…I appreciate your confession…but…why me?" I asked._

"_I like how hard working you are, and I worry when you over work yourself. I love your determination and don't take no for an answer. I love your selflessness and how you cook!" He told me. This was too much for me…._

"_Kohaku….I…I'm sorry…I'm not looking for a relationship right now." I said and looked up in his eyes to see a pain stricken face, but he pushed it down and grinned as if nothing had happened._

"_Mao," He said, "Thank you. At least you have thought about it. Thank you."_

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

"And that's how it happened." He finished off. I was sitting somewhere very far away from the group, but even if I was as far away as I was, I could sense the eyes on me when Kohaku finished the story.

"BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA~! H-h-h-he said-! BWAHAHAHAHA~! It's just too funny!" Mika was probably the only one that was rolling on the floor laughing her butt off while everyone were looking at me as if I was going to confirm it for them. Yes, he actually did say that he liked me in a sexual way because he couldn't think of another word to say what kind of relationship he wanted with me. Can you blame him? I would so say something that stupid if I wanted to confess to the person I liked, but as you can see, I'm single and not planning for a relationship anytime soon.

"Is that really what happened, Mao?" Haruhi was the first to ask me while I nodded and sighed heavily. Kohaku was sporting red right now across his face and trying to hide his embarrassment. Well, at least he didn't run off so quickly after he told the story.

"Kohaku, I…" I started off, but Kohaku silenced me by raising his hand and that magical smile of his.

"It's okay Mao. I understood your situation in a way." He told me, "Honestly, I confessed to you because I really was in love with you. The way you were so determined and how nothing stood in your way despite how big the problem was, you always seemed to find a solution to everything and always had a smile on your face. I found you special when you worked with us that summer. Despite what happened, I'm glad we were still friends." He flashed his smile for the umpteenth time, making the world immediately shinny and bright. OH GOD! MY EYES!

"Mao….you broke this man's heart…" Kyo-Hyung said out of nowhere. What went up his ass?! I thought he was more into the confession Arai made to Haruhi!?

"Me?! What about Haruhi-Noona!? She did more damage than I did since she obviously didn't get the message! Why Haruhi!? It was such an original way to confess and you blew it! WHY?!" I started crying at a corner, yelling "the gods of drama" have strike again and this time a sweet guy was turned down.

"Don't worry, Mao. I'm over it already. Besides, I'm dating Hana right now." He meekly said and all heads turned to his direction, especially Mika and I.

"Hana?! You're dating Hana now?" Mika asked excitedly, "She never told me that!"

"Yeah. Who knew we had so much in common?" He said to Mika while I stood there and thought things through more. I thought…he….

_Are you starting to like him now?_

NO! He's a friend of mine! I can't like him! I thought he was still in love with me, but I guess he moved on! Yeah! He moved on from me and he seems happy again. I exist to make sure those around me are this happy.

_But what about you Mao? How will you be happy?_

I'll be happy once I know everyone else is happy. I don't care about me right now.

After Kohaku told us that he was dating Hana, I heard Hikaru scoff at this new found information.

"Even when he tells Mao that he's in love with her, he gets rejected and goes off to some other girl! Some gentleman he is." He said.

Wait, could that be true? Did Kohaku really go out with Hana because he's trying to recover his broken heart after the rejection?

No. That's not possible; Kohaku isn't the type of guy that would disrespect girls that way. I know because we kinda grew up together, going to the same elementary and middle school.

"No matter! These two will forever be in my hearts for their gallantry!" Tama-Hyung said, holding Arai's and Kohaku's hands in a gayish way. No, I don't have anything against gay people. Hey, when you love someone, you love them. Just…don't hit on me because I don't want to be confused on my sexuality.

Well, as that was going on, I heard a loud slurping sound coming from Hikaru and noticed his pissed off look.

What's up his ass?

~/+/~

"Wow!" Honey-Oppa exclaimed, "You guys went to Kyoto for your middle school field trips? How unusual that you stayed in the country." He said, holding his Usa-chan and eating cake at the same time. Somehow, we were all seated on a rounded table that included Mori-Oppa, Tama-Hyung, Kyo-Hyung, Arai, Honey-Oppa, Haruhi, Kohaku, Mika and I. The twins were in their own little world behind us.

"No. It's quite normal for us really?" Arai said, being so modest! How could Haruhi-Noona turn down such a nice guy?!

"Well, I've always been a fan of Kyoto." Tama-Hyung said.

"I can't tell you how many times I've had to tour the temples with him." Kyo-Hyung said.

"I remember Kyoto. We fed the deer and there was that time Mao ate 300 bowls of sushi at this restaurant that was giving away a free laptop!"

"MIKA!"

"Oh, yeah! I remember that! She did win that laptop! We celebrated with a cake back where we were staying at. We all had a great time I think." Kohaku commented while I tried to hide deeper into my chair to escape this horrible nightmare.

"No! I'm not going to! I can't believe the boss is actually hanging out with those jerks." I secretly heard Hikaru say from behind me.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tama-Hyung stood up and tried to persuade the twins to come over and talk to both Arai and Kohaku for our sake. Arai, Honey-Oppa and Mori-Oppa turned their heads around to look at the twins. Kaoru was the only one that seemed to pay attention while Hikaru just had his back turned like the big jerk he was.

"Get over here! This could only be our only chance to hear how Mao and Haruhi were like in middle school!" He said, smiling like the idiot that he was.

Hikaru leaned back and replied with an annoyed tone.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested!" He sat properly back down and looked back at us with the same face he had when he gets annoyed. The only one that you should worry getting annoyed is me and Mika. Mostly me since I know some boxing moves!

"Man, how stupid can you guys get?" He said and what he said next was going to get him slapped in the face, "What's the fun in sitting around and talking about somebodies past. I don't see the appeal." I stopped listening after that because…. I'm interested in talking about my past. I'd like to know more about my past!

"Can't those two see that Mao and Haruhi don't want anything to do with them? They got plenty of friends." Like I said before, I stopped listening and instantly stoop up, making everyone turn their heads around toward me. Haruhi also stood up, but instead of staying still, she walked up to Hikaru as he was talking.

SLAP

That's the only sound that had echoed around the room.

I may be a violent person when I reach my point, but I wouldn't have done the same Haruhi did.

"That's not something for you to decided Hikaru! Mao and I are not going to tolerate insulting our friends anymore, you got that!?" She said. From this angle where I was looking at, you could see the slap mark Haruhi gave to Hikaru.

"But why? Why should anyone else even matter to you two? I thought we were your friends! Are we or are we not!?" Hikaru shouted out in anger and I had my last string of relaxation snap. I couldn't take in any longer that I started staring at things in anger.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled and made every heard turn to me. I don't give a crap anymore. I don't give a damn if I revealing this side of me right now. I just want everything to calm the f*** down!

"YOU DON'T KNOW IF THAT PERSON WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR PAST! AT LEAST YOU REMEMBER THINGS LIKE YOUR FIRST FIVE BIRTHDAYS AND NOT STAYING AT AN ORPHANAGE FIGURING OUT WHY YOUR DAD LEFT YOU OUT IN THE COLD!" I shouted more than I should and started sprinting away towards my room in anger. Realizing that I was reaching beyond the breaking point, I made my way upstairs and to the room Mika and I shared with Mika following me.

"Mao! MAO!" She shouted, leaving Kohaku, Haruhi, Hikaru and the others downstairs.

I think…my outburst shocked everyone. I think I did this to let them know that I was going to hurt them and I didn't want to do the same thing I did to Mika while we were in middle school. I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

How dare Hikaru say such hurtful things like talking about the past? The past is there to teach us in the present and create a future. I see the past as a treasure that anyone can explore into.

Even if he was jealous…..

Why did he say such an awful thing about something that I adore to no degree?

_Dad…why does no one appreciate the past?_

_**((Mika's POV))**_

After five minutes on knocking our door, I gave up and headed downstairs where the host club or what weren't pissed off about the fact that they were meeting a past friend of Mao's and Haruhi-chan's. Haruhi spotted me just as I was midway downstairs. She ran up to the stairwell and looked worried.

"Well?" She asked and I shook my head.

"She's not opening the door anytime soon." I said and looked down at the floor in worry.

"I'm so sorry Kohaku! I'm also sorry about Mao as well! You know how sensitive she is to that topic." I apologized to the sweet Kureno look alike and living up to his nickname; he smiled back and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"It's okay Mika. I don't know what I or Arai did to make him upset, but I guess it made Mao upset as well." He said, putting on his hat again and mounted his bike. "I'll see you later and hopefully Mao's feeling a little better. Bye everyone." Kohaku then paddled off into the distance and every host club member, minus Hikaru and Mao waved Kohaku off. Oh, I said Hikaru didn't I? Well, I do know how to tell twins apart. How else am I going to tell who is Hyung Bin and Hyung Kim while I visited South Korea last year?

"Say Kaoru, why were you pretending to be Hikaru?" said Haruhi. Man, she's good. Well, she would be better if she could tell what a confession is and what's not.

"Hey, what happened to that scratch on your cheek?" She asked, grabbing Kaoru-kun's cheek – the one that had the scratch.

..

_**MIKA IS PROCESSING**_

_**MIKA IS PROCESSING**_

_**MIKA IS PROCESSING**_

Ah! He concealed it with concealer!

"I don't think Hikaru's temper is going to let up so soon." He said, "He's no fun when he's like this. So I got a small favor to ask of you." Kaoru asked to Haruhi, who was looking back at him with those faraway looking eyes of hers.

"How would you like to go out with me tomorrow on a date?" He said and smiled.

….

…

"KAORU! SHOW ME MORE OF THAT SMILE! It's perfect for the Doujinshi I'm making!" I quickly said and whipped out my phone, taking as many pictures without overloading my GB.

"Doujinshi?" He said. "You're a hardcore Fujoshi aren't you?"

"Only the best Kaoru-kun!" I said, skipping back to the pension and slowly walked back to my/Mao's room.

"_YOU DON'T KNOW IF THAT PERSON WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR PAST! AT LEAST YOU REMEMBER THINGS LIKE YOUR FIRST FIVE BIRTHDAYS AND NOT STAYING AT AN ORPHANAGE FIGURING OUT WHY YOUR DAD LEFT YOU OUT IN THE COLD!"_

"_Go away Mika! Please go away!"_

I think I know why Mao-chan acted that way towards Hikaru and the others. She even pushed me away as I was trying to help her. It's because she's afraid that she'll hurt the other or me like last time.

Oh Mao, even if you hurt me, I'll still love you. You're a sweet girl and I know you are no matter what you say or do.

Mao-chan's my best friend – my first best friend and will always be my best friend.

"_WHY DID YOU CALL ME HEARTLESS!? HUH?! YOU THINK THAT DIDN'T HURT ME!? I LOST ANOTHER DAD WHILE YOU'RE STANDING THERE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE TWO DADS! YOU STUPID BITCH! YOU HAD NO DAD UP UNTIL NOW AND LOOK AT ME! I LOST TWO! GO TO HELL BECAUSE I HATE YOU!"_

She didn't mean all that. She was sad that something awful was about to happen to me and then turned her anger towards me. I don't blame her for anything that she's done to me or herself. She's just been through so much that I even consider myself lucky that it didn't happen to me. Mao was right about one thing though. I don't know what it's like to lose two dads. Masato, our adopted dad, was my only dad while he was Mao's second dad. I never really knew my dad because I've been raised at the orphanage since I was a baby. Maybe my parents didn't want me or didn't have enough money or supplies to take care of me anymore. Maybe they were killed in an accident and I was the only survivor and I was sent here. Whatever the reason was, I never decided to go and look for my family that left me at the orphanage there sixteen years ago. I was happy as of yet and I couldn't be happier. I love the people that I'm surrounded with, especially Mom and Mao.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Mao, are you okay?"

Silence.

"Mao, Kohaku's gone and wished for you to get better."

Silence again.

"Mao. Can I please come in? I'm worried."

Whether it was her knowing I wasn't going to move away from the spot or the fact that I was going to barge in anyways, the door was unlocked.

"Mao. I want to respect your privacy by knocking, but as your sister I'll be coming in any way!" I said, quickly opening the door and spotted Mao sitting on the bed, looking out the window and the T.V. on with _Tomorrow's Cantabile _showing. The guide was on and up next was _Hello Counselor_. She turned her head around to look at me and she had the same look on her face when she was annoyed at what I did. In a really small way, she reminded me of Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan.

"Well, at least you knocked at first." She said, smiling.

"Yeah, well I can be polite. How else am I going to get a British guy to fall in love with me?" I said, taking my place next to her.

"British, really?"

"Oh, you know they're smoking hot! Why do you think girls fall in love with them anyways? One: they're hot, Two: their accent, Three: they're gentlemen, Four: Their accent, Five: the way they dress, Six: their accent. Did I mention their accent?"

…*Giggle*

Yes! Operation: Make Mao Laugh is a success! I don't know if you know, but her laugh is so adorable! Think of….the most adorable laugh in the world from your favorite anime! Think of how cute a Scottish Fold is! That's how cute her laugh is! My sister is adorable! She's cute and she was quite a looker if you ask me.

"You're right. A girl does like a guy with accents." Mao said, smiling a little more than before.

"That's the spirit. Oh, and everyone's waiting for you."

"Everyone?"

"Not really. Hikaru-kun's still being a jerk and Kaoru asked Haruhi on a date! I think I found another OTP!" I said, explaining the news to Mao as she carefully listened, but while she was doing that, I saw her shoulders falter and smiled less.

…..

Does she like Kaoru or something?

Well, I can promise you writers something, I'm not letting my sister get super depressed or anything!

"Hey! We should have a Girl's Day Out tomorrow! Misuzu-chan is letting us take a break tomorrow to have some fun in town! I was going to make it ought to be the guys and us, but I wasn't expecting 'that' to happen. We can go into town and get souvenirs for Mom and for us! What do you say?" I finished and watched her ponder over it. She gave it a thought and I was happy when she finally answered.

"I guess. I hear Karuizawa is a good place to shop for imported goods from Korea anyways."

Smashing!

Mao's going to be one happy girl tomorrow!

~/+/~

_**((Mao's POV))**_

You know the Girls' Day Out thing Mika promised me?

You remembered now? Okay good, because she forgot to mention that the host club was going to come along with us. Actually, everyone was going to spy on Haruhi's and Hikaru's date! I say Hikaru because Kaoru ended up being sick and couldn't take Haruhi out so instead, Hikaru took Kaoru's place, but I know it was all bullcrap because Kaoru's standing right next to me!

I gotta admit though, it's a pretty clever plan for Hikaru to become more mature than how he acted yesterday.

"Someone remind me why I'm here again? And why I'm dressed like this?!" I pointed down to the outfit I was wearing right now. It looked too girly for my taste and it looked like something Mika would wear. Speaking of Mika, she was standing right beside me.

"Aw. But I got Kaoru-kun's maids to help me out on picking the outfit! This so screamed you!" She said.

"But did I have to wear heels!? God, if I knew I was going to dress up today, I would have stayed home and worked or watched Korean Dramas." I said, hiding behind a post light and tried to make the dress I was wearing seem longer than it originally was. If only I knew how to sew.

"I think it looks cute on you Mao-chan!" Honey-Oppa said to me and I just let it pass if it was Honey-Oppa.

"You think so?"

"I know so!" He said. Why do you have to be so cute Honey-Oppa?!

"IT'S CUTE! IT'S SUPER CUTE!" Tama-Hyung yelled. I didn't know if he was talking about my outfit or Haruhi's outfit because what she wore was really cute.

"I so wanted to check out the shops. I can't do that knowing that you'll be watching over my shoulder! This is supposed to be my fun summer break!" I yelled, walking back and forth with the shoes I was wearing. Well, since I wasn't used to these three inch heels that I made a misstep and tripped.

"Mao!" Kaoru yelled and quickly caught me before I made floor to face contact. My whole body froze from his touch even when he picked me up and I was standing again. "Are you okay?" He asked me.

No, I'm perfectly fine despite the fact that I could have broken my nose or my ankle! YES I'M FINE YOU HOSER!

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." I said.

"OTP! OTP! OTP! KYAH! IT'S SUPER CUTE!" Mika yelled.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled back at her and grabbed her head to make her shut up. She was not listening or anything.

Meanwhile, there were a few host club members that were glaring at Kaoru while he was not looking…. *COUGHCOUGH*TAMAKIKYOYA*COUGHCOUGH*

So, while we were following Hikaru and Haruhi, there were times when Tama-Hyung was getting really annoyed and asked Kyo-Hyung to do some really ridiculous stuff like….going up to them and act like a punk.

Kyo-Hyung as a punk?

"_Oi! You there! You owe us eight million yens worth of debt! Pay up or deal with the Ootori Gang!"_

"Where do you dream this stuff up?" Kyo-Hyung said, fixing his glasses. I agree with him, I can't see Kyo-Hyung act like a punk. I can see him act as a heartless tax collector, and a ruthless general obsessed with money, but not a punk. It would be really awkward.

It was also awkward to see Honey-Oppa pretend to be an ice-cream man and appearing in front of those two on the date. Mori-Oppa snatched him up and explained to him that it was a bad idea. Haruhi disappeared, but we all found her near the ice cream stand.

"You shouldn't run off like that." Hikaru said. AWWWW! SO LIKE A DRAMA! Only….the heroine is really, really, really, really, really, really, dense.

You guys want to know what else happened. Tama-Hyung tried to be the ice cream clerk for the ice cream shop, but it didn't work out and we had to pay for the "On the House" ice cream Tama-Hyung gave to the Haruhi. We also apologized and I said that the girl was a girl that has never experienced romance and we're helping her out and told him the story. Mika told him the story that she got inspired by the Fruits Basket manga/anime – the story about the son and his mother.

His reaction was so unpredictable that even Kyo-Hyung and I never understood.

"What a beautiful story!" The man said, crying.

"Just what about that story is beautiful?" said Kyo-Hyung.

"Nee nee papa, welcome to hell." I said, pointing to Mika who sang the Hetalia theme song after my comment.

And then she sang the demon summoning song.

~/=/~

"_Feels good, Feels good. Feels good, Feels good." _I sang as we were passing the shops while we were still following Haruhi and Hikaru. All of us stopped when we saw Hikaru stop somewhere. I pulled off my earbuds and looked at Hikaru's direction.

"Hikaru, is something wrong?" Haruhi asked Hikaru as he was just staring into the window.

"No, I'm good. I was just looking at this lip gloss that looks to have Taemin on it. You know, the singer on one of Mao's favorite boy bands." He said.

GASP!

HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE LIMITED EDITION LIP GLOSS THAT WENT INTO MARKET SINCE DECEMBER! IT'S FOR PROMOTIONAL SALES FOR A CD I THINK AND THERE WERE ONLY 3,000 MADE PER EACH BAND MEMBER!

"Oh yeah. I think I see Onew on there as well."

*Here lies Mao Kurosaki who has died of too much fangirling in the middle of the street*

"I think we should get them for her along with a Super Junior CD and a Winter Sonata DVD."

"Yeah, I agree." Haruhi said.

_They're saints! They're know exactly what we love!_

I KNOW RIGHT!? Haruhi, you're the best!

"Why is Mao smiling and crying at the same time?" Tama-Hyung said while I bit into a handkerchief that I had with me.

"Oh. She's just overly happy that those two are picking out a lip gloss that she's been ranting about for quite some time."

"So the infamous Bipolar Tiger has a feminine side." Kyo-Hyung said with an amused tone.

"She only likes them because they have the SHINEe band on them."

"I HEARD THAT!" Is it my fault that I love Korean Boy bands? No. Is it my fault that Mom's family introduced them to me? No.

I love Japanese boy bands too, you know! Kat-Tun is one of them and ON/OFF! Oh, there's also Linked Horizon, Perfume, Yui Horie. Did I mention SID, SuG, and Blood Stain Child? I have the same name as the lead singer from SID so, ha!

"I think we should head back. What do you guy say?" asked Mika.

"There's one slight problem though." Said Kyo-Hyung.

"What's that?"

"Where's Mao?"

…..

"THAT SON OF A BISCUT EATER!" And that's the story on how a girl in America in New York went deaf.

~~ MEANWHILE WITH ME ~~

"Wow, that's really beautiful." I said, looking through the glass window and looked at a really elaborate jewelry box at this second hand store that I was able to find. The streets were pretty full where I was so I really didn't have to worry like I did back in Okinawa where I was alone and the halls were empty. To be on the safe side, I had to be quick so I made my way inside the store and tried to find the jewelry box. When I found it, an employee noticed and made their way to me and the jewelry box. Well, I think it's a jewelry box.

"You have a good eye Miss." The employee said, leaning over and looked at the box.

"Yeah, it's really beautiful."

"My boss said that it has seen a tragic fate toward a young man some years ago. The jewelry box has gone down in price since no one seems to buy it no matter how beautiful it is." They said. While they said that it was a jewelry box, something inside me told me that it wasn't a jewelry box, but something else. It's small like a jewelry box, but I really wasn't sure.

"I'll buy it!" I said and that made the employee really happy.

"Okay. Since we've tried to find his box an owner, you get to buy it at a discount of course. I'll ring you up." He said and I smiled happily at the jewelry box that I close to buying.

"That will be 450 yen, Miss." He said.

~/=/~

Once I got out of the shop, I realized that it was getting late and the clouds looked like it was going to rain with some thunderstorms. Not only that, the streets looked almost empty and there weren't any people left, but about three, excluding me.

I started panicking and tried to run somewhere to a place that was filled with people. I started becoming anxious and hallucinating things that really weren't there like tall guys dressed in all black and smirking evilly at me or thinking that there was someone following me. I tried to push the thoughts out of my head and tried counting to put me at ease. All of it was just too much and I really wanted to go home.

Just my luck, it started raining and my whole outfit was starting to get soaked.

Great, another thing to add to my never ending list of things that go horribly wrong.

Wait, I have my cell phone and maybe I could call someone to get me.

_LOW BATTERY: 20% LEFT_

Dammit. I only have enough battery left to make one phone call and I might as well make it count and I should call Mika.

_Mika, please pick up. Please!_

"_Hello?"_

"Ah! Mika, I'm-!"

"_Bonjour, Guten Tag, Privet, Bueno. Annyeong. This is your friendly neighborhood anime otaku here, Mika Kurosaki! I'm not here at the moment, but if you'd like leave a message, feel free to leave a voicemail and I'll get back to you at another time! Hasta la Pasta!"_

…..

"Mika! I need you or anyone one to pick me up please! I don't know where I am! I'm-I'm lost and there are barely any people out! Please come get me!" I said, sounding a bit desperate and scared than usual.

If I could say any more I would have, but my phone made a beep noise and that told me that my phone was dead. Son of a biscuit eater, now I'm really all on my own and I didn't like it.

"My phones dead and I can't walk anywhere else. I don't want to get more lost than I am already am…what am I going to do."

_Dad. Daddy….Daddy…please come back! Please!_

"Mao!" A voice screamed out my name and I saw someone picking me up and threw me on their back. "Hold on, my uncles' place is not far from here." He said.

That black hair and that polite voice…It was no mistake…

"Kohaku…."

~/+/~

An eerie silence…..

An eerie silence that didn't last long because I woke up and jumped up from my sleeping position and then saw Kohaku smile, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Kohaku! What happened?!" I asked him.

"Well, it was raining and your clothes got wet. That happened because rain is made out of water and water is an essential item t-"

"NOT THAT!" I yelled while I had a laughing Kohaku on my hands.

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself. But anyways, I was on my way back home from a delivery when I saw you. You looked like the time your dad died and…well, being same old Kohaku, I carried you here and waited for you to wake up to give you these." He finished and held up a pair of clothes that seemed to be about my size and less girlier that what I was wearing.

"They're my sisters and I think you two are about the same size." He said.

"Hina's here? Where?"

"She's not; she's at her study abroad program to England."

"Oh. I forgot about that. She just left her clothes here."

"Yep. Oh and your phone's been ringing ever since I brought you here." He finished, handing me my completely charged cell phone – in perfect condition and everything.

"Thanks." I said and turned it on to see one of the most amazing things I will ever see on a phone.

20 voicemails from Hikaru, 100 missed calls from Kyo-Hyung, 40 voicemails from Tama-Hyung, 300 missed calls from Mika and 40 text messages from Kaoru.

WTF!?

WHY 100 MISSED CALLS FROM KYO-HYUNG?!

Really, that's what I'm worried about. Mika got 300. Typical.

Oh, I'm actually getting a phone call from Mika right now. Being the loving sister I am, I decided to answer and then I instantly regretted it.

"Hello?"

"_MAO KUROSAKI! WHERE THE BLOODY F****** HELL ARE YOU!? WHY HAVEN'T YOU ANSWERED THE HOST CLUBS AND MY CALLS?!"_

And…there goes my left ear…

"Ow. Mika. That was too loud."

"_I'll scream however I want to scream! YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN HARUHI! DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?!" _

"I'm guessing it's 9 P.M.?"

"_No you git! It's after midnight!" _

*turns head to clock on the counter and sees its 1 A.M*SON OF A B****!

In the background of Mika's phone, I started hearing yells like "Where is she?" or "Speak quieter! There are people in this pension you know." That so was Misuzu-san, no doubt about it.

"Give me the phone! MAO!" Another voice spoke and then there was a pause. Who was it going to be this time? Honey-Oppa? Mori-Oppa? Kyo-Hyung? Tama-Hyung? Haruhi?

"Mao….I was so worried…" They spoke softly and it took me a second to realize who it was.

Hikaru.

"I'm sorry." I apologized quickly and heard more silence until another voice spoke again only this time, it was much different.

"Mao, I want you to tell us where you are!"

Definitely Kyo-Hyung because his voice was a bit commanding and you know how Kyo-Hyung is like.

"Er…I'm at the Yamaguchi Bakery. Second floor and with wet clothes." I said

"Okay. Don't move, we'll be there in half an hour or less." And then the phone call ended. Kohaku stared at me to recollect what just happened and then broke into a smile.

"It seems like they were very worried."

"You got that right. Maybe I shouldn't have wandered off." I said out of nowhere. There was brief silence until Kohaku spoke again, but this time it was something that I would never forget.

"Do you like them Mao? Your new friends I mean? They seem to care an awful lot about you." He said, not really noticing how stiff and silent I am.

"They're an interesting group. They do seem to put aside their selfishness sometimes to make others happy."

"Just like you. I remember when you went up for show and tell and then said that you wanted to make others happy no matter what. My only wish is that you can make yourself happy, Mao."

Just when I was about to respond to that, the two of us heard knocking on the door and Kohaku went downstairs and opened the door. There were footsteps that mixed in with his own and I saw the host club – well, who came that is. Kyo-Hyung, Hikaru, Mika, and Kaoru.

"Thank you Kohaku, we owe you one." Mika said, bowing down. Kohaku sheepishly smiled and put on that modest personality that he's so known for – and it's not fake either.

"It's fine. I'm just glad I found her before she got even more lost. Well, I hope you guys get home safely."

"Once again, thank you Kohaku." Kyo-Hyung said and pushed me behind him in the waiting hands of the twins.

"It's nothing, like I said. Good night."

~/+/~

Well, I slept peacefully that night and I had an excuse to oversleep this time – something that I rarely do unless there was a night shift at the restaurant. I didn't care much and I didn't even want to get up to face a whole new day. My reason?

ACHOO~!

"Look at you. This is what you get for wandering off! You know what I call this? Karma! Karma is getting back at you for running off like that." Mika scolded at me and I put a pillow over my head, muttering "Shut up" at her and she wouldn't listen.

"Hey everyone." Kohaku and Arai come in into the pension just when I thought I was feeling better.

"Good morning Arai/Kohaku!" Haruhi and I exclaim together.

"I brought you a watermelon. My uncle's got the best in town." Arai informed.

"And I brought some pastries that you guys might enjoy. Perfect for the summer." Kohaku said.

"Wow! It's huge and the pastries look amazing!" Honey-Oppa exclaimed.

"It's certainly impressive." They say and I took the pastries to the kitchen and got out a tarp to smash the watermelon, just in case if they decided to do that or to have a picnic.

_Kohaku stared at the girl that he was once in love with, but he has grown over her and the only thought about her is if she'll ever find someone that will mend that closed off heart of hers after so much pain has been through it. _

_That question was now answered as he stared once again at Mao and then at the host club members who were glancing once or thrice at the infamous "Bipolar Tiger." _

'_Whoever that guy will be, I hope he can control her. She has the right to be happy as well with one of these boys, whoever that will be. I just hope with either of them, they'll make her the happiest girl in world…. _

_I have but one wish….lean on to someone Mao…have someone else to look up to when you're in trouble…have someone else care for you…' Thought Kohaku._

"Say, Mao. Is it just me or do you look prettier than from the other times I've seen you?"

"Eh?"

"You're right! Mao-chan does look prettier than yesterday! She's glowing!" Honey-Oppa exclaimed again while I blushed and tried to utter at least a perfect sentence. That really wasn't going well for me since the others wanted to know why I was "prettier" than yesterday. I don't even know how they notice that! What good eyes!

Little did I realize that two host club members *COUGHKAORUKYOYACOUGH* were looking at me funny from up above. Not only that, there was also Tama-Hyung and Hikaru who wanted to help me out in the kitchen.

"Okay okay! Hey, be careful with that! You can cut yourself!"

"Kaoru...what do you see in Mao Kurosaki?" Asked Kyo-hyung to Kaoru, who with no doubt, knew that Kaoru was watching me from up those stairs. Kaoru was surprised; he thought that it wouldn't be that obvious, but it showed enough for the Shadow king, a.k.a Kyo-Hyung, to know about his feelings.

"Why do you want to know Kyoya-senpai?" Kaoru asked, a bit interested. Kyo-Hyung merely smiled with an arm on the railing and his eyes fixed on someone that interiged him.

"To know my compitition of course." He said. Kaoru did not like this; he already knew his brother liked me and he didn't want anyone else involved in all this. This is going to be one hell of a fight for the girl that they all liked, Mao Kurosaki. Hey, that's me!


End file.

Ouran High School Host Club, Humor, Romance