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Chapter Text

-Chapter 1-

It may just be a common name

Suoh Tamaki sat in his chair in class 2-A, absently listening to the teacher talk over the new year's curriculum. To others around him, the princely character seemed calm, charming and collected, but his best friend knew that the crazy man was imagining equally insane ideas to spew out at the next club meeting.

Propping his arm up on the table, he stared out the large window, seats away from him allowing his imagination to run wild.

Maybe we should put together a Romanian-themed meeting next? Or maybe add a few kotatsu? What about a fairy tale themed? A commoner themed one might my little girl very happy...

"Mr. Suoh, please pay attention up here." The teacher called out with a slight hint of irritation in her voice. She pushed her glasses up her nose bridge, a thing she does when she is reminded of things she forgot. "That's right class, before your first day, I would like to make one more announcement." Turning to the closed sliding door of the classroom, she said calmly. "You may come in."

Everyone quickly turned their attention to the door, excepting it to open any minute. There were light whispers and murmurs, wondering who could possibly be transferring weeks after the first day of school.

As excepted, the door slid open gently as a girl with the Ouran signature yellow dress walked in. She had long strawberry blonde, almost dirty blonde hair and round hazel eyes. She wore a soft and innocent expression as she floated over to the teacher. Taking the chalk the teacher held, she nodded politely before turning to the blackboard and began writing her name down.

The whispers and murmurs grew even louder as the sound of chalk grazing on the rough surface continued. Before Tamaki realized, everyone in the classroom, including Kyoya were looking in his direction. Unable to catch on, he looked up at the blackboard where the new student has written her name.

須王 美紀
Suoh Miki

His eyes widened in confusion.

The girl twirled around on her heel to face the class, her dress fluttering behind her. With sparkling eyes, she bowed her head low.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." She chirped happily. Her smiled resembled one of an innocent child's. "My name is Suoh Miki, please take care of me."

***

It was only a matter of time before the class was crowded around the new girl's desk. Not that it didn't happen every time a new student came. Tamaki was also in the cluster. Being seated in front of her, he spun around enthusiastically the moment the bell rang just to get to know the mysterious new student.

"So what does business does your family do, Suoh-san?" One of the boys standing next to her asked.

"Just a small financial company in Europe," Flashing an unbalanced smile, Miki answered. "I doubt if I say the name, you will recognize it."

"Have you been living in Europe all this time then?" A girl piped up.

Nodding her head with a bubbly smile, she chuckled. "In Spain, yes."

"May I ask, how is your Japanese so fluent then?" Another girl tilted her head.

Miki giggled as she continued to nod her head. "Both my parents are Japanese, so they made sure I had through training in their native language.

"So princess," Tamaki interrupted, swishing his hair to the side in a charming matter. "Seems like we've had similar upbringings then, we must be fated to meet here."

"Pardon me?" Like a child, Miki's eyes widened. She seemed to be very surprised by being called 'Princess.'

"I, Tamaki, too, have grown up in Europe, moving here 3 years ago." He said with his signature dashing smile. "So tell me, dear, how have you been adjusting to this prestigious academy known as Ouran?"

"It's been wonderful so far!" Miki chuckled, her fingers curling under her chin. "Everyone is very kind."

"Say, Say." One of the girls nudged Miki gently. "Are you and Tamaki-kun related?"

"P-Pardon?" Flinching at the question, Miki cocked her head to the side.

"He shares the same last name as you." The boy who spoke first informed.

Miki glanced up at the princely character who posed in a charming manner. The aura around him seemed to be sparkling, and roses seemed to have grown all over the classroom for this changed atmosphere. She tilted her head, covering her lips with a soft giggle.

"Who knows?" She flashed another unreadable smile, one that was shrouded in both mystery and secrecy. "It may just be a common name." She said.

Listening in, but not participating in the conversation, was Kyoya. As his best friend continued to speak to the new girl, he was busy typing away on his laptop. Under the Ootori Database, he typed in "Suoh Miki."

***

"Suoh-san." After classes have ended, a girl with long straight hair and bright eyes approached the new student as she packed her bags.

Looking up, the girl saw one of the students she had been introduced to at the beginning of the day. Her name was Yotsuboshi Sora. She wore a gentle smile as she took Miki's warm hands in hers. "Would you like to spend some time with me after school?" She asked in a timid manner. "There is a place you must see!"

"Please, drop the formalities, Yotsuboshi-san." Miki beamed brightly. "You may call me Miki if you'd like. And where is this place you insist me on going to?"

"In that case, please call me Sora too." The brunette nodded, already dragging Miki out of her chair and out the classroom. "We are going to the very club Tamaki-san is in." She announced, pulling Miki by her hand.

Miki blinked awkwardly; she thought for a moment before quickly following up with Sora's pace. "Let us go then, Sora-san."

Miki followed Sora as she was taken through countless amounts of French styles hallways and raced up the busy grand staircase. They all reminisced the late nineteenth-century Paris architectural styles. The wall-less corridors allowed the bright open sky to spread out above them. Miki couldn't help but gasp slightly at the blue fountain that reflected such sky and the green grass that smelt oh-so-fresh. She stayed in a daydream like daze, still being guided by an unaware Sora.

Sora soon came to a stop in front of a pair of closed double doors, grinning excitedly. She eagerly adjusted her hair and skirt, letting go of Miki's hand in the process, snapping her out of her fairytale-like daydream. She turned around, hazel eyes growing quizzical as Sora pulled out a hand mirror, checking up on her reflection as she hummed lightly. She tilted her head in confusion as she turned to look at the label of the classroom.

Music Room #3.

She blinked, turning her attention back to Sora who was adjusting her straight hair.

"N-Now, shall we go in?" She finally asked, looking up with an apologetic smile and a pink flush on her cheeks.

Miki nodded, curious about what type of club a man like Tamaki would be in. She followed Sora as the girl excitedly pushed open the beautiful peach coloured double doors. Almost immediately, the bright light of the chandelier flooded her vision. She squinted, trying to allow her eyes to adjust as she heard a couple voices say in unison.

"Welcome, to the host club!"

With confusion, Miki blinked as the image of seven boys came into focus in the light. She heard Sora let out a slight shriek, and then a dreamy sigh next to her as she attempted to take in her surroundings. The whole room had a traditional Japanese theme. Decorations such as potted bamboo plants, golden painted dividers, there were even tatami mats on the ground. The seven boys before her were all dressed in kimonos, two of them she recognized as boys from her class, Suoh Tamaki and Ootori Kyoya. She watched as Sora as well as a few girls who she didn't notice appeared behind them flock towards the boys and began to chat enthusiastically, leaving Miki to observe the situation.

Two boys, she instantly realized were twins, they both had golden eyes and messy auburn hair, which one had their hair parted to the left while the other parted to the right. Other than that, she could barely tell the difference between the two. One was an exceptionally tall man with black hair and black eyes with another boy, much smaller in size clung to him like a koala. The smaller boy had blonde hair and honey brown eyes, ones that shone with a childlike innocence. Finally, the last boy who she didn't know looked rather simple. Brown hair, large brown eyes. His dainty figure and reserved posture could almost pass him as a girl. She stood there awkwardly trying to take in her surroundings when a familiar voice and figure appeared before her.

"Princess Miki!" It was Tamaki who spoke, suddenly appearing before her with glimmering blue eyes. They resembled sapphires as blue as the sea. "I see you have chosen to come and visit our wonderful club!" He said in a flowery voice. Miki held her breath, suddenly feeling the aura around her change and suddenly become somewhat of a 'Tamaki Zone'.

"I brought her in Tamaki-san!" Sora swooned, standing with the other girls and guys of the club.

Tamaki chuckled. "Why thank you, my little lamb." He said, directing a red rose to Sora who took it with a red face. "I'll give you something extra later after we take care of our first-time guest here." Eyes turning back to Miki who still remained a bit in a daze and state of confusion. "Now," He said with a wink, and Miki swore she saw stars blink out of his eye. "What's your preference?" He asked in a honeyed voice, not even allowing Miki to get a word in. "The wild-type?" He announced pointing at the insanely tall man. "The boy lolita type?" He then gestured the little blond. "The little devil type?" He indicated the twins who moved in perfect motion towards her. "The cool type?" He motioned Kyoya who gave her a narrowing and bone-chilling glance. "The Natural Type?" He then pushed forth the brown haired boy who seemed very uninterested and annoyed. "Or..." As if completing his monologue, he reached forward, sliding his hand underneath her chin. Bringing his face closer, he leaned in seductively. "Perhaps, you'd like to try me? The Princely type?"

Quickly feeling uncomfortable to how close their faces were, Miki reflexively shoved the 'prince' back gently. She stepped back nervously, watching as he tumbled back slightly.

"Damn sir..." One of the twins chuckled.

"You got shot down fast..." The other finished.

Wow... Miki's eyes widened in amazement. They are perfectly in sync... She thought.

"S-Sorry..." She stammered, quickly snapping back to Tamaki and apologizing by bowing her head. "I-I just didn't feel comfortable with you so close to me..."

"It's alright," Getting back into rhythm, Tamaki pulled out a rose to offer to the girl. "If it's for you, my body will take any punishment..." He winked. "Now tell me, what kind of experience would you like in our host club, Princess?"

"W-Well..." Miki's voice trailed off as she averted her eyes shyly. The guests and hosts around her gathered. They swallowed, watching intently to know what type of guy is the new girl's type. "I've meant to ask..."

"Yes, my dear?" Tamaki urged on.

Looking up, the girl finally asked. "What's a host club?"

.

.

.

Silence followed her statement as Miki tilted her head, unaware of the confusion she had set into motion. She watched as Tamaki's face turn blank, before looking up to be met with deadpan faces from the few guests and the hosts, minus the brown haired boy. Blinking, she searched the sea of blank faces for an answer.

"Pfff!" It was the twins who firsts to break were the twins as they simultaneously began to clutch their stomachs, holding in laughter. But it didn't last long before their voices erupted as they comically slapped the thin air. "Hahahaha!"

"She's almost as dense as you, sir." One of the two twins, the one with the hair parted to the right managed to squeeze out between chuckles as he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the tears of joy.

The next to break was the little boy who laughed alongside with the twins before running up and clinging his arms around Miki's waist, surprising the girl. "Miki-chan, you are so silly." He sang.

"The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands," Tamaki explained with a dramatic expression, his blond hair swaying in the wind coming from god knows where. "Just think of it as the Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful." He concluded. 

Hearing his explanation, Miki's eyes immediately began searching the room curiously. "You said it's a playground, so then... where are the slides and swings?" She asked with a dead-serious face, causing the twins to continue burst out laughing even louder. The guests laughed along making Miki more confused than ever. It was then; the little brown haired boy stepped in with a wry sigh.

"Miki-senpai." He tapped her shoulder gently, raising an index finger he began to explain. "What Tamaki-senpai means by that, is that this club entertains it's guests through tea-and-flirting obnoxiously."

Miki's eyes widened in realization as a red flush spread across her cheeks when she realized the mistake she made. Letting out a quiet 'ah!', she covered her mouth with her fingers.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried comical tears as he raised a finger to point at Haruhi. "Do you really feel that way about our club?"

"As I said, I do," Haruhi replied without reservation.

Almost immediately, Tamaki went to sulk in a colourless corner causing the guests to laugh at the hilarious exchange.

Watching the scene unfold, Kyoya crossed his arms and narrowed his sharp, ink-black eyes at the new student.

***

Since Miki said she didn't feel comfortable 'choosing a host,' she spent the rest of the day by her only friend, Sora's side at Tamaki's station. She was quickly introduced to the hosts. The mischievous twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. The third-year lolita and his giant friend, Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka, or Honey and Mori-senpai, as she was instructed to call them. And finally, Fujioka Haruhi, the first year who was kind enough to guide Miki through the awkward situation she was put in. However, unlike the other girls, she didn't converse with the 'king' and the hosts. Instead, her eyes were wandering around the room. Like a toddler seeing the outside world for the first time, she was staring at the guests, the architectural designs of the room, the teacups, the blue sky outside the window, the furniture, and even the flowers.

When it was time for Tamaki to switch customers, Miki followed Sora and a few other female students out, only to be called back by a voice.

"Miki-san." A familiar voice called out, causing Miki to twirl around on the ball of her foot, her yellow dress fluttering in the momentum. She cocked her head to the side curiously as she saw Ootori Kyoya of all people, standing by the door of music room #3 with an unbalanced smile. "Could you stay back? I'd like to talk to you for a moment." He moved his hand, gesturing for her to come closer.

After bowing quickly to Sora and the other girls who quickly waved goodbye, Miki paced over to her classmate whose unsettling smile she didn't notice, the heel of her black leather shoes tapping echoed in the long empty hallway. "Yes, what is it?" She shot a sincere closed eye smile, hands cupping before her lap.

"It's nothing much; just a routine follow up to your first day." Folding his arms in the sleeves of his kimono, Kyoya spoke, his unreadable smile still curled on his lips. "May I ask, how did you find your experience with us?"

Responding to how genuine Kyoya sounded, Miki lowered her guard and relaxed her muscles. "It was wonderful," She giggled airily, her voice like a bell. "It's a wonderful atmosphere, Suoh-san must put in a lot of work to keep the club running."

"Indeed..." Kyoya's voice trailed off as he felt his eyebrow twitch slightly, the unbalanced smile continued to hang from his mouth as he changed the topic onto one of his interest. "However, I couldn't help but notice your focus was not very much on the host, but your surroundings Miki-san." He pointed out.

"A-Ah..." Quickly darting her eyes away, Miki stammered. "You see, I was simply observing the architectural design of the music room." She quickly covered, not realizing just how terrible at lying she was. Her palms were sweating, and her eyes were all over the place, she clutched her dress nervously. All signs Kyoya picked up on. "I wish to pursue production design in the future, so I suppose it's just my designer's eye at work."

Well, the last part of that excuse wasn't a lie.

Humming, Kyoya closed his eyes. "I see..." His voice trailed off as he played along with her jest.

"Is that all?" Still not picking up his eyes of suspicion, Miki tilted her head airily. It was quite apparent at that point; she was just as airheaded and naive as Tamaki. Something about this conversation brought flash-back memories of Kyoya and Tamaki's first meeting.

"Not just yet." Opening a crack in his eyes, so Miki could see his onyx orbs glare into her hazel ones. "I have searched through my entire family database," He spoke, his tone sending a chill down Miki's spine. "And there is not a single person, either in Spain or Japan with the name Suoh Miki." Reaching out a hand, he planted it gently to the wall beside Miki's head. Lowering his body to trap her there, he stared into her slightly confused yellowish-green eyes with a small scowl. "Care to explain why?"

Instead, Miki tilted her head and wore a sorrowful smile. "I'm afraid you are mistaken." She said quietly. "If there is no such person, then who is standing before you right now?" She retorted.

Still wearing a poker face, Kyoya replied. "Someone who is not named Suoh Miki."

"But that is very much my name." Miki reasoned.

Furrowing his brows with slight agitation, Kyoya's blank face began to crumble slightly. "Are you asking me to believe that it is nothing but a coincidence that you show up with the same last name as the president of my club, yet there is no record to show of your existence?" 

Under his shadow, he saw a slight sense of surprise and anguish flash across Miki's face, but it quickly faded into that same mysterious expression she wore earlier that day when she said the same line.

"It may just be a common name."

Seeing the conversation was getting nowhere, Kyoya slowly back away, folding his arms back into his kimono. "I apologize." He closed his eyes, reverting to a neutral expression. "I simply like to do a quick background check on all of our potential customers."

"It is alright. Ootori-san, you very much act like the club president rather than Suoh-san." Still maintaining a calm composure, Miki chuckled. "Now, may I leave?"

"Please, drop the formalities." Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya studied her once more. Though his doubts still lingered about her, he figured it would be better to keep her close by for surveillance. They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. "I have one last thing to talk to you about."

Miki blinked curiously, her expression and silence urging him to continue.

Smirking with amusement, Kyoya raised his chin slightly. "Since you say you are interested in production design, I would like to offer you a position to help design our sets for our guests. Naturally, we will cover the costs of furniture and decorations." He was expecting to be turned down immediately, especially after what he had just pulled. He thought he would need to dig deeper, to try and blackmail her into staying near them. But to his surprise, Miki's hazel eyes rounded and sparkled.

"Really? Are you certain you would give me such an honour?" She gasped her body language indicating that she was elated. Her hands clutched at her chest, and her cheeks turned rose. She tilted her head to the side. The big grin on her face resembling the one of an honest, simple-minded toddler, and in Kyoya's eyes...

It looked eerily similar to Tamaki's.

"Yes. You will begin tomorrow, meet us at the club room after school." Closing his eyes, Kyoya nodded. "Naturally, you will be under a probation period until we deem you worthy enough to officially join our club." He informed her, still in slight disbelief it was that easy to get her to stay.

"Very well, see you tomorrow, Kyoya-san!" With a cheery smile, she turned on her feet with a slight bounce to her step. Her long pink-brown hair trailed behind her as she ran down the hall, the sound of her shoes tapping being the only noise between them.

Kyoya stood there for a moment before turning around to head back into the clubroom, pondering on what it could all mean. The family name as Tamaki, her naivety and innocence, no record of her existence, and her eagerness to join the club. But he didn't get that much time to think about it, as another storm soon swept through and crashed the host club, in the form of a lady manager.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 2-

To Join the Host Club!

The next day, the host club sat before opening time gathering for a quick meeting. Just the day before, a girl by the name of Hoshakuji Renge crashed the host club and declared herself as the manager of the host club. Tamaki sat on a shared sofa with Kyoya, wearing a thoughtful expression as he addressed the hosts.

"I thought about it all last night," He said with his hand propped on his chin. "Having a lady manager might not be all that bad."

"Why do you say that?" The twins asked in unison.

"Don't you see?" Tamaki opened his eyes with a smirk. "She has transferred into the same class as Haruhi. If they become close friends, Haruhi might become more ladylike." He pointed out in a dreamy daze. "The uniquely girlish air of tenderness could stimulate Haruhi's own sense of feminity!"

"You've got to be kidding me..." Haruhi sighed.

"This is a grand-scale project in order to stir Haruhi up to be more ladylike!" He said, lifting a finger. "Only having these shady, disreputable twins as close classmates is not good enough for Haruhi," Tamaki concluded his statement by pointing at the twins.

"Who are you calling shady..." The twins tilted their heads.

"If it's a female companion you are worried about, then Haruhi will be just fine," Kyoya commented without looking up from his notes. "Even without Renge's presence, we have an alternative."

Everyone quickly turned to look at him.

"What do you mean by that, Kyo-chan?" As he ate a piece of cake with his legs kicking, Honey asked.

As if on cue, the door to the music room opened behind the twins, and a girl poked her head in. Kyoya looked up expectingly while the others in confusion as a soft voice announced their presence.

"Sorry to bother..." It was Miki, peeking her head in cheerily with a bright beam. Unlike the day before when she wore her hair down, there was a small braid on the side of her head, pinned to the back. "It took me a while to find my way back here..." She leaned in, clutching what seemed like a tablet in her arms.

"Princess Miki?" The twins each propped an arm up on the backrest of their shared sofa with a smirk. "We are not open right now."

"Ah, actually..."

Before Miki could even get a full sentence out, Tamaki pranced forward with a rose in hand. "Sorry, my darling." He said striking a dramatic pose. "I understand you are excited to see me again, but I ask you to wait just a little longer. And so..."

"Ah, Miki-san." Leaving Tamaki to his exaggerating monologue, Kyoya stepped forward with that reserved smile of his. "I'm glad to see you could make it. Please take a seat; we are in the middle of a club meeting." He said, gesturing a chair next to Haruhi.

"Kyoya-senpai," Kaoru asked swaying his head with his twin. "Was this what you..."

"Meant by 'alternative'?" Hikaru finished off.

"Miki-san is going to be joining our club as a set designer." Reaching a hand out to introduce Miki, Kyoya informed. "That being said..." He smirked, giving a side glance to Miki. "You are on probation period right now, so please do your best to live up to expectations."

Everyone's eyes immediately shot to Miki who's smile only brightened.

"Yes! I will do my absolute best to assist you all." She chirped happily, bowing as she spoke. "Please to make your acquaintances everyone!"

"Kyoya..." Tamaki reached over with a terrifying expression. "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"I figured it would be much easier on the club's budget if we stopped hiring professional designers to do all the decoration work. So I simply asked Miki-san for her assistance." He stated in a distinct matter.

"Professional Designers... Damn these rich people..." Haruhi muttered under his breath.

Tamaki opened his mouth, about to protest when Miki popped into his vision holding her tablet. "In fact, Tamaki-kun," She said wearing that airheaded smile of hers, her finger tapping on the screen. "I was so excited I decided to sketch up a few layouts first, take a look."

Looking down on the illuminating screen, Tamaki examined the designs. His eyes widened, and he took the tablet from Miki's arms bringing his face closer as if that will help him discover something new.

"What's wrong Tama-chan?" Honey asked.

"Yeah, is there something wrong with her sketches?" The twins then asked.

Tamaki's hands trembled slightly. "These... are..." He breathed, suddenly looking up from the device and at Miki with sparkling eyes. "BRILLIANT!" He yelled. "There is a Romanian-themed design, fairy tale, Arabian nights! The attention to detail, the maximized placements of chairs so we can have more guests." He said, clipping the tablet under his arm so he could grab Miki with both hands. "You are brilliant, Miki! Great work!"

"Really?" With sparkling hazel eyes, Miki gasped. "I'm so glad you like them!"

"Now may I suggest you try creating a commoner themed one? Or maybe an ocean themed? Or better yet a wedding themed..." Holding Miki's tablet, he began to share his ideas with the girl who listened to him patiently with an equal, not more amount of delight in her expression. As they continued to ramble on, the rest of the hosts felt a sweatdrop behind their head.

Those two are really alike...

Suddenly, interrupting the strange scene before them, the door opened once again to reveal another female with long blonde hair and a pink bow. Miki blinked slightly at her appearance.

"Everyone, your host club manager, Renge has baked some cookies." She sang, holding up a pink chiffon bag.

Disappearing from Miki's side, Tamaki bolted next to the door. "Oh, how ladylike! I'm so moved!" He declared, his arms waving dramatically.

"I didn't bake them for you, you phony prince." Narrowing her eyes, Renge spat, sending Tamaki to sulk in the corner with his head between his knees. Ignoring the poor prince, Renge raised the cookies to Kyoya with a love-struck expression. "They're a little burnt, but I know what you're going to say, Kyoya-sama." She said, cupping her cheeks and squealing Kyoya's name, unaware of how Honey had taken the bag of cookies and stuffed one into his mouth.

"You're right; these are burnt..." He commented holding his little pink bunny, Usa-chan close.

"Mitsukuni, stop." Mori appeared behind the boy, holding his hands up. "They're bad for you."

Hearing Mori say this, Renge froze and immediately turned around to chase them.

"Wahhh!" Honey cried dropping the bag of cookies into Haruhi's hand. Reaching out, he jumped and clung his arms around Miki's neck, surprising her as she quickly placed her tablet down to support his weight. "She's scary, Miki-chan, save me!" He whined. Mori on the other hand, stood behind Miki as she placed her arms loosely around the third-year lolita.

"H-Honey-senpai?"Miki exclaimed.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SCARY?" Renge yelled before her attention turned to Miki, who was gawking at her.

Did her hair just turn into snakes...? Miki thought, blinking incredulously.

"Who are you?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied Miki up and down suspiciously. "I don't recall seeing you here yesterday." Placing a hand on her chin, she tapped.

"Oh, I apologize for not introducing myself earlier." Bowing her head, still holding onto Honey, Miki smiled bubbly. "My name is Suoh Miki. I'm the new set designer of the host club, pleased to meet you."

"She's a recent addition to the host club," Kyoya added.

Humming as she walked around Miki, observing her up and down. "Well... It seems like my darling Kyoya is okay with you, so then I will be as well." Stepping back, she gives Miki a quick nod of approval before her frown turned to an elegant smile. "I'm Hoshakuji Renge, a new student from class 1-A. I am also the Host Club's new manager." She announced pridefully, puffing out her chest.

Then, an explosive voice of panic shouted from the other side of the room, cutting their conversation short. Miki quickly turned around in curiosity as honey jumped off her, finding Tamaki holding an unamused Haruhi by the face.

"Sexual Harassment?!" He yelled with comical tears. "If I'm harassing you, then those shady twins are twice as guilty! POLICE, OVER HERE!"

Miki tilted her head, contemplating on the new phrase she heard. "Sexual Harassment?" She was about to voice her question when another overly energetic and theatric voice erupted from behind her.

"It's all too tepid!" She leaned forward, hand on her hip while the other balled into a fist. "Except for Kyoya-sama, all of your characters are too lacklustre!" She said, pointing at the group who froze in fear. "All of you hosts are lacking a 'dark' side! Girls are vulnerable to handsome young men going through trauma! If you keep carrying on in this ridiculous manner, it's only a matter of time before everyone else grows tired of it! Are you trying to ruin Kyoya-sama's precious business!? As your manager, starting today, I'm changing all of your character backgrounds. Starting with you!" She exclaimed pointing at poor Honey who was on the verge of tears. "If all you are is cute, inside and out, then you're the same as a baby. As such, you are now 'The cute-face, who's actually a thug!' Morinozuka-senpai, you are the 'childhood-friend flunkie!'. The twins will be basketball players, 'shut up in their own world!'. Haruhi-kun, you're an honour student, faced with 'intense bullying!'." Everyone stiffened as she announced their 'new character,' comical sweatdrops on the back of their heads. Renge then turned to Tamaki. "And you are the school idol, esteemed for your looks, but you actually have an inferiority complex... 'the lonesome prince!'." She concluded before twirling around to stare in a lovestruck manner at Kyoya. "Oh, Kyoya-sama, you're perfect. You just stay your usual kind, affectionate self."

"I'm honoured," Kyoya replied with a smug smirk.

Renge snapped around to face Miki who wore a blank face, her mind short-circuiting from how quickly the French girl was speaking and what she was saying in general. "Now, Miki-san!" She heard the blonde call her name, causing her immediately to tense up from the information dump she had trouble processing.

"Yes!" Responding loudly as if they were in military camp, Miki puffed out her chest slightly.

"You are the set designer, right? Then get your pen moving because we have no time to lose! We need to get those sets rolling!" Reaching out, she grabbed Miki by the arm and began dragging her off the prep room.

***

"WAHHHH!" Honey wailed in the rain, leaping into an unexpecting Haruhi's arms with tears running down his cheeks. "Haru-chan, I'm sorry! I really can't do this! I don't want to hurt you!"

"CUT!" Another voice shrieked along with the sound of rolled up paper slapping something. "Cut! Cut! Cut!" Renge flailed her arms before the cameras that stopped rolling momentarily, and the water hoses that stopped sprinkling, allowing her time to yell at Honey who was going way off the script. Miki blinked as she stood next to the director, carrying a few towels, swearing that she saw the dirty blonde hair turn into snakes once more. "You there!" She continued to yell. "Stick to the script!"

With beady eyes, Honey whined, "But I..."

Ignoring him, Renge turned around to point at the cameraman. "Be prepared to reroll!" She ordered.

"Yes, boss!"

"Make the rain more heartwrenching!"

As she continued to ramble on, Miki stepped forward, passing Haruhi one of the four towels she carried in her arms. "Here you go, Haruhi-kun." She smiled tenderly. "You did great!"

"Ah, thank you Miki-senpai." Nodding back gratefully, Haruhi threw the towel over his neck and began rubbing off the droplets of water stuck to his head. Peeking his head through the towel, he then asked. "Did you make all the sets?" He asked gently.

"No." Feeling a sweatdrop behind her head, Miki laughed drily. "They had actual production designs do all the work, all I did was help them scout locations in the school."

Haruhi hummed as the two of them walked closer to where the twins and Kyoya were.

"Why have we suddenly gone from talking about changing our characters into a movie shoot?" One of the two, who Miki assumed to be Kaoru due to his voice complained.

"And I have to say it's an overblown film crew, huh?" Haruhi muttered, glancing at Renge who continued to yell at poor Honey about his lines. "They have production designers and everything."

"This is a dream come true..." Miki swooned, her eyes wide. "I wonder if any of them have worked on 'Crime? Crime Drama ♥'" She giggled with her bell-like voice.

"Crime, Crime Drama?" Raising an eyebrow Haruhi tilted his head, Haruhi asked. "What is that?"

'"Crime? Crime Drama ♥', Haruhi-kun." Twirling around, Miki corrected enthusiastically. "It's this crime drama I've loved ever since I was a little girl, about a famous detective that solves the toughest cases in London. It's been a dream on mine to work on and design such detailed sets!" Thinking of her favourite show, Miki sighed dreamily.

"Well, she rushed this crew in here from Hollywood," Kyoya informed glancing up slightly from his notebook with a neutral expression. "That man is the director of 'Millennial Snow,' the vampire movie that was number one box-office hit across America last year."

Taken aback by her enthusiasm, Haruhi hummed.

"Damn these rich people..." Haruhi thought.

"Vamp-pire...?" Miki tilted her head with a wide-eyed expression. "What is a Vamp-pire?"

.

.

.

The four people present stared at her dumbfounded, studying her to see if she was serious. Miki, in turn, blinked with an unchanged expression.

"Not vamp-pires, Miki-senpai. Vampire!" Kaoru corrected her. "They are graceful yet terrifying creatures of the night with sharp fangs that bite and suck your blood!"

"They are afraid of the sunlight and sleep throughout the day!" Quickly following up, Hikaru added. "How do you not know what Vampires are?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Where have you been for the last ten years in pop culture?" The twins then asked in unison, patting her head with eyes full of pity.

"I-I guess I just never paid that much attention to anything." Shaking her head, Miki quickly waved it off. "A graceful creature of the night... with sharp fangs... that suck your blood...?" Miki repeated, averting her eyes as her imagination ran wild based on the twins description.

~Miki's mind theatre~

A leech with fangs and a bowtie howling at the moon.

"And another thing..." Hikaru looked down at the script, slapping it with the back of his hand as he sat back down into his director's chair. "How come this script has Kaoru being the pitcher?"

"Yeah." Kaoru closed his eyes in agreement.

"Pitcher?" Haruhi turned to them this time, his large brown eyes filled with confusion.

"But there is no baseball scene." Joining in, Miki raised an eyebrow even more confused.

The twins sighed as they looked at the two. "If you don't know, then nevermind." They said at the same time.

Miki looked up to Kyoya who sat behind the two, only to find that he has looked away, unwilling to meet her eyes. She then turned to Haruhi who wore an equally dumbfounded expression.

"Pitcher?" Miki asked.

"Who knows." Haruhi shrugged.

***

As Honey and Mori's scene came to a wrap, the two were allowed to rest. Holding two towels, Miki offered them one each.

"Good work, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai!" She greeted them as they walked off set soaking wet from head to toe.

"Thank you, Miki-chan!" Honey giggled, throwing the towel over his shoulder and jumping to hug the girl.

Giving him a wry smile, Miki pried the boy off. "Ah! Please don't hug me Honey-senpai! You are drenched right now." She told him as she began to help dry his blonde hair.

"Hehe, sorry!" Still chuckling, Honey rubbed the back of his head. "How did you think I do Miki-chan?" He asked with glimmering eyes. "Was I cool?"

Tilting her head, Miki nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, you were super cool." She affirmed before looking up at Mori who was drying his own hair while looking down at the two of him from his tall height. "Mori-senpai, you were super cool too." She added.

"Thanks." He said in his monotonous voice.

Then, around the corner of the building, there was the sound of props falling, metal and wood crashing onto the cobblestone ground. The three immediately snapped their heads around towards the source of the sound, after exchanging a quick glance, the three of them jogged over. As they made there way over, there was a lot of mumbling, then the sound of glass shattering. Quickly, they rounded the corner to find Kyoya standing with their back faced towards them. His hand over the camera while Renge stood before him with wide, dumbfounded eyes, Haruhi and Tamaki not too far back. The camera crew was panicking, some were screaming in what Miki recognized as English. It was only safe to assume he had broken the camera lens.

"K-Kyoya-sama?" Renge mumbled, her tone sounded confused, hurt and in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow there to be any record of a club member engaging in violence." He said, his tone sharp and cold, reminding Miki of how his chilling expression of how he interrogated her just the day before. "I am extremely displeased in the way you are acting like such a pest." He said such words with what Miki could only imagine being a deadpanned face. His voice didn't falter, and neither did his posture. She felt her heart leap to her throat as a shiver rattled down her spine.

Giant beads of tears rolled down Renge's cheeks. "Why...?" She muttered, biting her lips. "Kyoya-sama, you're supposed to tell me to not worry about it, and then gently pat me on the head!" She breathed in sharply, lowering her head as tears continued to drip down. "Why would someone as kind and as affectionate as you..." Her voice trailed off, and Miki found herself stepping forward, but Tamaki's voice stopped her in her tracks.

He closed his eyes with a gentle smile. "That's not who Kyoya is." His voice soft and soothing, almost like a father comforting a child.

Renge gasped and turned to face Haruhi and Tamaki. Miki couldn't see her face, but she could tell more tears were falling as she dropped to her knees and began sobbing into her palms.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" His clear voice rang as he stood before her, crouching down to be on the same eye level as her. Renge's head moved to meet his. "Even if Kyoya-senpai is a little different from what you expected, Renge-chan. I think watching people, and slowly getting to know them, little by little can be fun too." He tilted his head, flashing a sweet smile.

Renge lowered her head slowly, the tears still falling and her body still trembling. Miki turned to look blankly at Kyoya only to find him turning around and walking away indifferently. She quickly ran to follow him.

"Kyoya-kun." She called out, once they rounded the corner and was out of sight of the others. She caught up to him swiftly once he stopped in his tracks, giving a questioning expression. "Is your hand okay from smashing the camera?"

"I used a rock. Besides, these are only shallow cuts, they're nothing to worry about." He shrugged, studying her as she let out a small 'oh.' Crossing his arms, he let out a sigh. "You seem dissatisfied with something." He raised an eyebrow, watching as Miki jolt from his observations.

"I just thought that you could've been more sensitive when you spoke to Renge-san," Miki explained bluntly with a blank expression.

"I merely spoke the truth; she was being quite bothersome."

"Even so, don't you think it is quite cruel to say such things to a girl who holds you in such high regards?" Her hazel eyes never leaving his ink black ones, she reasoned.

Closing his eyes, Kyoya shook his head. "She wasn't interested in me as a person, merely projecting her love of the main character of a dating simulation game onto me."

"Dating Simulation Game?" Miki blinked, tilting her head. "As in a game to simulate... a romance?"

A little irritated with just how shallow her knowledge was on the world, Kyoya nodded.

Shaking her head left to right quickly, Miki's eyebrows knitted as she said with determination. "No matter the reason, you can still tell she is rather fond of you." She pointed out. "I still don't believe how you handled the situation was ideal. You could have had more consideration in her feelings and-"

"Miki." Kyoya sharply cut her off, his eyes thinning. He pushed up his glasses and studied her as she gazed at him with fearless eyes and a slight pout. "I noticed that you have a very simplistic and sheltered worldview," Looking down at her, he grabbed her chin with a smirk. Noticing how she looked completely unfazed by how close they were, there was no blush, no flinching, nothing. "You are too naive for your own good." He stated, watching with amusement as Miki's eyes take a slight turn towards confusion.

Miki blinked cluelessly. "What are you trying to say?"

Letting go of her, Kyoya backed away slowly with the smirk on his lips slowly fading. His arms crossed before him once more as he observed her. "I'm simply trying to tell you; there are malicious people in the world that may harbour hidden intentions towards you. Be aware of them and stay on your guard."

Eyes turning to a downcast, Miki fell silent and thoughtful. After a moment, the corners of her lips tugged upwards. "I understand your worry, but Kyoya-kun," Tilting her chin up, she faced him eye to eye. "If you see everything in life with such a doubtful and critical eye, then you will miss out on all the beauty this world has to offer." She beamed softly.

Kyoya's eyes widened for a moment before letting out a small chuckle the transformed into a burst of laughter.

"What's wrong Kyoya-kun? Did I say something strange?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as Kyoya re-stabled himself.

As Kyoya calmed down from his laughter, he ran a hand through his hair. "It's nothing," He opened his eyes to look at her with amusement. "You are a fascinating person, that is all."

"Miki-san! Please help us clean up here!" Miki was about to respond when one of the staff called out to her. She quickly turned towards the source of the voice, before looking back and quickly bowing at Kyoya.

"Well, that's all I have to say." She glimmered. "I'll be on my way, see you later Kyoya-kun." Twirling around on her heel, she ran off in the direction of the main set with a slight bounce to her step.

Kyoya looked down at his scratched hand, then back at the girl's swaying hair in the sun. The amused smirk on his lips was deepening, he let out a small hum before turning around on his heel.

***

"Let's see..." Holding a box of equipment, Miki entered Music Room #3. Filming had been cancelled, especially after Kyoya smashed the Hollywood director's million dollar camera. And as part of the production crew, she had been instructed by one of the managers to place these props back behind some yellow curtains in the back of the room. Humming with a slight bounce to her step, she reached her free hand out to lift the curtain only to find a figure standing behind it, changing their dress shirt after it got all wet from filming.

The person turned to look at her, a slight gasp in surprise escaping their lips.

Brown hair... Brown eyes...

An undershirt with a lump around the chest area...

She blinked...

Her fingers twitched and allowed the yellow curtain to drape back down. The box in her arms dropped onto the ground.

Immediately after, the door behind her busted open and the hosts came pouring into the room dashing for her. Tamaki was leading the charge with comical tears in his eyes. The twins, Honey and Mori following after.

"Uh-oh~" The twins sang in unison once they noticed that Miki was standing in front of what turned out to be the changing room. "I think she saw it~."

"Did you see it?" Tamaki lunged forward, grabbing Miki by her shoulders shaking the stunned girl. "DID YOU SEE IT, MIKI?"

The gears in Miki's mind was turning rapidly, running at a thousand miles per second, trying to process what had happened. She blinked.

"Now, now..." Kyoya placed a hand on Tamaki's shoulder with a fake smile. "Let her collect her thoughts first."

"Haruhi-kun is a girl...?" She muttered with a completely dumbfounded expression.

"Wahh! Miki-chan!" Honey looked at her with his round beady eyes, comical tears swirling in them. Even the little pink stuffed bunny in his arms seemed to be staring at her with such eyes. "Please don't tell anyone! Usa-chan and I will share our cake with you for a week okay? Please don't tell anyone!"

"Honey-senpai, bribery like that won't work!" Hikaru spoke this time, raising a baseball bat.

"Yeah, at this point the only thing we can do..." Kaoru grinned mischievously at Miki, who suddenly broke a cold sweat.

"...is to lock her up, and make her lose her memory!" They concluded, inching their way towards her with a dark smile.

"What?" Still trying to wrap her head around the idea, Miki's eyes flickered with confusion.

"I apologize, Miki. Haruhi is hiding her identity as a girl due to certain circumstances, in order to prevent this scandal from getting out..." His voice trailed off as an unsettling grin rested on his lips.

"Was I not supposed to see that?" Slowly beginning to back away, Miki muttered to herself.

"Get ready Miki-senpai!" The twins leaned back, about to swing the bat down at her.

"STOP!" Haruhi's voice echoed through the music room as she stepped out, fully dressed again. "Don't threaten Miki-senpai like that." She puffed out her cheeks, placing her hands on her hips.

"But Haruhi..." Tamaki whined with big puppy eyes.

"I never really cared if my gender got out in the first place," She crouched down, picking up the box Miki had dropped earlier. Her words causing Tamaki to go into his sulking corner once again. "Besides, Miki-senpai is part of the host club, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal right?"

"But she's under probation period right now." The twins pointed out with know-it-all looks on their faces.

Tamaki, who had been sitting in his emo-corner suddenly jolted up with a lightbulb of knowledge. "That's it!" With a dramatic yet severe expression, Tamaki raised a finger to point at the poor girl. "From this day forward, you are an official member of the host club! And under our supervision, you will keep the secret of my daughter's gender a secret! Do you understand, Miki?" He demanded.

"Y-Yes!" Standing straighter, Miki responded.

And with that, she officially joined the host club.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 3-

The Twins Fight!

With her digital pencil tapping absently on her tablet, Miki was off in her world, daydreaming once again. She was staring with blank eyes at the host club taking care of their customers, and naturally, as their set designer, she had to be present for touch-ups and measurements when needed.

It has been a week since the host officially appointed her as their production designer, more like she was blackmailed into the job, but it wasn't like she minded very much. She has already determined to do her best for the host club as a temporary member, so what's the difference between that and being an official one?

Her designated space was across from Kyoya, and by the entrance, where she could chat with the customers who do decide to strike up a conversation with the designer to input their suggestions for the next set and costume theme.

"HIKARU! KAORU!" Tamaki's explosive voice of anger pulled her out of her daydream as she blinked back into reality. "I let you have control of the club's homepage on the condition that you would take it seriously!" He stood in front of the two, practically scowling as he clutched a white laptop in hand.

"And we are taking it seriously..." Hikaru opened his hand in a snobbish manner.

"...We were up until dawn working on it last night." Kaoru finished, swaying his hands in the air.

"AND THIS IS THE SCREEN YOU MAKE?!" Tamaki slammed the laptop in his hand open, patting the keyboard furiously as the screen displayed a picture of Haruhi, half naked. 

Miki stepped out of her seat to take a look at the picture. Only to cover her mouth, blinking awkwardly. "Oh my..." She whispered.

Honey being held by Mori, staring at the photo with sparkling eyes. "Haru-chan you look so cool!" He cheered.

Tamaki, glaring at the twins across the room dropped the laptop into Miki's hands, who quickly became overwhelmed with the girls who swarmed nearby to take a look at the picture. He instead dashed out of the oncoming crowd to yell at the twins.

"Wow! He looks so handsome!" One of the many girls squealed, her eyes practically turning into hearts.

"Say, Say, Miki-chan," One of the other girls nudged her. "Is there anyways we could get you to design a theme like this?" She asked.

"I-I'm afraid that's a little..." Miki chuckled uneasily.

"Maybe you could get the hosts to wear dresses!" Another girl said with dreamy eyes.

"Yes, I think Haruhi would look adorable in a dress!" The first girl said, smiling at Miki. "Don't you think?"

"Yes, of course!" Smiling compliantly, Miki responded, sweatdropping slightly.

"Would you stop compositioning pictures of me without permission?!" Finally allowing herself to tune back into the conversation the hosts were having, Miki saw Haruhi glaring at the grinning twins. "Just what do you take people for anyway?" She asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Isn't it obvious?" The two said in unison. "Toys." They smirked, their arms around each other's shoulders. "So you see...

"...to enjoy an otherwise boring life..."

"...you need to have some rather simulating toys."

Twitching with anger, Haruhi had her hand thrust towards the ground. "I'm not a toy!" She corrected them.

"Now, now..." Stepping forward, Miki smiled sweetly. "It isn't nice to call people your toys." She suggested.

"Toys... toys..." An unfamiliar voice whispered, causing the four to turn their heads to a dark spruce door that was cracked slightly open. A man dress in a dark cloak holding a candle was peeking out with an eerie grin. "If you like toys... then, by all means, come to my club... the Black Magic Club. We've opened a marketplace of the world's black magic curios. We're always holding masses. If you come now... I'll make sure you get this handsome cursed doll, Belzenef as my present." He grinned, holding up a cat like a puppet and playing with it.

"What's black magic?" Miki tilted her head.

"Why is he speaking through a crack in a door?" Haruhi mumbled.

"I think the real question is, " The twins said in unison. "Has there always been a door there?"

"Nekozawa-senpai doesn't like brightly lit places," Kyoya explained as he walked over, still holding a notebook. "And to answer your question, Miki. Black magic is to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish intentions."

"Eh?!" Miki's eyes widened. "As in, real magic?!"

"You must not have anything to do with that man." Creeping up between the two girls, Tamaki poked his head in with a zombie-like tone. He scared them, causing them to quickly scatter. "If you do, you will definitely become cursed." He warned.

"R-Really?!" Miki muttered, her legs beginning to shake.

"H-Hold on a second..." Haruhi quickly tried to recompose herself. "Do you have any basis for that claim?" She challenged.

"Yes..." Thinking back, Tamaki began to shiver. "It was during the tests at the end of last year... Ah, it's terrifying just talking about it. That was the day, I accidentally stepped on that cursed doll, Belzenef." He said, fingers twitching. "The test I took immediately after had been enumerated in incomprehensible letters as though it had been cursed! Warily, I looked around me, but I knew none of them! I had shifted into an alternate dimension!" He finished, eyes brimming with tears from just remembering.

"How scary!" Honey shrieked clinging onto Mori.

"Did that really happen?" Haruhi muttered, eyes widening.

"All that for only an accident?!" Miki covered her mouth, body trembling. "How cruel is black magic!?"

"That's because you were so shaken up, you went and took the test for Greek class" Kyoya sighed, glancing up from his notebook and over with amusement at Miki, who looked like she was about to cry. "There is no such thing as black magic." He stated.

"No! It was a curse I tell you!" Tamaki snapped around to argue with Kyoya. "What's more, three days later, in the morning for some reason, my legs were as heavy as lead!"

"They curse you for that long?" Miki asked, turning to Kyoya as well for answers.

"That's because the day before, he ran a marathon." He said, returning to write in his book. But he was quickly disturbed when Nekozawa appeared next to the trio, holding the cursed doll and a candle. Tamaki and Miki immediately jumped behind Kyoya, placing him as a divider between them and the leader of the Black Magic club.

"The power of the cursed doll, Belzenef, is real." He said with an unsettling smile. "If you engrave the name of a person that you hate into this doll's back, they are certain to meet with misfortune..."

"Would you two like to try it...?" Seeing Nekozawa approach, the two who hid behind Kyoya clung onto each other for dear life.

"Back demon!" Tamaki yelled.

"Don't come here!" Miki pled with tears in her eyes when suddenly a bright light shone onto them as well as Nekozawa, and he let out a loud shriek, scaring Tamaki and Miki who were also frightened by the light shone by the twins. Tamaki instantly ran away while Miki's knees buckled as she fell to the ground.

"You murderers!" Nekozawa screamed as he ran back into his club room.

The twins watched the door shut, shrugging slightly

"Hikaru, Kaoru, how could you?" Tamaki yelled with a horrified expression. "You don't know the true extent of black magic!" Only to be completely ignored by them, as they went to go sit at the chairs near the windows.

"Ah, I'm bored."

"Isn't there anything fun we could do?"

"Are you alright?" Kyoya stood over Miki who was still trying to calm down from the shock with an outstretched hand. He made absolutely no effort to hide the entertained expression that slapped onto his face.

"No! That was terrifying!" Miki's hands trembled as she took his offer to stand up. "I-I never knew something like black magic even existed! That's-"

Sighing as he shook his head, Kyoya's eyebrow twitched. "As I said, there is no such thing as black magic." He informed her.

"A-Are you sure?" Looking at him incredulously, her eyebrows knitted. "Tamaki-kun sai-"

"No such thing."

After thinking for a moment and taking a deep breath, Miki nodded determinedly as if she were a warrior about to take on a difficult mission. "Okay! I believe you, Kyoya-kun!"

"No way in hell." Haruhi's harsh voice quickly captured both of their attention. They turned to see Haruhi standing there, looking slightly agitated while the twins wore the hats that they used during the 'Which one is Hikaru-kun game.' Tamaki is not far, sulking in his corner.

"Then let's do it this way." The twins said, holding their hats by the brim. "If you miss in the 'Which one is Hikaru-kun game,' then as a penalty, we get to go over to your place."

"Oh, oh! I want to play this game too!" Miki bounced energetically over, standing next to Haruhi with a raised hand and a childish glimmer to her face.

"Alright, Miki-senpai will be joining the game too!" And with that quick announcement, girls began to gather around. The twins switched spots multiple times before stopping and asking in unison. "Alright! Which one of us is Hikaru-kun?" They asked, smiling mischievously.

Haruhi opened her mouth, about to speak only for Miki to cut in. She pointed at the twin on the right, then the twin on the left. "You are Hikaru, and you are Kaoru!" With a triumphant grin, she replied.

"Bzzzt! You got it wrong." Leaning back, they sang.

"No, she got it right." Haruhi shook her head with a wry smile. "You do look very similar, but you are very different."

"She did?" The guests asked.

Miki blinked, the smile on her face turning into a blank stare. "I did?" She asked.

"Miki-senpai... Were you just taking a random guess?" Eyebrow twitching, Haruhi asked.

Scratching the side of her cheek with a cheeky grin. "Ehehe. Pretty much..." She giggled. "I can't tell them apart through appearance and mannerism alone. But if I listened to their voices, I can tell in an instant." Then, she looked up at the first year with a tender smile. "Say, how can you tell them apart, Haruhi?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah, how can you tell them apart?" One of the guests surrounding them asked.

"When they wear those hats that cover their part, it's practically impossible to tell them apart." Another girl nodded with enthusiasm.

"Um, well, let's see..." Haruhi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "If I had to say... Hikaru's speech and actions are ten percent more ornery than Kaoru." She said with a dead serious face.

Kaoru turned towards his twin, giving him a quick glance. He covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle a laughter. "Sorry... Hikaru." And with that, he burst into a fit of chuckles.

"Well, I just don't mask anything and always express myself honestly, so Kaoru is the one who is more spiteful." He said in a slightly aggravated tone.

"Don't go spinning this," Snapping out of his giggled, Kaoru stood up straight. "Hikaru, I'm always the one who's always going along, playing your selfish games, right?"

Miki, Haruhi and the guests turned to look at the twins who were at this point beginning to glare at each other.

"I may be the one to suggest them, but you're the one who gets into them, Kaoru." Hikaru spat. "If you don't like them, then just stop. What are you, stupid?"

"You're too stupid to see it for yourself, Hikaru. Like how, even as you were calling her our toy, you were so quick to make some sort of pass at her. Hikaru, you really are in love with Haruhi, aren't you?" Kaoru narrowed his eyes, jeering back.

"WHAT?" Tamaki budged in at the call of his daughter's name.

"Huh?" Hikaru snapped his neck, staring at Haruhi who stood next to Miki. "H-Hey, you've got it all wrong! You really are an idiot, Kaoru!"

"Yeah! There are some things you can and can't say in this world!" Tamaki commented.

Hikaru whipped his head back, glaring at Kaoru who turned away, refusing to meet his brother's gaze. "For one thing, how is it that I would fall for that little tanuki?"

"Tan-nuki?" Miki cocked her head, blinking in curiosity.

Kyoya appeared out of nowhere behind them, still writing in his notebook. "Tanuki." He corrected her. "A shape-shifting raccoon dog."

"What do you mean by calling Haruhi a little tanuki?!" Tamaki yelled flailing his arms in the air with anger.

Suddenly the sound of electricity and a powerful motor engine began to run, shaking the club room. "Fantastic, this is fantastic!" A high-pitch voice squealed with awe. And before the hosts realized, Renge came spiralling out of the ground with her hands clutched to her chest. "A beautiful, yet poignant four-sided relationship around Haruhi-kun. What's more, two of the figures are twins, bogged down by this development! Renge could eat three bowls of rice over this!" She struck a pose dramatically.

"Otaku, stay out of this." The twins snapped, causing the poor girl to run away in comical tears.

"Renge-kun, I thought you liked Haruhi, too?" Tamaki offered his hand to the dirty-blonde with a wry smile.

Hearing Tamaki's voice, Renge turned around with sparkles in her eyes. "That's another matter." She explained. "Everyone knows, that there is always more room for homosexual relationships these days!"

"Otaku?" Repeating the unknown word, Miki furrowed her brows.

Letting out another sigh, Kyoya closed his notebook. "You have much to learn, Miki." He commented.

"Just on which planet has she been living on all this time?" Haruhi muttered to herself.

"Enough already!" The twins' arguing voices once again captured everyone's attention. "You're always getting into my bed! You're such a pest!"

"That's because you seemed so lonely, Hikaru. I had no choice but to sleep next to you, you idiot!" Kaoru shot back.

"Who are you calling an idiot!? You're doing worse in a number of classes!"

"Look who's talking! Hikaru, maybe you should study linguistics more!"

"Guys, please stop fightin-" Miki tried to step in, only to be dragged out by Mori with a blank look. He placed her next to Honey who watched with a worried expression.

"Don't get involved." He said simply.

"You grind your teeth too loud!" Hikaru yelled.

"Who is it that tosses in their sleep and falls out of bed!?"

"Sex pixie!"

"Sicko!"

"Your mama wears too much makeup!"

"THAT'S IT! WE'RE THROUGH!" They yelled in unison, causing a massive shock to be sent through the host club. All the while, Miki tapped her chin curiously, repeating the insulting words the twins just threw at each other.

"Sex pixie...? Sicko...? (A/N, He said, 'hentai')" She blinked. "And don't they have the same mother...?"

***

The next day, Miki sat in class tapping her pen as she listened to the teacher talk about their year-long book report in Japanese literature as classes were about to end for lunch break.

"Make sure to choose your favourite book, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the symbolism in the story." The elder man smiled gently as he passed out the planning sheet for the assignment. "Since this is a year-long project, I would like you all to have due dates for certain sections." He remarked, placing the sheet of paper down on Miki's table. "Please have your book chosen by the end of next week, latest the week after and register it with me. Any questions?"

The class was silent.

"Alright, you are dismissed for lunch."

"Say, Miki." Tamaki immediately spun around on his seat, his calm smile hanging from his lips. "Do you have an idea on what you are going to choose for your book?"

Nodding her head as she was packing up her book, the girl beamed nostalgically. "I already have my choice, what about you Tamaki-kun?"

He shook his head, with a troubled smile. "I just have so many books that bring me joy, it will be difficult to choose just one." Noticing Kyoya approaching them from his seat, he brushed his blonde hair aside to face his best friend. "What about you, Kyoya? Do you have an idea for the book you want to use?"

Kyoya opened his mouth, about to say more when one of their classmates called out to them.

"Tamaki-kun, Kyoya-kun, Miki-san!" Sora came running through the halls panting. "Please come to the refectory! The Hitachiin twins are fighting there!"

On the way to the cafeteria, the trio bumped into Honey and Mori who also came after what their classmates have informed them. From what it sounded like, the twins have caused a massive hysteria in their classroom and was now bringing it to the room where people eat.

"Stop copying me!" They heard the twins yell beyond the doors. "I just told you not to copy me, didn't I?"

"Are you two still fighting?" With his hands shoved in his pockets, Tamaki walked in with a troubled expression. "You're embarrassing the Host Club."

Almost immediately after they entered the room, squeals came from all directions as their regular customers fangirled over their favourite hosts being together even during lunch. Reminding Miki just how big of a sensation the club had on the students of Ouran.

"It's the Host Club!"

"Oh my, the Host Club."

"The boys from the Host Club are all together."

Glancing around, Miki spotted Haruhi who stood at the side with a tired expression. Honey went up and attempted to mend the fight between the glaring twins, who she noticed had dyed their hair. Shaking her head, she paced over and tapped Haruhi playfully on the shoulder.

"Hello Haruhi, fancy seeing you here. You rarely come down to the refectory, don't you?" She greeted cheerfully.

"Oh, hello Miki-senpai." Nodding back politely, Haruhi replied before eyeing the twins. "I was concerned about those two, so I followed them without thinking." She explained.

Miki's eyes crinkled. "I see." Her voice trailed off before she glanced down at the object in her hand. It was something box-shaped wrapped in a plaid cloth. "What is that?" She asked, her eyes growing wide.

Looking down at her lunch Haruhi gestured it. "This? Oh, this is a boxed lunch. I wanted to eat it in the classroom, but I guess I'll just eat here tod- Miki-senpai, is something wrong?"

"This is the legendary 'Boxed-Lunch'?" Eyes twinkling, Miki studied the item in the first-years arms.

"Huh?"

"There was this episode on Crime? Crime Drama ♥, where the detective's close friend was murdered via boxed lunch poisoning! He was absolutely determined to find the culprit by himself to the point he put himself in danger in order to lure them out! Ahh, it was such a beautiful episode where we got to see the genius detectives more emotional and humane side." Miki squealed, examining the lunch as if it were some kind of artifact in the museum. "But you should be careful too, Haruhi! For all you know, someone might have poisoned your boxed-lunch out of spiteful reveng-"

"That will not happen." Before she could continue to ramble on, Kyoya stepped in and dragged Miki away towards the lunch line entrance and away from poor Haruhi. "Miki, please try and differentiate between fiction and reality. There is a time and place for everything." He said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Hehe, sorry Kyoya-kun." Giggling like a bell, Miki stood straighter as Kyoya's tight grasp on her arm loosened. Despite how forcefully he dragged her, her arm didn't even hurt one bit. She took a tray and began to walk with him as they collected their food from Ouran's lunch selection.

There was a short moment of silence before Miki spoke again.

"Kyoya-kun, what do sex pixie and sicko mean?" She asked with a blank expression.

If Kyoya was drinking water, he would have spit the liquid out no matter how calm and composed he was. But instead, he flinched for a moment and cleared his throat. "Where did you hear those phrases from?" He questioned, a slightly dark aura emitting from his. An aura those around them felt, but Miki didn't pick up.

"From the twins yesterday." Smiling as if those words were as simple as daily greetings, Miki chirped. "Say, what do they mean Kyoya-kun?"

Picking up a cup of tea and placing it onto his tray with poise, Kyoya sighed. "When did I become your personal dictionary?"

"Well, you have always been helping me out whenever I didn't understand something." Her cheeks were glimmering, she giggled. "Kyoya-kun you are a nice person."

"And you are very naive."

"Hm? Did you say something?" Miki leaned forward, trying to get a closer look at his face.

"Nothing," Kyoya shook his head before taking a deep breath. "Very well then, I will help whenever you need to understand something, but I refuse to teach you those two words." He said, lips curling into a smirk.

"Huh? Why?" Pouting, Miki whined.

Amused by her change in expression, Kyoya shrugged before walking away.

***

That afternoon, the club was closed down for obvious reasons. The hosts sat in the club room over a cup of tea as the discussed their next moves with the new development. Miki sat between Haruhi and Honey, busy working away on their new set design. Silence struck their room, only filled by the faint clicks of Kyoya's calculator.

"If the situation continues, we're going to have to stop offering the brotherly love package," Kyoya announced, jotting a few things down on a notebook nearby. "Our designee rate is definitely down." He then turned to Haruhi with an unbalanced smile. "Don't worry Haruhi; this isn't something you should feel responsible for. Even though you thoughtless comment started this fight."

He's clearly blaming me... Haruhi thought.

"Hika-chan and Kao-chan fighting with each other... It's never happened before, huh?" Honey commented as he fiddled with Usa-chan's arms. 

"Is that so?" Haruhi asked as Mori nodded. Their words caught Miki attention as he pen paused and she glanced up in silence.

"I've known them since preschool. We weren't in the same year, so I've never talked to them, but it seems like they always played together." Honey continued, looking down sadly at his favourite stuffed animal. 

"You're right. I've only known them since middle school, but they really stood aloof," Tamaki said thoughtfully, "It seemed like except for themselves, they kept everyone at a distance. Their personalities were several times more warped than they are now. Thinking about it that way, maybe this fighting is a turn for the better. It means that their world is starting to get a little larger, doesn't it? Maybe it's best to leave them alone, under the circumstances."

"But in the end, they are still very lucky to have each other," Miki expressed with her eyes in a downward cast. "Family is a priceless bond." She said thoughtfully before glancing up with an unreadably sorrowful smile. "Do you not think so? Tamaki-kun?" She asked.

"Huh? Well... yeah." Tamaki blinked, unsure of why Miki asked him of all people.

***

Even the day after, the twins continued to fight. They say time could heal even the deepest wounds, but right now it didn't seem like time was doing anything. Because in the middle of the closed down host club, an enormous stack of random things piled high and topped with poor Honey sitting up there, clutching Usa-chan and swaying side to side without a care in the world.

Hikaru and Kaoru stood on opposite sides of the rooms, drained of energy and panting like barbarians.

"After this long, haven't you gotten over it yet?" Tamaki asked, placing a hand to his forehead trying to look cool as his body trembling in anger.

"Could you both please calm down?" Miki asked, stepping forward. "Haruhi really didn't mean anything bad, and it's causing a lot of trouble." She tried to reason.

"We are causing you trouble?!" Hikaru snapped. "We are causing you trouble you say?! You've got to be kidding! I'm the one who is troubled here! I'm the one who has the same face as Kaoru. I'm sick and tired of being mistaken for you! The truth is I hate your guts!" He declared as he turned back to glare at his brother who scowled in return.

Miki flinched as he made that declaration, her eyes widened, and her body froze.

"You took the words right out of my mouth. Look, I bought this from Nekozawa-senpai," He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a familiar looking doll. "Belzenef, the cursed doll!"

Hearing the name of that cursed doll, Miki snapped out of her trance as both her and Tamaki jolted back.

"No such thing," Kyoya reassured her, without looking up from his notebook.

"I'm writing your name on this thing's back Hikaru." Kaoru sneered as he pulled out a black marker. "From here on, you're going to meet with lots of misfortune and sorrow!" His pen began to move as Haruhi lunged forward, delivering a quick punch to their heads.

"Enough already! You can't just go and bring something like this into a simple quarrel," Lifting the cursed doll, she scolded, "You both are to blame for this fight, but you are even more to blame by bothering everyone around you with it! Miki-senpai is correct, your bonds as siblings are priceless and should never be ruined into this level just because of what other people say!"

Miki's eyes widened, hearing Haruhi repeat her word in a manner that struck her a little too close to home. Her eyes subconsciously snuck over, looking at Tamaki who stood with his eyes fixated on Haruhi. A small, determined smile formed on her lips.

Leaning forward, Haruhi placed a hand on her hip and furrowed her brows. "Now apologize, or I'll never let you come over to our house, as long as we live!"

Hearing her make this negotiation, a devilish smirk spread into the twins' faces. They hummed in unison. "Then, if we do makeup," They walked over behind her, mirroring each other perfectly once again. "Haruhi, we can come over to your house, right?" They asked, crossing their arms around each other.

There was a moment of silence as Haruhi looked down at the cursed doll in her hands in disbelief. Turning it around, she found three Japanese characters written neatly down the cat.

Blank.

"EHHHHH?!"

The twins exchanged a quick high-fives.

Capturing his brother in his arms, Hikaru raised his chin with fake tears. "I'm sorry, Kaoru. Even though I was just following our script, I'm not fit to be your brother, to say such awful things to you."

"Not at all. I'm the one who was terribly worried about what I would do if I hurt you, Hikaru." Looking up dramatically, Kaoru replied with just as much passion.

"Kaoru, I'll never let you go!"

"Hikaru!"

"Wait..." Miki tapped her chin. "Were they faking the fight?!" She asked, turning to Kyoya wide-eyed.

Haruhi and Tamaki simultaneously fell to their knees as the reality of the situation began to set in.

"From what it seems like, yes," Kyoya replied monotonously as he continued to jot in his notebook.

"What?! That is just so mean! You had us all worried!" Honey whined as he waved his arms like a child.

"Because we were bored~" The devil twins sang with a mischievous eye pull and tongue diss.

"The twins with too much time..." Tamaki muttered lifelessly. "Are the devil..."

***

Later that afternoon, as the hosts began to slowly make their way home. Kaoru stood at the school entrance with his back leaning against the south school gates, his twin nowhere in sight. He glanced up, feeling a figure approach. Before him, stood the production designer of host club staring at him with round hazel eyes.

"Miki-senpai? Why are you staring at me like that?" He raised an eyebrow.

Hearing his softer voice, the girl bounced over to stand next to him. "Ah it's Kaoru," She sang with a bright smile that resembled the setting sun.

"What do you mean, it's me? Can't you tell through the hair colour?" Kaoru teased with a slight chuckle.

Holding her school briefcase to her chest, Miki giggled airily. "I was worried you might have switched hair colours on me without noticing."

"That might not be a bad idea." He joked. "Are you waiting for your ride?"

Averting her eyes quickly, Miki smiled her unbalanced smile. "Something like that," She brushed it off quickly. "What about you? Where is Hikaru?"

"Bathroom, and yep, we are waiting for our ride." He confirmed.

A comfortable silence fell between the two of them as they glanced out onto the beautiful horizon. Miki's eyes crinkled happily as she looked out into the city in the distance. "Say, Kaoru." She called out after a few moments, hearing an absent hum in return. "Do you like having a sibling?"

"Where is that coming from?" Turning to look at her, Kaoru questioned.

"I'm just curious to know." Shrugging gently, Miki dismissed his suspicions. "Do you think a sibling is worth fighting for? If you and Hikaru were born separately... If the world were to tell you, you can't be together as a family... would you still fight to be with him?"

Eyes turning to the sky, Kaoru let out a chuckle. "Of course I will." He affirmed her. "I thought Haruhi said you thought of 'the bonds as siblings as priceless, and should never be ruined into this level just because of what other people say'?" He repeated.

"I didn't say all that," Miki giggled. "I simply said 'family is a priceless bond.' It was Haruhi who put too much thought into them."

"Then why are you asking me? You have your answer right there." Grinning mischievously, Kaoru looked out before them, spotting a black limo drive through the gates of Ouran. "Ah! There is our ride." He said.

"Kaoru! Did you wait for lon- ah, Miki-senpai." Hikaru rounded the corner having just come back from the school building.

Miki pushed off from the wall behind her and smiled at Hikaru before walking back towards the school building. "I seemed to have forgotten something at school; I'll see you both tomorrow then." She waved with her usual twinkling smile. "Kaoru, thank you for the talk."

"No problem!" Kaoru waved back calmly, leaving Hikaru curious to what they were talking about.

***

That evening, Tamaki sat in his room in the Suoh family's second estate. Listening to soft music as he bobbed his head, trying to organize his books to find one suitable for the upcoming year-long project. His head perked up when he heard the faint shuffling and mumbling of the staff in the mansion. Crawling over to his door, he poked his head out and saw the maids and butlers hastily preparing one of the guest rooms that are never used across the hall.

Blinking his sapphire eyes, he quickly stopped one of the maids. "What's going on? Why is everyone rushing?"

Before the maid could answer him, the chief of staff Maezono Shima stepped forward in her poised posture.

"I beg your pardon, Master Tamaki." She said with a stern expression. "Please get off of the ground and make yourself presentable, your father is coming to visit."

"Father is?" Eyes widening in both joy and tension, Tamaki immediately jumped up from the ground.

"He will be here in the next five minutes; please be ready in the main hall." After delivering a quick stern bow, Shima went back to directing staff.

In a matter of minutes, Tamaki and the rest of the staff stood in the grand hall with the giant chandelier hanging above their heads. The red carpet perfectly laid out and cleaned, to the point that there wasn't a single spec of dust. The maids wearing their pink and white uniform stood on one side, while the butlers and their black and white suits stood on the other. The all bowed simultaneously when the grand doors opened, revealing the patriarch of the Suoh family.

"Welcome Home, Master Yuzuru." They said in unison.

"Welcome home, father." Tamaki greeted.

"Thank you." The middle-aged man smile at the staff, then his son, finally gesturing for a figure behind him to step out as well. "Come on; you can step out you know." He chuckled.

Tamaki kept his eyes glued to the shadow behind his father, cloaked in the darkness from the outside. Watching intently, realizing he knew that figure very well.

"Miki?!" He gasped, noticing the girl with pink-brown hair step out behind his father holding a large suitcase and dressed in a black chiffon dress.

"Good evening, Tamaki-kun" She smiled a little reluctantly.

***

Tamaki sat with his arms crossed, tapping it furiously as the clock in the living room ticked away. His father sat across from him, sipping his tea loudly as if to annoy his son who looked more anxious than ever. Next to his father, was the newest member of the host club, sitting almost equally as anxious as him.

"Father could you please explain what is going on?!" He finally asked.

"Explain what?" Yuzuru's eyes widened acting as if he didn't know what his sone was talking about.

"Miki! What is Miki doing here?" He then turned to the poor girl who had her eyes widened. "Did my father kidnap you with ninjas, Miki? Say something!" A chain of questions shot out of his mouth, each one more absurd than the last.

"Why would I kidnap my daughter with ninjas Tamaki?" Placing down his cup, Yuzuru sighed. "You are such a silly boy." He chuckled in a fatherly manner, leaning over to poke his son's cheeks.

"W-Wait! Father, what?!" Tamaki quickly struggled to push his dad's hand away from his face. "Y-You just called Miki, your daughter?" He blinked. "As far I know I'm an only child." He said.

"Being my daughter doesn't mean she is your blood sister." Looking up, he gestured Miki. "Tamaki, meet your half-sister, Suoh Miki. She will be staying here in the second mansion from now on." Hearing her name being introduced, Miki glanced up from her untouched tea, giving Tamaki an awkward smile.

There was a moment of silence as Tamaki gawked, he blinked studying the girl he had come to know and befriend over the last week. The naive, energetic, simple-minded girl. He had so many questions, yet he didn't ask any. It didn't take long before his lips broke into a charming smile.

"Welcome to the Second Suoh Mansion, Miki." He greeted her.

Relieved by how calmly he was handling all of this, Miki nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you, Tamaki-kun." She replied sweetly.

It didn't take long before Miki was ushered off by grinning maids and welcoming butlers. They have insisted on helping her unpack and settle into her new home, something Miki didn't expect. They swarmed her with questions about her favourite foods and drinks, her hobbies, taste preferences, daily routines. Even the family dog, Antoinette was wagging its tail, jumping all over the girl who giggled in response.

"Father..." After watching her figure leave, Tamaki turned to Yuzuru with a slight frown.

Yuzuru's teasing smile disappeared as he looked down into his tea. His aged face looking slightly troubled. "You understand that Anne-Sophie was a lover of mine during my business trip to Paris." He looked up at his son, studying his neutral expression. Hearing silence, he continued. "At the time I was married to another woman, her name was Elisa Fernández whom your grandmother arranged me into marrying. As we announced to the world, we divorced without any children. However, a child was born in secret, not long after you."

"And that was Miki?" Tamaki leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees as he listened intently.

"Elisa and her family were prideful, to say the least." Yuzuru sighed just remembering the woman. "Anything that resulted in failure must be erased. So because of that, Miki was sent here to Japan to live in the main estate."

Tamaki tilted his head, trying to piece together the whole story.

"Miki was born after our divorce, so Elise gained full custody over her." Yuzuru shook his head. "Her family sent her over, under the pretense for her to be raised in absolute secrecy, as not to create a black mark on their prestigious history."

"What did grandmother think about all this?"

"She believed it was outrageous." Yuzuru picked up the teacup, taking a small sip from it. "But as you should know the Fernández family is a rather powerful one in Spain. Blackmailing wouldn't be beyond them to keep a dark spot like her a secret."

"So then, if she is to be raised in secret, why is she here? Where has she been all this time?"

Yuzuru's expression turned painful as Tamaki brought this topic up. He looked down into his teacup, watching his reflection ripple in the orange liquid. "Miki has been trapped in the Main Estate ever since she landed in Japan thirteen years ago."

Tamaki's eyes widened.

"She had fine tutors sworn to absolute secrecy, and was never let outside beyond the walls of the estate." He continued, eyes dulling. "Like a princess, trapped in a tower."

"So then how is she here now?" Pressing on, Tamaki asked.

"Your grandmother will be away from Japan until the fall." Letting out another exaggerated sigh, Yuzuru slumped over just remembering. "Miki begged me to allow her to attend real school with you, and I eventually gave in." He looked over down the long decorated hallways. "Then today, she came running to me, asking if she could finally be formally introduced to you as your sister. Her puppy eyes are hard not to cave into." He smiled, turning back to Tamaki who looked extremely thoughtful. "What do you think?" He nudged his chin down the hall.

After thinking for a moment, Tamaki stood up slowly. "Father, it should be time for dinner soon. If you'll excuse me..." He flashed an excited grin. "I'm going to get Miki." With that he attempted to leave, only to stop when his father grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.

"Awe, look at you." Yuzuru cooed, pushing his finger into his son's cheek teasingly. "Being such a good brother!"

"S-Stop!" Embarrassed, he quickly shoved his father away with a flushed face. "I'm going to go get her now; please wait down in the dining hall." And with that, he stomped off.

Watching his son walk away, Yuzuru let out a wry sigh, then a small, proud chuckle.

Chapter Text

 ❀ Miki Suoh
          Host Club Production Designer
          5 feet 3 inches
          Cancer
          Blood Type B

❀ Favourite Subject
          -Traditional Literature
          -Art
          -Spanish

❀ Favourite Food
          -Mildly Sweet things (Not excessively sweet)

❀ An adventurous, spunky girl who's eager to learn more about the world. Loves crime dramas and the fairy tale book, Rapunzel.

❀ She is rather gullible and simple-minded, as well as lacking general knowledge of the world. Her clueless nature tends to land her in trouble some or funny situations, but she's quick to adapt and an enthusiastic, fast learner.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 4-

End of the Jungle Rainbow!

"Miss Miki, where should we put these disks?" The maid helping her unpack named Suzuno asked her with a gentle smile.

"Ah! That's my collection of Crime? Crime Drama ♥ DVDs. Nearly the television would be wonderful, thank you!" She giggled as she placed some of her shoes away.

"What about this book, Miss Miki?" One of the butlers asked, showing her a brown book with intricate golden designs. "Would you like me to relocate it to the library?"

Miki turned around, taking the book in both hands as she shook her head. "No, I'd like to keep this book close to me." She said as she clutched it close to her chest.

"Of course." The butler bowed and went back to clearing out her suitcase.

"Miss Miki is that book very important to you?" The maid asked as she organized the DVDs. "You seem very protective it."

Nodding her head, Miki looked down at the leather covered book in her arms. The cover was very aged, to the point the colour was fading from the design. The golden designs of the title were chipping off slightly, yet it was still pretty clear what the book name was.

Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm

"It's the first and only leisure book I've ever owned." She admitted absently, finger glazing over the distressed leather.

"Oh my..." Suzuno brought her hand to her lips as she watched Miki. "Then you must check out the library in our estate; maybe you could even go there with Master Tamaki some time." She suggested.

Hearing his name, Miki's hazel eyes darted down. "Tamaki-kun huh..."

"Shoot, Suzuno." The butler checked his pocket watch. "Dinner will be starting soon, we need to go help with the preparations." He reminded her.

"Oh dear, well then Miss Miki." Bowing deeply to Miki, Suzuno addressed her. "We will be off, once again, we welcome you to the second Suoh estate and hope you have a wonderful time here."

"Thank you." Bowing back slightly, Miki looked around the room once they have left.

The room was large, grand, brightly lit despite the darkness outside. A king-sized bed in the center of the room leaned against the wall, two large mirrors on either side of the bed, a red bench on at the foot of the bed. A beautiful wooden desk in the corner of the room with a bouquet of roses in a vase, a lamp, a bookcase with tones of space for books on the wall. On the wall across from the bed, there was a large flat screen TV with more shelf space for DVDs.

"I'm here..." She murmured, letting out a small sigh still cradling the book in her arms. Twirling around, her black chiffon dress fluttering as she sat down slowly on the bench on the foot of her bed.

Before she had the time to really let loose, the sound of footsteps echoed down the vast hallways of the estate. She glanced up to see Tamaki popped through the door with an excited grin.

"Miki! It's time for dinner, hurry up and come join us!" He beamed, approaching her. "I heard they are making unagi rice tonight!" Suddenly, he froze when he saw her staring at him with a blank look. "Are you alright?" He asked. "You seem rather out of it."

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." With a small smile on her lips, Miki shook her head and clutched the book further into her chest. I thought I might get ridiculed from him... But I guess I was wrong. She giggled at the thought. "Unagi rice, right? Sounds delicious." Standing up, she set the book down onto the red bench.

"If you ever need me, my room is just across the hall," Pointing behind him, Tamaki added. "And say, is there anywhere, in particular, you want to visit?" He asked.

"Hm?"

"Since you've been locked up in the main estate for so long, there's got to be places you've always wanted to visit, right? Tell me, and I'll be sure to take you and visit all of them!"

"Really?!" Miki's eyes sparkled as she gasped lightly. "Anywhere?" She questioned.

Tamaki gave her a curt nod and a triumphant smile.

Miki furrowed her brows and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "W-Well... There is one place I've always wanted to go." Her voice trailed off, as she looked at Tamaki hopefully.

"Anywhere!" The blonde repeated. 

Hearing his affirmation, Miki tipped onto the balls of her toe. "I want to go to a water park!" She cheered.

"Consider it done!" With a dashing grin, Tamaki wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close for a side hug.

Like a toddler receiving a birthday present, Miki's face twinkled. "Yay! Thank you Tamaki-kun!" She cheered.

"Say, call me big brother!" Grinning a bit like a child, he suggested. "Say it! Onii-chan!" Trying to guide her through the words like a parent, Tamaki urged.

Miki felt a comedic sweat drop on the back of her head as they walked out of her new room. "I don't think I feel comfortable with that just yet."

"Awe, please?"

"I assure you, I'm okay.

"Please?"

"No thanks."

"Awe..."

***

"So with that men!" Tamaki slammed the table of the Host Club, neither girls were present in the room as they held their little morning meeting. "We are taking my dear sister to a water park!" He announced.

"To think Miki-chan is Tama-chan's half-sister." Honey twirling around with Usa-chan. "No wonder why she is so easy to get along with!"

"Yeah." Mori nodded with a blank face.

"And she's just as gullible too." The twins said with a shrug towards each other. "But isn't her existence supposed to be 'absolute secrecy'?" They asked, emphasizing the words 'absolute secrecy'.

"We already have one secret princess, so why not make it two?" Tamaki's poor reasoning fails to save the day as he quickly changes the topic back on track. "Anyways, ideas! A water park might not be a bad idea for relaxation either." He said thoughtfully.

"The Ootori group runs a water theme park nearby," Kyoya suggested, not looking up from his notebook. "Tropical Aqua Garden. It doesn't open until next month, but I'm sure we can reserve it today for an advanced invitation." He said as he continued to write in his notes.

"Brilliant Idea, Kyoya!" Pointing at his friend, Tamaki's face sparkled. "Please reserve that for this afternoon right after school." He then pointed at the twins. "You two make sure to get Haruhi there on time!" He crossed his arms with a grin. "That will be it for this morning's meeting. Dismissed!"

***

"Okay, Miss Fujioka, please select one." The twin maids pressed their faces together, as Haruhi let out a weary sigh.

"No, I don't need a swimsuit." She said.

"Well, then" One of the two maids smiled, searching through the models of swimsuits. "I will select one for you." Holding up a very revealing black bikini set.

"Hold on, not that one." Haruhi shook her head. "I don't want a bikini."

"But you'd look so good in this one..." The maid cooed in disappointment.

"Oh look!" The other lifted up a very questionable looking bottom. "This would be cute!" She suggested.

Haruhi flinched. "But that's nothing more than strings, isn't it?" She shook her head immediately. "Absolutely not." Rejecting that ideal firmly, Haruhi shook her head.

"Oh, Hello Haruhi," Behind some changing curtains, Miki poked her head out wearing a curious smile. Instead of her school uniform, she wore a lilac white ruffled off-the-shoulder bikini top and matching bottoms. Her long pink-brown hair was tied up into a fluffy ponytail. "Fancy seeing you here," She approached with her hands behind her back.

"Miki-senpai..." Haruhi greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't have a swimsuit, so I asked Hikaru and Kaoru if I could borrow one from their mother's newest designs." Twirling around in her new swimsuit, Miki smiled shyly. "What do you all think?"

"It looks wonderful on you!" The twin maids clapped.

"It looks great on you, senpai. Did you choose it yourself?" She asked.

Miki nodded before gesturing her. "What about you? Which one are you going to wear?" She urged.

"I don't want one."

"You can't say that!" Miki cried enthusiastically, grabbing Haruhi by her hands. "We are at a water park; it wouldn't be fair for you not to wear a swimsuit, now is it?"

Taken aback by how energetic she was, Haruhi sweatdropped. "I-I guess..."

"Come on! Let's go look for a piece we can all agree on." Dragging Haruhi by the hand, Miki gestured for the maids to join them. "So let's see... you don't like a bikini right?"

After a long while of picking and choosing, Haruhi finally agreed to wear a pink frilly one piece with a skirt and a matching swim cap.

Snickering, the twin nurses shoved both girls outside mischievously. "Have fun!" They sang before shutting the door.

Haruhi sighed in an exaggerated manner causing Miki who stood beside her to giggle.

"You look great," She reassured her friend before noticing a figure approach them. "Tamaki-kun?" She called out to him with a blank expression.

Walking up indifferently, he glanced down at Haruhi with a bright red face. Out of curiosity on what he was looking at, she turned to study at Haruhi out of curiosity. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, her eyes darted by to Tamaki only to find his cheeks bright red. She tilted her head in confusion. Before she could ask about it, Tamaki had thrust out a yellow pullover. "H-hurry up and put this on," He stammered, "Girls should only show off that much skin after they get married."

"Huh..." Taking the pullover, Haruhi nodded of thanks. "Thanks, senpai."

Miki then looked up, noticing Tamaki was staring at her with narrowed eyes. She tilted her head with a smile. "How does it look?" She asked innocently.

"You too, wearing something to cover up!" He said, pointing at her.

"Eh~ But I plan on playing in the water." Miki reasoned.

***

"Yay!" With a high jump, Miki leaped into the pool with Honey by her side. Feeling the water splash against her body, she giggled. The current of the water, the feeling of the liquid enveloping her skin. "Ahh, this is so refreshing." She let out a relaxed sigh, walking around in the water as Honey swam around her in a fit of hurrays. Mori soon joined the two, lifting Honey up onto his shoulders as they swam around in a lapped manner.

"Miki-senpai." Kaoru glanced over his shoulder as he played volleyball. "Since this is your first time at a water park, can you even swim?"

"Nope!" Miki smiled almost too cheerfully. "I'll pick it up eventually, I'm sure of it." She added.

"It feels so calm." Tamaki let out a relaxed chair under an umbrella. He sat back on a lounge chair, running a finger through his hair. "There aren't any guest here that we have to serve, either. It truly is a handsome young warrior's holiday, I guess you could call it."

"I'm going to go get a juice!" Honey announced as Mori placed him down onto the ledge of the pool.

"Wait, I'm going to get one too." Placing a hand on the ledge, Miki tried to push herself up only to feel her body ten times lighter. She turned around, noticing Mori had helped her up by lifting her onto the ledge.

"Here." He said with no emotion on his face.

"Oh, thank you Mori-senpai." She thanked him, quickly getting up to follow Honey who wrapped his arm around Haruhi's arm.

"Haru-chan!" He sang, "Want some coconut juice to drink? Or maybe some mango cake?"

Haruhi hummed. "Um... sure. The coconut juice." She chose.

"Oh, I'll have a coconut juice refill please," Kyoya called out, writing in his notebook under the umbrella.

"Okay! Let's go Miki-chan!" Grabbing Miki by the arm, Honey pulled Miki over to the snack bar as they began to prepare the drinks together.

Honey was squeezing an excess amount of honey into his drink with a fit of giggles. "Still, I'm glad you are Tama-chan's half-sister, Miki-chan!"

"Huh?" Miki blinked blanky as she poured the prepped coconut juice. "What do you mean by that, Honey-senpai?"

"Ah! It's ready!" Completely ignoring her question, Honey took one of the cups and bolted off in Haruhi's direction while holding his own cup with his other hand. "Haruhi-chan here!"

Chuckling wryly, Miki picked up her glass and the one Kyoya ordered and brought it to him. "Here you go, Kyoya-kun." She said, setting his drink down on the table next to him.

"Thanks," Glancing up from his notes, Kyoya froze.

"Hm? Is something wrong, Kyoya-kun?" Tilting her head, Miki blinked feeling a little more self-conscious under his gaze.

Shaking his head lightly, Kyoya picked up the cup and brought the straw to his lips. "It's nothing, if you aren't going to swim you should probably cover up." He stated before taking a sip of his coconut juice. Moving his feet off the edge of the lounge chair he offered her a seat there.

"I'll go back to swimming later," With a bright grin, Miki plopped down next to him before taking a sip of her drink.

Kyoya let out a satisfied sigh, glancing back up. His eyes swept her relaxed figure up and down before resting on her face. "I heard about your... circumstances from Tamaki." He said, turning back to the drink. "So much for 'it may just be a common name'." He smirked teasingly at her.

"Ahaha..." Miki's lips curled as she laughed uneasily. "I'm sorry about that." She uttered.

"It also explains why you are so simplistic." He chuckled, hearing her gasp slightly.

"Once again, what was that supposed to mean?" She pouted, whipped her head to look at him. "You make it sound like I am clueless to everything."

"Because you are." Giving her a weird look, Kyoya stated in a factual voice.

Turning around with her back towards him, Miki grumbled with a puffed cheek. "That's not entirely true." She grumbled.

"Bullseye!" That was when Hikaru's clear voice echoed through the theme park. They both turned around and Miki gasped when she saw the water guns, her eyes glimmering. Kyoya couldn't help but let out a chuckle at just how pretty much anything can make that expression appear on her face.

"Sir! Let's play! Water gun battle!" Kaoru hollered with a wide grin.

"Kaoru and I on a team against you, sir!" Hikaru continued, approaching Tamaki who was wiping down his face with a towel. "If you get hit in the face you lose, and there's a penalty game."

"Hmph," Tamaki closed his eyes as he ruffled his hair with the towel. "Who'd want to play along with that childish gam-"

"I'll play!" Placing her cup down, Miki hopped onto her feet and skipped over. Catching the water gun Hikaru enthusiastically threw at her, she began to wind it up.

"Alright, Miki-senpai is on your team, sir!" Kaoru grinned.

Tamaki grumbled as he watched Miki began to prep her water gun. "Like I said, who would want to play along with that chil-"

"Haruhi, let's get married right now." Hikaru grinned as him and his brother stood on either side of the poor girl, swaying side to side.

"We'll have our honeymoon in Atami!" Kaoru added on.

Hearing their taunts, Tamaki grabbed a water gun. With a dark aura, he began to wind it up, with a spiteful expression. As he muttered incoherently, Kyoya sighed watching the scene unfold. "Miki," he caught her attention, watching as she spun around with an excited beam. "There are some natural phenomena you may not have seen in this theme park, be careful not to wander off too far." He warned her sternly.

"Okay." With an airy, bubbly voice, she nodded.

"DADDY WON'T ALLOW IT!"

And with Tamaki's bizarre declaration, the water gun battle began. Siblings against Siblings.

The battle went back and forth for a while, as the two teams chased each other back and forth across the park. Eventually, the twins duck behind a nearby palm tree for cover. And when Tamaki paused to dash forward, they began shooting at him only for the blonde to dodge with agility.

"Take this!" He cried and began rapid firing. "Surefire sideways leaping beam!"

The twins pulled over some tikis for cover, avoiding being shot by just a hair.

"Boo~ You suck, sir." The twins stuck their tongue out at the blonde in unison. 

"Oh, yeah? Wanna try saying that after you lose?" Another voice rang behind them.

The twins snapped around in a panic as Miki dashed out of the bushes with a playful grin. It turns out, when Tamaki was in the front taking the crossfire, Miki snuck behind to launch a sneak attack on the two.

"Surprise Aqua Shot!"

With that, the two twins were hit with two big splashed of water in the face.

"Take that!" Tamaki laughed, stepping back to regain his balance. Only to slip over a banana as he tumbled into a nearby totem pole.

Ignoring the blonde, the trio quickly gathered back by Haruhi, Kyoya and Mori laughing and chatting.

"That was a good game, Miki-senpai!" Kaoru laughed as he wiped off his face and hair.

"You too, that was an amazing game." Miki giggled as she placed the water gun onto the table. "I never imagined water gun fights could be this fun!"

Handing the brunette her drink, Haruhi greeted the trio. "Congratulations on winning." She praised.

"I couldn't do it without Tamaki-kun's help," Taking the drink with a nod of gratitude, Miki sipped it lightly. "Teamwork is what helped us win." She said proudly.

A small thud came from Mori who had dropped the drink Haruhi offered him. Miki was about to ask him about the drink when she noticed his gaze was fixated on something. She quickly followed it, hearing a loud rumble. She gasped, seeing a large wave crash down onto little Honey, sending his pink bunny float flying into the air. The water began to speed up at the rough current began crashing onto the edge of the pool.

"Honey-senpai!"

"Mitsukuni!

Miki panicked as her immediate reaction was to dive after the boy into the rushing water, but she felt a tight grasp on her wrist when she stepped forward. She turned around to see Kyoya staring at her with narrowed eyes. "You are unable to swim, you jumping in will only cause more trouble." He said harshly.

"B-But, Honey-senpai is..." She shook free of his grip and stammered with furrowed brows, unable to argue back. Then, she heard another small thud, seeing Mori had fallen over a banana peel as well.

"No need to worry!" Raising a finger in the air, Tamaki declared in a commanding voice. "Guys, we are going after Honey-senpai! And this pool is the shortest way!"

"Charge!" The hosts ran in that direction, Tamaki leading the pack followed by Haruhi and Mori, then finally the twins and Miki.

"Ah, that way is..." Kyoya spoke up.

"WAHHHH! THERE ARE ALLIGATORS SWIMMING THERE!" The hosts yelled racing back to where they started.

"Wow! Those are alligators? It's my first time seeing one!" Miki's eyes twinkled as the twins dragged her back by the arm, basically pulling her like a kite in the sky.

"Miki-senpai! It's not the time to be admiring those things! They can shred you to pieces!" Haruhi shouted.

"Alright, so that pool's out. Let's try this route!" Tamaki tried to point in another direction only to find more alligators. No matter in what direction they looked, there were at least three alligators with wide mouths and sharp teeth waiting. And everywhere they ran, Miki came close to getting her arm bitten off, out of her sheer desire to pet the terrifying creatures.

"Why are there alligators here?" Haruhi panted, looking utterly exhausted. "And could you stop trying to pet the alligators, Miki-senpai!?"

"Why? They look so cute." Crounching from a safe distance away from the creatures Miki asked, her face indicated that she was dead serious.

"Those pools are the tropical animal area," Kyoya explained, writing in his notebook as if nothing that just happened was a safety hazard. "I guess it is dangerous to let the alligators run loose. Although, it's the current pool switch location that's the problem here. I'll have to speak to the designers." He shut his notebook with an unbalanced smile.

"FOR WHAT?!" The hosts yelled all expect for Miki, who was staring excitedly at the alligators. 

A bit later after they managed to get out of the alligator zone in one piece, the hosts gathered around a map of the garden.

"This is the Tropical Aqua Garden's area map. This is our present location," Kyoya informed, pointing at the map with his pen. "To get to this point, where I predict Honey-senpai got carried away to, we will need to go through the jungle area in the southern block. That's a range of about 800 meters."

"There seems to be a lot of indeterminate areas in this jungle along our way," Haruhi raised an eyebrow at Kyoya. 

"Those are zones that are still under development." He explained.

"There could be things in there more dangerous..." Kaoru shivered as he stared at Hikaru.

"... Than alligators." Hikaru finished.

"Alright, this is a survival mission!" Tamaki nodded with fists in his hands, "We have to safely penetrate this jungle area, and rescue Honey-senpai!" He declared seriously.

***

It didn't take long before the hosts were traversing through the unknown jungle. Tamaki was marching forward with a darkened expression while the rest just looked unamused. Miki, on the other hand, was glancing around, hopping from place to place like a little bunny.

"This has all but become a real jungle in here..." Tamaki's eyebrow twitched, looking hyper-aware of his surroundings.

"I've been hearing lots of strange animal calls," Haruhi glanced up at the birds spreading their wings above.

"Those animal sounds..." Hikaru began.

"...Can't be the real things, right?" Kaoru finished.

"I'm not too sure. In all of the work we do, we tend to be authenticity-oriented," Kyoya shrugged.

"You mean to say," The glimmer in Miki's eyes widened as she spun around in circles with her arms out. "All of these animals are the real deals?" She asked with an innocent chuckle.

"I guess you could say that." Kyoya pushed up his glasses.

The group stopped in their tracks once they heard the sound of someone falling. Glancing behind, they realized of all the people; it was Mori who has slipped, evident by the banana peel on his face.

Hikaru leaned in to mutter. "Mori-senpai..."

"...is acting about as clumsy as you, sir." Kaoru finished.

"What?!" Tamaki snapped.

"Mori-senpai, are you alright?" Chuckling lightly, Miki lifted the peel off of his face. "Where do all of these banana peels keep coming from anyways?" She wondered, thinking back to the one Tamaki tripped on earlier. 

"I'm fine," Mori responded, his face still as blank as ever.

Suddenly, Miki noticed the area around them had gotten darker. "Whoops," She heard Kyoya say as he checked his watch. "It must be squall time."

Running to get cover, the host club sat under a cabana, watching the rain fall around them like they were in a real tropical jungle. Miki sat next to Haruhi, legs kicking and absently humming when she heard the girl speak, her eyes fixed on Mori who stared out into the rain.

"Mori-senpai is awfully close to Honey-senpai, isn't he? Are they childhood friends, or something?"

"Those two...are cousins." The twins glanced over at the tall third-year.

"Huh? They are relatives?" Miki tilted her head.

"The Morinozukas have been serving the Haninozuka family for generations," Kyoya glancing down at her from a standing position. 

Haruhi hummed, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Though two generations ago, they became relatives by marriage, and the families' master-servant relationship has long since faded away," Hikaru explained.

Nodding, Kaoru added on. "Even so, Mori-senpai has always accompanied Honey-senpai.

"It must get his blood going," Tamaki theorized, "The blood of the vassals of yore, which flows through Mori-senpai."

"What a great story, I'm touched!" The twins cried dramatically into handkerchiefs.

"Mori-senpai," Tapping the tall man on the shoulder with a playful grin, Miki smiled at him. "Cheer up! Honey-senpai will definitely be fine." She encouraged, pumping her fists together in a 'cheer up' motion. But then as she opened her eyes she spotted a few birds walking in the rain. "Woah! Look, I've never seen those bird before!" Leaping over the edge of the hut, she ran towards it.

"Miki, it's raining." Mori reached out hesitantly as if to stop her.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" Spinning on her heel, Miki gestured her swimsuit. "There is a reason I'm wearing this." She giggled.

Mori paused for a moment before nodded with a faint smile. "Thanks."

Miki gave him a warm beam before crouching down near the colourful birds she found huddled under one of the palm trees. Gently, she began stroking their shivering heads as if to provide comfort to them. This continued for a while as Tamaki and the twins argued int he hut, Kyoya stayed on the phone while Haruhi and Mori talked.

Soon, the rain stopped and the birds slowly waddled out of their hiding spot. Miki made way for them, watching as they spread their wings open and flew up into the skin. Then, in the blueness of the artificial sky, she spotted something she never thought she would be able to see, at least not this up close.

Seven colours were beaming in the sky, sparkling as if raindrops were resting on them. Miki held her breath as her eyes widened at the gorgeous sight.

"Is that... A rainbow?" She gasped under her breath, her legs unconsciously moving forward. She could faintly hear the voices of Haruhi and Mori nearby, but the only thing reflected in her hazel eyes was that brilliant rainbow in the sky.

They say that at the end of the rainbow, true happiness resides.

She stepped into the jungle.

I was never allowed to chase after... to go see things for myself...

Her feet moved on their own accord.

But for now at least... I am free...

She could barely hear the sound of the crunching leaves and tree roots beneath her feet.

And for once... I can go see...

Before she realized, she had broken into a run. 

What's at the end of my rainbow?

Meanwhile, Kyoya had finally gotten off the phone and he turned to the remaining three in the little hut. "My family's private police force is going to send in a search team," He said, "They're better equipped to find him than we are. Let's go back to the gate and wait..." He paused realizing how many people are missing. "Hey, where are Mori-senpai, Miki and Haruhi?"

"Huh?"

The end of the rainbow was getting closer and closer. Soon, Miki would be just within reach. Her eyes brightened as the trees faded away from her vision and heard a set of footsteps. Peeking her head out of the bushes, she found...

"Honey-senpai?" Eyes widening, Miki called out to her friend who was glancing around cluelessly. His big beady eyes widened at the sight of her as he leapt into Miki's arms.

"Miki-chan!" He sang with a fit of giggles, nuzzling his cheek onto Miki's. "I finally found you!"

"We have all been looking for you!" Furrowing her brows with a wry smile, Miki hugged him back gently. "Where did you go?"

"I reached the end of the current pool, so I decided to come and look for you guys." Darting his head around, Honey then asked. "Hey, Miki-chan, where is everyone else?" His voice a little quizzical.

Miki flinched at his question, as she realized.

She had no idea where she was.

Honey walked forth with a little bounce in his beat as he hummed to the rhythm. "I can't believe you got lost too Miki-chan," He chuckled. "How did you find me then?"

"Ah, it was on total accident." Tilting her head and laughing uneasily, Miki scratched the back of her head.

"Say, Honey-senpai." Wanting to change the topic, Miki called out, earning a hum and a curious look from the lolita. "What did you mean when you said you were glad I'm Tamaki-kun's half-sister?" She asked.

"Ahh, it's because," Honey giggled as he thought back to earlier that morning when Tamaki told the club about Miki's true relation to him. "Tama-chan looked so excited when he was talking about you!" He chirped. "He was smiling so much; it looked like his mouth was about to fall off!"

Miki's eyes widened as she heard Honey say that. She glanced down to look at him, seeing him in his usual cheerful demeanour.

"Tama-chan had to go through a lot of things when he moved over to Japan," Looking up, Honey's voice was thoughtful, and his observations were strangely wise for someone his size. "So I think he's super excited to have another family member." With that, he turned to Miki with a bright smile. "Take care of him, okay?"

Miki closed her eyes as she remembered how Tamaki burst into her room with excitement the night before. How he'd try to get her involved with conversations at dinner, how he helped her with unpacking and settling into her room after Yuzuru had left, how he checked with the chefs if they could make a Spanish style breakfast one morning just for her, how he enthusiastically woke her up in the morning way earlier than when they needed to, just so he could check if she was really there. She nodded wordlessly, feeling her nose turn sore.

Suddenly, Honey's head popped up and turned towards one side of the jungle. He stopped in his tracks, staring for an excessively long time.

Miki followed his gaze, trying to figure out just what was he staring at. "Is something wrong Honey-senpai?" She cocked her head to the side quizzically, rubbing her nose to push back the tears that welled in her eyes.

Without an explanation, Honey climbed onto a tree with lightning speed seemingly glancing over an area.

"Honey-senpai?"

"Miki-chan, come up here." He gestured for her to move over. So reluctantly, Miki began to climb the large tree, being careful to avoid the tree barks. Once she poked her head over the branch Honey was standing on, Honey pointed over into a clearing. "Over there!" He cried.

Pulling herself up, Miki crouched down. In the middle of a clearing in the wilderness, she could see Mori holding Haruhi in one arm while being surrounded by what seemed like soldiers pointing guns at them who didn't fit into the luscious jungle.

"What? We have to go help them!" Miki panicked about to climb down when she found Honey fidgetting with a few things on the tree they stood on. "What are yo-" Before she could finish her question, a vine was thrust into her hands as Honey leaned back on one of his own.

"Ready Miki-chan?" He asked in an all too lively voice. "We are going swing in like superheroes, picking on my friends is a no-no after all!" He twinkled.

Ordinary people would at the very least, raise an eyebrow or two at the idea of swinging into a fight with armed men on a vine like this. They would panic and asking Honey 'Are you crazy?' or 'I'm scared it's going to break!'.

But this was Miki.

Wrapping her fingers firmly around the vine, she nodded with an adventurous grin plastered on her face. "Of course!" She announced.

Honey went first, pushing off on the branch he swung in. Before Miki could jump off though, she caught a quick glimpse of the sky above. Beyond the luscious green leaves, she could faintly see the seven colours again. Another rainbow in the sky. And this one, it extended from where she found Honey, to that small clearing. The corner of Miki's lips curled as she jumped forth.

"Takeshi, Haru-chan, Move!" Honey warned before yelling a Tarzan like call. Miki following not far behind, in a fit of giggles and laughter on her how exciting swinging on a vine was.

Honey kicked one of the soldiers in the face, knocking him out and landing perfectly.

Miki definitely couldn't do that.

But thankfully, just when it looked like she was going to swing out of bounds, Mori acted quickly. He set Haruhi down and caught Miki over his shoulder, allowing her to let go of the vine and still be safe.

"Woah, hehe!" Miki gasped from the aftershock of suddenly being grabbed. "Thank you Mori-senpai." She greeted him, still trying to calm down from her giggles.

"That was reckless." He stated with a blank face, putting her down next to Haruhi who was in utter shock. Curious to why she had such an expression, Miki turned around, only to find that all the men have been beaten and knocked out with Honey standing in the middle with a small pout. She blinked a few times, her brain trying to process and piece together what has happened.

"Don't be reckless," He shook his finger disapprovingly. "Picking on my friends is a no-no."

"Haruhi! Miki!" Behind them, Tamaki called out as he approached them on a light jog. "Are you both alright?"

"Ah! Tama-chan!" Honey bounced.

"Huh...?" Hikaru leaned forward.

"Honey-senpai?" Kaoru following.

"Haruhi! Miki!" Tamaki lunged forward wrapping both girls in a big hug. "I was so worried."

"I'm alright, Tamaki-kun." Gently slipping out of his grip, Miki laughed uneasily as she tried to turn back to assess the situation.

Before she could see the scene before her again, a slightly agitated Kyoya appeared in front of her. A dark aura emitted off him, one, as usual, Miki could not sense what's so ever. "Where did you go?" He demanded to know as the rest of the club went on to tell Haruhi about Honey's family history as a dojo.

"I saw a beautiful rainbow, so I decided to follow it to the end." She stated with a deadpan expression as if she had done nothing wrong. This only aggravated Kyoya even further.

Hands twitching as he crossed his arms before his chest, Kyoya grumbled. "Didn't I tell you to be careful and not wander off too far?" He asked with a very fake smile, his enraged atmosphere sending a slight shiver down everyone else's spine.

Miki avoided his gaze. "Did you? I guess it just slipped my mind." She lied.

"Oh? Then would you like to tell me why you decided to chase this rainbow you saw?" Kyoya pursed with a low tone.

"The Rainbow's Blessing," Miki stated with an innocent smile.

"The Rainbow's Blessing?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow, the anger in him slightly calmer once he saw that bright expression of hers.

Miki nodded. "It's a story that my personal butler, Arden used to tell me." She explained, looking up at the sky. "If a rainbow appears, and a person is daring and adventurous enough to search for the end. True happiness will be waiting for you at the end." Retelling the legend, Miki gazed back at him with a nostalgic face. 

"Kyoya-kun, are you angry?" Seeing Kyoya give her a weird look, Miki asked bluntly with a blank stare.

Eyebrows twitching at her strange yet direct question, Kyoya shook his head. His brows knitted as he observed her. "That myth," He stated. "It's false."

"It's not!" Leaning forward, Miki argued with a slight pout. "I think any story can come true if you just believe in it!"

Kyoya sighed, knowing that he was never going to win against this thick-skulled naive girl. "Very well then," He fixed his glasses. His voice was still irritated, but there were hints of amusement dancing across his brownish-green eyes. "What sort of 'happiness' did you find at that end of this rainbow?" He glanced down at her, a slight smirk forming on his lips.

Miki averted her eyes, and instead observed the rest of the hosts. The twins were turning and about to leave, Tamaki fawning over Haruhi, Honey climbing onto Mori's shoulders right where he belonged. And finally, Kyoya was grilling her over getting lost. She chuckled slightly.

"Kyoya, Miki, are you coming?" Tamaki shouted, waving his hand for the two to catch up.

"Coming!" Miki called back, sending a mischievous wink in Kyoya's direction, watching as his expression turned confused and annoyed once more.

"That will be my secret, for now." She giggled.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 5-

The Sun, The Sea and the Host Club!

"The beach." The twins mentioned. 

"The beach?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"The beach!" Miki's eyes glistened.

"You said so before didn't you?" Hikaru reminded, leaning closer.

"You wouldn't mind going to a real beach!" Kaoru added.

Haruhi looked up, a little uncertain. "Did I say that?" She wondered out loud.

"Yes, you did." The twins affirmed her. "And so we've prepared some swimsuits for you. Isn't it cute?" Moving back, they revealed a sea of swimsuits and presenting a pink ruffled one in the front. 

"I think..." Holding up a dark blue one-piece swimsuit, Honey suggested. "This would look good on Haru-chan."

Shaking their head, the twins tsked little Honey. "You don't get it, huh, Honey-senpai?" They said in unison.

"Huh?" Honey tilted his head in curiosity.

"Just wearing this uniform helps to gloss over the fact that she's as flat as a cutting board," Hikaru explained, both he and his twin holding Haruhi by the arms, "A one-piece type suit like that would only invite tears, by making it obvious how utterly poor her figure is."

"On that point," Gesturing the swimsuit they picked with an elegant bow, "We carefully selected this separate-type suit. The frills do a fine job of covering the absence of any bust!"

Miki stood in the sea of swimsuits, holding her tablet to her chest. She had initially walked into the clubroom on a relaxing Friday, ready for the week to be over, only to find this mess she was in. "Is not having any bust an issue?" She wondered out loud, studying the ruffled swimsuit.

Kaoru shook his head, placing a hand on Miki's shoulder. "Miki-senpai, you do not need to worry..."

"... Your chest is of average size with those C cups." Hikaru finished, placing a hand on her other shoulder.

There was the crisp sound of a baseball bat making contact with something, as Tamaki appeared with glaring eyes. "How dare you guy heap sexual harassment on my little girls? That's enough of that!" He yelled.

Miki cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Sexual Harassment?" She muttered, still not having her question answered from almost three chapters ago.

"Then, aren't we going to the beach?" The twins asked, hiding behind Haruhi.

"Whoever said we weren't going?" Turning around cooly, Tamaki retorted as he swung his bat over his shoulder.

"Oh, so you do want to go!" The twins grinned.

Clutching his little pink bunny, Honey asked. "Can Usa-chan come too?"

"I have no objections," Kyoya stated as he stood in the forest of swimsuits, still writing in his notebook.

Deciding to drop the subject of that unknown phrase, for now, Miki gleamed. "That sounds exciting!"

"Yeah." Mori nodded silently, his eyes fixed on a strange looking seashell bikini set.

"Huh? Are we really going?" Haruhi asked, a little estranged.

"Come on," Tamaki smiled. "Let's go to the beach!" He declared.

***

"IT'S THE OCEANNNNNN!" Miki yelled almost too excitedly, her voice washed out by the waves that crashed onto the sand. The calm sea water washed up to her knees, causing her to giggle at the sensation and excitement she felt. 

It was her dream to visit the ocean, ever since she was little and learned of a place like this. 

"Miki-senpai, you are way too excited..." Haruhi gave a wry sigh as she watched her upperclassman giggle like a four-year-old.

"This is my first time coming to the beach, of course, I'm excited." She said, twirling around to face Haruhi as the waves began to drag away the sand beneath her feet. 

Cluelessly, Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "What kind of life have you been living so far, Miki-senpai?" She mumbled under her breath, eyes turning to the insanity before them.

Tamaki sat on a rock in the ocean with another girl, glancing over the horizon of blue and whispering sweet nothings into her ears. Hikaru and Kaoru were playing a round of beach volleyball, only to turn it into a romantic beachside chase like in the TV shows. Mori and Honey were off doing some sort of strange exercise routines with two other girls.

"Why?" Haruhi grumbled. "Why are we conducting host club activities here at the beach?"

"Now, now, don't be so gloomy Haruhi." Miki chuckled, walking back under the protective shade of the sun umbrella. "It's the beach nevertheless, so smile a little." Her cheeks brightened, much like the radiant sun.

"Miki-senpai, you are so optimistic..." Haruhi raised an eyebrow curiously, but her lips were curled into a slight smile.

"Haruhi-kun, Miki-chan."

The sudden footsteps that approached the two caused both girls to look up. Behind Haruhi stood three of her most regular customers. Kurakano Momoka, Sakurazuka Kimiko, and Yumehara Emi.

"Haruhi-kun, Miki-chan, are you two not going to swim?" Momoka asked, leading the trio.

"Oh, I enjoy looking at the sea more," Haruhi replied.

"And I just ran around the shoreline, so I'm a little tired," Miki added. 

"Well, would it be okay if we joined you two?" Clutching her hands to her chest with a slight blush, Emi offered.

"How come?" Wearing that charming smile, Haruhi questioned. "Go ahead and swim. You are all wearing such cute swimsuits and all." Her voice was smooth and expression gentle, causing the girls to swoon immediately.

"T-Thanks..." They giggled with flushed faces. "Well, we'll see you later then." With a small wave, they were off.

"Haru-chan, Miki-chan!" Honey's voice echoed across the beach as he began waving at the two. "Let's go hellfish shunting!" He hollered.

"Hellfish Shunting?" Miki's hazel eyes immediately had twinkles. "What's that? It sounds super fun!" She cheered.

"I think he means 'Shellfish Hunting,'" Haruhi said with an exasperated sigh and a drop in her head. "It's when you hunt for sh-" When she looked up, she discovered that Miki was no longer there beside her. Instead, she was next to Honey, the two excitedly chatting. She got up from her spot in under the umbrella and began walking towards them. "Besides, I doubt you would be able to find many shellfish..." Her voice trailed off when she saw the already half full bucket sitting next to Honey. She gasped slightly, seeing a giant crab. Then looking down, she found the entire beach covered in shellfish of all sorts.

"EHHHH?! WHAT IS THIS?!"

"Wow! There are so many weird things in this bucket..." Miki peeked into Honey's first little stash with wide curious eyes. She picked one of them up eyes widening at the weird sensation, she leaned in, looking at it from up close. "I wonder what they are all called?"

Suddenly getting an idea, she took off from Mori, Honey and Haruhi who all began hunting for shellfish. Though to be fair, they were more capturing them then actively hunting. She turned around the large rock, scanning the beach for the figure she was searching for only to find him behind familiar looking men dressed in all black and wearing visor helmets.

"Kyoya-kun, what are you doing?" She jogged over, watching as the men were passing along buckets and buckets of the weird creatures she saw earlier.

"My folks' private police force wanted to make up for their offence toward Honey-senpai earlier, so I'm letting them do this," Kyoya explained before turning back to Miki. "What can I help you with?" 

"If that's the case," She turned to one of the policemen, grabbing ahold of one of the few buckets on the ground. "May I borrow this?" She asked them with a beam.

"Yes, go ahead." Once she got the approval, she carried the bucket over to Kyoya who gave a questioning look. He watched as she placed the bucket down at his feet and crouched over it. Glancing up from her childish pose, she urged him to kneel as well.

"Kyoya-kun, come here and help me out." She chirped happily. "What is this thing called?" She asked, pulling out an oyster.

Sighing, Kyoya bent down, pushing up his glasses slightly. "That's an oyster," He informed her.

"Ehh? Is that what they look like in the shell?" Miki thought out loud. "What about this one? It looks like a crab, but it's green!"

"Be careful, don't get to close to that thing." He warned, taking the dark green struggling creature out of her grasp. "It's a live crab." He said as he let the poor thing crawl away.

Miki blinked, watching as the little guy scrambled away on eight legs. "So they do pinch you?"

"Out of self-defence, yes." He turned back around, in time to see Miki reach out for a spiky sea urchin. "I wouldn't touch that if I wer-"

"Ouch!" Retracting her hand, Miki let out a small yelp as the little spiky ball dropped onto the soft sand beneath them.

Kyoya let out another sigh, taking her hand in his as he examined the small prick that began to bleed slightly. "That was a sea urchin; some are poisonous." He told her.

"E-Eh?! Wait, then did I just get poisoned? Isn't that dangerous?"

Seeing her panic like that, Kyoya couldn't help but chuckle. "Why would I let the private police force bring a poisonous sea urchin onto the beach?" He retorted with a smirk.

"You tricked me!" Miki furrowed her brows, lips forming a slight pout. "That was mean!"

"You simply jumped to a conclusion too soon," He shrugged indifferently as he watched the fresh crimson blood build up into a droplet on her finger. "You are too gullible," He spoke absently, bringing her index finger to his lips.

Miki watched him closed his eyes as she felt a light sucking sensation on the tip of her finger where the stinging had been as well as a sense of warmth. Not a moment later, he lifted her finger from his lips and glanced at her. She only stared back at him with a rather blank look. "There," His thumb gently tracing the spot where the blood had been. "That should stop the bleeding," He said as he let go of her hand. Miki retracted her hand slowly and looked down at her finger; she blinked a few times before breaking into a cheerful smile.

"You're right, thank you very much, Kyoya-kun." She said gratefully, having no reservations about what had happened. 

"CEN...TI...PEDE!" Screams came from behind the rocks, causing both Miki and Kyoya to get up in alarm as they ran over towards the sound. There, they found girls swarmed around Haruhi while Tamaki and the twins were talking among themselves. They approached the trio, and as they made their way there, Miki cocked her head to the side.

"What's a cen ti pede?"

"A centipede, Miki-senpai," Hikaru spoke with a shrug. "It's a bug."

"Isn't there anything she's afraid of?" Tamaki muttered. His eyes still glued to Haruhi who stood in the crowd of girls.

"Sir! Sir!" The twins suddenly called out to Tamaki, a mischievous grin on his face. "We just thought up of a fun game. Want to play? We call it...the 'Who can find Haruhi's weakness?' game!" The said, leaning forward.

"What an awful sounding game..." Tamaki swallowed hard.

"Yeah, you're probably right," The twins taunted, walking away, "She'd only show her weakness to someone she was close to, and all."

Triggered by their taunting Tamaki snapped up. "What are the rules!?" He asked.

"That's more like it!" Grinning, the twins spoke in unison. "The deadline is tomorrow at sunset. Whoever finds out what her weakness is first, wins." They challenged.

"Ooo." Jumping and fist pumping into the air, Miki shouted. "I want to play too!"

Glasses glistening, Kyoya smirked. "I will give whoever wins a prize," He said, showing three photos of Haruhi, all of her time in middle school.

"We are in on this, too!" Honey and Mori appeared next to the group.

"So then, everyone is playing," Kyoya stated, consistently moving the photos out of Tamaki's reach.

"But Kyo-chan, how is it you have those photos?" Honey piped up curiously.

Placing the photos back into his breast pocket, Kyoya smiled mysteriously. "I have my sources, why don't we just leave it at that?"

And so, the hosts set out on a competition to try and figure out Haruhi's weakness. Hikaru and Kaoru made their attempt with a test of courage in a nearby cave, Honey tried to scare Haruhi with a small confined dark space, and Mori simply attempted with a spear. Now it was Miki's turn...

"Haruhi, did you know?" Pulling Haruhi by the hand along the beach, Miki spoke in an ominous tone. "There was this case in the crime drama I watched, about this poor girl who was murdered by a very creepy looking clown..." She said as they walked on the sand. "They said, he had a big red nose, red hair, sharp shark-like teeth. He would hold up his balloons and choke poor innocent victims and AHHH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT THE CLOWN IS RIGHT THERE!" Faking a scream, Miki jumped back as a clown sprang out of the bushed with a growl.

Haruhi, on the other hand, was not phased whatsoever. She took a moment to study the clown. "Aren't you one of Kyoya-senpai's private police force?" She stared. "Do you also work for the circus or something?"

"Eh... No..." The man scratched his head.

Miki hummed, tapping her chin lightly.

Surprise Killer Clown Line of Attack failed.

***

Miki let out a gentle sigh as she sat atop a tall cliff feeling the late spring breeze weave through her long pink-brown hair. She tucked the single braid she always wore behind her ear breathing in the ocean's salty scent. From her view, she could see the entire beach and even further into the ocean horizon. The red to yellow hue faded into the distance reflected onto her pale skin, warming her up. She clicked her tongue thoughtfully, trying to contemplate what in the world could be Haruhi's weakness when a few voices she recognized called out to her.

"Miki-senpai!" She turned around to see Momoka, Kimiko and Emi approach.

"Oh hello," Smiling back, Miki waved her hand. "What brings you girls up here?"

"We just thought the view up here might be nice." Momoka beamed, her eyes sweeping over the view. "Ah look! It's Haruhi-kun down there. Haruhi-kun!" She called out to him enthusiastically.

Kimiko raised her hand in the air, waving it in a significant motion. "Hey there!"

"This breeze feels great!" Emi added.

Following their gaze, Miki found Haruhi just below them, still gathering shellfish with a blissful expression.

"It's dangerous up there," Haruhi warned.

"Come and join us!" With a slight giggle, Miki beckoned.

"The breeze feels great..." Momoka commented, trying to guide her hair to avoid it from flying in her face.

"Mhm!" Kimiko nodded.

"Oho! There are some chicks up here!" Turning around, the four girls saw two men wobble up with unsteady steps.

Miki tilted her head, brows furrowing at the phrase 'chick.'

"Lucky! The other man yelled with an eager smirk. "Hey girls! Let's play together!"

For reasons Miki didn't understand, the three girls began to tense up as the two men approached, one threw a can off the cliff.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we are a little too old to play games together." Miki stood up from her spot; her face remained neutral.

"Huh?" With a slightly annoyed expression, one of the guys leaned towards Miki and then broke out into drunken laughter. "Man, you are a weird chick."

"We aren't chicks; we are humans." Miki pointed out with a confused expression, though her body was flashing warning signs at the mannerisms of these men.

"What are you guys doing here?" Momoka and the other two girls huddled up behind Miki. "This is a private beach; please leave!"

"Ho~ So does that mean we are all alone?" With a lustful smirk, the other man had snuck past Momoka and Miki and wrapped his arms around Emi and Kimiko who let out a shriek.

Then, the man standing before Miki grabbed her wrist. "A rich girl huh?" He leaned in. She could smell a strange scent emitting off of him, one she found familiar yet foreign. "This is interesting."

She felt uncomfortable being this close to him. Were they trying to kidnap her? Miki wondered, her brows knitting together closer. "Please let go of me." She spoke firmly.

"It must be dull having no one but girls around, huh?" He wiggled his brows suggestively only to let out a yelp in surprise and jump back in shock as Haruhi appeared. Miki noticed all the shellfish stuck to his back as he turned away from her, wincing in pain. Haruhi must've thrown them. 

"Would you go away now?" She ordered harshly. "They don't want you! They said you're bothering them."

"Haruhi-kun!" Momoka let out a sigh in relief.

"Why, you little kid..."

Quickly reacting, Miki turned around. She still didn't understand what 'chick' meant, but her entire body told her that these men were dangerous and they needed to get away from them as soon as possible.

"Crime Drama, PUNCH!" With all her strength, she threw a fist towards the man that still held Emi and Kimiko hostage. The man was taken off guard and let go of the girls out of shock. Immediately, Miki grabbed the three girls and shoved them past the man that grasped her arm. "Let's go!" She ordered the girls and was about to run past Haruhi when a hand gripped onto her wrist and pulled her back.

"How dare you punch me..." It was the man she knocked out of the way, he wore a dark look and snaked an arm around her bare waist. 

"Miki-chan!" Momoka called back, already halfway down the cliff.

"Get out of here and get help!" Miki instructed as loud as possible, hoping her voice would attract some kind of attention, watching as Momoka flinched out of dilemma to help her or not, "Haruhi, go with them! Senpai's orde-mph!" She shouted after them, only to feel a hand clasp over her mouth. 

"Shut the hell up, will you? You can save the screaming for later." The man grunted, pinning her arms to her side with one arm. Miki struggled against his grasp trying to escape. She twisted and turned, letting out small whimpers.

Haruhi furrowed her brows, dropping the bucket. "Hey! Let her go!" She yelled, going against Miki's directions. 

The first man who had shellfish thrown onto his back let out a laugh as he grabbed onto Haruhi by the collar and began leading her towards the cliff. "Who do you think you are anyway? What's with these spindly arms?" He scowled, holding Haruhi over the edge of the cliff. "Don't try and act tough when you are such a sissy boy!"

"Let go of her!" Miki declared, prying the man's hand off of her mouth. Her body was trembling. The stranger's arms felt like hot coal burning against her skin, a rush of adrenaline rushed through her bloodstream. "Someone help!"

"Kid, you should just go..." Thrusting his arm out, the man tossed Haruhi into the ocean. "Swimming in the ocean!"

Miki's pupils shrank. "Haruhi!" She leaned forward with a muffled scream as the man held her back. 

"Miki!" In the distance, she heard Tamaki as well as a group of footsteps. The blonde popped up beyond the cliff and moved up. 

"Tamaki-kun! Don't worry about me!" Fighting to keep the man's hand away from her mouth, Miki instructed. "Haruhi! Go save her!"

Eyes darting between his sister and Haruhi, Tamaki made up his mind and ran by and leap into the ocean after Haruhi, sending the strawberry blonde a little comfort. The next thing Miki felt was the arms that encircled around her waist loosen, and she felt another warmer hand grab her shoulder. Before she realized, she was pushed away from the man who had ahold of her and into Kyoya. She looked up, the adrenaline spike in her body calming down once she saw Kyoya's brownish-green eyes. His arm was around her shoulder, holding her protectively towards him. He quickly looked away from her and up towards the two men. Miki followed his gaze and spotted the twins beating the two people half to death with gleaming eyes.

"How dare you..."

"...hurt Haruhi and Miki-senpai!"

"Hikaru, Kaoru." Kyoya's glasses reflected the sunlight. "Make sure they don't die." He warned them, a flame of anger burning in his eyes.

Miki, in turn, looked down at her hands. They were quivering; her whole body was shaking, her breathing was uneven. In her best attempt to calm her heart, she wrapped her arms around herself, digging her nails into her skin.

Why am I so afraid...?

***

The sun was already halfway down the horizon. The entire host club waited impatiently at the shore. Miki's breathing had already long since returned to normal, but her heartbeat wouldn't calm down for some reason. She paced around on the beach back and forth, staying on the watch for Tamaki and Haruhi. She focused herself on worrying about their wellbeing, but it was not like that helped in any way. The longer they took, the worse the scenarios played in her mind.

"Miki-chan," Honey held onto his floatie with a worried expression, "You should sit down, constantly walking around like that is only going to make you more anxious."

"It's alright." Miki flashed an unconvincing smile. "It helps me calm down."

"Ah! Over there!" Honey's eyes brightened and suddenly called out as everyone quickly turned their attention to a figure in the distance. Miki squinted as she looked into the sun, her heart rate increasing once she confirmed that was, in fact, Tamaki carrying Haruhi, lifeless in his arms.

"Tamaki-kun! Haruhi!" Pushing her feet off against the sand, Miki dashed into the shallow waters of the ocean moving forward until the water reached her mid-thigh. From there, she slowly walked back with the two.

"Sorry Miki, did I worry you?" After putting Haruhi down on the sand, Tamaki gently soothed his sister's head with a wry smile.

Forcing her lips to curl up and hiding her hands behind her back, Miki beamed. "I'm just glad you are alright." She tilted her head.

Expression turning stern, he asked Kyoya who draped his white shirt over Haruhi. "Where are they?" He asked.

"We kept their IDs and asked them to leave respectfully, the girls went back to the hotel," Kyoya replied, staring at Haruhi as she shook the water out of her ears. "I've called a doctor who should be here shortly."

"I see."

"I'm alright." Haruhi shook her head one last time. "I don't need a doctor."

"Are you one of those?" Looking down at Haruhi who clutched the white shirt around herself, Tamaki's voice grew low. "Actually a martial arts master, like Honey-senpai?" His brows knitted together as he leaned forward to grab Haruhi by her shoulders. "How could you think that you, a girl, by yourself, could do anything against those boys?"

"It had nothing to do with being a boy or a girl." Haruhi stared back defiantly at the blonde. "I was just there and didn't have time to think about anything like-"

"Well then think about it, you idiot!" Cutting in, Tamaki's face turned into a slight scowl. "You are a girl!"

Haruhi was quick to follow. "I will apologize for making you come after me, but I can't understand any other reason why you'd be mad at me. I haven't done anything wrong!" She stated.

Taken aback, Tamaki moved back slightly, letting go of her. "You haven't, huh?" He whispered. "Then go right ahead." He walked past her, brushing against her shoulder. "I'm not speaking to you again until you admit you were wrong!" With that, he walked off.

***

That evening, Miki sat at the dinner table in a dark blue chiffon dress, drinking a warm cup of honey lemon tea Mori and Honey had insisted her to. Tamaki was not far behind, sulking in a corner.

"Osu~" The twins walked into the room, announcing their presence in unison. " Miki-senpai that dress looks great on you." The greeted her.

No response. Miki was staring blankly at her reflection in her tea.

"Miki..."

"...senpai!" The twins greeted her again, taking a seat on either end, causing her to snap out of her daze.

"Woah, Hikaru, Kaoru!" She beamed automatically. "When did you two get here?"

The twins glanced at each other before looking back at Miki.

"Miki-senpai, perhpas are you..." Hikaru began.

"...Still worried about what happened?" Kaoru finished.

Miki blinked. She quickly recomposed herself as she put her tea back onto the table and stuffed her hands into the folds of her dress. "What? What makes you think that?" She quickly tried to reason, noticing how serious of an expression the twins were making — something she rarely ever saw on either of their faces.

"Because your hands..."

"... are still trembling."

Miki's eyes widened as she felt her fingers twitch involuntarily, she finally noticed just how stiff her body had been the entire time. She bit her bottom lip, about to say something when Kyoya appeared from across the table.

"Miki."

She glanced up to meet his eyes, a small hum escaping her lips.

"I'd like to speak with you," He said with an unreadable expression. "Come to my room after dinner."

"Okay." Miki nodded.

"Huh?" The mischievous tone was returning to the twin's voices, they leaned in. "Miki-senpai, is there something going on between you and Kyoya-senpai?" They asked in unison, glancing at her suspiciously.

"Going on?" Miki's expression turned blank once again. She turned to look at Kyoya who looked away to greet Honey and Mori who came in with steaming plates. "We aren't fighting or anything." She said, after thinking for a while.

"No, not like that!" Hikaru shook his head.

"We mean, are you together?" Kaoru rephrased their question.

Miki furrowed her brows looking even more confused. "Well, we are all together in this room right now." She pointed out.

"No, no, no. As in, are you an item!?" Getting fed up with how dense she was, they tried one more time.

"We are both humans."

Slouching over and throwing an arm over the backing of the chair, they let out an exasperated sigh. "Ah forget it..." They gave up, leaving Miki to cock her head, completely puzzled.

Soon, Haruhi walked into the dining room with Mori dressed a soft pink gown, and everyone immediately crowded around her at just how adorable she looked. As they talked about Haruhi's dress, Miki peeked over her shoulder, watching as her half-brother hid behind one of the tall poles, blushing.

"It looks great on you, Haruhi." She complimented.

As the clock in the dining room ticked away, awkward tension loomed in the air. No one touched the food; no one dared to. Well, except for Miki, who as usual, can never read the atmosphere or have any self-awareness. She sat between Kyoya and Kaoru, munched away happily on some of the fresh crabs on her plate.

"The air... is stuffy, huh?" Hikaru commented.

"It's kind of tense in here," Kaoru affirmed, giving a side glance to the upperclassman who had swallowed down a piece of meat.

"Is it?" She blinked at him, picking up another crab leg. She noticed how both twins were nudging in the direction across from them, so she followed their gaze and noticed no one else was eating. "Aren't you all going to eat?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah, let's eat, Haru-chan." Honey suggested with an uneasy smile as he lifted a crab, Mori mimicking him behind. "I'm sure the crabs we caught today are delicious enough."

Immediately after that, Haruhi got to cracking and gorged herself with nearly all of the crab. "These crabs... taste in-crab-ible? Get it?" She jested sarcastically, the sound of how loud she was cracking the crabs open even caused Miki to stop eating and glance up curiously. 

"Aren't you eating too much, to say the least?" Tamaki questioned, looking very uncomfortable with the sounds she made as she broke open the crab legs.

Like a child, Haruhi didn't even give him a second glance. "Huh? I thought you weren't speaking to me." She stated nonchalantly before cracking another crab extra loud.

"Okay, I get it." Had enough of her nonsense, Tamaki slammed a hand into the table and stood up, his eyebrows twitching furiously. "You're not going to reconsider what you've done. Fine then, I'm going to my room. Kyoya, show me to my room." He walked away, hands in his pocket.

"All right," Wiping off his mouth, Kyoya then stood up. "Well, if you'll excuse me, too."

"Tamaki-kun..." Miki muttered as she watched her brother walk out the door, slamming it behind him in slight frustration.

After Tamaki left, Haruhi stopped with the crab cracking and peered down thoughtfully at her crab shells, piled high. "Maybe I should really learn some karate or something..." She murmured.

"Oh, then it is bothering you." The twins sighed, leaning their cheek on their palm.

"That's the direction your thought is going, is it?" Hikaru hummed.

"It's not like we'd stop you or anything." Kaoru then adds.

"But that's not what it's about, is it?" Their voices then merged together once more.

"Huh?"

Hikaru sighed as he glanced over at Haruhi. "To be honest, I wish you'd reconsider how rashly you acted today, too."

"Why?" Haruhi looked quizzical. "Hikaru, I didn't make trouble for you guys, did I?" She raised an eyebrow, only for the twins to sigh at just how dense she was too.

"That's not true, Haru-chan." Honey chimed in, helping the twins to prove their point. "You should tell everyone you're sorry, okay?" His eyes crinkled sweetly. "And tell Tama-chan you're sorry for worrying him, too." He suggested.

"You were all worried about me?" Haruhi blinked.

Honey, Hikaru and Kaoru all let out a sigh in disbelief.

"Do you believe either of these girls..." The twins grumbled.

"I agree with them, Haruhi." Miki smiled tenderly as she wiped the excess crab juice her mouth with grace. "Tamaki-kun might have been a little awkward with expressing it, but I think he just wanted you to rely on us more." She stated, averting her eyes to the door where her brother disappeared from. "I was so scared. You went against my orders to leave and confronted those men all alone." She tilted her head with a melodious voice. "So yes, we were all super worried, because you are very important to us, after all."

Haruhi's big brown eyes widened in realization. "I see..." Her eyes darted down to her eaten food. "I'm sorry." She muttered.

Almost immediately, everyone gathered around to give her a big group hug, when...

"Miki-senpai?" Hikaru called out to her. 

"Don't you have to go meet Kyoya-senpai in his room?" Kaoru reminded her.

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot!" Quickly glancing over at the clock, Miki gave a swift bow to the rest of the hosts. "Well then, if you will excuse me. Have a great evening." And with that, she left the dining room.

As Miki began to make her way down the hall, trying to remember which door led to Kyoya's room. The doors of the dining hall behind her slammed open, and a desperate looking Haruhi bolted past her with lighting speed and ducked into the next room over. Blinking, Miki quickly approached the room, making sure to knock prior.

"Come in," It was a familiar voice.

Poking her head in, Miki glanced over at the slammed close bathroom door. "Did Haruhi just run in here?" She tilted her head, waltzing forth with her hands behind her back. "Is she alright?"

"She probably ate too much crab for her own good," Kyoya sat at the back of the room in a chair near the window.

Miki hummed as she stepped further into the room, noticing how he had a yellow towel over his black hair and wasn't wearing his glasses or his shirt. "Kyoya-kun." She called out to him.

"Hm?"

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I just took a shower," He replied indifferently, rubbing the towel in his hair, trying to dry it.

"I see." Blinking a few times, Miki stepped in closer. "So? What did you want to speak with me about?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Sit down," He instructed her, gesturing his bed.

Following his instructions, Miki sat down obediently. She glanced out the window behind him, noticing the clouds that began to gather outside the mansion.

"What did those men say to you?" He followed up, resting an elbow on the armrest of the chair.

"They asked me to play, and then called me a baby chick." Tapping her chin as she tried to recall said events,  she found her body stiffening up further. But her expression remained unchanged.

Glancing up at her without moving, Kyoya sighed. He took a bottled water that rested on the coffee. "And what did you respond with?" He asked before taking a sip.

"I told them we were too old to play, and that I was a human," Miki responded truthfully.

Putting down the bottled water, Kyoya dropped the towel around his neck and made his way over to the wall where the light switches were. "Do you understand what they were trying to do to you?" Finally, he asked her as he dimmed the lights until they were turned off.

Miki looked at the golden ceiling fan that spun, lost in thought. "Kidnapping?" She suggested, watching as he walked towards her, his figure towering over hers in the darkness of the room.

Kyoya leaned down, staring at her from the same eye level. "I have told you many times at this point. You are very naive." He paused, studying her unchanging expression. "I said, there are malicious people in the world that may try to take advantage of you, haven't I?"

Without having much to say, Miki simply nodded.

"Then, this was one of those moments. Since you don't happen to understand, I guess I'll just have to teach it to you." Narrowing his eyes, he reached forward and grabbed Miki's hand that rested on her lap, noticing how it quivered to the touch. Pushing her back onto the bed, he crawled over her body, pinning her wrist into the soft mattress as gently as he could. "You asked what sexual harassment is, Miki." He said, looking down at her slightly widened hazel eyes as shock circled in them. "It's what happened to you. Do you understand that?" He asked her, feeling her fingers twitch under his grasp. He glanced over at them, noticing how much they were trembling. He then looked back at her, to notice droplets of tears rolled down the side of her face.

"So this is..." Biting her bottom lip, Miki choked through her voice. Her eyes round in disbelief. Letting go of her wrist, Kyoya back away gently. He sat on the edge of his bed, observing as she sat back up and tears began to drip down her chin.

"When he grabbed me by my wrist... My whole body was telling me that it was wrong..." Hugging herself, Miki finally allowed herself to tremble visibly. "Is that why... I can't stop myself... from shaking so much...?"Her fingernails clawed at her forearm as if she attempted to stop herself from quaking. Her breath hitched and her breathing rhythm was becoming disrupted as she remembered how uncomfortable the man's touch was on her body. More tears coursed down her cheek as she stifled a whimper when she suddenly felt a hand brush against her cheek and wipe away some tears.

"What a bothersome woman," Kyoya stated with a stern yet gentle expression. "It could've escalated to much worse, but it didn't. This is just for you going forth," He leaned in closer to her, allowing his hand to gently ruffle her silky hair as her sniffles filled the room. "Stay on guard of people, and be wary. Hm?"

Hearing his tone turn soft, Miki nodded as wiped away the tears that built in her eyes with the base of her palm. She closed her eyes as Kyoya gently ran his fingers through her long hair. It slowly calmed her trembling heart.

The sound of the door creaking open startled the two as they turned to look in the direction. Haruhi had stepped out from the brightly lit bathroom into the darkness of Kyoya's room.

"All done?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow, finally putting on his glasses.

"I'm sorry for intruding into your room." Bowing her head, Haruhi apologized. "Was I interrupting anything?"

"No, not really." Before Kyoya could reply, Miki answered bluntly as she quickly wiped away the last traces of your tears. "Are you feeling better?" She asked, her usual tender smile resurfacing on her lips.

Stepping further into the room, Haruhi hid her hands behind her back. "Yes, much better. Thank you for your conc-" However, she was interrupted by a knock on the door and another familiar voice.

"Kyoya?" Tamaki entered the room; his focus fixed on his shoulder at first. "Do you have any location? This sunburn is worse than I thought-" His gaze quickly moved up and fixed onto the sight before him.

A dimly lit room.

His sister, sitting on his best friend's bed with said best friend not too far away, shirtless.

His 'daughter' standing close to the duo.

His mind automatically jumped to the worst case scenario.

Tamaki's handsome face turned into a scowl as he growled under his breath. "Kyoya, you rotten..." But before he could get his full sentence out, Kyoya had grabbed both his shirt and the bottle of sun location, slapping it into his face.

"Here." He spoke in his usual indifferent tone. "Use as much as you want, you goof." He told him before glancing at Miki. "Let's go." He beckoned.

"Eh? But..."

"Hurry up." Putting his shirt on, he began to walk out of the room.

Standing up, Miki quickly followed him, brushing past Tamaki who grabbed ahold of the red bottle. "Okay..." She muttered, closing the door behind them. Once they were outside, she cocked her head to the side as they began to walk down the halls. "Why did you leave the two of them in there?" She questioned. "Aren't they in the middle of a fight?"

"It would be easier for them to reconcile if they were finally on speaking terms, wouldn't it?" Kyoya explained, placing his hands in his pockets.

Hearing his explanation, Miki thought for a moment before giggling lightly. "You really are a nice person, Kyoya-kun." She chirped merrily.

"Even after all that, calling me nice..." Kyoya pushed up his glasses with a weary smirk. "You are indeed fascinating."

Suddenly, a flash of light struck down from the sky, illuminating the entire hallway for a few moments accompanied by an eruption of crackling. Miki snapped around to face the window excitedly.

"It's lightning!" She cheered, pressing her hand against the hallway window. Her eyes brightened in awe as bolts of light darted across the clouded sky, along with the rain that fluttered down.

Kyoya followed up, glancing over her at the common phenomenon she seemed to have an immense appreciation for. "Do you like lightning?" He questioned, looking out into the back garden as the plants swayed in the harsh wind.

"Yeah, I love it." Nodding her head up and down, Miki confirmed as she pressed her palms into the glass. "I've always loved lightning ever since I was a little girl." She informed him. "And not just lightning," Beaming up at him, she added. "Lightning, thunder, hail, snow, rain." She listed off, her voice growing bubblier with every addition. "I love them all."

Raising an eyebrow, Kyoya looked out at the view, trying to figure out what's so appealing about it. He never thought much of this natural phenomenon, he wasn't afraid neither did he particularly like them. "Is there a particular reason why?" He finally asked.

"Because," With a wry smile, Miki pressed her forehead against the cold window. "All of these things I just mentioned, they were my only connection to the outside world. I could open my window, and touch the rain, hail or snow. I could hear and see the strikes of lightning. " She closed her eyes listening as the pitter-patter of the rain form a peaceful lullaby. "They remind me that, in a way, I am still connected to the world, that everyone else, trapped or not, are seeing the same brilliant view before me."

Gazing at her curiously, Kyoya's eyes turned to amusement. "The beauty this world has to offer... huh." He muttered, returning his sights back to the thunderstorm outside.

"Huh? Kyoya-senpai, Miki-senpai?" Hikaru and Kaoru's voice echoed down the hallway as them, Honey and Mori ran to catch up with the two. "What are you two doing here? Where are Haruhi and Milord?" They asked.

"We left them in Kyoya-kun's room." Miki waved at them, greeting them with her usual bright smile.

"Eh?" Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Are you such this is okay?"

"Leaving the two of them together?" Kaoru suggested.

"She's with our Tamaki." Kyoya pointed out dryly. "What could possibly go wrong?"

As they made their way to the door, the twins knocked lightly. "Sir, we are coming it." They announced before swinging it wide open.

Everyone except for Miki quickly froze in shock at the slight. Haruhi was kneeling on the ground with a white blindfold on.

"You see? With the blindfolds, you can't see anything, and sound wise if you wear earplugs..."  Tamaki crouched next to her, earplugs in hand, helping her put them in.

"Ah! You're right!"

"Despicable," Hikaru growled, catching Tamaki off guard.

Kaoru's eyebrow twitched. "What kind of 'play' is this?"

"I-It's not like that!" Tamaki protest, waving his hands, "It's not like that at all!"

***

"Be careful, Haruhi." Hikaru sighed as he opened the black limo's car door.

"Milord apparently has a thing for S&M, too." Kaoru continued with a disappointed glare in Tamaki's direction.

Holding his bags at the front door, Tamaki justified. "It wasn't like that!"

"I see. So that's what S&M is," Haruhi glared turning away and rolling up her side of the window, "I let you get away with something funny without even knowing it." 

"It wasn't like that! I did it for your sake!"

Miki blinked confusedly at her brother as Mori and Honey ushered her into the car.

Turning to the driver, Kyoya instructed. "Start Driving."

"Miki-senpai." Hikaru swayed side to side with Kaoru with an aloof expression. "You might want to..."

"...stay away from Milord's room from now on." Kaoru finished.

Hearing the twin's suggestion, Miki's confusion only increased. She turned to Kyoya who sat next to her. "Kyoya-kun, what is S&M?" She cocked her head to the side.

"No comment."

Chapter Text

-Chapter 6-

The Lobelia Girls Strike!

"Hmm... this colour palette..." Scrolling through the wheel of colours on her tablet, Miki pressed her lips together. She was currently looking over the host club's final performance production sketches for the culture club's expositions; despite that, she still couldn't wholeheartedly say she liked the contrast between the host club's cosplay and the set they were already building.

"Suoh Miki-san." A voice called out to her causing her head to perk up.

Jounouchi Ayame. The vice chairman of class 2-A looked down at her with her usual emotionless, but crystal clear eyes.

"Good afternoon, Ayame-san," Miki greeted with a bright smile, momentarily taking her eyes off her tablet. "And please, you can drop the honorifics, how may I help you?"

Fixing her glasses, Ayame did not return her smile. Instead, she spoke in her monotonous voice. "I believe you haven't reported to the literature teacher which book you are planning to use."

"Oh, I must have forgotten." Realizing that she was correct, Miki gasped. She glanced over at the clock hanging above the blackboard and also realized it was time to head over to the club, she scrambled to get her things together and swiftly bowed at Ayame. "Thank you for the warning; I'll be off then." She exchanged a knowing look with the vice chairman before dashing out of the classroom.

Quickly making her way to the teachers' office, Miki pulled out the thin, yet aged leather covered book and registered it with Mr. Kobayashi, her literature teacher.

"Rapunzel, huh..." Jotting down it down in his notes, the old man hummed. "Interesting choice, Ms. Suoh." He said, glancing up at Miki with a tender expression.

"Huh? Why is that?" Eyes rounding, Miki cocked her head to the side, sliding the book gently back into her brown briefcase-like bag.

Mr. Kobayashi turned back to his notes, flipping through them with a thoughtful look. "Most of the other students have chosen either non-fiction or long-classic fiction works. It's rare to see anyone chose such a simple tale."

"You asked us to choose our favourite story." Holding her bag that contained her precious book closer to her chest, Miki beamed. "And Rapunzel is and always has been my favourite."

Nodding with approval, Mr. Kobayashi closed his full notes. "Very well then," He said. "I'm looking forward to your story beat organizer next month."

"Thank you very much." With a soft bow, Miki turned around and jogged down the somewhat empty hallways towards music room #3, where a brand new set of problems awaited with a brand new day.

As she got closer, she could hear the sounds of arguing between Tamaki's voice, and another she was not familiar with. Soon, she heard Tamaki let out a small yelp. Worry tugging at her heartstrings; she picked up the pace of her steps. Her fluffy strawberry blonde hair bounced on her back, swaying gently. Soon, she heard something she was not quite expecting.

"Lobelia~."

"Lobelia~."

"Lobelia~."

Stopping in her tracks, Miki raised an eyebrow at the singing that floated out of the opened doors.

"Are they finally using the music room for music?" Muttering to herself, Miki poked her head around the corner to assess the situation only to be even more confused.

Three girls wearing very flashy costumes stood under limelights that came from god knows where.

"St. Lobelia Academy, high school 2nd-Year, Amakusa Benio," The one who stood in the center, dressed up in a suit and tie introduced, tipping a fedora.

"Lobelia~."

"Also, 2nd-Year, Maihara Chizuru." The slender woman on the right from Miki's perspective presented herself.

"Lobelia~."

"Also, 1st-Year, Tsuwabuki Hinako." Finally, the smaller girl on the left said, holding a lily that she seemingly pulled out of nowhere.

"Lobelia~."

"We are Lobelia's white lily league, but people call us..." Throwing away their current costumes, they opened their arms in a flashy manner. "The Zuka Club!"

Deeming them harmless, Miki stepped into the room with a slightly blank expression as silence filled the room. Looking around, she saw Haruhi not too far away, also staring incredulously at the Zuka Club. Miki then turned back and watched the host club's reaction from behind the bundle of feathers that stuck out of the tacky costumes, noticing that Tamaki was becoming paler and paler by the second. Soon, he fell to the ground with a small whimper as the twins burst into laughing tears.

"Nice taste in names!" Hikaru chortled. "The Zuka Club! My stomach hurts!"

"The Zuka Club! That's great! And to intentionally wear those costumes under their uniforms!" Kaoru wheezed. 

"You must not take the Zuka Club lightly!" Renge's voice echoed through the air as the sound of the motor powered through the ground. The rose up, sitting underneath a Japanese styled umbrella, one Miki recognized as one she was asked to design days ago. "I may not know about instant coffee, but I can tell you about infatuations with girls' schools," Renge said, sipping the cup of coffee in her hand before putting it down after making a strange face. Cupping her hands together, she spoke. "St. Lobelia Academy - truly, a woman's world. The Zuka Club is a gathering of damsels that consider females to be especially superior, even for there. It prides itself on 30 years 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."

As Renge continued to monologue, Kyoya had taken off his costume, placing it gently on a coffee table. "Renge-kun, you sure cover a wide field." He praised.

"Still, ultimately, it is but a fond fantasy. Not actually having any boys around makes it no good for me," Renge shrugged with an exaggerated sigh, before lowering back into the ground.

"A maiden's beauty...It is to have a spirit pure enough not to give in to superficial beauty, influence, or lust," Suzuran explained, cupping her hands together. 

"'As a girl, you...' 'For a girl, you...' We're fed up with all the oppressive male contempt for women," Hinako said, striking a thoughtful pose. 

"Our pride...It comes from having soulful relationships based on equality, as a result of being of the same sex," Benibara explained, hugging the other two close, "including, yes...even relationships of love." 

"Oh, there you go, Benio..." Snuggling closer, Chizuru sighed.

"Ah! Benibara-sama!" Sighing dreamily, Hinako leaned in closer.

Completely fed up with them, the host club immediately lost interest. Hikaru sat down on the sofa, pulling out his video game with Honey over his shoulder, Karou sat next to him picking through a brown paper bag Miki recognized as commoner's coffee. Kyoya sat on the armrest of the sofa, not even facing them. Mori stood in the back, swinging a sword with no particular expression.

"Ahh... I've gotten tired of laughing." Kaoru complained.

Clicking furiously on his gaming console, Hikaru agreed. "Yeah, seriously, go away."

"Oh, my, does this mean you have nothing to say about our sublime love?" Hinagiku asked, laughing into the back of her hand.

"You have to feel sorry for them, Hinagiku," Chizuru said, stroking Benibara's cheek before peeling off the faux mustache from her face, "Their patented host skills did not work on us, and they don't know how to handle it."

"If you say you take pride in equality, why are you putting the host club down so much?" Miki asked, finally piecing together what these strangers were saying and announcing her presence to everyone in the room.

"Another rose in the valley of thorns!" Benibara jumped back in surprise as the other two around her gasped. 

"Ah, Miki-chan!" Honey waved, brimming with excitement.

"When did you..." Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"...get here?" Hikaru finished, looking up from his game.

"When they started singing," Miki stated, tilting her head to the side with a gleaming smile as strands of hair slipped off her shoulder.

"I see," Not looking up from his book, Kyoya readjusted his glasses. "Then, you should have announced your presence."

Blinking, Miki's face returned to confusion. "No one asked." She said bluntly, but before she could get else anything out, she was quickly surrounded by the three Zuka club members.

"Oh my," Benibara gently brushed a finger across Miki's cheek as she simply stared back with that clueless look. "Just look how lost this little lamb's beautiful eyes are." She cooed. "Did this horrendous club brainwash you into their mind slave?"

"Huh?" Miki tilted her head, trying to understand the concept of being called a 'chick,' then a 'lamb.' Did she look that much like an animal?

"Actually, no. " The twins interrupted. "Miki-senpai's eyes tend to have a blank look like that when she's confused."

"And look," Chizuru moved in as well, "Her lips are quivering out of the sheer fear of remembering her horrid experience."

"Actually, Miki-chan is always smiling." Honey pointed out, giggling slightly.

Ignoring either comment, Benibara sighed dramatically. "You poor, poor maidens." She expressed, hugging Miki into her chest while looking over at Haruhi who let out a 'huh.' Glaring back at the hosts who still sat on the rose coloured couch, she smirked. "Being stuck in this fledgeling club that satisfies their own needs under the guise of club activities... But do not fret, we shall rescue you from this trash heap. " Turning around, she quickly called upon Chizuru and Hinako. "Prepare the paperwork for these two maidens to transfer into Lobelia at once and welcome them into the Zuka Club!" She announced.

"WHAT?!" Tamaki shrieked, body completely turned to stone.

After a few seconds of silence that seemed to have lasted for an eternity, Miki gently pulled away from Benibara's arms. Lifting her head to see her eye to eye, she flashed a radiant smile. "Sorry, but I refuse that offer." She spoke in an all too cheerful voice.

Another few seconds ticked by, as the host club began to relax when Benibara grabbed Miki by her shoulders.

"Why?" She asked in an exaggerated manner. "Have they toyed with your pure maiden heart to the point you've lost sight of reality?"

"J-Just wait a second, please, there seems to be some kind of misunderstanding here." Stepping in, in an attempt to mend the situation. "You labelled Tamaki-senpai a halfer, for one."

"What do you mean?" Miki cut in, looking even more puzzled with what Haruhi had said. "Tamaki-kun is a halfer." She pointed out.

Honey nodded, carrying Usa-chan on his shoulders. "A French and Japanese half-chan!" He giggled innocently.

"Ah. But still, I'm so sure about calling the Host Club fledgling, and picking on them on other pretexts, as well," Haruhi tried again sweatdropping. 

"No, we are pretty new. We were only founded two years ago," Hikaru shrugged.

"His highness created it when he reached high school, after all," Kaoru informed with a nostalgic smile. 

Haruhi twirled her index finger with one last attempt. "Well, be that as it may, if anything, saying that their club activities are only held to satisfy their own appetites is going too far, it's not as though they're charging their guests anything-"

"I wouldn't call it a charge, but we do have a point system," Kyoya said as he clicked away on his laptop, "We do offer priority service, depending on the items won in net auctions on the club's homepage." Clicking into a page, he gestured the screen. "Ah, you see here, Haruhi? Your used mechanical pencil just sold for a winning bid of 30,000 yen. Good for you."

"EH?!" Letting out a yelp in surprise, Haruhi dashed over to the laptop, "That's the one I thought I'd lost! This is the first I'm hearing about any of this, you know! I never heard we were taking money for this!"

"You thought we were providing this service as volunteers?" Kyoya smirked, "Well if you subtract the expenses we have for throwing events, costumes, and refreshments for our guests, we do make a slight profit."

Snapping around with fire in her eyes, Haruhi yelled back. "Then please don't go selling other people's things without permission! That's thievery!"

As the twins and Tamaki joined in the argument as well, Miki was drawn over away from Benibara and towards the laptop. She leaned forward, staring at the screen.

"Why was it bought at such a high price?" She wondered out loud, trying to figure out why this mechanical pencil was worth that much money.

Kyoya shrugged, eyes resting on Miki as she observed the picture intently. "Some of our guests would pay a large sum of money just to get an item used by a host," He told her. "It's wonderful profit."

Miki tilted her head. "Why would they pay so much to get a second-hand object?" She furrowed her brows, glancing at Kyoya.

"Perhaps it is because they harbour romantic feelings for the owner of the object, and want an item of theirs as a keepsake." Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya closed his laptop.

Tapping her chin, Miki pressed her lips together. "That's a little strange." Turning around, her eyes averted back to Haruhi who looked extremely annoyed while standing in the midst of the Lobelia girls. She then glanced at Kyoya, thinking back on what he said. "Romantic feelings huh?" She muttered.

"You poor thing..." Chizuru pouted, eyes filled with pity. "It must be a shock to be so deceived."

Hinako nodded in agreement. "Come on, dump this bunch, and come over to us."

"Now hold on, Hinakigu." Benibara stopped her with a sigh. "This maiden is all shaken up today. Let's ask again tomorrow; we'll be expecting a favourable answer." Turning to leave, she shot Miki a smug glimpse. "And don't worry lost lamb. We will come to rescue you as well, hang in there a little more." Waving snobbishly, she winked. "Adieu..."

And with a strange amount of twirls and unusual laughter, they were gone.

Pressing a finger against her temple, Miki tilted her head. "How do they manage to laugh like that...?" She murmured.

"Don't go attempting," Kyoya recommended.

Haruhi snapped around to glare at the hosts for a few moments as they all tensed up.

"I'll be excusing myself now, too." She announced as she left for the door.

***

That evening, Miki sat in her room humming lightly to the opening theme song of Crime? Crime Drama ♥ as she sketched away on her tablet. Tapping the side of her head to the beat, she was finishing up a few drafts when Suzuno knocked on her door.

"Miss Miki," She bowed. "Master Tamaki asked you to head over to his room."

"Okay." Grabbing the remote next to her tablet, Miki paused the TV. And with a light skip to her step, she headed towards Tamaki's room across the hall. "I wonder what could he need me for." She murmured curiously, knocking gently on the door. Throughout the past few weeks, she rarely ever visited Tamaki in his room. It was always him barging in to walk her up, or him bolting in to talk to her about the next set theme for the Host Club. "Tamaki-kun, I'm coming in."

"Listen, men!" His voice almost flew over towards her and hit her in the head as she opened the giant doors to her brother's bedroom. "We are going to call this the Freebie Campaign!" 

Raising an eyebrow, Miki walked into her room to find the blonde yelling at the wall in the middle of the room. His room wasn't too different from her's. It was the same size with the same setup. He just had a lot more photo frames on his nightstand. "Tamaki-kun, what are you doing?" She asked with a chuckle at just how silly he looked.

"Ah! It's Miki-chan!" Honey's bubbly voice suddenly flooded the room.

"Hello, Miki-senpai." The twins sang in unison.

"Good Evening." Now that was Kyoya's voice.

"Hm." Mori hummed.

Their voices caused the strawberry blonde to perk up and look in the direction of the source.

Hanging on the wall Tamaki was standing before, were four blown-up portraits of the hosts. Going from left to right, there was Mori in a profile shot, Honey happily gorging a cake, Kyoya in almost a comical pose, and finally the twins with graffiti over their faces spelling the word 'idiot.'

Miki blinked rapidly.

"Miki!" Tamaki let out a yelp in glee immediately bouncing over to her and wrapping his arms around her into a bear hug. "I'm glad you made it!" He grinned with comical tears flowing down his face. "I haven't gotten your portrait installed yet so I couldn't add you into our conference call!"

"I'm just in the room over, you don't need to do that for me." Giggling lightly, Miki patted Tamaki's back before turning to portraits.

"And good evening to you all." She greeted before trying to separate herself from her brother who was still clinging onto her. "So why did you call me here, Tamaki-kun? What's going on?"

"Don't worry Miki!" Letting her out of the hug, but grabbing onto her shoulders, Tamaki continued to cry. "I will make sure your niece stays with us in Ouran! I promise! You don't need to worry!"

Miki blinked, tilting her head. "Niece? I don't ever recall hav-"

"He means Haruhi." It seems even in the evening, Kyoya can never get a break from this clueless girl.

"His Highness has a plan..." Hikaru started, his voice pouring through the twin's portrait.

"...To get Haruhi to stay with us." Kaoru finished.

"But in order to do that, we are going to require your assistance," Kyoya added, a muffled sigh accompanying his statement.

Nodding with her hands behind her back, Miki gleamed. "Of course," She nodded curtly. "How can I be of assistance?"

***

"Hikaru, you need to suck in more." Miki couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles as she tried to buckle the bra strap around Hikaru's ribs.

"I can't Miki-senpai." Hikaru's face was burning red out of embarrassment and from holding his breath for too long. "I have a rib cage like anyone else!"

Finally being able to clasp the strap Miki, backed away trying to stifle her giggles. "Alright, that should be the last one." She gasped, helping him zip up the back of the teal dress they had the seamstresses make on a whim.

"Miki-chan, my eye itches..." Tugging on the hem of her school uniform, Honey whined, holding Usa-chan in his arms. He wore blonde extensions that curled at the ends as well as a giant hot pink bow to match his pink dress. If one didn't look carefully, they could mistake him for a porcelain doll.

Miki smiled wryly, helping Honey itched his eyelid as gently as possible not to disturb the makeup. "Sorry, Honey-senpai. Please endure it, for now." She implored.

It turned out; the hosts needed Miki's help with changing into their new costumes as well as makeup and hair. Against Miki's suggestion, Tamaki had decided to go overboard with the makeup. The colour of the eyeshadow and the lipsticks were so intense; they could've passed for stage makeup.

"Mori-senpai, you are lucky you don't need to wear this thing..." Hikaru muttered as he walked out of the changing room with Honey and Miki, the elder twin was scratching and clawing at the metal wires of the bra as well as the tight waist of the dress. "It's so uncomfortable..." He complained.

"I can't believe people wear these things every day..." Kaoru nodded in agreement, attempting to claw at his own as well to relieve the pain.

Everyone was changed and ready to set Tamaki's 'Freebie Campaign' into motion, all except Kyoya who opted to get dressed last.

"Alright! Kyoya!" Pushing his friend towards the direction of the change room, Takami looked fired up with his violet purple eyeshadow and bright red lipstick. "Your turn! Go on, transform into Big Sister Kyoya!" He ushered.

"I thought Kyoya-senpai..."

"...was 'mommy'?" The twins pointed out.

Leaving the three to their bickering, Kyoya stepped into the changing room with an irritated sigh as he drew the yellow curtain shut. Miki giggled at his reaction, pointing at another mini dressing room.

"Take your blazer and shirt off in there; I'll do your makeup afterwards." She instructed, cleaning up baby blue eyeshadow on the counter. Honey definitely didn't like getting his eye makeup done.

Leaving only his dress pants on, Kyoya sat down reluctantly onto the makeup chair as Miki took a closer look at him.

"Let's see... I don't think you need the eyeshadow. Your dress is a darker colour after all, but we really need to do something about those panda eyes." Humming lightly, she pulled away to search through the makeup case. Pulling out the concealer bottle, she quickly made a comparison to his skin colour before dotting it under his eyes. "You don't get much sleep, do you Kyoya-kun?"

"I don't particularly enjoy rising early." Kyoya simply stated as he kept his eyes closed, feeling the cool liquid dot under his eyes. "What about you?" He asked, opening his eyes once the dotting stopped. "You seem to have some dark circles yourself."

"Tamaki-kun wakes me up early in the morning, that's all." Putting the concealer away, she beamed thoughtfully. "Close your eyes." She directed, blending the liquid with a delicate finger once he did. "You, on the other hand, you probably stay up late due to host club business, right?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Hehe." With her fingers touching her lips, Miki giggled as she began pumping the mascara wand. "I'm only going to use mascara on you; any eyeshadow will screw up the colour balance with your dress, alright?" She told him. "Close your eyes."

Letting his eyes fall shut once again, Kyoya felt the thin strokes that brushed against his eyelashes. A small comfortable silence loomed between them before Kyoya asked her absentmindedly.

"May I ask, what was it like growing up in your... circumstances?"

He felt Miki's hand twitch, brushing against his cheek for a moment. She then answered.

"I wasn't completely alone." She justified. "I had Arden and father who visited me from time to time, besides, I had the faint memories of my mother from when I was little."

"Have you seen her since you were sent here?" In a low and hesitant tone, Kyoya questioned.

Miki shook her head gently, finishing up his other eyelashes. "I don't even remember her face." She said dryly. Her voice trailed off as she closed the mascara bottle.

Changing the subject, Miki reached for a lilac lipstick. "I'm just going to put some lipstick on you, try not to flinch and move like Honey-senpai, alright?" She warned as her voice grew bubbly once again, gently holding onto his chin.

Leaning in close, she began to swipe the colour over his lips. Kyoya opened his eyes to find her very close to him; if he were to move forward a bit, he could plant a kiss on her forehead. Averting his eyes, he waited for her to finish. "You seem very comfortable doing this." He commented with a small smirk once she back away, closing the cap.

"Hm? Why wouldn't I be?" Glancing over with a quizzical look, Miki's hazel eyes blinked rapidly.

Eyebrow twitching slightly, Kyoya let out an exasperated sigh. "Just an observation." He asserted.

***

"She's coming!" Miki whispered in a cheerful tone. "Places everyone!" Quickly running to the light switch she dimmed it down, watching in slight amusement as the hosts scrambled to huddle in the middle of the club room.

"Sir, your dress is in my face."

"Stay quiet!"

The doors to Music Room #3 creaked open as light streamed into the darkness, causing the hosts to fall silent once again. They waited for a moment, allowing time for Haruhi and the three Lobelia girls to step in with confusions. Then, Hikaru and Kaoru rose, and Miki had to fight the urge to laugh out loud and ruin the entire plan.

"Ouran~."

"Ouran~."

Mori, Kyoya and Honey soon followed.

"Ouran~."

"Ouran~."

"Ouran~."

Taking it as a cue, Miki slid the light back to full allowing the entire room to be illuminated.

Tamaki stood up, his long blond hair swaying behind him as he belted out.

"Ourannnnnn~!"

"Host Club~ Welcome~" They sang in unison as Mori tapped his tambourine.

Stepping forth, Tamaki walked forward as elegantly as he could on heels. "Oh, welcome Haruhi!" He greeted.

"Haru-chan, Haru-chan!" Honey went up twirling around. "I'm a princess! Do I look good?"

Snapping out of her daze, Benibara stepped forward in anger. "What kind of stunt is this?! Are you trying to make fun of our culture?!" She accused. 

"Make fun?" Tamaki tapped his chin, "No, certainly not. I have taken everything into account. This is a surefire technique, guaranteed among commoners to make even a crying child happy! The Freebie Campaign!" He announced, striking a victory pose. "You ladies who have lived shelters lives at Lobelia might not know this, but commoners are apt to have a weakness for free things," Tamaki continued, "It's true that Haruhi may now be distracted, and sensing the appeal of joining the Zuka Club. However, if you choose our club, your brothers and sisters come with it!"

"Yes, the plan is to experience the feeling of being in the Zuka Club, while staying in the Host Club," Tamaki explained as he twirled around in a dramatic yet elegant fashion, "You see, Haruhi? Aren't I pretty?"

"We are the Hitachiin Sisters!" The twins greeted with a curtsy. "Which one is prettier? Just teasing!" They jested before leaving in Renge-like giggles.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!" Honey waved. "You can call me Big Sister."

Mori simple shook his tambourine with the brightest expression he could muster while Kyoya hid his face in his fan.

Fuming, Benibara shouted. "Y-You think a maiden can be taken in by this? We've had enough of you fooling arou-"

But suddenly, Haruhi began to burst out in laughter. Clutching her stomach, she fell to her knees. "Too much!" She chortled. "I don't even know what that means! I knew you guys were goofballs, but geez!" As she began to calm down and wipe away her tears of joy, Hikaru, Kaoru and Honey approached her with playful grins plastered on their faces.

"Are we really that funny?" They asked.

As the trio began to chase Haruhi around, Miki herself has finally calmed down. Cupping her hands before her legs, she walked forth with tender eyes and joined up with the rest of the hosts.

"What were you guys thinking, really?" Haruhi asked through her laughter.

"Well, we want to run the Host Club with you Haruhi," Hikaru commented, running a finger through the clip on pigtails on his head. His words caused Haruhi to break into a gentle smile

Benibara stood over Haruhi with a flabbergasted expression. "Maiden, are you..."

"I'm sorry. There are all sorts of people in the world," Haruhi got up and began to dust herself off, "and I do think that your way of thinking is unique and interesting, but I'm studying at this school because I have a goal for my future, so I never intended to quit Ouran, to begin with."

Benibara was taken aback by Haruhi. She turned to look at Miki for her answer.

She cocked her head to the side, her fluffy strawberry blonde hair sliding off her shoulders as she did. "I already said I refuse, didn't I?" She reminded cheerfully, drowning out Haruhi and Tamaki's little argument in the background. "I just arrived at this school recently; it wouldn't be right for me to just up and leave right?"

"Benio..." Chizuru stepped forward.

"Yeah, I know." Closing her eyes, Benibara sighed before turning to look at Miki, then Haruhi. "We are not giving up on either of you maidens." She announced. "We swear to you, someday we will come and rescue you from this place, and bring down this host club." Then with a smug smirk, she turned around.

"Zia Jian. (再见/Until we meet again)" She waved as they began to twirl down the carpeted hallways of Ouran with their Renge-like laughter, only to slip on a banana peel each.

"Where do those bananas keep come from?" Miki tapped her chin, remembering the last few times a banana conveniently appeared to trip someone.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 7-

Let's go, to the Commoner's World!

On a beautiful mid-spring Sunday morning, Miki had planned the night before to sleep in. She laid on her side, curled up comfortably and snoozing away. Her long hair was sprawled into the white pillow covers, the slight wavy texture creating hearts. The morning sun peeked through the window, beaming down gently onto her face as if they were trying to poke her awake. It was a peaceful, tranquil morning. Or it was supposed to be when...

"T-That's just ordinary lean tuna, and is by no means fancy tuna!"

Tamaki's loud shriek shook the entire second Suoh estate, worrying the staff and jolting Miki up. She glanced over that the door with hazy eyes wondering what that could be about. But after a few seconds, she concluded that Tamaki probably had a nightmare and gave into her heavy eyelid's demands. Flopping back down onto her bed, she lazily hid her face under the blankets, ready to fall back into a deep sleep when...

"Miki! Get up and get ready for school!" The double doors to her room busted open as Tamaki dashed in wearing half of his school uniform. Stomping hastily up to her, he pulled the bed sheets out her grasp, watching as she sat up and began rubbing her eyes in a daze.

She let out a small yawn before opening her eyes, Tamaki reached forward and began shaking her by her shoulders. "Come on!" He urged, dragging her out of bed and shoving her into her bathroom. Miki jolted slightly at the feeling of the cold tile press against her feet. It was enough to wake her up a little, but only by a little. Then, before she realized, the Ouran yellow dress, hung up neatly in her closet was tossing into the bathroom and the door slammed shut. "Hurry up, get changed and get ready!"

Miki just blinked wearily at her clothing piece about to doze off while standing, only to be woken up by a desperate voice behind the doors.

"Don't laze around in there, we need to get to school as soon as possible!" He commanded. 

As soon as Miki stepped out of the bathroom with clouded eyes, fully dressed and cleaned up, Tamaki proceeded to drag her down the stairs. He charged forth with sheer determination glistening in his eyes, his sister's wrist in hand, and his bookbag clipped under his arm.

Miki followed sluggishly, still haven't fully woken up on this supposedly relaxing weekday. She yawned once more as her eyes trailed down to her brother's mismatching pants and house slippers. She blinked curiously.

At the end of the staircase, Shima greeted them. "Good Morning, Master Tamaki, Miss Miki."

"Good Morning... Shima-san..." Rubbing her eyes as she felt another urge to yawn wash upon her, Miki gave a tired smile.

"We will be leaving at once. Please bring the car around immediately." Tamaki order, finally letting go of Miki's wrist as she swayed drowsily, trying to stay awake.

"Yes, Master Tamaki." The family driver, Koganei, bowed in response.

"I beg your pardon, Master Tamaki," Shima interrupted as Tamaki began to step towards the front door. "But what will you two have breakfast?"

Hearing the word breakfast, Miki perked up slightly. "Oh, I would like French toast and some commoner's cof-"

"Ah! Enough!" Flailing his arms like a child, Tamaki whined. "There's no time for that! Miki, we need to be on our way!" He announced turning his head dramatically.

"Begging your pardon, Master Tamaki!" Shima scolded in a stern voice. "You are still half dressed in pyjamas, and you still have house slippers on your feet."

"Ahhh!" Hearing her, Tamaki flinched and immediately turned to dash back upstairs. "Miki, why didn't you tell me?!" He yelled, voice trailing all the way upstairs.

"You never asked." Tilted her head in confusion, Miki replied as her brother paced his way back downstairs, attempting a new take at leaving the house.

"My, what poor manners," Shima muttered beside her.

Coughing into his hand, Tamaki grumbled with a slight blush. "All right, once again, we will be off." He took Miki's wrist once more, attempting to leave when Shima stepped in again. 

"I sincerely beg your pardon Master Tamaki, but today is Sunday, so there is no school today." She pointed out with a deadpan face.

As Tamaki and Shima began to banter back and forth, Suzuno approached a dozing Miki with a cup of commoner's coffee. "Here you go, Miss Miki." She smiled gently, handing the high-class plate and coffee cup to the girl.

"Ah, thank you Suzuno." Flashing a tired look, Miki was about to drink the warm drink when Tamaki's voice once again interrupted her.

"Someone, bring me the phone!" He yelled as he was about to be dragged off by Shima to the disciplinary room, the adorable Suoh family dog, Antoinette following close behind.

One of the giggling maids brought the phone over a top of a pillow, handing it over to the young master who began dialling a set of number. "Kyoya, is that you? I need to discuss something important with you." He said.

***

Sitting in one of the two luxury limos, Miki sipped her commoner's coffee happily. She has since changed out of her school uniform and into something much more fitting for a Sunday, a white chiffon dress while her hair remained in the braided crown that tied to the back. Finally feeling awake, she let out a satisfied sigh as the limo pulled to a stop. Placing the cup down, she peeked out the window letting out a gasp in awe.

"What are you doing?" Kyoya asked.

"This is so exciting!" She chirped, pressing her palm against the cool window. "My first time going over to someone else's house!"

Soon the car door opened. "Master, if you please..."

With that, the hosts began to trickle out of the two limos. Tamaki, Kyoya, and Miki in the first, Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey and Mori in the second.

"Wow, so this is Haruhi's house..." Kaoru hummed.

"It's pretty big, isn't it? Bigger than I thought." Hikaru added. 

"It had lots of rooms!" Honey squealed in excitement.

"But why are all the hallways outside?" Miki tapped her chin. "Isn't that a little unpractical to have to go outdoor just to reach a different room?"

"No, this is what's called aggregate commoner dwelling," Kyoya explained, "Haruhi's place is probably just one of the rooms among these."

"Eh? So they only have one room each?" Miki asked, wide-eyed.

"Kyoya! What's with all of these people?!" Placing a hand on his friend's shoulders, Tamaki grumbled, "Especially those two doppelgangers!"

"Oh." Placing his hand under his chin, Kyoya said thoughtfully. "I was sure that you didn't have the courage to come alone, so it would be better if we came en masse, I guess that was uncalled for. Okay, children, let's go home." He urged tapping the twins on the shoulder.

"No way, I don't want to go home." They protested.

"I'm sorry, forgive me, I don't want to be alone..." Tamaki sulked.

"Alright, listen up, men. Do not forget..." Pointing a finger up, Tamaki warned. "This is just a 'we happened to be passing by' sort of nonchalant visit, and is definitely not research on the Fujioka family's standard of living! The words 'shabby,' 'cramped,' and 'run-down' are absolutely forbidden!" He emphasized.

"Yes, sir!" Honey, Miki, Hikaru and Kaoru responded with a salute.

Getting a satisfactory answer, Tamaki continued. "Under no circumstances are you to say or do anything to make Haruhi or her father wish that we would leave."

"Too late for that. Go away, right now!" A voice behind Tamaki immediately drew everyone's attention. They look up, to find Haruhi standing there with plastic bags in hand and visibly twitching in anger.

"Ah! Haruhi!" Miki waved, jumping for joy.

"Plain and simple, looking good!" The host complimented.

"Shut up! Get the hell out of here!" She spat.

As Tamaki went on to accuse and lecture the twins about 'not teaching Haruhi bad words,' Miki went up to her with a clueless beam. Peeking into the grocery bags Haruhi was carrying, spotting some fresh vegetables. "What do you have there Haruhi?" She asked with an innocent beam.

"Some advertised special from the supermarket, Miki-senpai," Letting out an exasperated sigh, Haruhi's shoulders slumped in defeat.

Miki's eyes went wide. "You went to the supermarket?!" She gasped in disbelief, staring incredulously.

"Yes, why?" Eyebrows twitching, Haruhi followed up reluctantly. She had a terrible feeling in where this conversation was going.

"What was it like, shopping all by yourself?" Miki questioned, her eyes glimmering with admiration. "What does a supermarket look like from the inside? How big is it? Just how many assortments items are there? It's always been a dream of mine to visit a real supermarket!" She beamed.

Damn these rich people... Haruhi thought to herself.

***

After convincing Haruhi to finally open the door to her apartment with Honey's cake offerings, the view of an adorable little room came into view. It was rather simple, much less grand than what Miki was used to. She heard her brother let out a sigh in what seemed like relief next to her. She, in turn, held her breath, feeling a little uncomfortable by how small of a space this was. She felt as if the doors would shut on her any time, and she would be alone in the room.

"Shabby," Hikaru muttered, earning himself a face pull from Tamaki.

Kyoya hummed as he glanced around the room. "A wood built, two-story 2K. That's about right for a two-person father-daughter commoner family." He observed.

"Yeah, at Haruhi's size, she won't go hitting her head on the low ceilings." Kaoru nodded.

"It's a darling little room." Honey twinkled. 

With another eyebrow twitch, Haruhi muttered. "That's okay; you don't have to force yourself to compliment it." She sighed.

"It's quite small, is it not?" Miki stated more than asked, distracting herself from the nagging fear by gasping at the strangely unfamiliar items in the room.

Haruhi took off her shoes and began to walk into the room.

Noticing this, Honey pointed at the shoes at the foyer. "Haru-chan, we take our shoes off?" He asked.

"Yes, please."

"We have to take our shoes off before going in," Honey beamed up at Mori. "This room is like a dojo, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, forgive the intrusion!" Honey, Hikaru and Kaoru sang, stepping carelessly into the room.

"Pardon the intrusion," Mori said, passing by Haruhi.

"Excuse us." Tamaki apologized.

"Sorry to intrude." Miki bowed slightly.

"Forgive the intrusion." Kyoya tailed the group into the main room.

The Host Club filed into Haruhi's living room, as they goofed off over their sitting positions, Miki was off studying some structure details in Haruhi's home. She ran her hands along the walls of the compact Japanese style room; it helped to distract herself from the unsettling feeling that chilled her skin and assured that the walls weren't going to close in and swallow her whole. The small table, the placement of everything was minimal and allowed maximum storage, something Miki made sure to make a note of in her mind. Running her hand along with wall, she looked out the balcony window absently. Gripping the pastel green curtains in her hand, the voices of the host club drowned out of her mind as she watched the busy people bustle by, families holding hands, cars turning corners.

Kyoya, who had been looking over Haruhi's books noticed she froze up in the corner. Curiously, he waltzed over.

"Something the matter?" He asked, glancing over her shoulder at the view.

Shaking her head, Miki smiled blissfully. "It's nothing." She chimed as Haruhi called out that tea was ready. "Let's go; I'm a little hungry." Pulling Kyoya by the arm, she led him over and sat down on one side of the table, opposite to Mori.

"Haru-chan, you get to choose your cake first," Honey announced as he opened the box enthusiastically, showing a large assortment of cakes.

"Oh, are you sure?" Haruhi asked. "Well then, let's see..." She thought completely ignoring Tamaki and the twins in the background, eyes scanning over the colourful selection. "The strawberry one!"

"How cute!" Miki glanced over, watching as Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru move around restlessly muttering incoherently. Kyoya also raised an eyebrow, staring quizzically at them.

"Miki-chan, what about you?" Honey turned to the strawberry blonde curiously. "Haru-chan and I are going to have the strawberry ones; you can pick next." He offered with a small giggle.

"Then I'll have the Spanish Flan," Miki beamed, thanking the lolita as he picked up the dessert and placed it in front of her.

Before Haruhi could dig into her cake, Mori began to place strawberries onto her plate with a calm expression.

"You like strawberries?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you very much!"

Miki's eyes crinkled as she took a bite of the Flan, but before she had long to indulge in the flavour, she noticed a stifled yet dramatic cry coming from her brother and the twins. She blinked, watching as the trio as they cried and squealed, hammering their fists against the ground.

"Should we have taken action?"

"I wanted to give them to her!"

"We were taken in!"

Miki cocked her head to the side, not understanding what they were talking about. Cluelessly, she turned to Kyoya for help, who was also staring at them. "Kyoya-kun," She called out, tapping his shoulder. "What do they mean by 'taken action' and 'taken in'?" She hummed, pointing her fork in their direction.

Kyoya looked down, observing her for a moment. Then, with a slight smirk, he picked up a piece of cake in his fork. "I'll show you, open your mouth." He instructed her, watching as she stared blankly for a few seconds before opening it obediently. His smirk deepened as he quickly placed the dark chocolate cake into her mouth.

"Mmph..." Miki automatically closed her mouth, feeling Kyoya pull the fork out and let go of her. She began to chew slowly, indulging in the slightly more bitter and structured piece of cake. "So it means to feed someone?" She cocked her head, gently wiping away the crumbles of chocolate cake that got on her lips.

Going back to eating his cake without making eye contact, Kyoya shrugged with a slightly smug smirk.

"You could have just told me so, Kyoya-kun." She stated with a wry smile.

"I prefer actions over words."

In a matter of no time, the hosts have each finished their respective cakes.

"Ah, after eating that cake, I'm getting a bit peckish." Honey piped up, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Now that you mention it, it is long past lunchtime." Hikaru noticed.

Then in unison, Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki and Honey asked. "Is lunch ready?"

"Could you please stop living so relentlessly fancy-free..." Haruhi muttered, eyebrow twitching.

"Now, we're the ones who dropped in on you without warning, so we'll put up the money. Why not order some of your favourite sushi or something?" Standing up, Kyoya offered. 

"No, that's okay," Haruhi declined with a fearful look, "Kyoya-senpai, I'm going to dread it later if it's on you."

Taking out a credit card, Kyoya's glasses shone. "Not to worry. This comes out of sales of photos of you that we auctioned." He assured her.

"Then, it's really on me..." She muttered before letting out a sigh. "All right. I have a friend who runs a nice sushi shop nearby, so I'll give them a call, they have some high-quality stuff." She informed them.

The moment Haruhi mentioned high quality, Tamaki snapped around. With a pen and paper that came out of nowhere, he swiftly wrote something down and passed it over to her.

"Even if the sushi pack says 'premium' on it, you can't call it 'high-quality.' Be very careful," Haruhi read out loud. Then with a dark look, the crumbled the paper up and threw it into a nearby trashcan. "I know that much, at least." She growled. 

"Ehh?!" Slamming her hands on the table, Miki looked utterly awestruck. "Really?! Then what's the point of it being called 'premium'?!"

"Miki-senpai..." Haruhi's shoulders slumped in defeat, "Just what sort of world have you been living in...?"

With a finger to his chin, Honey requested. "I'd like to have something made by you, Haru-chan."

"That's fine, but even starting now, it will take some time." She reasoned.

"We'll wait." Honey sang.

"Well, then..." Haruhi sighed. "I'll have to go to the supermarket again."

Hearing that word, Miki jumped onto her feet. "Supermarket?!" She repeated, her hands clutching to her chest. "I want to go! I want to go!" Cheering, she stared at Haruhi with round puppy eyes. "Please, can I come with you?"

"Hey, that's not fair. I'm coming too." Hikaru got up.

"We want to come to the commoner's supermarket, too." Kaoru followed.

Honey raised his hand. "Me, too! Me, too!" He jumped.

"Well, this might be a good experience." Kyoya reasoned.

"Yay!" Putting on their shoes, the twins ran out of the Haruhi's apartment. "Commoner's supermarket! Commoner's Supermarket!" They cheered.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Miki giggled as she put on her gladiator style sandals, Miki quickly followed after the two. "I was the one who suggested we should go!"

Flying down the unsteady staircase, Miki quickly caught up with the twins.

"Took you long enough." They grinned at her.

"That's because you both had a head start!" Miki reasoned with a cheerful expression. "If we started at the same time, I swear I can probably beat both you!"

As the trio exchanged waves of laughter, Honey hopped down the stairs gleefully, Mori a few steps behind him with his usual stoic expression. "Miki-chan! Hika-chan! Kao-chan! I can't wait to see what Haru-chan is going to cook for us."

"Neither can I!" Miki exclaimed with excitement, noticing a figure approaching the apartment building. She quickly turned to look. In the distance, a woman with beautiful auburn hair was walking towards them. She brushed past the hosts and headed up the stairs with a slight bounce to her step.

"Do you think that person..." Hikaru started.

"... Is Haruhi's father?" Kaoru finished.

"Eh?" Miki tilted her head to the side in confusion. "But that was a woman." She pointed at the figure turned the corner on the second-floor staircase.

Clicking their tongues in unison, the twins shook their finger at Miki who grew more puzzled. "Miki-senpai, you don't get it." They patted her head with a hand each, gazing at her with eyes of pity. "That is called a tranny." They explained.

"A... Tranny?" Blinking rapidly, Miki hummed before instinctively searching for Kyoya who was right behind her. She looked up at him, asking for an explanation.

Kyoya let out a soft sigh, pushing up his glasses. "Tranny is a short form for transvestite." He explained, and before Miki could follow up with another question, he answered. "And transvestite a person who takes pleasure from dressing in clothes primarily worn by the opposite sex, in other words, a crossdresser. "

Miki pressed her lips, looking down thoughtfully as she blinked.

"His Highness and Haruhi are taking so long..." Hikaru whined as he looked up at the apartment building.

"We'll go check on him; you guys wait here." Kaoru offered, leaving with his brother.

With beady eyes, Honey looked up at Miki who kept her gaze to the ground as if she were lost in thought. "Miki-chan, is something the matter?"

Closing her hazel eyes, Miki pursed her lips. She reached her hand up and began tapping her chin. "Wouldn't that mean..." She began. "Haruhi is one too?"

The three present with her became dumbfounded, staring at her without words.

"She's a crossdresser, is she not?" Miki pointed out innocently.

With a weary sigh, Kyoya placed a hand atop her head. He gently ruffled her hair, causing her to lower her head slightly.

"It's a little different, Miki." He said, eyebrows twitching.

***

As it turns out, the person, the rest of the hosts, ran into was in fact, Haruhi's father. And so, they were invited back in to be properly introduced much to Miki's discomfort. Something seemed to have happened between 'Papa-san' and Tamaki because he was in his usually sulking position in the corner of the room.

"I see. You're the Host Club I've been hearing about. You really are a fine set of boys; I don't know which one of you I would take. Right, Haruhi? Oh, you can just call me Ranka-san. 'Ranka' is the professional name I use at the tranny bar where I work." Ranka greeted the group, cooing at all of them. As Ranka talked, Miki couldn't help but absentmindedly stare at how pretty that auburn hair was.

"Professional name? Like a stage name?" Honey piped up curiously.

"That right, Mitsukuni-kun." Ranka smiled.

"Huh? How do you know my name?"

Ranka's eyes narrowed as she swept across the hosts, "3rd-Years Haninozuka-kun and Morinozuka Takashi-kun... 2nd-Year Miki-chan... And you would be the 1st-Years, in the same class as Haruhi, Hitachiin Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun, right? Which one of you is which, I wonder... I'm always hearing stories about you." 

Kaoru looked dumbfounded as he asked. "Haruhi talks about us?"

Ranka shook his head. "Mm-mm, it's always from Kyoya-kun on the phone." He said before turning around to high-five Kyoya.

"Ranka-san, you really are beautiful!" He complimented, smiling and high-fiving with Ranka.

"What?!" Everyone yelled.

Seeking for answers, Tamaki reached out of his sulking corner. "Kyoya..." He muttered.

"We're looking after his precious daughter. It's only natural that I'd say hello, and give periodic reports on her, right? Ordinarily, that should be your job, right?" Sipping his tea casually, Kyoya commented indifferently.

"You really are a fine club president." Ranka rushed forth to compliment the boy as arrows of betrayal jabbed ruthlessly into Tamaki. "Oh, Kyoya-kun, you're the vice-president, aren't you? So the president isn't good for much, huh?" After dealing with all the shock, Tamaki crawled into the futon closets as mushrooms began to form and grow on him. 

"Hold on there, Dad!" Haruhi cut in, looking a little pale from all this new information, "I never heard that you were keeping contact with Kyoya-senpai!"

"Huh?" Ranka whined. "But Haruhi, you never tell me anything about school."

"So then, without telling me, you..." Haruhi paused and snapped at Tamaki who was growing mushrooms at an alarming rate, "Senpai, would you please stop growing mushrooms in other people's closets?!" She let out a tired sigh, clearly having a headache with family and friends clashing to meet.

"Haruhi, the thing about you is...you're even cute when you're angry!" Ranka cooed, nuzzling Haruhi. 

With a grumble, Haruhi pried herself out of Ranka's grip and grabbed her bag. "Miki-senpai." She called out to the strawberry blonde who was still entranced by Ranka's hair. "We are going." She announced.

"Eh?" Miki's eyes widened. "Okay!"

"Oh, no, where are you going?" Ranka pouted.

"To the supermarket," Haruhi opened the door, gesturing for Miki to hurry up. "Miki-senpai said it was her dream to go, so I'm bringing her along. The rest of you, please behave yourselves at home." Once Miki had her shoes on, the two girls walked through the door, closing it behind them.

***

Should I ask if Haruhi is a tranny?

Walking down the streets, Miki's eyes wandered to the sky. The conversation that played outside the apartment building a little earlier was still fresh in her mind, though she never got an answer from Kyoya in the end. She remembered Kyoya's face. He looked a little angry, though she couldn't understand why.

Maybe asking would only make him angrier... I'll just drop the subject then.

"I'd never know..." Haruhi murmured, quickly catching Miki's attention. "Who'd thought dad and Kyoya-senpai were in touch with each other..."

The blonde giggled, seeing her underclassman in such a defeated state. "You have a great father, Haruhi." She commented, causing Haruhi to look up. "He loves you very much," Her eyes crinkled as she thought nostalgically.

"Miki-senpai, how's your relationship with your father?" Haruhi turned to ask, expression slightly softened.

"Huh? Me?" Averting her eyes, Miki looked back up at the bright blue sky. "My father loves me very much too," She said, thinking of Yuzuru. "We don't see each other very often even when we lived in the same place, but he does his best to get through to me when he has the chance."

"I see," Humming Haruhi glanced forward. "What about your mother?"

Miki's eyes widened for a moment as a blurry image she managed to carve into her memories resurfaced. She doesn't remember the face very well, but she remembers seeing a figure looming over her with a delicate warm hand petting her forehead along with a smile, a smile that could ward away all the evils of the world.

"I don't get to see her very much either, all I have are memories of her." Her expression turned sorrowful, yet tender.

"I see, I'm sorry."

"By the way," Miki chuckled as she changed the subject, her mannerisms a little childlike. "Thank you for taking me to the supermarket!"

Haruhi smiled wryly. "You said it was your dream to visit a supermarket; I couldn't just shoot that simple-minded dream down."

Giggling, Miki's steps grew lighter. "You are so kind, Haurhi." She stated merrily.

A comfortable silence loomed between them as the late May breeze brushed past, sending Miki's dress a flutter. "Haruhi," Miki finally called out, earning a small hum. "Did you, you are my first and only female friend?" She revealed, a little absentmindedly.

"Eh?" Haruhi was taken aback by her statement, her silence urging Miki to go on.

Miki flashed a bright smile towards the brunette and hopped over, taking her hands in hers. "I guess I'm just saying, I'm glad to call you my friend. And I sincerely hope it will stay that way for years to come." She pronounced, her voice clear like a bell.

Haruhi was taken aback, but moments later, she too smiled.

"I hope so too, Miki-senpai."

Chapter Text

-Chapter 8-

Elder Sibling's  Dilemma !

"Welcome."

The doors to Music Room #3 opened once again as rose petals fluttered out in a spiral swirl. Seven shadows stood, basking in the light in their police costumes. A theme that Miki has been suggesting and working on for almost weeks, and it wasn't hard to guess where she got the idea from. One look at the strawberry blonde's starry eyes when they were in the prep room, and the answer was pretty obvious. This time, even she requested to join in on the cosplay fun, though once again, it wasn't a mystery why.

A little girl stood at the grand double doors. She had large crystal blue eyes, and her blonde hair was tied into two pigtails. If she hadn't opened the door on her own, one could mistake her for one of those beautiful ball jointed dolls. The little girl stared dreamily at the host club as Tamaki hummed.

"My, what an unusual guest we have here." He reached a hand out before flashing that charming smile of his. "Welcome, my lost kitty cat."

As the little girl continued to stare at the group, Miki approached them from her designated design corner with a curious expression. She tilted her head as she studied the little blonde girl. "Tamaki-kun, she's not a kitty, she's a hu-"

"Metaphor, Miki." Before she could finish her question, Kyoya reminded her as he crossed his arms.

"Ah."

"Kitty cat, where did you come from?" Tamaki asked, leaning forward.

With a slight flush on her cheeks, the little girl raised her finger and pointed at the host club. "Reverse harem!" She stated with no reservation, causing the entire host club par Miki to turn stiff. "This is a reverse harem!" She announced.

Reverse... Harem? Miki blinked as she tried to decipher the strange words.

There was a long silence as everyone just stared at the girl. Tamaki broke first as he began hitting the side of his head gently as if he were trying to get water out of his ear. "This can't be right," He forced a laugh. "Apparently, there's still some water left in my ear from when I was swimming at the pool."

"But we went to the pool almost three weeks ago." Miki pointed out.

"No, no, it's definitely the water, Miki-senpai." Hikaru wore an aloof smile as he also tried to fix his ears.

"The reason why it sounded like this little girl said 'reverse harem' must be because there's something funny going on with our ears," Kaoru added, copying his brother.

Hearing their reasoning, Miki too began to try and fix her ears. "No, she definitely said reverse harem." She concluded once she realized there was no difference in her hearing.

The little girl then raised a finger and said, "Debauchery." Causing the entire host club, par Miki to freeze up once again. "Yay! There is a debauchery here!" She cheered jumping up and down.

Miki quickly turned to Kyoya, who adjusted his glasses uncomfortably. "A reverse harem is when there are a group of men in love with a single girl and debauchery is the excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures." He replied in a slightly awkward and irritated manner.

Blinking, Miki then looked down at the jumping girl who raised a finger and pointed at her and Kyoya. "Clueless harem lead... Glass character..." She then switched to Honey and Mori. "Boy Lolita... Stoic Type..." Then to the twins who grunted uncomfortably. "Twincest... Studyhound." She announced the last one towards Haruhi before turning to Tamaki, who recoiled in fear at what archetype he was about to be given. However, she didn't assign him anything. Instead, her eyes widened with glee. "Big Brother..." She muttered before pushing off the ground and leaping up into Tamaki's arms who hurried to catch her. "You're blond, so you're big brother!" She declared.

"Clueless... Harem Lead?" Miki muttered as she pointed at herself, slightly puzzled.

"Miki-senpai, that's not the issue here!" Hikaru shouted.

"Yeah, another girl is claiming to be milord's sister! Where is your pride?" Kaoru continued, pointing at Tamaki and the little girl who hung off of him like a koala.

"H-Hold on, Tamaki stammered, the shock and confusion present on his face. "As far as I know, I only have one sibling." His eyes darted to Miki, who was still off in her world repeating the words 'clueless harem lead'. "As of late at least..."

"Now that you mention it, maybe you do kind of look alike. You're both blonde and all." Honey pointed out with an innocent beam.

"Honey-senpai, Miki-senpai is also blonde." The twins sweatdropped.

"But they are different shades," Honey stated as he glanced over at Miki. "Tama-chan is blonde, but Miki-chan is strawberry blonde."

"Hold on..." Haruhi was left utterly confused at the exchange. "From the way you guys are talking, you make it sound like Miki-senpai is Tamaki-senpai's sister..." Her voice trailed off as the hosts, except Tamaki and Miki stared back with equally puzzled expressions. They quickly thought back to the day Tamaki announced Miki's identity to everyone in the club room.

"That's right, Haruhi..."Hikaru mumbled.

"... you weren't there." Kaorus finished.

Having her suspicions confirmed, Haruhi quickly snapped around to stare at the two who were allegedly siblings. One was the flamboyant, self-proclaimed 'King' of the Host Club who struggled to pry the little girl off of him. The other was the airheaded, overly energetic production designer of the Host Club who was blankly mumbling words to herself in a contemplative state. Her shoulders slumped as she averted her eyes. "What a strange set of siblings..." She murmured.

"Um... Miss, what's your name?" Tamaki asked, a little lost on what to do.

"Kirimi." The little girl grinned, squishing her cheek into Tamaki's chin. 

"Kirimi-chan, you've made some kind of mistake, haven't you?" Tamaki questioned, putting Kirimi down, as he pointed at himself. "I already have a sister."

Hearing this, Kirimi began to tear up as she pouted at Tamaki. "You're not my Big Brother, even though you're blond?" She whimpered.

Tamaki seemed to have taken a critical hit from her as he stumbled back.

Seeing as he was about to lose his composure, the twins dragged Miki out of her little world and pushed her over to the other two blonds. "Miki-senpai, do something!" They instructed.

The strawberry blonde blinked at the little girl named Kirimi as they held a long stare. Lowering herself, she crouched next to the teary-eyed girl and flashed a soft smile. "I'm sure his sister wouldn't mind." She offered. "You can have him if you'd like."

.

.

.

~Tamaki's Mind Theatre~

Miki holding a sign. 'Big Brother for sale.'

"Miki!" The twins still managed to accomplish their goal by snapping Tamaki out of it, as he burst into comical tears and quickly clung to Miki. "You didn't mean that, did you? Tell me you didn't mean that!"

"Of course I was kidding, Tamaki-kun." Smiling brightly, not minding the salty tears that poured onto her face like a waterfall, Miki giggled.

"Miki!" Tamaki gasped in delight.

"Though, I do feel a little bad for Kirimi-chan."

"I have an idea!" Raising a finger, Tamaki picked up Kirimi and began spinning around like a top with a face of adoration. "All right. As of today, I will become your Big Brother as well, your Big Brother! You're so cute... you're so cute..."

"No matter how easily carried away by your feeling you may be, do you really think you should make such irresponsible declarations to a child that young?" Haruhi sweatdropped.

"I'm not irresponsible! I'll make sure I look after you! So come on home with me!" Tamaki retorted, still swinging Kirimi around.

"What should we do, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi turned to possibly the sanest and most logical person in the room.

"It's possible that she actually does have a blond older brother in high school, isn't it?" Kyoya placed a hand under his chin, proposing the possibility when the sound of a door creaking open caught everyone's attention. 

"Kirimi... Kirimi..." A ghostly voice spoke as a young man with long blond hair and crystal blue eyes, much like Kirimi stepped out behind the door of the Black Magic Club, a room Tamaki has repeatedly emphasized Miki not to step into out of the worry that she will become 'cursed.'

"Um, who are you?" The twins sweatdropped.

"He's a foreigner!" Honey chirped.

"And for that matter, didn't that door just appear out of nowhere?" Haruhi grumbled.

Seeing the little girl in Tamaki's arms, the blond man stepped forth hopefully, muttering her name with two other stepped out of the shadows of the black magic room. One was a maid, dressed in a Victorian-styled gown, while the other wore a black suit and tie.

"Master..."

"...you've forgotten your attire."

Swinging a piece of black velvet cloth over the young man, they quickly covered him and spun him like a tornado. Revealing an all-too-familiar man dressed in a black hood and spotting the cat puppet in his right hand. He grinned deviously.

"Nekozawa-senpai?!" Everyone quickly exclaimed.

"K-K-Kirimi..." Approaching Kirmi, who was put down by Tamaki Nekozawa stuttered. "S-So this is where you were..." His shadow loomed over and quickly consumed the little girl who jumped back in fear.

"Wahhh! A monster!" She screamed, looping her arms around Tamaki's neck in fear.

"It's all right... The cursed puppet Belzenef here is not the least bit scary. The Nekozawa family has worshiped cat-shaped objects for generations..." Nekozawa continued to approach her as he played with Belzenef in his hands.

"I don't think that's the problem here." Miki pointed out bluntly as she tapped her chin.

"It's not the puppet she's afraid of. Nekozawa-senpai, it's you. Yourself." Haruhi followed up with Kyoya nodding behind the two.

"It's because of the way you're dressed, isn't it?" The twins' eyes glistened as they lunged forth, trying to tear off his cloak.

"Don't do that! It's so bright; I'll die!" Nekozawa screeched.

"Master Umehito is terribly vulnerable to bright lights. As such, if he doesn't shroud himself in black attire, he cannot endure the brightness, and will collapse." The maid explained. "He even has to cover the lightness of the colour of his hair with a dark wig!"

"On the other hand, his sister, Miss Kirimi, hates dimly lit places," The Butler continued.

"So Kirimi-chan is really Nekozawa-senpai's little sister?" Haruhi asked, pointing at the little girl who clung to Tamaki for her dear life.

Clutching her hands to her chest, the maid nodded in a sorrowful way. "There's a legend that says that, for whatever reason, once every few hundred years, a person in the Nekozawa family is born, who, like Master Umehito, is fated to be possessed by darkness... The Master, as a result of his condition, is unable to go near his sister without his black attire, and Miss Kirimi fell in love with the fairy-tale prince of an older brother that she only knew from his portrait. After she learned that her older brother was enrolled in high school, she's gotten so that she will come looking for Master Umehito like this. Of course, we have repeatedly tried to comfort the Miss with bedtime stories of princely characters and having run out of stories to tell, we have lately added shoujo manga having prince characters that appear in them to her repertoire, and she has gotten utterly absorbed in them." Placing the back of her hand against her forehead, she exclaimed dramatically. "Ah! One basked in light, the other shrouded by darkness. Indeed, they are like the Romeo and Juliet of the Nekozawa family!"

"Romeo and Juliet?" Haruhi repeated, raising an eyebrow at the maid. "But Nekozawa-senpai and Kirimi are brother and sister; the situation is greatly different."

"Incidentally, we've been sent here to pick up Miss Kirimi..." The butler concluded the conversation as he quickly bowed his head to the blonde child.

"Is the whole Nekozawa family..." Hikaru began.

"...as strange as all this?" Kaoru finished, clutching onto his brother behind Tamaki and Kirimi.

"What are you talking about?! The Nekozawas are a distinguished, proper family, descended from the Tokarev dynasty of Russia!" The maid shouted with gleaming light in her eyes as she began to stretch Nekozawa's face in her hands like putty.

"Tokarev?" Kyoya repeated as everyone tilted their head to the side.

"D-don't you mean the Romanov dynasty?" Tamaki corrected with a sweatdrop.

"Come, Miss Kirimi," Ignoring the blond, the butler directed his attention to the little girl in his arms.

"Let's go home," The maid stood next to him, trying to take the little girl only to back away as she let out a shriek.

"No!!" Kirimi shouted, clutching onto Tamaki's neck for dear life. "I'm staying with Big Brother! I'd rather stay with Big Brother!"

"Miki-senpai," Hikaru and Kaoru pulled the observing strawberry blonde into a corner and whispered. "Shouldn't you feel a bit jealous at that?" They asked in a low voice.

"Huh? Why?" Miki blinked as she glanced back at Kirimi who was sobbing into Tamaki's shoulder, her little hands clutched his uniform, forming wrinkles.

"Because if it were me, I wouldn't ..." Hikaru shook his head with a defeated sigh.

"...like another person clinging onto my sibling like that." Kaoru finished, copying his brother.

Miki hummed as she studied Tamaki and Kirimi, searching deep within herself. Should she be jealous? Was she jealous? She couldn't tell.

"Nekozawa-senpai..." Tamaki muttered.

"That's okay, Suoh-kun. It doesn't matter what happens to me. Please, please, give Kirimi the love that she needs!" Nekozawa shouted before running out of the clubroom.

"Nekozawa-senpai!"

"Siblings are such that they are the source of problems, in any family," Kyoya spoke knowingly as he lifted his glasses. Miki turned around to look at him with her brows knitted together. His eyes were obstructed by the glare, not visible to her.

"I'm jealous of them," Haruhi sighed, staring out the window. "I've been an only child my whole life. Yet actually having a brother, but not getting along with him is kind of sad, huh?" She commented with a thoughtful expression.

Hearing her speak, Miki's eyes locked with Tamaki. "I want to help them, Tamaki-kun." She announced, finding relief in her system as he nodded in agreement.

"What's the matter, Big Brother?"

"I'm sorry, Kirimi-chan, I'm not your big brother," Tamaki's voice trailed off as everyone except Haruhi gathered around him. "We are the police!" He declared, then his face dissolved into a patient smile. "But don't you worry. Kirimi-chan, you have a prince that's even more handsome than me, and he's your real Big Brother." He glanced at the hosts behind him, who were all saluting as if they were really part of the police force. "All right men, once she came here, Kirimi-chan became a guest of the Host Club. Ouran Host Club exists in order to bring happiness to girls. Having a brother and sister that don't care for each other, and who can't be with each other, is a serious problem that should not be! As of now, 'Operation Reform Nekozawa-senpai into the Bright, Princely Character that Kirimi-chan Prefers' is underway!"

"But Tamaki-kun, how should we go about this?" Miki tapped her chin thoughtfully, sounding like a detective from the show she loved so much.

Then, before anyone could say anything more, there was a large rumble in the room followed by the sound of a power motor. The ground shook as the floor opened up and the sound of familiar laughter filled the room.

"Ohohohoho~" Renge rose from the ground on her revolving platform and her hands on her hips and her feet in a wide stance, once her fit of snobbish laughter came to an end, she flashed a confident smile at the hosts. "I have concluded that Nekozawa-senpai will require my special training. Someone get him to Science Room #3! Our training begins immediately!" She pointed forward with a prideful grin.

"No one..."

"...asked you." The twins sighed.

***

"Your golden hair, as it flickers in the candlelight...Your shining, ivory skin...Your smile, more mysterious than a flower, illuminated by moonlight...Yes, almost as if..."

"...AS IF YOU WERE A CURSED WAX STATUE, WITH YOUR MALEVOLENCE-"

"Wrong!" Renge shouted, slapping Nekozawa sharply with a paper fan and placed her hands on her hips. Her dirty blonde hair seemed to have transformed into vipers like the day when Miki first met her. "You numbskull! Who told you to say that line?! How many times do I have to tell you using occult terms is off-limits?!"

"B-but, my vocabulary is limited to these sorts of words..." Nekozawa tried to reason, only to piss Renge off even more as her eyes gleamed in a fury.

"Talking back to me is off-limits, too!" Hitting him even harder and fiercer, Renge yelled. "A princely character doesn't come up with such a sissy excuse so easily!" She pointed a finger at a slide show she made. "Remember, it's good to have a dark side. Solitary characters work pretty well with young girls, too. But these days, the occult, horror, and the like are out of the question!" She then turned to Mori who stood at the blackboard with a piece of chalk in hand. "Mori-senpai, add another no-good word!"

"Wax statue, right?" Mori repeated as he added another word to the full list.

"Renge-kun is really ripping it up, huh?" Kyoya spoke with a hint of amusement, leaning against the table.

"She's on a roll," Honey agreed.

"But I'm not sure if those lines will be practical for his sister, though." Propping an arm up on the chair, Hikaru hummed.

"Really? I'm learning lots!" Miki chirped happily as she glanced over at the blackboard as her legs were swinging around beneath her. "Look at all those new words I've learnt."

"And, you are not to use a single one of them." Kyoya felt his eye twitched.

"Eh? Why?" Miki's eyes rounded as she turned to look at Kyoya, she pouted a little with disappointment laced in her voice.

"They are not words to be used on a daily basis in the first place." Adjusting his glasses, Kyoya informed her.

Miki glanced over at the board as she tried to come up with a scenario where she could possibly use words such as 'Blood Ritual' or 'Wax-Statue.' After a little while of thinking, she concluded that he was correct and let out a small chuckle.

"What are you laughing about?" Giving her a weird look, Kyoya asked.

"Kyoya-kun, you really are a nice person." Miki giggled, earning her an eyebrow raise of skepticism from him.

"Evil beam!!" Renge shouted, shining a flashlight in Nekozawa's face, causing him to shrink and shriek in fear. "Don't you let a mere flashlight upset you! Pluck up your nerve! It's not a physical problem for you, which means its a problem of guts! Don't you want to make Kirimi proud?!"

Once she switched off the flashlight, Nekozawa slumped over and curled up int he darkness of the science room. "Even if I go through any more specialized training, there's no guarantee that Kirimi will accept me..." Nekozawa sighed gloomily, "Rather than Kirimi having me for an older brother, Suoh-kun, you should be her substitute older brother, instead." He said gloomily.

"You're the one that girl really wants to see, aren't you?" Tamaki furrowed his brows. "If you hold your sister dear, then show more guts, even if it kills you! Reach out to her, whether or not she decides to respond is up to her!" He declared loud and clear, the vibrations of his voice rattling Miki's heart. Her hazel eyes widened slightly, then flickered down as the Tamaki's words echoed in her head.

Miki! It's time for dinner, hurry up and come join us!

Good Morning! Get up and get ready for school!

Look! We have unagi rice tonight for dinner!

Do you want to dress up as a policewoman with us? Of course, I'll make that happen for you!

She felt a slight clutching in her heart as her lips curled into a wry smile.

Suddenly the doors to the room opened as a bright light beamed into the darkened science lab, cutting Miki off of her train of thoughts.

"Haruhi!" Averting her attention away from Tamaki and Nekozawa, Miki jumped off the table and greeted the brunette.

"What's wrong Haruhi?" Kyoya stood up straight as well. "Aren't you good with children?" He asked.

"No, I don't dislike them or anything..." Her voice trailed off as she thought back to past few days, where she was trapped in the club room reading shoujo manga to Kirimi. "She had me read around 50 volumes of shoujo manga for the past three days. And of all the things, this stuff is really full of reverse harems, and debauchery."

"Would you like for me to take over? I could take her outside and play for a little." Miki offered as she stepped towards the brunette.

"That would be great, thank you very much." Haruhi beamed.

***

In the central garden of Ouran Academy, Miki held Kirimi by the hand as the little girl balanced her way on the concrete ledge. The sound of water flowing from the fountain filled the area as Kyoya sat under a pavilion, reading a book. Tamaki had sent him out to watch over Kirimi along with Miki as he assists with Nekozawa's training, though admittedly it was more like him watching over two kids.

"Just a little more!" Miki encouraged as Kirimi nodded with determination. And with just a few shaky yet concentrated steps, she made it to the other end of the ledge and burst into a fit of giggled as the strawberry blonde picked her up and spun her around with praises.

As she was being lowered to the ground, Kirimi glanced at the pavilion behind her. She watched as Kyoya flipped another page of his book, once her feet touched the concrete, she let go of Miki and pointed at him. "I want glasses character to play with us!" She ordered.

After sending her off to one of the grassy fields nearby to wait, Miki approached Kyoya from behind gingerly.

"What is it?" Noticing her presence, Kyoya called her out.

Realizing that she had been found, Miki hummed as she leaned over the open-aired bench next to him from the outside of the pavilion. "Kirimi-chan wants you to come and play with us." She explained with an airy voice.

"Tell her I'm busy." He responded indifferently as his half-lidded eyes continued to scan the book before him.

"Eh? You are going to make her cry, you know?" Miki reasoned.

Against Kyoya's better judgment, he looked up from his book and at her. She was pouting with a disappointed and depressed look. She looked more like the one that was about to cry. If she had cat ears, they would be flattened. He felt his eye twitch as he averted his eyes, his mind began to list off any positives to joining the two on their little game, but not much came up. Because there wasn't any. Giving her upset form one last glance, he let out a sigh in frustration and closed his book. "Very well then." He caved in.

Cheering, Miki quickly looped around to the exit of the pavilion with a bright beam. "Let's go, Kyoya-kun!" Grabbing him by the hand, she dragged him towards the field towards a waving Kirimi with shining cheeks.

"What are we even playing?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow, the annoyance in him dissipating slightly.

Miki let go of his hand, she glanced up and tapped her chin in thought. Then an idea flashed across her hazel eyes like a shooting star, as she ran up to Kirimi and began whispering.

Kyoya's brows drew closer as he crossed his arms, watching as she grinned from ear to ear. Kirimi's expression brightened, the longer she talked.

"How does that sound?" Backing away, he heard the strawberry blonde with a bubbly voice.

"Yeah! I want to play that!" Jumping up and down, Kirimi agreed.

"Alright then," Backing away with a bell-like giggle, Miki turned to Kyoya with a playful expression.

Kirimi struck an empowering pose, forming a gun with her little hand. "I'm the Pretty Girl (Bishoujo) Detective, Nekozawa Kirimi!" She announced enthusiastically.

Kyoya shot Miki a weird look, watching as she got into a mirrored pose and raised a gun signal of her own. "And I am her assistant, Miki!" She winkled mischievously.

"Foul villain!" Kirimi pointed at Kyoya with a severe face. "How dare you steal the love slaves of the reverse harem! We will have you arrested for this!"

No doubt this detective themed game was Miki's idea, it had her name practically written on it. Already regretting his agreement to play with them, Kyoya heaved a sigh and raised both hands in the air with an emotionless face.

"He's resisting arrest! Commissioner Kirimi, what do we do?" Ignoring his clear signal of surrendering, Miki gasped as he felt mouth tugged into a displeased frown.

"Tackle him!" And with that, the two girls charged forth, tackling an already agitated Kyoya to the soft grass in a fit of giggles.

Looking down, the boy with glasses glared at the real mastermind of this game in his arms, only to find a carefree expression as she continued to chuckle. Once again, he found the irritation simmering down just slightly.

Sensing a pair of keen eyes staring at her, Miki glanced up with a blank expression. She seemed rather unfazed by how close their faces were. "Is something wrong Kyoya-kun?" She tilted her head, blinking a few times.

"What am I going to do with such a troublesome woman?" With an amused yet wry smirk, Kyoya reluctantly placed his hand on her long, fluffy hair, earning another radiant smile in return.

After a little more playing in the grassy fields, or Miki and Kirimi playing, while Kyoya got dragged around, the little girl suggested playing hide n' seek in the hedge maze. So with Kirimi being it and counting, Kyoya and Miki hid behind a tree not to far from where she was counting. However...

"Oh, it's a cat." Peeking out of their hiding spot, Miki whispered as she spotted the giant stray creature standing before the unmoving little blonde girl, it was almost half her size. "Do the whole Nekozawa family warm up to felines quickly?" She asked.

"Something is not right." Kyoya hushed, watching intently with narrowed eyes.

From their angle, they couldn't quite see her face. But Kirimi was so unresponsive; it was a little worrisome. Then, they heard a small sniffle. "Help... Big Brother." She whimpered.

Before either of the two had time to react to her cry for help, there was a loud crash, the sound of shattering glass followed by a loud cry for Kirimi. Nekozawa has jumped out of the third-floor science room and into the bright sunlight, shocking everyone. However, instead of falling and losing consciousness, he landed on his hands and feet just like how myths depicted that cats could and bolted towards Kirimi.

"Kirimi!" The little girl's crystal eyes widened as she spotted Nekozawa rush over to her at full speed, scooping her up into his protective arms. Kirimi quickly wrapped her arms around him with a blissful smile on her face.

"Big Brother!" She reached out her clammy hands. 

"You see, Kirimi? No need to be afraid of that bad kitty anymore." Nekozawa comforted the little girl as he placed her down. Holding up Bellzenef, he continued. "With the power of this cursed puppet, Belzenef... I'll curse... curse..." Then, his voice trailed off as he quickly lost balance and fell forth as his body began to twitch from being in the sun for too long. The cat narrowed its eyes at the two almost in an endearing manner before tottering away.

"Nekozawa-senpai!" Miki cried out as she rushed toward the two, Kyoya following behind. "He jumped out of the window for her..." She spoke in awe as she knelt next to Nekozawa and a thoughtful looking Kirimi.

"Well, I suspect his family will have to pay quite a sum of money for breaking the glass." With his arms crossed before his chest, Kyoya's eyes were glued to the shattered window.

"Still..." Watching Nekozawa in admiration, Miki tilted her head. "That was a very courageous thing to do for your sister, Nekozawa-senpai."

***

That evening, Tamaki was doing some homework in his room when he heard a faint knock on the door. Usually, the maids would announce their presence with a cheery tone, so it was a little strange for someone just to knock silently. He glanced up to find Miki standing at the door, wearing her usual chiffon dress and clutching her tablet to her chest.

"Miki?" Pushing away from his desk a little, Tamaki gasped. "What can I help you with?"

"May I come in Tamaki-kun?" Miki chuckled, feeling a little awkward. "I wanted to spend a little time with you."

There was a brief moment of silence as Tamaki just stared at his sister with a dumbfounded, surprised expression. The past month she had been in the Second Estate, she rarely visited his room, not by her initiative at least. It caught Tamaki a little off guard.

As the silence ensued, Miki tilted her head with a slight pout forming on her lips. "Can I not?" She asked, a little disappointed.

Hearing her assumption, Tamaki shook his head. "Of course you can!" He exclaimed, jumping out from his seat to usher her in with a delighted smile. "I'd love to spend time with you, my dear sister."

Chapter Text

-Chapter 9-

Covering the Famous Host Club!

The Floral department was rushing back and forth in the inner garden of Ouran Academy, Miki both helping out to plant some flowers as well as monitoring the progress. Ten more minutes until the host club opens, and they were running some final touch-ups.

"Miki-san, where should plant these?" One of the designers asked.

"This should go by the pond," Pointing over at a blue to a purple assortment of flowers, Miki instructed patiently as her arm instinctively wiped away beads of sweat that glistened on her forehead. "Hikaru and Kaoru are stationed there; this colour should help their costumes pop." She then turned to one of the other workers. "Make sure Tamaki-kun's station is surrounded by hydrangeas." She reminded. "That'll help him play into the forbidden rendezvous act."

The worker pointed at the crowded flower clusters. "Is this enough?"

Miki paced over, glancing around and noticing a slightly bare spot. "Please add more over there; it needs to feel secluded."

"Understood."

"How are the bonsai trees looking Miki-san?" The gardener asked.

Holding her hands up, Miki formed a camera frame with both her thumbs and index fingers. After a moment of humming and adjusting the angle, she nodded with a bright beam. "It's perfect! Thank you for your hard work! We can start running the stream anytime now!"

"Miki-senpai." Approaching Miki from behind, Haruhi called out to her. She was already dressed up in her kimono, ready for the host club to open for business.

"Haruhi!" Miki skipped up to her friend with a cheerful smile, observing her beautiful costume. "You look wonderful!" She complimented.

"Thank you very much." With a small bow of gratitude, Haruhi proceeded to look around the inner garden in slight disbelief. In a matter of hours, it seemed to have gone from a regular garden to an outdoor garden suited to the Heian Era. "But you really did a number here, Miki-senpai. It looks so realistic."

Miki giggled, scratching her chin shyly. "I will have to thank Kyoya-kun later," She explained. "He gave me lots of reference materials to draw from. With data and detailed information like that, inspiration comes like a breeze."

"I see..." Haruhi hummed, still taking in the beauty of the garden.

"Miki! Miki!" The next to enter the area, was Tamaki with sparkling eyes. Like an overly doting father, he beckoned Miki over excitedly. "Come here! I have a surprise for you!"

Blinking rapidly, Miki tilted her head to the side wondering what could the surprise be.

***

By the time Miki got back to the inner garden, the host club has opened its doors to the customers. Girls gathered around the station of their favourite hosts, being entertained with honeyed words and hilarious jokes. Some caught sight of her and squealed.

"Miki-chan!" One of the guests called out to her. "You look so pretty!"

As it turned out, the surprise Tamaki had in store for her, was a beautiful kimono of her own. Since that incident with Nekozawa and Kirimi, the two have been spending more and more time together, with Miki often drawing up her production sketches in Tamaki's room. And while she was sketching up the layout for today's theme, Tamaki had overheard her muttering about how she wanted to try wearing a kimono as well. Of course, when he revealed the surprised, Miki practically jumped onto him and enveloped him into a bear hug.

"Thank you very much!" Miki giggled, twirling around gracefully, being careful not to step on the fabric accidentally.

"You look great Miki-senpai." Haruhi waved, standing in the gardens with a tranquil expression.

Bouncing over with a giddy heart, Miki stood beside her friend singing a word of thanks. "You look so happy, did something good happen?" She asked with a radiant smile.

"No, nothing like that." Haruhi quickly shook her head, glancing over the hydrangeas. "I just think that it's so peaceful, I guess that's what acclimation will do to you." She said thoughtfully.

"Acclimation?" Miki blinked.

"When you try and adapt or get accustomed to the new climate," Haruhi explained. "Like right now, we are transitioning from Spring to Summer."

"I see," Sneaking a quick glimpse over her work, Miki agreed. "It is very peaceful. I felt the same way just by looking through the catalogues." She then turned to look at the hosts, each absorbed in their roles. Hikaru and Kaoru were playing a shell matching game, Honey and Mori had stuffed themselves into a single kimono with only Honey's face popping out as Mori attempted to feel the soba noodles to the lolita. Tamaki, he was at his station, speaking to a love-struck guest in the midst of the flower field. She then turned to look a Kyoya who stood not too far away from them with a couple of guests, overlooking the yarimizu channel as he wrote down reservations in his notebook. Feeling a sense of peace overcome herself, she let out a satisfied sigh, but that was when...

"Haruhi! Miki! Watch out!" Tamaki yelled.

Haruhi and Miki snapped around, seeing a ball heading directly for them and the blond bolting towards them in full speed, a trail of dust behind him. Miki let out a shriek in shock and jumped out of the way, but poor Haruhi didn't react in time as Tamaki grabbed onto her, tumbling into the field of flowers.

"Ouch..." Rubbing the side of her head that hit the soft grass when she landed, Miki murmured under her breath. With on eye closed, she sat on the ground, gently rubbing her head when she felt a figure loom over her. Glancing up to meet his eyes, she saw Kyoya looked down at her. He bent down to have a look at her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, touching the side of her head.

"Of course." Hearing his concerns Miki, nodded with glimmering cheeks. "Something as little as this won't hold me down," She quickly bounced back onto her feet. "Don't worry, Kyoya-kun."

"That's good to hear." An amused smirk plastered across his face, watching as she dusted off her kimono.

Miki turned to look at her brother only to find his eyes gleaming. "What?!" He growled. "Then, try catching this!" Reeling his leg back, he kicked the ball on the ground with full force. "Starlight Kick!"

"What!?" Kaoru gasped.

"That's fast!" Hikaru added.

"Wow!" Miki squealed.

"Take care." The twins cheered sarcastically, waving handkerchieves at the ball that curved up into the air and vanished with a sparkle.

Miki held a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. She watched with an awestruck expression as the ball once again curved in midair. She blinked, her face turning blank.

"Tamaki-kun." She called out to him.

"Yes, Miki?"

The strawberry blonde blinked a few more times, still looking out into the distance.

"The ball is going to crash into a school window." She said with an oddly face.

"What?!"

Sure enough, the sound of shattered glass echoed through the school, followed by two frantic voices yelling 'President!'.

***

Sitting on the ground, holding the dustpan as Haruhi swept the glass in, Miki glanced around the room curiously. Tamaki stood behind her apologizing continuously.

"No, not at all. It was just a mari ball breaking through the window and hitting me right on the head." The newspaper club president Komatsuzawa Akira spoke, resting his hands on his chin. One of his club members held an ice pack over his head, trying to sooth the bump Tamaki's starlight kick gave him.

"Sorry!" Tamaki bowed again.

With a wry smile, Akira continued. "However, this works out perfectly. In fact, I was just thinking about asking the Host Club to let us do a story on you." He proposed.

"I never realized Ouran had a newspaper club," Haruhi said, cleaning up the last bit of glass shards as Miki nodded in agreement. Standing up, she made her way over to where the twins were and began looking through the bundles of newspapers, noticing they were all the same. She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. I thought people only buy one issue of the news.

Almost as if on cue, Hikaru and Kaoru turned over the separate articles they were reading.

"It's mostly just gossip, we call it Ou-spot." Hikaru explained, pointing at an article that read 'Teacher is growing hair!'. "It covers the school love affairs, separation in class divisions caused by family power struggles and so on."

Kaoru nodded, holding up a piece that read 'Love across the Social Classes!!'. "It's a gossip paper, specializing in excessively stirring up scandals."

With narrowed eyes, they glared at Akira and spoke in an indifferent tone. "It's all made up, so no one reads it anymore."

Miki hummed, looking over all of the identical bunches of papers. "So all of these are their unsold copies?" She asked bluntly, adding salt to the wound, causing Akira to freeze up.

"It's true; we lost sight of the truth as we've focused on getting attention." He stood up, slowly with a solemn expression. "However, evident by those unsold papers, we are getting close to being shut down. Yet it is now that our eyes have finally been opened. We have realized what we should be covering and reporting on." Bowing their heads at them, they pled. "Please, for the last paper of the 1st term. We would like you to let us reveal the truth behind your charm, in an up-close special edition of the host Club. Please offer us your help."

Miki left the pile of new papers to stand before them with the Host Club, blinking as they kept their heads bowed. She wanted to help them.

"Just leave it to me," Tamaki responded, swiping his hair to the side. "I would be happy to acc-"

"We must decline." Before Tamaki could finish, Kyoya shoved him out of the way plastered with an unbalanced smile. "Unfortunately, we limit any information about us to our guests. We will gladly pay any costs related to treating your injury."

"Eh? Why?" Miki turned to look at him, a little shocked. She always thought Kyoya was a nice person, so she was surprised by his immediate decline.

"Because Miki-senpai." Kaoru crossed his arms. "There isn't any benefit to help them out after so much nonsense they've written."

"Besides," Raising his arms above his head, Hikaru continued. "We don't want to get involved their drama. And we don't like people who cause trouble for others." He shrugged.

"But..."

"I see..." Cutting Miki off before she could protest, Akira sat slumped onto the chair. "I guess you really can't erase the sins of the past, huh? You can't get people to offer you a chance to redeem yourself, huh?" He muttered before letting out a shriek of pain. "Aah! The pain in my head!" He yelled dramatically as the two members of the club ran up to comfort him. He continued to yell and scream in an exaggerated manner about his lightheadedness. "I guess we can only disband in grace..." He groaned, clutching onto his head. Miki felt her heart clutch in pain at his words.

"That's not true!" Tamaki exclaimed. "People can always get a fresh start. Very well, we will rally the strength of the Host Club, and work together to re-establish the Newspaper club!" He declared.

"Not us." The twins muttered — each grabbing one of the girls and dragging them towards the exit of the room.

Miki blinked as Hikaru grabbed her by the arm. "We'll never be able to go along with how trusting you are sir."

"Besides, it's too much trouble." Kaoru reasoned.

"We're leaving, Tamaki," Kyoya told him, turning to leave as well. "We're holding an evaluation meeting in the club room, mostly about you."

"Wait!" Quickly shaking free of Hikaru's grasps, Miki ran back to Tamaki and turned around to look at the hosts. "I agree with Tamaki-kun!"

"Miki!" Tamaki cried comical tears as he clung to her.

"The club that they poured their hearts into is at risk!" Miki exclaimed. "Sure they may have done some unjustly things in the past, but life is all about experiences. If they learned their lesson, then don't they deserve a second chance?"

"Exactly!" Tamaki let go of his sister and glared sternly at the backs of the host. "This is an order from the club president! I will not allow you to refuse!" He declared.

Slowly turning around, the hosts scowled at him. With gleaming eyes and a flat tone, they said in unison. "We refuse!"

***

After leaving the newspaper club, Miki couldn't help but constantly worry about them as she walked back to the clubroom, having changed out of her kimono. They looked so upset and distraught over their club nearly being disbanded. She also couldn't shake off how coldly Kyoya and the twins refused to aid them. Looking up, she noticed another figure approaching the door.

"Kyoya-kun?" She called out to him, stopping in her tracks.

Kyoya was about to open the door to music room #3 when he heard his name being called by a familiar voice. He glanced up to see Miki standing there, looking a bit dumbfounded. Though he knew what was coming, he adjusted his glasses in a reserved manner. "Yes Miki, is something the matter?" He smiled uneasily.

"Why wouldn't you assist the newspaper club with their article?" She asked, her brows furrowing slightly.

"I already explained, we try to limit information about us to our customers." He spoke in an indifferent tone, crossing his arms.

"But still..." With a slight pout, Miki lowered her eyes to a downcast as she heard Kyoya's footsteps approach. "Don't you think they deserve a second chance? They looked so desperate and a-"

"Miki." Interrupted mid-sentence, she looked up to find Kyoya directly before her. "How many times do I have to tell you? The world isn't as black and white as you make it out to be." He looked down, studying as her expression changed to realization. "Besides," He paused, in a low voice, he narrowed his brownish-green eyes. "I don't think you understand the situation you are in."

"Huh?" Perking up slightly, Miki blinked.

Lowering his body, to her eye level. "In all your time here, I think you have forgotten that your identity is meant to remain a secret." He gently pressed her shoulder, backing her into the soft pink walls of the corridor. Miki strangely felt her heart rate spike as her back collided softly into the smooth surface."If we allow them to investigate our club, they will get dangerously close to uncovering you and your family history." He warned her, a small hint of amusement dancing across his eyes.

Gasping slightly, Miki's eyes widened. Her eyes flickered down to the ground, noticing just how close he was to her. "Kyoya-kun..." She muttered.

"Hm?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow, his small frown not fading.

She kept silent for a few moments, thinking about something. Then she opened her mouth. "Isn't this considered sexual harassment?" She asked, her face blank.

Kyoya blinked for a few moments, feeling his eye twitch lightly. Then before he could say anything back, he heard Miki let out a small snicker. He looked down in slight annoyance to see her giggling into her hand.

"Miki..." He grumbled, the dark grimace on his face corrupting the air around him, but it was seemingly countered by the radiating light her laughter was emitting.

"Hehehe, kidding~" Finally calming down from her fits of giggles, Miki wiped away some tears that found their way into her eyes through laughing. "I see, so that was the reason why." She tilted her head. "Kyoya-kun, you really are a nice person."

"One of the reasons, at least."

"Despite that, I still want to help them though." Her shoulders shrugged, Miki beamed. "I understand your concern for me, but I think I'll be just fine." She reassured him sweetly. "I've been hiding for years; I doubt they would be able to figure it out within a day." With an overly bubbly voice, her hands balled into fists before her chest.

"That's different; you were actively hidden away then." Kyoya gritted his teeth. Sometimes, this girl really drove his sanity up the walls, much like her brother.

"Kyoya-kun... You look angry." She pointed out with a deadpan, wide-eyed expression. Not knowing what else to do, she gently patted his soft hair with a childish smile. "Don't worry so much, if you do your panda eyes are going to get worse."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Kyoya placed his hand on her head. Letting it linger there for a while, his fingers twitching out of irritation. He considered taking his frustration out by gently squeezing her head a bit, but decided against it. Then, turning around on his heel, he reached for the doorknob once again. Since he was turned away, Miki couldn't exactly see his expression under the shadow of his hair, but she quickly assumed they are once again on good terms. So with a slight hop to her step and hum to her voice, she waited for him to open the door, which he did once he calmed himself down a little.

However, when he opened them, a new set of problems awaited him.

Curled up like a pillbug near the windows, was Tamaki who still hasn't changed out of his kimono. He crouched there, toying with the white ball he had kicked earlier before turning around and shooting Kyoya his best puppy dog eyes.

Kyoya's eyebrow twitched.

Does he ever win against either of these two?

Feeling like he just lost years of his life, he lifted his glasses with closed eyes. "There will be some conditions." He grumbled.

"Woof!" Tamaki barked.

"Yay!" Jumping up with a fist pump, Miki cheered.

"The outline for the special feature articles will be submitted by us. Interviews will be cardinally prohibited. Views of us entertaining the customers will be intrusive to them, so they are out." 

"Woof! Woof!"

"Understood!" Miki giggled, running up to give her brother, now turned dog, a ruffle on the head.

***

"I saw you move Kyoya!" Tamaki yelled from across the field, waving his finger around like a little kid.

The entire host club was playing 'The Daruma Doll' out in the inner garden which has been reverted to its original form. Tamaki, the host club's king, was chanting the commoner's children game. Kyoya was only glad Tamaki came up with the idea of the game. If it were Miki, she would've suggested something insane like the 'Pretty Girl Cops' one she played with Kirimi the other day. He sighed and walked over.

"Yes, yes."

Haruhi sighed next to Miki with a weary yet merry expression. "I hope this ends soon..." She wondered out loud, her body slumping from how much they have been playing.

"Awe, come on!" Giggling, Miki reached her arms up in a stretch. "Don't be like that; this is so much fun!" She opened her eyes to see Akira approaching with his mini-notebook open and his two other club member holding cameras and lighting equipment.

"Fujioka-kun and Suoh-san, wasn't it?" He asked, approaching the girls.

"Hm?" The two girls turned to look at him.

"Might I have a brief word with both of you?" He smiled an unreadable smile, pen ready to record.

"Okay," Haruhi replied first.

"Why did you join this club?"

"Oh, well, it was over me being a little careless..." Haruhi's voice trailed off, remembering her debt.

"You are an honour student, aren't you?" Brushing off Haruhi's answer, Akira continued to pursue.

"Yes, I am."

"So in other words, you are a token member of this club here in order to allow the Suoh family to flaunt their power."

Miki blinked at those words of his.

"Huh?" She stared at him.

Lowering his voice, Akira whispered. "Could I ask you to tell me about his darker side? Perhaps I will be able to help you out of here, as well."

"He doesn't have a darker side," Haruhi stated factually.

"What?!" Seeing as he was getting nowhere with Haruhi, he turned to Miki who blinked. "As the only female member of the club, do you have an input on this Suoh-san? Does he ever coax you with sweet words to follow him?" He asked, leaned closer. Miki noticed how his pen was moving at a rapid pace.

"No." Lifting a finger with a bright smile, Miki said. "Tamaki-kun is a wonderful person. I stay with him because I want to."

"So you both are telling me, that those high school kids genuinely enjoy playing these games?" He gritted his teeth, seemingly frustrated.

After a few moments, Haruhi replied. "Is that strange?"

"It's really fun Komatsuzawa-senpai!" Miki chuckled, she grabbed onto his hand and began pulling him towards the games. "Do you want to try it?"

"N-No."

"CHOP!" Suddenly, Hikaru and Kaoru busted between the three and separated them. Each of them grabbing one of the girls they began to run off.

"Hey! That's not where you are supposed to cut you know!" Tamaki yelled after them, flailing his hand with Kyoya's in it.

After getting tired of that game, Tamaki suggested to play 'kick the can' instead. After declaring Kyoya as 'it,' Tamaki reeled his feet back, once again using his signature move.

"Starlight Kick!" The colourful can whizzed past the newspaper club members and the host club scattered, each of them searching for a hiding spot. Miki bolted off, towards the courtyard, settling for a small bush her and Kyoya hid when they were playing hide n' seek with Kirimi.

As she was settling into her hiding spot, a shadow quickly loomed over her. Blinking a few times, she glanced up to see Kyoya looking down at her with a smug smirk.

"Kyoya-kun!" Miki exclaimed, standing up from the bushes and dusted down her skirt. "You were peeking, weren't you? Besides, there is no way that was thirty seconds."

"The Game is on hold, Miki." Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya sighed. "I have something more interesting in mind." And with that his smirk deepened, leaving Miki to tilt her head in confusion.

"Eh?"

***

As the hosts gathered in the newspaper club, Miki tilted her head, her blinking speed increased. With no explanation what-so-ever, Kyoya gestured for Miki to sit on a stack of old newspapers which she obediently complied with. She glanced around the room; the entire club was here except for Tamaki and Haruhi. Mori perked up as he turned to the door.

"He's coming." He muttered.

Kyoya nodded, pushing up his glasses once more as he snuck as side glimpse as Miki who, as usual, was utterly clueless to what was going on.

"Don't say a word, and listen to this very carefully." He told her in a hushed tone.

Suddenly, Akira's voice echoed down the long corridors of Ouran, growing closer and closer. "I just have to write an article that exposes him. If I set my mind to it, I can cook up any number of articles that will throw the idiots at this academy into a tizzy. In any case, we have to set Suoh up." Then the doors to the newspaper club busted open. Miki held her breath, processing what the club president had just said. 

"So, it is true." Kaoru hummed as him, and Hikaru sat mirrored on the desk in the center of the room. 

"Why, you..." Akria scowled.

"Although, it was pretty obvious." Hikaru scoffed.

"I'll bet his highness is the only one who hasn't caught on." Karou narrowed his eyes. "He's especially dense when it comes to himself."

"I'm warning you," Hikaru spoke again. "If you start something against his highness there will be consequences."

"Are you ready to turn not only the Hitachiins but all of our club members' families against you?"

With his glasses shattered, Akira stepped back in anger. "I knew it," He grumbled. "Suoh is wielding his parents' power and giving out orders to you!"

Miki's hazel eyes widened, her heart pounded against her chest. He's one of those 'bad' people.

"No, he isn't" Stepping out from behind the doors, Honey told him. "Tama-chan wouldn't do that. You know what?" His face melting into that sweet smile of his, he chuckled. "We all love Tama-chan, and that's why."

"He is a hopeless idiot," Kyoya said. "Even so..." His voice trailed off as nostalgic smiles surfaced on everyone's faces. Each of them remembering the good times they had with the Host Club's president. The Heart of the Club.

Miki looked down at her black leather shoes with a smile. She could hear his voice as clear as the day he said it.

Miki! It's time for dinner, hurry up and come join us!

"Even so..." She breathed out, the toes of her shoes clicking together as she hummed. "We all love him very much." Her cheeks were sparkling, she pressed her hands against her chest, tilting her head.

"So?"

"What will it be?"

"Don't do this, okay?'

"Damn it!" Growling under his breath, Akira glared at everyone in the door with a scornful look. "It's not just Suoh anymore; I'm going to ruin all of you now!" The hostility emitting off of him startled Miki slightly who hid behind Kyoya and a couple stacks of newspapers.

"Please, feel free," Kyoya smirked with amusement as he paced over the desk. Picking up a first aid box, he flipped it over and pressed a button. A disk ejected out of the machine as he held it between his fingers. "I wonder what you should do about his disk," He raised an eyebrow smugly. "Which has been secretly recording all of your remarks since yesterday?"

The other two members clung to their leader in fear, begging him to give up. Without much to say, his knees which have been trembling for a while buckles as he fell forward and to the ground.

"To put it in the same terms that you would, here's the deal," Kyoya explained walking over to a horrified Akira. "You'd do well to remember that with just the stock that the Ootori Group and the Hitachiins own, we could replace the president of your father's publishing firm whenever we like." He paused. "However, we are not like you. We are after fundamentally different things."

After settling things on their end, the host club par Haruhi and Tamaki made their way back to the courtyard to look for the two.

"So you were right in the end," Eyes in a downward cast, Miki muttered next to Kyoya. "They were awful people with malicious intentions..."

Kyoya glanced down at the strawberry blonde. She looked upset, like a lost little puppy. A smirk spread across his lips as he reached up and flicked the side of her head with his index finger. She immediately reached up to protect it. "Don't look so down," He chuckled in amusement at her swift reaction. "I merely wanted to teach you a little more about the people in the world."

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at each other behind the two. As much as they wanted to tease them, they knew nothing they said would even get through to their numbskulled upperclassmen. So they exchanged a look, then a wry shrug.

Miki pouted slightly, rubbing the little area where he flicked. "By the way, do you have an idea where Tamaki and Haruhi are?" She changed the topic.

"I saw them running into the hedge maze."

"Ah! So you were peeking!"

Just like Kyoya said, they found Haruhi and Tamaki in the hedge maze, sitting in under a rose covered pavilion. Once collecting them, the group began to walk back towards the school building chatting happily. Miki was talking to Tamaki and Honey about cake while Kyoya and Haruhi trailed behind the group when Haruhi's voice turned into a panic.

"Miki-senpai!"

Turning around immediately, Miki blinked as a response to her friend.

"You and Tamaki-senpai... are the chairman's kids?!" She exclaimed.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 10-

The Iris Blooms!

"I have received everyone's story beat organizer as of yesterday." Tidying up the books and lesson plans at the front desk, Mr. Kobayashi announced. "Please submit your character relations chart as soon as possible. Try to turn it in before summer break so you can focus on the symbolism analysis, which will be due right after the school festival. And please don't forget to check your midterm results. Dismissed!"

With his final announcement, the class of 2-A immediately grew rowdy. Everyone quickly scattered joining up with their groups and filed out of the classroom to check their midterm results. Miki let out a small yawn, rubbing her eyes as she glanced out the window. Mid-June was undoubtedly the worst time of the year. Rain, not holidays, no special events, term exams. She let out a small sigh as the moisture in the air continued to implore her to fall asleep, as much as she loved the rain, she never appreciated this side effect.

"Mi-Ki!" Tamaki's excitable voice was the much-needed wake-up call as Miki jolted awake. "What's wrong? It's not like you to be so quiet."

"It's nothing Tamaki-kun," Rubbing her eyes gently, Miki let out another yawn. "It's just the heavy continuous rain; it makes me very tired. Besides, it's June. There are no special events I can design for."

Humming, Tamaki quickly packed up his bag. "Anyways, hurry up! We need to check our results before heading to the club." He stood up, adjusting his tie as he turned to Kyoya who sat diagonally behind Miki. "Kyoya, you coming?"

"Yes, yes." Standing up, Kyoya readjusted his glasses.

-----------------------

Midterm Results for Second-Years

1. Kyoya Ootori

2. Tamaki Suoh

3. Ayame Jounouchi

4. Miki Suoh

-----------------------

"Woah!" Miki's eyes twinkled as she looked at Tamaki and Kyoya who stood on either side of her. "You both did wonderfully! Look! You are first place Kyoya-kun!" She jumped up and down in the crowd, trying to get a clearer look at the board, over the sea of people that were much taller than her.

"I don't know why you are surprised." With his arms crossed, Kyoya read the board with an indifferent expression.

"But Ayame-san is so cool!" Miki's eyes sparkled as she stood on her tiptoes, tired from jumping. "I heard she's been consistently third place for two years straight!"

"You did great too Miki!" Tamaki excitedly hugged her, nuzzling her cheek. Causing her to giggle at the affection her brother was showering her with over a good test result.

"Fourth for your first attempt. It's not terrible." Smirking, Kyoya turned to leave. "We're going you two." He called over his shoulder, almost like a parent telling his kids it's time to go. The two siblings exchanged a giggle as they followed him down the slightly crowded halls to Music Room #3.

Once they arrived, it seemed like Honey and Mori have already gotten there as they sat on the sofa. "Ah! Tama-chan! Kyo-chan! Miki-chan!" Honey waved, already munching on a piece of his favourite strawberry cake, Usa-chan in hand. It seems like only the first-year trio hasn't arrived yet.

***

"What?!" Everyone shouted in unison as Haruhi, and the twins finally stepped into the room, and they were graced with shocking news. "Haruhi, you didn't make first place?!"

Blinking for a few moments, Haruhi spoke almost too calmly. "No, I guess not." She scratched the back of her head.

"Then I should express my condolences." Kyoya closed his eyes, sipping on his tea as he sat cross-legged on the sofa.

"Haru-chan! Don't give up!" First place in the third year, Honey's hands balled into fists as he encouraged her. Mori, who was a close second, nodded from behind.

"How did that happen?" Miki touched the side of her face in a very concerned manner. "You always got first place among the first years."

"Hey, what's wrong with third place?" Hikaru, fifth place in his grade, raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you overreacting a little?"

"It's not like good grades mean the person is not an idiot," Kaoru, who is fourth place, added.

"Case in point, milord over there." Together, they turned around to point at Tamaki who frantically dug through his personal items, random of things flying out. Haruhi's portrait, all sorts of instant ramen, and even a cactus.

"Where is it?! Where is it?!" He panicked, looking up with a horrified expression. "My mechanical pencil is gone!" He exclaimed.

"Perhaps you dropped it somewhere at home?" Miki suggested, trying to help out.

"Maybe, it went on a trip!" Honey added with a light chuckle, but it didn't help as Tamaki went to sulk in his corner. Repeating the words, 'my mechanical pencil.'

"Anyways," Reverting their attention to Haruhi, the twins patted her head. And somehow, Mori was also in the cluster, gently noogie-ing the poor girl. "Why are you so worried about being first?" Hikaru asked.

"It's not like you'll be expelled from school," Kaoru reassured her.

"Yeah," Miki nodded in agreement, picking up Haruhi's hand. "As long as you do your best next time, everything will be alright!"

"But she will be expelled." Kyoya interrupted, taking another sip of the tea.

"Huh?" The twins and Miki turned around, blinking.

Placing the cup down, Kyoya turned to look at them with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "She must achieve and maintain the top score in her year to keep her scholarship." He explained. "She'll have to take the make-up test to improve her grades. Worst case scenario, she will be expelled. If she's lucky, she may be demoted to D class."

"Eh?!" Miki gasped.

"That sounds bad..." The twins muttered, sweatdropping at how harsh the life of an honour student is.

Hearing this, Tamaki snapped up. "Haruhi! Don't fret! You'll clear the make-up just fine! I wanted to give you my mechanical pencil as a good luck charm, but I can't find it! Take this instead!" Kuma-chan in hand, he thrust it into Haruhi's face.

"I don't need a good luck charm with a blank stare like that." With a dreadful look, Haruhi averted her eyes. "It might jinx me."

Turning pale, Tamaki dropped to the ground. "That's so mean Haruhi!" He shouted, crying comical tears. "Are you still upset about not knowing we were the chairman's kids? You think I kept that from you deliberately?!"

Haruhi sweatdropped. "I may curse myself for not looking into it, but it doesn't really matter to me anymore." She let out a weary sigh. "I know why I didn't get first place; it was a super careless mistake. I'll be more careful during the make-up test."

Tilting her head to the side, Miki went round-eyed. "What happened?"

"I left a question blank. I meant to fill it out later, but I forgot." Chuckling awkwardly, Haruhi scratched the back of her head. "So, I'm sorry, but I have to take three days off from the club so I can study for the makeup."

Suddenly, there was a flash, and all the hosts were suddenly wearing professor like glasses. "Choose your tutor." They all announced as their glasses glistened in the fluorescent light, causing Haruhi to flinch.

"Professors Hitachiin," Tamaki glaring passive aggressively at the twins. "Your grades are lower than Haruhi's, so I'll be taking the honour."

"No, No, No, Mr. Suoh," The twins grinned, shaking their finger in unison. "It is vital that the tutor has a strong friendship with the student."

"Haru-chan!" Honey jumped forward, twinkling with his glasses. "I'll be your math teacher!" He giggled.

"History," Mori mumbled behind the lolita.

"If that's the case, I can help you with literature." Adjusting her fake glasses, imitating Kyoya, Miki chuckled.

"Come on! Choose one Haruhi!" The twins exclaimed. "Don't you want to have a private tutor?"

"No, not at all..." Backing away, Haruhi's fingers trembled as she collapsed to the ground from shock.

"Choosing one of you will more than likely distract her from studying." As he wrote in his notebook, Kyoya pointed out.

"That's true." Taking off her glasses with a small chuckle, Miki thought for a moment. Searching her mind for a suitable candidate to help out as Haruhi's private tutor, when a certain person flashed across her mind. "Kyoya-kun, I have a good idea for who to ask!" She glimmered, waving her hand like a child.

***

And so, the first day of the tutoring sessions began with the rain pouring outside. The sound of the calming rain filled the empty club room as they decided to close down as to not disturb Haruhi and Ayame's study session. Sitting with his cheek and side pressed up against the cold window was Tamaki, staring outside gloomily. Miki was not too far, away, curled up as she focused on drawing up new set designs for the host club. Honey sat next to her, legs dangling off the edge, playing with Usa-chan's arms.

"Will you stop moping around milord? The rain is already depressing enough." Hikaru approached them, hands in pocket.

"Haruhi didn't want to choose; there is nothing we can do about it." Kaoru followed up.

"That's not it..." Tamaki replied, not even looking at the two. His gaze glued to the falling rain.

"He's been like this since last night. Apparently, a new problem has arisen," Miki informed the two, glancing up from her tablet with a wry smile. "Do you want to tell them why?" She urged on gently.

"I can't talk about it too loud, but," Letting out a sigh for the tenth time in that hour, Tamaki pulled out a picture from his pocket. "Kuma-chan has been kidnapped, just like my mechanical pencil!" He spoke gravely, expression dark.

Placing a hand on his chin, Hikaru furrowed his brows. "Who'd want that bear with weird eyes?" He asked with an equally severe tone.

"Maybe he went on a trip!" Honey suggested again.

Miki shook her head, pressing a finger to her lips as she said thoughtfully. "We looked throughout the estate last night; we couldn't find a trace of him." She too seemed to have snapped into investigation mode. Imitating the detective of Crime? Crime Drama ♥, she muttered. "This could be a tough case; I'll savour my time solving it." She then turned to the twins and Honey. "Can I count on you all for support?" She proposed with an excited grin.

"Yes, detective Miki!" The three saluted.

Nodding with satisfaction, Miki lowered down. "Now, any ideas what happened to Kuma-chan?" She asked in a low voice.

"Maybe he ran away from home," Kaoru suggested, lifting a finger. "Maybe he got sick of you, milord."

"What?!" Hearing Kaoru's idea, Tamaki exploded. Flailing his arms in the air, he protested. "Who got sick of who!?"

"There's something I want to ask you," Ayame's clear eyes closed as she listened to the Tamaki and the twins banter back and forth, her stern voice catching everyone's attention. Opening her eyes, she lifted the frame of her glasses. "I know there are people who concentrate better when there's a certain level of noise. I'm wondering if this racket is for our benefit. If that is the case, I'm afraid I prefer a quieter atmosphere. Either way, this is far beyond a certain level of noise. You say you want to help Fujioka study, but your actions don't match your stated intent. This is just the kind of hypocrisy I detest. Now, will you kindly shut up?"

By the time she finished her sentence, all the hosts except for Kyoya and Miki were out of breath. They crowded into a corner, pulling the latter in with them as they panted heavily.

"Milord," Finally regaining their breath, the twins asked. "Is she an expert diver? When does she breathe?"

"Really?" Miki blinked, averting her eyes to look at Ayame. "I don't see anything wrong with her speech." She tilted her head.

"Miki-senpai... You wouldn't notice anything." Kaoru sighed.

"I've noticed it too," Tamaki spoke, wearing a careful look. "Her distinctive, monotonous tone of voice reminds me of..."

They turned to glare at her.

"The Morse Code." They glared at her, hissing in unison. Giving her the nickname "Miss Morse."

Haruhi sweatdropped, watching the gleam in the hosts' eyes. "I'm so sorry to trouble you..." She apologized to Ayame.

"Don't worry about it." The pristine student replied. "Ootori-san think highly of you to ask me for help." She replied her clearbright eyes in a downcast.

"No. He just wants me to owe him." Haruhi grumbled.

Eyes sweeping over the work, Ayame didn't even take a moment to pause as her voice carried on. "Unlike some people who fling sweet callous things at girls, I'm proud of my words and actions. And since I am committed to this, I will-" However before she could finish, Tamaki, swooped by, holding a tea tray.

"Excuse me," He flashed a dashing smile. "Please accept some tea. Today, we're serving rosehip tea, which is known to make ladies prettier."

"I'm afraid I do not care for tea with a distinctive aroma. Will you take it away?" Waving a hand, Ayame quickly dismissed him.

Not admitting defeat, Tamaki then brought forth a Melon Bread, offering it to her with a charming flash of his teeth. "Why don't you have one of these? It's a pity it doesn't taste like melon, but you can at least appreciate the common folk's desire for elegance. You can see their longing crystallized in its shape."

"We can work better if we feel somewhat hungry. Besides your explanation doesn't go beyond your own interpretation of the facts. If you have the time to delude yourself with sympathy for the commoners, why don't you develop a melon bread that actually tastes like melons?" With that, Tamaki tumbled backwards. Out of breath himself with what she was saying.

"Tamaki-kun!" Miki rushed over, watching as her brother hyperventilated through an oxygen tank that Mori had brought.

"Geez..." Hikaru eyed Ayame's back as she continued her lesson with Haruhi. "I thought Haruhi's straight blow was harsh, but that woman's suffocation technique is something else."

"Huh?" Miki tilted her head. "But she isn't suffocating Tamaki-kun at all; she's just sitting there."

"It's a metaphor, Miki-chan." Giggling as he patted Tamaki's back, Honey reminded her, seeing as Kyoya was too busy assessing the situation.

"I've never met someone that talks more than milord before." Hikaru laughed dryly.

"Really?" Cocking an eyebrow, Miki couldn't help but comment again. "I can think of a few..." Her voice trailed off as a certain blonde with a big pink bow, as well as a trio that sang a lot came into mind.

Hikaru and Kaoru shuddered just remembering them.

"Please don't..."

"...Remind us of them."

Kyoya, who stood over them, hummed as he watched Ayame and Tamaki interact. "When Ayame and Tamaki are in the same room, the atmosphere turns sour... It's just as I anticipated."

"Um..." Sheepishly, Haruhi glanced up from her books to meet Ayame's blank yet clear eyes. "Do you hold a grudge against Tamaki-senpai or something?" She asked.

With half-lidded eyes, Ayame looked out the window. "Let's see. They say rain cleans the air. Some love the rainy season, seeing it as the natural poetry of Japan. I am very well aware of that, but I still don't like it. By the same token, the some of out respectable chairman may be intelligent and popular among girls, he may appear charming to a majority of human beings. Yet there's something about him that I can't help but feel repulsed by." She explained, hand running through her long straight hair.

Pounding a fist on her open palm, Miki let out an 'oh.' "So in other words, you hate him." She stated bluntly, sending Tamaki another arrow to his heart.

***

The next day, the rain still hasn't let up. Tamaki, Kyoya, and Miki were gathered around Kyoya's desk as Tamaki was about announce something important when...

"Suoh-san," Ayame called out, her monotonous voice made it extremely easy to recognize. The three turned around to see her holding a folder. "You were in charge of class yesterday, weren't you? It looks like you failed to make a proper entry." She stated, opening the book to yesterday's record page.

"Oh, sorry about that." Tamaki quickly stood up. "I'll correct it."

Slamming the book shut, Ayame shot the blonde a glare. "No, it's fine. I've already taken care of it." She said. "I'm only pointing it out because I don't want you to repeat the error. Also, make sure to use a ruler. Your writing tends to be crooked. This constant rain is already enough of a bother. I don't need something as hideous as this on top of it."

"R-Right... I'm sorry..." On the verge of tears from Ayame's ruthless insults, Tamaki was then quickly surrounded by the other girls in an attempt to comfort him. Miki noticed Sora in the cluster, rubbing Tamaki on the back.

"Tamaki-sama, don't be discouraged," One of the girls spoke. "You did a fabulous job with class duties yesterday!"

"Yeah," Sora's eyes turned star-struck as she swooned. "To hear you say 'stand up' and 'bow' at the start and end of class was my dream come true!" She exclaimed with flushed cheeks and a dreamy look.

Quickly snapping out of it, Tamaki grabbed Sora by the chin and reeled her in. "Many thanks," He spoke sweetly. "If it so pleases, I shall whisper those words into your ears..."

"Tamaki-sama!" Sora giggled. "You're too sweet."

Before the act could go on for long though, Ayame narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Please don't do that. You will wind up distracting the person officially in charge. Besides, who wants more noise?" And with that, she stomped off in a perfectly straight line and thumped back into her seat.

Miki could only giggle at the sight as Tamaki made his way back, resuming their meeting.

"Hey, Kyoya, Miki." Sitting back down at the seat in front of Kyoya, Tamaki muttered. "Is she in a bad mood because of the rain? Or does she hate me? Which is it?"

"Probably both." Kyoya sighed, still holding an open book. "Both of you, go back to your seats. You're bothering me.

"Not yet!" Tamaki shushed. "I need to talk about Kuma-chan." He explained, holding up a flyer that had a photo of his beloved stuffed bear in tears with the words 'missing'. "You both must help me with this flyer! I need two hundred of them before the final bell today." Holding up his pen, his eyes glimmered with desperation.

"Oh, what a splendid design." Kyoya rubbed his chin with a crooked grin. "If you draw them all yourself, I bet it will attract more attention."

Hearing Kyoya's suggestion, Tamaki turned around, running a hand through his hair. "Of course, leave it to me." He flashed a smile. "Be it a hundred or two; I can handle everything."

Seeing her brother walk off to his desk and begin getting flooded with people offering to help with the flyer. Miki turned to Kyoya was a dumbfounded expression. "Can't he just use the photocopier?" She asked, head tilting.

"It's more interesting this way." Kyoya glanced down, eyes skimming across the pages of the book. "Besides, isn't that bear your duty to find? Detective Miki?" He teased, emphasizing the last part.

Lips forming a small pout, Miki rested her elbows on the table, then placed her chin on her palms. "I'm working on it." She grumbled, causing Kyoya's smirk to deepen.

***

On the final day of Haruhi's study session, Tamaki stayed hidden behind one of the couches, peeking over at the Ayame and Haruhi.

"What are you doing milord? Are you bored?" The twins questioned in unison.

"He says if he upsets Aya-chan, he'll disrupt Haru-chan's studying," Honey told them.

"Why don't you go home then?"

"He says he's got to watch."

"I really like Ayame-san though," Miki commented, watching thoughtfully.

"Huh? Why?" The twins each rose an eyebrow.

Miki beamed her signature beam. "Because she's a nice person." She replied airily.

"You think everyone is nice," Kyoya commented, not lifting his eyes from his book only hearing giggling as a response.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Holding a tea tray in his hands, he passed it over to the twins. "Take this tea to the ladies over there! And check out how Haruhi is doing casually!"

"Wouldn't it be easier to get Miki-senpai to do it?" Hikaru pointed out. "And besides..."

"...Why are you acting like the father of a daughter who brought their boyfriend home for the first time?" Kaoru finished.

"Tama-chan, where is your pride as a father?" Honey encouraged.

"Tamaki-kun, I don't think the tea is going to help." Miki's hazel eyes were glued to the two as Tamaki shot her a curious glance.

"Why?"

"Because look." She pointed forth, where Ayame was glaring harshly at them before she pulled out her own bottle of tea and began drinking it in front of them. The host club flinched as they watched her down the scalding drink as if to make a point. Suddenly, the twins froze as they looked directly at Ayame who turned to speak to Haruhi. Miki turned to look at them. She was about to ask them what was the matter when they approached her. Cocking her head to the side, she found herself following them. She watched as they reached forward, taking a strand of hair in their palms. Her eyes widened, realizing what had caught their attention.

The pristine, perfectly proper student's famously straight hair, was curling from the moisture of the air.

"Natural curls discovered!" They exclaimed in unison.

Freezing up, Ayame whipped her head around. Her mouth opened but nothing came out.

"Princess Ayame, I bet your hair is super curly. Has your hair been straightened?" Hikaru asked, twisting her dark lock between his fingers. "It curls back easily doesn't it?"

Nodding in agreement, Kaoru continued. "If it's too much trouble to keep it straight, you should try a wavy hairstyle that works better wi-"

"Stop." Gritting her teeth, Ayame interrupted them before they could say anything else. "Leave me alone! That's why I'm telling you I hate the rain!" She snapped, jumping out of the seat and stepping back defensively. "So what if my hair isn't straight? You're the one who took it for granted." Her eyes immediately darted over to Tamaki who looked a little dumbfounded. "Thanks to you, I feel uncomfortable while you aren't even breaking a sweat in second place. I've had enough!" Tears were brimming her eyes, she yelled. "Stop twisting my feelings around!" And with that, she dashed out of Music Room #3.

"Ayame!" Haruhi cried out.

"Ayame-san!" Miki ran after her, bolting out the room to follow her.

After a little chasing, she finally found the girl on the ground surrounded by the darkness of the unlit girl's locker room. She was hunched over; arms wrapped protectively around something. Stepping in a little and using the light that beamed in from behind her, Miki noticed she recognized the object.

Tamaki's Kuma-chan.

Blinking, Miki cocked her head to the side. Why would Ayame have Kuma-chan? And why was she holding onto him like that? She opened her mouth, about to ask, when what Kyoya said echoed through her mind.

Perhaps it is because they harbour romantic feelings for the owner of the object, and want an item of theirs as a keepsake.

She flinched. Her eyes began sweeping across the ground of the locker room as she noticed Tamaki's mechanical pencil.

Stepping forth, Miki crouched down next to Ayame.

"Do you have romantic feelings for Tamaki-kun, Ayame-san?" She observed as Ayame snapped around, a prominent blush covering her cheeks. "You can tell me." Tilting her head to the side, Miki reassured.

Hearing her say this, tears began to course down Ayame's pale cheeks. Slowly, she began to nod. "I... I do..." She cried. "He called my hair straight and lovely... but I guess he just says that to all the girls..." Her grip on Kuma-chan tightened as she buried her face into the bear. "He doesn't even remember..."

"I doubt that." Miki denied her assumption bluntly.

"Huh?"

Looking up, Miki stayed in her crouching position with her knees tucked to her chest. "Tamaki-kun is a really caring person. So I doubt he would ever forget he said something like-"

"You have such straight and lovely hair." As if on cue, Tamaki appeared at the doorway, reciting those very first words he said to her with a tender smile. Exchanging a knowing glance, Miki got up and moved out of the way as Tamaki knelt and took a few strands of Ayame's slightly curled hair to his lips. "I bet your heart is just as lovely and true as your hair. I'm sorry, but I really thought so." Ayame's eyes widened and the blush on her cheeks deepened into a beet red.

"T-Too bad I couldn't meet your expectations!" Ayame stammered. "Both my hair and heart are twisted, so excuse me!"

"Well, didn't you know?" Cupping her cheeks, Tamaki spoke with honeyed words. "The rain is a necessary prelude to beautiful weather. So even if your heart is in a downpour right now, it only means that it will become exceptionally beautiful in time."

Ayame fell silent as she stared up, completely lovestruck with Tamaki.

"Everyone, come here!" With a swift snap, Tamaki beckoned, and the rest of the hosts bolted into the room. Hikaru, Kaoru and Honey held salutes. "The host club entertains customers even when it rains," Tamaki declared before winking at a confused Miki. "I have a theme in mind for a June event."

***

The doors to the host club opened as guests crowded in, gasping in amazement at the beautiful Irises placed throughout the room. Tamaki had suggested an Iris festival, a flower that only blooms during the rainy season, and that was precisely what Miki delivered. Of course, Ayame too was invited, she was named after the flower after all. She appeared as the guest of honour while the twins helped her restyle her hair back into beautiful ringlet curls.

Miki stood on the side, humming happily. As she watched the guests enjoy the flower viewing.

"Congratulations on solving the mystery, Detective Miki." A familiar voice rang next to her, slightly startling her. But her surprised expression quickly melted into a radiant smile as she greeted the person.

"Thank you, Kyoya-kun." She giggled airily, before clearing her throat. "I mean, all in the day's work, there can only be one truth after all." She corrected herself, imitating the detective of Crime? Crime Drama ♥.

Kyoya chuckled slightly. His eyes wandering over to Ayame, who stood amongst some girls as they complimented her on her new hairstyle. "I'm pleasantly surprised." He commented, pushing up his glasses. "You were able to pick up how she held romantic feelings for Tamaki."

"Ah, that?" Miki beamed proudly. "That was thanks to what you have taught me; it was the only way I would've figured it out." She explained before twirling around to face him curiously. "Say, Kyoya-kun, do you have anyone you hold romantic feelings for?" She asked with an all-too-innocent smile.

Flinching slightly, Kyoya blinked, observing her to tell if she was serious or not. After concluding she was serious, he averted his eyes and thought for a moment. "I wouldn't call it that just yet," He began, "But I do hold an interest in a particular woman."

Eyes sparkling, Miki gasped. "Really?! Who?" She urged. "Tell me! Tell me!"

Kyoya studied her expression and body language; she wasn't lying. Closing his eyes, he let out a slightly irritated sigh. "I won't tell you who it is." He said.

"Eh? Boo~" Pouting like a little kid, Miki whined. "Can you at least tell me what's she like?" She cocked her head to the side.

Averting his eyes, Kyoya hummed. "I supposed I could." He announced, a teasing smirk flashed across his lips. "She is rather gullible and naive, yet open-minded and hardworking."

"Have you confessed to her yet?" Miki's eyes were practically shimmering with enthusiasm.

"I have hinted at some romantic advances, but she's rather dense to notice it. She only seems to see me as a nice person." Kyoya shrugged, crossing his arms. Hints of amusement danced across his brownish-green eyes as he stared down into her hazel ones.

"Hm, she sounds like a pain," Miki commented as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Why don't you try and be a bit more proactive?" She suggested. "Like in an episode of Crime? Crime Drama ♥ where the guy hugs her from behind and tells her he loves her?" She demonstrates as her arms reached forth to 'grab' the air before them.

Hearing her proposal, Kyoya's raised an eyebrow. She was the densest numbskull one could find. "If it were you, wouldn't it be bothersome if someone did that?" He asked calmly.

"Well, yeah. It'd be a bit creepy." Miki admitted with a slightly blank face, staring at him.

Kyoya's eye twitched at her statement.

"But, Kyoya-kun, you're a nice person. So I think it'll be fine." Miki pointed out as her lips curled to form an honest beam.

Seeing her expression, Kyoya closed his eyes before looking away. "Forget it." He said with a mildly irritated face.

"Eh? Are you giving up? That's not good!" She furrowed her brows and leaned forward enthusiastically. "Don't give up Kyoya-kun!"

Gently brushing away her strawberry blonde hair that lingered on her forehead, he tapped lightly, right between her furrowed brows. "I'm not giving up." He said with a serious expression, lowering his body so they could now see eye to eye. "I'm going to make her fall in love with me." He declared, a smirk plastering across his face.

Miki's eyes widened as she saw his expression. There was a chilling fire blazing behind his eyes; it flashed with determination. As if saying. If he wanted something, he would get it. She felt her heart skip a beat, before nodding with a bright smile. "Good Luck, Kyoya-kun!" She cheered him on.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki called out to his best friend, waving him over across the room.

With a small smirk, Kyoya paced over to where Tamaki was.

Miki stood there for a moment, gazing as Kyoya's back as he calmly walked further and further away. She thought back to that serious expression he had when he made that declaration previously. Her lips formed a wry smile just thinking about it. She felt a little envious of that girl, knowing that she will have a guy that can make such an expression for her. Inwardly, she wished him good luck once again.

Kyoya-kun's such a nice person.

If it were me...

Her hands found their way to her heart as she imagined Kyoya taking her by surprise and wrapping his arms around her from behind, telling her he loved her in a gentle yet firm manner. Her cheeks began to heat up for unexplainable reasons.

I don't think I would mind.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 11-

Make way for the Refreshing Host Club!

Summer, a beautiful time of year. It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing; flowers are blooming, there is no school, only peace and quiet. Miki laid in her bed, curled up like a baby. Since summer vacation has begun, she has been ever so diligent of drawing new designs, as well as the explorations of more TV dramas. And thanks to that, she has been sleeping much later than usual. Unlike Tamaki, who's policy bedtime was 10 p.m. sharp.

On the morning of the third day into their vacation, the warm sunlight peeking through the window gently poked at her cheek, slowly her bringing out of the Dreamlands. Suddenly, her phone began to ring on her bedside table, causing her eyes to open slightly. She groaned a little, closing her eyes she rolled onto that side of the bed, reaching her hand out, she repeatedly patted the surface, trying to find it. Once she got a hold of the object, she reeled it in. Without even checking who it is, she opened her flip phone and placed it close to her ear.

"Hello? Who is i-"

"MY DAUGHTER! MY DAUGHTER IS GONE! I CAN'T GET THROUGH TO HER! SHE MUST HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED! CONTACT THE POLICE! WE HAVE TO REQUEST AN EMERGENCY DEPLOYMENT OF THE SDF, JUST IN CASE!" Tamaki's voice belted out of the ear speaker and into Miki's mind, shocking the poor girl awake. She immediately closed her phone, slightly irritated with how she was awoken. And this is coming from the girl who is woken up every day with her doors busting open. Rubbing her eyes and swung her legs over the edge of her king-sized bed. Slipping into her slippers, she sighed as she got up and made her way to Tamaki's room. Who she could clearly hear yelling about how she hung up.

Gently knocking on his door, Miki let herself in, still wearing her navy blue nightgown. Antoinette noticed her and immediately lunged over, giving her licks and barks of good morning.

"Tamaki-kun, you do realize we are in the same house, right?" Miki asked tiredly, her hands routinely running through the retriever's soft fur.

However, her question quickly rolled over his head as the blond continued to panic while yelling at the host's portraits, Miki's now added to the mix beside Mori on the far left. Holding the phone with an impossibly long cord, Tamaki continued to cry comical tears. "I'm sure they were unable to pay their rent and were forced into servitude!" He shouted, grabbing into a half-asleep Miki and shaking her by the shoulders as the dog beneath her got up and ran out the room energetically. "Otherwise, why else would they flee into the night?!"

"Waah! Haru-chan!" Honey cried.

"Sir, you 're too loud," Hikaru complained groggily. "You could just call her cell phone."

Miki blinked her heavy eyelids; she wondered if Haruhi even told her brother she was going to Karuizawa.

"Cell phone?" Tamaki snapped around, glaring at the graffitied portrait of the twins. Flailing his arms in the air, he yelled at them. "You think Haruhi would have something like that?!"

Miki tilted her head, still petting Antoinette's head. Did Tamaki not have her cell phone number? She was about to open her mouth to ask, when Tamaki snapped his fingers, turning around, he pointed at Miki. "I know... There is a society among the commoners, call the fly-by-nighters!"

"Forgive me for interrupting your dramatic delusion," Kyoya's voice poured through the speakers behind the portrait. "But Haruhi is in Karuizawa." He informed.

Tamaki flinched, looking up at Kyoya's portrait dumbfoundedly. "Not only did Haruhi go bankrupt, flee by night, and get kidnapped, but she's in Karuizawa?" He slumped to the side, looking visibly exhausted.

"No, Tamaki-kun." Miki sighed, letting out a small yawn. "Haruhi is working there for a family friend during the summer." She said, stretching her arms up above her head.

"Eh?!" Whipping his head around, Tamaki gawked. "You knew of this?!"

"Of course, she told me," Miki replied, cocking her head to the side.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

Blinking her hazel eyes, Miki stared blankly. "You never asked, you were just panicking."

***

Sitting in the Ootori family helicopter, Miki sipped her commoner's iced coffee with a delighted expression. She cupped her cheek, letting out a sigh in satisfaction. Tamaki was leaned against the window of the chopper, eyes sweeping the ground beneath them like a hawk. The rest of the host club also sat in the helicopter each doing their own thing. Hikaru was playing a video game on his system with Honey clutching Usa-chan and glancing over his shoulder. Mori was simply sitting there, Kaoru was looking through a Karuizawa pamphlet while Kyoya was writing in his notebook. Miki found her eyes wandering towards him, she stared for a moment before averting them away.

I'm going to get her to fall in love with me.

I wonder how he's doing with that? She thought, taking another sip of her commoner's coffee.

"There she is! I see her!" With tears in his eyes, Tamaki grabbed the mic on the side of the helicopter and leaned over the edge, causing the vehicle to tip to the side, startling everyone else in it. Thanks to the sudden imbalance, the cup in Miki's hand slipped, and the contents splashed onto her white chiffon dress.

***

Once the helicopter landed in the large green fields of Karuizawa and Tamaki got his flamboyant monologues out of the way, Haruhi took Miki in to change out of her coffee-stained dress.

"I'm sorry Miki-senpai, this is all we have right now." Haruhi sat on her bed, waiting for Miki to finish changing in the bathroom. "I didn't think you guys would actually have enough free time on your hands to come looking for me..." She muttered, looking slightly dejected that her supposed 'relaxing vacation' went up in smokes.

"Hehe. Of course, we would've. Tamaki-kun thought you went bankrupt and got kidnapped." Miki giggled as she exited the bathroom with a grand gesture. "Ta-da!" She sang. "How does it look?" Stepping out, she wore a simple navy blue t-shirt with white capri pants, but laid over it was an apron mirroring Haruhi's. Only the yellow ruffles were swapped out with lilac ones.

"You look great, Miki-senpai." Standing up with a soft smile, Haruhi complimented. "Misuzu-san made two aprons for me to choose from, so I was worried about what I'd do with the other. I'm glad you get to wear it."

"We're matching now, aren't we?" Like an overly energetic child, Miki jumped forward and enveloped Haruhi into a giant bear hug and nuzzling her cheek. "It's my first time wearing matching clothes with a friend; this is so exciting!"

"Please let go of me, Miki-senpai." Haruhi groaned, trying to escape from her upperclassman's tight grasp with a wry smile. "We should go downstairs, everyone is waiting, aren't they?" She suggested.

"Oh, you're right." Releasing Haruhi, Miki giggled apologetically. Taking the brunette by the hand, she tugged her in the direction of the door. "Let's go!" She beamed as bright as the summer sun.

As the two girls made their way downstairs, they found Misuzu and the remaining hosts talking. If Miki were honest, seeing Misuzu reminded her of that lingering question she had about Haruhi being a tranny. As well as sparkled a ton of others, mostly about his preferred honorific, 'chi.' But she also remembered that if she asked, it would undoubtedly get Kyoya rather upset, so she kept her mouth shut.

The little pension was adorable, with the cottage-like theme and the refreshing view. The set-up was simple and sweet, very darling. A large grand piano was propped up against the open window, letting a soft breeze blow in.

"Oh, Haruhi-chan! Miki-chan!" Swaying back and forth in a feminine manner, Misuzu cooed. Miki couldn't help but keep her gaze stuck to his long and luscious hair. "You both look so cute in those aprons! I made them by hand, do you like them?"

"Yes," Miki's voice grew bubbly. "I love it! Thank you so much for letting me borrow it!" She bowed slightly.

"Miki!" Tamaki was the next to rush up as he threw himself at the strawberry blonde. "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to ruin your dress!" He cried comically, before looking up at his sister who had a wry smile as she patted his back. "You aren't mad at me, are you?" He asked, giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Of course not," Miki chuckled, giving a few pats to her brother's soft blonde hair, almost like he was Antoinette. "But it's a shame; I liked that dress too. I suppose I could just get a new one when we get home." She shrugged, the sparkling smile still on her face.

Couldn't you just wash it...? Haruhi thought to herself with a deadpan.

After things began to settle down, the hosts all gathered outside the pension for tea. Miki sat with Kyoya on the table next to Haruhi's, observing her surroundings as Haruhi, the Twins and Tamaki went on to ramble about Haruhi's cell phone contacts and her lack of a passport. She stared up curiously at the angel-shaped object that spun in the wind, blinking as it swayed in the air, it paused before changing directions as the new wind picked up.

"Is something the matter?" Glancing up from his notebook, Kyoya asked.

"Hm?" Darting her eyes back to meet his, Miki blinked. "Oh, I'm just curious about what that spinning thing is." Quickly averting her eyes, Miki pointed up at the gold angel. "What is it called?"

"That's called a weathervane," Kyoya took a deep breath, looking back down in his notebook. "It's used to show the direction of the wind."

"It reminds me a lot of you, Kyoya-kun," Miki commented with an innocent smile, resting her chin on her hands as she looked up at the object.

Hearing that comparison, Kyoya's eye twitched in annoyance. Maybe in those mere three days of being apart, he forgot just how airheaded she was. "Really?" He asked, trying his best not to seem too irritated. "How so?"

Tapping her chin, Miki hummed thought for a moment. "It stands up there, rain or shine, steaming hot or freezing cold so it can fulfill its duty to tell people the direction of the wind." She explained enthusiastically. "Just like how you always stood by me, teaching me more about the world, be it new words, objects or people."

Hearing her comparison, Kyoya let out an irritated sigh. The anger in him dissipated slightly.

Just slightly.

He still didn't appreciate being compared to a weathervane of all things.

Before being able to say anything else, he heard Haruhi say something of interest. "Look, just leave, please, everyone." She sighed in an exaggerated manner. "We'll all see each other come the new term anyhow, whether we want to or not. We're all free to spend our vacations on our own, right?"

Maybe it was out of stress-relief from what Miki said, maybe it was just for fun, he decided to tease Haruhi a little. "School rule number 9: Part-time jobs are prohibited." He recited, sliding out the Ouran Academy handbook.

Haruhi flinched, hearing those rules. "Er... um... is that right?" She stammered.

"Did you hear?" Hikaru whispered a little too loudly to Kaoru. "That girl has a job without the school's permission!"

"My, she has some nerve huh?" Kaoru said back, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"It's nice to come out to Karuizawa once in a while to get out of the heat, huh?" Honey asked, clinging onto Mori's back. The silent giant held the guidebook Kaoru was looking over in the helicopter, nodding in agreement.

"Woah, look! They are going to be holding a festival here soon!" Miki gasped, pointing at an article in the book.

Kyoya stood over her, also looking through the book. "I've gotten tired of going overseas." He agreed, holding up his glasses.

"It is true; you are free to spend your own vacation on your own," Tamaki spoke, a hand on his chin. "In which case, you would have no grounds to stop us. Let's all stay here at this pension in the VIP guest rooms." He turned around a smug grin on his face. 

"N-No!" Haruhi let out a dramatic scream, falling to her knees.

At this point, Misuzu came into the garden, holding a new pot of tea and has overheard the conversation. "I'm sorry," He cooed. "I'd like to let all of you stay here, but unfortunately, I only have one guest room available."

"Just one room, you say?" Tamaki repeated thoughtfully. "What else can be done? Very well, I, the president will represent everyone." He declared, pointing at himself with an excited grin.

"Tama-chan, no fair!" Honey whined, clutching Usa-chan.

"Are you just out for yourself?" Hikaru asked, creeping up from behind. "Have you no sense of solidarity?"

"You're the one who was complaining so much about it before," Kaoru added.

Thanks to that, Tamaki began murmuring to himself as the twins exchanged a playful look. They crept up behind him; arms hooked around each other. "Hey, sir, we just came up with a fun game. Want to play with us?" Hikaru began.

"We call it the 'Guestroom refreshing job contest in Karuizawa.' " Kaoru then announced.

"We'll work all day here at this pension, where they say they are shorthanded," Hikaru explained.

"And, whoever leaves the best impression on Misuzu-san, gets to stay as the guest." Kaoru finished. 

"Sounds fun!" Placing the cups down, Misuzu exclaimed, eyes gleaming. "All right, all right, I'm in on this plan! Yes, if the one who I choose as most refreshing stays here, then it will undoubtedly lead to increased popularity for my pension!

"Our finest regards to you!" The twins chimed.

"I'm going to work you to the bone!" Misuzu declared, winking at the group. "Until I make my decision, I will not treat you as guests!" 

And with that, the games began.

***

Miki crouched next to Tamaki, watching as he hammered away at the fences. Honey was sitting on a chair, next to them as he munched on a piece of cake, legs swinging happily.

"Are you not going to participate, Miki?" Tamaki asked, giving her a gentle smile. He kept his eyes glued to the fence before him, careful not to hit his hand.

Miki shook her head gently. "I don't really have any reason to stay here, and I'd prefer staying in a spacious mansion than a cramped pension." She spoke. "Speaking of which, since when did you know how to do manual labour?" Tilting her head, she rested the side of her cheek on her knees.

"This is the first time in my life that I'm holding a hammer." He confessed, chuckling a little. Still having trouble to hammer the nail directly.

"How is it?" Miki blinked.

"It's actually kind of fun." Putting down his hammer, Tamaki turned to her with his eyes crinkled. "I'm surprised you actively help out with this type of stuff." He commented.

Her hazel eyes widening, Miki gasped. "Eh? How did you know about it?" She exclaimed.

"Of course, I know." Snickering a little, Tamaki gazed at her with loving eyes. "You are always rushing around, helping with any extra manual labour that needs to be done on our sets." Reaching up, he gently petted Miki's strawberry blonde hair with a proud grin. "You are my precious little sister." He mentioned in a lower tone so that bystanders wouldn't hear. "I'll always make sure to watch out for you."

Miki stared at his tender expression for a few moments before breaking into a smile of her own, because that was the only thing she could offer him when they were out under public eye. As much as she wanted to hug him, thank him, and call him big brother, she knew she couldn't. Instead, she stood up slowly, dusting off her apron. "Good Luck, Tamaki-kun." She encouraged him with a bright beam, holding both hands in fists.

"Yeah!" Tamaki winked, giving her a thumbs up. "Just watch me, I'll win this."

As Miki walked away, Honey let out a chuckle.

"Tama-chan," He said, swallowing a piece of cake. "You really love Miki-chan, huh?"

"It's the least I can offer to her." Tamaki picked the hammer he placed in the soft grass, staring at it as he spoke. "There's no telling what could happen in the future; she may even be sent back to confinement. I want to at least be able to give her some great memories to hold onto for the rest of her life." He then turned to Honey, giving the boy a wry smile. "Though she always feels so close, yet so distant. She won't even call me Big Brother at home."

Honey hummed, keeping the fork in his mouth as he turned to look at Miki's hair reflecting against the summer sun. His lips curled upwards.

"I think Miki-chan loves you very much too."

"You two there!" Out of nowhere Misuzu appeared looking crossed. "No slacking! Minus three points!"

Miki returned to the gardens, where she found Kyoya typing away on his laptop. He peered up to check who it was before darting his eyes back to his work.

"Nice Apron." He commented a smug smirk slapped onto his face.

"Hehe, thanks." Giggling, Miki took a seat in front of him and propped her head up with the base of her palms. "What are you doing, Kyoya-kun?"

"The Book Report." He responded, not lifting his head. "You should begin working on it too."

"Eh? But we have til the school festival to do it." She reasoned, pressing her lips together. "Besides, the symbolism analysis shouldn't take that long to do."

"It depends on what book it is." Kyoya shrugged, his fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard.

Averting her eyes, Miki noticed Mori stepping out of the pension, carrying a table. "Rapunzel is a pretty short book, so it shouldn't take that long." She hummed.

Suddenly, Kyoya's typing stopped. Not moving, his eyes darted up as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Your book of choice was Rapunzel? As in Rapunzel by the Grim Brothers?"

Miki nodded, a little confused regarding why he suddenly stopped typing.

"How are you going to perform a symbolism analysis on that book?" Kyoya sighed, leaning back he picked up the teacup to take a sip. "That book is a child's fairy tale. What kind of symbolism are you going to find?" He pointed out.

Shaking her head, Miki clicked her tongue. "That's not true," She wiggled her finger playfully. "There is lots of symbolism in any book. You just need to look hard enough."

An amused smirk quickly spread across his lips. Placing the cup down, he crossed his legs under the table. "So enlighten me then," He narrowed his eyes at her. "What kind of symbolism have you found?"

"For example," Tapping her cheek with her index finger, Miki thought for a moment. "Near the end of the story, when the prince falls off the tower after his encounter with the sorceress, why were his eyes blinded?"

"That's pretty obvious," Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya looked at her with a smug expression. "He was punished for giving in to the temptation of Rapunzel's beauty."

Miki quickly shook her head, eyes in a downcast staring into the orange tea Kyoya was drinking. "If it were her looks that attracted the prince, then yes, that analysis would be correct. However," Her hazel orbs flickered up to meet his. "What drew the prince to her wasn't her beauty, it was her singing voice." She pointed out. "If anything, wouldn't it make more sense for the prince to be deafened?"

Kyoya fell silent for a moment as he recalled the fairy tale he was read so long ago. She was right; the prince was entranced by Rapunzel's voice.

"There's more," Miki continued. "Why would the prince regained his sight the moment he and Rapunzel reunited?" She asked with a thoughtful expression almost as if she had been pondering these questions all of her life.

Smirk deepening, Kyoya leaned forth with an elbow on the table, closing the distance between them, so close their foreheads could be touching. He watched her as her eyes met his, staring at him blankly. "So what's your take on this then?"

Miki blinked as her eyes averted away, "I don't know." She stated bluntly.

Kyoya's eyes widened, he backed away slightly, gazing at her.

"I don't know," Miki repeated, this time with a little sorrow laced in her voice. "I've read this book more times I can count." She admitted. "But I've never figured out either of those things."

Leaning back, Kyoya changed his focus onto the laptop before him, scanning his book report. "I see." He muttered before noticing Haruhi approach them on the porch.

"Kyoya-senpai, Miki-senpai, neither of you are participating in the game, are you?" She asked, looking a little exhausted.

Miki shook her head. "I would prefer just to observe this time. I don't really have much of a reason to stay in this pension after all" She chuckled.

Letting out a sigh, Kyoya closed the laptop. "Even if I did win, it wouldn't do me any good to stay by myself at this pension. I'll just watch here as much as I like then leave for the cottage."

"Cottage?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "You mean your family's?"

"Yes, that's right," Kyoya spoke, taking a sip of his tea.

"All of us have one in the area," Miki added, pointing over the mountains. Haruhi followed her finger, sweatdropping.

"Master Kyoya." A voice suddenly called out as multiple men in dressed in suits and sunglasses appeared, carrying six different travel bags. "We have gathered everyone's luggage." They informed him. "Where shall we take them to?"

"I guess we'll all stay at Honey-senpai's vacation home since it's the closest to here." He turned to Miki. "Is that alright?"

"No objections!" Miki cheered, raising her hand like a child.

Nodding, Kyoya ordered the men. "Take them over there."

"Yes, sir."

And with that, they were off.

"So then," Placing his cup down with a crooked smirk. "About this refreshing contest, who do either of you think will win? Shall we all make a bet?"

"No thanks, I have no idea," Haruhi replied flatly.

"Oh! I'll play!" As usual, jumping onto things without regards to the consequences, Miki volunteered.

Smirk deepening, Kyoya glanced over at the energetic blonde. It was more than obvious this was her first time making a bet. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as her body leaned forward. "Very well, the loser will have to endure a punishment game from the victor. Are you okay with that?"

"You're on!" Miki nodded determinedly, her cheeks gleaming.

Miki-senpai, you are definitely going to regret this later. Haruhi thought to herself with a sweatdrop.

"Well then, let's take a look at our contestants." Huffing out a laugh, Kyoya then turned to the field, hiding the wide grin on his face. "First off, Honey-senpai is visually more "cute" than "refreshing," so he's out, right?"

"Tamaki-kun can be refreshing." Miki pointed out.

"But that is under the pretense that he keeps his mouth shut, and at this point, he is too heated about this competition. Ordinarily, you'd figure it's Hikaru and Kaoru...However," He paused. "We have a dark horse." He spoke, glancing over at the sound of firewood chopping open.

Miki and Haruhi followed his gaze, finding Mori standing in the shining sun, shirtless. Holding an axe in hand and a water bottle in the other, he was drinking it as the guests inside swooned over his good looks.

"So then, it's Mori-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"Hold on," Miki blinked. "But Kyoya-kun said Honey-senpai is definitely is out..."

"Exactly, if Honey-senpai drops out, then Mori-senpai will back out, too." Kyoya moved forward, resting his chin on his interlaced hands. "He's only in this to tag along with him, to begin with, after all."

"Which means..." Hikaru said, announcing their presence not too far away.

"...that clinches it for us, all right," Kaoru finished.

"Oh yeah, I noticed earlier that the available room is only a single." Haruhi pointed out. "So even if you won, both of you couldn't stay."

"Oh, that's okay. We'll bring a bed over from our cottage." Hikaru shrugged indifferently.

"Even if we don't, we can squeeze ourselves in and sleep together," Kaoru added.

Haruhi tilted her head, her expression finally relaxing a little since the hosts got there. "You two are always together aren't you?"

"I suppose." Kaoru looked into the distance, a nostalgic look on his face.

"We were together when we were born," Hikaru reminded, "And we've never had any other friends."

"Up until a few years ago, we thought the whole world was made up of nothing but idiots," Kaoru spoke in a reminiscent manner. 

"So?" Drawing Miki's attention away from the twins and Haruhi, Kyoya raised an eyebrow at her. "Who do you place your bet on?"

"Really? I can place my bet first?" Eyes lighting up, Miki turned to him.

Kyoya shrugged. "I don't see why not." He spoke indifferently but the confidence in his voice never diminished.

"Tamaki-kun, of course." Miki beamed, not wasting even a second to think about her decision.

"Oh?" Raising an eyebrow, Kyoya's grin dropped. "Why is that?"

"Because," Miki looked back on the princely character who was reporting to Misuzu with a very disoriented fence. "I believe in him." She stated bluntly.

Hearing her reasoning, Kyoya felt his eyebrow twitch. Even though he knew her well, there was some part of him that wanted to hear a logical answer.

"However," Miki chuckled, standing up from her seat she kept her eyes glued to Tamaki who was sulking in the corner by his failed fence. "There is something I can do, to try and help."

"Interesting." Kyoya pushed up his glasses, smirking. "Very well," He shrugged, glancing over at the twins. "I place my bet on those two then."

"Good choice, Kyoya-senpai," Hikaru smirked with a taunting tone.

"We don't intend on losing, Miki-senpai." Kaoru followed up.

"Bring it on." Miki winked, her hand forming a false gun and aiming it at the twins, playfully pretending to shoot.

***

"Tamaki-kun." Miki sang, walking up to her from behind and hopping down to a crouch to match his pill-bug-like position.

"Miki..." Tamaki murmured. "I'm going to lose at this rate..."

"Seems like it." Miki agreed bluntly, glancing over at the twins who were chasing each other around holding a watermelon.

Hearing his own sister agree with his failure, Tamaki grabbed onto her and began to cry comically. "I want to win and deepen my friendship with Haruhi. I have to get into Haruhi's official 'friend' category!" He shouted.

Hearing him say this, Miki averted her eyes. She wanted to tell him that she was in Haruhi's friend category, but Kyoya's stern 'There is a time and place for everything.' caused her to reconsider.

"I have an idea," Miki suggested gently patting her brother's fluffy blonde hair with a tender smile. "There is something that may get you the advantage in this game."

"Go check out the lobby." Lifting a finger, she winked. "Just choose the right song, alright?"

Tamaki's ocean blue eyes widened.

***

Miki sat at one of the tables near the piano; her eyes remained closed as she tapped a finger against her cheek to the rhythm. She knew Tamaki's piano talents were extraordinary, but every single time he played, she was always caught off guard by just how amazing he was.

She opened a slit in her eyes, noticing how the guests were also mesmerized by the beautiful upbeat tune — the song about to get into its climax when suddenly, the sound of shattered glass echoed through the pension, followed by a call for Kaoru. Tamaki's playing came to an abrupt end, and Miki jolted up from her seat. With a worried glance, Miki wasted no time bolting out to see what happened.

When she arrived, Haruhi was leaned up against the side of the wall on the ground, the basket she was holding dropped beside her. Hikaru and Kaoru were A, resting their foreheads against each other.

Despite this being a wonderful moment shared between the twins, Miki, as usual, had no sense of awareness. "Hikaru! Kaoru! Haruhi!" She shouted as she quickly ran up to them, kneeling down next to the twins, noticing Kaoru had a shallow cut on his cheek. "Are you all alright? What happened-"

"Bravo! Bravo!" However, she couldn't get her whole sentence, Misuzu started crying comical tears and twirling around on the rooftop next to the weathervane. "What fantastic refreshing brotherly love! Misuzu-chi is touched! 100 points perfect score! The winners are the Hitachiin Brothers!"

Miki jolted once she heard the sound of piano keys slam in an off noted tune. No doubt, Tamaki was upset about all this. She laughed uneasily, hearing a broken voice follow, yelling 'No way.'

Standing up along with them, Miki smiled. "Good game, both of you." She complimented. 

"Miki-senpai, shouldn't you be more worried?" Haruhi pointed out. "You just lost a bet to Kyoya-senpai."

Blinking a few times, Miki tilted her head. "Why would I be worried?"

Slumping over in defeat about how thick-skulled Miki was, Haruhi sighed before turning to the twins. "Congratulations." Haruhi offered her praises as well with her hands behind her back.

"Don't mention it." They said in unison, wearing an unreadable expression.

"Don't tell me..." Haruhi's eyebrow twitched. "That was... planned?!"

"Well now," The twins said. "Who can say?"

***

Sitting in the Ootori helicopter, Miki hummed lightly, watching at the sunset outside the window. They were en route flying over to the Haninozuka vacation home. Tamaki was as stiff and pale as a rock from the shock of losing, to the point Mori had to pretty much carry him into the chopper. Nothing or anything can get through to him at this point. He was pretty much going to be out for the rest of the day. Honey was napping, probably exhausted from a long day of travelling and working, he leaned up against Mori who was also staring out the window.

"You lost our bet, Miki," Kyoya stated, looking over his notebook, catching her attention.

"I did, didn't I?" In an all too cheerful way, Miki admitted.

Raising an eyebrow, Kyoya peered up to see her with her usual radiant smile. It was almost comparable to the sunlight shining through the windows and into the aircraft. "You seem awfully optimistic for someone who just lost." He commented.

"Well, Kyoya-kun you are a nice person. So I know you wouldn't make me do anything too outside of my comfort zone." She pointed out, the cheery tone in her voice not fading. "So? What's my punishment game?"

"You are too simple-minded."With a wry sigh, Kyoya looked back to his notebook. "Let me think about it." He replied nonchalantly. 

Chapter Text

-Chapter 12-

Younger Sibling's Woes!

The second day in Karuizawa, Miki made sure to sleep early the night before. Because as expected, Tamaki was busted through the off-white doors with a sunken face, filled with worry. By the time he walked in, he had found his sister already braiding her hair at the vanity, dressed in a navy blue chiffon dress. She glanced over at the digital clock next to the bed in her guest room.

6:52 a.m.

She sweatdropped. She was expecting him at 6:55.

"Miki! We need to get going to the pension!" He shouted, holding a rolled up book in his hands. "The twins kept their phone off all night long! Those jerks!" He said, eyes gleaming with anger.

"Alright, I'm almost done." Pulling out a sheer lip balm from her bag, she quickly swiped it on. "Where is everyone else?" She asked, blinking lightly.

"Oh right!" Dragging Miki by the arm the moment she placed the lip balm back into her pouch, Tamaki pulled her out and down the hall towards Kyoya's room. "Let's go wake everyone up!" He yelled flamboyantly. "I already have our entire summer program planned out!"

Humming, Miki turned to look out at the beautiful morning sun. Through the windows, she could see Mori petting Antoinette outside in the gardens. From the looks of it, he just returned from a morning run. Turns out, to calm Tamaki down a little from yesterday's trauma, Kyoya had Antoinette fly in all the way from Tokyo. She beamed, waving at the silent giant, getting a nod of acknowledgement back from him as he wiped away some sweat on his forehead.

Tamaki then crashed into Kyoya's room, finally letting go of Miki's wrist. Miki glanced over Tamaki's shoulder as he stomped towards the bed. He was curled up, faced away from Tamaki, still sleeping. Remembering the conversation they had about sleep way back when she was putting on makeup for him, Miki followed Tamaki. "Tamaki-kun, I think it's better if we just let Kyoya-kun-" Placing a hand on his shoulder to pull him back, she was about to tell the riled up man it may be a better idea to just let him rest. When Tamaki completely ignored her reasons and slammed his hands down on Kyoya's bed.

"Get up, Kyoya!" The blond yelled. "We're going to Misuzu-san's pension! Our daughter is in a pinch! Don't squander your time sleeping! I must liberate Haruhi from those two devils-"

Tamaki suddenly paused mid-sentence and tensed up. Miki was about to ask why when she saw the answer glaring back at her, she, in turn, froze up as well.

With devil like eyes, Kyoya peeked up from his blankets, sending a shiver down Miki's spine. She and Tamaki jumped back out of fear for their own lives, the ladder hiding behind the former.

"If you want to go that badly, go by yourself." He spat at the blond in particular. Before slowly sinking beneath the cover of his blanket, murmuring. "Idiot..."

"H-He's scary..." Tamaki trembled, peering out from behind Miki.

"Y-Yeah..." Miki whimpered, holding her hands to her chest.

***

When the two finally got to the pension alone, Tamaki was immediately taken in by the different types of food in Karuizawa as he went off with Misuzu to try and learn and understand them better. During this time, Miki sat down at a table propped against the window, finally able to get a good breakfast in. She glanced up, hearing two familiar voices as they made their way down the stairs of the pension.

"I told you, I said I was sorry, didn't I Kaoru?" Hikaru groaned, still sounding a little tired. "I don't remember kicking you out of bed. What am I supposed to do?"

"I slept on the cold floor, and now my back hurts." Kaoru reasoned.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, Good Morning!" Miki waved at them, finally feeling awake after having some commoner's coffee.

Noticing her the twins waved back, making their way over to her table.

"Good Morning, Miki-senpai. You are here awfully early." Hikaru yawned, taking a seat in front of her. Kaoru gave her a warm smile as he sat down between the two.

Miki giggled as she stirred her steaming commoner's coffee in her cup. "Tamaki-kun woke me up early, as usual."

Humming, Hikaru turned around, his eyes lighting up slightly as he spotted Haruhi. "Breakfast, please!" He waved her over. "I'll have toast with Brest butter and garnet seal syrup."

"Also, bacon and eggs, and I'll take some Beasley cereal," Kaoru added. "The kind with the dried fruit in it. After that-"

"Hold on!" Haruhi quickly stopped them. "We don't have that on the menu here." She told them. "

Miki nodded, looking down at the food. "This is what they have," Gesturing the food on her plate, she explained.

"This stuff?" The twins looked down at Miki's half-eaten plate of food. "What is it?" They asked in unison.

"I don't know." Miki shrugged with an indifferent smile, placing another piece of meat into her mouth. Causing the twins to sweatdrop at just how carefree she was, letting out a whine.

Hearing this, Tamaki charged in with gleaming eyes, slapping the rolled up book he had earlier in the morning across the back of their heads. "Don't be so fussy, you fiendish brothers!" He furrowed his brows, lecturing the two. "Do you think you're some sort of affluent aristocracy?!"

"Are we not?" Miki asked bluntly, tilting her head.

"Well, actually we are." Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"And I might I point out, so are you." Kaoru nodded in agreement.

"'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' That's my general rule." Tamaki shrugged. "When in Karuizawa, enjoy Karuizawa. That's my ironclad rule." He began pointing at Miki's food, speaking in a proud manner. "Cold pasteurized Jersey steaks, with fresh juice from Shinano, highland vegetables, and the finest smoked salmon cooked slowly over cherrywood chips, which are the pride of the local community. Freshly baked Campagne bread, with homemade jam, so you can taste the natural flavour of the ingredients."

"Woah!" Clapping her hands together, Miki beamed. "Good job, Tamaki-kun. How did you name all that? You're so cool!"

"Since when was he..." Hikaru began.

"...such a huge fan of Nagano?" Kaoru finished.

"He was here so early in the morning, Misuzu-san showed him everything." Haruhi sighed, refilling Miki's coffee in which she received a smile in gratitude.

"While you two were off slumbering away, I even made up a guide for our training camp. Such is the thoughtfulness of your president." He explained, handing out the handwritten, photocopied books to the four at the table.

"What's this?" Hikaru read through the guidebook in annoyance. "It's written here that the rule number 5 is to get up at 6 a.m."

"Are Kyoya-senpai and Honey-senpai observing these?" Kaoru asked.

At this mention, both Tamaki and Miki tensed up as they remember the events of the morning. While Miki only followed Tamaki into Kyoya's room, she was so traumatized by his expression that she refused to even step into Honey's room to try and wake him up, leaving the poor blond to deal with whatever Honey pulled by himself. They both shivered, Miki, slamming her cup down onto the table unconsciously while Tamaki cried out of fear in the corner.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, sir, Miki-senpai." Hikaru tried to ease them.

"We made you remember something terribly scary, huh?" Kaoru added, patting Miki's back.

"Haruhi-chan!" Misuzu's voice echoed across the pension. "Would you put these in the refrigerator for me?"

"Okay." Haruhi stepped away from the group as he approached the delivery boy, when...

"Haruhi?" The boy asked. "Fujioka Haruhi?"

Haruhi's big brown eyes widened as she recognized the boy. "Arai-kun!"

***

The remaining hosts finally arrived at the pension, gathering at the bar for a mid-morning drink. Haruhi sat at one of the tables nearby, talking to the boy named Arai who was their middle school friend as they reminisced about their past together.

"Miki, is something the matter?" Kyoya asked in a sharp voice, sighing at how the strawberry blonde was staring at him. As much as he would love for her to be staring at him, the way she was, was a little, uncomfortable.

"Kyoya-kun," Miki spoke, her eyes narrowing as he lips formed a pout. "Do you use Black Magic?" She questioned bluntly.

Hearing her question, Kyoya's eye twitched as did his mouth. "I beg your pardon?" He cleared his throat, trying to sound calm.

"Are you secretly a sorcerer?" Peering down at her, Kyoya confirmed that she was serious.

Adjusting his glasses, he grumbled. "As far as I know, I do not practice black magic. Besides I have already explained to you, black magic is simply a work of fiction."

Miki pressed her lips tightened into a thin line as she leaned in closer to him, humming under her breath.

Honey, who has been listening to their conversation tilted his head as he swallowed a piece of cake. "Why do you think Kyo-chan uses black magic, Miki-chan?" He interrupted, scooping up another piece.

"Because," Snapping her head around, Miki held her hands in front of her face. "Today, when Tamaki-kun and I went to go wake him up, Kyoya-kun eyes gleamed like this!" She demonstrated by opening her fists to imitate a shine. "They were like the eyes of a devil!" She explained in an exaggerated manner.

Kyoya averted his eyes, trying to remember those events only to draw a blank. Though knowing himself, it is very likely those events transpired.

Honey's eyes widened. "Kyo-chan is really grouchy when he wakes up." He informed her.

"Don't go casting stones." Mori, who has been silently listening in, commented.

"Huh? What?" The boy lolita blinked, unaware of his own foul behaviour when he is rudely awakening.

Turning back to Kyoya, Miki pouted slightly. "Kyoya-kun, if you are secretly part of the black magic club, pl-" She paused when she felt Kyoya's cold hand tapped her forehead gently with his index and middle finger, brushing past the whisps of her strawberry blonde hair.

He watched in amusement as her hazel eyes widened, the light causing them to shimmer slightly. "Don't jump to conclusions like that," He sighed in frustration. "If you don't want to see that again, just don't wake me up as Tamaki does." He smirked, removing his hand from her forehead.

Miki blinked for a few moments. "So it's not black magic?" She cocked her head to the side in a slight daze, despite how cold his hands were, a slight warmth lingered on her forehead.

"No."

Humming, Miki looked down at her empty cup before breaking into a smile. "Good," She nodded, shoulders finally relaxing.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Giving her a weird look, Kyoya asked.

"Because I'm glad you are still a nice person." She answered, kicking her legs under the table with a bright smile. "I don't know what I would do if you suddenly became a bad person, Kyoya-kun."

"What's with this guy? Is he taking the refreshing innocence line?" Hikaru scoffed, immediately catching everyone's attention. "We ended the refreshment contest last chapter, you know."

"You're being unusually critical, aren't you?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong, Hika-chan?" Honey tilted his head.

"I'm just saying," Hikaru sang. "That guy is clearly interested in Haruhi. It's plain as day, and kind of sickening."

"Interested?" Miki muttered to herself. They were already friends, how could he be interested in her?

"Now, Hikaru!" Haruhi stood up, a hint of anger on her face. "You're the one who's been acting unpleasant here!" She retorted.

"No, it's okay. He's right; I did have a thing for you, Fujioka." Arai turned to calm her down. "Then again, I've already been turned down by you." Chuckling, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Eh?" The host club gasped.

"Turned down? As in Haruhi judo threw him?" Miki turned to Kyoya, looking even more confused.

"Meaning his romantic advancements were rejected," Kyoya explained, crossing his arms.

"EH?!" Haruhi and Miki shouted in unison

"Why are you surprised, Haruhi?" Miki asked.

"Well, I mean..."

"Arai-kun, was it? When are we talking about, here?" Tamaki immediately jumped up to ask.

"It was about a year ago, now..." Arai began to explain.

Apparently, when Arai had asked Haruhi to go out with him all that time ago. She took the words, 'go out,' literally.

Finally realizing what Arai had meant a full year later, Haruhi's eyebrow twitched in embarrassment and remorse.

Suddenly, Haruhi was sitting at an interrogation table with a singular light source shining in her face. As Kyoya, Mori, Honey and Miki surrounded her. "Haruhi..." Kyoya spoke sternly as he wrote in his notebook. "You crushed this poor young man's innocence over such a trite, throwaway gag?"

"No, you see, I didn't realize that's what he meant at all..." Haruhi tried to explain herself, a little tense from the sudden change in atmosphere.

"You can't do that to him you know?" Miki, who has recently learnt the alternate meaning of 'going out' from Kyoya after witnessing a girl confess to Mori, she lectured Haruhi. "Be more aware of other's feelings, if you don't like them, reject them properly." She lifted a finger, brows furrowing.

"Don't go casting stones," Mori repeated, this time directing it at Miki.

"Huh?" Turning around to look at him, Miki blinked, unaware of how dense to romance she is herself.

***

"Eh..." Honey hugged Usa-chan as he sat next to Arai. The hosts were now gathered around the boy at a large table, listening intently as he and Haruhi reminisced about their past. "You went to Kyoto on your middle school trip? It's unusual that it would be in-country, huh?"

"No, that's normal, for commoners," Arai replied modestly. He was already somewhat comfortable with the hosts despite the significant gap in social class differences; they were already chatting as if they were normal friends. Perhaps his easygoing nature was a big part of it.

"Mm-hmm, I like Kyoto, too." Tamaki agreed, his hand under his chin.

"I often had to accompany this guy when he toured the temples," Kyoya commented, pointing at Tamaki.

"Temples, huh?" Miki hummed excitedly. Her arms were propped up on the table as she gazed up dreamily. "I've always wanted to go see one in person; I wonder how are they like?"

"There is one here in Karuizawa." Tamaki winked, raising a finger. "Should we all go?"

Perking up, Miki beamed. "Yes! I would love to!" She giggled.

"Fujioka, remember when we went to the summer festival two years ago?" Arai smiled.

"Wait a second. Hey! Hikaru! Kaoru!" Standing up Tamaki turned to the twins who stuck to each other near the bar, not coming even an inch closer to the table. "You guys come over too! This is a rare chance to hear some episodes from Haruhi's middle school days!" He beckoned them.

"I don't especially want to hear about them." Hikaru jeered. "Or should I say, how stupid are you? I can't understand why you would get so excited over hearing about stories from the past. And doesn't he get that Haruhi doesn't want anything to do with him?" Hearing this, Haruhi stood up firmly from her seat and stocked over towards an unaware Hikaru. Miki noticed how angry her face looked and attempted to stand up to follow her, only to feel a grab from her wrist. She peered down, noticing Kyoya holding firmly onto her wrist, watching the situation with a keen eye.

"Haruhi doesn't have any room for you in her life!" Hikaru continued, only to notice Haruhi's presence behind him. He spun around on his seat.

A crisp slap echoed the air as Haruhi swung her palm down on Hikaru's cheek. Miki closed her eyes in fear as the sound and silence continued to resonate in the room, only to open it cautiously when she heard Haruhi speak.

"That's not something for you to decide, Hikaru!" Haruhi declared. "If you do one rude thing to my friend, you'll have to answer to me!"

"What is this?" Hikaru muttered, his body visibly shaking. Despite being slapped, his cheek showed no redness or swelling. "What do other people matter?" He stood up, speaking a little louder. "We're your friends, aren't we?!" Gritting his teeth, he stared down at Haruhi in a mixture of hurt, anger and sorrow. Then, after quickly averting his eyes, he ran upstairs. Kaoru was chasing behind, calling after him.

Another silence ensued as the figure of both twins disappeared upstairs. Miki felt the grip on her wrist loosen as she slowly brought her hands to her chest.

"Their world is still so small, huh?" Tamaki muttered, ruffling his hair.

After that incident, Arai decided it was time he got back to work. The hosts all stood outside the pension, about to see him off. Arai, in particular, didn't seem to mind the event as much as the hosts did. It was strange to see Hikaru lash out like that, acting so differently than Kaoru.

"Arai-kun, I'm sorry." Haruhi apologized.

"It's okay." He wore a calm smile as he leaned on his bike about to hop on. "I don't know what I did, but it somehow seemed to set him off."

Suddenly, the weloming bell rang, signalling everyone the door had opened.

"Hikaru?" Miki blinked, seeing him step out, a little reclusive.

He paced over, hand behind the back of his neck. After a small moment of silence, he spoke. "I was out of line. Sorry." Upon hearing his softer voice, Miki immediately realized that wasn't Hikaru. She was about to say something, but the better of her judgement told her to keep her mouth shut. Instead, she blinked and cocked her head, receiving a pleading look in return.

"Nah, it's okay." Smiling brightly, Arai waved it off before turning to Haruhi. "Bye now, Fujioka. See you later, everyone." And with that, he hopped onto the bike and rode off.

"Bye-bye!" Honey waved, clutching onto Usa-chan. Miki would've given him a similar farewell, but she was too curious about why Kaoru was pretending to be Hikaru.

"You are Kaoru... right?" Once Arai's figure disappeared down the road, Miki turned to the boy next to her and asked with a blank expression. She noticed him flinch and realized her suspicions were correct. "Why are you pretending to be Hikaru?" Cocking her head to the side, she asked.

"Eh?" The rest of the club turned around.

"Hey, where's the scratch on your cheek?" Haruhi chimed in, reaching forth to pull on his cheek.

"I touched it up with some stick concealer." Kaoru laughed wryly, showing the bottle.

"Hikaru doesn't seem like he'll cheer up anytime soon," Kaoru explained glancing back into the pension. He then turned to Haruhi with a bright grin. "And so, Haruhi, I have a small favour to ask of you."

"Huh?" Haruhi blinked.

"All day tomorrow, would you go out on a date with me?"

***

"Kaoru... What is this for?" Tamaki muttered, feeling a bit awkward in his disguise.

"We are going to tail them of course, can't you tell?" Hiding out in a cafe, Kaoru responded as he peeked out the window.

The hosts were all wearing unusually well-planned disguises. Tamaki and Mori were dressed as labour workers, Kyoya, Miki and Honey were dressed up as a tourist family while Kaoru himself was dressed up as a local boy.

Eyebrow twitching, Tamaki grabbed onto Kaoru's collar and began shaking him. "Why should I have to let Haruhi and Hikaru go on a date? After yesterday's events, how did it turn out like this?!"

"This could be Haru-chan's first date, huh?" Honey suggested.

"It is, Haruhi told me she's never been on a date before," Miki responded the boy with a smile.

"Ah! I'll get you for this, Hikaru! And what's with that outfit?!" Tamaki shouted, pointing out the window. "She's super cute! Hyper-cute!"

"Oh, that..." Kaoru laughed as he began to explain how the twin maids pretty much dragged Haruhi out of bed to change.

"No fair! No fair! No fair!" Tamaki whined.

"You know, sir." Kaoru began to speak in a very thoughtful manner. "I think it would be very good for Hikaru to have more people who are dear to him."

"What do you mean by that, Kaoru?" Miki tilted her head, readjusting the sun hat on her head.

"For the longest time, the only people who were dear to us were ourselves," Kaoru explained, gazing at the two walked off and onto the streets of Karuizawa. "We felt like it didn't matter what anyone else thought of us, and that's how we got our self-centred disposition."

Tamaki raised an eyebrow, looking a bit incredulous. "You realized that?" He commented.

"Hikaru is especially childish," Kaoru sighed. "He charges into things on just emotion. Still, although Hikaru doesn't seem to be aware of it, he's become quite fond of Haruhi. He just doesn't know how to act, except to force his own feelings onto others, so he becomes monopolizing, like a child." Then, his expression changed into a wry smile. "Even when he wants to be acknowledged by someone, he doesn't know what he should do. If want to have true friends and not just toys, you have to respect the other person, don't you? I think that Hikaru needs to learn exactly how to get along with other people in that way." He said, lifting a finger.

"Kaoru, you're amazing." Tamaki stood up straighter; his eyes widened with just how much he's grown as a person.

"So what you're saying is that this date is a trial, to get Hikaru to foster feelings of consideration for someone else." Kyoya hummed.

"So make sure you don't interfere with them, okay?" Kaoru emphasized.

"Then, we don't need to be tailing them, do we?" Tamaki countered.

"Sure we do," Kaoru responded, moving in closer to them while hiding behind a tree. "There's no reason for us not to watch something this interesting, is there?" He commented.

"I agree!" Miki cheered, fists pumping. "It's kinda like a spy mission straight out of Crime? Crime Drama ♥. It's so exciting! I've always wanted to be a secret agent!"

"Come on! Let's go!" Kaoru pressed on, Miki, Honey and Mori following close behind.

Tamaki, in turn, was drawn up to the sky, staring thoughtfully at it.

"Tamaki? What's wrong?" Kyoya noticed the odd behaviour in his friend and pointed it out.

Taking off his disguise glasses, Tamaki hummed. "I was just hoping the sun would stay with us." He commented absently.

As they continued to tail the two, the host club eventually came to a stop where Hikaru was making very awkward conversation with Haruhi. It was rather strange to see him like that since usually, he was brimming with so much energy in the club.

Leaning over the corner of a wall, Miki muttered with a chuckle. "The subject is awfully tense, is he not?"

Tamaki seemed to have also noticed this, as he was about to burst forth with anger. "Aah! What a tedious date this is!" He shouted in a hush, inching forward as Kaoru struggled to hold him back. "As stiff as you're acting, you call yourself a host club member?! Switch with me, Hikaru! I'll escort Haruhi instead!"

"Then, there wouldn't be any meaning!" Kaoru reminded.

"Fine! Then Kyoya!" Tamaki snapped around. "You go make like a punk and pick a fight with Haruhi! That will let Hikaru rescue her!"

"Wait until you're asleep to dream this stuff up." Kyoya rejected his orders flatly.

At this point, Honey seemed to have switched disguises and was beginning to approach the two with an ice cream cart, a fake mustache and a straw hat.

"Ice cream! Ice Cream! Anyone want ice cream!?" He spoke in a carefree manner.

"Agent Mori-senpai! Agent Honey-senpai is-" Miki hushed, pointing at Honey, noticing that Mori was already gone in a flash as he rushed by to scoop Honey up and behind a corner, trailing dust.

"You are playing too much into this role, Miki-senpai..." Kaoru sweatdropped momentarily letting go of Tamaki.

Turning around, Miki winked playfully. "It's always been a dream of mine, to play a secret agent." She told him before she turned to one of the ice cream parlours. "Ah! Agent Tamaki-kun is..." She pointed out as everyone's eye line quickly darted over.

Tamaki had shoved Hikaru, who was about to take a bite out of Haruhi's ice cream, to the side all the while giving her a new one. The hosts quickly rushed over, hiding underneath the counter as Kaoru took ahold of Tamaki by the collar, shaking him wildly.

"It was finally going well! What are you interfering for?!" He hissed.

"You idiot! You think I'm going to let them couple-eat?!" Tamaki reasoned, crying comically. "No indirect kissing!"

Miki blinked for a moment as she crouched next to Tamaki, thinking about the concept of 'indirect kissing.' She opened her mouth, about to ask Kyoya when she got an immediate response.

"By sharing food or a drink." He responded, taking a cup of tea from the parlour and sipping it calmly. "It's an exchange of saliva."

Letting out a soft 'Oh,' Honey then tapped her on the shoulder.

"Miki-chan, Miki-chan, do you want some ice cream?" He offered, having changed back into his tourist costume.

"Yes, I'd love to." Taking an ice cream in hand, Miki beamed.

"Excuse me... But will you guys leave?" The poor clerk asked with a sweatdrop at the six strangers who barged in on his shop.

After their little ice cream break, the hosts followed the two around for a little while only to call it quits. They seemed to be having a good time, and Tamaki looked like he couldn't take any more of watching. Miki giggled, watching as Tamaki was being dragged off by Mori while Honey led the group. She noticed Kaoru walking next to her, his eyes in a downcast towards the ground, his face thoughtful.

"You and your brother have a wonderful bond, Kaoru." She commented, expression tender as he turned to look at her. "I'm a little jealous."

"Really? I thought you didn't get jealous over these sorts of things." He teased before pausing and letting a small silence ensue between them. "Hey, Miki-senpai?" He called out, eyes glued to Tamaki, who was still crying.

"Yes?" She replied in an airy manner.

"Did our conversation that day, lead to your decision to finally tell milord about yourself?"

Miki's eyes widened for a moment as she thought. Her eyes flickered to the side, seeing Kaoru with his eyes focused straight ahead. She took a deep breath.

"I suppose you could say that," Tilting her head, she kept her hands behind her back as she walked. "I've always wanted to meet him, ever since I was young." She explained in a rather vaguely. "Because of my status as his half-sibling, I was concerned with whether-or-not Tamaki-kun was going to accept me. It made me hesitant to introduce myself formally. However," Her eyes crinkled. "When I saw how close you and your brother truly were, I couldn't help but yearn for the same." With that, she turned to him with a radiant shimmer to her cheeks.

"I see," Kaoru hummed. "How are you finding that?"

Resting her interlaced fingers to her lips, Miki chuckled. "It's... difficult. I want to get closer to him, but I don't really know how to." Her shoulders were shrugging merrily, she giggled. Her voice clear, like a bell. "I worry for him, you know?"

Hearing her say this, Kaoru's lips curled into a nostalgic smile as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah..." He let out a sigh. "It's our job as a younger sibling to worry after all."

***

As much as Miki wanted to sit near the window and watch the brilliant lightning strike down fiercely from the sky, she had something else on her mind. Tamaki was pacing back and forth with an unsettled expression while the rest of the host club waited in the rumbling.

"Tamaki-kun, you look tense." She pointed out, tapping him gently on the shoulder. "What happened? If it's Haruhi and Hikaru, you are worried-"

"Everything is alright," Turning around to face his sister, Tamaki's worried face quickly melted into a tender smile. "Why don't you head back to the Haninozuka mansion first?" He reassured her, ruffling her long strawberry blonde hair.

"I want to stay here with you though." Miki reasoned.

That was when the phone rang.

"Yes, Pension Misuzu." Misuzu picked up the phone with a cheerful tone. "Arai-kun, what is it? Eh? Haruhi-chan and Hikaru-kun?" He said, expression turning slightly serious. He began to nod. "Got it. Hikaru-kun should have his cell phone with him, so I'll try calling." Hanging up the phone, he then turned to the hosts who began to gather around Tamaki and Miki. "It sounds like Hikaru-kun left Haruhi-chan in front of Arai-kun's store, and headed back here on his own. He said that Haruhi-chan took off after him, but then this rain started to come down, right? That's when Arai-kun became worried and called over here." Hearing this, Miki noticed Tamaki began to fiddle with his pocket.

"Tamaki-kun...?" She muttered as he pulled out his phone and dialled Hikaru.

It only took two rings before it got through. Hikaru's voice poured through the speaker. It was evident he was still out in the storm considering how muffled his end of the phone was.

"Yeah, sir? Perfect timing. Could you send a car around for me? I couldn't catch a ca-"

Before he could finish, however, Tamaki exploded. "You stupid idiot! You turn around right now and find Haruhi!" In a commanding tone, he ordered while shouting. "What kind of person leaves a girl out in the rain like this by herself. Listen to me, Haruhi is afraid of thunder!" These words caused Miki's eyes to go wide; she felt her heartbeat stop. "When she hears thunder, she's terrified, and can't move! Before you start indulging your overgrown jealousy, think harder about what the other person is going through!" And with that, he slammed the phone shut with anger and sunk down into a chair, burying his face with the back of his hands.

"Haruhi... is afraid of thunder?" Miki murmured under her breath as her feet moved on their own as she bolted straight for the exit of the pension with a stoned face.

"Miki-chan!"

"Miki-senpai!"

Before she could exit the pension, however, she felt a firm pull on her wrist as it pulled her back in. She was spun around by the tug and forced to face Kyoya; the person grabbed her.

"Where do you think you are going?" He warned with a growl.

"Looking for Haruhi, where else?" She replied with a blank face, not understanding why he looked so angry.

"Do you really believe that is a wise choice right now?" He asked in a low voice.

Miki blinked growing thoughtful for a moment. She then looked up to meet his eye. "I'm not afraid of lightning or thunder; I'll be alright." She stated in a flat tone.

"That is not the point." Eyes narrowing at her, Kyoya gritted his teeth at her childlike logic.

"Haruhi and Hikaru are out there." She tried again as her brows knitted together. She couldn't understand why Kyoya was stopping her, the longer they remained here, the later they will find Haruhi and Hikaru.

"We all realize that, but none of us are going out after them. If you go running out now, it's just going to be an even bigger nuisance to us." Clinging onto the last bit of patience he had, Kyoya spoke, his grip on her wrist tightening. It was beginning to hurt.

"But we have to go help them." Miki retaliated.

Hearing her words, Kyoya's grip on her hand loosened. She stepped back away from him, a little confused. "Kyoya-kun?"

"Do what you want." He grumbled, turning on his heel. "But understand that if you head out and get lost in the rain, the responsibility will be on you." He stated merely before walking away to the other side of the room.

To ease the situation, and prevent Miki from running out, Honey cut in.

"We all feel the same, Miki-chan." As the thunder roared on outside, Honey spoke. "We all want to run out right now and look for them. But we need to stay put, so when they come back, they have a safe place to return to, alright?" He tilted his head, a sweet smile shining from his cheeks.

Miki blinked, her brows furrowing as she glanced over at her brother. His body was shaking; he looked like he also wanted to rush out into town to search for Haruhi as well. But instead, he stayed still, mouth pressed against his hands, waiting.

Though still not convinced, Miki's eyes flickered down, taking a few moments of silence to consider the circumstances. Honey was right. "I'm sorry." She muttered with a slight bow before glancing back at Tamaki. "I'll stay." She announced quietly, earning a curt nod of approval from the lolita.

"Good girl." Honey chuckled, patting her head as she bowed once again.

Taking a seat next to Tamaki, Miki studied his tense body language. She lowered her gaze as her eyes grew heavy from the moisture the storm was causing. Folding her arms on the table, she buried her face in her arms. Breathing in deeply, she attempted to tune out the harsh lightning that crashed onto the ground as well as the howling and pattering sound the wind was making.

At that second, she despised lightning.

***

As the rain finally came to an end, morning broke. Miki woke up groggily with a blanket laid over her shoulders. She blinked as she glanced around. The hosts have all fallen asleep in the dining hall, waiting for Haruhi and Hikaru to return. Honey and Mori slept next to each other on the couch with a blanket each. Kaoru was sleeping not too far away from them, curled up in a blanket. Tamaki was awake. He has since left her table and instead opted to pace around the entrance of the pension, waiting impatiently.

Standing up, she held her covers in her arms, eyes darting. Only to find Kyoya sitting in one of the couches, eyes closed and arms crossed before him with no blanket. She paced over with a neutral expression and lightly spread the thin blanket over his tense looking body, then she made her way over to the door.

"Did you sleep last night, Tamaki-kun?" She tilted her head, mustering a gentle smile.

Noticing Miki was awake, Tamaki turned around. "No," He let out an uneasy chuckle. "Not really."

"It's bad for your body to do that." With her hands behind her back, Miki glanced outside at the clear Karuizawa morning. "Let's go look for them, once everyone else is awake." She offered. "I'm sure we'll find them."

And true to her word, they did.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 13-

The Host Club's Summer Festival!

Determined to learn more life skills, Miki chose to help out at Misuzu's pension with Haruhi in an effort to try and understand how to perform regular home tasks. Thanks to Haruhi's help and instructions Miki learned how to wash dishes, do laundry and change the bedsheets. Through for safety reasons, Haruhi and Misuzu learned the hard way, not to put Miki in the kitchen.

***

"Haruhi-chan! Miki-chan!" Misuzu called out to the strawberry blonde. "I could use some help in the kitchen, can you both come here?"

"Yes, of course." With a bright smile, Miki skipped over with Haruhi close behind. She did enjoy working at the pension. It was a brand new experience. She learned how to mop floors, do laundry and change people's bedsheets. Granted Haruhi did have to take the time to teach her and guide her through the steps, but there was always a first time for everything.

Once the two girls were in the kitchen, Misuzu quickly assigned them their jobs. "Haruhi-chan, can you chop up the vegetables? And Miki-chan cut the meat please."

"Understood."

"Okay!" Nodding, Miki hopped over the cutting board while humming, while Haruhi paced over to the vegetables.

"Hm, let's see." Misuzu looked over the orders. "I'll start baking the cookies for tea time- OH MY GOODNESS MIKI-CHAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He let out a loud shriek that shook the pension, startling the guests as everyone wondered what could the owner be freaking out about.

Miki turned around and blinked. "You told me to cut the meat right?" She asked bluntly.

"M-Miki-senpai..." Haruhi sweatdropped, a little scared. "Have you ever cooked before?"

"No, this is my first time cooking." She beamed innocently. "We always had chefs after all."

Turns out, Miki was holding the butcher knife high above her head with both hands, about to chop down on the poor piece of frozen meat like it was a piece of firewood.

"I saw Mori-senpai do this with the firewood." She lowered the knife from above her head. "Is this not how you cut meat?" She tilted her head.

There were so many things wrong with how she tried to the point it wasn't even funny.

Haruhi felt her eyebrow twitch. "Misuzu-san, let's not put her on kitchen duties." She suggested.

"Okay..."

Damn these rich people... Haruhi thought to herself.

***

For now, she was put on waitress duty. Not that it was terrible. No. She rather fitted for the job with her unwavering smile and optimistic attitude; the customers are pleased with her snappy service and quick responses.

"Miki-chan!" Misuzu called out from over the counter. "Bring these to Table 4, please."

"Yes!" Singing, Miki bolted over to counter as she picked up two plates.

Watching from afar, was the host club as they sat at one of the tables drinking some afternoon tea as well as enjoying some cookies.

"Miki-senpai looks like she fits in well," Hikaru commented, watching as the girl placed the plates down in front of a small group of people with a cheerful smile, quickly absorbed into conversation with them.

"It's probably her simple mindset that lets her pretty much be able to get along with anyone." Kaoru hummed, sipping on his drink. "But moreover..." He chuckled uneasily, glancing behind him. Feeling a grimace aura spreading, counteracting the sunshine that emitted from Miki.

Honey, who was sitting at a table with Mori, Tamaki and Kyoya took a bite of his cake. He blinked, watching Kyoya behind him jot in his notebook with a scowl on his face. Not that it wasn't normal he was often known to make that face when he was in a rather foul mood.

But, it seems like whenever Kyoya was in a bad mood lately, it would always somehow be connected to Miki.

"Kyo-chan, is something wrong?" The boy lolita tilted his head.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Honey-senpai." Pen moving, Kyoya lifted his face to smile at him darkly. Immediately, the host club froze up at that expression. "As you can see, I am perfectly fine." He added.

Haruhi sweatdropped from afar, watching as they shivered under his malicious aura. She turned to look at Miki who seemed quite relaxed, despite the chilling cold coming off of the shadow king tables over.

"Miki-senpai..." When she returned to the table to deliver an order, Haruhi wasn't sure if she should ask. She hesitated, watching said woman glance over the counter with a questioning gaze. Lowering her body, she whispered across the bar. "Did something happen between you and Kyoya-senpai?" She asked.

Eyes flickering upwards, Miki thought for a moment. After going through the events in her head, she blinked. "Nothing happened." She replied with a head tilt, picking up one of the plates as Misuzu gave her another order.

Watching her run off to a table, Haruhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Even if she did pursue the question, she was pretty sure she wouldn't know what she even did wrong.

"Here you go, Cold pasteurized Jersey steaks, with fresh juice." With a beam, Miki placed the plates down onto the table in front of a couple. "Can I get you two anything else?"

"Miki-chan, you sure are working hard." The female of the two complimented, she was a regular.

"Thank you very much; I try my best." Tilting her head, her cheeks brightened.

"Since you are here on vacation, are you going to be visiting the summer festival tomorrow night?" The man asked, taking a whiff of the tea.

Hearing those words, Miki gasped, holding the serving tray to her chest. "Really? It's tomorrow?" Her hazel eyes sparkled as if the lights of the festival were reflected in them.

***

In the darkness of Karuizawa's night, the temple, in particular, was especially lively. Traditional Japanese music was playing through mini speakers set up. Many people gathered, families, friends and even couples. Some were dressed in yukatas, while others wore simpler clothes. Miki's eyes widened, reflecting the stringed lanterns that were tied up above, illuminating colourful lights through the tinted parchment paper. She was bouncing on her two feet, shifting her weight from the ball of her foot to the heel. She wore a honey-coloured yukata with off-white lilies and the occasional soft pink leaves as patterns. Her hair was braided into a small crown as usual and even tied together with a lily that matched the design on her yukata.

Haruhi turned around, trying to observe the yukata Misuzu picked out for her. It was an offwhite with soft pink cherry blossom designs scattered about. He even insisted on clipping a cherry blossom pin into her hair, as well as sneak a little makeup onto both girls.

"I can't believe you guys actually dragged me here too..." Haruhi mumbled through the slight flush on her face indicated she was rather giddy about attending the summer festival.

Chuckling, Miki held her bag with both arms over her mouth. "Awe, don't be like that Haruhi. We are at a festival, be a little more excited! If you frown like that, the yukata will overshadow you."

"You may be a little too excited." Haruhi sighed wryly. 

"Ah! Haru-chan! Miki-chan!" A familiar voice caught both girl's attention as they turned to find the hosts, also dress in their yukatas. Honey was the one who called out to the two. "I found you!" He giggled, waving his arm in the air while holding Usa-chan in the other. Mori stood behind him, fanning himself with a fan emotionlessly.

"Wow, this place is booming," Hikaru commented, glancing around the area.

"Oh! I smell commoner's food!" Kaoru perked up, grinning with excitement. "I want some greasy yakisoba!"

"Do they have cake here?" Honey asked Kyoya curiously.

"Probably not." He responded with a forced smile.

Tamaki stood wide-eyed as he lunged forth and immediately began doting on the two girls. "You both look so cute!" He cooed.

"Wah! Get off me!" Haruhi pried herself out as Miki laughed. In Tamaki's arms, the strawberry blonde glanced over at Kyoya, noticing that he had averted his eyes. She blinked blankly as the group entered the temple.

Days had gone past, and Miki had noticed something was off between her and Kyoya, she thinks. He was scowling and frowning more whenever she was around and never said a word to her. She remembered the last time they spoke, about Haruhi and the rain. And he looked a little upset since then. Did she do something then that made him upset? If that was the case then, what was it? As far as she was concerned, she had done nothing wrong. She wondered if she was getting what they called, 'the silent treatment.' She couldn't tell if she was.

"Haru-chan!" Honey exclaimed. "Let's get some cotton candy!" He yelled with excitement, tugging Haruhi by the hand, only for the twins to pull her back.

"No, Honey-senpai." They spoke in unison. "Yakisoba first!"

Mori was looking over a pile of baby chick plushies, contemplating on buying one.

Tamaki's eyes sparkled as he found something at one of the vendors. "Look Haruhi!" He cried out, acting like an overgrown puppy. "They have candy apples. I'll buy one for you!"

"Oh, thank you very much..." Haruhi muttered, taking the candy apple.

"Look, there's a shooting game over there!" Tamaki then pointed at one of the mini-game booths. "Should we go try it?"

"Uh, I'll pass." Haruhi glance over at the booth sweatdropping, eyes sweeping over the many plushies. "There aren't any prizes I want."

"Don't say that it'll be a good experience!" Tamaki pushed on.

"No thanks, I'm good." Haruhi averted her eyes, feeling a slight pull on her wrist.

"Haruhi! They're playing Taiko drums over there!" The twins beckoned. "Let's go watch!"

"Ah, okay!" Barely getting this out, Haruhi was dragged off. She tried to turn around and call out to Miki, but she was in too much of her thoughts to notice. By the time she came to, even Tamaki and Kyoya had disappeared by her side; she blinked at the sea of strangers before her. 

"Where did everyone go?" Tapping her chin, she wondered out loud. 

Figuring she could walk around the festival until she bumped into one of her friends, she shrugged as she began to wander. Goldfish scooping, water balloons, masks, cotton candy, yakisoba, there were so many things to check out. A loud cheer travelled from the sharp-shooting booth, baffling Miki. Curiously she paced over to see what was up, noticing a young man holding a rifle as he shot down toys as if it were second nature to him. Two others, presumably his friend was cheering loudly at each one of his victories. As he shot down another stuffed animal, Miki began to clap with awe. 

Noticing a stranger clapping, the man turned around with a brow raise. He looked just a little older than her, with stubbled short hair and a slight beard. Both he and his friends were not dressed in yukatas. Instead, they looked somewhat like delinquent's clothing.

"You are very skills, sir." Miki giggled as she continued to clap in encouragement. 

"Thank you," The man smiled. "I have a few more bullets left, do you want to try?" 

"Eh? Can I?" Eyes sparkling, Miki found herself rising to her toes eagerly. 

Offering her the rifle, the man grinned. "Sure, go for it." Shoving the light plastic into her hands, he grabbed her by her shoulders and spun her towards the booth. 

Holding the rifle like she's seen the characters of Crime? Crime Drama ♥ does. She closed one eye and lined up the scope towards a bear stuffed animal, gently pulling the trigger. The rifle let out a soft snap, startling her as she jumped back in shock.

"Woah!" She gasped, wide-eyed as she lost control of the gun. The bullet hit the cloth of the booth its self, rather than the toys. 

"Ah, that's too bad!" His friends cooed.

The man chuckled with a hand on his hip. "Here, let me help you."

Without even waiting for her answer, Miki felt a hand layer over hers, and a face come close. She blinked at how unpleasant this position was. His breath was practically breathing onto her cheek as he spoke. However, he was helping her, so she simply dealt with it. She turned her focus to the toys once again, trying to take her mind off of the man's hands over hers. "Aim, and Shoot!" 

To her surprise, the bullet hit the bear stuffed animal straight in the forehead and knocking it over. 

"Wow!" Feeling his arm loosen, Miki gasped as her mouth gaped open. "You hit it in one shot! That was amazing!" Spinning around, she twinkled at the man. 

"Well, you did most of the work." The man laughed as his friend approached her with the stuffed bear. 

"Do you want this stuffed animal?" He offered it to her. "You were aiming for it; you must want it right?"

"Are you sure I can have it?" Fingers interlacing before her, Miki questioned with delighted eyes as the stuffed bear was placed in your arms. "It was your bullet uses."

"Of course," Giving her a thumbs up, the first man nodded. "Could you do us a little favour? We are a little lost." Rubbing the back of his neck, he chuckled uneasily. "My buddies and I are trying to get out of this temple, but we can't seem to find the exit."

Nodding, Miki turned around pointing behind her. "Oh, it's down this way then turn to the left. It's at the end of the street." She instructed with a soft beam.

"Ah..." The man froze, and Miki noticed how the two exchanged a whisper and a chuckle. "Actually, could you take us there? We are kinda bad with directions."

"Sure." With her signature radiating smile, she nodded.

Leading them towards the exit, Miki smiled down at the stuffed bear animal she kept wrapped in one arm. She was thinking of giving it to Tamaki, as a 'thank you' gift for always being so kind to her. She giggled, wondering how he would react when he received it. 

"Here, we are." Once they got to the entrance of the shrine, Miki bowed before looping around. "I'll be off then-" She was about to leave when she felt a hand grab onto her free wrist. She was pulled back like a rag doll and spun around.

"What are you doing?" She blinked as warning bells began to sound in her head, she tried to pull back as the man began to drag her down the stair and away from the brightly lit festival. His gentle and helpful expression turned into a chilling smirk. "Please let go of me." She spoke clearly.

"We taught you something, so why don't you offer something in return? We know a nice little place down the street from here, why don't you come and keep us company?" The man's friends looped behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shove her towards the stairs. "I'm sure you are a very pretty woman, even without that yukata."

Furrowing her brows, Miki bit her bottom lip. "I'm pretty sure this is considered sexual assault." She spoke in a stern voice, her feet firmly planted into the ground as if she were apart of it. She wouldn't budge, she knew leaving with them would result in something bad happening to her.

"Oh, come on, we'll be nice to you." The man behind said in a reassuring tone. "We even gave you that stuffed bear."

"Excuse me, sir." Another calm voice began as Miki felt the hand around her wrist get thrown off and replace by another. Miki glanced up as her eyes widened, to her surprise she found Kyoya standing there with a calm smile. "If a lady declines your offer the first time around, continuously pestering her will not change her decision." Then with a firm yank, he pulled Miki out of their grasps. "Now, shall we go then?" He peered down at her briefly with a charming smile before pulling her away and back into the festival crowd.

Miki blinked as she tried to process what had just happened. As they continued to weave through the crowd, she noticed how they have all began to gather by the hills all looking up at the sky and expecting something. She felt his grip on her tighten as they headed further into the large crowd.

"Kyoya-kun, you are going to leave a bruise if you hold it this tight." She stated as they finally got to a more secluded spot in the festival.

Turning around to face her, Kyoya slowly let go of her wrist. He narrowed his brownish green eyes at her as she tilted her head with questioning eyes. "Didn't I tell you to be more aware of people?" He asked in a soft yet accusing manner.

"He was nice in the beginning."She peered down sheepishly as Kyoya studied her, the frustration still present in his greenish-black eyes. "He taught me how to shoot a rifle and gave me this stuffed bear, but then he tried to take me away from the festival." Her lips formed a little frown. "Kyoya-kun, are you mad at me?" Glancing back up, Miki tried to search his face for clues. She figured she mine as well ask since it's been bugging her for a while.

Letting out a sigh in irritation, Kyoya rubbed the bridge of his nose above his glasses with closed eyes. Mentally, he began to ask himself why was he even attracted to this woman. Opening his eyes to look at him, he could tell she honestly didn't know what she had done wrong. 

"Miki," With another sigh in resignation, he knew there was no point in staying mad at someone as clueless as her. It was just a waste of time and energy. "I'm merely frustrated with how simple-minded you are, and you handle certain situations." Noticing how she continued to stare at him in silence, he continued. "I understand you want to help others," He began. "However, you should learn to consider things from a perspective that would benefit yourself more."

Miki cocked her head.

"For example, running outside in the rain to search for Haruhi." He pointed out sternly. "You could have gotten hypothermia if you weren't careful."

"But I didn't." Miki reasoned.

"Because I didn't let you." Kyoya could feel his eye twitch with irritation as he folded his arms. He noticed that she averted her eyes down to her feet. She was thinking. Then, she glanced up and looked him in the eyes.

"Do I benefit you?" She asked bluntly.

Kyoya blinked awkwardly as the tense expression on his face loosened. "Pardon?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Do I benefit you?" She repeated, tilted her head and staring at him with round childlike eyes. The question seemed too twisted to come out of the mouth of someone as innocent and naive like her.

"Yes, you do." He answered simply.

Immediately, her face broke into a bright smile. Usually, people don't like being told that they are a benefit to others. So this act surprised him quite a bit. "That's good." She chirped happily. "You've helped me so much, I'm glad I could be of use to you as well."

Hearing her reason, Kyoya let out a small chuckle before bursting out into a fit of laughter into the night air.

"Kyoya-kun? What's so funny?"

Calming down a little, Kyoya looked down, observing her wide-eyed expression. He breathed in a little before resting a hand on her strawberry blonde hair, ruffling it slightly. "You are a fascinating woman; you know that?"

"You're going to mess up my hair." Miki giggled, her shoulders rising as she felt his hand thread through her long hair. "And I thought you said I was simple-minded."

"You still are," Kyoya smirked, his grip tightening on her head as he was reminded of her 'logic.' "And rather clueless."

Reaching her hand up, she placed a hand over his, bringing it down from her hair as her expression turned to a downcast once again. "You know, Kyoya-kun, that man taught me how to shoot a rifle, but he asked for me to go with him in return for teaching me something." She explained, eyes averting to the side, grip tightening on his hand. "So from now on, if I have a question or I want to learn something, I'll only come to you, is that alright, Kyoya-kun?" 

Ah, I see. Observing her vulnerable expression, Kyoya's gaze grew soft. I thought she was just some overly naive woman with a sheltered view of the world. But deep down, she's still just a girl filled with curiosity and an urge to help others, huh? Shaking loose of her grasp, he placed his hand on the back of her head and reeled her in. "Leave it to me," He told her, threading his fingers through her fluffy hair. "It must've been scary."

Peeling away from him, Miki questioned with a head tilt and round eyes. "So you aren't mad at me?"

Sighing, Kyoya retracted his hand, folding it into the sleeve of his yukata. "I'm not mad at you." He sighed in resignation.

Hearing this, Miki's cheeks brightened and shimmered in the sunlight as an ear-deafening sound echoed through the air. Colourful light reflected onto her pale skin as the two quickly turned around to face the night sky spread above them. A beautiful flower of light bloomed in the air, reflecting into Miki's hazel eyes.

"Are those fireworks?!" She gasped, the colourful light shining upon her face.

"Yes, those are fireworks." Kyoya glanced up, standing next to her.

Hands holding her bag near her chest, Miki kept her eyes glued to the extravagant show, her mouth open as she continued to make 'ooh' and 'aah. "They are so pretty!" She exclaimed, clutching the stuffed bear tightly to her chest. "I've only seen them on TV; they look so much prettier in person." She spoke in a slight daze.

Peering down at her, Kyoya hummed. "Speaking of," A crooked smile danced across on his lips. "I still need to decide your punishment for losing that bet, don't I?"

"Punishment? Oh, that's right!" Still looking up at the fireworks, Miki gave a sweet close-eyed smile. "Have you made up your mind yet?"

"I quite have."

Something soft and cool brush against her warm cheek. Her eyes widened as the sensation quickly left. She released a breath she never realized she was holding and turned up to look at Kyoya, who was once again staring at the fireworks. Her thin fingers were subconsciously brushing against her cheek, over the spot where his warmth lingered.

"That will suffice as your punishment." He revealed.

All Miki could do was slowly nod and peer back up at the fireworks with unfocused eyes as she attempted to sort out her thoughts and what she should do with them. Her heart felt like it jolted a little in her chest, she blinked in utter confusion.

***

"Milord, why did you go and take Kyoya-senpai with you?" The twins shook Tamaki at his collar as Hikaru yelled. "We were trying to get him and Miki-senpai alone!"

"Because," Tamaki cried comical tears, "I wanted to go play at the goldfish scooping booth. Besides, why would I let mommy be alone together with auntie?!" He protested.

"If we didn't force them alone together, they wouldn't make up until who knows when! Do you want to keep dealing with Kyoya-senpai's foul mood?" Kaoru reminded, causing the blond to shiver.

Haruhi sweatdropped as the twins dropped Tamaki and hid behind a bush, stalking the two figures staring at the fireworks with mischievous grins. "You two are enjoying this, aren't you?" She commented.

"Of course." They gave her a thumbs up in unison.

Honey watched with them, clutching onto Usa-chan with a tender smile. "It looks like they made up though," He turned to Mori, tilting his head. "Right?"

Mori nodded with a hum.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 14-

Let's go Shopping!

"Wow!" Holding her hands to her chest, Miki's eyes shimmered as she glanced around the large shopping center. So many mass production items all gathered together at a place called the department store. It was an honour for her to be invited by Haruhi to hang out, much less to one of these sacred events known as the 'Hometown Special.'

"Miki-senpai..." Haruhi sweatdropped, watching as she hopped around between vendors and observing the items up close, treating them as if they were treasures in a museum. "You've been saying that for the last hour."

"Sorry, Sorry, Haruhi." Scratching the back of her head, Miki chuckled. "I'm just super extremely excited! It's my first time at a place like this."

Letting out a wry sigh, Haruhi straightened herself. "Well, it's almost lunchtime. Should we start heading upstairs?"

"Eh? What do they have here?" Miki leaned forward, a little too close for Haruhi's liking. "Fancy tuna? French cuisine? What kind of things do commoners eat at places like this?" Looping her arm through Haruhi's, Miki energetically dashed forward, dragging poor Haruhi along. "Whatever it is, let's go!" She cheered.

"Wah! Miki-senpai, please don't pull me like that!" With an endearing expression, Haruhi protested.

As the two girls walked around the corner of the fifth floor with their arms looped, they stopped in their tracks, spotting a familiar figure. Though he did look a lot more rugged and extremely exhausted, it was definitely him, looking more like a lost puppy than the prestigious boy everyone knew him to be.

"Kyoya-kun?" Miki called out, blinking. The first thing she wanted to do was pet down his bed hair that stuck out like a sore thumb, but 'there is a time and place for everything' as Kyoya says. Her mind then wandered to the spot where he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek during the summer festival. She blinked, feeling her heart skip a beat as she swallowed hard to calm it. She didn't know what it meant. And it bothered her.

"It really is him," Haruhi stared at him as well, her words bringing Miki out of her train of thought. "What are you doing here?"

There was a moment of silence as Kyoya stared at the two girls thoughtfully. Resting a hand on his chin, he asked. "How much do you two have on you?"

"Huh?"

As it turned out, Tamaki probably found the flyer Haruhi gave Miki that was sitting on her desk and decided to go on an adventure of his own. Especially after being shot in the heart by Miki saying she had 'plans that day.'

This day.

So poor Kyoya was dragged over to the department store all the way in Izumi, Osaka without his cell phone, any money and on an empty stomach.

"Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi began a little reluctantly as the three stood in line at a fast food shop. "Are you sure you're okay with eating here? There is a restaurant upstairs." She pointed out, eyebrow twitching.

Glancing up at the menu, Kyoya responded indifferently. "You don't have that much on you, so we have little choice. Besides," He looked down at Miki who stood in front of them, rising up and down from the ball of her foot with enthusiasm. "I don't think she would want to go to a restaurant, not after seeing this place." He narrowed his eyes darkly. "Oh, and be sure to get the receipt. I'm gonna make Tamaki pay you back tenfold later."

Haruhi backed away in a slight shriek. "S-Shouldn't you just ask Miki-senpai then? Since they share the same family-" She immediately shut her mouth, noticing Kyoya glanced at her.

Kyoya walked up to the line next to Miki as she rocked back and forth between her feet, sparkling eyes glued to the board above their heads. "Have you decided what you wanted to eat?" He asked.

"Hm? I think I'll let Haruhi decide for me." Beaming brightly, Miki tilted her head.

"Haruhi," Turning around to beckon the girl who was already regretting her decision to come here in the first place, Kyoya called out. "How do you place your order here?"

"Ah, I'll do the ordering, what would you two like?" Haruhi moved forward to ask.

"Anything's fine, just make sure there's lots of it." Kyoya shrugged.

"Eh? Haruhi that's unfair." Miki whined, puffing out her cheek. "I want to try ordering."

Haruhi sighed in defeat. "Alright, then order..." Leaning in she began to whisper into Miki's ear what she had in mind.

Miki nodded her head before clearing her throat. "We would like three lamb-burgers, three goda drinks and two flies please!" She announced loud and clear.

"Huh?" The cashier raised an eyebrow, a little confused by all these strange food the girl listed off. "I'm sorry, but please look at the menu before ordering." She reminded, looking a little annoyed with how Miki came off as a prankster.

Haruhi facepalmed, giving up, she stepped forward. "She means hamburger, soda drinks and fries. Sorry."

"Did I say it wrong?" Tilting her head at Haruhi, Miki looked a little dumbfounded.

However, the moment the cashier saw Kyoya, her face lit up. "Welcome, can I recommend our new dessert, as well?" She asked, directing it at Kyoya.

"Nah, I don't need anything sweet."

"Dessert?" Eyes lighting up, Miki leaned forward. "Wha-"

Completely infatuated with Kyoya, the waitress ignored Miki and pulled out a new poster. "Well then, we also have a new shake here..."

Cutting her off with a harsh glare, Kyoya spoke. "I said I don't need it."

At sight, Haruhi and the cashier let out a small shriek. "Excuse me, can I get a receipt, please?" Haruhi asked stiffly.

"Eh? I kinda wanted that dessert..." Miki pouted, averting her eyes.

After getting their food and sitting down next to Miki, Haruhi sighed. "Kyoya-senpai," She scolded. "You might be in a bad mood, but you could have told her some other way, right? She's only doing her job."

"I agree." Miki nodded as she took the curiously wrapped food known as a hamburger, not a lamb-burger. "She looked terrified."

Shrugging indifferently, Kyoya also took a burger and unwrapped it. "Giving excessive service isn't necessarily the right way to wait on customers." He said, taking a bit out of his burger. 

As the two began to eat, Haruhi couldn't help but stare excessively at Kyoya. Then at Miki, who also took a small bite out of her burger before exclaiming while cupping her cheek, "It's so good!"

"What?" Noticing her stare, Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I was just thinking that you both are eating with unexpected gusto, I pictured you eating in a more refined manner, and I was also thinking that this stuff wouldn't be to either of your likings." Looking down at her burger, she explained.

"This stuff isn't particularly to my liking," Kyoya confessed. "Are you saying I'm so callous of a person as to complain, even when someone else is buying?"

"No..." Haruhi turned away sheepishly.

"The selling point of this stuff is that you eat it with your fingers, and eat it fast, right?" Kyoya inquired, "It's obvious that following that course when eating it will make it taste best. Besides, it doesn't matter whether I eat it in a refined manner or not since there's no need to worry about how anyone will view me here." 

"And, there is not really a way to eat this stuff in a refined manner you know." Miki chuckled, taking out a fry. "I've never even tried any of this until today, and it feels rather strange to just, let go of my manners and eat things with my hands."

"Hey," Kyoya said, catching Haruhi's attention again. "For the record, I mean it doesn't gain me anything to act all high-class in a place like this, there's nothing in it for me to observe properties with you, either."

"Oh, you don't say. I suppose not, huh?" Haruhi looked away, visibly insulted.

"Hey look," Next to Miki a group of girls began to whisper. "That boy in the glasses is pretty hot."

"Wow, you're right." The other girls agreed.

Miki turned to look at Kyoya, a little confused. She wondered how they could tell his body temperature just by glancing at him. Was he sweating?

"Excuse me, is this taken?" The first girl asked Kyoya, nudging the chair next to him gently, "And if you're not using this chair, could we borrow it?"

"Go ahead," Kyoya replied, not even giving them a second glance.

"Yay, thank you so much!" For a moment there, Miki thought those girls sounded a lot like the customers of the host club.

"No, not at all."

Waiting for the girls to be out of earshot, Miki stared at Kyoya blinking. As much as she wanted to pet down his bed head, she opted to ask him first. "Kyoya-kun, are you hot?"

Taking a sip from his drink, Kyoya averted his eyes. "If you are talking about those girls, they meant a different kind of 'hot.'"

"A different kind of... hot?" Miki tilted her head, even more puzzled. How many kinds of hot could there be? Scalding hot? Burning Hot? Ice Burn Hot? Mildly Hot?

"It's an adjective to describe someone when you find them very attractive." He explained, cutting off her train of thought.

"But isn't that what the word 'handsome,' is for?" Still confused, Miki questioned.

"It's a modern slang term," He shrugged. "And Haruhi," Kyoya then turned his attention to the first year student. "If you're wondering why Tamaki and I get along so well," He spoke, causing Haruhi to jolt a little. "The answer is simple," He continued, his lips curling into a smirk. "Because it's in my interest. I won't act for any other reason. I'm an egoist, after all."

Miki tilted her head. "Egoist?" She followed up.

"Meaning I feel superior to others physically and intellectually." He explained with a smug look, causing Miki to hum.

"Tamaki-senpai would cry if he heard you say that," Haruhi commented wryly.

"No, he wouldn't," Kyoya readjusted his glasses, "He's known that from the beginning. It's why we teamed up. Hikaru and Kaoru, and even Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai, we all hang together because it's in each other's interests to do so. Our relationship with each other's families, and the situations that each of us are placed in- Well, let's just say that there's still a lot that you don't know. Well, that fool Tamaki sometimes acts when there's nothing in it for him. It is true; there isn't a single millimetre of similarity between Tamaki and myself." He then looked down as a nostalgic yet tender look surfaced in his eyes. In a way, it completely contradicted what he was saying.

Miki blinked awkwardly at his words as she cocked her head to the side.

***

Weaving through the crowd in the Expo, Haruhi had to make sure Miki's arm was looped around hers as to ensure the curious girl didn't get lost. "Senpai," She stared at Kyoya's back. "I thought you were going to take a taxi home."

Shrugging indifferently, Kyoya glanced around. "I'm already here, so I'm going to look around a little first," Kyoya paused, stopping at a jewelry stand. "Hmm, black pearls from Ishigaki Island, huh? Will there be any buyers in a place like this?"

"These are very high-quality too," Miki commented, crouching down in front of the earrings.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Haruhi gasped at the two who quickly identified the object. "You both can tell?"

"Such is the education I've received," Kyoya replied as Miki smiled a little sorrowfully.

As they continued to walk, Miki kept her gaze stuck to Kyoya's bed hair. Her patience was wearing thin and she really had the urge to reach forth and pet it down, that was when Haruhi started speaking.

"I really don't know anything about your family and such, Kyoya-senpai." She said, eyes stuck to the ground.

"There's nothing especially for you to know about my family," Kyoya spoke in a nonchalant manner.

"Well, that kind of seems unfair, doesn't it?" Haruhi asked.

"Unfair?"

"After all, Kyoya-senpai, when it comes to my family, you've even got a firm grasp on who my dad's friends from work are. It seems kind of unfair." Haruhi reasoned. "You have two older brothers, right?"

"Eh? You do?" Miki's eyes widened. This was the first time she heard about this. "What kind of people are they?"

Kyoya paused for a moment, his eyes looking far off. Then a smirk appeared on his face as he answered. "They are exceptional men," He said, "Enough so that they meet Father's expectations without any trouble. And so, even more, is expected of the third son."

Miki averted her eyes. Things on his side sounded much more different than her relationship with Tamaki.

"So things really are hard for you, huh?" Haruhi commented.

"You think?" Kyoya shrugged and turned around with an amused grin. "I can't think of any game more fun than that."

And with that, Haruhi let out a sigh as Miki chuckled.

"Oh, my, pieces by Komatsu Shoin? Imagine seeing them here." A voice rang nearby causing Miki's head to perk up. She followed the sound of the voice to notice a woman standing with a vendor in front of some traditional Japanese bowls.

"Madam, you have a sharp eye." The vendor grinned.

"Komatsu Shoin?" Miki muttered.

"Do you know who that is? Miki-senpai?"

Nodding, Miki smiled. "I saw his work on the Heian books Kyoya-kun gave me when I designed that theme, and I instantly fell in love with their work." She noted as she began to walk over, inspecting the bowls she never expected to see all her life.

Kyoya narrowed his eyes and turned oddly silent.

"Yes, Komatsu Shoin's pieces have such a nice colour, don't they? To tell you the truth, these are pieces that I'm not supposed to have here. These are valuable items, which were not supposed to have been had outside the Komatsu family for generations." The vendor inconspicuously told the lady.

"Indeed," Walking up from behind, Miki observed the colouring of these bowls. "My, these are gorgeous-huh?" She paused, noticing something off about the bowls. Picking them up gently, she furrowed her brows as her finger began to trace the insides of the smooth hardened clay. "These are fake." She stated bluntly.

"Eh?" The lady glanced up at Miki who continued to move the bowl around in the light as if to try and see the product better.

"What did you say?" The vendor growled. "Stop messing around; you're just a little girl."

Too absorbed in her world to hear him, Miki continued her analysis. "The gradient here on the bottom should be starting with a royal blue and fade out into a sky blue. However, this one is just a few shades off." She pointed out. "It's starting at a Prussian blue an-"

In a desperate attempt to get her to shut up, the vendor cut in. "What do you think you know, little girl?"

"I work with colours all the time; this is no mystery to me." Meeting his eyes, Miki stated factually.

"Keep staying here, and I'll report you!" The vendor began to call out for help when Kyoya stepped it.

"She is correct." He spoke calmly, taking the bowl out of Miki's grasps and glanced down it. "To add on those, this lacquer is too clear." He explained. Miki blinked as she inspected the bowl once again. He was correct.

"I'm going to report you both for obstructing my business!" The vendor gritted his teeth and threatened, causing Miki tense up at his hostility, but she held her ground. "What school do you delinquents go to?"

Kyoya didn't answer. Instead, he turned the bowl on it's back and examined the base of the bowl. "Ah, I knew it," His eyes narrowed. "One of the strokes in this seal on the bottom is off. If this is authentic, there should be a certificate, shall we do a handwriting analysis on it?" He raised an eyebrow, staring at the vendor oddly calmly.

"I-I left it back at my shop today..." He tried to wiggle his way out.

"Ah, in that case, my family has had dealings with the Komatsu family going way back, so I could contact them right now, and have them verify these," Kyoya offered with a smirk. "Would that be all right?"

With that, the man that was selling imitations of Komatsu Shoin's bowls was dragged off by the security guards in a fit of rage. Kyoya was being thanked by the staff of the store, all the while Miki kept uncharacteristically quiet.

"Helping others is something that is beneficial to you after all, isn't it, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi hummed.

"Ah, didn't you know? That woman is the wife of the chairman of a major electronics maker." Kyoya informed her. "This is my first time meeting her, but I can tell by looking at the ring on her left hand. It's a company that our family has a lot of dealings with." He said, eyeing the large ruby ring around her finger.

"Imagine, running into one of the Ootori family's boys here." The lady approached the trio, covering her mouth in pleasant surprise. "Are you out incognito, too? The next chance I get I'll be sure to take advantage of your family's resort facilities."

"I'm honoured." Kyoya bowed lightly.

"Speaking of which, where is that girl with you?" The lady began to look around for Miki's strawberry blonde hair. "I must thank her too."

"She's right here." Kyoya sighed, pointing at Miki who stood a little behind him. Using him as a shield of some sorts.

"Oh, there you are." The lady smiled tenderly as she greeted Miki who stepped out behind Kyoya with an unbalanced smile. "What's your name dear? You must let me thank you."

Shaking her head, Miki quickly denied. "No, it's nothing, really. I merely did what anyone else would do as a fellow fan of Komatsu Shoin. Please do not bother yourself with it." With an uneasy laugh, Miki waved it off. 

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. 

She wasn't acting like her usual self.

"My, such a modest girl." Laughing elegantly into her fingers, the lady gave one last bow. "Well then, enjoy the rest of your day." And with that, she was off.

"Hey, Miki, Haruhi, did you two know about this?" Kyoya called out to the two girls as they walk over.

"Know what?" Haruhi asked.

"Are melons really this popular among candy makers?" He raised an eyebrow, looking over stocks of melon candies.

Miki blinked as she eyed all the different kinds of melon candy. "They certainly look like they are. She muttered, trying to count all the varieties.

"Huh?" Haruhi gaped.

"I don't get this," Kyoya picking up a box, with Miki glancing over his arm. "Intentionally giving a corn snack melon flavouring, even when it's not actually a melon, just seems disconsonant, doesn't it?"

Hearing this, Haruhi stared incredulously at him before breaking into a fit of giggles. 

Both Kyoya and Miki turned to look at her in confusion. "Hm?"

"What's wrong Haruhi?"

"That's an intriguing notion, in its own way," Haruhi laughed.

"Did I say something funny?" Kyoya looked rather quizzical.

"No, it's just that earlier, you said something about there not being one millimetre of similarity between you two. Miki-senpai aside, Kyoya-senpai, you said something Tamaki-senpai would say."

"I see. This definitely seems like something that Tamaki or the twins would be thrilled over," Kyoya agreed. "All right, I'll buy them. Haruhi, your wallet." He held his hand out towards Haruhi who sighed and began searching through her purse. 

"Hehe, I'll get this one." Miki giggled, swiftly passing her credit card over to the cashier.

"Eh? Is that alright, Miki-senpai?" Haruhi blinked, her hand still in her bag.

Nodding Miki took the bag of melon candies with a smile. "Of course it is." She looked down, counting the boxes with her usual radiant smile back on her cheeks.

***

Sitting down at a bench after shopping for a little while, Haruhi and Kyoya were deep in conversation, facing front, with Miki sitting in between them.

"Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi began. "I'm sure Tamaki-senpai feels that there's something to be gained by helping others."

"That's probably true, for him, not for me." Kyoya shrugged indifferently.

"Then, what is there for you to gain, Kyoya-senpai?" She asked. "Wealth, or fame? Some sort of actual tangible gain? The way I see it, Tamaki-senpai feels benefited from doing things that I don't see have any point. Kyoya-senpai, I think you're a lot like Tamaki-senpai." She finished, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look.

Kyoya opened his eyes, staring blankly ahead for a moment, lost in thought. "Miki." He finally said, earning a hum from the girl. "Stop doing that." He commanded, eye twitching.

"Eh? But it's fun to play with." Miki pouted.

Haruhi couldn't help but turn and sweatdrop at the sight. 

The entire time during their conversation, Miki finally gave in to her urges to smooth down Kyoya's stray bed hair. Only that it was so messy and stubborn, it wouldn't go down no matter how hard Miki tried. So instead, it looked more like she was petting him like a dog rather than helping him fix his hair.

"It's distracting." He grumbled. 

Suddenly, the PA began to ring as a woman's voice poured into the mall. "This is an announcement for a little, lost boy; This is an announcement for a little, lost boy. Ootori Kyoya-kun, who is here from Tokyo. Ootori Kyoya-kun is lost. Ootori Kyoya-kun is lost." The woman repeated as if to add salt to the wound, "His guardian, Suoh-sama, is waiting for him at the 2nd floor counter. Kyoya-kun is 180cm in height, and is wearing glasses." Kyoya stood up at an agonizing pace.

Miki covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter while Haruhi was avoiding the eyes that shot over to Kyoya wondering if he was the 'little, lost boy.'

"I am going to kill that idiot," Kyoya growled, his eyes gleaming with anger.

***

When Kyoya, Miki and Haruhi got to the information desk, the hosts were already there waiting. Tamaki snapped around, eyes filled with worry.

"Ohh, Kyoya!" He laughed awkwardly. "You're safe! Um, what are Miki and Haruhi doing with you?" He asked, noticing the two beside him. "Ah! Miki!" His eyes widened as he realized something, immediately he rushed up to Miki and began to lecture her with comical tears. "Was this what you meant by you had plans? Did you go out with Haruhi by yourself? Why didn't you tell me?"

As Tamaki continued to harass his poor sister about not tell him about where she was going or who she was going with, Honey and the twins approached Haruhi.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! Let's go play together!" Honey hopped up; it seemed like he had a great time.

"Let's play! Let's play!" The twins repeated.

"No, I'm going home," Haruhi rejected them blankly, "For some reason, I'm worn out today."

"I'm sorry, Tamaki-kun." Laughing apologetically, Miki managed to escape his grasps. "I really wanted to go with Haruhi alone today."

"But you could've at least told me..." Tamaki cried. "I was super worried about you!"

"How are I and this idiot alike?" Kyoya commented as he watched Tamaki continue to whine while the twins cut in to tease him about having a 'sister complex,' causing a banter between the three.

Looking up at him, Haruhi began. "Earlier, when you said that you decided to help out that lady because you saw her ring, you were lying, huh?" She said simply. "You couldn't have seen her ring on her finger because of the large flag in the way. You simply helped her out of the kindness in your heart, and because you saw Miki-senpai having trouble against that man. I just don't understand it." Spinning around on her heel, Haruhi sighed. "Senpai, intentionally acting like an egoist, when you're actually not an egoist just seems disconsonant." Repeating his words, Haruhi then walked out of the information room as Kyoya stood there, staring at her back.

"Ah," Letting out a sigh, Miki stood next to Kyoya with a teasing grin. "Your act was completely seen through by Haruhi." She commented.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about?" He smirked in amusement. 

"Of course I knew." Covering the lower half of her mouth, Miki chuckled. "After all, I've told you already Kyoya-kun, you are a nice person at heart." She beamed at him before looking back at Haruhi who started to disappear in the crowd. "Haruhi... Is such an amazing girl, huh?" She muttered.

"What she proposed, it's an interesting notion, that's all." Letting out a breathy laugh, Kyoya admitted as he watched Haruhi's fading figure.

Miki's hazel eyes flickered up to his face, then back to Haruhi.

I wouldn't call it that just yet, but I do hold an interest in a particular woman.

Staring in the direction the brunette left, a sudden wretching feeling began to squeeze in her chest, catching her off guard.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 15-

Step it up Tamaki, Big Brother to the Rescue!

"Good Morning Miki!" Throwing open the doors to his sister's room, Tamaki sang in a loud voice only to be met with absolute silence. Usually, she would already be up, braiding her hair at her desk then turn around with a bright smile and a 'Good Morning Tamaki-kun.' He blinked for a minute, glancing around the room only to find the blonde still laying in bed.

With a wry smile and flamboyant attitude, Tamaki waltzed straight up to her."Now, Now, Miki, it isn't good to be sleeping in on the second day of school-" He paused when he noticed something was off about her. Usually, when he caught her sleeping, she always wore a peaceful expression, sometimes even smiling. However, right now, her cheeks were beet red and glistening in a worrisome way. Multiple sweatdrops gathered at her forehead, dripping down her face as she breathed unevenly, almost like it was painful.

"Hey, Miki what's wrong?" He called out to her gently, watching anxiously as her eyes lids opened almost as if they weighed tons.

She sat up and glanced over at him hazily before smiling. "Good Morning... Tamaki-kun." She muttered weakly. "Is it time for school already? Sorry, I'll go get ready-"

"Oh, no you don't." Seeing as she was about to get out of bed, Tamaki quickly pushed her back into the warmth of the covers. He quickly placed his cold hand on her cheeks, then forehead, feeling her skin scalding underneath. "Miki, you are burning up, you should stay at home today." He suggested with furrowed brows.

"Am I...?" Feeling Tamaki pull the cotton blanket over her, Miki felt herself growing drowsy once again. It was as if the warmth of the comforter was luring her back into the dream realm. Her eyelids closed and the last thing she remembered hearing was Tamaki talking to the Shima about calling the doctor.

***

"Eh? Is Miki-chan sick?" Honey asked as he sat on the couch next to Mori, legs swinging.

The hosts were gathered in Music Room #3, sharing a quick cup of tea as they discussed their plans for the fall term. However, the conversation veered off course when Tamaki brought up the reason for Miki's absence.

"So that's why Tamaki-senpai looks so on edge." Haruhi's eye twitched as she glanced over to Tamaki who was pacing back and forth in front of the window, practically glued to his phone, mumbling incoherently as he fiddled with it.

"Maybe it's all the travelling. We have been running around throughout the whole summer after all." The twins suggested, sharing a quick shrug.

"Gahhh! Why aren't they picking up?!" He yelled with comical tears, fingers twitching as he plugged in the numbers once again. "Hello, Shima?! Can I speak to her? How is she doing?" He shouted out, placing his phone near his ear.

"Senpai, you need to let her rest." Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Mhm, Mhm. High fever?!" Snapping up, Tamaki flinched. "Okay, I'll be home right away!" Quickly hanging up, he turned to host club with his packed school bag already under his arm. "Men, pack up!" He ordered, running a hand through his hair dramatically. "We are going to help nurse Miki back to health!"

***

"Miss Miki," Shima knocked on the door with maids, chefs and butlers carrying towels, plates of food and cups of water following her in. "Have you taken your medicine yet?" She asked sternly.

Seeing them, Miki curled onto her side and his her face in the bed sheets. "It's bitter; I don't want to take it." She grumbled childishly, snuggling her face into the sleeve of the sweater they insisted on her wearing. The maids, chefs and Shima have been so enthusiastic about taking care of her ever since Tamaki left for school. From what they've told her, Tamaki has never gotten sick in the past two years during his stay here, so when Miki got sick, they became eager to care for her instead.

"Kyaa, Miss Miki, you are so cute." The maids cooed as they rushed up with new towels, dragging her out of the sheets. "Here, let us help you wipe down your sweat."

"N-No it's okay-"

"It's quite warm in here, is it not?" The butler suggested as he enthusiastically threw open the windows, allowing gushes of cold air through. "Let's let some fresh air in." He smiled.

"It's rather cold..." Miki uttered before a strange smell filled her nose. She looked up in horror to see Shima holding a cup of unknown liquid.

With a blank face, she brought the suspicious drink close to Miki. "Since you refuse to take your medicine, might I suggest this cup of Maezono family's secret cure instead?" She asked, placing it firmly into Miki's hands.

"It looks even worse..." Looking down into the brownish purple drink, Miki bit her bottom lips as she shied away from the drink. 

"Of course," With her eyes gleaming, Shima remained composed. "The bitter the medicine, the better the effects. Now drink it all down." She ordered, shoving the clay mug closer to the strawberry blonde's face.

Miki stared down at the drink as her nose twitched like a cat's, catching a whiff of the terrible smell. Before she knew it, her vision blurred and tears were streaming down her face.

"Oh no!" Suzuno gasped as she hurriedly reached over to wipe away the tears with a tissue. "Are you alright Miss Miki? Are you feeling worse?"

"Was the food not to your liking?" The chef panicked, looking over the food to ensure they were all made of her favourite ingredients. "Was it too sweet? Too bitter? I could make more if you'd like."

"Are you sweating too much? Should we bring another change of clothes?"

Shaking her head, Miki quickly wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her sweater when she heard footsteps echo down the halls, as well as the sound of her room doors busting open.

"Miki!" She glanced up to see the host club standing at the doorway, Tamaki leading the pack looking like he had just run a marathon. He slammed the double doors open with both hands, wearing a panicked expression as he ran towards her. "You're crying, are you feeling alright? What were the doctor's notes?"

"Tamaki-kun..." In a slight haze, Miki felt the heat from her body steam away as Tamaki grabbed her face and pressed his cold palms against her forehead.

"We came to take care of you Miki-chan!" Honey skipped in, holding Usa-chan in his arms.

"Yo." The twins saluted.

"Everyone..." Miki blinked as she greeted the hosts with a weak nod. "Good afternoon." She beamed faintly.

"Ah, Master Tamaki." Suzuno smiled as she bowed to the host club. "It's great to see you all again." She chirped as the maids and butlers behind them bowed as well.

"It's great to see you all."

"Thank you all, but we will take it from here." Returning their welcome with an unreadable smile, Kyoya said.

"Awe, that's too bad."

As the staff of the mansion began to shuffle out of Miki's bedroom, Haruhi paced over as she placed her book bag down next to the bed. "Miki-senpai, how are you feeling?" She asked, taking a seat on her bed, next to Tamaki as he continued to cup her cheeks worriedly.

"Irm okray." Managing to speak as her brother squeezed her cheeks together in his panic, Miki replied.

"Really?!" Tamaki rushed up next to her, rechecking her temperature. "Are you not feeling tired? Hungry? Thirsty? Anything?" He pressed on, as Miki shook her head. 

Haruhi sweatdropped at how overprotective Tamaki was over his sister. "First of all, you need to let her rest, senpai." She scolded, pulling his hands away from her face. 

"But Haruhi!" Rushing around, the blond flailed his arms in the air as comical tears streamed down his face. "What do I do? She's going to die! It's a high fever!"

Miki's tired eyes rounded. "I'm going to die?" She repeated

"No, she isn't." Deadpanning, Haruhi watched Tamaki with a sigh. "You're just going to stress her our even more by saying that. You're her brother, right? If you want to help her, you need to change out that towel on her lap."

"The towel?" Pausing in the midst of his panic session and glancing down, Tamaki noticed the folded up towel that had fallen off her head. Enthusiastically, he snatched it up and began to make his way to the bathroom down the hallway. "Alright Miki, Big Brother is on it!" Swiping his hair dramatically, he giddied out the door.

"Remember to use cold water." Haruhi reminded.

"Thank you all for coming." Eyes crinkling weakly, she rasped. "How was school?"

"Oh, it was hilarious!" Hikaru snorted as he and his twin began to wander around the room. "You should've seen milord's face."

"He was all, 'Hurry up! We need to make sure she isn't going to die of a disease!' on our drive here." Kaoru snickered as he imitated Tamaki's distressed expression.

Nodding in agreement, Honey chimed in. "Tama-chan was super worried about you."

"He was?" Miki tilted her head.

"Even during class, he wouldn't settle down." Lifting his glasses, Kyoya affirmed as he narrowed his eyes and his lips curled.

Lips parting Miki's eyes flickered down to her hands as they clenched slightly. Tamaki-kun was worried about me... She felt the corner of her lips tug into a small smile as she thought of that. For some reason, she felt a little glad knowing that her brother cared so much for her.

Seeing her usual joyful demeanour return, Haruhi huffed out a small smile. "Why don't you lay down until senpai gets back?" She suggested. "Staying warm is important when you are sick."

Nodding, Miki slid back into the warmth of her sheets as the rest of the host club began to explore her room to pass the time before Tamaki could get back.

"Wow, you have a huge collection of those DVDs." The twins rubbed their chin as they inspected the large shelf stocked full with Crime? Crime Drama ♥ DVDs that pretty much filled the entire right shelf next to the TV. 

"All 52 volumes." With a slight sense of pride in her voice, Miki boasted in a hoarse voice.

"You keep them so tidy too, huh?" Honey giggled as he picked out a few, Mori nodding next to him as he looked over her design inspiration board above her desk. 

Even so... Does one need all 52 volumes of the series? Haruhi raised an eyebrow as she took a few out by the spine, reading the title of them carefully. 'The case of the Missing Puppy.' 'The Disappearance of the Cake.' All the titles sounded very wacky and childish. No wonder Miki-senpai's view on reality is so questionable. These are all slice of life mysteries. Haruhi sweatdropped before noticing how still Kyoya was staring at the items on the left shelf with a hand to his chin, seemingly contemplative. "What are you looking at Kyoya-senpai?" She paced over, glancing over his shoulder. Haruhi froze at sight. The left shelf was occupied by a few books, though what Kyoya had his eye on was on one of the top shelves.

There were four photo frames, all arranged neatly on the shelf. Each of them had different designs, and judging by their condition, they were well taken care of, even cherished. None of them, except one, had a single photo inserted into them. They all had the generic corkboard backing. The only exception was a picture of Ouran Academy under the blue skies. And a girl, standing with her back towards the camera, her long dark brown hair flowing in the wind behind her.

Haruhi blinked as her brown eyes swept over the photoless frames. It was a little unsettling. "Miki-senpai," She called out gently. "Why do you have so many empty photo frames?"

"Not all of them are empty." Hearing slight rustling, she turned around to see the upperclassman turn to lie on her side. "Arden brought those photo frames for me; I thought they were pretty so I keep them with me for references." She explained through her raspy voice. "Besides," Her hazel eyes dulled slightly as they turned half-lidded. "I never had anyone important enough to put in those photo frames."

Haruhi fell silent as she stared, a loss for words at the out of character pessimism coming from the strawberry blonde. However, before the silence could get awkward, Tamaki returned as he barged through the door, holding a fresh cold towel.

"Miki!" He chimed, placing the piece of cloth gingerly over her forehead. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Tamaki-kun." Laying on her back once again, Miki mumbled.

"Get some rest." Beaming proudly with a hands on his hips, Tamaki patted her head. "Have you taken your medicine yet?"

Hearing his question, the girl's body stiffed up as she pulled the sheets over the bottom half of her face, hiding slightly.

Approaching the two, Kyoya peered down, noticing the uneaten medicine pills on her bedside table. "Miki, why didn't you take your medicine?" He inquired sternly.

"I don't want to, it tastes bad." Miki reasoned, averting her eyes as she peeked out of the blankets.

Feeling his eye twitch at her child-like logic, Kyoya grumbled. With a frustrated sigh, he paced over and picked up the pills, opening them. "It doesn't matter if they are bitter, you need to take it to get better." He then picked up the glass of water that rested next to the pills. "Drink this after, it'll wash away the taste."

Miki pouted, staring up at the pills with puppy dog eyes.

"That's not going to work." Kyoya denied sharply as his brows furrowed. Shoving the pills closer to her, he demanded. "Take it, now."

"Somehow I can see, why Kyoya-senpai is the mommy now..." Hikaru whispered to his twin with a sweatdrop.

"Definitely." Kaoru agreed. "It's like a parent trying to get their child to take their medicine."

Giving into Kyoya's persistence, Miki swallowed her pills with some water before shrinking back into her bed. It didn't take long before the side-effects of the medicine kicked in, and she drifted off into the dream world. 

"She doesn't have that many books." Honey commented in a hush as he and the twins scanned over her small collection on the left shelf. Pulling out a few, the three began to flip through them.

"These are all about colour theory and art framing." Hikaru hummed as he skimmed through the pages. "She must study these quite a bit."

"Oh, she does." Leaning back on the chair next to his sister's bed, Tamaki confirmed nonchalantly. "When she isn't sketching new designs, she is usually reading one of those in my room. I tried to study with her and help with our design sketches, but I ended up getting the techniques all wrong." Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled wryly, remembering his many failed attempts to helping her finding good colour contrasts for their production sketches.

Honey chucked endearingly as he held a few other volumes, turning his eyes up, he studied the many references pinned onto the corkboard over her desk. "Miki-chan really does her best for us, huh?" He commented.

"She does." Tamaki beamed. 

As the hosts were talking, Kyoya noticed another book that Honey and the twins hadn't pick off of the shelf. It was a thin leather-covered book with golden designs all around the edges. The golden title was chipping off and lost the shimmer it presumably had when it was first bought, no doubt it had dulled over the years. Reaching for his, he raised an eyebrow as he read the title.

Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm

Flipping the book open, Kyoya quickly figured she must've cherished the book. The pages were slightly dirtied and a little loose, yet they were still bounded into the spine. However, it caught him off guard when he saw words scribbled across the title page.

To Miki, I love you.

Before he could overthink about the words, however, a small whimper sounded behind him, catching him off guard as the hosts quickly turned around to check on their designer.

"Miki?" Tamaki quickly perked up. He called out gently, leaning forward.

Miki's face contorted with pain for a minute before her eyes flew open in a haze.

"Miki-senpai?" Haruhi rushed over to see what happened, watching as she slowly sat up, letting the cool towel fall onto her lap with a small thump.

Her hazel eyes darted back and forth, sweeping through the room and glancing over everyone.

"Miki-chan? Is something wrong?" Honey titled his head, holding onto Usa-chan in his arms.

"Mother..." She mumbled under her breath, trying to climb out of her bed.

"Miki, you need to rest." Taking the towel, Tamaki tried to push her back down.

Instead of responding, Miki ignoring Tamaki's protests as she continuously tried to get out of her bed. "Mother..." She continued to mutter, her eyes misty. "Where are you? Mother?"

"Miki?" Tamaki furrowed his brows, attempting to figure out what was wrong.

"Mother..." Miki whispered once more as tears coursed down her flushed cheeks and she began to cry. "Mother, where are you?" She sniffled, resisting against Tamaki desperately. Tears burst forth from her eyes like water damn as her cries got louder, stunning everyone in the room. "Where are you? I want to see you." As if she were a child in distress, she continued to call out for her mother as she buried her face in her hands. "Mother..." She cried.

Finally understanding the situation, Tamaki reached forth with a tender smile. "Miki," He gently patted her head as her voice faded, her eyes darted to him and stared blankly. He soothed her with a loving expression. "Get some rest; your mother will be here in no time." Threading a few fingers through her tangled hair, he reassured her.

"Really...?" Seeing as she was not resisting anymore, Tamaki slowly let go of her and guided her body back into the warmth of the comforters. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He nodded, smoothing his hands over her messy bed hair. "So, get some rest, alright?"

"O...kay..." Her eyes slowly fluttering closed as Tamaki's hand eased her.

The room fell silent at her odd behaviour as the stillness of her still breathing filled the room. No one dared to speak until a light knock was caught on the door. Everyone quickly turned around to find Shima standing there with a neutral expression.

"If you please, tea is waiting for you in the salon." She informed. "Please come this way."

"Okay!" Honey's mood instantly changed as he bounced out of the room.

"We should leave too," Kyoya lifted his glasses. "Tamaki?" He turned around, noticing his friend hasn't moved an inch as he sat on the chair, watching over Miki.

"You guys can go, I want to stay here with her for a little longer." He spoke, his expression just as tender as it was when she was in her strange state. He watched over her sleeping face with a wry smile.

Kyoya thought for a moment before a small smirk appeared on his lips. "Understood." He muttered as he walked out of the room.

"Kyoya-senpai," Hikaru called out to him as they began to walk down the long flight of the stairs. "What was that about?" He commented with his arms behind his head.

"I've never seen Miki-senpai act this emotional." Kaoru continued.

"It's probably due to her fever," Kyoya explained with his arms crossed. "It's not uncommon for fevers to cause the patient to act out."

"Still, Miki-chan looked so upset." Honey commented, sitting on Mori's shoulders while they descended the stairs.

Humming, Kyoya rubbed his chin. "From what it seems like, whenever Miki was sick, her mother would soothe her by petting her head." He theorized. "Perhaps being ill like this just triggered that memory and longing for a gentle touch."

Haruhi looked back down the hallway behind her. "Is it possible for Ms. Suoh to come to visit her kids?" She wondered out loud. "Where is she anyway?"

The hosts paused as they turned to look at Haruhi, expressions blank for a moment. She stared back at them, cocking her head at the looks she was receiving.

"Haruhi," Kyoya lifted his glasses as he narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps you haven't learnt of this yet but, Tamaki and Miki are half-siblings." He informed, giving her a weird look.

"Eh?" 

"Tama-chan and Miki-chan have different mothers," Honey added on.

"Eh?!"

"And Miki-senpai's mother lives somewhere in Spain."

"They haven't seen each other for about thirteen years." The twins spoke.

"EHH?!" Haruhi yelped. 

***

When I still lived in Spain, I faintly remember this once when I had a fever...

A warm hand was petting my head, shielding me from all the evils of the world.

And when I'd open my eyes, I'd see a woman staring back at me.

I don't remember her face...

But I'm pretty sure, that was...

Mother.

"Mother..." Whimpering again in her sleep, Miki felt tears begin to swirl and gather at the corner of her eyes. She began to move uncomfortably, face contorting in the heat of her body. But suddenly, in the darkness, she felt a gentle hand soothing her. It was warm, comforting and caring. She opened a crack in her eye, in desperation to see who it was.

Instead, a boy with blonde hair and ocean blue eyes were staring back at her with a compassionate beam.

That's not mother...

That's...

Letting her eyes flutter closed, Miki breathed out a sigh of peace.

Big Brother...

Chapter Text

-Chapter 16-

Honey and Chika, Difference in Siblings!

"Miki-san, please go out with me!" Standing in the open air corridors of Ouran Academy, Miki blinked at the hand extended out to her. The boy's name was Ichimaru Kotaro, a classmate of hers in class 2-A. He had asked her to meet him at this spot before she went off to her host club duties.

"Go out, as in you would like me to date you?" Miki decided to ask, just in case.

"Y-Yes!" Kotaro stood up; his face was unusually red. "I've fallen for you. I love how sweet and optimistic you are, and how focused and determined you can be. I-It would be my honour to date you. I would never make you cry, and make sure to treat you will all the respect you deserve! So please, go out with me!" He bowed his head again.

Immediately, Miki bowed her head. "I'm terribly sorry! I'm flattered you feel that way about me, but I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer." She apologized, her eyes crinkling. She thought of Sora, who through many girl talks has confessed that she had a crush on this very boy.

Kotaro let out a sigh in both relief and defeat as he stood up with an uneasy laugh. " I guess so, huh." He scratched the back of his head. "Do you have someone else in mind? You and Suoh seem pretty close; I supposed your same first name is something you two can find common ground on."

Miki blinked for a few moments, processing what he had said before shaking her head and waving her hands frantically. "No, Tamaki-kun and I are only friends, and it will stay that." Siblings falling in love, she was pretty sure there was a word for that. Casting that aside to ask Kyoya later, she began to explain with a thoughtful yet slightly confused expression face. "It's simply because I don't feel the same about you and..." Her voice trailed off as her expression turned dry. "I don't understand the feeling of love." 

"I see..." Shoulders slumping, Kotaro looked a little dejected.

"I'm sorry." Miki bowed once more, her face blank. She never realized rejecting people can feel that bad. "I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship in any way."

"Oh absolutely." Kotaro immediately shook his head. "I understand your decision, and also hope we can stay friends. I hope you will be able to understand what love is one day, it's a wonderful feeling." He laughed. "If you need any help, feel free to come to me. That's what friends are for right?"

"Yes, thank you very much. And I apologize once again; I hope you find another who is meant for you." With a bright smile, Miki bowed once more. "Then, I'll be off."

"Right, you have to go to the host club right?" He waved her off. "Have fun."

Miki waved her hand before absently making her way to the club room; a little lost in thought. Now that she thought about it, Sora and many others have begun going to her for love advice since she managed to figure out Ayame's crush on Tamaki. Apparently, her suggestions were quite effective, though to her they were quite an obvious courses of action like 'then just tell him' or 'just ask him.' They were all basic logic, so she didn't understand why they were so hesitant and needed her to advise them into it. Her opinion has somehow landed her the nickname, 'Aphrodite' among the girls of her class.

"Love, huh..." She muttered with her eyes in a downcast. She wondered what being 'in love' or being 'head-over-heels' felt like. Whenever she thought about it, she couldn't help but feel a little envious of those girls.

I'll just ask Kyoya-kun later. She decided.

Her train of thought was quickly cut off by a loud rumbling and shaking of the ground. The sound of Renge's favourite power motor, followed by her voice. "Woah! Honey-senpai confidently dodges Chika's lead-off attack!"

Down the hallway, Miki quickly made her way to Music Room #3 where Haruhi was standing outside looking a little perplexed. She quickly slipped through the crack of the door, about to ask Haruhi what was up when she noticed Honey and a young boy glaring down each other down.

"Honey-senpai nimble, gracefully flies through the air, like a modern-day Ushiwakamaru!" Renge reported enthusiastically, "Chika attacks again, not even giving him a chance to regain his footing! Honey-senpai dodges him while tripping him up! Neither of them gives an inch, as they both unleash ferocious techniques on each other!"

Miki blinked, watching the two exchange kicks and dodges as they fought their way around the room. The boy who wore glasses, named Chika looking a little worn out while Honey seemed utterly unfazed,

"Hey, why are they fighting-" She was about to intercept the fighting when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Mori grabbing onto her watching the battle intently.

"Don't." He simply said.

"Oh, they're at it again!" Tamaki hummed with amusement as he, Kyoya, Hikaru and Kaoru appeared in the room.

"I wish they would have at least chosen a better location," Kyoya commented, his arms crossed.

"How can you be so calm!?" Haruhi yelled.

Suddenly everyone gasped as Chika pulled out an extending stick from behind his back. Miki's eyes widened in surprise and awe, her worry wholly thrown out the window.

"Now, Chika produces a weapon!" Renge shouted, fists clenching.

Raising the staff over his head, Chika swung down at Honey who nimbly dodged out of the way. Quickly following up, Chika thrust his staff continuously in an attempt to hit the lolita.

"H-Hang on, that's against the rules, isn't it?" Haruhi protested, completely over how they just started a fight in the middle of the clubroom.

"Who cares about rules!" Miki exclaimed with her hands to her cheeks, completely forgetting about the fact that there was a weapon-involved fight going on. "That staff is so cool!"

Then, Chika suddenly swung said metal staff sideways, knocking Honey in the side as he flies off.

"Honey-senpai got knocked flying!" Hikaru shouted, joining the play-by-play narration.

"Will this be Chika's first win?!" Kaoru joined in.

Tired from battle, Chika panted. "Gotcha." He breathed.

After a moment, Renge stood up from her spot. "No," She spoke. "This fight goes to Honey-senpai."

"Renge-kun is right." Mori agreed, standing next to the blonde.

Everyone looked down, noticing that Chika's pant legs were firmly pinned to the ground by shurikens.

"Kagenui," Mori told him.

Chika grit his teeth in defeat. "When did you..." He muttered only to look up and see Honey dusting himself off, looking unharmed.

"Honey-senpai deftly handled his shuriken when Chika was not looking!" Renge announced, as the curtains of the room drew closed and a large screen extending down.

A replay in black and white shone on the screen, demonstrating that Honey actually blocked the attack and while he was sent flying, threw out shurikens towards Chika's feet.

"Shuriken?" Haruhi sweatdropped in disbelief, all the while Miki was almost shrieking at the top of her lungs from how awesome the shuriken and staff looked.

"Chika can no longer move an inch! Wow, what a great fight we were just treated to!" Renge swooned as she and her platform descended down.

"Kyaaa!" Miki squealed as she started hopping around Chika's pinned legs observing the shurikens up close. "These are shurikens; they are real right? I've never seen them in person! They look so much smaller than I thought they were!"

"Can you please not do that..." Gritting his teeth, Chika grumbled.

"Uh... I'm not following this at all." Haruhi sighed, watching Chika kneel down in the sunlight dramatically as if he's just lost the duel of his life while Miki hovered over him like he was something precious in an exhibit. "Just who is that?" 

"Can't you tell by looking at his face?" Tamaki asked, "He's Honey-senpai's younger brother."

"Eh?" Hearing this, Miki finally turned her attention to Chika's face and noticed the resemblance.

"Oh!" Her and Haruhi exclaimed at the same time when a loud rumble filled the room.

In the distance, another student from the middle school department came bolting over with a horrifying expression on his face. Veins were popping out of his forehead, and he held what seemed like a bamboo sword from the kendo club. "Yasuchika!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. And before anyone could react, he swung the sword sideways, smacking Chika like a homerun ball. "No skipping out on club!" He scolded.

"Satoshi." Mori addressed calmly.

"Taka-kun! How are you doing? Are you coming to Kendo Club today? I'm on my way there." At the sight of the giant, the middle-schooled boy named Satoshi beamed. Instantly he turned into an attentive puppy as Mori ruffled his hair, all the while Honey panicked over his knocked out brother.

"And that is Mori-senpai's brother." Tamaki pointed out the obvious.

***

"Oh, so he had business with Mitsukuni-kun then? Here I was tearing around, thinking he was skipping club." Scratching the back of his head, Satoshi beamed in a refreshing manner. The complete opposite of both his elder brother and the blond who sat next to him with a distantly disdained expression on his face, as well as a bandage on his cheek and a bag of ice to his head. "Sorry Yasuchika, my mistake." He laughed. "Sorry for such an uproar," He then directed his attention to the hosts who had offered him tea and cake. "These are delicious by the way. Would you like some cake too, Yasuchika?"

"I don't like sweets," Chika scoffed, causing Satoshi's face to turn dark.

Whacking Chika with his kendo sword he pulled out of nowhere again; he stared down his defeated friend. "Don't be rude to our upperclassmen." He grumbled.

"Chika-chan!" Honey shouted in worry.

"Satoshi, it's okay... Go easy on him." Tamaki eased with a sweatdrop.

Sitting down dojo style, Satoshi spoke firmly. "No, we can't afford to spoil him. We Morinozuka have served the Haninozuka for generations! I must be strict on this matter. I cannot allow Yasuchika to grow soft! I'm doing this for his benefit!" He declared earnestly.

Miki tapped her chin slightly as another similarly loyal servant of generations popped into her head. She then tried to imagine Arden treating her as strictly as how Satoshi was to Chika before shuddering and shaking her head furiously.

I'd be terrified! She jolted, giving Chika her immediate sympathy.

"Excuse me, but what about this big softie over here - the Haninozuka heir apparent?" The twins questioned as they each placed a hand on Honey's head as the lolita giggled.

With a serious eye gleam, Satoshi spoke with a straight face. "I don't worry about Mitsukuni-kun." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "I know whatever Taka-kun does for his preparations would be flawless." Striking a definite pose, the boy began to blabber on. "Taka-kun is the pride of the Morinozuka clan. He's stronger and gentler than any soul and yet never boastful. He's utterly selfish and silent!" He exclaimed as a hand found its way to his chin. "I have this notion... Taka-kun might just be the last living Samurai in Japan!"

"Eh?" Completely convinced by his words, Miki turned to Mori with shimmers in her eyes. "Are you Mori-senpai?! You're a samurai? Do you use shurikens too? Can I see it please?!" She pled before the twins dragged her away with deadpanned faces.

"Of course that is not true," Hikaru stated nonchalantly. "We'd better wake junior up a bit." He commented as he picked up the hot sauce and began dumping it into Satoshi's tea.

"Hot sauce? Nice." Kaoru applauded as they waited for Satoshi to drink the now sabotaged drink.

"This tea is fantastic!" Giving a thumbs up, Satoshi gleamed with no issue what-so-ever. "The spiciness really hits the spot!"

Seeing their plan backfire, Hikaru grumbled under his breath. "Either this kid has got no taste buds, or..."

"He's a fool." Kaoru continued.

"Let me just say," Chika grumbled, looking visibly annoyed. "There is no way that I will recognize a halfwit like Mitsukuni as the next head of the family." He shifted his position as he sat up straighter. "The Haninozuka family is a noble one," Sitting on the opposite side of the table than Haruhi, Chika explained. "Which has excelled at martial arts since ancient times, and has created its own original style by incorporating the combat skills from all the others. And so, while the men in the Haninozuka family learn karate and judo outside, at home, we work to master the Haninozuka form, and to keep us from getting careless at any time, we have been taught that whenever members of the family see each other, we are to engage each other." He paused, gritting his teeth. "My brother is indeed strong. However, having failed to govern himself and becoming depraved, he is not fit to call himself a practitioner of the Haninozuka form. Even if he is my older brother, I cannot allow someone who arbitrarily quit the Karate Club a year ago, and became hooked on stuffed animals and cake, to succeed the Haninozuka family." Glaring up to meet Honey's saddened eyes, Chika shouted, before being knocked down by the butt of Satoshi's practice sword again.

"Is that any way to talk to your brother?" Satoshi questioned as he pulled on the glasses boy's cheeks.

"Hey! Cut it out! Stupid Satoshi!" Chika grumbled as he struggled against the iron grasps of the raven-haired boy.

"You're the one in the wrong here." Satoshi retorted.

Escaping his 'torture', Chika cupped his cheeks with tears in his eyes as he sniffled. "Why are you so angry?" He whimpered before noticing the keen and shocked glances by the hosts as he quickly rubbed his eyes. Darting up from his seat he head tot he door, shouting accusingly at Honey. "Anyway, you heard me, Mitsukuni! Stay away from me at school!" He announced before turning and sprinting as Satoshi trailed behind with a look of rage.

"What was that Yasuchika?! You rude grit! Get back here!"

"That's a little harsh..." Miki thought out loud as she stared at the doors that slowly closed form the middle schoolers dashing out. "There really are many different types of siblings, huh?" She muttered, catching Kyoya's attention.

He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before looking at Honey who pushed away from the table and stood by the window. "Not all family dynamics are like yours." He commented, pushing up his glasses.

Miki looked up to study his face, only to find his eyes obstructed by the glare of his glasses. She hummed, remembering Kyoya also had two brothers of his own. Perhaps he didn't get along with his brothers, she thought. She then turned her gaze to Tamaki, who offered Honey a piece of cake to cheer him up. "I only have this because of Tamaki-kun." Her eyes crinkled as she spoke. "He's always the one leading between the two of us."

Kyoya glanced over at Tamaki, who was smiling proudly as a re-energized Honey. "That's most likely the case," He huffed out a laugh. "Having that idiot as a brother."

His words reminded Miki of the lingering question she had from earlier that day; she immediately turned to Kyoya. "Kyoya-kun, I have a question."

"Hm?"

"There is a word for when siblings fall in love right?" She blinked. "What is it?"

.

.

.

"Why ask?" Kyoya finally said, staring back at her, testing to see which of them will break first, though it was pretty obvious who would.

"It came up in conversation," Miki replied honestly.

Patience already wearing thin, Kyoya narrowed his eyes at her, keeping his eyebrows from twitching. "What kind of conversation were you having for this kind of topic to come?"

"Just a conversation." Laughing uneasily, Miki averted her eyes. For some strange reason, she didn't want Kyoya to know about it.

"If you don't tell me, you are not getting the word either," Kyoya spoke sharply, leaving no room for negotiation.

Letting out a sigh, Miki's face turned blank as she began to explain. "Kotaro-san asked me to go out with him," She paused, noticing Kyoya's eyes widen for a moment before she continued, looking down at her feet. "I turned him down, and he asked if I liked Tamaki-kun."

"I see." Kyoya hummed, placing a hand on his chin. "Ichimaru Kotaro, not bad. His family runs a rather large resort in Hokkaido." He commented. "May I ask why you turned him down?"

Hearing his question, Miki's eyes turned thoughtful. "It wouldn't be fair for me to accept his feelings if I don't reciprocate them, right?" She explained, meeting his brownish green eyes, she tilted her head with a slightly sorrowful smile.

"You rejected him because you don't share feelings for him," Kyoya repeated, a slight amusement danced across his eyes. "You best be prepared, from my investigative report, someone will declare their love to you at least once a month."

Miki's eyes widened. "Really?" She blinked. "Why?"

"Personality, Appearance, there are many reasons." He shrugged. "So, what are you planning to do?"

"Reject all of them." She stated bluntly.

Kyoya's brows knitted together. "Why is that? You surely would favour one of them."

Shaking her head, Miki looked back down at her feet. "I don't understand love." She told him. "I've never experienced it before, so going out with someone like me would only become a burden on them."

Kyoya glanced at her profile. It was true, how could someone who was trapped in a room for 13 years of her life ever experience love? Well, it wasn't like he had any experience on the topic either.

But he at least knew what were certain feelings when he felt them.

"Kyoya-kun," Miki was once again staring at him. "You said you may have feelings for someone, right? How does it feel?" She questioned, blinking slightly

Giving her a weird look, he asked. "Why do you want to know?"

"I want to know how it feels to be in love for real." Tilting her head, her eyes turned hazy as she looked forward in a daze.

"It's different for everyone. Therefore it would do you better to ask Yotsuboshi-san." He said, averting his eyes.

"Okay."

After a while, Kyoya noticed she was staring at him. "Why are you still staring at me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You still haven't told me what that word is yet." She stated, still persistent on learning that word.

Kyoya's eye twitched, pushing up his glasses, he sighed in resignation. "The word is incest." He spoke in a low tone before shooting her a warning glare. "Don't go around using it."

"Okay!" With a bright smile, Miki nodded when something the twins said caught her attention apparently, Haruhi had upset Tamaki by asking why Honey would join 'something like the host club.'

"In order to find out the answer to your previous question..."

"...we have to go back into the past a little bit," They said, leaning an arm each on Haruhi.

"Back before the Host Club was ever founded."

"Let us tell you the legend of Honey-senpai, crack captain of the Karate Club."

According to them, Honey used to be part of the Karate Club. To pursue 'true strength' and be a 'man,' had to discard his love for both cute things and stuffed animals. Though, thanks to Tamaki's words of wisdom, he challenged his father to the meaning of 'true strength.' In the competition, he not only won but also gain the title of 'Japan's weapon of mass destruction.' After winning, Honey quit the Karate club and moved over to the Host Club.

"Now, maybe Honey-senpai's unconventional size makes it impossible for him to fit in with the Haninozuka form," Kaoru suggested.

"In contrast, his brother, Chika, seems to have been strictly raised according to Haninozuka family custom," Hikaru pointed out.

"But as a result, Chika-chan really doesn't like me," Sitting on Mori's shoulders, Honey looked down sadly.

Miki looked down for a moment as she wondered about the meaning of true strength. For a second there, she attempted to imagine what Honey could look like as the stereotypical 'manly man,' but she could only find herself picturing Honey's face glued onto a bodybuilder.

And that thought alone was horrifying.

Wanting to help, she looked up at Tamaki who was also gazing at her. Together, they shared a determined nod and broad smiles.

"All right, everyone! As of now, we're commencing Operation Haninozuka Brothers Reconciliation!" Tamaki declared, holding a fist.

"Yeah!" The twins and Miki cheered out loud.

***

And so, the hosts were now pressed up against the window to the Karate club. They watched as Chika, the leader of the club, commanded them with frustration and irritation, like any moment, he was about to explode. He was snappy and was enraged whenever Honey was even indicated.

Until Satoshi rushed in and beat the poor kid up that is...

"This is just a simple inferiority complex, huh?" Hikaru hummed as he peered through the window.

"Infer-what complex?" Miki cocked her head as she looked at Kyoya who stood behind her.

"The feeling of doubt and uncertainty in oneself, feeling that they will never measure up to standards," He replied, pushing up his glasses.

"He's always being compared to his brother, which raises a greater pattern of hatred than there's a call for." Kaoru continued, patting Miki's back as he pointed at Chika who was yelling at one of the poor club members who accidentally mentioned Honey by name, "His cuter, more popular older brother also has a far greater ability than he does, and it has warped his personality."

"It's so commonplace; it's boring." They sang together as they ran off. "Let's go find something else that amuses us."

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with the uncooperative attitude?" Tamaki called out after them.

"Well, we thought that there'd be a more interesting, hidden reason." They responded nonchalantly with a shrug.

"What do you think Honey-senpai and Chika's feelings are?!" Tamaki scolded.

"Yeah, if we don't help them out, how are they going to make up?" Miki nodded enthusiastically.

"Tama-chan, Miki-chan, it's okay..." Honey stepped forward, clutching Usa-chan to his chest.

"Honey-senpai..."

"You know what? I'm okay with Chika-chan hating me. Just as long as Chika-chan grows up happy and healthy, I'll be fine," Honey assured the two, looked up eyes filled with hope.

"Uh, he's already a lot taller than you." Hikaru pointed out.

"He's growing up plenty healthy," Kaoru added sweatdropping.

"Could you keep it down?" A sudden voice rang behind the hosts as they all snapped around, finding Chika standing there. Everyone froze at the sight of him. Chika's eyes narrowed as he swept the hosts. "Tch... They even brought that Shuriken-neesan." He grumbled.

Miki, or Shuriken-neesan as Chika called her, blinked as she pointed at herself with confusion.

Continuing to scan through, Chika then spotted his brother who stared back with furrowed brows and a pout. "Mitsukuni, I just got done telling you to stay away from me at school!" He spat before dashing forth and aiming a kick at Honey, who dodged his attack gracefully.

Gaining footing, Chika glared at Honey. "Why, you..." He growled. "You alien!"

"Alien?" The twins asked, facing each other.

"However strong your brother may be, there's no need to call him an alien." Haruhi pointed out.

"What's so wrong about cake and his stuffed animal, Usa-chan?" Tamaki questioned sternly, resting his hand on his chin.

"If it were just the cake and Usa-chan, I wouldn't say anything," Chika muttered, loosening his guard slightly. "I don't regard my brother as an alien because he's so strong..."

"Then, why..." Miki tried to approach him, but Chika exploded.

"Don't the rest of you think anything of it?!" Chika pointed an accusing finger at Honey, face drained of colour. "Every night, he eats three whole cakes after supper, like it was nothing! You understand? I'm serious, three whole cakes! I saw him with my own eyes! He ate all that in a flash!" Then, he stopped shaking for a moment rethinking events. "And then, just last week, I woke up in the middle of the night and noticed that there was light shining out of the dining room. And I found him, sitting with that Usa-chan about to eat with demon candles all around the dining room on a day he called special cake night!" He paused, shivering.

"Be honest, are you not terrified?!" Chika yelled, fingers twitching from fear."Did you think that any earthling like that could exist?! Using Usa-chan's electronic waves, he eats cake all night long! Don't you think he's an alien?!"

"That's how Honey-senpai behaves at home?" Haruhi sweatdropped.

"On second thought, I wouldn't have the courage to live with him either." The twins agreed with the boy.

Miki blinked as she tried to imagine the events. "Perhaps Chika-kun is right, and he really is an alien." She suggested with a finger lift.

Huffing a few breathes, Chika's glasses clouded up as he hurriedly took them off to clean them. "Anyhow, I wear glasses to avoid losing my cool around him." He explained, cleaning the lenses.

"So you won't look much like him?" Tamaki asked.

Shaking his head, Chika placed the glasses back on. "They're prescription lenses so that when I look at Mitsukuni, he's blurred out." He explained without hesitation.

"That's dangerous!" Tamaki and Haruhi shouted.

"You tell me the same story over and over, but it's no big deal." Stepping out of the dojo, Satoshi raised a finger. "You're being too neurotic. If I set my mind to it, I bet I could handle three whole cakes myself. They aren't that sweet anyway."

"Shut up! You've got no taste buds!" Chika snapped.

"In addition, the person closest to him is quite insensitive." Kyoya analyzed.

"He must have felt anxious and alone." Tamaki sobbed.

"And even so...and even so, in the past, we used to get along," Loosening up, Chika continued as he stared at the ground, though his fists still shook. "Brother just had a little more of a sweet tooth than others and was fond of cute things. But for a time, Brother gave up all of those things. And then, someone put some ideas into his head that he could have done without. Something about true strength being the acknowledgment of what one really likes."

Realizing where that phrase came from Haruhi and the twins all simultaneously turned to Tamaki, who went pale. Miki, on the other hand, finally understood why Chika acted so hostile towards Honey.

"After that, he suddenly fell apart and became the alien he is now." Chika fell to his knees, his face buried in his hands.

"I see, so Chika's troubles can all be traced back to you, sir." Hikaru pointed at Tamaki with a blank-eyed expression.

"What are you talking about?!" Tamaki denied, "I'm sure there must be a good way to solve this!" 

As they began to banter back and forth, Miki crouched down next to the sulking Chika. "Chika-kun," She giggled teasingly. "You actually really look up to Honey-senpai, don't you?"

"W-What?!" Face flushing slightly, Chika mumbled. "No! I already said I don-"

"Hehe, I've got you completely figured out." Miki giggled quoting the detective of her favourite TV detective, before placing a finger to her lips playfully. "Don't worry; you're secret is safe with me." She winked.

Chika's eyes widened, he watched as Miki turned to look at Honey with a thoughtful expression.

"Chika-kun, you are quite adorable you know?" Tilting her head to the side, Miki commented as a small blush spread across the underclassman's face. "I'm a younger sibling too, so I understand how you feel in some way." She muttered, her eyes subconsciously floating over to Tamaki. "But like what Tamaki-kun suggested, I think you need to find out for yourself what 'true strength' means. It means something different for everyone after all." She paused for a moment. "Bushido, the warrior's way, indicates that running away is the most dishonourable one can commit." She recited from the Heian pamphlet, glancing back at Honey who was listening to Mori talk. "I think, to Honey-senpai, the manly act was just a forced mask he was putting up while his true-self hid away beneath. It takes a lot of strength and courage to be vulnerable and present true self, after all." She turned to him with her lips curled, her voice sounding like a bell. "So in a situation like that, which is more dishonourable? Braving the world as true, undisguised self, or cowardly hiding behind a false mask?" She tilted her head, asking him. "Maybe, to understand that, you have to feel his genuine resolve." She suggested with a radiant smile.

"Shuriken-neesan..." Chika blinked, glancing back at Honey and then back at her as she offered him a bright beam. Suddenly, a small shadow quickly loomed over them.

"Chika-chan, I'm sorry for all of this." Honey apologized with a small frown on his face. "I never knew you hated sweets that much."

"No, that's not what the issue is here," Haruhi commented.

"Still, I'm grateful to Tama-chan and the Host Club, and I don't want to change who I am now." Honey said growing serious as he tucked a hand into his pocket. Even Usa-chan seemed to have changed expressions. "So, let's settle this like men, in the Haninozuka style, Yasuchika."

***

On a hill somewhere in Ouran Academy, the wind blew dramatically as the two brothers set up in a fighting position. On the sidelines, eight figures watched intently at the tension brewing between the two. Mori acted as an officiator as he stood in the middle. Everyone looked tense, except for Haruhi who was left wondering how they got there in the first place, and since when did this dramatic wind pick up.

"Remember, Chika-chan; this is a one-point match." Honey reminded.

"And if I win?" Chika questioned.

"Then I will at least give up eating cake at night." Honey replied seriously as if it were his life he just put on the line.

"All right," Chika nodded with determination.

"Are you ready?" Mori asked for formalities as Satoshi watched intently behind him. "Then, begin!" He announced.

And with that, the two brothers dashed at each other. As they threw familiar looking punches, the hosts began to notice something odd. Even more so when Honey pulled out an extending staff behind his back. Miki really had to hold it in, as to not squeal over how cool the mechanics of it was.

"Is it my imagination, or is this unfolding a lot like when they fought in the classroom?" Tamaki asked.

"Albeit in an opposite version," Kyoya added.

"Mitsukuni, at least, is doing so on purpose," Mori explained calmly. "Yasuchika will probably throw his shuriken next."

Just like what Mori called, Chika tossed out shurikens next as Honey deflected them with his rod.

"You're right!" Hikaru and Kaoru gasped as Miki cheer for both brothers.

"Hurray! Hurray! Honey-senpai! Hurray! Hurray! Chika-kun!"

"Tell me, where are they hiding these shurikens? And who exactly are you cheering for Miki-senpai?" Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Both, I want them both to win," Miki stated as she continued to jump around like a child, shouting and encouraging both of them.

"No, It doesn't work like that." Haruhi looked away with a deadpan.

"I have watched these two spar for many years," Mori explained, his expression emotionless. "And Yasuchika always incorporates moves that Mitsukuni used in the previous match. Mitsukuni has realized this, and yet creates opportunities for Yasuchika to use those moves anyway." His eyes following the battle intently, he informed them. "He may call him an alien, but where martial arts is concerned, Yasuchika respects Mitsukuni, and it's clear that he wants to be even a little bit more like him. They are indeed connected where they ought to be. I think that, as brothers, that much is good enough."

Everyone stared at Mori, flabbergasted. He really did look the most enthusiastic when he was talking about Honey, when he ever talked at all that is.

"Besides, you need not to worry about this match," Mori stated as if it were a fact. "Mitsukuni intends to throw the fight, and let Yasuchika beat him. I know everything there is to know about him."

Everyone quickly looked towards the fight, only to hear the lolita shout. "Defend yourself!" Before delivering a fatal kick at Chika, sending him flying towards the ground, almost instantly ending the match and proving Mori's predictions wrong.

"Ah..." Mori muttered as his face turned even blanker than usual as if that were possible. He dropped to his knees in defeat along with Chika.

"Yay! I won! Cake! Cake! Cake!" Honey celebrated jumping up and down before twirling Usa-chan around. "Oh, I have an idea! Since I won, from now on, I'll have a special cake night three times a week!"

"Mori-senpai, don't mind." Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru gathered around the fallen giant, trying to reassure him.

"His love of cake is even greater than for his brother?" Haruhi sweatdropped, watching Honey rejoice in his victory. "What a dreadful person..."

Miki, on the other hand, stood next to Chika in a crouch. She chuckled wryly, watching as Chika twitch in the pain and after-shock. "I guess I did say you need to feel his resolve, huh?" She propped an arm upon her knee, commenting.

"Chika-chan," Standing over Miki and a defeated Chika, Honey crouched down. "You almost got me with your first flying kick and then with that combination move in the middle." Closing his eyes and beaming, Honey nodded curtly. "Chika-chan, you've gotten stronger." He praised, causing the boy's face to light up considerably as little sparkling chicks appeared in his aura. However, he quickly snapped out of his trance and turned away. 

"Shut up, you're so conceited!" He grumbled. "I just let my guard down a little, that's all-"

"Don't be such a sore loser." Slamming the butt of his practice sword toward the back of his head, Satoshi grumbled. "Be a man! Admit your defeat with grace!"

"Ow! Ow! Stupid Satoshi!" Tears formed in Chika's eyes as he sniffled. "T-That's enough... I don't like you anymore!"

"I wasn't really angry..." Hurriedly comforting his friend, Satoshi panicked. "Please don't cry..."

Snapping out of his vulnerable state, as he peered at the host club who stared at him awkwardly. "Just..." Rubbing away the tears, he stammered. "Just remember Mitsukuni! Next time I'll win, no matter what!" He shouted. "And I'll drag you back down to earth you alien!"

"What a thing to say to your brother!"

"Chika-kun seems to be more similar in nature to Honey-senpai than he is different..." Tamaki sweatdropped as he watched the overly dedicated raven-head chase the blond down the mysterious hill in Ouran Academy.

"Even so," Beaming brightly as she cupped her hands before her, Miki chided. "Chika-kun is quite adorable."

I never realized there were so many different types of sibling relations. Peering up at the sky, Miki thought of Hikaru, Kaoru, Nekozawa and Kirimi. They are so fascinating to see and learn from, however in the end... She glanced to the side, locking glances with Tamaki's ocean-like eyes.

"Alright, let's head back to the club." Grinning, Tamaki gestured as he marched forth on the hill. Miki nodded with her eyes crinkling as she followed him, exchanging chatters with the twins as they made their way back to the school building

I'm glad my sibling bond is created with Tamaki-kun of all people.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 17-

Miki Lets Down her Hair!

"Miki-chan, this theme was your idea right?" Sora giggled as she walked by the entrance of the host club after her appointment with Tamaki. Next to her were a few others who were also in class 2-A. Judging by the wide smiles and bright flushes on their face, they seemed to have had a wonderful time. "It was such a great theme, we had lots of fun!"

"Thank you very much." She chirped.

The Music Room looked like a set straight out of fairy tale collection, because that was the theme. The host club were all dressed up as storybook characters, each with their specifically themed stations. Tamaki's station was decorated as if it were a pond in the midst of nature from Swan Lake, he was dressed up in a prince costume. Kyoya sat in the midst of a rose garden, inspired by Beauty and the Beast, as he taught the guests about the variety of roses. Honey and Mori were in a candy-themed setup, an inspiration drawn from Hansel and Gretel's candy cottage, sharing pieces of cake with swooning guests. Hikaru and Kaoru were surrounded by faux apple trees, decorated with real apples as guests gushed about their 'poisonous love'. Haruhi and her clients sat on glass made seats, a beautiful clock design hanging between them, striking close to midnight as they had tea.

"It's so romantic to have the hosts treat you like a real princess." One of the girls, Tamaki's regular guest named Tsubaki swooned. "How did you come up with the concept?" She asked, leaning forward.

"I particularly enjoy reading fairy tale books." Miki giggled, glancing over as Tamaki entranced another 'little swan' into his paradise. "They are filled with so much adventure and fantasy."

"Which one is your favourite?" Sora urged on excitedly. "Is it Swan Lake? You look like you put the most effort into that one."

"I think she preferred creating her take on Snow White!" Someone disagreed immediately.

"No, no, I think Haruhi-kun's Cinderella had the most attention to detail."

Miki's hazel eyes swept across the hosts, each of them playing into their character roles. Each of those stories, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, they were all new reads to her.

No...

Her favourite story was...

Rapunzel.

***

I moved from Spain to Japan when I was three years old, and I had absolutely no recollection of my time there. All I could make out hazily in my memories was a warm hand gently caressing my head when I once fell sick. That was all.

I came to Japan with one person and one item.

A book.

Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm.

I had no idea why someone would give me this book, neither do I remember who gave it to me. It just... appeared one day.

"Milady," A voice called out to the little five-year-old girl as she glanced up from the book in hand. A young man in his late teens, dressed in proper butler attire would stare back with a wry smile. He had neatly arranged chai-brown hair and a pair of emerald green eyes. She was sitting on her bed with her blankets over her head like a veil. "What are you doing, reading under the blankets again? You know it's bad for your eyes." He softly lectured her.

"Arden!" The little strawberry blonde bounced out of her bed with excitement, allowing the book to flop back down on the bed. Mindful of its pages, she lept off the mattress and jumped into the butler's arms who caught her in a routine yet hesitant manner.

Arden chuckled slightly as he placed her gently down. "Milady, would you like to do the honours today too?" Laughing, he knelt down to her eye level.

"Yes, please!" Giggling, Miki ran over to the other side of the room. Climbing onto the window sill under Arden's watch, she flew the upper part of the window wide open as a gush of fresh breeze blew into the room. "Ahh!" She let out a sigh as the breeze combed through her hair and ruffled her nightgown. "Good Morning." She stretched her arms up and beamed in delight at the brilliant sun.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Arden smiled down kindly at her, keeping his arms close just in case she lost balance and was about to fall from the ledge. "There was a terrible thunder and lightning."

"I'm a big girl now, I can handle it," Miki spoke in a triumphant grin. "You are just a scardy cat for not liking loud noises." Giggling mischievously, when she looked up and spotted something captivating.

In the crystal clear sky, a colourful arc separated the sky in seven colours. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. Miki's hazel eyes widened as an awestruck gasp escaped her lips. "Woah!" She cheered. "Arden, what is that?" Pointing up at nature's work of art, Miki asked.

"That, Milady, is called a rainbow." The butler responded.

Her eyes sparkling and reflecting the view before her, she continued to stare in wonder. "What is it?" Reaching out in an attempt to reach it from her little room, the little girl pressed on.

"A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and disp-" Arden paused for a moment as he stared at his lady who tilted her head with a blank expression, realizing that there was no way a little five-year-old girl could know words that complex, imprisoned or not, he fell silent and began to think for a moment. "It's something special that happens when the rain and the sun meet." He opted for a simpler explanation.

Pressing her lips together, Miki pursued. "Why do the sun and rain want to meet?"

"To give the rainbow's blessing, of course." Arden teased with a grin.

"The Rainbow's Blessing?" Miki repeated.

The young man with chai brown hair nodded. "It's a story my family used to tell me when I was younger," He explained. "If a rainbow appears in the sky, and a person is daring and adventurous enough to search for the end. True happiness will be waiting for that person." 

"Really?!" She glanced back out at the rainbow with yearning eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh as she glanced over the view. "I want to go see it one day..."

Arden's brows knitted together as he thought of her words, pity rising in his chest.

With her back faced him, Miki then asked. "What day is it today, Arden?"

"It's Friday, milady." Arden bowed in a respectful manner.

"What do people usually do on Fridays?" Twirling back around, her eyes relit with interest as if she tossed away all the sorrow and loneliness she had just felt. Like an excited puppy wagging its tail, she continued her questions.

Picking up the little girl and carrying her in his arms, Arden made his way over to the table, where breakfast was already laid out and waiting. "Let's see," He hummed playfully. "Fridays are usually the last day of work or school, they organize events for the weekends."

"What do they organize?" Miki tilted her head as she was placed down onto the chair. "Do they go out to those places you said? The Rest-ants?" She pursued, not giving Arden time to rest.

Letting out a small laugh, Arden laid down her napkin on her lap as she clumsily picked up the fork and knife. "No, Milady. Restaurants." He corrected her, trying not to continue laughing at his lady.

"Rest-or-rants?" Miki asked, with her mouth filled with food.

"Close enough." Arden stifled a chuckle as he filled her cup up with chocolate milk. "Remeber not to talk with your mouth full."

Swallowing down the eggs, Miki reached forth, grabbing her drink. "I know." She giggled, taking a sip. "You said it's the last day of school for most people right? Is anyone coming today?" She asked, eyes filled with hope.

Nodding, the young man took out his notes hidden in his breast pocket as he began to list off the visitors of the day. "You Spanish Tutor, Mr. Lopez is coming in once you are ready. Then will be the Business Managment Instructor, Ms. Jin. After lunch, the Cultural Dance Instructor, Mr. Minamoto. Finally Traditional Literature Tutor, Ms. Satou." Closing his notebook, he grinned at the girl with a teasing smile. "Should we call on your etiquette teacher to fix your habit of eating while talking as well?"

"No thanks." Flinching, Miki pouted as she took another sip of her chocolate milk. After a few moments of silence, she looked out the window at the opposite end of the room. "Is father not coming today either?" She asked.

"I'm afraid not," Arden bowed. "Master Suoh is still out on a business trip in France."

Looking a little dejected, Miki placed her cup back down onto the table with a sigh. Then her eyes fluttered open as she hopped out of her seat and struck a power pose. "Alright! It's Friday today and with the rainbow in sight, I'm going to do my best!" She cheered, earning a round of applause of encouragement from Arden as he led her to the bathroom to get ready for the day of lessons.

In the Suoh Mansion, there is a large room only accessible by a small elevator. Only a few people have the key card to get up there, the chef, a single maid, Arden, the head of the Suoh family, Shizue and her son Yuzuru. Hardly anyone knew of the room's existence, even the staff of the mansion. The older staff were sworn to secrecy on the existence of that room. And the newer staff were simply never told of it. Because locked in that room, under strict instructions of the Fernández family, is a girl who cannot be known to the public. Because she was a failure to the prestigious Spanish lineage. Because she was born out of a divorced marriage.

And that was me.

I understood the situation I was in, but I never felt disheartened. I was alive and privileged. My room consisted of a large bed, a desk, a dining table and chairs, a separate bathroom and a walk-in closet. It was more of a studio apartment than a bedroom. My food was delivered every day by the chef, and once a week, a maid would come and clean my room.

Besides, I wasn't lonely.

I had Arden.

"Milady, you should go to bed now..." Arden tried to convince the little girl as respectfully as possible. "It's 10:32 p.m." He pointed out.

"Just once more? Please?" Miki begged, still not tired at all. Instead, she was bouncing with energy on her fluffy bed in her nightgown.

Arden let out a sigh as he opened the brown book for the fifth time that evening. "You have so many other books to read from Ms. Satou, why must you read this one?"

"I like it." With her childlike logic, Miki reasoned with a blank face. "It's my favourite book."

Straightening his back a little, Arden cleared his throat, indicating he was serious. "Once more, then you need to sleep."

"Okay!" Nodding, Miki shuffled closer to her butler. She leaned on his arm as he began to read the book once again.

Arden was my butler. He was the one that accompanied me from Spain to Frace. He stayed here, trapped with me every day, telling me stories of how it felt to walk under the blue sky. He takes care of me, waking me up, helping me pick out clothes, keeping me company, and even reading me to sleep. If I was lucky, he would even bring me something called 'craft kits' from the outside world. At night after I fall asleep, he would slip out of the door and go down the elevator. Only to wake me up with next morning with a soft smile.

He was one of my only two sources to the outside world.

***

"Milady," Arden called out to the now eight-year-old as he gently cleaned up the garbage created after she had completed the latest craft kit he brought. "If you keep reading that book over and over again, you are going to get sick of it one day." He teased her.

"I won't." Still keeping her eyes on the words of the book, Miki giggled. She sat on the ground and had her back leaned against the door of her little world, with the book, Rapunzel resting on her legs. Her eyes turned to a downcast as she stared blankly at the familiar words.

I won't ever get sick of it.

Arden thinks of this story as childish, and that it may be okay to laugh at a fairy tale.

However, to me...

It is a story that has been my dream. It says an opportunity will appear, to free me from this fate.

I was Rapunzel, trapped in the tower.

Suddenly, Miki perked at as she snapped around to stare at the door behind her, startling Arden who paced over to her side.

"Is something wrong, Milady?" He asked.

The strawberry blonde didn't respond. She kept her eyes glued to the door as she began to mutter. "That's!" Her eyes lit up in excitement as she jumped to her feet. Quickly placing her book on a table nearby, she waited eagerly for the door to swing open as it revealed the figure she longed to see.

"Father!" She squealed, jumping into Yuzuru's arms.

"Miki!" Eyes widening in surprise at warm greeting, Yuzuru scrambled to catch his daughter as he stepped back a little, dropping a large bag in the process.

"Master Yuzuru," Arden bowed his head in respect at the sight of him.

"Hello Arden," Giving the butler a quick nod, Yuzuru carried his daughter who was giggling in his arms as he stepped further into the room, closing the doors behind him. "How did you know I was here, Miki?" He proceeded to ask the little girl, who clung onto her father by the neck, snuggling him like he was the fluffiest teddy bear in the world.

"Your voice gave you away, Father." She simply replied showing no intentions of letting go, leaving Yuzuru slightly confused.

Sound.

That was the sense I appreciated the most.

After a while, I became an expert at telling people apart by their voices.

I could hear the voices of people talking in the gardens outside my window. I could hear the chef and maid exchange words outside my door. I could hear the cars of my father or grandmother pulling into the mansion. I could hear the rain, lightning, thunder, and hail.

It was also the sense that brought the prince, to Rapunzel.

"So where did you go this time, father?" Miki asked enthusiastically as she nibbled on a lamb chop.

"Let's see," Swallowing his food, Yuzuru chuckled. His daughter was always a curious one. "I was in China for two weeks, then I went to Barcelona for a month, then France for three weeks."

"China?!" Miki's hazel eyes began to twinkle. "That's the place with the Pradas right?"

"Pandas, Miki." Yuzuru corrected with a sweatdrop. "But yes, here I even brought back a keychain for you." He laughed, pulling out a few things from his large duffle bag. "I also brought you back a few other things."

"Wow! Thank you, Father!" Wither her face bright, she quickly finished the last bits of her food she scrambled onto her feet to search through the new bag of goodies, exclaiming in awe at everything. Yuzuru watched with a sorrowfully tender expression as she called out to Arden with every new thing, asking what they were and what they did. It was painful for him to see his children like this. One in France hated and ridiculed by his grandmother, his son that he doesn't see very often. The other trapped in her room in the main estate in Japan, his daughter separated from the rest of the world.

"Father? What are these?" Pulling out one of the few DVDs stuffed into the bottom of the bag, she blinked with Arden over her shoulder. "Crime? Crime Drama ♥?" She looked at him curiously.

"Oh, that is a series I came across while I was in Europe." He explained, finishing up his food as he crouched next to his daughter. "It's a TV series about a young detective solving tough cases in London. It's supposed to be pretty popular among the kids."

"Wow! Thank you, father!" Miki gasped as she began sorting through all the disks.

"Aweee, you are just the cutest." Yuzuru cooed. "Come here!" He hugged her close, nuzzling her while his hands pulled at her cheeks.

"Fawthew, stwap pwinchwing mwy chweeks pwease." Miki protested while giggling.

Arden sweatdropped as he looked over the titles of the volumes. The case of the Missing Puppy, the disappearance of the cake. These were all clearly, slice of life mysteries with the occasional serious case slipped in. However, when he saw Miki's beaming face, he decided to keep quiet.

"Father," Holding a few DVDs close to her chest, Miki turned to him. "You said you went to France, did you go see Tamaki-kun while you were there?" She asked enthusiastically.

Yuzuru froze for a second before his expression melted into a smile. "Yeah, I did," He told her, ruffling her hair as she sat on his lap.

"Really?!" Miki's eyes lit up as she bounced like a little puppy. "How is he doing? Does he have many friends? Does he go to that place called the school? What are his favourite things to do?"

I knew all about Tamaki-kun even before beginning at Ouran Academy.

That was how I experienced childhood, by listening to stories about him from father.

I never hated him, or anyone for a matter of fact.

I envied them.

I wanted to meet him.

They lived in the world out there, walking under the blue skies. With all the freedom to do what he wanted, and Tamaki-kun didn't let it go to waste. With that, I was content. Listening to stories about him from father, I felt like I was right by him. I could hear his piano, I could see the crowds of kids and I could feel the grass brushing against my legs.

It was all thanks to Tamaki-kun, the stories father told, and Arden, I was able to live without feeling the pain of loneliness.

Father would tell me about all the cultures the world had to offer. Japan's samurais and warriors, France's sweets and architecture, China's animals and language, Italy's art and festivals... Those stories were my little telescopes into the world.

It's how I lived as the imprisoned princess. 

***

As I grew older, and I watched Crime? Crime Drama ♥, I began to take a huge interest in production design. I paid lots of attention to the backgrounds and sets of the show due to my interest in the outside world. I started to draw design sketches of my own and showing them to Arden, who in turn often brought me photos of certain places to use as a reference.

Thanks to those, I got more and more curious about what was out there, what more could I see and most importantly...

Who I can meet.

I wanted to see them for myself.

"Wow! So this is a school!" Miki, now fourteen, her hazel eyes sparkled at the beautiful new photo before her. It was a pink french style building with a Big Ben-like clock. As usual, Arden had managed to bring her a brand new picture, this time of the place called 'School.'

"Ouran Academy is under the Suoh family's School Managment branch," Arden informed, setting out some tea. "It is a rather prestigious school, so mind you, it is much grander."

"I understand." Miki, now fourteen, giggled, taking a closer look, noticing a figure on the bottom of the photo. "Arden, what is this little brown thing at the bottom." She asked, skipping over to him.

Leaning in closer, Arden blinked. "Oh, that might be an honour roll student trying out for the entrance exams." He commented.

"Honour Roll Student?" Miki raised an eyebrow.

"Normally it is commoners who are honour roll students at Ouran since they don't have money. If they get a high enough mark and remain there. Their entire school tuition fees are paid for." Shrugging, Arden went back to laying out the tea.

"Even though they are not of the social class?" Miki looked down at the photo. At that moment, she had an unspeakable about of respect for the person in the picture.

"Milady..." Eyes turning wry, addressed her with a bow of respect. He watched as she made her way to the windows "Speaking of which, I bring some news this morning."

"Hm..." Twirling on her heel, Miki responded. "What is it?" She tilted her head with a smile as she paced over to her shelf, picking up one of the empty photo frames she had, resting on the shelf. Gingerly, she opened the backing and began to position this new photo on the cork board backing.

"From what I've heard, Master Tamaki is currently in Japan," Arden informed her.

Immediately Miki's hands flinched as her eyes widened. "Really?!" She exclaimed, her hands were brought to her lips, trembling with excitement. "Tamaki-kun is here?! Where is he? Is he here in the main estate?"

"But unfortunately..." Arden's eyes turned pitiful as he kept his lowered stance. "I hear he resides in the second estate."

Miki blinked with furrowed brows. "Eh? Why?"

"According to rumours, he is here on a deal with Mistress Shizue, as the heir to the Suoh family." He explained. "He left his sick mother behind in France to assure her financial stability, and will begin attending school come April."

"I see..." Eyes turning to a downcast, Miki turned back towards the brand new photo she had completed framing. She took a deep breath and walked over to her opened window, glancing out beyond the endless horizon. "Arden," She spoke as her hands reached out absently, knowing that as long as she stayed in her captive room she would never be able to reach that end of the world. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming below in the gardens. She wanted more to see, she wanted more to learn, she wanted more to understand. She wanted to meet more people, like the girl in the photo.

"Tell my father; I'd like to meet. I'm requesting to leave this place. I need to venture outside my comfort zone; the rewards are worth it." It's strange really. The moment you begin to learn more about something, the more you crave to know. Yet a sense of doubt and worry lingered in her chest. Glancing over her shoulder, her lips curled wryly. "Will you support me?" She asked a little sheepishly.

"I will support you even if the world were to end, milady."

His words calmed Miki's heart as she broke into a radiant smile.

At that moment, I realized that Rapunzel must've felt like this too. After being trapped for so long, she should have been able to tell people apart by their voices. She must've noticed the prince's voice was different from the sorceress's, yet she still let her hair down to the stranger.

It was because she knew, if it there was even the slimmest chance to reel in an opportunity to find help and truly escape into the outside world, she had to take it.

It was her determination and courage that gave her, her happiness and freedom.

I realized, I had to gather my courage to let my hair down as well, so I could one day maybe, eventually, leave my tower.

I wasn't content with looking into the world through a window anymore. 

Even for just a little, I wanted to leave and walk under the bright sun in the sky.

***

It took two years...

Two years after that fateful day, grandmother had left on a six-month business trip, establishing and extending relations all over Europe.

Father enrolled me in Ouran Academy under one circumstance.

Arden was to travel to Spain alone and keep my movement out of the Fernández family's eyes.

He accepted it in a heartbeat, swearing to keep me safe as I enjoyed myself while I could.

Father even offered for me to move into the second mansion along with Tamaki-kun to get to know him better. However, I refused.

There was a part of me, that felt... scared of facing him.

What would he think of me?

Would he accept me?

Would he ridicule me?

Would he despise me?

Instead, I opted to get to know him, as a classmate first.

***

Miki looked down at her feet. They were no longer on the familiar rug. In fact, she was wearing shoes outside of the main estate for the first time she could remember. She was standing on tile, in front of what they call, 'a classroom.' Her heart wouldn't stop pounding against her chest as the adrenaline spiked in her system.

"That's right class, before your first day, I would like to make one more announcement." She heard the teacher faintly announce. "You may come in."

Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Taking a deep breath as an adventurous smile curled upon her lips, she took firm hold of the door and slid it open.

Let down your hair.

Chapter Text

-Christmas Short-

It's the Host Club's Christmas!

"Arden, what are they doing outside?" Peering curiously out the window, a little girl with strawberry blonde hair pointed at the front gardens floors below as people rushed about in the chilling weather wearing fur coats. "They keep hanging these red ribbons on the trees; it's a little weird."

"Let's see," He leaned out the window as he loomed over her shoulder, the young butler hummed. "Ah, they are getting ready for Christmas, Milady." He informed her.

"Christmas?" The five-year-old repeated as she tilted her head. "What is that?"

"It's an annual celebrating Christ's birth in the Christian religion," Arden explained with a soft smile. "Many people like to get festive and decorate their houses when the holidays come around."

"Really?!" Whipping her head around, Miki jumped off the ledge of her window and ran back in her room. Twirling around as her little chiffon dress fluttered behind her, she giggled. "Could we decorate my room too? Please, Arden?" Opening her arms wide, she gestured her bedroom. 

Rubbing his chin slightly, Arden's emerald eyes flickered up to the ceiling. "I suppose I could bring in a few things for you to use and decorate," He told her, watching in adoration as she threw her arms up into the air. 

"Yay! You're the best Arden!" She cheered, jumping up with a victory pose. "Oh! I could use the ribbon from the leftover craft kits to do something too, could you get them out, please? This'll be so exciting!" Spinning on her heel, she began to plan out how to decorate her room when she realized something. "Say, Arden," Leaning sideways, she glanced over curiously. "What do people do on this 'Christmas'?" She asked. 

"Well, Milady." Chuckling as he paced over to the cupboard of left-over craft supplies, Arden spoke. "For one, families gather together to decorate a Christmas tree, eat dinner and exchange gifts." He explained. 

"A tree?" Miki gasped in amazement as this wonderful day. "Could you bring a tree in for me?" 

"I'm afraid that's out of my limitations, Milady." Sweatdropping, Arden took out a few boxes of ribbons. "We could decorate that bonsai tree I brought a while back if you'd like." His eyes crinkled slightly as he gestured the well-taken care of plant in the corner of the room. He faintly remembers that day, when he came in to find his lady sulking because she could 'never touch or feel a tree.' So instead of letting her out to go to the trees, he decided to bring it to her instead. 

"Yea! That'll be great!" Nodding, Miki agreed wholeheartedly as she dashed over to look through the ribbon stash beginning to sort out the colours. "They are using red and green as the main colours, so I'll use... this... this... and this..." She focused intently on organizing the colours to match up with the ones she spotted downstairs before pausing slightly. "Arden," She spoke faintly. 

"Yes, Milady?"

"You said families gather, right?" With her eyes in a downcast, the little girl stared down at the pile of colourful ribbons on her lap. "Will father be visiting?"

The previously cheerful room fell silent as Arden tried to search for an answer. Should he sugarcoat it? Or be blunt to the poor girl? Ths sound of the winter winds howling outside were the only things that fill up the room. Swallowing down the concern, he opted to be up front and tell her. 

"I'm afraid not." He said after a silence that felt like an eternity. "Master Yuzuru is currently in France." His brows furrowed slightly as he delivered the news. 

"I see..." Unable to see her eyes through her bangs, Arden wondered if she was crying before her face lit up into a bright smile that surprised him. "At least he's with Tamaki-kun, right? I have you Arden, so I'm okay." She chirped happily as she pushed the box of ribbons between them and patted the spot next to herself on the soft carpet flooring, gesturing for him to sit down next to her. "Come on, help me chose which red to use." She cheered, giving him a toothy grin. "If it's just the two of us, we mine as well decorate together."

Arden felt his heart sink into his chest as he saw that merry smile. Huffing out a laugh, he sat down next to her, and the two began to plan out how to decorate their little world together. 

***

Miki's eye fluttered open hazily to meet with the architectural ceiling. Blinking slightly, she could faintly hear her phone ring as a single for a text message. Turning her head slightly, she spotted her phone on her nightstand and reached out, only to retract her arm as her heated skin made contact with the cold winter air. 

That's right, Christmas is almost here... After bracing herself, she made another attempt to grab it while sitting up in her bed. Rubbing her eyes, she flipped her phone open to receive a message. 

---------

From: Arden

Merry Christmas Milady, 

I hope this year, you are celebrating your Christmas with your friends happily.

---------

Almost as if on cue, the doors of her room slammed open as Tamaki budged into her bedroom, wearing a Santa hat on his head. He was dressed up in a green and red sweater and wearing the widest grin. With a dramatic pose, he shouted. "Come on Miki, no lazing around in bed!" He declared, pacing over to her bed and slamming his hands down on the mattress as his sister stared at him in a slight daze. "It's Christmas Eve, it's a tradition that everyone in the Second Mansion decorates that place together." He leaned in enthusiastically as his eyes shimmered with holiday joy. "That includes you too, so come on! Get moving!"

Miki blinked out of her haziness as she stared blankly at the blond. 

Seeing such an expression on her, Tamaki flinched back slightly. "Don't tell me," A horrified look appeared on his handsome face as he crumbled. An imaginary strike of lightning bolt crashed down from the sky. "Do you not know what Christmas is?!" He exclaimed. 

Shaking her head as she broke into a bright beam, Miki shook her head gently. "No, Tamaki-kun, I know what Christmas is." She giggled airily as she threw over her comforters and hopped out of her bed. "You say it's a tradition for us to decorate the mansion? I'll be ready in just a second." 

***

Changing out of her nightgown and into a Christmas sweater that Tamaki had insisted her on wearing, Miki hummed as she opened her room door. "Good Morning Suzuno, what are you doing?" Tilting her head, she gazed up at the green bush of leaves tied together by a red ribbon that the platinum blonde was hanging up on the doorway between the stairs to the grand entryway and the hallway to the siblings' bedrooms.

"Ah, Miss Miki." Turning around on the high ladder," Suzuno chirped. "I am doing my part in the decorations. You, Master Tamaki and your guests will be in charge of the central salon."

Blinking rapidly, Miki tilted her head to the side. "Guests?" She repeated, wondering who could possibly be here on such a family-oriented holiday. However, her questions were quickly answered when she made her way down the long flight of stairs and towards the central salon where her brother also said he was waiting. She peeked her head in curiously, finding her friends from the host club gathered around a giant bare pine tree. Their heavy winter jackets were thrown to the side casually on the velvet couch with half-eaten pieces of cake on the coffee table.

"Hikaru! Kaoru! No slacking!" Standing on a ladder that Mori stabled from underneath, Tamaki commanded as he pointed down at the ginger twins. "Start hanging these ornaments up; we cannot afford to lose any more precious time." He shouted. 

"What kind of ornaments are these? They look hideous." With a nonchalant attitude, Hikaru and Kaoru spoke in unison as they toyed with obnoxiously coloured decorations in a cardboard box. Hanging one each over their fingers as they stared at it with deadpanned eyes, the turned up to stare at the blond. "Why are you up there anyway, Milord?"

"No complaining!" Pointing a finger at them, Tamaki chortled as his shoulders trembled in delight. "Listen up, men. I am the king of the host club, so it only makes sense that I get to put up the finishing part," Taking out a beautiful golden star, he gestured it flamboyantly. "Behold, the star of the tree!" He announced, striking a pose that held the special decoration on the palm of his hands like a jewel. 

"That's not fair Tama-chan!" Honey protested with a pout and tears circling his eyes. "We want to put up the star too!" He whined, holding Usa-chan close. 

"You just want all the glory for yourself, huh?" Hikaru teased with a dark grin, causing Tamaki to jolt out of his glorious state in guilt. 

"That's not very king-like." Kaoru continued, teasing him as he, his twin and Honey all reached for the ladder and began shaking it playfully, causing Tamaki to cling onto the handles for dear life. 

"Now, now, settle down." Kyoya clapped his hands together. 

"Why?" Miki jumped as she heard a familiar voice grumble next to her. Snapping her head around, she realized she hadn't noticed Haruhi standing at the side with shoulders slumped and still wearing her winter coat. "Why are we even here on Christmas Eve?" She mumbled. 

"Fancy seeing you here Haruhi," Tilting her head, Miki hid her hands behind her as she greeted the underclassman with a warm smile. "What brings you to the Second Suoh Estate to early in the morning?"

Averting her eyes, the brunette watched the twins before letting out a tired sigh. "I was just going to get some studying done, but Hikaru and Kaoru suddenly appeared at my doorstep and dragged me into their limo," Peering up, she nodded her head as if to greet Miki. "Sorry for bothering you on such a day."

"Oh no, it's okay." Waving her hands quickly Miki chuckled, her voice chiming like a bell. Clapping her hands next to her face together, she tilted her head. "I'm glad you all came by. They say the more the merrier, right? Come on, let's go help them!" Paying no heed to the protests by the brunette Miki took Haruhi by the hand and tugged her gently further into the room.

"Ahh, please don't pull on my arm!"

"Ah, it's Miki-senpai!" Growing bored of teasing the blond, the twins greeted her with blank stares. "Morning."

"Miki-chan, good morning!" Honey waved eagerly. 

"Good Morning," Like a puppy, Miki's ears practically perked up with excitement. "May I help you decorate this tree?"

***

The Host Club spent the rest of the day decorating the gigantic tree and the central salon together. Hanging up ornaments, tying up ribbons, adjusting wreaths, plugging in lights, Miki never realized there were so many more things to do other than fixing up a few decorations and cutting out a few false snowflakes. She couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside as if the feeling of bliss has filled her core with joy. 

"Ahh, I wonder what Santa is going to bring for us this year," Tamaki commented as grinned brightly. 

Whipping her head around from the box of ball-shaped ornaments curiously, Miki blinked. "Santa?" She repeated. "Who is that?"

"EHHHH?!" With an arm shielding his face, Tamaki let out a dramatic yelp. "Y-Y-Y-You don't know who Santa is?!" He crawled back, ocean-coloured eyes filled with pity.

Shaking her head, Miki looked even more puzzled. "No, Arden never mention anything called Santa." She furrowed her brows as her lips formed a pout. Instinctively, she turned to Kyoya who lifted his glasses. 

Giving in to her curiosity, Kyoya let out a small sigh as he explained. "Santa Claus is a legendary figure who is said to visit well-behaved children on Christmas Eve through their chimnies to-"

Not even allowing him to finish, Miki cocked her head to the side with an alarmed expression. "But that's breaking and entering is it not?" She questioned, causing everyone in the room to sweatdrop. 

"That's not it, Miki-chan." Turning around on the top of the ladder as he hung a new ornament on, Honey chuckled. "Santa is said to bring presents for the kids."

"He brings presents?"

"Only for good children though," The twins shrugged, sharing an aloof glance. "If you were bad, he would bring you coal." 

"How does he know?" Growing ever more interested, Miki pursued. 

"There is that song isn't it?" Eyes darting up as her hand searched through the boxes, Haruhi hummed. "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake~" She hummed a tune to the beat as her finger swayed. 

"Isn't that a little creepy? He sounds more like a criminal to me."

The host club sweatdropped.

"Definitely not!" Grabbing her by her shoulder with comical tears in his eyes, Tamaki shook his sister violently. "Listen to me, Miki! Santa is a man that brings happiness. He is the embodiment of hope and joy to children around the world! He is not creepy, breaking and entering or a criminal of any sorts understood?!" He shouted desperately before turning away to his emo corner as a shadow loomed over his face. "What should we do? At this point, you will be on the naughty list and be receiving coal as your first gift..."

"Eh? Really?" Mouth gaping open, the strawberry blonde cover the bottom of he lips with the tip of her fingers. "I don't want coal though." She clenched his fists, stepping forth as she completely bought into the idea of Santa without a doubt, despite being 16 years old.

 "Worry not! I will not allow that to happen to you." Whipping his head around sharply, he snapped his fingers. "Listen up, men!" He announced dramatically. "We are not going to allow Miki's first gift from Santa to be coal! We will now commence operation 'Miki is a good girl!'" He announced as the twins and Honey saluted.

"Yes, sir!" They complied.

"Does he even realize Santa isn't real?" Averting her eyes, Haruhi mumbled under her breath. 

***

Stepping out of her closet, Miki twirled around in the new costume the twins had brought over from their family's new fashion line. Tamaki had picked it out, insisting that it would get her on Santa's 'good side.' "How do I look?" She questioned as her arms flailed out to match the shape of her skirt. 

"It looks great on you Miki-chan!" Honey beamed as he gave a thumbs up, the rest of the host club following his actions with an eye glisten. "You look super cute!" He cheered. 

Spinning on the toe of her foot, Miki curtsied in her new costume excitedly before Tamaki quickly shook his head. "No, that's not enough!" Striking a dramatic pose, he pushed out a hand before his face. "This isn't complete, we need something else to complete the look!" Lifting a finger, he grinned with that goofy expression of his. "We need a reindeer!" He announced, pulling out a reindeer costume out of thin air. "Haruhi, would you like to do the honours?" He offered it with a flushed face.

"Nice idea!" Giving an approval chime, the twins snickered. 

It was clear from their enthusiasm, the three of them had already pictured Haruhi wearing a reindeer costume in their mind, diverging much from reality. 

"No way!"Haruhi snapped as her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, she spun on her heel attempting to run away from the blond and his crazy ideas only to be held back by the collar of her sweater. "If you want a reindeer, wear it yourself, senpai. Where did you get that thing anyway?"

"It wouldn't look as cute if I wear it!" Tamaki reasoned incoherently. 

Watching the situation unfold, Miki covered her lips in a chuckle. "It's okay Tamaki-kun, while I appreciate your efforts of not getting me coal for Christmas, I don't think I need to get on Santa-san's good side." She chirped with a head tilt. "I'm already delighted that I am here, with all of you." Touching her hands to her chest, she gave the hosts a sweet smile. "That was the best Christmas present I could ask for."

Hearing her say this, everyone in the room quickly calmed down as they stared at her radiant beam with a bewildered look. Haruhi had stopped trying to get away while Tamaki slowly let go of her. He approached the twinkling blonde who stared up at him happily as he approached. Gently, he placed a hand behind her head and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for saying that," He muttered with a smile in adoration. "You're also the best present I got this year too." He laughed slightly before pointing at the hosts. "Alright then, we are cancelling Operation 'Miki is a good girl', and changing it to, Operation 'The Best Christmas Ever!'." Lifting a finger with his usual pose, his lips curled into his usual prideful grin. "We are going to throw the best surprise Christmas party ever for Miki's sake! Let's get this show on the road!"

"Yes, sir!" 

"Is it really a secret if she knows you are throwing it?" Raising an eyebrow, Haruhi wondered before breaking into a wry chuckle as she watched Tamaki's beaming look. He seemed more than determined to throw something grand for his sister. "Oh well," She chuckled with a small shrug as Tamaki began to give out orders. 

***

As the decorating day became a party preparation day, the staff were eager to get in on the action regarding throwing the best not-so-surprise Christmas party ever for their new lady. The maids and butlers rushed about enthusiastically, getting ready for the party under Tamaki's orders. Miki was told to stay in the west wing of the mansions, not being allowed to approach the central salon as that was where the main party was being held. 

Kyoya, being told to go check on her by Tamaki wandered through the French styled archways to find the strawberry blonde, still dressed in her costume, blinking curiously at small plant tied with a red ribbon above her door. Her hazel eyes, as usual, projected every ounce of cluelessness she held towards the strange object. 

"What are you doing?" Giving her a weird look, Kyoya asked. 

Hearing his voice, Miki spun around as she tore her gaze off of the white berries for a moment. "Kyoya-kun," She greeted, turning her full body around to face him. "I saw Suzuno hanging it up this morning." Lifting her finger, she pointed up at the strange object. "I could identify every single decoration piece in the west wing except for this, what is that thing?" She asked.

Pacing next to her, Kyoya peered up at the leaves hanging above her room door. "Ah, that is called a mistletoe," He smirked, lifting his glasses further up his nose bridge. 

"A Mistletoe?" Cocking her head to the side, Miki repeated with furrowed brows. "If I remember correctly, Tamaki-kun warned me with something about this 'Mistletoe'." She hummed. 

"Oh yeah? Care to tell what he warned you about?" Placing his hands in his pocket in a laid-back manner, Kyoya questioned. 

Closing her eyes, Miki tapped her chin gently as she tried to recall the events that led up to the conversation. She had been designing the last host club production before winter break with a Christmas theme. When she asked Tamaki about the mistletoe', she remembered he said...

Eyes fluttering open, Miki pounded a fist into her hand. "I remember now," She gasped, mouth forming an 'o' shape. "He said to never stand under it with another man, or else I will be attacked..." Her voice trailed off as she felt a hand reach through her fluffy hair and rest against the side of her head, leaning her towards the side and a soft and warm sensation brushed against her cheek. Her eyes widened, and her breath hitched. Kyoya had taken the time when she was talking to lean in and sneak a chaste kiss on her heated cheek. 

Almost as quickly as it came, the warmth vanished from her skin as Kyoya moved back with a satisfied smirk on his lips. "He is right in some ways," He stated smugly. "You should avoid mistletoes, or you'll be 'attacked' like you just did." Observing her expression, he couldn't help but feel triumphant in victory. Each time he pulled something like this, it seemed like he was rewarded with a prominent blush on her usually gleaming cheeks. 

Miki stared up, left utterly speechless when Kyoya chuckled at her dumbfounded expression. Placing a hand on the back of her head, he pulled her into a loose hug. "Merry Christmas, Miki." His eyes in a downcast as he toyed with her fluffy strawberry blonde hair. 

Remaining silent for a moment, Miki finally found her voice somewhere in the back of her throat as her heart rate picked up. As she wondered why she instinctively curled her arms up and under his and buried her face into his chest. "Merry Christmas, Kyoya-kun." She muttered, indulging in the strange sense of calmness she felt as Kyoya continued to thread his fingers through her hair. 

***

"Koganei-san, couldn't you drive faster?" Eagerly waiting in the backseat of the limo, Yuzuru urged on the family driver as he fixed his Santa costume. "I heard Tamaki is throwing a Christmas Eve party for Miki, we need to get there in time! Santa can't be late to deliver the presents!"

"We are almost there, Master Yuzuru." Koganei chuckled as he turned into the gates of the estate. "Please, be patient."

Leaning back as he studied the lights in the brightly lit mansion, Yuzur let out a chuckle as readjusted his beard. "Of course I can't be patient. I want to play Santa Claus for my kids for as long as possible." He muttered. "They are adorable."

Chapter Text

-Chapter 18-

Delinquent's Image Change!

"Still, I didn't know late-Edo era cosplay would be so popular." Haruhi hummed, observing her costume's sleeve. With a new day, the host club had a brand new theme, and this time it was of the Edo era. After nights of drafts and colourings, the host club was fully transformed into the Ikeda Shops, fitting of such a historically significant period. Everyone in the host club, including Renge and Miki were wearing kimonos. The ladder, wearing the gift she was given by Tamaki a while back.

"What are you talking about?" The twins appeared behind Haruhi. Hikaru spoke. "That's the basic of the basics."

"There are more girls that like the late-Edo era than you can imagine, especially the Shinsengumi," Kaoru added with an aloof expression.

"And in any case, among those who like it, there are lots of real maniacs," Honey nodded.

"Perhaps the reason for their popularity was their gallantry in giving their young lives for the sake of the country." Renge appeared, slamming open the Japanese screen panel doors dramatically. "In their single-mindedness to live the bushido code, and in the stoic way in which they comported themselves. Or perhaps..." She turned to look at the twins. 

Kaoru's eyes widened as he let out a startled gasp. His knees buckled, and he fell forward, his hand clutching at his chest as if he had been shot by an arrow. In a panic, Hikaru grabbed onto his wrist and reeled his brother to his chest, clutching him close.

"Don't you die." Hikaru pled with desperation and urgency.

"I'm done for," Kaoru replied, closing his eyes in defeat as the fangirls squealed in delight.

"...they detect the scent of something forbidden, coming from this gymnasium-type group of young men." Renge completed before snapping around. "Miki-senpai!"

"Yes, Renge-san?" Stepping out behind one of the other corners of the room, the girl in question smiled.

"The Ikeda-ya Inn may indeed be generally well-known," Pulling up a screen and slamming her hands on a desk that appeared out of nowhere, Renge's lectures began as pictures began to play in a slideshow. "But for me, just imagining the back of Hijikata-san, facing the northern lands, following the battle at Toba-Fushimi, sorrowfully wandering, trying to defend the Shinsengumi by himself, I could eat three whole bowls of rice!" She concluded with a dreamy sigh.

"Hijikata... Northern lands... Three bowls of rice..." Nodding as she took notes in her tablet, Miki smiled. "Thank you for your input; I will keep that in mind for next time Renge-san."

"I don't think you need to add the three bowls of rice," Haruhi commented with a sigh.

"Following your advice to not have us cast ourselves in any specific roles, saying it would be better to leave it up to our guests to freely fantasize for themselves, was the right choice." Kyoya wore a smug smirk as he jotted down in his usual notebook.

"Naturally," Renge puffed out her chest in pride. "Still, sure enough, having Haruhi-kun be Okita Soji is perfect."

"He does indeed fit in as the handsome evanescent young swordsman!" Momoka sighed dreamily. 

"No, Haruhi-kun, don't die!" Kimiko squealed.

Miki blinked, thinking about Kimiko's words. She was about to go forth and ask Haruhi if she was feeling well, only for Kyoya to stop her.

"Matter of Imagination." He explained, not lifting his eyes from his notebook.

Suddenly there was the sound of something breaking, followed by another round of fans squealing. The hosts turned around, to see Mori had thrust a spear through the red sliding door before him.

"Mori-senpai?!"

"Why the sudden lunge?!"

"Discontent about not getting any attention?"

"Please calm down!" Tamaki shouted defensively. "I know you only get one line every chapter, and we are barely even halfway through this fanfiction, and you never got your own feature, so you must be irritated..."

"Mori-senpai!" Miki's eyes widened as he pulled out the sharp edge of his spear, finally showing the damage he had done to the prop. Running over, she knelt next to the prop as her fingertips traced over them with slight hesitation. "No matter how upset you are, please do not damage the set." She scolded with a pout on her lips.

"Sorry," With a deadpanned face, Mori pulled her hand away and slid the door open. "We have a trespasser." He stated, standing before her to act as a barrier between the designer and the intruder.

Everyone looked down. In the shadows, a male student with red hair was sprawled onto the ground, clearly, a little startled by the spear the suddenly stabbed through the wooden door. He wore a scary scowl and gritted his teeth. "Morinozuka Takeshi!" He shouted, scaring everyone except Honey, Kyoya and Mori himself half to death.

"Surprise Attack?!" They exclaimed in unison.

Just when it seemed like the red-haired boy was about to punch Mori, he instead knelt to the ground and bowed as if they were in a dojo.

"Senpai, please take me on as your apprentice!" He proposed.

"Huh?"

***

"Kasanoda Ritsu, of 1st year, Class D," Kyoya read from his notebook, sitting on the couch with Haruhi and Miki on either side of him, reading over his shoulder. The twins next to Miki and Tamaki next to Haruhi, staring at Kasanoda. "Heir to the 3rd generation head of the Kasanoda Syndicate, the most powerful line in the whole Kanto area. Admitted to Ouran for high school. He has long red hair and a mean-looking appearance and is taciturn, and without friends. If your eyes meet, you will have bad dreams for three months. If you bump shoulders, you will be sent to the hospital. Those who attempt to talk back to him are sent directly to their graves. Also, he is feared by his classmates as 'the human blizzard."

"So," Tamaki rested his elbows on his knees with a curious expression. "Why does a human weapon like yourself want to become an apprentice of Mori-senpai's?"

"No, Tamaki-kun. It's black magic." Miki corrected him as she leaned forward with a severe expression.

"That's not true." Kasanoda lowered his head. "I'm not a human weapon, neither do I practice black magic. I was just born with a face that makes me look mean."

"Then you're aware of it, Casanova-kun." The twins shrugged with Tamaki nodding.

"It's Kasanoda." The boy corrected.

"Vasanoka?" Miki tapped her chin.

"Kasanoda." Eye twitching, he tried once again. That wasn't even relatively close.

"Bossa Nova?"

Eyes gleaming red, Kasanoda jumped forth and shouted. "I said its Kasanoda! Do you want to die!?"

The twins and Tamaki jumped behind the couch, glaring sheepishly. "He does indeed have a mean look." They spoke.

Realizing that he was scaring the hosts as he did with the rest of his class, Kasanoda leaned back. "Damn it; it's all because of the way I look." He grumbled.

"Really?" Miki blinked, tilting her head to the side. "Once you get used to it, he looks adorable." She commented quietly, her cheeks breaking into a smile.

"I don't think he wants to be called that either..." Haruhi muttered with a sweatdrop.

Not hearing the two exchange words, Kasanoda continued. "From the time I was born, since I was just tyke, my old man would always say 'Cause of this mean look I have...I'm set to be the greatest gangster of our time.' And so, from the time I was little, I was taught how to be a godfather." Running a hand through his fiery red hair, he continued with a pained voice. "Thanks to that gangster's education, nobody ever comes near me. Even my friends got scared and won't get too close anymore. And so, I am all alone. But I really, I, too, would like to play with everyone else, I'd like to play Kick The Can with the people that follow me."

"To be sure, Kick the Can is nice." Tamaki nodded in approval, his elbows resting on the backing of the couch.

"But I don't know how I'm supposed to associate with other people anymore," Kasanoda continued glancing up at Mori, meeting his eyes. "Morinozuka-senpai, that's why I need you to show me. How can you be the way you are? As mean-looking as you are?" Those words seemed to have struck a chord with him as his usual calm and composed face turned to disbelief and shock. Not noticing the change, Kasanoda continued. "Expressionless, unspeaking and unsociable, you've got a mug like a watchdog from hell, so how is it that you're able to get those who are around you to like you so much? Please, teach me your secrets!" Getting out of his seat, Kasanoda bowed his head, once again pressing his forehead on the ground.

Feeling a little defeated by the first-year's unintentionally hurtful words, Mori leaned forward, pinching his nose bridge.

"Takeshi, are you okay?" Honey asked, a little worried.

"I'm a little lightheaded." He replied in a flat tone.

"Sir..." Hikaru began.

"...are you sure we shouldn't do anything?" Kaoru finished.

"No, leave him be," Tamaki closed his eyes. "He said that he wanted to become Mori-senpai's apprentice. Mori-senpai must be the one who decides what to do. This is not something that we can interfere with."

"Tamaki..." Mori's voice was as calm as ever, calling out to the blonde who looked up in response. Once he met eyes with him, Mori gave the king a distressed and desperate look, clearly sending an 'SOS' message.

"Very well. Mori-senpai, if you insist, I, Suoh Tamaki, will do whatever little I can to help you out," Tamaki grinned in secret delight, running a hand through his hair. "Lift your head, Bossa Nova-kun."

"It's Kasanoda."

"For the time being, you can call me King, Bossa Nova-kun," Tamaki continued, paying no attention to his protests.

"I told you-"

"Are you listening, Bossa Nova-kun?"

"Yes, sir." Given up at correcting these dorks to pronounce his name properly, Kasanoda sat up straight.

"There are may be many points of difference between you and Mori-senpai, but there is one definitive thing that you are lacking," Tamaki lifted a finger. "That being a lovely item!"

As Tamaki went on to explain the benefits of a 'lovely item' and how to fix his 'Yankee fashion,' Haruhi, Kyoya and Miki remained on the couch watching the events unfold.

"Does he really need the image change though?" Miki wondered as she leaned on the backing of the sofa, kicking her legs like a child. "I think he's really nice and kinda adorable, just as he is."

"You say that about everyone," Kyoya spoke, still not even sparing a glance at the host's usual antics. 

"Once again, I don't think he'd like being called that." Haruhi sighed. "You are still going to join in on whatever Tamaki-senpai comes up with, aren't you?" She raised an eyebrow at Miki.

"Of course." Miki chirped with a firm nod. "Everything is a new experience."

"I don't think this is the kind of 'nex experience' you should have..." Averting her eyes, Haruhi commented.

***

"Someone's out to get Mori-senpai?" Miki repeated with a blink.

"No doubt about it. I was there when it happened. Clearly, he's gotten on the wrong side of someone." Kasanoda nodded. He had come back for the second time since the twins and Tamaki's combo 'fashion and lovely item image' didn't play out as planned. However, he had also informed them about how two flower pots seemed to have fell atop of him and Mori earlier that morning.

"Oh, no way, no way," Hikaru shut down his claim.

"Mori-senpai would be the last person to get on someone's wrong side," Kaoru added.

"You don't know that for sure," Kasanoda was quick to argue.

"Never mind that, Bossa Nova-kun," Pulling over a whiteboard that has bold words written and a few drawings Miki sketched up, Tamaki declared. "As of today, we start 'Operation Bossa Nova-kun Image-up' in earnest!" With a pointer, he gestured the board. 

"Yes, sir!" The twins, Honey and Miki, were quick to join him.

"Hey, just a minute! What do you mean, 'as of today'?!" Kasanoda shouted, the events of the day before not forgotten. "Don't go pretending that thing yesterday didn't happen! Thanks to that, people were even more afraid of me yesterday than usual."

"Bossa Nova-kun, I hope you don't misunderstand." Tamaki gestured behind him. "That thing yesterday was just the twins getting carried away. I hope you'll forgive them."

"We are really behind you on this." Miki nodded, with her signature radiant smile. "Bossa Nova-kun, you are a nice person, and we want everyone to see that." She giggled.

Kasanoda mumbled, lowering his head. "Sorry, I am in your hands."

And with that, all the hosts except for Haruhi gathered by the board and began to discuss their strategy of the day to change Kasanova's image.

"All right, does anyone have any ideas?" Tamaki asked.

"Should we try another outfit?" The twins asked in unison, a prankish grin residing on their faces.

"Absolutely not," Tamaki denied firmly. "Let's tackle the subject of a lovely item instead." He suggested, making a grand gesture. "Something pure, something captivating, something fluffy, like Kuma-chan."

"Should we put angel wings on him?" Miki suggested, raising her hand as if they were in class. "He turned out pretty cute in that drawing." She pointed at the sketch of Kasanoda with angel wings and a halo as well as large anime-like sparkling eyes.

The twins and Tamaki took long stares at the drawing before shaking their head. "No, that won't work." They denied.

"What about giving him a pet?" Honey advised enthusiastically.

"That's a good idea." Tamaki agreed as he placed a hand on his chin, rubbing it as he thought. "What animal would work though?"

"A dog!" Miki tilted her head. "We could let him borrow Antoinette."

"No!" The idea was immediately shut down by Tamaki who shook his head violently.

"A bunny?" Miki tried again.

"I don't think a bunny would look good on a Yakuza." Hikaru pointed out.

"A parrot?"

"Those only look fitting on pirates." Kaoru sighed.

"An alligator!" Miki's eyes sparkled.

"Just what do you find cute, Miki-senpai?!" The twins shouted.

"But they are so cute." Pouting slightly, Miki reasoned. "How about a cat?" She tilted her head.

"That's a good idea!" Tamaki and the twins exclaimed, giving the strawberry blonde a thumbs up in approval.

"Have any of you considered the prohibition of pets on school grounds?" Seeing as the group finally come to an agreement, Kyoya pushed his glasses up, suppressing a sigh.

"Ah." Everyone fell silent.

"Wait! I have a solution." Tamaki raised a finger dramatically as his eyes flashed with an idea. "If we aren't allowed to have pets on school ground, why not dress him like one?"

"Would that really..." Hikaru began.

"...work though?" Kaoru finished.

"Renge-kun told me that kitty-ears are quite effective lovely items." He explained with a proud smirk.

"Then let's do it!" Miki and the twins affirmed.

***

A little later, Kasanoda stood before the hosts who stared at him with an estranged expression, except for Kyoya who wouldn't even look at him. He wore black cat ears on his head, and they stuck out like a sore thumb.

He looked a little like a grumpy old aged cat your equally grumpy neighbour would have.

There was a collective moment of silence as everyone tried to find their words for how he looked when Honey spoke his opinion.

"He's a cat monster." He stated bluntly.

Quickly, the host club back away and huddled together as they discussed the cat ears.

"What's going on sir?" Hikaru and Kaoru hushed. "You said it would work."

"He looks less cute with those ears on." Miki furrowed her brows.

"That's strange. I was told by Renge-kun that these days, kitty ears are quite the do-it-all lovely item," Tamaki tapped his chin, trying to figure out where his foolproof strategy went wrong.

"Naturally, there are limits to what placing ears on him can do, to temper the frightfulness of his appearance," Kyoya pointed out, his eyes still glued to his notes.

"Sir, that came off pretty weak," Hikaru commented.

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. "If you're going to do it at all, then look..."

"You've got to go all the way and make him a kitty-eared maid." Presenting a cat maid outfit, the twins proposed.

"Are you guys making fun of me?" Kasanoda growled in annoyance.

So after much convincing, the twins managed to force the outfit onto Kasanoda. Just as they fluffed out the petticoat, there was a slight creak at the door, and a dirty blonde poked his head in.

"Excuse me," He stepped in apologetically. "Is Young Master Kasanoda in here?" He paused when his eyes finally trailed to see... his young master, dressed as a cat maid.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your private pastime." Stepping back, he stammered.

"Who are you saying has a private pastime?!" Kasanoda shouted, grabbing the poor boy by the collar in rage. "Damn it! I can't take this anymore!" In his aggression, he tossed the cat ears onto the ground and bolted out of the music room.

"Young Master!" The blonde boy ran after him in a hurry.

***

"I wonder where Kasanoda-kun could've gone." Miki hummed as she walked with Haruhi, the two of them searching for the red-head in the inner gardens as the rest of the hosts searched other parts of the school courtyard. As they got closer to the pond, they found him sitting on the steps with a straw basket resting on his lap.

"Ah, a sparrow!" Haruhi gasped, looking behind his shoulder.

"Eh?" His head snapping up in alarm, he relaxed a little when he saw the two from the host club. "What are you two doing here?"

"So this is a sparrow, it's so cute." Crouching near him, completely ignoring his question, Miki chuckled. "Huh? What happened to it?" She perked up, noticing the bandage around its wing.

"It got hurt and had fallen down here the other day," Kasanoda informed her. "I took it to a doctor, who said it would heal in no time."

Humming, Haruhi sat down next to him as Miki reached in, stroking the back of her index finger on the head the little bird.

"Can I feed it?" Haruhi requested as Kasanoda stuttered back, looking a little flustered by how close Haruhi was.

Miki blinked a little at how red his face was, and how his eyes darted all over the place. As Haruhi's focus was drawn to the bird, she tilted her head as she knelt down before the two.

"Bossa Nova-kun," She called out to him. "Are you okay?"

"H-Huh?" Snapping around Kasanoda stuttered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your face is completely red." She informed him, pointing at her own cheeks. She began to giggle as she watched him flare up even more, quickly looking away. "I haven't formally introduced myself to you yet, have I?" She bowed her head gently. "Just call me Miki, it's good to meet you." She introduced with a bright smile.

"Y-Yeah," Bowing his head as he pressed his hands to his knees, Kasanoda greeted.

"Bossa Nova-kun, you are a nice person." She stated, looking down at the sparrow in Haruhi's hands as it hopped around, eating up its share of bird feed.

A little surprised by her statement, Kasanoda blinked in confusion.

"I can tell. You can't fool these eyes." She giggled playfully, pointing at her sparkling hazel orbs, even though many people will disagree with that last part. "I don't think you need an image change, you should just be yourself, and then your feelings will surely get across to your followers." She wrapped her arms around her knees as she turned to look at him with a soft smile.

She's a freaking cinnamon roll! Kasanoda realized as he felt his body tense up in fear.

"Say, say, can I hold him too?" Turning her attention back to Haruhi, she nudged her in the arm like a little girl ready to get her turn on the swings at a playground.

"Miki-senpai, please don't push me like that, you'll scare the sparrow." Haruhi chuckled wryly before gently placing the bird in her eager hands. "Be gentle with it." She reminded.

"Hehe, I will." Feeling the little creature hop around and pick up the bird feed in her hands, Miki giggled. "He's so cute, and his feet are so ticklish."

"Kasanoda-kun, you did a great job nursing him back to health." Haruhi looked up with her natural smile.

Seeing such an adorable expression, Kasanoda jolted up from his seat next to the two girls scratching his head in embarrassment when Honey's voice echoed through the area.

"Look out!"

A can of paint was sent flying over toward the three, straight at Kasanoda who froze up. Luckily, Honey intercepted by kicking the metal object out of the way. Red paint spilled out flying straight towards the bird and Miki who was still trying to comprehend what was happening, but Haruhi acted quickly. Shoving Miki out of the way, as the red paint to splatter over her uniform.

Startled by the sudden movement, the bird spread its wings and soared up towards the sky.

"It flew away," Haruhi commented, not minding the red paint.

"It flew away." With a faint smile, Kasanoda let out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like it's going to be fine now." Miki beamed, waving at the bird. "Bye-Bye!"

"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried comical tears as he squealed, Kyoya following close behind. "Is that blood on you?"

"No, I just got some paint on me, that's all," Haruhi commented.

"Thank you for pushing me out of the way," Miki stood up and furrowed her brows worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"It's just some paint, senpai." Standing up, Haruhi overlooked her stain uniform. "I'll live."

"Are you sure you're alright, Fujioka?" Kasanoda followed up.

"Mm-hm."

"Let go of me, you bastard!"

"You big behemoth!"

Two unfamiliar yet also oddly familiar voices tore through the courtyard as Mori emerged behind some hedges, dragging two struggling students in his hands.

"This is dirty of you, Kasanoda!" One of the two shouted. "Not only do you kidnap our boss's kid, but you're also using musclemen like this one! You rotten kidnapper! Give us back the young master!"

"Silence, you ruffians!" The twins raised an eyebrow. "Here's some rope!"

"What's this about?" Kasanoda looked utterly confused as the twins tied the male students up.

"You know what?" Honey smiled, holding Usa-chan. "You were the one they were after all along, Bossa Nova-kun. We decided not to say anything until we caught the culprits. To avoid having any disturbance, you know?" He tilted his head, Mori pacing up behind him.

"So then, you helped me." Kasanoda looked dumbfounded as he paced up to Mori. "Why?"

Gently, the silent giant placed his hand on his head. "We can tell just by looking, who the bad guys are." He stated simply.

Kasanoda's eyes widened as he heard those words. He quickly turned his head to meet Miki's eyes. She merely smiled knowingly at him, hiding her arms behind her back.

Haruhi, who stood beside her glanced down at her arms before turning to look at Tamaki. "I'm gonna go change my clothes." She informed him.

"Need some help?" The twins teased.

"No thanks." Haruhi narrowed her eyes in annoyance, quickly shutting down the idea.

"Once again, thank you for protecting me." In gratitude, Miki bowed once more.

Waving her hands as she walked towards the building, Haruhi shook her head. "It's what anyone would've done, don't worry about it." And with that, she was off.

Just as she left, a new figure joined the group and quickly loomed over them. Miki looked up, recognizing him as the dirty blonde who entered the club room earlier. "You dumbasses!" He yelled, kicking both tied up goons in the chest.

"Hey!" Miki was about to run forth to stop him, but Kyoya quickly pulled her back.

"Not your place." He warned her in a low voice, earning a worried glance from her.

"Tetsuya...You're..." Kasanoda muttered.

"I'm terribly sorry for not telling you," The boy named Tetsuya knelt to the ground and lowered his head. "I am Sendo Tetsuya, son of the godfather of the Kanto branch of the Sendo Syndicate. I have long been opposed to the any-means-necessary methods of the Sendo Syndicate, and at length, one rainy day, a year ago, I got into a big blowup with my old man and ran away from home." He explained. "I had nowhere to go, so I sat in the rain as people passed by without sparing me a second glance. It was then, young master. You're exactly the sort of person I thought you'd be when I first saw you. Afterward, when I went to join with the Kasanoda Syndicate, you accepted me with kindness. I know, Young Master, that you're more self-conscious and awkward than most people, and yet, you're warmer than most people." He spoke with a nostalgic smile, clearly whatever happened that rainy day remained crystal clear in his mind.

Kasanoda seemed awestruck at Tetsuya's words as he merely stood there with a flabbergasted expression.

"And it's not just me," Tetsuya smiled. "Everyone in the syndicate knows. They just don't say anything since it would embarrass you." He then bowed his head deep, demonstrating his loyalty and dedication towards his master. Miki's heart stung a little as she was quickly reminded of someone else who had just as much loyalty as Tetsuya. "I, Sendo Tetsuya, wished to be someone like you, Young Master, so I cut my ties with the Sendo Syndicate and consigned myself to make my home among the Kasanoda Syndicate. Please, allow me to remain at your side, Young Master, from here on out, as well." He paused, looking back up with a flustered smile. "Oh right!" Reaching into his bag, he pulled out an umbrella and offered it to the redhead. "Here. The weather is turning bad, so please keep this. If our 4th were to get a cold, everyone would worry."

"You guys..." Lips curling Kasanoda took the umbrella, averting his eyes. "I will use it, then."

"What a great story!" The twins cried into their handkerchieves while Miki clapped excitedly.

"Oh," Turning to Miki, Kasanoda bowed. "I'm sorry Miki-senpai, because of me you almost got paint all over you."

Immediately waving her hands, Miki laughed wryly. "No, you don't need to apologize to me. Haruhi was the one who protected both of us. If anything, you should apologize to her-him." She quickly corrected herself.

"Right, I should go apologize to him too." Scratching his head, Kasanoda looked down.

"Haru-chan went to the club room to go change." Honey informed him, leaning forward playfully.

"Oh, thanks. I'll be right back."

"Right. Oh, Young Master!" Tetsuya called after him. "Let's play Kick The Can later!"

"Yeah!"

As she stared at the redhead runoff, Miki tilted her head as she watched his figure fade. A little confused on why they sent him off when Haruhi was changing, did he already know Haruhi's gender?

"We've done a good thing here!" Tamaki nodded in pride, hugging a still confused Miki close by the shoulder.

"Sir, you didn't do anything this time, did you?" Hikaru and Kaoru commented.

"More importantly, doesn't anyone care?" Kyoya questioned, turning to jot stuff down in his notebook once again "Haruhi went to go change clothes."

After a few moments of silence, the trio yelled in unison.

"MA!"

Quickly the chasing after Kasanoda, Tamaki grabbed Miki by the arm and dashed back into the school building.

"I can't believe we got careless!" The blonde cried. "Haruhi! Wait for me! Daddy's coming!"

"I thought you guys already told him about Haruhi." Miki's face remained blank, despite the fact that she was being dragged up the stairs by her brother.

"Miki-senpai, why didn't you say anything?!" The twins shouted, bolting up the stairs at lightning speed.

"No one asked." Miki blinked, stating it as if it were a matter of fact.

Before either Tamaki or the twins could form a rebuttal, Music Room #3 was in the distance and a shocked voice that echoed out.

"MA!"

Chapter Text

-Chapter 19-

Delinquent's Rejected Confession!

Quickly arriving in the prep room, the hosts immediately surrounded the poor guy who was drawing heavy breaths out of shock. Not giving him a chance to breathe, the twins quickly surrounded him.

"You-saw-it-eh?" They glared at the redhead with gleaming eyes, not caring if he let out a shriek as his legs began to quake visibly.

"You saw?" Hikaru asked.

"You saw it didn't you, Bossa Nova-chi?"

"I didn't look," Kasanoda quickly shook his head, before mistakenly correcting himself. "No, I did get a glance...but it was just for a second, so I didn't look...No, I did see what I saw, but no, I wasn't looking." His indecisiveness caused the hosts each to glare at him curiously. Tamaki was completely pale while Miki blinked, still a little confused on how severe the situation was. 

Honey appeared before him with a dark expression. "I think that people who can't make up their minds are scum." He said before turning away, causing Kasanoda to be sent through another wave of panic.

"So Fujioka is really a girl?" Kasanoda mustered through his horror.

"He appears to have learned Haruhi's secret," Kaoru said to his brother with a severe expression.

"This is not good." Hikaru agreed.

"How much did you see?" They asked, turning back Kasanoda who still had his back leaned against. "How much of Haruhi's soft, maiden skin, unknown to us, did you see?"

Kasanoda looked down sheepishly. "Like I said..." He muttered. "She was changing... So I saw her in her... underwear."

"You saw Haruhi in her underwear?!" The twins yelled.

Immediately, Miki understood what was going on. "Kyoya-kun," She turned to him who narrowed his eyes at the red-head. "That sexual harassment, right?" Her lips were forming a slight frown.

"Very much so," He replied emotionlessly, his icy tone sending a shiver down Kasanoda's spine. Miki then narrowed her eyes as her body shied away hiding behind Kyoya's slightly larger frame.

"That's not nice," Miki furrowed her brows as her lips formed a crescent pout, causing Kasanoda to stiff up out of guilt for disappointing a 'cinnamon roll.'

"What do we do?" Kaoru wondered.

"There's no two ways about it," Hikaru replied, taking out a wooden baseball bat as Kaoru held Kasanoda by the arms. "First thing we have to do is clobber him, and make him lose his memory."

"Now, now, stop that. It's a lot of trouble to cover up a crime caused by bludgeon." Kyoya intervened.

"Why can you be so calm, Kyoya-senpai?" Hikaru raised the bat. "Just look," He gestured Tamaki who was pale and curled up in the corner, completely pale and his brain not functioning. "His Highness is in such great shock; he's a mere husk of himself."

"Yeah, Kyoya-kun." Miki nodded eagerly. "It's not only sexual harassment, but it's extremely rude to spy on a girl changing."

"I didn't intend to!" Kasanoda attempted to justify himself. "It was by accident."

"Well, now that the secret is out, we'll just have to discuss this," Kyoya continued, pushing up his glasses. His eyes were glaring in the reflection of the light. "Kasanoda-kun. Haruhi is hiding the fact that she is a girl due to certain circumstances. We have no right to make you keep mum about this. However, would you at least remember this much? Being a son from one of those sorts of families, you must have heard a number of rumours. If you make enemies of the Ootori family, the Ootori private police known in Japan's financial circles as the Black Onion Squad will be mobilized. Such is a situation that, of course, we'd like to avoid, right?" Looking up, he offered Kasanoda a very unsettling, unbalanced smile as a dark aura emitted from him. 

"Hey, stop threatening Kasanoda-kun already." Haruhi scolded them, stepping out of the prep room. "I'm sorry for scaring you." She told him.

"Fujioka..."

"It's okay if you tell others," Completely calm, Haruhi told him. "I don't mind."

"But Haruhi." Miki protested. "Wouldn't it be embarrassing if he told others about seeing you in your undergarments?" Causing Kasanoda's face to be flushed as he remembered the sight of Haruhi half naked.

"Of course, please don't tell others that." Haruhi sweatdropped with a wry laugh.

Seeing Haruhi's smile, Kasanoda's cheeks turned beet red. He was completely silent.

"Oh, my, Bossa Nova-chi, now that you've seen her in her underwear, are you in love with Haruhi?" They asked, causing the redhead to flinch. 

Miki's eyes widened as he looked up at Kasanoda, curious to find him hiding his face.

***

"Miki-chan! Miki-chan!" The classroom was now mostly empty as everyone quickly scattered to do to their respective club rooms. Miki was staying behind to complete a little more work when Sora bounced over a while after the bell rang, heels lifting and lowering in pure excitement. "Kotaro-kun had the fresh batch of cookies I bake him!" She squealed. "He loved them so much!"

"I'm glad it worked out for you." Miki beamed up, setting her bag down next to her on the ground.

"Miki-chan's love advice is super effective." Kazehara Sumire, one of Sora's friends nodded in agreement as she stepped over. "I managed to confess to my crush just the other day thanks to her." She cupped her cheeks dreamily as she let out a sigh. "She really is Aphrodite in disguise."

Sora gasped in amazement. "Really? What advice did she give you?"

"She suggested for me to get us alone together, at a time where nothing could bother us." Sumire twirled around as she remembered the events. "He said yes! It was so romantic."

"Congratulations, Sumire-chan." Sora and Miki clapped for their friend's success excitedly.

"Say, say, Miki-chan." Sora leaned forward, planting her hands on her desk. "How is it your advice is so effective? Do you have a secret boyfriend we don't know about?" She teased with a wink.

Hearing her idea, Miki blinked. "I don't, I've never dated anyone before." She replied in a manner that couldn't even be teased on as denial.

"So then how is it so effective?" Sumire pressed on, also curious to know how the strawberry blonde could give out such amazing love advice despite having no experience in the field.

Humming Miki tapped her chin repeatedly, trying to pinpoint exactly how she gives them advice. "I just say what's on my mind." She concluded, lifting a finger as if that was a valid answer. Sora and Sumire comically slumped their shoulders, letting out an exasperated sigh. Miki tilted her head quizzically before suddenly remember something.

"By the way, Sora-san-"

"Sora-chan." The girl with chestnut brown hair corrected, with a playful poke at her friend's head.

"Sora-chan, Sumire...chan," Miki laughed uneasily before her face turned blank. "Could you two tell me, how does it feel to be in love?" Thoughtfully, she asked the two girls who stared back at her with an equally dumbfounded expression.

"What do you mean by that?" Sora raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Dating, I understand. But have you never been in love or even liked another person before?"

Miki shook her head cluelessly, her fluffy hair swaying behind her.

"I see," Stepping back, Sumire cupped her cheeks as she studied Miki with a hint of pity. "I can see how that's an issue then. Even if you were to fall in love at this point, you would have no way of knowing right?"

"Miki-chan, are in love with someone?" Sora urged on, her expression turned hopeful.

Suddenly, an image of Kyoya flashed across her mind when Sora mentioned the possibility of her being in love. Then, the spot where he kissed her on the cheek began to heat up. She quickly shook her head, averting her eyes as she wondered about the heat of blood that rushed to her cheeks. "I'm merely curious, that's all." 

"Hmm, let's see..." Pursing her lips, Sora tapped her chin. "For me, love is like the sky," She began with her eyes closed. "It's clear on certain days, cloudy on others. It changes like night and day, rain or shine. And when you look up certain times, you can find a million starlike specks in Kotaro-kun's eyes!"

"Finding stars in their eyes?" Miki tilted her head. "Isn't that a little... strange?"

"I think that may only apply to Kotaro-san." Sumire sweatdropped as she chuckled attempted to explain herself. "I'd like to say love is like chocolate." She described with a whimsical sigh. "It's sweet, it melts with just a little heat and makes my heart beat so fast, it's about to burst."

Miki blinked rapidly at her description.

The heart is about to burst? She wondered. Wasn't that dangerous?

"Sumire-chan, I thought you only had eyes for Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai." Sora grinned. "To think you'd actually go and confess your crush like that."

"I enjoy the Moe." Sumire retorted with a proud smirk. "Renge-san's 'Moe Moe Ouran Diaries' are a fantastic read by the way-" Her voice trailed off once she heard her phone began to ring in her bag. She quickly reached into it, fishing out her phone. "Oh, speaking of her." She answered the phone with a bright smile. "Hello? Renge-san?"

"Hello? Sumire-san! Get over here right now! " Renge's overly excitable voice poured through the earpiece of the phone. Faint mutters and whispers could be heard in the background.

"Eh?" Sumire blinked. "But I have violin less-"

"Never mind today's violin lesson. Come to the Host Club at once. You're going to see something amazing!" And with that Renge hung up, leaving on a high note.

The three girls quickly exchanged glances, packed up and headed over to music room #3.

Once they got there, Miki quickly joined the hosts, par Haruhi and Tamaki, who was hidden behind a pillar. The expressions on Hikaru and Kaoru's faces were particularly gleaming. Everyone in the room was whispering amongst themselves, staring at Haruhi and one of her clients while Tamaki sat on the side, stiff as a robot, fiddling with someone. Upon a closer look, Miki's eyes widened as she realized Haruhi's client was none other than Kasanoda.

"Why is Bossa Nova-kun sitting with Haruhi?" Miki asked, round-eyed. "Did he request her?"

"You are late," Kyoya stated as he wrote in his notebook as usual.

"Ah, Miki-chan! You're here!" Honey greeted her with a bright smile. "Yeah, Bossa Nova-chi requested Haru-chan."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious Miki-senpai..." Turning around Hikaru sighed.

"... because Bossa Nova-chi is in love with Haruhi." Kaoru finished, pointing at the three.

Miki blinked in curiosity as she glanced back at the sight before them. Something seemed to have clicked in Tamaki's hands as he raised them with pride, he stiffly turned to Haruhi who was speaking with Kasanoda over tea. "Haruhi, I solved it." He said in a monotonous voice. "I solved the puzzle rings." He muttered.

"That was fast." Haruhi praised. "Now then, please try and re-attach them." She instructed.

"Ma!"

"What is Tamaki-kun doing there?" Miki asked, watching as her brother fiddled with two rings, trying to re-attach them.

"He was supposed to fix everything, but right now he is just being an idiot." Ranting, Hikaru pulled out his phone and quickly dialled up Tamaki's number. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Ma?" From the sound of it, his soul was entirely out of his body.

"Come on, sir. How long are you going to escape from reality?" Hikaru growled into the phone. "I'm warning you, sir, while you're there being a robot, the situation is rapidly becoming more serious."

"Ma..."

"Listen," Hikaru continued, Kaoru and Miki over his shoulder. "Think about this carefully, if you let things go like this and Bossa Nova-chi snatches Haruhi away. Haruhi's future is going to be the wife of a godfather, an 'Ane-san!" You know?!"

"Anee-san?" Miki repeated as she back away from Hikaru. "Big sister? What's so wrong with that?" She turned to Kyoy curiously.

"It's a way of addressing a mobster's wife." He explained as Miki gasped in horror. Glancing up from his notes, at Tamaki who suddenly snapped out of his robot trace and jumped up, yelling the words. 'Daddy is against it.'

"Bossa Nova-kun!" He shouted, grabbing Kasanoda's collar with his eyes flaming and recharged with fury. "What do you think you're doing here?! Now that you've finally established a bond with your fellas, what good does it do now not to strengthen it?! What about kick the can?! Go on, now. Go on, right now. Shouldn't you be enjoying your youth to your heart's content?! However, after all of this, if you mean to tell me that you still want to become close with my precious Haruhi!" Swinging the poor kid around, he finally let go and thrust a finger out and growled. "Then you'll have to defeat me, her father first!"

Kasanoda blinked. "Father? You mean, her father? You are Fujioka's father? As young as you are?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

Tamaki's eyes turned blank as he blinked. "Maybe we aren't related by blood, but..." He stammered.

"Then, you have some sort of relationship with her mother?" Kasanoda pursued.

Beginning to crack under pressure, Tamaki drew away sheepishly. "No, I don't. I've never even met her." He admitted.

"The, you aren't her father, are you?" With those sharp words, Kasanoda sent a bone-chilling glare towards Tamaki who, in a daze walked away completely pale.

"Wah, Tama-chan. Keep it together," Honey cried, catching the blond as he fell towards the ground. 

"Tamaki-kun!" Miki called out, quickly running to his side, helping Honey straighten her brother out. 

"He's right. Strictly speaking, I am not Haruhi's daddy," Tamaki murmured in her arms.

"Not loosely speaking, either!" The twins pointed out as the hosts gathered around him.

"Tamaki-kun..." Miki hummed as she helped him up. "Did you think you were actually Haruhi's father?" She blinked.

Those words sent a jolt through Tamaki's system. "Hold on; I need to sort this out." Wiggling his way out of his sister's grasps, Tamaki curled up into a ball and hid his face in the sleeve of his jacket.

"Sort what out?" Kaoru asked.

"If, supposing...Supposing that I am not Haruhi's father..."

"Like, we said, there is no supposing about it." Hikaru groaned.

"Then why is it that I find Haruhi to be so cute and precious?" Tamaki finished, as everyone else's eyes widened.

"Sir, what are you talking?" Kaoru muttered.

"Why is it that I get so concerned that I can't stand it when Haruhi's with someone else?" Tamaki asked, "If I'm not Haruhi's daddy, then I shouldn't have any right to interfere with her."

"What exactly was with all of those delusions of you making her your wife up to now?" Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"Is that strange?" Tamaki fussed. "Fathers usually don't wish to give their girls up to other men as brides, do they?"

"What about keeping Haruhi from kissing anyone?" Kaoru stuttered, in disbelief that Tamaki was such an idiot.

"Is it wrong to protect a daughter's cute lips?"

"I get it. Indeed. I did think that your lovey-dovey delusions lacked any sense of reality on a daily basis. But..." Kyoya pushed up his glasses. 

"Tama-chan is really clueless when it comes to himself after all." Honey giggled.

Suddenly, Haruhi's voice could be heard across the room. One that caused Tamaki, who was sulking to jump up for joy.

"But Senpai is a lot like my dad in some areas."

Suddenly beaming with energy, Tamaki jumped up to his feet with a proud grin. "Did you hear that gentlemen?" He chuckled. "Haruhi just said that I was a lot like a father."

"Well, to be more precise, in the sense that Haruhi's father and you share a few similar personality traits, you being their father-" Kyoya's observations were quickly interrupted by Tamaki who jolted up with a prideful expression

"That's it. That's it. I may not be her daddy, but I am like a daddy." Letting out a sigh in relief, Tamaki cried comical tears.

"Looks like you aren't listening," Kyoya commented.

"Is there really nothing more?" Muttering under her breath, Miki glanced up at the blond who was in a daze from relief.

"There it is! There it is! There it is! Kasanoda-kun made his move!" Renge's passionate voice tore through Tamaki's self-revelation and announced the development between Haruhi and Kasanoda. Everyone quickly darted their eyes over, eagerly watching as if what was playing was some intense sports game.

"Fujioka!" Kasanoda leaned in, his body trembling as he stared into her doe-brown eyes. "I... like..." Those words seemed to have struck a chord with Tamaki who's gasp was barely audible. "Fujioka, I... I..." The tension swirling in the air was even detectable by Miki, who stood up and stared at the two curiously.

Realizing that Kasanoda was never going to finish his sentence, Haruhi deiced to help him. Or so she thought...

"Friends that share the same values are nice, aren't they?" Haruhi chimed, letting out a relaxing sigh before standing up. "I could never have anyone I could talk like this before. They're great... Friends like that." Haruhi smiled down genuinely at Kasanoda, whose face was as pale as a sheet.

"Well, he got shot down," Renge muttered.

"He got shot down, huh?" Suddenly, whispers began to spread through the crowd of girls.

"He got cut off before he could even confess his love."

"And got told that they were just friends twice, there."

"That's just like being told, 'Let's just be good friends.'"

"That poor guy."

"Poor guy..."

After a moment of silence from all the mutters and condolences for Kasanoda, the redhead turned away from Haruhi. "We'll always be friends, you and me, right?"

"Yep!" Haruhi nodded, utterly oblivious to what had just happened.

"Bossa Nova-chi!" The twins and Honey cooed.

"Kasanoda-kun." The guests began to cry into their handkerchieves.

"Kasanoda-kun..." Renge repeated. "...that was beautiful. Thank you for moving me." She shrieked, cupping her hands before her chest.

At that point, Miki's mind was beginning to short circuit from the confusion. Too much was happening at the same time. Why were they all crying?

"Thank you for moving us," The girls repeated as they all quickly rn forward and surrounded Kasanoda who was still in shock from being completely rejected.

"We'll be your friends, too!"

"That was magnificent."

"Thanks for the moe."

"We'll be your friends, too, Bossa Nova-chi!" Hikaru agreed.

"Let's play kick the can together!" Kaoru cried, offering him a can.

"I'm your senpai, but I'll be your friend. You can borrow Usa-chan," Honey offered, shoving the pink bunny in his face.

"I will include a big special on you in Moe Moe Ouran Diaries, Vol. 11," Renge sobbed as he platform lowered back into the ground. "Take care, now." She waved dramatically. 

"Kyoya-kun..." Miki muttered, watching as the girls swarmed around Kasanoda like flies to a fruit. "Why is everyone crying?" She questioned.

"Kasanoda was attempting to profess his love for Haruhi," Kyoya explained, pushing up his glasses. "He was rejected, yet took it well."

"Eh? That was a confession?" Miki gasped, completely stunned. "But he didn't even confess." She pointed out.

"He was what they call being 'friend-zoned.'"

Miki blinked as she dissected the word, humming and feeling a little sorry for Kasanoda. She suddenly remembered Sumire's words. "Kyoya-kun, are there any diseases that can cause your heart to burst?" She blurted out.

A little taken aback by the seemingly unrelated question, Kyoya rubbed his chin. "There are a few, but why ask?"

"Because," Looking back at the crowd gathered around Kasanoda, Miki quickly found Sumire and Sora in the group. "I asked Sumire-san about the feeling of love. And she told me her heart was going to burst because of it." She stated. "If love can do that to a person, I don't think I want to exp-"

"That is an expression." Eye twitching, Kyoya interrupted, regretting his order to ask them.

"Really?" Miki's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"If you want to understand love, ask Tamaki." He stated with a hint of smugness to his voice, nudging his chin down at the blond who knelt on the ground and watched the scene before him with a mixture of relief and a new sense of tenseness.

"Hm?" Crouching down next to him, Miki tried to look at the view from his point. "What's wrong Tamaki-kun?" She asked him as instructed.

"When I think about the way Bossa Nova-kun was feeling, and I think about if he was feeling that towards Haruhi, my heart aches a little," Tamaki spoke, his ocean eyes never leaving Haruhi.

"Does it?" Miki asked as she touched her own chest, seeing if it was the same for her.

"That's strange. You are Haruhi's daddy, right?" Kyoya smirked at his best friend, "There shouldn't be any reason for you, as a man, to have your heart ache with sympathy toward him."

Heartache... of sympathy?

Miki's eye stayed glued to Tamaki as she hummed thoughtfully for a moment, before trailing her vision to Haruhi who was also in the midst of the crowd. For a second there, she felt like she had a clue what Kyoya was implying. She wondered.

Does Tamaki-kun...?

***

"Hyper Starlight Kick!"

With Tamaki's signature kick, a new round of kick the can, as a symbol of friendship with Kasanoda began. The guests and hosts all quickly scattered in multiple directions. Taking Haruhi by the hand, Tamaki quickly ran away towards the hedge maze, where they hid last time when they played with the newspaper club.

Miki giggled as she ushered Kyoya over behind her, trying to keep as quiet as she could. She guessed that the two of them might be hiding there, so they were about to crash their party when they spotted Hikaru and Kaoru also dashing in that direction.

Together, the four of them peaked under the table of the same rose-covered pavilion.

"Found you~" Miki giggled, pointing at them with a triumphant grin.

"What, you guys?!" Tamaki snapped with a protective tone. "This is Haruhi and my secret hiding spot."

"Don't decide that by yourself!" Kaoru whined.

"Besides, why does Haruhi have to hide with you, milord?" Hikaru pointed out.

"That's right, as long as we don't get found, we will be fine." Miki crouched down.

"Fool! It's given that fathers hide with their daughters. If anything, I'll let Miki in." He bargained. "The rest of you go find somewhere else!"

"I don't see the necessity of that." Kyoya teased.

"Shhh! Be quiet!" Haruhi hushed.

Above the group, hiding in a tree was Honey and Mori. The two of the overlooked their underclassmen of the club as they bantered back and forth about their hiding spot.

"It's clear that Hika-chan is the unconscious developing type, but Tama-chan clearly likes Haru-chan." Honey deduced as he looked down at the two mentioned. "Yet he's so dense he doesn't even realize it himself, right?"

"Yeah." Mori agreed.

"In some way, I think Kao-chan has feelings for Haru-chan as well," Looking down at said twin who was watching his brother argue with Tamaki, Honey sighed. "But he's too worried about Hika-chan for him to notice."

"Yeah."

"So the problem is Kyo-chan and Miki-chan," He said, looking at the two mentioned before giggling. "I never expected Kyo-chan to end up having feelings for a girl. I guess Miki-chan really caught him off guard, considering how his original intentions were purely out of his benefits."

"Yeah."

"Miki-chan is a little, different. It feels like she has a disconnect with her emotions." The lolita commented as he rested his arm on the branch he sat on, chuckling wryly. "I suppose it's only fair. If she didn't do that, she'd probably be overwhelmed with loneliness ever since she was a child. But time is running out, isn't it? The school festival is barely two months away." Honey sighed once again as he looked up at the sky. "Will there be any kind of development before we graduate?" He wondered.

"Who knows?"

Chapter Text

-Chapter 20-

The Lobelia Girls Strike Again!

"I'm going out," Haruhi called out routinely as she left her apartment complex dressed in her t-shirt and shorts, her father following her to the door.

"Come back safely." Ranka chanted.

Walking down the staircase, Haruhi froze when she spotted a familiar girl with strawberry blonde hair, wearing one of her signature chiffon dresses and radiant smile.

"Good Morning!" Miki was waving excitedly.

Ranka leaned over the balcony railing with a hum in adoration. "Why if it isn't Miki-chan, good morning. Are you here to hang out with Haruhi?" He greeted.

"Hello, Ranka-san." Bowing politely, Miki beamed. "Yes, she told me she was going to the supermarket. I felt like I must tag along." Clapping her hand together, she sighed dreamily.

Haruhi felt her eye twitch. She instantly regretted telling her about her trip to the supermarket, because who would be so excited as to bolt over five minutes after that text was sent? To go to the supermarket of all places?

She would.

"Miki-senpai, it's just a trip to the supermarket. You don't have to come all the way over here to-"

She was quickly cut off when her upperclassman looped her arm around her's. "Come on, Haruhi! The market isn't going to stay open forever." Ignoring the brunette's protests, Miki chimed as she began to drag her off with a cheerful bounce to her step.

"It's a twenty-four-hour supermarket..." Murmuring under her breath, Haruhi sighed in resignation that her day was going to be stuck with this overly-energetic girl.

"Ahh, youth..." Resting his cheek against his palm, Ranka hummed when suddenly two shadows darted over and grabbed both girls by the arm, startling them.

"Abduction..."

"...Complete!"

"Huh? What the..." Haruhi muttered, still trying to process the situation.

"Kidnapping?" Miki blinked.

Suddenly, a limo pulled over, and a window rolled down, revealing Benibara wearing sunglasses. She glanced at the two girls with a prideful smirk. "All right, take them in."

***

"Tama-chan, where is Miki-chan?" Climbing up the rigid staircase, Honey asked as he clutched Usa-chan closer to himself.

Hearing that name, the blond couldn't help but let his face and shoulders drop a little at the mention of that name. "She left me..." He muttered.

"Huh?" Raising an eyebrow, the twins pursued.

"This morning, she dashed out of her room and just left without saying anything to me..." Looking down dejectedly, Tamaki explained gloomily. "She's going through a rebellious phase." He sulked with comical tears streaming down his face as he held onto the cake box and began plucking at the perfectly tied bow.

"Don't you think it's cause she's gotten sick of you, milord?" The twins grinned mischievously as they suggested, watching as Tamaki become defeated by those words.

"Anyways, we are going to see Haru-chan now, so cheer up Tama-chan." Honey chuckled at how worried Tamaki was, watching as his mood quickly swing back around, and he was once again filled with smiles.

"Haruhi-chan, come out and play!" They chanted.

However, the one who opened the door wasn't Haruhi; it was a very groggily looking Ranka. "Huh?" He ran a hand through his tangled auburn hair, looking visibly annoyed at the intruders.

After a brief moment of silence, the seven turned to shuffle away. "Sorry, we have the wrong door," Tamaki muttered.

"Huh? Hey, hey, hey." Quickly snapping out of his hazy state, Ranka chased after the hosts and piled them back into the house. "Don't go so patently looking like, 'Oops, we just saw the tranny without his make-up, which we weren't supposed to see.' Even I have a bit of a beard when I've just woken up." He groaned.

"Hahaha... Ranka-san, you seem to be in good humour today-" Laughing uneasily, Tamaki leaned forth to try and greet the man only to wholly ignored when the man walked past him and swiped the cake box out of his hands.

"My, everyone, it's been so long! How are you?" His mood seemed to have flipped around once he had the cake in his hands as his voice just rose up into a higher pitch. "You'll have to forgive my dreadful appearance. I'm so glad you came."

"Is Haru-chan here?" Honey questioned.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi is out today. She met up with Miki-chan and some girlfriends of their picked them up early this morning, and they went out together with them." Ranka explained, eyes scanning over the assortment of cakes in the box.

"So that's where she went." The twins chimed.

"She's not home, huh?" Honey pouted.

"Well, I guess I should be glad that Miki is making other friends and hanging out with some of Haruhi's middle school friends, or whomever..." With his shoulders slumped once again, Tamaki and the rest of the hosts began to leave.

"It's kinda hard to imagine, huh?" The twins spoke in unisons with their hands over their heads.

"You see, this is why I was against a surprise visit," Kyoya commented.

"These girls weren't from her middle school days," Turning to close the door, Ranka explained nonchalantly. "But then, that's my little girl, having friends such as them. I mean, students from the famous Lobelia Girl's Academy coming all the way over here for her-" He was about to turn and close the doors when the hosts all bolted back over with terrified expressions.

"What did you say?!" Tamaki began to panic.

"Lo-"

"-be-"

"-li-"

"-aah!" They gasped in horror.

***

"My, how lovely you look! We have two little fairies here!" Chizuru squealed as she, Hinako and Benibara snuggled both Haruhi and Miki, who were practically forced into the Lobelia uniform.

"I think you should become a student now even more!" Hinako agreed.

"Gorgeous," Benibara gasped with tears in her eyes, letting go of the two. "It's almost as if that uniform were designed just for the two of you."

"Hold on!" Haruhi cried. "Please tell me what's happening! I don't know what's going on."

"I agree." Cupping her chin as she stared at a mirror in the dressing room, Miki let out a sigh. "This uniform doesn't suit me at all. The red and pink are clashing with my hair colour and washing me out, I much prefer the Ouran uniform."

"That's not the point Miki-senpai!" Snapping back to the Lobelia girls, Haruhi huffed. "We were going to the supermarket to do some shopping when you brought us here. You folks are just like the people in the host club." She grumbled.

"Maiden, stop that! Of all the people to compare us to, those guys?!" Benibara exclaimed in a fury before quickly calming down. "Oh, forgive me. It's only natural that you'd be angry. In all of our haste, we brought you here in your bedclothes."

"No, those aren't bedclothes, they're what I usually wear." Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Eh? Really?" Miki gasped, touching her finger to her mouth. "Those were your casual clothes? Haruhi, why don't you ask Hikaru and Kaoru for a little help, I'm sure they'll provide better clothes for you." She leaned forth with knitted brows and sparkling eyes, speaking genuinely.

"No, no thanks I'm good." Turning away with a deadpanned face, Haruhi mumbled.

"We have but have one request of each you, I apologize we had to ask this of you on the weekend. From our observations, maiden, you seem to go home in a limo under the protection of that obnoxious man, making it impossible for us to approach both of you after school hours." Benibara explained as she gestured Miki.

"Have they been stalking us...?" Haruhi averted her eyes, wondering how much time they had on their hands.

"That's a little creepy." Tapping her chin, Miki hummed in a quiet voice.

"As we have mentioned before, our purpose is to put on regular performances of songs and plays that we research, every day." Chizuru took over. "The truth is, today is what we call 'Pink Day,' when we celebrate the birthday of the founder of the White Lily league by putting on our annual special performance. We've been rehearsing very hard for a long time for this day..."

"...but of all things, the student playing the heroine was in an accident and is in the hospital, so we're in a real fix," Hinagiku raised a finger. "But we can't allow today's performance to be cancelled, for any reason. Which is why..."

"We want you, maiden, to play our heroine for us!" Posing dramatically, the Zuka Club requested together.

"I can't." Haruhi's response was blunt as the Zuka Club just, stared. "Thanks, but no. Come on, Miki-senpai, let's go."

"Eh? But I feel a little bad for them..." With a hand on her chin, Miki furrowed her brows. "Stage productions take a long time to prepare for; it would be a shame if they had to cancel the show."

"If you'd like to help them, please do it yourself. I'll be excusing myself then-" Haruhi reached for the door to exit the room when Benibara suddenly let out a shriek in distress, and a spotlight suddenly dawned upon her.

"I'm sorry, I cannot be as you were," She cried dramatically. "Please forgive me, Mother."

"Benio..."

"Benibara-sama..."

"Your mother?" Haruhi repeated, looking a little shaken.

"Benio's mother was a graduate of Lobelia too," Chizuru explained, pulling out a handkerchief and dabbing her eyes gingerly. "She was a senior member of the White Lily league and is regaled even now as a beauty in men's clothing."

"Especially today, on Pink Day, she left us with many legends of her magnificent performances in the songs and plays that she puts on," Hinako gestured the woman. "Benibara-sama has dreamed for so long that she could be like her mother."

"If today's performance is cancelled, that dream will be crushed," Benibara covered her face in sorrow.

"Your mother... you say..." Haruhi looked down in contemplation as Miki stepped closer to her with pleading eyes.

And so, Haruhi and Miki were ushered to the practice room as Haruhi began her preparations for the understudy of the heroine of the play.

"Ah, Marianne, how many thousands of nights have I prayed that I might see you?" Benibara recited fluently. "How greatly I despised being told that we were from different social classes and the thousands of other obstacles in the way of our love!"

"Frederick-sama!" Haruhi exclaimed monotonously.

"The gunshot wound I just suffered has it in for me..." Benibara sighed sorrowfully. "Is this where my fate ends?"

He's about to die from a gunshot wound. How can he talk so much? In the time that we're sitting here, can't I just drag him to the hospital? Haruhi wondered as she glanced up to see certain performers dancing routinely. Why are they dancing? Her eyes swept across the entourage of performers only to spot her upperclassman, standing on the sidelines with a handkerchief in her hands, dabbing her teary eyes. She held a pamphlet for the show in her arms.

"What beautiful acting..." She heard Miki faintly mutter, feeling a sweatdrop at the back of her head.

Unbeknown to them, the host club and Ranka, par Kyoya, were spying on Haruhi's robotic performance from the outside.

"Say, are Haru-chan and Miki-chan in there?" Honey asked, tugging on Tamaki's new Benibara Fan Club shirt.

"Yeah, Miki is on the sidelines, and it looks like Haruhi's playing the heroine in some tragedy," Tamaki answered, "But..."

"Frederick-sama," Haruhi spoke again, this time in even more of a robust voice.

"She is monotonous and sounds like an incredible daikon radish!" They sulked.

"I can't say anything to dress it up," Ranka facepalmed.

"Why doesn't anyone tell her?" Hikaru questioned.

"Apparently, that is the only line she has been given," Tamaki theorized.

As Haruhi began to 'sing,' Miki glanced around to try and find Chizuru or Hinako. Spotting the second-year on the other side of the room, looping around the singing Haruhi and not noticing the hosts near the window. "Um, excuse me, Su-" She attempted to call out to her when she felt her leg pull against something, followed by the sound of snapping then silence. She glanced down in confusion to find a pulled plug tangled in her leg.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I tripped on the cord." She bowed to Chizuru who turned around with a confused expression.

"It's alright. Be careful, okay?" Smiling wryly, she replugged the machine and pressed the play button. "You were looking for me, right? How may I help you?" Standing up as Haruhi's 'singing' continued, she then asked Miki.

"Well, Benibara-san mentioned that she had a request for each of us." Miki averted her eyes to the said person who currently laid on the hardwood ground of the practice room, playing dead. "You required Haruhi to play the role of the heroine, so what was your request for me?"

Chizuru hummed as she narrowed her eyes at Miki, who blinked in response. She glanced at Benibara, who was absorbed in her acting. "Benio wanted to ask of this herself, but I supposed I could, seeing as she is currently busy." She turned around and waved the confused strawberry blonde toward the door of the practice room. "Come with me," She instructed.

Tilting her head, Miki followed obediently.

***

"It's an honour to have one of the Ootori boys come visit here." In the darkened theatre, Kyoya followed the manager of the school as she gushed over his presence. She guided him through the white lily theatre as the place was fully prepared for the show being put on later that day. "Please, take any seat you wish the show will be starting in an hour and a half or so, if you need anything, please just give me a call." She cupped her cheek, stopping at the front row.

"I will, thank you." His lips were retaining that unbalanced smile, he nodded his head as the manager made her way back up and out of the theatre. His attention was quickly turned to the stage once he heard footsteps against the hardwood. He glanced up to see Miki of all people, following Chizuru to the center, standing under the bright spotlights.

"Wow! This is absolutely amazing. The production value of this set, the large orchestra pit, the layout of the stage. It's brilliant!" Miki exclaimed, her round hazel eyes reflecting the harsh lights that beamed down onto them. Her hands remained clasped before her chest as she took in the elaborate set before them, her hands spread wide to see just how grand theatre was.

"Amazing isn't it?" With her arms crossed, Chizuru chuckled mysteriously. "How would you like all of this to be yours?"

"Huh?" Miki's awestruck state came to a halt as she turned to stare at the woman with a dumbfounded expression.

"From what we understand, you are the production designer for those lowlifes. However, we believe your talents will be much better suited for us." Chizuru explained. "We would like you to become the Zuka Club's set designer instead." She offered, crossing her arms before her chest. "If you'd chose to accept, Benio would be more than elated to introduce you to some industry professionals that would be thrilled to meet you."

"I don't know about that..." Miki averted her eyes back to the brilliant set.

"You seem conflicted." Chizuru hummed as she narrowed her eyes, walking past Miki, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll give you some time to think about it, give us your answer after the show." And with that, she exited stage left, disappearing into the wing.

For a while, Miki just stood there under the bright lights, just staring blankly at the grand stage. All of this space, all this equipment, connections to real industry professionals, all hers if she just said the word. She began to wonder what life would be like if she genuinely achieved her dreams of becoming the head production designer of a big time

Slow footsteps tapped against the hardwood floor, echoing through the empty theatre and catching Miki's attention, anchoring her back to reality. "Kyoya-kun?!" She gasped, watching as the boy walked out of the shadows of the wings with his arms crossed over his chest. "What are you doing here?"

"We went to Haruhi's place and found out from Ranka you two were abducted by the ladies from Lobelia Academy." He offered a swift explanation, stopping next to her as he turned to face the gorgeously over the top set the Zuka Club was planning on using.

"Is Tamaki-kun and everyone else here?" Spinning on her heel, Miki glanced into the crowd. "Where are they? I don't see them anywhere." She blinked.

"I believe they snuck in under the disguises as the Zuka Club fan club."He paused for a moment as a small silence ensured. "Quite the offer you've received." He finally commented as the lights of the giant billboards reflected in his half-lidded eyes.

"You heard that?" Her eyes still glued to him, she tilted her head to face him a little more.

Ignoring her question, Kyoya continued. "It's certainly a generous one at that. Accepting it will certainly fast track you to the top of the entertainment industry." He stated. "Are you planning on taking it?"

Miki bit her bottom lip as she returned her gaze to the intricately detailed set. "What do you think I should do, Kyoya-kun?" She asked as the light continued to surround them as if their conversation were part of a performance of its own.

Readjusting his glasses, Kyoya turned to walk away. As he slowly disappeared into the darkness of the stage wings, his response was simple.

"As I've told you, consider things from a perspective that would benefit yourself."

***

It didn't take long for that hour and a half to pass, as the white lily theatre was quickly flooded with the Zuka Club's fangirls. They rushed in like water from a sealed damn, filling up the seats in an amazingly coordinated manner. Whispers and dreamy sighs filled the theatre as the lights dimmed down. Miki stood off-stage peeking cautiously out the curtains and into the crowd, trying to see if she could spot her brother or the rest of the host club. It didn't take long before she found them leaned up against the side of the wall, gawking at the large crowd, wearing the Zuka Club fan t-shirts as Kyoya said.

"Miki-senpai, is something the matter?" Haruhi's voice rang behind her as well as the sound of heels tapping against the hardwood ground.

"Tama-" Letting go of the velvet curtains, Miki turned to respond. Only to freeze up when she saw Haruhi's costume and makeup. Subconsciously, a hand found it's way to her chin as she tilted her head a little concerned. Haruhi was wearing a hot pink ball gown with white ruffles. Her face was caked up with makeup, an unreasonable amount of blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow, all in the same shade as her dress. It was so excessive; one couldn't even pass it off as 'just stage makeup.'

"Haruhi, that look doesn't suit you very much." She pointed out bluntly.

The brunette felt her eye twitch and a sweatdrop at the back of her head as she turned away with a deadpanned face. "Ah, is that so?" She muttered.

"Eye makeup that matches your dress colour is a little too much," Giggling into her fingers, Miki spoke. "Fushcia is a colour that would suit a more neutral makeup look, as it balances out the attention you are getting for such a bold outfit." Her voice trailed off as she began to ruffle out the white parts of the dress. "But I suppose we don't have time to change it now, the best we can do to balance out the colour is this. It will help balance out the palette just a little."

"Miki-senpai, you are really knowledgeable in these types of things," Haruhi commented as she instinctively raised her arms, watching as Miki went to work on her uncomfortable dress. "To think that you would do well in fashion design as well..."

"This has nothing to do with fashion design, Haruhi." Stepping back a little to scan Haruhi's outfit one last time, Miki winked playfully. "This is the colour theory; it's a basic in visual arts, and any kind of design be it regular art, production or fashion." She explained as she lifted a finger, a sweet beam curling on her lips as usual.

Seeing such a childlike expression return to her face, Haruhi gave a wry, unsymmetrical smile. "You really like art, don't you?" She asked.

"Of course!" Miki exclaimed in a hush as to not cause a fuss before the show. "I've been studying art as a hobby for almost seven years, Arden has always brought back these things called 'craft kits' for me. And then, he would also buy me colouring books, art books, as well as art guides. I learned the ten commandments from the colour theory from there. The number one rule is to always..."

As Miki began to blabber off into her own word of excitement, Haruhi sighed endearingly. I thought she looked a little troubled before, but she really looks the happiest when she's learning new things or talking about designs. She thought.

Not long after that, Haruhi was ushered off to the center of the stage as the curtains rose. As she 'sang' and danced, the play reached it's climax as they rose on the rising platform. Benibara was clutching Haruhi in her arms.

"At last! The long-awaited kiss scene," Someone screamed from the crowd.

"The deep passionate embrace between forbidden lovers during their all-too-brief tryst!" Another squealed.

"They've risen from the trap door!"

As the two on the risen stage leaned in, a loud voice shot across the theatre, causing a ruckus.

"Haruhi! Don't do it!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Miki peeked out of the curtains in a hurry. Spotting, Tamaki sprinting at full speed from the back of the theatre and down towards the stage, the rest of the hosts and Ranka following behind him.

Haruhi also noticed as she head snapped away from the kiss. "Tamaki-senpai?! Dad?! Why are you all here...? And what's with that t-shi-" In her fit of panic and surprise, she failed to notice how she began to back away from Benibara as her heel got caught in the rise of the platform and she began to fall, letting out a shriek.

"Haruhi!" Miki's eyes widened with worry as she stepped out of the wing only to see Chizuru and Hinako push over an airbag, catching Haruhi snug in the center.

Letting out a dry laugh, Benibara smirked. "Greetings, host club. How kind to show your boorish incompetent faces." A new spotlight lit up as the stage cleared. Benibara jumped down from the platform to meet with Chizuru and Hinako, who held a sign that read 'Surprise Great Success!' "Thank you for such a torrid display in this swelting heat." She continued. "You do realize we've videotaped you from the moment you entered school grounds?" Turning to the dancers and actors, she raised her hand to point at a projection screen that rolled down as the lights shone. Images of the host club attempting to climb the fence outside of Lobelia Academy, them stalking and conversing outside of the practice room, them sneaking around in the theatre, rolled across the screen like a slideshow.

"Vassals, did you watch carefully? This is what I tell you to never do." The woman laughed. "This is exactly what vulgar men do in their effort to break lovers apart."

"Ew! How unsightly!" Someone exclaimed dramatically.

"How they debase themselves!"

"This is just what Benibara-sama was talking about when she said we must stay on guard!"

"Yes," Clicking her tongue, Benibara shook her finger at the host club who deadpanned her. "Even when performing a male role, there is no need to adopt the sheer ribaldry of real men. We must remain smart and beautiful as we act out the fantasies of young ladies."

"Yes, Benibara-sama!"

"Thank you for your guidance!"

"Now then," With the snap of her fingers, lights suddenly illuminated onto Miki who was standing on stage. She quickly raised her arms to cover her eyes from the harsh treatment her eyes were shocked with. "Maiden, now that you have been enlightened by us regarding their brutish ways, are you going to accept our offer to become our set designer instead?"

"What!?" Tamaki screeched in terror.

Quickly allowing her eyes to adjust to the light as she squinted, Miki stood on the stage to face the Zuka Club. The side of her face that was lit up burned as she bowed her head. "I'm sorry," She apologized, still squinted. "I'm afraid I'm still going to have to refuse your offer."

There was a brief second of silence as the Zuka Club retained their pose and a loud gasp waved through the crowd. Fans began to whisper and murmur about how she had just 'turned down Benibara-sama's earnest request.' Glares and words of spite started to shot at her, not that Miki herself noticed.

"Why?!" Benibara was the first to break as she dashed forth, grabbing Miki by her wrists and holding them up. "Why would you accept such an offer? Have you truly forgotten your grace and pride as a woman? Have they truly brainwashed you so?"

"Please let go of me; I'm pretty sure this is considered sexual assault," Miki spoke as she stared down blankly at the woman's gloved hands that clutched around her wrist.

They felt... unpleasant.

"Oh, I apologize." Quickly retracting her hand, she continued. "But why, maiden?"

After taking a step back just to be cautious, Miki began to explain as she rose a finger. "For one, the Zuka Club's shows consist mainly of live shows and musicals; you would require a set designer for that. I am a production designer, meaning I specialize sets for film and TV. The two may sound similar, but are very different." She pointed out with a head tilt. "Secondly, while I admire the fact that you have pride in being a female, but I don't agree with your ideals of berating the male gender. I simply don't believe I would enjoy working with a group who do not hold the same ideals and beliefs as I do." She stated bluntly, still wearing that all too innocent smile.

Those words seemed to have sent another wave of panic through the crowd. The whispers turned harsh, and the glares turned sharp, everyone on stage, par Miki was starting to feel uncomfortable from the hostility being directed at the clueless strawberry blonde.

"And finally," As if she hadn't done enough damage, she continued as her face turned soft. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand in front of her chest. " While I genuinely appreciate the offer, I do not want to rely on other people's connections to achieve my dreams." Her eyes fluttered open; she then offered the Zuka Club a sincere bow. "So I apologize, but I must decline."

"Miki!" Hearing his sister's moving speech, Tamaki had comical tears streaming down his face as his system began to fill with relief from the announcement that she would be staying.

"I see." Benibara let out a sigh as her eyes darted to Haruhi who was slightly dumbfounded. "Young lady, we are terribly sorry." Her voice was once again filled with drama and flamboyancy. "We wanted to recruit this maiden over to our club, as well as offer a negative example of their roles. I'm sorry to have burdened you with such an unpleasant task." Suddenly, Chizuru and Hinako gathered around as the three struck a pose. "But we would still like you to join our club as well. If you are so inclined, please retain your role of heroine-"

"If I'm not being forced to act, I'm going home." Haruhi flat-out-declined.

"Young Ladies, we will come and fetch you again!" Benibara declared.

"Don't bother!" Quick to defend the two girls, Tamaki and the twins snapped.

As the group began to banter back and forth, Kyoya approached Miki from behind as he stood next to her under the spotlight. "I thought I told you to consider things from a perspective that would benefit yourself." Adjusting his glasses, he could hide the small smirk that formed on his lips. Somehow, it felt like a rock that had been dangling in the air finally landed in his chest.

"What are you talking about? I'm very much considering this for my own benefits." Turning to him, Miki blinked. She looked slightly confused before bursting out into a radiant smile that matched the light that illuminated her face. "I created and chose this dream to become a production designer on my own, so like that, when I do one day work for the professional industry. I want it to be because of the recognition of my skill, not my connections."

Seeing her usual expression, no matter how flawed and naive her logic was, Kyoya's smirk deepened, not commenting on it. He hid his face by turning back to focus on the idiots that were running around back and forth on the stage as they all simultaneously slipped on banana peels.

"Seriously where do these things come from?"Shifting her focus to the hosts and the Zuka club who were groaning to get up, Miki wondered out loud. 

Only to slip on a banana peel of her own and fall face first onto the stage.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 21-

A Princessly Sister's Heart!

"Welcome!" The doors of Music Room #3 opened early in the morning, to a covey of pirates as signature rose petals flutter down, acting at the entourage to the new guests arriving. The ever-changing room was transformed into the dangerous lands of the pirates. Each host dressed up for the occasion, wearing proper hats, eyepatches, some even manning props such as weapons or telescopes. Kyoya even took off his glasses in place for spectacles after Tamaki and Miki's pestering.

"Man your stations, scally-wags! Raise the anchor!" Tamaki directed as he pointed out a finger towards the ocean walls. "We sail for the edge of the world, to find the legendary gem more beautiful than any other. A gem that entrances and ensnares all who touch it! That's right..." He placed a hand under Sora's cheek as the girl blushed profusely. "I've come to steal this princess's heart!"

"Captain Tamaki!" Sora muttered dreamily.

Miki overlooked the scene with a proud grin. This set was perhaps the most detailed and realistic one she's ever designed, and the guests were noticing. Aged wooden pillars with ropes attached to them, barrels filled with all sorts of items, which the twins sat on as they conversed with their customers. Occasionally, they'd throw in their 'forbidden brotherly love act.' She even pulled out a special corner of the room and transformed it into an 'adventure corner,' one which Honey and Mori made wonderful use with their 'bunny tours,' guiding guests through their treasure mine. Sumire was in the mix, giggling as she followed the two in giving Miki an excited wave.

What made the entire theme better, was that even she was dressed up as a female pirate. Tamaki had taken the liberty to also order outfits for her whenever they got the chance, saying that it was 'a new experience' for the girl.

"Miki-senpai?" A voice rang behind her. She quickly turned to find Kasanoda of all people, standing near the walls of the club room with a bright flush on his cheek and dirtied clothes. He was holding what seemed to be a plant in his arms.

"Bossa Nova-kun! What brings you here?" Miki greeted him sweetly.

"Where is Fujioka?" He asked, eyes darting around the busy club room.

"Ah, Haruhi is over there." Directing his vision towards a particular section of the room, they found Haruhi conversing with Momoka, Kimiko and Renge who were complaining about how the women couldn't join the pirates on their adventures.

"I wouldn't leave you behind," Picking up a cup of tea, Haruhi flashed her natural, honest smile. "Having tea together like this is what I love."

Her words proved to be super effective with the girls, who immediately began to scream and fangirl.

"He said 'love'!! Haruhi said 'love.'" Cupping their cheeks, they swooned.

"F-Fujioka! Say that again!" Kasanoda quickly bolted over with reddened cheeks and a sheepish manner. Miki followed close behind, a little perplexed by why they were freaking out over the word 'love.'

Before the redhead could reach Haruhi however, the twins stopped him. "What are you trying to do, Bossa Nova-chi?" The glared, placing their prop knives under his throat as if they were about to execute him. "You want Haruhi to say 'love' to you?" They questioned with gleaming eyes, scaring the poor guy.

Miki tilted her head. Is that word such a big deal? She wondered.

"Kansanoda-kun," Kyoya crossed his arms, finally having enough of the spectacles and switching to his glasses. "We welcome you as a customer, but would you take a bit more care with your appearance?" He pointed out.

Jumping back, Kasanoda looked down in slight embarrassment. "Sorry," He stuttered. "I had to give something to Fujioka, so I rushed over!"

"Did you come directly from club, Kasanoda-kun?" Haruhi stepped out of her seat to greet her friend.

"Club?" The twins raised their eyebrows.

"Did you join a club, Bossa Nova-kun?" Miki's eyes widened.

"You joined the gardening club, didn't you?" Haruhi responded. "You are training to eventually take care of animals."

"Really?!" Miki gasped as her eyes began to twinkle. "What kind of animals? Kittens? Puppies? Or maybe an alligator?"

"I don't think an alligator would be allowed..." Kasanoda sweatdropped, questioning what his upperclassman found cute. He peered down at the potted plant in his hand before thrusting it forward towards her. "You mentioned you wanted to grow edible plants. So as a symbol of our friendship, here."

Haruhi's doe eyes widened at the sight of the greenery in the pot. "Wow, these are for me?" She gasped, her voice rising in pitch. "What are they?"

"C-Cherry Tomatoes," Kasanoda replied, his face turning as red as the tomatoes in his gift.

Seeing Haruhi so happy, Tamaki quickly snapped his fingers. "Honey-senpai." He called out.

"Yes, Captain!" The lolita came bolting as he grabbed a maraschino cherry from the rim of a drink and plopped it into his mouth. Miki tilted her head, watching quizzically as he quickly spat the seed out into his palm and tossed it into a pot already filled with soil that came out of nowhere, which the twins and Tamaki hurried to bury.

"Haruhi," With a radiant smile, the four offered the plant to Haruhi. "This is only the seed from a maraschino cherry, but if you care for it with love..."

"That's impossible." Haruhi averted her eyes with a deadpanned expression. "Even if it wasn't a maraschino." She grumbled.

"Eh, it doesn't work like that?!" Miki gasped, jumping back as if the revelation crushed down on her like a rock.

"Wahh! Haruhi is being mean!" Tamaki cried comically.

Ignoring the rowdy comments coming from the host club, Haruhi turned to Kasanoda and began to receive instructions on how to care for her new gift when a new presence arrive at the door, along with a crisp voice.

"It's so lively in here, and those costumes... Is this a play of some sort?" Everyone's attention was quickly directed to the entrance of club room. Tamaki gasped slightly, standing up out of reflexes.

"Milord?" The twins shot their eyes over.

Miki's hazel eyes rounded as her hands found their way to her parted lips. She sucked in a harsh breath as she studied the girl who spoke, she looked strikingly similar to someone she knew of.

"The student council president is here?" Kyoya murmured.

"Excuse us for interrupting your club activities," Matsudaira Toshiyori, the student council president of Ouran Academy greeted the now silent club room as he gestured a girl with fluffy blonde hair and sapphire eyes. "I'd like to introduce you to a new foreign student. As of today, she'll be joining Class 1-A to see what a Japanese high school is like. May I present to you, the first princess of the Monar Kingdom, Princess Michelle!" With the announcement of her name, the elegant girl lifted her skirt into a small curtsey. "What do you think, Princess?" Toshiyori then gestured the host club with a bow. "These are our school's elite. They're very popular." He explained.

Tamaki who had been subconsciously inching closer to the girl caught Haruhi's attention. "Tamaki-senpai?" She called out to him, breaking his train of thought. "What's wrong? Do you know her?"

"Huh? Um... No." In a daze, he quickly shook his head. "It's nothing." He quickly shrugged it off.

"They'll do." Michelle gave an unbalanced smile. "During the two weeks I'm at this school, I'll assign you eight as my servants."

"What?! She can't be serious." The twins snapped and began to lunge towards her only to be stopped by Miki who tugged on their arm with unusually saddened eyes as Tamaki waltzed forth and took to a knee before the princess.

"It would be an honour, Princess." The blond placed a hand over his chest, resembling a loyal servant. "I am Suoh Tamaki; I shall strive with all my heart to be of service to you."

***

"Where is the Monar Kingdom?" Haruhi asked as the hosts quickly changed out of their costumes and back into their uniforms, getting ready for the day.

"It's a small country in Europe." To everyone's surprise, Miki answered the brunette. What was even more surprising, was the absence of her usual bursting energy and cheerful attitude. She looked down at her school bag with dulled eyes as she remembered Princess Michelle's face, a dry smile forming on her face. "If I remember correctly, it is a country rich in mineral mines."

"Indeed," Kyoya confirmed as he quickly tightened his tie. "Most people in Japan don't know of it. Unfortunately, the king and queen passed away in an accident three years ago. The First Prince, 21-year-old Lawrence then assumed the throne."

"He's Princess Michelle's Big Brother, right?" Honey questioned in a merry voice.

"However," As the host club began to walk out of the club room, Kyoya placed a hand on his chin. "I heard she wasn't supposed to arrive until next month." He stated.

***

When the twins and Haruhi returned to their classroom, Michelle was already there, conversing with her new classmates. They looked rather taken in by the blonde as a large crowd quickly formed around her desk.

"So you moved up your plans?" Someone asked.

"Yes," Michelle replied, interlacing her fingers and resting her chin on her hands. "I did so because I wanted to see the leaves change. By next month, they would've all fallen. I'm afraid my request troubled my brother, but I'm glad I came. The view is truly spectacular."

"Your Japanese is really good!"

"And your hair is so blonde and pretty!"

"Why thank you," Brushing her aforementioned blonde hair over her shoulder, Michelle smiled in a reserved manner. "My brother also holds my hair in high esteem. Due to my hastened departure, we were unable to prepare properly and I could only bring a few servants." She sighed in a troubled manner, cupping her cheek. In the Royal Palace alone, I have 150 maids. I came here to study, and I know I shouldn't be so selfish but..." She paused. "Being in a foreign country is so unsettling..."

Entranced by her beauty and elegance, the class quickly grew rowdy. 

"Then you should use our servants!" Someone offered.

"Mine too!"

"Please allow us to help you!"

"Why, thank you!" Michelle giggled softly into her palm. "My brother will be grateful for your kindness." She chided.

Hikaru grumbled as he crossed his arms. "What's with her?" He commented. "Is she just naturally selfish? She must have been spoiled rotten growing up."

"And it's 'my brother this' and 'my brother that.' She must have a serious brother complex!" Kaoru added.

They shrugged as their voices came together as one. "Too much love between a brother and a sister is just wrong." They sang.

But too much love between brothers is fine? Haruhi thought to herself with a sigh.

"Besides, Princesses aren't that rare. Everyone is way too excited over her." Hikaru commented.

"Huh? They're not?" Haruhi's eyes widened.

"At the very least, no one in this class is in position to assign us as their menservants!" Kaoru grumbled.

This was when the trio from the second year appeared, Kyoya announcing his presence first. He placed an elbow on Haruhi's head as he looked over at Michelle. "It may be a small country, but she is still royalty. It wouldn't do any harm to be in her good graces."

"Kyoya-senpai!" Haruhi grumbled as she lifted his elbow off of her head.

"Just look at him," Paying no mind to Haruhi's protests, he nudged his chin towards Tamaki who was already before her with a bouquet of roses.

"Your sweet, honey-coloured hair, your blue eyes that melt into the sky, these roses cannot equal to your beauty, but they may humbly attempt to accept it." As he knelt before the princess and offered it to her, he spoke in a sincere voice.

"Why thank you!" Michelle beamed.

Miki watched silently from a distance, unable to move. Her eyes remained unmoving from the two as her hand clenched before her tightening chest.

"If there are any inconveniences at school, princess, please let me know." He offered.

"Well," Michelle let out a small cough as her perfect brows knitted into a frown. "My throat does hurt a little. My constitution is too weak for air conditioning. Could someone turn down the fan for me? And this chair is painfully austere." She spoke, cradling the fresh rose bouquet in her arms.

"As you wish," Tamaki bowed before turning to the class president of Class 1-A Kazukiyo Soga. "Soga-kun, could you go to the control room and inquire about the air conditioning?"

"Ah, yes!" Soga nodded before hurrying off.

"Hitachiin brothers," The blond then turned to Hikaru and Kaoru. "Grab fans!"

"Huh?" The twins gaped in disbelief. "No way! Why would we do something like that? Kyoya-senpai," They turned to the host club vice president to find him already on the phone.

No more than a second later, the Ootori Family staff appeared, carrying a red velvet couch and fans.

"Thank you, Ootori-san." Michelle smiled, resting on the armrest of the luxurious couch.

"It's an honour to serve you, Princess." With a bow, Kyoya accepted her gratitude with an unbalanced smile.

"Oh, do we have English lessons next?" Michelle glanced at the blackboard with a slightly troubled expression. "My English is already excellent, so I don't need them."

"I'll ask the teacher to change the curriculum," Tamaki responded with a curt beam.

"The schedule is too strenuous, would you arrange for more free time?"

"As you wish." Tamaki bowed.

"Would you arrange to have a private massage room built for me?"

"As you wish."

At this point, the twins were nearing the end of the ropes of their patience as they grit their teeth. Tamaki was waiting on her hand and foot like a slave, attending to her selfish request with no second thought.

During lunch, he even asked the chefs to prepare a special Monarish menu for the princess during her stay. Going as far as to figure out what foods she can't tolerate from her private secretary, as well as polishing all the silverware.

"Milord will do anything for her; he didn't even go this far when Miki-senpai came." Following Tamaki and the princess into the cafeteria, Hikaru whispered to Haruhi and Kaoru. "And that princess's selfishness is escalating."

"The pride of the Suoh family has been laid to rest," Kaoru added. "Even the other students are bowled by it."

"Something stinks!" A familiar yet frightening voice echoed as she appeared behind the trio as well as a dark yet keen aura. They quickly whipped their heads around to find Renge with narrowed eyes and a hand to her chin.

"Renge..." Haruhi sweatdropped.

Crouching down, the twins and Renge began to discuss. "What stinks here?" Kaoru began. "The lamb entree?"

"Of course I'm talking about Tamaki-senpai!" Renge corrected a serious expression on her face. Her brows furrowed as she pointed at the said blond who assisted the princess into her seat. "He's always sweet towards girls, but this time it's a little too much, don't you think? He's always with her. It's like no one else exists. That's not his style! Besides, he and Miki-chan-senpai didn't even interact the whole day. Something definitely stinks!" She hissed.

"Hold on, what does this have to do with Miki-senpai?" Kaoru sweatdropped. "And what's with that 'Miki-chan-senpai'?"

"Because doesn't Miki-senpai have that 'Miki-chan-senpai' aura? She has too much moe to be flatly called senpai." Renge leaned back with her hands on her hips. "I came up with that nickname, by the way." She announced proudly. 

"Ah, I see..." The first-year trio sweatdropped.

"Those two are always together, they even come to school together," Renge informed them with a smug grin. "Everyone suspects that they have a secret relationship going on behind the scenes, a scandalous romance between the King and his production designer. Yet today, they haven't spoken all day, no doubt it is a lover's quarrel, especially judging by how quiet Miki-chan-senpai has been."

The twins almost choked on their saliva once they learned of the 'suspicion' everyone has about Miki and Tamaki. "I don't think they have anything going on between them." Hikaru laughed unconvincingly. "Milord has always been impulsive if we just wait it out-"

"You're too weak!" Lifting a finger, the dirty blonde quickly interrupted him. She narrowed her large brown eyes. "Remember the look on his face when he first saw the princess! It was the look of a man who fell in love at first sight!" Turning around, Renge then clenched her fists. "Tamaki-senpai will find himself in a love triangle between his ex-lover Miki-chan-senpai and the Princess, falling in forbidden love with the Princess who is, in reality, his sister whom he was separated from as children!"

Hikaru and Kaoru sweatdropped at just how ironic Renge's fantasy was.

A little later, Michelle's food arrived at her table.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Princess," The chef bowed. "I'm sorry, but today we could only prepare French cuisine."

"That will be fine." Michelle waved before looking up. Her sapphire-like eyes scanned the crowd as she tapped her chin. "Let's see..." She hummed before spotting Haruhi, who sat with the twins, ready to eat her boxed lunch. "Yes! You over there! I heard that you are a commoner." She smiled in an unbalanced manner. "Could you taste my food to make sure it isn't poisoned?"

That selfish and insulting request was the last straw for both of the twins who shot up from their seat. "She's unbelievable!" They shouted in unison, ready to walk up and teach this princess some respect when Tamaki intervened.

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Stop!"

"But Milord!"

Ignoring the twins protest, Tamaki bowed like a butler to the princess. "Princess, I would be happy to taste your food." He offered, leaving the twins furious as they glared at Princess Michelle.

***

"Milord is an idiot!" The twins shouted as they tossed Tamaki's Kuma-chan to the ground. It was the afternoon, and the host club was supposed to gather as usual. However, the second-year trio was missing.

"What is he thinking?!" Hikaru growled as he tore at the stuffed bear's "He would have never lowered himself like that before!"

"Hikaru, Kaoru, relax." Haruhi interrupted, taking the poor brown bear back before the two could damage it further.

"Doesn't it bother you Haruhi?!" They then directed their anger at Haruhi, yelling at the top of their lungs. "You live your poor life in quiet desperation, yet the princess is utterly insensitive!"

"Yes... Some people are utterly insensitive. Two of them are right here." Averting her eyes, Haruhi grumbled.

Suddenly the door opened with a creak as Kyoya, and a dejected Miki stepped in.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, Don't yell in the club room," Kyoya spoke calmly.

"Kyoya-senpai!" The twins complained. "Milord and that princess-"

"I've only seen photos, But I think they look similar. The princess and Tamaki's mother, isn't that right?" Kyoya cut them off with a thoughtful glance at Miki, who stared blankly at the ground.

Miki nodded as the clubroom fell silent. "I haven't met her in person either, however..." Her voice trailed off as she took a deep breath — a sorrowful look surfacing on her cheeks. "Her soft blonde hair, her eyes whenever she smiles. It resembles her very much." She admitted. 

Haruhi stepped forth. "Miki-senpai," She began. "You and Tamaki-senpai have different mothers, right? Where is Tamaki-senpai's mother?"

"From my understanding, she is currently in France." With a pained smile, Miki explained. "It's a long story, but they haven't seen each other for almost three years." She paused for a moment, studying Haruhi's thoughtful expression. "In a way, his circumstances are worse than my own. I've haven't seen my mother for as long as I can remember, so I hardly have any memories of her. But Tamaki-kun grew up with her and was showered in her love and affection. Therefore, he most likely has much more of an attachment to his mother than I do."

"The last time he saw his mother, she was crying." Kyoya narrowed his eyes softly. "Maybe what he wants, is to see that princess smile..." He hypothesized.

A wave of thought and empathy for Tamaki fell upon the hosts. "If he only told us, we might have..." Hikaru and Kaoru looked down.

Suddenly there was a small clank at the door, and it swung open to reveal a hasty Tamaki. "Sorry, I'm late!" He ran in. "I was busy seeing the Princess to her residence..." His voice trailed off as he locked eyes with everyone in the room. "Huh? Is this a meeting day?"

The twins stared at him for a moment before lunging forth and began pushing him around like a pinball. "Mother Complex! Mother Complex!" They chanted. "Stupid Milord has a mother complex!"

"What?!" Flustered by their words Tamaki struggled to get out of their grasps. "What's with the sudden rudeness?! Don't push me!"

"That's how they cheer him up?" Haruhi commented with a sweatdrop.

"Those two are never direct you know?" Honey chuckled, clutching Usa-chan close to his chest.

Having enough of teasing Tamaki, the twins turned to leave. "Well, that's enough for today. Bye Bye." They said in unison as they headed for the door.

"Huh? You're going home already?" Tamaki followed them with his ocean eyes, slightly puzzled. "What about the meeting?"

"We have to go all-out when servicing the princess tomorrow, so we need to go home and prepare!" They chided nonchalantly, looking rather indifferent at Tamaki who grew even more confused. As they turned to left, the rest of the hosts began to trickle out of the room.

"Us too, right Takeshi?" Honey giggled as he and Mori headed for the door.

"Yeah."

"Bye, Tamaki." Kyoya shot him a glance.

"I'll be waiting for you in the car." Miki waved with a small smile.

"What? What's going on, why is everyone-" Before he could get his entire sentence out, the double doors slammed closed.

As the hosts continued to walk down the now empty halls of Ouran Academy in silence, Honey piped up first.

"Are you okay, Miki-chan?" He asked, leaning forward slightly, shooting her a reassuring smile.

Taken off guard by his sudden question Miki blinked. "Yes, I'm alright Honey-senpai." Her lips curled upwards as she closed her eyes. "Why ask?"

"Because you've been silent all day." With his arms wrapped behind his head, Hikaru said.

"Usually, you would be bouncing all over the princess with questions," Kaoru pointed out.

"Is the resemblance between the Princess and Tamaki's mother bothering you as well?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow at her as she turned to stare him for a moment.

After a while, her hazel eyes flickered to the ground. "It does," She admitted as her lips curled into a wistful smile. "I guess there always has and will be a part of me that blames myself, for what happened to Tamaki-kun and Anne-san." She muttered.

***

That evening in the Second Suoh Estate, Miki sat at her desk staring blankly at her designs dressed in her nightgown. Her eyes shot up to her door and gazed across the hallway into Tamaki's room. He was doing his homework. Noticing her staring, Tamaki glanced up and waved at her. Miki shot a smile back before attempting refocusing her attention back to her work. Halloween was coming up soon, so she had been focusing on the Dracula styled theme Tamaki had asked her to create. However, at that moment, she couldn't concentrate on something like designing when her eyes kept shifting to her phone that sat next to her tablet.

Giving in to the temptation, she snatched up the phone. Hesitating for a moment before flipping it open before dialling a number and placing the device up to her ear. She shivered a little, feeling the cool metal brush against the rim of her ear. There were exactly two rings before the recipient picked up.

"Milady, what a pleasant surprise." A polite yet pleasant voice bounced back, and she instantly felt her lips tug into a smile.

"Good ev-afternoon, Arden." Miki quickly corrected herself, checking the clock on her desk before standing up.

"Judging by that little slip-up, it's evening there isn't it?" Arden teased, his voice was just as Miki remembered. Charming, Playful and Kind.

"It's 9:48 p.m, yes." Miki chuckled as she waltzed over to her bed and sat down with a small sigh of relaxation.

"Good Evening to you, then."

There was a small silence on the opposite end of the phone before Arden spoke again. "So, to what do I owe this call to, milady?" He asked.

"I wanted you to help me look into something," Leaning back, Miki plopped down onto her bed as she allowed her long strawberry blonde hair to scatter all over the white bedsheets. "Find me everything you can about the Princess and Prince of the Monar Kingdom."

"As you wish, I will have it ready you before classes begin tomorrow morning," Arden replied respectfully.

"Eh?"

"If this weren't urgent, you would have simply written in one of your letters to me. I figured since you took the initiative to call me, you would like to receive this information as soon as possible." With perfect observation skills, the butler gave a crisp reply.

Miki blinked for a few moments before bursting into a fit of giggles. "You're right. You're absolutely right," She chuckled as she curled onto her side, still holding her phone with her right hand.

"Though, may I know why?"

Hearing his question, Miki's chuckles came to a halt as she stared blankly before her at her desk on the far side of the room. Taking a deep breath, Miki began to fidget with her thumb. "I met the Princess of Monar today." She confessed, eyes blinking tiredly.

"I see." His voice trailed off, suggesting that he was thoughtful. "How was it?"

Eyes dulling slightly, Miki began to play with the strands of her hair. "She looked rather similar to Anne-san." She rolled onto her back once again, using her forearm to block out the bright illuminating light in her face.

"Is that so? Forgive me, but are you sure you weren't hallucinating?" Arden stifled a chuckle, jesting.

"No, I was certain!" Jolting up from her seating position, Miki pouted as if her butler was right before her. "I took a close look; she looked strikingly similar!" She defended herself.

"I believe you, milady." Hearing her voice turn bubbly once again, Arden dropped the teasing with a small laugh. "What did you do then?"

"I... well..." Miki stuttered as she averted her eyes, shoulders slumping.

"Did you perhaps avoid her?" Arden's guess was a bullseye, causing Miki to groan slightly and fall back onto her bed. The butler chuckled at just how childish and predictable his lady was. "Milady, did you forget your oath to always charge straight forth while you were in the outside world?" He reminded her gently.

"Huh?" Miki blinked.

"After we received your father's approval after much pestering and bargaining, you swore as long as you were outside, you would face everything head on without reservations and a bright smile." He sighed.

The strawberry blonde's eyes widened as she remembered that promise she made to both herself and the butler. Her lips tugged into a wide grin as she nodded. "Of course, I do." She giggled. "And that's what I will be doing." She affirmed him, the sparkle in her eyes returning in an instant.

"That is a relief to know." Arden's voice grew softer and a bit higher from relief.

"How are things going, in Spain?" Changing the subject, Miki asked.

"Successfully, Milady," Arden reported modestly. "The Fernández family has no word of your movements," He paused. "However..."

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Sitting up, Miki supported herself with her elbow on her bed as she pursued.

"Milady..." He hesitantly uttered. "I do bare some news that I hoped to deliver the next time I wrote to you, however, I believe now is a better time to speak of it."

"Arden, what happened?" Furrowing her brows, Miki grew worried at the serious tone her butler was using. "Is something the matter?" Each second that ticked by grew more agonizing as she waited for his reply.

"The Fernández family... has gone bankrupt," Arden announced reluctantly.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 22-

A Princely Brother's Love!

"The Fernández family... has gone bankrupt," Arden announced reluctantly. 

Miki's eyes widened as she heard him say this. She gasped slightly and sat up straight. Her eyes flickered to her large window as she stared out into the night. "What does this mean? For both my mother and I?" She finally managed to choke out.

"If they are smart and care for your wellbeing" Arden spoke with a hint of possibility. "They will transfer their custody of you over to Master Yuzuru, and you will be permanently under his care. Lady Elisa will more than likely be safe, as the likely choice for them is to go into hiding, nothing bad will befall upon them." He reassured

"Really?!" Hearing this option, Miki almost lept up into the air. Instead, she settled on standing up with a bounce. "Do you truly mean it, Arden? Will I be officially under the Suoh family name? Mother will be safe?" And will she, dare she say it. "Will I finally be free?"

"If that were to happen, yes, milady."

With her hand quickly slapping over her mouth, Miki stifled a yelp of joy. She instead opted to gasp as she began to pace around her room as a million thoughts swirled in her mind and combined into a storm. She felt her eyes water slightly and her nose turn sore. Her breath became shaky and uneven as she imagined the possibility of finally being able to announce her name out loud with no hesitation. She swallowed again, feeling a lump form at her throat. "Arden..." She croaked. "I-I don't know what to say." She giggled, trying to blink back the tears that began to swirl and gather at the corner of her eyes.

"It's getting rather late on your end, why don't you rest first?" Arden suggested a small sound of shuffling suggested he was moving papers around in the background. "I will send in the information regarding the Monar Royal Family in the morning and keep you updated on the Fernández family."

"Okay!"

"Milady," After a few moments of silence, Arden muttered.

"Yes? What is it?" Tilting her head, Miki hummed.

"Do you remember our promise?" With a slight shuffle on his end, Arden asked.

"Of course I do!" Tilting her head, Miki chided. "Always smile, because a smile can change your life. I keep that advice to heart every day!" She chirped, excitedly smoothing out her nightgown.

There were another few moments of silence before Arden huffed out a breath. "That's good, good night."

With her fingers trembling and her heart still pounding, Miki pressed the end call button after bidding her loyal butler a good night. She had a big day tomorrow, as the twins came up with a plan to service the princess and she was more than happy to be a part of it.

***

Arden hung up the phone with his liege with a gentle smile on his face. Placing the phone down next to his laptop, he cast the screen another glance.

The news of the Fernández family's bankruptcy has already flooded the media, and reporters who were hungry for their share of money jumped on the chance to investigate the prestigious family thoroughly. Arden sighed softly as his emerald eyes flickered to the phone, remembering the immense joy that flowed through Miki's voice once she learnt of the possibility of her being free.

If they cared for her wellbeing.

***

"You woke up early this morning," Tamaki teased as the limo carrying the two zoomed off in the clear morning towards Princess Michelle's luxurious hotel. "I didn't even need to wake you up." He chuckled.

As they began to pull over, Miki chirped happily. "I went to bed rather early last night." She paused for a second, studying Tamaki as he glanced out the window at the hotel, eyes already searching for the princess. "Say, Tamaki-kun?" She called out to the blond, earning a small 'hm,' a tender smile and a tentative look. "Let's do our best today, and get the Princess to smile, okay?" She tilted her head with a lively beam.

Tamaki flinched, it was as if she could read his heart. He froze for a moment before letting out a small laugh. He reached out a comforting hand and placed it onto Miki's head, who's face turned blank and puzzled as he ruffled her hair affectionately. "Thank you, Miki." He breathed out gently as his body language relaxed. "It already means a lot to see my dearest sister, smiling."

Hearing his words, Miki's face broke into a bright grin. "All the more reason to do my best then," She clenched her fists, holding them before her chest.

Tamaki nodded with a chuckle as the limo door opened and he stepped out, gesturing for Miki to follow.

Just as she was about to get out, her phone let out a small beep and a vibrate. Fishing it out of her bag, Miki checked the message she was expecting. Sure enough, it was Arden's report on Princess Michelle. Her eyes quickly scanned over its contents before her mouth gaped open.

"Eh?" She gasped, eyes widening in shock.

***

Haruhi was left frozen at the front gates of Ouran Academy. Three Indo-Asian Elephants with the hosts accompanying them, dressing in Thai attire as they paraded through the streets and into the Academy. Leading the pack was Miki, riding the elephant with her legs to one side, greeting the crowd enthusiastically. Tamaki and Kyoya were below, walking along with the giant creature as they too waved out. Princess Michelle sat on the second one, looking rather unfazed by the spectacle she was participating. Hikaru and Kaoru walked together with her elephant, waving with broad grins at the onlookers. Honey rode the final one with a happy expression as Mori guided the animal indifferently.

"Ah! There she is!" Miki noticed Haruhi first and began to wave at the brunette, who wanted nothing to do with the embarrassment. "Haruhi! Hey!" She greeted airily, unable to stop giggling as the excitement of riding an elephant for the first time pumping through her veins.

"Good Morning Haruhi! Would you like a ride on the elephants?" The twins greeted her.

"Why is there a somewhat Indo-Asian parade?" Haruhi grumbled, stepping away and into the awestruck crowd that waved to the hosts and the Princess.

"Isn't it fun? You should have expected as much!" They grinned.

"It was kinda tough!" Honey chuckled shouted merrily as he waved to Haruhi. "We had to make sure my elephants would be ready in time!"

"These are your elephants?!" Haruhi jolted.

"We had to prepare quickly," Kyoya stated with a slight smirk. "So there was a little bit of trouble controlling traffic on the way from the princess's hotel."

"The parade started at the hotel? How embarrassing..." She mumbled with a sweatdrop.

"It wasn't embarrassing; it was tons of fun!" Sliding down the trunk of the elephant like a slide at the park, Miki giggled as she landed on her feet next to Kyoya. "I never imagined I'd actually be able to ride an elephant! That's one thing off my bucket list now." Her hazel eyes were once again filled with the sparkles of adventure and excitement. She pulled out a notebook from her school bag that she had god-knows-where and ticked something off in an exaggerated manner.

"That's because you have no shame..." Haruhi sighed with a deadpanned smile.

Kyoya couldn't help but agree with Haruhi's observations. When Honey first introduced his pet elephants to the club, she was hopping around like a bunny with her usual enthusiastic beam. She asked the lolita if she could pet them ten different times in that thirty minute prep time they had. He was pretty sure those poor creatures felt harassed by the overly eager girl. Pushing his glasses up, he let out a sigh. At least she seemed back to her usual, cheerful self.

"Hm? Kyoya-kun, is something wrong?" Miki tilted her head at him with a curious expression.

"No, it's nothing."

"With all the hustle-bustle, I didn't ask you to join us, Haru-chan. Forgive me." Honey apologized to Haruhi with fake tears in his eyes.

"That's all right; I appreciate the sentiment." Averting her eyes, the brunette muttered.

"Here we are!" Helping the princess off of the elephant, Tamaki offered her a hand. "If you please, Princess Michelle, I shall escort you to your classroom across a carpet of the fresh rose petals prepared by the gardening club!" Gesturing down a carpet that sure enough, was scattered by rose petals, Tamaki smiled.

"Why thank you," Michelle responded indifferently.

As they got to class 1-A, Michelle sat down with a thoughtful expression.

"You do know," She placed a hand to her chin as she spoke in an elegant manner. "My family is well acquainted with all the other venerable families. My brother and I are especially close to Duke Baden of France. He always makes it to my birthday banquet. When I told him about my visit to Japan, he said he wanted to come see me. I assume he'll arrive in a few days; I'm sure I can introduce you all to him." The corner of her lips curled in an unbalanced smile as the students of the first years class gasped in awe.

Suddenly, the twins appeared next to her in gentlemanly manners, nothing like their attitudes from a day before as they offered her tea.

"There, sorry to interrupt." Hikaru raised the teacup to her, just enough so if she extended her hand, she could reach the handle. "Your throat must be dry; we prepared a special herbal tea." He offered.

"A special spa is waiting for you in the central garden," Kaoru added with a bow. "A beauty salon is also available; please enjoy them at your leisure."

"Those two..." Haruhi grumbled. "They've changed completely. Today they're going all out."

"They said that for Tama-chan's sake, they would serve Princess Michelle with the utmost generosity." Honey commented, leaning in next to Haruhi.

Slamming a fist on her hand, Miki blinked. "Isn't this what they called two-faced?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Passing the tea back to Hikaru with a slight frown, Michelle waved the boy away. "This tea doesn't suit my taste. Could you prepare some cranberry juice for me instead? Preferably from Canadian berries." She asked.

"Yes, with pleasure." Hikaru saluted, his eyebrow twitching out of annoyance as his patience already began to wear thin.

Michelle then turned to Kaoru. "And I believe the central garden is enclosed by buildings, could you please erect the spa room somewhere open?"

"We'll have it reconstructed right away." Copying his brother's salute, Kaoru grinned fakely.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble." Michelle flashed a honeyed smile. "My brother will be so thankful for your kindness."

"It's no problem at all!" The twins yelled, their hands and body twitching out of anger and annoyance.

"They're spirit of generosity was short-lived." Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Considering it's those two, they did their best!" Honey cheered, watching as the two run off in anger.

After a while of resting, and the twins itching to snap and slap the selfish princess, Tamaki stepped in. "Are you tired, princess? Shall I show you to the relaxation room?"

"Yes, if you would." Michelle stood up, and guided by Tamaki, she left the room, leaving the twins growling in sheer anger as they bawled their fists, trying to suppress the urge to punch her. As Haruhi and Honey attempted to calm them down, Kimiko approached them with a slightly troubled expression.

She called out the brunette gently. "Um, Haruhi. Something has been bothering me." She paused as the hosts' attention quickly darted to her. "I think the Princess has been lying."

"Huh?" Everyone quickly became dumbfounded. "She's been lying?" They repeated.

Kimiko nodded slowly as she tapped her chin. "Duke Baden has been a family friend since my grandfather's days, but I've never heard that he's a friend of the Monar Royal Family. Besides, I think he's in Switzerland seeking medical care for his wife. There's no way he could come to Japan now."

"But why would the princess..." Haruhi's voice trailed off as Kyoya stepped in.

"Her talk about the luxurious life at the royal palace is also false." He explained with a hand in his pocket.

"Kyoya-senpai." The twins muttered.

"Monar appears to be rich on the surface, but the gap between the rich and the poor is considerable." Kyoya continued. "The newly ordained king Laurence is very conscientious. He doesn't allow even the royal family to live extravagantly. It's extremely unlikely that she has a luxurious lifestyle."

"But," Lifting a finger, Miki added. "I heard he is a wonderfully proactive king who often visits his people to listen to their voices and opinions." She pointed out with an all too cheerful smile.

"You knew all along?!" The twins shouted, pointing at Miki.

Blankly Miki shook her head. "I had Arden check it out for me, I just learned of all of this, this morning."

"That princess!" Hikaru growled."She's not only selfish, but she's also a liar!"

"Why didn't either of you tell us sooner?!" Kaoru yelled.

"You never asked." Miki tilted her head, blinking.

"How are we supposed to ask if we didn't know?!" Their voices came together as the twins shouted at the clueless girl.

"I feel bad for Tama-chan!" Honey cried.

Letting out a sigh, Kyoya pulled Miki away from the twins who looked like they were ready to lash out all their pent-up anger from waiting at the hands and feet of Princess Michelle onto her. "Regardless of whether she's lying, didn't I tell you? It's still worth getting in the good graces of Royalty." He stated. "Besides, I think Tamaki knew a long time ago."

***

Michelle stood before the falling leaves of the schoolyard. Kyoya's predictions were correct, Tamaki had her figured all out. She glanced up at the falling leaves of fall as a wave of annoyance and defeat crashed over her when a bell-like voice rang behind her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

She whipped her head around to see a girl with strawberry blonde hair that was a little taller than her, smiling back brightly. She recognized her as part of 'the host club' as well as being the girl that sat near Tamaki when they paraded down the streets of Tokyo.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Princess Michelle." Greeting her, Miki gathered up the nerves to pace next to her as her hazel eyes flickered up to the leaves. She hummed as her hands found their way behind her back and she began to rock her weight from heel to toe.

"W-Well yes, they certainly are." Trying to maintain her composure around the stranger, Michelle forced a chuckle.

"You needn't pretend in front of me," Giggling playfully, Miki winked at her. "Keeping up a façade like that must be tiring, is it not?"

She felt the Princess flinch beside her, before muttering. "How?" She paused, voice raising. "How do you and Suoh-san know?"

Averting her eyes, Miki glanced back up at the red and orange leaves as they fluttered down in the fall wind. "I don't know about Tamaki-kun, but..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes crinkled. "Perhaps you and I are more similar than you think."

"Huh?"

"You are acting like this so you could return to Monar with your brother, right?" Staying focused on a single leaf as it floated down from the tree, Miki asked. "I'd say, it's because I understand how you feel."

Michelle's sapphire eyes widened as she studied the beaming girl next to her. "You do?" She stared incredulously.

"Mhm." Miki nodded, her curt movements resembled a child's. "Because for the longest time, I felt the same way. It's difficult to explain, but it's a warm fuzzy feeling. The yearning to see your brother, no matter how far they are. Just for a while, for a day you want to spend time with him. I guess it's a common feeling for us little sisters, huh?" Pressing a hand against her chest, she glanced to the side, locking eyes with the flabbergasted princess. "However, I promise, your brother loves you very much. He sent you to such a beautiful country at such a beautiful time after all." Leaning forth, she flashed a reassuring smile as the wind picked up. More leaves began to fall, and Miki's strawberry blonde hair got caught in the breeze, swaying. Humming, her eyes shot back at the leaves and lit up. "The leaves at this time are truly stunning." She giggled.

Those words seemed to have struck a chord with the once elegant princess as she stepped forth roughly and began pulling on the branch with a foot planted against the trunk. "My brother said the same thing! What's so pretty about these stupid leaves anyway?"

"Princess?" Shocked by her sudden outburst, Miki blinked.

"Hey! There is Princess Perjury!" The twins appeared, having searched for the Princess along with many others. Their presence snapped Michelle out of her anger as she glanced at the now broken branch in her hands.

"What are you talking about?" She chuckled, holding the twig. "By the way isn't this something? The branch just fell off-" She attempted to walk forward only to trip on the root of the tree she broke the branch from and fall flat on her face, suppose it was karma from the tree.

"Are you alright, Princess?" Miki quickly knelt down to help the blonde as other gathered.

"Princess, are you hurt?" Soga, the class president of 1-A, ran over.

"Are you okay, Michelle?" Honey cried.

"Are you hurt?" Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Princess, can you stand?" Kyoya waltzed over.

"You should watch where you're walking." The twins chided.

"Why..." As Miki helped her up, Michelle began to sniffle. "Why are you all being so nice to me?" Lifting her face, she cried. "Why did everyone put up with my selfishness? If everyone hated me, I was sure my brother would let me go back..." Sitting up, she began to sob. She looked up at Haruhi. "I was so mean to you... And all that money wasted on me... The hotel is luxurious, and nobody points out my obvious lies. The meals are gorgeous and amazingly delicious, it was hard to pretend they were nothing special."

"Life at the palace must be dratted poor..." The twins muttered under their breath.

Michelle then looked down. "And to top it all off, you brought elephants... In front of all those people... The parade was so embarrassing I could've died." She muttered, burying her face in her hands in shame.

"In any case," The twins sighed. "It's all right if you acted selfish to get everyone to hate you, but wouldn't your brother be angry if he knew?" They shrugged as Michelle went through the sudden revelation.

"That's true... What should I do? I hadn't thought that far..." Michelle muttered as more tears began to form in her eyes. "Wahh! My brother will hate me!" She cried as people hurried to comfort her. "My father and mother died so suddenly; my brother is all I have. He says he cares for me, but he pushes me away... I want to be of more help to him." She sniffled as more tears rolled down her pale cheeks. "I just wanted my brother to spend more time with me." She admitted before a look of shock flashed across her eyes. "Oh! That's right! Suoh-san! He acted like he knew everything!" Immediately her eyes snapped to Miki as she went through another mood swing, now in the midst of panic. "Miki-san, what should I do? Even now, he could be telling my brother all the bad things I've done..."

The strawberry blonde opened her mouth to comfort the stressed princess when Haruhi spoke up. "Tamaki-senpai would never do that." She stated. "He's not that type of person." She crouched down next to the princess. "He was probably waiting for you to realize on your own, losing your parents is hard, but nothing will change if you wait around. He wanted you to have the courage to tell your brother how you truly feel, and to see your true smile."

Suddenly, footsteps began to echo through the courtyard followed by two voices. They quickly looked up to see two figures in the distance.

"Oh, there you are, Princess!"

"It's Renge-san." Miki waved her hands, realizing that Michelle's grip has loosened as her fingers were brought to her lips.

"Hehe, a special guest has just arrived!" Renge tittered as she gestured the man behind her, dressed in formal wear.

"Michelle." He wore a tender smile.

"Brother!" Michelle exclaimed.

Staring lovingly at his teary-eyed sister, Prince Laurence's eyes crinkled. "This whole time, I was desperate to preserve what our parents left behind, to make our country more prosperous and peaceful. So that everyone in our country," He leaned in placing a hand on Michelle's tear-stained cheek. "But most of all you, my dearest sister could always smile."

Miki's eyes widened as she stood up slowly.

It already means a lot to see my dearest sister, smiling.

She quickly snapped out of her flashback when Michelle glanced over hopefully at her, responding with a warm, close-eyed beam.

"Brother!" With that, Michelle jumped into her beloved brother's arms.

With the beautiful reunion between Princess Michelle and Prince Laurence, Miki's eyes automatically began to search for her brother, who she found not far behind a pillar, overlooking the situation with a kind smile. She slipped out of the crowd that began to gather around the royal siblings and bolted over.

To Tamaki's surprise, Miki popped the corner and immediately tackled him into a big hug in the shadows. He leaned back onto the pillar he hid behind for support as he felt her arms tighten their grip around his waist. "Miki, did something happen?" With a wry chuckle, he began to stroke her hair in a doting and affectionate manner, fixing the stray strands that moved when she lunged at him. "What's this suddenly for?"

Miki snuggled her cheek closer into her brother's chest with a brilliant smile. "I'm just... grateful for you." She stated, leaving Tamaki a little puzzled.

I'm sorry, Tamaki-kun. R ight now,  I can't tell you how much you mean to me or even call you 'Big Brother' out loud. But, I'll be patient. Because I'm sure, one day, I'll be able to tell you 'I love you, Big Brother' without hesitation.

I sincerely hope that day, is coming very soon.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 23-

What Miki can do for him!

"What?! Milord is absent with a cold?!" In Music Room #3, a new incident has arisen, beginning with the twins' dramatic exclaim as well as the loud gasp of Honey. Even Mori, who was usually stone-faced turned dumbfounded. Miki swore she could've seen a lightning bolt crash down like how this new information was being jolted into them.

The strawberry blonde nodded worriedly, her usual radiant beam replaced with a small, concerned frown. "He has been in bed with a fever since last night, Shima-san wouldn't even let me visit him out of fear that I would catch it."

Kyoya stood next to her, clicking on his phone as he pulled up a message the blond had sent to him during classes. "And I just got this text from Tamaki himself," He informed them as everyone quickly crowded around the small screen.

----------

I'm dying.

Fever, throat, rubby nobe (^o^)/

----------

"It reads like a cold medicine commercial." Hikaru sweatdropped as his brother held the phone.

"He probably meant 'runny nose,' right?" Honey chirped as he sat on Mori's shoulders, overlooking the text.

"And why the cheerful emoticon?!" Kaoru grumbled. "You should save this, Kyoya-senpai, to laugh at later."

"But Milord never gets sick!" Hikaru snapped out of his usual hobby of jesting Tamaki as his expression turned dark.

Kaoru nodded as Kyoya took back his phone. "It could be a sign of Armageddon!" He agreed.

"Haru-chan, let's escape! There'll be scary thunder!" Honey ushered, taking the confused brunette by the hand.

"Even Tamaki-senpai must get sick sometimes-"

"What?! Tamaki-sama has a cold?!" The guests who were arriving in the host club exclaimed at the sudden news.

"Suoh is out sick?!" Even the male students who merely passed by shouted out in distress.

Everyone quickly filed into the room as whispers and murmurs of worried flooded the usually lively and cheerful music room as students began to discuss Tamaki's condition. It seemed like without the flamboyant blond, the club's atmosphere was completely thrown off balance. Haruhi couldn't help but deadpan at the congo line of people, all worried over the king of the host club.

"Not Tamaki-sama..." Tsubaki, one of his regulars, placed a hand to her lips. "He's never even had a single cavity. He's always bragging about his good health."

"I didn't even know it was possible for Suoh to get sick." Kotaro nodded.

Sora sighed dramatically as she cupped both her cheeks. "He must be lonely since Princess Michelle left, he cared for her like a sister."

Like a mother, not like a sister. Most of the host club grumbled under their breaths.

"Come to think of it," Sora continued as she glanced up, tapping her chin. "He was acting strange even before the princess left." She commented.

"Milord is always acting strange!" The twins shot down that idea in unison.

"No, he's been out of sorts for days now." Shaking her head, another guest agreed. "Two days ago, he put 30 spoonfuls of sugar into one cup of tea. Then proceeded to write a poem."

"A poem?" Miki repeated, tilting her head.

"Ah yes, I was there. It was something along the lines of 'More than sugar, Is it okay to be so sweet? A father's love.' Tamaki-sama sounded so cool reading that poem!" Sora agreed, squealing cupping her reddened cheeks.

"What the heck is that?!" The twins laughed, slapping their hand against the table as comical tears poured out of their eyes. "It sounds so dumb!"

Haruhi sweatdropped as the girls continued to squirm and the twins chortled. "Isn't a Haiku supposed to be by five, seven, five syllabuses?" She grumbled.

"That reminds me," Ayame placed a hand at her chin, glancing to the side. Her long curled hair laid softly on her shoulders. "He was reading a childcare book during class. It's odd for him to study so hard."

"He asked me about my relationship with my parents." One of the guests spoke up.

"Me too."

Suddenly, a large rumble echoed through the ground as well as the sound of a power motor working. The floors opened and a sound of a familiar laughter filled the room. As expected Renge stood on the revolving platform ascending from the ground as she laughed. "I bet you all are wondering what happened to Tamaki-san has been ill, but I of course never miss a moment of truth!" Lifting an all-knowing finger, she began. "Yesterday after school, Tamaki-san invited Mori-senpai to meet him behind the gymnasium. He asked 'Have you ever thought about wanting to kiss Honey-senpai?'. However, Mori's swift and clean 'No' must have been that final blow that sent him to bed!" She hummed with a sorrowful expression. "I didn't know Tamaki-san and Mori-senpai were having an affair. What's to be done though? The conversation was fairly vague..." As Renge continued to mumble off and sprout out her own theories, Mori was left surrounded by the hosts and some customers who questioned him eagerly about what the dirty blonde meant.

"Ah!" Pounding a hand against her fist, Miki gasped as her eyes lit up. "Now that I think about it..."

"What's wrong?" Standing next to her as the situation panned out before them, Kyoya raised an eyebrow as she snapped out of her silence.

"Tamaki-kun asked me something similar last night." Raising a finger, she tapped her cheek. "When we got home, he seemed rather bothered by something so I asked him if anything happened." As their conversation was cloaked by the rowdy questions thrown at a silently panicking Mori, Miki continued. "He asked me, 'Have you ever thought about kissing Father or me?'"

Placing a hand under his chin, Kyoya turned thoughtful. "And? What did you say?" He pursued.

"Hm?" Cocking her head to the side, her lips curled into a slight frown. "I told him 'Of course not, that would be considered incest.'" She stated in an obvious manner before her eyes widened with distress. "Was it something I said perhaps?" She asked in a hushed voice, covering her mouth with her fingers.

Seeing her at least possess some sort of self-awareness, the boy with black-ish green hair smirked in amusement. He placed a hand on her head, ruffling her wavy strawberry blonde hair. "I don't believe it was something you said, though I have a pretty good guess on what it was that sent him to bed."

Her heart skipped a beat as his hand continued to comb through her hair, minding the braided crown. Miki blinked, the anxiety still lingering in her chest as she wondered what could possibly have sent Tamaki into his fever.

***

While everyone was getting worked up and forming theories of their own in terms of why Tamaki has been sick, the blond himself laid in bed, worrying himself. He wasn't concerned over Princess Michelle, Mori or Miki's words.

He thought back to the day when Princess Michelle and Prince Laurence reunited under the falling leaves of the courtyard. After Miki had tackled him into a hug and gave him some strange yet comforting words, Haruhi approached him. After speaking for a little, Tamaki had a sudden revelation.

When Haruhi smiled at him...

... I wanted to kiss Haruhi! Burying his face in his pillow with a flushed face, Tamaki panicked. He was curled up in bed, sweating up a river, yet his fever didn't seem like it was going to break anytime soon. But I'm supposed to be her father! He told himself, slumping over on his already messy bed. I'm a pervert...

***

"Welcome home, Miss Miki." The first to greet the group as they made their way into the Suoh Second Estate was Suzuno, she wore her usual tender smile as she bowed to the others. "Can I take your bags for you? I can drop it off in the lounge for you." She offered the hosts.

Haruhi gasped at the grand entrance of the house. It looked more like a ballroom than the main hall. A set of staircases on each side, leading up to the same floor, the giant chandelier, the red carpet. She didn't have enough time to take it all in the last time she was here, as she was quickly dragged off by Tamaki to Miki's room.

"Ah, yes please!" The twins chimed nonchnatingly as they dropped the bag into Suzuno's waiting hands.

"Thank you." Honey giggled. "We have cake in the car, could you take that in please?"

"Yes, of course, Master Haninozuka."

When Suzuno offered an open hand to Haruhi, she shook her hands with a sweatdrop. "Oh no, I'll keep mine with me, thank you." She smiled uneasily, feeling awkward about making someone else do something as simple as holding her bag. 

Damn these rich people... She thought.

"I'll take mine back to my room myself." Miki gave the platinum blonde maid a nod in thanks. "Where is Tamaki-kun and Antoinette?" She followed up, glancing around to look for the golden retriever that usually tackled her when she returned home.

"Antoinette is in the maid's quarters as to not disturb Master Tamaki. He is currently in his room, resting." Suzuno chuckled as she clutched the five leather bags to her chest. "Shima-san and everyone else is taking care of her."

"Alright, let's go see milord!" With a chime, the twins marched forth and towards the staircase as everyone followed close behind.

"Why are you two acting as if this is your own house?" Haruhi grumbled as she looked back to see Miki who was staring down at the ground, lost in thought. "Miki-senpai?" Slowing down a little, she leaned forth to try and get in her upperclassman's peripheral vision.

Noticing Haruhi call out to her, Miki turned around as her lips automatically curled into a smile. "Yes? What's wrong Haruhi?" She gave the brunette a close-eyed smile.

"You don't have to be so worried about Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi reassured her, "I'm sure he's doing just fine."

"It's not Tamaki-kun's illness I'm really worried about." Face returning neutral, Miki placed up. Holding her book bag before her legs, she tapped her chin with her free hand, remembering how her 'treatment' was like when she was sick. It wouldn't be too much to assume that Tamaki was probably going through the same process with if not the same, more enthusiasm from the energetic staff.

The sound of a pair of double doors opening caught the two girl's attention as the noticed the rest of the hosts have arrived in front of Tamaki's room.

"He looks fine to me." Hikaru and Kaoru chimed, opening the doors to see Tamaki half-naked as the maids were eagerly trying to dress him in fresh pyjamas.

"We came to see you Tama-chan." Honey beamed, clutching onto Mori by the neck who looked rather uneasy. "We brought chocolate and strawberry cake!" The lolita giggled as he jumped down from the silent giant, picking up Kuma-chan who fell to the ground through Tamaki's struggle against the maids.

"Why aren't you at school?" Tamaki asked, a little awestruck.

"It's over already." The twins shrugged.

"Thank you, but we'll take it from here," Kyoya explained to the maids as they packed up to leave, a little disappointed they didn't get to serve their young master.

Hearing that, Tamaki broke into tears of joy as he glanced up in a daze. "You guys..." He sniffled with beet red cheeks.

"There, there. Don't cry." Hikaru comforted as he helped Tamaki take off his sweaty shirt. "Finish getting changed, take off your pyjamas."

"Okay."

"And the bottoms," He added.

"By the way, Milord." Kaoru grinned as he held Tamaki's spare clothes. "Haruhi is here."

Just at the same time, Miki and Haruhi have finally reached the room. The former walked in without reservation nor noticing Tamaki was mostly naked while the latter froze.

"Oop, excuse me." Haruhi blinked. "Please take your time." With that, she closed the door.

There was a brief moment of silence where Miki just stared at the door, then at Tamaki who remained still. He then quickly burst into comical tears. "You did that on purpose!" He shouted at the twins who turned away in an aloof manner.

"Oh? Did we?" They jested.

Out of energy to continue bantering with them, Tamaki flopped down onto the bed with a small thump.

"Uh-oh, he died." The twins sang.

"Tamaki-kun!" Miki rushed forth to help her brother back up, pressing her palm against Tamaki's forehead, her brows knitted together. "Your fever still hasn't seemed to have gone down." Laying him down and throwing the covers over him, she informed.

"Sorry Miki, did I worry you?" Breathing out heavily, Tamaki looked up at the strawberry blonde with his tender eyes. "This must be a heart disease masquerading as a cold." He sighed dramatically, resting the back of his hand against his face.

"Eh? Really?" Retracting her hand, Miki covered her lips. "Then what should I do? Is there anything I-"

"He's being dramatic." Kyoya corrected as he skimmed through the doctor's note. "It's just a common cold. If he takes his medicine and stays in bed he should be fine."

"My headaches and my heart aches, Kyoya." Tamaki reasoned, curled up his blanket to cover his face. "My ice pack is melted, and I'm thirsty. I'm going to die..."

"Why don't you rest, I'll get you some water and an ice pack." Smiling sweetly, Miki exited the room, leaving Tamaki in the care of the rest of the hosts.

A little while later, Tamaki laid on the side of his bed lifelessly as he watched everyone else either sitting down at the table set or exploring his room. He coughed, bringing the blanket closer to himself as he waited for his sister to return with the water and ice pack.

"Haha! Check this out!" The twins laughed as they held a scarp book each in their hands.

"'Snacks of the Commoners, Volume 3'!!" Hikaru burst out laughing as he scanned through the pages. "Milord's room is so much more interesting than Miki-senpai's!"

"Why is he putting all these snack packages in a scrapbook?" Kaoru flipped through another one, as he wiped away the tears that circled his eyes.

"Wow! They're sorted by brand and type. He even records the date he ate them and what he thought!" Honey exclaimed as he hovered over their shoulders, clutching his signature pink bunny to his chest. "He had one for candy bars, coffee, snacks, chips and even cake!"

"He may not look like it, but he's a blood type A." Kyoya lifted his glasses as he commented.

"Haha! Here's the report on delicious candy bars!" Hikaru teased.

Glancing up from the 'Commoner's Coffee Collection' Honey noticed Haruhi and Mori pressed up against a glass case display. "What are you looking at, Haru-chan?"

"Tamaki-senpai's collection of snack prizes," Haruhi replied, not looking away from the little figures that littered the surface of the shelves, like little terracotta soldiers standing there.

"Snack prizes? What are those?" The twins tilted their heads, seemingly bored of the scrapbooks already.

"They're toys that come with commoners' snacks," Kyoya explained as he, Honey and the twins paced over.

Mori was staring intently at some of the small figurines, one, in particular, he took out of its display and brought closer to his face. Though his expression remained neutral, his excessive staring at the knickknacks suggested that he had grown fond of it.

"Do you like that one, Takashi?" Honey giggled. "It's nice huh?"

"Hm." Mori hummed.

"Come to think of it, maybe Mori-senpai has a fetish for small things. Honey-senpai, for example." Hikaru hushed to his brother not-so-discreetly.

"He cares a lot about Haruhi and Miki-senpai too, and they are both pretty small," Kaoru whispered back.

"Oh! That's..." Spotting something familiar Haruhi gasped happily as she pressed her palms against the glass.

"You recognize it?" Kyoya asked.

"Yes. I used to collect them. It's from the Micca's house series." Haruhi wore a nostalgic smile as a slight flush of excitement crept onto her cheeks. "Wow, I didn't know they were still making it. It brings back memories."

Suddenly, Tamaki jumped out of bed upon hearing that. Grabbing a box, he quickly swept all of the 'Micca's house series' into the box and thrust it toward Haruhi. "Here, I want you to have them!" He exclaimed.

"Uh... That's alright." Haruhi sweatdropped. "They bring back memories but I don't really-"

"Take them!" Tamaki insisted, his fever not helping to calm his already stirring emotions.

Seeing no way to reject his sincere offer, Haruhi stammered. "T-Thank you.." Reaching out, she attempted to take it only for Tamaki to jolt back in shock once her fingers brushed against his.

Letting out a shriek, the blond jumped back in surprise as he dropped the box.

"Hey, what's wrong with you milord?" The twins raised an eyebrow, quick to defend Haruhi as she was knocked back to the ground from his sudden outburst.

"Tama-chan, are you all right? Your face is bright red!" Honey pointed out in concern.

"I'm done for..." Running a hand through his hair and down his face, Tamaki squeezed his eyes closed as tears brimmed. "My heart is pounding, my chest hurts, my headaches..."

"Maybe we should call a doctor..." Honey suggested as Tamaki began wobbling back towards his bed on unsteady steps. That was when the doors of his room opened, revealing Miki.

"Tamaki-kun, I brought you the ice pack." She beamed excitedly, lugging a bulky plastic bag into the room.

Everyone's eyes shot to her as they fell silent, just staring at her cheerful expression to see if she was serious or not, despite knowing that she most likely was.

"M-Miki-senpai..." Hikaru lifted twitching a finger to point at the oddly shaped bag. It was as if she dumped a pile of bricks in there.

"What is that?" Kaoru finished, a little scared to know the answer.

"Huh?" Miki tilted her head to the side as she blinked. "It's a pack of ice, an ice pack." She stated, lifting up the white plastic bag. "I thought I explained I was going to get one."

Silence once again ensued.

Tamaki let out a tired sigh as he floated over to his bed. "Don't worry about me anymore, Miki. I'm just a pervert." He spoke in a self-deprecating tone, leaving Miki to wonder what happened. Pulling over the sheets, he chuckled dryly. "Now Haruhi, please allow your perverted father to rest in bed..." And with that, he tumbled into his bed and accidentally knocking over a photo frame in the meantime.

Watching him curl up into a pillbug in the comfort of his sheets, the hosts sweatdropped.

"Is he really all right...?" The twins commented. "Maybe the fever has gone to his head."

Noticing the photo frame, Haruhi paced over to pick it up. "Tamaki-senpai? Something fell..." Her voice trailed off as she got a peek at the photo before Tamaki snatched it out of her hands and hid it under the blankets with him.

"Miss Miki." This time, strict voice filled the room as Miki stiffened up. Shima stood at the door to Tamaki's room with a stern expression. "I have told you many times not to approach Master Tamaki while he is sick, haven't I? Your body is much frailer, it doesn't take much to get you sick." She reminded.

"Sorry, Shima-san..." Lowering her head like a child being scolded by her mother, Miki apologized quietly.

"The rest of you, if you please, tea is waiting for you in the salon. Come this way." She gestured the hallway behind her.

Honey let out a small cheer for joy as he bounced out of the room, everyone following behind as they left Tamaki to rest. Miki kept her head down as she furrowed her brows, handing the bag of ice to Shima as they made their way downstairs.

"Kaoru," She called out to the ginger-haired boy who was speaking to Honey.

Turning around, the calmer of the twins hummed in response. Slowing down his steps, he allowed their pace to sync up as they descended the long staircase to the main floor. "What's up, Miki-senpai?" He grinned, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"I... Well..." Miki hesitated as she looked down at her feet, her reluctance was fairly out of character for the usual cheerful strawberry blonde. "I want to do something for Tamaki-kun." She explained, hands clutching before her dress. "He took care of me while I was ill, and I wanted to do the same for him. I tried to help make porridge for him last night but the staff told me not to."

That's because you don't know how to cook... Kaoru thought to himself with a sweatdrop, remembering Misuzu's loud shriek when she attempted to back in Karuizawa.

"I then tried to take care of him, but for some reason, it wouldn't work out well."

That's because you think ice packs are a pack of ice...

"I thought if I couldn't do that, I'd at least stay by his side, but Shima-san wouldn't allow it out of worry that I'd become sick as well." Concluding with a final sigh, her hazel eyes dulled as her eye line dropped. "What should I do in this situation? I want to try and be there for Tamaki-kun, but I don't know what to do."

Falling silent, Kaoru thought for a moment. "I think you should just do what you do best," He shrugged with an aloof expression.

"Huh?"

"You are trying too hard to fit in with what you consider is correct for a 'sibling,'" He pointed out casually. "But there is no correct way of going about it. Just do what only you can do for milord, and I think you'll be fine."

"What I can do... for Tamaki-kun." Pressing her index finger against her bottom lips, Miki hummed before glancing back at him. "Do you help Hikaru with managing his emotions?" She blinked, speaking in a lower voice as to not let the older twin hear.

Surprised by her sudden observation, Kaoru remained silent as to urge her to continue.

"You said so in Karuizawa, 'He just doesn't know how to act, except to force his own feelings onto others, so he becomes monopolizing, like a child.'" She recited his words, raising a finger with a soft smile. "So it is thanks to you, he is beginning to learn how to claim independence over his emotions. That is something only you can do because you understand him the best, right?"

Hearing her analysis, Kaoru chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder as Haruhi and Hikaru conversed. "I guess you could say that," He muttered as his eyes began to dull. "But one day, Hikaru may choose to let someone else into his life. At that time, I may be... at a loss for what to do."

Miki's eyes darted between his amber eyes and Hikaru who walked alongside Haruhi. From the tone of his voice... Does Hikaru have romantic feelings for Haruhi as well? She wondered as the two's conversation tuned into her ears.

"You know Haruhi," Wrapping his arms above his head, Hikaru averted his eyes. "You pay an awful lot of attention to milord."

"Huh?" Haruhi raised an eyebrow.

"Well, like with the princess the other day, you said 'Tamaki-senpai would never do that.'" He paused for a moment. "That surprised me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to say it yourself?" Placing a hand to her mouth, Haruhi apologized.

Hikaru gave her a weird look as his arms returned to his sides. "Ha? What are you thinking?" He questioned.

"Because, if I hadn't, you would have, right?" Haruhi pointed out.

"What? Well..." He scratched his sideburn awkwardly. "I guess so..." He mumbled. "But not just me, Kaoru would have too..." Realizing something, he quickly shoved his hand into his pocket. "So you mean it's not unusual for anyone who knows milord to say something like that?"

"Yeah." Haruhi nodded curtly.

Suddenly, Hikaru broke into a wide grin. "I see. Yeah, that's right. I gotcha now." He chuckled, patting the brunette on the head cheekily. "By the way, what did milord grab out of your hand?"

Pausing for a moment, Haruhi's eyes seemed to have grown distant. "It was a photograph." She explained. "She looked a little like Princess Michelle, but even more like Tamaki-senpai."

As Haruhi said this, Miki froze on her steps as her eyes grew wide. A conversation with Tamaki back from the first day when she moved in resurfaced in her mind.

***

"Miki, have you sat under a kotatsu before?" As he assisted her with unpacking her DVDs, Tamaki asked the strawberry blonde as she put away her empty photo frames.

"A kotatsu? What is that?" Glancing up from the crystal clear frame in her hands, Miki raised an eyebrow.

"EH?!" Hearing her response, Tamaki nearly dropped some of the precious DVDs as he jumped back in complete and utter shock. Lightning bolts of revelation crashed down upon him as he stared at his newly arrived half-sister as if she were some kind of alien. "A-A-A-A Kotatsu! Miki! You don't know what that is?" He exclaimed more than asked. "Listen to me," Grabbing the confused blonde by the shoulders, Tamaki spoke firmly. "A kotatsu is a symbol of happy family life in Japan! You kick each other's feet under the kotatsu, play fighting while watching the Costume Grand Prix, and build bonds of trust among family!" His ocean like eyes turned pitiful as he stared at a very confused Miki. "You poor child... Leave it to me! When winter comes, we'll go to Kyoya's place! I'll have him get a kotatsu ready for us!" He promised, obviously disregarding Kyoya's say in the matter.

"Tamaki-kun, you really do like this kotatsu thing, huh?" Despite his long monologue about the uses of kotatsu, Miki had never understood what the item exactly was. Instead, she opted to comment on his evident passion for the subject.

"Of course!" Flamboyantly, Tamaki exclaimed as he turned on his heel to open his hands. "It's a dream of mine, our whole family, dining under the kotatsu." He paused for a moment as he realized something. "That's right! You too, Miki!" He beamed. "You need to join us at the kotatsu with your mother as well! Once I get grandmother's approval, the six of us, You, me, father, maman, and grandmother can all sit under a kotatsu and dine together! We will need a pentagon-shaped one then!" He cheered.

"Dining... Under a Kotatsu together?" Miki repeated, her brain having difficulties following that much information at once. However, she quickly broke into a bright smile. Grabbing Tamaki's hand, she nodded.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" She encouraged.

***

"That's right..." Spinning around on her heel, Miki muttered. "Right now, the only thing I can do for Tamaki-kun is..."

"Miki-senpai?" Kaoru tried to snap her out of her trance, but he was startled when Miki pushed her feet off against the ground and bolted upstairs. "Miki-senpai, where are yo-"

"I figured it out!" Not even looking back, Miki shouted. "Thank you Kaoru, I know what I can do for Tamaki-kun now! Give me two hours max!"

Sprinting up to her room, Miki didn't even bother to change out of her school uniform. She scooped up her book bag that leaned against her chair and pulled out her tablet. Opening a draw in her desk, she also pulled out a couple of Japanese furniture pamphlets she kept for resources and flipped to the page about kotatsu. Then, she paced over to her small collection of photo frames and scanned over them, swiftly. Her finger lingering on each one before ultimately deciding on a vintage wooden one. Gingerly, she picked it up with both hands and brought it down, placing it next to her tablet on her desk.

Turning on her drawing tablet, she picked up her stylus.

Princess Michelle looks very similar to Anne-san. So I'll use her a reference. Wasting no time at all, her pen began to move on its own accord. Tamaki-kun is always taking care of me, so this is the only thing I could possibly offer him in return...

***

Suzuno rushed down the hallways towards the study with Miki's tablet. She had just been instructed by the strawberry blonde to print out her most recent piece of artwork when she noticed a familiar man speed down the corridor. "Master Yuzuru!" She exclaimed, eyes widening. "What about your business trip?"

"I'll return shortly." Lifting a hand and gesturing for her to stop the questions, Yuzuru briefed past her. "Where are my kids?"

"Master Tamaki is in his room resting; Miss Miki is in her room as well. Their friends are in the salon. Now, if you'll excuse me." The maid listed off everyone's location in the mansion as she bowed and hurried off.

Stepping into Tamaki's darkened room across from Miki's closed doors, Yuzuru pulled up a chair and sat next to his son. Tamaki laid in the sheets, a sweaty mess as he murmured. "Ugh... I'm such a pervert."

He may be my son, but he looks like a fool when he's asleep. The man thought to himself. It's cute though.

As the blond shuffled in his bed, the blankets shifted to reveal that he still clutched the photo of him and his mother close. Yuzuru noticed this, and let out a wry smile. "I'm sorry, Tamaki." He muttered. "To tell the truth, I could arrange for you to see your mother behind your grandmother's back. But I'm waiting to see if you have the strength to win your grandmother's acceptance and the ability to take over me to head the Suoh family."

"Father?" At this point, a bell-like voice rang behind him. He swiftly whipped his head around, spotting his daughter standing with her back against the light. "You didn't tell me you've returned, welcome home." She beamed softly as she approached Yuzuru.

"Miki, it's good to see you too." Standing up from his seat, Yuzuru enveloped her into a warm embrace. "What are you doing here? I thought we agreed not to let you come to close to Tamaki while he's sick." He chuckled, as Miki affectionately wrapped her arms around her father's back.

"I wanted to give him this." Gesturing the wooden photo frame in her right hand, Miki tilted her head with a bright beam.

"Hm, let's see." Leaning in closer to see the newly drawn artwork inside, Yuzuru flinched for a moment before his lips curled into a soft chuckle. He crisply placed a kiss on Miki's forehead, shocking her. Then he turned back to look at his son who was grumbling in his sleep, he sighed. "Both you and Tamaki, such adorably foolish children." He commented as he leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss on Tamaki's forehead as well.

Stirred by the sudden brush, Tamaki touched the spot where Yuzuru kissed. Opening his lead like eyelids, he turned his head, spotting his father and Miki.

"Ah, you're awake." Yuzuru teased. "Peek-a-boo!"

"How are you feeling?" Miki tilted her head, still holding the photo close to her chest.

"I just woke up." The blond corrected. "Kissing your son! What are you a pervert?" He whined.

"No, it's incest." Miki corrected with a straight face.

Sweatdropping both his kids' response, Yuzuru reasoned with a mischievous grin. "I'll always feel like kissing my adorable children, no matter how old you two get."

"Really?" In a daze, Tamaki sat up, slightly dumbfounded.

Seeing his silly face, Yuzuru stifled a teasing chortle. "Of course, would your father lie to you?"

"Really? Truly?" Tamaki's misty eyes began to brighten at his father's affirmation.

"Yes!" Lifting a finger, Yuzuru grinned. "It's no exaggeration to say a father is proud to feel this way." He explained.

Miki blinked at his response, remembering the kiss Kyoya gave her back at the summer festival. Her hand subconsciously glazed against her cheek, where she could still remember the strange sensation lingering.

There was a small knock on the door as Haruhi poked her head in. "Excuse me, we're about to leave, but I forgot my snack prizes." She paused once she noticed the chairman, sitting next to Tamaki's bed.

"Haruhi." Miki chirped.

"Hello! So you came too!" Yuzuru was quick to greet her. "You're Fujioka Haruhi, right? I've heard a lot of good things about you."

"Mr. Chairman, I didn't know you were here," Haruhi responded. "I'm glad-"

Before Haruhi could finish her sentence, however, Tamaki grabbed her wrist and reeled her in. Copying his father, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. As he pulled away, the previous pain and tension in his voice seemed to have vanished as he grinned back at a confused Haruhi. "A father is allowed to do that!" He stated as he fell back onto his bed, dropping asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

"Oh, yeah..." Glazing a finger against the spot where his warm lips touched, Haruhi sweatdropped. "He's a kissoholic; I should watch out."

"Well then, I'll just leave his gift here." Smiling cheerfully, Miki set up her gift to Tamaki on his bedside table, where the photo of his mother usually resides. She gave her sleeping brother one last look before turning to Haruhi who had gathered up the box of snack prizes. "You said you guys are leaving? I'll go see you off," Dashing forward, she looped her arm around the brunette in a routine manner. "Come on, let's go!"

"Ah, Miki-senpai, please don't pull!" Haruhi protested as she was once again being dragged around by her immaturely mature upperclassman, leaving Yuzuru wondering what had just happened. However, he quickly snapped out of it as his eyes turned to the photo in the gift Miki had left.

A simple drawing of a six-people family sitting around a kotatsu table, dining in complete bliss.

***

As the Ootori limo pulled up in the driveway, at last, Miki and Kyoya were standing at the front porch of the mansion. The rest have already left, the twins insisting on taking Haruhi so she wouldn't need to carry the box of snack prizes home herself.

"Well," Holding his book bag under his arms, Kyoya moved out the door. He smirked at the strawberry blonde who seemed to be lost in thought about something. "Give my regards to your family." Turning his head, he was about to leave when he felt a light tug on his sleeve.

"Wait." Miki's eyes darted up as the locked eyes, and he shot her a weird look.

"What is the matter?"

She blinked with her usual blank and clueless face, indicating she was confused about something. "Kyoya-kun," There was a moment of silence as Miki's eyes flickered down before meeting his once again. Her grip tightened around them hem of his sleeve tightened and she fidgetted slightly. Opening her mouth, she finally spoke. "Do you see me as your daughter?"

.

.

.

Kyoya felt his eye twitch at her question. Readjusting his glasses to hide his annoyance, he sighed in an irritated fashion. "Where did you get that idea from?" He questioned as he turned his full body to face her, her hand retracting.

"You kissed me here." Her fingers trailed up her cheek to the spot, pointing at the tingling spot. "Father and Tamaki said it is common for a father to want to kiss his daughter."

Closing his eyes, Kyoya couldn't help but sigh again. "I do not see you as a daughter-figure, Miki." He swore he felt almost ten light years only just by having this conversation with her.

Feeling a sense of unexplainable relief run through her, Miki averted her eyes. Why did she feel... happy? Knowing he didn't see her as a daughter. Shaking that thought out of her head, she allowed her fingers to remain against her cheek. "That's good," Letting out a small sigh of relief, she chirped. "It would be troubling if you did see me like that," She told him honestly.

Humming, Kyoya leaned forward as he brought his face closer to hers. "Is it?" He questioned with a smug smirk. "And pray tell, why would that be?"

"Because I'm older than you, it would be strange for you to think of me as a daughter-figure, wouldn't it?" With a sweet smile, she stated bluntly.

Kyoya froze as he thought for a moment.

Mistaking his silence for a sign of elaboration, Miki explained. "Tamaki-kun has told me already; your birthday is in November right? I was born in June, which would make me slightly older than you."

Kyoya felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance as he began to look visibly agitated.

Seeing that Kyoya was upset, Miki peered up at his face curiously as she wondered what could the problem be. "If it makes you feel better," She began, not sure if it will help. "I don't think of you as a son-figure." She spoke in an airy voice.

"Miki,"

"Yes?"

"Stop talking."

Miki tilted her head as she blinked. It didn't seem like it helped.

Kyoya turned around as he began to walk out the doors of the mansion before remembering something. "That's right if I recall correctly. You mentioned that you wanted to work in the production designing industry for recognition of your skill, right?" Opening his school bag, he pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper and passed it to her.

Taking the sheet, Miki opened it gingerly to find information for an opportunity to work as an intern, on the production sets of Boston in the upcoming September. All she had to do was submit works from her portfolio by the late spring. Miki gasped, she peered up at Kyoya who huffed out a chuckle at the sheer amount of joy present in her eyes.

"Get this, and I'm sure you'll gain plenty of recognition." He informed her with a small smirk on his lips.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 24-

Honey Captures her Soul!

Which designs should I submit though? As she scrolled through every design sketch stored on her tablet, Miki hummed. The police-themed is a personal favourite of mine; the guests loved the pirate-themed, Heian-themed was another fan favourite.

"Achoo!" Honey's sneeze was just the wakeup call she needed as she snapped back into reality from her wonderland of designs. She glanced over at the lolita, spotting him with Mori nearby, passing him a tissue box. Four guests fussed over him as they placed down their forks.

"Oh, Honey-senpai, do you have a cold?" One girl asked. "It's easy to get sick when the seasons are changing."

"No, I'm fine." Rubbing his nose awkwardly, Honey giggled.

"Take care of yourself." Another girl who Miki recognized as Sumire warned tenderly with her hand near her lip. "I actually feel slightly feverish myself."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Princess Sumire." He flashed his usual dashing smile as he offered the tea to her. "Warm yourself up with this ginger tea, and we'll use it to divine whether that fever is from a cold or your feelings for me."

Cupping her reddened cheeks between her palm, Sumire let out a squeal as she swooned over his sugar-coated words. "Tamaki-sama!"

"Tamaki-sama, are you also a fortune teller?" One of the guests asked.

"A fortune teller?" Gasping, Miki tilted her head. Like a cat, her ears perked up excitedly as her eyes shone with excitement. "Tamaki-kun, you can tell people's fortunes?!" She exclaimed with shimmers in her hazel eyes.

"Yes, of course." Reaching out a hand to no one in particular, Tamaki readjusted his hair. "Did you know that since ancient times, people have read their fortunes in flora and the stars? But today the common folk use everyday items such as electrical appliances and stationary." He informed them. "At first, I was impressed by their skill in entertaining themselves without spending money, but then I realized it was a symptom of the emptiness in their busy lives! They'll use anything to feel better, in an attempt to confirm the significance of their existence!" Hand clenching into a fist, he struck a dramatic pose.

"Tamaki-sama, you are so cool!" One of the guests exclaimed.

"Please tell me my fortune!" Sumire pled.

Bouncing over to an empty seat next to Sumire, Miki giggled. "Tamaki-kun, tell mine next!"

"You're amazing Tama-chan!" Honey praised.

"Milord seems to be in perfect form after recovering from that cold," Hikaru commented, sipping on a cup of warm commoner's coffee.

"If he had stayed abed longer, we might have learned to miss him." Kaoru shrugged with a sweatdrop.

"Oh, Haruhi! Haruhi!" Glancing up from his cards, Tamaki beamed as he gestured for the brunette to come closer. "Let daddy tell your animal fortune!" He offered. "Are you a bunny? Or maybe a birdie? Come here!"

"I don't really care about that..." Haruhi hummed before pulling up a chair and sitting at least five feet away from Tamaki. "Please make it quick." She spoke as if it were nothing.

Reaching out shakily, Tamaki blinked. "Huh? Why are you so far away? Daddy is over here."

"I'm just being safe." Haruhi reasoned.

Hearing her words, the blond jolted back in shock. "Eh? Why?! Did I do something wrong?" He panicked as his eyes darted back and forth, brimmed with comical tears.

"Hm? Don't you remember Tamaki-kun?" Miki tilted her head with a finger to her chin. "When you were sick, you-"

"It's fine if you forgot." Interrupting her upperclassman, Haruhi spoke firmly.

"What are you talking about?!" Tamaki shrieked as the tears poured out of his face like a water dam. "What should I do? My daughter is in a rebellious stage! I know! I'll seek the answer by fortune-telling!" And with that, he scrambled through the cards in an attempt to figure out what was wrong when a hand crept onto his shoulder like a spider.

"Ah! I didn't know you liked fortune-telling, Suoh-kun." Nekozawa peeked up out of nowhere with Belzenef in his other hand, scaring the two blondes half to death.

"Nekozawa-senpai!" Darting behind her chair, Miki peeked out cautiously.

"Eeek!" Tamaki yelped, and his face turned pale.

Laughing maniacally, Nekozawa grinned. "You should join the Black Magic Club!" He muttered. "We're currently holding our late-fall fortune-telling campaign. I'll give you some special training."

Tamaki let out another screech as he dropped the cards, he sprinted behind Kyoya who paid no mind to him.

"That's right... I have some great news for you Haninozuka." Turning towards Honey, who was indulging in his afternoon cake happily, Nekozawa announced with a dramatic finger point. "Congratulations! Our very own mistress of maledictions has chosen you to be her sacrificial victim."

"Malediction?" Sneaking sheepishly away with tears of shock in her eyes, Miki repeated with questioning eyes.

"In other words, curses," Kyoya replied, still not glancing up from his work.

"Eeeh?!" The host club's eyes widened.

~Miki's Mind Theatre~

Honey tied to a stake in a witches pot.

***

A girl with beautiful long black hair and dull eyes approached Kasanoda who jolted in fear at her presence.

"H-Huh?!" The redhead responded choppily, trying to retain his tough persona.

"You've been fraternizing with the host club recently, are you acquainted with the one they call 'Honey-senpai'?" The raven-haired girl asked with no emotion in her voice.

"Uh? N-No, not really." Kasanoda trembled slightly at her unsettling aura.

"I see, sorry to have inconvenienced you." With that, she pulled a wooden voodoo doll out of her bag and slid it towards the already horrified mafia's future leader. "Please accept this as my apology." And then, she walked away, leaving Kasanoda and the rest of her classmates in a panic.

"Kanazuki Reiko, first-year, class D, Black Magic Club member. Her family runs a high-class tailoring service in Japan. Her hobby is casting curses, and because of this she doesn't fit in with other students." Kyoya recited as he read through his notebook, glancing up at Tamaki, Miki, Hikaru and Kaoru who all peeked through the doorway of class 1-D.

"She's the one that wants to use Honey-senpai in her soup?" Miki blinked as she tilted her head in confusion. "She seems very nice."

"What makes you think she's gonna cook him?" Haruhi felt a sweatdrop behind her head as her shoulders slumped.

"Because Nekozawa-senpai said 'sacrificial victim.'" Lifting her finger, Miki with a serious expression. "She might use him to concoct a potion."

"Miki, she is the one cursing him, not cooking him." Readjusting his glasses, Kyoya corrected her.

"Do you know why she is cursing you, Honey-senpai?" Seeing that if this conversation went on, they'd be stuck here forever, Kaoru quickly changed the subject.

"I've seen her somewhere before, but I don't remember her exactly." Honey cried as he clung to Mori's back.

"She doesn't wear a black cloak like Nekozawa-senpai does." Haruhi pointed out.

In unison, the twins shrugged with a headshake. "Class 1-D sure has a lot of freaks. Like Bossa Nova-chi."

"Wahh... Why me?" Honey whined as tears circled in his eyes. "Why am I cursed? Is she really going to cook me?"

Seeing his cousin in such distress, Mori stayed silent as he placed Honey down on the ground. Then, in one crisp movement, he snapped around and marched towards the classroom. "I'll go have a talk with her..!" He grumbled.

"Ahh! No violence, Mori-senpai!" Tamaki was quick to stop the silent giant before Nekozawa appeared again.

"That's right." Placing an arm around Tamaki's shoulder, he chuckled darkly. "Interrupting the curse would only invite more calamity." He affirmed, causing Tamaki to shrivel in fear and crumple in Miki's arms as she too was as white as a sheet from the president of the black magic club.

"Wahh! I want to eat cake" Honey cried desperately as he clung onto Mori. "I don't wanna be turned into a potion!"

"Scary, no?" The twins whispered not-so-discreetly to each other.

Things are heating up... I want to go home. Overlooking the situation, Haruhi sweatdropped.

"Haninozuka, don't you remember?" Grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat, Nekozawa lifted the Belzenef puppet that moved with his words. "Kanazuki says you stole her soul. She intends to take yours as revenge. Here's proof, It's Kanazuki's eraser, I secretly took it. " Pulling the object out of his cloak, he took off the outer layer of paper surrounding it. "She wrote your name on it, once she uses it up your soul will be hers." Everyone crowded around, peering down at the object. There was the words 'Mitsukuni Haninozuka' with a heart, written in black ink neatly on the white rubber surface.

A moment of silence ensued as Hikaru and Kaoru snatched the eraser out of the dark-cloaked male's hands.

"There is a heart on it... Um... Isn't this..." Their voices trailed off as they laughed uneasily.

"And this is Kanazuki's hand mirror," Nekozawa continued, handing the antique to Tamaki and Miki. "She wrote Haninozuka's name on it using pink nail polish in order to steal his soul." Sure enough, this one had the same words, this time with two hearts instead.

"Her handwriting is quite adorable," Miki giggled as she held the mirror by its handle.

"Um... I think I know what this is." Hikaru's eyebrow twitched slightly as he glanced over the strawberry blonde's shoulder.

"Yeah... The girls used to do this in elementary school..." Karou added, looking equally weary.

"Huh? What is it?" Miki glanced up at the two, a little confused.

Nekozawa hummed."Are you not familiar with it? It's a relatively popular curse." He stated, holding up a reference book that read, 'A Lovey-Dovey Girls Victory in Love: Charm Book.'

Seeing the book, the host club moved back in shock and revelation. "Those aren't curses! They're elementary school love charms!" Hikaru, Kaoru and Tamaki gasped as Miki took the book curiously and began flipping through them.

As the twins stepped back, they bumped lightly into Reiko was on her way out of the classroom. With her monotonous voice, she informed them. "No... They are curses." Then, she noticed Honey. "It's nice to see you, Haninozuka-senpai." She greeted him with no emotion or enthusiasm what-so-ever.

"H-Huh?" Being suddenly called out by a girl he was afraid was going to cook him, Honey stepped back cautiously.

Reiko reached out and plucked a strand of hair off his head with a deadpan expression. "One hair, if you please." She muttered.

"Ow!" Honey cried as Mori hurried to comfort him.

"If I tie this with one of my own, it will bind your soul to mine." She explained as everyone watched her incredulously, not knowing what to say.

At this moment, Miki's eyes skimmed across the pages of the reference book. Finding a section that read, 'Eraser Love Charm! - Write the name of your loved one and use it up, the person will surely fall in love with you as well!'." She blinked slightly before glancing up at Reiko who had completed in attaching the short blond strand to her own raven hair.

"Kanazuki-san," Miki tilted her head. "Are you perhaps in love with Honey-senpai?" She asked bluntly.

Reiko glanced up from the two firmly tied locks with a blank face, almost mirroring Miki's clueless one. "Technically speaking, he stole my soul." She corrected as she pulled out a handkerchief and gingerly placing the combined locks of hair onto it.

"I think you mean he stole your heart..." Tamaki laughed uneasily.

Isn't that dangerous? The heart is an essential organ in the body after all. Holding the reference guide to her chest, Miki wondered. She glanced at Kyoya who lifted his glasses with a brow raise. It was as if she could hear his voice tell her, 'Metaphor, Miki,' as he always did.

"Well, I don't know what it's commonly called." After a moment of silence, Reiko folded up the handkerchief and tucked it into her bag. "But to be specific, Honey-senpai occupies 90% of my thoughts and causes my heart to palpitate. His external appearance satisfies my fetishist tendencies. I have a weakness for pixies. He took my soul, so now I must take his." Turning on her heel, her prim raven hair trailed behind her as she chuckled in an unsettling manner. "Thus, until Honey-senpai's soul is mine, I will continue to curse him."

"So she does love him," Miki gasped as she pounded a fist against an open palm as if it were some kind of major revelation at this point.

"That's what you took away from this?!" The twins shouted.

"Huh? That's not all," Glancing at Reiko's lone figure walk down the halls as people actively attempted to avoid her, Miki giggled. "Even though Tamaki-kun told me to stay away from the members of the black magic club, I think Kanazuki-san is a nice person and quite adorable." Tapping a finger to her chin, Miki chirped happily.

Miki-senpai, just what do you find adorable? Averting her eyes, Haruhi grumbled as she remembered her attempts to pet the 'adorable alligators' back at the water park.

***

Honey sat at his chair in a daze three days later, completely drained of energy. He arms slumped loosely around Usa-chan as he absently stabbed his fork into his usual strawberry cake, stuffing it into his mouth. Reiko's love curse attack has been intensifying day by day. First, she wrote their names on a pair of chopsticks to eat soba noodles with. Then she visited his classroom and requested him to write his name for the hundredth time on a piece of paper where she had already written it 99 times. Finally, she got him to untie a ribbon together, claiming it will 'bind their souls for eternity.' The raven-haired girl seemed intent on 'capturing his soul' with one of those curses.

"Honey-senpai looks exhausted," Haruhi pointed out, watching as he ate his cake at an abnormally slow pace. "Is there anything we can do?"

"We could try one of those curses for her," Miki suggested with an airy smile.

"No, I don't think that will help." The brunette instantly denied. "Also, those are clearly 'love charms.'"

"Hm..." Tamaki shuffled close to the two girls, standing next to Haruhi. "We now know they are only love charms, and I can never ignore the feelings of a girl in love-" Glancing down, the two noticed just how close they were and Haruhi immediately shuffled away, placing Miki in between them.

"Hey!" He shouted.

Suddenly, a fit of laughter erupted from the lounge area. Everyone turned to see the twins hovering over the coffee table. Kaoru was snickering into his hand like a child as Hikaru waved them over. "Hey, come here! Take a look at this" He gestured. "We used milord's cards to predict Honey-senpai and Kanazuki-san's love fortune."

"Really?" Bringing her fingers up to her parted lips, Miki gasped. Jogging over with a slight bounce to her step, she asked. "Let me see."

"They came as a perfect match," Kaoru told her as he held up an Ace of Hearts card clipped between his index and middle finger.

"if you think about it, it's rare for someone to seriously fall in love with Honey-senpai." They spoke in unison, glancing over their fortune-telling session. "They're polar opposites, so they must be perfect together."

"You two should take into account Honey-senpai's feelings." Tamaki scolded.

"Eh? What do you mean by seriously?" Miki's brows drew close as she cocked her head to the side. "There are so many girls who like Honey-senpai."

"Most girls tend to feel maternal towards him rather than romantic," Kyoya informed as he glanced towards the lolita who was still eating his cake in contemplation. "What should we do, Honey-senpai? This may interfere with the club's business. If there is anything I can do-"

"No..." Shaking his head, Honey looked down with a hint of sorrow and pity in his big brown eyes. "I've been watching her and..." His voice trailed off, his fork resting on his lips as he spoke. "She doesn't have many friends outside the black magic club. I don't think she can talk to other people that easily. The only way she knows how to communicate is through curses and charms." Letting out a small sigh, he picked up another piece of cake. "Although, it could just be her personality, but-"

"Excuse me, Honey-senpai." Before Honey could finish his sentence, Reiko appeared behind him out of nowhere. "May I borrow your bunny?" She more stated than asked.

"Huh?! Why?"

"If I can cast a spell on something important to you, your soul will be mine." With that, she snatched the pink stuffed animal out of the lolita's arms. "I'll give it back tomorrow."

"No! That's my Usa-chan!" In a fit of worry, Honey jolted up from his seat.

Paying no attention to his protests, Reiko was about to head for the door when Mori pulled Usa-chan out of her thin arms with a stern expression, shocking everyone. He fixed his stare at her, watching as she narrowed her onyx-like eyes in annoyance. "If you want his heart, shouldn't you do something else?" He questioned.

"Hand over the stuffed animal; if you stand in my way, I'll curse you." She spoke in a calm yet defiant tone.

"Being cursed by someone who doesn't consider other people's feelings will have no effect on me at all," Mori replied, his expression still not changing as he paced back to Honey, giving him back his Usa-chan. "You'll never win someone's heart that way, no matter how many charms you use." He told her firmly.

Reiko fell silent as she stood contemplatively. Her hands were resting before her as her eyes averted to the side. "But there's no point in thinking about the feelings of others..." She spoke quietly. "No one tries to understand me, and certainly no one will grow to like me. Talking is a waste of time, so now I use curses right from the start."

"You can't do that, Kanazuki-san." Miki's bell-like voice caught everyone's attention as she stepped closer to the first-year.

"You are... Class 2-A's Aphrodite, Suoh Miki." Reiko named her, her chilling eyes growing weary.

"Aphrodite?" The twins raised an eyebrow each.

"It seems to be a nickname she has gained among the girls of our class," Kyoya explained with his arms crossed.

"Please, just call me Miki." Giggling, she took Reiko's cold hands in her's. "However, Reiko-san, you need to communicate with others to be heard." Her eyes crinkled tenderly at the raven-haired girl. "If you don't say anything, no one will be able to understand your feelings."

Eyes flickering down, the black magician fell silent. 

"She's right, Rei-chan." Honey approached her, holding Usa-chan. "If you want me to like you, let's talk more." He offered. "I don't want my feelings to be controlled by curses. I want to know about the things you like, the things you're not good at and what makes you happy. I'd like to hear all of those things." He admitted as a light flush of red to creep up on her pale cheeks. "Rei-chan, I..." Flashing a sincere beam, Honey tilted his head. "I like girls who fight to overcome their weaknesses." He revealed, causing Reiko to blush furiously. Her eyes widened as they began to sparkle in the bright light. She glanced at Miki for a few moments, who returned her look with a radiant beam as she let go of her hands with a nod of reassurance.

"I like... curses." Hands finding each other before her, Reiko admitted. "I'm not good at talking to people. But, a week ago, when you reached out for me when I fell, and you smiled at me... That made me... very happy..."

"Oh, now I remember," Honey muttered. "You're the one who tripped over Usa-chan when I dropped him." He pointed at Reiko with realization.

"Huh?!" Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, Miki and Haruhi all gasped at the reveal of information.

So in the end, the perpetrator was Honey-senpai. Haruhi sweatdropped as she thought to herself.

Seeing the slight shame on her face in her previous actions, Honey chuckled. "So, Rei-chan would you like to eat some cake together?" He offered.

"Y-Yes!"

***

"Aphrodite?" A few days later, Kyoya raised an eyebrow at Miki as the host club was in session. The two leaned against a wall as the rest of the hosts were busy doing their thing at their stations.

Nodding with a sound 'mhm,' Miki responded all-too-cheerfully. "I think Sora-chan came up with that nickname. Did you know they said my advice on love is super effective? You could consult with me too, Kyoya-kun." She chimed, lifting a finger with that radiant smile of hers.

Readjusting his glasses, Kyoya felt his fingers twitch. "If you are still asking that, that title clearly doesn't suit you very well." He commented, causing Miki's expression to turn into wide-eyed.

"Hm?" Tilting her head to the side, she blinked. "Why is that?"

Not wanting to deal with her denseness at the moment, Kyoya's eyes flickered back down to his notebook. "Nevermind." He sighed with a hint of irritation as his pen moved at a rapid pace, jotting down the calculations for the monthly budget review. He felt his consciousness being distracted as a pair of hazel eyes remained fixed on him. He felt like a statue in a museum, being observed by a curious child from all sorts of angles. "What are you doing?" Finding himself unable to concentrate or simply ignore her, he finally questioned.

"I was just wondering when she'll be here," With an airheaded giggle, Miki bounced her weight between her two feet. "It should be time soon, shouldn't it?"

"The reservation book is that one," Pointing at an identical black book on the table next to them, Kyoya informed her. "But yes, she should be here soon."

"Can I double check?"

"Be my guest."

At that moment, the doors to the clubroom opened as Honey's new customer stepped in. Miki gasped in excitement as she turned on her heel to greet her, her fluffy hair trailing behind from the momentum of her twirl. "Reiko-san, you're here?" She greeted her underclassman enthusiastically, quickly darting away from Kyoya's side.

"Yes, it's almost my appointment time," Reiko replied with her usual emotionless face as she stared blankly at Miki.

"Come on, Honey-senpai should be done soon." Taking the silent girl's hand, Miki tugged gently as she guided her towards the lolita and his giant partner with a bright beam. "I'll get some cake for you guys, alright?"

Almost overwhelmed by her energy, Reiko nodded slowly. "Thank you very much... Miki-san." She called to the strawberry blonde by her name, averting her eyes out of the slight embarrassment that stirred in her chest.

Miki's bright smile, open posture and strawberry blonde hair made her an apparent contrast against Reiko's flat expression, closed-off body language and raven hair. Together they looked like yin and yang, the complete opposites, yet so natural together. 

"Ah, Rei-chan!" Greeting the shy girl, Honey waved with a giggle. "Welcome! Come on, let's have some cake!"

This may be the start of a perfect relationship as well as the beginnings of an extraordinary friendship.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 25-

Opposite Side on the Test of Courage!

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Miki collapsed onto her desk, completely drained of energy. Shifting her head tot he side, she gazed out the window and towards the brilliant blue sky.

"Miki," Spinning around on his chair, Tamaki called out to her in a playful tone. "Don't look so tired; we still have our 'Halloween special week' club activities coming up." He reminded her as he folded his arms on the backrest of his chair, resting his chin on it. 

Her hazel eyes lit up slightly as she remembered the special day called 'Halloween' was coming up, her head perked up and she was once again charged with energy. "That's right!" She gasped with excitement as she jolted up. "Halloween, the day where it's okay to demand candy from people, or else you are allowed to play a prank on them right? That sounds so exciting! Maybe if someone refuses to give me candy, I can test out some moves I learned from Crime? Crime Drama ♥." She sighed dramatically as her hands cupped together, resting next to her face.

"No, Miki." With a wry chuckle in adoration, Tamaki corrected her as he waved his hand. "No violence, okay?" He sweatdropped, trying calm down her wild imagination.

"We are going, you two." Peering at the two blondes, Kyoya said with his bag clipped under his arm.

"Coming!" They chimed after sharing a small grin.

***

"Miki-san, what are you doing?" As she entered the club, Sumire hovered over the strawberry blonde.

Glancing up from her catalogue, Miki blinked before breaking into a radiant smile. "I'm trying to find a costume to wear to the campus party on Halloween." She explained, slightly confused when Sumire sweatdropped at the magazine she held.

'Scariest Beasts on the night of Death.'

"I think you'd be better off as something cuter, don't you think?" The girl laughed uneasily. "You know, something more playful, like a witch or a fairy?" She suggested.

"But isn't Halloween supposed to be a scary day?" Cocking her head to the side, Miki looked quizzical at Sumire's advice. "Why would I dress up as something cute?"

"Eh? Well..." Placing a hand to her lips, Sumire pursed her lips. "It's pretty common for us girls to dress up as cute things, you know? To look cuter."

Averting her eyes back to the catalogue, Miki gazed blankly at the photos of zombies and frankensteins. All of these foreign words and concepts she has never seen or even contemplated about in her life, it honestly baffled her that people could come up with such absurd ideas. So it's a gender thing? She wondered before opening her mouth and speaking her thoughts. "But if this holiday is supposed to be scary, I experience the full effect by dressing up as something scary." She stated with a small head tilt.

"I guess you are a pretty traditional person, Miki-chan." With a small chuckle, Sumire swept a few strands of her long stray hair behind her ears. "If you need any help, I'll do my best to assist you, alright?"

Nodding, Miki beamed at the brunette who walked away, before shifting her focus to the hosts who were dressed up as vampires. She hummed, remarking how 'vampires' turned out nothing like what she had imagined.

They are just humans with sharper teeth and wearing a cloak. She thought with a hint of disappointment on her face. They would have been much scarier if they really were bow-tie wearing leeches.

"Tamaki-kun, you're a vampire this year, right?" With a hushed voice, Sora breathed as Tamaki approached her and Tsubaki dressed in his host club costume. They sat at a Transylvania styled room Miki had readied almost weeks in advance. Elegant purple chiffon curtains, candle lights and the spooky sweet setting, Tsubaki turned starry-eyed. 

"You look just fantastic." She complimented.

"Can I get a treat from you, in the form of some blood?" Cupping the girl's cheek, Tamaki whispered and leaned in seductively.

Tsubaki froze for a moment before close her eyes in compliance. "I cannot give you any," She denied with flushed cheeks. "So please, play your trick."

"Then, here comes the kiss of death."

"Me, next!" Sora squealed.

"Hey there," The twins greeted as they slid into the clubroom with Haruhi.

"You guys are late," Tamaki scolded, breaking out of character. "Hurry up and get changed."

"Oh, from now until Halloween day..."Hikaru began with his hands on his hip.

"...we're skipping club activities..." Kaoru continued.

"...by your leave," They finished in unison.

"What?!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"How come?" Honey questioned curiously.

"We have a class event until Halloween day, so we're busy getting ready for that," They explained.

"A class-event? We aren't doing anything like that." Miki whined with a small frown.

"It's an optional event," Kyoya informed her. "If it's a class event then it can't be helped."

"That being the case, carry on!" The twins sang, dragging Haruhi away into the darkness.

"Wait, wait, why are you taking Haruhi with you?!" Tamaki reached a hand out with a slightly paled face.

"Well, Haruhi is in our class, after all," Turning around slowly, Hikaru gave a devilish grin.

"We're having a special test-of-courage tournament at the school, at night," Kaoru added, making the same expression.

"The school!?... At night..." Tamaki's knees turned weak as he began to wobble.

"Special test-of-courage!?" Focusing on a different part of the conversation, Miki jumped up from her seat and closing the magazine. "Lucky, I want to play too!"

"Hmm?" Rubbing their chins playfully, the twins leaned in to observe her face. "Test of courage's aren't games, Miki-senpai." They warned her in an ominous tone. "Monsters could be lurking anywhere, ready to jump out and scare you."

"Whatever it is, bring it on!" Clutching her hands in fists, Miki struck a power pose as she stared at the twins with determination. "I'm not afraid of anything." She winked an eye in confidence.

"For some reason, I don't doubt that." Haruhi deadpanned at her claim.

"Haruhi, are you seriously planning to attend such an improper nighttime event?!" Tamaki shouted seemingly repulsed by her unbothered behaviour.

"Well, class camaraderie is important, and all," Haruhi explained.

"Camaraderie? Camaraderie, you say?" Tamaki repeated, his fingers twitching. "What kind of camaraderie is that?! How trampy... Letting his little girl go playing around at night is something that Daddy...Something that Daddy absolutely forbids!"

Noticing Kaoru standing to the side, not joining Hikaru as he placed a hand on Haruhi's shoulder. Miki gazed at him curiously as he seemed lost in thought, she tilted her body to the side, getting into his peripheral vision as she blinked.

"Is there something on my face?" Snapping out of his thoughts, Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"Kaoru, can I join your test of courage?" After confirming it was him, Miki broke into a mischievous grin.

"It's a class event, Mik-senpai." Chuckling wryly, Kaoru shook his head. "You are a year older than us."

"Awe, that's too bad." Pouting, Miki's shoulders slumped, she turned away as Kaoru placed a hand on his hip.

"Okay, let's go Haruhi." He announced as he returned to Hikaru's side as the two dragged Haruhi away.

"Adieu, sir!" They waved smugly.

"Hey, wait! Include me in your event, too!" Tamaki reached an arm out in an attempt to stop them, but the first-year trio has already left. 

"It won't work Tamaki-kun, I asked Kaoru if I could join already." Pacing over, Miki was still frowning in disappointment as she stared in the direction where they had vanished. "It's too bad; I really wanted to participate as well."

Hearing her wish, Tamaki snapped out of his depressed state and turned to Kyoya. "Kyoya, Miki has spoken and it is my job to deliver." Posing confidently, the aura around him sparkled as he lifted a finger and pointed at him. "Find a way where we can participate in this test of courage event immediately." He beamed, clearly not disguising his wish to attend the event under the disguise of helping his sister 'experience new things'.

Suddenly a familiar series of creepy chuckles echoed out of the doors that lead to the black magic club room, disguised as a coffin door. It creaked open slowly to reveal Nekozawa, wearing a knowing smirk as Belzenef twitched in his hand.

Shrivelling at the sight of him, Tamaki's voice turned rasp as he began to back away. "Nekozawa-senpai, when did you..."

"I just heard something quite interesting." The dark cloaked figure hummed. "Is that right? Do you want to participate too, Suoh-kun? Belzenef believes it will be fun too. If it's the unfathomable terror they're after, those of us in the Black Magic Club will have to do our part, as well." With his announcement, the member of the black trickled out of the door from behind him, all dressed in their black cloaks, wearing creepy grins. Miki recognized one of them, as she instantly turned into an energetic puppy. She waved and whispered a greeting to her new friend.

"By all means, let us give the 1st-years a Halloween present they won't forget," Nekozawa suggested with another series of eerie laughter.

As the black magic club began to retreat back into their clubroom with equally creepy laughter, Reiko moved forward and grabbed onto Miki's wrist, causing a slightly confused 'Eh?' to escape the blonde's throat. She tilted her head as she felt a small tug as the raven-haired girl walked off.

"W-Wait! Kanazuki, where are you taking Miki?!" Jumping into defensive mode, Tamaki attempted to stop them only for the coffin door to slam closed. The last thing he saw was Miki's confused hazel eyes, blinking.

There were a few moments of silence when Tamaki's body suddenly crumpled to dust at the shock of having his sister taken from him. He collapsed to the ground as his sparkling aura quickly filled up with mushrooms of sadness. "Miki..." He muttered. "Did Miki just get kidnapped from me? She went with Kanazuki so willingly too..." His hand was grasping his arm as he muttered. "Will she stay down there? Will she convert to the black magic club? She's been becoming less afraid of black magic with every passing day thanks to Kanazuki..." Eyes shooting up, he stared at the remaining hosts seriously. "Do you think she's going to replace me as a sibling with Kanazuki?"

"There, there, Tama-chan." Rubbing his back with a faint giggle, Honey hemmed. "Miki-chan wouldn't leave you," He reassured. "Not when you have all her precious DVDs, right?" He pointed out as Tamaki's gloomy aura almost immediately dispelled.

"That's right!" Wiping away his comical tears dramatically, he shuddered. "While I still have her collection of DVDs, she wouldn't even think of leaving!"

"Reiko-san, where are you taking me?" Still being taken by the wrist, Miki leaned her body to the side as they descended a very dark set of staircases. The only light source they had were the candles on walls, flicking ominously. She couldn't help but feel her limbs begin to lose energy and her hands trembled in slight agitation at the door that shut behind her. She swallowed hard, hearing no answer from the silent girl as a dark spruce door came into view. Nekozawa, who was leading the pack, threw the doors wide open with a readied grin. Peeking out from behind him, Miki noticed a couple other people sitting, holding skulls and books also dressed in the same black cloak as Nekozawa.

"We are back." He chuckled darkly, sending a slight shiver down Miki's spine, but the uneasiness vanished once she noticed just how detailedly decorated the place was. She gasped at the carefully carved wood, the dimly lit candles, the golden designs on the chairs. The placement, the layout, the attention to detail, everything promoted the spooky yet elegant atmosphere. It put her production upstairs that she spent weeks working on to shame.

"Wow, so this is the black magic club..." With a hand to her lips, Miki's eyes brightened in the candlelight.

"Woah Kanazuki, is this a new member?" One of the students who wore a black cloak jumped up from his seat with excitement.

Hearing that question, Miki snapped around, a little confused. "Eh?"

"That's Kanazuki for you!" Another cheered as a crowd slowly gathered around them. "What sort of hexes are you into?" He asked.

"Sorry, but I'm already part of the ho-" She was about to explain the situation to the eager cloak-wearers when she heard the doors slamming closed behind. Letting out a gasp in shock as her shoulders spikes, she turned around sheepishly.

"Now, Now, settle down." In his choppy yet creepy tone, Nekozawa broke up the small crowd that began to form around a panicking Miki and an emotionless Reiko. "She is part of the host club, and is Kanazuki's guest, be nice to her." He scolded, watching with a grin as the members dissolved in slight disappointment.

Reiko shifted her gaze to look at Miki; her arm was trembling in her grip. "Miki-san, are you afraid of this room?" She inquired in her monotonous voice.

"Huh? Oh no, that's not the case." Immediately shaking her head, Miki wore her pleasant smile again. "In fact, I absolutely love the architectural designs of this room. It's just..." She averted her eyes uneasily to the door that slammed closed. "I don't like the feeling of being... trapped like this." Choosing her words carefully, she rubbed her forearm with her free hand.

There was a short moment of silence between the two as the members of the black magic club were discussing their favourite charms, curses and hexes. Suddenly, Reiko's grip loosened around her wrist and she waltzed towards a desk that leaned to the corner of the room. Her movements were fluid, graceful, almost like a ghost. Miki watched in interest as the raven-haired girl picked up a feather pen and began writing something down on a piece of aged paper.

"What are you doing, Reiko-san?" Caving into her curiosity, Miki asked.

Reiko didn't respond. Instead, she continued to focus on writing on the piece of paper. It didn't take long until she picked it up and faced Miki. Without a change in expression, she extended the piece of aged paper with a strange character write on it.

"What is it?" Observing the character written in jet black ink, she followed up.

"It's a hex," Reiko explained with a quiet voice as her eyes flickered down to the talisman. "It's specially designed to countering the fear of being trapped."

"Really?!" Miki's eyes widened with awe, her lips parts as she gawked at the emotionless girl. "You're giving something like this to me?"

"Yes, it is my apologies for bringing you down here."

Holding the piece of paper with both hands close to her chest, careful not to crinkle it. "Thank you! I'll treat it with much care." Miki beamed sincerely. "By the way, why did you bring me down here?"

Reiko's onyx-like eyes shot up in surprise at the genuine recognition of gratitude, her gaze lingered for a moment before she moved out of the way, revealing a black dress arranged neatly on a mannequin. It was a Wa-Lolita gothic styled dress with golden skull designs on the skirt. Two prop crows rested on the shoulders, making it look even creepier. "I overheard you were looking for a scary costume, this is a 'Jiangshi', a Chinese hopping vampire that walks around with their arms outstretched and kills others by absorbing their 'qi'. It's a costume of mine, so... I figured..." Her eyes formed a downcast as her hands cupping before her legs, her voice trailed off.

"You brought this over for me?!" Hazel eyes were glimmering like the stars, Miki jumped forth. Shifting the talisman to one hand, she grabbed Reiko's with the other. "Oh my goodness, it's perfect!"

Reiko's dull eyes widened as a flicker of candlelight reflected into her soul. "Truly?" She whispered.

"Mhm!" With a bounce to her step, Miki observed the dress with sparkling eyes her hands glazed across the material. "This is perfect! It retains the idea of being scary for Halloween; the skull designs are gorgeous and, best of all, it's made out of chiffon." As she finished, she clapped her hands together happily. "Thank you very much!" She chirped.

Seeing that she had made a person so happy, let alone her new friend, a flush of pride crept into Reiko's pale cheeks. She averted her eyes shyly before helping Miki take the outfit off the stand. As well as stuffing a pumpkin head into Miki's hands.

"Please give this to Honey-senpai; it has a curse on it to make him appear scarier to the souls who will be in the grace of his presence on Halloween night." She explained as the two head for the doors of the clubroom. "And, remember to place the talisman on your forehead to help complete the costume."

"I will." Before the black magician could reach out for the golden vintage doorknob, Miki jumped forward. Holding her the costumes and talisman in one arm, she hugged Reiko with the other causing the raven-haired girl to flinch by the sudden affection. "Once again, thank you so much for the costume, Reiko-san!" She giggled.

"...Miki-san." Reiko stood still, not moving as her hollow eyes shifted to Miki's strands of strawberry blonde that puffed up from how fluffy it was. "I don't know what to respond with in these circumstances." She admitted.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Still not letting of her, Miki blinked. "You hug me back, silly. That's what friends do, right?" Nuzzling her head closer to Reiko's, the blonde let out a chuckle in adoration.

Letting out a slight gasp, Reiko allower her face to sink into Miki's wavy hair. Awkwardly, she reached her hand up and curled it around her upperclassman's embrace as a small smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"Are you ready to head back to the world of light?" Interrupting the moment between the two girls, Belzenef on Nekozawa's hand leaned in. "Know that you are always welcome back, especially if you'd like to join..." He began to laugh darkly at the notion.

"No, thank you." Rejecting his offer bluntly, Miki separated from her friend. "I'll be going then." She beamed brightly at Reiko who nodded as her expression reverted to its usually soulless gaze.

As the dark spruce doors opened, Miki found the energy in her feet beginning to drain once again. She stared up at the daunting stairs with a hint of fear across her eyes; the flickering candles seemed like claws that cast upon to the walls. The door on the other end was closed, firmly closed. She bit her bottom lips, trying to suppress her imagination on what would happen if that door remained shut even if she reached out to open it.

"Worry not." Reiko's monotonous voice tore through her thoughts as she kept a hand on the doorknob. "I will keep this door open until you reach that one." She explained expressionlessly.

Miki blinked at her offer before breaking into a radiant smile. "Okay!" She nodded, suddenly feeling ten pounds lighter. Giving an energetic wave, Miki spun on her heels and began to make her way up the stairs.

True to her word, Reiko didn't close the doors until the one to the host club opened.

***

"So let's go over the plan once again," Placing a finger to her lip while her other hand raised the talisman stuck to her forehead, Miki suggested. It was Halloween night and the first-years were going to begin their test of courage any second. She was gathered with Tamaki, Honey, Mori, and Nekozawa as they took over the east wing of the school, while Reiko and the other black magic club members had the west. Kyoya was present as well, but he looked rather uninterested to be participating in such events as he leaned against the wall with a flashlight, looking over his book report notes.

"Suoh-kun will be in charge of scattering the four," Nekozawa grinned excitely as Belzenef twitched in his hands from what he claimed was 'excitement.' "Once they begin running separate ways, Kanazuki and the others will capture those in the west while you three preoccupy the three science rooms. Then, I will lock them up in the Science Lab. Finally, we will meet in the indoor garden for the finale!"

"We'll be sure to give them a big scare!" Honey cheered as he jumped up with his pumpkin head. "Speaking of which, Miki-chan," Looking up, he called out to the girl. "Did Rei-chan tell you what this costume was?" He tilted his head curiously.

"I don't think so," Tapping her chin, Miki hummed. "In the pamphlet, I was reading, there is this thing called a werewolf, I didn't see any pictures, but I could only assume it would be that." Leaning down, she deduced seriously. "Werewolf, where wolf, where do wolves go? To the Pumpkin farm to eat!" She concluded, sending a small sweatdrop down Honey's head.

"Any objections?" Nekozawa readied smirk; even Belzenef looked pumped.

"Not at all!" Miki and Honey cheered with a rallying fist pump while Mori raised his hand, careful not to let his sleeve smudge the Frankenstein makeup already present on his face.

"Grr... Daddy is going to get revenge on those shady twins..." Tamaki grumbled as he squeezed the 'clocktower witch' mask in his hands.

***

As the clock struck 9 p.m., the four first-years who were supposed to be in Team B let out a loud shriek as they scattered at the sight of the 'clocktower witch,' and as Nekozawa predicted, scattered into two different groups. Haruhi and Hikaru dashed west and were instantly caught up in the trap the black magic club members set as it snatched them up as if some sort of wild prey, while Kazukiyo, the class president and Kaoru dashed towards the east.

Utterly frightened out of his mind, Kazukiyo opened the doors to Science Room #1. He felt sweat form on his back as he glanced up cautiously. "Who's there?" His voice trembled as he spotted a giant figure standing in the room, as still as a rock. To his absolute horror, the figure who was actually Mori moved and turned around, revealing a giant man with pale green skin, stitches on his face and bolts on the sides of his head.

"Nnngh..." It groaned. "Frankenstein..."

Kazukiyo began to sweat profusely. Letting out another scream for help, he abandoned that room and dashed down to the next. Slamming open the doors to Science Room #2, he breathed heavily, hoping to find shelter, only...

"The werewolf!" A little boy wearing a pumpkin mask jumped towards him, scaring the lights out of him. If he weren't so afraid for his life, he would've fainted despite how incorrectly that costume and that line matched up. Yelping, he bolted down the halls to Science Room #3.

Throwing open the doors, he leaned against it to breathe out as he prayed there would be no monsters only to look up and see a girl wearing a black dress, a talisman on her forehead and crows on her shoulders turn around. Her arms stretched out stiffly before her as she stared at him with hollowed hazel eyes. "Give me... your 'qi'..." She grumbled as she began hopping towards him limply.

Ditching that room faster than the speed of light, Kazukiyo turned on his heel and bolted out of the room with another loud cry for relief.

Seeing their plan as a big success, Miki broke character as she saw Kaoru running after the terrified class president. Peeking out into the halls she noticed they were already down the hallways and around the corner. She tittered into her hands as she turned to see Honey and Mori also stepping out of their stations.

"Where is Kyoya-kun by the way?" Eyes darting around curiously, Miki asked the two as she approached them.

Tapping the chin of his pumpkin mask, Honey hummed. "I think Kyo-chan is around the corner where Kao-chan ran towards." He informed her with a bright grin. "Why don't you go get him? Takashi and I will meet you in the indoor garden." Climbing onto the silent giant's shoulders, he suggested.

"Okay, I'll meet you there!" With a bell-like giggle, Miki spun on her heel. And ran down the hall as she hummed an energetic tune, faintly, she could hear Nekozawa speaking.

"Kyoya-kun, you're not joining in?"

"No, I'm not," Kyoya replied flatly, still not lifting his eyes from his notebook.

"Yahoo~" Peeking around the corner, Miki greeted the two with her energetic smile. Noticing the pile of military sandbags that blocked the door, she shivered, feeling bad for Kaoru and the club president. She peered up at Kyoya who was fixated on his book before turning to Nekozawa. "Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are already waiting in the inner gardens," She informed him. "Let's go and get this grand finale on its way."

"Yes, let us get going then." Nodding with an eerie sense of glee, Nekozawa began to float forward and around the corner. Miki was about to follow him, only to notice Kyoya was not moving from his spot at all. She leaned her body sideways and into his vision, staring curiously at him.

Sensing her gaze, Kyoya questioned, still not looking up from his notes. "What is it?" He asked.

"What are you doing, Kyoya-kun?" Standing on her tiptoes, Miki straightened her body as she tried to sneak a glance into his notebook.

"In case you have forgotten, we have a symbolism analysis due in three weeks," He reminded her, moving the flashlight slightly as he turned the pages. "Instead of playing around like this, shouldn't you be working on it as well?"

"But we have three weeks left to do it." Lifting the talisman, Miki reasoned. "Come on, Halloween only comes once a year. Let's go have some fun." Placing a hand on his arm, she pushed it down slightly as she peeked over with a cheerful smile. "Please?"

"Why do you insist on me going along?" Closing his eyes as he switched off the flashlight, Kyoya sighed.

Hearing his proposal Miki averted her eyes down the hallway, a small pout curled on her lips. "Because I want you to come as well," She confessed as her vision flickered down, a slightly dejected smile forming. "Of course, if grandmother goes on another long trip, I will do my best to sneak out. However, this may be my first and last Halloween in the outside world. I want to do everything while I still can." Breaking into a bright beam, she tilted her head. "And I want to do it with the people I care for the most, that is why I want you to join us, Kyoya-kun. "

Kyoya froze for a moment as he observed her body language. Despite how grave the idea of once again, being locked up alone was. She showed no signs of fear or anguish, facing everything with an open-minded attitude and a cheerful smile.

"Very well then," Letting out another sigh in defeat, he clipped his notes under his arms and placed his flashlight in his pocket as he began walking forward. "Let us get going; once Hikaru breaks out of that trap in the west wing, he will no doubt bolt in this direction."

"So you were listening to our plan." Miki giggled as she jogged to catch up with a slight bounce to her step.

"More or else." Seeing such a lively flush return to her cheek, he couldn't help but smirk. Even more so when she let go of the talisman, she kept holding up, as it fluttered down to her chin once again. "Nice costume," He commented.

"Thank you," Making a small twirl as she continued to skip next to him, Miki chirped happily. "Reiko-san gave it to me, doesn't it look scary?"

"With that smile of yours, not quite."

"Eh? What is that supposed to mean?" Hearing his remark, he watched as she turned to him quizzically. Her hazel eyes blinking cluelessly behind the piece of paper in the darkness of the Halloween night. His smug smirk couldn't help but deepen into adoration.

***

"They are here," Honey gave a thumbs up as he and Mori came back from making sure all the first years were gathered in the garden.

"Alright then," Having Belzenef rub his hands together, Nekozawa's grin widened as he positioned the cat in front of a giant spotlight. "Suoh-kun, Miki-kun, if you will please." He instructed the two as they each stood in front of a giant switch.

"Okay! Leave it to me!" Miki winked as she flipped her lever.

"Damn those shady twins; this is their divine retribution!" Tamaki grumbled with comical tears as he pulled his switch.

Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru, Renge, Kazukiyo, Momoka and the remaining students of class 1-A all glanced up to see a giant shadow looming over the dome window above them, instantly they all turned pale and let out a loud shriek in abject horror.

"AHHHHH!"

***

"I'm beat..." Tamaki yawned as the black limo pulled into the Suoh Second Estate driveway. He leaned his head back on the headrest of his seat as his arms and legs crossed before him.

"It is already past 10 p.m," Miki chided as she tilted her head with an airy laugh. "You should be heading to sleep should you not?"

"Yeah," Rolling his neck to the side, he glanced over at Miki, who stared out with window with what seemed like a permanent smile etched onto her cheeks. "Did you have fun today, Miki?" He asked as his ocean coloured eyes crinkled and turned soft and tender.

Nodding curtly, she gave a sound 'mhm.' "I never knew being the person scaring others in the test of courage was so exciting!"

Tamaki let out a huffed chuckle as the vehicle came to a stop. "We have arrived Master Tamaki, Miss Miki." It didn't take long before Koganei; the family driver opened the car door with a deep bow as he addressed the two.

"Oh, thank you." Grabbing his bag, Tamaki stepped out of the car first as Miki shuffled towards the door when her phone began to ring in her bag. Noticing this, Tamaki let out a stretch and a yawn. "I'm going to head up to my room. First, tomorrow is Friday, get some rest." He spoke as his sister began fishing through her school bag for her phone.

Finally finding the metallic object, Miki nodded at the blond. "Okay, good night Tamaki-kun."

"Sleep tight," With a weary wave, Tamaki turned around and headed up for the grand set of double doors.

Peering down at the caller ID, Miki quickly opened her flip phone and pressed it up against her ear. "Hello?" She responded routinely as Tamaki's back turned into a shadow as he opened the doors to the mansion.

As the person on the opposite end continued to speak, Miki's eyes widened, and her fingers turned stiff in the chilly autumn night. Her hazel pupils shrank as she sucked in a sharp breath.

"Eh?"

***

The next morning, after checking out the morning new article, featuring them specifically. Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru waltzed into the club room for a sudden Friday morning meeting Tamaki has called. As the two former conversed with each other while Kaoru followed behind with a contemplative expression, their chatter quickly died down as a solemn mood washed over their joyful conversation.

Tamaki, Kyoya, Honey and Mori were already present in the room, sitting at the head of their usual meeting table with an unusually severe aura around him. His eyes were covered by the shadow of his bangs, as his forehead rested on his hands that were propped up on the table. The remaining three turned to glance at them. Though Kyoya and Mori seemed rather calm and collected, Honey had his brows furrowed as he clutched onto Usa-chan tightly in his arms.

As the first-year trio shuffled into their seats in the eerily quiet atmosphere, Haruhi couldn't help but break the silence first. "Tamaki-senpai, did something happen?" She asked, glancing around trying to spot his strawberry blonde sister. "Did Miki-senpai get sick again?"

"Miki..." Tamaki muttered under his breath before bursting out shouting. "Miki disappeared last night!"

"What?!" The twins almost jumped out of their seats.

"According to Tamaki, she vanished from her room when he went to wake her up," Kyoya informed them, seeming oddly calm.

"Maybe she just woke up early" Hikaru suggested.

"Yeah, maybe she went off somewhere for the morning," Kaoru added, trying to ease the situation.

"No!" Snapping around and pointing at the twins dramatically, the blond instantly denied their idea. "Everything in her room, clothes, books, art references..." His voice trailed off as he lifted an all-knowing finger, tears still brimming his eyes. "Even her favourite DVDs are all gone!"

"What?!" The entire host club, par Kyoya stepped back in shock by that compelling argument. "Even her DVDs?!"

Suddenly, there was a series of gentle knocking on the door. Everyone's eyes shot over, Haruhi held her breath, wondering if it was the blonde as the handle turned and the door creaked open. However, instead of the usually cheerful girl, it was a young man in his mid-to-late-twenties. He had ruffled, slightly messy light brown hair and emerald green eyes. Judging by his attire, he was a butler. However, his clothing was in a slight disarray. His tie was off center and his collar needed to be adjusted. Dark circles were present under his eyes, suggesting he hadn't slept the night before.

"Apologies for my early morning visit," He bowed his head with a hand before his chest, speaking in a formal voice yet laced with a hint of desperation. "Are you perhaps, the Host Club?" He questioned, readjusting his black suit jacket and sleeves hurriedly.

"Yes, we are." Observing the young man, Kyoya replied in a relaxed yet cautious tone. "And who might you be?"

Hearing that confirmation, the man bowed once again, this time his head dipped deeper as a signal of sincerity. "My name is Arden and I have come to request your aid." He spoke in a grave tone as everyone in the club tensed up.

"Please, come to Spain and rescue milady!"

Chapter Text

-Chapter 26-

Off to Spain with the Host Club!

Haruhi sweatdropped. One moment, they were in the clubroom worrying about the disappearance of their production designer, the next moment they were not only skipping school for the day but sitting on a private jet on their way to Madrid, Spain with Kyoya's bodyguards in charge of bringing their bags. All because a butler showed up at their door. Worst of all, she seems to be the only one exceptionally baffled by these extreme developments. She peered out the window with a deadpanned expression as they jetted across the clouds beneath them. She then turned back into the vehicle. Full leather-cushioned seats, all-inclusive food and drinks, enough room for each of them to lay down and take a nap. She had never been on a plane, much less out of the country before, however, she was pretty sure it wasn't this luxurious and extravagant.

"Worry not, Miss Fujioka." Arden comforted the brunette with a gleam in his emerald eyes. "You wouldn't require a passport to enter the country as we are travelling via a private jet. Nevertheless, if the situation were to arise, I will have you covered." He explained with a serious expression as he held up a fake passport, already printed with Haruhi's name and photo.

"No, I'm pretty sure that is illegal..." Haruhi averted her eyes, already finding this butler as intolerable as the host club.

"So, Ar-chan." Honey sat in his seat next to the butler with a head tilt. "Why did you want us to fly all the way out to Madrid?"

"Yeah, what did you mean by rescue 'milady'?" The twins chimed, each sipping on a cup of ice tea as they sat comfortably in their leather seats. "Who are you to begin with?"

"I suppose I should formally introduce myself, shouldn't I?" Closing his eyes, Arden spoke slowly. "Though I am sure a few of you are already aware of my status."

"If memory serves me, you are Miki's butler, correct?" Kyoya glanced over from the seat across the aisle. Tamaki was originally sitting next to him, but he was currently at the back of the plane on the phone with presumably the chairman. "She speaks very highly of you."

"I am honoured, it is a pleasure to finally meet you all." A small smile formed on the young man's face as he nodded his head. "My name is Arden Mederos; I come from a long line of servants that served the Fernández family for generations."

"Fernández family?" Haruhi repeated, a little puzzled by all this information. "I'm sorry, I never meant to pry, but I'd really like to know what is going on here. Just how are Tamaki-senpai and Miki-senpai related anyway?" She averted her eyes. "This feels like a real-life soap opera unfolding..."

"Soap Opera?" The hosts' tilted their heads.

"I believe those are the sappy romance dramas aired midday for common housewives to watch," Kyoya explained.

"Oh, their family is a drama alright." Hikaru agreed as his eyes flickered up to the ceiling.

Nodding in agreement, Kaoru began to elaborate to Haruhi who had been kept in the dark about the Suoh family's elaborate past. "Twenty-something years ago, the previous head of the Suoh family died young; the chairman immediately married the first daughter of the Fernández family, a woman his mother chose for political reasons to assume the role of the head of the family."

"However, a few years later, he fell in love with the daughter of a French aristocrat while on a business trip to France," Honey followed up as he began eating away at a piece of cake one of the private jet staff had brought him. "That was how Tama-chan was born."

"The chairman divorced his lawful wife, and both families announced to the world that there was no fruit of their wedlock." Kaoru continued as he placed his cup down onto the table. "However, there was, and that was Miki-senpai."

"Why did they have to keep her a secret like that?" Haruhi's brows knitted together in confusion.

"The Fernández family has a high social standing worldwide, being known as one of the most prestigious in Spain," Kyoya replied. "Their house leads and maintains International Trade relations between Spain and Asia, Japan to be specific. Meaning they have ties to the Spanish Royal Family for generations. They are well known for their spotless ancestry, so having a sudden child born out a divorced marriage was unacceptable on their lineage."

"Milady was born after the divorce had happened, giving the Fernández family full custody over her. " Arden's jewel-like eyes flickered down to his white-gloved hands as he continued to explain. "Once she was at the age of three, they sent her to Japan to decrease the chanced of the public eye finding her. And left strict instructions that she was to be raised in complete secrecy." He closed his eyes with a pained expression. "So Milady was locked up, for thirteen years, confined in an inaccessible room in the Suoh Main Estate."

"That's cruel!" Haruhi immediately protested.

"The Fernández family holds high power," The butler sighed. "If they wanted something to be hidden, it would be lost in history forever."

Hearing that definitive answer, Haruhi's large brown eyes widened. She suddenly remembered all of Miki's actions. From her straightforward attitude to her recklessness. Her claims of going to even the most basic of places for the first time, they all resembled one of a child's first experiences.

Because they were.

"So..." Honey piped up; his silver fork lingered in his mouth as he listened to the story. "Why would Miki-chan be heading back to Spain right now? Did they want to accept her back into the family?" He asked, tilting his head.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, is it?" Lifting his glasses, Kyoya pointed out. "From my understanding, the Fernández went bankrupt."

Arden swallowed hard.

***

At the back of the plane, Tamaki paced in circles impatiently in the cramped space, his finger tapping his forearm as he mumbled into the phone that continued to ring on the other end. It was cold, freezing in that narrow space. However, he could feel none of the chilling breeze thanks to the blood pumping through his veins at an alarming rate. There was a muffled sound, followed by his father's voice. The adrenaline level in the blond spiked to new levels as he heard the playful 'Hello?'.

"Dad!"

"Tamaki! I was just about to call you, I will be heading to an emergency business trip to Spain tomorrow, you and your friends are to accompany-"

"Dad! Forget about that!" Holding the phone with both hands, Tamaki shouted desperately. His eyes widened as he realized his mannerism was off and becoming ungentlemanly. Clearing his throat, he composed himself quickly. "Father, Miki has been taken to Spain, did you know of this?" He asked calmly.

There was an agonizing silence on the opposite end as time ticked away. After what seemed like years, Tamaki broke the worrying stillness. "Dad!" He pled. "Please tell me what is going on."

After a few more moments, Yuzuru spoke again. "That is what I was planning to talk to you about." His voice was stern, yet laced with a hint of sadness and regret. "I want you and your friends to accompany me to Spain, as we will be attending Miki's wedding on Sunday."

***

"Wedding?!" The twins, Haruhi and Honey all jolted out of their comfortable leather seats as they heard that estranged word. Kyoya's eyes flickered over while Mori's expression turned attentive.

"It was foolish of me to believe that the Master would leave things like this," Arden lowered his head once again as if he were apologizing to the hosts. Clearly, the guilt of making a wrong estimation had been eating away at him, as he had rushed over from Spain right after hearing the news of the engagement. "The conditions of milady's deal with Master Yuzuru was that I had to stay in Spain as she attended Ouran Academy, to scout out and prevent any information on her activities from leaking to the Fernández family ." He explained. "However, I found that they intended to marry milady off to another powerful duke in Spain, under the guise of an adopted heiress in an attempt to save their family fortune and honour."

"That's just downright ruthless!" Hikaru protested. "They want to use Miki-senpai just to save their own butts?"

"And not just that, but they still refuse to announce her true identity and make her marry the guy under an adoption disguise?"Kaoru snapped. "What the hell is wrong with them?"

"Settle down," Kyoya, on the other hand, was relatively calm compared to the tense atmosphere that lingered in the plane.

"Kyoya-senpai, are you not riled up about this?" Hikaru accused.

"They are taking advantage of Miki-senpai!" Kaoru agreed.

Ignoring the two, Kyoya's brownish-green eyes turned to the butler. "Arden-san, I understand your intentions. However, I doubt there will be anything we can do." He spoke without a hint of hesitation in his voice. "As you should know, arrange marriages such as these are not uncommon among wealthy families. How would you like us to 'rescue her'?"

"While I say that, I merely would like you all to speak with her," Arden confessed. "I apologize, but I had selfishly entered you all as guests of Master Yuzuru's as he was present on the guest list." His emerald eyes glued to the ground, Arden begged. "Please prevent her from going through with this marriage as I do not believe this union will be beneficial towards milady's mental health or physical health." As he spoke, he head lowered further and further until his stomach was practically pressed against his legs. "If you cannot do that, please at the very least attend the wedding. I'm sure milady will be more than glad to have her friends with her for the last time."

"Don't say last time," Hikaru replied as he propped an arm up against the armrest of the seat. "We will definitely get her back." He declared with a wide grin.

"So Ar-chan, don't worry too much about it." Honey beamed, tilting his head at the butler who slowly rose his head.

"Mhm." Mori nodded.

Should we be making such irresponsible promises? Haruhi wondered as her eyes stayed glued to the young man. It is an arranged marriage, after all, it's not something that we can just take her out of that easily.

However, before she could think too much about it, Arden's voice spoke. "Thank you all very much." He bowed his head once again before remembering something and glancing up. "There is something I'd like to remind you all of," His emerald eyes swept across the hosts. "While we are present as guests, please remember not to act too familiar with milady. Her appearance in Ouran Academy has yet to reach the Fernández family ear. I will do everything within my power to give you all opportunities to speak with her, however, please remain on guard of your mannerisms." When the host club nodded back in understanding, the young man's lips finally curled into a satisfied smile. "Well then, we will be landing in Madrid in an estimation of six hours. Milady is currently riding a public aircraft, so hopefully, we will arrive around the same time as she does. As it will be around midday, I suggest you all get some rest."

"That is great..." Letting out a small yawn, Hikaru threw his arms up behind his head as his body slumped over. "I was getting pretty sleepy anyways."

"Why are you so tired, Hika-chan?" Honey blinked as he finished up the last bit of his strawberry cake.

"Because," Kaoru waved his hand with narrowed eyes in an aloof manner. "We were too shaken up last night from the Test of Courage to actually sleep."

"With that, good night." They chided.

As the twins began to doze off, Honey's caramel brown eyes darted towards Kyoya who gazed out the other end of the window with slightly dazed eyes. The lolita and the silent giant got off their seats and approached the second-year.

"Kyo-chan, are you alright?" He asked as he tilted his body into his peripheral vision.

"Of course I am," Not missing a beat, Kyoya quickly whipped his head around and he had his usual unbalanced smile curled upon his lips. "Is something the matter, Honey-senpai?"

"Are you worried about Miki-chan?"

There was a small moment of silence as Kyoya's eyes seemed to haze up for a moment, but he swiftly masked it with a close-eyed laugh and a push on his glasses. "In some aspects, yes." He admitted. "After all, if she quits the host club we will have to rebalance our budget and once again hire professional productions designers. And that will be a huge deplete in our profits."

Hearing his response, Honey and Mori exchanged a concerned glance.

***

Not long after the twins have decided to doze off, Tamaki returned to his seat looking slightly dejected and worn out. Though he whole-heartedly agreed with going to Spain and see Miki, Haruhi noticed he seemed a little, out of it.

Currently, the blinds of the jet were closed, making the space much dimmer. Honey, clutching his pink stuffed rabbit, was leaned up against Mori's arm wrapped in one of the provided blankets each as the lolita snoozed away. Hikaru and Kaoru, true to their words were as still as rocks as they leaned against each other. Tamaki was flipping through a few magazines of Madrid, while Kyoya sat next to him, reading.

Haruhi was curled up in a blanket of her own, trying to stay warm in the air-conditioned private jet. The high altitude and lightning speed probably didn't help with the temperature either. She tried falling asleep, but couldn't find it in herself. Instead, she glanced up, noticing the butler was still awake across from her. He had an arm leaned against the armrest, staring at the blinds absently. He looked rather troubled.

"Arden-san, it'll be alright." Haruhi comforted him. "Miki-senpai is the type of person to fight for what she wants; if she doesn't want this marriage, I'm sure she'll hold out until we get there."

"Miss Fujioka..." Arden muttered as he snapped out of his train of thought. He huffed out a small breath before picking up the already cold tea on the bolted-in table. "You know, milady always spoke of you in high regards." He commented as he wiped the base of the teacup on its plate before taking a sip.

"Huh?"

"She and I remained in contact via letters." As he informed the brunette, his gloved hand reached into the inner pocket of his coat, and he began fishing for something. "She has written many regarding this 'Host Club,' she and Master Tamaki were apart of, and how she managed to get close to him through it." Pulling out a white envelope, he handed them to Haruhi with crinkled eyes. "This is one of the most detailed letters about the host club. I brought it with me to aid in my search for you all. You may read it if you'd like."

"Would that be okay?" Taking the letter with both hands, Haruhi looked to him for confirmation.

"Of course, please do."

"Pardon me, then." Reluctantly, Haruhi reopened the seal and pulled out the three-page letter.

--------------------

Dear Arden,

In this past two weeks, I began my adventures in Ouran Academy. While at first, it was quite overwhelming to be in the presence of so many others at a time, I found myself adapting rather quickly. My classmates are all very kind people who have helped me navigate in my journey so far.

I was originally quite troubled with my strategy to locate and get close to Tamaki-kun. However, the opportunity arose on the very first day. You see, Tamaki-kun is the president of this very peculiar club located at the end of the northern hallway and on the top floor of the south wing. It is a club called the 'Host Club' where he describes as a playground for the rich, though I am still quite confused by that description as there are no slides, swings or any other contraptions I'd imagine I would find at a proper park's playground. Instead, it is more of a club where the boys entertain the girls of the school with tea and their words. And I have been invited to join as their very own production designer! I accepted their request in a heartbeat, of course as it would bring me even closer to Tamaki-kun. And together, we have already been on so many strange yet exciting adventures. Some including a water park, as well as a real beach!

The members of the host club include First-years Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru and Fujioka Haruhi, Third-years Haninozuka Mitsukuni whom we call Honey-senpai and Morinozuka Takeshi whom we call Mori-senpai, a fellow second-year Ootori Kyoya as well as Tamaki-kun.

Hikaru and Kaoru are actually twins. I was super excited to meet them as it was my first time actually meeting twin siblings. Many people, including me, are unable to tell them apart. The only thing that helps me differentiate them is their voices. However, when they speak together, as they often do, it becomes quite impossible. They look so much alike; I wonder if they ever feel like they are staring into a mirror when they look at each other? They are both very mischevious and enjoy teasing Tamaki-kun as far as I can tell, I believe they could make wonderful friends. Though I cannot tell them apart through their appearances and vibes just yet, I hope to one day be able to understand them to a point where I can achieve that!

Haruhi is an honour roll student. Can you believe it, Arden? The first month hasn't even passed and I have already met an honour roll student! I wonder if she is the same one in the photo? If that is the case, then our meeting here much be fate. Believe it or not, she is actually a girl. Apparently, due to some circumstances, she is now hiding her gender and working in the host club to pay off a huge debt. I wasn't actually supposed to figure out her true gender, rather it was an accident I stumbled upon quite literally. Haruhi is a very smart and straightforward person. However, she can be quite stubborn and overly-independent in certain situations. Like when we went to the beach, she caused us quite the hassle and worry by getting herself pushed into the ocean by a few men. No matter what though, she is empathetic and a very sweet girl. The aura around her is almost as captivating as Tamaki's in a very different way. I believe we could make wonderful friends.

According to the twins and Tamaki-kun, Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are cousins despite their Servant-Master relationship for generations. That kind of resembles us, does it not? Do you think there will eventually be a time where we become cousins as well? Honey-senpai is rather small for the third-year while Mori-senpai is huge! I've never met people with such extreme height differences in a room before. Honey-senpai is child-like and is beaming with positivity. He always manages to bring a smile to my face just by speaking with him. Just a week ago, when we headed to a water park, he and I swung off the vines of a tree like those secret agents in Crime? Crime Drama  ♥ ! Though it was super exciting, I had a little trouble getting off. Worry not though, Mori-senpai helped by catching before I swung too far away. He is super kind and always looking out for the club in one way or another, though he doesn't speak much. For example, when we were at the beach and I was attacked, both Honey and Mori insisted on me drinking some honey lemon water to calm down from the incident. Their dynamic the uttermost interesting, and always leave me smiling.

Tamaki-kun is much more energetic than I've heard from father. His piano skills are extraordinary as father described and he is rather charming, I can see why they call him 'king' of the Host Club. His aura is so radiating and brimming with so much positivity, it's difficult to even think of unhappy thoughts around him. Thanks to a little advice from Kaoru, I was finally able to formally introduce myself to him. Though it was rather nerve-wracking at first, due to my own fears and insecurities of whether he will accept me or not. Nonetheless, things went smoothly thanks to his opened-mindedness and accepting spirit. He quickly welcomed me into the family and made me feel right at home, even going as far as to helping me unpack and waking me up for school. It's because of him, I was able to make so many memories in the mere first two weeks of my time in Ouran Academy, more than I've made my whole life in fact. However, I still can't somehow find the courage and will in me to formally call him 'brother' just yet. The guilt and my confinement make it difficult for me to utter those words, out of my own doubts and lingering fears. Nevertheless, I very much enjoy being in his company and I hope I will remain by his side for my time here.

Finally, there is Kyoya-kun. He was the very person who invited me to join the host club. He is the vice-president of the Host Club and to my understanding Tamaki-kun's best friend. I found him to be very intelligent and logical, as he was the first and only to point out my absence on the world's database. However, despite what others may say, Kyoya-kun is a very nice person. He has been the most of assistance when it comes to adjusting to my new life outside. Whenever I have a word or phrase I do not understand, I always go to him as he teaches me it's meanings and hidden metaphor. I really do enjoy being by his side as I always find myself smiling even more than usual if that were even possible. Despite his stand-off and cool exterior, I believe Kyoya-kun is shimmering with possibility and passion. Watching him from the sidelines, I can't help but want to assist and become a source of strength to him. I truly hope we can become even closer in the future.

I'd also like to thank you again for going along with this plan and making the sacrifice to be in Spain for me; I hope I am fulfilling my promise as to living every day to my fullest. Leaving no hesitation behind when my time does eventually run out. So please, do not worry about me and take care of yourself. 

With lots of love,

Miki.

P.S. I am still smiling, as I've promised.

--------------------

After reading the long letter, Haruhi's brown eyes flickered up to see the man place his teacup down onto the table between them. "Arden-san," She spoke in a lower voice as to not wake up the twins next to her. "If you don't mind me asking, what was your relationship to Miki-senpai?"

"Hm?"

"Well, you don't seem to be just any normal butler. You must place her in high regards if you address her as milady while calling the chairman by name." Glancing back down at the letters, the brunette shuffled through them absently. "Besides, you must mean a lot to her to be receiving such long and detailed letters." She theorized.

Humming the light brown haired man looked rather impressed, his lips curled into a fascinated smirk as eyed the letters in her hands. "To be frank, Milady is my liege, not Master Yuzuru. That is why I address her in a higher regard than her father." He explained. "It's a butler's pride to serve a master for a lifetime after all."

A lifetime? Haruhi repeated in her mind as she studied the young man who wore a proud grin on his lips. "Arden-san," She blinked. "How long have you known Miki-senpai?"

"Well, I've been accompanying her ever since she was born." Eyes flickering into a downcast of nostalgia, Arden breathed out a long sigh. "As I've mentioned, the Mederos family has been in the service of the Fernándezs' for generations. More often than not, one of us is appointed to be in service to their children for what's usually a lifetime." He spoke, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Let's see; I believe I had just turned ten when milady was born.

"Eh?" Haruhi gasped. "But wouldn't that mean, you were barely thirteen when you came to Japan?"

"Indeed," Arden shrugged indifferently. "I had to complete my formal training before I could accompany her." Glancing out the window, his posture straightened as a serious glisten flashed in his emerald eyes. "At any rate, milady has the elegance, grace, good looks and ability to be expected of the heiress of any high-status family. She always held such innocent curiosities toward the world and faced any challenges or feelings of loneliness with the most positive of attitudes. Even when she was young, she had such adorable habits. So much so that if she weren't hidden away, she'd have many suitors flocking to her door-"

"You sure like her, don't you..." Haruhi mumbled under her breath, sweatdropping at the butler's enthusiasm as she handed back the letter.

Taking the piece of paper with both hands, Arden held it as if it were some priceless piece of gold. "I knew of her fate even before her birth and resigned myself to accompanying her in eternal confinement, yet when she wrote me such long and elaborate letters that were filled to the brim with excitement and happiness." A tender smile appeared on his face as his white-gloved hand glazed across the ink writing in adoration. "I want to give you all my thanks." He looked up with a gentle beam of gratitude. "For enabling milady to experience such joy and friendship, and for allowing her to smile so radiantly."

"I see..." Chocolate coloured eyes averting downwards, Haruhi fell into a contemplative state.

"Well then," Standing up from his seat, Arden bowed his head slightly. "As much as I enjoyed this conversation of ours, I must go have a word with the captain. Please get some rest, Miss Fujioka, we'll be busy once we land." He proposed.

"Oh, okay." Haruhi nodded as she watched the man take his leave. She glanced over at the closed blinds of the private jet as her eyes slowly grew heavier. Miki's cheerful smile and sparkling hazel eyes came into mind. Letting out a small sigh as she leaned back and brought the blanket further over herself, revisiting their conversation from earlier.

If I were in Miki-senpai's place... She wondered. Would I still be able to smile like that, even after everything I've been through?

***

Haruhi gawked at the cathedral styled building that towered over them with wide-eyes and a tense figure. They landed in Madrid, Spain not too long ago, and they were immediately escorted into a limo and driven off to this insane building that was supposedly the hotel that the guests of the wedding were staying at. Arden was off checking them in and registering them as guests, as the hosts were exploring the streets of Spain.

"It seems like that bit is more complete than it was the last time we were here. Right, Takashi?" Honey asked as he clung to Mori's back, pointing at the tip of one of the towers.

"Yeah." Mori agreed, staring up at the giant structure.

"All of you have been here before, right?" Haruhi smiled as he glanced at the duo.

Honey giggled, peering down at the brunette. "Takashi and I came here once on a school trip and once on vacation with our families!" He explained.

"It's our fifth or sixth time." The twins chided as they lifted a hand each.

"You've been here so many times?" Raising an eyebrow, she asked incredulously.

Together, the twins laughed. "Why deny it?" They grin. "We adore Spain." Exclaiming dramatically, they embraced each other in a pointless hug.

"We are not here to be tourists, you know..." Sweatdropping, Haruhi gave the twins a deadpan before turning to study Tamaki by her side. One would assume that the blond would go off, monologuing about Spain's beauty and culture flamboyantly, describing every inch of their architectural design down to the very detail of the carvings, however, he was eerily silent.

He must be worried. Haruhi examined. His precious sister that was taken away from him after all.

His lilac blue eyes darted around as if staying hypervigilant for something or someone, as he continued o glance around, Tamaki noticed Haruhi's stare. "Is something wrong Haruhi? You are staring." Offering a charming smile, he asked. 

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, senpai." Shaking her head, Haruhi averted her eyes.

"Everyone," Arden bowed his head as he exited the sliding doors of the building. "Please come in; there will be wristlets for the guests attending."

"Okay!" Honey and the twins cheered as they strode into the hotel, almost in a carefree manner.

"Oh, let's go, let's go." Tamaki grinned as he followed them.

Or... not. Haruhi sweatdropped comically as she followed behind, once again becoming completely astounded by the interior of the building. For a second, she didn't know where to look, as the beauty of the architectural design overwhelmed her. Rather than a hotel, the place looked more like a storybook castle. As they approached the front desk, she noticed something out of the corner of her vision.

Miki.

The strawberry blonde upperclassman stepped into the hotel as the glass doors slid open, clothed in one of her usual navy chiffon dresses. Despite that faint smile still hung on her lips, there was the lack of a bounce to her step.

Instinctively, Haruhi opened her mouth. "Miki-sen-mph!" Her voice was quickly muffled as a hand slapped over her mouth. With a quizzical brow raise, her eyes shot up to see Kyoya wearing a stern expression. His eyes were also glued in the direction of Miki as she walked in further with a dazed expression.

"Be quiet," He hushed. "It'd be a pain if they saw you treating her so familiarly."

Curious as to what Kyoya could be talking about, Haruhi glanced back to notice three men dressed in black suits entering the building right after her. They followed her every step, almost encasing her in the three-way wall, either looking like escorts, or correctional officers. "Kyoya-senpai," She muttered. "What should we do?"

"I believe it is best to notify Arden that Miki has arrived." Kyoya theorized as he removed his hand from Haruhi's mouth.

However, Arden had already noticed his mistress's entrance as he guided Tamaki, Honey, Mori and the twins to the front desk to receive their wristbands, he quickly exchanged glances with Kyoya. Excusing himself, he approached the three guards.

Miki's eyes widened with glee at the sight of Arden. Despite being brought here, she had been super excited to at least see Arden once again. "Arden!" She greeted him as her hands clenched before her chest. "It's good to see you again." Refraining from jumping forth and capturing the young man in a hug, she opted to give him a wide grin. She then spotted the host club who were crowded at the front desk, Kyoya and Haruhi, in particular, staring right at her. Her smile brightened even more.

"Halt." The man to her left raised an arm out, forming a solid wall before her. "Who are you?" He asked accusingly.

"I am the butler of this young lady you are contracted to escort.." Routinely bowing his head, Arden glared his emerald green eyes at the guards. "I have come to pick her up, you all may be relieved of your duties now."

"Nonsense." The guard on her right spoke this time, shaking his head firmly. "We have been given strict instructions to escort her to the Vairmount Cathedral Hotel."

"And here she is, safely at the hotel." Not wasting another second, Arden retorted. "I believe your contract has been fulfilled now."

"Hold on," The final guard standing behind Miki, presumably the captain, intervened as he stepped out. He narrowed his wrinkled eyes at the young man as he studied him. "Our contract to take this woman to Spain was a confidential mission, how would you in any way know of this?" 

"Didn't he just tell you though?" Leaning her body out sideways, Miki stated in an obvious tone with her usual confused yet blank eyes. "He's my personal butler, of course, he would know of my whereabouts." Standing up straight, she recomposed herself as the bodyguards stared at her with cautious eyes. "Besides, you guys took me here without explaining anything." Lifting a finger, she furrowed her brows with a small pout. "If it weren't for Arden giving me a heads-up, I would've thought you guys kidnapping or sexually harassing me." She said all too casually, causing the three bodyguards to sweatdrop. The tension in the air vanished as Arden's eyebrow twitched. He knew where Miki learnt the word 'kidnapping', there was an episode on, Crime? Crime Drama ♥, about a kitten that was kidnapped. But he never recalled teaching her the meaning of 'sexual harassment'.

"V-Very well then..." Getting uncomfortably by Miki's unintentional comment, the captain of the guards yielded. "We will report back to our employer, good-bye."

"Bye-Bye!" Miki waved joyfully as the guards walked past her and further into the hotel lobby, she then turned back to Arden opening her mouth, about to speak, when suddenly...

"I apologize, Milady." His head was bowing deep in regret, Arden confessed in a low voice. "Because of my incompetence and rushed judgment, I gave you false hope on the development."

"Eh?" Gasping at the sudden sincere apology, Miki waved her hands frantically. "It's not your fault Arden. You're not a fortune teller like Tamaki-kun, you can't predict the future." She laughed wryly before striking a power pose and winking. "Besides, I need to thank you," Her voice trailed off as she glanced towards the host club, who were now all glancing at her from the front desk. Honey waved merrily as he held Usa-chan in one arm, Mori nodded in acknowledgement at her, Tamaki looked like he was about to leap over and wrap his arms around her in adoration, Hikaru and Kaoru winked with a salute, Haruhi gave a small smile and a wave while Kyoya, he simply readjusted his glasses with an unbalanced smile. "You brought them over just for me?" She whispered to him, her voice growing bubbly.

"Of course. Anything for you, milady." Arden's response was snappy. "However, I do not believe this is a good place to talk. Let us head somewhere more private first," He suggested.

***

"I will report to the Fernández family as if I've just arrived with you," Arden informed as he began waltzing towards the exit of the meeting room he managed to snag the host club. "If I have anything to report I will be back as soon as possible." Then, he exited the room.

Once the doors clicked close, Tamaki, who had been trailing comical tears all the way to the room was the first to spring into action, raising his arms he enveloped Miki into a big hug. "Miki!" He wailed, clenching the poor girl's neck. "Are you okay? I was so worried! Don't you do that to me again!"

"Tamaki-kun..." Despite being choked, a smile was still curled on Miki's lips. "You are choking me..." She groaned with an eye closed, struggling to wrap an arm around the blond as well since her arms were practically pinned to her sides.

"We were all super worried." Honey giggled.

Stepping in to help her upperclassman, Haruhi pried a crying Tamaki off of her. "Senpai, give her some space. We are all pretty tired from that long flight."

"Thank you all so much for coming," Miki beamed. "I really appreciate you being here-"

"Yeah, yeah, spare the details Miki-senpai," Hikaru grinned as he grabbed the startled girl in one arm while his twin grabbed the other.

"Let's break you outta here first." Kaoru agreed.

Miki blinked awkwardly as her eyes darted between the twins. "Huh?" She cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"As we said, we are leaving." The twins chimed as they began dragging her towards the door. "Let's go back to Japan now; we should be able to get back by Saturday morning."

Realizing what the two were doing, the girl quickly broke free of their grasps. "W-Wait, please!" She protested as she backed up, holding her hands in a panic as everyone stared at her in slight disbelief.

"Miki-senpai," Haruhi tilted her head. "Perhaps are you planning on accepting the arranged marriage?" She theorized.

"You can't!" The twins yelled in desperation.

Immediately denying the assumption, Miki quickly shook her head with a dry laugh. "No, of course, I don't plan on doing that. I'm only sixteen years old; I'm far too young to be married."

"So, then why?" Honey asked in concern.

"Because," Miki winked. "This would be a perfect opportunity for me to meet my family, would it not?" She reasoned excitedly. "Everything will be fine; I'm sure I'll be able to work things out with them regarding the marriage ceremony. Besides, I might be able to work something out about my circumstances."

"Miki-senpai, we doubt anything you say will actually change their mind at this point.." Hikaru and Kaoru protested. "They have already planned your ceremony and reception date; it's pretty clear that they do not ca-"

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Stop!" To everyone's surprise, Tamaki's expression turned serious as he called out to the twins who were on the verge of losing their cool.

"But Milord!"

Ignoring the two, Tamaki once again faced Miki. Peering down at her face, he offered her a tender smile. "I see, if you want to see your family, I won't stop you." He spoke patiently as his hands gently cupped her cheeks. "But make sure you do what you want to do, and not what others force you into, okay?" He advised.

Miki gazed up into her brother's ocean blue eyes. They stared right back at her with a look of adoration and doting love. Her lips curled upwards as her eyes crinkled. "I will!" She cheered.

"Kyoya-senpai, what should we do?" Haruhi turned to the final second-year to see what he thought of the situation, only to see him pushing up his glasses

The glare of his glasses hid his expression, but Haruhi once again saw that unsymmetrical, unbalanced smirk on his face. "It's Miki's decision; we can't do anything about it." He stated simply.

Just as it looked like things were finally simmer down, mainly from the twins part, the door opened gently to reveal Arden.

"Milady," He addressed the blonde with a slightly stern expression. "You are summoned to meet the Fernández family." He announced.

Miki's eyes practically lit up at the news. She nodded enthusiastically before stepping out of Tamaki's reach. The blond's ocean eyes watched her back become further out of reach as he opened his mouth once again.

"Miki,"

She turned around.

Flashing a reassuring smile, Tamaki gave one curt nod. "Go see your mother," He winked.

Eyes widening, Miki smiled with a waved. "I'll be right back," She chided. "Meanwhile, why don't you all go explore Madrid? I would love to hear about it when I get back." With that recommendation, the door closed, clicking behind her.

For some reason, Haruhi couldn't shake an uneasy feeling that was brought by the closing of that door.

***

"Pardon me," Arden knocked on the door. "I have brought her."

Behind that door, her mother's side of the family awaited her. She felt her heart hammer against her chest out of the sheer excitement and anxiety she was experiencing, it was the moment she had been looking forward to ever since she was old enough to comprehend her odd circumstances. However, despite the conditions, she was still eager to finally meet them.

Closing her eyes, she remembered the gentle hand that caressed her head whenever she was sick. The face was still blurry, but she could clearly remember the soft and loving touch, accompanied by the sweetest voice.

Mother.

I finally get to meet you.

Taking a deep breath, Miki pushed the door open with a readied smile on her lips.

A small meeting room, one much like the one she and the host club were in came into view. Three caucasian people were sitting in the room. An older man at the head of the table which she presumed was her maternal grandfather, an older woman next to him who she assumed was her grandmother, a young woman in her early forties sat on the other side of the old man.

Miki felt like the gaze of the old man like lasers, burning her skin and casting the harshest of judgment upon her. "Hm..." He narrowed his eyes at Miki, spending an unpleasant chill up her spine. "How do you feel Elisa? He turned to the younger woman to his left. "Reuniting with your daughter after almost fourteen years?"

Gasping, Miki quickly turned to observe the younger woman. No doubt this, 'Elisa' was her mother. She eagerly glanced over, only to feel a shiver crawl through her skin as her blood ran cold from the icy gaze she received in return.

Elisa had dirty blonde hair, which she kept in a voluminous style just at her shoulders. She was pale, thin with the blue undertone in her skin that complimented her blue-toned red lipstick. She wore a long-sleeved navy blue bodycon dress, almost matching in the shade to Miki's flowy chiffon one. She accessorized with a white fur drape that rested on her shoulders like a scarf wrap. Most chilling of all, were her eyes. They were a sharp hazel shade that was only a few shades deeper than Miki's. However, unlike Miki, hers weren't filled with hopes and dreams. Hers were soulless, unfeeling and devoid of any kindness or warmth. They were so vacant and held no life, staring back at Miki.

Miki gazed at Elisa in a mixture of daze and disbelief. This woman is... my mother? The owner of that kind, gentle hand in my memories that brushed against my forehead, when I was ill?Without Arden or the host club by her side, she felt somewhat anxious. However, she quickly swallowed down the bulge that formed at her throat when the old man spoke again.

"Take a seat." He gestured the chair directly across the long meeting table, the seat furthest away from himself.

"Oh, okay!" Nodding curtly, Miki sat down with a compliant smile as a small silence loomed out between them. Her heart was pounding against her chest despite the earlier blunder, she peered up with a small awestruck look. "Hola!" She greeted in Spanish. "You are my grandparents, right?" With head tilt, she chirped. "It's a pleasure to meet you, or Encantado de conocerlos a todos."

"In a few moments, the Duke and his son, the heir the House of Santiago will be here to meet you. He is your suitor, so be on your best behaviour." Ignoring her words, the old man interlaced his fingers like a bridge as he rested his elbows on the table. His grayed hair almost looked white against the Spain sun that shone in from behind. "You will be wedded to him under the alias of the adopted heiress of our family." He spoke in fluent Japanese. "Under no circumstances are you ever to reveal your true lineage, is that clear?"

Eyes turning confused, Miki cocked her head to the side. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about that." With a wistful smile, in an airy voice as her head bowed down slightly. "I apologize, but I don't plan on getting married, I am only sixteen years old. It's far too early for me to be accepting such a proposal."

"Is that so..." The older woman to his right, muttered as she shuffled in her seat. She huffed into a stern frown at Miki's innocent smile from across the room. "Very well, we don't plan on forcing you into this union. However, are you sure you should be thinking that way?" She hummed as a sly smirk danced across her lips. Despite being a grandmother, her appearance was still rather youthful, as if she were in her mid to late forties.

"Huh?" Miki blinked at her question.

"You don't want to return to confinement, do you?" Tilting her head back as she rested her cheek against her fist, her grandmother inquired. "If you were to accept this, you realize, you would be given that freedom you so desire?"

"Eh?" Gasping, her hazel eyes widened in the light.

***

"I wonder if Miki-senpai is alright..." Haruhi wondered out loud as she sat in one of the chairs of the meeting room.

Despite Miki's suggestion to experience Madrid, the host club agreed that they couldn't just run off, exploring the city without her. So instead they opted to wait patiently in the meeting room for her to return. Tamaki was staring out the windows of the meeting room, watching as the people pass and go with an elated expression. Kyoya sat across from her, writing in his notebook as usual. Hikaru was seated at the far end of the table, clicking away at a video game as Kaoru watched over his shoulder. Honey was fiddling with Usa-chan in his hands while Mori stood behind him, studying the books on the shelves of the room.

"I think she'll be just fine." Honey chided with a beam. "This is Miki-chan we are talking about. If she wanted something, she would charge straight for it without looking back."

Still... Haruhi's gaze lowered. It must be difficult, meeting your own family for the first time in over a decade.

Suddenly, there was a faint commotion at the other end of the door as it drew closer. Like a bulldozer, the door rumbled as it flung open, revealing a caucasian woman in her late thirties. She had long wavy dirty blonde hair and wore a satin black dress as well as a white fur scar around her arms like a drape. Slamming the door open, she breathed heavily as her dark yellowish-green eyes darted around the door. She looked an awful lot like Miki if not for the shade differences in her hair and eyes. "Mira!" She breathed. "Is Mira here?" She asked in Japanese.

"Mira?" The twins repeated as they glanced at each other with an aloof shrug.

"There's no one here named Mira." Honey pointed out with a smile.

"Ha?" The woman gasped before whipping her head around and yelling at a formally dressed man with glasses, who followed her. "Agustin!" She frowned as he approached her with a neutral expression. "You said Mira would be here!"

"Pardon my insolence." Bowing slightly, the man named Agustin with the ash brown hair leaned in closer to the woman and stared into her eyes from a close distance. "Milady, are you perhaps deaf in one ear?" He asked bluntly.

His words caused an air of silence to loom over the meeting room. Everyone stared speechlessly at the duo. Haruhi, in particular, sweatdropped as the man leaned back. Judging by how Agustin was dressed, he was a butler, not much older than the woman herself. Remembering Arden's little lesson from the plane, she blinked. What did I just get myself into? She sat, flabbergasted and left wondering what the woman would do next.

The hosts couldn't see the woman's eyes through the shadow of her bangs. However, they could see her body become stiff and her fists clench. After a few seconds of the tense atmosphere, she raised her finger and pointed at the butler with a growl from her tensed jaw. "Fired! Fired! I am definitely firing you! Fired! Fired! Fired! Fired! Fired! Fired! Fired! Fired! FIRED!" She shouted in a childish manner, her words seemed to have transformed into physical objects as they were thrown at the man. Agustin however, looked unfazed as he calmly dodged those hurtful words in a routine manner, leaving the host club completely dumbfounded on what was happening.

"Um..."

"Pardon me, but I distinctively recall telling you Lady Mira was present in the meeting room." Agustin shrugged almost in a teasing manner. "Milady, you were the one who ran out your bedroom in excitement." Bowing his head, he watched in amusement as the woman turned red from both anger and embarrassment. "That being said, it's been an honour serving you, now if you will excuse me-" He began to make his way towards the door when the woman called out to him.

"Wait!" Puffing out her cheeks, she gritted her teeth. "Where is Mira?"

"Now that I'm fired, you no longer need to know from me where she is." Smirking, Agustin glanced over his shoulder with a smug expression.

This butler, The host club thought as they watched this interaction with lightning bolts of revelation crashing down upon them. He's a sharp-tongued butler!

The woman, who supposedly was his liege, bit her bottom lip as her pride as a lady diminished. Pursing her lips together, she straightened her posture and bowed forward, looking more like the servant between the two. "Would you please... tell me?" She grumbled, wholly drained of self-esteem and surrendering in this argument.

What kind of dynamic is this? Haruhi wondered with a brow raise.

Smirk deepening, Agustin bowed his head back at his lady in a respectful manner as he reverted to his butler-like mannerism. "As you wish, milady." He addressed her casually, watching as she remained in her dazed defeated state. "However, I believe these young people may have the answer for you."

"Huh?" The woman turned around to greet the host club, who have watched that awkward but comedic banter occur between the two. "Oh, that's right, you kids speak Japanese." Bringing a hand to her lips, the woman gasped. "Say, do you know where Mira is?"

Tamaki was the first to snap out of the perplexed state as he jumped into his flirtatious mode. "I apologize but," Taking the woman's hand, his aura grew roses and began to sparkle. "I'm afraid we do not know anyone by the name of Mira."

"Oh my," The woman began to flush slightly at how affectionate Tamaki was being.

Swishing his hair, the blond then leaned in closer in a dramatic tone. "However, can we help you with anything else?"

"Why, aren't you just the sweetest little thing." Cupping her cheek with her free hand, the woman giggled before casting a side glance at the brown-haired butler behind her. "You could learn a few things from him, Agustin." She remarked.

"I'll keep that in mind milady," Going along with her sarcasm, the man bowed. "However, if you are going to continue to refer to Lady Mira by her given name, I may have to retract my statement of you being deaf into you being daft." He suggested with a straight face, leaving Tamaki stiff and slightly pale.

"Pfff!" The twins were trying to stifle their laughter. "This butler is amazing!" They snickered.

"Is that even allowed?" Haruhi mumbled.

"I apologize for him; he can be quite uncute at times." Ignoring his teasing remarks to preserve her dignity, the woman smiled sweetly. "Miki, my dears. Do you happen to know a girl that goes by Miki?"

"Huh?!" Everyone gasped.

"Do you know Miki-senpai?" Hikaru jumped up with furrowed brows.

"Are you Miki-chan's mom?" Honey asked innocently.

"Mother? Oh heavens, no." Crouching down, the woman ruffled his hair. "I am-"

"Elena Valentina Fernández." Kyoya finished her sentence as his eyes remained glued to his notebook with an emotionless expression. "The second daughter of the Fernández house, daughter of Duke Alejandro and Rita Fernández." Vision flickering up, he closed his book. "That would make you Miki's aunt, wouldn't it?"

"Now that you mention it, she looks a lot like Miki-chan." Honey commented as he flashed a soft smile. 

"Well, aren't you a knowledgeable one?" Standing up, Elena studied the boy. "Yes, I am Miki's aunt, Elena Fernández. Just call me Elena if you'd prefer. Are you all Miki's friends?"

The host club tensed up at her question. When they were debating on how to answer, Elena noticed their silence before waving her hand with a wry smile. "Don't worry, I already knew about Miki's appearance at Ouran Academy." She chuckled gracefully. "I've had Agustin keeping an eye on her movements ever since she was sent to Japan. Arden was so focused on keeping us from finding information about her from Spain, that he didn't even notice us getting intel from Japan ourselves. Though I never imagined for our next meeting to be under these circumstances..." With a slightly troubled expression, she covered her lips.

"Elena-san, do you know about Miki-senpai's marriage?" Haruhi asked.

Hearing this, the woman's bright eyes turned slightly dulled.

***

There was a slight silence in the meeting room as two others joined them, much like Alejandro had warned. Miki sat at the edge of the table, seats away from her family as she lowered her head to a small bow. Wearing a small smile, she lifted her head with a slight head tilt.

"Nice to meet you, my fiancee."

Chapter Text

A/N: Italic words are either thoughts, flashbacks or spoken in Spanish

-Chapter 27-

Operation Take Back out Designer!

"You'll have to excuse me for my earlier blunder," Picking up the cup of tea that Agustin had brought into the meeting room, Elena smiled sweetly at the hosts that all gathered around the table. "You see, Miki, as you know her, her birth name is Mira Luz Fernández. However, if Miki is the name she prefers to be called, I'll do my best to change this habit."

"You said you've been watching Miki-senpai before she was sent away..." Hikaru muttered.

"...why is that?" Kaoru asked.

"What do you mean why?" Elena blinked as she took a small sip of her herbal tea. "I'm her aunt, and I care for her, it's that simple." She smiled.

"Then why would you want to send her off to be married?" Hikaru accused. "That's just cruel!"

"Hikaru!" Haruhi hushed, trying to ease her friend who was clearly riled up.

Hearing the boy's accusation, Elena's eyes turned solemn. "I never wanted to." She confessed quietly as she stared into her orange drink. "I never agreed to this plan to establish our financial stability." She spoke a little louder this time as she placed her cup down. "When Mir-Miki was born, my sister, Elisa, under the orders of my parents, was never once allowed to touch or even see her. " Letting out a sigh, she leaned back as her hazel eyes darted up to the ceiling. "And Miki, she cried very often, to the point where even the maids couldn't handle her tantrums. Of course, she would be distressed though; a newborn needed a mother's love more than anything after all." Eyes turning soft, Elena continued. "The child hasn't done anything wrong, yet she had to repent for the mistakes her parents have committed. So in place of, I visited her occasionally, to at least provide some family warmth." Realizing something, her eyes lit up for a moment before darting her eyes up. "Please do not think ill of Elisa," She desperately corrected. "She's had a... rough time. Being the elder one, she was forced into an arranged marriage with Yuzuru-san." Letting out a sigh, she looked down once again as she recalled the day Elisa got married. "They were joined together only due to political reasons, lacking in chemistry and passion. It was an unfaithful relationship, Elisa had a string of lovers while Yuzuru-san had his own. However, both sides of the family pressured for an heir. The Suoh family wanted to ensure the survival of their name and bloodline while my parents... well..." Elena averted her eyes as she pressed a hand against her chest. "They... They wanted an heir in order to trap the Suohs' into a union with us for years to come." She admitted sorrowfully with furrowed brows. Letting out another sigh, she leaned back in her chair. "Though in the end, they couldn't even use Miki to fulfill that purpose due to the divorce and being born later than the mistress's son. This lead to her being branded as a complete failure by my father and sent away to Japan."

Tamaki's eyes widened.

"A month ago, our house went bankrupt due to the crash in the international trade market." Closing her darkened eyes, the woman's shoulders slumped, and her voice took a serious turn. "My father and mother worried for days and nights on what to do..."

The host club listened intently as the woman continued to speak. "I protested, of course." Elena mustered a dry laugh. "After the way we have treated her, it would be inappropriate for us to send her off into an arranged marriage for our family's benefit. However..." Biting her bottom lip, Elena's brows knitted together. "My parents arranged her off to the House of Santiago without warning my sister or I, and dragged her here two days before the wedding."

"Elena-san..." Tamaki muttered, vision hazing as his mother flashed across his mind. 

"You are Tamaki, correct?" Elena smiled at the blond who nodded immediately. "I was the one who added Yuzuru-san to the guest list. I never expected Arden to add the rest of you all onto the list as well though." She revealed, giggling into her hands. "That boy really was the best companion for Miki, huh?"

"Of course," Agustin lifted his glasses. "He's the successor I've chosen."

"So why were you looking for her, Elena-san?" Haruhi asked, watching as the woman turn around curiously. "Well, you came in here looking for Miki-senpai, right? Did you want to speak with her?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose I should also extend this message to you all as well," Recomposing her body, Elena cleared her throat. "Please hold out for these two days; I'll try and work something out with my parents. And once she has been freed from this arranged marriage, please take her and go back to Japan." She requested.

"Elena-san, you do understand what that means for you, correct?" Narrowing his eyes, Kyoya crossed his arms. "Your family is already facing bankruptcy; this union has the potential to save your family wealth and fortune. If you do not take this opportunity, you could end up having to go into hiding."

"Kyoya-senpai, what are you saying?" Hikaru whipped his head around in disbelief.

"Are you suggesting that Miki-senpai should accept this arrange marriage?" Kaoru added on.

Brushing off the twins accusation, Kyoya kept his gaze focused on Elena. "I'm merely pointing out the truth," He stated indifferently.

"As I have said, the children have done nothing wrong." Elena's eyes flickered down to the tea. "It's not fair for a child to repent for their parent's mistake. I don't mind if I must go into hiding, it wouldn't be correct."

"Elena-san," Tamaki offered flashed a soft smile at the woman. "We will wait here and watch her from afar, however, I have already told Miki. This is her choice, and what happens from here on out will be decided by her. And no matter what happens, I will support her."

Hearing his response, Elena's eyes widened before crinkling with relief. "I see..." She glanced down and studied her reflection in the tea. "You must have been a good brother; I'm sure she was more than apperciative to have you with her." Her voice trailed off as the doors to the meeting room opened slowly, cutting their conversation short.

"Excuse me," Blinking, Miki poked her head in curiously. "Arden told me you all were still in here..." She fell silent as she observed the room, spotting another woman who looked just like the one in her memories. Her eyes rounded as her arms fell limp by her side. Who was this woman?

"Miki!" Elena exclaimed as she rushed forth to envelop her in a hug, tears of joy from seeing the girl brimmed her eyes. "Miki, it's so great to see you again."

"Um... I apologize." Staring awkwardly at the stranger who was embracing her, Miki cocked her head. "But who are you?" She asked bluntly.

"Huh? You don't recognize me?" Pulling away, Elena gasped before letting out a small sigh. "Well, I suppose it's been so long..."

"This is your aunt, Miki." Crossing his arms, Kyoya stepped forward to explain the situation. "She is most likely the woman who in your memories, patted your head when you were ill." He informed her.

Hearing this, Miki's eye line snapped to Elena who blinked quizzically. Staying still, she shivered slightly as the woman approached her with an extended hand. Her warm touch brushing against her cheek that were chilled by the air conditioning in the previous meeting room. "You are sixteen now, right? You've grown into such a beautiful young lady." She whispered in adoration as the light caught the tears in the corner of her eyes.

A bright beam spread across Miki's face as she placed a hand over Elena's. "Nice to meet you," Tilting her head in the direction she let out a soft sigh. Her gentle touch, her loving eyes... they were warm and safe. Much like the one she remembered. "Aunt Elena." She twinkled.

"It's nice to meet you too," Elena replied.

Their moment, however, didn't last long as the twins began to sneeze into the handkerchieves that appeared out of nowhere. "Such a touching reunion!" They sobbed dramatically.

Haruhi sweatdropped before approaching the strawberry blonde who chuckled at the twins' display. "How did that meeting go, senpai?" She peered up.

"Oh, it went great." Lips curling, she beamed. "I finally got to meet my mother and my grandparents; it was super exciting!"

Haruhi flinched as she stared at Miki's expression.

"And what were the results of the meeting?" Lifting his glasses, Kyoya pursued.

Miki froze at his question. She felt a slight sense of heat creep upon her cheeks; her heart rate spiked as she averted her eyes from Kyoya's gaze. Faintly, she could feel her chest tighten in wrenching pain.

"Well?" Her thought process was quickly disturbed by the boy as he narrowed his eyes at her. "We're waiting." He tilted his head back.

Swallowing hard, Miki tilted her head as her cheeks shimmered. "I accepted the marriage arrangement." She announced in an overly cheerful manner. "The wedding will be on Sunday, though because-."

"WHAT?!" Everyone, par Kyoya and Mori, let out a screech in disbelief.

"Why, Miki-chan?" Honey was the first to ask. "Didn't you say you didn't want to accept the engagement?"

"You've got to be kidding!" Hikaru immediately spat, grabbing Miki by the shoulders. "Did they threaten you? Why would you accept something like that?"

"Hikaru, calm down!" Kaoru eased his brother, though his own hands were trembling.

Haruhi approached her friend, trying to read her expression, only to find nothing but a smile. "Miki-senpai, what happened?" She asked gingerly.

Tilting her head, Miki beamed. "Don't worry," Her voice was as airheaded and optimistic as always. As clear as a bell, she spoke. "They didn't threaten me; I simply accepted their engagement. Would you all support me?" She requested.

The host club and Elena fell silent at her words. She didn't look scared, or under pressure and it didn't seem like she was lying either. Tamaki approached her. And with his eyes hidden under the shadow of his bangs, he asked sternly. "Is this what you want?"

With a sound 'mhm,' Miki nodded.

"I see, then I will support you."

***

"Miguel Juan Santiago, First Son of the Santiago House, who works alongside the Fernández house in the international trade department. He is currently a third-year at Complutense University of Madrid, studying to take over as the next Duke." Closing his notebook, Kyoya finished up his analysis as he glanced over at the hosts. "So, what are you doing?"

Despite being at the dinner table and presented with an assortment of food, Tamaki kept his focus behind, narrowing his ocean eyes at the newly engaged couple who sat across the hotel restaurant. Haruhi, on the other hand, was gorging on the delicious gourmet food with sparkling eyes.

"Even after he said all of that, he is still so worried about Miki-senpai." Hikaru shrugged, taking a bit of the beef.

"Though he really looks like he's about to snap," Kaoru added nonchalantly.

Sure enough, the blond looked like he was on the verge of crumbling the extravagant dinner chair he sat on by his clenching hands alone. He gritted his teeth, almost clawing at his the backboard of his chair with a mixture of anger, worry and sadness.

"Tama-chan..." Honey furrowed his brows.

Across the luxury restaurant, Miki sat next to Miguel, the man she was set to marry in a mere two days. He had bleached blonde hair slicked back, as well as dark brown eyes. She dug her fork into the piece of beef and brought it to her lips in a daze, absently staring at the host club's table out of the corner of her eye, only to drop it back onto the plate due to her lack of focus. She blinked at the piece of meat that splatted back, scattering juice everywhere.

"Are you alright? You seem to be staring at those people over there." Miguel noticed the clumsiness and asked her in a hushed voice as to not alert their families who sat with them at a rounded table. His Japanese wasn't perfect, and he spoke with a bit of an accent, but it was understandable enough. "Do you know them?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Shooting a soft smile at the young man, Miki waved a hand. "Just a little tired from everything."

Miguel's eyes widened, a little taken aback by that sparkling expression of hers. "I suppose it's quite a bit to take in," He chuckled, eating a piece of his food. "Meeting your fiancee for the first time, it's a bit nerve-wracking, isn't it?"

Fiancee...

"Yeah, it was." Giggling, Miki picked up the food again. "Miguel-san, what about you? Were you anxious when you first met me?" She questioned curiously as she stuffed the piece into her mouth.

Miguel's brown eyes wandered off as he hummed. "Well, I was quite shocked if I am being frank." He muttered.

"Why is that?" Tilting her head, Miki pursued curiously with her fork still lingering in her mouth.

Smirking, Miguel lifted his free hand and pressed it against Miki's cheek. With his thumb, he gently glazed away a bit of juice from the steak. "I was taken off guard by how beautiful you were, Mira." He whispered.

Miki felt her body stiffen under the touch. It didn't set off red alarms like before when other men touched her, but it just felt... cold. She remembered a different touch, and her body was subconsciously reacting to it as her limbs stiffened. She peered up blankly at Miguel's gentle expression as he continued to speak. "I know these circumstances are not ideal for us to meet," He murmured. "But let us make the best of the situation."

"Best of the situation?" Miki repeated his words with a puzzled voice.

"Meaning, let's get along, shall we?" Slightly perplexed yet intrigued by her clueless nature, Miguel clarified as he removed his hand.

After half a beat, Miki broke into a bright smile. "Alright." She complied.

"Aghh, she's flashing that sweet smile of hers again..." Hikaru reported under his breath. "Look at that, that Miguel guy is totally falling for her."

"Why does she have to be so cheerful all the time?" Kaoru complained, glancing over this shoulder. "Milord, are you sure we aren't going to do anything..?" His voice trailed off, seeing the blond scowl like a puppy seeing its owner getting along with another. 

"It's fine..." He mumbled, though his hands that trembled as he clenched onto the chair begged to differ. The gloomy aura around him seemed to have sprouted mushrooms on the back of his head. "I promised her that I would support her decision all the way, as long as that's what she wants." 

"Saying that doesn't really help prove your case, senpai," Haruhi commented at the dramatic tears in the blonde's eyes as she turned to look at Miki, who was getting up from her seat. She then noticed Elisa avert her eyes towards her and the host club, gazing at them for a moment as Miki exchanged a few words with her grandparents and Miguel's parents. She felt a shiver run down her spine. The brunette still couldn't believe that unfeeling woman was Miki's mother, they looked so... different. Even throughout the dinner, she noticed the mother and daughter rarely interacted. She couldn't help but remember her own mother, and how she was. The way she'd smile and say she'd do her best, the way she'd look when she was tackling a problematic case, it all brought a sense of warmth to her heart. Yet...

Elisa, under the orders of my parents, was never once allowed to even touch or see her.

No matter what, how can a mother do that to her own daughter? Haruhi wondered with her brows knitted slightly. However, her train of thought was quickly broken when Kyoya, who sat across from her, stood up from his seat.

"Kyo-chan?" Honey blinked, watching as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"I'm heading back to my room." Stating simply, he turned and headed towards the exit of the restaurant.

"Ah..." Groaning, Hikaru sunk into his chair with his hands behind his head. "So I guess this is affecting Kyoya-senpai, after all."

"Huh?"

"Of course it will," Kaoru sighed as he rested an elbow on the table. "Not just Kyoya-senpai, milord will be affected as well." He hushed, casting a side glance at Tamaki who watched Miki speaking intently.

"Both Tama-chan and Kyo-chan care so much about Miki-chan, She is precious to both of them in different ways," Honey stated with a wry smile as he stared down at his food. "I'm just worried about what we'll do if she actually leaves."

"Yeah." Mori nodded.

Honey's caramel eyes darted up at Mori's notion, observing the silent giant. He blinked a few times before calling out to him. "What about you, Takashi?" He questioned with an inconspicuous beam. "How do you feel about this?" 

Mori peered down at his cousin, unmoving. 

"Nothing." He averted his eyes back to Miki's compliant smile. 

***

Miki walked down eerily darkened empty halls in a carefree manner. Her hazel eyes were constantly flickering to the woman named Selene, who was her mother's attendant, walked by her side. She had excused herself from the dinner table to get some sleep in, when her grandparents suggested for Selene to take her back to her room, despite Arden's protests. "Selene-san," She called out, earning a silent glance in reply. "You are my mother's attendant, right?"

"Yes," Selene replied simply.

"You are both so quiet," Tilting her head to the side, Miki commented. "Even though she is my mother, she hasn't said a single word to me this entire time." She gave a wistful smile.

"I see."

Figuring she must not be the type to make conversation, Miki pressed her lips into a line as she began to brainstorm topic ideas to speak with the woman about when...

"Aunt Selene." Arden's voice rang behind them as the two turned around, finding him standing at the entrance of the restaurant. "May we speak for a moment?" Tilting his head, he questioned.

"Very well." Nodding hesitantly, Selene bowed to Miki. "If you will excuse me, Lady Mira. I will return shortly. Please do not move from this spot."

"Sure." Miki nodded obediently. She watched with a slight beam as Selene floated gracefully over to Arden, disappearing into the light of the restaurant and leaving her alone.

Leaning her back against the walls of the corridor, Miki let out a small sigh as her eyes stayed fixed on the moonlight that inked into the ground. She tilted her head, studying the designs on the carpeted ground with the dim light when she heard a familiar voice speak.

"So this is what he meant," Darting her eyes up, she gasped in joy when she saw Kyoya approaching her from the direction of the restaurant. He watched her with a stern expression, and his hands shoved into his shirt pockets casually.

"Kyoya-kun," Miki whispered in a hushed voice. "What are you doing here?" Despite the confusion in her voice, there was a delighted smile plastered onto her cheeks. She felt a rock land it's ground in her chest as a wave of relief washed over her.

"I was going back to my room when Arden pulled me aside and told me to wait," Shrugging, that naturally smug smirk curled on his lips when he saw her sparkling eyes. It was a welcomed sight. "I'm guessing this was what he meant by, creating opportunities."

Miki's eyes darted towards the light in the restaurant. They couldn't be seen being friendly in there; it is only cloaked in the darkness could they speak like this. She felt her chest tighten a little before breaking into a beam. "Arden must agree with me too then," She giggled.

"Hm?" Kyoya shot her a weird look.

Tilting her head with a closed-eye twinkle, Miki hid her hands behind her back. "Kyoya-kun, you really are a nice person." She stated with her usual radiant smile.

"What a simple-minded woman." Seeing such a cheerful look on her, Kyoya couldn't help but let out a sigh. "You are engaged to someone," He reminded. "You shouldn't be saying that about other men."

"Huh? Why not?" Eyes rounding, Miki pouted. "I can say what I want about people, no matter what marital status I have." She reasoned.

"You clearly don't deserve that title 'Aphrodite.'" Eyebrow twitching at her response, Kyoya grumbled. He reached a hand forward, about to ruffle her hair only to pause for a few moments. For the first time, Miki noticed the tension that loomed between them. She watched as he retracted his hand, spinning on his heel and turned to walk away.

"Kyoya-kun, where are you going?" Cocking her head to the side, Miki questioned.

"Back to my room, it'd be bad if that maid came back and saw us interacting, wouldn't it?" He replied indifferently before stopping in his tracks for a moment. "Miki," He called out to her. "What's your room number?" He asked, glancing over his shoulders.

Tapping her chin, her lips formed a line as she tried to remember. "I think it was on the top floor, 3512 I believe." She informed him, raising an all-knowing finger.

"I see, good night." And with that, he was off.

Miki stared at the direction where Kyoya disappeared, replaying their brief rendezvous in her mind. A hand gently pressed against her cheek where Miguel had touched earlier that evening as she remembered Kyoya's reluctance as he was about to thread a hand through her hair as he usually did. She felt her heart rate begin to pick up. She furrowed her brows as she allowed her own finger to mimic his usual actions. She couldn't understand why, but...

She felt disappointed.

Once Selene returned with her unchanging face, Miki was brought to her room immediately. Selene opened the door with the keycard and pushed down on the handle. "Your stuff has already been brought over by us." The maid explained as Miki stepped in, in slight awe at her first time being in a hotel room. Her eyes twinkled in amazement, and her mouth gaped open. As Selene had said, all her stuff, dresses, sketch references, books, DVDs from the Second Suoh Estate had been transferred over to this hotel room.

"Someone will be by early to take you to meet your wedding guests, so please head to bed early. Good Night, Lady Mira." Then with that, the door slammed closed, startling Miki who snapped her head around. The wonder in her eyes turned to panic as she heard the sound of a mechanic locking on the doors. She gasped.

"Selene?" Hurrying back the entrance of the room, Miki attempted to twist the doorknob, with no avail. She sucked in a harsh breath and tried again. "Selene?" She knocked on the door lightly as the hair on her back stood up. "Selene, are you there? The door locked for some reason."

No answer.

"Selene" As the realization set into, Miki felt a strange feeling began to crawl on her skin. Her hands began to tremble lightly as they were brought to her lips, a wave of panic crashing over her.

She was locked in.

Her pulse rate began to increase as all she could hear was how loud her heart was pounding in her chest. She was trapped, locked in, unable to escape. Grabbing onto her wrist, she bent her body forward as her eyes widened. Never had she felt so afraid in her life. Sweat began to gather at her forehead from the panic she felt internally. I need to escape. She thought. I don't want to stay trapped here; it's scary — someone help.

It's a hex. It's specially designed to countering the fear of being trapped.

Remembering Reiko'a talisman, her eyes darting around desperately, she hurried to find her school bag, the last place she left the charm in. Spotting it, lying near the desk in the room, she scrambled to grab it with shaking hands as her knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Throwing her notebooks and tablet to the ground as she fished out the carefully folded aged paper to her chest. Holding it close to her chest with two hands, she prayed.

Talisman, help me...

As she whispered for help while holding the hex, the room phone suddenly began to ring, startling Miki. She gasped and whipped her head in the direction of the sound, staring at it as the ringing filled the room. Her heavy breathing was calming down momentarily. Clutching the talisman with one hand, she crawled over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?" She answered, her lips still quaking.

"Good evening." Kyoya's voice poured in through the speaker as the knot in her heart loosened.

Letting out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding, Miki felt her shoulders slump. "Kyoya...kun?" She muttered.

There was a slight pause on his end before he spoke again. "Is everything alright? You sound like you are under distress." He pointed out.

"Well..." Miki's voice trailed off as it wandered to the firmly shut door in her room.

"If everything is alright," Sitting on the bed of his hotel room, Kyoya smirked smugly as he glanced out the night skyline of Madrid. "Should I hang up?"

"No!" Quickly snapping, Miki pled, taking Kyoya by surprise. "Please don't go!" She cried, turning away from the firmly shut door as to not remind herself of the current predicament she was in.

There was another pause, then Kyoya let out a small sigh. "Do you have cleithrophobia?" He questioned with a brow raise.

"Cleaveland-Phobia?" Miki repeated, tilting her head. "What is that?" She blinked curiously.

Feeling his eye twitch, Kyoya repositioned the room phone on his ear as he leaned back on his bed. How could this girl not know the phrase for her own phobia? "Not 'Cleaveland-Phobia,' cleithrophobia." He corrected her. "It's when you have a fear of being trapped."

"Oh," Tapping her chin and thinking about it, Miki giggled. "Then I guess I do have Cleaveland-Phobia." She stated with a smile returning to her lips. "It's a little strange, isn't it? Having a fear of being trapped after being trapped for so long." Her heart was feeling much lighter now that someone was figuratively by her side, she felt as if she could finally breathe.

"Cleithrophobia." Kyoya reminded with a sigh in irritation as he averted his eyes. Though he wouldn't be surprised if she had the phobia, it would most likely be classified as a post-traumatic side effect.

"Say Kyoya-kun," Completely ignoring his corrections, Miki laid down on her bed with a hum. "How do you like Madrid so far?" She chirped curiously. "Have you been to any of the beaches yet?"

Standing up from his bed, Kyoya moved to the sizeable body-length window that stared out into the glowing city. "Madrid doesn't have any beaches, Miki." He told her.

"Ehh?!" Covering her lips with her fingers, Miki let out a shriek as she jolted up from the bed.

"You were born in this city." He pointed out flatly.

"But I've never been outside before." Miki justified as her mouth remained gaped. "There are no beaches here?" She repeated, still in shock.

"If you want to go to a beach, go to Barcelona." Shrugging, Kyoya sat down at his chair that looked out into the city. "They have quite a few there." 

"I hope I could in the near future." Miki giggled as she sighed dreamily. "I had so much fun last time at the beach in Okinawa; I would love to go to another one!"

Kyoya didn't reply. Instead, he leaned an arm on the armrest of his velvet chair, watching as the cars drove by on the streets beneath them. "Miki," His voice turned to his usual serious one.

"Hm?"

"Why did you accept engagement?" He asked, eyes flickering down to the people bustling by on the streets. They were so small, so little, like ants crawling below.

"Well..." Miki hummed as she rolled onto her side, placing the talisman onto her bedside table for safekeeping. "I took your advice and considered things from a point that would benefit me." She explained as she stared at her fluffy strawberry blonde hair that scattered all over the white sheets of the bed, smoothing it out with her free hand as the hotel phone was clipped between her ear and the mattress. "Grandmother explained that if I were to accept this engagement, I would live my life under a new alias. I'd be known as Mira Luz Fernández Santiago, and I'd be able to go anywhere, anytime." She informed him. "Of course, I feel bad for using Miguel-san like this. But it's what I've always dreamed of." Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, Miki mustered a soft smile. "My freedom." As she continued to thread her fingers through her locks, she noticed her hands were trembling.

Why are they shaking? Her brows knitted together.

"I see," Hearing her answer, Kyoya's eyes flickered up towards the velvety night sky, littered with little stars. "Mira Luz Fernández, huh...?" He muttered. After learning of that name from Elena, the second-year immediately took to the Ootori Database to search for a record of her. As expected, none came up. The Fernández family really did a number to make sure she remained hidden, though it probably wasn't difficult. Having ties to the Spanish Royal Family was definitely an advantage one couldn't scoff at.

"Yes, that's supposedly my birth name and the alias I'm under right now." Flipping onto her stomach, Miki giggled as she brushed away the tension in her chest. "What about you, Kyoya-kun?" Her voice turned bubbly as she kicked her legs like a child reading a book. "Is Ootori Kyoya your full name?" She asked curiously.

As the night continued and the two respectively got ready for bed, the conversation between them ensued. Though admittedly it was more Miki asking dumb questions or sprouting strange things while Kyoya either debunked or confirmed them, more former than the latter.

Letting out a small yawn, Miki curled up in her blanket as she leaned against the phone next to her ear. "Kyoya-kun, what are you doing right now?" She rubbed her eyes, feeling them grow heavier and heavier due to the darkness of the room. Though with the faint sound of a keyboard typing on the other end of the phone, she felt somewhat relaxed.

"Some club budgeting for the new month," He replied indifferently, setting the phone down next to his laptop.

"Your panda eyes are going to get worse, you know?" Miki commented playfully.

"The School Festival is this month, and once you leave the budget will be tight again." He shrugged.

Miki's eyes widened slightly as the hazy realization sunk in. Once she marries Miguel, she would remain Spain while the Host Club returns to Japan. She'd be separated from her father, the host club, Tamaki, Kyoya and all her friends she made at Ouran Academy. Her chest tightened again at the thought of that until the sound of keyboard tapping tuned into her mind, drawing her anxiety away.

"You're such a nice person, Kyoya-kun..." Rubbing her eyes, Miki let out a sigh as her eyelids began to weigh down.

Raising an eyebrow, the boy peered at the phone. "Where is this coming from?" He questioned as his fingers continued to type away, unintentionally lulling Miki further into her drowsy state.

"Because..." Taking a deep breath, Miki snuggled further into her pillow. "You got my room number, just to call me and make sure I was alright." She chuckled tiredly as her eyes fluttered closed. "It makes me a bit sad, knowing... I may not see you guys again... I wish... even after this... I can stay in contact... with youall..." She managed. "Not as Mira... but as... Miki..."

Kyoya's typing stopped once he heard that. He was about to respond only to notice the soft, rhythmic breathing coming from the speaker. Did she seriously fall asleep in the middle of talking? His eyebrow twitched irritably at that thought, only to relax when he remembered what she said before dozing off.

With a small, wry smile, he picked up the phone and stared at the dial pad. Opening he mouth, he spoke softly into the speaker.

"Good Night... Miki."

Then, he hung up.

***

Saturday afternoon, Miki was extremely busy as she accompanied Miguel as they welcomed guests to the wedding in one of the ballrooms of the hotel lobby. She wore a butter yellow ballgown with white flower designers and a silver headband in her hair. She smiled gracefully as she bowed her head at all the greetings and compliments she has received as the guests entered the hotel. Arden stood by her side, announcing the status and identity of each guest as they came. Supposedly, according to her grandparents, they were going to have a small scale wedding as not to make a big deal of this union. However, Miki felt as if she had greeted more people than the host club did in a week.

"Gracias por asistir a nuestra boda. Thank you for attending our wedding." Giving her hand to the gentleman of the couple that came to greet her, Miki routinely expressed her gratitude.

"¡Por supuesto! Of course, we would!" The young man kissed her gloved hand.

"Such a pretty young lady, Miguel." The woman of the couple complimented. "You two would make a fabulous couple."

"Oh, stop. Mrs. Rodríguez," Miguel laughed. "You're embarrassing her."

"But it's true. She's a stunning bride. I bet she'll make a wonderful wife as well."

"Gracias señorita." Miki lowered her head in thanks as the couple walked away. Letting out a small sigh, her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

"Holding up alright?" Miguel grinned as his eyes softened. "You are doing great right now." He reassured her.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about when I can change out of this ballgown into my chiffon dress." Bringing her fingers to her lips, Miki chuckled.

"Chiffon dresses?" Raising an eyebrow, Miguel laughed. "Don't girls usually want to change out of dresses to wear pants? Why would you want to wear another dress?"

"I like chiffon dresses." Miki reasoned, looking a little puzzled. "They are comfortable, easy to get into and don't restrict your movement." Lifting an all-knowing finger, she explained.

"I see," Humming, Miguel peered down at the strawberry blonde. "You are a strange girl; you know that?"

Across the ballroom, the host club watched the couple. They were dressed up in suits and ties while Haruhi wore a flowy pink dress as the twins claimed that 'no one would know her here.' Though the only thing it did so far, was it made Tamaki even more insufferable as he immediately began doting on how cute the dress looked on her.

"Miki-chan said that?" Honey's eyes were filled with worry as he clung to Mori's back.

Kyoya had just got done telling them about her confession last night, regarding why she accepted the engagement. He looked rather calm and collected as he leaned up against the walls of the ballroom. "Yes, she mentioned that her freedom has always been something she wanted."

"So in the end, she was threatened!" Hikaru was on the verge of snapping, looking like he was about to stomp over and punch the lights out of the Fernández family. "Milord, we have to do something!"

"Hikaru, stop." Tamaki, on the other hand, seemed quite calm as well. His hands were in his pockets while his eyes were hidden in the shadow of his bangs. "I already said, if it's what she wants. We as the host club will support her, every step of the way."

"Tama-chan, Kyo-chan, are you both alright with that?" Honey furrowed his brows as his lips pressed into a pout.

"Why wouldn't be we be?" Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya stood up straighter.

"It's our job to make the woman we meet happy, after all." Tamaki flashed a charming smile. Despite his words and calm facade, however, Haruhi noticed his arms that were stiffly shoved into his pant pockets were quaking ever so slightly. 

"Senpai..." She muttered, wondering how the blond could be feeling.

"But Milord, we can't just let Miki-senpai follow them into this." Kaoru reasoned, rubbing his twin's back. "I don't think she'll be happy like this"

Haruhi's brown eyes flickered over to Miki as she observed her expression as she spoke to a new guest that entered the ballroom. Her eyes widened when she noticed who the freshly arrived man was. "Senpai!" She tapped Tamaki on the shoulder, eagerly pointing in that direction.

"Master Suoh Yuzuru, from the Suoh Cooperation in Japan," Arden announced without a hint of recognition in his voice.

"Ah, Suoh-san, it's a pleasure to see you again." Miguel offered a reserved smile as he shook hands with the man.

Yuzuru nodded in return, firmly grasping the young man's hand. "It's wonderful to see you too Miguel. When was the last time we met? When you were twelve?" He made small talk as he approached Miki who was beaming tenderly at him.

"I believe so sir." Miguel nodded curtly as he introduced Miki. "This is my bride-to-be, Mira. Mira, this is Suoh Yuzuru of the Suoh Cooperation."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Twinking brightly, Miki chirped as she curtsied. Peering up, she flashed him the most sincere of smiles she could offer.

"My goodness, aren't you adorable?" Dotingly, Yuzuru chuckled as he poked at Miki's cheek. Then, his eyes crinkled into a benevolent smile. "You look absolutely beautiful." Despite his compliment, the tone of his voice seemed a little dry.

"Thank you very much," Miki bowed her head deeply.

"Miguel, you found a good woman. Take good care of her." Patting the young man on the shoulder, Yuzuru excused himself as he paced in the direction of Tamaki and the rest of the host club.

Noticing that Miki hadn't raised her head yet, Miguel knelt. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked caringly. Lifting her face by the chin, he cupped her cheeks."I know Yuzuru-san can be a bit much to handle, but-"

"No, no, not at all." Snapping out of her daze, Miki shook her head as she backed away from his grip around her face. "Yuzuru-san seems like a very nice man." Tilting her head, she smiled.

***

"Father."

"Chairman."

"Oh, hello everyone." Grinning, Yuzuru greeted the host club as he raised a champagne class he pucked off a server's tray along the way. "Wonderful party, huh?"

"It's a surprise to see you here, Chairman," Kyoya commented. "Weren't you on a business trip around Europe?"

"Nothing wrong with stopping over in Spain for a wedding I was invited for." Shrugging with closed eyes, Yuzuru then addressed everyone else present. "So have you all decided on what to give as a wedding gift?" He asked.

Even the chairman doesn't look worried. Averting her eyes away, Haruhi stared down at the orange juice in her hands. "Oh, that's right." Snapping up, she asked. "What time is it right now?"

"Hm? It should be about 2:30 right now." Honey replied, sliding down from Mori's back. "Is something wrong Haru-chan?"

"I promised Dad I would call him before he heads to bed," Panicking, Haruhi shuffled towards the door. "Excuse me; I'll be right back."

"Have a safe trip," The twins waved, calling after her in unison.

***

"Yes Dad, I'll call you tomorrow." With a deadpan, Haruhi grumbled as her father went on about safety in a foreign country for the tenth time in thirty minutes. She stood on the bridge in the garden of the luxury hotel, still a little confused why a hotel needed a central garden. "Well then, I'm hanging up."

"Hold on Haruhi." Ranka's voice took to a more serious tone as he called out to his daughter. "Is it something that talking to your dad won't help?"

Hearing her father's words, Haruhi froze up for a moment before chuckling awkwardly. "What are you talking about, dad? Everything is fine."

Ranka fell silent on the other end. "Listen, Haruhi," He said after a moment. "There are certainly a lot of things in this world that you can't do anything about, try though you might. That is why you can't hesitate when it's time to stick things out." With a wise voice, he comforted his daughter. "Be safe; I love you."

Haruhi's eyes flickered down to the pond beneath the bridge, gazing at her reflection, thinking over her father's words. "Yeah, I love you too dad." Hanging up the phone, she watched the figure that stared back with reprimanding eyes. Her brows knitted closer together as she thought over everything. Sighing, she turned around and walked down the bridge as she headed for the exit, pausing when she saw a familiar figure standing among the yellow roses.

"Elisa-san?" She muttered under her breath, seeing the dirty blonde woman holding a watering can, standing over the yellow rose bushes with her emotionless face. Despite standing in the midst of beauty, her expression showed no appreciation for it. Her shoulder length dirty blonde hair was a lot less wavy than her daughter's, and her eyes were a darker shade. Her hands moved fluidly as it swept across the flowers, making sure every one of them received enough care. Noticing the brunette gawking, her dark hazel eyes flickered up to meet her brown ones. "Oh, I'm sorry." Realizing that she was caught staring, Haruhi made a swift bow. "I'll leave now." She spun on her heel, about to leave when she heard the woman speak.

"Leave my daughter alone," Elisa spoke without a tone.

"Huh?" Haruhi slowly turned her head, wide-eyed.

This was the first time she heard the woman speak. Her voice was similar to Miki's; there was no question that she was her mother. It was as clear as a bell and as fluid as the wind, yet unlike her daughter, her voice didn't hold any hint of any joy or enthusiasm. 

"She will be living in Spain with Miguel from now on, and she will be happy with time." Holding the watering can straight, Elise didn't bat an eye at the brunette. "Continuously spending time with her will only result in more heartbreak once you leave."

"Why do you say that?" Turning her body to face the woman fully, Haruhi retorted. She watched as the woman floated through the roses elegantly as if she were a ghost. 

Reaching down, Elisa's fingers swept across the yellow roses as her thumb brushed away the water droplets her watering can have left. "I am her mother." She replied, standing up straight, alloing a shoulder to brush past Haruhi's. "It's as simple as that."

Hearing the woman say that, Haruhi's eyes widened. Spinning around on her the ball of her foot, she spoke. "Have you ever seen Miki-senpai's smile?" She questioned bluntly, causing the woman to stop in her steps. Haruhi couldn't see her face. However, that didn't hold her back from saying her piece. "Miki-senpai's smile is radiant, cheerful and warm. It brings light and positivity to a dark room, and it's stunning. If you don't even know something as simple as that about her," Pausing, Haruhi swallowed hard as he hands balled into fists. "Then I don't believe you meet the qualifications to call yourself her mother." With a straight face, Haruhi declared her message loud and clear to Elisa.

Lingering for a moment, Elisa's voided eyes were glued ahead towards the greenery hazily. Then without saying a word, she walked across the bridge and disappeared further into the garden.

***

"So this is it?" That evening, Hikaru protested as the host club, par Tamaki, Kyoya and Miki, gathered in Honey and Mori's room. "The wedding is tomorrow, and Miki-senpai is leaving us for good?"

"Hikaru..." Haruhi's gaze softened as she watched his shoulders dart up from the stress.

"Hika-chan, we all understand how you feel." Honey attempted to justify. "But that was Miki-chan's decision, and Tama-chan promised to respect it. We don't have any say in this, because we are simply guests."

"The only person who can object tomorrow, " Mori spoke sternly. "Is Miki."

The ginger clenched his fists. "But how can we let her just go through with it? This is a big mistake! Milord won't even leave his room, and Kyoya-senpai just upped and left during dinner again!" 

Casting a worried glance at his twin who was practically trembling in anger, Kaoru muttered his name under his breath. He agreed wholeheartedly that this was a terrible idea, for both Tamaki and Miki. They were just starting to get close and develop true sibling bonds, ones that they missed out on for years due to their unfortunate circumstances. However, due to those very circumstances, all of that time spent together was about to be torn apart once again.

"Why don't we start thinking about what we can give to Miki-chan as a wedding gift?" Honey suggested with a wry smile. "Maybe we can try and talk to her when we present it tomorrow, right?" Lifting an all-knowing finger, he giggled.

Clicking his tongue, Hikaru could do nothing but avert his eyes in pent-up frustration.

"Well, what should we give her?" Honey tapped his chin. "Cake?"

"No, she'll have plenty of that tomorrow." Haruhi pointed out with a sweatdrop.

"How about more drawing supplies?" Kaoru proposed with a wistful smile.

"She uses a tablet," Mori stated in a deep voice.

As everyone continued to sprout ideas on what they should be giving to the strawberry blonde for her wedding, Haruhi stood on the side, lost in thought. Suddenly, something Miki said in the past crossed her mind as her eyes widened.

"I know what to give her." Brown eyes darting up, she announced. 

A/N: That confrontation between Haruhi and Elisa though! Wah, I felt so tense just reading over it. You'll notice a lot of this arc is told from Haruhi's perspective because fundamentally, she is still the main character of the story, and the one impacting many people's lives through her words and actions. Now, now, before you all raise your pitchforks at me for not resolving this arc in this chapter, the next chapter will be the end of this arc, I promise! Though it is like 11000+ words, sooo... Be Prepared? 

For those of you wondering why I wrote Hikaru out to be so pissed off about Miki's engagement. I'll leave you with this, what if instead of Tamaki and Miki, it was him and Kaoru?

There is something I wanted to ask you all about for the future chapters. Since we are diving further into the manga, I wanted to talk about future the arcs. For those of you who have read the manga, you know that route splits will happen. There will be several plot points happening at the same time and points will be told from different perspectives. Would you like me to do a full retelling of the Manga? Or would it be alright if I simply sick to Miki's perspective and give a quick explanation for what transpired on the other end? She will be involved in one of the plot points, but not all of them. I think personally, I may just stick to the latter option since number one, this is not a manga retelling and number two, I'm lazy. But I still wanted to bring it to the table and see what you all think.

With that, have a great day!

XOXO, 

Astra. 

Haruhi: To be honest, when I first met Miki-senpai, I found her a little bothersome. She was a doe-eyed child trapped in a sixteen-year-old body with an endless amount of questions and enthusiasm. But when I think about her warmth and smile being permanently gone from the Host Club...

Next time, " The Final Wedding Bells, Miki's Decision! "

We will be waiting for you!

Chapter Text

A/N: Italic words are either thoughts, flashbacks or spoken in Spanish 

-Chapter 28-

The Final Wedding Bells, Miki's Decision!

Sunday morning, the day of the wedding. Miki sat silently in the dressing room, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her fluffy hair was done up in an elegant bun, and she was wearing a white wedding gown.

The late fall morning in Spain was misty, almost hazy. It was eleven o'clock in the morning. The makeup artist and stylist have already left. The ceremony was set to begin in two hours, and she has been receiving wedding gifts in the meantime. Unlike those weddings she's seen on TV, she will be walking down the aisle with her groom. Her grandparents didn't want to go with the idea of a family member 'giving her away,' after all, there was nothing to give away. Despite the quelling pain in her chest, she had managed to convince herself it was all the excitement suppressed excitement to be attending a wedding for the first time.

Taking a deep breath, sucked in a quick breath and rested her chin on her fists merrily. "What should I do after this?" She wondered out loud, eyes trailing up to the concrete ceiling with her legs swinging around like a child's. "Maybe I could start applying for jobs at production companies, or should I finish high school? Now that I will be taking a different name, I could go to any school in Madrid."

"Milady, what are you doing?" Her dressing room door opened as Arden stepped in with a questioning brow raise. He was dressed in his usual butler uniform, looking prim and proper.

"Arden!" Jolting from the shock of being caught talking to herself, Miki's eyes rounded. "When did you get in here? Why didn't you knock?"

"I've told you multiple times milady; a butler doesn't need to knock when he's entering his master's room. It's common knowledge." He sighed, still holding on the doorknob. "Why, am I interrupting something?" Smirking, he teased.

"It's called positive self-reinforcement, Arden." Sticking her tongue out playfully, Miki giggled.

"No, that is called talking to yourself." Letting out a sigh, the light brown-haired butler corrected. "Besides, you have visitors." Stepping out of the way, he revealed most of the host club dressed in formal attire.

"Yo!" The twins greeted her with a nonchalant salute.

"Miki-chan, we came to see you." Honey waved with a bright beam as he slung over Mori's back.

"How are you doing, Miki-senpai?" Haruhi greeted her as she walked in along with the host club.

Bouncing up from her chair, Miki's hazel eyes shimmered while Arden closed the dressing room door from the outside. "Everyone!" She cheered before taking a step back, studying Haruhi's soft coral gown and sudden long hair. "You look so pretty Haruhi!" Cupping her cheeks, she let out a shriek in delight. "Who picked this dress out for you? It goes perfectly with your skin and hair colour!"

"About that..." Haruhi sweatdropped as she explained to Miki how the twin's twin maids woke her up and dragged her to change into a dress from their mother's latest design as well as placing a long-haired wig on.

"That sounds like an exciting morning." Covering her lips, Miki tittered. "Thank you for coming to my wedding! I'm glad you all could make it."

With her words, the formerly cheerful dressing room took a solemn turn.

"Miki-senpai, are you really planning on getting married?" Kaoru asked gingerly.

"Mhm!" With a curt nod and a big smile, Miki sounded. "I've never been to a wedding before; it's a little exciting. Though I never imagined that the first wedding ceremony I'd ever attend would be my own." The host club shuffled uncomfortably at her light-hearted nature as she rambled on. "But after this, I can finally-"

"Achieve your freedom; we get it!" Hikaru snapped, his hands clenching into fists as he shouted over Miki. It took the strawberry blonde by shock as she gazed at him with a puzzled expression.

"Hika-chan..."

"Hikaru, are you angry?" Tilting her head, she blinked. "Why?"

"Of course I am!" Gritting his teeth, Hikaru shouted as his shoulders tensed up. No one in the room bothered to stop him, as he poured his thoughts out. "I thought I could wish you congratulations, but I can't! What about us? Have you ever thought about us, and how we feel about all this? You dropped into our lives, became our friend, and now you're just going to marry some guy in Spain while we go back to Japan?" Arms trembling, he glared at Miki. "Like hell, I'll let it end like this!" With that shout, Hikaru spun on his heel and ran out of the dressing room, startling Arden as he busted the doors open.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru called after him; he made his way to the door frame before pausing and turning to an awestruck Miki. He's seen the confusion on her before, but that wasn't what was on her face. It was more confliction than confusion. Biting his bottom lip, he decided to speak as well.

"What about Milord?" He questioned as his eyes shot to the ground.

"Tamaki-kun?" Miki repeated snapping slightly out of her daze. "What about him?"

"He just got his sister back, how do you think he feels about her leaving him like this?" Kaoru continued, his voice growing louder than he expected. "Miki-senpai, reconsider this. In these past six months, you both worked hard to created a sibling bond with each other. You can't just let it things end like this." As soon as he said that, he pushed off his feet and bolted after Hikaru.

Miki's eyes fell into a downcast as she pursed her lips, her mind slipped into another fit of chaos at what the twins said.

"Miki-senpai," Haruhi spoke up this time as she approached the upperclassman who glanced up at her. Furrowing her brows slightly, she stated. "I don't think we can tell you what to do, but I do think you should think about whether this is the kind of freedom you really want." Then, her expression softened a little as she held up a little brown envelope Miki didn't realize she had. "That being said," She smiled wryly. "Congratulations on your wedding."

Peering down at the envelope, Miki took it with both hands. "May I open it?" Lips curling slightly, she asked the brunette who nodded in return. With clammy hands, she flipped open the flap and pulled something out that surprised her. It was a photo. A photograph of entire host club including her they had taken a while ago. Miki's eyes grew wide.

"You said you never had anyone to put in those photo frames," Haruhi explained, surprised when Miki got up and threw her arms around the brunette.

"Thank you very much," Miki whispered with her eyes squeezed shut, a mixture of emotions bubbling inside of her. "I'll cherish this photo for the rest of my life."

Gently, Haruhi patted the strawberry blonde's lacy veil, shuffling uncomfortably as the reality of the circumstances set in once she made contact with the silky material of her dress. "I'll be off then," Separating herself from her, she bowed. "I need to go look for Hikaru and Kaoru. We'll see you at the ceremony." Opening the white double doors, she left. Leaving Miki with Honey and Mori in the dressing room as she turned to them with a sorrowful smile.

"Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai," She muttered as her head tilted slightly, wondering if they were going to say something.

Exchanging a concerned look with Honey, Mori was the first to speak, surprisingly. "If it's not right, don't do it. If it's not true, don't say it." He advised in a low voice.

"We can't make that decision for you, Miki-chan." Honey smiled as he approached her. "But I think you should rethink this; this is your decision to make."

"My... Decision..." Touching her chest with her free hand, Miki repeated Honey's words.

"Mhm! Think long and hard about it, alright?" Honey nodded with an encouraging close-eyed grin. "By the way," Opening his caramel eyes, Honey gave her a tender expression. "You look really pretty." He complimented in a genuine voice. "Like a princess."

Miki's hazel eyes widened, twinkling in the brilliant morning sun.

Giving her a faint smile, Mori placed his large hand on her head, avoiding the tiara as not to mess up her hair. "Very." He told her.

Miki's lips curled up into a beam. "Thank you very much."

Once Honey and Mori left, she turned her attention to the photo she held in her right hand.

She was so sure about this marriage, and how she was going to be free once she went through with it. But was this really the type of freedom she wanted? At the cost of marrying someone? Would she feel comfortable knowing that she would be known as Mira Luz Fernández Santiago and not Suoh Miki, for the rest of her life? It was just a name, right? It wouldn't matter, right?

Her own words came flooding back to her when she first entered Ouran Academy.

Suoh Miki.

It may just be a common name.

"Is it really just... a common name?" Miki whispered to herself as her fingers grazed across the satin surface of the photograph. "If it's so common, why do I want it so much?"

Suddenly, the door opened once again. Fearing that it was either her family or Miguel, Miki quickly hid the photo back in it's envelop before glancing up.

"Milady," Arden bowed as he moved out of the way. "You have another visitor." He announced as another familiar figure walked into the room. She felt her heart thump against her chest at the sight of him, becoming hyper-aware of her limbs and appearance.

"Kyoya-kun!" She gasped as Arden closed the doors. Her cheeks almost immediately gleaming with joy, momentarily casting aside all her worries, she greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

"To deliver your wedding gift." Holding out a white paper bag with a yellow rose on it, Kyoya offered it to the strawberry blonde. "Congratulations." He uttered.

Taking the bag with both hands, Miki's eyes shimmered. "Thank you very much," She flashed a close-eyed twinkle. "May I open it?" She asked airily.

"Go ahead."

Placing the bag on the vanity table next to the bouquet, Miki eagerly reached into the bag with both hands like a child about to tear into her birthday present. She blinked curiously as she pulled out a thin hardcovered brown book with shiny golden designs on the corners. The title was printed across the front cover, much clearer than the copy she owned.

Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm

"Yours looked worn out by age," Kyoya explained, crossing his arms.

"How did you find this?" With a delighted beam, Miki snapped her head to him. "I received this exact book as a gift many years ago; it must've been tough to find it."

"Tachibana found it in an antique store in Japan." Shrugging indifferently, he peered at her awestruck expression with a smirk of pride. "Do you like it?"

"Yes!" Nodding definitely, Miki chimed. "I absolutely love it, thank you Kyoya-kun." With her sweet smile, Miki hugged the book close to her chest with her gloved hands. Kyoya stared at her radiantly blissful expression before huffing out a breath. Turning on his heel, he headed for the door.

"I'll excuse myself then-"

"Ah, wait!" Out of instinct, Miki called out the greenish-black haired boy, grabbing the hem of his sleeve in the process. "Wait." She repeated, locking her round beady eyes with his surprised ones.

Kyoya found himself unable to continue staring at her, so he turned away. "What is it?" He inquired, noticing that she still hasn't let go of his sleeve.

"Kyoya-kun, what do you think I should do about this arranged marriage?" She asked, her eyes flickering down her snow-white wedding gown.

"As I always tell you," Gently tugging his arm away from her grasp, he took a cautious step away from her. "Consider things from a perspective that would benefit yourself." Placing a hand in his pocket, he spoke in a simple tone. "However," Glancing over his shoulder, he met her hazel eyes as they darted up. "I've taken a look at that book, and I think I figured out the theme and moral of the story."

"Eh?"

Closing his eyes, Kyoya pushed up his glasses as he began to explained. "It's about Rapunzel's determination and fight for freedom. She never once gave up escaping the tower," Narrowing his eyes, he turned away. "And never took any shortcuts in pursuing her true freedom, even if it meant being banished. I believe the moral is 'We should never give up on our dreams, no matter how dire the situation.' It's a rather idealistic message, huh?" Pacing towards the door, he took the doorknob in his hand. "I'll see you at the ceremony."

"Yes, I'll see you there." Cradling the book in one hand like a precious jewel, Miki waved with a dazed expression. She peered down at the brown-covered book in her arms. Taking a seat at her vanity, she opened the book as she began to read through the familiar words again. Ever since she left the Main Suoh Mansion, she barely reread the book properly like this. She could practically recite it word for word, after all.

Once upon a time,

There was a young maiden with exceptionally long hair, trapped in a tall tower by an evil sorceress due to a sin her parents had committed.

The only one who could come and go, was the sorceress herself, chanting,

'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!',

Rapunzel would let her hair down, and up the sorceress would climb.

Rapunzel yearned to leave and visit the outside world, to walk on the grass below with her own two feet.

Then one day, a prince from the neighbouring kingdom heard a sweet voice as he traversed through the forest.

Drawn in by the voice, he was instantly captivated by the beautiful Rapunzel, singing her heart out at the top of a tower.

As the prince wondered how he was to get up and meet with the maiden who's voice stole his heart, he saw the sorceress return,

'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!', 

He then saw hair, longer than he's ever seen be thrown down from the tall tower and the sorceress began to climb up.

The next day, the Prince repeated the same words he heard,

'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!'.

Long hair was thrown down from the tower like a rope, and the prince climbed up eagerly.

At first, Rapunzel was horrified to see a strange climb up her hair, but the Prince's kind and good nature won her over, and they agreed to wed.

To escape the tower, Rapunzel instructed the prince to bring a rope every time he visited, so she could weave her rope ladder to escape.

However, the sorceress discovered Rapunzel's secret rendezvous with the prince and grew enraged.

As punishment for disobeying her, the sorceress chopped off Rapunzel's beautiful long locks and banished her into the deserts.

Then, using Rapunzel's hair, she lured the prince up to the tower.

The prince was surprised to find the sorceress at the end of the hair and threw himself off the tower in despair, blinded by the thorn bushes below.

Determined to find his love, he wandered the forest searching aimlessly for Rapunzel, who also never abandoned hope as she traversed through the desert every day in hopes of rendezvousing with the prince.

Eventually, he heard her familiar lovely voice again, and they were reunited.

Rapunzel wept over the prince's eyes, and her tears cured his vision.

Together, they ventured for the prince's kingdom and lived happily ever after.

Kyoya-kun is right... With her hands glazing over the final storybook picture, Miki pressed her lips together. Rapunzel never gave up on escaping the tower and charged straight towards her true form of freedom without hesitation. She closed the book, brows knitting together as she made up her mind, suddenly noting how blurry her vision had gotten for some reason.

As she was lost in thoughts there was a slight knock at the door; she glanced up as it clicked open. Arden never knocked, so if he did it must've been a warning as to someone important coming in.

"Mira?" It was Miguel who stepped in, dressed in a tuxedo. Arden stood next to him, in a bowing state. "Are you ready? It's almost time."

"Miguel-san." Finding her voice was a little hoarse, Miki blinked as she felt warmth trace down her right cheek.

Chocolate eyes widening, Miguel rushed to her side. "Mira!? What's the matter? Why are you crying?" His brows knitted as he traced a thumb over her cheek, causing her body to stiffen up as a natural response.

Am I crying?

"It's nothing," Shaking her head and quickly wiping away the tears, Miki flashed him a reassuring smiled. "I'm just reading an old fairy tale; it made me feel nostalgic." She reasoned, closing the book and pressing it protectively against her chest.

Why am I crying now? She wondered, blinking. Am I feeling sad? 

"You must've been very invested in the story if you are crying like that," Miguel chuckled. "Tell me, what's the title of this moving tale?"

"It's called Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel?" Miguel looked quite quizzical to that name, causing Miki gasp and her eyes to widen.

"You haven't read this story before?" She was borderline shouting. "That's impossible!"

Laughing uneasily, Miguel scratched the back of his bleached blond hair awkwardly. "I wasn't much of a reader back then." He reasoned.

"Still, this book is a classic. You should at least read it once!"

"If you are so intent on recommending it to me, I suppose I should." Shrugging, Miguel peered down at the brown book. "Would you mind giving me a rundown of the story?"

"Sure!" Eagerly, Miki nodded her head. Lifting a finger, she began talking proudly as if a professor giving her students a serious but brief lecture. "I won't tell you too much because I don't want to spoil it for you, but it's basically a story of a girl who was rescued by a brave prince from a tower she was imprisoned in." She explained. "It's my favourite book ever since I was as young as I could remember."

"Hm... I see..." Rubbing his chin, Miguel eyed the book thoughtfully. "Then why don't we do this?" Taking one of Miki's wrists, Miguel slid it gently down to her hands as he brought it to his lips. "Why don't I... Become your prince?" He asked, kissing the back of her hand gently as his gaze shifted to Miki's blank hazel orbs. "How does that sound?"

"My... Prince?" She repeated with confusion laced in her voice.

"I understand we just met two days ago, and our union was joined for political and financial reasons." Caressing the spot where he kissed her hand with his thumb, Miguel began to explain. "However, I truly see myself getting along with you as husband and wife." Flashing a soft smile, he locked eyes with her. "What I'm saying is, I want to marry you from my heart..."

Lips parting, Miki sucked in a breath. She attempted to find her voice, but it just wouldn't come out. Her hand that was free clenched onto the brown book Kyoya gave her for comfort. She opened her mouth again, attempting to reply when...

"Milady, Master Miguel, it is time to go." Arden's voice interrupted the moment, saving her from having to answer that question just yet. She felt herself let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

"It's alright, why don't you think about it?" Hooking her arm around his, Miguel offered her a gentle beam. "Shall we go then?"

"Yes, just let me..." Putting away the book she held on so tightly and picking up her bouquet, Miki nodded hesitantly. "Let's go." Forcing her lips to curl, she took a deep breath. Her eyes grew a little dull as she thought of the host club.

Of all the people that visited her, Tamaki alone never showed up.

***

Miki approached the venue with her arms linked with Miguel, Arden walked by her side to open the grand double doors for the couple when they arrive.

As she got closer to the ballroom, she could feel her heart pounding. It felt like every thump it made, every time it beat, an invisible clock was ticking over her head. It made her extremely nervous at what was to come. Yet when it felt like she was about to become overwhelmed by the anxiety that built up within her, a piano tune in the distance began to play as it travelled out of their destination. It was soft, delicate and soothing. Like all her fears and worries were being washed away by those notes, it was lullaby that calmed her heart and transferring the pianist's courage and warmth to her. Her eyes lit up a little as she glanced at the door down the hallway.

"Hm, I didn't know we were going to have a pianist at the wedding," Miguel commented, also looking quite pleased with the melody.

"Yes," Casting a glance at Miki, Arden's eyes crinkled. "I heard that Master Suoh's son had insisted on playing the piano as his wedding gift."

Miki gasped slightly.

"I see, he is very talented." Closing his eyes, Miguel hummed to the rhythm. "It feels as if he is saying a sweet send-off to someone precious to him, it really touches your heart."

Miki huffed out a relaxed breath as a bright beam appeared on her face. "Yes, it really does." She smiled blissfully as her hands squeezed the bouquet in her hand.

***

When Arden opened the doors, everyone spun around on their seats to look at her. There were some smiles, while others just... stared. She spotted Tamaki, as Arden described, playing the piano with such grace and fluidity to the left of the altar. His ocean eyes flickered up, meeting hers as he offered her his loving smile.

"Miki-chan looks like she's deep in thought," Honey whispered to Mori as the strawberry blonde walked by on the aisle, too focused in her world to notice his little wave. She stared down blankly at the bouquet in her hands, occasionally blinking awkwardly. "She might be thinking hard on what we said to her."

"Yeah," Mori nodded.

When Miki came to, Tamaki's piano had stopped as tension filled the room. She was standing at the altar with Miguel at her side in front of the pastor. Her dress and veil trailed behind her, spreading across the velvety red carpet.

Clearing his throat, the pastor began speaking in Spanish. "Dearly Beloved," He announced. "We are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Miguel Juan Santiago, and Mira Luz Fernández in matrimony commended to be honourable among all; and therefore is not to be entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly. Into this - these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together - let them speak now or forever hold their peace." 

A sense of silence filled the room. Most of the hosts couldn't understand Spanish to begin with; they could only guess the quietness signified the chance of objection. All eyes darted to Miki who was faced away from them, grilling into her back as they wondered what she would do. Those three seconds felt as if three eternities have passed, as the clock ticked away at the stillness of the room, their gazes became more intense despite Miki's oblivious nature.

The pastor turned to Miguel and began to speak. "Do you, Miguel, take you, Mira, to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

The hosts shuffled unnervingly at the proceeding of the ceremony. Kyoya pushed up his glasses, eyes turned to a dull downcast, listening to Miguel say 'I do,' both in Spanish, then Japanese.

Nodding in approval, the pastor turned to Miki who stared blankly at him as her hands tightened around the silk wrap of the bouquet. "Do you, Mira, take you, Miguel, to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

The hosts held their breaths, anticipating what Miki was going to say next.

"I don't." She followed up bluntly in Japanese without a change of emotion on her face. Then, for good measure, she repeated it in Spanish. "Yo no."

A loud gasp echoed through the crowd as whispers and murmurs arose from those defining words. Needless to say, all eyes were on her. The matriarchy of the Fernández family, in particular, looked particularly flustered and angered while the patriarchy narrowed his eyes. Elisa's expression remained neutral, watching intently. Arden grinned with pride, secretly fist pumping as he watched his lady spin on the ball of her heel to face Miguel.

"I'm sorry, Miguel-san." Swiftly bowing, she began to explain in Japanese. "I've meant you to tell you this in the dressing room, but..." She paused, shaking her head softly. "I can't do this to you, and neither can I do this to myself. Living under a name that's not mine, being away from the people who I care for." Biting her bottom lip, Miki whispered under her breath. "I want my freedom, but this is not the manner of how I wish to achieve it." Peering up sheepishly at him, her brows knitted together in an apologetic smile. "While I'm flattered you feel that way about me, I don't reciprocate your feelings. You're a really nice man, Miguel-san, and it's all the more reason I can't allow myself to drag you into a loveless marriage. It would be cruel of me." Glancing down at the bouquet of red roses in her hands, she handed it to him with a compassionate beam. "I heard that those who receive the bride's bouquet are the next to find true love. There is someone out there who is your soulmate, and I want this to be a prayer of good luck from me that you will find them. And I hope you and I could remain friends from here on out." Lips curling, she tilted her head. Stepping back, she then bowed her head low. "I'm terribly sorry." She repeated.

Miguel gazed at the neatly arranged roses that Miki gently placed in his arms. Bringing it up to his nose, he gently inhaled the fresh scent. "I knew this would happen," As he exhaled, he began to respond in Japanese. "No matter what we were doing, whether it'd be greeting guests or eating dinner, your eyes always had that caged, far off look. I knew that if I were to try and win your heart, laying my chance out then and there would've been my best bet." Moving the roses down a little, his eyes crinkled at the corners as Miki raised her head. "From here on, let's remain as friends." He agreed.

Silence loomed over the ballroom as everyone stared astounded at the two who were supposed to be married at this point. Most of the guests didn't understand the bride's long Japanese monologue or the groom's short response, but Miki's Spanish 'I don't' was more than enough for them to know that this union just might be called off. The place was so quiet; you could hear a pin drop. However, the next sound of chiming was something no one could've expected.

Clapping.

It wasn't slow or hesitant. This applause was genuine, heartfelt and encouraging.

Miki turned her head slightly as she tried to locate the source of the sound. It wasn't coming from Miguel, the pastor or even the crowd.

It came from the piano.

Tamaki was applauding with a tender smile as he stood up from the piano bench. Everyone's eyes peeled away from Miki and darted to him, but he never flinched under their questioning gaze. He approached Miguel and Miki, turning to the crowd with spread arms. "Honesty is the most beautiful gift a person can give to another," He announced, gesturing the two. "Please put your hands together for the fruit of today's union, the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

A small silence ensued, but it didn't take long before people followed his suggestion. First was Arden and the Host Club, then Elena and Yuzuru joined, and finally the rest of the guests. Even those who couldn't understand went along with the clapping as the ballroom burst into applause. Feeling overwhelmed with joy and pride, Miki tilted her head and beamed brightly when...

"¡Inaceptable! Unacceptable!" A woman's shriek pierced through the rumbling of cheers as it quickly died down. "Mira!" Everyone's attention was drawn to Rita as she exclaimed furiously, though her husband's expression remained composed yet equally as aggravated. The previous momentarily peaceful atmosphere vanished as the crowd was thrown into an abuzz of anxiety and curiosity. People were whispering and mumbling, wondering what on earth was going on. Arden entered the ballroom and moved towards the altar, gesturing for the host club to stay put.

"Grandmother?" Miki blinked with knitted brows. "You look so angry, why?" She was a little confused to why the woman looked so enraged. "You said so yourself; you don't plan on forcing me into this. And I'm sorry I changed my mind, but I've come to terms that this is not the freedom I want."

Losing her composure, Rita huffed out a burst of slightly unstable laughter. "Oh, I see," She scowled. "You want this delusion of freedom, is that right? You want us to go into hiding, so you would finally be free of our name!" She chuckled as her hands clenched onto her long velvet black dress. "Mira Luz Fernández!"

Seeing Rita's mental state worsened, Miguel turned to Miki in confusion. "Mira, what is she-"

"Miki." Furrowing her brows, Miki muttered quietly. She paused for a moment, swallowing the lump in her throat before announcing in a loud and clear voice so that everyone would understand. "Please call me by my real name, Suoh Miki." She spoke calmly.

Tamaki whipped his head around, wide-eyed, but it didn't take long for that dumbfounded expression to melt into a proud grin. The murmurs in the crowd grew louder; people began to stand up to get a better look at the situation, wondering what the bride and her grandmother were saying. In the midst of the chaos, the host club stood up among the crowd. The pastor had to wave his arms to calm the ever-rising chatter that only became louder as Rita's breathing grew heavy.

"Nevertheless," Alejandro stood up next to his wife with knitted brows on his aged face. "We have custody over you, you have no choice in this matter but to marry-"

"Stop." Standing up among the confusion behind them, was Elena as she stared down her parents with pitying eyes. "It's over, father. You or mother won't be able to emotionally manipulate us anymore!" She then turned to Elisa who sat next to her with her eyes closed, gesturing for her to stand up. "Come on Elisa, you tell them!"

As if she were in a world of her own, Elisa stood up in one graceful and fluid motion. Holding her hand at her lap, she opened her eyes to reveal dark hazel orbs. They swept across Miki, Tamaki, Miguel, then to her parents who sat in the row before them. Opening her mouth, her bell-like voice chimed. "As of this morning, I have transferred custody of my daughter to the Suoh family." She declared calmly. "We no longer have the rights to this union, if she wishes not to."

"Elisa, what is the meaning of this?" Alejandro narrowed his eyes at his eldest daughter. "This concerns the honour of the House of Fernández!"

Standing up for her elder sister, Elena frowned. "If the House of Fernández's honour involves shunning a child, because of something as simple as a divorce." She bit her bottom lip as she glanced at Miki solemnly. "Then perhaps it is time for this house to be lost in the books of history."

Elisa's dull eyes captured her father's attention. Despite the emptiness and seemingly endless tunnel it reflected, they were strangely compelling. It was as if behind those dark hazel walls, a pleading, sorrowful soul rested.

"Alejandro-san," Mr. Santiago stood up along with his wife, who both wore slightly troubled expressions. "This wedding has been called off." He announced in Japanese. "It seems that before any sort of union can be made with your family, you first must connect as a family." He told them.

Mrs. Santiago then turned to the crowd of people who began to hush down as it looked like they were finally going to get some sort of translation to the events that have transpired. "Esta boda ha sido cancelada." She told everyone softly. "This wedding has been called off."

As the sea of people began to speak loudly, Rita's breathing grew heavy. She spun around, her grayed hair resting on her shoulder as she scanned the room. Her fingernails dug into her palms in frustration as she glared at Miki, Elena then Elisa. Before she could say anything, however, Alejandro turned around and exited the bench.

"There is no point, Rita," The man shook his head with a sense of exhaustion. "We have lost."

***

Not long after Alejandro made his yield, he and his angry wife set off back to the Fernández manor to get their belongings in order before they are relocated to the outskirts of Madrid. Despite the wedding being cancelled, the money and effort spent on the after-party were still already put down, so it made no sense just to let all that go down the drain. Before anyone could fully process what has happened, the guests were whisked away from the wedding ballroom, into an even bigger ballroom in the Vairmount Cathedral Hotel with food, drinks and desserts already laid out and waiting. Nobles were chatting in Spanish, drinking and dancing as if nothing had happened. This wedding after-party has seemingly transformed into another standard aristocrat's party.

"Miki-chan!" Honey spotted the strawberry blonde speaking with Miguel in the corner of the spacious ballroom, sitting on Mori's shoulders, he waved over the crowd of people.

"Honey-senpai!" Recognizing that voice without even thinking twice, Miki spun around on her heel as her pale white wedding dress trailed behind her movements. Her eyes twinkled as she saw her friends dashing over towards her. "Everyone!" She greeted them.

"Miki!" The loudest and fastest was no doubt, Tamaki, as he bolted over with that big grin and comical tears, tackling his sister into the biggest hug he could muster in his goofy state. "I was so worried!"

"Really?" Feeling the blond's arms tighten around her neck, Miki giggled. "You didn't seem like it; you were amazing Tamaki-kun!" She gasped from the lack of air, still not letting the big grin on her cheeks waver.

Miguel watched in awe as his ex-fiancee interacted with these Japanese students as if it were second nature to her. She looked so relaxed and carefree; it seemed like there was a lot of history behind her friendship with them. He sighed with a wry smile, taking a sip from his wine he left to meet up with a few others in the party, still holding onto the bouquet of hope in his hands.

"We thought you were actually going to get married!" Kaoru let out a relieved sigh as he remembered the tension he felt in those moments.

"Yeah!" Hikaru agreed as he leaned in closer with furrowed brows. "Why didn't you object sooner?"

"Eh?" Miki blinked. "Did I object at the wrong time?"

A silence fell over the host club as they stared at Miki with deadpanned eyes. "I was thinking about it as I was walking down the aisle," She tapped her chin as her eyes flickered up. "I've seen a wedding scene in Crime? Crime Drama ♥, but that scene didn't involve the bride or groom objecting. This is my first time attending a real wedding, so I didn't know what to do."

"But Miki-senpai, the pastor said 'Speak now or forever hold your peace,' didn't he?" Haruhi pointed out. A part of her was a little afraid to know what kind of logic went through the blonde's mind as to why she objected later than most would.

Completely puzzled by what they were talking about, Miki tilted her head to the side. "Doesn't that phrase only apply to the guests?" She questioned. "'Speak now or forever hold your peace' means to stay silent for the remainder of the ceremony, but I remembered from the show that the bride and groom speak and say 'I do,' later on." She explained. "So I thought that was the appropriate time for me to address my objection and say 'I don't.'" Finishing, she rested her hands on her silky white gown with a clueless expression

"So," Honey stared at her with a deadpanned smile. "When you were walking down the aisle, and you looked so deep in thought..."

"I was trying to figure out how to object," Finished his sentence, Miki blinked. "Why? Did I do it wrong?"

At her innocent question and wide-eyed look, the host club let out a collective frustrated sigh.

"At least everything turned out okay," Expression lightening up; Honey chided as he grabbed her by the hand, "Come on, Miki-chan! Let's go try out some cakes here. Since you like coffee so much, I'm sure you'll like Tiramisu too!"

"Yeah, Yeah!" Holding one shoulder each, the twins wore wide grins as they chimed.

"It'd be a shame for all this wedding food to go to waste." Hikaru winked.

"It's still a party in your honour, let's go have some fun!" Kaoru laughed.

"Hey! Where do you think you guys are going with her?" Tamaki protested as he realized Miki was being dragged away. "She's my sister! Keep your hands off her!"

"Uh-oh!" Turning around with wicked smirks across their faces, the twins laughed darkly. "Looks like Milord still has that sister complex of his, better start running!" Pushing Miki along, the four of them ran across the ballroom as Miki giggled brightly.

"I DON'T HAVE A SISTER COMPLEX!"

"Siscon, Siscon, Milord has a Siscon!"

Seeing Tamaki and the twins banter as Honey pulled Miki towards the deserts table with Mori trailing behind silently, Haruhi sweatdropped. It was as if all the tension and worries from mere hours ago have vanished into the late fall air, transforming into a sensation of bliss and happiness. She thought back to Miki's reasoning for not speaking up earlier in the ceremony. Well, I guess if she could still think like that, it means she is still the same Miki-senpai as always. She let her cheeks loosen to a weary smile. Hearing the person next to her huff out a breath, she glanced up to see Kyoya, wearing wry yet relieved eyes behind those serious glasses of his.

Kyoya-senpai looks happy too. She remarked to herself.

***

The party was still booming into the early evening, though admittedly most of the guests were a little tipsy and rowdy from the large selection of Spanish wine that was being offered at the bar. As the night lived on, the staff opened a few sets of glass doors to give the guests access to the outdoor balcony. After trying pretty much every single dish and dessert with Honey and the twins, Miki found herself outside at the balcony, resting her elbows on the cold marble railing as dusk was falling upon Madrid. The last kisses of sunlight were vanishing across the horizon as the city below was cloaked in a shade of gray mixed with a hue of orange. She breathed in the cool breeze that brushed past, lacing through the strands of strawberry blonde hair that weren't contained in the braided bun. Closing her eyes, Miki rested her chin on the base of her palms as she drowned herself in the chatter in the ballroom.

"Miki?"

Hearing her name being called, she jolted up and snapped around. "Father!" Her eyes glistened in the faint rays of sunlight remaining to the day. Standing with his back against the brightly lit ballroom, she could make out the silhouette of Yuzuru standing there with a glass of wine. He approached her with a doting smile.

"Quite a bold move you made back there," Yuzuru commented as he waltzed up to the ledge, standing next to her. Staring up at the sunset, he breathed out a long breath. "Just now, our family lawyer has contacted me about the transfer in custody. You are now free from the Fernández's orders." He declared, gazing down at his daughter, eyes crinkling. "So, what would you like to do? Though you made it clear to both the to both the Fernándezs and Santiagos where your paternal lineage stems from, no one else completely understood what you said. We could give a public statement, so the whole world will recognize who you are." He offered.

Eyes widening, Miki gawked at her father as she sucked in a sharp breath of fresh air. Her eyes averted to the side before flickering down to her hand that rested against the marble railings of the balcony. After a few moments, she began slowly. "I don't think I can do that just yet, announcing myself as a Suoh that is." Smiling wryly, she tilted her head to the side. "I don't think I would allow myself until I gain one more person's approval." She explained.

"Miki, if you want to get your grandmother's approval, that could take-"

Shaking her head, Miki cut off her father's quick conclusion. "Tamaki-kun once told me that he wanted our entire family to eat dinner together, sitting under a kotatsu," She chuckled into her curled fingers before gazing back towards the ballroom, where she spotted Tamaki urging Haruhi to try more gourmet food from the assortment. "I want to help him make that dream a reality," Touching her heart to her chest, she turned back to Yuzuru with determined eyes. "I want to help him achieve that dream; then I want to get Anne-san's approval into the family."

Expression softening, Yuzuru breathed out an unreadable smile. "It's your choice, Miki." Reaching out, he tenderly patted her cheek. "And from now on, it always will be."

"Thank you, father." Lifting her dress, Miki curtsied in the vermillion sunset, gracefully lowering her head.

"Well, should we go back to the party now?" Retracting his hand behind his back, Yuzuru began to make his way towards the glass doors.

"No, I think I'll stay out here for a little longer." Miki chimed. "I want to watch the sunset completely; it feels very peaceful."

"Alright then."

"Also, father?" Seeing as he was about to leave, Miki called out to him, getting a small hum in return. She fell silent for a moment as she tried to form the right words, chuckling lightly she twinkled. "When I truly get married one day, I would like you to walk me down the aisle."

Yuzuru's eyes rounded as he stared at his daughter. It didn't take long before his flabbergasted expression transformed into a doting one. He rushed over and began pinching her cheeks with his free hand in adoration. "Awe, aren't you just the sweetest little thing." He cooed playfully. "You don't need to ask me twice, of course, I would walk you down the aisle. Why wouldn't I do that for my beloved daughter?"

Despite the slight pain her father gave by squeezing her cheeks, Miki giggled at the affection she was receiving. "Fawthew, stwap pwinchwing mwy chweek pwease." She mustered.

"Alright, alright." Letting out a laugh, Yuzuru moved back with his hand up. "I'll be over at the second estate for dinner in two weeks, once I finish up my business trip. Don't tell Tamaki though; I want it to be a secret." Placing a finger against his lips, he winked.

"Okay, be safe while travelling." As her father re-entered the ballroom, Miki waved him goodbye before lifting the wedding dress glancing down at her swollen feet. They have been in pain for almost the entire day due to the high heels she was wearing. Sucking in a breath through her teeth, she decided to kick them off as the red marks remained at the heels and her toes.

"It's not very smart to be kicking them off right now, you know?" Another voice chimed, catching her attention as she glanced up hopefully. As expected, Kyoya approached her from the light of the ballroom with crossed arms and his signature smirk.

"Kyoya-kun!" Feeling a small tingling sensation in her chest begin to flutter, Miki beamed.

Facing her, he leaned his head back slightly. "You seem quite happy to see me." He commented.

"Of course I am," Hands finding themselves behind her back, she sang. "I'm always happy to see you." She admitted.

Huffed out a laugh, Kyoya studied her radiant smile. It felt calming to know that she would remain in Ouran Academy, perhaps he just got used to her presence. Closing his eyes, he turned to gaze out into the dusk sky. "I overheard your conversation with the chairman." He revealed. "Gaining Tamaki's mother's approval, now that's an interesting decision. You could've easily agreed to be publicized as the daughter of Suoh Corp."

"That... wouldn't feel right to me." Miki chuckled in a wry manner as she leaned over the railing. "Being apart of the Suoh family is a huge deal, it means I would finally be able to call Tamaki-kun my brother. However, I wouldn't feel right to do that without paying my respects to Anne-san." Pressing a hand against her chest, her eyes flickered to a downcast.

I see... Lifting his glasses, Kyoya rested his palms against the cold marble. It's more guilt that anything. He thought to himself as he cast a glance at her thoughtful expression. From what I saw when we met Princess Michelle, she still blames herself for what happened to Tamaki and his mother. So, she is delaying her reward of proclaiming her identity until she faces that guilt head-on. Huffing out a soft breath, he turned his attention back to the horizon. "That's an intriguing concept." He stated with a crooked smirk.

Hearing him say this, Miki cocked her head at him with a sweet smile. "It is, isn't it?" She chided.

For a little while, the two of them stood in comfortable silence, watching as the sun completely vanished on the horizon, and Madrid was cast in soft darkness. The lights from the street lamps below as well as the lights from windows of the building illuminated the streets, reflecting the faint spots of stars that were starting to appear in the skies above.

"Kyoya-kun," Miki broke the silence by turning to him with her eyes in a downcast, catching his attention as he cast a side glance. "Could you hold onto my wrist again please?" She requested, looking a little lost in thought.

A little taken off guard by her strange demand, Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "If I recall correctly, the last time I did that, you complained that it was going to leave a bruise." He reminded her. "Why do you want me to hold your wrist again?"

"When we were in the dressing room, Miguel-san held my wrist then kissed the back of my hand," Miki explained as her brows knitted together. "Miguel-san is a nice person, and I don't understand either, but it felt... unpleasant." Kyoya then felt a light tug at the hem of his sleeve. He peered down to see her gloved hand, clutching gently onto the fabric of his jacket. "I didn't mind it when it was you though, Kyoya-kun."

Breathing out a faint chuckle, Kyoya's brownish-green eyes softened. Gently, he took her hand that clung to his sleeve in his and brought it to his lip, placing a chaste kiss on the back of it. "You've stated on many occasions that you think of me as a nice person as well," Leaning in closer to her, his amused smirk deepened to find that she subconsciously backed her face away slightly, something she's never done before despite their closeness. "So why am I any different?" He narrowed his eyes with an unbalanced simper.

Miki's eyes rounded at his question, blinking curiously as a faint dust of pink surfaced on her cheeks. Kyoya was right. Up until then, she's always seen him as a nice person, but if she was uncomfortable when Miguel held and kissed her hand.

Why was there a joyful fluttering sensation in her chest, when Kyoya did?

***

The next morning, Miki stood outside of the hotel with her mother and aunt as they saw her off before she and the host club were going to fly back to Japan. Arden stood behind Miki quietly watching as the three nobles bid farewell.

"What will happen to you all now?" With concerned eyes, Miki inquired as her usual comfortable chiffon dress ruffled in the wind. "Will we be able to see each other again?"

Smiling wryly, Elena shook her head sorrowfully. "I'm afraid not for a long time, dear." She spoke slowly. "Elisa and I will most likely go into hiding in the outskirts of Madrid with father and mother. Agustin and Selene's contract will be over, and they will be free to go."

"Eh?" Gasping slightly, Miki covered her mouth with her fingers. "What about Arden?" She panicked, jumping back and immediately wrapped her arms around Arden's. "Is he going to leave me? I don't want that!"

A little confused, Elena raised an eyebrow at the butler who was trying not to grin. "Arden," She sighed. "Did you not tell her?"

"Not quite." Averting his eyes down to his liege who glanced up curiously, he stepped back and out of her grasp. "Milady, I've actually received a new job opportunity-"

"No!"Acting like a child, Miki protested. "You promised to serve me for the rest of your life; I'm not going to let you-"

"Pardon my manners, but would you let me finish Milady?" Chuckling, Arden placed a hand over his chest as he bowed. "I have been offered to work for the Suoh cooperation." He announced with a proud smirk. "To serve their little princess, as her butler."

Hearing this, Miki's eyes began to twinkle under the sunlight. "Really?" Holding her hands before her, she rose to her toes. "So you'll still be serving from now on? And forever?"

"It would be my honour," Arden replied dutifully.

"Alright then, I have my first assignment for you already." Striking a mini power pose, she beamed confidently. "I want you to go with mother and Aunt Elena, assisting them in their relocation to the countryside."

Elena's blinked in surprise at her niece's first orders to her butler while Elisa's lips parted slightly as she observed her daughter. Arden, however, didn't even flinch. He saw this order coming from a mile away.

"I need to return to Japan and continue my studies. However, I also want to make sure you both will be doing alright." Eyes flickering into a downcast, Miki explained with a solemn look as her body began to tremble. "So I want you to go, Arden. You are the only one I can assign this task to. So... Just... promise, you'll come back to me once everything gets settled." She squeaked. "Will you do that?" She peered up sheepishly.

Bowing his head again, Arden spoke devotedly. "As I have said, I will support you even if the world were to end, milady." Before any more could be said a small chime rang from his pocket, glancing down, he pulled out a digital watch. "You and your friends should leave for the airport soon."

Jolting nervously at his reminder, Miki peered up at her aunt and mother. An unexplainable sense of guilt flooded her chest as she shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

With a loving expression, Elena reached out to stroked her long fluffy hair. "Why are you making a face like that?" She questioned with a wry chuckle. "Don't feel guilty about us, we've already put you through enough." Tilting her head, her eyes crinkled softly. "Miki, be free." Glancing to the side, she watched her sister. Elisa's dark hazel eyes were gazing down at the cobblestoned ground and not moving. "Come on, Elisa." Retracting her hand, she nudged the dirty blonde in the arm, she urged. "Say something."

Being put on the spot, Elisa stared at her daughter, studying her wrinkled brows and a small frown that loomed on her lips. Hesitantly, she reached her stiff hand out and brought it near the girl. It recoiled slightly as a sense of doubt struck her before reached forward planting itself softly against her warmer cheek. Miki froze as her eyes flickered up to lock with her mother's, watching as her lips moved and a nostalgic yet unfamiliar voice escaped her vocals.

"Don't make such a face," The corners of Elisa's lips tugged into a modest smile. A little sparkle returned to her voided eyes as her thumb caressed Miki's dry and stiff cheek. "A smile suits you better."

Hearing her mother's first words, she could ever remember, Miki, bit her lips as a small film of moisture cast onto upon her reflective eyes. However, she quickly squeezed them away and tilted her head as her cheeks pulled into a stunning beam. "Yes, mother." She chirped sweetly.

"Miki-senpai!"

Hikaru and Kaoru call her name, the strawberry blonde spun on the ball of her feet. She quickly cleared her blurry vision with a swift swipe to see the rest of the host club standing in front of the limo they were about to take. Honey was waving from Mori's shoulders, Kyoya readjusted his glasses as his bodyguards loaded their luggage into the trunk of the limo, Tamaki wore a goofy expression as he greeted his sister. The twins had a hand each on Haruhi's shoulder, grinning as they gestured a camera she held in her hands.

"That's right!" Miki clapped her hands together.

***

As the sisters watch the limo drive turn out of the hotel gates and onto the busy streets of Madrid, Elena studied her elder sister's composed expression.

"You didn't want to tell her?" Leaning to the side, she questioned with a playful brow raise.

"It would make no difference," Elisa replied monotonously as she cast a side glance at her carefree little sister.

Tapping her chin, Elena hummed. "I wouldn't say that," She smirked. "If she received another copy of that book from her friends for her wedding gift, it must mean a lot to her. Agustin said they found the original copy of it in her room when they went to gather her stuff in Japan; he mentioned that it was in pretty good condition too, for being a thirteen-year-old book, that is."

Gazing at the black steel gates as they creaked closed, Elise muttered. "She's made some excellent friends." Turning around and walking back into the hotel, she remarked.

"She is the first one to object to an arranged marriage in our long history of them," Following her sister, Elena crossed her arms before her chest. "Father, Mother, and even you. If only you all had friends like those to be there and remind you of what you truly wanted, maybe you all would've had the strength and motivation to object." She peered at her silent sister who was at one point of her life, bursting with as much energy and optimism as her daughter. "Seriously, when you dropped into my room uninvited saying stuff like 'help me transfer Miki's custodianship,' I thought someone had bashed into your head with some common sens-" Her voice came to a halt when she spotted her sister's sharp eyes glaring. "Sorry." Scratching the back of her head, she chuckled lightly. "But seriously, what changed your mind?"

Elisa closed her eyes, recalling what that girl, Fujioka Haruhi said. She breathed out softly, realizing that a mere commoner's words have affected her more than she liked. "Rather than worrying about me, you should prepare to say goodbye to that man you love. He and Selene are set to depart within a week." She pointed out, effectively changing the topic.

Hearing her sister mention him, Elena's eyes dulled as a wistful smile curled softly. "You didn't need to mention that, I know," She muttered before raising her arms and letting out a big stretch. "So this is where our adventure ends, huh?" She chuckled, glancing behind her shoulders at the shut gates. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to peer at the backside of her elder sister. "By the way, something that Ootori boy mentioned puzzled me." Tapping her chin, the younger of the duo gave a cheeky smile. "I don't remember ever visiting her when she was ill."

Elisa's eyes widened a little before falling shut as her short dirty blonde hair flowed in the cool Spain wind behind her.

***

"Father, Mother, please! Let me see my daughter." Elisa shouted defiantly towards her father in his office. She couldn't believe she was having an argument with her parents about the baby, a mere week after she was born. Patting a hand against her chest, she furrowed her brows as her eyes sparked with anger. "She's my child; I should have the rights to at least see her!"

"She is your daughter, yes," Alejandro responded sternly. "However, she is also the results of your mistakes and incompetence." He roared. "You had a string of lovers even though you were wedded to the only son of the Suoh Corp, resulting in a divorce and a political disadvantage for us. That child is the fruit of a divorced marriage, and not just that, she was born late! After that wretched child of Suoh's lover. So not only was she born out of a broken marriage, she couldn't even fulfill her purpose as a Fernández. She is a failure in every way. You know as well as I do that we do not tolerate failures in our bloodline."

"Her birth order isn't something you can control, father! Besides, if you have a bone to pick, it should be with me. Shun me, punish me, disown me, torture me, do whatever you what. Just don't take it out on my daughter."

"My, Elisa. You used to be so proud and obedient," Rita cooed sarcastically as she sat on the couch of the office. "Having a child certainly made you soft, didn't it?"

"Nevermind that, Rita." Alejandro snapped. "We must contact the local orphanage to sort out the details, get to it. Elisa, return to your room."

"Don't you shout at me, you senile old man," Rita narrowed her eyes sharply, standing up.

Hearing the word 'orphanage,' Elisa gasped. "Absolutely not!" She stood her ground as her long dirty blonde hair swayed in the breeze that poured in through the open window. "She is my daughter; I hold custody over her. You will not put her in an orphanage!"

"This is not up for discussion Elisa-"

"Yes, this is!" Elisa was on the verge of tears. For the first time in her life, she broke out of her goodie-two-shoes self and talked back to her father. To her, it didn't matter that this child was the product of her and a man whom she didn't love. It was her daughter, and she was going to protect her until her dying breath. "Father, you and mother were never given a choice in your marriage. And neither was I, but I will not stand for the fact that you want to send my child, my daughter into an orphanage for a reason as ridiculous as that." She paused, taking a deep breath to recompose herself as she proposed a painful alternative. "If you do not want to see her face or ever let the world hear her name, fine. I'll speak with Yuzuru and work something out. Give me three years. Once Arden completes his butler training, she will be sent to Japan to live, confined in a room by herself, forever." She swallowed hard at the painful words that were sprouting from her mouth. Images of her daughter spending the rest of her life in solitary confinement flashed across her eyes as moisture began to gather in them. "Will that suffice?"

Rita scoffed at her daughter's words, finding it unbelievable. "And how would we know the Suoh family would keep their-"

"Very well," Before she could say more, however, Alejandro relented. A sense of weariness splashed across his aged face as he leaned back in his chair, his hand pinching the bridge in frustration. "You will get this done and organized, all in three years." He pressured. "Make sure not to be seen with her under any circumstances."

"What?" Rita whipped her head around as she glared at Alejandro incredulously. "What is wrong with you, are you demented? There is no way the Suohs' would keep their promise!"

Ignoring her mother, Elisa pressed her lips together and gave one curt nod as her reflective eyes dulled.

"Yes, father."

***

Three years passed like the breeze and the morning of her daughter's departure day came. Elisa stood at the door of her daughter's room, about to go against her father's orders and see her child once before she leaves. Since that morning when she struck a deal with her parents, they turned cold towards her. Her father didn't speak to her much while her mother tortured her endlessly with snide-remarks and depreciating words. Soon, she found it more and more difficult to laugh or even smile in the least. However, as tired as she was, when she heard from Elena that the girl fell ill a few days ago with a fever, she knew she had to see her. Even if she were sick, she needed to leave for Japan, there was no backing out of this plan. Holding a brown book with golden trims to her chest, Elisa took a deep breath and opened the door.

Inside, Elisa's dark hazel eyes widened as she saw a little girl lying in bed, breathing heavily with flushed cheeks. She looked so different from the alien-like, tiny newborn the last time she saw her. Her hair was a shade of strawberry brown almost close to a blonde, scattered onto her frilly bedding as she clutched onto the comforter with little clammy hands. With how fluffy and long it was getting, no doubt she would grow to resemble her mother sometime in the future. Her little brows were knitted close together as her expression contorted in pain. Elisa approached the bed, floating gracefully to the edge as she leaned down. Extending a stiff hand, she was about to reach out for her sweaty forehead before jolting back in a slight sense of doubt. She could feel her daughter's shallow breaths brushing against her fingertips, causing her to give into her motherly desires and gently laced her fingers through the girl's hair.

"Mm..." In her sleep, the child began to stir at the soothing warmth. Elisa, however, didn't flinch. Part of her consciousness wanted to pull back her hand in case she was to see her. However, the other part of her wanted to remain. She wanted to be seen at least once by her daughter. The corner of her lips curled at the light hazel that greeted her in her daughter's eyes. They sparkled in the morning Madrid, like stars that outshone the sun itself. "Mommy..." She heard a faint whisper escape the little girl's lips as her eyes fluttered shut.

"I'm sorry, my love. Could you ever forgive your mother's selfishness?" Elisa muttered as she let out a shaky breath, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I don't want you to grow up in a different household with no clue of your own lineage, as you call someone else 'mother'..." Untangling her arm around the thin brown book, she held it in her arms as she opened the cover. "That's right; you need a Japanese name now that you'll be living in Japan." She muttered as she pulled a pen out of her coat pocket. Tapping her chin, she hummed. "Let's see," Peering down at the blank page, she nodded to no one in particular as her pen began to move across the first page.

"How does the name Miki sound? It means 'beautiful princess.'" Clicking her pen closed and putting it away, she sighed with a hint of satisfaction. She then closed the book and gingerly placed it next to the strawberry blonde's head, careful not to wake her.

"You see, this story I am giving you, it's about a girl who was also locked up in a tower, under solitary confinement also due to her mother's selfishness. However, at the end of the story, she received her freedom after meeting a prince and fighting for it alongside him."

Smiling a self-deprecating smile, she leaned in and touched her forehead to her sleeping daughter's, she whispered.

"I hope one day, you could do the same, my little princess."

***

For the second time that year, Miki was unpacking her things into her room in the Suoh Second Estate. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she hummed an upbeat tune as she searched through a few boxes for the specific items she wanted to go on a shelf.

"Miki, it's time for dinner." Tamaki popped his head in, wearing a serene smile.

"Hold on; I'll be right there." Miki nodded compliantly as she continued to search through the box.

Stepping into the room, he let out a wry sigh with his hands on his hip. "Are you sure you don't want me to help? You've been at this for almost an hour, and you are barely half done."

"I suppose I could use some help after dinner." She giggled as she continued to dig through the fragile items wrapped in paper. "I just got a bit distracted when I was putting away the DVDs. There were episodes I found were worthy of a rewatch."

Humming, Tamaki leaned his back against the walls of her room as he glanced at her Crime? Crime Drama ♥ DVD collection. "Worthy of a rewatch, huh?" He grinned. "Hey, why don't we watch it together then?" He suggested, crouching down next to her.

Head snapping up, Miki's eyes shimmer excitedly in the warm light. "I would love to," She cheered before peering down as she fished out two occupied photo frames from the boxes. "Ah, there they are." Standing up, she placed both frames onto the shelf gingerly next to one another. "There we go." She sang happily with a proud beam.

"Hmm, it looks great." Rubbing his chin, Tamaki examined the setup with a nod of approval. "Alright, let's go eat dinner. I'm starving." Turning to leave, he gestured for her to follow.

"So am I," Skipping to keep up with him, Miki chuckled. "What's for dinner tonight?"

"I asked them to make Japanese food! You must be sick of Spanish Cuisine after three days straight of it, right?"

"Hurray!"

On a shelf in Miki's room, mirroring the one that held her DVD collection. Three, now occupied, photo frames sat on one of the ledges. One had a photo of the prestigious Ouran Academy; the other had a photo of her beloved friends, the Host Club, and the final was a photo of her with her mother and aunt.

A/N: And that's a wrap on this arc! Whew, this chapter had a lot of words, didn't it? It ended up tallying up to ~11360 words, which is... a lot! I considered splitting this chapter up into two, but I felt it was more complete and satisfying as one chapter, so here it is! 

Remember when I was talking about another favourite character, splitting second place with Arden? Yeah, that person is Elisa. I love Elena and Agustin, but for me, Elisa takes second place. She has clearly been through some stuff, as I've teased in her conversation with Elisa, she used to be just like Miki (or Miki was just like her?) However, she suffered through mental abuse and manipulation from her parents to protect her daughter from their line of fire. Some of you actually had some pretty good theories on this matter, namely @AlishTheFish4537 on Quotev whom I had a lot of fun discussing with. I had originally planned for her to be just as she is at face value and what others have said of her. Prideful, cruel, emotionless, kinda like what Rita is (though it's pretty clear she's been through some stuff too). However, I thought this take on Elisa may be a little more interesting!

Next chapter will not be an official chapter, rather a side story of a well-loved character ;). #ArdenFansUnite! 

Have a great day!

XOXO, 

Astra

Chapter Text

-Side Story-

The Moment I Decided

"Master Ootori, please wait a moment," As Kyoya stepped out of the Vairmont Hotel Restaurant, a voice called out to him respectfully. His eyes were in a downcast as he studied the shadow that stretched far on the Spanish tiled ground, elongated by the light beam that shone from the restaurant. Judging by the voice, he had a pretty good idea who it was.

"What is it? Arden-kun?" Turning around with an unbalanced smile on his lips, Kyoya replied, though he really didn't want to be bothered by anyone in his irritation. "Did you need something from me?"

Bowing his head with his hand over his chest, Arden shook his head softly. "I merely noticed you left dinner early," He flashed an equally inconspicuous smile as he lifted his head. "Is something bothering you?"

"Not at all," Averting his eyes slightly, he replied nonchalantly. "So? What are you doing here?" He questioned. "Shouldn't you be accompanying your lady in mistress?"

"I see, so you were concerned about milady." Wearing a close-eyed smile, Arden hummed.

Kyoya felt his eyebrow twitch slightly. For some reason, that off-handed bluntness felt ever so familiar. "Well, yes." He attempted to justify. "Though I am more worried about our club's finances as her contribution as a production designer-"

"I see, so you have feelings for her." Still wearing that unwavering smile, Arden clapped his hands together.

He's almost as blunt as Miki, but he's certainly less dense. 

Before Kyoya could respond, however, Arden continued. "Well, I can't blame you," He grinned with that proud glisten in his eyes. "Milady is beautiful, kind, hard-working and sincere. I consider her to be the prettiest among her family with her beautiful hair colour passed down from Lady Rita in her younger years." Rubbing a hand against his chin, he nodded enthusiastically. "Though she is clueless on human relations and lacking in general emotional intelligence, I believe those can be adorable charm points. Enough to sweep any man off of their feet." He concluded with a closed fist as if symbolling his victory of raising such an elegant lady.

More like a handful to reason with.

Getting tired of his gushing over the very girl he was trying not to think about, Kyoya's smile dropped as he heaved a long sigh. "What was your purpose of coming after me?"

Hearing the hint of agitation laced in his voice, Arden's lips curled slightly. "I said I would try and help out" He offered. "Wouldn't you like to speak with her?"

***

Standing in the darkness of the extravagant hotel hallway, Kyoya rested his back against the walls as he drew another long breath. He had a theory from seeing the talisman from Miki's costume and he wanted to test if it were true. To do that, he had to get her room number, and taking Arden's offer was the only chance he could get to speak with her. He peered at the butler through half-lidded eyes. The man who watched over her and moulded her into the smiling ball of sunshine that she was today. He had many questions he would've liked to ask. But unlike Miki, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he noticed that rather paying attention to the empty halls, the man's emerald eyes were glued to the large panel windows and into the night. Following his gaze, Kyoya found himself staring at the mountain ranges of in the distance rather than the bustling city below. "Is something so interesting about the mountains?" He questioned, noting how his voice echoed in the hotel halls.

"Hm?" Arden glanced back before smiling. "I was merely reminiscing on a few things, don't mind me, Master Ootori."

Kyoya studied his serene face a little more before drawing a quick conclusion. "It's about Miki, isn't it?" He stated more than asked.

Flinching at his observations, Arden snapped his head around before his eyes turned soft. "Indeed," He admitted. "Your reputation suits you, Master Ootori."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"I have conducted full-scale research on the students of the Second-Year Students of Ouran Academy." He elaborated. "I've read about you, Master Ootori." Huffing out a breath, the butler smiled mysteriously. "The third son of the Ootori Group, a highly successful medical and healthcare empire. I had to make sure no one had ties to the Dukes of Spain in case of an information leakage after all." Closing his eyes, he gave a chuckle to meet Kyoya's indifferent eyes. "You are exactly as milady described, I'm glad."

Hearing those words, Kyoya shifted his gaze back out the glass window as he watched the people move below them. They looked so far away, almost like ants. "I wouldn't put too much faith in what she sees of me," He asserted. "She has a pretty optimistic view of the people around her." Eyes in a downcast, he stated solemnly.

"Is that so?" Arden hummed, a little amused. "I would have a little more faith in milady," He replied respectfully. "That simplistic view she has, at times, may just help her see the world a little more clearly." He stated before staring down towards the streets below them. His eyes becoming even more jewel-like with the reflection of the light. "Being this high up..." His arms stiffened, catching Kyoya's attention. "How long has it been? Nearly fourteen years?"

"What are you talking about?" Kyoya's body shifted slightly as he became interested in the topic.

Arden breathed out softly as a wry look formed on his face. His brows furrowed and his eyes drew closed. For some reason, the memory almost looked painful to him."It certainly brings back memories," He muttered. "Back when I, betrayed milady."

***

"Arden, from this day forward, that girl will be your liege." At the crack of dawn, a man pointed through the thick glass of the hospital nursery, at a little baby girl who was hurriedly brought in by the staff. Watching as the ten-year-old press his palms up to the window curiously, green eyes widening in awe at both the miracle of life and the long-awaited arrival for his master.

"Yes, sir." The little boy's eyes shone with determination and pride. "I promise, I will fulfill your expectations and live up to the Mederos family name I have been bestowed upon." He stated, spinning on his heel towards the man wearing glasses.

"Don't worry, Arden. I'm sure you will be." A female voice rang behind the two as they quickly turned around, bowing to a young woman with long dirty blonde hair as she fanned herself with a lace fan.

"Lady Elena," Arden addressed, lowering his head slightly as he couldn't help but express the awe of beauty at the woman.

Hiding behind the sheer fabric of the fan, Elena chuckled at the adorable expression the boy had. "Besides, I'm sure you already are a better butler than Agustin by a long shot." She hummed, gently petting the boy's chai-brown hair. "He's nothing by a sharp-tongued, demon butler." She jeered, casting an arrogant glance at the man.

"A title I hold with pride," Going along with her, Agustin bowed with a slight smirk.

"AGH! You just never react do you?" Her elegance shattering into a childish tantrum, Elena grumbled as she stomped her feet in frustration. "This is so infuriating!"

"Perhaps you are just too daft to understand milady," Agustin suggested with a straight face.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?"

"Excuse me, miss..." One of the nurses called out to Elena hesitantly, possibly out of fear as she had just witnessed the woman explode. "Please quiet down, this is a hospital." She reminded, causing Elena to gasp as she quickly covered her mouth.

"I-I apologize," Quickly recomposing herself with flushed cheeks, Elena muttered, casting a side glance at the butler was trying to hide the wide grin that was forming on his lips.

"It is alright," Taking a deep breath, possibly out of relief that she did not get torn apart by the woman's words the nurse smiled. "By the way, the patient is available for visiting in her recovering room."

***

In the master-servant contract between the Fernández and Mederos families. A child of the Mederos line was always contracted into the service a newborn Fernández. However, for me, things were a little different.

Four years ago, I was found by Lady Elisa. She was on a walk through the city when she spotted me, abandoned by my parents on the streets of Madrid.

'Are you alone?'

'Yes.'

'Where are your parents?'

'I don't know.'

'Would you like to come with me?'

'I don't freeload.'

Silence.

Before I could close my eyes out of the weariness of crying, a thin hand popped into my vision, followed by a sweet, charming voice.

'Staying out here is dangerous. Come, I'm sure we could find something for you to do in compensation for your stay.'

I would never forget that radiant smile I saw that day when I looked up from the grimy dirt that covered my body. Her back was against the glaring sun, casting a goddess-like glow to her body. Like she was an angel sent down by the heavens to help me. And so, I was brought back to the cliffside property in Madrid, where the prestigious Fernández resides and adopted into the Mederos family as the apprentice of Sir Agustin.

I loved everyone, Lady Elena, Sir Agustin, and especially Lady Elisa. I prepared strenuously to be a butler worthy of serving her future child. On top of my regular school work, I was required to learn and master basic management, etiquette, housecleaning and much more. Whenever I learned something new, I'd bolt towards her with excitement and show-off my newest skill. It was my way of expressing gratitude towards the woman who rescued me from the streets. I loved watching her eyes crinkle and her head nod before flashing the same tender smile I saw the day we met.

I loved her like a mother.

"Sister!" Racing through the doors of the recovery room, Elena beamed brightly. "You did it! How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Would you like some water? Are you bored here? I could bring in a few video games for you."

In the dawn of Madrid, the woman who laid on her hospital bed turned around at the call of her name. Her long fluffy dirty blonde hair was scattered on the hospital bed, though it shifted slightly as she moved to greet her visitors. Arden noted that the large bump in her stomach was gone, now shrunken down to a thin and delicate frame. "I'm alright, Elena." She chuckled softly. "The doctors have provided all the food and drinks I require."

"What about games? Would you like to play some video games?" Elena pursued, eyes shimmering with excitement. "I could bring some for you."

"If this is your ploy to get me to play video games with you, it's not happening. Unlike you, I have mountains of work still waiting to be done." Elisa cleared her throat elegantly, bringing a hand up to cover her lips. "Besides, you already have Agustin to play those with you." She stated rather bluntly.

"Eh?" Elena pouted. "But Agustin is too good at all games! It's almost stupidly unfair, even with handicaps on!" She complained, flailing her arms comedically like a child.

"I apologize that I've caused you such distress milady," Standing behind her, Agustin bowed with a sincere expression. "Next time, I will avoid playing games with you all together to avoid causing you such mental stress-"

"No!" Crossing her arms, Elena pressed her lips together as she turned away bashfully. "I still want you to play with me, if it's not you then it's not fun." She stated, a flush of red dusting across her cheeks as she avoided looking at him.

Agustin's eyes widened slightly at her statement as a hint of pain flashed across his face. His eyes softened. "I see," He muttered before jolting back up with energy. "But that is a very selfish mentality milady; you should fix it in the near future to set as a good role model for your niece."

Whipping her head around as her cheeks grew even redder, turning even the ripest tomatoes to shame. "Agh! Who are you calling selfish you demon, sharp-tongued butler!" She yelled, resting her hands on her hips.

"And they are at it again," Heaving a wry sigh at her sister and butler's daily bickering session, Elisa then noticed Arden still standing at the doors. Eyes crinkling softly, she gestured for the boy to come closer.

Seeing the gentle indication, the ten-year-old shuffled shyly closer to the hospital bed and past the two who were playfully bickering. As he got closer, the woman's delicate hand weaved through his chai-brown hair, soothing him. He stared up at Elisa, taking in weary yet shining hazel eyes. She looked so tired, yet held a sort of tenderness a new mother would have. "A-Are you feeling alright?" He stammered, hands clammily grabbing onto the fabric of his shorts.

"Yes, I am. My legs hurt a little, but that's normal after giving birth." Nodding her head, Elisa hummed as she continued to comb through his hair. "Anyways, did you see her?" She asked with a sense of excitement.

"Huh?"

"My daughter," Elisa clarified with a faint chuckle. "Did you see her?"

Quickly nodding his head, Arden beamed. "Yes, I did!" He nodded respectfully. "A little baby, almost this big." He explained, using his hands to gesture a rough size of what he saw through the glass window. "Her face was a little red, and she had quite a bit of hair compared to other babies, but she's going to super pretty. Like you, Lady Elisa."

"Is that so?" Hand trailing down as she lovingly caressed the child's cheek, Elisa's breathed out. Suddenly, the little Arden noticed a shift in her features. It was subtle but instead of the pride and joy of a mother, her eyes now held a sense of sorrow, dread and worry. Her brows drew closer slightly and her face turned a little dry. The light originally cast into her eyes dulled out slightly as she absently brushed her thumb across Arden's chubby cheeks. "Then," She spoke slowly. "Can I count on you? To look after her?"

Nodding curtly, the little boy agreed with a wide grin. "Yes, you can. I promise I will." He assured, without a full comprehension of the weight of his words at the time.

Feeling a slight sense of relief, Elisa brought her hand back to the boy's head as she ruffled his hair. "I leave her in your heads then." The saddened look in her eyes vanishing, Elisa twinkled.

I nodded my head proudly at the faith she had in me, unaware of how that would be the last time I'd see a genuine smile from her ever again.

***

The day after Lady Elisa returned to the mansion, my lessons were intensified and my curriculum altered. I was to completely master the Japanese language and become fluent in 3 years of time. Sir Agustin's lessons became stricter as I was holed up in my room for most of the time, studying, learning, applying. I learned soon enough that I was to be shipped off to Japan with Milady, spending the rest of my life confined with her.

At first, I accepted that fate.

However...

Letting out a sigh, Agustin closed his lesson books as he stood up from his seat next to the boy. "You are improving greatly, let's end our lessons early today. Good work." He praised, ruffling the boy's chai brown hair.

"Thank you, sir."

"You call that early?" Lounging around on Agustin's bed, Elena complained as she peered up from her magazine. "It's like 9 p.m." She pointed out nonchalantly.

"May I need to remind you, we are on a time crunch." Spinning on his heel, Agustin raised an eyebrow at her overly casual position as she laid on her stomach, kicking her legs around like a teenager. Averting his eyes, he grumbled. "And how many times have I told you to refrain from visiting the servant's quarters? A person of your status should not be-"

"I can do whatever I want," Turning her nose up, Elena reasoned. "I am the law in this house."

"Thank goodness that only applies to the house. If you were the law on the streets of Madrid, we'd be in for a world of trouble." Closing his eyes with a mischievous grin on his lips, he provoked.

"Agustin! You-!" Elena huffed, sitting up sharply. "You... Devil Butler."

"I am merely being truthful." Fixing his glasses upon his nose bridge, Agustin shrugged.

Pressing his lips together as he attempted to suppress his laughter, Arden listened to their conversation as he quickly organized his things on his mentor's desk. "Sir Agustin, may I visit Lady Elisa?" He requested eagerly. "I haven't seen her in months, and I'm sure she'd love to hear all the new things I've learned."

"Lady Elisa?" Agustin repeated, a little hesitant. "It's rather late in the evening, I don't think she'd be-"

"No, she's most likely up." Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Elena stood up. "She's probably still holed in her study, working." Crouching down, she smiled. "Why don't you go to the kitchen to bring her some coffee?"

"Milady, I don't think-"

"Selene is out running errands for her; I'm sure she'd appreciate the company." Cutting him off again, Elena reminded. She then turned to Arden with a small wink. "Right?" She asked.

Quickly nodding, Arden smiled. "Yes!"

One thing I never understood as a child, was why Aunt Selene nor Sir Agustin ever married or bore children. I never asked Aunt Selene on the subject, however, Sir Agustin would merely gain this saddened yet far-off look. I noticed his gaze would almost naturally gravitate towards Lasy Elena, and he'd tell me 'It's an adult thing'.

***

Holding a cup of coffee in his hands, the eleven-year-old paced down the long, spacious halls. His shadow was elongated by the lights on the walls, following him as he raced down the corridor with a small smile as his eyes shone with joy. Ever since Elisa returned home almost a year ago, he rarely had the chance to see her. Either because of her busy work schedule or his intense language and butler lessons. He wanted to tell her all about his interactions with Baby Mira. How her little hand would wrap around his pinkie whenever she could grasp it, how she would laugh and giggle much like her mother. He was so excited to see her and show-off how much he had grown in the span of a year.

As he approached her study at the end of the hall, he picked up a faint voice that only grew louder, the closer he got to the study. It was as if someone was shouting, their pent up anger and frustration building up and erupting like a volcano. Their voice pierced through the dead of night, shattering the little peace the east halls had. Arden blinked. Despite knowing that it was terrible to eavesdrop, curiosity got the better of him as he slowed down his steps and tiptoeing towards the door.

Peeking through a crack in the door, Arden kept an eye closed to focus on the events that transpired in the room. However, he quickly jumped back in shock as Rita's voice exploded out of the usually calm office. "Why don't I put this into terms that even the likes of you could understand, you are utterly incompetent!"

Arden's limbs tensed as his hands clenched onto the plate that held the cup of steaming coffee. Holding his breath as not to make a whimper, he sheepishly extended his neck to get a clearer view of the situation.

Rita, the matriarch of the family, glared down at her daughter, casting a disgusted glance. "Hurry up and send that brat to the orphanage," She growled. "Caring for her is an extra mouth to feed and generally more work for me! Seriously, I regret even giving birth to an ungrateful woman like you!" With scornful eyes, she spat at her daughter who stood frozen before her own desk like a guilty child.

"Mother, please stop it." Arden's eyes grew widened as he realized Elisa's voice was trembling. He's never heard that woman sound so afraid, and devoid of confidence. His thumb and index finger down into the plate as fuel for anger began to boil in his chest. "There is no point in discussing this; father has already-"

A crackling slap resounded in the air, and Arden had to slam his hand over his mouth before he could make a sound. He sucked in a harsh breath through his nose, still trying to balance the coffee in his hand. He watched in a mixture of anger and terror as the head of the woman who he viewed as a mother, was snapped to the side and she was knocked off her feet from the aftershock of the impact. A hand found its way to her cheek, thin fingers trembling as they ghosted over her burning cheek.

Rita threw her head back in a fit of fury as she stared down her daughter. "Do not bring up that senile old man, Elisa." She warned in a threatening manner. "And I am your mother; I say when something is through with discussion or not. If you will not give in, then very well. We will continue this discussion tomorrow." She declared with a small scoff at the weakened frame as she turned to stomp towards the exit, swinging the wooden door open and not aware of Arden who scurried into the shadows with his hand still over his mouth. His breathing grew heavy as he pressed his back against the walls. He glared daggers at the door that swung open next to him, well aware of the hateful woman on the other side.

"You said so yourself, didn't you?" Glancing over her shoulder with half-lidded, prideful eyes, Rita hummed smugly. "'Shun me, punish me, disown me, torture me, do whatever you what. Just don't take it out on my daughter.'" She recited, almost flawlessly from memory. "So you better keep your word and suck this up, I'm actually starting to enjoy our little chats." With a sadistic laugh, she turned down and exited out into the hallway.

Sensing her mother leave, Elisa squeezed her eyes shut as silent tears poured forth, trailing down her burning cheek as her fingers continued to shakily glaze over it. She drew an inconsistent breath at the stinging sensation that lingered when the sound of something sliding against her desk caught her attention. Gasping, she snapped her head around in fear of her mother, only to see the eleven-year-old butler-in-training.

After Rita left, Arden had snuck into the room to finish his job. He was going to leave the coffee and hurry out. However, when Elisa caught him, he found himself unable to move. He watched as the smile he had admired his entire life vanish before his eyes, turning into what seemed like a permanent frown paired with tears that reflected the dim incandescent lights.

"Oh, Arden..." She whispered sadly as she lowered her head, covering her mouth with her hand as she continued to sob silently. "I'm so sorry you had to see that..." She muttered through her fingers.

Lips pressing together, Arden bit his bottom lip as he watched her tremble. Is she the reason? He thought back to the little baby, brows furrowing. Is she the reason why Lady Elisa has to go through that? Why she is crying like this? Lowering his head, the boy's hands balled into a tight fist.

That night, Lady Elisa didn't smile. In fact, she hasn't ever since then because of Lady Rita. Every night, at the same time, she'd emotionally and verbally abuse her. And I'd be powerless to do anything.

I tried to bring this to Lady Elena and Sir Agustin's attention, yet even they were powerless to do anything. I could only watch from a distance compassion Lady Elisa possessed vanish. I could only watch as she transformed into a woman who's once warm, comforting smile I no longer remembered.

And all of this was Milady's fault.

***

"Arden," A maid knocked on the doors of the bedroom, spotting the twelve-year-old boy sitting on the rocking chair with a Japanese book in hand. The little girl with strawberry blonde hair laid on her stomach in a little playpen, kicking her legs as she focused on drawing with a pin crayon. At the sight of him, she quickly plastered on a smile. "Lady Elena asked me to take Lady Mira outside since Master Alejandro is out for the day, but it seems like I am occupied with some... stuff."

"Sure," Setting the book down next to him, Arden sighed. "Who else will be there?"

"Well," The maid shrank back as her eyes darted around nervously. "We all are pretty busy today, so it'd just be you." She laughed uneasily at the boy's weary eyes. "So could you perhaps let her out? Maybe on a walk?"

Arden raised an eyebrow as the woman quickly left after muttering a word of thanks. His emerald eyes flickered to the toddler, who had sat up from her stomach and holding her masterpiece with both hands.

"Taking her out on a walk..." He repeated as he opened the door of the playpen, trying to his disgusted expression either from the maid of the girl herself. "What is she? A dog?"

His voice caught the attention of the little girl, who snapped up at the familiar figure. "Ar!" She dropped the artwork and gleamed.

"Come on, Milady," Arden's brows drew closer as he knelt down and extended a hand towards the little girl. "Let's go on that walk."

Instead of taking his hands, the toddler clapped her hands together on the boy's cheeks with a fit of childish giggles.

***

"Milady, please stay where I can see you," Arden called after the strawberry blonde girl as she clumsily ran around the board backyard with doe-eyes and bursting energy. A faint breeze blew by, rustling the grass as Arden let out a sigh. Watching as she curiously poked at the swaying grass, and jumped with joy as it tickled her back. His eyes flickered up to the sun as it vanished behind a few sets of clouds. With furrowed brows, he then peered down at his feet when a series of laughter caught his attention.

He glanced up to see the little girl chase through the grass, after what seemed to be a butterfly toward the bounds of the property. "Milady, please slow down!" He cupped his hand around his mouth, calling out to her as he jogged to catch up. "Please wait milady, that way is-" He watched as she continued to stumble across the green fields after the creature when a cold sweat ran down his back.

The cliff.

One moment she was rushing forward, keeping her large hazel eyes on the prize as her little face alone demonstrated the sheer determination she had to catch that butterfly. The next, she slid down the edge of the cliff with a shift in her weight. Arden bolted forward, grabbing onto her thin wrist just in time before she could plummet down to the lush forest and fancy estates further down the mountain. His other hand gripped onto the rocks next to him desperately as he attempted to pull the girl up. "Hold on tight, Milady!" He shouted urgently.

Gritting his teeth, he pressed his palm into the rocks as he engaged his back, trying to pull her up. "Damn, I'm slipping!" He cursed. "Do not let go, Mi...lady." His voice trailed off as a dark thought crossed his mind.

Right now, if I let go of this hand...

That's right, for whose sake is Lady Elisa taking the ruthless emotional and verbal abuse for? For whose sake is she crying for? For whose sake am I about to sacrifice my freedom for? For whose sake am I about to spend the end of my days, not in Spain, but confined in a small room in Japan all because of who?

Lady Elisa will be free of this burden. She can live freely; she can laugh, she can smile. I will be able to stay in Spain with her, Lady Elena and Sir Agustin.

All would be better if milady, if Mira were to just... disappear.

He bit his bottom lip as sweat dripped down from his forehead. The idea continued to manifest within him like a parasite, with each passing second he was becoming more and more convinced of that wretched voice in his head. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as the weight on his arm began to lighten, and he was barely grabbing onto the tips of her fingers, he stared down at the girl with reddened eyes as if he were possessed.

If I just let go here, I can end this.

We will be free.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. The little girl, whose life was barely hanging on a thread, by the hand of a boy who had plans to betray her, peered up. She was too young and unable to understand the predicament she was in. She had no idea that if the boy were to let go, she would plunge down and shatter. Her innocent hazel eyes met his darkened green ones, the corners of her lips tugged upwards.

She smiled.

Immediately, the idea of letting go vanished from his mind and his body felt like it was pumping with energy. With one firm tug, he pulled the girl up and fell back to the ground, catching her snug in his chest. He slowly sat up with his eyes squeezed closed, moisture gathering in them. The toddler blinked as her hands gently clutched the boy's clothes, feeling his body tremble against hers. Pressing her further into his arms, Arden began to mutter incoherently as the regret and shame for even considering such an act overwhelmed him.

***

Kyoya studied the young man's profile carefully as the chatter from the restaurant filled the long halls. The short, eerie silence between them was quickly broken as Arden huffed a chuckle.

"At that moment, milady smiled at me." Shifting his weight between his feet, the butler then turned to him with a nostalgic yet weary smile. "I believe at that moment, I realized that Lady Elisa's spirit would never return to how I once remembered, no matter what I did. She was simply too broken and worn out from the abuse Lady Rita had put her through. However, in exchange for herself, she protected Milady. An innocent child, who would smile at me, a man who was about to betray her." He paused, staring out into the cityscape. "Lady Elena is correct, a child should not need to shoulder the burden of her parents' sins." He said. "That was the day, I swore that I would protect milady for the rest of my life. To remain loyal and support her through everything I can. Both to honour Lady Elisa's sacrifice as well as, to protect that innocent child who smiled so radiantly at me."

Eyes widening for a moment, Arden quickly snapped his head around. "I believe I've been talking about myself for too long, please excuse me." He apologized. "I think I hear them now, wait here for a moment. I can only buy you a few minutes; please keep your conversation brief."

After a few moments, Kyoya averted his eyes, a little weary from Arden's story. "I understand." He replied.

***

"Milady, what are you doing?" Entering the locked room on the top floor of the main estate, Arden blinked curiously as he watched the five-year-old stand on the edge of the window sill. He had stepped away for a moment to sneak some extra drinks in from the kitchen and the moment her attempting something dangerous. Hurriedly placing the tray of drinks onto the dining table, he paced over to grab the little girl with furrowed brows. "That is dangerous, and you know that. You could've fallen. Did something happen? If you have something you want, I promised I'd get it for you, didn't I?"

"I... I dropped the... paper... paper plane you made me... down there..." Speaking slowly, the little girl's eyes began to water as she pressed her lips to a line."I... I want to get it... but... I'm too short to climb out the window..." She sniffled as large droplets of tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"So you were trying to climb out to get it?" Sweatdropping, Arden pulled out a handkerchief from his uniform and began to wipe at the stick tears that streamed down her flushed cheeks. "You shouldn't do that, it's dangerous. You could've fallen." He scolded gently.

"But...But..." Shoulders jolting as she sucked in breath after breath, the little girl wailed. "But the airplane..."

"It's an airplane milady," Chuckling wryly, Arden folded the handkerchief. "I can always make you another one."

"Really? You'd... do that for me?" Still hiccuping slightly, the child beamed up. "You'd make another one for me?"

"I'll make as many as you'd like," Arden nodded as he slowly backed away, noting that he'll probably regret making that oath later. "However, you need to make me a promise." He winked, lifting a finger.

"What promise?" With rounded hazel eyes, the strawberry blonde tilted her head.

"Whenever you can, I want you to always smile." He explained, tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

"Always... smile?" Repeating his words carefully, the little girl cocked her head to the side. "Why?" She pursued.

Humming, Arden's movements slowed to a languish pace. "Because I believe," He watched her with an unfocused gaze as her hand gently thread through her fluffy hair. "A smile can change your life."

Eyes widening, she gasped. "Okay!" Giving him a close-eyed beam, she curtly nodded. "I promise." She agreed.

"Good girl," Breaking out of his butler character, Arden momentarily allowed himself to sink into somewhat of a parental or brother figure, gently ruffling her hair.

"Say, Arden," Kicking her legs back and forth as she slouched forward, the little girl called out as the boy sat down next to her on the ledge. "Has a smile ever changed your life?" She questioned curiously.

Flinching for a moment, Arden's eyes crinkled. Closing his eyes to more clearly recall those defining moments of his life, Arden huffed out a laugh. Reaching out, he captured the girl into a gentle hug. "Yes, on multiple occasions, Milady. " He admitted. "And despite how painful and stressful those moments were, I am more than glad that I have experienced it."

"Huh?" Wrapping her arm over his, the strawberry blonde blinked rapidly.

I will protect you.

I will remain with you, wherever you may be.

I can't take away your pain, sadness or loneliness, but I will do everything I can to relieve it. 

If you are in pain, I am here to ease it.

If you are sad, I am here to wipe your tears.

If you are lonely, I am here for companionship.

So please, never stop smiling.

Chapter Text

-Q&A-

Original Designs for Miki?

Okay, so I’ll be touching on both physical differences, and characteristic differences in this section cause BOY THERE ARE A LOT.

Let’s go through the physical development in designs for Miki, because that is perhaps the easier one of the two. Miki was always created to be Tamaki’s sister. Though at first she was slated to be his blood sister (more on that later), so her concept was the same blonde hair and blue eyes as the man himself. But when I shifted her background into being his half-sister, I wanted her appearance to be different from Tamaki's, so it adds to why those around them do not question or suspect her of being part of THE Suoh family in the first place. For a while, I considered the brown hair brown eyes combo, but I then came across Princess Charlotte from Violet Evergreen, who was perfect for the role of Miki. She had that doe-eyed, curious look, which is perfect for Miki. And let’s be honest, Charlotte is gorgeous. I also found the strawberry blonde hair (okay, side note, Miki’s hair is actually strawberry brown, but I just went with blonde because of consistency throughout the story) a pretty interesting trait. As we saw in the Spain Arc, Elisa doesn’t have the pink tint in her hair, and neither does Yuzuru. It’s an Autosomal Recessive Trait from Rita, meaning it’s a genetic trait skips a generation (who’s hair already greyed due to age and stress, despite being pretty young). I liked that idea, so I ended up rolling with it.

Now, for Miki’s personality. Oh boy. So, if you look back on the first few chapters and read in between the lines, Miki was meant to be a much more cynical character. She was initially planned to be more mysterious and mischievous than anything, slowly showing her softer more innocent and happy-go-lucky side. In the draft of the first chapter, she made snide remarks about Yuzuru and his mistress, as well as being very formal and distant from Tamaki and the hosts. I know, I know. Lower your pitchforks and hear me out, please. Answer me this, can ANYONE be as joyful and innocent as Miki is when putting through a situation like hers? Remember, she knows the full extent of her position. She knows she is a tool for political benefit, a failure of a person. Can anyone still be as cheerful and sweet as her despite knowing their sole purpose of being born was to become leverage to trap another family into a union? That’s why Miki’s character was initially written out to be pretty sarcastic.

However, when I eventually decided that I wanted to pair her up Kyoya, I realized that Miki wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if she were to be a character like that. There are many times when I read other fanfictions; I found Kyoya to be quite out of character. After a little analyzing and thinking, I found that the reason why Kyoya felt so odd during some fanfictions is that the main OC is usually a cold, witty or emotionless girl. While opposites attract is not a guaranteed match, I believe the two have to at least bring a different view on things to the table, especially with such a cunning character like Kyoya. For their relationship to work and not alter Kyoya’s character too much, Miki needed to be the expressive one of the two for the relationship I envision for them to have, to work. So I decided to switch it up a little, both so Kyoya wouldn’t be too OOC and to break a stereotype that has been standing for far too long in the OHSHC fan fiction community. Miki's optimism and cheerful nature both intrigues and entertains Kyoya. And while she is expressive and extremely straightforward about how she feels, she doesn't understand how she feels due to her years devoid of parental love and care. On the other hand, Kyoya is exceptionally analytical and understands others' emotions well, but finds no meaning in expressing them and in turn shuts down emotionally. To each other, they are the key to being a better person, which is what I believe a good relationship should embody. Besides, I’ve always been a sucker for these kinds of stories. A dark prince and cheerful princess? Sign me up! I especially love it when there is a character who is established to be so logical and analytical but either can’t find the heart to crush the ball of sunshine’s smiles and dreams or in Kyoya’s case, can’t argue against her illogical reasoning.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 29-

A Mysterious Challenge for the Festival Crown!

"Rich men!" The twins grinned as they high-fived in a mirror image, raising a peace sign each.

"Nobleman!" Honey giggled as he held Usa-chan up in the air.

"Everymen!" Miki chimed as she gestured Mori and herself.

"Poor man..." Tamaki muttered, looking slightly dejected as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Destitude!" Honey, Miki and the twins sounded as they pointed at Haruhi, who dropped her cards in defeat as she lost another round of 'Stinking Rich.'

"Come on Haruhi!" Hikaru let out a sigh as he toyed with his last card between his index and middle fingers. "When we agreed to play by common folks' rules. You might at least try to win."

"Even Miki-senpai, who just learned the game beat you in it," Kaoru commented with a shrug.

Haruhi sweatdropped. "I've never been that into cards, so I've barely played before." She justified nonchalantly.

"Haru-chan! Do you mean..." Honey's voice trailed off as he stared at the brunette with pitying eyes.

"Can you not afford cards?" Miki finished his sentence, cupping her cheek in shock.

Rushing over, Tamaki passed a deck of cards to her not-so-discreetly as Mori and Honey ushered for the twins and Miki to turn away. "Haruhi! Here is my deck of card! No one's watching right now. Quick, take them!" He urged, shoving it towards her.

"I can easily afford that." With deadpanned eyes, Haruhi shot back. "Don't mock me."

Tamaki instantly went into a panic as he cried comical tears. "I wasn't mocking you! Daddy was just trying to make sure you practiced a little more!"

"Alright, everyone, settle down now." Interrupting Tamaki's drama, Kyoya clapped his hands together as he caught the attention of the hosts. The winner of their game of cards, the 'Stinking Rich' man, leaned an arm against his armrest as he grinned in an unreadable manner. "So for the next two weeks, Haruhi is to be my slave?" He questioned.

"That's right; we did set that as the penalty after all." Miki lifted an all-knowing finger, beaming a little too happily.

"Haru-chan, you are going to be Kyo-chan's slave until the school festival!" Honey cheered.

"What?!" Jolting back in shock, Haruhi grew terrified. "Two weeks?! That long? No one told me about that!" She complained. "Besides, I have to help with the school festival and I already have duties for my class!" 

"She's right, Kyoya!" Tamaki was quick to jump to her defence as he flailed his arms around. "Before you pick on Haruhi, you must get past me!" He challenged.

"Shut up, poor man. You're my slave too." Kyoya instantly shut the blond down before turning to the twins. "Incidentally, what's class 1-A doing at the school festival?" He questioned.

Hearing this, Hikaru, Kaoru and Miki exchanged a glance and a grin. "Agence de Detectives Prives!" The twins high-fived with a small 'woo-hoo.'

"We'll have mysteries for our customers to solve," Hikaru explained, lifting a notebook with the details of their class event. "There will be perpetrators to apprehend, disposed possessions to descry and fancy prizes!" He announced.

Kaoru continued as he raised a few fashion sketches. "We'll provide a range of costumes. Our customers will experience the life of a real detective." He lifted a finger, smiling widely. "And we will have the best of the best production designer for our agency design, right Miki-senpai?"

"Yes! Leave it to me!" Cupping her hands together, Miki returned his call with a bright beam. "I'll do my best to create a production that would even be worthy to be used in Crime? Crime Drama ♥!" She said happily.

Raising an eyebrow at her, Kyoya fixed his glasses. "How many strings did you have to pull?" He questioned.

"I didn't necessarily pull any strings." Tilting her head to the side, Miki blinked curiously. "I simply recommended Renge-san to watch Crime? Crime Drama ♥ and she seemed to have become quite a fan." She giggled, touching a hand to her cheek.

"That is called pulling strings, Miki-senpai." Haruhi's soldiers slumped in defeat as she finally realized with their dirty blonde club manager was so insistent on turning their event into a detective theme.

It was because of Miki's influences.

"Eh? But I didn't pull any strings." Miki furrowed her brows, even more confused. "I'm terrible at puppeteering. I tried it once with Arden, but it ended-"

Eyebrow twitching, Kyoya had finally found the root of the problem. He should've known it was something like this in her ignorant mind. "Pullings strings is a metaphor for manipulating the situation." He corrected her.

"Oh!" Pounding a fist against her palm, her mouth formed an 'o' shape in realization. "Then yes, I did pull some strings." She admitted.

"So yeah," Sighing, Haurhi turned to the rest of the hosts. "That's why I'm busy right now - I'm thinking up the cases and suspects..."

"That sounds like fun!" Honey gasped in excitement.

"Ah, what perfect timing." Rubbing his chin, Kyoya mumbled. "Haruhi, Tamaki," Calling out to his two new slaves, he held a joker card between his index and middle finger with an amused smirk dancing across his lips. "You will aid me in uncovering the true culprit, understood?" He instructed them mercilessly.

***

It's been exactly a week since the host club returned from Spain after that whirlwind of a weekend, and not giving them a break, the school festival was merely two weeks away as they got themselves busy with preparations both for class and club events. Miki was especially busy during this time, she has been monitoring two separate building projects as well as another two production sketches. Currently, she was overlooking the construction of class 1-A's festival preparations as she eagerly took the position as head production designer the twins offered. Merchants flooded the room, and people were calling for her left and right as they asked for her final approval.

"Miki-chan-senpai, we've chosen this fabric." Momoka gestured a roll of cloth a tailor held. "We've compared it to the sketches, what do you think?"

"Yes, that's perfect!"

"Miki-senpai, how does this sofa look?" Kaoru called out to the strawberry blonde as he pointed at one of the options.

Pacing over, she hummed as she tapped her chin with furrowed brows. "That's a little more Tudor style than the Victorian style we are going for." She then turned to the merchant. "Also, is there an option in spruce wood? The birch will make the velvet we chose seem bland."

"What about this one?" He offered.

With a sweatdrop as she tapped her pen on her desk, Haruhi grumbled. "A school festival is supposed to be an amateur thing, isn't it? I mean aren't we supposed to make everything ourselves to learn self-sufficiency and team-work?" She questioned.

"Oh, not at all." Leaving Miki to discuss things with the merchant, the twins skimmed through their completed production sketch. "The Ouran festival is all about foresight and leadership." They chimed in unison. 

"Besides, it's not for us; it's for us, it's for the parents!" Hikaru shrugged casually. "Unlike Halloween or Christmas, this is one event the parents can participate in. And it's a chance for them to check up on their kids." He explains.

"They look at our use of money and manpower, and how smoothly and accurately we carry out our plans to appraise our future potential," Kaoru added.

Humming, Haruhi rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it," She averted her eyes as she watched everyone converse and make deals with the merchants. "All the students are heirs to respectable families who own large conglomerates. I always think of them as easygoing people with too much time to waste" She commented. "That's bothersome." She shrugged with deadpanned eyes. "I'm glad I'm a commoner."

"What are you talking about, Haruhi?" Finished up the deal with the salesman, Miki butt into the conversation as she held the completed deals to her chest. "Isn't so much fun being from a wealthy family? You get to live in big houses, you have pretty clothes, you get all the DVDs and supplies you want." She listed off as she cupped her cheeks dreamily. "Besides, this is a school festival, lighten up a little." Giggling like a bell, she tilted her head. "This is super exciting!"

"You're a little too excited about it." Contrasting to Miki's sparkling demeanour, Haruhi turned her head away. "Let me guess; this is your first school festival too?"

"Mhm!" Nodding curtly, Miki sounded.

Suddenly the doors to the classroom slammed open as one of the students rushed in with a piece of paper. "Hey! They announced the candidates for the central salon!" He shouted as everyone quickly surrounded him.

"Show me! Which group has the lead this year!" Someone urged.

"It looks like the student council wants to be re-elected. The football and basketball clubs are strong contenders."

"Central Salon? What's that about?" Shuffling close to the crowd, Haruhi wondered out loud.

"It's just a matter of positioning." The class-representative, Kazukiyo explained with a small smile. "The more prominent the location, the better, right? Because the grand ballrooms on both floors are used as lounges for visiting family members, the central salon gets the most attention by far. The group who resides in the central salon reigns over the school festival!" He announced. "Only the most talented and confident top-class clubs enter this race. It's regarded as the biggest clandestine events of the festival."

That sounds even more bothersome. As she and the class representative approached the list of candidates, Haruhi thought to herself.

Picking up the paper, Kazukiyo skimmed the list. "Our class considered joining the race, but we decided against it. First-years have no chance of winning anyways."

"I see," Taking a side of the sheet, Haruhi peered down. "That sounds..." Her voice trailed off as she read who was participating.

----------

Race for the Central Salon

Class 3-B

Student Council

Host Club

Basketball Club

Football Club

Ikebana Club

----------

***

"Of course we are joining the race. What about it?" Kyoya stared at her with an 'obviously' tone in his voice. Tamaki stood beside him, also a little quizzical in terms of why Haruhi was asking.

"Did you not know, Haruhi?" Miki blinked curiously as she clutched her tablet close to her chest. "That's why I'm creating two separate sketches, in case we get the spot for the central salon instead."

Averting her eyes, Haruhi deadpanned at the supposedly 'Talented and Confident Top-Class Club.' "Um... nothing." She grumbled.

"Last year the winner was decided by a chess tournament," Honey explained as he stuffed his face with cake. "We lost to the student council during the finals."

"It's not like I care who wins, but that's a surprise," Haruhi commented.

"The son of a very important Hitachiin business associated was on the student council last year," Kyoya hummed as he dug through his bag nonchalantly. "Still just for PR purposes, we stayed in the race."

"Eh? What's the point of playing if you didn't give it your all!" With her free hand, Miki clenched her fist and struck a power pose. "If you do anything, you need to give it 100%!"

"Don't worry Miki," Placing a hand on his sister's shoulder, Tamaki grinned with a fist pump. "We'll go all out and win this year, right?" He directed at Kyoya who pulled a few letters out of his bag.

"Yes, but we've got a bit of a problem." He shrugged as he dropped piles of letters towards Haruhi who stumbled back from the shock. "It's not a big deal, but every day for a week. We've been receiving somewhat hostile letters."

Curiously, the host club opened the letters to find the five copies of the words 'Withdraw from the saloon race. Or else!' spelled out in magazine bold cut-out letters. Everyone tensed up in shock as they skimmed the threatening message.

"These letters - These are clearly hate mail!" Haruhi panicked. "We talked about finding a culprit, can it be...?"

"Kyoya! Why did you neglect the matter until it went this far?!" Tamaki accused, shouting at the top of his lungs as he dropped his copy of the letter into Miki's hands.

"It could've been a prank of some sort, so I ignored it. After the official announcement today though," Shrugging, Kyoya then took out a new letter as he slid the paper across the coffee table with an untroubled attitude. "We received this."

'Prepare to DIE'

Chills were sent down the host club's spine as they saw the big black word written boldly across the blank sheet of paper.

"The perpetrator appears to be someone who loses his temper easily." Rubbing his hand under his chin, Kyoya began to speak in a relaxed manner. "Maybe he's not taking enough calcium."

"You're the one who made him angry!" Gritting his teeth, Tamaki accused. "How could you-"

Before Tamaki could say any more, however, Kyoya snapped around with a chilling glisten in his eyes. "I already said, I'm sorry." He snapped back at the blond who shrieked in terror, the complete opposite of his sister who was analyzing the threatening letter.

"Alright then!" Miki cheered as she raised an arm into the air enthusiastically. "This looks like a job for Detective Miki." She beamed, striking a dramatic pose as she pointed towards a beam of light that came from god knows where. "I am on the case-"

"You are not going to be handling this." Cutting her off immediately, Kyoya denied.

"Eh?! Why?" Quick to protest, Miki spun on her toes. "I solved the Kuma-chan case; I can solve this one too!" Furrowing her brows, Miki pouted.

"It was less solving the case..."

"...and more stumbling into the culprit." The twins pointed out, despite knowing it would completely go over her head.

"You already have two class events and two factors for the club event to design," Lifting his glasses, Kyoya smirked with amusement at her discontent pout. "The last thing we need is for you to be leading this investigation and getting stressed out."

Hearing his reasoning, Miki's eyes narrowed slightly and averted away.

Thinking that he had won their little argument, Kyoya turned back the rest of the hosts as he held up the now empty envelope between his middle and index fingers. "As I said, we'll have to track down the culprit. By the way, we will never withdraw from the race. We will promptly find the originator of this letter and crush him. We'll teach him what it means to cross us." His eyes narrowed as the aura around him turned scarily dark. "The fool and his descendants will remember it... forever!" He announced as Tamaki and Haruhi jolted back in horror, realizing he also meant the same for them if they wouldn't cooperate. "Haruhi, if you can't find them, your debt will be doubled. And Tamaki, you will become my slave for the rest of your life." He declared as they two let out a small shriek. His blackish-green eyes flickered down to notice Miki now staring at him with slight discontent as her lips were still curled in a pout. "What is it?" He smirked, still feeling triumphant from his most recent victory.

"If I don't get stressed, can I at least help Tamaki-kun and Haruhi?" She argued, seemingly still not admitting defeat. "It's not every day you get these kinds of mysteries."

Feeling his eyebrow twitch at her persistence to participate, Kyoya sighed in frustration. Leaning down, he tapped his index and middle finger against her crinkled forehead. "Don't push yourself." He reminded her softly. "Besides, the symbolism analysis is due in two weeks. Have you even began working on it?"

Taking a hold of his hand that rested against her forehead, Miki blinked as she pushed it down. "Ah!" She gasped in surprise once she realized what he was talking about. "No, in fact, I haven't even thought about it yet." Pursuing her lips, she averted her eyes towards Tamaki and Haruhi who was already scrambling to get the evidence together for the case. "But I'm sure I'll figure it out." Turning back to him, she gave him a bright close-eyed smile. "Everything'll work out."

Seeing that radiant glow on her, Kyoya huffed out a smirk. He couldn't help but feel like he both won and lost at the same time when she makes that radiant expression.

He just never wins against her, can he?

***

"Listen up! Express your theories and observations regarding this threatening letter!" Eleven days left before the festival and the stakes were high, Tamaki had gathered the hosts together through their busy schedule for a debriefing. However, other than his sister who was helping Haruhi organize the evidence, his rallying words were ignored by the hosts who were each doing their own things. "Hey! The rest of you, listen to me too." Twitching in anger, he called out to them.

"That's the job for the poor and the destitute." The twins shrugged, peering up in annoyance from their sketchbook. "It's not our problem."

"I need to feed Usa-chan some cake, sorry!" Honey chuckled as he held onto a fork and bringing it close to the pink bunny.

Letting out a grunt in dissatisfaction, Tamaki grumbled. "Don't any of you even care that Haruhi, our descendants and I will be cursed forever?! Can you still call yourself a member of the host club?!"

"Tamaki-senpai, calm down." Grabbing the edge of the blond's blazer, Haruhi sighed. "They can't help it. They're already busy preparing for the festival, just be glad Miki-senpai is helping us." Clutching onto his jacket, she tilted her head in an unintentionally adorable manner. "Not that we asked for this, but let's make the best of this partnership, okay?" She proposed.

"H-Haruhi..." Suddenly, Tamaki's face became beet red as he stared down the brunette. His mind began to imagine what Haruhi meant by 'partnership'. Bashfully, he inched back towards the table where Miki blinked questionably at his modest demeanour and flushed cheeks. "You're right, let's be partners and-"

"From the way, the letter is written the culprit is..."

"How about letting a hound smell it?"

"It must be from one of the groups in the race." Finding enjoyment in interfering with Tamaki's happiness, Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey and even Mori budged into the investigation as they crowded over the desk. Leaving Tamaki grumbling in anger in the corner as Haruhi began to explain to the group what they have gotten so far.

"Let' go over some more observations regarding the letters," She pointed at the clue board Miki had insisted on them using as to make it seem more 'detective-like.' "There seem to be two types of letters; seven were made from newspaper clippings, while five are totally blank." She gestured the blank ones Miki was toying within her hands.

"Why blank?" Hikaru wondered as he picked one up.

"Maybe they want us to write our response on this?" Kaoru suggested.

"A considerate criminal!" Honey chimed.

As they finished up with the debriefing, everyone took turns suggesting their theory. Haruhi going first. "The perpetrator must think that his team can win the race as long as the host club is eliminated." She speculated thoughtfully. "Therefore we can safely assume the perpetrator is a strong competitor who regards the host club as a real threat."

"It could just be a personal grudge." Hikaru proposed as he propped an arm against his knee, hunching over.

Kaoru rested his elbow on his brother's shoulder as he elaborated. "It says 'or else,' but it doesn't actually say what they'll do. It sounds like an empty threat to me. Can't they even claim they'll make our family's stock crash or something?" He huffed.

"Perhaps they had a close relation to one of us at some point," Miki hypothesized as she lifted a finger. "Cases like this happen all the time in Crime? Crime Drama ♥, where because of a personal grudge, one turned against their close friend. Yet the feeling of guilty leaves them hesitant to complete the job."

Mori was silent as he brought the papers close to his face. "These reek of citrus." He said.

Honey agreed as he sniffed the threatening letter. "You're right," He nodded. "The perpetrator must love fruit."

"What?" With this new information, Tamaki's brows furrowed as he glanced down at the sheet of paper. "Then can it be...?" With his free hand under his chin, he muttered. "No, that's impossible."

"What is it, senpai?" Haruhi asked only to ; she off when the sound of a loud power motor erupted in the room as the floor began to tremble. A burst of familiar laughter echoed through the room as everyone sweatdropped, knowing what was coming. Renge rose from the ground on her revolving platform and her hands on her hips.

"Seriously, why does she keep doing that..." Haruhi grumbled.

"Of course!" She shouted dramatically, extending her arms out to the onlookers below her. "The perpetrator must be on the student council." She pointed at the hosts with a severe expression, sprouting her otaku theory. "Listen up, everyone! Since ancient times, the hero faces the student council in all school dramas! I've felt something amiss with the host club for a long time. What the host club needs, is a recurring, absolute evil to confront." Striking a dreamy pose, she began to speak at a rapid pace as she mumbled on. "First of all, the student council president is a handsome youth who seems gentle and honest but his true face should be that of an immoral, power-hungry monster. That's how things are!"

"No chance, Kyoya-senpai has already taken that role." Hikaru sighed as he returned to his fashion sketches.

"We already have one enemy in our family, no need for another," Kaoru added.

"Did you say something about me?" Wearing an unbalanced smile, Kyoya caught their attention.

"No... Not a word." They denied, wondering how long has he been there.

As Renge began to write down the student council president as a suspect, Miki tapped her chin thoughtfully. "But Renge-san, we've already met the student council president back when Princess Michelle came to our school remember? He isn't that sort of man." She reminded them as she tapped her cheek. "If I remember correctly..." Suddenly there was a knock at the door as a pair, a male and female student stepped in. "He looks something like that." Miki beamed innocently as she pointed at the slightly scrawny looking man.

"That's because he is the student council president, Miki-chan" Honey giggled.

"Excuse us for intruding on your conversation," The student council president, Matsudaira, smiled sheepishly as he knocked. "We've come to let you know we chose to withdraw from the race this year."

Being reminded of this harsh reality, Renge quickly picked up the eraser and erased her freshly written 'Suspect: S.C. President' off the whiteboard. Then she rushed back onto her platform, and with a swift 'Au Revoir,' she descended back into the ground.

"It's too much of a burden to compete against the great candidates." The president explained as he clutched his stomach in a shudder. "Besides, we heard it won't be a chess tournament this year. What if it requires stamina to win?" He explained.

Matsuyama Kanan, the secretary of the student council, peered down at her notes. "Will the host club also be withdrawing?"

"Not at all," Kyoya replied without missing a beat.

"Okay, good luck then." Matsuyama gave an unreadable smile. "The student council will be neutral and judge the competition."

"Come to think of it, Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi piped up as she turned to the blond. "You were about to say something earlier." She blinked in curiosity.

"Well, about everyone's theories..." Tamaki closed his eyes as he placed a hand under his chin. "There's one person who fits the bill. If we can safely deduce a profile from these theories, then eight or nine times out of ten will be-"

Before Tamaki could finish, however, another voice pierced through the already rowdy Music Room #3. "Hmph, so the student council is turning tail and running." A male student who fits Renge's description of a 'handsome youth who seems gentle and honest but his true face should be that of an immoral, power-hungry monster' walked in with two others behind him. He toyed with an orange in his hand, throwing it up in the air then catching it. "But I say it's a wise decision. The race this year will be a one-on-one duel between the football club and the host club." He snickered pridefully, taking a chomp out of the orange in his hand.

"I don't know what to say..." Haruhi muttered with a sweatdrop. "And why is he eating the orange with the rind still on? Does he think it's cool or something?"

"Amongst the athletic clubs, they're the most talented group. They make it to the national championship regularly." Tamaki explained. "Their's name is called the 'Ouran Orages.'"

"That doesn't sound that great." The twins muttered.

"The 'Ouran... Oranges'?" Miki tilted her head as a hand found the way to her lips.

~Miki's Mind Theatre~

People wearing Orange Costumes as they played football.

"Not Oranges, Miki. Orages." Tamaki corrected his dumbfounded sister. "It's a French word for 'Tempest'. But you aren't that far off, they chose the name for its similarities to 'orange' - the fruit. The family of the club president, Kuze Takeshi-senpai, holds the largest market share in imported produce in Japan." He gestured the leading male student who grinned, though the half-eaten orange in his hand didn't make him look very threatening.

"What about that personal grudge we talked about?" The twins inquired.

"Hey, Ootori! There's this rumour that you guys deliberately threw the chess tournament last year. That true?" Kuze shouted at Kyoya as his hand squeezed down on the orange. Veins began to pop on his forehead as his eyebrow twitched. "Ever since you beat us at the semifinal, we've been a laughing stock. The story is an embarrassment, but this rumour even reached the ears of my fiancee."

Not backing down Kyoya returned his expression with an unbalanced smile. "That's an unjustified grievance, Kuze. Had people respected you, no one would laugh on the basis of such a rumour." He rebutted.

"What? Are you telling me it's my fault?" Kuze grumbled as he began to crunch furiously on the orange as drops of orange juice began to drip down on the carpet. "Even when you were a kid, you had some nerve... Remember when we were in preschool?" He grunted.

It's obviously a personal grudge. Haruhi and the twins thought to themselves.

"I don't remember what we did when we were kids. Please don't drip orange juice on the carpet." With his hands behind his back, he gave a cryptic gleam. "It's going to give our already busy production designer more work if it were to stain."

However, Miki's focus was on something else entirely. "Are you perhaps Kyoya-kun's childhood friend?" Tilting her head to the side, Miki questioned curiously.

"And who are you?" Peering down arrogantly at the strawberry blonde who was much shorter than both him and Kyoya, Kuze grumbled. "Are you Ootori's woman?"

"My name is not 'Ootori's woman,' it's Miki." With a straight face, Miki replied, causing Kuze to squeeze even harder on the orange. His eyes glistened with anger as he forced a toothy grin.

"Are you making fun of me too?" He grumbled before recomposing himself and throwing the crushed orange in the garbage can. "Do you think the heir to the great Ootori family belongs to such a carnal club like this?" He hummed as he wiped away the sticky juice on his hand before smugly glaring up at Kyoya. "Oops, excuse me. You're only the third son, so no matter how much you try, you never can be the heir to the family, can you? No wonder your lick crumbs of glory from the boots of the chairman's son." He jabbed. "The thought makes me weep."

"Wha...?" Haruhi sucked in a breath at his harsh words.

"What are you talking about?" Miki blurted out, tilting her head. "What does being the third son have to do with anything? If Kyoya-kun wants to do something, he should do it." She stated bluntly, with furrowed brows. His words had clearly seemed to hit a chord with her. "Is there any law that states he can't do what he desires, simply because of the order of his birth?"

The room fell silent as the tension rose. Kuze eyed the girl who spoke up to him so boldly, brows drawing closer.

"Kuze-senpai," Stepping up to defend his best friend and sister, Tamaki called out. "If you have a grudge, resolve it in the competition."

Scoffing, Kuze smirked. "Fine, let's see how talented the respectable son of our chairman is." He challenged.

***

As the day ended and Kyoya was about to enter his family's limo, he heard his self-proclaimed best friend run up with a call of his name.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki called out.

"Tamaki, do you and Miki need a ride?" He offered.

"No, she's already in the limo. Our chauffeur is waiting too." He quickly shook his head, panting heavily from running all the way across campus. "Kyoya, do you think Kuze-senpai is behind those threatening letters? With all the obvious hints, you could've-"

"Tamaki," Cutting the blond off, he asked. "Have you seen the chairman recently?"

"Huh? The last time I saw him was in Spain at Miki's almost wedding. Before it was about three months ago when he came to have dinner with us in the Second Mansion."

"You still aren't allowed to enter the Main Mansion?" With a teasing sigh, Kyoya kidded.

"Shut up; it doesn't matter!" Tamaki frowned as he retorted.

"Well, don't worry. It'll work out fine," He reassured, giving a wave as he turned back towards the limo. "But let me tell you this - you're to search for the culprit until you have proof. Keep up the good work." Then, he entered the limo and drove off.

***

That evening, Miki was lounging on Tamaki's bed as usual as she flipped through a brand new production art book Arden had sent her as a gift. Humming a tune, she kicked her legs up and down like a child as her brother stood up from his desk, letting out a stretch and yawn. "Hey Miki, I have a question." He called out.

"Hm?"

"How would you describe Kyoya?" Resting an arm on the back of his chair, Tamaki asked. 

"Kyoya-kun?" Sitting up, Miki repeated as she tilted her head. "Hmm... If I were to use one word, I would say possibility." She replied.

"Ho? Why is that?" With an endearing smile, Tamaki pursued. 

"Because anything Kyoya-kun sets his mind to, he gives everything he has to complete it. For him, anything is possible." Miki explained, nodding repeatedly as if reaffirming her words. "Doesn't that make him radiate with so much possibility?" She said. 

Hearing her words and seeing that sparkling expression on her face, Tamaki chuckled. He nodded as his laughter grew louder. "I agree with you," He wheezed, standing up. "I'm going to request some snacks, do you want any?"

"Yes, please." Beaming brightly, Miki nodded as she watched her brother leave the room with a chuckle.

A little while later, Tamaki's ringtone echoed through the room and caught Miki's attention. She instinctively glanced up at the portraits of the club members, wondering if it was from any of them. However, the ringing came directly from his phone that rested on his desk. Hopping off the bed, she paced over to check on the caller ID.

----------

Incoming call

Ootori Fuyumi

----------

Miki knew Kyoya's older sister, Fuyumi. She and Tamaki have been busy working on a map of places for commoner's gourmet food and have often called on her for help with the mapping techniques. Over the time she had gotten to know the eldest daughter of the Ootori family, the two have hit it off quite well. Both were carefree and a little airheaded, making them quite similar in personalities after all. Without hesitation, Miki answered the phone.

"Good evening, Fuyumi-san. It's Miki speaking." She chirped happily, glancing down at Tamaki's copy of the map.

"Ah! Miki-san, it's been a while, huh?" Fuyumi's sweet voice poured out of the speaker. "How are you?"

"I'm doing wonderful, what about you?" Miki beamed.

"I'm doing well," Giggling slightly, Miki could hear a faint shuffling on her end of the phone. "Is Tamaki-san with you right now?"

"No, he's in the bathroom." Plopping down onto his chair, Miki hummed. "Did you want to share a new find with him?"

"Oh, well, yes, there is that." Fuyumi chuckled wryly. "However, I also wanted to speak with him about Kyoya-san."

"Kyoya-kun?" Miki's eyes immediately brightened at the mention of that name as she felt a strange energy surge through her. "Did something happen to him?" She blinked.

"It's nothing really; I'm just worried that he might be doing more than he can handle. I was hoping you and Tamaki-san can keep an eye on him. That's all."

Hearing her say this, Miki's eyes widened slightly as she remembered Kuze's words from earlier that days. "I see..." She fell thoughtful, peering up when she heard Tamaki step into the room with two cups of water. "Ah, Tamaki-kun is back," She told Fuyumi. "Would you like to speak to him as well?"

"Oh yes please!" Fuyumi's voice grew bubbly. "I found this wonderful Wagashi store downtown; I must share about!"

"Alright, I'll talk to you again soon."

As she passed the phone to her brother, mouthing 'Fuyumi', he instantly got talking as they eagerly exchanged their new finds to jot down on their maps. Miki went back to her spot on her brother's bed as she peered down at the artbook. However, she couldn't focus on the art anymore as all she could think about was Kyoya and what Kuze had said.

***

With six days left until the festival and four days to the salon race, everyone was quickly getting busy with festival preparations as they finished up the final touches of their class and club events. However, during a time like this, the rumours about the Host club and the Football club's stand-off for the central salon spread like wild-fire, especially after the student council withdrew from the race. Many other clubs eagerly joined the race with the slimmest hope of the chance to outshine both clubs and snag the spot of the central salon, while the loyal customers of the host club lead by Renge, banded together to form a support squad for the hosts.

Yet at a time like this, the host club par Kyoya and Haruhi were dressed in all black spy-like costumes as they lurked around the corner stealthily, though their all-black outfits stuck out like a sore thumb against the pale pink walls and sea of blue and yellow uniforms.

Haruhi dashed around the corner, hurriedly trying to catch up with the host club when she bumped straight into the hosts. "Ouch, I'm sorry..." Stumbling back, she rubbed her slightly reddened nose awkwardly, only to raise an eyebrow in confusion when the six figures in black and wearing sunglasses while indoors turned around and placed their index fingers against their lips. The five boys wore suits and ties while Miki wore a black dress.

"Shhh..." They hushed her.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the day? Goofing off?" The brunette questioned, trying to avoid the strange looks they were receiving in the midst of the busy hallway. "I'm too busy to be messing around." She grumbled.

"No!" Taking off his sunglasses, Tamaki pointed at her dramatically. "This is a legitimate and important duty!" He announced. "Since Kuze-senpai is our only suspect, the only course of action is to tail the football club. Call us the 'F.C. Espionage Unit.' Here, take this unit badge." With a sparkling aura, Tamaki placed a hand on Haruhi's shoulder as he offered her a golden pin.

"No thanks.' Haruhi denied sharply.

"It's more like the 'Milord's Retirement Insurance Unit.'" Hikaru pointed out with a shrug.

"After all, if we can't gid up any proof, milord has to remain Kyoya-senpai's servant for the rest of his life," Kaoru added. "Not that we'd mind."

"What?!" Tamaki snapped.

"Haru-chan, won't doubling your debt be a problem for you?" Honey urged as both his hands formed fists.

"Oh, speaking of which." Letting out a weary sigh, Haruhi turned away to face the window as she propped an arm up lazily. " I don't really care anymore. Repaying my debt through honest labour is the way to go about it." She said nonchalantly, leaving the hosts to sweatdrop as her 40-year-old mindset that was stuck in a 15-year-old body.

"Shh! Be quiet everyone," The only one who was completely immersed in her character as a 'spy,' Miki hushed. "They are coming this way!" She scolded, bringing a finger to her lips.

Of all the things she gets serious about. Haruhi sighed at the immaturity of most of her upperclassmen as the rest of the hosts quickly gathered at the corner, hearing footsteps draw near.

"You must never let your guard down against Kyoya!" They heard Kuze warn as they scrambled to move corners in fear of being caught. "Of course we can't relax against Suoh or the others, but what's so scary about Ootori Kyoya is..." He paused as the hosts peeked out curiously. "He has no qualms about using base methods if they will benefit him. He's a snake in the grass. He'd suck down your very bones if he had a use for them." He affirmed in an agitated manner.

"That's so rude!" Furrowing her brows, Miki pouted in a hushed voice as she held her hands in fists before her. "Kyoya-kun is not that type of person!"

"No, we can't deny it," Hikaru grumbled with a brow twitch at the blonde's delusions.

"Kyoya-senpai is a bit snaky." Kaoru sweatdropped.

"Snake?" Miki blinked with a frown. "What kind of metaphor is that? Sure, Kyoya-kun is thin, but he doesn't wiggle around like a snake-"

"A snake is someone who you think is sincere and really nice, but then turns out to be a backstabber, waiting for the moment to strike," Hikaru explained.

Hearing this explanation, Miki's eyes flickered down.

"Kuze, I heard our clash with the host club is turning this year's race into the biggest event ever." A taller, much buffer man named Tohgouin from class 3-A stated calmly.

"That's true, president." A boy who Miki recognized as, from the neighbouring class, Class 2-B named Tarumi agreed. "Even Ootori wouldn't be so bold as to rig the race when everyone is watching. Who knows what'd happen if it got out."

"Ignorant, very ignorant," Tamaki whispered. "They're underestimating Kyoya!"

"Tohgouin. Tarumi." Kuze called out to the two as he spun around, tossing two oranges out dramatically as if he were a shounen protagonist. "Catch!" He instructed, adding to how much cornier it made the scene.

The twins immediately burst into laughter as they covered their mouths, comical tears poured out of their eyes as they chortled.

"That was so cheesy!"

"Does he think he's in a coming-of-age drama?"

"Shhh!" Haruhi pressed her index finger against her lips, shushing them as Kuze continued.

"Calm down and think."

"We are already calm..." Tohgouin pointed out.

Ignoring him, Kuze swiped his hair to the side. The aura around him transformed into an obnoxiously shiny one as he spoke. "The scent of oranges has a soothing quality, and it rouses the mind. I also recommend you eat the peel. It's loaded with flavones." Then he crunched into his orange aggressively, his mood snapped. "That jerk trampled on my good will, I will never forget that time in kindergarten when he embarrassed me in front of the entire class by saying some crap like 'raw peels are tough and yucky and might be covered in pesticides that are especially dangerous to women' and then proceeding to have the guts to smile refreshingly at me, with something like 'I hope I didn't talk out of turn'." Covering his face he let out a small shriek in terror. "He not only knifed my sweet 6-year-old heart, he salted the wound!"

"Calm down, Kuze-senpai!" His club members were quick to comfort him. "Now is the time for oranges! Let's see that relaxation effect!"

Snapping out of his dramatic state momentarily, Kuze grabbed the orange from Tarumi's hand and began munching on it, letting out a sigh in relief as his stress eased away. "This is my chance to redress an old grievance," He explained after finishing up the orange and wiping his mouth away with a handkerchief. "No matter what he comes up with, all we need to do is set the stage to our advantage ahead of time." Lips tugging into a smug grin, he threw the piece of cloth behind him dramatically before patting his chest. "Fortunately I have some ties to the student council. We'll make it so the host club won't have a chance against us. Because of their carnal lifestyle, we'll succeed where they will fail. Because this year's race isn't going to be like last year's battle of brains." Lips tugging into a smirk, Kuze chuckled coldly. "It will require finely-honed physical strength."

***

And sure enough, by the end of the school day, the theme of this year's race has spread like wildfire throughout the school as everyone eagerly lined up for an issue of the newspaper club's 'OU Spot'. With headlines like 'Competition Salon will be a Cross-Campus Ultra Race!' and 'Advantage Football Club?!', it was pretty easy to guess why. The hosts were now gathered in the clubroom as Kyoya looked over the article as he sighed.

"Well, it's as I expected." Folding the papers back up, he raised his eyebrows at Miki as she stabbed the tip of her tablet stylus into the table beside the tea with a visible pout. Deciding to leave that for later to deal with, he placed the newspaper down. "It requires physical strength, but that can easily be offset by our intelligence. Instead of wasting our efforts now, let's form a suitable strategy and..." Turning around in his chair, his voice trailed off. "Are you guys listening?" He questioned.

Tamaki and the rest of the hosts par Haruhi had brought in gym equipment into Music Room #3 and were busy working out. The twins ran on a treadmill each, Tamaki was doing crunches, Honey was lifting a weight almost double his size over his head, and Mori was doing curl-ups.

Haruhi sweatdropped. "You're always so full of confidence that I figured you'd be fine athletes." She told the twins.

"It's not like we aren't, but if we were good enough to beat the football club, we wouldn't be hanging around in the host club." Hikaru shrugged as he stepped down from the treadmill, taking a swig of his water.

"We all exercise regularly at the gym." Kaoru pointed out. "What about you?"

"Haruhi's junior high records show that she takes over eleven seconds for a 50-meter sprint," Kyoya stated, flipping peering through his record books.

"I'm not that good at sports..." Haruhi admitted quietly as an adorable flush overtook her cheeks, causing the hosts to begin fawning as they surrounded her in a group hug in adoration.

"That's okay," Tamaki ruffled her brown hair with a doting smile. "Being a little slow is cute!"

"Say, what about you Miki-senpai?" Turning to the production designer who has been quiet for most of the meeting, Kaoru gave her a weird look as she tapped the tip of her stylus against the glass screen for the hundredth time in that hour. "Um, Miki-senpai?" He tried again.

"Huh? Oh, sports?" Snapping out of her state as her narrowed eyes and frown turned to a blank stare, she blinked. "I've never really done sports before." She stated bluntly, as she tapped her chin. "I'm a pretty slow runner, I can't jump very high, and neither can I swim."

"Guess we should've expected that..." Hikaru sweatdropped.

"It's not like there would be anywhere to exercise while she was in confinement." Kaoru elaborated, mimicking his brother.

"Alright! Now for the uniforms!" With a fist pump, Tamaki announced. "We have yet to select the club's outfit for school competitions. Let's choose more dashing ones than the football club!"

"Yea, that's important." The twins remarked sarcastically. "Very important."

As Haruhi began to wonder how were the costumes more important than anything, Kyoya called out to her.

"How's the search for the perpetrator coming along?" He asked.

"At first Kuze-senpai seemed fishy, but he seems like he wanted to openly confront the host club." Pressing the side of her finger against her lips, she shared her investigation thoughtfully as Kyoya noticed out of the corner of his eye, Miki's fist tighten around her stylus at the name 'Kuze'. "That means there may be someone else who wants to see Kuze-senpai falsely accused. Maybe there's a simple solution. If we investigate the people around Kuze-senpai..." Her voice trailed off slightly.

"Wow, Haruhi." Eyes twinkling, Miki gasped in admiration. "You sound just like the detective from Crime? Crime Drama ♥! You look so smart and cool right now!" She complimented with an innocent beam.

"This is basic theorizing and puzzle solving," Sweatdropping at her enthusiasm, Haruhi replied modestly. "What I don't understand is the meaning of the blank letters." She concluded, scratching the back of her head.

"Haruhi," Kyoya spoke as he took a glance at his laptop screen. "Somethings that appear complicated can turn out unexpectedly simple, and vice versa. And even if you have a lot of threads in hand, that does not necessarily mean you have to tie them all together. Right?" Glancing to the side, he began to dig through his bag for something as Haruhi stood there, a little dumbfounded. 

"Huh? What do you..."

"At any rate," Cutting her off, Kyoya handed a large stack of papers to the brunette. "Will you memorize this for me before the race?"

Taking the papers with a quizzical expression, Haruhi nodded in an estranged manner. "What is it?"

"The blueprints for the school," Kyoya replied, turning his attention back to his laptop in a casual manner, leaving Haruhi to gawk at the layout for this over-the-top school.

"Oh, I could help with that if you'd like." Miki offered as she turned off her digital tablet. "I have already explored the entire school grounds when I first arrived, so I already have a pretty good idea of the layout already."

"Why did you do that?" Haruhi cocked her head to the side, a little bewildered.

Blinking as she took a copy of the map, Miki returned her puzzled look. "Because I wanted to see how a school looked." She reasoned.

This school is not exactly an accurate representation of a normal school... Haruhi thought to herself.

***

As Haruhi preferred to learn and remember by visiting all the sites on foot, Miki was left in the club room with Kyoya since Tamaki as the others headed out to find and purchase their uniform for the big race. "So the west gym is preoccupied with 3-A and 3-C's join event 'Sunset Venice', huh?" She hummed slightly as her legs kicked around like a toddler's, with her hazel eyes focused on the map she studied the locations carefully as to give her mind a refresher. "That sounds so exciting!"

"What happened between you and Kuze?" Cutting through her enthusiasm, Kyoya questioned, not lifting his gaze from his laptop screen.

"Nothing, why?"

"Then why do you make that face whenever his name comes up?" His eyes flickered up to meet hers. Her smile had vanished as her lips tightened into a frown. Her brows furrowed and the carefree swinging of her legs came to a halt. "You aren't very good at hiding things." Letting out a small sigh, he pointed out. "So, care to share?"

Miki fell silent for a moment as her eyes lingered over the blueprints. Then in a snap movement, she brought her elbows onto her table and pressed her chin against her palms. Letting out an agitated huff, her frown deepened. "Kyoya-kun, are you a snake?" She asked bluntly.

Feeling his eyebrow twitch in irritation, Kyoya sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's a meta-"

"I know it's a metaphor," Cutting Kyoya off, Miki leaned forward as her eyes locked with his brownish-green ones. "I know what it means as a metaphor, and I was wondering if you really are why they call a snake." Lowering her gaze, her brows drew closer in what seemed like a mixture of pain and anger. "It's what Kuze-senpai called you, and I couldn't believe he would say something like that. You aren't a backstabber in any way!" She insisted. "Then, there was what he said in the club room the other day. If you want to do something Kyoya-kun, go ahead and do it all! Something like the order of your birth should never stand in the ways of your ambitions!" Getting more heated up as she spoke, by the end of her rant she was sprouting words at an incredible speed.

Kyoya gazed at her for a moment as the realization hit him. She wasn't simply angry at Kuze, she was angry for him. His eyes dulled slightly at the thought. "Miki," He averted his gaze to his laptop screen. "You do realize ambitious men tend to get lost in their ambitions, don't you?" He questioned.

Hearing this, Miki's eyebrows loosened slightly as she processed what he said but quickly snapped back into serious mode as she jolted up from her seat. "Then, Kyoya-kun, if you get lost in your ambitions, I'll be the one to keep you on track." She stated earnestly, grabbing his hand across the table as Kyoya's eyes widened in shock. "I said so at the summer festival already, didn't I? I want to be of use to you as well. Besides," Her gaze lowered as she held her hands formed fists before her lips. "I need you, Kyoya-kun." She declared boldly. "I made a promise to only come to you when I need help, and I fully intend on keeping it."

There was a small moment of silence between them as their eyes remained glued to each other. Kyoya studied her wide stance and determined blaze in her eyes. She clearly had no idea what she had just confessed to. "So in other words, you are saying," He began slowly, "If I get lost in my ambitions, so will you." Lips curling into a faint smile, he let out a chuckle at Miki's curt nod.

"You guide me and point me in the correct course of action, yet you don't pressure me into it. I told you already, Kyoya-kun," Her tense expression melted into an innocent smile as she straightened herself with a head tilt. "You are like a weathervane to me." She stated airily.

Weathervane... Of all the times she could bring that unpleasant topic up again, she chose this moment. Kyoya felt his eye twitch in agitation at the reminder of being compared to an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. He let out an exasperated sigh before taking a glance at her. Obviously, she had no awareness of how she shattered the mood of peace between them.

With soft eyes, he huffed out a breath. His hand flipped around to take a hold of her's instead as his smile deepened into a confident smirk. "I won't get lost, Miki." He reassured her. "Not with someone like you at my side." He jeered, watching as Miki's eyes widened before breaking into a radiant smile, however she realized something and let out a gasp.

"That's it!" She jumped slightly as her eyes twinkled. "That's the symbolism!"

"Pardon?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow at her sudden burst of excitement.

"That's why the Prince was blinded and could see again when Rapunzel returned to her side!" Pulling her hand away, she clapped her hands together as if she had just solved the mysteries of life. "It's like us!" She exclaimed as she walked away from his table a little. "The Prince needed the princess by his side for her guidance, that's why he was blinded in the story when she was taken away from her! And that's why he could see again when she returned to his side!" Fingers curling before her lips, she explained as she turned to face him.

"I see," Seeing the romantic tension between them completely vanished, Kyoya turned back to his laptop with a hint of irritation before an idea popped into his head. "So then, pray tell, if our conversation led to this revelation. Perhaps we are like the prince and Rapunzel?" Crossing his legs, he cast her confused expression a side glance through his half-lidded eyes.

Miki's hazel eyes rounded as his implications finally processed through her mind. In a delayed reaction, a small flush, much more prominent than that night on the balcony in Madrid, cast over her cheeks. A jolt spread through her body as she was instantly aware of how every limb felt under her control. "I-I'm going to the classroom to grab my bag," She stammered as she quickly spun on the ball of her foot, averting her eyes away. "I need to write this down for the analysis, I'll be back." And with that, she took off without looking back, leaving Kyoya alone in the club room.

Turning back to his laptop screen, a smile of amusement danced across his lips as he thought of that flustered expression she had on. He enjoyed that look on her and wanted to provoke it even more.

I need you, Kyoya-kun.

He huffed a laugh inward.

"I don't think she realized, what she had admitted to." He muttered to himself. "What a troublesome woman."

***

Outside the clubroom, Miki paced down the halls with a hand pressed to her chest. At that moment when she thought of what Kyoya might have implied, she couldn't meet his eye and her body tingled in a strange manner. She didn't understand.

She couldn't understand.

***

A little while after Miki left, Tamaki appeared in Music Room #3 as he watched Kyoya work from afar. He watched as his best friend typed away on a laptop in a concentrated manner, letting out the occasional short sigh.

"Mommy," He greeted with a soft smile. "The pressure on the third son must be tough, would you like a shoulder massage?" He offered as he approached.

Deciding to humour him, Kyoya replied as he leaned his head back nonchalantly. "Thanks, Daddy. But you know I'm enjoying it."

"Fuyumi is worried about you; she thinks you might be doing more than you can handle," Tamaki informed as he gently rolled out the tension in Kyoya's shoulders.

"No need to worry," Kyoya closed his eyes as his the corner of his mouth tugged. "In any case, Tamaki. We'll win that race." He paused before affirming. "And then, you can take Miki and I, to the best place on that map for commoner's gourmet food. Okay?" He suggested.

Nodding curtly, Tamaki grinned at the thought. "Of course!" He assured.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 30-

An Exciting Race for the Festival Crown!

And so, the day of the race arrived, and students gathered at the central field of the prestigious academy. Led by Renge, the regulars cheered loudly on the sidelines as the host club stepped onto the broad field. They were all dress in traditional black Japanese cheer uniforms and bandanas except for Tamaki, Honey and Miki. The former two boys had white versions of the outfits while Miki had a girl's cheerleader costume. On the opposite end, the football club stepped towards the starting line wearing their classic jerseys. The two clubs were in a stalemate staredown as the other clubs and classes scrambled to get ready for the race behind the two main stars of this competition.

"Let me explain how the race works," Matsuyama, the student council secretary, took her place at the microphone stand with a gentle smile as the chatter died down. "You're to follow the prescribed route and answer the questions at designated sites in each building - east, west, south and north. If any team member passes, so will their group. If not, the team is eliminated. The group that successfully clears all sites will be given five clues. In the finals, participants must use those clues to seek out a particular location. The group that claims the hidden crown shall win the use of the central salon. Any questions?" She paused, eyes sweeping across the eager contestants. "Very well then..." Raising a starting pistol in the air, a loud bang filled the fields as loud chatter and cheering erupted.

"LET THE RACE BEGIN!" The broadcasting club took over as Kotaro, a member to the club shouted as he directed the crowds' attention to the various clubs who were lined up at buzzers. "First is the Literature Reflex Quiz! Each team must answer three questions before ascending the slippery slope behind me to proceed to the next site!" He announced cheerfully, pointing at the oil filled slope behind him. "Are all the contestants ready?"

"Interesting." Kyoya rubbed his chin as he watched the oil slip down from the impossible looking hill. "They mean to eliminate a large number of participants early on."

"Alright, Miki!" Tamaki grinned, giving his sister an encouraging pat on the back. "Start us off strong!"

"If it's about traditional literature, then leave it to me!" Miki beamed, striking a power pose as she took her place before the buzzer, hand hovering over the big red button.

"Good Luck, Miki-chan!" Honey giggled.

"Hurray! Hurray! Miki-chan-senpai!" The girls cheered as hand-painted signs waved in the air. "You can do it! You can do it! Miki-chan-senpai!"

"Number one!" Kotaro read off of the cue-cards. "What is the name of the fairy king in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's-?"

"Oberon!" Before he could even complete the question, Miki slapped her hand over the buzzer as she shouted out.

"Correct! First Point to the Host Club!" Kotaro smiled at his classmate. "Number two, what type of folktales involve gods and goddesses?"

"Myths!" The buzzer right next to the host club, the football clubs' rang. Tarumi slammed his large hand down and snatched the point. He sneered at Miki, receiving a challenging smile in return.

"What's an example of a fairy tale?"

"Rapunzel!"

"Which Shakespeare play is this from? There's nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so."

"Hamlet!"

"Woah!" Kotaro shouted excitedly into the microphone. "The Host Club and Football Club are neck to neck in this reflex quiz; the other teams barely stand a chance! They really are the front runners of this race! This question will decide who gets a leg up!" Throwing the last cue card away, he asked. "On what month did the character Murasaki-no-ue in the Tale of Genji die?"

Miki flinched. This was a Japanese Literature question; she wasn't nearly as familiar with it. Biting her bottom lip, she searched deep into her mind before a hand reached forth and slammed the buzzer.

"August 14th!" Tamaki shouted, earning a series of bell rings as the regulars let out a loud cheer yell at the victory.

"Correct!" Kotaro snapped his fingers. "The Host Club advances towards the slippery slope!"

Casting Miki a wink, Tamaki took off towards the oil filled slope, showered in praises and encouragement.

"Suoh of the host club is advancing!" Kotaro followed as another member of the broadcasting club took over the quiz. "But... He slipped! The Hitachiin brothers are stepping on him! What an incredible strategy for the chairman's son to sacrifice his body!" He watched intently as the twins trampled all over Tamaki's limp body with nonchalant expressions.

"Who says it's a strategy!?" Tamaki protested. "Get off!" He struggled as another shadow bolted past them.

"Tarumi of Football club passes by easily and takes the lead! It seems like the Gymnastics club, and Wandervogel club are closing in as well! Could it be? Will the host club be eliminated so soon?" As Kotaro was speaking, he noticed something launching into the sky and land atop the giant slope. It turns out, Mori had given Honey a boost as the lolita jumped into his hand and sprung into the air, snagging a spot in the advancement. "It's miraculous teamwork between Morinozuka-senpai and Haninozuka-senpai!" Kotaro pointed at the shota boy who gave the cameras a victorious grin. "The host club passed the first site!"

Second, came the Math Quiz and one hundred chin-ups, which Honey and Mori nailed through another series of amazing teamwork. Third, was the memorization quiz and tightrope walking, where Kyoya and Tamaki handled skillfully. Fourth and finally was a combination of art knowledge and free throws, as Miki and the twins completed without an issue.

"A-1 and D-5, Vermeer's View of Delft and the Astronomer!" Miki told the two, handing them each a basketball.

"Roger that!" The grinned as the each launched the ball into the correct section as airhorns rang throughout the fourth station.

"GOAAAL!" Kotaro shouted, waving his hand excitedly as confetti broke down on the three. "All clear! The host club finished the same time as the football club! Will the other groups follow? As expected, it looks like the two clubs who sparked the race will move on to challenge each other in the final round!" He announced as the fans cheered with joy. "Which club will seize the crown?! Stay tuned to find out!"

"Haruhi, are you okay?" Tamaki asked, rushing over to the brunette's side as she panted heavily from sprinting between locations. "How are you and Miki holding up?"

"Yes, I'm alright..." Haruhi huffed as she bent forward with her hands resting on her knees. "Though, I don't know about Miki-senpai." She sweatdropped at the strawberry blonde who was giggling and chatting with Hikaru and Kaoru over their most recent victory thanks to their teamwork. "By the way, it really isn't the time to tell you this, but I couldn't get around to it yesterday." She turned to the blond who was rubbing her back gingerly. "We assumed that the threatening letters and the blank ones were sent by the same person, but what if they're totally unrelated to each other?" She theorized, placing a hand to her mouth.

"What...?" Tamaki's brows drew close at the notion.

"I think there are two perpetrators." Haruhi proclaimed calmly

"Tamaki-kun! Haruhi!" Miki waved the two over with a hand cupped around her mouth, interrupting their conversation. "We have the final clue!" She beamed brightly, pointing at the piece of paper Kyoya received from the student council.

----------

B□H
Go up and sink
Tenjiku
KCN
Between the Holy Mother and Angel

----------

"Does 'B□H' mean there's supposed to be a word inside the square?" Hikaru hinted.

"I bet it's W for West, as in Bust, Waist and Hip." Kaoru pointed out.

"Go up and sink..." Mori rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The sun?" He suggested.

"It might be taken from The Song of the Sea." Lifting a finger, Haruhi hummed the tune of the folk song. "The moon rises, and the sun sets in~."

"Tenjiku is in India," Kyoya's eyes swept across the clues again. "It's also the destination of the party in Journey to the West." He recalled.

Peeking over his arm, Miki pointed at the letters 'KCN'. "I know this one," She chirped. "It's the symbol for Potassium Cyanide also known as the Suicide Pills spies use. It was mentioned in episode 42 of Crime? Crime Drama ♥." She said in an all too cheery voice.

"It's known for its potent poison and almond-like scent." Honey continued as his aura turned unusually dark and he placed a hand to his chin. "Because almonds, originally from west India contain hydrocyanic sugar...."

"Neither of your characters should have that kind of vocabulary..." The twins spoke in unison as everyone sweatdropped at the two most innocent looking people.

"Three of the five clues are connected to 'west,'" Tamaki muttered as he held the sheet of paper gingerly. "Assuming one of them points to the 'sea' or the 'sun.' That means," The corners of his mouth quirked up. "The destination is the west gym - where the third-years are holding their event for the festival. Sunset Venice!" He announced without hesitation.

***

Outside of the west gym, Kotaro gripped the microphone firmly in his hands. "Now the final match is getting more exciting!" He shouted to the large crowd below, gesturing the large flatscreen as everyone watched intently. "Is it chance or is it inevitable? Both clubs have deduced the same destination - Sunset Venice in the west gym. Please watch the screen!" He snapped, and the monitor switched to the cameras inside the beautiful Venice inspired interior. A costume changed host club appeared on screen, sitting in a long boat and smiling at the camera, except for Haruhi and Miki. One was too embarrassed by their predicament; the other couldn't decide which end of the river to watch. "Carnivale!" Kotaro gasped. "The Host Club quickly changed into Venetian Carnivale costumes with the change of location! What an awesome performer's spirit! They took no heed to the fact that it wasn't completely necessary for the race or that it was a total waste of their time! In a way, they're reckless! Incidentally, 'Sunset Venice' is apparently an event in which the ancient Italian city of Venice has been reconstructed in the west gym." He informed. "Anyhow, let's continue with or live report!"

As the announcer's voice drowns in the screams of fangirls, Haruhi felt the irritation in herself grow. The absurdity of rebuilding Venice in the gym is completely ignored... What a school. She thought to herself.

"What's wrong Haruhi?" Miki leaned her body to the side and into the brunette's peripheral vision. "You look upset." She beamed, sitting up straight as Haruhi turned to face her.

"Huh? No, it's nothing." Haruhi mumbled, realizing that even if she were to say anything, Miki would be that last person to understand her point.

"Suoh! Catch!" Suddenly, Kuze's voice echoed down the 'river' as an orange came flying from the football club's long boat.

"Milord!"

Both Tamaki and Miki snapped around at the call for their name. However, Tamaki took it one step further. Pushing off on his foot, he lunged out of the craft and caught the orange in his hand... before falling into the 'river' with a loud splash.

"Help!" Flailing his arms in the water, Tamaki yelped. "The heavy costume is heavier in the water!" He complained as Miki and Mori quickly took an oar each, reeling the struggling blond back in.

"Tamaki-kun, are you alright?" A little later, after Mori finally dragged Tamaki out of the water, Miki gently dried down her brother's hair with a towel and a frown. Kuze was really losing his brownie-points with her.

"I-I almost drowned in the gym!" Tamaki gasped as he wheezed for air. "I'd better tell the Venetian tour association about unsuitable this costume is near the water..." He mumbled.

"You're the only one who'd get in a stupid accident like that." The twins sweatdropped at Tamaki's theatrics.

"That's not important." Haruhi averted her eyes, stabbing a knife through Tamaki's heart with her harsh words as he sulked in the corner of the boat over. "Where are we headed? We can't look for the crown blindly in a large area like this. We need to figure out the last clue. What does 'between the holy mother and angel' mean?" She inquired as Miki finished up with Tamaki's hair.

"I don't know," The strawberry blonde hummed as she placed the towel down only for her brother to disappear and huddle with the hosts.

"You know, Haruhi doesn't have a passport..." Hikaru whispered not so secretively. "She's never been to Italy."

"And Miki-senpai's never been out of her room much in general," Kaoru added.

"Don't accuse them! They can't help it." Tamaki shushed them both, casting a pitying glance towards the annoyed brunette and the curious blonde. "Listen up, you two." Lifting an all-knowing finger, he offered them both a warm smile. "Even though it's done on a much smaller scale, several famous locations in Venice have been erected in the gym," Tamaki explained. "For example, Palazzo Dario, Saint Marco, Ducale, and Saint Angelo and Saint Marie Della Salute."

"Oh," Haruhi gasped as she peered down at her map, realizing where they were going.

Miki however, took a little longer to realize. She was too busy being excited about the possible places she could visit in this mini Venice. Her eyes twinkled at the imagination of those brilliantly designed structures and intricately detailed carvings; she cupped her cheeks dreamily.

"It looks like the football club is heading for the same place." Hikaru pointed out.

"Yeah, let's hurry!" Tamaki urged. "The crown is probably sitting between the two spots in the gym."

"Yes, sir!" The twins and Honey saluted as they picked up the oars and began rowing.

After a little while of travelling and cheering from Tamaki, Miki snapped out of her imagination and blinked. "Wait, where are we going?" She glanced around before tilting her head.

The hosts sweatdropped.

"The Accademia Bridge, Miki-senpai." Haruhi gestured the location on the map. "It's between Saint Marie Della Salute and Saint Angelo." She explained patiently, watching her dense upperclassman's hazel eyes light up in realization.

"Oh!" Miki gasped, covering her mouth. "Between the mother and an angel!"

As Haruhi let out a sigh, Kyoya called out to her.

"By the way, Haruhi." Catching her attention, he flashed a small smile. "I hear you think two different perpetrators are sending the threatening letter? Do you have any suspects?" He questioned.

"Two perpetrators?" Miki repeated, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes," Haruhi nodded firmly. "I think the one who sent the newspaper cut-outs is Matsuyama Kanan, the Student Council Secretary." She stated boldly, eyes flickering down she began to explain. "Kuze-senpai was saying he has a connection to the student council. I believe he asked Matsuyama-senpai for help." She theorized. "He convinced the student council to withdraw from the race to make it more advantageous for the football club. I saw the two of them together when I was scouting out the locations, and from what I saw, she doesn't seem to be cooperating willingly." She paused as she gazed forward in a dazed manner. "I think Matsuyama-senpai might be in a position where she can't act against Kuze-senpai. Though she may be obeying his orders, she could have a grudge against him. And that would explain why she might have conspired to prevent Kuze-senpai from realizing his absolute goal - a face-off with the host club." She concluded.

Hearing this, Kyoya's smirk deepened slightly as he hummed. "A very bold theory, but is there any basis for her grudge?"

Haruhi nodded slowly. "I did some research on the library computer yesterday. Matsuyama-senpai's family holds the second biggest market share in Japan for imported produce. In other words, they are direct competitors."

"Is that right?" Honey blinked.

"Yes, but," Haruhi paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Their business dropped last year, and rumour has it that Kuze-senpai is talking to them about some merger deals."

"You mean he's manipulated Matsuyama-senpai using a deal that would rescue her family's business?" Hikaru rubbed his chin.

Miki pouted, hands balling into fists. "That's cruel!" She protested.

"For a gentleman, a deed like that is unforgivable!" Tamaki declared. "We cannot let this stand! Everyone, take an oar! Whatever it takes, we must reach the Accademia bridge before the football club! For the sake of Matsuyama-senpai's misery, the Host Club must win!"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone cheered.

***

However, when both clubs arrived at the Accademia Bridge, they were greeted with where it was supposed to be... in two days.

Construction was still being done.

"Oh no, it's still being built." Nonchalantly, Honey chimed as Mori awkwardly scratched the side of his cheek. "What a shame. It's not open until the festival after all."

"Honey-senpai!" Tamaki shrieked as his fingers twitched in aggravation. "This is your class! You should know the status of the project, like if it's being built!"

"But we're not in charge of this section," Honey reasoned cheerily. "I'm doing the pastry shop over there." He giggled.

Kuze, who was also in class 3-A, was sulking in shame due to his inability to remember the status of his project. Burying his face in his hand, he grumbled incoherently as his underclassmen rushed to cheer him up.

"President, it's not your fault! President!" Tarumi quickly pulled out a ripened orange from who knows where. "Here! Oranges have a calming effect on the mind! Please pull yourself together!"

As both clubs hurried to rethink their plan, Miki tapped her chin, lost in thought. "Kyoya-kun," She turned to look for the boy who stood at the side.

"What is it?" He hummed, smirk deepening as he leaned towards her, watching her step back subconsciously. He didn't think he would ever get bored of that reaction, seeing as before, she wasn't aware of how close they were.

"I still think the crown is around here somewhere; I'll go to the East and West building roofs to take a look. Perhaps a higher ground may give us an advantage." She suggested with a small beam.

"Very well." Huffing out a laugh inwardly, Kyoya nodded.

***

"Still, I can't believe there would be a heated roof on the rooftop." Miki hummed as she lifted the hem of her flowing ballgown, stepping carefully as to not slip. She paced to the railings of the east building roof, peering down slightly as she sought for any clues.

"Oh!" She gasped slightly, spotting the host club and the football club exit the west gym, still trying to figure out the clues. Her eyes immediately searched for a certain person. Her eyes lit up with joy as she leaned forward, about to call out his name. "Kyo-" She froze when she saw what happened next, watching silently from a distance.

Haruhi was about to say something. However, it seemed like before words got through to anyone, Kyoya appeared behind her and placed a hand over her mouth, wrapping the brunette into a back hug. Quickly, he pulled her around the corner and backed her into a wall as they exchanged words.

Why don't you try and be a bit more proactive? Like in an episode of Crime? Crime Drama  ♥  where the guy hugs her from behind and tells her he loves her?

Miki blinked, feeling a numbing sensation take over her heart.

The sound of the pool water splashing filled the air, along with the loud chatter of the people below. A mid-November breeze blew, sneaking past the fluffy warmth of her hair and tickling her exposed neck.

Once the numbing faded, a faint aching sensation lodged in. Taken a little off guard, her gaze flickered between the two of them as they spoke. "He did it," She beamed, suppressing tightening feeling in her chest. "I wonder how it went." Twirling on the ball of her foot, she hummed, beginning to walk off with a bright smile on her lips.

During the past few days, she didn't feel anything near Kyoya, not what she had felt when she rushed out of the clubroom that day. So she had written it off as some weird symptom. However, what she felt at that moment. It was different. She didn't understand what went over her, but she simply knew she didn't want to be there. She didn't want to continue watching. Was she envious?

No.

Envy didn't feel like this.

Deciding to ask him about his confession later, Miki began to pace hurriedly towards the sky bridge that connected the east and west roofs. She almost felt as if she could outrun the twinge of pain in her chest.

Almost.

As she got closer to the west roof, the feeling in her chest got more and more difficult to suppress. Her heart felt like it was sinking further and further into oblivion. She blinked, resting a hand to her chest. It was a foreign feeling to her, one she couldn't name nor understand. Biting her bottom lip, she averted her eyes to the pool before noticing something reflecting in the swaying water. Her eyes darted up. Across the giant heated pool from where she was standing, a red and gold crown rested on a chair between a statue of a woman and an angel.

"Ah!" Her jaw dropped as she let out a gasp, pointed at the object in shock.

Suddenly, the roof doors busted open behind her and Haruhi ran onto the roof. "Senpai?" Her eyes rounded as she attempted to catch her breath. "Did you figure it out too?" She panted heavily, a little impressed.

A little baffled by why the brunette was suddenly here, she blinked. "No," Tilting her head, Miki beamed cheerfully. "It was by complete accident." She admitted, earning a sweatdrop by the brunette. Miki quickly turned around and faced the crown with determined eyes as she held her hands in fists before her. "Alright, let's go get-"

"President! There it is!" The football club members' voices followed quickly as the doors were slammed open.

"What?" Haruhi gasped, realizing it must've taken a long time due to her slow running speed.

"Out of the way!" Leading the pack, Tarumi growled as he shoved Miki towards the pool perhaps out of frustration from their earlier face-off, taking her by surprise.

"Miki-senpai!" Haruhi panicked, forgetting all about the crown. She reached out in an attempted to grab the strawberry blonde, barely glazing past her fingers and watching helplessly as she lost footing and flew out.

"Huh?" Miki blinked, still trying to process what was happening as she hovered over the ledge and above the pool. Before she could, however, water came gushing into her mouth, and her eyes were forced closed by the stinging sensation of the chlorinated water. The rest of the club arriving just in time, watching in horror as she immediately sunk in with a loud splash.

"Miki!" Dashing onto the roof, Tamaki bolted towards the pool only to be stopped by Kyoya who redirected his best friend towards the crown.

"Tamaki, I'll see to this!" He yelled, throwing his glasses off. "You go for the crown!"

After a split second of hesitation, Tamaki bit his bottom lip, diverging his tracks and sprinted at full speed towards the football club as Kyoya dove into the water.

My clothes are heavy... and I can't swim well...

Miki felt the urge to breathe in, only to slap a hand over her mouth painfully, preventing herself from swallowing any more water. The water encased her body, pulling her deeper into the abyssal below. Opening a slit in her eyes as she heard another muffled splash, she could faintly see Kyoya swimming towards her.  As she grew more and more lightheaded, her hand over her mouth reached out towards him as darkness began to creep upon her vision. Suddenly, she lost all self-control as her eyes slammed shut and she instinctively attempted to breathe in, only for water to burst in and burn at her lungs.

Kyoya realized she was on ropes end and furrowed his brows when he saw the air bubbles escape past her lips. Realizing that she was going to drown if he didn't do anything, he grabbed onto her limp hand and tugged her body firmly towards his like a rag doll. Supporting her chin with his other hand, he pressed his lips against hers, sealing the water out and pushing air in.

On the surface, Tamaki concentrated all power to his legs as he strode towards the crown. The broadcasting club had followed the groups as well as the student council, watching as he and Kuze lunged towards the prize in unison with outstretched hands.

"Milord!" The twins shouted.

"Takeshi!" Matsuyama covered her mouth.

"It's... It's over!" Kotaro shouted with excitement into the microphone as he watched a figure stand up with the red and gold crown in their hand. "Suoh Tamaki claimed the crown! The host club wins!" He announced.

Almost as soon as his voice echoed through the area, a loud splash captured everyone's attention along with a desperate gasp for air.

"Kyoya-senpai!" Haruhi called out, waiting by the pool anxiously with Honey and Mori.

"Breathe!" Kyoya shouted, resting an elbow on the edge of the pool as Miki's head fell limp against his chest. He patted her pale cheek urgently, his other arm wrapped securely around her thin frame, clutching her cold body close to him. "Get a hold of yourself, Miki!"

In a delayed reaction, as usual, Miki's brows furrowed before she wheezed and began to cough violently, throwing up the excess water she had swallowed. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as the colour slowly started to return to her cheeks and her body shivered in the chilly breeze. She panted heavily, dazed eyes wandering before settling on Kyoya. Then without warning, she curled her trembling arms under his and pressed her cheek to his chest, clinging onto him desperately as if he were her lifeline.

Once he received the crown, Tamaki threw it towards the twins before dashing to check on his sister who was being pulled out of the water by Mori and given a towel to dry off. "Miki! Are you-"

"Takeshi! Are you okay?" Matsuyama's voice caught everyone's attention. They watched as the student council secretary rush to a defeated Kuze's side.

Haruhi tilted her head. "Why is Matsuyama-senpai...?"

"Oh, of course." Sitting on the edge of the pool with a towel around his neck, Kyoya shrugged. "She is Kuze's fiancee, after all. They've been in love with each other since way back when." He informed them, pushing his glasses back onto his nose bridge as everyone else gasped in surprise.

"Huh?!"

"The three of us were childhood friends," He explained nonchalantly.

"So, then was I wrong about her being behind the threatening letters?" Haruhi mumbled dumbfoundedly.

"No," Matsuyama shook her head as she bowed her head. "I'm very sorry about what I've done. I was the one who sent them." She explained with her eyes in a downcast.

"Why?" Miki blinked as she coughed hoarsely. "Why would you attempt to frame your fiancee?"

"I didn't want to frame him," Matsuyama chuckled lightly as she tilted her head. "I knew Takeshi wanted to fight the host club because of his rivalry with Kyoya. But I didn't want him to. So I tried to get the host club to withdrawn." She explained before letting out a sigh and turning her head away. "I thought it would be painful to see Takeshi pointlessly beating himself up after losing to Kyoya yet again." She spoke, taking a completely intentional jab at her fiancee who glared at her. "But that foolish side is what makes him cute."

"You were so sure I'd lose...?" Kuze felt his eye twitch in irritation as his hands began to squeeze around an orange.

"You did lose, didn't you? Even after I set it to your advantage." Matsuyama pointed out, offering her lover a sweet smile. "So far you've challenged Kyoya and completely lost twenty-six times over. It's about time you gave up. Not only that but you seem to forget about me when you're at it." She chimed.

"A-All I wanted was for you to think better of me!" Kuze grumbled at her reasoning.

Tilting her head, Matsuyama's eyes crinkled. "Oh, you're mistaken." She giggled. "I love you even if you can't beat Kyoya. So instead of fighting him, just pay more attention to me." She requested sweetly.

Smitten by her soft expression, Kuze's cheeks turned red as he averted his eyes bashfully. "Okay..." He muttered, reeling her into a hug as everyone par Haruhi, Tamaki and Kyoya,  clapped for the happy couple. "I'm sorry."

"Kyoya, you knew all about it from the get go..." Tamaki grumbled, turning to his best friend with an irritated expression.

Kyoya, on the other hand, dried his hair nonchalantly. "Fueled by the threatening letters, you guys were burning up with hostility towards the football club. Which helped the race become more exciting than ever. And we not only got the central salon, but we'll be recorded in the history of Ouran. To top it off, all the families will be talking about us." Reasoning as he flashed an unbalanced smile, Kyoya hummed. "If we're going to win, we might as well get the best deal out of it in the process don't you think?" He asked, leaving Tamaki and Haruhi to grumble about his style of common sense.

"What about the blank letter?" Honey then asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We'll talk about that once we get back inside." Kyoya huffed out a laugh as he averted his eyes, noticing Miki wave her hands frantically at Tarumi who bowed his head in a repeated manner, apologizing for his brutish actions while the twins were taunting him from the side.

***

"Thermotype?" Back at the clubroom, everyone has finished changing out of their costumes as they gasped in unison.

"What is that?!" Snatching the blank letters out of Haruhi's hands, Tamaki shouted with too much energy.

"She means invisible ink!" The twins realized, pounding a fist to their hand.

"Invisible ink?" Miki repeated, still drying her long damp hair off from her little-unexpected swim.

"In other words, it's disappearing ink," Hikaru explained, toying with the crown in one hand. "It's not visible when you write with it, but by warming it, it shows up."

"We used to use it for a lot of pranks." Kaoru raised a finger, chuckling as Miki gasped in awe.

"No, it's just orange juice," Haruhi explained as she pulled out a light she borrowed from the office as everyone stared at her, completely bewildered. "Thinking that these letters were connected to the other hate mail was a mistake." She sighed. "It's actually quite simple. If you apply heat to the blank paper..." Her voice trailed off as she brought the light under the blank sheet, just enough so that it wouldn't catch on fire.

The hosts crowded around watching eagerly as letters began to appear and become more apparent. Soon, a readable message appeared on the previously blank sheet as if it were some matter of sorcery.

----------

Dear Tamaki,

I hear you're interested in the ways of the common folk, so I tried using a poor man's thermotype.

Dad

----------

Dear Miki,

How is that new art book delivery?

Dad

----------

Dear Kids,

Let's have dinner at the house sometime!

Dad

----------

Dear Kids,

This orange is pretty tasty.

Dad

----------

Dear Kids,

When will either of you write me back?

Dad

----------

"Ah, just as I thought. It's from the chairman." Kyoya hummed, rubbing his chin as the host club stared at a frozen Tamaki and a dumbfounded Miki.

"What the heck?" The twins sweatdropped as they flipped through the letters. "They're just personal letters to milord and Miki-senpai." They sighed. "It wasn't anything important."

"That's right," Miki chirped, clapping her hands together, completely contradicting her annoyed brother as he fell to the wall in irritation. "Father did mention he'll be back soon." She beamed.

"That... That..." Tamaki grumbled. "Rotten Old Man!" He shouted before dashing out the Music Room and straight for the chairman's office.

"Tamaki-kun!"

"Milord!"

***

The doors to the chairman's office slammed open, revealing Tamaki as he clenched the personal letters his father sent them with anger.

"What? You finally figured it out?" Yuzuru asked nonchalantly as he flipped through an issue of Ou-Spot, not even bothering to take a second glance at his son who was panting heavily.

"What do you mean 'what'?!" Tamaki's brows knitted together as he slammed the letters onto his table. "What the heck did you do that for, dad?!"

"Is there a law against a father writing to his kids?" Yuzuru retorted.

Gritting his teeth, Tamaki's finger curled with embarrassment. "This is obviously a bad joke! We were already so busy, and you just made it harder for us!" He shouted.

"Harder?" Yuzuru repeated as he closed his eyes. Huffing out a laugh, he stood up. "I believe I'm pretty well aware of what's going on, Tamaki. Indeed you were busy looking for the perpetrator during the race, but to what end? All you did was show how incompetent you are." He spoke harshly as he brushed past his son. "What was so much harder?" He questioned, noticing his daughter and the rest of the hosts arriving at the door. Turning on his heel, he then grabbed Tamaki's shoulder. "Tamaki, you truly are a very silly boy." He chuckled, breaking his cold facade and poking into his son's cheek with a mischievous laugh as the rest of the club sweatdropped at this overly doting father.

"Father!" Miki smiled brightly as her eyes twinkled. "Welcome back! We received your letters." She informed him with a happy giggle.

"There you are!" Grinning at the sight of her, Yuzuru beamed as he rushed forth to squish her cheeks like a toddler. "How are you doing? Has Tamaki been giving you a hard time?" He cooed lovingly.

Shaking her head, Miki hummed. "Not at all." She replied.

Haruhi watched the difference in interactions Yuzuru had between his two kids. She had always noticed how he enjoyed teasing Tamaki a lot more than Miki, and it made her wonder why. Is it favouritism? Because Miki-senpai was a child born out of political benefit? She wondered, suddenly finding herself feeling sorry for the girl.

"I've received a report that the host club was receiving hate mail," Yuzuru explained as he let go of his daughter's now puffy reddened cheeks. "I couldn't help but contribute immediately." He chucked in adoration. "So what do you think? I made it more fun, didn't I? Did I deepen the mystery?"

"Oh, absolutely father!" Clapping her heads together, Miki nodded enthusiastically. "You should've seen the methods we used to uncover the perpetrator! I even got to dress up like a spy-"

"Don't encourage him, Miki!" Before Miki could finish, Tamaki burst out with a flustered face. "He didn't have to make it more 'fun'! If you want to say something to either of us, talk to us directly!" The blond shouted angrily.

Yuzuru's grin widened at the sight of his rattled son. "Now, now, don't bash her like that. It's all in the name of helping Miki experience new things. Besides-" Suddenly, he stopped speaking as his eyes darted to the corner of the room urgently, his two kids quickly followed as they diverted their attention to the corner of them rooming finding... nothing. Yuzuru however, appeared next to Haruhi's side and began conversing with her. "We meet again, Haruhi! Now that we aren't dealing with my foolish son's fever or my daughter's family history, we can finally have a talk, can't we? How are you getting along at school? Is there anything that bothers you?" He asked the brunette who sweatdropped at his kids' reaction, realizing why the man prefers to tease his son over his daughter.

Tamaki, realizing he had been tricked by his father, was trembling in embarrassment as he quickly retreated to his 'emo-corner' to sulk. Miki, however, still hadn't caught on that she had been deceived as was still searching the area cluelessly for what caught her father's eyes.

So it's not a case of favouritism, but one kid is funnier to get a rattle out of than the other. She deadpanned at the two before turning to the chairman. "Thank you; I'm quite used to the school now." She managed. "Nothing is bothering me enough to mention."

"Are you sure?" Yuzuru raised an eyebrow, taking her hands in his as he leaned forth with a  serious expression. "I'm quite aware of the reason why you're hiding the fact that you're a girl. What a horrible boy Tamaki is to do that to such a darling girl." He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "I have an idea, how about this daddy buys you a pretty dress-"

"DAD!" Jumping out of his corner and grabbing both a still confused Miki and Haruhi by the arms he began stomping towards the door. "Stay away from Haruhi, please! We're busy so excuse us!" He grumbled. "Let's go, everyone!"

"I'll see you soon, Father!" Still being dragged by the arm, Miki waved with a carefree expression.

"Huh? Why can't we have more fun in the chairman's office?" The twins snickered at the hilarious interactions between the family.

Yuzuru chuckled as his son and their friends disappear beyond the door, noticing Kyoya. "Kyoya," He called out to the boy before he could close it. "You've done a fabulous job."  He complimented as he waltzed back towards the seat at his desk. "During the finals, you purposefully allowed the other team to stay on track so they would reach the rooftop at the same time. I'm sure it was all part of your plan. After all, there is a greater sense of victory for the winning team if the race is close." He sighed as he sunk into his chair, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers.

"Chairman, your blank letters helped a lot. Thanks to you, everyone was confused - it slowed them down considerably. " Kyoya shrugged in compliance. "I used the perpetrator to invigorate my team's competitiveness with the football club. I didn't want them to figure out too soon."

"If what I did helped you, I'm honoured." Yuzuru let out a small laugh. "After all, due to your plan, Tamaki seized the crown at the end." Closing his eyes, his shoulders slumped slightly as he continued. "Though you must have done it for your own benefit too, the Suoh family, including my mother, will attend the school festival. I'm sure the fact that you let Tamaki take the spotlight will help his situation."

"All I did was create a favourable situation." Kyoya hummed as his hand rested on the golden doorknob. "There was no guarantee that Tamaki would overtake the president of the football club." He smirked as he attempted to pull the door shut. "I think having strong luck is part of his talent."

Yuzuru let out a small series of laughter as his eyes flickered down. "One last thing." He hummed, locking gazes with the boy. "Thank you for saving Miki." He huffed gently.

Kyoya froze at his words as his smirk wavered for a moment. "Of course." He replied before shutting the door.

***

In the now empty Ouran Academy halls, Kyoya paced back to the clubroom, thinking of the chairman's last words. 

The one he predicted would fall into the pool was Haruhi, the one who could at the very least swim, even with the heavy costume. The chances of Miki being the one on the west rooftop at that time was slim, pretty much non-existent. She was supposed to be still on the East Roof at that point and time, searching for clues. Knowing her airheaded nature and enthusiasm with play the role of a real 'detective', it should've taken a while until she completed her search. He wondered what could've hastened her approach towards the West Roof. 

Eyes in a downcast, he opened the doors to the host club, finding her alone in the large music room, packing up her bags.

However, just like right now, she was there.

As usual, she never ceased to surprise him, be it in a good or bad way.

Hearing the doors open, Miki twirled around on the ball of her foot. Her face instantly lit up with joy at the sight of him. "There you are." She giggled. "Welcome back, Kyoya-kun."

Ignoring how that sounded like a wife greeting her husband who has returned from work, Kyoya stepped in gingerly. He took a moment, glancing around to notice no one else was present. "Where is everyone?" He asked as he paced over to the table where their bags were and began to pack up.

"They went home." She explained, tilting her head to the side. "Tamaki-kun went down to the limo first. He seemed angry after the conversation with father."

"I see."

Curious by his strange silence, Miki blinked as she tried to consider what could possibly have him so quiet. "Kyoya-kun, are you angry too?" She hummed, approaching him from the side. She jolted, suddenly remember the scene she saw between him and Haruhi. "Did you get rejected?" Without even thinking, she blurted out.

Brows knitting together, Kyoya cast her curious expression a side glance. "What are you talking about?" He inquired, giving her a weird look.

"You confessed to Haruhi, didn't you? I saw it from the east building roof," She chirped, gesturing her arms as she pretending to hug something in front of her. "You even took my advice to hug her from behind."

There was a small moment of silence as Kyoya turned to study her, a hand to his chin. He couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, especially after the events at the pool. Concluding that she was probably unconscious and therefore had no recollection of the events, he let out an irritated sigh. "Did you think I would be interested in that pint-sized Tanuki?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh?" Miki was even more confused.

Averting his eyes to his bag, Kyoya sighed again. "I do acknowledge her worth as a person, but she's not my type." He explained. "What you saw, was merely me telling her to go on ahead to the roof."

Miki blinked.

"So you weren't confessing to her?"

"No."

"Is she not the person you have feelings for?"

"No."

There was a sense of numbing comfort that rushed through Miki's body as she realized how tense she had been the entire time. She couldn't even remember when she became so stiff. The rock in her heart landed, and a smile curled. "I see," Averting her eyes; she pressed a palm to her chest with a soft beam.

"What are you smiling about?" An amused smirk dancing across his lips, Kyoya hummed.

Peering up at him, Miki's hazel eyes flickered between him and her hand that rested on her chest. "I don't understand either." She admitted. "When I thought you confessed to Haruhi, it felt like someone was squeezing my heart, however now it's completely gone." She explained before locking eyes with him. "Why is that, Kyoya-kun?"

"Who knows," Placing the last of his items into the leather bag, Kyoya shrugged as he studied her. "Perhaps, that feeling was jealousy." He suggested smugly, huffing out a breath.

"Jealousy..." Miki repeated with blank eyes. "So this is what jealousy feels like." She muttered, biting her bottom lip before breaking into a smile. "It's not a pleasant feeling." She commented as her fingers curled gently.

"It's not meant to be," Letting out a sigh at her obvious statement, Kyoya turned to the door. "Come on; I need to lock the room up."

Eyes darting up, Miki blinked for a moment before breaking into a bright smile. "Yes, I'm coming!" Nodding curtly, she grabbed her bag and chimed.

***

"Since when did you have bangs?" As the two of them walked down the sunset-hued grand corridors of Ouran Academy, Kyoya raised an eyebrow, finally noticing the difference in her appearance. Because she had fallen into the chlorinated pool, she had taken out her usual crowned braid to avoid the rubber band tangling with her hair The hair that had usually been caught up in the braid fell before her eyes, creating a curtain of strawberry blonde bangs just above her eyes. 

"Ah, this?" Miki's eyes peered up as she brushed down the hair. "I've always had them, Arden says they look best on me. Though I usually put it up in the braid, because it gets in my eyes too much." 

"It suits you." Kyoya complimented. 

"Really?" She gasped, a wide smile plastering onto her face. "Thank you!" 

A few moments later...

"What is it?"

He could felt, no, he could see Miki staring at him with her rounded eyes. Her body leaned forward into her peripheral vision, examining him as if he were an artifact in a museum.

"Oh, it's nothing." Tilting her head, she shook it clumsily. "You just look less angry. I'm glad." She replied with a radiant smile.

Hearing her words, Kyoya froze in his tracks as he stared in a bewildered manner at the girl as she turned around to stare back with questioning eyes.

I need you, Kyoya-kun. 

Despite knowing her false perception of him,  when she said such words, he became foolish and blinded by his joy. His thoughts reverted to one of an ordinary man's. He wondered what she would say if she knew of his predictions. Would she still smile at him like that? Or would she recoil in disgust? Those words she said, were most likely directed at her delusion of him. The side of him who she deemed as a 'nice person.' For the first time in his life, he felt as if he lost control, of both himself and the situation.

"You truly are naive," His voice slipped past his lips without thinking twice. He studied her as she brushed a lock of damp hair out of her face, tilting her head curiously. "I knew someone was bound to fall in the pool, Miki. Some may bound to say I set it up as such." He said.

"Oh." Blinking a few times as she processed the information, Miki questioned. "So? What about it?" She questioned.

"Are you not upset that I used you in such a way?" He furrowed his brows, wondering if she really was that much of an idiot.

Looking ever more puzzled, Miki cocked her head to the side. "It's not like you were the one who pushed in me," The corner of her lips rose, giving him a soft smile. "And just because you predicted it, didn't mean you could've stopped it especially if it was something that served to be beneficial to you." Peering up at him, she giggled into her hand. "That's just how you are, Kyoya-kun."

Kyoya flinched at her words.

She knew.

She knew all along who he was.

And those words were very much meant for him.

"Besides," Holding her hands in a fist before her chest, Miki beamed. "I promised that I'd be of assistance to you, right?"

Losing his composure, Kyoya snapped. "Promise or not, you could've drowned!" He grabbed her shoulders as both their leather bags dropped onto the ground with a small thump, catching Miki off guard. She stared up blankly into his irritated eye.

"But I didn't, and you came to my rescue." Miki reasoned bluntly, causing his irritation to rise at her child-like logic. "Kyoya-kun, why do you look angry again?" Cocking her head to the side, she asked.

Gritting his teeth, Kyoya reeled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her neck as he rested his chin on her head. Faintly, he could smell the chlorine in her hair, messing with the usual wavy texture.

Miki blinked a little, indulging in the warmth emitting from both him and her chest. Then, she pressed the side of her head into his chest and buried her face in her arms. "You are such a troublesome woman; how can I not be angry?" He retorted.

"I'm sorry..." With her voice muffled by her arms, Miki spoke.

Hearing her speak as she were a child being scolded by a parent, Kyoya huffed out a breath inwardly. "Don't apologize." His eyes were in a downcast as he threaded his fingers through her hair. "I'm not angry, not at you."

"Huh?" Peeling away, Miki hummed. "Then who are you mad at? Tarumi-kun already apologized many times over."

Feeling his eyebrow twitch at how clueless she was, Kyoya grumbled as he pressed her back into his chest gently. "I'm not mad at Hayato-kun." He sighed in a frustrated manner. "I'm merely frustrated with myself."

"Eh?!" Immediately pulling away from him once again, Miki furrowed her brows disapprovingly. "Don't be, Kyoya-kun." She was speaking with so much passion; she was almost shouting. "You pulled me back out of the pool when I thought I was going to drown; you saved my life!" Then, her loose grip on him tightened around his arms, and her eyes squeezed closed. "I was terrified." She admitted, fingers curling to clutch tighter on his jacket. "It was dark, and I couldn't breathe. It felt like someone was pulling me into a labyrinth, trapping me in there for the rest of my life." Taking a deep breath, she wiped the memories out of her mind as she peered up to give Kyoya a bright smile. "So that's why I was so happy when you rescued me." She beamed, all the fear vanished at the sight of his wide-eyed expression. "Thank you, Kyoya-kun." Nodding curtly, she chided. "You are a wonderful weather-" Before she could finish her comparison, however, she felt a hand swiftly muffle her mouth. She hummed in surprise as she blinked rapidly at Kyoya's irritated expression. He had a pretty good guess on what she was going to say. And he knew he wasn't going to like it.

"Don't call me a 'weathervane.'" He sighed, feeling the muscle in his eye twitch out of agitation for still being compared to an architectural ornament. "It's irksome." He told her.

Retracting a hand from behind his back, Miki gingerly took his larger one off of her mouth with her brows knitted. "Then what would I call you?" She questioned, seeming slightly bothered.

"Do you have to compare me to something?" Kyoya questioned.

Miki immediately began to nod her head with a serious expression, still clutching his hand in hers.

Letting out a sigh in resignation, Kyoya thought for a moment. Though it didn't take long for his attention to drift to the warmth of her hand around his, he studied her thin fingers that gently held the back of his hand in a loose, flimsy grip. He smirked as an idea flashed into his mind. Slipping out her grasp, he turned around and firmly took her hand in his, bringing it between them. "You mentioned that you felt as if you were being trapped into a labyrinth." He hummed with a sense of pride, seeing a faint dust of pink spread across her cheeks. "If that's the case, I'll act as a guiding hand to you, look to me if you are ever feeling trapped again. Does that sound good enough?" With a smug huff of air, he narrowed his eyes at Miki who's lips parted at the notion.

Gasping, her eyes began to shimmer in the setting sun that shone through the large windows. The shadows cast by the rails reflected onto her body, yet conveniently avoiding her face. As if her bright smile alone could ward off the darkness on its own, making way for her radiant smile as she quickly nodded. "Okay, Kyoya-kun! Let's do our best to support each other." Her cheeks shone with joy.

Cute.

She's so cute.

Hiding the adoration that was about to surface on his lips, Kyoya brought her hand to them instead. "It's a promise then," He stated smugly, kissing the back of her hand gently, watching as Miki's eyes round when his cold lips came in contact with her warm skin. Her breath quickened, and a slight feverish sensation took over the initial chill that lingered from when she fell into the pool. She then noticed Kyoya's passionate eyes gazing upon her as his lips made chaste kisses up her index finger. She flinched at the strange sensation as her finger twitched. Placing a final ghost-like kiss on the tip of her finger, Kyoya smirked at the prominent blush on her cheeks he received as a reward. He slowly let go of the flabbergasted girl and leaned down to grab both their bags.

Passing hers into her other hand, he walked off in a different direction with half-lidded eyes and a calm wave. "I'm heading to the West gates, don't forget the final drafts of the central salon." He reminded her with a smug smirk. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"S-See you tomorrow." Still, in a slight daze, Miki nodded awkwardly with her hand before staring down at it. The spots were he had pressed his lips continued to burn and tingle, to the point where it felt strange. Unlike when others touched her, it wasn't unpleasant. For some reasons she didn't understand, she enjoyed it when he teased her like that.

One factor, however, had her the most puzzled.

Kyoya had kissed her along her hand, so why did her lips also feel a faint nostalgic tingle?

Chapter Text

-Chapter 31-

Welcome to our Ouran Festival!

"The 43rd Ouran School Festival is now open!" With that loud declaration from the PA, parents and guests alike began to flood into the building as chatter filled the main halls. "Ladies and Gentleman, please reference both the pamphlet and the touch screens for information. The touch screens are specifically placed in each school building. Please relax in the Central Salon located in the central building. Also please join us for the dance party at 5 p.m."

"Welcome to class 1-A's event! Agence de Detectives Prives!" Hikaru and Kaoru announced with an open of the arms. Class 1-A was transformed into a private detective agency, with late English furniture and mysterious clues and objects sprinkled about. Students operated their stations, some helpful clues while others directed guests around the room. "If you're having trouble, the top students in class 1-A will advise you. Please choose an assistant of your liking!" The chuckled, gesturing Momoka, Kazukiyo and a bewildered Haruhi in the corner of the room.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Stepping out of the crowd, Miki waved excitedly at the twins who spun around after directing a few guests. "Good work today; how are you both feeling?" She greeted them.

"Miki-senpai." The twins cocked their heads at the sight of her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be taking care of your station in class 2-A?"

"Since my job was in the preplanning phase to create all those production sketches, Tamaki-kun told me just to relax and enjoy the festival." Miki chided as she glanced around. "Besides, I wanted to see how the finished product turned out."

"Thank you for all your hard work," Hikaru grinned, patting the strawberry blonde's back. "The guests love the interior."

"Do you want to try out a mystery of your own?" Kaoru offered.

Though the idea was tempting, Miki pursed her lips and gently shook her head. "As much as I would love to, we have to head over to the central salon soon. If I started one of the mysteries now, I doubt I'd be able to finish in time." Turning away, she cupped her cheeks and let out a dramatic sigh as fake tears brimmed her eyes. "I guess I'll just be content with watching this time; it's such a shame."

"She is definitely milord's sister." The twins sweatdropped at her words when a sudden voice rang behind them.

"Hikaru. Kaoru." They quickly turned around to see an elegant, stylishly-dressed young woman with ginger hair approach, accompanied by a man.

"Mom!" The twins gasped at the sight of her as Haruhi turned around, curious to see the mother of those devils.

With an impressed smile, the woman's bright eyes scanned the room. "This looks like fun; the interior is perfectly coordinated as well."

Being complimented by such a beautiful and well-respected person, Miki quickly bowed with a joyful beam. "R-Really? Thank you very much," She managed to speak through her excitement.

Noticing her, the fashion legend, Hitachiin Yuzuha, hummed with a hand to her chin. "You were the one who coordinated all this? I'm quite impressed; you have some skill for your age." She studied Miki thoughtfully. "You hold yourself well, your uniform and makeup are coordinated. Though I would suggest using a pink-toned lip tint, it would help accentuate the mauve tint in your hair."

"Yes, I will definitely try that, thank you very much," Miki replied sweetly, inwardly thanking Arden for all those lessons on maintaining her appearance.

Seeing their mother and Miki immediately hit things off, the twins took hold of Haruhi and dragged her into the conversation. "Mom! This is Haruhi! We'll adopt her someday, so don't forget!" They chuckled in unison.

"Oh, so you're the one?" Yuzuha turned her attention to the brunette, routinely examining her.

"Um... Please to meet you," Haruhi muttered, noting to herself how much of a splitting image she was to the twins.

Yuzuha quickly went to work as she lifted Haruhi's chin. "Stand up straight." She advised. "You should trim your hair a little more. And dear, your ribbon is tilted. Your vest is a bit too big," As she worked to fix Haruhi's detective uniform, she asked her sons. "Hikaru, Kaoru, did you measure her properly?"

"Of course we did!" They chimed.

"There, it's better now." With a satisfied look in her eyes, Yuzuha secured the ribbon neatly before moving back to watch the two girls. "Please come join us for dinner sometime," She invited. "I want you two to try on some dresses of mine. Right, my darling?" She then turned to the silent man beside her with a doting expression, sending a shock of revelation to Haruhi, who had assumed he was an escort.

"Of course, that would be nice." The man laughed endearingly.

"Well then, we'll head out to the central building. See you later." After a quick wave, Yuzuha ad her husband left almost as quickly as they came, leaving Haruhi to remark on how the twins take after her.

"Yuzuha-san is a fashion legend and the head of her own high-end fashion company. Her basis on colour theory and coordination is said to be perfect." Leaning out the doorframe with the first-year trio, Miki cupped her chin, letting out a dreamy sigh. "It feels so unreal that she complimented my design."

"Is that so?" Haruhi hummed before turning to the twins. "So does your father work in her company as well?"

"No, he's an executive for a software development company," Hikaru explained with his hands in his pocket. "Incidentally, he married into the family."

"The name Hitachiin belongs to my mother's side. Grandma is known for her original style of flower arrangement." Kaoru elaborated.

Facing each other, they let out a troubled sigh. "Generation after generation, our family has a strong line of females. Since we're shy like our dad, we're worried about our future." They chimed in unison.

"Am I supposed to laugh right now?" Haruhi grumbled dryly.

Suddenly, Honey and Mori appeared in the detective agency dressed in their Carnivale outfits and pushing a cart of expensive looking desserts.

"We brought some Venetian cakes for everyone in Class 1-A!" The lolita waved with brightened cheeks as the regulars quickly crowded around him enthusiastically.

Bowing in thanks, Haruhi stared in amazement at the crazy fancy pastries. "Thank you so much-"

"They're 10,000 Yen each!" Honey followed up, passing a piece to one of the girls who happily forked over the money.

So they're not free? Haruhi averted her eyes with a sweatdrop.

At this point, Kazukiyo approached the group with Momoka. "Fujioka and Hitachiin, don't you have to go to your club event now?" He said with a soft smile. "We'll be okay here. Go on."

"Have fun!" Momoka waved patiently before quickly rushing off to help out the next customers.

As the rowdy group of six walked down the bustling halls of Ouran, Haruhi turned to the two thrid-years. "Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, are your parents here too?" She asked curiously.

"Yep," Honey nodded cheerfully as he skipped down the corridors. "But they're in the middle school division right now to see our little brothers' events."

"What are Chika-kun and Satoshi-kun doing for their class events?" Miki pursued, speaking with a slight hum to her voice as her eyes darted around the halls, amazed by how many people were present.

"I think they are building a petting zoo," The little blond tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Chika-chan love cute, cuddly animals you know?" He winked, pressing a finger to his lips in secrecy.

Haruhi hummed, tapping the strawberry blonde on the shoulder as they turned the corner on the second floor. "By the way, Miki-senpai, what is class 2-A's theme?" She questioned, coming to the large double doors.

"Well-" With a mysterious smile, Miki threw the doors to her classroom open. Instantly, it was as if they stepped out of the elegant school building and into the streets of a summer festival. Food stalls were lined up on the sides as prim and properly suited guests walking about, clearly not fitting into the setting they were placed in. Dimly lit lanterns were strung across the ceiling as well as a few arranged in the shape of fireworks, adding to the festivity as a familiar blond dressed in a commoner's festival outfit came forth.

"Ah, you all came!" Tamaki greeted them with a wide smile. "Step right in and take a look around, class 2-A's theme is 'Kiosks of the Common Folk.'" He announced proudly. "Would you like a candy apple, Haruhi?"

"Tamaki-kun had so much fun at the summer festival, he insisted that I drew inspiration from that experience," Miki explained with an airy giggle. "I was the one who suggested the fireworks, by the way."

"As far as he is concerned, nothing surprises me anymore," Haruhi mumbled with a sigh, taking the sweet treat that was shoved into her hands with a small sigh.

"Yeah! Let's try that shooting game again!" Hikaru chimed, about to run off with his twin when Kyoya appeared, already dressed in his school uniform.

"Now is not the time," He interfered, readjusting his sleeves. "It's almost time for our event."

"That's right!" Snapping out of his doting trace, Tamaki jolted up with excitement. "Is the carriage ready?" He asked the twins who swiftly saluted military-style.

"Carriage...?" Haruhi repeated with a raised eyebrow, already fearing for what was coming.

"Yep! We ran final checks this morning!" The twins grinned.

"And the central salon?" The blond then turned to Miki, Honey and Mori.

"It's all ready Tamaki-kun," Miki gave a swift, curt nod. "I had a little help from Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai, but it's taken care of!"

Nodding in satisfaction, Tamaki lifted an all-knowing finger with a victorious smirk. "Now, listen up!" He pronounced flamboyantly. "Remember the customer is always right and that we have adult guests today! Enact the 'ladykiller' rules of engagement! But first, our special event for the school festival..."

***

"Ladies and Gentlemen, The Host Club Special Parade!"

With the broadcasting club's loud announcement, a carriage carrying the hosts dressed in late french styled costumes trucked down the large halls as guests around let out shrieks of adoration.

"Look, here comes the host club! They're looking exceptionally ornate today..."

"After this, I hear they'll have two carriages touring the school and escorting people back to the central salon."

"Ahh... I wonder if I can get a ride."

"Look, mom! Aren't they wonderful?" One of the host club regulars turned to ask her mother, who had a look of disdain on her face.

"I don't know..." She grumbled, casting the hosts a vulgar look. "They might be handsome, but if they're boasting about their looks and their way with women-"

"Is it a crime to adore true beauty, madam?" Suddenly appearing next to the woman like a breeze of air, Tamaki stepped off the carriage with a gentle look in his eyes. "Well, you may not forgive us, but the truth behind our actions is not the desire for feminine adulation." Gingerly taking the woman's hand, Tamaki gazed up at her. "Rather, it's our selfish wish to spend what fleeting moments we may in the company of beautiful ladies."

"Oh, I see..." Taken in by Tamaki's sugar-coated words and handsome face, the woman's cheeks were dusted pink.

Somewhere on the carriage, the twins were accompanying another woman as they spoke.

"So you twins are accomplished in flower arrangement?" The woman asked.

"Yes, but our grandmother says out work shows out immaturity as people," Hikaru explained as he lifted a cup of tea to his lips.

Kaoru nodded with a sorrowful and distant look in his soft brown eyes. "Our parents are always busy, so we've been neglected for the most part." He elaborated.

"Our loneliness resulted in a spiritual unbalance which we cannot help but betray in our work..." They spoke in unison, bringing tears to the woman's eyes as she hurriedly wiped them away with a handkerchief.

Ahh, I could disappear... Haruhi hid her face in shame from the passionate crowd who often begged for her to look in their direction. How can they talk like that without embarrassment...?

"Haruhi, correct your posture." Kyoya reminded her from across the carriage. "Try to present yourself more gallantly." Flashing his usual unbalanced smile, he waved out to the crowd who only grew louder from the attention they were receiving.

"Kyoya-senpai, aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Haruhi questioned. "I'd have thought this wasn't the type of thing you'd enjoy." She muttered.

"It's easy enough to cast away any sense of shame if it's for the sake of future profit," Kyoya explained as he continued to wave in a calm manner. "If you feel so ashamed, why don't you think of them this way." Gesturing the crowd, he smiled brightly. "They're nothing but scum of the earth." He spoke without hesitation.

How black must his heart be before he's satisfied?! Haruhi thought to herself when a wave of nausea hit her from being on the carriage for too long. Letting out a small groan, she leaned over the side with a groan as Honey and Mori approached her worriedly.

"Are you alright, Haru-chan?" Honey asked. "Maybe you should try thinking of fields of strawberries or a mountain of cakes!"

"A rice-ball mountain..." Mori also pitched in, hoping to help ease the motion-sickness she was experiencing.

"It's okay... I don't want to hear anything more that will cause me to doubt your humanity..." She mumbled, covering her mouth.

"Haruhi, are you alright? Hang in there." Her guest tapped the brunette gently on the shoulder in worry. "I know you don't care much for something like this. I'm sorry that in out merrymaking we ignored your feelings," She furrowed her brows with regret.

"Oh... Don't worry..." Quickly slipping into character, Haruhi flashed her honest smile. "I thought it was only our other club members who would enjoy a (stupid) thing like this, but if you're enjoying it too, it's worth (at least a little) the trouble."

***

As the carriage finished making its first round around the large campus, the hosts escorted the guests back into the central salon as they were quickly greeted with a ball of energy and smiles.

"Welcome back everyone!" Miki chimed cheerfully as she balanced a tray of tea and biscuits on each of her hands, rushing about the large ballroom and attending to each of the guests. She noticed the group of lucky ones who were escorted back personally by the hosts. "Welcome to the Central Salon; I'll get you seated immediately. Let me know what kind of tea and snacks better suit your tastes and I'll be sure to bring it." Prancing around in her layered orange and red ballgown, she lowered her head in a half-curtsy. "We also have a poker table and roulette wheel near the east entrance if you'd like to pass some time. If you'd like your snacks delivered there, I can surely do that for you."

"Miki-senpai is doubling as a maid...?" Haruhi felt her eyebrow twitch at the absurdity around the room, watching as the hosts quickly went to work and began to speak with the guests who were already seated.

"She volunteered to help out as a maid and hold down the fort while we make rounds," Kyoya explained as he lifted his glasses further up his nose bridge. "She seemed to have learned lots from working at Misuzu-san's pension." He then spotted his father in the corner, speaking with the other guests. He quickly approached to accompany him.

"Father, it's a pleasure to see you here." He bowed, greeting the stoic man who nodded in acknowledgement at the presence of him.

"Oh my, is this one of your son Ootori-san?" The woman who was speaking with the man cupped her cheek with her free hand as she studied the boy.

"Indeed, this is my third son, Ootori Kyoya." Gesturing the boy, Ootori Yoshio introduced. "Kyoya, this is Sakurazuka-san. She is one of the main sponsors of the Aquatic Garden that opened in the summer."

"A pleasure to meet you, Madam." Kyoya lowered his head in respect.

"What an excellent son you have," The woman chuckled, swirling the champagne glass in her other hand. "I heard there were a lot of competitors for the central salon this year. Kimiko told me all about it with such enthusiasm! I hear it was rigged to favour the athletic clubs. It was an astounding victory for you guys. Rumour has it that their strategy was planned by Kyoya-kun. You sure are smart! You're already a top student, but this required a different set of expertise." She complimented. "Well done!"

"Oh no, not at all. I only supported my very talented companions." Shaking his head, Kyoya denied the applause with an unreadable smile. "Unfortunately, I was not born to stand above others as a leader." He spoke brazenly.

"How humble you are!"

"It was right to let the chairman's son take the spotlight in the end. Well done, Kyoya." In a low voice, Yoshio closed his eyes. "It's good to show support to the Suoh family."

"To be honest, I was taken aback when I first heard of the host club." The woman covered her lips with the tips of her fingers as she chuckled wryly. "Well, it's rather outrageous, isn't it?" She questioned, taking the last sip of the last of her champagne.

Yoshio opened his eyes thoughtfully as he stared at the last of his drink. "In this day and age, to change people's perceptions is also an important technique." He spoke calmly. "Unless one can attract attention, it's impossible to be understood or even recognized. I advocate meritocracy. If he has the talent, well..." Taking an elegant sip of his champagne, he raised his glass. "I don't mind naming my third son heir to the family business."

"Oh, how exciting!" Sakurazuka giggled.

Kyoya's eyes widened slightly by this declaration before a small smirk surfaced on his lips.

For now, mission accomplished.

The doors to the central salon creaked open followed by an excited cry for their grandmother. Kyoya's eyes shot up to the senior woman dressed in a kimono as she entered the room with two attendants. Her gray hair was tied into a neat bun, and there was a hardened expression in her downcasted eyes. His attention then automatically flickered to Miki as she watched the events with a slightly troubled look.

"Grandmother! You took the trouble to come!" Tamaki exclaimed, running up to her.

"Oh, so she's Tamaki-senpai and Miki-senpai's grandmother." Haruhi smiled.

"I hate her." Honey stated as his face darkened.

"What?" Haruhi blinked.

"That person is hateful." He continued vaguely.

"Please come in and take a seat." Extending an arm forward, Tamaki attempted to guide the woman in further with a soft smile only for her to step out of the way without sparing him a single glance.

"Don't touch me. You're filthy." She spoke harshly.

Haruhi's eyes widened in disbelief, thinking that her ears had somehow played a cruel trick.

"I'm sorry; I was working the kiosk before." Scratching the back of his head, Tamaki chuckled apologetically. "Do I smell like food?"

"Even if you wash, it will make no difference." The older woman, the matriarch of the Suoh family, Suoh Shizue continued. "The son of a harlot who vanished, deserting her own child." She muttered. "Shameless." She spat as she continued to the center of the salon, observing the setup of the room.

Haruhi felt her heart sink to her stomach; she attempted to reach forward to Tamaki who had leaned his side against a pillar. "Tamaki-senpai, are you-"

"I upset her!" Snapping around, Tamaki hushed with comical tears, shocking Haruhi. "I can't believe I let this happen! I bet it was the octopus balls - my grandmother hates the smell! Of course, she's not used to commoner's food."

"What?" Haruhi sweatdropped, attempting to understand what was happening. "I don't really think that was it-"

Seeing her brother under such distress, Miki bit her bottom lips. She cast a glance at Shizue who still hadn't left, still admiring the set up of the room. "Tamaki-kun," She called out to him and catching his attention. Glancing over her shoulder, she winked as she tapped a finger against her lips. "Don't worry; I got this."

Kyoya watched silently as Miki gracefully approached the older woman stood at the center of the salon. What is she planning? He furrowed his brows.

"Excuse me, Suoh-san." Leaning to the side and popping into her peripheral vision with a beaming smile, Miki called out to Shizue who averted her eyes towards her. "I noticed you had taken an interest in the interior designs of this room. Would you like to sit down and talk about it over some coffee?" She offered sweetly before noticing something and covering her mouth. "Oh, but of course if the coffee is too bitter for you, I could always bring something with a little less intensity. Maybe commoner's coffee? The taste is much more water down and it could-"

Miki's voice came to an abrupt halt as the sound of a crackling slap resounded through the air followed by a series of loud gasps. Miki's head was snapped to the side by the aftershock, and she lost her balance on heels, staggering to the ground. A red mark was burned onto her pale cheek only covered by the girl's hand. Though the people were staring at first, one interrogative look from Shizue made them go back to their previous actions, almost as if nothing had happened.

Shizue didn't waver or even flinch in the slightest as she lowered her hand to her side, she narrowed her sharp eyes at the young girl who clutched her cheek with the tips of her fingers. "After leeching off of us for years, you come crawling back the moment your family runs out of money." She spoke in a low voice that was masked by the uncomfortable chatter surrounding them. "It is you who leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Why? Haruhi thought to herself as her hands balled into fists. Her mind was racing as the harsh words and crisp slap that befell both her upperclassmen. Why is she treating them like that?

Not even a few moments later, Miki quickly recovered. Dusting her dress up as she stood up, her lips curled into a soft smile. "I see. If you do not like bitter things, might I recommend Chamomile tea?" She suggested. "They are known to be naturally sweet and can even help reduce stress as well as detoxify your skin." Holding her hands before her chest, she acted as if nothing happened.

"I do not want it." Closing her eyes, Shizue continued down the central salon.

"Please have a wonderful day!" Bowing as if another regular customer had just left, Miki chided.

"Both of you, stay away from me." She responded harshly before disappearing through the southern entrance of the salon.

"Miki!"

"Miki-chan!"

"Miki-senpai!"

Almost as soon as those doors closed, the hosts' par Kyoya quickly rushed up to her side and began fussing over her reddened cheek.

"Are you alright, Miki-chan?" Honey asked worriedly. "Do you need an ice pack?"

"It's alright, Honey-senpai." Miki chuckled, poking at her cheek to see if it still stung. " It's just a slap. Besides, I may have been a bit too forceful, to begin with."

"Senpai..." Haruhi's eyes dulled a little at the unwavering smile she wore.

"Miki, I think I've found the issue," Running a hand through his finger dramatically, Tamaki struck a dramatic pose while facing away from the hosts. "Could it possibly be..." Whipping his head around, his face darkened as comical tears streamed down his face. "... because we are too beautiful?! Is it a crime to be beautiful?" He exclaimed, grabbing Haruhi by the shoulders. "But my grandmother is beautiful too, isn't she? Isn't she a beautiful lady, Haruhi?" He questioned, shaking the brunette violently.

"Oh, dear..." Kyoya's attention was captured by the woman, Sakurazuka; his father was previously speaking too as she cupped her cheek in worry. "I wonder if that poor girl is alright? That seemed like quite a bad slap." Pursuing her lips, she waved a hand to call her over.

Noticing that her services were needed, Miki quickly excused herself from the hosts as she rushed over with a renewed smile. Seeing Kyoya studying her, she nodded her head in acknowledgement towards him. "Yes? How may I help you?" She chided.

"Are you alright dear?" Lowering her voice, the woman whispered with a hand cupped around her mouth. "That seemed like it hurt quite a bit, and your cheek is still burning red." She furrowed her brows in worry.

"I'm fine, miss. Thank you for worrying." Without missing a beat, the strawberry blonde reassured the woman before seeing her empty champagne glass. "Oh, you are out of champagne. Would you like me to get you a refill?"

Taken off guard by the optimism, the woman stuttered before handing it to her gently. "Yes, please." Her eyes crinkled softly.

"Understood," Placing the glass onto the tray in her hands, Miki then turned to Yoshio who had been observing her the entire time. Flashing a sweet smile, she tilted her head to the side as strands of her hair slid over her shoulder. "Would you like me to refill yours as well, sir?"

There was a moment of silence from the man as he scanned the girl head to toe once again. After letting seconds tick by, he handed his glass to the girl. "Please do," He answered without a crack in his stoic expression.

"What a lovely girl," Sakurazuka covered her lips with her hand as she watched the girl disappear in the crowd. "She must be such a pleasure to be around."

Kyoya's eyes flickered to his father, seeing him huff out a breath.

"Interesting." He heard the man say.

***

"Student activities are now over!" The PA announcement echoed through the now empty central salon. "Please come to the grand hall and join the dance party."

Thoroughly defeated, Haruhi collapsed onto the table tiredly. She had been on and off of the carriage with Mori and Honey doing rounds around the school every other hour. Thanks to her minor motion sickness, her stomach felt like it had been flipped on itself as she found herself unable to sit up straight.

"Good job, Haru-chan. Here have some cake." Honey giggle he brought a slice of cake over.

"You worked hard today." Miki nodded as she gently soothed the brunette's hair. "Everyone was very happy with your services."

"Haruhi, are you okay?" Tamaki was about to fuss over her once again when a knock interrupted him.

"Master Tamaki, the chairman requires your presence," One of Yuzuru's staff bowed. "You are to greet visitors at the grand hall."

"Oh. Yes, I'll be there right away." Nodding, Tamaki smoothed over his clothes as he rushed to the door. "See you all later. Haruhi, rest for a while, okay?" He reminded before closing the double doors behind him.

"So long!"

"Bye-bye!"

Haruhi stared at the closed doors for a moment before peering up at Miki who sat next to her. The red mark on her cheek was long gone, but she couldn't get that image of the cheerful girl being smacked to the ground out of her head. "Why?" She muttered. "Both of you act as if nothing had happened. Why did your grandmother act so cold to both of you? Is there a reason for that?"

"Could you not tell, Haruhi?" Miki tilted her head curiously. "Tamaki-kun was the son of a mistress."

"No, I understand that. But I don't see why she would call him the son of a harlot," Leaning her cheek against her palm, Haruhi averted her eyes out the window.

"Because Tama-chan's grandmother was enraged by the chairman's divorce as well," Honey explained with a sad smile. "After divorcing Miki-chan's mother, the chairman tried to bring both his mistress and Tama-chan to Japan. However, the grandmother refused to allow it because of the already major financial and credibility loss to both families. And because Tama-chan's mother was sickly and not suited to Japanese life, Tama-chan was raised in France until he was fourteen." His eyes flickered down sadly as he held Usa-chan closer. "Meanwhile, the grandmother began to worry about the Suoh family not having an heir as Miki-chan wasn't exactly in their custody. At the same time, Tama-chan's mother's family business failed, and they were left with a huge debt. That was when the grandmother issued a proposition."

"'I'll raise enough money for you to live comfortably, but in exchange, only Tamaki will come to Japan, and he shall be forbidden from seeing his mother ever again.'" Kyoya took over, closing his eyes as he recited those painful words.

"That's horrible!" Haruhi protested.

"The chairman might be the head of the Suoh family, but in actuality, the grandmother is the decision maker and holds supreme power on the board," Kyoya replied watching Miki's unmoving figure out of the corner of his eye. "Tamaki's mother was so sickly that if she had been left destitute and without the Suoh's support, it would've been the end for her. So..." His voice trailed off, and Haruhi didn't need to be told what happened. Judging by Tamaki's character it was quite obvious. He left to help his mother and came to Japan alone.

"Maybe because she was too lonely or maybe because she blamed herself for exchanging Tamaki for money," Kaoru sighed, resting his chin on his fist. "She moved away and went into hiding after he left. Though the chairman probably has a vague idea as to where she is."

"So that's why when Princess Michelle showed up..." Haruhi muttered, realizing how he must've felt when he saw a splitting image of his sickly mother once again.

"That granny should acknowledge milord since it was she who took him in, but she can't forget her grudge against the French woman who seduced her son," Hikaru concluded with a resentful look.

"Despite all of that, Tamaki-kun doesn't resent grandmother." Miki beamed softly at the sympathetic expression on the brunette's face. "He is always working hard and actively trying to gain her approval. It's one of the best parts about him, don't you think?" She chuckled lightly.

"It's easy to sympathize but," Kyoya closed his eyes. "I'm glad Tamaki is who he is."

Haruhi watched the sad smile on her upperclassman's face, furrowing her brows, she asked. "What about you, Miki-senpai? Do you resent her?"

Miki froze for a moment as her eyes flickered down to the table, fidgetting with her thumbs as she searched for an answer she hummed. "I... I can't resent her." She replied truthfully. "Because confined or not, it is thanks to her that I had a roof over my head for thirteen years. And it is also thanks to her, that I got to meet all of you."

***

Right after that intense conversation, the scenery quickly changed as the hosts entered the finale dance party where everyone was gathered. The twins had managed to convince Haruhi to attend wearing a flowy pink dress and a long-haired wig, saying that there were 'too many people to notice.' Miki, on the other hand, was wearing a lighter-chiffon version of the large orange gown she wore during the day. She stood on the side with Reiko, watching as the hosts led their guests through night gracefully in a calming waltz to the orchestra's music.

"You seem quite upset, Reiko-san. Is something bothering you?" Peering to the side, Miki blinked at the blank look on the raven-haired girl's face. Through the weeks they have spent together, mostly Miki helping out with Reiko strange hexes at the black magic club whenever she could, she has gotten a pretty good grip on sensing how Reiko felt through her expressions. Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi; however, question this notion, as the black magician's expression never changes.

Reiko stood next to her, wearing a black Victorian-styled ballgown and a black lace headband on her head from her club event. She had a plate with a piece of cake in hand, and the fork has been lingering on her lips for quite some time now. Her dull onyx eyes flickered to Miki's hazel ones for a moment before staring down at the whipped cream on her cake. "I heard someone afflicted physical pain upon you." Her explained vaguely causing her upperclassman to tilt her head cluelessly. She tapped her cheek in curiosity, only to remember the previously stinging sensation that lingered upon it.

"Oh, you mean the slap?" Turning to her with wide-eyes, Miki questioned before breaking into a reassuring smile. "It was that big of a deal, I'm perfectly fine now, see?" Winking, she struck a small power pose.

Seeing her smile like that, Reiko's eyes flickered down to a downcast. "When I heard you were harmed," She muttered, "I felt as if I wanted to cursed the one who afflicted such with my entire book of hexes." Stabbing her fork into the leftover cake on the plate, a grimacing aura began to emit off of her, making the others around shiver in fear.

"I-I don't think that would be necessary, Reiko-san," Miki sweatdropped as she waved her hand to calm the girl down.

"When I heard that happened... I..." Hesitating as she rested the fork against her lips, Reiko's brows furrowed slightly. She took in a small breath as she attempted to convey her feelings across properly. "I was worried." She admitted. "For the last two weeks, whenever you came searching for me... It made me... very happy. I... I didn't want someone else to cast a counter curse and... and take you away from me."

"A counter curse?" Miki blinked as she tilted her head, lips curling, she lunged to loop her arm around the black-haired girl's and clung to her. "Don't worry about something like that, Reiko-san." She giggled in an airheaded manner, winking playfully. "Besides, I became friends with you by my own free will, no curse or hex can ever make me change my mind." Tightening their linked arms, she flashed a soft smile.

Reiko's eyes widened for a moment before averting away. "Miki-san, are you afraid of my interest in the dark arts?" She asked with a dull expression.

"I used to be," Vision flickering up to the ceiling, Miki replied honestly. "I thought black magic was a cruel and ruthless, something created to harm others around them. However," She turned to Reiko who stared back, eyes crinkling. "I soon realized black magic couldn't be a bad thing. Because the talisman you gave me during Halloween, it rescued me in a time in need." She confessed joyfully, tilting her head to the side and she leaned in closer to the blank-faced girl.

Staring at her friend with a sense of bewilderment, Reiko's lips parted slightly. After a few moments, she huffed out a small breath. The corner of her lips rose slightly as she peered down at her feet. "...Thank you, Miki-san." She muttered as her arm instinctively tightened around Miki's.

"Miki-chan? Rei-chan? What are you two doing here?" Suddenly, Honey appeared before the two girls with a curious smile as Reiko tensed up at the sight of him. "Aren't you two going to dance?"

Miki glanced to the side as a flush of pink crept onto Reiko's pale cheeks. She chuckled. "I'm not going to dance for now," Waving her freehand, Miki chimed. "But I'm sure, Reiko-san would love to." She offered, gesturing her shy friend who gasped at the mention of her name.

"Really, Rei-chan?" Tilting his head, Honey giggled. "What would you like to do?" He asked ambiguously, urging for the raven-haired girl to speak her mind.

"May... May I dance with you... Haninozuka-senpai?" Breathing out slowly, Reiko managed. Her onyx-like eyes darted back and forth between Honey and the floor.

"Hehe, of course." Giggling in adoration, Honey extending a hand out. "Come on Rei-chan; let's go dance."

"Y-Yes!"

Tossing her friend's paper plate in the trashcan, Miki smiled as she watched Reiko be pulled off to the dance floor. Closing her eyes, she let out a small sigh of relaxation as she pressed her back against a decoration pillar in the room. Her body began to sway to the orchestrated music when someone approached her.

"It seems that you have gotten onto my father's good side," Kyoya's shadow loomed over her as her eyes fluttered open in surprise.

Miki blinked for a few moments before tilting her head curiously. "Your father?" Her brows drew close. "Was your father here today?" She pressed her lips together cluelessly.

Kyoya felt his eyebrow twitch lightly. Despite knowing the obvious answer, he found himself questioning whether or not this really was the girl he fell for. "The man I was with, in the central salon." He reminded her, letting out a sigh in an effort to remain calm.

Tapping a finger to lips, Miki hummed as she searched through the faces she had met that day. Her eyes widened as she gasped sharply, remembering the man's face. How could she not tell? Their similarities were uncanny. "Hehe, now that you mention it," She chuckled awkwardly, scratching her cheek. After studying Kyoya for a moment, she began to giggle softly. "So he is your father huh? What kind of person is he?" Leaning to the side, she asked.

"He's a successful man," He revealed with a hint of hesitation.

"You did mention he has high expectations in you, right? I can only imagine how exciting that is; I'm a little envious." Covering her lips elegantly, she giggled, causing a puzzled expression to appear on Kyoya's face.

Those who have met his father have always sympathized or pitied him because of his iron-fisted father; none had ever said something so unusual. He raised an eyebrow, studying her smile. "Why do you say that?" He questioned.

"Because you're an ambitious person who enjoys a good challenge, Kyoya-kun. So having such a high profiled father near you must be exciting, as the goal you want to surpass is standing right before you. But," Beaming up at him, Miki turned her body slightly, her dress fluttering along with her movements. "When you're with me, I would like you to relax, okay? Constantly working is bad for your panda-eyes, after all."

Eyes crinkling at her, Kyoya huffed out a breath. She wasn't wrong, as long as he couldn't reach his father's levels, things were never boring. Yet there was one thing she said; he still couldn't understand. "Why are you envious of my circumstances?" He hummed, stepping closer to her with a small smirk.

Blinking for a moment, Miki's eyes averted to the side before trailing down to a downcast. "Expectation isn't something that is placed blindly," She explained with a wistful smile. "Treating someone as they are will only result in them remaining as they are," Eye line flickering back to him, she tilted her head and held her hands to her chest. "Having expectations means he sees potential in you, Kyoya-kun."

Kyoya's eyes widened as he realized why she looked so dispirited. His hand moved on their own accord, closing the distance and brushing against her gleaming cheeks as he caressed them. "What are you talking about, Ouran Host Club's production designer?" He narrowed his eyes, and the corner of his lips curled up. "We all hold high expectations in you, I especially. Besides, you're going to receive that internship, aren't you?"

Miki gasped slightly at the mention. Her heart was overtaken by a warm fuzzy sensation. Her eyes rounded as her brows drew closer and she bit her bottom lip. Her hands that rested on her chest twitched slightly. Dipping her head, she gave a curt nod."Yes!" She chided earnestly. "I'll do my best!"

"Good girl," Instinctively, Kyoya rubbed his thumb over her cheek, only to flinch as it glazed against her lips. He momentarily drew back before allowing the tip of his finger trace her lips deliberately, watching as they parted slightly. They felt a little chapped under his touch, but he couldn't care less. He wanted to ask how she managed to intrigue him, enchant him, vex him to such a point of no return, yet his lips couldn't form the words because he was so focused on hers.

Hazel eyes were staring up blankly, Miki revelled in the foreign yet familiar feeling. She felt that same tingling sensation rush through her body as she noticed she had once again been holding her breath. Her heart was experiencing an inexplicably sweet sense of pain that squeezed in her chest, stifling her breath and hazing her mind. She couldn't understand what he was doing, or why he was doing it. She only knew that she didn't want him to stop. Unlike the many other times people have touched her, it didn't feel unpleasant. Whenever he did, it felt...

Safe.

However, before she could completely lose her thoughts into the daze of pleasure, her hand moved up to take his tensed hand and brought it a little further away from her face. Kyoya's eyes widened as he snapped out of his trace. Had he gone too far? Was he acting out of line? His questions were quickly answered when he felt a soft warmth press itself on his finger. He stared in bewilderment as the strawberry blonde, who had planted a sweet kiss on the tip of his index finger.

Pulling away, Miki averted her eyes with a bashful smile as she continued to hold his hand. "When you kissed me on my finger a few days ago, I felt a warm jolting sensation in my chest. It was strange yet very pleasant, so I wanted you to feel it as well." Peering up, she tilted her head with a flush of pink on her cheeks. "Did you feel it too, Kyoya-kun?"

Hearing her explanation, Kyoya breathed out a wry chuckle. "Yes." He admitted. "Yes, I-"

"Oh my, how ill-mannered... Who's daughter is she?"

"She might be a relative of that scholarship student..."

Before Kyoya could finish his sentence, a series of whispers spread through the crowd as well as collective gasps and points towards the center of the ballroom, Kyoya and Miki quickly turned around at the mention of the 'scholarship student,' finding Haruhi and Tamaki. The former was holding out a fork of food out to the blond, offering it to him as if they were a romantic couple. However, Haruhi seemed to have noticed the disapproving looks and whispers and was about to retract her offer when Tamaki reached forth and willingly ate the food, sending another wave of commotion through the crowd.

Seeing everything was under control, Kyoya returned his attention to Miki who watched over the events with a tranquil smile. Noticing how she still held onto his hand, he moved his thumb over her fingers and tugged her towards the dance floor, startling the girl.

"May I have this dance?" With a smug smirk and a quick bow, he invited.

"Eh?" Miki blinked awkwardly.

"Do you perhaps not know how to waltz?"

"No, I do." Shaking her head gently, she stepped onto the dance floor gingerly As the orchestra began to play the introductions to a new song, she loosened her hand from his and took both ends of her flowy chiffon dress. "However, I've never officially waltzed at a party like this," She explained as she lowered her head in a curtsey. "It will be another new experience for me," Lifting her head, she beamed softly.

Kyoya's eyes crinkled as he once again took her hand. "I'll be sure to make this a dance worthy of remembering then," He replied.

Chapter Text

-Chapter 32-

Tamaki vs. Kyoya, the Battle between Men!

As fall began to slip away to make way for the winter winds, Music Room #3's doors, however, opened to the winds of the Ryukyu Islands. "Mensore!" Imitating an Okinawa dialect, the hosts greeted the guests who poured into the topical setting of palm trees and hibiscuses with awestruck expressions.

"You look great, Tamaki-sama!" Sora clapped her hands together happily as she observed Tamaki's costume. "What a colourful kimono! It's a bingata, Okinawan dyed clothing, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, Princess," Tamaki affirmed as he pressed a hand against his chest and onto the light fabric of his costume. "Did you know? The first kanji of bingata - which usually means crimson is used to mean all colours. The Ryuku Island's royalty has worn these garments since ancient times... But no matter how many colours I swathe myself in my heart yearns to be dyed in your special colour alone." He flashed a charming smile, slipping a hand under the girl's chin.

"Oh, Master Tamaki!" Sora swooned.

"Miki-chan," Spotting the strawberry blonde still tending to some of the decorations in her bingata, Sumire waved as she hurried over to meet up with her friend. "I hear today's theme was chosen by Hikaru and Kaoru, did you enjoy creating it?" She asked sweetly.

Nodding enthusiastically, Miki spun around on her heel. "That's right, Sumire-chan, your family's from Okinawa, aren't they?" Remembering that crucial piece of information from peaking into Kyoya's guest logs, she giggled. "What do you think? I drew lots of inspiration from many different pamphlets and photographs. I hope it's accurate enough."

"Are you kidding?" Sumire's dark brown eyes sparkled at the tropical setting. "This is amazing, Miki-chan." She praised as she knelt down to touch a few of the hibiscus flowers. Her eyes crinkled as she gingerly stroked the smooth surface of the petals with her fingers. "You really do have a talent for production design, it feels like I'm once again back home. It makes me feel a little sense of nostalgia." Tilting her head to the side, the beautiful girl let out a huff of air as she subconsciously began to hum a folksong from home.

Miki's hazel eyes brightened as she saw such a tranquil expression on her friend's face. An unspeakable amount of pride quelled within her, nodded curtly to herself, confirming that she would send the drafts of the Ryukyu Islands as one of the portfolio submissions.

"Sumire-chan!" Sora, who was standing on the other side of the room waved as the two girls glanced in her direction.

"I guess I should go then," Standing up gracefully, Sumire quickly dust off the specs of dirt that had stuck to her soft yellow school uniform. "I'll see you around, Miki-chan!"

"See you!" Waving with a bright smile, Miki's large hazel eyes wandered around the room, landing on Haruhi who was staring down something in her hand without moving a single muscle. Pacing over, she peeked over her underclassman's shoulder. "Haruhi, what are you doing- Oh!" She blinked, covering her mouth as she spotted the pink, slightly prickly looking fruit in her hands. "What is that thing?" Leaning in closer, she furrowed her brows.

"It's called a dragonfruit, Miki-senpai." Still not peeling her eyes away from the fruit, Haruhi hummed. "It's actually my first time seeing one too. I was wondering how to eat it." She admitted. "Can you eat a dragonfruit, skin and all?"

"Eh? This is called a dragonfruit?" Miki tilted her head, as she leaned closer towards the pink fruit in her hands. "It doesn't look very much like a dragon, why would they give it that name?" She questioned, sounding a little disappointed.

"Right now they don't, but when they were flowers, their petals tend to resemble one." Approaching the two girls, Kyoya let out a weary sigh. "And you can't eat the skin. Here, give it to me." He spoke, plucking the fruit out of Haruhi's hands.

"Oh, Kyoya-senpai, you don't need to peel it for me-"

"No, Mori-senpai will do it." Not even let her finish her sentence, Kyoya placed the pink fruit into Mori's hands as the silent giant sweatdropped. "Stop worrying about the fruit and served the customers." He reminded.

I should've known Kyoya-senpai wouldn't peel it himself... Haruhi deadpanned. She turned her head to the side, watching as Mori took the fruit to a table, and with swift and precise movements began to chop and skin the dragon fruit.

"Haru-chan," A colourful assortment of fruits appeared in the brunette's vision as she peered down curiously, spotting Honey hidden under the overflowing bowl. "You can take home the centrepiece if you'd like." The lolita beamed brightly at her, dropping the platter in her hands.

"May I? That would be great." With an adorable flush of joy appearing on her cheeks, Haruhi smiled down at the collection of fruits she received as a gift.

"Isn't this wonderful, Haruhi?" Miki chided airily. "Now you can even have some at home."

"I want dad and Mei to have some too," Haruhi added, nodding happily. 

"Mei? Who is that?" Miki blinked, searching through her mind for a face that matched the name.

"Oh, she's a friend that from time to time, visits dad and I from Karuizawa," Haruhi explained in a relaxed manner as she sorted through her gift. "She's Misuzu-san's daughter. She's very dedicated to fashion designing, so I think you'll get along with her quite well."

"Really?" Hearing those words, the strawberry blonde's eyes sparkled. "I'll look forward to that then." She chirped.

"She's another commoner then," Shrugging; the twins turned to each other with a sigh. "That's right, commoners don't usually get these kinds of fruits, do they? How sad."

"Don't be rude, you two!" Pointing a finger at the two, Tamaki shouted over-dramatically. "While we are on the topic of commoners, I learnt something interesting yesterday as I was researching about their poor lifestyles."

"Speaking of rude..." Haruhi mumbled under her breath as she felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

Running a hand through his hair, Tamaki turned around with closed eyes as he began to ramble on flamboyantly. Opening his arms, he grinned proudly. "Don't be surprised everyone, but it seems that around this time of year, there's a school event for young common folk known as a 'Sports Festival' and..."

Leaving the blond to his theatrics, Kyoya approached Miki who was the only one of the hosts still listening to him. "It's done." He offered her a large glass plate, scattered with pieces of white fruit with little black seeds.

There was a small moment of silence as Miki just stared down at the fruit in his hands awkwardly. Raising an eyebrow, Kyoya broke the stillness between them. "What are you doing? Didn't you want to try one?" He asked.

"I do, but..." Miki blinked a few times as she tilted her head. "Why does it have so many seeds? Can you eat them?"

"Of course you can," Letting out a sigh, Kyoya picked up a small piece with a fork. "Have some; I don't like them very much." He told her, bringing the fork to her lips with a small teasing smirk.

Without reservation or a hint of shyness, Miki opened her mouth and plucked the fruit right off the tip of the fork. Kaoru tore his gaze away from his brother, who was eagerly stuffing different tropical fruits into Haruhi's basket, catching the exchange between the two. He stood frozen for a few moments, as a small devilish grin curled onto his lips.

"It's not sweet or sour, tart or refreshing," Miki remarked, covering her lips as her brows drew close. "It tastes... strange. I don't like it very much."

"I see," Slightly disappointed as he didn't get a bashful reaction out of her, Kyoya's eyes turned half-lidded as he averted them.

"I'm sure Haruhi would like to try some though." As usual, Miki, who was completely oblivious to his advances suggested with a lifted finger. Spinning on her heel, she called the brunette over. "Haruhi! Would you like to try some dragonfruit?"

Taking a small bite out of the fruit, Haruhi indulged in the flavour. "Hm... The taste is hard to describe, but it's not bad." She reported to her two upperclassmen.

"What do you mean 'not bad'?" Kyoya questioned with deadpanned eyes as he huffed out a breath. "I don't understand; what's the point of eating it if it doesn't suit your taste perfectly?"

"Heh, don't make me laugh Ootori Kyoya!" With a loud and over the announcement of his presence, a familiar voice filled the air. The hosts quickly turned around to spot the president of the football club, Kuze standing at the doorway with a signature Orange in his hands. "I thought I smelled tropical fruits and look what I found! You're hardly qualified to talk about fruit." He accused with a crooked grin. "Listen here, Kyoya. You may not see the point of eating dragonfruit, but it's rich in protein vitamins and minerals. And that skin you said was inedible is delicious if pickled!" Smirking victoriously, he narrowed his eyes. "Your ignorance is appalling, Kyoya!"

"Kuze-senpai, how long have you been standing there to have heard all of that?" Miki cocked her head to the side.

Jolting at Miki's words, Kuze averted his eyes with a click of his tongue, trying his best not to give away how he stood in the halls, practicing his flashy entrance for almost ten minutes. "I-It's none of your business, woman."

"I already told you, my name isn't 'woman,' it's Miki." She looked up with a straight face. How could he not remember her name?

The corner of Kuze's smile twitched as his grip tightened on the orange. "I swear, you and Ootori are always trying to make me look bad." He grumbled.

"Well, you definitely could use a wardrobe change," Tapping her chin, Miki admitted as she scanned him up and down. "May I suggest the Hitachiin's fashion company for some new outfits?" Lifting a finger, she suggested with a sparkling smile.

The orange in Kuze's hands finally broke under pressure as fresh juice came splashing out. At that moment, Kuze realized. Unlike Kyoya, this girl wasn't taking sarcastic jabs at him. 

She was being genuine.

"You-"

"Kuze..." Kyoya muttered, subconsciously shielding Miki behind his back. "You make a good point. Here are the skins, enjoy." Then with a pair of tongs, he dumped the skins of the dragon fruit Mori had peeled straight into Kuze's bare hands, who in turn let out a loud shriek at the sticky juice that ran down his skin and dripped to the ground.

"You idiot! Not in my hands! Get a container!" He shouted.

"Is this okay?" Haruhi sweatdropped at the absurdity as she offered a clear plastic container.

"Yes! It'll be fine! Give it here!"

After stuffing the sticky dragonfruit peels into the container, Kuze snapped it close with twitching eyebrows. The veins on his forehead were visible, almost popping out with rage. "Aren't you acting a little childish? Could it be that I hurt your pride?" He provoked with a dry laugh.

"No, no, not at all!" Waving his hands with an unbalanced smile curled on his lips, Kyoya retorted. "I was merely voicing my opinion of its taste. In addition to the benefits you just mentioned, I should point out that dragonfruit is rich in phosphorus, calcium, and iron, thereby contributing to decreased cholesterol and blood-sugar levels." Picking up an unpeeled dragonfruit, he turned to the guests. "It's low in calories and helps prevent anemia. It's highly recommended for women." He concluded as the girls fangirled over his intellects.

"I knew all that! I was gonna say that!" Kuze yelled, quickly defending himself. His grip tightened around the container until that cracked in his hands, once again turning his hands sticky.

"Oh, there you are, Takeshi." At this point, another slimmer and much smaller figure appeared at the doorway. "The ground is all sticky from the orange you squeezed."

"It's Princess Matsuyama, welcome!" The twins casually greeted her.