A/N: This is not yaoi. I repeat NOT YAOI. This is Takashi/Mori x OC x Kurama/Shuichi. Alright? There may be other minor - MAJOR MINOR - pairings, but those are the main two. The summary was the OC. Alright... Now let the story begin. ^^
Groggily opening her eyes, Arisa found herself surrounded by lush foliage; the kimono that was on her person was loosened from all her previous running and movement and had partly fallen off of her shoulders. It was a smoky red-orange color, pleasant yellow autumn leaves decorating it all over, long sleeves that went down to her knees when she let her arms relax at her sides – and the kimono was rather short as well, ending far above her knees and was just above mid-thigh length. The red obi tied around her middle was loose; the golden ribbon tying it in place was the cause – subconsciously making Arisa ponder just who it was chasing her that had done such.
Pushing herself up from the ground, Arisa righted her plain wooden sandals more out of instinct than out of need to do so. Her golden fox ears twitched in response to the pleasant breeze that blew over her, the matching golden fur on her duo tails ruffling naturally in the wind that carried her blond hair with it over her shoulders. Taking in her surroundings once more, as well as gathering her senses about her once more, Arisa found herself not to be in her own world any longer; the main clue being that she was alive.
Righting her kimono upon taking notice of the disheveled appearance it gave her, Arisa folded her hands together within the sleeves and walked towards the spirit signature closest to her, hoping that they would be able to explain to her just where she was – force the information out of them if they decided not to be very forthcoming.
Using her great speed, the vixen demon appeared near the energy signature, stopping just inside the tree-line to find a small child standing in the middle of the clearing before her. The male was small – which gave her the impression of him being a human child – with short honey blond hair from what she could see while his back was to her and was seated on a blanket that rested on the ground, various plates of sweets surrounding him and a pink doll that sat at his side. "Excuse me," Arisa decided to just go right ahead and try the straightforward approach. "May I ask you a question?" It was not in her nature to be rude to strangers that had yet to do anything bad to her or anyone important to her.
The child turned in her direction and she got a clear view of his appearance then. His round face was decorated with large light brown eyes that stared at her in curiosity instead of the regular fear the rest of her kind did whenever she approached. He was cute for a human, Arisa admitted to herself while stopping a few feet from the fair-haired youth – realizing that he was older than she had originally suspected by the look she could tell deep in his gaze. He nodded his head shortly before she kneeled down on the ground just beside the blanket he was sitting on.
"This is the Human Realm, correct?" Another slow nod as the curiosity grew. "May I ask what region this is?"
"You're in Japan." The answer was automatic, as if a rogue demon wandering onto his land was an everyday occurrence. The smile given next was natural as well, as if he did it all the time. Arisa believed it. "What's your name, princess?"
Did he just call me princess? Arisa questioned herself as she thought over the human's question shortly before answering. "My name is Arisa Kurein. May I know yours as well?" She replied in turn, returning the human's cheerful smile with a slight smirk of her own, making his falter slightly at its appearance before it grew wider.
"I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka! But everyone calls me Hani; and this is Usa-Chan!" The boy – Hani – answered, pulling his light pink doll from his side and holding it near her face to show it off. It had long floppy ears and tiny black eyes with a smile sewn in place: Usa-Chan was a stuffed rabbit; an usagi.
"Good afternoon to you both," Arisa greeted kindly, her rage ebbing away slowly with the more interaction she had with the young human: Mitsukuni. "I'm sorry to intrude upon your meal," She couldn't think of what humans would call the small event. "I shall leave now so as not to cause trouble." Arisa rose to her full height, towering over young Mitsukuni before turning towards the forest she had come from once more.
"Wait!" Arisa hadn't even taken a step, yet. "Don't you want to stay and eat some cake with us?"
"I do not wish to impose, Mitsukuni," Arisa started to say but was cut off as said male jumped to his feet with a wide grin and reached out a hand to take her own. She allowed the small contact as he lightly pulled her closer to the sheet lying on the grass.
"I invited you! It's no problem at all!" He made the motion for her to join him and she did so simply to humor them both. They was no question that he had a faint idea about what she was – the truth was hard to ignore when it literally stared him in the face – and there was little evidence to suggest otherwise. Neither one spoke of it aloud just yet, though.
"Do you want strawberry cake or chocolate or raspberry or blueberry or –"
"Chocolate would be delightful, Mitsukuni." Arisa stated just as shortly as she did all the other times she spoke, a soft smile spreading across her face at his childish outlook and personality. Mitsukuni nodded happily and proceeded to hand her a small piece of the chocolate cake he had nearby. And as she began to slowly eat the slice of cake, Mitsukuni began to talk about nearly everything that seemed to come to mind.
He told her of his childhood and his family, even the problems he had with his father at one point and his younger brother the next and how close he was to his cousin – an older boy, not by much, named Takashi Morinozuka – and how he was a part of a so-called Host Club when he was in high school before attending college; still visiting the other members in his spare time.
He told her of his likes and dislikes, his hobbies and abilities; he told her details of his family that she didn't really need to know but he spoke of anyway. Arisa felt like some sort of private journal by the time Mitsukuni finished the remaining cakes around them and the sun had slowly shifted ever closer to the horizon overhead.
"As pleasant as this visit has been, I really must be going now." Arisa told the delightful young man sitting close at her side. "I would hate to cause you trouble."
"But…" Mitsukuni whimpered with tears coming into his eyes and the large light-brown orbs growing in size to make them even more irresistible. "Don't you want to stay?"
"I have grown to enjoy your company, yes; but I do not understand what it is you wish of me," Arisa stated shortly with a slight tilt of her head in curiosity and confusion, wondering what it was that made him want to keep her near.
"Stay with me," her chirped happily as he hopped to his feet while hugging Usa-Chan to his chest. "Do you have any other place to live?" he questioned when he noticed the doubt flash across her face, she was sure. She did not have any other place of residence, that was a fact; but her kind has never truly needed a stable shelter, the forest was home to any demon willing enough to make it such.
"I do not wish to put you in danger," Arisa disclosed to the curious male. "I am being hunted simply for existing and at my current strength I cannot guarantee your safety if you should be around if they find me." She did not say that it was a fact that her hunters would find her – she could go into hiding if she so chose and would never be found again – but that it was a chance.
Mitsukuni held her gaze as he replied. "You're my friend," Arisa found it odd when the word friend was used when talking of herself. "I always protect my friends, no matter what. We can hide you here, there are lots of places for you to go to in case they do come after you and –"
"You seem like a noble," Arisa stated offhandedly, gazing over his head and towards the large dwelling behind him. "That is your home, correct?" Mitsukuni followed her gaze before nodding. "You have many servants?" Another nod. "Maids? Cooks?" Nod, nod. "Then I can merely disguise myself as one of them." An eyebrow rose from Mitsukuni, who opened his mouth to retort but Arisa was already focusing her energy into herself and the leather choker around her neck; the metal clasps absorbing the energy easily.
The golden vixen ears that were perched atop her head disappeared in a haze while human ones grew at the sides of her head instead, the garnet earring in her left ear still present, and the golden twin tails vanished as well – just as the ears did – and left Arisa looking much more human than before; despite her height remaining the same at its 5'10" stature.
"… That might work, too," Mitsukuni stated after recovering from his shock and letting a bright smile light up his face, Arisa returning the gesture with a soft smile of her own; not intending to ever tell Mitsukuni that he had just saved her a great deal of trouble in setting up traps all around his forest and having to make sure humans didn't get caught in them. "We can hire you as a maid and my friend Kyo-Chan can get you everything you'd need to pretend to be human." Arisa smirked inwardly, thinking that she now knew he knew what she was for a fact.
"I do not wish to involve others."
"Don't worry; they won't tell anyone. And besides Kyo-Chan, the only other person that might know is Takashi… and maybe my dad," Mitsukuni put a finger under his bottom lip in thought, his other fingers curling around his chin before his face brightened as if he decided something suddenly. "Come on; let's go hide you in my room until I can get Kyo-Chan over!" He grabbed Arisa's hand as he came out of his stupor and tugged her in the direction of his house but she stood firm with a shake of her head.
"You go on ahead and I'll track you to your room. We don't need others taking notice of my presence until everything is in order."
"But how will you get in?" Mitsukuni's innocent question brought another smirk to her face as she waved for him to go on and leave.
"I have my ways." Arisa replied vaguely, waiting on him to leave before closing her eyes and concentrating on his retreating energy; following it for several minutes before opening her emerald green eyes once more. Using the speed that few knew of when they thought of her, Arisa was instantly at Mitsukuni's side; easily avoiding people to lessen suspicion and worry. Mitsukuni stared at her when she suddenly appeared in front of him in a blur, leading him to find her more and more interesting.
"Whoa…" His response was drawn out and in a whispered awe that made Arisa giggle softly at the expression he made. It was easy for her to relax around the human, more so than she thought would have been possible. "How'd you do that?" The curiosity and excitement in his voice made another quiet giggle come from the human imposter as she smiled down at him and gestured to her form offhandedly while she explained.
"As you could have been able to tell before, I am a vixen; a fox demon. Only half though, on my mother's side for my father was a demon of the wind variety." A short smile crept up on her face when she discussed the two. "As a demon, all of my attributes are heightened from my sense of smell to hearing to tastes," With a wave of her hand to show that he should be able to get what she was talking about, she continued on. "I was able to sense your energy – something every being possesses, no matter how small it may be – and followed it to this room. Using the same path you took, knowing so because of my sensitive smell, I used my speed to get here."
"You're really fast then, huh?" Mitsukuni questioned, holding on tighter to Usa-Chan as he slightly leaned closer to the demoness.
Arisa let out another quiet giggle. "Yes, very. Fighting is something every demon should be able to do if they ever wanted to survive in my world. As such, I have my own strength and agility to assist in my survival; as well as my weaponry, as you can see." Arisa gestured to the blades that were in various places on her form, noticing that he didn't seem to be all that shocked by their sight.
"You must be really strong then, too," Mitsukuni chirped happily, swinging his body side-to-side lightly as he conversed with the vixen. He enjoyed talking with her.
"Fairly so compared to other demons, I would say; and especially so compared to humans." The smile she sent him after the statement was to show that she held no ill-feelings for the statement, merely stating it as a fact. Mitsukuni knew it was so and wasn't bothered by the declaration.
"I'll call Kyo-Chan then so we can get all your papers! Go ahead and make yourself at home, Ari-Chan." Arisa rose an eyebrow at the nickname but said nothing to it while perching herself on the edge of his bed while he jumped on the center of it and pulled a small device out of his pocket in doing so. Arisa sat by quietly as he spoke with the voice on the device, happily ending the transaction before turning towards her once more; finding Arisa fiddling with the ears on one of his other stuffed bunnies with a soft smile on her face.
"Do you like bunnies, Ari-Chan?" Mitsukuni asked the vixen, drawing her attention to him in the process. She smiled at him softly, still in her blissful flashback trance, and went back to gazing at the small white stuffed rabbit resting in her lap; the memory replaying in her mind was one of the last encounters she had with a demonic rabbit – a dear friend at the time, as it were, regardless of their natural instincts to one another.
"I suppose you could say that." Arisa said as her eyes became clear once more as the flashback ended, the ending being one that Arisa loathed to be reminded of yet knew that taking her anger out on her new acquaintance would be unwise, unnecessary, and highly uncivilized. "It has been a long time since I've been around so many rabbits. It almost feels nostalgic, Mitsukuni; I'm not sure how to take it all in."
Mitsukuni giggled – much like a child would – at how out of place Arisa seemed to be amongst all of the stuffed rabbits and other creatures that were piled within his room; his cute possessions contrasting greatly against her very being. "Kyo-Chan's on his way. Tama-Chan was with him so I think he was in school right now. I forgot what time it was." Mitsukuni stuck out his tongue to show how careless he was at the time before he scooted a little closer to Arisa. "Can I?" He gestured to her lap in an indication that he wanted to lay his head down, something he usually did without asking but knew that Arisa was unlike all the other girls he had met and will ever meet.
Arisa rose an eyebrow at his request but allowed it with a nod of her head and a soft smile, quickly growing attached to the human for having talked with her like any other being and had taken her in when she had no place to go for sensible shelter – outside of inhabiting the forest on his land and possibly causing more problems for the both of them. Mitsukuni scooted up to her side to lie down across her lap, curling against her with Usa-Chan clutched against his chest and a peaceful expression crossing his face when his eyes closed as he yawned – much like how a child would when desiring a nap. Arisa had difficulty not comparing Mitsukuni to a child when he continuously acted like one around her.
Resting one hand on top of his head, she combed her fingers through his hair while the other hand rested motionlessly on his ribcage, feeling his heartbeat against her palm. Arisa relaxed as her human friend fell into a light sleep – absently wondering if any of his friends, or this 'Kyo-Chan' he had spoken of, were like him – moving further against Arisa's form the deeper he went into his slumber.
Minutes went by in mere seconds to the demon as she catered to Mitsukuni like a mother would her child, as strange – yet pleasant – it made the vixen feel when thought. Before either one knew it, a maid was knocking on the door and informing Mitsukuni that the 'Host Club' was waiting for him in the lounge. Mitsukuni's aura grew around him and turned dark as he woke from his sleep before the energy even out once more when he turned his sleepy gaze towards Arisa in slight confusion before registering what the maid had just told him. "Tell them to come on in! Is Takashi with them?" Mitsukuni shouted cheerfully to the maid through the door, after taking a moment to fully wake up and lift his head from the comfort of Arisa's lap.
"Yes, he is Master Mitsukuni. I will bring them up right away." Arisa listened to the footsteps of the maid fade away, waiting until her energy – she – was at the end of the hall – out of hearing range for sure – before looking away from the door and into a pair of golden brown eyes, Mitsukuni's gaze.
"Kyo-Chan must've told Tama-Chan that I called and they all must've wanted to come over to see me, too." Mitsukuni's smile turned uneasy for a moment as the realization of the situation hit him full force. Originally, it was only 'Kyo-Chan' that was going to know about her true origins, but if there were more people present when the topic was discussed then things would turn complicated for the vixen; although Mitsukuni trusted the 'Host Club' with his life – Arisa wasn't certain if she would be able to trust them with her own.
"Are we going to tell them, then?" Arisa decided to voice the question neither one wanted to answer just yet. Mitsukuni wanted to tell them, so that they would be able to befriend her and know her better and help her as well, but he knew that Arisa had no idea who they were or what they were like or anything about them. He had told her everything about his blood family… he had just forgotten to tell her about his extended family – the Host Club. It just wasn't one of the topics that he mentioned when they were eating cake.
"Do you want to tell them, Ari-Chan?" Mitsukuni questioned instead of answering, leaving the choice up to her since he would back her up either way. He knew that her secret wouldn't be one that would be easily exposed, noticed, or believed but he knew that if she chose to confide in the Host Club that it would save her trouble later on should any of them find out what she was through some strange way that only the Host Club was capable of.
Arisa sighed shortly before there was another knock from the same maid – she could sense – who told them that the Host Club was with her. "Come on in!" Mitsukuni called out cheerfully after seeing Arisa nod her acceptance of the situation. The maid stood off to the side – from what Arisa could sense – and there were six other energies next to the maid's that were directly in front of the door, three greater than the others and near Mitsukuni's but still nothing that was troubling or unusual.
The door to his bedroom opened and Arisa made sure to appear behind the door when it did before any of them saw her. It would do no good if they commented on her appearance with a maid being close by – a maid that should not know of her existence until everything was in order. Mitsukuni cheerfully greeted each of them, making it appear like there was nothing wrong or out of place as he launched himself at one of them and sat on his shoulders – 'Takashi' he was saying, leading Arisa to believe that the tallest of the group was the cousin he spoke of.
"Ne, ne! I have someone I want all of you to meet!" Mitsukuni wasted no time in trying to get the group in his room together. They would believe after the proof was shown but he knew that she would need friends here; she would need more than just him, as much as he would've liked that fact.
"Yes, you mentioned that over the phone. Just who is it that we need to be meeting?" A bespectacled male with raven black hair and a moderate build – lean and tall – said while adjusting the glasses on his face, none of them group seeming to sense Arisa's presence.
"I apologize for any tribulations I have caused." Arisa made herself known after the maid had left, once more, drawing the attention of everyone in the room as she eased the door closed quietly – silently. "I assure you that it was not my intention to do so." They were all different from one another – save for two that were perfectly identical to one another to the untrained eye – and were all very handsome, even in demon standards.
"And who might you be?" the bespectacled male was the one that spoke again, the expression he was making was not the one that portrayed kindness as Mitsukuni's had when they had first met. Arisa determined that the raven-haired male was not the easiest to get close to, by that fact alone; call it a demonic female's intuition.
"This is Arisa Kurein! She's a demon." The smile on his face didn't change in the least as Mitsukuni jumped down from his perch to cross the distance between the Host Club and the vixen in order to stand in front of her and offer her his hand. Arisa rested her hand in Mitsukuni's grip automatically, not even thinking over the gesture. "She needs our help to blend in with the rest of us humans because there are bad guys after her. She can look the part but Ari-Chan doesn't have any records of being human since she isn't from here."
"Hold on Hani-Sempai," One of the identical auburn-haired males spoke up, his yellow-green eyes scrutinizing her appearance as he and the other auburn-haired male walked closer to Mitsukuni and her. "How do we know if she's a demon?"
"Aren't demons supposed to be big, bad, and ugly?" The other twin spoke up, his voice a slight bit lighter than the other and there was more green circling his iris than his twin's.
"Demons don't exist, do they?" The two spoke in unison, obviously having done so for a long time since no one reacted in any way to the statement. Arisa calmly waited for them to finish as Mitsukuni's grip tightened with each word they spoke, getting upset that they weren't going to believe him – even when he knew that they wouldn't at first.
"There are different kinds of demons," Arisa spoke up, silencing the others in the group since they too had stepped forward to say their own share. Arisa didn't want Mitsukuni getting more upset than he already was. "Every type of demon is dangerous in his or her own way. I have killed before, all demons have – whether intentional or not is besides the point, and very few can live a life without seeing death in our world. I understand if you do not believe that I am a demon but that is for your own minds to decide."
Mitsukuni looked up at Arisa when she easily got his hand to release her own before stepping off to the side and looking at the group before her, wondering what she should do – using her powers – that would get them to believe Mitsukuni. Releasing her energy, Arisa felt the rush of power that was naturally in her bloodstream come back full force – her vixen ears and tails reappear much to Mitsukuni's excitement and his group of friends' shock.
"I can do something else if this does not convince you." Arisa stated shortly, her twin tails languidly swaying side-to-side while Mitsukuni giggled when one flicked lightly across the tip of his nose. "I believe humans have a saying: 'Don't judge a book by its cover', correct? Demons can disguise themselves as humans if they are strong enough, or if they are of a certain species." She stopped herself from continuing since another of the group – one with sunny blond hair and bright violet eyes, tall, lean, handsome; just as the others were – seemed to be paling with every word she spoke. Arisa raised an eyebrow in question to his obvious distress but did not have to wait long for him to speak up.
"You're a demon! Did you cast a spell on Hani-Sempai? Did you plan to eat him? Did you plan to get him to lure us all here just to kill us off for your sick pleasure?" He started yelling not a moment after Arisa stopped talking, his words causing Mitsukuni to glare over at him sharply.
"Ari-Chan isn't like that Tama-Chan!" Mitsukuni shouted back in irritation, not believing that the leader of the Host Club had said something like that to Arisa – demon or not.
"It's alright, Mitsukuni; were I in their place I might have thought the same… although I may not have said them in such a way." The teasing smile she sent to the sunny fair-haired male made him blink in confusion. "I am not capable of casting spells; I'm afraid that spell-casting is for human sorcerers, not demons, and I believe the last of them died out long ago." Arisa tilted her head back slightly in thought before shaking the thoughts from her head since wondering about it now wasn't an ideal time. "I do not eat humans, as some demons do – the Mazoku demons, for example, feast on human flesh for nourishment instead of merely eating venison or pheasant like the rest of us."
"What about the killing part? You didn't say anything about that," A female this time – although she definitely looked the part of a male in human society at first glance – with chocolate brown hair and matching eyes that reminded Arisa of the cocoa beans that her mother enjoyed growing; Arisa never questioned where she had gotten the plants to begin with.
"Killing is a natural thing to me." Arisa admitted with a slight one-shoulder shrug, much to Mitsukuni's surprise. "In my world – the Demon Realm – it is a literal kill or be killed world. If you don't kill then you are killed. Kindness is not known and mercy is not given. If you are lucky, you may find love – but that is not heard of often." Arisa would know better than most. "Although killing is natural, I have grown a severe distaste for it. The sky in the Demon Realm is red, much like blood, and I doubt I'll ever be able to metaphorically wash the substance from my hands. Other demons may come for my life while I am here and, all things considered, I will most likely be forced to kill them. But, all of you have no reason to worry about me killing any of you – not unless you force my hand, that is."
The group remained silent after Arisa spoke, each one absorbing what she had just said before the tallest – and supposedly Mitsukuni's favored cousin if she remembered correctly from earlier – took a step forward and asked a single question. "Would you protect Mitsukuni should these demons after you try to harm him?" Arisa nodded her head without a second thought; a single firm nod. Mitsukuni has already done much for her and she would be damned if any demon thought they would rid the worlds of someone like him. Arisa knew that if she grew close to any of the others in the group then they would be treated the same, but at the moment it didn't seem possible – considering the last conversation topics.
"I would protect Mitsukuni with my life," Arisa decided to elaborate since all of them seemed to still be uneasy. "He has shown me kindness that I have not known since my distant childhood and I do not intend to let anyone rob this world of a life like his, demon or human." Takashi – as Mitsukuni had called him earlier she now remembered – nodded once, just as she had, before stepping up to her and extending his hand.
"My name is Takashi Morinozuka; everyone calls me Mori." Arisa lifted her own hand and took his, a firm handshake was given, and then they released one another. It seemed to wake up the others from their stupors.
"I, dear princess, am Tamaki Suoh," the one that was paling from before seemed to be a completely different person suddenly, kneeling down on one knee in front of Arisa and delicately taking one of her hands in his own. "I am the president of the Host Club, where it is our duty to make sure that all the beautiful ladies around us are happy." Interesting how he says so now, Arisa thought to herself at the change in personality he just displayed.
"I suppose that makes you the king of the so-called Host Club then, correct?" Arisa did not expect the reaction that she received. Tamaki – as his name was – went still suddenly before a bright grin came to his face as he stood to his full height, a few inches taller than she was, and flung his arms around her frame in an embrace that left her rigid in discomfort.
"You think I'm a king! Oh, you're just too cute! You're going to help my little Haruhi become more like a girl, I just know it! Aw, my daughter has a sister!" Arisa did not understand what in the three realms Tamaki was talking about but she quickly discovered that it didn't matter when the twins shoved him away from her. She would have thanked them for it if she wasn't still surprised by the display.
"We're Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin." They spoke in unison once more, not giving her a chance to catch which one said his actual name. The glint in their eyes led her to believe that it was intentional. "Can you tell which one is Hikaru and which one is Kaoru, demon lady?"
A/N: Just work with Kimi on this. ^^ She simply HAD THAT GODDAMN URGE! ^^; REVIEW PLEASE~!