Okay people! Time to start episode two and I am really hyped up! hopefully I can keep it and not need 6 chapters to finish one episode like last time! So lets start!

EDIT: So I deleted the original chapter two to make room for a later chapter that I wanted to add in for one of my really loyal fans and, truth be told, Yuigo's lonely self too. The chapter wasn't really needed and was just filler while I had writer's block two years ago.

-A Host's Work-

Haruhi and Koharu were sitting peacefully in one of the massive campus libraries, studying with their many books spread across the solid wood table. Several girls kept trying to peek around the bookcases at them as they studied, which put Koharu and Haruhi in a test of how long they could last without laughing at their antics. Koharu finally managed to finish one of her papers with a closing of her book and noticed her small watch. She shot out of her chair, her eyes wide.

"Haruhi!" she called across the table to her best friend.

Haruhi looked up from her homework, her eyes alight from processing all of the knowledge that she had read. "What?"

"We're going to be late." They immediately packed away their things, much to the disappointment of the girls watching them. The two girls hurried out of the library and through one of the courtyards, their steps echoing through the stone archways of the school.

"They are going to give us so much grief if we're late!" Haruhi called to Koharu from behind. They reached the third music room, home to the Ouran Kou Kou Host Club, with only moments to spare. Haruhi opened the door for her upperclassman and the two found themselves in a tropical paradise. Palm trees and other plants surrounded all of the small tables and chairs as live animals crawled around slowly from tree to tree.

"Where-" Haruhi started to ask, shocked at the sudden change in the club room.

"Are we?" Koharu finished for her, also shocked but not surprised about the speed of the change.

'WELCOME!" greeted a tropical themed Host Club.

'Father help me, I can't believe this is the club I joined last week.'Koharu thought as a toucan landed on Haruhi's head, causing her to giggle.

"Aww, it's just Haruhi and Koharu," said the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, who were wearing matching loose blue pants with blue bandanas and no shirt. They turned stern within the next second. "You're late!"

"It should be early April right now," Haruhi mumbled to herself, bringing out the calendar that kept track of all of her dates for her. She looked at the date to see Tamaki's large handwriting scrawled across the page, but only saying 'Themed Day'.

"Fearing the cold and curling yourself up in a kotatsu is nonsense!" Tamaki 'grandly' said, as he moved around the flowers and trees to show them off. He had on a one sleeved, white robe with golden jewelry on his arms and around his neck, and purple and red fabric around his waist. "What do you think we have this flawless air conditioning for?"

"Is there something in the club's policies you two would like to criticize?" Kyouya asked them, still writing in his journal. He was dressed in a heavy gold necklace and loose brown pants, a gold piece of fabric tied around his hips, with no shirt in sight. Haruhi had to hide a giggle when she noticed a small blush cover her best friend's face. "O'Haruhi, who owes us 8 million yen, and Koharu, who has pledged to help her?"

The two said girls flinched at his truth and evilness.

"A good man does not bundle himself up!" Tamaki told them, brandishing a large fan that had a golden frame and red and white cloth on it. "Even if it is early spring when the world is freezing, at this club, we want to receive those freezing kittens with a warm tropical aura!"

Tamaki grabbed each of the two females into a one armed hug a piece. "Yes! Today, this place will be the ultimate paradise! A hot, hot island of everlasting summer!"

He threw his palm up in the air and Koharu slid out of his arm to take a few steps away from him.

"Actually, I feel cold in various ways," Haruhi told him coldly. Koharu just nodded from where she stood.

-The Host Club is now open-

"This is such skin as sleek as ceremonial dress akin to the King of Bali's. . ." Tamaki said to his customers, his voice the deep tone that could make any of the girls around him swoon with practiced ease. "But before my goddess, I can only succumb and am nothing but a loyal servant."

"Tamaki-kun."

"Tamaki-sama." the girls swooned over him. "Wow."

"Ah, yes, yes. Next week is when the Ouran Host Club's dance party takes place." Tamaki informed the three swooning girls at the table that they sat at.

"Dance party?" Haruhi asked, turning back around from picking up their glasses to place on her cart and replaced them with full glasses of tropical juices.

"What party?" Koharu asked, walking up after hearing her words. Haruhi shrugged and the two females hear a squeal of joy coming from the twins' table. Even the girls that Hunny was hosting were squealing with joy as he climbed up Mori's side to place a ring of red hibiscus around his neck. "Why are our customers so strung up today?"

"Showing a fair amount of skin is well-received," Kyouya told the two girls, appearing next to a nearby tree.

"Did you plan this, Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi asked him. Koharu smirked a little, though her face matched a nearby hibiscus bouquet at the sight of the dark-haired boy.

"I have no power to make the decision on themes, Haruhi." He said, writing in his journal the new tid-bit that he picked up about Koharu. "Those decisions fall in complete control of King Tamaki. But, it did pay off to put a photo collection of Bali on his desk."

"So that is what I saw him looking at in class today?" Koharu said to Kyouya, who nodded. The two girls walked off to go to their table. Koharu had to take a deep breath as they moved away to steady herself and control her blush.

"That guy is the Shadow King," Haruhi whispered to her companion. Koharu nodded slightly and the two found their customers already waiting for them.

"Haruhi-kun!" one called.

"Koharu-kun!" called the other. The two secretly female hosts sat down and smiled at the two girls.

"Thank you for requesting me again, Nichibachi-san," Koharu said to the girl who called to her. The girl blushed madly.

"You're not wearing tropical clothing?" their other customer asked.

"I want to see!" Nichibachi said excitedly.

"I think that during early spring we should wear early spring clothes," Haruhi told them hastily. She looked over at Koharu for help.

"Bali clothing would be nice to wear, but only when it is warmer. Right now, while it is cold, we should wear clothing that keeps us warm," Koharu said matter-of-factly, though both female hosts knew the real reason why they didn't match their friends.

-Flashback-

"I've prepared you two clothes too!" Tamaki had said to them as they finished preparing for their guests to arrive earlier that afternoon. "And. . . They match mine!"

Next to him were two mannequins wearing large headdresses and flashy dresses.

"Um, there is no way in hell I am going to wear that," Koharu had said with only one glance at her revealing one. It was a large gold crown that looked heavy, white flowing skirt, a purple wrap for her chest, and red wraps for accents.

"I don't think so," Haruhi had said to her nearly complete cover up one. It was a larger version of Koharu's. It was a full white dress with heavy gold necklaces coming down to her waist with a large amount of purple and red fabric covering the skirt.

-End flashback-

"So you two treasure the sense of season?" their other guest asked, her dark blue hair moving as she tilted her head. The two hosts nodded, trying to keep up with their small lie. "Then it would be wonderful to see blooming cherry blossoms at the dance party!"

"A couple dancing under the blooming cherry blossoms. . . how dreamy!" Nichibachi cried, a dreamy look coming to her brown eyes.

"It is sweet that all of you have dreams," Koharu said, smiling her host smile at them.

"I find it cute," Haruhi says to them, also smiling. The two girls squealed at the hosts' smiles.

"Excuse me," a girl said, walking up to the girls' table. "But I believe it is almost time to for the next shifts now."

"We're sorry," Haruhi apologized to her with a small bow.

"You're our next customer?" Koharu asked the girl, smiling apologetically.

"Kasugasaki Kanako from class 2-B," Kanako introduced herself. She lifted Haruhi's chin upward gently to see her face. "You are much cuter than rumors give credit, Haruhi-kun. I have decided. I will make you my new favorite."

-Later-

Tamaki was sitting at a table eating ramen and mumbling random things.

"Tono, stop eating commoner noodles," the twins called to him from a table they were at with the others. The sun was just beginning to set outside after their club activities. "And start helping plan the dance party!"

"Is he so depressed that Princess Kasugasaki prefers Haruhi now?" Hikaru asked to no one in particular as they watched him pout.

Thump, thump, thump.

The hosts turned towards the loud banging that was being emitted from the door. Koharu, Hikaru, and Mori all stood up from their chairs, while the others sat in their seats, tensed from nerves of what the noise could be. Suddenly the door burst open to reveal a tall blonde boy and a brunette girl in a side-kicking position.

"Koharu! Sorry about the door, but Ema just got back and wanted to see you," the boy addressed Koharu sheepishly. He had long blonde hair that was parted to cover his left eye and his eyes were a deep blue color. He had on a loose t-shirt with A. Eagle written across it and a pair of torn up blue jeans. "And you know how bad Ema's sense of direction is so someone. . ."

The boy trailed off when the girl, Ema, started to walk forward. She had short brown hair that was styled like a boy's and deep brown eyes. She had on loose army pants, a black tank-top, and heavy black army boots. Koharu came up to her and the two hugged for a moment.

"It is good to see you again, Emily, and I hope your trip was fun, but," Koharu sighed and gestured towards the other hosts, all of which were wide-eyed at the two guests. "I am in the middle of a club meeting as Acelin should have told you."

Koharu shot a glare at Acelin as she said his name. He just grinned at her, showing off his perfect white teeth, and Emily looked over Koharu's shoulder towards Mori, who had a blank expression on his face, but his black eyes revealed a hint of curiosity. She nodded at him in respect; somehow the two knew that they were both the silent protectors of someone. Even though he did not show it, Mori was a little happy to find the source of the noise somewhat like him.

Koharu turned back to the hosts and gave a quick sigh. She then smiled her 'host' smile at them, which made all of them realize that she was faking the happiness on her face. "Everyone I would like to introduce to you my older brother, Acelin, and my younger sister, Emily."

"But I'm still taller." Emily said smugly, in English. Koharu glanced over at Emily's smug look with an annoyed one.

"Emily, it has been a while since you have been around, so some advice from your kind big bubba. Do not mess with Autumn while she is around a bunch of buffoons." Acelin told Emily, also in English. Emily and Koharu gave short laughs of amusement.

"Then that would be all the time Ace," Koharu said, smirking at the adult. "Seeing as how our house is full of them."

The hosts had little idea what the siblings' little banter was about, most of them only being able to translate fast enough to catch snippets of what they were saying. Kyouya stood and moved to Koharu's side, him paying close attention to the conversation and easily translating the words as they were said.

"I would advise the two of you to please leave now," he said in a perfect English accent. Koharu was slightly surprised that he spoke so well since their English teacher never seemed to call on him to read to their class when they did verbal work. "We are very busy and Koharu has duties she must attend to."

Emily measured Kyouya up and down, not hiding her irritation. Whatever she saw in him caused her grab Koharu's arm and pull her to her side.

"And I would advise you," she stated in perfect Japanese, much to the surprise of the Host Club. "To not be so close to my sister, I know your kind all too well. . ."

She paused for dramatic effect, a small smile spreading across her slips as she did so.

"Because you see. . . I know everything." Her eyes flashed dangerously before returning to her bored expression. She turned on her heel, her hand leaving Koharu's arm for only a second, and started to drag Koharu towards the door. Acelin was standing by the large doors, stifling his laughter as the two neared. Koharu stopped them short and pulled her arm away from Emily's grasp.

"Emily, I want to stay here," she told the younger girl gently, a real smile on her face. She glanced over at the Host Club before she turned back to her siblings. "I won't be able to wait to get home and hear about your trip, but for now I have to stay here and work."

Emily glanced back at the host club, noticing their stares of curiosity. "Hm, fine enough, but seriously, Autumn, about that stiff neck over there. He's got a dangerous personality . . . watch out for him. I don't like his aura at all."

Kyouya cleared his throat with a sharp cough. "You do realize I can understand you, right?"

Emily smirked, eyes flashing once more, "Well, it wouldn't be as insulting if you didn't, now would it?"

For the first time since they met Koharu, she showed the slightest bit of violence. Koharu grimaced in what looked like pain and then smacked Emily in the back of the head. Half of the hosts gasped in shock at her action.

"Koharu!" Tamaki called, gliding over to hug her. "A lady should not strike another!"

"Tamaki, if you try to hug me I swear I will hit you as well," Koharu said to him, bringing up her hand. Emily nodded in agreement. Koharu then turned to her siblings with a hard expression on her face. "You guys made me upset. Now I have to go home and talk to Dad about keeping you guys away from my school while I have club activities. Sorry, guys. I'll see you later."

She grabbed the hands of her siblings and quickly left. All the way out, Emily was smirking and Acelin was trying not to laugh. Once the door closed the hosts all sweat dropped. Once they recovered, they began to discuss the party and Kanako-hime again, thus leading to a discussion about her 'illness'. They then explained that Kanako went from one host to another every few weeks, instead of sticking with a host like most girls did.

"So, it's because Tono lost his customer that he is like this," the twins said together once they realized why Tamaki was sad.

"NO!" Tamaki yelled at them, running up to the table. He backed off seconds later with a desperate look on his face. "That's it! I can't stand it anymore! Haruhi, become a woman already!"

"Huh?" Haruhi said, confused about his sudden outburst. Suddenly, his words clicked that he wanted her to be a girl in the school instead of a male host. "Uh . . . no."

"Why would you become popular with girls if you already are one?" Tamaki whined, shaking his head violently. "Truly, the only people who know you are a girl are the host members!"

"P.E. is optional," Kaoru said with a shrug.

"And seating arrangements are both male and female," Hikaru said, also shrugging. Tamaki ran off to a corner and pulled out a chest from nowhere.

"You see Daddy wants," Tamaki said, pulling out two large frames. One of the frames had a picture of a girl with large chocolate eyes and long, straight brown hair. Her blue and red sailor uniform made all of them believe that she was still in middle school. The other picture was of a girl with long black hair and large blue eyes. She had on a cream blazer with a black tie over a white dress shirt. "Daddy wants. . . Daddy wants to see Haruhi and Koharu when she looked like this!"

Tamaki was holding up a blown up picture of Haruhi and Koharu in middle school.

"Don't blow up other people's photos without their permission!" Haruhi yelled at him for herself and Koharu. The pictures were placed on the wall and the other hosts crowded around them.

"The more I look at it, the more I am in awe," Hikaru said while he and his brother examined middle school Haruhi. He pointed to the picture and then pointed to thin air. "How did 'this' become 'that'?"

The hosts all remembered what Haruhi looked like when they first met her and Koharu. The club turned to Haruhi for explanation of the drastic change.

"The day before I started here a neighborhood kid put gum in my hair, so I had to cut it off. You know, I really don't mind if I'm taken as a guy." Haruhi told them, rubbing the back of her head. She then shrugged and smiled a little. "Koharu said that she cut her hair because of an argument with one of her sisters. They said something about being her not being able to cut her hair and then she tried to do it with a pair of safety scissors. I really don't see why it's such a big deal to be thought of as a guy."

"Girls shouldn't use 'ore' to address themselves!" Tamaki yelled at her, crying a river of tears and cupping her face. He quickly turned his attention to the other hosts. "Mom! Haruhi's using foul language!"

"Mom, being?" Hikaru asked Kyouya as Tamaki slumped down to the ground.

"Position wise . . . probably me," Kyouya answered calmly.

"Besides, to pay off the debt before graduation, it's easier to be a host and receive requests than to do trivial chores." They heard a voice say from the door. They all turned to see Koharu in the doorway. She seemed much calmer now than when she had left half an hour ago. She walked over to Haruhi and put a hand on her shoulder. "And I think we are a pretty good team of hosts like this."

"Putting that aside," Hikaru sighed dismissively. The twins turned to Haruhi and Koharu with curious smiles.

"Hey, you two!" They called together, drawing the two girls' attention. "Do you have any ballroom experience? That is a must for the party, ne?"

"Um. . . I have some," Koharu said sheepishly. The twins stared at her, a little shocked at the sudden information. "My stepmother wanted me to be a debutant, so I had to learn when I was younger."

Now all of the hosts were staring at her in shock. She grinned at them a little, a shy expression on her face from their stares. Tamaki shook his head as if to clear it, before he pointed at the two female hosts.

"Haruhi, Koharu if you two can't master ballroom dancing in one week and show it off at the party, you two will have to expose yourselves as girls to the entire school!" Tamaki declared. Koharu sweat dropped and Haruhi looked scared at the sudden declaration.

-The next day-

"Quick, quick, slow," Kanako instructed Haruhi while they waltzed in their part of the third music room. Behind them was Koharu and Nichibachi dancing well for their first time together. When Koharu had said she had gotten lessons, she had given an understatement. The two only stumbled every now and then as they gracefully swirled around the room. As the hosts looked on to their dances, they realized Koharu could dance better than a commoner should.

"Remember, the gentleman should lead. If you need an example, just look at Koharu. Look carefully at your partner when you dance," Kanako said patiently in a soft murmur as they moved into a turn. The couple tripped and fell, so Haruhi was on top of Kanako. Haruhi tried to get off while apologizing furiously. Kanako pulled her back down with a small giggle. "It's okay, Haruhi-kun."

The other hosts were watching now. Nichibachi was blushing fiercely from just looking at them. She looked up at Koharu's calm expression and blushed even more, images of her and her favorite host whirling through her mind.

"Our lord is looking gloomy," the twins said together as they watched Tamaki in his corner of woe while Koharu, Haruhi, Hunny, and Mori were across the room working on their waltzing.

"I heard he wanted to be Haruhi's dance partner," Hikaru said to his brother with a chuckle.

"That's impossible," Kaoru answered knowingly. "He is too tall to be a female dance partner for Haruhi."

During this little unheard discussion, the three groups of dancers decided to take a break for a moment and quickly set up a table for each of their guests.

"Um, Koharu-kun, you are. . . you are a ve-very good dancer," Nichibachi tried to say to the smiling 'boy' next to her.

"Thank you, I am still trying to get ahold of leading though," Koharu answered, modestly. She rubbed the back of her head with one hand and smiled down at Nichibachi.

"If I may ask, why do you need to get used to leading?" Nichibachi questioned with a tilt of her head. Koharu looked over to one of the many windows and her smile shrinking.

"I normally have to play the female part in dancing, because I am shorter than both of my brothers," Koharu explained. Her smile returned as she turned back to Nichibachi. "But it is fun to be able to try and figure out my appropriate role with you, Nichibachi-chan."

Nichibachi blushed and turned her head down a little. Across the room, the other pair of dancers were also talking about dancing over some tea.

"I'm sorry, Kasugasaki-chan. It must be troublesome to be teaching me to waltz," Haruhi apologized as she stepped away from the table with a small bow. Kanako just looked up at her and smiled at the host.

"Oh, I don't mind," she told 'him'. "I heard you will not be able to receive guests, because of this intensive practice. I am rather happy I will be able to monopolize your time now."

"Ah," Haruhi sighed. Kyouya slowly walked up to the two with Nichibachi trailing behind her.

"Oh my, are these new cups?" Kanako said, picking up her tea cup. She turned it slowly in her hands to examine it thoroughly. "These are Ginori, right?"

"Earth seaweed?" Haruhi questioned Kyouya, confused about the translated name.

"You have the eyes of an expert," Kyouya said to Kanako, completely ignoring Haruhi. "This set just came in yesterday. Our club is putting effort in upgrading its tea set collection."

"I see. It has a gorgeous color. It's so beautiful," she said adoringly. A look of realization came over Tamaki.

"You like tableware, eh?" Haruhi asked Kanako with an innocent smile.

"N-n-n-no. I don't really like them," she stuttered, a nervous laugh escaping her lips as she tried to wave away the question.

"W-what are you saying?" she said, giving another nervous laugh.

'She likes them,' Haruhi thought undoubtedly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Kanako's actions. 'But. . . why does she hide it?'

"Good day. I've brought the teacups you ordered," a brunette boy said, walking in with a large box in his arms. Kanako gave a start at the voice, which didn't go unnoticed by Tamaki, Haruhi, or Koharu.

"Ah, thank you. The wares you have chosen for us are all very well received by the ladies," Kyouya told him, a small respectful smile playing on his lips. "You are very good."

"I'm glad to hear that," the boy replied with a small smile. He was tall and had a shy demeanor, but something about him just made you want to trust him.

"Is that someone from the company?" Haruhi asked, walking over to the two boys. Kyouya hid his amusement by making his glasses reflect the light in the room.

"I'm just a student. I'm wearing the uniform, right?" the boy told Haruhi, an awkward smile forming on his lips. He handed the box over to Haruhi just as they heard a laugh come from Kanako, causing them to turn towards her.

"You are a very funny person Haruhi-kun," she said, turning to them from the table. Her face was blank of all emotion as she faced the three. "But that is understandable. He does not look like the heir to a first-class corporation."

"Heir?" Koharu asked, coming up to them with Nichibachi closely following.

"The Suzushima Trading Company mainly deals with the import and export of tableware," Kyouya informed her and Haruhi quickly. "Right now, their share of the market is number one in the country. So I asked him to bring us some whenever a shipment came in. Thinking about it, they are the only second in the importing and exporting a certain item by the Veddette family of Italy."

Koharu inwardly grimaced at the mention of the Italian name. She quickly recovered to look over at Kanako with Haruhi. The two girls saw Kanako as she moved to face the table. Kyouya continued to address Suzushima. "I really trust your eyes, Suzushima-kun."

"Oh. My eyes aren't that . . . good yet," he said modestly, looking at the floor with a small blush covering his face.

"I heard you're studying abroad in England starting next month?" Kyouya asked him politely, just trying to learn a little more about the potential business partner for his family.

"Yes, well I'll be going," Suzushima said, then turned to leave.

"Are you enjoying your time at the Host Club?" Tamaki suddenly asked Kanako after Suzushima left. Kanako turned to him, her short hair flipping into her face as she turned to face him.

"Are you close to Suzushima-kun?" Koharu asked her. Kanako turned around to face her now, shock taking over her face.

"How can you say something like that Koharu-chan? I had better get going!" she laughed nervously. She quickly got up and left without another word.

"Good-bye Koharu-chan. Thank you for letting me dance with you," Nichibachi bowed to Koharu, drawing the hosts' attention to her. Koharu smiled at her and bowed as well. Nichibachi straightened herself and left, closing the door with a soft 'thud' behind her. As soon as the door closed, the twins came up behind Koharu.

"Do you really dance with your brothers?" Hikaru asked her.

"You never told us that," Kaoru told her in a hurtful manner.

"I didn't think I would have to tell you guys about my entire life," Koharu snapped at them. "My step-mother made my brother and I take several dancing classes along with the debutant classes. Truthfully the lessons are still imprinted into our brains."

"Hey, Haru," Haruhi said as she and Koharu walked down a long road. The road was lined with tall trees and a white-metal gate. They were listening to Koharu's iPod and joking around as they headed to Koharu's home. Haruhi looked at each of the gates as they passed the homes on the road to see the houses getting larger and larger. Haruhi knew that Koharu's family wasn't exactly poor and they were large, so a large house was no surprise to her, but the houses were getting to be much larger than she was expecting.

"Yeah Haru?" Koharu answered with a smile towards her best friend. She couldn't wait to show the petite girl next to her the house that her father had built after her mother insisted that their family live in Japan. She glanced down the road to see how much farther they had until they would reach the large, white, curly-cue, metal gates of her family's home. Only a few more minutes and they'd be able to see most of her house.

"I thought you lived in an apartment," Haruhi said as the trees around the road started to thin a little, allowing the far larger houses to be seen. Had she misunderstood and Koharu actually live in a boarding house and consider everyone in the house her family? No, Koharu had specifically said that she lived in an apartment not too far from the school and they were about twice as far away from the school than Haruhi's own apartment.

"Only on weekdays," Koharu clarified, a soft smile playing on her lips. The younger girl must not believe that she could live in a large house if she was going to Ouran on scholarship. "On the weekends I live with the rest of my family."

"Isn't it hard to live in two houses?" Haruhi wondered, a thoughtful expression coming to her round face. Koharu answered her with a giggle.

"It is, but it makes everyone happy so I don't care. Besides, it's easier for Yuigo to see his girlfriend this way, she is the heir of a large tea distributor after all," Koharu finally said as they headed around a curve in the road. When they cleared the curve, the girls were able to see a three-story Victorian-style house. It was pure white in color, matching the gates that blocked their entrance. The gates had a large V formed in the middle with small stars decorating the rest of it. Koharu gave a laugh at Haruhi's stare. "Welcome to my house."

"Wow," was all Haruhi could say as Koharu led her down the cobblestone road, through the large front doors, and up the grand staircase to a white door with a midnight blue star on it.

"And this is my room," Koharu said opening the door for Haruhi. The room was large and open, sunlight filling it from the glass windows that were on the roof. It had a couch in it that was facing the 72-inch plasma TV that was hanging on the wall, game consoles hooked up and placed in a glass cabinet underneath it. On the opposite wall was a kitchenette with a stocked fridge and cabinets and small microwave. "My bathroom is across the room and my actual bed is through the double doors."

She walked over to said double doors and opened them completely with a small clicking sound. In the room was a king size bed that looked softer than any of Haruhi's own pillows, covering with a white lace comforter and surrounded by white furniture. The bed was piled high with pillows and surrounding it was a fine white canopy.

"My father spoils me," Koharu said to Haruhi, who was trailing behind her as went around her room and opened different cabinets to show what each held so Haruhi would know where to go for things. "He thinks I should have nothing but the best. I say he should save his money in case we really do need it."

All Haruhi could do was nod as Koharu led the way back to the couch and turned on the TV, a blue screen lighting up before Koharu's Xbox turned on and replaced the blue screen.

"Would like to play some video games?" Koharu offered right before Haruhi's stomach growled loudly. There was a moment's pause before both girls burst out in laughter. "Lunch first, I guess. Would you like a snack out of the kitchenette or shall we go downstairs and have some lunch?"

Haruhi thought the offer over for a moment. Her stomach growled loudly again, effectively making up her mind for her. "Lunch sounds good."

"I think today's meals are all Italian," Koharu said as the two girls stood up and prepared for the trip back down three flights of stairs.

"What do you mean?" Haruhi asked as they left the room.

"Dad hired chefs from all around the world to take turns cooking for us. He believes it will be good for us to eat food from where we were born," Koharu said with a sigh, looking at all of artwork that hung on the cream walls. Haruhi thought it over until they had finished the trek down to a side room that had a wooden table surrounded by several plush chairs.

"So, who is Italian?" she asked as a few servants pulled out chairs for them. They sat down in the plush chairs, the chairs only giving way slightly even though they were so soft.

"I am," Koharu answered simply. She then turned to the servant with a smile on her face. "Ask Sir Lucian if he could make two plates of angel hair pasta."

"Of course, madame," the servant responded and quickly left for the kitchen. The girls started to chat until two servants came out of swinging double doors, carrying plates with their food on it. After setting it down in front of the girls, the two servants quickly left. Haruhi picked up her fork and started to eat the large plate of pasta in front of her.

"This is delicious," she said after taking one bite. Haruhi immediately stabbed the plate with her fork and began to twist the fork so the noodles would twist around it. There was a booming laugh from behind them.

"Thank you madame," a man's voice came from behind and the girls turned to see a tall, handsome man standing there. He had a thin blonde beard and was wearing what could only be described as the typical wear of chefs, tall hat included.

"Delicious as always, Sir Lucian," Koharu said with a smile. Sir Lucian bowed with a grin from ear to ear.

"It is my pleasure, madame," he answered, then left to go prepare for lunch. Not too much longer later, there was a thud from the entrance hall and a sharp cry from a little girl.

"Rosalin are you alright?" a gruff female voice floated through the entryway from the main hallway. "You know better than to run down the stairs."

"But I want to meet Koharu's friend!" the little girl's voice returned. Haruhi turned to Koharu with a confused look on her face. Koharu had a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

"Who-?" she began, but Koharu raised a finger to her lips to motion for Haruhi to be quiet. The doors opened to reveal three girls that looked nowhere neat alike. Haruhi was able to recognize Emily in army fatigues on the right of two blondes. The shorter blonde had on a very lacey pink dress and the taller blonde had on leather and neon blue clothing.

"Hello sisters. Are the boys already gone?" Koharu said, her smile finally forming on her lips as she looked around her sisters for her brothers.

"Of course Koharu, they left last night," the older blonde informed her with a bark-like laugh.

"Little brother didn't go to Risako's again, did he?" Koharu laughed, causing her sisters to laugh too.

"No, they actually went to your apartment like they were supposed to," Caitlin informed her. "Lin made sure to call me off his cell last night."

"Haruhi," Koharu said, turning to the shocked younger girl who was obviously confused about what was happening. "These are my sisters. You've already met Emily. The smaller blonde is my half-sister, Rosalin, and the older is my German sister, Caitlin."

"Hello," the three bowed at the same time. Haruhi could only give a small bow of her head through her shock.

"Let's go upstairs," Caitlin insisted as she and the other two girls at her sides stepped into the room to talk to their sister and new friend.

"Let me and Haruhi finish eating first," Koharu told the other three girls as she turned back to her meal.

-Later-

The five girls were now sitting around Koharu's main room, chatting and getting to know Haruhi so they could start to trust her with their sister.

"Oh! I know what we can do!" Rosalin exclaimed when they ran out of things to talk about and were just staring around their circle.

"Lord save us," Caitlin mumbled, causing Emily and Koharu to laugh and Rosalin to pout. Koharu translated for Haruhi, who laughed happily at the small tease.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Rosalin finally yelled over the laughter of the other girls. The four older girls looked at her suspiciously as she stared at each of them in turn.

"Why would we play that?" Caitlin asked, a nervous laugh escaping her electric blue lips. Emily cleared her throat to get their attention. Everyone looked at the calm teen that was sitting on the corner of the bed.

"How about we add the chicken rule to our game?" she suggested eerily. Devious grins spread across the faces of all of the older girls as they thought of all of the dares they would make the others do. Rosalin fidgeted a little at the other's faces.

"Let's make some snacks first!" she suggested, jumping off the bed to land on her small feet a few feet away. She turned back to her sisters and Haruhi with her hair bouncing lightly.

"Sure they might be useful later," Haruhi said, standing up from the mass of pillows she was leaning against.

"I like the way you think, Haruhi." Caitlin complimented as the rest of the girls stood up and went to the kitchenette. After an argument over who got what snacks between Caitlin and Rosalin and a small food fight with M&Ms and jelly beans, the group finally picked up their snacks of choice and headed back to the room.

"Okay I'm starting this," Caitlin said eagerly as the five girls circled around the edges of Koharu's bed with their boxes of candy and chocolate in their laps and slightly piled together in the middle of the bed. "Emily?"

"Dare," Emily said, taking a bite of a freshly unwrapped Hershey's bar. Rosalin looked between her sister's chocolate and the gummy candy she had picked out with a pout. She now regretted not picking the chocolate before Emily could get a hold of it.

"Oh, you little devil," Caitlin chuckled, thinking of something she could make her unashamed sister do. "I dare you to-"

She noticed Emily dip her chocolate into a tub of whipped cream that sat in the middle of everyone, an evil thought forming in her mind as she eyed her own French fries and ketchup.

"I dare you to mix your whipped cream and my ketchup and eat the mix," Caitlin said happily, proud of the idea she had come up with for her courageous sister. Everyone stared at her like she was crazy, except for the dared girl. Emily shrugged, took a spoon, dipped it in whipped cream, and poured some ketchup on it. She looked at it for a minute before she ate it. She grimaced a little as the younger two girls looked on in horror. Caitlin and Koharu on the other hand were laughing their heads off at the expression on her face.

"Okay," Emily said, taking a deep breath to try to get the odd taste from her mouth and looking around the circle of mismatched girls. "Haruhi, Truth or Dare?"

"Uh, Truth," Haruhi answered, a little nervous of the courageous girl's calm expression.

"What do you think of that Shadow in your club?" Emily asked bluntly, receiving a smack to the arm from Koharu.

"Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi wondered, thinking hard. Emily nodded, watching her intently. "I don't know what to think. He is nice one moment and menacing the next. It is very. . . "

"Confusing?" Koharu supplied to Haruhi's nod of agreement.

"Yeah, he is confusing," she agreed. Emily smirked knowingly. Haruhi turned to her best friend, still a little nervous to ask anything of the girls around her. "Koharu truth or dare?"

"Dare," Koharu said confidently. Haruhi thought for a moment then looked at the older girl evilly.

"I dare you to call Kyouya-senpai and tell him how much you like him," Haruhi said, causing Koharu to blush a deep crimson.

"I told you to keep that a secret," Koharu said barely over a whisper, unable to look at her best friend and sisters.

"And I'll be keeping that promise," Haruhi countered with a shrug.

"Come on, Koharu," Rose said happily to her older sister, jumping up and down on the bed. Emily caught the excited girl and forced the blonde to sit in her lap.

"Yeah do it," Caitlin said, encouragingly patting Koharu on the back. Suddenly, Koharu jumped up and off the bed. She then ran around the room and checked every nook and cranny.

"I knew it!" she said, checking behind a chair. "Get out you two."

Two boys stood up reluctantly. One was tall with scraggly, black curls and defined muscles that were hardly hidden under his tight tee and jeans. The other was a blonde with long, styled hair and a unique red shirt and matching pants on.

"Lin!" Rosalin cried, jumping up and slapping the blonde boy on the leg. "You shouldn't be in here."

"Sorry Rose," Acelin answered his little sister.

"Yuigo? I thought you would at least be on a date with Risako," Koharu said softly to the bigger boy. He looked at her with his sorrowful onyx eyes.

"Sorry," Yuigo said in his soft voice. Haruhi was shocked that such a tall and muscular boy would be so soft spoken.

'Then again I know Mori-senpai,' she thought with a small smile.

"Onee-chans! Onii-chans!" Rose called to the older kids, twirling around in a circle. "Let's show our guest Koharu's song!"

The older kids smiled and formed a line in front of Haruhi. Rose skipped into the line.

"Haruhi," Koharu said slowly, slightly embarrassed to be showing her friend her secret project. "This song is what I've written in the month we've been a part of the Host Club."

Haruhi nodded. Acelin brought out his iPod and played a song full blast from the little dock.

"When we opened the doors, there was. . ." Koharu said as a guitar started to strum.

"We're always waiting her for you, so," Yuigo sang from next to Koharu. His voice was deep, but held a soft tone that made Haruhi wish to just close her eyes and listen. "If something's troubling you, let us hear about it."

"Your sad face," Caitlin sang to Emily, a cocky smile playing at the punk's pale face as she sang in a deep voice.

"Which had been crying until just now," Emily sang back, a smirk appearing as she countered her older sister's tone with her own deep one.

"Look, when it comes to us, we can change it into a smile before you know it," Acelin finished grandly, his tone high for a boy.

"Change it into a smile!" Rose squeaked in her high voice.

"See you tomorrow! So we can see you smiling like a cloud floating in the perfectly clear blue sky. Bask in the light of the day with all of your might and start walking, with me," all of them finished together, their voices harmonizing with practiced ease. Koharu stepped out of line once the music died down.

"What do you think of it so far?" she asked a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with a small smile of pride that they had actually been able to sing that much without any trouble.

"It's amazing," Haruhi breathed, still amazed at their ability to sing.

"Were you able to tell whose part each line was?" Koharu asked worriedly with a nod in return. All of them sighed in relief. "I feared you wouldn't."

"You can tell," Haruhi said happily, a large smile forming on her face in pride for her friend's talent. "Now back to our dare."

Koharu sighed and ushered the two boys out of her room with a pointed look. Caitlin handed her a small cordless phone as she came and sat down at the head of the bed again. With a sigh, Koharu dialed Kyouya's cell phone with shaking fingers.

"Hello?" Everyone was able to hear from Kyouya's side of the line before Koharu placed the speaker next to her ear and the sound was muffled by her ear.

"Kyouya?" Koharu said a little weaker than normal. There was a brief pause in which Haruhi gave Koharu a pointed look to calm down and speak right.

"Are you okay Koharu?" Kyouya asked quickly, as if he was so concerned that he couldn't breathe.

"Yes," Koharu answered, getting a little bit louder as she stared at Haruhi's look of encouragement. "I need to tell you something."

"I'm all ears," Kyouya said and Koharu took a deep breath.

"I like you," two voices said at the same time. Koharu sat in shock for a minute.

"W-What?" she finally stammered out, her mind reeling at the thought of what she believed Kyouya had just said.

"I said I like you," Kyouya said slowly and gently as if he couldn't believe it himself and wished to make sure. "And I believe you said the same."

"Y-Yes," Koharu said with what little breath she had as her eyes widened in pure shock.

"I guess that means we are dating now," Kyouya stated and Koharu could almost see the smirk playing at his lips as he spoke. "I have to go now, but I will see you at school bright and early Monday."

"Bye Kyouya," Koharu said, a smile spreading on her face. She hung up the phone and looked at her sisters and friend with excitement dancing in her eyes.

"Oh my god, the Shadow King actually likes someone," Haruhi whispered, shock clear on her face as she stared at the phone in Koharu's hand. She started smile along with her best friend. "Good luck Monday Haru."

"Thanks Haru," Koharu said with happiness clear in her voice. A growl came from across the circle and the two looked up to see Emily in a real bad mood, her bangs shadowing her eyes to cast of look of pure evil in the already dark orbs.

"You know I don't like him Autumn," she said in English with a glare towards the phone that still rested in Koharu's hands. "He isn't good for you."

"It's my choice, little sister," Koharu glared back at her, obviously displeased with her little sister's attitude. "He is the one I want to be with."

Emily growled and jumped off the bed. She picked up her chocolate and silently stalked out of the room with everyone watching her intently.

"I don't feel like playing anymore," Caitlin said sadly, slightly upset about her sisters' argument. She tried to smile at the others as she got off the bed with her leftover snacks. "Let's go play video games until we all pass out."

The four girls got up and went to the other room to settle in for the night. There, they played Koharu's Wii and Xbox until well past midnight.

The next morning dawned brightly through the lace curtains of Koharu's room though the girls were all sleeping happily together on Koharu's couch and floor in the main part of her suite. At about 8 o'clock, a loud bang occurred as Koharu's bedroom door was thrown open. All of the sleeping girls were startled awake as a man that looked to be in his late twenties walked over to them. He had light brown hair and crystal blue eyes and was wearing a light brown suit with a golden tie and white dress shirt.

"Oh my precious baby girl," he said, kneeling down next to Koharu with a loving expression on his thin face. All of them just looked at the lanky man groggily. After a moment's pause, Koharu was crushed against the man's chest in a fierce hug, "Oh my baby, my little baby. I missed you, my baby."

"D-Daddy!" Koharu squeaked from the man's arms, struggling to free herself even a little bit from his arms. "I can't breathe."

"Oh, I'm sorry baby," the man cooed as he let her go. Koharu fell back into her pillows with a small sigh. Koharu turned to Haruhi, smiling through her pants for breath.

"Haruhi, this is my father, Yamato," Koharu introduced when she was able to breathe again, motioning to the man next to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Yoshiiva," Haruhi said, respectfully bowing her head. All of the girls and Yamato froze and turned to Koharu with confused looks.

"Baby, why did she just call me by you mother's last name?" Yamato asked his eldest daughter, a strained smile forming on his thin lips.

"I registered under Mama's name when I entered the school. Don't you remember us discussing that, Daddy?" Koharu said sweetly to the old man. Yamato sat stock still at these words, trying to remember back to the few months ago that they had registered Koharu to her new school. Koharu continued with her own remembrance as her father thought. "You wanted me to make friends without them being fake, right? Mama's name isn't as big as yours is."

"What is your last name then?" Haruhi asked, becoming truly confused as she looked around at the mismatched family.

"Veddette," all of the girls and Yamato said together, smiling in their own ways. Haruhi just looked at them in a disbelieving way, her eyes blinking as she looked at each of them.

"It roughly means 'stars' in Italian," Caitlin informed the younger girl who was just blinking at them with a wink.

"It's also the name of the famous Italian boat company," Rose put in from next to her older sister, shaking free of the blankets that had wrapped around her throughout the night.

"And the name that makes every break-out singer beg," Caitlin winked at the youngest girl, who giggled in return.

"Enough gloating young ladies," Mr. Veddette reprimanded his daughters, though a smile was playing at his lips again. The man turned to Haruhi with a slightly stern look on his face. "Now Miss Haruhi how do you know my baby girl?"

"Uh," Haruhi mumbled, looking at Koharu, who gave a slight shake of her head. "I know senpai from class."

"What class?" Yamato continued to question, eyeing the nervous girl next to him.

"PE," Koharu answered for the younger girl, taking control of the conversation to save herself and Haruhi the trouble of explaining their real relationship to her father. She smiled sweetly at her father. "Now will you excuse us so we may get ready for the day Daddy?"

"Of course, baby. How very rude of me," Yamato said apologetically, standing and hurrying out of the room. The door closed softly behind him.

"Is he always like this?" Haruhi asked, watching in shock as the man left.

"Yep," chimed the three Veddette girls as they flopped back into the pillows to relax for a moment longer before they had to get dressed.

"I wish he wouldn't treat us like that," Caitlin sighed, rubbing the back of her head against the pillow she was resting on.

"I wish he would just stop calling me 'baby'," Koharu said, sitting up and eyeing her sister as the younger girl rubbed her head. The door suddenly burst open once again.

"Koharu!" two girls squealed as they jumped over the couch to land on the cushions. "We're back from Scotland!"

"Hello Na, Ne," Koharu replied with a chuckle towards the two red-haired twins that had bounded into her room. Haruhi had to rub her eyes in order to make sure that she was not seeing the Hitachiin twins sitting on the couch. "Haruhi, these are my younger sisters, Aileana and Aileene."

"Also known as Na and Ne," Caitlin said as the twins tackled Koharu back into the mass of blankets. The two wiggled their butts in the air as they pinned Koharu to the ground. "So what's new you two?"

"Nothing much," Aileana said as she and Aileene sat up, freeing Koharu from their grasp. Both of them had long red hair that was braided and bright green eyes. At the moment, they were wearing matching neon green tee shirts and faded blue jeans.

"Have you finished any of the songs Koharu?" Aileene asked Koharu happily, an eager twinkle in her bright eyes.

"I'm almost done with Sakura Kiss and Mata Ashita," Koharu said and turned to explain to Haruhi, whose head was tilted slightly in confusion. "I'm writing songs like the one we showed you last night for each of the hosts. My siblings are willing to test each for me as I finish them."

"Wow," was all Haruhi could say as she stared at her friend in amazement.

"Na! Ne!" their father's voice called from outside the room, bringing their attention to the fact that the twins had escaped their father to come see Koharu.

"Get out of here!" Koharu and Caitlin yelled, throwing pillows at the twins, who ran out of the room giggling their heads off.

"So Haru-chan," Rose said, scooting up to the shocked girl with an innocent smile. Haruhi looked down at the cute expression that was on the little girl's face and blanched at the idea of the blonde asking her something. "What do you think of our family?"

"Eh?" Haruhi said, frowning slightly as she thought about the past sixteen or so hours that she had spent with the large family. "Th-They are different."

"That's all?" Caitlin laughed with her sisters. Haruhi smiled slightly at all of them, finding a little entertainment out of what she had said once she thought about it.

"Well Haru, you do know you can't say a word about my family to the other hosts, right?" Koharu said, hugging her best friend and smiling down at her.

"Of course!" Haruhi said dutifully, giving a mock salute to her older friend.

"That's my Haru," Koharu said, squeezing the younger girl's shoulder before releasing her and standing. The other girls followed her example and detangled themselves from the mass of blankets. "Next weekend I'm meeting your dad right?"

Haruhi nodded and the four girls got ready for the rest of the day. Caitlin and Rose made a quick getaway to their rooms to get ready while Haruhi and Koharu stayed behind to dress. A little less than an hour later, the four girls met up in the hallway and made their way down to the dining room where a long mahogany table lined with twenty matching chairs sat in the middle of the room.

"Welcome to our dining hall Haru," Koharu said with a gesture around the room. As the neared the chairs, Haruhi was able to see that each of the chairs had a V engraved into them, which she now assumed meant Veddette. They sat down in the curly-cue chairs on the near end with Rose and Caitlin across from them. Soon two servants in matching tuxedos came in, both carrying a silver tray on each arm.

"Dig in," Koharu said as the trays were placed in front of them and the lids were removed. Haruhi saw her plate had eggs, toast, and bacon arranged on it. They were about halfway through with their meal when Emily, Aileana, and Aileene walked in. The twins sat down next to Caitlin as Emily sat down next to Koharu.

"Good morning!" the two red-haired twins chimed together as the two servants came out again to serve their breakfast. The girls were all laughing over their breakfasts when the door opened once more. The Veddette girls all stopped laughing when they saw that it was Yamato and a tall blonde woman in a long pink dress. Haruhi's laughter died out quickly after her new friends'. The Veddette girls all stood from their chairs as the woman and Yamato walked by.

"Good morning Father. Good morning Mother," the six girls chimed when the two walked to the head of the table. Once Yamato and the woman sat down, the six girls also sat back in their chairs.

"Good morning girls," their dad replied cheerfully. The woman just nodded in greeting. Haruhi noticed that she had a slight scowl on her blonde curl rimmed face. The seven girls finished their meal in silence, small glances being shared by all of them as they quickly finished. As they got up to leave, Haruhi noticed Na and Ne send glares down the table towards the woman. The girls quickly went up to Koharu's room, where they locked the door and sat around her bed.

"I hate her," Aileene growled deeply with her twin nodding in agreement.

"Who is she?" Haruhi asked, looking around at the relaxing sisters as she packed away her things for when she left.

"Since she hasn't officially adopted any of us, she's our step-mother," Caitlin said, motioning to herself, Emily, Na, Ne, and Koharu.

"She's also mine and Lin's mother," Rosalin said a little unhappily, a pout clear on her round face.

"Why do you not like her?" Haruhi wondered, pausing long enough to look at the upset girls.

"She is trying to control our lives," Emily growled at her. Koharu shook her head as she looked at her sisters.

"We should get you home," Koharu said, getting up and moved to stand next to Haruhi. She grabbed Haruhi's bag from her hands and motioned for her to follow her out of the room. "You shouldn't have to be here with her and all of these negative attitudes."

Haruhi could only nod as she and Koharu said good-bye to the slightly depressed girls and left the room brightly lit room. Koharu led her all the way out of the mansion and down the long stretch of road to the gates before she said anything.

"The others don't know our step-mother that well," she murmured over her shoulder, glancing at Haruhi with a soft expression. Haruhi looked up at her with mild surprise clear on her face. "They were all adopted after my father married her. Yuigo, Lin, and I are the only ones who have known how nice she is."

"Why do the others not know?" Haruhi questioned her, speeding up her steps to walk along side of her friend.

"She may not be their mother, but she tends to try to protect them which leads her to overprotect them in some cases. Yuigo and I have our father watching over us all the time so she doesn't control us as much, but the others only have her since Dad is always busy and focused on me and Yuigo." Koharu said in a hard tone, scowling towards the line of trees. "There are some things that she does that none of us like, but the three of us who are oldest know she only wants what's best for all of us."

By the time she finished her explanation, they were nearing Haruhi's street with her apartment looming over the line of trees. Koharu handed over Haruhi's bag and smiled at her brunette friend.

"So please don't judge Mary by what my siblings say. I'll see you tomorrow Haru," Koharu gave Haruhi one last hug and walked back the way they had come. Haruhi watched her for a moment before she went to her apartment to prepare for the long week ahead of her.

The next morning, Koharu was bustling around her apartment to get ready for school. Yuigo had already left for his club practice with a piece of toast hanging from his mouth and his shinai strapped to his back, his cell phone out to text his girlfriend. Koharu had just gotten out of the shower and only had her pants and undershirt on with a towel wrapped around her head to dry her short hair when there was a knock on her front door.

"Coming!" she called as she hastily threw on her button-up shirt and walked quickly through the small living room and hallway to her front door. She rubbed her towel through her hair as she opened her door. She froze at the sight that greeted her. "K-Kyouya?"

Leaning on the railing across from her door was Kyouya, looking out towards the rest of Koharu's neighborhood as if he had nothing better to do than to wait for her to answer. He glanced at her with mildly interested eyes and a small smirk.

"Are you not ready to go yet?" he chuckled after looking at her for more than a minute. He stood up straight and walked towards his frozen girlfriend, the towel that was drying her hair falling off her head slightly to reveal the wet locks underneath. He smiled softly as he reached out and touched her still wet bangs, causing her to blush at the soft touch against her forehead.

"C-Come in," Koharu squeaked before turning around to quickly finish getting ready to go. Kyouya followed her through the doorway as he looked around what he could see of her small apartment. He smirked at the sight of her books spread across the small table that was in her front room, knowing that she probably spent most of the night studying until she couldn't stay awake any longer. He picked up a small black journal and flipped it open to the front page. There he saw complete notes on one of their math classes several weeks ago. He skimmed the page of familiar information until he reached the bottom, where in the margin was one simple line, 'Mata Ashita.' Quizzically, he flipped through the journal some more but found nothing else except notes. He put down the journal and headed for the room that Koharu had scurried to after letting him in.

He entered the room to see that it was a bedroom. There were two folded up futons sitting in either far corner of the nearly bare room and a small table in between them with a picture of Koharu's mother resting on it and a window above it. On the opposite wall from the window was a closet and Koharu tying her tie in a full length mirror. Her hair was now dry and she looked the way she did every day, but to Kyouya, with the light bouncing off her black hair and a slight smile on her face, she looked absolutely beautiful. He strode forward and pulled her into a hug from behind. She gave a start and looked back at him with a confused glance, but relaxed into the embrace a moment later. They stood like that for a silent second before Kyouya's phone started to go off in his pocket.

"Moshi moshi," he said into the phone as he and Koharu broke apart, though he did keep one hand on her back as she finished her tie.

"Kyouya! Where are you?" Tamaki's voice came through the small speakers.

"Nowhere in particular," Kyouya answered with a look to Koharu that said he would explain later. She grabbed her jacket and threw it on as they went into the front room so she could pack up her bag.

"Then why aren't you here? I need to talk to you or Koharu and neither of you are here!" Tamaki whined. Kyouya adjusted his glasses briefly in agitation before placing his hand back on the small of Koharu's back.

"How about I go pick up Koharu and we will meet you at school?" Kyouya suggested with a wink towards his girlfriend, who suppressed a smile.

"Okay, but hurry!" Tamaki urged in a defeated tone, sniffling a little. Kyouya hung up and looked down at Koharu, who somehow was able to pack up her bag in the time that he was on the phone.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he led her to the front door.

"Of course," she said as he opened the door for her, a small blush coloring her cheeks. "But you didn't have to come get me. We would've seen each other before school started anyway."

"I told you that I would see you bright and early this morning," he reminded her as they headed down the stairs to Kyouya's waiting limo. "Besides, you are dating an Ohtori, you are not about to walk anywhere that you can get to by car."

He opened the door for her with a small smile. Koharu giggled at him before getting into the limo with him right beside her.

"Sadly," Koharu started with a small chuckle after a moment of silence between the new couple. "I am pretending to be a guy at school, so we cannot actually be a couple at school. Unless, of course, you don't mind people thinking you're gay?"

Kyouya chuckled at Koharu's bluntness of the subject of their public relationship.

"Though I am not," he said. He glanced up briefly to make sure the window between them and his driver was darkened before he pulled her to his side. "The Host Club is actually the reason why I didn't tell Tamaki that I was already at your home."

"Ah," Koharu sighed knowingly, snuggling closer to him. She looked up at him sadly, "Then our friends cannot know as well? Except Haruhi, of course."

"Since they know you are a girl, I don't see the harm," Kyouya answered in a soothing tone so she would cheer up. "But let us wait for a little while before telling them. We should be allowed to date in private for a little while before everyone decides to bring in their own ideas of how we should date."

Koharu nodded at his logic and soon the two came up to the vast campus that made up the Ouran Academy. The large white buildings loomed high above them and the two could see several groups of their classmates walking towards the entrance from their own limos. When the couple broke apart and got out of their limo, many of their classmates and customers stared after them. The two made it to their classroom without much trouble from anybody who wanted to question why they had arrived together. When they did reach their classroom, they found that Tamaki was not there.

"I will go look for him," Kyouya told Koharu outside their classroom, patting her on the shoulder softly as he turned to leave. Koharu watched Kyouya walk off before some of the girls called for her attention.

"Koharu-kun, why did you and Kyouya-sama come to school together?" one of the girls asked. Koharu racked her brain for the name of the girl before she remembered her as one of the girls that came to the Host Club to only stare at Kyouya as he did his work.

"He passes by my house anyway, so he decided to start bringing me with him so I may study more," Koharu lied smoothly, hiding her sudden annoyance with the girl who was so attracted to her boyfriend. She smiled at the large group of girls who all squealed in delight.

"Kyouya-sama is so nice!" several of them cried, swooning at the idea of riding with one of the hosts to school. Koharu gave a shaky laugh before sneaking out of the classroom before any of the girls noticed she had left. With a sigh, she decided to head off to see if anyone was in the Third Music Room. She passed many of her classmates and guests as she went and had to stop and talk to each of them for a moment before heading on again. When Koharu finally reached the Third Music Room, she could hear voices floating through the empty corridor. As she got closer, she was able to recognize the voices to be Tamaki's and Kyouya's.

"I don't know what to do Kyouya!" Tamaki was saying urgently. Koharu could imagine him gesturing wildly and clinging to the front of Kyouya's jacket as the dark haired boy just stood calmly somewhere in the room. "I think I like her, but she probably hates me! Why else would she treat me so coldly?"

"I wouldn't say that she hates you. Annoyed, possibly, but she does not hate you," Kyouya soothed his best friend's fears. "Besides, it would be best to wait until after the party to tell her how you feel, that way she may concentrate on dancing properly at the party."

'Who are they talking about?' Koharu wondered, stepping a little closer to the door to listen. She was able to hear a sigh which she assumed came from Tamaki and then the shuffling of feet. Quickly, she stepped back to make it look like she had just walked up to the door. The large door opened to reveal Tamaki with Kyouya right behind him.

"Ah, I was just coming to find you," Koharu said casually, but something told her that Kyouya knew she had been listening. She smiled at them as they came up to her. "The girls seem to be really excited today."

"That is quite understandable since the party is Friday," Kyouya told her as the three started to head back to their classroom. "I assume you and Haruhi are ready?"

"Nearly," Koharu answered cheerfully, winking at him before turning to talk to Tamaki. She and Haruhi had worked on their waltzing while they were together this weekend. Koharu had already had lessons so she sat back and critiqued Haruhi's dances with Rose. Both girls were proud to say they nearly had the steps down to be able to dance appropriately at the party.

Later that day, after year 2 had their off period and it was time for everyone to have lunch, Koharu made her way to the Third Music Room for club activities. When she got there, Haruhi and the twins were looking at something on the door. Koharu walked up to them and read the sign.

"Why is the club closed until further notice?" the twins asked Koharu in unison. Koharu shook her head and turned to go down the hall.

"I'll go talk to Kyouya about this. See you guys!" she called before going back down the hall to her classroom. She entered her classroom and found neither Tamaki nor Kyouya anywhere in the large room. She turned and ran down the hall and the stairs to the cafeteria, but still neither of them could be found. By that time, Koharu could tell that this had nothing to do with just a small break to prepare for some new act. She ran out to the gardens and passed many of her classmates and regular customers to the club, but no one had seen Kyouya or Tamaki since year 2 started their off period. Many of them also wondered why the Club was canceled. Koharu continued to run around the grounds until she entered the maze that was also out there. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly entered the maze further. She took every turn and searched everywhere she could manage from what she could see, until she was sure they weren't in the maze either. As Koharu turned to walk in the direction she thought was the exit, she ran into a dead end.

'Stay calm. The exit was around here somewhere,' she reassured herself as she looked at an intersection for the possible way to the exit. She looked down at the watch that sat on her pulse at her wrist. Lunch break would be over in five minutes and then people would know she was missing. She took another deep breath to steady her nerves and decided to find her way to the stone veranda that she saw while she was searching. Once she managed to make it there, she waited. Looking at her watch, she saw that the school day was almost over.

'Surely, Kyouya would have already sent out someone to search for me, ' she thought, remembering his joke this morning about dating an Ohtori. A thought struck, causing her to gasp in shock and worry. 'Unless he had gone home during break. Oh no, I shouldn't have tried to search for them.'

She looked up at the sky and could tell without even looking at her watch that it was getting really late and she was starting to wonder if she was ever going to be found or if she was going to stay here all alone. She hung her head and felt small tears coming to her eyes at the thought of never seeing her friends and family again. It was at that moment that she heard a noise far off through the shrubbery, it sounded like a voice calling out though she didn't want to be hopeful of someone coming out to rescue her and then be crushed that it was just the wind or something.

"-ru!" the noise came closer and she was sure it was a voice. Her head shot up and scrambled to stand from the stone bench. As she listened, she was able to hear more voices, but they were all much farther than the first voice she heard.

"Koharu!" the first voce called again in what seemed to be a desperate tone and Koharu was able to recognize it as Kyouya's. She moved to stand at the entrance of the veranda.

"Kyouya!" she tried to call, but all that came out was a very raspy 'Kyo'. She cleared her throat then tested her voice and tried again.

"Kyouya!" she cried out from a few steps away from the veranda's entrance. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone run around the corner and straight for her. She turned in time to see that it really was Kyouya that had been searching for her before he pulled her into a hug. She rested her head against his chest and sighed in relief to be found.

"Why did you come out here?" he questioned her gently as he released her. He looked straight into her teary, blue eyes with hard, onyx eyes. She gulped at the sight of his hard eyes and turned her gaze away from him.

"I-I was looking for you and Tamaki," she whispered sadly, a tear rolling down her cheek. She whipped the tear away as she shook her head. She smiled sheepishly up at him. "I didn't think that you would've gone home until I was already lost."

Kyouya stared at her for a moment before smirking. He grabbed her hand and started to lead her back the way he came. Koharu blushed slightly as he pulled her along gently.

"I did not go home, Tamaki dragged me away to try a small restaurant he found on the other side of town and we were back in time for class again. That aside, you have no sense of direction do you?" he asked as they neared the exit, which had only been a few turns away from where Koharu had stopped. She blinked as she realized her small mistake.

"It's better than Emily's at least," Koharu joked with a small giggle. Kyouya chuckled as he let go of her hand. He turned to her just before they completely exited the maze.

"I guess I'll just have to get you a cell phone, now won't I?" he joked in a low voice, giving her a small smile. Koharu nodded slightly, thinking of actually asking her father for one instead of bothering Kyouya for one. As they exited the maze, Kyouya brought out his own cell phone and dialed. Once the person picked up, he said flatly, "You're dismissed."

"You did send someone to find me," Koharu gasped in realization. Kyouya smirked down at his girlfriend as he hung up his phone with a loud click. He leaned over to where his mouth was right next to her ear, gripping her opposite shoulder lightly.

"You are practically a member of the Ohtori family now. Naturally our private police force would search for you," he whispered seriously before he pulled away and took a step away from her. Koharu just stared at him in wonder as the rest of the Host Club exited the maze and rushed to her side.

"Are you okay Ko-chan? You shouldn't run away and scare us," Hunny asked after he hopped onto her back and she managed to find her balance under the new weight. The twins soon attached to either side of her with small tears at the corner of their eyes and Tamaki was hugging her from the front, tears falling freely down his cheeks as he rubbed his right cheek on the top of her head.

"I'm fine, senpai," Koharu answered the small boy happily. She looked over to Haruhi, who was standing in between Kyouya and Mori with a relieved expression clear on her face, and smiled at her. "Thank you for worrying about me everyone."

The rest of the Host Club smiled at her in their individual ways and the eight went their separate ways to go home. Kyouya bode Koharu good night once they pulled up to Koharu's apartment, Yuigo leaning against the railing in front of their apartment with a worried look on his typically calm face. Koharu got out of the limo and began walking up the steps to meet Yuigo halfway up the stairway, the boy pulling her into a hug. The two went into their apartment and Koharu found that Yuigo had brought home some take out dinner from their favorite local place. The two sat at their table with their dinner and began eating.

"I forgot to ask why the club was canceled!" Koharu realized as she stood with a start. Yuigo just looked at his sister with a blank expression and shrugged. Koharu slumped back down and put down the chop sticks she had been using. She sighed and rubbed her temple in despair. "I guess I'll just have to ask tomorrow."

The next morning, Koharu made sure she was ready to go by the time Yuigo had to leave for his kendo practice. She even waved good-bye to him when he set out to go meet Risako and her limo a few blocks away. She was just finishing up their breakfast dishes when there was a knock on the door.

"It's open!" she called, drying her hands on the white apron that she had on to keep her uniform from getting dirty as she had cooked and cleaned up. She smiled down at the apron as memories of its previous owner flashed through her mind, all of the cooking memories she had made of her mother when the deceased woman was still alive. With a small sigh, she removed her apron and stepped out of the small kitchen as Kyouya entered the front room.

"Good morning," Kyouya greeted with a small smile as she hung up the apron on a hook just outside the kitchen door. Koharu grabbed her bag and his hand and headed out of the door and down the stairs.

"So, why is the club closed?" Koharu asked as the two settled into the limo after making sure that the window between them and the driver was up. Kyouya hugged her to him and looked down at her with a blank expression. Koharu huffed softly and leaned away from him. "Come on, Kyouya. You're Tamaki's best friend and the vice-president of the club! You know why the club is closed."

Kyouya sighed and looked out the window at the buildings flying by. "Tamaki needs some time away from the club and we can't run properly if the person who brings in 50 percent of our customers is gone."

"Oh," Koharu said silently, thinking about what he said and any hidden meaning it may have had. The couple sat in silence for a moment as they both thought. "Why did his percentage go down?"

"I do believe you know the answer to that, 'natural rookie'," Kyouya quoted with a smirk towards her, giving her a sidelong glance. She giggled a little at hers and Haruhi's nickname in the Host Club after their signs of being good with the guests without any training.

"Will Haruhi and I still be allowed to practice in the room?" Koharu wondered as they neared the school, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Of course," Kyouya replied, smiling down at his girlfriend who smiled back up at him before they had to break apart and leave the limo.

The rest of the week went by fast for the Host Club, especially since they didn't open at all and had a flurry of girls following them at every waking moment they were at school, and soon they were all standing on a grand staircase in front of nearly all of the female portion of the Ouran student body plus nearly half of the males. The main ballroom of the school was decorated with bunches of roses and soft white draperies and small tables for the guests to sit at. A portion of the room was sectioned off for a live orchestra to perform for them.

"Welcome," they all chimed together as their customary greeting to their customers, bowing to their large mass of guests.

"Ladies, as always, the hosts are here for your enjoyment," Kyouya continued after their greeting. He was dressed in a tuxedo of different shades of purple that showed off his slim physique well. "The lady who shows the most skill with her dancing shall be crowned tonight's queen and shall receive a kiss on the cheek from King Tamaki."

"Good luck, my darlings," Tamaki called with a wink that caused most of the girls to have hearts in their eyes. Tamaki was dressed in a pure white tuxedo with a red rose in his breast pocket. Many of the girls screamed in delight and everyone clapped at the announcement of the competition.

"Geez, I'm not used to these types of things," Haruhi moaned from in between Kaoru and Kyouya. She had on a plain brown suit that helped hide her small curves even with the green vest on that clung to her slightly.

"Have you ever gone to a party?" Koharu asked, leaning to see her from the other side of Kyouya. She had on a dark blue and lighter orange suit with a white carnation in her breast pocket.

"I've gone to the festivals that my neighborhood has thrown," Haruhi answered as she thought back to her childhood. Koharu sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I don't think those can be considered parties," Kyouya said as the hosts started to group together around the top of the grand staircase they had been standing on.

"You haven't been to one, apparently," Koharu told him with a wink as she walked past him to stand by Haruhi.

"Since you are here, though, enjoy the food," Kyouya said with what Koharu could tell was a fake smile. She pursed her lips slightly at the fake kindness that he was showing towards her best friend.

"Like tuna?" Haruhi said with a dreamy stare. The Host Club had a collective gasp then shot into action, Tamaki taking charge in a hysterical voice.

"Kyouya order some tuna!" Tamaki commanded as he jumped down from above them with an acrobatic flip over the railing that he was standing behind. The twins pulled Haruhi into a hug and started to coo as they rubbed their cheeks on top of her head. Kyouya took out his cell phone and dialed the caterer. Koharu had to suppress a giggle at Haruhi's 'just shoot me' look. Tamaki turned towards Koharu so she sobered up from her inner laughter. "Have you had tuna before Koharu?"

"Yes, yes, now we have guests that we must attend to," she reminded them, holding in another laugh. The Host Club looked out at the mass of girls that were ready to attack them at the first sign of a chance to dance with sudden worry. Koharu took a deep breath to gather courage and walked out into the crowd of ravenous girls. Soon, she found herself face to face with a nervous looking Nichibachi.

"Nichibachi-hime," Koharu said with her famous soft 'host smile' and a low bow with her hand extended to the girl. "Will you honor me with a dance?"

Nichibachi took Koharu's extended hand and blushed a deep beet red. Koharu led Nichibachi onto the dance floor as the music started to play and began to guide her through the dance steps. The rest of the Host Club took Koharu's lead and soon everyone, but Haruhi, had a partner and was dancing to the sweet music. Haruhi, still nervous to show everyone her dancing, stood off to the side of the ballroom against a pillar. Two of her regular customers attempted to ask for a dance from around the pillar, but Kanako beat them to it by walking straight up to her. As Haruhi led Kanako out onto the dance floor, Tamaki and Honey spotted her.

"Time to start," Tamaki whispered to Honey as they moved into a turn that would bring themselves close to each other. Honey nodded slightly to Mori from a few yards away and the two excused themselves from their latest partner with small bows. The two took off at an inhuman speed and snatched Haruhi and Koharu away from their partners. Kanako and Koharu's newest partner stared after the blurs that were their partners in shock. The two athletes carried the two girls up to an empty room near the ballroom that they were using for the party.

"You didn't have to kidnap us," Koharu commented as Mori gently put her and Haruhi down in front of the twins and Kyouya. "We know what the plan is."

"Just get changed," the twins commanded together as they each pushed a brown paper package into either girl's hands. From behind, Honey pushed the two girls past the twins and into the changing room to get ready.

"Having an 'accident' at the end would be quite thrilling," Kyouya commented to the waiting boys, who nodded eagerly. He glanced at his watch and then called into the changing room to the two girls, "Remember, Haruhi, your time limit is twenty minutes to the climax of the party. We've already called Suzushima to the adjacent classroom for you."

Both of the girls came out of the changing room at that time. Haruhi had on a slim, pink dress with a large pink rose on it and a long brown wig so her hair looked like it did before she had to cut it. Koharu looked opposite of her, wearing a black dress that flared out at the waist that had a white sash and a small white rose on it, also she wore a short wig to hardly cause her hair to be shoulder length. The twins automatically took them from the curtain to a couple of chairs in front of a pair of vanities and started to apply make-up.

"Gracefully ask what his feelings are," Hikaru continued to instruct for Kyouya as he and his twin worked diligently on the two girls. "Don't be too blunt about it or Tono will be upset for the indelicacy of your questioning."

"Although, since this is his highness' strategy, there is something unsettling about it," Kaoru murmured after he and Hikaru stepped back from their work to examine the two girl's faces. The twins gave each other a satisfied smile before moving away from their friends.

"Hey! What's the big idea, having everyone in here?" Tamaki yelled as he threw open the doors. The other four boys looked up at their leader as he came into the room. "Who's looking after our gu-"

Tamaki stopped short in his rant as Haruhi stood up. She was really beautiful as she turned to face him with a slight smile on her face. Tamaki's face began to burn bright red as he stared at the younger girl in her dress.

"What do you think, sir?" the twins asked as they appeared next to their shocked 'king'. "We didn't put on too much make up since Haruhi already had good features to match longer hair."

"Haru-chan and Ko-chan are so cute!" Honey cried as Haruhi tried to walk past him, Mori, and Kyouya. She almost tripped over the edge of a piece of tile on the floor, but managed to steady herself before she could fall and continued to stomp her way across the room.

"My face feels heavy and it's hard to walk in these shoes," Haruhi mumbled her complaint as she passed the three boys and out of the door. The boys followed her out of the door and slightly down the hall.

"Good luck!" the twins and Honey called as she walked further down the hallway and towards the waiting Suzushima.

"S-S-She's just so cute," Tamaki stuttered, still in complete shock at the sight of Haruhi. He had ended up trailing behind the other hosts in a daze as he watched Haruhi walk out of the room. "She shouldn't be this cute by just putting on a dress."

"Of course she is cute, Tamaki," they heard Koharu call from back in the room. The six boys looked to see that she had stood up and was smiling at them happily from behind the ornate chair the twins had placed her in. "Haruhi truly is cute no matter how she looks."

The boys just looked at her with shocked faces. The little make up that the twins had applied to her had brought out her eyes so they were large, misty orbs that drew their attention instead of the rest of her face. Her small lips were set in a slight pout as she small amount of gloss on them made them shine.

"So why am I dressed like this?" she asked as she started to make her way to the six boys that were standing in the large, ornate doorway. To the other hosts' amazement, she wasn't stumbling or complaining about being dressed in 2-inch black heels like Haruhi was.

"It's so Kyo-chan can have a dance with his girlfriend!" Honey said happily, being the first to recover from the shock of seeing her as he bounded up to take her hand in his own small hand. Koharu looked from the energetic blonde to the calm boy standing in the back of the group with an eyebrow raised.

"They know?" she asked accusingly. Kyouya's face dropped in a miniscule amount at the sight of the displease girl. "I thought they weren't supposed to know."

"They were curious for the real reason why I was bringing you to school this week," Kyouya said with a small shrug, trying to excuse himself from his girlfriend's wrath. Koharu looked at him for a moment with genuine shock on her face at his nonchalant behavior.

"And you told them without talking to me about it," Koharu accused unhappily, glaring slightly at him as her eyes hardened out of anger. Kyouya walked up to the upset girl and gave her a genuine smile as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I meant no harm," he said slowly, careful that his words didn't offend her any more. She stared straight into the hard blue orbs of his girlfriend, refusing to back down to the petite girl. "You are right, I should have discussed this with you first."

Koharu stared at his face for a moment and then sighed, looking away from him.

"Why can't I stay mad at you?" she mumbled and then slightly smiled up at him. Kyouya could have sigh in relief at that moment if music seemed to start out of nowhere. Koharu looked towards the five boys by the door to see the twins and Tamaki gone. She was puzzled for a moment before her attention was brought back to Kyouya as he bowed to her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, extending his hand for her's. Koharu slowly took his hand and let him lead her through the dance as the song played. About half way through the song, she relaxed into Kyouya's hold at the small of her back and smiled up him with enjoyment clear in her features and slightly in his. The song ended and Koharu turned towards the others to see the twins had returned to stand by Hunny and Mori.

"Thank you for letting us have this moment," she said with a bow. She looked around the room at all of the smiling hosts and had to smile herself. "Now I guess it's time to make another's night memorable."

She quickly changed back into her simple suit and the group headed back to the ballroom to entertain their guests before the grand finale of the night. A few doors away, Haruhi had met with Suzushima and had found that he had been expecting a far different girl from a note that Tamaki and the twins had compiled together and sent to him. She then managed to get him to confess that he loved Kanako and was only going abroad to try and impress her. Kanako came into the room as he was finishing up his explanation to Haruhi's slight encouragement.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," Kanako called to them as tears started to roll down her face from the sight of her fiancée and Haruhi along in the room. She ran down the hall with Suzushima quickly following after her. Haruhi followed him out at a much slower pace to see Tamaki walking up with a slight smirk on his face.

"I thought we were supposed to make things better?" she said as he stopped by her, confusion clear in the look she gave him.

"He ran after her, didn't he?" Tamaki replied with a smile in the direction of the running couple. Haruhi smiled at him and the two returned to ballroom after Haruhi went to change in order to be ready for the end of the night.

In the courtyard a few minutes later, Suzushima finally caught up with Kanako and pulled her to him. Suddenly, four spotlights from around the school turned on and lit up the area around the couple. The balcony doors opened and all of the guests stepped out to see what was happening outside.

"Congratulations to tonight's queen," Tamaki said into a mike so his voice would echo throughout the courtyard and let all of the guests hear him. He motioned out to the courtyard with his free hand and smiled. "Kanako-hime."

Everyone but the Host Club stared at him in shock since Kanako had only dance for half a song with Haruhi and the stipulations were that the queen had to show off her dancing skills. Kanako quickly looked at Suzushima and blushed as she looked at him with slight worry in her eyes. He smiled down at her in encouragement as he stepped slightly away from her.

"And now you will receive your prize," the twins said into mikes as Tamaki stepped away from the railing of the balcony to move out into the courtyard. "A kiss on the cheek from our King, who Haruhi will substitute for."

There was a pause among the members of the Host Club before Haruhi slowly made her way past Tamaki and down to Kanako.

"Wait, don't you think this might be Haru-chan's first kiss?" Honey said cutely and excitedly as he leaned over the railing to see. Tamaki froze just above the stairs at his words.

"Wait Haruhi!" he yelled as he ran down the steps, but he tripped and pushed Haruhi into Kanako, causing them to kiss on the lips. A cheer went up through the guests as both girls blushed and stepped away from each other. Tamaki stepped back, dejected at the sight of Haruhi kissing another girl. The rest of the Host Club smiled in their individual ways and the night ended with a magical 'accident'.

EDIT: I'm so happy! I managed to make the chapter over 5,000 words!

EDIT 2: Now it's over 17,000 words since I went back and decided to merge 3 chapters together. I'm trying to cut down on chapters so I can add in more OC chapters for the couples and other things that I can come up with so that's why it was so long. Thanks for reading it through anyway!