A/N: OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE CHAPTER!! Currently my computer is being totally weird so it took a while to do this chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews!! They really keep me going. Yes, I do reply to all of the reviews I get, and please take note of the lighting of light bulbs once more. ENJOY!! (I also apologize for my bad grammar in this chapter. I wanted to post this chapter up as soon as possible. I'll edit it someday. )
Disclaimer: I DON'T own ANY characters. Except for a selected few. The rest are either with CLAMP or Hatori Bisco.
Thoughts are in italicsIt was mid December; all of the cherry blossom trees stood tall and bare. The aqua blue sky was clear of any clouds, and the sun shone softly on the campus of Tomoeda High. The air was crisp, as the old grandfather clock played its melody to signal the ending of another lazy day. A handsome looking teen inhaled sharply. He was working at a desk, topped with books and composition books, in a cozy library. He quickly packed his belongings into his worn out bag, and hurried out of the room.
Sakura's Point of ViewThey're going to become troublesome if I'm late again. Let's see… climb up to the top floor of the South Wing; go to the room at the end of the North Hallway…
I arrived in front of the 3rd Music Room. I took a deep breath and opened the door. There, I encountered a tropical paradise. Wait… Wh-Where am I? I walked outside of the doors again, and checked the sign that was beside the gigantic doors. It said the 3rd Music Room. I staggered back inside to take a better look of the ridiculous garden.
The room was filled with real exotic animals, evergreen plants reached the top of the enormous room, and the temperature was perfect for swimming. A group of handsome men stood in the middle of everything. They each were wearing a different kind of Jamaican-based outfit.
"Welcome." They said, each wearing a charming smile.
Syaoran, the King of the Host Club, sat in the front and center of the group, Honey, a kid-looking senior, stood beside him, while the Hitachiin twins stood behind the King holding umbrellas. Eriol, the vice-president of the club, and Mori, a silent senior, stood side by side next to the twins. Mom… Please tell me this is all one stupid dream… A bird with a long beak flew on top of my head. I slumped in defeat, deciding to not try to grasp the situation.
"What? Its just Sakura, you're late." The twins spoke.
I ignored their remark and shuffled through my ancient bag. I grabbed the mini calendar and checked the date. The calendar says its December, so why…?
"Fearing the chill and curling yourself up in a kotatsu is preposterous!" Li cried out in pity. "What do you think we have this flawless heater for?"
"Is there something in the club's policies that you would like to criticize? Dear Sakura-kun, who owes us $80,000?" A chilling voice resonated through the air. I froze and remembered, the breaking of the $80,000 vase, all too clearly.
"A good man cannot and should not bundle himself up. Even if it is early spring when the world is freezing, at this club we want to receive those poor, little kittens, with a warm tropical paradise aura!" Syaoran said, rambling. He stepped towards me and slung his arm around my shoulder. Unfortunately, I haven't perfected the art of tuning out his irritating voice, so I could still hear him talk. I sighed and decided to listen to his random ramblings. "YES! Today, this place is the ultimate paradise! A hot island of everlasting summer!" Syaoran threw his fist into the air with emphasis. I slapped his arm away.
"Actually, I feel cold in so many various ways." I muttered under my breath.
Host Club Opening Hours
The tropical paradise was now filled with young ladies, oak tables topped with Hawaiian flowers and multi colored drinks of the sunset, and the air was filled with excitement.
"This is such cruelty. This skin, as sleek as ivory, can only succumb before my goddesses…" Syaoran lightly touched his customer's chin, making her look up at his amber eyes. She swooned at him and blushed a deep red.
"Syaoran-kun…" They all said with hearts in their eyes. I watched all of this while I passed out the cocktails.
"Ah, yes! Next week is when our annual Host Club dance party is going to be." Li conversed.
Dance party?
"What kind of things is there going to be, over at the dance party?" A customer inquired curiously.
"We book the entire central hall of the Central Building…" Hikaru said. "And it'll be the most fantastic thing ever." Kaoru calmly finished. "But I really wanted to spend it alone with you, Kaoru." "Don't say that, Hikaru. Honestly, I too…" The twin brothers held each other's faces in their hands.
"THAT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!" the customers squealed and hugged each other. "Brotherly love with a tropical paradise flavor!"
Over to where Sakura and Eriol are
"It seems like our customers are more highly strung then usual…" I bluntly said to the enigmatic junior, who was next to me.
"Exposing a certain amount of skin is well-received." He replied, while writing in his trusty notebook. What DOES he write in that notebook of his…?
"You planned this tropical project, Eriol-senpai?" I asked inquisitively.
"I do not have any power to decide which projects we're going to enforce. The operations of this club are entirely decided, by the King, Syaoran. But, I guess it paid off by nonchalantly leaving a photo collection of Bali on his desk." Eriol smiled a sinister smirk, and pushed his glasses up. I swear, this guy is the Shadow King… I headed over to the table I do my hosting at.
"HIYA!" The short senior jumped onto his regular's lap. I looked up from my conversation and watched Honey.
"Honey-kun is SO cute!!" the other customer clapped her hands in delight. Honey wore a lei, consisting of red, delicate flowers, around his neck.
"This lei was made in Hawaii just for this occasion. Ah! Takashi!" The adorable member jumped over to his bodyguard. Honey climbed up Mori's back and put another lei around his neck.
"See? We make a set!" He said, still perched on Mori's back. The two regulars almost fainted from the sight of the two.
"Sakura-kun." A voice said, interrupting my staring fest. I looked over at my own customer. "You aren't going to wear any tropical clothing?"
"I was totally looking forward to seeing you in a grass skirt!" another regular said dejectedly.
"No, I think it's more natural to wear appropriate clothing in their appropriate season. So I wear winter clothing in winter…" I made up the lie as fast as I could. The truth is, I did have an outfit ready for me…
Flashback
"Sakura! We have a costume ready for you too!" Syaoran held up a feminine white Egyptian cotton dress. "It matches with mine!" He said, excited.
"No thanks. I'll pass." I coldly said to him.
End of Flashback
"Then it would be wonderful to see a couple dancing in floating snow at the dance party."
"A couple dancing amidst the snow in the moonlight… how romantic!" The three customers gushed.
"Is that so? That's so cute for all of you to have dreams like that." I said in my regular voice. I smiled at the three ladies, and they started to blush a light tinge of pink.
"Sakura-kun, what's your favorite season?"
"Um… I like autumn, because you don't feel anything but a tinge of cold. And other reasons." I smiled sadly and looked down. Mom…
"Pardon me." A young woman said kindly. She stood there with her pale, porcelain hands folded in front of her, and she had the kindest brown eyes I've ever seen. "I believe it's almost time for the next shift now." She continued.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, time flies when you're talking doesn't it? Let's see… You're my next customer…" I looked at the piece of paper Eriol gave me. It was my schedule of all the customers who designated me, and also their specified times.
"Sasaki Rika from class 2-B" She gently smiled at me. A picture formed in my mind as I stared at her sad, empty eyes. A woman who looked just like her, sitting in a teacup, all by herself, in the dark.
"You are much cuter compared to what everyone is saying. I've decided," she tilted my head upwards with her index finger. "You're going to be my next favorite."
After hours of the Host Club
A junior with chocolate hair crouched in his now dubbed "Corner of Woe." He took another slurp of noodles from his instant noodle cup.
"Milord. Stop eating commoner's noodles and help out with planning for the dance party!" Hikaru said, obviously annoyed. "Is he seriously that displeased with the fact that now, Rika prefers Sakura?" Kaoru commented.
"Her illness isn't something new" Eriol noted. He continued to type out their plans for the dance party.
"Illness…?" I let my curiosity take over.
"The 'host-wander' disease." Hikaru explained.
"In other words, the 'switch guys every now and then' illness." Kaoru translated.
"Usually, regular customers decide on a host and designate them forever, but she has the habit of periodically changing her favorite." Eriol further explained. He typed even more on his laptop.
"Just before this, it was Syao-chan right?" Honey inquired.
Then it clicked for me. "Ah, so he's angry because I snatched his customer away right?"
"NO! THAT'S NOT HOW IT IS! All right, I can't stand it anymore! Sakura! MORPH INTO A WOMAN ALREADY!" How the hell did he get over here so quickly…? Eriol continued to type, like nothing was going on, and Honey started to cry a little bit from the sudden outburst.
"Huh?" I said confused. Does he know I'm a girl already?
"How is it, that you're so popular with the girls? IS IT BECAUSE YOU LOOK LIKE A FEMALE?" Syaoran clutched his head. Ah, I don't think he knows. He's too dim witted to even figure that out. "You see, daddy… Daddy wants his daughter to look like… THIS!!" He started to cry as he took the picture out from a treasure box. The picture was of me, but with long hair and bangs, and I wore the high school's female uniform. Instantly, I became angry. Who the hell does he think he is?
"DON'T MAKE A PERSON'S PHOTO WITHOUT ASKING FOR THEIR PERMISSION!!" I screamed at his face. He went over to the nearest wall and hung my fake picture up. He started to sob even more, and he slumped to the ground, staring at the picture like it was the Mona Lisa.
"Whoa! That looks really realistic Milord!" Hikaru exclaimed. The whole Host Club group started to crowd around the picture, while I stood behind. "Did Sakura used to have long hair like this?" Kaoru sarcastically asked. Everyone turned around to look at my reaction.
"Yeah, actually. I did used to have long hair like that. But then a kid in the neighborhood stuck gum in my hair, so I cut it off, because it was too troublesome." I sighed and folded my arms. They all goggled at me. "What?"
"You're a guy and you had long hair?" Syaoran asked, interested. Eriol and Honey shared a knowing glance. OH CRAP. I wasn't supposed to say that…
"Umm… Yeah! I thought it would look cool on me. But instead it just made me even girlier. So I didn't really care when I chopped my hair off." I replied as quickly as I could. Making up lies was really troublesome. Syaoran grabbed me and stared at Eriol.
"MOM!! MAKE SAKURA GROW HIS HAIR LONG AGAIN!"
"Mom being…." Kaoru trailed off.
"Position-wise… I'm guessing me." Eriol said.
"Besides, I don't want my customers to think I'm a girl. Or else I wouldn't be able to pay off my debt." I reasoned with the sobbing narcissist, who was now on the floor.
"By the way, do you have any Ballroom experience? That's a must for the party." Hikaru questioned. I froze.
"Eh? You don't mean… Dancing, right?" My eyes had a glazed over look and I started to perspire. "I mean… I don't need to attend right? I could just be absent…" Then, Syaoran popped up from behind me. Damn… I glared at him with as much malice as I could summon.
"No, ballroom dancing is a must for all gentlemen. If you want to be a host that much, you need to show me exactly how serious you are, Sakura!" He continued. "If you cannot master the waltz in one week, and show it off at the party, you will have to become a girl, and you will be demoted back to trivial chores!" Li pointed at me. CRAPP!! Mom, this is so extremely terrible! Now I understand what it's like to be in a life or death situation. I HAVE to master the waltz and go to the stupid dance party. Is destiny against me today?
The next day after Host Club hours
Classical music vibrated throughout the grand ballroom. The host members were all practicing dancing for the dance party. Most of the members were thinking positive, cheery thoughts, all but two: the natural rookie and the King. I have to learn how to waltz, I NEED to go to the dance party. Jeez, these guys are so troublesome, ESPECIALLY their leader, Li Syaoran. What a troublesome narcissist… I thought about the conflict I was going through while I practiced ballroom dancing with Rika.
"Quick, quick, slow. Quick, quick, slow. Good Sakura-kun! Now, put your feet together at slow. The gentleman must lead and look at your partner while doing all of this." Rika explained to me. I looked over at Syaoran to see how he was doing. The melancholy junior sat in a dark corner by the window. His messy chocolate hair covered his deep amber eyes, as he squatted on the windowsill. While I was staring at him, I tripped over Rika's feet and fell over, on top of her.
"WAH!" I cried out. I landed on my knees and hands to prevent myself from crushing Rika. AKWARD. "I-I'm SO sorry!!" I scrambled to get up, but Rika grabbed my wrist.
"It's okay Sakura-kun." She pulled me closer to her face. AKWARD, AKWARD, AKWARD, AKWARD!!
Over in Syaoran's Corner of Depression
Syaoran sat there, looking out the window with eyes that had a faraway look in them.
"Our Lord is looking extremely gloomy today." The twins both noted out loud. "I heard he wanted to be Sakura's practicing partner." "It's impossible for him to be the female partner because of his height." They both looked at each other. By then, I got up from my uncomfortable position. I extended my pale hand to her, and she took it.
Now it's back to Sakura and Rika
"Thank you very much Sakura-kun." She said, as I led her towards the nearest table.
"Ah, I should be the one thanking you, Rika-san." I poured some black tea into a pale green teacup, which had a yellow border around the rim.
"A-re, this is a new teacup!" Rika stroked the teacup fondly. "Ginori, am I correct?" Ginori…?
"You have very good eyes, Sasaki-san." Eriol popped out of nowhere. Whoa. "Our club is focusing on upgrading our tea set collection."
"It has such a gorgeous color. It's very beautiful." She kindly gazed at the teacup. Syaoran looked up in surprise, but no one noticed.
"You like teacups don't you, Rika-san?" I smiled brightly at her. Her face became cherry red, and she started to fumble with her teacup.
"NO! I mean- No, I don't like them very much!" She denied all to quickly. She does like them… But, why would she deny it? It's not like it's unattractive to like tea sets…
"Good day. I've come with your order of Gardenia tea sets." An unfamiliar male voice said. Rika stopped petting the Ginori teacup. Hm? I looked up to see an average looking 17 year old. He had spiked deep brown hair, and his eyes were almost, exactly like Rika's, soft and kind.
"Oh! Thank you. The tea sets you've chosen are all well liked by the customers." Eriol praised. Rika looked down sadly, her brown eyes started to swell. What?
"Oh no, I'm not that good. Not yet, at least." A tinge of sorrowfulness was in his deep voice.
"Ha ha! You're such a funny person Sakura. I know he doesn't look like the heir of a famous company does he? He just looks like a normal student who goes here." Her laugh sounded hollow, and her smile didn't look sincere. Is there something going on between the two of them? But her eyes looked watery. The student looked down, his hazel eyes stared shamefully at the ground.
"Heir?"
"His family, the Terada family, is one of the top companies in the tea set business." Eriol read out loud from his trusty notebook. I took the box on the floor and looked at the logo on the side. It read Terada in black block letters.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I forgot to formally introduce myself!" I quickly said, trying to cover up the gloomy atmosphere. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura."
"Oh, how silly of me. I'm Terada Yoshiyuki. My friends call me Yuki, so that's fine." He said, flustered also. He held out his hand and I shook it. After we shook hands, Yuki stared at Rika with miserable eyes. When Rika looked up into his hazel eyes, she quickly looked down. His face wore a hurt expression.
"So you're studying abroad to England right?" Eriol asked, making small talk.
"Yes, I'm leaving next month." He averted his eyes to Eriol, now I was the one looking at the depressed female. Is she all right? Again, I saw the depressing picture, of a red haired girl, sitting in a Ginori teacup, with her head bowed down.
"Well I'll be leaving now. Have a nice day." Yuki said, leaving the room swiftly.
"Are you sure you're having a nice time in the host club?" Syaoran asked quietly. He saw everything. "Because to me… It seems like you are attempting to cover up the pain in your heart."
"Are you close to Yuki-san?" I inquired politely. I walked over to her with the box, and sat it down. What was Syaoran trying to prove?
"EH?! No, what ever are you talking about?" She started to get the teapot, but it fell over from her clumsy fingers. The black tea landed all over my uniform. "AH! OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY!" she hurriedly took out her handkerchief. Syaoran's statement completely flew from both of our minds.
"No, I'm alright. I just need a new uniform…" I trailed off, looking at Syaoran. The, once, mystifying junior glanced over at the twins. They nodded and grabbed me by the arms. They then dragged me over to the changing room.
"O-Oh, I'll just leave for today, then. Good day!" She sprinted out of the room as the twins were capturing me.
"HEY! WAIT. OW THAT HURTS!" I panicked. Me, room, twins, alone. Me, room, twins, alone. ME, ROOM, TWINS, ALONE! Those thoughts swirled around in my head. They took out a uniform from a closet and looked at me.
"Uh… Wait! Um… D-do you know what size I am?" I stuttered.
"Yes it is the right size! Now we need that uniform cleaned before the tea permanently stains your uniform!" They pounced on me.
"OKAY, OKAY! WAIT! LET ME JUST GET BEHIND THIS LOVELY WHITE CURTAIN!" I screamed. I pushed them off before they could take my shirt off. A little bit of my cami-tank top showed. I rushed behind the curtain and slapped on the changing sign. I exhaled with relief and started to change. They probably know. Who else can't see my pink tank top? The twins looked at each other with surprised looks.
"Ah." Two light bulbs went off.
After Sakura and the twins got out of the room
"SAKU-CHAN!" a little blond fur ball jumped and clung onto my back. "Did you know? Yuki-kun is engaged to Rika-chan!" Eh?
"Eriol… Since when did you know that?" Syaoran looked over to his sinister friend. Eriol's glasses glinted in the sunlight.
"About the fiancée business? Well… Of course, I have researched all of our customer's backgrounds…" Eriol trailed off and got out his notebook. How does he get that notebook out? His pocket can't hold that huge thing. "Those two are childhood friends, and the engagement was decided by their parents. This information didn't pose any threat or was of any use to me, so I ignored it." Eriol said bluntly.
"You are really…"
"Terada Yoshiyuki. Grades are impressive, family prestige is normal, looks are average, and his strong point is his serious personality. The bad aspects of him are…" The twins finished Eriol's sentence.
"He doesn't leave a strong impression."
"And he's weak!"
"In other words, he's boring. End of report." Eriol closed his notebook. He has absolutely no mercy on guys does he?
"Yuki-kun is a nice person, neh Takashi?" Honey asked. He climbed to the top of his bodyguard's head.
"Yeah…" He replied back.
"Well then, if that's the case. We'll have to play… MATCHMAKER!" Syaoran started to giggle and had stars in his eyes. DUDE. HE REMINDS ME OF TOMOYO!! I slowly backed away from the evil junior as he, and the other host members, designed an ingenious plan to get Rika and Yuki together.
One week later at the Dance Party
All the buildings in the high school department were closed, and the lights were off. All but the Central building, which held the dance party. Several chandeliers lit up the whole room, as numerous women filed into the hall. Tables full of five star foods, stood next to the east wall, and tables with extravagant chairs were littered about the room. Excited voices and giggles filled the air, but soon quieted, as they saw the host members.
"We thank you all, little lambs, for coming to this exciting event. And welcome, to the Tomoeda Host Club dance party!" Syaoran stated. He bowed down deep to show his appreciation. Upon hearing that, a light shone on the Tomoeda's orchestra team, and they started to play. The bows of the instruments fell and rose in perfect synchronization as the customers clapped and giggled.
"We wish you enjoy this dance with all of our host members." I looked out to the crowd, and saw some of my customers, who were waving slightly at me. I waved back and smiled at their excited faces, which soon turned red. "Also, to the lady who displays the best dance, will become the queen for tonight, and receive a warm kiss from our King, Li Syaoran." Eriol finished.
"Yes, so do you best sweethearts!" The amber-eyed junior extended his hand, as if he was inviting them to go up the grand stairs, and kiss him. Hearts flew through the air, and competitiveness raged through each of the customer's hearts. I sighed and looked over at Eriol. I thought this was supposed to be a fun, RELAXING dance party. Not a massacre…
"Hey, Sakura! You don't look too enthusiastic." The twins said. If they hadn't found out that I was a girl, they would've put their hands on my shoulders. But they didn't, because of today's incidence.
"I'm totally not used to these kinds of events! The only closest 'formal' event I've ever been to was a local neighborhood festival." I slumped a little, feeling negative and gloomy.
"I probably wouldn't even call that a formal event or a dance party." Eriol said, he wrote in his thin notebook. All the host members, but Syaoran, were gathered around me. "Well anyway, you should at least have a taste of the food here." My ears pricked up and my mood brightened instantly. "It'll be a real treat."
"Treat? Like you mean… Ootoro?" I started to blush at the very thought of the delicious, fatty tuna. I've never had a bite, but I knew it was expensive. Well to me, that is. A pen could be heard, breaking, in Eriol's hands, and Syaoran leapt down from his perch on the highest platform on the staircase. The twins started to hug me, and rub their cheeks against mine.
"Aww! You poor, little child! Never had a chance to taste ootoro!" My faces became deep red, as it dawned to me, why they were treating me like this. I glared at the bratty twins who said that.
Damn you rich bastards!!
"GET US OOTORO ASAP!" Syaoran ordered, pointing to the already dialing Eriol.
"Hello? Yeah get us a full platter of ootoro? Thanks." The, now, evil Shadow King hung up on the chefs of the high school's cafeteria, and Mori sprinted to the cafeteria, and back, with a huge bento box full of ootoro. The twins kept repeating "You poor child!" over and over again, never letting me go. I mentally cursed all of them and my big mouth.
During the time everything was going smoothly, in the dance party
A well known classical song echoed through the Grand Hall. Gaily laughter filled the air, and all of the host members were out dancing, everyone, but me. I stood against a large marbled beam, and didn't notice that my two main customers were trying there hardest to ask me to dance with them. The hid behind the beam I was leaning against and they were about to ask, but Rika walked over to me. She wore a lovely baby blue dress, with a shawl that matched it. A hydrangea flower was pinned onto the dress' strap, to add a floral touch.
"Want to dance Sakura-kun?" She asked.
"Sure." I extended my hand to her, oblivious to the fact that my customers were now silently sobbing, and that Honey and Mori now had an evil glint in their eyes.
"Mission is now in play." I heard Honey say. Next thing I knew, I was grabbed away from Rika, and my abductor was now sprinting to the back.
"Abduction?" Rika's eyes were as wide as golf balls.
He probably didn't know I was a female, because he hands were on either side of my chest. But then they moved to my waist, and I was thrown, like a potato sack, over his shoulder. I head the all too familiar light bulb go off. Great, now a total stranger knows I'm a girl. When we finally got to the back room, he dropped me like I was fire, onto the ground. It was a blushing and panting Mori. I goggled at him. MORI?! I gaped when I saw Honey, the twins, and Eriol there. Mori looked at the room's occupants, also.
"Hey, you guys knew that Sakura was a girl, and didn't bother to tell Syaoran?" Mori inquired quietly. It was his first long sentence. Wait- Whoa… since when did they? I know the twins realized that. But Eriol and Honey? My train of thought was interrupted by Eriol's reply.
"Honey and I knew since the beginning. I'm not sure about the twins though…"
"We found out just today, when we were off changing Sakura into her uniform when Rika spilt tea onto her." The twins looked at each other and grimaced slightly. "Anyway! On with our plans…" The twins pushed me behind a curtain. There, stood a chair with a package on it, and a grand mirror.
"An accident at the end will heat things up. Listen Sakura, we have 20 minutes 'till the climax of the party. We've already called Terada-kun to the designated classroom." Eriol said, checking his watch.
"Make sure you get out his true feelings okay?" Honey said sweetly. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. When the host group talked about the plan, they banished me from the room so they could get 'privacy'. So I didn't know what the plan was. I walked over to the chair and opened the package. Inside, was a spaghetti strapped, blush colored dress. I found a white rose with pink edges on top of my dress, it was my corsage. I quickly put on the dress and pushed back the curtains. There, the twins were ready to do my make and put on a fake wig. It was the same exact hairstyle as the one in my fake photo shopped picture Syaoran made. They bustled me over to a chair and instantly did everything. Wow, Hikaru and Kaoru definitely know what they're doing. While the twins did this, Eriol filled me in on the whole plan. After they were done, I looked at myself in the mirror. The woman looking back at me looked exactly like the image Syaoran made up.
"Hey what's taking you guys so long? I can't deal with all of our customers you know-" the King's breath got caught in his throat when I turned around. He started to blush, and his face looked like a cherry tomato. He started to smile like a fool when I stood up.
"What do you think Milord?" the Twins smirked widely when they saw his reaction.
"You're so cute Saku-chan!"
"My face feels heavy. These shoes are uncomfortable to move in." I walked like a robot to the door. Where Syaoran stood, still goggling and gaping at me. He moved aside as I walked out.
"Do you best Sakura!" Hikaru and Kaoru cheered after me.
"S-she's so cute…" Syaoran said, stuttering. I continued to step awkwardly towards the classroom where Yuki was waiting for me. Finally, I reached my destination. I took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Are you the one who wrote this letter?" Yuki inquired, he held up a folded piece of paper. Letter? Eriol didn't tell me about any letter… "You're very different from what I imagined." I took it and opened it. On it, was neat, hot pink letters. I read it in my mind, but the voice wasn't mine, it sounded extremely high and fake. My good mood started to deteriorate as I read the love letter.
"Love, love! Ever since I've met you, my heart has been going super love, love! Hehe! As if there were eternal cyclones and never changing typhoons, my heart is swirling with winds of LOVE! I want to meet you on Noah's ark –noda, noda!"
Who the hell… would write this? A mental picture formed in my mind. It was the smiling faces of Hikaru, Kaoru, and Eriol. With the words "Collaborative composition." THOSE DAMNED PRANKSTERS!
"Umm… Where have I seen you before?" Yuki asked, disrupting my mental curses at the trio. I panicked.
"AH! UH… N-no this is the first time I've ever talked with you!" I started to laugh in my fake, high voice.
"I'm sorry." Eh? My laughing seized, and I held my breath.
"Even though you gave me this letter, I won't be able to answer your feelings the way you hoped I would. There's already a girl whom I cherish."
"That girl is your…" I crossed my fingers, hoping he would confess soon. I wanted to get out of these nasty high heels.
"Unfortunately, she's not my girlfriend. Actually, she must be tired of me. I think a brighter, more confident person would be better for her." I stared at him with wondering eyes. He must really love her…
Meanwhile, over to where Syaoran and Rika are conversing
"Where exactly are you taking me, Syaoran-kun?" Rika asked, trailing behind the tall, tanned male. Syaoran stopped walking.
"I do not think you are suited for employing schemes."
"What do you mean Syaoran-kun?"
"No matter how much you try to get attention, by wandering about the various hosts, you look far happier when you look at tea cups." He said, smiling gently at her. Rika looked up, the terrible sadness started to consume her heart. The corners of her mouth lifted a little when she remembered the day, when her and Yuki were kids. They were both looking into a showcase, with teacups inside. That day, was the best day of her life, because that was the only peaceful day they could talk. It was exactly seven years from today. The lonely woman slowly slipped out of her reverie.
"Stop it. No matter what I do, he just doesn't care anymore. Even this study abroad thing… He made the decision before I knew it."
In the room next door
"So, I want to change too. I want to see the world, become a better man. I know this sounds selfish, but I want her to wait for me." Yuki looked out the window. The moonlight danced on the bare Sakura trees, and the sky was clear of any stars. I gazed at him.
"Oh, that really is selfish." An arrow could be seen, striking him right in the heart. "Asking her to understand without telling or asking her is totally unreasonable. If you have such strong feelings for her, why is it necessary to delay it? From the moment you wanted to change, you will be able to change in my opinion." I had no idea why, but slowly, Yuki raised his hand, but then stopped. Shock was seen in his eyes, I whipped around. There, stood Rika. Her eyes too, showed shock, but it also showed hurt.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I seem to be interrupting something." Her head was bowed down and she ran off. Something twinkled in the moonlight. It was her tears. Eriol definitely didn't say anything about this! I saw Yuki sprint out the door.
"Wait! RIKA!" He raced after the crying maiden. I, too, ran out of the room, but soon saw Syaoran there.
"Aren't you making it worse?!" I scolded him, but he just smiled at me.
"He went after her, didn't he?" I realized what the whole plan was, and I too, smiled. The host club brings joy to woman, eh… I gazed at Syaoran with admiring eyes.
Outside
The panting of the couple echoed through the air. They were soon, right outside of the Grand Hall. Yuki grabbed Rika's wrist.
"RIKA!! YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG!" He cried desperately. The snow soon started to fall. Crystallized ice fell down daintily as they both looked at each other's eyes. Soon, a spot light was centered on them, and the Host club's customers started to go outside onto the balcony. Somehow, I managed to redress into my suit and reach the Grand Hall just in time to see the two star-crossed lovers in the spotlight.
"Well then, ladies and gentlemen. Our night seems to be closing to an end, and our final song will soon play." Syaoran said. The picture was inspiring. A couple amidst the dancing snow in the soft moonlight. The women gushed and squealed at the sight of the cute couple. "The last waltz from our host club is dedicated… to this couple." He finished grandly. Yuki let go of Rika's hand and turned to her. He hesitated for a second, but he got over it and extended his hand.
"May I have this dance with you, Princess Rika?" He bowed down to her. Rika started to blush a little, but had a blissful smile after that.
"Yes." She laid her hand in his. He then got up and they started to dance. I, along with the others, stared at them with satisfaction. The image came to me again, except this time, it was of a girl, laughing and smiling in the Ginori teacup. I looked over to where Syaoran and the twins were standing. Kaoru and Hikaru were eating bananas, but I didn't bother to ponder on that. If only I did.
"Let us bless this clueless couple!" Syaoran raised his arms out on either side of him. I ducked just in time, to prevent from getting hit.
"Tonight's dance queen is…" Hikaru held a microphone while his other hand held a banana peel.
"Princess Sasaki!" Kaoru finished, he too, was like a mirror image of Hikaru. The audience began to clap politely.
"Well then, the blessing kiss from the king…" the banana peels were now gone.
"Yes, now it's my-" Syaoran got interrupted.
"has now been switched to Kinomoto Sakura!" the twins started to grin maniacally.
"Whoa, hang on. WHAT?!" both the junior and I yelled in shock.
"Because Eriol-senpai said 'an accident at the end will heat things up.'" I froze in place. Not believing that I had to give a kiss to a GIRL. Syaoran was glancing from one twin to the other. I'm so going to KILL YOU ERIOL!!! Rika looked undecidedly over to her fiancée.
He smiled, nudged her and murmured, "Time to go get your kiss, as a memory for you graduating from host wandering." She smiled too, and walked over to the bottom of the stairs that led up to the balcony.
"Wow, yeah. This is going WAY too far." Eriol must've heard me, because he replied to my comment.
"I'll cut your debt by a third if you do it."
"Well it's just the cheek right?" I walked down the stairs to where Rika was standing. Everyone held their breath, anticipating the "Natural Rookie's kiss."
"Hey, hey! Isn't this Saku-chan's first kiss?" Honey asked Syaoran, who was now held back by the twins. I reached Rika, and started to inch closer to her cheek.
"WHAT?! DADDY CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!" I held her chin in my hands, unconsciously.
"HOLD UP ON THAT KISS!" Syaoran came running down the stairs, and didn't notice that a banana was thrown right in front of him. He tripped and slammed into me, which made me turn her chin towards me. My lips met her cold, tear tasting lips.
"MM?!" Rika and I said. Instantly, we pulled apart. I looked behind me to see that the culprit was a crying Syaoran.
"Nice." Eriol said. The twins started to crack up and they agreed with the sinister junior. The crowd of women started to talk loudly and squeal.
"did you see that?!"
"Syaoran-sama wanted to interrupt that kiss!"
"KISS-A-HOLIC!!!"
Even though I lost my first kiss to a girl by a strange series of events, the night air had a nice, warm feeling in it. Rika looked over at Yuki and her eyes were saying that it wasn't on purpose. He smiled weakly, in reply. So everything's okay, I guess. I smiled brightly at the two lovers. The couple that had been brought together by the Tomoeda host club.
Dictionary: kotatsu: a warmer with a quilt covering it. It usually is a table, with a built in warmer underneath, and it's covered with a quilt.
Ginori: literal translation is "Earth Seaweed"
A/N: Review please!!