Koichi's mother was lying in bed, her breaths quick and raspy as she slept.
"Mother." Koichi murmured, prodding her arm. "Come on, wake up. You need to take your medicine."
Ms. Kichimaru stirred slightly, opening her eyes in tiny slits. "Koichi…" she muttered. "My darling…"
"Shh, Mother." Koichi murmured in reply. "Please: don't waste your energy. Just take some medicine and rest some more."
Ms. Kichimaru smiled weakly, resting a frail hand on her daughter's arm. "Thank you, Koichi…"
Koichi sniffed as she felt a single hot tear run down her cheek. "You… You're welcome…" she murmured, pouring some red liquid into a tiny measuring cup and pouring it slowly into her mother's mouth.
Ms. Kichimaru coughed a bit as the bitter cherry flavor collided with her taste buds, but other than that, she took the medicine with no complaints, falling back into an uneasy sleeps only moments after.
Koichi sighed, heading back downstairs and putting away the medicine.
"She any better?" Nico asked hopefully, putting the last of the dishes in the cupboards.
Koichi shook her head with a sigh. "No."
"I'm sorry." Nick muttered.
"Me too."
The two cousins stood in silence for a while, wondering if Ms. Kichimaru would ever get better.
"It's getting late…" Nico said after a while. "I should be leaving…"
"Wait a minute." Koichi said.
"Yes?"
"Can… can you look after Mother while I'm at the Host Club tomorrow?"
Nico nodded, grabbing his coat and heading out of the house. "Sure thing." He said before closing the door behind him.
Koichi had a hard time falling asleep that night, her thoughts filled with the constant dread of what the next day held for her. And when she finally did fall asleep, her dreams were filled with the worries she had for her mother.
School the next day passed fairly quickly, much to Koichi's dismay. Her classes were easy, there was no homework, and her friends didn't have any boy drama in lunch, allowing Koichi to complain about her afternoon plans.
"What are you doing after school, Koichi?" Rena asked with a smile. "Hanging out with your cute cousin again?"
Koichi rolled her eyes. Rena had the biggest crush on Nico, and probably only because he was rich. "I wish," she sighed. "I have to go to the Host Club up at Ouran Academy. I lost a bet to the Hitachiin twins…"
"Oh my god, you are so lucky!" Koichi's other friend Miki exclaimed. "I can't believe you met the twins! And now you're going to the Host Club? I'm so jealous!"
"Don't be." Koichi muttered. "Trust me, they're a real pain."
Rena rolled her eyes. "I bet you just think that 'cause they're rich."
"No, I think… know that because I had to spend the entire afternoon with them yesterday."
"No. Way." Miki gasped. "I can't believe it! What are they like?"
Koichi sighed. "Annoying."
"And which one's cuter?" Miki continued.
Koichi rolled her eyes. "They're identical."
"Yeah, but they act different, right? At least a little?"
Koichi's face reddened a bit at the memory of the younger twin and the way he practically begged her to help with the chores.
Rena chuckled, turning to Miki with smirk. "Well look at that, Miki, she's blushing." And winking at Koichi, she continued. "Apparently she doesn't think they're as annoying as she says."
"Ohh, which one do you like, Koichi?" Miki squeed.
"Neither." Koichi grumbled. "It's more like one of them has a stupid little petty crush on me."
"Which one? Which one?" Miki begged.
But thankfully the bell rang at that moment, saving Koichi from answering. "Listen, I'll tell you about it tomorrow," she said quickly, throwing out the remains of her lunch and pulling out books for her next class.
Koichi's next class was English: a class she normally loved, but all the girl could do at that moment was worry. This was the last class of the day. The last class before she was forced to go to the Host Club.
The class was over before she knew it, though. Koichi sighed as the school bell rang, grabbing her bag and exiting the school. Her friends didn't pursue her. They knew better than to bother her when she was in this kind of mood.
On normal days, Koichi would have changed into some normal clothes before she met with Nico, but on this day, she didn't. If she was going to spend the entire afternoon in a room full of rich snobs, they were going to know who she was.
Koichi found her cousin waiting for her as usual upon reaching Ouran Academy, and for a few moments, Koichi could pretend that this was just a normal day; that her and Nico were just going shopping again. The fantasy didn't last long, though.
"You didn't have to wait for me," Koichi murmured to her cousin. "You have a key to my house. Unless you lost it."
Nico rolled his brown eyes, dangling a key in front of his cousin's face. "I didn't wait because I needed a key. I waited because you're never going to find the Host Club on your own."
Koichi crossed her arms. "Oh please. How complicated can it be?"
And Koichi quickly learned that it was very complicated. Ouran Academy was even bigger on the inside than it looked, and the expensively decorated hallways were hard and confusing to navigate.
Nico lead his cousin around the school like a pro, through wide hallways with stained glass windows and up winding staircases with delicately painted railings.
The Host Club was stationed in as unused music room, which didn't surprise Koichi in the slightest. Of course that would be the room they used. Of course.
"Do you want me to walk you in?" Nico offered.
"What do I look like, four?" Koichi retorted angrily, but continued in a softer tone after a hurt expression from her cousin. "I'm sorry… I'm just kind of nervous…"
Nico chuckled. "You'll be fine. And I'll see you at your house when you're done."
Koichi nodded and her cousin was off, leaving the girl to walk into the third music room, absently wondering how she would possibly find her way out of the maze of an academy without her cousin to guide her.