Phantom: Jolly good that one. I'm glad it came out alright. I hope I have you all pondering now! And yes, I also thank you all for reviewing. :

The dance was starting, and all around her Aya could see beautiful people pouring in. It was like watching rose petals dance in, lifted by a small summer breeze. She watched in awe from her place at the piano bench and gaped at their glittering gowns and smiling faces. They were all so elegant and finely crafted. Whoever was up there, they certainly took their time with the rich.

She felt a hand smack her upside the head. "OUCH!" she protested, whirling around in defiance. The twins stood behind her, looking annoyed.

"Don't just sit there with your mouth open." One of them, it might have been Hikaru, sneered.

"Yeah, play something." Kaoru added. "Don't bore our guests."

Aya stuck her tongue out childishly. "I'll do whatever the hell I want to." she replied. "Besides, I get paid for my troubles anyway, don't I?"

The Twins probably would have answered with something more childish and hurtful if Tamaki hadn't stepped in. He yanked them away by their collars. "Didn't;t I tell you two to leave her alone?" he hissed. They only grinned in response. Frustrated, he shoved them away. Sometimes those two were so impossible. But, he had to admit, he had been worried. What if the guests didn't enjoy the music? They'd never want to have a commoner's ball again! The thought of it horrified him.

A faint but musical sound drifted toward his ears. He perked up and looked around. He saw Aya at the piano, and the sound appeared to be coming from there. Her eyes were lowered, and she looked placid and content. Her fingers moved gracefully over the keys, producing a sound that felt clear and sweet. Everyone seemed to have stopped to listen.

Slowly, never missing a beat on the piano, she began to sing:

" Win dain a lotica
En val tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dein a loluca
En dragu a sei lain
Vi fa-ru les shutai am
En riga-lint..."

The twins looked baffled. "I've never heard that language before." Hikaru scoffed.

"It's something like Romanian." Kaoru replied.

"Win chent a lotica
En val tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dein a loluca
Si katigura neuver
Floreria for chesti
Si entina..."

Tamaki was overjoyed, to say the least. "Didn't't I tell you this was a good idea?" he whispered.

Hunny put a finger to his lips. He shushed Tamaki with an intent look on his face. "I want to hear." he told him in a hushed tone before turning back to Aya. Looking dejected, Tamaki crossed his arms and listened again.

"Lalalalalalalalala...
Fontina Bly Cent
De cravi esca letisimo
Lalalalalala...
De quantain
La finde reve..."

Kyouya and Mori were in another corner of the room, both listening quietly and soberly. Kyouya took out his black book and scribbled a few things down. Mori just watched and listened. He couldn't help but feel proud of her. Everyone seemed to have doubts (aside from the ever-oblivious Tamaki) in the beginning. But now those doubts had been shattered like glass. Once she finished, he clapped politely with the rest and managed to keep a straight face. The orchestra took over, and the commoner portion of the "Commoner's Dance" was over. He saw Aya head for the door.

---

Aya just about screamed when a hand grabbed hers and she was spun around. When she saw who it was, she scowled. "Bloody hell." she huffed, trying to yank her hand away and failing miserably. "What do you want?"

"Are you leaving already?" he asked. The question seemed innocent enough and yet...

"Well, I was until something stopped me." she replied, tugging at her hand a bit more, but having, once again, no luck. She sighed. "Will you please just tell me what you want?" she pleaded. Her face hardened and she added, "I'll scream rape."

He smiled in amusement. "I want you to stay a little longer." He tugged her suddenly, and she found herself facing his chest. She was almost uncomfortably close now but... she was kind of enjoying-

She pushed the thought away, and at the same time pushed him away. "I really need to leave, thank you." she said quickly. She could feel her face burning. She felt close to tears. It wasn't fair, that's what it was. Just plain unfair. Why should she have to deal with this? She wanted to scream, at him, 'Why don't you just give up! You're only hurting the both of us!' But, sadly, she could not. For questions would be asked, and she wouldn't be able to answer them.

She felt a small hand tug at her own. She looked down and was startled by the puppy-brown eyes of the little host. Oh damn, what was his name?

"Aya-chan!" he shouted in a singsong voice. "Dance with me!"

She glared at Mori, then answered, "Thank you... erm..." she tried searching for a name but came up blank. "Well, I really need to leave is all."

Hunny's cute look dropped a little bit, giving way to the features commonly used for disappointment. "Okay... but if you won't dance with me, then will you dance with Takashi?" Aya groaned inwardly, because she knew exactly who he was talking about. Why hadn't she seen that one coming? She couldn't possibly withstand the 'cute factor'. It was too much.

She stomped over to Mori, glaring at his content smile. "I hate you." she hissed. They assumed the 'ballroom dance' position. (A/N: For those of you who don't know, this is when the guy will place one hand on the girl's waist and hold her hand while his arm is at a ninety-degree angle. The girl will place the hand that is not being held on his shoulder.) Had people taken a better look, they would've noticed the odd contrast in facial expressions.

As the musicians picked up a waltz, they began the classic 'one-two-three' step that everyone else seemed to be doing. They chatted lightly whole they danced.

"Thank you, by the way." Mori said. "I didn't think you'd accept my invitation to dance."

Aya rolled her eyes. "Neither did I." she replied. She sighed. She supposed that while she was here she might as well make the best of things. She attempted a smile and began, "So the blond guy... Tamaki... he seems like an eccentric sort of person."

Mori shrugged. "I suppose. That kind of depends on how you look at it."

She looked up at the ceiling, suddenly deciding that it was very interesting. What a lovely arch it had! It was rather dome shaped... how did they do that? It wasn't like they had a mold for these sorts of things, so it must've been tricky. And what about the... um... the...

She sighed. It would seem that she had to talk to him now. She pursed her lips and tried to think of something to say. Nothing came to mind. "I'm glad everyone liked my song." she said lamely.

Mori smiled again. Unfortunately it send a shiver up her spine. "It was pretty." he agreed. "That was a different language... Romanian or something, right?"

She shrugged. "It's a dead language actually." she answered. They did a little spin as she said, "I'm not even really sure what it means, but it sounded alright to me." She looked down at her feet, which surprised her by tripping on themselves. She began to fall forward. 'Oh shit.' she thought as she watched the floor come closer to her face. Just as she was about to close her eyes and await the impact, a familiar pair of arms caught her. She glared at those arms with a hatred that knew know limits. Why did this have to be so like a romance novel? Ugh, and her face was on his chest. God damn the circumstances! Damn them to hell!

She pushed off of him and swayed on her feet a bit. 'Don't fall again.' she told herself sternly. "Thank you for not letting me break my face." she said stiffly. "But I really... really need to go now." She turned on her heel and began marching out. She didn't listen to what anyone was saying around her or behind her. She just listened to her own thoughts, which were telling her to get the fuck out of there.

--

Tamaki had surveyed the whole scene with interest. He ran up to Kyouya when the dancing had started. "Did you see that!" he hissed.

Kyouya sighed. "See what?"

Tamaki jabbed a finger in their direction. "Mori! And Hunny! They're messing with her! Didn't't I tell everyone to leave her alone? Huh? Didn't't I? Well? Huh?"

Kyouya looked thoroughly annoyed. he glared at Tamaki and said, "Since when does anyone listen to you in this club?"

Tamaki stomped his foot. "But I am KING!" he declared, thrusting his fist in the air. "What I say goes, and I say that they must leave her alone! he's very sensitive and must be treated as such!" Kyouya only shrugged one shoulder. Tamaki made a very frustrated noise. "And where's Haruhi? Why isn't she here! I thought I told EVERYONE to be here!" He looked around frantically, but Haruhi was nowhere to be found. "AAAGGGHHHHH!" Tamaki screamed, overcome by his emotions.

Kyouya glanced at his watch. "I guess she is a bit late." he muttered. "Ah well, nothing like adding a few yen to her debt to make her pay." It was an unintended pun, but neither man acknowledged it. Tamaki was too busy ranting about his lack of respect and Kyouya was too busy being annoyed by him.

Yes, things were certainly working out smoothly for the host club today. And if you can't recognize that as sarcasm, then why are you even here?