Chapter 3: 10 months (June)

Much of the time passed in the same manner as the welcome lunch. The twins and Izumi has a playful banter. Tamaki and Kyoya were a bit surprised about her frankness and lack of "ladylike" mannerisms – she was a bit like Haruhi in that respect. Haruhi and Izumi became great studying pals. Haruhi used Izumi as an excuse to leave the host club to study, so she got a much needed break. Meanwhile, Hani and Izumi were very affectionate. Izumi hugging Mitskuni like a kid brother, although he was older. Mori, was still quiet, but very aware of her presence.

He looked over the both of them together as Hani and Izumi became pretty inseparable. Mori did not mind as it was Hani's duty to ensure her safety and Izumi was very gentle with Hani. He did start to feel a little awkward, like a third wheel. Even Satoshi and Yasuchika spoke to her with more ease than him. He just didn't know how to approach her. Most of the girls he interacted with would drift off into rambling fantasies and do much of the talking. Izumi was, much more, interactive and physical. Many of the boys at Ouran eyed her as she walked by, hips swaying to and fro. (The twins attributed that to her dancing background and they took no shame in eyeing her as she walked.) She was very carefree and open and gentle… which, Mori thought, was probably why a lot of the boys seemed to notice her. Mori was a bit envious of her ease and thought she was a bit naive to not notice the guys eyeing her. He worried about her when it came to other guys.

"Mitskuni-" Takashi called quietly to his cousin as they noticed random grouping of boys walking past Music Room 3, looking for her.

"Yes, I noticed it to. I don't think we should let her travel alone." He whispered back, not looking up from his cake.

"That's probably a good idea," Kyoya stated as he approached. "I've heard guys in our class talking of her. She probably needs to learn some self-restraint and not be so physical when speaking with the opposite sex."

"We're fine with it" the twins chimed in.

"Of course you are, maybe you should stop being so friendly with her! You're making her look bad!" Tamaki paced back and forth frazzled. "Momma, where is she anyway?"

"Studying with Haruhi of course. It is Tuesday…daddy." Kyoya added with a slight irritation.

The door opened and Haruhi walked in, "Hey guys. Sorry I'm late." No one came in after her.

"Where's Izu-chan?"

"Huh? Oh she said something about practice, so I showed her to Dance Room 5. The Chairman said she can use it to practice. Hani-sempai, she said she would be done by the time the host club ended, and she'll meet you here so you guys can go home together."

The twins had an evil smile… "We should go, ya know, she shouldn't be alone…protect her from the eyes of boys…" and they ran off.

"You guys, she doesn't-" the door slammed shut "-want to be seen."

"Momma, we need to stop those evil twins!"

"What about the host club…daddy?"

"Closed for the day! Let's go gentle…men?" They were already out the door.

"I expect you to come up with something to make up for today's unexpected closure. This is your fault, after all." And with that, the door closed on Tamaki.

"Hika-chan, Kao-chan, why are you just standing here?"

"shhh! The chairman is with her… and she's practically naked!"

"WHAT?"

"Tono, be quiet!" their hands went around his mouth as they pulled him to the corner. Everyone peered and saw Izumi in her practice outfit. Plain dance shorts and top (more like a sports bra actually). The Chairman and Izumi bowed and they watched the Chairman take the staircase down and they whipped back around the corner out of sight.

"Well, she's as flat as Haruhi"

"Hey…just what are you trying to say?"

"But she's got a great butt, right Kaoru?"

"Is this all we came here to see? We didn't have to close the host club for this."

"But don't you want to see her dance Kyo-chan? Even Takashi wants to see her, right?" and with this everyone turned to Takashi, who blushed slightly…

"I hear music! Let's go!" Thankful for Tamaki's outburst, he just followed the group. "Wait, the door is closed…"

"Tamaki, your father is Chairman of this school. Did you forget there are double-sided mirrors? If we go into room six, we can watch her there." Kyoya adjusted his glasses.

"Guys, she said she didn't want anyone to see her…" Haruhi protested. "This is wrong… we should let her have her privacy."

"And we will," the twins snaked their arms around her, "she won't know we're there."

They walked in and pulled back the curtain and saw Izumi stretching, running around, jumping. Two songs later, she was laying on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Is she hurt, Tama-chan?"

"I don't know…" they waited… worried if they went to help her, she would know they were watching, but suddenly she flipped over, walked a bit away, and posed on the floor. A few seconds later she started into a routine.

They watched as she eased herself off the floor, going on point, and stretching her leg into a split over her head, and then dropping it into a spin… they watched her leap and fall, spin and run. She was like a gazelle when she leaped. The dance was sad, like her character tried and failed, only to achieve a few moments grace. So much was said in that 2 minutes… as the song was coming to an end, she ran, stopped. Her hand reached up to her head and she slowly fell into a backbend. Her arms spilled onto the floor as she lowered her back down, curled into a fetal position and turned to her side.

When the song ended, she laid there on the floor, stretching out and crying quietly.

The group was breathless and immediately felt guilty. She had tears in her eyes and they realized they intruded upon a private moment.

Another song played and she began practicing, stopping her tears, but moving through the emotional pain.

"That was very stirring. I haven't seen anything like it. Is this the American style? It's so open and vulnerable."

"Well, Kyoya, they say that the American's are much more… flashy… in what they do… but I think it's more her than anything."

"Our mom would love to but clothes on her! I mean, she's Haruhi sized, but she'd love to design something that moved on her."

"Is there something wrong with my 'size.'" Haruhi's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"Takashi?" Huni asked his cousin gently, "you're crying?" The group turned, wide eyed…Mori was startled and got up and left abruptly.

"Well, isn't this an interesting development." Kyoya adjusted his glasses, smirking to himself.

"I've never seen Takashi cry." Huni cradled Usa-chan and looked sad.

"Hani, I think he'll be okay. He's probably just emotional from watching her. He might feel guilty for intruding. Maybe he just needs some time to be alone for a bit okay?" Haruhi reassured him.

Kyoya added, "Yes Hani, even Tamaki's playing has moved me to tears once, and it's not a fact I'd like to admit. Mori-sempai will be fine. Let's go back to the music room."

Takashi was walking back to Music Room 3. He did cry. He never cried, but her dance was beautiful and he felt pained watching her. I mean, the dance was sad, so it's okay to cry. He had been so riveted by her dancing he had forgotten that the others were there. I felt like she was dancing for me, but that was just the sign of a good dancer, right? A good dancer is someone able to capture each individual and make them feel what they were feeling without words, right?