STILL ALIIIIIVE!

Okay, I want to apologize for how late this is! A lot of stuff has happened. Well not a lot, but tough stuff and such:

Writer's block

High School trip to London

High School trip to New York, in the US. Been a while since I was on a plane...

Moving into a bigger house

EXAMS

Prom

Overwatch (I'm not into first person shooters, but I LOVE THIS GAME!)

Skyrim (Excited for special edition because I get to play Skyrim on PS4! I hope they've improve it, because I'm sick of getting shut out by Brynjolf! I'M GUILD MASTER NOW AND THIS IS HOW YOU NOW ACT TOWARDS ME?!)

And I got my results. I've enough to go to my town's Sixth Form! :D

So here's my overdue created chapter!

The sounds of footsteps could be heard echoing in the large space. The room was completely coated in darkness, except for a patch of light that tailed a lone silhouette. A tinkling melody began to play.

'~A friend once told me that Life is kinda like a play,'

The high pitched gentle sounds of a child's voice floated out into the air, emitting from the approaching silhouette. A young girl with wavy hair the color of fine sand stepped into the limelight, her head crowned with a brilliant golden circlet encrusted with green crystals that matched her sparkling emerald eyes.

'that Life is a stage with a constantly changing setting. It matters only to us what happens on that stage. We write our own life script.'

As the girl continued to walk she visibly grew in stature and age, emerging from the shadows wearing a ragged dress (similar to what Cossette wore in the musical, Les Miserables.).

'But...like every life, a play can be different. Unlike mine. My play nearly always stays the same. My stage...changes at a snail's pace. I've been in those stages for so long, I thought that would always be what my scripts would always be about."

The young girl's path came across a pink door. With eminent curiosity, she opened the door and stepped inside, but who came out on the other side wasn't the little ragged girl, but a young lady with a ponytail and Ouran uniform, with the same beaming features as the child she used to be.

'Now, I have a new stage; a new script. Yet will I really be accustomed in a place I pursue independently?'

She walked down towards the stage that was in front of her, the background twisting and writhing to knot together in a complicated mess. She began to work out how to find the solution to this new paradox, determination etched into her brow.

'Because Life for me...still remains a puzzling mystery.'

...

"Oh wow, Tamaki. You make such a handsome captain..." A dazed young woman chirped as she looked up at her host in awe, completely charmed by his pose. The tall blonde leaned against a worn ship's wheel elegantly, a soft smile painted on his lips.

"Indeed, my dear ladies. But alas, even though I control this sacred vessel I am but part of your crew to aid your sailing ships." Tamaki responded, causing the girls to squeal and swoon as usual.

"...Sumi?"

The girl being addressed perked up as she heard her name called, and turned around to see Haruhi in her cabin boy outfit, smiling placidly.

"Oh, Haruhi. I apologize immensely. Do the guests require my presence?" Sumiye asked, leaning slightly to the side as if to make her way towards them should that be the case.

"Uh, well no actually," Haruhi answered, turning towards Sumiye's clients who were waiting by her regular table, "They seem to be more interested watching you explore. And... the way you were moving."

She was right, because when Sumiye turned her head she could hear compliments on her table on how she looked and how observant she was. When they saw her gaze towards them, she did a polite wave which made them giggle and turn back to one another, talking excitedly about her manners.

"Well, I enjoy observing my environment, as well as the individuals who surround me. Be it archaic or modern, one can always find an element of intriguing interest in one's milieu," she replied, "Oh and I must comment on the apparel selected for me; it is quite fascinating. I never thought I'd live to see the day I first wear something that is neither a dress nor a skirt." she added, looking down at her pirate's breeches with a slight grin.

"Wait, you mean you've never worn…pants… before?" Haruhi questioned, her expression teetering between surprise and disbelief.

Sumiye shook her head in response. "Never. I've perceived similar clothing in magazines and such, but I admit I've never had the chance to experience them personally until now. I suppose I need to arrange a conversation with Joe and Clara regarding that topic… these are rather comfortable..." Sumiye trailed off, playing with the loose fabric of her new pants and unintentionally ignoring Haruhi's presence.

Leaving her friend sweat-dropping at her complete disregard for the conversation they'd been having, Sumiye decided to visit her customers. On the way she came across a rather loud and boisterous display of swordsmanship Hikaru and Kaoru were currently having. They swung their swords left and right, countering each other while a yellow-clad girl with dark brown hair sat on one of the crates behind them.

"You had your turn, Kaoru, now it's my turn!" Hikaru exclaimed playfully as he aimed a jab at his brother's exposed side. Kaoru whipped his blade around in a flash of steel and defended himself, their swords clashing with a loud ring.

"But Hikaru, you gave her to me," Kaoru argued in an equally spirited tone, his amber eyes alight with mischief.

"Well..." Hikaru, trailed off. Suddenly the twins dropped their swords in tandem, and Hikaru knelt in front of the near-swooning maiden while Kaoru took his place behind her, "I'm sure there's room for more than one... since we can't split the treasure we might as well share it," he continued flirtatiously, cupping the girl's chin while Kaoru's head rested upon the girl's neck. Looking both ways the girl sighed dreamily with a huge blush as her friends got worked up, squealing and planning their newest gossip about a possible love triangle.

'It's a relief they are actually attempting to be cautious while counterfeiting a skirmish.' Sumiye mused as she hurried by and made her way towards her guests. "Salutations, everyone!"

"Hi, Sumiye! Wow, you look amazing!" One of her flashier female guests commented, observing her complex pirate boy outfit.

"Yeah! You actually look like a guy with your ponytail covered up." A male guest commented as he planted himself by her side.

"Thank you. I must admit, wearing a garment so outlandishly...unrestrictive… is oddly glorifying." Sumiye expressed, "I feel as if I, too, am becoming closer to understanding the wonders of our world."

"That's true!" One of the other girls suddenly shouted, causing everyone to look at her in question. "…I mean, I had no idea girls could wear pants." She amended with a flush of color on her cheeks.

Sumiye smiled, feeling gratified that she had already received that same information from Haruhi, her dear friend. "You know something, my companions? I have full confidence that Haruhi's life style is the gateway to a new world waiting to be uncovered." she predicted before trailing back to her thoughts, as her clients gushed and talked about it (undoubtedly taking what she said the wrong way), 'I hope someday I'll be part of that world. If Haruhi can, then so can I.'

"Sumi-chan~!"

Hearing the familiar lilting voice of the Lolita boy, Sumiye turned to watch Mori-sempai approach with Honey perched upon his lofty shoulder. They were wearing cook outfits, which loaned Honey an adorable air, maybe even more than usual, and Mori...Sumiye blushed at his striking costume, and diverted her attention to the little blonde.

"Salutations, Honey. Let me foretell your question..." she aligned herself purposefully into a thinking position and looked up at him through her lashes, "is it, perhaps, that you want me to try some blueberry cheesecake?" she questioned, hugging her arms against her chest.

He laughed childishly in response, "Yeah~! You wanna come on deck with me and Takashi?"

"It would indubitably be my honor, Honey." Sumiye responded sweetly, but before she was able to stand up, a boy called out to her.

"Wait, Sumiye!" He exclaimed, catching her wrist. The abrupt tug made her stop and she slowly turned towards him, blinking inquiringly.

"...May I help you?"

Slowly letting go of her hand, he asked the last question Sumiye would ever wish to hear. "Is it okay if we could see your hair down?"

She paled instantly in response; She had been close to letting her hair down in Renge's Oki Doki filming, and was now more protective of her hair than ever before. She soon found herself unable to answer, however, as her table began to have an unruly argument.

"You idiot! I was supposed to ask her that!"

"Why didn't you tell us what you were going to do?!"

"If by 'we' you mean you?"

"Hey, cut it out! I asked her nicely at least! Don't give me that crap!"

"Ladies! Gentlemen! Please remain tranquil," Sumiye tried to stop them, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Then, right on que, Renge emerged on her rocky platform dressed as a mermaid, sharing her fangirling of the events with everyone present,"This is just perfect! A beautiful girl set in the middle of a romantic debate, not having the power within her to harshly call them out! This makes me wanna eat three bowls of ri-"

"Renge," Sumiye interrupted, "Full agreement concerning your vivid imagery but... As you can see, being in the middle of this experience would lead to unpleasant results." All of the guests at her table seemed to be acting fully on instinct, which reached its peak when she was grabbed and tugged between the warring sides like a rope.

"Let go of her!" One side ordered, pulling her towards them.

"You let go of her!" The other retorted, doing the exact same thing.

Over the small period of time it became more aggressive, with the students grabbing her and pulling using not only her arms, but her waist as well. Sumiye kept quiet the entire time, but she gasped when her bandanna was taken off, exposing her pulled up hair. Tamaki was trying his best to calm everyone down and demanding proper handling of his 'daughter', the twins Hikaru and Kaoru pulled some of the men away as Haruhi and Honey tried to calm the girls, Kyoya... just observed the whole thing and recorded it in his notebook appearing slightly interested in the proceedings. Their best efforts seemed futile as the other guests watched helplessly, but the moment her hair tie got ripped off by one rather excited guest Mori dashed to her side and swept her off her feet, clutching her to his chest protectively.

His eyes widened like saucers at sight of the girl before him. A glance alone turned the Strong Silent Type into brittle stone as Sumiye Gakuyumi, the sophisticated, hardworking, compassionate, non-spoiled, and shy Elegant Type was exposed with her hair fully down. But it all seemed like an illusion for within a blink of an eye, Sumiye pried herself from his arms and disappeared like a plume of smoke into the surrounding crowds. Her vanishing act left everyone in the host club in a state of astounded confusion, as no one could tell where she had gone.

Sumiye didn't know how much time had passed since that incident in the Host Club, but she stubbornly refused come back into the music room. Her hair tie was back in that room, and she really didn't want to be seen like this. Without her hair bound, she was far more noticeable, and, unfortunately, recognizable. Attention in the Host club was usually easy to deal with, but she hated drawing too much attention. Unknown to her the whole ordeal died down fairly quickly, the hosts closing the club early because of their missing member. It was heart breaking for her, as they didn't really do anything wrong and didn't know how they had messed up. All they wanted was to see her hair.

She hid herself away in a corner of the dressing room, still clad in her pirate's apparel, and kept completely silent. She must've been good at it; the hosts had been searching for her since she had vanished. As she bided her time in her hiding spot, she stared at the mirror positioned directly across from her. The girl's reflection looked at her in disappointment, saddened by the task these unfortunate events had forced upon her.

The image was at the back of her mind as she heard the doors open. The Hosts were coming in to change back into their uniforms before continuing their search. They had closed the club extremely early, and were eager to find their missing link.

"-sign of Sumiye. Where could she be?" she heard Hikaru sigh as he walked in with Kaoru, who added, "We've search the whole school campus and there's still no sign of her."

Shifting into a more comfortable position, Sumiye moved the curtain of the dressing room she was in aside so she could see.

"This is a problem. We promised her chauffeur that we would be responsible for her care. I imagine us losing her would greatly disappoint her grandmother and those who are in contact with her," Kyoya added loftily, slyly informing Sumiye that he had information on her relatives without alerting the others to her presence. The girl was able to remain quiet only because she remembered the doctor at her physical exam- she knew that info was safe with Kyoya, despite his seemingly shady intentions.

"Mori-sempai? Are you doing okay?" Haruhi asked the tallest host, who gave a barely noticeable nod.

Sumiye frowned; he must've still been shocked by her appearance earlier…

"Sumi-chan will be okay, Takashi! I'm sure she'll show up soon!" Honey reassured his cousin.

"Yes! Don't worry, gentlemen; we can't give up! Our dear Sumiye cannot have gone far. We'll find her!"

Tamaki's words were right; they all noticed a certain curtain swing shut at his words.

"Well, wouldn't you know. She was in here the whole time," The twins noted in unison.

"Uh, Sumiye? You can come out now, my daughter. The host club's over for today!" Tamaki called out to her, but she didn't make a sound. "Hm, perhaps she's still getting changed."

"I wouldn't say that, since she'd already opened the door a moment ago." Kyoya intoned.

"Come on, Sumiye. It's time to come out~!" the twins chimed as they batted at the curtain,"You're not trying to hide anything else are you?"

Sumiye gulped at their last sentence, but thank goodness Haruhi came to the rescue.

"Knock it off, you two!" Haruhi scolded at them, before making her own attempt to get Sumiye come out of the dressing room door, "...Sumi? Are you okay to come out?"

There was more silence until Sumiye finally spoke to them at last, "...My hair tie...Where is it?"

"Takashi has it!" Honey-sempai answered honestly,"but we want you to come out, Sumi-chan. Please?"

A long sigh was heard from behind the curtian as Sumiye finally gave in, "Very well."

The curtain was slowly pushed open and step by step, Sumiye walked out. The entire club gasped as they saw Sumiye for the first time with her hair down. Her creamy, sandy-blonde hair flowed gracefully in the air, as if a small breeze was carrying it aloft. She looked even more elegant than before. But she knew their stunned daze wouldn't last forever; there was going to be a lot of explaining to do.

Ballad of a Hostess!

Everyone was silent as the hosts all sat opposite to Sumiye, who looked down at her hands that lay clasped together on her lap. Her hair tie had been returned to her and she had secured her long tresses back up onto her head.

"Sumiye...that's not your real name, isn't it?" Tamaki questioned softly.

Looking up at the hosts, Sumiye shook her head, "Correct, Tamaki...my name isn't Sumiye Gakuyumu. Or at the very least, that's not the name I'm well known for."

"So then...who else are you known as?" Kaoru asked.

Sumiye wanted to explain but she wasn't sure she had the correct words to use. She gave the Shadow King a helpless glance. "Kyoya, you chose a doctor by the last name of Cere for Haruhi and I, didn't you?"

Kyoya nodded, "Yes I did. Sarah Cere to be exact."

"Well, your family's connections and reputation are mainly health related. Which means you have connections to the hospital I attend privately. There's a tremendously high possibility you know enough information about me to answer these questions." she closed her eyes, "as well as information that's understandably concealed for reasons… unbeneficial… to this matter."

She was right. Kyoya did know who she really was because, well, he knows everything. He opened up a special file, which contained Sumiye's information. He didn't have to glance at it even once.

"Melody Wave, 1st Year student Class A. She is a former musical star who lives alone with her grandmother, chauffeur as her caretakers. Her grandmother recently left for a trip, the purpose of which was to see Sumiye's parents. While she spends nearly all of her time at home, she visits the Cere Hospital on occasions. She was popular in her youth for the roles she was cast as, and remains one of the most popular musical artists despite the time that's passed since her last performance." Kyoya recited and snapped her file closed just as the twins leaned over his shoulders to read it.

"I don't get it. What does tying up your hair have to do with being a popular singer?" Hikaru asked in confusion as he looked up to meet Sumiye's eyes.

"My hair has always been my recognition feature," The girl explained quietly, "My grandmother won't allow me to cut my hair until I'm an adult, as doing so too early sabotages my innocent appearance. She decided to make me focus on the path of being a lawyer when I became 10. I hadn't been outside since the first day I enrolled into this Academy. So, I had my hair tied back to draw less attention to myself. And before you ask, it works."

Sumiye looked behind her to see Renge in a state of shock. Normally she'd rise on her platform, but not this time. She'd been in that position ever since Sumiye walked out of the dressing room. Deciding to snap her out of it, Sumiye walked over to the manager of the Host Club.

"Salutations, Renge," she greeted, earning a gasp from the other girl. Sumiye tilted her head in concern. "Earth to Renge?"

Renge's surprisingly physical response caused Sumiye to scream as she was assaulted with a tackle and an ear-splitting squeal. "IT'S REALLY YOU," Renge responded, knocking her down to the floor and forcing all the air from her lungs "I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M ACTUALLY MEETING YOU IN PERSON!" then she crumbled and sobbed into Sumiye's uniform, "But...why Melody...?" and she turned into Rendusa, tears streaming down her face, "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO?!"

"Renge, I implore you not to lose your tranquillity..." Sumiye weakly pleaded, "and may I please stand?"

Realizing that she was dragging her idol to the floor, Renge gasped and stood up, pulling Sumiye with her, "Oh! I'm so sorry, Melody!"

"It's quite alright," Sumiye accepted the otaku's apology and looked at the hosts, "so, what's going to happen now?"

"What do you mean, Sumi? It's just a stage name. No big deal." Haruhi replied.

"A stage name that I vowed to grandmother to conceal for my own good. if it gets out who I'm really known as, my grandmother will take me away and I'll be back to solitude! I'll never be outside again until I'm an adult or fully qualified to be an attorney." Sumiye explained, "I can't wait that long, especially after I've discovered free will."

"Oh, my daughter! That's so terrible!" Tamaki cried, pulling her into a encircling hug.

"You mean we might not see you ever again, Sumi-chan?!" Honey whimpered.

"You can't walk out on us!" The twins added, appalled by this.

"I won't," Sumiye answered, shaking her head, "So long as this is kept to ourselves."

"I still don't see why this is a problem."

Tamaki gasped at Haruhi when she said that, "What?! Haruhi, don't you care about the well being of your dear sister!"

"Senpai, she's not my sister." Haruhi scolded, making the host club's king retreat to his corner of woe, "But I do care. I just don't see why you need to make a big fuss out of it. I mean, you guys have been hiding the fact that I'm a girl, so it wouldn't be much of a problem to cover up a stage name."

At that sentence, Tamaki recovered and became more determined, "You're right," he agreed- suddenly empowered- and placed his hand on Sumiye's shoulder, "Don't you worry, Sumiye. As a member of The Ouran Host Club, you do not have to fret. My dear, we are sworn to keep your secret from the entire school, so you can experience a normal school life!"

'I wouldn't call it a normal school life...' Haruhi thought with a sweat drop overhead.

Sumiye beamed at the hosts. She was glad she met them on her first day, "Thank you everyone. I appreciate...it." Sumiye looked around the place, noticing one person was absent, "Everyone? Renge is no longer present, unless I'm mistaken."

The hosts looked around the room and the statement was proved to be correct; Renge wasn't in the club anymore. Well… she'd probably just gone back to wherever she waits before rising on her platform, right? …Oh dear. Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as Sumiye was beginning to suspect…

"Have a nice day at school, Su!" Joe called out from the car as he prepared to drive off. Sumiye had her hair tied back after the host club's meeting was over and was standing on the sidewalk in front of the school, smiling placidly at her chauffer. As he pulled away from the school, Sumiye's smile dropped. She had been wondering what this day would bring to her all night, as the hosts might not see her the same anymore. But she remained strong, hoping that this day would be as close to normal as possible. That, though, was not to be.

'Huh?! What in the world?!' She mentally exclaimed at the sight before her eyes.

The whole entryway of the school was filled with petitions on every billboard, all about wanting Sumiye to have her hair down. Students crowded around each billboard to sign their names on it, but luckily not taking any notice of Sumiye. The girl looked around in panic to see if she could find a familiar face among the crowd or distant from the crowd but couldn't find anyone, so she sneaked past the crowd to her classroom. When she opened the door, the majority of her classmates were crowding around another petition board. Biting her thumb nail out of fear, she looked around and noticed Haruhi, sitting at her desk.

"Haruhi..." Sumiye whispered to her, gaining her attention, "I knew this would slip out. Everyone seems eager to see me without my hair tie."

"Sumi, you're overreacting. It's not going to hurt anything." Haruhi tried reassuring her, but it didn't seem to work.

"It will!" Sumiye exclaimed, "remember that which I mentioned yesterday? My hair has always been my recognition feature. Even if I'm not as recognized now, people will want to see me with my hair down, because of my relations to the Host Club. And besides, why would there be a petition on something I solemnly swore to my ancestors I'd always object to?"

Haruhi looked down in thought and seemed to be persuaded." Well, when you put it that way...I can't see the host club going along with a thing like this. Well, besides Renge."

"Yes, she is indeed another factor. But...mayhaps she will not be too senseless about-"

"There you are, Sumiye!" Renge shrieked happily, grabbing the Elegant Hostess and getting the whole class to look at them both, "Just look at all the names signed on the petitions for you. Isn't that just great?!"

Sumiye looked at her classmates, along with the petition and forced a gentle smile, "Yes. It's..um...fantastic."

"I'd knew you'd like it!" Renge exclaimed, then held up a magazine with Sumiye on in the front cover, "So I decided to put you on the cover of Moe Moe Ouran Diaries Volume 1!" she turned around to face the class, "Discounts first come, first serve~!"

The classmates instantly swarmed Renge to get a copy of her new magazine. It sold out in seconds, though the twins managed to get one for themselves amidst the chaos.

"Wow, Renge's worked really hard in flushing you out," Hikaru commented as his brother, Kaoru added, "At least she blocked out your last picture."

Sumiye gasped, "Last picture? L-Let me have a look! Please."

Kaoru closed the magazine he got and handed it over to her. The book covered everything Sumiye had ever been involved in at the school, including pictures of her host club cosplays, her role in Renge's Oki Doki film, and a hint to what she "planned" to reveal. With a picture of her on the day of her performance in the theatre she use to always go to. But luckily the picture of her role was blacked out with a question mark in the middle.

"How in the world did she get all this?!" Sumiye cried, skimming through the pages.

"Isn't it obvious? She got all of her research off the internet," Hikaru answered.

Sumiye's lip twitched from that word, "In..ternet?" she repeated, disappointed that she was like an outcast when it came for that information. No books, no newspapers or gossips from witnesses. Just the internet.

"What's wrong, Sumiye?" Kaoru asked, "Surely a girl smarter than Haruhi would've been on the internet."

"Never."

The twins and Haruhi looked at her shocked, "What?"

"I have never been on the internet. Not once," Sumiye answered again, seeming forlorn.

The twins laughed at first, assuming that she'd been attempting to make a joke. But the look in her eyes said otherwise and when the twins realized this, they were shocked to the core.

"Wait, you're serious?" They questioned in unison.

Sumiye nodded, "My grandmother told me not to be involved with any advanced public technology. My theories are she wouldn't want me to neglect anything like newspapers, magazines and books, or she still views me as a young girl and sticks with the ideology that technology corrodes the brain. One or the other, I stay true to her word." then she became all worried again, "And now this is going to break it!"

Haruhi couldn't help but sweat drop at her friend, 'I can't help but wonder if her family's stuck in the past...' she thought.

Thank goodness it was free time, because Sumiye could wander around the school and do as she pleased with her time. She always spent her idle hours at the gardens as it's really peaceful scenery always helped her think. She gazed into the marble fountain and there it was again; Her reflection scowled at her and protested almost audibly. How could she tell them when she didn't know them as long as everyone else who'd been involved in her life. That her grandmother would disown her. That she was making so many terrible mistakes. Not wanting to hear anymore, she swiped the water's surface and turned away, looking down at the ground.

"Is she okay?" "Why don't you ask her?" "You ask her; you suggested it."

Looking up at the sound of these voices, Sumiye saw a bunch of girls approaching from the garden entrance and adopted a tender smile.

"Salutations, ladies," Sumiye greeted, "Have you all come into my presence to sit with me?"

"Well...we'd like that, Sumiye." a girl answered.

Then another girl walked forward, holding out one of Renge's Moe Moe Ouran Diary magazines, "But we wondered if you can have your autograph?"

"My...autograph?" she repeated with a slight head tilt. It dawned on her for a moment that this would most likely end up being a step towards everyone discovering her secret, but because they still saw her as just a hostess, she accepted their request. "Very well. I'd be honored to."

Sumiye got out her pens and started to write her name, two books at a time. Eventually the crowd got bigger instead of smaller, as if she was signing her name for the whole school's population. Which also became noticed by the host club, who were close together watching Sumiye's forced and admitably twitchy smile as she signed each magazine. She was so focused on her worries she didn't finish fast as she could have and the kids became impatient and started pestering Sumiye into signing theirs.

"Sumiye, please sign mine! I have to get to class!" a girl asked.

"Stop pushing, you idiot!" a boy snapped, "Sumiye, you'll sign mine because you know I didn't push, right?"

"Yeah right! You were at the back of the queue," another girl shouted,"now get lost!"

The whole thing soon escalated into a cat and dog fight. Sumiye tried to stop them, but her efforts were futile. She looked for a way out and noticed that the host club were close by and coming to help her. She tried to slip away to their side, but was pushed into the fountain by the crowd's scuffle and fell backwards, sinking into the deep pool and becoming entangled by the long stalks of the water lilies that were planted there. She lay helplessly under the water, watching the hosts settle the crowd down as her vision became blurry. But one image still remained clear as day to her when she saw the tall strong silent Mori reach into the water, shock and concern in his features as he lifted her weakened form out of the water.

Coughing and attempting to regain her breath, Sumiye looked up at her savior with gratitude and attempted to stand up to keep him from worrying over her. But he appeared to remain concerned as his grip was still secure and showed no signs of loosening.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai," Sumiye thanked him with the strongest smile she could muster, droplets of water clinging to her eyelashes and dripping down her soaked figure.

"Sumi-chan! Are you okay?!" Honey-sempai asked, his little mouth drawn taunt in worry.

"Sumiye! Are you hurt?! We'll get a doctor for you," Tamaki suggested, but Sumiye politely declined.

"No thank you, Tamaki," she answered, "I appreciate it, but the world isn't lacking what my body requires most. Oxygen is readily available right where I am; I'll recover in a minimum amount of time."

"But Sumiye, you're all wet." the twins pointed out, full of concern and not the expected mischievous pervert thoughts.

Sumiye looked down at her dripping dress and smiled sweetly, "I appreciate the concern, but don't be too paranoid. At least water doesn't leave any traces of a stain."

Kyoya lifted up his glasses in response, "True, but that doesn't mean you're not susceptible to a cold. I'll see if I can find a spare uniform for you to use."

"Thank you, everyone." Sumiye responded, brushing her damp hair with her fingers by her pony tail, "I'm making my way to the bathroom to fix myself. Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru, I'll see you in class."

Not looking back, she walked off, leaving the hosts behind her for now. Each of them hoping that she would make it through the day.

By lunch time Sumiye looked pretty much normal to everyone else, although her hair remained damp. She was relieved; lunch would mean she could eat her favourite blueberry cheesecake. Making her way to the lunch room, she began to notice some posters of her lining the walls. Then some turned into many, and many turned into a million. There were way more posters than there were petitions; She was going to have a word with Renge about this. Right after her lunch. Making her way into the refectory she found an empty place to sit, but was soon whisked away by Honey-senpai, who placed her next to Mori-senpai. Opening her boxed lunch, Sumiye normally would've gone for her sandwich or her berries, but instead delved into her blueberry cheesecake, each bite making her feel cheerier than before.

"Sumi-chan, do you feel any better?" Honey asked, after his friend took a few spoonfuls.

"Much better, Honey," she answered with the spoon in her mouth.

But she shivered slightly when a large hand suddenly stroked her hair, and a small blush formed on her cheeks.

"Your hair is still wet," a deep voice rumbled.

Sumiye's breath hitched and her blush got darker as she heard Mori's comment. Her answer to those words wasn't sudden but when she did answer back, it was timid, "Well...I didn't... have much time...to dry it."

Honey saw her blush and did a childish laugh at the two of them. Then, he noticed a conversation going on about Sumiye and tugged her shoulder, "Sumi-chan, look! All of them are staring at you. I think it's because your blushing when you eat that cake!"

Sumiye looked in the direction the little blonde was pointing and saw students from different tables staring at her in awe. They made comments on how sweet she looked while eating her cake and cooed about her sitting next to Honey and Mori. Some even got out their phones and began to take pictures. Sumiye tensed at every picture that was taken of her, sensing some form of impending doom.

"Ooh! I got such a cute picture of them!" a girl called out in excitement, clutching her phone to her chest in happiness.

"Let me see!" another girl replied to her.

"Later! I gotta send this to my friend," She responded, but the other girl was too impatient.

"NO! I wanna see it now!" she demanded, grabbing the girl's phone.

The two girls began to fight over the phone, which caused the phone's owner to drop it onto her food. This was the cause of an all-out food fight, more chaotic than even the craziness that was twin's fake fight. The only ones who weren't fighting were a few girls, who watched the whole scene play out with a strong glare at the sight and the host club, who came to step in.

"Hurry, Sumi-chan! You have to get out!" Honey warned, and didn't need to say it twice.

Running out of the refectory, Sumiye dodged the incoming food and this time managed to make it out safely. But she looked back on the refectory, feeling completely guilty being selfish of leaving the host club to handle the situation, especially Mori. If it was an apocalypse, those sacrifices will haunt her until death. That's it; she's finding Renge. Walking to find another place to eat she got the feeling she was being followed, but didn't want to be confronted with a misunderstanding. A big mistake when she was pushed into the girl's toilets by a pair of three vengeful hands.

Regaining her balance, Sumiye turned around and saw that they were the three girls who were at the refectory. The mess on their dresses proves they weren't so lucky in dodging the food fight.

"What game are you trying to play?" Their leader demanded, hands on her hips.

"G-Game?" Sumiye wondered, "Ladies, this is a misunderstanding. I'm just processing my way through-"

"Don't give us that long word crap!" the other girl yelled, "thanks to you, my dress is ruined!"

"I acknowledge the harm to your garments due to that disruption, but I am in no way responsible-"

"Girls. Drama aside," their leader hushed her cronies before looking back at Sumiye, "We've had enough of this. Everyone has. It's clear the whole school just wants your pretty little hair. We'll take care of it for you."

The girls the pushed her towards the mirror, each holding a pair of scissors and were about to make the first cut when Sumiye let out a high pitch scream. Seconds later, someone came into the room and yelled at the top of her lungs, along with her hair transforming into snakes to scare them away. Flinging Sumiye onto the floor, the three girls ran out in complete terror. Once they were gone, Sumiye's savior began shaking her a little.

"Melody? Melody, are you okay?"

That voice...it was a girl's but it definitely wasn't Haruhi, yet belonged to a familiar person. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find Renge as her savior.

"Re...Renge...?" she responded weakly.

"Oh thank goodness! I was going to find you and let you know about changing the deadline of the petition, and... I heard you scream and..."

"Can you act as an escort and assist me to music room...please?"

"Y-Yes! Of course!" Renge responded, determined, "as not only your manager but adoring fan, I'm here to help!"

Picking herself up off the floor, Sumiye slowly walked out of the door with Renge. She noticed more students out and about, so the food fight was over. But then that left more people to look at Sumiye after what happened in the girl's toilets moments ago. They all looked pretty much speechless, even those who wanted to ask her what's wrong couldn't because of the state she was in. But one of them had the guts to say so, then others started asking and Sumiye quickened her pace, grabbing Renge's hand. The students all began running towards them, trying to get information out of her as to who did this but Sumiye and Renge just kept running until finally reaching the music room before others started blaming each other for her condition.

They shut the doors securely behind and both felt like collapsing after what they had been through that day. With Renge organizing everything for a crowd like what was going on behind the door, Sumiye felt hesitant to talk to her about it. She must be experiencing at least some of what she had to put up with. Looking back up she saw the hosts staring at the two of them, noticing something was off about her when she had her hand on her head. She took a step forward only to topple over and nearly fell face first to the floor, when two strong familiar hands lifted her up and carried her bridal style to one of the sofas.

"Sumiye! What happened?! Are you hurt! Please talk to me! Talk to daddy!" Tamaki panicked, holding Sumiye's shoulders.

"Senpai, knock it off! You're only gonna make her worse!" Haruhi shouted at him before she looked back at Sumiye.

"Mori, Daddy, Haruhi, ...you're okay," Sumiye muttered, "All of you are okay..."

"Sumi, you had me worried! You didn't come to my classroom for lunch, so I came to look for you and saw the commotion. What happened?" Haruhi questioned.

Sumiye looked at the hosts, but couldn't open her moth to tell them. Instead she looked towards Renge.

"Is..Is it my fault? Did I do this?" Renge stuttered out.

"Obviously it's your fault, otaku," Hikaru answered angrily with Kaoru adding the next sentence, "look at the mess she's in right now."

"Wait..." Sumiye tried to voice, but she was getting ignored.

"But isn't that how all celebrities are treated? Aren't they supposed to be surrounded by fans who adore her?" Renge questioned in defense.

"Renge, this isn't a way to do this," Haruhi spoke up, "you're exploiting her to the point of endangering her life."

Sumiye witnessed the argument about her all around her, her voice still being ignored on what she wanted to say. Now, she'd had enough. She was desperate to avoid this, but if she had to do it, she'd do it. Not wanting the first cause of her adjustment to this school to quarrel against each other, she breathed in with her eyes closed and shouted.

"QUIET!"

That was the loudest sound any of them heard, close to the point of cracking the glass windows. Their silence after her scream would make a pin being dropped more audible. Even if it was a cliché description of how silent the room had become. Everyone turned towards her, completely stunned by her scream.

"Just...stop," Sumiye pleaded, "things are never going to conclude if you continue to place blame on one another. It's my responsibility, not Renge's nor anyone else's."

"But Sumi, you didn't do anything wrong," Haruhi said, "you-"

"Were the victim, yes, I was undoubtedly targeted," Sumiye cut her off, " but I didn't respond to them at all. I just sat there with little to no attempts at getting them to calm down."

"But, Sumiye. If you didn't like it that much why would you protest so little?" Tamaki asked.

Sumiye sighed, looking down to her feet, "Because I wanted to see how long I could outlast this. It's been a while since I was given this much attention. Hosting with you all was like a gateway to the preparation. I thought I'd be capable to handle it. But...if this is what it feels like now, I don't know if I can sustain this anymore. If this continues...this stage will be deserted with the setting, and will be left abandoned..."

She imagined herself still progressing the stage of the puzzle, but everything was now stretching away from her. She soon found herself at the stage doors. They began to close and Sumiye could do nothing but stay rooted to the ground as the doors sealed the remaining middle gap.

"Sumi, what are you saying?" Haruhi asked.

"...Never mind. It's just I may not return here if this outrageous behavior continues." Sumiye simplified, not wanting to reveal anything private. "Situations like this must be halted, but quarrelling and arguing isn't providing a solution. The conclusion will be to cease the chaos and finding a way to get my word across. You placed my fate in your hands. Now save me from this..."

She slowly escalated from her place and peeked through the hole, noticing no one she walked out of the door. It's not really the end of her day, but she wants them time for a solution to her problems. But what should she do? She couldn't contact her chauffeur because she didn't have a phone. She was thinking in circles; everything she'd experienced that day causing her thoughts to grind to a halt.

"Sumiye wait!"

She heard her name echo through the hallway and turned around just in time to see the Host Club and Renge tailing behind her. She thought they'd take a little longer for a solution.

"You said you wanted to get your voice across, right?"

Sumiye nodded.

Renge continued, "Well, here's an idea that will make everything better...", she pulled out the things that she kept hidden behind her back. It was a microphone. "You're going to perform in front of the entire school!"

'My life...has been officially...extinguished...' Sumiye thought in despair, falling as darkness submerged all around her.

Tonight was the night; a night she wished was delayed. Renge spread the word around the school about Sumiye's performance and the whole school theatre was completely packed. The hosts were all there to support Sumiye but with or without, she still didn't want to go out there. Even with the twins picking out an outfit that was suitable for her, she still didn't want to open the dressing room curtain.

"Well, Renge's attracted quite the crowd..." Tamaki acknowledged before turning to the hosts, "now how's my darling daughter doing? I'm sure she's excited about her performance."

"Or...she's cowering behind the curtain to overwhelming stage fright," Kyoya pointed at the dressing room with his pen, the curtain shivering as if cold from Sumiye's trembles.

"I'm done for. I'm dead. I may as well lay motionless in bed..." Sumiye muttered, shaking from behind the curtain of the changing room.

"Seriously? How many rhymes is she gonna make?" Hikaru wondered from the other side.

"Yeah, that's not really going to solve anything..." Kaoru agreed.

"Sumi, are you sure you don't want me to come in?" Haruhi asked her.

"No, I'm in the dress. But I'm still undergoing a fearful stress!" Sumiye called out, still confined as she began to shake, "Curses! I can't face the light! I'll fade until I'm out of sight!"

"Sumiye, pull yourself together!" Tamaki exclaimed, striking a dramatic pose and pointing his index finger towards the trembling satin curtains. "Think of all the young ladies and gentlemen who are waiting for your performance, ready to be held rapt by your beauty and grace! Not only have we sold out the seats, but millions of individuals throughout the world are watching to cheer you on! Sumiye, you can't afford to lose yourself in your fear. Like every good artist you must conquer the war within you, and suppress your anxiety in order to conquer!"

He paused briefly in his speech, then in a flurry of impulse whipped the curtain open to reveal the stunned girl he was addressing so reverently. He continued his speech, staring directly into her eyes and taking her pale hands in his own.

"When I play the piano, I play from my very soul. Focus on what makes you enjoy your life, Sumiye! Focus on what you love about singing. There's no room for nerves in art, dear daughter. And besides, we're all here for you as well." He tunes to his fellow hosts. "Right, men and Haruhi?!"

"Right!" The Hosts replied, smiles and approving nods following their response. Haruhi looked at Tamaki and grinned; she wouldn't admit it then, but she was once again impressed by his rare serious side. Tamaki met Sumiye's gaze, awaiting her response to his heartfelt monologue.

Sumiye was rendered speechless by Tamaki's words. Never before did anyone speak with such firm and high support to her of her passion. But her trance didn't last long because after all, it was time to face the light. Regaining a straight posture, she walked down to the entrance, which resembled the doors in her memories. Looking over her shoulder to see the host club support her, especially Mori, she opened the doors and was greeted with loud cheers and applauses from the large hall filled with boys and girls.

As she slowly made her was to the stage entrance she waived for the applause to die down for her to begin her speech.

"Fellow students of this luxurious academy, I'm sure you are well aware of a certain rumor that has been circulating throughout the school about me. While I'm flattered by the attention it's been receiving," loud shrieks were given out at this point until it was silenced with shock when Sumiye added, "I am also highly disappointed."

That honestly surprised the whole crowd, even the hosts, as "disappointed" was such an unexpected word coming from their elegant hostess. "I never knew that a school like this existed, where young ladies and gentlemen of high status could gather to learn and socialize, and yet I seem to have been placed in a superior position due to the attention I have been receiving. Yes, I am considered a reemerging legend, but do you really intend to cripple said legend by creating a boundary I need to break down in order to experience a normal school life? We are all unique in our own ways and that does apply to the rich, as you've surely come to recognize. So I plead with you- set aside your squabbles. There are no sides to fight over here, for we are a unified front as the students of this esteemed academy. So I plead; let us strive to be in harmony with one another throughout this important stage in life."

The auditorium erupted with applause from her reproached academic counterparts, and the lights dimmed to make a spotlight directly haloing the hostess. And so began her own ballad, a song so gentle to the ears yet strong to the heart, to express all the emotion she felt within her. She captivated everyone with her soaring sentiments, even Mori who was expressionless most of the time showed a surprising amount of awe at her performance. As she sang her melody began to resemble all the pieces of the puzzle she had been striving for so long to figure out. Her voice rose and fell dramatically as the pieces began to fall into place, and the full image of her soul came into view. As her singing concluded, the hall was silent for a good long while. Then, prompted by her graceful bow, the audience erupted with cheers, applause, and even a shower of roses and other flowers. As the curtains descended, she was greeted warmly by the host club, who went to congratulate her along with Renge, who danced from foot to foot in even greater admiration of her beloved Melody.

While she remained curious of the world around her, she found herself to be more adjusted to this school and its people than anything in her life.

TADA!

I think I may need to think of some dialogue though for her singing...

Big thanks to Rosezelene Ersa my Beta for helping out still and understanding as well!

(Beta's Note: Nah, Thank you :D Hi everyone, I'm Ersa. Nice to meet you formally ^^ Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I sure did! Enjoy your day/night ~(^.^)~)