Chapter 9

Hey guys, sorry this chapter is up so late! My sister and I have been SUPER busy so it took us a little bit longer to finish this chapter. Anyway, thank you for all your sweet reviews! We love to read them and see what you think of each chapter! So keep reading and reviewing please and without further ado, chapter 9!

"So that's what happened," I finished. I had spent the last half hour recounting our behavior in middle school as well as the events of the last few weeks.

"What would make you ever think it's okay to do something like that?!" Haruhi exclaimed.

Hikaru and I looked at each other and then back at her. "Which part are you talking about?" we shrugged.

"All of it, but especially the games you played in middle school! It's not okay to do that to someone!" she yelled, clenching her fists.

"There's no need to shout," I said flatly.

"Besides, we were only showing them how awful they were really being. They were willing to exchange us as though we were the same person and still considered themselves our friend," Hikaru added.

"Does it really surprise you?" Kyoya cut in.

Haruhi looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

He carefully adjusted his glasses with his index and middle fingers. "Well, we know the twins to be troublemakers now, and you know of their isolated past. Does it really surprise you that they were cruel in their interactions with others when they had so little social experience?"

Haruhi frowned. "No, but-"

"We're not saying they're right," Hunny interrupted, stepping forward. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan shouldn't have done those things. That was really bad of them. I think what Kyo-chan is saying is that although they were wrong, they wouldn't have been good at interacting with others anyway." He blinked up Haruhi, waiting for her to understand what he was saying and respond.

Haruhi looked down, pausing to mull it over. "Well...I guess when you put it that way..."

"As great as this discussion is turning out to be-" Hikaru started.

"-as to whether or not we were justified in our actions-"

"-it still doesn't answer the question of-"

"-what exactly we're supposed to do," we finished together.

Tamaki ran his fingers through his hair. "So your past has finally caught up to you. I'm guessing you thought you could get away with everything, but now you're finally having to face the consequences. It was really only a matter of time before something like this happened."

"Yeah, we know all that. You're not being helpful," we chorused, slightly irritated.

"Well," Tamaki said, gesturing his hand in a way that usually signalled the start of an impassioned speech, "as members of the Host Club, it is our duty to make young ladies happy. You two shady twins-"

"We're not shady!" we exclaimed, crossing our arms.

Tamaki ignored us. "-have made a grievous offense against the amiable nature of our club. The only course of action, at this point, is to right this terrible wrong."

He pointed at Hikaru and I. "I expect your full and unquestioning cooperation."

We glanced uneasily at each other, before turning to him and asking, "With what?"

He flipped his hair and smiled smugly at us. "With my flawless plan, of course."


I leaned against the column in the grand ballroom. Tamaki had wasted no time in planning a masquerade for later that week. A royal theme had been established, with the entire Host Club dressing up as different versions of Prince Charming. Tamaki, though, being the king of the Host Club, didn't hesitate to find a crown fit for such a position. Not only that, but he had insisted on the most luxurious decorations for the masked ball.

I sighed and looked down at my tailcoats and the rapier at my side.

For Hikaru and I, the ball had come far too quickly.

I turned and looked at Haruhi, who was standing next to me, searching the crowd for Kyoko. "You're sure you invited her?"

She pulled a cell phone from the folds of her dress. "I sent her a text. Do you think she might have not seen it?"

I leaned over her shoulder and pointed at the screen. "No, that little symbol there means that she read the text. Or at least opened it."

Flipping it closed, she returned it to the hidden pocket in her dress.

I snorted. "I still can't believe the Boss convinced you to wear that."

She looked up at me. "Well, since it's a masked ball no one will really be able to tell that it's me. I made an appearance at the very beginning so everyone knows I'm here, they'll just think they missed me in the crowd. Besides, it's a lot better than what Tamaki had planned for me to wear as a guy."

I shrugged. "You should have let Hikaru and I pick out something for you to wear. Our mom is a fashion designer."

"I'm not going to mooch off of you people," she said flatly.

"But you have no problem mooching off of the Boss?" I pointed out.

She stared at me.

"Point taken."

Hikaru jogged up to us. "Kaoru, come on. Stop looking for her. She'll come if she wants to. If not, fine then."

I grimaced. "The only reason we're holding this ball is to make amends with her. If she doesn't come, the Boss will enact another of his 'flawless' plans."

He took a spot beside me. "So what's she wearing again?"


"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please," Tamaki announced over the light murmur of the ballroom. "We, the Host Club, have decided to give one lucky, young lady a little treat tonight. She will have the pleasure of having one solo dance with one of our mischievous twins. Her name will be announced at the end of the night. Thank you. Let the festivities begin!"

The small band of string instruments in the corner began to play an upbeat melody perfect for dancing. The gentlemen bowed to their ladies and began to elegantly whisk their dates across the floor. Ladies dresses of all different colors spun and twirled around, but none caught our eye.

None of them were Kyoko.

Hikaru and I continued to walk around the room, greeting our many customers as we went by.

"So when we had to walk home in the middle of the night, Kaoru was so scared, he began to cry!" Hikaru chuckled, surrounded by a group of regular customers.

I blushed, biting my lip and averting my gaze to the floor. "Hikaru, you're embarrassing me. You said that it would just be between us," I whimpered.

Hikaru brought his finger under my chin and lifted it up so I met his loving gaze. "I'm sorry, Kaoru. I thought it was so adorable that I just had to tell them. Forgive me, brother."

"Oh, Hikaru," I whispered.

The girls squealed with pleasure.

"So cute!" they shrieked.

Before we could continue our charade, a girlish screech erupted from the other side of the room. Hikaru and I exchanged a quick glance, knowing exactly who it was.

Hikaru gently took my arm and smiled. "Ladies, we would love to stay and chat, but we have to go find Tamaki. Have a wonderful evening!"

I gave a sheepish grin and waved as we escaped into the crowd. We weaved through the masses of dancing couples until we reached the source of the commotion.

Tamaki clung to Haruhi, staring at an unknown object on the floor. "S-S-S-Suki!" Tamaki screamed.

He attempted to climb up Haruhi's small figure and crawl into her arms.

"Senpai! What are you doing?!" Haruhi exclaimed, remaining rigid under Tamaki's flailing limbs.

He pointed an accusing finger at the object. "B-B-B-Beelzenef!" he shrieked.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and shoved Tamaki off her person. "Oh my God. It's a puppet. It's not that big of a deal, Senpai!" she snapped.

He scrambled to his feet. "No, you don't understand! Nekozawa will curse me again if he finds out Beelzenef was found in my crown! I don't want to die, Suki! I'm too young and beautiful!" Tamaki cried.

She sighed and walked over to pick up the limp, white cat puppet.

Tamaki backed away from her, glaring at it.

"First of all, you have never been cursed. Second of all, how did he get in your crown, Senpai?"

He shook his head fearfully. "I don't know. I just set it down for a couple of minutes and when I put it back on, it was in there. It must have gotten in there with some kind of dark magic," he stated, his voice going up an octave.

Hikaru and I snickered, watching the whole scene playing out before us.

Tamaki was so naive.

All of a sudden, Haruhi turned to look at us. Her eyes narrowed. "I would hate to think you two had anything to do with this," she accused, crossing her arms.

We smirked. "Of course not, Suki."

Tamaki straightened from his previous cowering position, and he pointed at the two of us. "I should have known you two shady twins were the culprits. This is the thanks I get after I put all of this together to help you reconcile with Kyoko? I'm appalled."

"We're not shady!" Hikaru and I muttered.

"And we weren't planning on thanking you-" I started.

"Because we didn't want to do this in the first place," Hikaru finished.

Tamaki stumbled a few steps back, shocked by our admittance. Hurt resonated in his features, but he didn't let it overcome his emotions. His eyes darkened, and he swept his bangs back, composing himself. "Hand me my crown," he mumbled, holding his hand out.

I retrieved it from the floor and held it out to him, but not before slipping a photo into it. Hikaru interjected grabbing the crown.

"Hey, what is this?" Hikaru questioned, pulling out the small, wallet-sized photo.

Feigning innocence, we examined it and our jaws dropped.

"Geez Boss, have you no shame?"

"Yeah, really. This is just wrong," Hikaru said, displaying the photo to Tamaki and Haruhi.

They both squinted, peering at the photo. Tamaki instantly blushed a deep crimson. He snatched the photo out of Hikaru's grasp and crumpled it.

The picture captured Haruhi in a provocative, red string bikini on the beach. It was, of course, photoshopped by the both of us; made specially for the embarrassment of our esteemed king.

"Wow, Boss, you really are a pervert," I stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Perv, perv, perv, perv, Tamaki's a little perv!" we chanted, pointing at him.

His face became even redder, and he jumped up and down in protest. "No, I'm not! I didn't make it! You guys are the pervs! You made it! Stop!" Tamaki shouted, holding his ears.

Haruhi yanked the crumpled photo from Tamaki and stuffed it into one of her dress's hidden pockets. "Okay, all of you need to grow up. Stop making pictures like this. It's childish and immature. That being said, you two stop fooling around and go find Kyoko. Tamaki...just...go," Haruhi sighed, pinching her nose.

Tamaki, still upset, ran off. "Mommy! Mommy! They're doing it again! Make those perverted, shady twins stop!" he yelled.

We both laughed, but fell silent following the scolding look Haruhi shot us. Hikaru and I glanced at each other again and groaned.

"You get that side of the room, and I got this side. She's got to be around here somewhere."


"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it certainly has been an enchanting night. Since the ball is almost over, it's time to announce the lucky girl that will get a solo dance with one of the Hitachiin brothers. Without further ado, the winner is..." Tamaki announced, giving a dramatic pause, "...Princess Mizushima Kyoko!"

The crowd erupted in applause and, for the ladies, squeals of pleasure.

Tamaki scanned the room. "Kyoko, would you please come up claim your dance?"

The room fell silent as everyone looked around at each other for the missing girl.

My palms began to perspire, and the room became very hot. I tried to calm my fidgeting fingers, but to no avail. I jammed my hands into my pockets, nervous. What if she hadn't shown up after all? What if she lied to Haruhi?

Murmurings spread throughout the ballroom, but before Tamaki could call out her name again, a young girl stumbled out into the spotlight. She tried to push her way back into the crowd, muttering harsh declines, but she kept getting shoved back in. I squinted trying to identify the two mystery girls and instantly smirked. The girl demanding to leave was Kyoko, and the one forcing her back into the light was Haruhi. Haruhi must have found Kyoko at some point in the night.

I stepped slowly down the stairs into the light and held out my hand. "May I have this dance, Miss Mizushima?"

She spun around, looking at me skeptically, but then forced a smile. "I suppose."

Kyoko donned a elegant, gold ball gown with sleeves that rested off the shoulder, looping around her upper arm. The gown had a sweetheart neckline, and the bodice was decorated with thousands of rhinestones forming intricate designs. She paired the ensemble with a simple diamond necklace, diamond studs, and sparkly gold shoes. Her make-up was heavier to create a gorgeous night-look, but still looked natural. Her lips shone with pink lip-gloss, and her hair was pulled into a classic bun with a few tight curls left to frame her face. She was stunning.

She laid her hand delicately into mine and curtsied while I bowed. A slow, romantic melody serenaded the room, and Kyoko and I fell into a gentle waltz.

Kyoko kept her gaze down at the floor. "Why did you do this?" she whispered.

"I wanted to make the whole middle school thing up to you. We hosted this ball for you," I explained, leading her across the dance floor.

She snorted. "You expect me to just forgive you like that? You think throwing me a ball will fix everything?"

I shook my head. "No. I just want you to see how sincerely sorry I am. What Kaoru and I did was wrong. I don't expect you to ever forgive us," I answered.

"You mean Hikaru. You're Kaoru," she corrected.

I laughed. "Wow, you're good. I just wanted to make sure the Paris cafe wasn't just luck. But tell me the truth, how can you tell I'm Kaoru?" I questioned.

"I told you the truth last time. You're calmer and sweeter than he is. Besides, he's too proud to apologize," Kyoko replied.

"Yeah, he's a bit of a hothead. So have we come to an understanding? Truce?" I inquired.

She sighed. "Kaoru, it's not that easy. You just expect me to fall into your arms and tell you that I forgive you and that we can be best friends. Real life doesn't work that way. It doesn't work like you and your brother's world," she said softly.

"I'm not asking for us to be best friends. I'm just asking for us to be okay," I murmured.

Kyoko licked her lips. "Haven't you ever heard the saying 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'? Doesn't that apply here? I can't trust you not to turn on me again. I'm not going to be the fool."

"There is no fool because there is no trick. I swear. I just want us to be okay. I want us to be able to talk to each other without venom."

"Well, I can't promise that last part. I'm quite snarky after all," Kyoko giggled.

"As am I. But hey, look at where it got us."

"Hating each other."

I froze. A thousand different thoughts raced through my mind. I cocked my head to the side. "I don't hate you."

She blushed. "Oh..." Her gaze plummeted to the floor.

I lifted her chin with my one finger. "Hey, aren't ladies always supposed to look at the gentleman their dancing with?" I chuckled lightly.

She blushed deeper. "I-I suppose. My apologies, misure."

"And about what you said...do you hate me?" I asked, arching one eyebrow.

At that moment the song concluded, and we each parted. Kyoko curtsied, and I bowed. She turned to disappear back into the crowd, but I caught her arm.

"Kyoko, wait...do you hate me?" I said, repeating my question

She turned to me, her cheeks flushed. "Forget it. I forgive you. We're okay now. Just please leave me be from now on, okay?"

With that, Kyoko fled into the crowd, and I was bombarded by swooning clients.

"Aw, that was so adorable!"

"So cute!"

"I wish I could have been her!"

"Hikaru, you're such a great dancer!"

Despite all the chaos, only one thought ran through my mind. Kyoko.