A/N: Hello everyone and let me just apologize straight away for the lack of updates throughout the nearly half a year hiatus I somehow ended up putting this story on hold. I didn't mean to keep you from another update for this long but as usual life messed up my plans for a frequent updating schedule. I've had this chapter nearly completed on my laptop for months but I just haven't had the time/energy to go through it and finish the darn thing. Hopefully by the end of autumn I have more time to devote to this dear hobby of mine. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for the patient wait and sticking with me! Fun fact by the way, this story has reached over 6500 hits and has nearly 100 followers. That's just huge and I couldn't be more grateful for you guys! ^^
Once again a thank you for the people who reviewed the last chapter, Jacquelina-Comm, Extended Experience, hardeehar, Molly Grace 16, Mariana Lestrange, rinpup14, komi and Animelover210.
And finally a very special thank you to plume-noire6 whose lovely review was just what I needed to get this chapter finished! Your kind words gave me the motivation to start writing again, and I really hope you stay with this little story of mine until the end ^^
Chapter 9.
Elena hadn't even been able to fully enter her homeroom when Mariko had already ran up to her side, the girl's eyes frantic as she gapped at her in what Elena recognized as a combination of relief and utter shock. The girl gripped her by the arm and started pulling her into the storage room that had been functioning as a dressing room throughout the night. Mentally, Elena let out an exhausted sigh; Mariko had no doubt heard of what she'd done and gone through, and judging by her behavior she most definitely wanted an explanation, not to mention details – the girl was a sucker for those. The storage room door opened and closed in a mere second and before she knew it, Elena was being borderline suffocated by her friend's crushing hug. She opened her mouth to try and voice out her discomfort but Mariko didn't give her the chance.
"What in the gods name did you think you were doing Elena? Do you have any idea how seriously in trouble you are?" Mariko all but shouted at her, the girl's voice cracking a few times as she squeezed Elena a tad harder. "I was so worried about you when I heard what had happened! We thought those yakuza killed you when no one saw you after you were dragged out of the room!"
Trying to wag her way free from the girl's arms, Elena sighed tiredly.
"No one tried to kill me Mariko, least of all Ritsu," she murmured slowly, focusing on keeping her voice patient despite herself. She didn't miss how Mariko suddenly stiffened after hearing her mutter out her savior's name, and it wasn't long before the girl finally let her hold loosen, allowing Elena to step a few steps backwards and breath. Mariko started at her with wide eyes but said nothing. Elena began to squirm under her heavy stare; suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
"Look, I honestly don't regret anything I did. You should've heard the things those pigs said to me, not to mention how they treated me. They deserved it," she declared bluntly, continuing quickly before Mariko could get a word in. "What I don't understand is how everyone could let them go that far in the first place. I was left to deal with them on my own without any support from the others!" Elena huffed in frustration, feeling her temper start to get the better of her as she recalled the incident once again.
Mariko gave her a tight-lipped frown, clearly not liking what she was hearing. She finally let out a long sigh, her eyes shining with slight remorse. When she spoke, her voice was oddly firm and final; so different from her normal demeanor.
"Like I've already explained, it's just how things are around here, Elena. Very few families allow themselves to associate with yakuza in the first place and to be honest, I don't know whether they're any safer from them then the rest of us are. If you're stupid enough to pick a fight with a yakuza, you can be sure you're on your own."
"Hey! I was only defending myself!"
"That's not my point. It's just how it is."
Elena felt a frown start to form on her face, her brows pinching together from both slight confusion and apprehension. Surely Mariko couldn't mean that…?
"But you would've helped me, right, if you'd been there?" she felt the need to ask even though she had a fairly good assumption what Mariko's answer would be. To be honest, she didn't want her to answer, afraid of what she might hear.
Mariko gave her an almost offended look.
"Look, Elena, we're friends. Under normal circumstances I'd do almost anything to help a friend out. But when it comes to the yakuza, I'm not in a position to do anything. I can't afford to be seen with yakuza; I'll put my family into a horrible disposition in the eyes of others. We'll lose credibility, our clients, our livelihood," she trailed on, her expression turning softer as she gave her an almost apologetic look. "I gather that since you weren't accepted in with a scholarship, your family has at least some money if not even influence. I don't know what you take studying in this school as, but for the rest of us it's preparing us for our futures. We can't afford to recklessly decide upon something that'll hinder us in later life – yakuza associating being one of them. You understand, right?"
Initially Elena wanted to deny her friend's ridiculous reasoning and tell her she was wrong. To her, helping out a person in clear need of help went ahead of everything else, and as a high schooler bullying was pretty much the worst offense anyone could commit. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how Mariko or anyone else would rather ignore the situation than do something to help.
Taking deep breaths, her rising temper slowly began to subside and her mind started to see things from Mariko's point of view. Everything she'd said was true, of course. It was almost funny how easily she forgot that most of the students here at Ouran were going to succeed their parents in various, high profile positions someday. Most of them took their studies seriously unlike Elena who was just trying to pass her classes.
I can't even imagine how much pressure everyone's under. Even though my situation is drastically different from theirs, I can somewhat understand their reasoning. It's not like I'll take over the family company; heck, I'm not even sure how long I'll even live here. I could just jump on the next plane to England and return to living life normally with Mom…
Letting out a long sigh, she nodded her head, a broken smile ghosting her face.
"Yeah, I guess I can. But it still doesn't mean that I like it."
Mariko nodded, probably understanding her point of view. She gave her a stern look as Elena made to change out of her costume.
"Just promise me you won't do anything like that again," she paused for a moment, nervously biting her lip before hesitantly continuing, "You're my friend, but you understand that should people start talking, I can't be associated with you anymore…"
Elena immediately stopped trying to unzip her dress as her eyes darted to stare at the normally happy-go-lucky girl, her eyes wide with shock. To say she was dumbfounded was an understatement. The girl could have just as well slapped her.
Elena knew far too well about the strict hierarchy that gripped the school. She knew which people she should try to please and which she should just plainly avoid – clearly she wasn't doing well on that part – but now for the first time she realized how close she herself was about to cross the line for the later. She wondered briefly if anyone in this school understood what friendship truly meant.
Normally, under rational and definitely not posh-rich-kid-school circumstances, Elena wouldn't have hesitated to end her friendship with Mariko herself, if only to spare the girl from further stress because she knew that her temper and morals would eventually cause her to do or say something that would be looked down upon. Normally, she wouldn't let anyone bully or threaten her, but as she thought about loosing her only friend at a time like this, she remarked how very unbeneficial it would've been for her. As much as Elena wanted to tell herself she wasn't a coward, in the end she was more afraid of once again becoming the school loner than standing up for what she believed in.
This is stupid. She's basically threatening to cut me off if I don't comply. This shouldn't be such a big deal; I really don't need any friends to get through a school day or pass a test. Heck, I've done it before! Ouran is really starting to mess with my head… God, I'm so pathetic…
She merely nodded in reply, not trusting her voice at that moment. Mariko smiled briefly before turning to the door.
"'Kay. I'll let you change and then, if you're up for it, we could have a look around the school. Or would you rather go home? You've had a rough night…"
"Mm," she murmured, testing her voice as she quickly thought and decided upon the matter, "thanks, but I think I'll head home. I just want the day to be over."
Mariko glanced at her sympathetically, giving her a curt nod before exiting the room, leaving Elena to change. She quickly untied and unzipped most of the knots and zippers, pulling the costume off of her in record time. She was careful not to damage it as she yanked off her fake tail and ears, suddenly realizing she didn't have a clue where her mask had ended up, though in the end not really caring. Dressing somewhat in a hurry, she folded the costume neatly and placed it back into the box she'd received it in, leaving the box behind as she exited the room, figuring Rina would find it there.
It seemed that the night was about over as only a handful of students still remained seated inside their makeshift café. She spotted Mariko wave to her just outside the classroom and within seconds she had made her way to her, wordlessly turning left when she'd exited the room. Mariko followed her and for a while they walked in silence. After turning the first corner, Elena couldn't help but feel a little selfish, suddenly feeling rather guilty for declining on her friend's suggestion to explore the school.
"I'm sorry tonight didn't go as expected," she began with a sigh, "it would've been nice to look around the school and visit the other classes' events but I'm afraid I'm not very good company at the moment."
"Don't worry about it, I understand," Mariko replied almost chirpily beside her, a smile forming on her face. She was back to her usual carefree, happy self; something that Elena was actually glad for. It was as if the incident with the yakuza hadn't happened at all.
Despite this Elena felt herself frown, casting the girl beside her a skeptical look.
"You didn't have to wait for me, you know. I wouldn't have minded if you'd went with your other friends to look around the school."
"Oh, Elena, stop talking nonsense," Mariko giggled merrily, a smirk plastered on her face as they continued onwards. "To be honest I was getting ready to head home anyway. We had so many people visit the café; it was almost ridiculous! I'm so tired; I'd kill for a warm bath right about now…"
A smile threatened to pull Elena's lips as she listened to her friend's half-hearted whining; the girl's antics surprisingly amusing despite everything. They soon arrived to the courtyard, what seemed to be Mariko's car already waiting for her. The air was slightly crisp and Elena couldn't suppress the shiver running down her back as she thought about walking back home, now regretting having refused the lift home her driver had offered.
If just had to be stubborn about walking home on a night like this, didn't I?
"Didn't you phone your driver yet?" Mariko asked despite the faint hint of knowledge in her eyes. Elena glanced at her, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"No, I originally thought I'd walk home but I'm starting to regret that choice," she admitted groggily, her eyes landing on Mariko's ride for a brief moment before she turned them away, not wanting to seem pathetic by begging with her eyes. Besides, she had her phone; she should just call her driver and he'd come pick her up in mere minutes.
"Don't worry, you can ride with me," Mariko chirped, already climbing into the car and giving her an expecting stare. "Come on, it won't be any trouble. You can't honestly tell me you'd rather walk home when it's this cold?"
Elena considered the thought for a second, her resolve aided by a brisk gush of cool air. In no time at all she was inside the large car; the door shutting shortly after she'd entered. Mariko smiled widely to her as she turned to her driver to explain they'd be taking her home.
"Where do you live Elena? Not far from the school, I'd gather?" she inquired once the driver started the engine.
"Well, I don't actually know the address," she confessed regretfully; mentally kicking herself for still not having verifying it with anyone. It was embarrassing that she didn't know her address after months of staying with her father. Trying to redeem herself, she focused on answering her friend's simply question at least somewhat decently. "It's not far though; if we turn left you could leave me by the main road a couple of blocks off. It's only a short way from there and I don't mind walking the rest of the way," she suggested, knowing her house wasn't even in the same general direction as Mariko's to begin with; not wanting to bother her longer than necessary.
Mariko didn't seem to like her answer; scrunching her brows together as she gave Elena a disapproving stare.
"There's no way I'm letting you walk home tonight! We'll drive you the entire way," she stated in a firm voice, giving her a warning glare as if to dare her to decline. Elena merely sighed, knowing she stood little chance when her friend got into this state of mind.
Mariko seemed to sense her surrender and turned to her driver, giving him some general directions for the first leg of the way. The car slid into motion and soon they were already on the main road, Mariko encouraging Elena to give the driver the rest of the directions to her house. In no time at all they had turned from the main road and were now maneuvering through the smaller roads leading to Elena's house. Elena noted how strangely interested Mariko seemed to be by the neighborhood she lived in and she voiced out her observation.
"It's just so different from the ones I'm used to. Most of us live in far larger houses than these ones," she replied curtly, giving her a careful glance. "I don't mean to sound rude but it seems to me that your family doesn't seem to be as… wealthy, as others in our school."
Elena had been expecting something according to that line, honestly neither surprised nor offended in the least. She flicked her hand dismissively, trying to signal she was fine with the matter.
"You're probably right. To be honest I don't have the faintest idea about my father's financial matters and wouldn't mind keeping it that way. I don't think it's something I have to worry or know about," she stated neutrally, glancing outside the tinted windows as a half smile settled on her face. "As hard as it may to believe, living in this neighborhood isn't that bad; actually, far from it. Compared to the places I used to live in with my mother, this is quite nice."
Mariko stared at her silently for a second before turning back to the window, a focused expression plastered on her face as if trying to see what Elena saw in the neighborhood. Elena could tell she had more things on her mind but for once seemed to realize she shouldn't press the matter on.
Noticing that they were closing in on the last corner before her house, Elena shifted slightly in her seat, effectively catching the driver's attention with the movement.
"Take the next turn right; my house is just a hundred or so feet from there," she instructed, the driver doing as commanded and before long they reached her house. "This is it," she stated and waited for the car to slow to a stop. "Thank you for the lift," she said as she opened the door herself before the driver could even get out of the car, smiling slightly to Mariko. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
She closed the door after they'd said their 'goodnights' and briskly walked up to the wooden doors, knocking on them twice.
"Who's there?" a man with a deep voice inquired, his words sounding quite intimidating in the ever darkening night.
"It's me, Elena," she answered firmly, her feet twitching restlessly as she waited for the doors to open. She quietly cursed the person who'd decided to close the heavy, large doors this early into the evening; knowing her father would probably come turn around the house at least two more times that night before the gates were shut for the remaining night. The ten or so seconds she had to wait for the doors to open just postponed her from a warm shower and sleep.
One of her father's more brawnier men pulled the massive doors open and greeted her politely as she entered the large courtyard before once again pulling the doors shut. Elena gave her own quiet response as she made her way towards the house, nodding her greetings to the rest of the men still outside. To her slight displeasure she found Kemuri once again waiting for her as she entered the house, the older male giving her his usual stoic expression as they stared at each other momentarily before Elena let out a tired sigh, pulling her shoes off with more effort than the simple task should have needed. She could see Kemuri shift his head slightly from the corner of her eye as she fought to get her remaining shoe off, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable questioning she knew was sure to follow.
Why couldn't he just mind his own business for one goddamn day? It's bad enough already that a yakuza manhandled me today and I'm getting sick and tired of everyone pestering me with questions! Is wanting to fall asleep and forget about tonight too much to ask?
Unable to avoid the young man any longer, she finally had to raise her eyes from her feet, her thoughts before written quite plainly on her face. Kemuri wasn't having any of it, though.
"If I may inquire, young mistress," he paused briefly as Elena fought to get a word in.
"Actual-"
"Why didn't you call for a car tonight? Your clothing wasn't suited at all for tonight's weather. The Master won't be pleased when he hears you walked back home alone this late at night," he spoke faster than Elena could get a word in, his tone past polite as he made pointed remarks about her attire. Crossing his arms, he frowned at her; his eyes tinted with an almost resentful hue. "How could you act so irresponsibly without thinking of the consequences?"
It took a moment for Elena to respond; her brain trying to arrange her thoughts in order.
He did not just reprimand me for something I didn't do, did he?
Suddenly feeling very annoyed, she gave the man a hard glare, her chest already heaving from her rising temper. "Hey, now wait just a darn minute!" Elena all but yelled, her voice rising by several octaves as she stared incredulously at the man in front of her. "You have no right to talk to me like that! I've had a horrible night and the only thing I need right now is a hot shower and my bed," she stated firmly and pushed past him, trying to get to her room as fast as possible. She could feel fresh tears start to sting her eyes but she ignored them for now, knowing Kemuri would undoubtedly be close behind her.
Despite having been falsely accused of something, Elena soon found the fight being drained away from her the further she got. Finally after having been stripped of her anger, she was left to recall her and Kemuri's earlier interactions, suddenly remembering the look in his eyes as he'd scolded her. She let out a soundless sigh.
It wasn't right of me to act like that and yell at Kemuri. After all, it's not him that I'm actually angry at. I should've kept my cool and explained.
She glanced back to confirm that the man was still there before opening her mouth, intending on apologizing.
"I'm sorry," she began slowly, noting the slightly confused look on Kemuri's face before focusing her eyes back in front of her. "You were just doing your job; you didn't deserve to get yelled at."
Well, at least this time…
"The reason I didn't call for a car was because I intended to walk home; the school's hardly miles away. I just didn't predict the weather getting so cold. I intended to call someone just as my friend offered me a lift," she explained, keeping her voice slow and steady. "I'm still not used to relying on others and I don't want to be a bother to anyone; I know you guys have enough work as it is without having to babysit me. I'm hardly a little kid anymore, I can take care of myself…"
She heard Kemuri let out a long sigh.
"Well this is a first; the mistress of the house apologizing for nothing to a mere lackey," he stated out loud, his words instantly causing Elena to turn and face him.
"Hey! I was just trying to be nice," she replied pointedly, silently murmuring curses at the young man who was now giving her a deadpan expression.
"A person in your position doesn't apologize for her actions, young mistress."
"I'm not in any position and even if I were I still wouldn't be rude."
"You're the mistress of this house, our Master's daughter. You don't have to explain yourself to us, young mistress."
"Will you stop calling me that already?! My name's Elena!"
"As you wish Elena-sama," Kemuri replied, and Elena could just hear the smirk in his voice. Deciding to ignore him for the rest of the way, they walked in blissful silence.
They'd nearly reached her room when Kemuri decided to break the silence with one final question.
"So you got a ride…from a friend, you said?" Kemuri confirmed, sounding as though not knowing whether to believe her words or not. She merely hummed as an answer, not bothering to glance back at him to see whether he'd actually heard her or not. "I see," he replied, sounding deep in thought. "So even you've managed to befriend someone."
Elena almost felt compelled to stop in her tracks and have the man following her crash into her, if only to get a chance to reprimand him about something. He was purposely trying to get under her skin and irritate her; the nerve of him!
And here I'd thought that he'd leave me alone for the rest of the night…
She turned to glare at him, trying to pour as much ice into her eyes as possible. Judging by the unwavering stoic expression he wore, she was failing miserably in getting her message through.
"You sound as though that's hard to believe. You're not implying that you thought that I wouldn't make any friends, are you?" she asked him pointedly, daring him to confirm her suspicions.
The young man didn't say anything, the corners of his lips tugging ever so slightly. Elena decided not to let him get to her, continuing her way while simultaneously pulverizing him into a messy pulp mentally inside her head. She promptly ignored him for the rest of the way.
/ / / / / / /
Morning came far too soon for Elena and before she knew it, it was already nearly time for her first ever ball, courtesy of Ouran High School. She was starting to get the feeling it would simultaneously be the last ball she ever attended as well.
Throughout the day she'd cursed everyone she felt could be held accounted for arranging the stupid event in the first place, not to mention private schools in general for allowing students to spend a perfectly good school day socializing by prancing around in their grand, expensive costumes and gloating about their families, trying to outdo one another. Upon considering the thought, it still sounded like a perfectly ordinary school day at Ouran anyway, minus the costumes if you didn't include the Host Club's frequent cosplaying. Still, she'd much more preferred to study rather than play dress up for an evening.
She hadn't told anyone back at the house about her near death-experience last night, having decided it would be for the best. Her father would have no doubt gotten himself and his company in trouble had she told him, knowing he'd want the perpetrators held responsible for their actions against his daughter. Elena felt herself shudder just at the thought of how the yakuza might respond and quickly banished those thoughts altogether, promptly deciding things would never come to that.
Miraculously she'd survived her ordeal without any easy-to-spot physical evidence; her face and arms free from bruising. The only minor injuries she'd received was from the wire when she'd been pulled from her tail, the wire having bit into the skin above her hips and now sporting a ring of closed up wounds. It wasn't pretty but at least she could hide it under her clothes compared to say a large bruise shaped like a hand on her face. Anyway, she was confident that the cuts would heal without scaring or the need for a doctor, so therefor there really wasn't much harm done.
That disgusting jerk better not put his hands on me again though or else I'll end up doing something I'll regret…
Letting out a long sigh, she focused her eyes to stare at her image from the full-length mirror in her room mirthlessly. Sure enough, the black dress she'd bought with Mariko was just as beautiful as she remembered, the fabric flowing off her body more elegantly than she even thought was possible. She'd curled her long brown locks and haphazardly tied a handful into a braid-like creation on the upper area of the back of her head, having remembered her mother sporting the same look to multiple events she'd participated. Black stilettos adorned her feet, the heals being just a few inches high; hopefully causing as little hindrance to her walking as possible, as well as keeping her on her feet. The last thing she needed at a time like this was even more attention by stumbling and landing on her behind in front of the entire school.
Turning her body from side to side, her tried to get a glimpse of as many different angles as possibly before concluding that everything was as close to perfection as could be. Frowning, she turned to her bed to pick up a pair of long, black satin gloves and proceeded in putting them on, taking her time in doing so.
She was almost finished, having already put on her makeup and what little jewelry she owned beforehand. Dragging her eyes to the veil that was thrown inelegantly over her mirror she grabbed ahold of it and after taking a calming breath, reluctantly put it on. That one piece of fabric made all the difference for the look; changing her outfit from a gothic evening dress to a full on wedding dress.
I could still call in sick and stay home if I wanted to. She thought idly, staring at her reflection somewhat discouraged before starting to feel annoyed. Mentally kicking herself, she glared at herself in the mirror.
"Look at me; freaking over a simple Halloween costume party. The old me would've manned up a long time ago," she mumbled barely audible, her lips tugging into a sad smile. "The old me wouldn't last a second in an event like this, not to mention I'd probably get myself killed should any of the yakuza be there."
Giving herself one last look, she started making her way to her door, huffing lightly as she thought about how she'd changed during the weeks she'd lived with her father. It was a little frightening how easily she'd given in to peer pressure and for that she felt slightly ashamed. The situation at Ouran however was vastly different from any other school she'd ever attended before. In the end she blamed it on the money.
Deep in thought, she didn't notice Kohaku before she almost ran into him as she began to make her way out of the house. Taken aback, she was dragged back into the moment as she raised her gaze to meet the amber orbs of the young male's.
"Oh, sorry Kohaku," she apologized sheepishly, feeling a little awkward under his gaze as he'd yet to say or do anything. "What? Is there something wrong with my outfit? Did I forget something? It doesn't suit me; that's it isn't it? God, why am I even going to that stupid ball in the first place? I should just stay home…" she started to babble as she fiddled with her dress, second-guessing her decision to attend the ball after all.
"Uuhh… I-iii… Eh…" was all the boy could say as his face reddened incredibly fast. Turning around, he meekly gestured her to follow as he took off for the front door.
Confused, she had no choice but to follow him, wondering what had gotten into him. They walked in heavy silence until they finally made it to the main entrance, much to Elena's relief. She didn't know how much more tension she could take.
Exiting the house, she was surprised to see nearly all of her father's men lined up outside, waiting to send her off as they did every school day. Elena could feel every single pair of eyes on her and she just barely repressed the urge to squirm under their gazes. She let out a weak sigh as she made her way through the path as the men yelled out their usual greetings. Just before she'd reached the heavy wooden doors of the gate, Tarou shouted out one last sentence that caught her by surprise.
"Young Mistress, you look spectacular this evening! Do enjoy yourself!"
As the rest of the men dutifully repeated the sentence, Elena glanced back at them apprehensively before huffing, her lips forming into a smile. Who would've guessed that a bunch of intimidating looking men could've given her the boost of confidence that she so desperately needed.
/ / / / / / /
"Isn't this just the most wonderful ball you've been to in a while?" Mariko chanted happily as she effortlessly grabbed two glasses full of pumpkin juice from the tray of a passing waiter before giving the other to Elena as they made their way to a less crowded place.
The school's largest hall had been turned into something that looked like straight out of a strange and kooky fairytale, reminding her of Alice in Wonderland. The color scheme was a lot brighter and crazier than traditionally associated with Halloween but combined with all the outrageous props – for example, a life-sized two headed deer – the all around atmosphere was nothing short of spooky.
When she'd first heard that the Black Magic Club wouldn't be decorating the school for tonight's event she'd felt a little let down, having been impressed with their work the day before. Imagine her surprise when Mariko had told her that tonight's spectacular decorating was done by none other than the Host Club. She was starting to view the infamous club in a new light after that particular piece of information.
The middle of the hall had been reserved for dancing and because it was still fairly early into the evening, most of the students preferred to mingle with the others until the party really got going, i.e. the members of the Host Club would finally have to start to ask the female students to dance in order to draw people to the dance floor. Even though Elena herself wouldn't be dancing – walking alone in high heels was difficult enough – she had to admit that it was a rather ingenious strategy from the Host Club fan girls. Fortunately for once Mariko wasn't that interested in seeking out any of the members, having been given instructions from her parents to mingle with the children of their business partners, whom apparently, Mariko didn't really care for.
"I mean, don't get me wrong; they're…nice people," Mariko began lengthily, stopping for a few seconds to give a discreet wave to a group of boys on the other side of the large hall before continuing, "but they're not really that interesting. Sure their families have successful IT-firms and whatnot, but I'd honestly much more prefer to study history than try to keep up a conversation with any of those boys."
Elena let her slight surprise show on her face as she took a sip of her juice.
"Wow, history. That's saying something, especially coming from you," she replied with a smirk before letting her face somber as she turned to glance at a fairly abstract looking tree not far away, the bark of the tree striped dark purple and smoky fuchsia. "So, what do we do now?" she inquired as she turned her gaze back to her friend. "I haven't been to a ball before…"
Mariko seemed to have difficulties keeping her drink down, fighting hard not to spit it out as she stared at Elena in what could only be interpreted as shock. Elena mentally rolled her eyes at her friend's antics; trust her to react completely over-the-top to nearly everything Elena said.
"What? How's that even possible? Didn't you have any sort of dances in England?" Mariko questioned after finally managing to swallow her drink.
Elena shrugged her shoulders, keeping her eyes on her drink as she took another sip.
"Yeah sometimes. But we used to move quite frequently so I usually missed the school dances. Besides I didn't really want to attend them anyway."
"I'm sorry to hear that; every girl should get the chance to experience their first ball. Luckily you'll have yours at the best one possible!" Mariko chirped by her side and grabbed ahold of her arm, wrapping it around her own as she began to guide her around the giant hall.
Somehow Elena had a bad feeling about this.
"First thing's first; I'll have to swap at least a few words with those boys of my family's business partners. After that we'll have the rest of the evening to turn this into an unforgettable night," she quickly explained the course of action as they closed in on the group of boys Mariko had waved to before.
Elena gave her friend an apprehensive glance, suddenly feeling nervous. As if reading her mind, Mariko gave her an encouraging smile.
"Don't worry, this shouldn't take long. Believe it or not but those guys can barely utter a word out when they're near girls, especially ones they've never met before. I'm guessing I'll be the one doing most of the talking…"
Stopping a couple of feet away from the group of teen boys, Elena forced herself to smile as Mariko greeted them, effectively catching their full attention. They hadn't exactly dressed up for the occasion, all of them wearing expensive suits as though prepared to leave for a meeting instead of attending a Halloween party. Elena wasn't usually one to prejudice but from her point of view it seemed like the four boys in front of her were just another group of socially awkward teens that had trouble talking to the opposite gender. The thought made her calm down a bit; knowing she wasn't the only one stressing over this particular conversation.
"Good evening gentlemen; how are all of you doing?" Mariko inquired out of them before taking a sip from her drink.
The young men mumbled their replies stiffly, after which their eyes hesitantly focused on Elena, much to her discomfort. Even so, she kept on smiling.
"This is my friend Elena Kawamura. She moved here from England not too long ago," Mariko introduced her, gesturing to each of the young men. "These are Jin, Iza, Hotaru and Kenta."
Mariko included in their family names as she briefly explained which companies the young men were heirs to but Elena had the feeling she probably wouldn't remember them anyway.
"It's nice to meet you," Elena replied as the group of boys mumbled something incomprehensible in return.
Boy, Mariko sure wasn't kidding when she said they aren't very talkative.
After ten minutes of fairly one directional conversation Mariko decided her interactions with the boys would be enough to satisfy her family's conditions and promptly wished the group of young men a good rest of the evening before urging Elena to follow her, all but dragging her deep into the crowd. Having made their escape, Mariko visibly relaxed as she maneuvered them through the masses of students, her eyes set on one of the long tables filled with food.
"Good god, that was tiring! At least it's out of the schedule for the night," she sighed, giving Elena an apologizing smile. "I'm sorry you had to endure that. It must be great not having your parents push you into socializing with their business partners' children."
"Don't worry about it," Elena replied hastily, trying to ease her friend's mind on the matter. "I could think of far more unpleasant things to do in comparison to meeting a few new people."
Mariko grinned, picking up a cup of mixed fruit salad from the table. She waited patiently for Elena to pick something to eat before leading them away, both of them settling into a slow paced walk as they took in the marvelous costumes their fellow students were wearing, talking idly as they walked about the grand hall.
True to her word, Mariko had indeed worn the Middle Eastern outfit she'd received from her father, giving her a 'Thousand Nights' vibe with her gold-laced fabric and generous amount of jewelry. It wasn't long before Elena began to feel slightly inferior to the rest of the students as she compared her costume to theirs, though she quickly dismissed the thought, knowing that it was indeed true to begin with. Unlike the others, she hadn't dressed up to impress or maintain her image. She'd just dressed up for the fun of it.
Though I really didn't have any say what I'd be wearing, now that I think about it…
"So," she began abruptly in the middle of biting into a slice of exotic fruit, "what else do people usually do at these kinds of events besides meet and greet acquaintances? I know Ouran's balls must differ from the rest at least somewhat," she wondered out loud, turning her eyes to Mariko.
"You'd be right on that one," Mariko chirped; her eyes visibly starting to shine as she began to list everything she deemed worth telling. "It goes without saying that attending these sort of events is a must; not only are they fun but they are also designed to prepare us for the future should we have to participate in other events – which we will. I don't know whether anyone's mentioned this to you before but these events are part of our etiquette course. There are multiple evaluators within tonight's partygoers and their job is to observe how we socialize and interact with others during the evening, after which they report back to our etiquette-teacher." Here she halted for a moment, taking in Elena's baffled expression.
"What? Evaluators? At a teenage Halloween party?" she practically shrieked before toning it down, eying Mariko skeptically. "You aren't joking, are you?"
Mariko suppressed a giggle, taking another bite from her fruit salad. "Calm down Elena, it's not like they take highly detailed reports of all of us. They usually only report back to the teacher should someone do something totally incorrect. Don't worry, you're safe with me!" she explained shortly, giving Elena a bright smile.
"You better stop me before I do anything stupid; I haven't got the faintest idea how to behave in these kinds of parties. I thought my biggest worry would've been the other students and now I have to deal with the knowledge that someone is watching my every move," she voiced out her concern, after which sighing feeling even more deflated than before.
The sudden change in the music being played by the small orchestra had the students quiet down a bit as they shifted to turn towards the dance floor. The hall seemed to grow tense with foreknowing; everyone waiting restlessly for someone to begin the night's first dance. Some had already chosen themselves dancing partners while others – mainly first year female students – were frantically swinging their heads from side to side, no doubt trying to pinpoint anyone from the Host Club. Elena felt herself cringe as she even thought about dancing and very discreetly tried to back away from the vicinity of the still empty dance floor, trying to put some distance between it and her. She didn't care whether they would call her a wallflower; there was absolutely no way she would be doing anything remotely similar to dancing tonight.
Mariko had seemed to notice her hasty attempt of retreat and turned to give her a playful look.
"You know, should you be asked to dance you can't turn them away unless you want a privet scolding from the teacher," she said with a grin, a knowing gleam shining in her eyes as Elena turned to look at her with horrified eyes.
"You can't be serious!" she all but shouted before thinking about the matter, her nerves calming down somewhat as she realized she probably wouldn't even get asked to dance anyway. Under normal circumstances she would've been crushed after said realization but now she couldn't have been happier. Heck, she was even mentally dancing the Macarena!
Thank God I'm not one of those popular girls!
A light cough snapped her back to reality, her heart nearly stopping as her eyes settled on a hand being offered to her; the way it was presented to her leaving no room for incorrect assumptions on what it meant.
Elena stared in morbid shock at the long-fingered hand covered by a black glove as she began to feel a little light-headed, noticing she'd been holding her breath. Taking in a lungful of air, she tentatively raised her gaze to take a look at the person who'd asked her to dance, silently fearing it would be the yakuza from the day before. What she saw surprised her for a moment before she noticed the other man beside him, mirroring his actions to Mariko.
It was Jin and Hotaru, the young men Mariko had introduced her to before when she'd socialized with them earlier. Apparently they felt the need to prolong their interactions, much to Mariko's obvious reluctance. Even so, she dutifully placed her hand in her parent's business partner's son's and gave him a small smile before giving Elena an expecting look.
Trying to repress her growing panic, Elena turned back to face the young man and forced herself to mimic Mariko's actions, mentally kicking herself to boost her confidence. She'd be damned before she was caught chickening out of something so meager as a school dance!
And so, she soon found herself being led to the middle of the grand hall, focusing hard where she placed her feet to avoid slipping and landing face first on the floor. If only she'd be able to control them while dancing as well.
To her credit, she had been in ballet when she was little and as so had some background in dancing. She'd just never danced in high heels before. Or anything so classical for the record as the music changed into a traditional waltz. Her partner – Hotaru, if she remembered right – placed his other hand on her waist and took ahold of her hand with the other, readying them for the dance. She cautiously placed her other hand on his shoulder and before she could even blink, they were already moving with Hotaru leading. Having been caught off guard, Elena struggled to find the correct tempo to the dance, her feet wobbling ominously with every step she took. Realizing she'd soon stumble if she didn't do anything, she had no choice but to slightly lean into the young man dancing with her, hoping to gain some much needed support from him. She could instantly feel him tense from the unexpected contact and turned to glance at him apologetically.
"Um, I'm terribly sorry but I'm not much of a dancer, especially in heels like these. I'm almost sure I'll trip and fall if I don't have any support while dancing; I hope it's alright…" she explained mutedly, trying to keep her voice down. "I understand if you find it inappropriate and I wouldn't be offended should you want to stop dancing."
"No, it's alright," her partner mumbled barely understandably even though they were quite close, and as Elena gave him a slightly confused and surprised look, he straightened up a tad to support them both. "You were nice enough to not turn me away from the start so the least I can do is treat you like a proper gentleman should."
Elena stared at him feeling stunned yet somehow managed not to get tangled in her feet. To say she was surprised by his answer was an understatement. She had been sure he would've more likely just dumped her rather than risk embarrassing himself by having her hobble by his side like Bambi on ice. She gained a new sense of respect towards the awkward teen and quickly decided she'd see this through with as much dignity as she could.
The music kept playing as more and more students joined the dance, slowly spinning around the hall counterclockwise. At first she focused solely on her feet but after awhile she was able to glance around as well, her eyes trying to pinpoint Mariko somewhere within the masses of swirling students. After a few tries, she finally managed to spot her not far away dancing marvelously with her partner although Elena could tell she wasn't exactly hyped up about it. Suddenly feeling a tad guilty ignoring her partner, she turned back to him and decided the least she could do was talk to him.
"So," she began, waiting to get his attention before continuing, "would you mind telling me something about yourself?" she suggested, deciding it would probably be a better subject than the age-old topic about weather. "I haven't seen you before so I assume you're not a first year? I haven't been here for all that long though, so I could be mistaken."
The young man seemed surprised by her questions and hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
"Very well, if you insist. I'm Hotaru Muragami and indeed a second year student. My family owns a large technology company and does business with Miss Akimura's family among many others."
Elena nodded, signaling she was listening. "I see, have you known Mariko for long?"
"I wouldn't say so; to be honest I hardly know her at all. Jin is the one who's best acquainted with her. My family just started doing business with hers."
"Oh," she murmured with a lack of anything better to say. She got the feeling that the conversation was at a standstill but she didn't want to push the young man with unnecessary questions.
He'll probably think I'm nosy. I don't even know if we should be talking while dancing…
She was slightly surprised when Hotaru redirected her questions back to her.
"So, would you mind telling me something about you now that I've done so?" he asked tentatively, almost seeming as though he couldn't believe he was even asking.
For a moment she merely looked at him trying to confirm if he really wanted to know but when his demeanor stayed the same, she mentally shrugged as she thought about what to answer.
"Not at all. My name is Elena Kawamura, as you may remember Mariko telling you before, and I'm in class 1-C. I only recently began studying at Ouran after I moved here from England."
Hotaru nodded once. "Yes, I've heard about you before. It's not often we get new students in the middle of the year. Would you mind telling why you moved? Was it because of your parents' work?" he guessed.
"Not exactly. You see, my parents are divorced and have been for eight years now. I used to live with my mother but after she remarried my stepfather decided I should start attending a boarding school in Switzerland. I refused to go because at the time the thought of being molded into a 'proper lady' didn't seem like me," here she halted for a moment, a neutral grin pulling her lips. "Anyway, I ended up moving to Japan to stay with my father and wouldn't you know he enrolled me into this school; the irony."
"Well, at least you're not stranded alone in a foreign country," Hotaru pointed out as they completed yet another round around the hall. "Would you mind me inquiring what your father does for a living? The name Kawamura doesn't seem familiar in the business world… Or are you perhaps a scholarship student like Fujioka from class 1-A?" he wondered out loud, though Elena could tell he didn't believe it was the latter.
"No, with grades like mine I'm hardly a scholarship student. Besides, I'm in class C so it's more than likely that the teachers agree with me, though I did study really hard in order to catch up with the rest. I can only hope the midterms went well enough to be able to stay in my class," she admitted before focusing on the other question on hand. "Actually, Kawamura is my mother's maiden name so I understand if it doesn't sound familiar. My father's last name is Yuugure and he's in the medicine and protection field. Have you heard about him?" she explained as she'd once been told by her father just as the music stopped.
"Yuugure…" Hotaru murmured to himself before his eyes widened a bit, evidently having recalled the name. "I um… No. No, I haven't," he mumbled hastily before letting her go and backing away, bowing curtly. "I'm terribly sorry but I have to leave now. It was nice meeting you."
With that he was off, leaving Elena to stare after him in confusion.
Well that was weird.
The music started again, this time the orchestra playing a slightly slower waltz and upon noticing the other students begin to dance once again, Elena quickly fled the dance floor feeling revealed it was finally over. She had to admit though that dancing with Hotaru hadn't been as bad as she'd thought. Scurrying back to her previous standing place she just barely managed to see Mariko within the slowly moving dancers, having changed partners since the last time she'd seen her.
Now what do I do?
Feeling as though she stood out like a sore thumb standing by the dancing floor all alone, she decided to go get something to drink and began heading towards the 'buffet tables' – or whatever they were called at Ouran. Moving towards the drinks, she was just about to reach her hand towards a glass of pumpkin juice when it disappeared from her grasp. She quickly looked up to see who had taken her drink and felt her blood freeze as she realized it was her harasser from the night before.
The yakuza honored his heritage having dressed up in a simple yet expensive black suit and white dress shirt, having left the top buttons unbuttoned. His hair had been sleeked back and his stance was fairly aggressive, leaving others no mistaking just what he was.
Elena found it hard to breath around him as she stared at him with open terror, a thousand thoughts running across her mind of what the young yakuza might do to her after yesterday's incident. The yakuza – Hiro Ogakuze – seemed to sense her eyes on him as he moved to turn his irritated eyes on to her. Elena felt herself react before she could even consider it, turning her face to the side hoping the yakuza hadn't had time to recognize her. Holding her breath, she ever so slightly started to turn away from the man entirely as she planned her escape. She should probably head back to where she'd stood earlier and hope Mariko was there.
"Hey, wait up," Hiro suddenly demanded much to Elena's horror as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder, effectively stopping her from running away. "Aren't you that wench that humiliated me last night?" he inquired bemusedly, obviously sure of his assumptions.
Elena let out a shaky breath of air. What on earth was she supposed to do now? The yakuza was probably out for blood and she was on her own against him.
A sudden thought hit her then, realization starting to sink in.
We're in school in front of hundreds of students and probably some teachers as well. He couldn't risk leaving behind so many witnesses if he decided to do anything to me; not out in the open anyway. I'm sure the school wouldn't look past public acts of violence and would have to report it to the police, even if the yakuza were involved.
Clinging to what little newfound courage she could draw from the thought, she straightened her posture and forced a smile on her face as she turned to glance at the man from over her shoulder.
"Why if it isn't Mr. Gentleman himself. What is it with you and grabbing a lady; can't get them to talk to you otherwise?" she replied in a sickly sweet tone, boldly challenging him with a snarky smirk. "You know a simple 'hello' and a compliment usually get the conversation going. Acting all pushy is hardly a quality women enjoy," she concluded with a pointed look at his hand that was still grabbing her by the shoulder.
Hiro seemed stunned for a moment and actually let her go, though whether acting intentionally or not, Elena couldn't tell. She was nonetheless happy to get his hand off her person.
The young yakuza sobered from his momentarily stunned state, swiftly changing his stance into an even more aggressive one and Elena immediately felt a foot shorter as his form towered over hers. She refused to let him see her doubt and boldly turned her body to face his, trying to force herself to relax as she stared at the yakuza patiently, waiting for him to say something.
All I have to do is stay calm and try to maintain my dignity; this way if he causes a scene he'll end up embarrassing only himself without dragging me with him. I'm almost certain that we've already caught someone's attention and evaluator or not, I'll try my hardest to act accordingly. Hopefully he'll just give up and leave when he sees he isn't going to get the reaction he wants out of me. That usually works with bullies…
With her plan in mind, she held herself with as much grace as she could muster, her face set in an uncharacteristically serene expression. Her laissez-faire attitude seemed to irritate the young man, and with that in mind she let her lips tug just a tad, the small twitch finally causing the yakuza to loose his last shreds of cool.
"Are you making fun of me?" he half asked, half shouted as he glared down at her. "Do you wanna die?"
Elena shivered mentally; this guy was seriously scary. Maybe she just should've made a run for it…
Just stay cool. Sooner or later he'll get tired of this and go away.
As much as she hated letting the yakuza do and say as he pleased with her, she forced herself to keep calm even though mentally she was punching him into a pulp. It wasn't like her to give into bullying – this being a clear case of it – but the situation didn't allow her to fight back, at least not physically.
"Whatever made you think I was making fun of you? I was just trying to help you on your skills with women; you're obviously lacking somewhat in that area," she replied sweetly, mentally patting herself on the back that she managed to do so with a straight face when all she wanted to do was to tell him to go the hell away. Half turning, she gave him a small smile akin to an apologetic one. "Now if you excuse me, I have to be going. Do practice your lady-skills with someone else."
This was her chance. Turning fully around, she started walking towards the same spot she'd just came from, hoping that Mariko would be there. It took everything in her not to make a mad dash away from the yakuza but she somehow managed to keep her compositor.
That is until she felt someone grab her by her hand and pulling her to a stop. Turning around in utter terror, she stared at the young yakuza in shock; her expression probably nothing short of the classical 'deer in the headlights' look.
While her expression was shocked, Hiro's was a mixture of anger and irritation. He seemed to think about his words carefully though his grip on her hand didn't waver.
"You think I'm lacking on my skills with ladies? Damnit, I'm the next heir of my family's syndicate; I have more important things to worry about than acting like a gentleman," he huffed sounding somewhat defensive on the matter – not that Elena was about to comment about it. When she didn't react to his words, he growled and turned, pulling hard on her hand. "Come on," were his only words as he all but dragged her forward through the crowd that gave them enough room to pass.
Elena was terrified beyond her mind as she stumbled helplessly in tow of the yakuza; firmly believing she'd pissed him off passed his point of tolerance. If she got out of this alive, it would be a miracle. Survival instincts kicking in, the tried to pull away but with little success as the yakuza was much too strong.
"W-what are you doing?" she managed to hiss at him, figuring that acting 'accordingly' wasn't getting her anywhere but into a casket.
Hiro kept dragging her along until stopping abruptly, turning to face her with a serious and annoyed expression.
"I'll show you who can or can't treat women," he huffed as he took a hold of her, placing his other hand on her waist and keeping the other closed around her hand.
Realization slowly kicking in, Elena soon found herself in the middle of a waltz with the young yakuza. Still too stunned to say anything, Elena concentrated on trying to move her feet accordingly while her mind buffeted question after question to her confused brain.
What the hell? How in the world did I end up dancing with this guy? Does he have some kind of alternate motive? He can actually dance? Is this his way of punishment? What'll he do after the song is over? Oh lord, how do I always end up in situations like this? Why can't I just keep my mouth shut?
After a few moments of heavy silence between the two of them, Elena finally managed to grip onto enough courage to look at the yakuza in the eye. He didn't exactly look too happy about the situation either, which made her wonder why he'd wanted to dance with her in the first place. Remembering his words just before they'd started dancing, it hit her. He was trying to prove her wrong, to make her eat her words about his 'skills' with women. And he thought that the best way was showing her he could dance a simple waltz – albeit quite stiffly.
Wow, who'd thought this guy would be acting so childishly? He's probably used to getting everything he wants; spoiled brat. Serves him right to try to gain my appreciation of his 'formidable' skills with women…
"You know showing off your dancing skills doesn't change the fact that you're a jerk when it comes to women," she stated bluntly, earning a glare from the young yakuza.
"Shut up! I thought that girls liked this kind of stuff; I was just being considerate for your sake so that you'd at least get to dance once tonight. A girl like you wouldn't be all that popular to begin with," he replied cockily, roughly leading them counterclockwise along the dance floor.
"And yet you couldn't keep your hands to themselves yesterday," Elena bluntly reminded him as she struggled to keep up with him, mentally shivering as she once again was forced to remember the incident.
"Well if I'd known what was behind that mask of yours-" Hiro began but Elena didn't let him finish, cutting him off in mid sentence.
"Anyway, your chivalry isn't earning you any points; I'm not that keen on dancing to begin with so you shouldn't have bothered. Besides, someone else already beat you to the bush by dancing with me."
"Jeez what is it with you? Ungrateful girl… You've definitely not learned much about being a proper lady."
"Likewise," she replied icily before mentally sighing in relief as the song came to a finish and the dancers exchanged bows and curtsies. "Now if all you wanted to do was to prove that you can dance then I think we're finished here. Thanks for the dance, even though I disliked every moment of it," she grumbled under her breath as she curtsied quickly before turning and promptly walking away from him.
Not bothering to look back, she made a beeline towards another completely different direction from the yakuza while consciously trying to filter out all the weird looks she was getting. She knew her future etiquette teacher would probably scold her when their lessons began but right now she couldn't really care less about it as she made her way towards the walls, trying to scan the crowds for Mariko.
She finally found her friend amongst a group of female students talking with a couple of male students, and she quickly made her way to them. Mariko noticed her just a few seconds later and eagerly encouraged her to join them; the gleam in her eyes forewarning Elena just who she was talking to.
"Ah, Miss Kawamura, what a pleasure to see you!" the flamboyant blond host stated, smiling to her pleasantly.
In the spirit of the occasion, Tamaki was dressed as a traditional vampire – though Elena could clearly see that his costume was of the highest quality. Kyouya and Haruhi stood a few feet left from him, dressed in similar clothes. They greeted her with small nods.
Returning their smiles she halted beside Mariko.
"Hello," she replied curtly, exchanging quick looks with the rest of the students gathered around the hosts.
"Have you been enjoying yourself tonight, Miss Kawamura?" Kyouya asked after the rest had said their greetings. There was a glint of knowing in his dark eyes that rubbed her the wrong way and she could only guess what he'd found out this time.
"For the most part," she finally replied after momentarily debating what to say.
She watched as he smirked before briefly looking something up from his black notebook. The girls around her started to fidget a little, the atmosphere becoming slightly charged with excitement as they all looked expectantly at Kyouya. The song that was being played came to a finish and immediately the girls started to take small, hurried steps towards the black haired young man; their eyes shining with hope.
"Is it our turn yet Kyouya? Oh please tell us we're next!" they practically chanted in unison.
Elena wasn't surprised to see the same hope rise in Mariko's eyes, but she had a feeling her friend was trying to be considerate towards her; toning her enthusiasm down for her sake. There was no questioning what was going on.
Kyouya smiled his ever-pleasant smile as he checked his notebook, finding the right spot with his pen as he looked back up towards the group.
"Ah, yes. Hikaru and Kaoru have just finished dancing with their last partners, as well as Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai. Tamaki and Haruhi's break is over so in total you have six hosts to choose from," he told them, his words causing a happy squeal to spread amongst the group of young women. "Now then, all of you ladies have one complimentary dance with one of the hosts but if you wish to continue dancing your night away, we have a special offer of a meager 10000 yen containing three extra dances with your desired host. Would any of you be interested?" he continued after the girls had quieted down a bit.
Needless to say, all of the girls present were ecstatic after hearing about such an offer and immediately began to dig through their purses while Elena merely sighed, noting that even Mariko couldn't resist such an opportunity. Elena also noted the slightly shaken expression Haruhi was showing and upon listening closely to his small transaction of words with Tamaki, she found out that he hadn't known about such a deal, concerned for his feet's sake. Elena felt bad not only for him but the rest of the hosts as well; god only knew how many girls had purchased the dances. They would probably be here all night.
The four hosts still absent soon arrived beside the other three and the girls quickly decided on whom they wanted to dance with. In no time at all Elena was left standing beside the smirking Kyouya and passive-looking Mori-sempai, her mind quickly putting two and two together. Eyes widening, she was just about to excuse herself when Mori extended with hand towards her, the silent question hanging heavy in the air. Elena stared at him unable to say anything. Just when she thought she'd been forced to dance enough for the night, the silent host was making her endure even more torture.
Her lack of response obviously caught Kyouya's attention as his smirk grew slightly, the action making Elena frown. She was starting to get annoyed with his constant organizing and planning. She had no doubt that he'd schemed up this as well.
Turning her eyes back to Mori's awaiting hand, she hesitantly reached for it with her own, placing her hand in his. She really didn't feel like dancing again but since declining was out of the question, what else could she do?
Surrendering to her fate, she allowed the silent host to lead her towards the dance floor, guiding them through the masses of waltzing students; Kyouya undoubtedly surveying their retreating backs. Elena felt highly uncomfortable and tense knowing he was monitoring her from afar, the stress causing her to lose her footing and trip. She both thanked and cursed her luck that Mori was there by her side, easily steading her upon her brief moment of clumsiness. He looked at her what she assumed to be questioningly to which she merely murmured a quick 'sorry' before he thankfully turned his eyes away.
Neither of them spoke as they took their dancing positions and began the slow waltz. Elena found it slightly difficult to keep her position with Mori being so much taller than her even with her heels on. She prayed he wouldn't decide to pick her up, already mentally seeing herself being lifted off the safety of her own feet and swung around like a little child. Fortunately Mori never did such thing as he continued leading them amongst the other dancers. Elena was thoroughly impressed with his dancing skills – though it wasn't really that surprising considering he was in the Host Club, not to mention his affinity in sports and such. Much to her amusement Elena even somewhat enjoyed her forced dance with him.
Unsurprisingly the both of them danced in silence, neither feeling it necessary to fill in the silence with uninteresting small talk. The last few beats of the waltz rang throughout the hall, signaling the dance was over. Mori offered her his hand once again and this time she took it without hesitation as he began to lead them back towards Kyouya's general direction. Once they were there, Mori gave a deep bow and Elena responded by curtsying politely.
"Thank you for the dance, Mori-sempai. I'm usually not that fond of things like this but I actually managed to enjoy myself somewhat," she felt the need to tell him as she gave him a bright, genuine smile.
Mori stared at her for a moment, his stoic expression softening just a tad as he nodded, the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"The pleasure was all mine, Miss Kawamura," he responded just before Mariko made it back from the dance floor, merrily making her way to Elena's side.
"So how was your dance with Mori-sempai? You danced spectacularly by the way Elena; I tried to pin-point you in the crowd from time to time to see how you were doing."
Elena could feel herself flush just a tad from the remark as she started to fidget with her satin gloves.
"Well, out of all the times I've danced this night I enjoyed dancing with Mori-sempai the most. But as my dancing goes, I guess having a really good partner who knows what he's doing gives off that impression," she murmured feeling slightly embarrassed, Mori still standing a mere three feet away.
"Don't be so modest Elena; you dance great, end of discussion," Mariko brushed off her comment before lacing her arm around Elena's. "Now let's go find something to eat; all this dancing's making me hungry. If you excuse us, Mori-sempai."
Exchanging curt nods with the silent host, the two of them began making there way towards the long tables once more with Mariko babbling on and on about her dancing experience with Hikaru. Elena had the feeling she'd be listening to her friend's colorful yet slightly unfocussed stream of consciousness for the rest of the evening.
A/N: Just wanted to let you guys know about my Twitter account ( /Artenight92) I've had for quite some time now. I'll try to keep you guys informed on how future chapters are progressing through random little tweets :)