"Boys!" Tamaki shouted to catch the hosts' attention as he sauntered into Music Room 3. "I thought about it last night and I've decided that having Renge is a perfect idea!"

I stalked into the room behind him, hand flicking his arm in passing. "Tamaki, no offense, but what the hell makes you think that? What Grade A coke did they slip you?" The twins cracked up while Mori and Hunny smiled at me, amused by my happy exterior. They were all pleased I had gotten over the fangirl's comment yesterday. I mean, no reason to keep dwelling on it. And the chase from last night left me winded and open-minded… to a degree.

"Chiiiii! And I even had a great idea," he whined, head dropping and him sniffling.

I sat down and took my place next to Kaoru, Haru traipsing in soon after the commotion began. She headed straight for the arm of the couch. "Tell us the amazing idea then, Boss." He cheered up and spread his arms out wide to announce his plan.

"If we have a lady manager, just think about it! Well, it's fairly obvious, isn't it? Renge just transferred into the same class as Haruhi and it's only a short distance from your room, Chi, so if you had a girlfriend around, she could bring out the female in you both! Renge's air of girlish-ness might stimulate my daughters' own senses of femininity. Genius, ri-"

"Excuse me, Tamaki," I cut off his explanation, "but why is it that you people continue to have an issue with my femininity?" I sweetly smiled at him and the hosts known for actually displaying emotions cowered, sensing the evil aura.

"N-Nothing! It was a suggestion! That's all." He shook his hands in front of himself in an attempt to placate me, the bad mood from yesterday arising once more.

I'd calm down sooner if someone else tried to help m-

An arm wrapped around my shoulder then, squeezing it gently. I felt the blush cover my face instantly. "Come on, Chi. You know we don't mean it like that." Kaoru rubbed circles into my back to give me something else to focus on apart from Tamaki's suggestion.

Hikaru gave his own input to "'help" the predicament at hand. "You always hang around guys, so maybe it'll be good for you," he said. "It's just you and Haruhi, anyway."

I kept my mouth shut, knowing it was all in good intention. It was still annoying, though. I design clothes! That's plenty girly to most people. Then again, they aren't that normal.

Haruhi sighed and drooped down to rest her elbows knees. She looked up at the sad excuse of an upperclassmen. "Senpai, is this all you thought about yesterday?"

"Just imagine!" He ignored Haru completely, his state of happiness couldn't be shattered by anyone. "Now is our chance! This is an important project, men. She doesn't have any friends in class right now except for these two shady twins. That's not good for her. And Chi doesn't have anyone in 2-B!"

"Like you have room to talk," the twins chorused. "And besides, she has friends there. Right?" They, along with the rest of the Host Club, minus Ootori who hadn't yet shown up, faced me with curiosity. I had never once talked about my classes or my friends in there, leading them to be interested. The only friend they knew I had was Haru. The regular customers knew my name and that was about it. They were amiable because they'd seem me around in other clubs or appointments, but never anything too deep.

My face was flushed from the intense stares and placed my feet on the ground, shuffling over to the opening door. "Hm? Y-Yeah, of course I do." Nobody believed me, especially Hunny, Haru, and... He just narrowed his eyes further and I just knew I was going to be interrogated by him later.

"Hey, everyone!" Hoshakuji burst through the doorway with a bag in hand nearly knocking me onto my feet when the handle flew right past me. "You'll be happy to know that your new manager, moi, has baked all of you some cookies."

Tamaki beamed from the gift. "Oh, isn't she lady-like? I'm so moved by your generosity." As he reached out to accept one, the supposed lady slapped his hand away.

"And I'm not ladylike?" I grimaced, opting to return to the comforts of the plush red couch.

"I didn't bake these cookies for you, you phony prince."

"You know, you make it so hard to hate you when you come up with great nicknames," I offhandedly said. This seemed to earn a gleam in her eyes. I still thought her voice was aggravating though. Haruhi exhaled deeply from her place beside me, probably thinking about the studying she could be doing instead.

"I'm sorry, I burnt them a little bit." Hoshakuji pouted and shuffled her feet as she stared at her fiancé, her attempt at apologizing without saying the actual words. "I did the best I could. And I already know what you're going to say." She jumped at him, again. "Kyo! You'd say: 'Anything that you make for me is going to taste delicious, my dear.'" Renge rushed to release the Ootori from her grasp to fan herself, desperately trying to not faint from joy. "Oh, you're always so sweet to me, Kyoya."

The look on his face was priceless. Next time I need something, blackmail involving Renge is definitely my number one choice.

I heard a cough and found Hunny had begun to inspect the deadly cookies. A disappointed grimace made its way to his face, the poor blond upset over the lack of decent sweets. "She wasn't kidding, these cookies really are burnt."

"Don't eat that, Mitsukuni. It's bad for you," Mori-senpai warned his cousin. The taller male forced him to drop the burnt disaster and the angry fangirl began to chase the duo around the room.

Hunny was mortified at the demon she seemed to become at the insults. He sobbed at the "monster" chasing him and clutched onto Mori who seemed to fear for his life at the prospects of the cookies and the girl who baked them too.

Amidst all the chaos, Haru chose to brave the dessert. Hikaru looked sick just watching and I was too late to stop her once she popped it in her mouth. She closed her eyes for a moment with a brow quirking in confusion before reopening her eyes. "They're not that bad at all. They've got a good flavor to them," she admitted.

Renge stopped her chase. She seemed pleased by the compliment, choosing to pounce on Kyoya again and get him to agree with the brunette.

Suddenly, as if I were a ghost, Hikaru easily maneuvered past me on the cramped couch and raised a finger to her cheek, face leaned in closer. He was practically sitting on her lap. My mouth went slack. "May I try?" He took a bite of the cookie hanging from Haru's mouth and my best friend, dear, dear best friend, gave no reaction whatsoever. Brilliant, but she's oblivious to flir-

"Oh, Haruhi, you've got crumbs on your face." Kaoru pointed out the smaller pieces and then he licked the crumbs off of her face.

-ting...

Tamaki and I stood watching the exchange, speechless. "Did you see what they just did? He took a bite-" We both spoke at the same time, disbelieving the reality of what happened. Me more than him I think – was right here no less than a few inches and it's as if I'm invisible.

I thought...

"And suddenly, the trio of classmates are closer than they've ever been before," Kyoya remarked, interested in the interaction as well.

I glared at the Shadow King with the murderous glint in my own eyes. "Shut. Up." I fought the urge to run from my seat, even if it now felt as if I was standing on a precipice, waiting to be kicked off. I dug my nails into my palm and breathed. Yet the room now felt too cramped too loud too dizzying too hectic too much.

"You know, you could've just told me and I would've wiped it off." Haru smudged off the residue on her cheek from where Kaoru licked, blunt in both words and actions. "And if you wanted to try one, they're plenty here. Chi, here. You try some." She held out a cookie for me to take across the couch and I accepted it grudgingly. Lifting my arm felt like someone had asked me to hold the sky. I made the mistake of looking up and caught the darting eyes of my ginger. Having joined in on the mischief, his expression seemed almost sorry, or was it just my wishful imagination?

Because no. He's not my ginger. He's just Kaoru. And he's not sorry for that, that's for sure.

Tamaki was enraged at the twins and shook the oblivious brunette. "That's not the way you're supposed to react, Haruhi! You have to stay strong and reject them, then casually brush them to the side." I wouldn't. "Do you understand?" Tamaki yelled at what seemed like Haru, but she had the blank expression again. I would too because who could reject those two?

"This is sexual harassment, senpai."

"Sexual harassment? If that counts as sexual harassment, then they're twice as guilty! Someone, call the police!"

Hikaru and Kaoru grabbed Haruhi and linked all of their arms together. "Cut it out, boss. We're sorry." They shrugged off the event as nothing, continuing on with their day.

Hunny, finally having relaxed since being chased around, came out of the kitchen with different teacups on a platter. He caught a glimpse of me from the corner of his eye at my mood and offered me a hot cup full of milk. I smiled a little at the gesture and accepted, feeling the warmness seep into my being and wake me up from shock just a little. He nodded in approval before offering to the rest. I didn't miss the side glances the first years casually threw, Haruhi's lasting longer. I ignored them, for now.

Hunny tugged on Renge's sleeve, the new manager that gazed at the whole group intently. "Renge-chan, Renge-chan, want some? It's milk." He held out a teacup. Nothing fazed her, however, as she spoke up with realization laced in her voice.

"Lukewarm."

"Huh?"

Renge shook off Hunny and stood closer to where the members had gathered. "Every single one of you, except for Kyoya," her face softened before continuing, "all of your characters are lukewarm," she declared, eyes on fire and hands clenching. "Each of you needs to have some sort of dark side. You understand? Girls are vulnerable to handsome young men who are troubled. If you keep carrying on like this, it's only a matter of time before the girls get tired of you and stop coming all together. Are you trying to ruin my precious Kyoya's business? As your manager, it's my duty to change your character backgrounds. Let's start with you!" Renge pointed at the small senior who held his treasured bunny close to him. "If all you are is cute, inside and out, then you're no different to a baby. Therefore, from now on, you are the baby-faced thug."

Music Room 3 went silent as the new manager riled herself up for her project. What world is she living in?

"Mori-senpai!" she carried on. "You're his childhood friend, the flunky. The twins will be basketball players enslaved in their own world. Haruhi, you're an honor student who's constantly being bullied. And as for you, Tamaki, you're the school idol who's admired for your good looks but you actually have an inferiority complex you're hiding from the world. 'The lonely prince.' And, Kyoya, you're perfect just the way you are now. So I want you to stay as kind and affectionate as ever, 'kay?" Hoshakuji spotted me in the tiny crowd and a terrifying grin grew on her face. "And you, Miss Chiyo Naotosuta, are going to be the abrasive school hero that everyone believes is incredible, but then in reality, she's a lonely girl lacking fri–"

"Shut up."

All eight pairs of eyes widened at my hushed words. "Shut. Up," I repeated.

I was through listening to her rambles.

"No one cares about your fantasies. Do what you want, but I won't be involved." My eyes reflected flecks of emerald and gold and a haunting brown, a hazel so complex and bright it caused a shiver to run through everyone, a glare slicing through them.

I was through sitting idly by and having her do whatever she wanted.

I hurried out the door with multiple voices calling out my name. I'm not going to have someone who doesn't know my life come and tell me who I am all of a sudden. I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes and it burned, it stung, it felt out of place. Funny. I haven't cried in a while now.

Right.
Right.
Down.
Left.
Right.
Forward.

I came to a stop near a cherry blossom tree near the back of the school. Being in this school for fourteen years, you learned your way around. And this, this place was one of the quietest I had found freshman year. The largest tree in the center was in full bloom with petals falling down gently and the branches seemed to dance with the breeze.

The blossoms all seemed to blend together with my blurry vision, only differentiating those dark, lonely branches. It seems the dark parts of others always seemed to stand out too much for people to disregard them. The branches seemed so much brighter against the blue sky, and instead the sky seemed darker than normal, darker than earlier. The clouds were thick with sadness.

I slumped to the ground and reclined against the tree trunk to collect my thoughts. I had had no reason to abandon the hosts and cause them to worry, I had no reason to be mad at Haruhi, I had no reason to be mad… did I? I frowned at the image burned into my psyche of Haruhi stuck in the middle and the flurry it sent my stomach into – Haruhi had done nothing wrong. I was supposed to support my best friend, not be upset over childish things with her. The boys weren't my toys, they were no ones' toys.

"It's beautiful."

I felt startled by the presence of the one and only Kaoru Hitachiin behind me. I should have guessed someone would follow, I just didn't imagine it being him. I flushed at the scene again and couldn't help but abruptly turn my head away. It didn't matter, though, even through the blackness in my sight, I saw the image with such an intense clarity it drew a pang in my heart.

I heard him sit down and he soon rested his head on my shoulder. "What's wrong?" he murmured. His breath hit my neck, it pummeled my defenses, it left me breathless. My spine was rigid as I turned back to look down into his golden eyes. They burned even while the sun was hidden. I saw the same worry fixed in his gaze from earlier, yet I refused to speak. "Please? What's wrong, Chi? We're all worried about you," he whispered. A beat passed before he moved his head deeper into the crook of my neck. I felt the words clearer than I heard them: I'm worried about you.

He let his hand drop on my own in the cool grass. His fingers felt so warm even though the music room was always colder than average. My body felt electrified, the very air around me seemed charged with heat. It wasn't such a bad thing, his hand being warm. I liked it. But I couldn't allow myself to think that; one glimpse at his relaxed, smooth face and all I could see was the pesky smirk of his and the mischievous glint of his gaze geared at Haruhi. And I was not going to come in between that gaze.

Kaoru sighed. "You can't just not speak. You have to tell us eventually." I said nothing. "Look, none of us are that ecstatic over Renge showing up, but it's just a dumb fantasy for her," he said. A deep breath escaping his lips, the same that were on Haru's cheek. "She wants to shoot a stupid movie and the sooner we finish it, the fast-"

"You don't get it, Kaoru. None of you do. Not even Haruhi does." I took in a shuddering breath slowly. In. And out. In and out, Chiyo.

I lifted my head to peer into the amber of his eyes, unwanted tears lingering in my own. "For all of you, the backstory she chose was pretty much a lie. For me, though…" I clenched my hands tightly and bit the inside of my cheek. "It was, to some degree, true" I confessed quietly. My fingers twitched and my voice started to break. "Remember when you asked if I had classmates I talked to?"

I can't believe this is actually happening. Ha, I'm so pathetic. Great job, Chiyo, great job.

"Yeah..." Kaoru now appeared unsettled and concerned. His hand squeezed mine, and, in that moment, it felt like that world had faded into background noise and all that mattered was the heat traveling from my fingertips to the rest of atoms.

"Well, I don't. 2-B is full of pretentious, posh morons that only discuss their families' businesses and who their parents demanded they become friends with next. It's disgusting," I hissed out. I was nervously clutching at my dress with my other hand as I tried to breathe regularly. "I never spoke up in class in prior years and avoided almost everyone in the classroom. I started going to the Host Club last year because an acquaintance dragged me over there once and I went to Hunny that time. I kept coming back because there was a peace in knowing he just was who he was and he had the ability to relax me. I imagined it was like having a friend. Come a year after sporadically visiting, he did me a favor after barely knowing me. He was alright with being honest in his actions; he was an honest, open person.

I smiled at the memories of strolling into Music Room 3 with barely a glance from the other hosts. Hunny would wave us over and the afternoon would be passed in good company with good food. "And when Haru got dragged into the club, I was happy. I've gotten to know amazing people that I didn't know existed here at Ouran. Above all, I had the pleasure to meet them with my best friend." I paused to breathe deeply as I thought about the different personalities in the club, all the unique people I've come to see as friends.

"For so long, it was only her to be there with me. Dad and Mom started working even more, so she was all I had. But you six, you all made a difference. I wasn't sure of it at first, but the week of the ball, I knew for certain that I could trust you guys.

"When you told me to call you by your name if I knew the differences, that it was important to you that I made the effort to distinguish Hikaru and you, I was elated." I glanced up at the host sitting at my side. He absentmindedly rubbing his thumb in circular motions against my smaller hand. "I called you using your last names as a precaution, and despite putting up barriers to not get too attached, you shattered all those barriers. You all were a maelstrom that disturbed my perfectly conducted loneliness and acceptance. I finally have real friends. I... Just... Thank you, Kaoru, thank you," I cried out and let my head fall forward onto my knees, shivering and feeling all the years of loneliness and stress and frustration from classmates and finding solutions to being alone in lunches be released.

Kaoru swept me into his arms in a tight embrace and stroked my long hair. I could hear his heartbeat from the position we were in, a comforting sound. It was steady, a reminder of the time spent being alone finally counting down.

We sat there for maybe five minutes, yet it felt like an eternity. It wasn't like in books where it was all serene and calm; the chatter of students that were too loud in the courtyard, birds chirping, someone using a leaf blower in another garden, they flooded back to the forefront of my mind. It did, however, still feel like an eternity, just a blissfully weird one, with a comforting ginger.

Kaoru slowed down his motions to rest his hand on the crown of my head, thumb shifting a stubborn strand to the side. He gripped my chin with his other hand so I could look right at him. "We're your friends, Chi," he said. "Remember that. If you have to tell us something, then don't afraid to say it. None of us would be this caring if we didn't accept you as one of us. After all, you are part of Ouran Academy's Host Club." Grinning down at me, he wiped off any remaining tears. "Let's go back. Haruhi and the others are still wondering about you." The younger Hitachiin got up first and helped me to my own feet, carefully because I was still shaky from the crying session. "Just take it easy."

The need to apologize to Haruhi was the next task in my mind. My selfishness was the source of the tension locking my body every few seconds, I had to erase them.

We made it all the way to a few feet from the cherry blossom tree when I stopped in my footsteps. "Kaoru."

"Hmm?" Pausing to stay by my side, he grasped my hand softly as encouragement. "What's up?"

"I just had one question. Why did you... Um... I don't even know how to phrase this."

"Lick the crumbs off Haruhi's cheek?" he finished for me.

Stunned, I blink at the forwardness.

He sighed faintly and ran his other hand through his auburn hair. "It was to mess with Tamaki. And we wanted to see if Haruhi would react."

I gazed up at the sky that looked to be growing clearer by the second as I thought of how to respond. "That makes sense," I responded, my voice not sounding sure at all, even when I knew that was Hitachiin Twin Logic. I looked past him to avoid having to face the music I felt thrumming in my bones. "Thanks."

The second I moved my feet forward I was yanked back. The moment was filled with a sense of déjà vu; it was reminiscent of the night of the ball.

"It was nothing," Kaoru murmured into my ear.

Yeah, definitely like the night of the party.

I was blushing furiously at the proximity before I heard a soft chuckle. The Hitachiin was laughing at the redness of my cheeks, a sweet smile being covered by his fist. "You look really cute when you blush, Chi." I hardly registered it, but it happened.

I swear, it really did.

I'm not insane.

He kissed my cheek.

Nothing special, just every day actions from the cute ginger. If I told myself that enough times, could I ignore the thrumming?

"Now, let's actually go. Knowing Tamaki, he might send out troops to search for us or he might start thinking of different situations. I doubt you'd want to deal with his imagination," he teased, poking at the prominent blush.

In no time we were back at the club room and, surprisingly, Kaoru didn't mention any of what I told him. Instead, he said that I was exhausted from sewing new costumes and Renge had given me a headache. It was believable, at least. Haru had her doubts, but I promised to inform her later. Hunny seemed skeptical, although he was insightful enough to gather clues ranging from my blush and Kaoru's attitude.

In the end, I agreed to Renge's little movie project, only because Ootori, who had arrived sometime when I was gone, was staring me down. I might think I'm intimidating, but my glares don't come anywhere near his. And I was not in the mood to challenge them.

My scene in the movie came first, where I was walking alone to a basketball stadium in the pouring rain after saving a student from harassers. Although it was too dramatic, it was fun I had to admit. I played this vigilante-type for a short while. The next part was depressing considering the truth to it. I wouldn't have done it if Kaoru hadn't been watching intently from his position on the court.

He really does care... All of them do.

He and Hikaru were basketball players in this piece and even when the team and medical assistants tried to separate the two, they only got closer to the other; nothing could separate them. I realized Kaoru wasn't using the teardrops like they had told him to, instead he was crying for real. Kaoru Hitachiin was either a great actor or he was sobbing at the act of being ripped from his brother. No one else seemed to spot the reality, so I took this time as a chance to take a break.

The path to the vending machines was empty without a single soul traveling by. By instinct, I did the motions deftly and didn't realize I was already drinking the soda. I took refuge on the bench across from me, hurling the can into the trash bin when I was finished.

The silence was comforting. I can't remember the last time I had sat down to just think and mull over things. I used to do this all the time back when I was younger. It was before I met Haru at the park and I had zero to no friends or acquaintances.

"Alright, Chi. Daddy and I will be back in a few minutes." My mother smiled kindly at me, eye level with me since she was crouching. "Try to make some. Please." He patted my head once before grabbing Dad's hand and returning to the small car.

I was alone.

I was five years old and had no friends.

Same routine almost every day: come from school, parents drop me off at the park, tell me make friends. I'm not sure that's the right equation for finding friends, though. I haven't had any luck and started to swing mindlessly once they were out of sight. This worked better for me; I could think and imagine and not have to speak to people.

"Sweetie! Stay right here, ok? I'm going to get us drinks from the vending machine. Love you." A mother with long brown hair walked by me quickly, a girl around my age left near a bench close by. She was really pretty for a five year old, with big brown eyes and an adorable haircut. Maybe I could talk to her.

Before I had the chance to, three little boys made their way over to her first and just she I thought they were her friends, they threw snow in her face. The girl wasn't angry, only annoyed, yet she didn't react to them. She wiped the snow off easily, and ignored the group in front of her. That didn't stop the relentless onslaughts of snowballs. The trio of boys were laughing in her face, mocking her for not fighting back.

I narrowed my eyes at the hostility. My feet dragged into the snow making trenches as I slowed down my swing. I couldn't stop my hand as I threw the ball over at the biggest one's head. All laughter was dropped as they turned and realized I was the one who threw it.

"You shouldn't throw things at people," I reprimanded. "Then again, you wouldn't know that. Jerks." I crossed my arms and glared down the boys. "Get lost already. She's not scared of three morons."

"Says the girl who started it!"

I scoffed in their faces, rolling my eyes. "As if." I threw two other snowballs right to their foreheads before they quickly ditched the scene. "Finally." I puffed out my cheeks in irritation. I glanced over at the girl I helped out, deciding to take the plunge. I held my hand out to her, hopes high. "I'm Chiyo Naotosuta. Nice to meet you."

The mysterious child stared down my hand and didn't move a muscle. I was about to pull it back until she grasped it firmly in her own. "Haruhi Fujioka." Haruhi gave me a small grin as a greeting. "Thanks for that, by the way. You shouldn't throw thing either, though."

I chuckled before joining her in the bench. We spent a few minutes like that, just introducing ourselves properly. The greatest shock was when both of our parents came at the same time, all surprised to see the pair of us laughing together.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Haru!" I waved with both hands and jumped up and down to catch her attention. People gave me strange looks, but I couldn't care less. I had a friend.

Haruhi Fujioka. My first friend.

I smiled at the sweet memory, not believing it's been about ten years since then. I had stood up by now, planning on taking my sweet time back to the set, when I heard someone yell.

A girl's yell.

"Haru," I gasped, my hands becoming fists.

I ran. Nothing mattered. No one mattered. The only important thing was finding Haru. I wasn't able to judge where the voice came from exactly, but it knew I was close. The closer I got, however, I saw that there wasn't a need for me. Tamaki had taken care of the situation. Two huge students had apparently knocked something down, and Haru took the impact for Renge. Saddest part was that she wasn't crying like Tamaki thought. I slowed to a jog before coming to stop behind her.

"Haruhi, do you mean to tell me that your contact fell out and that's why you were crying?"

She sensed me looming behind her and was laughed nervously, trying to avoid my shouting.

"It- it just fell out. I'm totally fine! Senpai, Chi, I'm perfectly fine. He's telling the truth. It wasn't their fault. They were provoked," she assured us, knowing how bad the case might get if the two of us were angry.

Renge still sat still on the ground, mind reeling. "You, you, please tell me you got that, Cameraman.

"Yes, boss."

"Other than Haruhi's contact falling out, that was an ideal final scene! All it needs now is a moving narration by my sweet Kyoya," she exclaimed. Her eyes were shining till she heard a crack.

Kyoya Ootori had smashed the camera lens with a rock.

I whisteled in admiration. "Nicely done," I said.

"What'd you do to my camera?!"

Renge was utterly confused by the turn of events. "Why? Is something wrong?" She went into a panic at the prospect of her project being destroyed.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I cannot allow there to be any record of a club member engaging in violence. I think you've caused enough trouble around here, Renge." Ootori didn't bother trying to hide his annoyance any longer. "Please stop being such a pest."

"A pest?" Renge's repeated quietly to herself. "But you're supposed to pat me on the head and told me not to worry. You're supposed to be kind and affectionate, Kyoya." She roughly tugged on his blazer in an effort to get him to make him see her fantasy. "Why are you acting so differently now? Tell me why," she commanded.

"Because that's not the real Kyoya." Tamaki placed his hand on her shoulder to diffuse the argument.

Haruhi stopped on her other side, hand on scratching her neck. "Does it really matter? Who cares if Kyoya is a little different than you expected him to be. Take a good look at the person inside and get to know him little by little. It's a lot more fun that way." She beamed at the sad fangirl, who, in a few seconds, grew her own smile at the sight in front of her.

My shoulders sagged with relief as the day seemed to finally be winding down. Once I saw they had the situation under control I took my leave. I had a lot of thinking to do, alone.

He sold the movie.

Kyoya Ootori ended up using the footage as another cash grab from guests.

The next day in the Host Club, almost every customer was complimenting the hosts' performance. What I didn't expect, was a few of Hunny's customers that recognized me to compliment my "acting".

"Naotosuta-chan! I saw the movie and I loved how you helped out the girl!"

"Yeah, it was really creative."

"I think you really are a hero, Naotosuta-san."

I sheepishly thanked them all before making my way to the kitchen. The door opened again and I saw the small senior had trailed behind me.

I set down the tea set I was preparing, quirking a brow at his appearance. "What's up, Hunny? Did you want more cake?"

He was silent for a few seconds. "Chi-chan, I heard what you told Kaoru yesterday," he eventually admitted.

I froze in place because I didn't know what to say. How do you respond to that? What the hell?

Yeah, I had no friends and I was kind of a loser, no big deal.

I found myself struggling to articulate a response and it seemed as if Hunny realized that as well because he clutched onto Usa-chan tightly before continuing. "Even if you didn't have friends before, you have something else."

I was curious by what he meant, but I was attacked in a hug before I could interpret it. "You have a new story now, Chi; you have us." Hunny's eyes darted up as he saw my blubbering expression. "Don't cry. Just smile!" He beamed up at me and I squeezed him harder into a hug.

"I do, don't I," I wondered almost silently. I rested my head on top of his soft blond hair, breathing in the scent of honey and lavender. The smell permeated my being and completely relaxed me.

Unfortunately, the hug didn't last long because Hunny had customers to attend to, and I had teacups to serve. I wished it could have lasted longer – I needed time to consider my feelings from the past few days and time to understand how to coexist with other people in personal space. I also still had to consider how to apologize to Haruhi, even if she didn't think I did anything wrong; I know I did.

As we left the kitchen together, I caught the gaze of a certain ginger whose eyes drifted right past the blonde speaking to him, hyper focused on me the minute I exited. And we grinned. Because things were changing around here. And I was somehow in the center of it all.

So here's chapter 10 and it's the longest by far and it's also more intense than the others? There will be more chapters that discuss Chiyo's feelings further, not just about Haru or boys, but also about herself and what she wants to do with her life and how to go about, so consider this just the tip of the iceberg.

Thank you once again for the support and reviews, waking up to emails about more followers and fans puts a huge smile on my face. Don't be afraid to comment or message me or just be a fan because you all make this story more enjoyable to write.