A/N: So I switched two events. In the anime, visiting Haruhi's house comes after the Lobelia shenanigans, but in my story, visiting Haruhi's house comes before the Lobelia shenanigans, okay? Also, I was thinking of putting what Kyoya told the other hosts about Gia, but it didn't happen. I don't know if it'll ever make it into the story, but just know he was basically accusing her of being an obsessive fangirl, as the twins have pointed out last chapter. That is all! Enjoy!

12. Visitations & Realizations

I am a coward; a big, fat coward.

After skipping school for four days, I went back and, after seeing the hosts and fighting with them, I have taken refuge in Chi's bookstore.

Chi had rolled her eyes at my teenage woes and put me to work, muttering under her breath that Saturday was just a half-day anyway.

I think it was her way of trying to console herself.

Anyway, I was a happy camper. I was surrounded by books, the occasional tourist, and the host club.

…Wait, what?

It's the Host Club. Oh my god, I need to hide!

"Ka-chan! I'm taking my break~" I called out nervously, running to the back room. She gave me an odd look, but couldn't disagree as a customer claimed her attention.

I awkwardly paced back and forth.

Maybe they're passing by! I'll just have to wait here for a bit and then I can come out. Either way, I'm stuck here for a while. Ugh, what to do? Oh! I can read the book and find a way to return home!

I went to grab my book, before I realized I had moved it upstairs for safe-keeping.

Curse my smart brain.

"I don't think she works here."

"Impossible, my sources are never wrong."

"Maybe we can ask for her?"

I put a hand over my nose and mouth, quieting my breathing and effectively stopping any noise from leaving the back room. Those voices sounded like the hosts' voices and, after seeing them coming towards the store, I wasn't about to take a chance.

I regretted telling Tamaki off, considering he was such a nice guy. I was, however, angry at Kyoya. The twins had called me an obsessive fangirl, so I could only imagine that Kyoya told them I was one to explain my "crazy" lies and behavior at Okinawa.

I shook my head. If I let my anger take over, I'd probably burst out of this room and tell Kyoya off, giving my position away.

"Excuse me? Can I help you?"

Oh, shit. Chi, please do not tell them I work here. PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE. HEAR MY BRAIN WAVES. LET US BE TELEPATHETICALLY CONNECTED FOR A WHILE. Do not tell them about me. Do not tell them about me.

"We're looking for Gia-san. Perhaps-"

"Oh, yes! I'll get her right now."

I facepalmed. Chi, how could you?! Not wasting any second, I flailed about quietly, trying to find another exit.

The door knob turned and I, finding no other solution, dived behind a pile of books, causing books to fall on top of me.

I'm going to kill them.

"No-chan? Huh, she's not here. I could've sworn she entered the back room for her break. Well, she's on break anyway, so would you mind waiting for twenty minutes? When she reappears I'll send her in here, unless you guys want to browse the bookstore?"

Browse the bookstore! Browse the bookstore!

"We'll wait in here, thank you…"

Fucking shit. How am I supposed to slip out of here now?

"Chi-san! It's my pleasure~ Feel free to look around~"

Oh, shit.

I heard the door close. Chi must've gone back to work, leaving the hosts to wander. I held my breath and froze in place, determined to make it out of this alive and undetected.

Silence ensued miraculously, but it was broken by one of the twins as the voice did not sound like Mori, Honey, Kyoya, Haruhi, or Tamaki. I had no idea what twin, but I was positive it was one of them.

"Are you sure she isn't an obsessive fangirl, Haruhi?"

I heard Haruhi sigh in exasperation. "Yes, I'm sure. No-chan isn't the type to manipulate others."

"But, Kyoya-"

"I was wrong."

I shoved a fist into my mouth to keep myself from gasping out loud, but it was unnecessary as a collective gasp was heard. Surely everyone was thinking exactly what I was thinking at the moment.

Was Kyoya actually admitting to being wrong? Oh my god. Someone call an ambulance. He's delirious.

Okay, so maybe not word for word, but I'm pretty sure I was spot on.

"She has no records from her past, only the ones from this year. I found it odd, so I conducted a background search. Nothing showed up, yet, she seemed to know exactly who we were-"

I had heard enough. Kyoya seemed sincerely sorry, even if each word seemed to be dragged out painfully from his throat.

"It's true. I don't have a past here, because, as I've said at Okinawa, I'm not from this universe, dimension, whatever you want to call it," I jumped out ungracefully, shoving books from my buried body.

My name was called out in surprise as Haruhi and Mori helped me up.

"Thanks."

"You're bleeding."

I glanced at my hands, noticing little cuts from the books that had fallen on top of me. I grimaced. If my hand were like this, I could only imagine my face.

I didn't have time to focus on my cuts as I was guided out of the backroom and into the bookstore. Chi noticed me and gasped.

"No-chan! How-"

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

Chi nodded dumbly, fumbling for the first aid kit she kept behind the counter. I had always laughed at the fact that she had two first aid kits: one behind the counter in the bookstore and one upstairs in her bathroom. This time, however, I was grateful. The cuts were beginning to sting a little.

Chi handed it to him and motioned upstairs. "There's a bathroom upstairs. No-chan can take you. Thank you for helping her!"

Mori nodded and led me upstairs, where I took over.

My senses finally came back to me and I flinched away from Mori's caring hands, inventing a new shade of red.

"I'm okay. I can do this," I stated, snatching the first aid kit from him. I quickly ran into the bathroom, but I couldn't close the door as his foot prevented me from doing so.

We stared at each other through the little opening, neither one of us relenting. He was determined to make sure I was alright, and I was determined to not make a fool out of myself in front of him.

"…Fine. You do my hands and I'll do my face. It'll be faster anyway," I mumbled, reluctantly letting him open the door wider.

I cursed Chi for choosing to live above her bookstore. If she had chosen an actual apartment, we might've had a bigger bathroom, and I wouldn't be almost pressed up against Mori. It certainly didn't help that Mori was a giant.

I sat on the toilet and began dabbing some ointment on my face, occasionally glancing in the sink mirror. Mori silently began on my hands.

It was really quiet and awkward. I wanted to strike up a conversation, but Mori didn't seem like the ideal conversation partner. I couldn't look at him either. I would've turned redder than I already was. His hands were really warm and big, engulfing my tiny hands.

"Thanks for, er, helping me," I blurted out, focusing intensely on my reflection.

"Ah."

Silence befell us again, and I didn't have the courage to say anything else. After I was bandaged up, we went downstairs again. Mori returned the first aid kit to Chi while I searched for the other hosts.

"So, uh, where were we?"

"You were going to tell us your story, Gia-hime."

"Oh, yeah," I said, momentarily distracted as Mori entered. I cleared my head and began my story – the long version – for the fourth time. "It all started with the Medici Exhibition in my school's library…"

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

My eyes fluttered open. I groggily searched for the device making the shrilling noise, cursing it to the underworld.

I grabbed a blue cell phone, opening it at once to stop the noise.

"What?" I hissed. I was not a morning person, and I especially hated being woken up.

After a few minutes of silence, I realized that the numerous rings had been caused by a series of texts.

…I'm so stupid.

We're going to Haruhi's house. –H

We'll pick you up. –K

We'll be there in an hour. –H

Make it thirty minutes. –K

I groaned at the text messages. The twins, after hearing my story, became annoyingly friendly, giving me a cell phone as a token of peace. Some of the other hosts, namely Honey and Tamaki, tried to jump on board, but I refused their gifts, stating that their help would be enough.

Anyway, the twins were their usual devilish selves, but they seemed off…like they were pulling a prank. Those troublesome twins were never just nice. I ignored my gut feeling and began to get ready. Thirty minutes was not enough time to include breakfast, and I liked eating.

Dressed in some of Chi's clothing, I waited outside the bookstore. The weather seemed pleasant, so I opted for sweats and a baggy sweater. Chi's clothing, as she was taller, did not fit me well, so I was stuck wearing sweats and thin sweaters on a normal day. Of course, I did have my work uniform, but I didn't want to wear that on a day out.

I noticed a limo stop in front of me and I grimaced.

These idiots did not.

I was proven right as the twins stuck their heads out, glaring at my offending outfit.

"Only thing that I have here. Sorry it's not up to your standards," I uttered, jumping into the limo.

The drive was surprisingly calm. I expected something more energetic, but I relished in the calmness. It wasn't a usual around the twins.

The car came to a stop and I jumped out, only to be met with Tamaki's lesson on how to properly act in a commoner house. I quietly greeted the other hosts, dreading the fact that they had all came in limos.

Idiots.

Having heard enough of Tamaki's spiel, I tuned him out, deciding to walk up to Haruhi, who I had spotted.

Might as well warn her as well.

"No-chan? What are you doing here? And, why are there limos here? …The host club is here."

I nodded in confirmation, proud that she reached the conclusion on her own.

"Here, let me take these up, and you can yell at the idiots."

She nodded, giving me her groceries and key, before pointing out which apartment was hers.

"Just set them on the counter."

I nodded and left her to deal with the host club. I had a pounding headache since I did not have time to eat breakfast. As I predicted, thirty minutes was not enough time to include breakfast.

My tummy grumbled, and I shushed it. It began to grumble again when the door opened.

"Fu-chan, did you send those idiots home? …Never mind," I muttered, spotting the hosts enter behind an irate Haruhi.

The hosts, minus Haruhi, gave me offended looks, but I brushed them off. I was woken up early and I had not eaten. I was not going to play nice.

They sat around the table and, after some obliviously blunt comments from the idiot trio, Haruhi made the tea Hikaru brought.

It was quickly complemented with the various confections Honey had brought.

"You guys can pick out your cake first," Honey exclaimed, oozing happiness.

Must be the cake.

"Are you sure?" Haruhi asked, as I grabbed the delicious-looking chocolate cake. Ha! If opportunity knocked at my door, I was going to open it.

"Yeah, we eat this stuff every day," Hikaru causally commented, only to be shushed by Tamaki and Karou.

…And, I can now clearly see why they're called the Idiot Trio.

Relenting, Haruhi picked out a cute strawberry cake. Once everyone picked theirs out, we began eating.

"Here, you like strawberries, right? You can have mine," Mori said, smiling softly at Haruhi as she expressed her thanks.

I stifled a gasp. Though, I did stop eating my cake.

That was the first time Mori had said a lot and smiled like that! And, it was for Haruhi. A part of me broke, because I thought I was the one who was going to unearth that. He had helped me out on various occasions.

I thought I…

I cleared my throat, gaining the attention of everyone.

"Gigi-chan? You don't look well," Honey commented, surveying me up and down.

"I'm alright! Just a little hungry. It's almost lunch time, haha," I exclaimed, waving his comments off nervously.

Honey's eyes got a curious gleam in them, making me realize something I had been ignoring for a while.

"Actually, I'm feeling a little sick! I don't want any of you to catch it, so I'll see you at school! Bye!"

Rushing out the door as quickly as possible, I almost tripped on the stairwell. Luckily, I managed to get down in one piece, and I ran in the general direction of Chi's home, trying to forget the look in Honey's eyes that made me realize what I had been desperately trying to avoid.

I've fallen in love with Takashi Morinozuka.