Neira: I'm so sorry it took so long! I was struggling with life and school, especially since this will be my first year at university. I will try to write as much as I can, but it will all depends on my schedule. I would like to thank everyone for their support despite my late updating! I am not a quitter when it comes to stories. I may lose motivation/get a writer block or take a long time to update, but I WILL update! Rest assure!
To tell you the truth, I tried updating last week, but the site wouldn't let me! *cry* But now I have finally solved the problem! Anyway, I hope everyone continue to show their support! Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: You know I don't own OHSHC or anything else. Just Neira, some plot/changes, and other OCs.
Chapter 13 : Refreshingly New!
It had been a few days since the potlatch at the orphanage. It was a huge success. The orphanage's reputation rose and it gave a chance for adults to interact with the orphans. When the group departed from the orphanage, there were many amusing farewells being exchanged. The most amusing would be Tamaki's trying to act tough despite tears running down his face. All-in-all, it was a fun day. Today though, things started to get a bit interesting.
At the clubroom, it was a normal host day for the host club. Everyone was at their assigned area with their guests, doing their job. The only difference was that today Aki will be doing the session by herself. According to Kyoya, there were some special requests for Aki only and he had made the ladies charged a bit extra for it. So Aki had no choice, but to do it for the sake of the club.
It was during that time that the host club received an unexpected guest.
"Hello," a voice rang around the room, catching everyone's attention. Everyone turned to the door to see, surprisingly, a male. The male was as tall as Mori with long white, grayish hair and yellow eyes that seems to twinkle on his sincere-looking face (A/N: Picture is in Profile).
One look at his face practically made every lady in the room swooned, hearts filling the air. This startled the guys. They haven't seen such a severe reaction before. Everyone watched as the stranger surveyed the area, seeming as though he was looking for someone. Soon he had found what he was looking for because instantly his smile brightens, almost blinding the people within the room. Before he could go anywhere though, Kyoya stood in his way, blocking the guy's path.
"You must be the new counsellor," Kyoya said, glancing at his black notebook, "Mr. Matsumoto Ren."
"Please, no formality, just call me Ren," Ren said, smiling charmingly.
"Ok, Ren," Kyoya said, looking at his suspiciously, trying to gouge if he was a threat to the club's business or not. "What kind of business do you have with the Host Club?"
"Well, I'm here as a customer," Ren smiled innocently, stunning everyone into silence.
"CUSTOMER!" Everyone shouted.
Ren didn't even flinch from their reaction. Instead he ignored all the gaping faces around him as he casually went over to a table where one of the host members was sitting at. He plopped down beside the host, startling the person, and grabbed the person's hand into his own, pulling it toward his chest. Ren drew close to the person, staring into their cute, lovely, startled eyes.
"Please take good care of me, A-ki-kun," Ren said kissing her cheeks as her eyes turned into saucers.
"WHAT?!"
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The rest of the hosts gathered around Aki as they all watch Ren interact with the other guests.
"So, you're the school's new counsellor?" one of the ladies asked.
"Yes, I am. You lovely ladies can come to me and talk to me anytime. I'll take good care of you," Ren winked, making the girl swoon.
"So you're here for Aki-kun?" another asked.
"Yes I am," Ren replied, taking a sip of his tea.
"Why Aki-kun though?"
"Why not? He's sweet, loyal, protective, and quite handsome. I mean, look at his cute, little tush of his," he sighed dreamingly while the ladies blushed and giggled.
"What got you interested in Aki-kun?" a brunette asked.
"Well, I first saw Aki during a stroll outside through the path surrounded by those sakura trees. When I turned the corner, the wind blew at the same time and I saw Aki standing in front of me and the petals dancing around him. You can say that it was love at first sight," Ren said, smiling dazedly.
"Kyaa!" the girls squealed.
"What's with that guy?" Hikaru said, watching the reaction, a bit upset with the guy.
"Yeah, I mean, he can't really be gay right?" Kaoru said.
"Now, don't be quick to judge," Tamaki said, "I kind of admire his bravery to be so open with himself and his sexuality."
"I highly doubt it, boss."
"Do you think he found out Aki's secret?" Kaoru asked. Instantly the trio turned their frightened expressions towards Ren and started to freak out.
Haruhi simply sweatdropped at the three before turning to Aki.
"Aki, what's wrong," Haruhi asked, capturing the guys' attention. They all turned to see that Aki was staring intensely at Ren.
"Aki?" Haruhi said, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Wah?" Aki snapped out of her state and noticed that the hosts were looking at her worriedly.
"What wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing Haruhi," Aki said softly before going back to staring at Ren.
The guys glanced at each other, wondering what was up with Aki. Honey, who was sitting on Mori's shoulder frowned and took a glance at his childhood friend.
Now, Honey and the others might think that Aki was interested in Ren and to an extent she was, but it wasn't like that. Since Ren had walked through those doors, Aki was hit with nostalgic. For some reason, Aki felt as though she has met Ren before. It felt like she was seeing a ghost, but it couldn't be right. That person was already gone.
"Aki," a voice said, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Ren standing in front of her.
"We'll see each other again right? You can come visit me at my office if you need anything, ok?" He said, smiling.
"Um, sure," Aki said softly, giving him a timid smile.
Ren's eyes widened before he squealed and glomped Aki, shocking Aki and everyone else. "You are just so adorable!" he squealed giving Aki an eskimo kiss before leaving her in a daze.
"See ya later," and off he went like a whirlwind. Once he left, the room was filled with squeals.
"I can't believe it ladies," Renege said, appearing out of nowhere, "This is a brand new development. First we had MorAkiNey and even Moraki, now this had been bumped up into a whole new level, a love triangle! Who will our beloved Aki choose now?!"
"What!" Tamaki shouted, "Daddy won't let him!"
Besides, Tamaki knew Mori had an interest in Aki and if Honey was the leader of pro Aki and Mori, he hates to see what Honey would be like if there was a threat.
Tamaki sneaked a glance at both Honey and Mori to see that they were both frowning. Instantly, outrageous thoughts streamed through his head as Tamaki panicked.
"What got you so worked up, boss, it wasn't like a real kiss or anything," Hikaru said.
"You idiots," Tamaki said as he pulled the twins to the side, "We all know that Honey is playing matchmaker with Aki and Mori-senpai. How do you think he would feel if his plans were to get ruined?"
Simultaneously they though back to when they have almost got killed (not really) for dirtying Usa-chan and all three of them shivered. This got the three of them into a panic mode as the idiots started to run around screaming.
Kyoya on the other hand, simply ignored everyone and wrote in his notebook while Haruhi took the time to try and get Aki out of her shock.
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For the next few days the host club would find Ren coming to the clubroom and making reservations for Aki. The guys would all crowd around and spy on the pair as the two of them talked. They even found that Ren has surprisingly been able to made Aki laugh. They didn't like it, but because Ren was a well-paid customer, they couldn't do anything about it or Kyoya would have their heads if they did.
He doesn't outwardly show it, but Mori was upset as well. The people who really knew him had found that he has been distracted lately. He tripped over things and paid little attention to what was going on around him. To say Honey was upset was an understatement. He wasn't upset as when the snacks had gotten banned, but Honey seemed extra sweet these past few days that people started to take notice.
Not only that, but within the school a rift seemed to spilt all the ladies into two separate group. There was Team Mori who was hard-core MorAki fans while Team Ren was the newly developed ARenki fans. There were many disputes and arguments between the two on who Aki would end up with. It was disastrous to say at least. Those fans can get really scary if they wanted to.
Fortunately, things died down a bit when Ren took a temporarily leave from school because of business at home. When he had informed Aki, he said that it wasn't anything bad. He was soon about to inherit the family's business and had to go take care of a few things. So now he was being called back. Most people were mournful while the host club was a bit grateful. Things can go back to the way they were before. Or at least that was what they thought.
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"These last few days has been so busy," Haruhi said as she entered their dark bedroom while drying her hair. Indeed, things have been busy. It was close to summer vacation and the last few weeks had been full of exams and last minute assignments.
"Aki?" Haruhi called, noticing that she was leaning against the window, a zone-out look on her face. Haruhi was a bit worried for Aki. "Are you okay?"
"He looks so much like him," Aki eventually said, softly.
"Who?" Haruhi encouraged, sitting down beside her.
"Ren, he looks so much him," Aki was so in distress that tears started to form in her eyes.
"You mean-"
"Yes," Aki interrupted, not wanting to hear his name.
"Oh, Aki," Haruhi said, pulling Aki into a hug.
Seeing Ren had brought up buried guilt within Aki. She knew that Ren could never be Him, but she couldn't help it. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that Ren was not Him, she can't help, but use Ren for His replacement. She felt disgusted with herself. Yet, despite the fact that being around Ren was only causing her grief, she doesn't want to let him go. Even though Ren was a complete stranger, she would feel comfortable around Ren just like whenever He used to make her feel. She doesn't know what to do.
Haruhi doesn't know what to say to Aki. There was not much she could say. She knew Aki was still hurting from her past. Her past was not something people can simply let go. The scars were still too deep and the strong bundle of guilt Aki harbored was still there. Haruhi could only hope that one day, her adopted sister could finally let go of her past and be free from the burden of guilt she carried. She prayed that one day; Aki could finally find some happiness beyond what she has now. At least summer vacation was coming. They both needed the break, especially Aki.
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Aki's POV
It was summer vacation and today was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were flying, and the breeze was oh so cool. The area felt so tranquil and the air was so fresh. I stood outside on the pathway, wearing a white apron and holding a broom. I was supposed to be sweeping, but I couldn't help, but pause for a bit to engulf myself in the tranquility of the town. I sighed softly, enjoying the sun's rays as it warmed my skin and the morning breeze of the wind that came and caressed my body as though it was saying hello.
Haruhi and I were currently in Karuizawa working at Pension Misuzu, a Bed & Breakfast. Mainly it was because our father wanted to somehow make sure we were safe so he shipped us to an old acquaintance of his. Misuzu Sonoda was a nice, flamboyance man, another transvestite like our father, but a friendly one nonetheless.
Hearing the jiggle of the door's bell behind me, I turned to see Haruhi coming outside with a basket filled with white sheets. It looked like she was going to be doing a bit of laundry. "Do you need any help, Haruhi?" I called out.
"No, it's fine Aki. I can do it," she replied.
Nodding understandingly, I went back to my sweeping. During my chores, my mind would go back to an annoying thought that would keep buzzing through my mind like an annoying fly. Just who are you, Ren? Why do you look just like Him? They both had those same twinkles in their eyes whenever they would smile at me. Their whole presence was similar as well. His would always chase away the darkness and monster residing within me while Ren's seemed to shield me from it…. Soon memories of my past started to resurface in my mind. Darkness, fear, laughter, pain, cries, and blood…..lots and lots of BLOOD!
I inhale sharply before shaking my head, trying to get rid of my memories, but they won't leave. They will never leave. They will only lurk within the back of my mind, waiting. They would always wait until the moment of weakness where they will strike again. I unsteadily breathe out and brought my shaky hands up to comb back my bangs, feeling the sweat that had formed on my forehead.
"It okay, I'm safe here. Haruhi is here, she's safe. Everything is fine," I mumbled to myself, taking deep breath to calm my heart. Once I'd calmed down, I let my arms fall limply to my sides and tilted my head back with my eyes closed. I let the warmth of the sun seep into my body and thaw the icy cold feeling that had affected my body.
Before I could enjoy the warmth of the sun any longer, I saw something block the sun behind my eyelids before a strong gust of winds blew against me and I could hear the loud humming of a copter. Startled, I opened my eyes to see a blue, white, and yellow helicopter hovering between Haruhi and I with Tamaki standing out the door.
"HARUHI, AKI, DISPAIR NOT! DADDY HAS COME TO SAVE YOU!" Tamaki cried out with the help of the megaphone of the copter. My eye twitched at the scene. With the guys here, there won't be any peace anymore. I was mostly annoyed, but a small part of me won't admit it, I am truly grateful that the guys were here. They helped me ignore the darkness inside me and I found myself laughing and smiling a lot more with them around. Haruhi has made me feel loved while the guys made me feel wanted. I won't admit it out loud, but I was grateful to have them as my friends. A part of me knew it won't last, but the childish part within me hoped that it would. Haruhi tried telling me that the guys would understand, but my past has too strong of a hold of me. I was not able to believe her yet.
Something white from the corner of my eyes caught my attention as I noticed it was the white sheets that Haruhi had hung up. They were flying through the air from the wind of the copter. Immediately I could feel my irritation rose.
"TAMAKI YOU IDIOT! LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO HARUHI'S HARD WORK! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" I shouted, hearing his loud scream in return.
"Idiot," I growled softly.
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Soon, we found all of us inside of the Pension Misuzu where Misuzu, the owner, was gushing over the guys. "Oh, my! What dashing young men you are! These hunks must have belonged to Haruhi and Aki," he gushed, "Why don't you call me Misuzu-chi!"
"He's an old friend of Ranka's. They used to work together at the same shop years ago." Kyoya explained to the others while Misuzu bounced in a spot with delight.
"Well, naturally you would know," Tamaki said annoyed.
"Kill me," Haruhi muttered to the side while my eye twitched.
"I went into business for myself two years ago and believe you me running this adorable little pension is like living in a fairy tale," Misuzu sang as he twirled around with his arms out, making the people around him leaned back.
"So then Is Haru-chan and Aki-chan like your servant?" Honey asked.
"They're more like an unpaid employee and this is also Ranka's preferred method of keeping track of his daughters while he's busy working," Kyoya explained.
"What the-how do you know all of this stuff?" Tamaki asked Kyoya with a ticked off mark on his face.
"Kill me now," Haruhi muttered while I simply sighed.
"'Take my girls under your wings', he said. He practically begged me and since I still can't afford the expense of hired help, it works out for everyone!" Misuzu said before coming up behind Haruhi and I. He put a hand on our shoulder and started to shake us.
"Haruhi is a model employee, really, while Aki is so helpful. She would always try to help lessen the load on Haruhi. It is simply so sweet! It is such a shame I can't pay the both of them anything." Misuzu said.
"Oh boys, tell me what you think of these cute little aprons they're wearing. I make them myself!" Misuzu presented as he turned us toward the guys.
"You're such an exquisite seamstress," Tamaki commented as all the guys beside Kyoya gave a thump up.
"Why don't all of you go outside and have a nice chat with each other!" Misuzu encouraged.
"I'll go get the tea," I sighed
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I walked outside with my tray of tea to see the twins, Honey, and Haruhi sitting at one table while Mori was standing behind Honey and Kyoya was by himself at another table beside the first table. I went over the Kyoya first and gave him his cup of tea. He nodded in thanks and I nodded back before going to the other table and placing everything down unto the table.
"Thank you Aki-chan!" Honey said and I smiled in returned before taking a seat between Honey and Haruhi. I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced up to see Mori. I smiled in greeting and he just nodded back.
"A job huh?" Kaoru said, after a moment.
"I don't get it. You two turned down our invitation to Bali for this?" Hikaru questioned.
"And we even asked the two of you to go with us to Switzerland, didn't we?" Honey asked.
"We did," Mori confirmed.
"Sorry," I said, sipping my tea, "You know that I only go if Haruhi go."
"Well, I also still don't have a passport remember." Haruhi said.
"Which is precisely why I recommended one of our domestic resort and at a discount no less," Kyoya added in.
I looked ahead of me and saw Tamaki bursting out of the bush with leaves still sticking to him and a head with multiple of ticked off marks. He started to mumbled quietly, but I didn't really pay too much attention to him.
"Why did your cellphone-" Hikaru said interrupting Tamaki's mumbling.
"-Turned off?" Kaoru finished.
"I just don't think about it really." Haruhi replied. The three of them turned to me. I blinked before reaching into my pocket and pulling out the cellphone the twins has let the two of us borrow. We all have the same phone, just with different colors. Mine was black. I opened my phone and saw that it was off. I tried turning it on, but it won't turn on.
"Oops," I said sweatdropping, "I forgot to charge it this morning."
The three of them gave me blank stares before turning to Tamaki who was heading toward us. Seeing that he was heading towards the table, the four of us showed him our cellphones.
"Did you say you two have a cellphone?" Tamaki asked weakly.
"We convinced them to borrow two of ours so that we can keep in touch," Hikaru explained.
"It's part of a special friends and family plan," Kaoru added.
"Yeah, we're in each other's top five."
"Top five?!" Tamaki shouted.
"Friends and family? But wait," Tamaki said taking out a piece of paper that said 'Daddy and Buddy'. "I'm your daddy and buddy so I'm part of the plan too, right?"
He can be so idiotic that it sometime hurts. "Senpai," Haruhi said, "Whatever plan you're on, come home. Speaking of which, why are you even here? We have to see you guys every day once term start. Don't we have the right to spend our summer vacation the way we want to?"
"According to the handbook jobs are prohibited," Kyoya decided to add in, making Haruhi froze.
"I thought this would be more of volunteer work than a job," I commented, getting out of my seat to go stand beside him.
"Yes, you are correct, but as seeing the fact that Misuzu-chi has claimed that the two of you were her employees, that debunk the aspect of it being volunteer work." Seeing the logic of his reply, I simply nodded in agreement.
"I-I-Ah-Ur, I had no idea…" Haruhi stuttered.
"Hey you hear? Haruhi couldn't get a job without school's permission," Hikaru pretended to whisper to Kaoru.
"No way, that's ground for expulsion," Kaoru replied. The two of them were bullying her. If I didn't know that it was harmless, I would have beaten them up for it.
"I think Karuizawa is way better than Switzerland anyway," Honey said as he hung from Mori's back as he nodded. The both of them were looking through a Karuizawa guidebook. Guess the guys are staying then.
"An over sea travel can be so exhausting," Kyoya added. Haruhi twitched, face filled with dread, already seeing the outcome of this conversation.
"Of course, you do have the right to spend your vacation as you please, but then again, like it or not, so do we. And you know, I for one find Pension Misuzu to be exceptionally charming," Tamaki finished.
Haruhi shouted in despair before falling onto her knees in defeat. "You know, they are right. They can do whatever they want like we can," I said.
"You're not helping," Haruhi grumbled, sending me a small glare before going back to her sulking. I simply shrugged in reply. The way I see it, there was no way out of it. So instead of working against it, I'm just going to simply go with the flow.
Before long though, I noticed that Tamaki was fired up about something. He even got stars in his eyes. I swear if he was thinking anything inappropriate about Haruhi within that mind of his, I was going to beat it right out of him!
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"I'm so sorry boys, I would love to have all of you as guests, but I'm afraid there is no more vacant room left," Misuzu informed when we all went inside so that the guys could ask for rooms.
"No more vacant rooms?!" The guys shouted, disappointed. While the guys sulk, I raised my hand, catching Misuzu's attention.
"Misuzu," I started before getting interrupted by him.
"It's MIsuzu-chi!"
"Misuzu…chi," I said reluctantly, "They guys can have my room. I rarely sleep in it anyway."
"You're sure, Aki-chan?" Honey asked.
"Yeah, there's no need for you to give up your room," Kaoru said.
I nodded, "Yeah I'm sure, I could find somewhere else to sleep. I could even share a room with Haruhi if I have too." I typically do share a room, most of the time, with Haruhi, but it will be my last resort this time. Basically it was because Haruhi had to share her room with me all the time so I want her to have some level of privacy during her vacation. Think of it as repaying all the time she had to put up with me. She needs a break once in a while. She earned it.
"This would mean we only have one vacant room available. Sorry boys, I wish I could have all of you as guest, but we only have one vacant room," Misuzu said.
"One vacant room you say," Tamaki said, "Well that just settled it. I will have to stay here to represent the club."
"Hey, that isn't fair," Honey said getting teary and squeezing his bunny, "Why do you get to have Aki's old room."
"Do you have no feeling of loyalty, of any solidary boss?" Hikaru taunted.
"Togetherness is our guiding principal," Kaoru added, making Tamaki grit his teeth. The twins smirked, having known they have won.
"My own words twisted and thrown right back at my face," Tamaki said in disbelief.
"Here's an idea. We bet you like it," Hikaru said one-arm hugging his twin, "Why not hold a little competition?"
"Call it, 'The Guest Relations Odd-Jobs Contest at Pension Misuzu'," Kaoru finished.
"It's very simple. We all just lend a hand around the place for the afternoon."
"And whoever makes the best impressions on Misuzu-chi get to sleep in Aki's old vacant guest room."
"That's brilliant!" Misuzu said, popping out of nowhere. "I think it is an absolutely delightful idea! Yes, the winner of the contest will be determined by how refreshing they are! Remember refreshing is the name of the game in guest relations!"
"Refreshing! Refreshing yay!" the twins cheered while Haruhi sulked and I yawned.
"Now, don't think this will be a walk in the park because I'm planning on working you boys to the bone!"
"Sound like a blast," Haruhi groaned. And so the competition begins!
I really don't see what the fuss was. I mean, couldn't they go stay somewhere else? They have the money to and I wouldn't put it to them if they all had cottages here in the area as well. Oh well, at least I get some entertainment out of this.
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So far the twins were winning the contest. Honey only has his cute factor so he was already out from the beginning for not having any 'refreshing' factor. Tamaki has a chance, but so far it was downhill for him. Kyoya was not even competing and Mori has a chance at winning as well, but seeing that Mori and I were quite similar, he would go where Honey go. So if Honey was out of the contest then it he was as well. This mean the only possible winner were the twins.
"Welcome," the twins greeted the two ladies, bringing an air of freshness.
"We have reservation made for second floor bedroom," one of the guests informed.
I watched as the twins escort the guest to their room, throwing in some flattery here and there. I was currently drying some glass cups behind the counter. My job at the moment was to be the waitress for the people inside.
"Fine, fine, not exactly subtle, but they do get the job done," I heard Misuzu commented, "So five refresher points for them."
I looked up and noticed Mori. I nodded in greeting and he gave a small nod back. "Want anything to drink?" I asked.
He shook his head in reply. "Ah Mori," Misuzu called once he noticed Mori, "The legs on this table is a bit wobbly. Would you be a dear and fix it up back please?"
Mori bend down and easily lift up the table with one hand, "Sure thing," he said before heading out back. I unconsciously bit my lip at the image before I noticed Misuzu glancing slyly at me. I blushed at his notion and immediately went back to my drying. I can't help, but stare. I won't lie. The guys in the host club were all good-looking, but there was just something different about Mori that made him stand out from the others. Maybe it was the air he carries or the way he seemed to look right through you. I just feel like there was some sort of connection between us. I just don't know what.
"Nothing wasted on words indeed," Misuzu giggled getting mine and Haruhi's attention, "Five refresher points."
"So, what's a refresher point?" Haruhi asked with a sweatdrop.
"Hm, Haruhi, what do you think guests are after when they come all the out to vacation in Karuizawa?"
"Let's see, the nice weather?"
"No, it's much more than that. They come for what they can't get in the city, refreshing air, refreshing scenery, and refreshingly gorgeous young men! And now thanks to your friends' little contest, my pension will earn a reputation for being the premier hotspot for vacationers in search for the finest eye candy Karuizawa can offer! Hahahahaha~!"
I sweatdropped and tilted my head up toward the ceiling. How did Misuzu even get to the roof? Last time I checked there was no door way to there. For some reason, he seriously reminds me of Renge.
"Excuse me," A guest called, snapping me awake.
"Coming," I said, coming out of the corner and toward their table. "What can I help you with?"
"We would like daily special tea, please." They ordered.
"Coming right up," I nodded. I went back to behind the counter and start brewing the tea. I place the right amount of tea blend into the pot and then added the hot water. I gave it a stir before pouring it into two tea cups. I placed the tea cups onto my tray along with the sugar and cream. I went over to the guests' table and gave them their tea. "Here you go, is there anything else you need?"
"No thank you."
"Call me if you've changed your mind." Before I could leave the perimeter, I heard a sound outside and saw Mori…..chopping wood? Why was he chopping wood? And shirtless nonetheless! My heart stuttered to a stop as I blushed at the sight. I could see the individual drop of sweat on his body, making him shine under the rays of the sun.
"Oh my," I heard the guests sighed as they watched Mori drank some bottled water. I felt a twang from my chest before shaking it off.
"That's twenty more refresher points for Mori!" Misuzu chimed in. Ignoring Misuzu, I headed outside to where Mori was. He was still there chopping up wood.
"Hey Mori, can I ask why are you chopping up wood?" I asked gaining his attention. He looked at me before glancing at the axe in his hand.
"Not sure," he replied. I felt my lip twitched before I started to chuckle at his answer. The whole idea seemed silly to me. I was too caught up in my chuckling that I didn't notice the soft look Mori was giving me.
"Waitress!" A guest called, snapping me out of my chuckling.
"Duties call," I said to Mori before heading inside.
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I just finished a table's order when I noticed Tamaki walking in with determination glowing in his eyes. He headed toward the piano in the room and started to play some music. I stood, pleasantly enjoying the music for a second before I noticed that Tamaki's music had brought in more customers. So I went back to work, bringing everyone their drinks and taking orders.
"Hey Mori," I greeted as I came around the counter to see Mori fixing the wall behind the counter.
Mori nod in reply since he had some nails in his mouth. At least this time he has a shirt on. I don't think my heart can take it seeing his half-naked again. Just as I was finishing up an order, there was a loud yell followed by the sound of something shattering. Immediately people went outside to see what happened.
Apparently Kaoru had saved Haruhi from a falling vase earning him a scratch on the cheek. When Hikaru arrived, he looked and sound terrified for Kaoru's safety. This ended up with a touching brotherly moment which earned them perfect score, making them the winner of the contest. The twins brushed the incident off, stating that it was all a part of a script, but they can't lie to my senses. That incident was not intentional. The fear and emotion Hikaru harbored for Kaoru was real. Either way, I'm grateful for Kaoru. He saved Haruhi for me. The thought that Haruhi almost had gotten hurt shook me to the bones. I could feel the familiar feeling of guilt bubbling up inside me, but I force myself to stop. This was like the incident with the scrape knee. There was nothing I could do and that it was not my fault. Haruhi was safe and uninjured. I should concentrate on that instead.
Before I could concentrate on anything, I felt something touch me and my feet leaving the ground. I squeaked and instinctively tried grabbing hold of something. I gathered my surrounding and saw that I was being carried by Mori on his shoulder.
"What's the meaning of this?" I shouted, wiggling, "Put me down Mori!"
"But Aki-chan, you're coming with us," Honey said hopping along beside us.
"What?"
"Seeing that it is getting late, we will be heading back to our family cottage," Kyoya said, dragging behind a still sulking Tamaki.
"Okay, but why am I here? Where are you taking me?" I shouted, still trying to struggle out of Mori's grip.
"You'll be staying with one of us at our cottage since you have no place to stay." Before I could say anything else, I heard a sound and craned my head to look over my shoulder. I saw three black limousines zoomed up in front of us, making a small cloud of dust. I watched as both Kyoya and Honey glanced at each other before disappearing into the two limousines. Immediately the two vehicles whizzed away with Honey waving at us.
"Have fun Aki-chan, Takashi!" He called, disappearing from view. I could only gape at them. They basically ditched Mori and I, but wait does that mean I'll be staying at Mori's house. I turned rigid at the thought. I…will…be…staying… at….. Mori's house? Gah! I'm going to be alone with him for the rest of the day and morning?! What if I do something wrong? What if I disgrace his family name by doing something I should do? I don't know the customs of rich people! I can't do this! I can't do this! I CAN'T DO THIS!
I was too lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice Mori placing me into the limousine before getting in beside me and closing the door. The sound of the door closing brought me out of my thoughts and I became hyperaware how close Mori and I were sitting beside each other. I could feel my palms getting sweaty as an awkward silence filled the vehicle as we drove to his house. My heart was in my throat and I tried swallowing it back down.
"Um, Mori, you don't have to do this you know. I could always find somewhere else to stay," I said, breaking the silence.
"It's fine," He replied ending the conversation. I sweatdropped. It's so awkward….
I sat, fiddling with my fingers, not knowing what to do to get rid of the awkwardness. A few seconds later, I heard a noise from Mori before a plate was placed into my view. I blinked, following the arm up toward Mori's face.
"Uh, thank you," I said, taking the plate. I took another look at the plate and saw that there a couple of cream puffs and a variety of small tarts. They were sparkling. I blink and tenderly took a cream puff into my hand. My eyes flickered to Mori and saw that he watching me with anticipation. I gazed at the puff for a second before slowly taking a bite out of it. The taste was amazing. It was light, fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness to it.
"It's good!" I smiled, eating more of the pastries, the awkwardness from before gone from my mind. I took a taste of all the pastries and they were all so delicious! A hand interrupted my devouring of pastries as the hand gently gripped my chin, turning it so that I'm facing Mori. With his other hand, he tenderly wiped the corner of my lip, instantly making the blood flood to my cheeks. He eventually finished, letting go of my chin at the same time as I could only stare at him, stunned. Then I noticed the soft smile on his lip and the warm gaze of his eyes. Blushing, I looked down and continue eating, feeling a bit shy from what had happened. Despite the shyness, I noticed my body had relaxed and the air of awkwardness gone, leaving us in a comfortable sense of silence.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Soft chirps slowly broke through my blanket of unconsciousness, arousing me to the world. My eyes fluttered open and a ceiling greeted my sight of vision. I absentmindedly blinked, my mind still half-asleep. Yawning, I slowly sat up and stretched. Covering another yawn, I took in my surrounding, confused for a moment before remembering where I was.
I was at Mori's house. His house was a traditional Japanese cottage, a building I instantly fell in love with. When we arrived, there was servants standing at the front of the house there to greet us. Instead of the typical butler and maid uniforms, they wore a kimono version of it.
When they saw that I was there and was a guest, I was immediately ushered to my room where they helped prepped me for dinner. Not used to being waited at, I tried to struggled at first, but eventually gave in since I didn't want to become a bother to Mori's household.
After I took my bath, the maids then helped me into a plain black kimono with a white sash or obi. I was a bit conflicted with the maids' help. On one hand, I was too uncomfortable with the fact that strangers were touching me while on the other hand I was grateful with the help. It has been a while since I wore a kimono of any kind.
Once I was dressed, I was escorted to dinner. When I arrived, I noticed that Mori was already there waiting for me. He was wearing a matching kimono as mine: plain black with a white sash, which made me blushed. Dinner was a silent affair, but no where near uncomfortable. After dinner, Mori and I took a stroll in the inner garden before he escorted me back to my room. There wasn't much conversation, only small talk, but I didn't mind it at all. I mean, actions speak louder than words. In addition, humans can't truly express their feelings into words, especially pain.
At the door to my room, we bid each other good night and I may have given him a goodnight kiss to the cheek. Remembering that certain part of the the memories, I blushed and screamed into my blanket. I was mortified. I couldn't believe what I had done.
Forcing the blushed down, I crawled to my screen door and opened it, letting the morning light stream in. I sat there for a moment before a sound reached my ear. Curious, I stood up and headed to where the sound was coming from.
Entering a clearing, I saw that it was only Mori. It looked like he was doing some morning practices with a katana. Deciding to watch him practice, I sat under a tree where the shades was. I observed Mori, taking in his stances and forms. You could hear the sound of the blade as it sliced through the air, sailing around him and into a dangerous dance. The sheer concentration in his eyes was mesmerizing. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.
I was so concentrated on Mori that I didn't pay attention to anything else. It was because of my lack of awareness that I was suddenly tackled out of my gazing by a small blurred form. "Aki-chan!" Honey greeted me, catching Mori's attention, "How was your stay here?"
"It was fine, Honey," I said, returning his hug, "I enjoyed my time here."
I stayed to converse with Honey for a bit before heading back to my room to get ready to go meet up with the others. Luckily this time, I was able to dress myself since I simply be wearing normal clothes. I decided on a black dress pants and a sleeveless white blouse. After I was done, the three of us had breakfast which considered some delicious waffles, yum. Mori was already out of his training garbs by the time we left the house.
The three of us took the limousine to the pension. During the ride, Honey would ask questions about my stay at Mori's home. When we arrived, we met up with Kyoya at the entrance of the pension. "Kyoya!" Honey shouted.
"Good morning, Kyoya," I greeted.
"Good morning, Aki-snepai, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai."
"What did I say about my name, Kyoya. It's 'Aki'. You don't need to call me senpai," I scowled lightly.
"Sorry." I waved it off. I didn't really care. It just sounds funny was all.
The four of us walked through the door and we immediately notice then silence inside. I took the scene in front of me and saw Haruhi staring at a brown-haired boy and the three idiots were glancing at the pair.
"Ok….What's going on here?"
Neira: Thank you for reading! Please R&R if you can! I would like to hear from you guys!