The Punishment

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Thoughts

In English

Japanese/regular talk

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

Chapter 24: Family Matters

(Sama's PV)

From the diary of Samantha Frost

The rest of the school year went by so fast that I couldn't believe that it was almost over. Being in the Host Club for the whole year wasn't as bad as I first assumed it would be. The Host Club had become like a second family to me. I was happy that today was the last day but, also, sad. Mori and Hunny would both be graduating and be going off to college. The Host Club would be two members short. I wasn't even sure if we would still have a Host Club now that they would be gone.

Seth and Steve, recently, told me that the bet was over once I ended school. It would be a relief to not go to school dressed up as a guy. Sam Frost would no longer attend Ouran. Instead, his sister, Samantha Frost, would be taking his place. Sam still hasn't gone to tell the rest of the family that he's here. I know he's been avoiding me for a while now. Mom still hasn't talked to me and that makes me nervous. I have a feeling that she's planning something.

Kaoru wanted to spend the summer together. He even invited me to stay at his house with his family. Yuzuha was ecstatic when she found out that we were dating. She wanted to meet my mother but I couldn't tell her that I hadn't told my own mother that I was dating. Instead, I told her maybe someday. I'll have to tell mom and dad the truth soon. I'm not worried about how my dad will react. How mom will react is another matter entirely.

I'll be a sophomore in just one more day. Tomorrow is the last day of school. I'm not sure what will happen next, I'll just have to wait and see.

-:-

I closed my diary and put it back in my desk. I only recently started to keep a diary. It was something that I found relaxing. I could write about my day and whatever else I wanted. Stretching, I heard my stomach growl. I had skipped dinner because I went out with Haruhi.

"Guess, I should eat," I mumbled to myself. Getting up I left my room and went downstairs to the kitchen. I went in and almost bumped into my mom. She was dressed in her nightgown and was holding cup of tea. She gave me a startled look but then her face went back to its neutral look.

"Samantha, I was just about to go look for you. We need to talk," she said in her no-nonsense voice. I groaned inwardly at the prospect of a talk. She silently started walking to the living room. I followed her, knowing that she wanted me to follow even if she hadn't said it out loud. She sat down on the couch and placed her teacup on the table. I sat down across from her and waited.

"Is there a reason why you don't want to marry any of the suitors I set up for you?" I raised an eyebrow at her question. She waited for my answer. I wasn't expecting her to start one of her talks like this. Usually she starts one by criticizing the fact that I don't want to get married.

"Um, well I don't like any of them," I finally answered. She nodded. I fidgeted in my seat a little. It was nerve racking how calm she always was when she talked to me.

"Is there a boy you like then?" She asked and raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. I frowned. I did like Kaoru but I didn't like him enough that I would think of marrying him, I think.

"Um, no," I said hesitantly. This time she puckered her lips. She didn't look too happy now.

"When were you going to tell me that you were dating one of the Hitachiin twins," she asked. My mouth opened but nothing came out. I stared at her with wide eyes.

"H-how did you..." I lamely sputtered.

"How did I know? I saw you and that boy outside one night. Since I had no idea who this stranger was, I did a little research," she said simply. She calmly sipped her tea while eying me over the rim of the cup.

"You what?!" I abruptly stood up. I couldn't believe what she had done. She had looked into my boyfriend without approaching me first.

"Samantha, please sit down. I find it rude that my own daughter wouldn't tell me that she is seeing a boy," she said. I plopped back down on the couch in shock.

"Now, enlighten me why you didn't tell me this little piece of information." She set her teacup back down. Her eyes showed that she wouldn't let me leave until I told her everything. My mom could be stubborn but so could I.

"Well, the fact that you try to set me up with a husband might be part of the reason. I know you well enough to know what you would do if you found out I was dating a boy. Well, I'm sick and tired of this! This is my life and I want to make all the decisions! I'll ask you for advice when needed!" I started out calm and ended up semi-yelling at her. My mother gave me a cold look while waiting for me to finish my rant.

"Are you quite done?" She asked in a clipped tone. I huffed and glared at her.

"I've tolerated a lot of what you've been throwing at me, Samantha. I've tolerated the fact that you went to school pretending to be your brother, Samuel. I've tolerated the fact that you purposely ruined your meeting with the Ootori's second son. I've tolerated the fact that you never tell me where you're going and come home whenever you want. My tolerance has ended here," she said sharply. I winced as she stared back at me.

"Well, I don't think it's fair that-"

"Don't tell me what isn't fair or not, Samantha! I've been trying to make a life for you. A life where you don't need to do anything. You're husband would take care of you. Yet, you seem to want to throw my efforts down the drain," her voiced raised a little higher than before. It took a lot to get my mother to raise her voice let alone lose her cool. My temper was sizzling at the surface, ready to explode.

"Well, maybe I don't want a husband to care for me. I want to be able to support myself. Apparently what I want doesn't matter to you! I'm not you, mother! I know you feel guilty for leaving your family to marry someone they didn't approve. The thing is, you can't fix your mistakes by making me into what you were supposed to be!"

A dark look crossed her face. Suddenly I felt a sharp sting across my cheek. I blinked as tears stung the corner of my eyes. My mother had just hit me. Not once in my life had she ever laid a hand on me or my brothers. Her hand was still raised as she gave a dangerous look at me from across the table.

"Don't you dare talk about that. I want the best for my daughter, but you've been nothing but ungrateful to me." she said but there was a knock on the door before she could say anything else.

"Ms. Frost, there is a call for you," Isao said and bowed before he left.

"We aren't done talking, Samantha." She left the living room. I stood there staring at the space she had been standing.

I raised a hand to my, still throbbing, cheek. What just happened?

(3rd person PV)

Sama slowly walked to her room like a zombie. A dazed look was evident on her face. When she got to her room she stood there. She was still in shock. Both her mother and father would never raise a hand at their children and yet it just happened.

"What do I do?" She asked herself. Sama caught sight of her duffel bag. Suddenly she went into action. She grabbed random clothes and shoved them into the duffel bag. She threw in her wallet and keys. She quickly zipped the bag up and threw on a light jacket. Then she quickly sent a text to the one person she knew would be willing to see her. After a few seconds her text was answered.

Sama silently walked out of her room. She tiptoed down stairs and made a quick dash for the front door. When she got out she quietly closed the door. Then, she ran off. Her feet slapped the pavement as she made a beeline down the street. It was still warm but not too hot to run.

Sama had no idea what to do. She needed to talk to someone about what just happened. There was only one person she trusted enough to talk to.

-:-

When Sama caught site of the hotel she let out a sigh. She was tired from running. She could make out Sam standing outside waiting for her. Sama smiled to herself, a little, at the sight.

"Sama, I got your text. What happened?" Sam's voice held concern as he eyed his twin. He noticed the slightly red cheek but made no comment.

"I-I just needed to get away and you were the first person to come to mind. The guys won't mind if I stay the night, right?" Sama sounded slightly nervous. If the rest of the band didn't want her there then she had no idea what she would do next. She didn't want to impose on her friends or have to explain her problems to them, not now.

"The guys will be cool with it. If they're not, then I don't care," Sam said and wrapped his arm around the girl as he led her inside. Sama caught the receptionist staring at her with surprise. Sama couldn't help but give her a smug smile as they passed. They rode up the elevator in silence.

When they got to Sam's hotel room, a loud noise could be heard. Sam gave Sama a sigh and shook his head. His band mates were being rowdy. He opened the door and the two twins ducked in time as a shoe went flying out the door. Sama's eyes widened as she eyed the messy room. The last time she had been there it was clean. Now, the room looked like a hurricane hit.

"Hiro, get back here!" Yuki screamed as a flash of red ran past the two. Yuki ran after Hiro who had taken shelter in the kitchen. Yuki paused when he saw Sama.

"Oh, hey, again. Sam, do you know where my drumsticks are?" Yuki's hair stuck up in random places. Sama bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at his appearance.

"Um, Hiro was using them to try and fix the jammed DVD player," Sam said uncertainly. Yuki's eyes seemed to blaze with anger.

"I knew he broke them! That little shi-" A loud crash cut blocked out Yuki's swearing. Sama sweat dropped as she saw Rei appear from the kitchen. He had red sauce all over his shirt. There was a smudge of flour on his face. His eyes were wide and he glanced at the three teens with a slightly nervous look.

"Uh, I think we need the cleaning people," he laughed nervously. Yuki's face started turning red that Sama thought he might just blow up.

"Why are my band mates morons!?" He finally yelled and threw his hands in the air. Yuki stormed off to the kitchen. Sama could just make out white walls covered in red.

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Sam called back once he realized that Yuki was including him in the moron list. Sama smirked at her brother and was about to say something but Sam gave her a look.

"Don't you dare say anything," he warned. Sama shrugged her shoulders and kept her mouth shut but still had a smirk on her face.

"Hey, Sama. Are you here to visit us?" Rei asked enthusiastically now that Yuki was no longer in the room.

"Um, yeah. I'm staying the night," Sama said and shifted from one foot to the other. Rei grinned at her.

"Really? Then, you can stay in my room and-"

"No way in hell will she be staying with any of the guys, especially you!" Sam said and glared at Rei. Rei pouted and gave Sam a wounded look.

"Sorry, Rei but I have a boyfriend that I like a lot," Sama said with a slight smile.

"Nah, I was just joking," Rei said and lightly punched the girl's shoulder. There was a loud crash and swearing could be heard from the kitchen.

"Uh oh, I better make sure Yuki doesn't kill Hiro," Rei said and quickly ran into the kitchen. Sam sighed and gestured for Sama to follow him. They went to his room and she set down her duffel bag.

"Well, today will be a hectic day. Sorry about them," Sam said and flopped onto his bed. Sama smiled and glanced around the room. It was just furnished with the hotel furniture and a few clothes littered the floor.

"It's fine. They're...funny at times," Sama admitted. Sam chuckled and rolled over on his bed so there was room for Sama. She laid down on her back and stared at the ceiling.

"So, tell me, what happened?" Sam asked. Sama was silent for a bit and then gave a groan. She told Sam what had happened between she and their mother. Sam didn't say anything. Sama couldn't read his expression as she finished her story.

"That's why I came here," Sama finished quietly. Sam nodded and stared at the ceiling in thought. Finally he turned on his side to face her.

"I think mother did cross some lines but so did you. She shouldn't have looked up Kaoru or hit you. You shouldn't have kept the fact you were dating someone a secret from her. Also, you shouldn't have yelled at her like you did. Mom regrets the fact the her family disowned her after marrying dad. You didn't need to put more salt on the wound."

Sama was silent as she took in her brother's words. It was true that she had poked at a sore spot but when she got mad she couldn't help it. Yet, she wanted her mother to understand that she wanted to do her own things and decide who she would marry.

"I...I just wish she would stop hovering over me. She needs a distraction or something until I figure something out," Sama said quietly more to herself than to her brother. Sam remained silent but if Sama had seen his face she would've known that he was planning something.

"Hey, you hungry?" Sam asked after a few moments of silence. He rolled off the bed. Sama sat up and nodded.

"Well, we can call room service and get whatever we want," Sam said with a grin. Sama grinned as an idea came to mind.

"Anything, you say..."

-:-

"Tell me again why we're eating cake and candy for dinner?" Yuki asked for the third time. The five teens were all spread out in the living room surrounded by different cakes and colorful buckets of candy.

"If fwun to tr suming driffwent," Rei said between a mouth full of red velvet cake. Yuki rolled his eyes at him.

"I can't understand caveman talk," he said sarcastically. Sama chuckled as she ate a large piece of angel cake with strawberries.

"I think he said, it's fun to try something different. I have to agree," she said.

Hiro and Sam were both eating an assortment of candy instead of cake. Sam had a whole bucket of M&Ms next to him that he wouldn't share. Hiro seemed to like eating dark chocolate truffles. Sama smiled at the mess they had made. When the boys found out they were having sweets for dinner they all dug in with enthusiasm.

"How is it you understand the Neanderthal?" Yuki asked with genuine curiosity. Rei made a noise of protest but couldn't say much with his mouth full.

"Well, Seth, Steve, and Sam always talk with their mouths full so I got use to their "food talk" as I call it," she said while giving Sam a slight smirk. He just stuck his tongue out at her before shoving a handful of M&Ms in his mouth.

"Eiji will kill us if he finds out we ate sugar for dinner," Hiro said plainly. Rei snorted while Yuki made a face.

"He'll never find out," Rei said after swallowing all the cake. Hiro shook his head but kept eating.

"Who's Eiji?" Sama asked. She vaguely recalled the boys mentioning someone by that name but she couldn't remember what they said about him.

"Eiji's our manager. He takes care of all the business that comes with being in a band. He books out hotels, concerts, and other things that are boring," Rei replied.

"He's not that bad. I mean he can deal with us without killing us," Sam said half jokingly. Hiro took out his wallet and threw a picture on the table toward Sama. Sama reached forward and studied the picture.

It was a group picture of the band members. They all posed while grinning widely. In the center was a man, who was slightly taller than the rest. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He had sandy blond hair and mahogany eyes. He smiled widely at the camera making him look young. Sama could tell that Eiji was a relaxed man but could be serious when he had to be.

"He's not bad looking," she mused out loud. All four boys started to choke as they stared at the girl.

"Did you just say he's good looking?" Yuki gasped out. Sama nodded at them. The boys stared at her in disbelief.

"What?"

"He's, like, old!" Sam nearly shouted. Sama rolled her eyes at the boys.

"I just called him good looking. It doesn't mean I'm interested in him. I have a boyfriend, anyways," she said and shook her head at them.

"That's the first time I've heard someone describe Eiji," Hiro commented. Sama raised an eyebrow asking someone to elaborate.

"Well, most people say he looks like a goof ball or something. He's not married so he doesn't need to worry about kids or anything, well besides us," Rei explained.

"Hmm, well I guess he does look goofy in the picture. Why isn't he around?" Sama had never seen the man whenever she went to visit Sam. She had a feeling that he wasn't even in the country.

"He's out of the country to promote our band in the US." Yuki said with a sound of enthusiasm in his voice.

"Sounds like fuuuun," Sama yawned loudly. Sam chuckled as she stretched on the couch.

"Someone's tired. You should go to bed," Sam said. Sama nodded and got up.

"Night, guys," she said as she headed for Sam's room.

"Night, Sama," all four boys called out.

"Sama, can I borrow your cell?" Sam asked before the girl closed the door. Sama stopped and gave him the thumbs up before tossing her cell in his direction. Sam caught it and smiled gratefully. Once the door closed Sam started to scroll through her contact list.

"What are you doing?" Rei asked as he peeked over Sam's shoulder.

"Nothing, Sam mumbled. He pressed send and put the phone to his ear. A small smile spread across his face as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Sama, wake up," Sam poked the girl's cheek as she mumbled and rolled over. Sam was already dressed and wanted to get Sama up for her "surprise" that he had prepared. Sam sighed and poked her again, a little harder. The two had shared a bed and Sama had taken all the covers. Sama groaned and rolled further away from Sam. Sam grinned and poked her harder. Sama groaned louder and rolled off the edge of the bed.

"Ow!" Sama rubbed her back and glared at her brother who was peering at her over the edge of the bed. He had a large grin on his face.

"You're so mean," she huffed. Sama got off the floor and lightly hit him on the back of his head. Sam laughed at her as she went to the bathroom.

"Hurry up and get dressed," he yelled as the bathroom door closed. He heard a faint 'whatever' from her. Sam smiled as he tried to imagine Sama's face when she saw who he called.

After a quick shower and getting dressed, Sama went to the kitchen to get breakfast. Today was her last day of school but she didn't feel like going.

"Hey guys, what's for breakfast?" Sama eyed the empty dishes that were on the table. The other three were already up as well.

"Oh, we ate already. You have a visitor," Sam said and pulled her into the living room. Sama eyed the empty room until she saw the person standing near the window. The sunlight made a bright glare so she couldn't make them out.

"W-what?" She gave a confused look as she eyed the person.

"Hey, Sama," a familiar voice called her name.

"K-Kaoru? What are you doing here?" She stared wide eyed at him. Kaoru stepped toward her and smiled. He wasn't dressed in the Ouran uniform. Instead he was dressed casually in khaki shorts and a dark blue t-shirt.

"Your brother called me and said you weren't going to school. I thought that we could go out instead of attending school," he said and smiled at her. Sama glanced at her brother. He gave her a thumbs up, as well as the other guys in the band.

"Well, if we get breakfast first..." Sama trailed off and glanced at Kaoru. He smiled and took her hand.

"We'll be going now," Kaoru said to Sam. Sam nodded and watched as the two got into the elevator. Once the doors closed he let out a tired sigh.

"Time to go see the rest of the family," he mumbled to himself.

-:-

"So, is Tamaki going to be mad that we skipped out on his last day of school games?" Sama and Kaoru were eating breakfast at a small diner. Sama had a hot cinnamon roll and Kaoru had a simple apple strudel. Kaoru insisted on paying.

"He'll just get emotional about it. I'm sure he won't be mad," Kaoru replied while taking a bite out of his breakfast.

Kaoru told Sama how on the last day of school Tamaki had planned a game day. Tamaki picked all the game, of course. Kaoru wasn't looking forward to it, Sama wasn't too keen on the idea now that she knew what she would miss.

"I guess I should be glad to have decided to skip school," Sama said thoughtfully. Kaoru only smiled as he watched her take a large bite out of her meal. Later on, they window-shopped and walked through the park. Kaoru insisted that Sama should come visit him during the summer. He planned on having her come to their summer house, this time without the other Host Club members.

When the two were at Sama's house there were cop cars parked outside. Sama stared in horror and ran inside. A cop was talking to her dad when she got in, Kaoru was right behind her.

"D-dad? What happened?!" Sama was worried that someone had gotten hurt.

"Sama, there you are! You're brother...Sam...he's home." Sama could hear the joy and sadness in her father's voice. Sama looked in shock as she saw Sam standing next to their mother and two older brothers. He gave Sama a small smile when he caught sight of her.

"Sama! Sam's back, I can't believe that he's...back," Steve crushed the girl into a hug. Sama saw her mother, her eyes were red and her hair was disheveled.

"Hey, sis. Miss me?" Sam asked innocently. Sama stood there stone still. What was going on?

-:-

(Sama's PV)

Mom and dad were angry when they heard that Sam had run away to be in a band. Sam held firm on what he wanted to do. He told them that he wanted to be in the band still and that he would come back once his band finished their tour in the United States. He promised to come back to school, he had been tutored the whole time he was with the band so he wouldn't have to repeat any grades.

Still I wanted to know why he finally decided to see them. Mom apologized for hitting me but she said we still needed to talk about the marriage issue. For now I was off the hook since Sam was back.

I sat on my bed and sighed. Today was a draining day. Mom and dad seemed to be less tense but they watched Sam like a hawk. They looked heartbroken when Sam said he was going back to the hotel tomorrow. Dad had reasoned with mom that they should allow Sam to finish his travel tour and then have him enter Ouran.

"Sama?" Sam opened my door quietly and peeked into my room. He came in when he saw me and closed the door.

"Hey," I said quietly. I knew Sam very well and yet I couldn't understand why he revealed himself now. It just didn't make sense in my head.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said and sat next to me on the bed. I waited for him to keep talking. Sam sighed and gave me a weak smile.

"I decided that it was time I told them. It, also, gives mom a reason not to bother you for awhile," he finally said.

"You did this...for me?" I was slightly surprised that he did all this for me. Sam nodded solemnly.

"Why?" That was the question that kept going through my mind.

"I've done a lot of selfish things in my life. I ran away even though I promised you I wouldn't. I realized that I didn't act like a big brother. It was you who always protected me or looked the other way when I did something bad. I feel that it is high time I started acting like the older sibling," he said quietly.

I felt overwhelmed. Sam hadn't always been the role model brother. Now, he wanted to be there for me and take care of me.

"I...I appreciate the fact that you care and thank you for doing this," I smiled and pulled him into a hug. I felt whole, like a piece of me had finally found itself back where it belonged.

"Let's just hope mom will leave you alone," Sam said as he pulled away. I gave him a half smile, hoping the same thing.

-:-

Sometime the things we hope for come true and other times they don't. A mother's love is endless like the sea. She will do anything for her children. Sometimes she crosses lines that test the relationships she has with her children. Sometimes the relationship survives, other times they don't.

Love is a strange thing. Sometimes you don't know if you love someone or not. The feeling of love can scare people. Some believe that love shows signs of weakness. Can love last every hardship life has to throw? If you love a person very much, that love will never die no matter what happens as you get older. Having your first heartbreak hurts but, eventually, the wound heals and your heart becomes stronger.

Okay, I know its been a long time but I've been so busy with school. My first term ended two weeks ago and second term has been crazy. So, this is the second to last chapter. Next up will be an epilogue. I'm not sure if people will like how I ended it...oh well.

Please do the poll on my homepage. I appreciate how patient you have all been with me.

Kitkat d(^.^)b