~Chapter Ten~

Forgotten

I'm Not a Perfect Person;
There's Many Things I Wish I Didn't Do.
But I Continue Learning.
I Never Meant to Do Those Things to You.

I'm Sorry that I Hurt You.

~The Reason, by Hoobastank

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

"Well, Sammy-chan, I actually came here for another reason," Mitsukuni cheerfully admitted, then quickly explained, "I'm here to ask you for a favor!"

...fuck my life.

Takashi's P.O.V.

"To all of the sweet, innocent lambs that have gathered here…"

My hands twitched at my sides, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Where is a sword when I need it? Honestly, that Frenchman really needs to drop the dramatics…

"We welcome you to the Ouran Host Club Dance Party!" Tamaki cried, before elegantly sweeping into a bow.

A series of girlish squeals erupted in response to this gentlemanly behavior from the beloved 'King' of the Host Club. I winced as the noise grew in intensity. A quick glance to my left (and downwards, due to his height) assured me that Mitsukuni was suffering almost as greatly as I. I made a mental note to bring earplugs for the two of us the next time that we hosted an event as big as this one; being subjected to such sounds could not be good for our health.

Thankfully, the three crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling of the hall were suddenly lit – probably at a signal from the Shadow King. This, in turn, served as a cue for the musicians to start the music. And the sounds of a lively song drowned out the noise of the fangirls.

"They sure are excited. Ne, Takashi?" Mitsukuni asked. And while his demeanor remained sweet and childish... His words were anything but.

"Ah…" I murmured, trying to ignore the dark and irritated words of my older cousin. They promised pain to the idiot that had thought up the idea of a dance party (coughTamakicough).

…I could really use that sword right about now!

More squeals as Kyoya announced the prize for winning the title of Queen: a kiss from the Host King. This was apparently a dream come true, even if it was only a chaste peck on the cheek.

"Haruhi~!" The Twins drawled, standing directly behind the younger girl like shadows. "You don't appear to be very enthusiastic about being here."

"I'm not used to these kinds of events," Haruhi grumbled. And when she added that her only experience with dance parties was her attendance at the bon-odori held in her neighborhood…

Kyoya calmly interjected, "I do not believe that such a thing could be considered a dance party."

"As if your opinion matters," the brunette muttered, discretely rolling her eyes so as to avoid her senpai's attention. I wished her the best of luck in avoiding the watchful eyes of the Shadow King.

"Well," Kyoya continued, surprisingly oblivious, "at least have a taste of the delicious food that we have here tonight. It will certainly be a treat."

I blinked in surprise, wondering why he was offering this food without charging her; it was very out of character for the Ootori. But I didn't have long to dwell on the matter, as Mitsukuni had heard the word food and immediately connected it with cake. He had removed himself from my shoulders, so I kept an eye on him and sternly shook my head as he inched towards the stairs, gaze intent upon the buffet table. He saw this and pouted at me. Nevertheless, he stayed where he was…

"You mean…like fancy tuna?" Haruhi whispered. Her tawny eyes were now staring longingly at the table that I'd had to warn Mitsukuni away from just a second ago.

Shocked? No, I was horrified. And even though I knew she was a commoner, I couldn't help but think: I cannot believe that Haruhi-chan has never had fancy tuna before! I heard the sound of a pen breaking in two and briefly wondered if the cool and collected Kyoya had finally snapped.

Much cuddling and crooning ensued, which Haruhi didn't seem to like in the least. I smiled sympathetically at the younger girl as she struggled to get away.

"Sammy-chan said that she hasn't eaten fancy tuna either," she grumbled, before demanding to know – "So why is it such a big deal if I haven't had it?"

The Twins exchanged glances over the top of her head. It appeared that they were communicating something between themselves, but it remained unclear to the rest of us what this something was exactly.

Finally, the Twins explained, "Sammy-chan hates seafood." As if it was obvious, and we should be ashamed of ourselves for not knowing.

I narrowed my eyes at them. How do the two of them know so much about her? And why is it that Sammy-chan speaks with Haruhi-chan and the Twins, but not the rest of the Host Club?

Ah, yes – there it was again. Jealousy.

To quell the sudden urge to throttle the Hitachiin Twins, I descended the stairs behind Mitsukuni and the two of us walked towards our designated area. Our normal customers were there, as well as a few new ones that I did not yet know. A sea of faces – and none of them belonged to the small blonde that I was so enamored with.

But what had I been expecting? I had been really rude to her last week; it was no wonder that she was avoiding me.

"Um…"

I shook away the depressing observations and glanced downwards, smiling faintly at the shy first year that was standing to my left. She was quite tall, which I found refreshing; most girls only came to just below my rib cage. This one was only a few inches shorter than myself and I could almost look her in the eye without straining my neck. Her dress was pastel green in color, as were her eyes. And her hair was brown; not blonde.

Maybe I should apologize…

"Would you dance with me?" she blurted suddenly. The small yellow ascot at her neck twitched as she swallowed nervously. "…if you want to, I mean."

With a bow, I offered her my hand and led her to the dance floor, glad for the distraction. The two of us were soon joined by Mitsukuni and his partner – a cheerful brunette wearing a pink dress. They merrily swung each other around the dance floor, not really following the beat of the dance, but actually enjoying themselves.

Wish I could say the same for myself.

"And then she was so angry with me! I don't understand why my sister must always take offense at the fact that I enjoy myself at the Host Club," she exclaimed in exasperation.

I nodded politely, trying to seem as if I wasn't dying of boredom. Sword. I need a sword…

Out of the corner of my eye, I checked the progress of our plan. Everyone was at their stations and Haruhi remained as oblivious as ever to the mischief that the Host King had created in order to achieve his goals. As of right now, that included helping a fellow student. And dressing Haruhi as a female. The latter appeared quite unnecessary for our plans, but…

"I have been looking everywhere for you, Haruhi-kun."

I angled my partner towards the pillar that Haruhi had claimed as her own spot. A delicate, brunette female was smiling coyly at the first year. Her blue dress rustled as she moved closer to ask Haruhi for a dance.

Kasugasaki-san had finally made an appearance.

Mitsukuni leaned over and whispered the news of her arrival to Tamaki. I watched as the Frenchman nodded, issuing the command to proceed as planned. My younger cousin and I immediately went about procuring (or kidnapping, as was later claimed by our young friend) Haruhi. Needless to say, she was not happy with us.

"Why must the six of you insist on treating me like a toy?" Haruhi immediately demanded upon being set down again. With her hands on her hips like that, she reminded me of…

Sammy-chan. Why must everything always remind me of that damned girl?

Mitsukuni smiled sweetly and, while gesturing to the other Hosts in the room, said, "We don't think of you as a toy, Haru-chan! More like…a little sister!"

At these words, her frown disappeared and was replaced by a small smile. It appeared that she liked the idea of having siblings, even if they weren't blood relations. It was hard to hide my relief. Women – particularly sad or angry women – had a tendency to send me running in the opposite direction. But, thanks to Mitsukuni, the crisis had been averted.

Haruhi heard my relieved sigh and glowered at the two of us again, before setting her sights solely on me.

Shit…

"Mori-senpai," the first year began, "I would appreciate it if you would explain your reasons for carrying me like a sack of rice through the entire school and up to the Third Music Room."

I shrugged in response. Because my cousin told me to drag you here? She sent a heated glare in my direction when I didn't verbally respond. And, as much as angry women frighten me, there is no way that you will ever scare me as much as Mitsukuni does when he sets his sights on something.

For what seemed like the hundredth time that week, Haruhi rolled her eyes to the ceiling. It was a weird habit of hers: praying to the skies as if they had the power to swallow her up when asked. …and I had a pet chicken. So, who was I to judge?

"Okay, Haninozuka-san! Everything is set up and ready to go! All we need now is for my darling brothers to drag their lazy – and crazy – asses in here to do their jobs."

Time seemed to stand still as the yellow curtain was brushed to the side. A small, blonde female skipped into the room and froze, and only her eyes moved as they wandered over the Hosts. Two blue eyes – the color of the sky on a clear summer day – were suddenly focused on me. She flinched, as if remembering our last meeting. I wanted so badly to apologize to her for what I had done; to explain to her my reasons for ignoring her. But she was already turning back to my younger cousin and shooting him an accusatory glare.

"What are they doing here?" she hissed. And her hands were on her hips; yes, she was definitely pissed off. "You promised me that it would only be you, the Twins, and Haruhi-chan!"

Mitsukuni blinked. "Did I? Sorry, Sammy-chan! It must have slipped my mind."

Sammy appeared as if she were going to strangle him, so I quickly stepped in front of Mitsukuni planning to protect him – even if he was a little sneak. The younger female opened her mouth to give me a piece of her mind, when she suddenly blanched. Every ounce of color drained from her face as she eyed the person that had finally entered the room.

"Sammy-senpai! You finally decided to join us," Tamaki cooed, happily wagging his imaginary tail as he bounced forward to greet her.

Anger marks as she simply said – "Fuck no."

Tamaki visibly deflated and retreated to a corner, several species of mushrooms sprouting in the near vicinity. Sammy smirked, hip jutting out to the side as she stuck her tongue out at the Frenchman. The Twins snickered and even Haruhi giggled at the sight. Kyoya, on the hand…

"Language," he reprimanded her.

Her smirk widened. "Japanese!" she crowed in triumph.

If Kyoya's pen hadn't already snapped, I am positive that it would be broken by now. And probably protruding from Sammy's forehead.

"Miss Steel," Kyoya drawled, as if speaking slowly would ensure her understanding. "I believe that you and I have discussed that your behavior while attending this school is…lacking, at best. Would you be so kind as to behave yourself?"

Pink lips twisted downwards into a grimace. "I am not a dog. Dummkopf…" Sammy muttered.

The Twins scowled at the Shadow King, before demanding that he leave the older girl alone; he was not pleased with their defiance. Sammy looked at them, an unreadable expression on her face, and then turned back to face Kyoya.

"I understand, Ootori-san. And I apologize if I have offended you with my inappropriate behavior," she politely said, bowing slightly in his direction.

We were all startled at the appearance of such elegant behavior from the odd girl, with the exception of the Twins, that is. If he was surprised, however, Kyoya did not show it. Instead, he smiled and informed her that she was forgiven – despite the confusion that shone in his eyes.

I wasn't confused; not a damn bit. Because after the many years that I had spent 'protecting' my cousin, it was easy for me to see the reasons behind her actions. Sammy had swallowed her pride and bowed to the younger boy for one reason and one reason only – she was protecting the Twins. The only question that I couldn't answer was: why?

"That said, I really must be leaving," Sammy hastened to add. Without waiting for a response, she darted to the door, where she was promptly attacked.

Tamaki clutched her close (my eyes narrowed at my kohai) and protested, "But, big sister! You really must stay and enjoy the party with the rest of the family." He rubbed his cheek against hers, chattering incessantly about the Host Club.

If looks could kill…

"I am not your sister. The only brothers that I am willing to claim are…" She bit her lip and glanced at Kyoya, leaving the rest unsaid when she noticed that he had found another pen and was prepared to start writing again.

The Twins used the sudden distraction to pry the King away from their friend, threatening to use a crowbar if he didn't release his hold. At these words – which were very real, by the way – he let go and retreated to his Emo Corner, mumbling to himself about the importance of family gatherings and eating fancy tuna. With that accomplished, the Twins turned to face the blonde female, identical Cheshire cat grins adorning their faces. She narrowed her eyes at them and warily stepped away, heading for the door again.

But they weren't having any of that.

"Yeah! You must stay here with us, Sammy-chan," they purred, wrapping their arms around the twitching girl. Her blue eyes widened at the sound; clearly, this was a warning and meant nothing good was in store for her. "After all, we haven't gotten to play dress-up yet!"

The sound of terrified screams and colorful curses filled the air as Sammy was dragged away, clawing at the floors. Haruhi followed with a sigh, her dress in hand and a bored expression on her face. Well, things had occurred that weren't exactly planned, but at least we had managed to successfully complete Phase One.

Blue eyes connected with mine once more, and I couldn't help but mouth the words…

"I'm sorry."

***Author's Note***

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!

1) Firstly, Miss Pretty in Punk's character has now been edited. I couldn't contact my friend to ask for permission, so she is now my own OC. :D

2) Secondly, a giant "Thank you!" to The Midnight Shadow Star for giving me the idea of adding little excerpts at the beginning of my chapters for easier reading. :)

3) Um... I love cupcakes! (Fear the Gir Impersonation; Fear It!)