~Chapter Nineteen~

Instigation

Please Speak Softly, For They Will Hear Us,
And They'll Find Out Why We Don't Trust Them.
Speak Up Dear, 'Cause I Cannot Hear You.
I Need to Know Why We Don't Trust Them.

Explain to Me This Conspiracy Against Me,
And Tell Me How I've Lost My Power.

~Conspiracy, by Paramore

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

"Or…" I paused here, pretending to think on the matter. Tapping my fingers against my side as I continued, "I suppose that we can compromise. I'll postpone the wedding, if you agree to be my girlfriend."

Sammy blinked, utterly shocked and completely at a loss for words. I waited patiently, hoping that she would realize my proposal had not been a joke. The second one, I mean. Truthfully, I was entertaining the idea of marrying her, but that would come much later – after university. For now, I simply wanted to call her my own.

"Are you serious?" she whispered in awe. At my solemn nod, Sammy seemed to come alive. Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness and a wide, silly grin replaced her nervous smile. "…yes! I will definitely be your girlfriend, Takashi-kun!"

Takashi's P.O.V.

It was silent as we ascended one of the staircases leading back to the abandoned Third Music Room. Neither of us said anything to the other because we were too shy to truly speak after what had occurred. Occasionally, I would glance down at the small blonde to determine if I was walking too quickly, but she didn't seem to be having any trouble keeping up with me. Instead, Sammy was grinning widely as she practically skipped up the steps.

…and this told me that she would more than likely trip before our journey back to the Host Club had ended.

Blue eyes glittered with elation as she tightened her grip on my hand, which dwarfed her own like an oversize glove. I smirked, admittedly quite proud of myself for finally asking her out. It had only taken me – what, a little over three months to do so? Even so, I could now officially call her my girlfriend. I had lost a few battles, but I'd won the war; victory was sweet.

There was only one, small problem: the Host Club.

Damn Kyoya. I sourly thought to myself. What should it matter if one of us is dating a girl, so long as the fangirl population doesn't find out about it?

Feeling a small hand tug at my sleeve, I paused, surprised and a bit chagrined that I had momentarily forgotten my companion. At my low hum of acknowledgement, she leaned closer and smirked up at me. The small blonde cast a stealthy glance around the room, searching for…something. Finally, she motioned for me to come closer. I decided to humor her and did so.

"I have a secret!" Sammy chirped, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation; this was something that I'd noticed she did when nervous or excited. "A really big secret!"

Silently, I raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm, a sign for her to continue.

"The Twins and I are planning to prank the Host Club! Revenge will be sweet. Yes, I can assure you of that!" she declared gleefully. A small, evil smile crept across her lips, before vanishing into thin air, like it hadn't even been there in the first place.

Revenge…? That didn't sound very pleasant.

Admittedly, I feared for my own safety. Just because I was her boyfriend now didn't mean that I would be exempt from the prank; I was a member of the Host Club. And, if I was correctly following her line of thinking, then she would be seeking revenge for our not coming to her aid last week. The sudden appearance of Hoshakuji Renge had caused quite a stir amongst our friends. The new freshman had verbally attacked everyone, but she had taken an even greater joy in openly dissecting Sammy's entire personality in front of the entire Host Club – calling her a fake.

And while I felt bad about doing nothing to defend the small blonde, I had to wonder if what Renge had claimed was true. If so, it would actually explain the inner workings of my girlfriend and the reasons behind her actions; hence, her shy, quiet demeanor was actually her true personality. That was surprising, considering that Sammy was such a devious prankster.

I leaned forward and curiously asked, "What exactly are the three of you planning, Sammy-chan?"

"Well, the plan is already in the works," Sammy admitted with a quick shrug. "The boys are currently in the midst of step sixteen, so that means…" Here, she paused and began to fidget with a zipper on her backpack, which she hadn't let out of her sight.

Odd. I wonder why that thing is suddenly so important to her. Normally, she would just toss it around without a care. But now…

Indeed, the Pokémon backpack was now being held as if it were the meaning to life itself. I stared blankly at it, pondering over her sudden, unhealthy obsession with the ratty thing. Perhaps it held what she had procured from her friend, Nekozawa, earlier in the dungeons. That particular thought made me frown in anger, so I let it go – I would find out soon enough. Sadly.

"Can I ask a favor of you, Takashi-kun?"

I turned to face her, raising an eyebrow in question. "Ah…"

"Promise that you won't get mad at me, okay?" she begged. "I just want to let you know that none of this was meant to cause harm, only irritation. And I have to play my part in a minute, so…" The younger female bit her lip and finished, "I'll see you later!"

My girlfriend promptly darted up the remainder of the steps, tripping only once, before vanishing around a corner and towards what appeared to be a new mountain range. I cautiously joined the other Hosts, all of whom were staring up at the giant mass of furniture, dishes, and other odds and ends. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach and I slowly glanced upwards to the top of the pile. I sighed upon finding my cousin sitting at the peak of the makeshift mountain, happily swaying back and forth as he held his stuffed rabbit to his chest.

"Even after all of this fighting, the two of you are still not satisfied?" the Host King shakily asked, body trembling with barely suppressed rage. "Honestly, you two are so very troublesome…"

I grimaced at his words, thinking back to the horrors that we had been made to suffer through today. Indeed, the Twins were quite energetic. And to think – all of this had been done merely for the sake of revenge!

Based upon his pink hair, it had to be Hikaru that snapped his attention to the Frenchman, lips twisted in a snarl as he mimicked, "'Troublesome.'" Here, he laughed bitterly. "You claim that I am troublesome? You have got to be kidding me! I'm the one that's troubled! My face…is identical to his!"

Vaguely, I registered that their conversation was taking an ugly turn. But instead of paying attention to what was clearly a fake fight, I found my gray eyes searching for my small girlfriend, as I had a feeling that she was about to cause mischief. I could practically smell it in the air.

Yes, there she was, skirting around the edge of the black mountain. The dark clothing that she wore served as a bit of unintended (or intended, who knew?) camouflage; it was hard to see her as she crept closer to her youngest brother. And had I not been paying attention, I would never have noticed Kaoru subtly placing his hands behind his back, reaching for a small, wooden object. With a start, I realized that it was a voodoo doll: Beelzeneff.

And that must be what she was protecting! Now it all made sense, or so I thought. It also must be what Nekozawa gave her in exchange for a kiss…or six. I scowled. Damn pervert.

"I'm so damn tired of being mistaken for Kaoru!" Hikaru continued with a violent shake of his head. His amber eyes focused on his younger brother and he bitterly admitted, "To tell you the truth, I really hate you!"

Despite knowing that his words were false, Kaoru still froze, grunting in surprise. "That's my line! But, look at this –" The younger boy held his prize up for all to see. "– it's the voodoo doll that I recently purchased from Nekozawa-senpai!"

I narrowed my eyes at this blatant lie. Mentally, I made a note to speak with the Twins later. It was time that they took their roles as brothers more seriously; as someone with a complete lack of self preservation, Sammy required more protection from the evils of the world. Evils like Nekozawa Umehito.

Tamaki suddenly squealed in fright and scurried away from the 'cursed' doll. "Eeep!"

I bit back a snort. Cursed, my ass. There was no such thing as magic in this world. But as my eyes drifted back to focus on the voodoo doll, I had to admit that it was rather scary in its appearance. The eyes in particular gave me the creeps.

"I'm going to write your name on the back of this wooden doll, Hikaru," he declared, holding the doll and corresponding marker in the air for everyone to see.

His twin flinched, mouth tightening, as Kaoru added, "From now on, you are going to be hit with a bunch of misfortunes and tragedies!"

Loads of hasty scribbling commenced, all of which I now knew to be fake. As for the others, well… They were all quiet, watching the doll with wary expressions. The Host King began wailing in fright and it was this that prompted Haruhi into action. She stomped forward, fists clenched, as she neared the older boys. I watched in interest – what was she going to do?

Suddenly, the brunette slammed each fist into their respective heads. "That is enough already, you stupid bastards!" Haruhi yelled loudly – and in quite a terrifying manner, I might add.

From the safety of the mountain of furniture came the sound of a tiny, delighted giggle. I sweatdropped; Sammy was such an evil person. How the small blonde could enjoy her friend's display of violence and her younger brothers' pain was beyond me. Must be an acquired taste.

The brunette stood up, climbing to her full height (not that I found this to be very threatening when compared to my own; I was over six feet tall) and demanded that the Twins not bring something as stupid as a curse doll into such a trivial fight. To my left, I heard Sammy murmuring quietly, something that sounded suspiciously like –

"Oh, Haruhi, if only you knew what we have planned… You wouldn't be saying such a thing then, my dear."

Of course, I was the only one that appeared to hear her, so Haruhi continued onwards, stating that the Twins were both at fault. Her delicate face was flushed with anger as she ordered the pair to make up with each other and stop causing trouble for everyone around them. The Twins stared up at her from their spots on the floor, amazed; an angered Haruhi was truly a sight to behold.

"If the two of you don't make up right now," she warned them, "I swear that I will never, ever let you guys visit my home!" A tic in her jaw pulsed steadily, signifying that she was still quite angry.

Both Hikaru and Kaoru were stunned into silence, actually surprised at the intensity of their normally calm classmate. Truthfully, I had been caught off guard, too. Haruhi, with her small stature and oblivious nature, just did not seem to be the type to fly into a fit of rage like that. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Ah. You learn something new every day, I suppose, I mused with a small smile on my face. To be honest, I thought of the younger girl as a sister, so it was most strange to see her act in such a manner.

And the Twins apparently thought the same of her, as they were both smirking up at her in amusement. "Hmm…"

And somehow, Haruhi had managed to walk straight into their trap. Poor girl.

Meanwhile, the brothers had dropped their act and were now prowling around Haruhi like two very hungry lions in search of their next meal. The resemblance was uncanny. It almost made me regret agreeing to keep my mouth shut about their little prank, but Sammy had been adamant about completing this prank successfully, so I said nothing as they neared the small brunette.

"So, let us get this straight –" the Twins began, eyes glinting with mischief. Another circle was made around the girl, as they finished in sync. "Are you saying that, if we make up, we can go visit your place?"

It appeared that Haruhi had finally managed to grasp the true nature of the situation at hand. She slowly, very slowly, turned the Beelzeneff doll around so that she was looking at the back; thus, she was able to clearly see that…absolutely nothing of importance was written on the back. In fact, the only symbols that had been written were the ones for – fail.

Haruhi immediately began panicking, not that I blamed her for that – it had to be rather traumatizing for the poor girl. In addition to the revenge, this prank had been done for another purpose: gaining entrance to her home. Haruhi's expression was one of sheer terror as she screamed. The other Hosts were in shock, but most remained relatively quiet, as did I. None of us seemed to have anything to say on the matter, including the omnipotent Shadow King. Yes, the Host Club was rather quiet at the moment; it was eerie.

The Twins smirked at one another and then nodded in the general direction of the black mountain. "Thanks so much for letting us get away with all of this, Onee-chan!" they chorused with glee.

Absently, Sammy waved at them. "Right-o, mates." And then she went right back to examining the worn teddy bear that she had discovered in the pile of furniture and miscellaneous knickknacks. "No problem…"

The creaking of Tamaki's aching neck could be heard as he turned to face his senpai, sadly asking, "So you were in on this, as well?"

She grinned and offered him a thumbs-up. "Well, duh," Sammy said, closing her eyes and cocking her head to the side in mirth. "Hika-chan and Ru-chan are my little brothers."

With a loud laugh, Kaoru interrupted her to add say, "And the three of us are all pranksters…"

"…so why shouldn't she have been included in our shenanigans?" This came from his Twin, who was smirking proudly at his siblings.

Tamaki visibly deflated, body crumpling to the ground as he moaned, "Ruined… Those little devils have utterly ruined your innocence, big sister!"

The small blonde twitched with annoyance, muttering, "Why does that sound so sexual, you damn French Fry?"

I felt my face flush at the word sex being mentioned in regards to my girlfriend. It was admittedly strange, but the very thought made my body tingle. And to be honest, I found it to be an exciting one. Sammy was certainly changing my perspective on many things – whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.

Snorting quietly into his hand, Kaoru said, "Sorry, boss, but Sammy-chan was this way when she arrived at the Manor. Hikaru and I had absolutely nothing to do with that aspect of her personality."

Hikaru nodded in agreement and then returned his attention to his Twin, slinging an arm around his waist. "I'm so sorry, Kaoru. Even if we did do only as planned, I fail as your older brother for saying such horrible things."

"Don't say such things, Hikaru! I was so worried about inflicting any injuries upon you." He sniffled, wiping his nose with a (formerly) pristine handkerchief. "Oh, Hikaru…"

The older Twin held him even tighter, declaring that he would never let him go so long as they both lived. Judging by the intensity of his grip, Kaoru did not mind – not in the least. I cocked my head to the side in thought, surprised to find that it had finally dawned on me that there might be some truth to the Twins' homosexual relationship. It might not be an act at all.

My eyes flickered to their sister and I made a mental note to ask her for the truth of the matter at a later time.

"What?" Mitsukuni cried, flailing his small arms around in confusion. Brown eyes were scrunched up adorably as he asked, "…was this a fake fight?"

Wincing, I realized that someone had finally managed to trick the small senior. Such a thing only occurred once in a blue moon; it was exceedingly rare for him to be outsmarted. Sammy and her brothers were definitely going to suffer at the hands of my older cousin. And speaking of suffering, the Host King and his crush had both fallen to the floor in defeat, each refusing to look at the discarded voodoo doll – the sole reason for all of their misery.

"Hey~!" the Twins whined. Hikaru placed his chin upon his shorter brother's shoulder. "What did you guys expect anyway? We were so freakin' bored!"

Again Sammy giggled at their antics, obviously satisfied with the way their plans had turned out today – all of their endeavors had been completed successfully. This caught the attention of her siblings, both of whom gestured for her to come forward. She did so, taking the hands that were offered to her – one from each boy – and lifting herself from her hiding spot. The three of them were quickly entangled in the others' grasps, meshed into one being as they hugged one another, like interlocking pieces of a puzzle.

I smiled softly as we found each other across the room, blue eyes meeting my own. She blushed and shyly returned my smile, causing my pulse to race under my skin, faster and faster. Sammy might have been broken at one point in her life, but there was still hope for her if she could smile at another being so Twins watched our exchange with interest, but I paid no attention to them; so far as I was concerned, nothing else mattered but the small girl smiling up at me like I was one of the few important people in her life, someone to live for.

It seems that she might be picking up the pieces of her life, after all.

"And you really shouldn't have hurt our sister like that," Kaoru suddenly continued, choosing to ignore the secretive glances his sister and I were sharing. His expression was grave as he faced the other Hosts. "It really pissed us off."

Hikaru nodded solemnly in agreement. "No one – including our friends – has the right to do so. It was only right that we help her get a bit of revenge."

Two pairs of golden eyes were shining with love and adoration as the Twins stared down at the older girl. It was obvious to every single one of us that the bond between the three siblings was greater than any had previously thought; Sammy, Hikaru, and Kaoru were practically inseparable. Honestly, it reminded me of my relationships with my younger brother, and my older cousin; the latter had been forged upon old family ties, but had become more of a friendship. And this relationship I saw before me, it was amazingly complex and – in my opinion – truly beautiful.

Seemingly, Tamaki didn't appear to agree with me, if his devastation was any indication…

"Twins with time on their hands…are the devil," Tamaki mumbled sourly, blonde head bowed in defeat. "And Americans are no better, it seems."

Sammy simply laughed at his words, not bothered in the least. Instead, said American chose to stare down at a worn piece of notebook paper, smiling with glee. Mitsukuni leaned over to steal a glance and his tawny eyes widened in amazement, which was certainly not a good thing. My cousin smirked, tapping the paper with a single finger and mumbled something to our classmate. Yep, definitely not a good thing…

Shrugging in a careless manner, Sammy responded in the affirmative and carefully rolled the paper – blueprints to their plan, if I wasn't mistaken – into a cylindrical shape and shoved them into the back pocket of her black skinny jeans.

Hikaru and Kaoru bowed to their audience, declaring, "And now, we bid you adieu!"

To my surprise, Sammy turned to me and smiled crookedly. "Thank you," she whispered as the three siblings passed me on their way to double doors leading to the hallway.

Although I said nothing in response to her words, I knew that Sammy understood my silence. But at one time, she would not have known how to interpret my actions. Yes, we had come a long way in three months – the two of us had met under strange circumstances and, strangely enough, we had been attracted to each other on sight.

I might not believe in fairy tales, or love at first sight, but falling in love with such a sweet, funny girl? That was something that I could live with.

***Author's Note***

Well, Takashi and Sammy are finally dating! And you just witnessed the first half hour of their crazy relationship.

Tune in next chapter for another look at their interactions - feel free to dissect them, er...their relationships. ;)

Sammy: Oh, you've been watching Soul Eater again, haven't you?

Me: ...I love Stein. *Evil Grin*

Sammy: ...Takashi, she's scaring me!

Takashi: ^^;

Have a happy holiday everyone! And sorry about the late update - computer viruses are EVIL~! :D