~Chapter Twenty-One~

Princes, Dragons, and Fairytales (Oh, My!)

There's no need to rush.
It's like learning to fly,
Or falling in love.
It's gonna happen when it's supposed to happen,
And we find the reasons why
One step at a time.

~One Step at a Time, by Jordin Sparks

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

I froze in place, my heart skipping a beat as the words were whispered into the silence of the empty hallway. On my own, I would never have had the guts to admit to them, but with the help of my lovelorn friend, I was able to see the light. Stupid cupid had finally caught up with me.

Oh, my God. I thought in amazement, savoring the feeling that settled in the pit of my stomach like a handful of light and fluffy cotton candy. I am in love with Morinozuka Takashi.

Sammy's P.O.V.

After my sudden shocking realization, I'd merely stood in that particularly dusty alcove with my darling Neko, lost in a strange stupor. I was frozen. It was as though my feet had been glued to the flue – which was entirely possible, considering how often I was a victim of bullying in this godforsaken school. But Ayanokoji and her minions were very, very far from my mind at that point in time. As far away as the moon! So long as Gru was unsuccessful in his endeavors to capture the giant, golden orb anyways… But that was neither here nor there.

I had other things to think about, like the information my brain was currently working so hard to process: I was in love with Takashi.

Nekozawa had left me to my own devices, departing after receiving my silent confirmation of his accusations; it appeared that he was still uneasy around me after The Incident. It might be because my boyfriend was amazingly strong and badass; perhaps it was due to the fact that I was starting to hyperventilate (my face was still a lovely shade of grape jelly purple.) But, whatever the case may be, he had left me alone.

Even now, my stomach was churning quickly – and no, not with hunger! I'm pretty sure that, had I actually chosen to eat the bag of gummy bears in my pocket, they would have made an immediate reappearance after being consumed. Nope, it was quite simple; the butterflies had officially taken over my stomach. I would call their leader Hitler, after the Dummkopf that tried to ruin my mother's country during the first half of the twentieth century, simply because the damn butterfly was ruining my appetite in a similar manner. Now there was no way in hell that I would be able to visit Simply Sweets with my brothers. Ugh.

I meandered down the hallway, halfheartedly searching for an exit. Club hours were in session, so the majority of the canaries and blueberries had probably already left the campus and returned home. Me, myself, and I, on the other hand, were lost in the maze that was the elementary school division of Ouran. Unfortunately, I still hadn't gotten around to completing my Marauder's Map. Having no wand to speak of made it a bit difficult to perform magic.

The lack of hustle and bustle in the hallways, and the consequential chatter, was making me nervous. After rustling about in my Pikachu backpack for a moment or two, I came across one of my most prized possessions: my iPod. Yes, it produced the sweet melody of the angels. Or perhaps 'sirens' would be more accurate, given the amount of cursing that often appeared in my choice of songs. Like those by Linkin Park and Breaking Benjamin. Very hardcore.

To distract myself, I focused on the lyrics to the song currently playing on my iPod, softly singing, "There's a fine line between love and hate. And I don't mind that. Just let me say, that… I like that, I like that." I huddled further into my soft, blue hoodie, coughing nervously as I turned another corner.

Where is the Host Club when you actually need them, dammit? I grumbled to myself. …uh, what was that sound?

Stiffening, I turned around to stare down the length of the empty corridor – or, not so empty, as my (please insert: bad, very bad) luck would have it. Thump, thump, thump. I focused on the thudding of loafers on marble flooring as they neared my current location. With a gulp, I turned every which way, frantically searching for a hiding spot. I finally settled upon hiding behind yet another curtain, thanking my lucky stars – including Konata and Kagami – that this was nowhere near as dusty as the last one. In fact, they smelled rather nice. The one that I was currently clinging to had a scent that reminded me distinctly of Pizza Pringles.

…did that sound weird?

I remained hidden because I had a feeling that Ayanokoji and the Delinquent Duo were coming back for another round of WWE: Smackdown. What might be important to know is that I had initiated the wrestling match by trying to dye their hair bright red – with tomatoes. And it might also be important to know that the ghastly Gorgons had stolen my produce, gathered their forces, and attacked me with my own weapons! The nerve of them…

The sounds of the mysterious footsteps were nearing my hiding spot, so I steeled myself for the inevitable altercation. After all, I couldn't keep running away from my demons, or rather – the demons that inhabited this school. I was going to attack the evil fangirls (again), and send them straight back to the depths of Hell! 'Cause I was just that freakin' cool, like Maximum Ride fighting a battle against her alter ego to preserve her love with Fang.

Taking that thought as a sign from the powers that be, I gave a loud cry of "Hiyah!" and leapt out from behind the pink curtains. My awesome karate skills, all of which have been obtained from watching countless airings of Kung Fu Panda and weekly reruns of Naruto, would serve me well…or not.

Any attempts to tackle my attacker to the ground were foiled when I was deftly plucked from the air, flipped upside down, and gently thrown backwards to rest on the cold floor. I sat there, utterly motionless. To say that I was shocked would be a bit of an understatement – kinda like saying Godzilla is merely a really big lizard, which he is not. Although, Kaoru insists that he must be related to the tiny Australian one that does the Geico commercials. But we have yet to discover the truth in that statement.

"Ow…" I whined pathetically, rubbing at my sore bottom with a petulant pout. "That really hurt, you damn jerk!"

A small blonde magically appeared over my form like a beautiful, blonde angel…

"Oh, would you look at that – it's Sammy-chan!"

…or a bloodthirsty, conniving demon. Because sweet and innocent, this one was certainly not.

"No shit, Sherlock…" I groaned, slowly sitting up and working to regain my sense of equilibrium. It was off a few centimeters due to the sudden confusion of limbs – did I have two arms, or six? Damn things wouldn't stay still long enough for me to count 'em.

"Hi~!" Mitsukuni chirped, waving cheerfully at me. Damn perky ninja. "What are you doing here?"

Pausing dramatically, I asked, "At the moment? I'm currently plotting world domination." I grinned at the older male in an evil fashion. "Would you like to be the leader of my militia, o' fearsome ninja?"

Mitsukuni cutely tilted his head to the side, brown eyes blinking repeatedly in apparent confusion. "You're gonna take over the world?"

I opened my mouth to respond with the juicy details, but we were interrupted by a low, miserable mutter. It sounded vaguely like – "…why? Tell me: why do these things always turn out in such a manner?"

Simultaneously, we both turned to face the newcomer. My wonderful friend, Haruhi the Harassed, was currently sporting a much younger look; she was clothed in the two-piece uniform of a middle school student. It was an earthy brown tone, but went well with her dark coloring. And, based upon the irked expression on her delicate face, wearing the uniform had most definitely not been her idea. In fact, the entire situation at hand – overdramatic, crazy, and rather stupid – reeked of Tamaki.

As she wallowed in her misery, Haruhi zoned out and tripped over the corner of the rug, landing in my lap with a thud. And down, down, down we went… I groaned at being forced to survive yet another collision with the hard floor. On the other hand, Haruhi suffered in silence. In conclusion, she was either unconscious, or dead. Preferably the former. Of course, either option was possible, due to the speed with which she had fallen – faster than a Night Fury! Zoom!

We both lay there with anime swirls in our eyes, each questioning our sanity: why had we ever decided to join ranks with the horribly inconsiderate Host Club? Oh, right. There was her debt, and my stupidity. I'd almost forgotten about that for a moment. Silly me…

"Um, infiltration successful… I think," Mitsukuni murmured with a small chuckle. "And with these disguises, no one will even know the difference! Being seen by the elementary school students won't be a problem, Haru-chan!"

"Why are you wearing that outfit anyway?" I inquired in a low voice, honestly curious as to what the pair were up to. Glancing around the empty hallway, I added, "And where is everyone else?"

My classmate smiled eerily and murmured, "I suppose that I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you afterwards…"

A cold wind blew by and I shivered at the cold feeling that settled in the pit of my stomach, suddenly very aware that Mitsukuni had not been given a choice in this matter either. Dressing up as a cute, innocent schoolboy apparently went well beyond his comfort zone – and he was a freakin' loli-shota! Oh, well. Someone might as well inform him that being forced into stupid costumes was only one of the many occupational hazards of being a Host.

"And I might as well kill that Frenchman while I'm at it," Mitsukuni continued with a small, barely noticeable glint in his dark eyes. Well, someone was in a bad mood today!

I winced, both in sympathy and fear. He really did seem quite angry. In fact, the small male appeared to be rather pissed off. That was not a good sign; an angry ninja was a dangerous one – very, very dangerous.

Watch out, everyone! Bambi is on the warpath! Inwardly, I was freaking out. STAMPEDE! Somebody, save Simba! I repeat: BAMBI IS ON THE WARPATH!

Haruhi finally regained her senses and sat up, shaking her long hair out of her face. "Another one of the King's marvelous ideas, as you might have guessed." An eyebrow was quirked in question as she eyed my messy outfit. "And might I ask why you're covered in ketchup?"

"This, my friend, is actually the residue of rotten tomatoes," I informed her, before smiling sheepishly at the irritated expression on her face. "All of which were thrown at me with the utmost affection!"

She stared at me blankly, and immediately deadpanned, "Whatever. It's still sticky."

I waved this observation away. "Never mind that! Would you kindly raise your right hand?" I retrieved my fallen iPod, crooning, "Oh, poor baby! Mommy is so sorry for dropping you like that! Are you okay, my precious?"

"You never cease to amaze me with your eccentricities," Haruhi sighed. Nevertheless, the younger girl appeared amused as she watched me lock the device and tuck it into the safety of my purse.

Mitsukuni, having returned to his cheerful self, bounced over and declared, "Oh, and I'm afraid that you cannot come with us, Sammy-chan!" Brown eyes were faintly apologetic.

I scowled up at him, feeling utterly dejected at that point in time. "And is there a reason for that, o' fearsome ninja?" I asked bitterly. Am I not good enough for you and your friends?

At my wounded expression, Mitsukuni smiled and calmly explained, "Not for the reasons that you appear to be thinking. It's actually quite simple – you aren't wearing a disguise!"

"Not to mention the fact that she wouldn't even fit into this particular outfit. The middle school uniform is much too small for her," Haruhi bluntly interjected, waving a hand in my general direction.

Gasping in mock outrage, I poked her in the side and demanded, "What is that little comment supposed to mean, eh? You callin' me fat, pipsqueak?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Well, are ya?"

"No." Tawny eyes stared at my chest, which was located directly in front of her face at the moment. "Just, uh – voluptuous?"

Without warning, a blonde whirlwind entered the hallway and abducted my friend. I was left to watch in openmouthed disbelief as the crazy Frenchman swung her around for a brief moment and then set her down again. Grinning stupidly, Tamaki clutched the small female to his chest, practically suffocating her with the strength of his superhuman embrace. Haruhi struggled against his hold for a moment, before giving up and absently listening to his rant – something along the lines of Romeo and Juliet. I die, you die, and we all die.

"Oh, you should not feel so sad, my darling daughter! You are just as attractive as my Big Sister!" Tamaki cried, cuddling his face into hers and wagging his imaginary tail with glee.

Sweatdropping, I thought to myself: Really, I hope that he doesn't have any imaginary fleas. That would suck. Pun intended!

"Ah, yes." Kyoya followed his classmate into the hallway, jotting a few notes down in his Handy Dandy Notebook as he mused, "If not more so…"

"Ouch. That hurt, Steve," I said wryly. Ignore the jealousy. Ignore it, ignore it!

"Although, I must admit that you and Haruhi are two entirely different cases," he continued in a quiet aside. Apparently, he had seen through my mask and noticed my fretting. "She is cute and…compact. You, on the other hand, have another card to play."

I tried to ignore his quick, pointed glances to my chest and hips. It made me uncomfortable to think that he had even noticed their size in the first place. I mean, this was Kyoya we were talking about – the living, breathing Iron Man. He had a rather cold personality, and a heart of ice to boot. Surely it was impossible for such a scary guy to have hormones.

…right? Please, God, let me be right! The fate of the entire teenage population rests upon the answer to this question!

Kyoya smirked, glasses flashing eerily as he murmured, "Keep that in mind, Miss Steel. There will be a day that you need such confidence."

A glance over my shoulder hinted at some deeper meaning to his words, but as to what it was – well, I had no freaking idea. I squinted up at him in irritation, but I wasn't given the chance to retort because I was suddenly lifted into the air by a pair of strong arms. I panicked at first and flailed my arms wildly, thinking that it was the incredibly crazy Frenchman holding me in his grasp. However, upon closer inspection, I recognized the tender hold. Yes, it was strong, but familiar, as well.

Lifting my face, I found myself nose to nose with my boyfriend. Two soft, kind eyes were smiling down at me and I blushed at the wealth of affection shining in their depths. He might not often express his feelings verbally, but I recognized the wealth of emotion in his expression. Eyes were indeed the windows to the soul.

And Takashi had a very nice ass…er, soul. Yeah, that last one! Ha, ha… Nervous cough.

"Hi…" I whispered shyly, clinging to him with a small smile. My pulse raced beneath my skin as I thought back to my latest discovery: I'm in love with Takashi.

"Hey, sweetheart," Takashi murmured quietly in my ear. A soft kiss was placed on my temple and I leaned into the touch; his lips were as soft as velvet. "How did you get dragged into their shenanigans this time?"

I cuddled closer into his hold and said, "It was an accident. In fact, I was actually pulling a few pranks, and then I was running away from…" Here, I paused in consideration, not wanting to worry him. "…uh, never mind."

Grey eyes darkened faintly, glittering with curiosity as he urged me to continue. "And what were you running away from, might I ask?"

"Er…" My lips twisted upwards in a cheeky grin and I winked up at him. "Three Gorgons, as it were!"

A soft cough to the left alerted us to the remaining presence of one mysterious, creepy Shadow King, complete with dark aura and an evil smile; the latter is a free, limited time promotion. This figurine also comes with a warning: proceed with caution, as the product might attempt to kill you in your sleep should you become a bother or a hindrance to his evil schemes.

Takashi raised an eyebrow at this unwelcome intrusion, and testily asked, "…yes?"

"I believe that what your girlfriend is trying to say is that she was attempting to outrun Ayanokoji-san," he informed us calmly.

My boyfriend tightened his hold on my waist, and I flinched at the unspoken questions glittering in his eyes. Oh, shit…

After consulting his notes, Kyoya added, "It appears that she and her followers hold quite a grudge against Miss Steel, as she is the only female in consistent contact with each of the Host Club members."

I snorted derisively. "Not by choice, mein Schatten König." Yet here I was, included amongst their numbers. Sigh. Ah, the life of a blonde ditz was never simple.

And then it dawned on me. How the hell had that sneaky little Shadow King known about our relationship? Takashi and I had only been dating for a little over three days! We'd told absolutely no one. Nada, zip, zilch! Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and Mitsukuni were still completely unaware the change – from friends, to something more.

"I know everything, Miss Steel. Did you truly believe that I would not get wind of your new relationship, especially when it concerns one of my fellow Hosts?" Kyoya hummed in acknowledgement. Scary!

Every ounce of color drained from my face and I recoiled in fear, shrinking into the hold of my protective boyfriend. I savored the feeling of his muscled arms wrapped around my waist and under my legs as he held me suspended in the air, up and away – far, far away – from the sharp, poisonous claws of the evil dragon trying to steal my prince. Get your own! He is mine, dammit!

"So, are you very angry with us?" I cautiously asked, fearing a response given in the affirmative.

To my surprise, Kyoya drawled, "Not particularly." He glanced upwards and light glinted off of his glasses. "In fact, I see no reason for the two of you to end your courtship, so long as you keep it a secret from the rest of the student body."

The younger male eyed our position pointedly. With an annoyed grunt at the change in status quo, Takashi reluctantly released his hold on my form and set me down again. After I'd regained my balance, I eased away from my boyfriend, hoping to appease the Shadow King. I did not wish to be a victim of blackmail; it wasn't much fun. Now, being the one to actually do the blackmailing, well – that was another story entirely. We shall refer to it as math class!

Warily, I pointed out, "There is a risk, however, that someone finds out about us. And then the Host Club would be under a bit of duress. You're aware of that fact…right?"

He merely shrugged in response, unbothered by my words. "It has its benefits, as well," Kyoya retorted with a small, amused smirk and a twirl of his fountain pen.

Takashi narrowed his eyes at the underclassmen in warning. "I would appreciate it if you did not refer to our relationship in such a lofty manner, Kyoya. We are not dating to please you, or to work towards your goals." A pointed glance at the Handy Dandy Notebook.

Another shrug, as he murmured, "Fair enough. And, speaking of secrets, you might also want to tell him the name of your savior, Miss Steel."

That damn bastard! I gritted my teeth in aggravation, practically grinding them into dust as I glared at the younger male. Er ist sehr tot! Totes Fleisch!

"Now, I must find the others, lest Tamaki gets them into any trouble." Kyoya tipped his pen in our direction, murmuring a quiet – "Farewell."

After the Shadow King had taken his leave, I slowly edged towards the door leading back to the main building. My boyfriend had yet to speak, but I could practically sense the question burning on his lips. It was as clear as day: Who was it? We stared at each other in silence for a moment, watching the other for the first sign of weakness. Being a scared little girl, I instantly submitted to the dark, irritated eyes of the Big Bad Wolf. Don't eat me!

"It was Neko-chan!" I finally blurted, fisting my hands in my hair like an utter lunatic. My blue barrette came undone and a lock of blonde hair fell into my face. "Nekozawa Umehito saved me!"

Twitching. His eyebrow was twitching in irritation; however, Takashi remained as silent as a grave. There were no chatty ghosts to speak of, it seemed. Nearly Headless Nick had left the building. To remedy this situation, I now present to you: Peeves the Poltergeist! Fear him, for he is God.

"Okay, so I was running away from my tormentors, and then I got a little, uh, lost," I hastily explained, pretending to ignore the exasperated expression on his face as I continued that I could not answer my cell phone. "And I thought that I was gonna die…!"

Takashi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, slowly asking, "How does he fit into all of this?" Clearly, the pronoun in his sentence was made in reference to my newly reclaimed friend.

I offered him a sheepish grin. "Neko managed to capture me as I was running by the curtains at the end of the hallway. We were quiet; thus, Ayanokoji, Crabbe, and Goyle continued on their merry way without finding us."

It appeared that the thought of us hiding in such close quarters, near each other and all alone, bothered him. Blinking at the sudden tension in his shoulders, I curiously asked, "What's the matter?"

"…did he touch you inappropriately again?" Takashi demanded. The older male was still, as though fearing the worst; it warmed my heart to see the protective gleam in his eyes.

Shaking my head in the negative, I admitted, "Nope. In fact, he wanted nothing to do with me in that aspect. And he was pretty nice about the entire situation, in spite of everything."

"I wish that you would just avoid that crazy guy," Takashi muttered under his breath, before sighing and running a hand through his thick, black hair. "But I know that you'll do as you wish, even if I suggest otherwise."

"So long as he behaves himself, we should be good," I proclaimed with a wide smile. And I couldn't resist a literary reference, so I continued, "No more dungeon affairs for us! Snogging in the broom closet is now reserved solely for Sirius Black and company."

Slowly, my boyfriend returned the smile, chuckling gently at my enthusiasm. "I trust you," he said affably, "but I want you to know that I'm here if you need me for anything, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered, turning my flushed face aside. It sure was getting hot in here! Anyone around here have a tub of chocolate chip ice cream to spare?

A soft kiss was placed on the corner of my mouth. I inhaled sharply, surprised at his sudden display of affection; however, it was not unwelcome. With a happy sigh, I returned the favor, pecking him on the chin as I leaned into his embrace. Takashi rested a hand on my hip as he held me close, humming some unknown tune in my ear. It reminded me of something that my mother used to sing to me, long ago – a distant dream of princes and princesses, evil witches and dragons, and magic. Fairytales.

I felt a hand cup my chin and lift my face upwards, urging my gaze to meet his own. Blue eyes focused on the man holding me gently to his chest. He was so beautiful, inside and out – a true friend, and a wonderful person. Falling in love with him had been accidental on my part, but I could wish for nothing better in my life.

After all, this princess had already fallen in love with her prince. So what more could she ask for, except for a happy ending?

***Author's Note***

Wow, there has been quite a bit of fluff in the last few chapters... ^^;

That said - on to the angst! MWAUHAHAHA! I hope you guys are prepared to witness the unraveling of the clumsy protagonist. She is finally going to go off in the deep end - literally! XD (Hint: Episodes with Water Park and Beach)

So, as always, please read and review! And thanks to all of my loyal reviewers! I love you, guys! *Hugs of Doom*

P.S. Feel free to hit 125 reviews or so! ;) Oh, and Google Translate is your friend. LOL