Hosts…and Hostess?!?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
AN: I'm really, really, really sorry for the long wait.
Also in my profile, there is a poll going on about what Usagi's dream occupation is to be. There are several choices with a total of two choices.
-Teacher (Great with kids)
-Lawyer (Champion of justice like Sailor Moon)
-Housewife (Like her mother)
-Model (Her secret job no longer being a secret)
-Or Something Else (Send me a message of what you would like her to be)
Ch9
After sending the female customers to the hotel, the whole host club, aside from Usagi, gathered around the a large sitting room situated in Nekozawa's mansion. They all sat around a low-level coffee table with a board game laid out on top. Hikaru stared out of the window to see the sky darkening, despite the time of sundown wasn't supposed to happen until a few more hours. "Argh, the weather's turning really crappy," he groaned.
Hunny looked dejected as he complained, "And we were hoping to set off fireworks," while sucking on the tip of his pointer finger.
Kaoru shrugged his shoulders. As rich as they all were, it was impossible for them to change the weather to their liking. "Oi, it's your turn, Hikaru," he told his twin, handing him the dice.
Hikaru rolled the dice, whose dots totaled to six. Picking up his game piece, Hikaru moved it six spaces up and read the description where he had landed, "You break your left wrist in a automobile accident in five years. What the…"
Kyoya read his, "Twelve years from now, your company goes bankrupt, and you beome a department store janitor. That's impossible."
Hunny laughed at his. "I will shrink two centimeters in ten years time!"
Kaoru looked around and asked, "Whose turn is it now? Aren't you going to play, tono?" Grabbing the dice, he rolled for the depressed teen and moved piece. Everybody leaned in to see what the blonde half-French landed on. "You are presently hated by a friend and are super blue," Kaoru said with his brother in unison.
"Tono, weren't you going to take a long walk in the sunset with Usagi?" Hikaru asked, enjoying the blonde's depression.
"You bought a white sundress for that occasion, didn't you? Hurry up and go before it starts to rain," Kaoru added.
As Tamaki was sitting crouched on the floor, dejected after the fight with Usagi, he didn't notice Nekozawa until the cloaked third year placed his hand on his shoulder. "Hmm…so you like white sundresses, Mr. Suoh? What splendid taste you have," he said, scaring the living soul out of Tamaki.
"What's with this haunted mansion and the disturbing board game with horrible fortunes?" Tamaki shouted, pointing at Kyoya for answers.
"Well it was rude to decline an invitation to the mansion…considering the fact that it was ALL FREE," Kyoya said, sighing as though it was a tough decision he had to make.
"Damn you…you miser," Tamaki snarled at Kyoya in his mind. Grabbing a deck of cards, he showed it to Kyoya's face. "How are we supposed to hold the "Great Peasant Card Tournament featuring Usagi" in this dark room with no light?"
"I'm assuming the card game is called off since you two aren't speaking with each other," Kyoya said, causing Tamaki to hide in the corner yet again.
"The light of a single candle is good for the soul," Nekozawa said, justifying the usage of the one candle for lighting, "It rids one of the filth of the day. People can only see their true selves in the darkness." He leant forward on the cowering second year. "I predict that you will have a splendid encounter tonight. Hehehe." The lights were immediately turned on without a warning, causing Nekozawa to scream in terror and collapse onto the floor.
Not knowing what had just occurred, Usagi walked in, asking them, "What are you doing, playing in the dark when the lights work perfectly?"
The six male hosts turned their attention from the foaming mouthed third year to Usagi. They studied the outfit she was wearing, a long white nightgown was made of satin; the dress reached down to her knees with long see through sleeves for the hot weather. "Usagi…are those clothe…yours?" the twins asked, not expecting the blonde to wear anything 'princessy' at her own will.
Usagi looked down and said, "Daddy replaced my luggage when I was asleep. He left a saying how I shouldn't wear a tank top and shorts while I sleep surrounded by guys.'
The usual five idiots' faces flushed red and gave thumbs up to the girl's father, who wasn't there. They thought it was a perfect fit that the princess's father is protective of his daughter's virtue, not to mention the outfit looked cute on the girl.
"Usa-chan, kawaii!" Hunny said, admiring the girl.
"How's your head? Are you still feeling dizzy?" Kyoya asked.
"Why are you walking around barefoot? You could catch a cold like that," Hikaru asked. Immediately, the Hitachiin twins sat Usagi down on a chair and it was dress up all over again. Kaoru got to work by leaving Usagi's hair down but also by pinning it back so that they would stay out of her face. Hikaru knelt down onto the floor and slipped on some slippers upon the small feet, quite similar to the Cinderella fairytale.
Usagi, being used to their antics, she just sat still and allowed them to treat her like a doll. But when she glanced up, something confused her. She pointed at Tamaki, who stood in front of her in shock, and asked, "Sempai, why is your nose bleeding?"
Tamaki quickly grabbed a handkerchief and pressed it against his nose to stop the red waterfall. He figured that it must had been when the lights were turned on and scared Nekozawa, causing him to push Tamaki against a small drawer. But before he could tell them anything, the two devil incarnates took Usagi away, calling him a pervert. "W-why would I get a nosebleed from such an uncute daughter?" he shouted.
Hunny noticed how the nosebleed wouldn't stop flowing, so he quickly did a karate chop on the back of Tamaki's neck. "Huh? How could it didn't stop the bleeding?" he asked, curiously.
"That would be an example of incorrect first aid, Hunny-sempai," Kyoya instructed.
The Host Club started on its walk to the dining room where dinner was served. As they walked, one of the twins inquired about the cloaked third year's whereabouts. Kyoya mentioned how the abrupt turning on of the lights gave him a shock, causing the other twin to laugh. They all sat down to eat dinner with the food resembling a five star meal.
"And let's not forget desert!" Hunny cheered. A large tray of assorted cakes was placed in between Usagi and Tamaki. "There's even strawberry and chocolate cake for Usa-chan!" he said happily, "Go ahead and pick out which ones you want!"
It was common knowledge that despite Usagi being strict on proper diet for her siblings, she has a sweet tooth, especially for cakes and ice cream. So when Tamaki went and grabbed all the chocolate and strawberry cakes and stuffed them in his mouth, everyone, but Usagi, stared at him in complete shock.
Hunny then began to shove a bowl of ice cream in front of Usagi. "There's still ice cream, Usa-chan!" he said.
Usagi took the fine china bowl of strawberry ice cream from the tiny third year. She stared at the large serving Hunny had excitedly given her, knowing full well that she can't finish the whole thing. Picking up the bowl, she handed it to Tamaki. "Do you want any, Tamaki-sempai?" she asked.
Tamaki stared at Usagi and felt his heart skip. He took the bowl and began to scoop some in his mouth with tears coming down his face.
Usagi looked away after seeing him eat half of the bowl. "You're going to get a stomachache if you eat anymore. Considering you already ate a whole meal and stuffed yourself with ten slices of cake," she said in a slight scolding tone, "The last thing we want is for you to throw up all over the place."
Tamaki threw the bowl on the floor and shouted at Usagi, "Why are you acting so uncute!"
Still looking away, Usagi said, "I thought you weren't going to talk to me."
While Tamaki was too busy gritting his teeth, the other males couldn't help but notice that despite how mature Usagi is, there are times when they would see her act childish and it just makes them adore her even more. "So…you have no intention of reconsidering…FINE!" He stood up and declared, "I'm going to bed!"
A tall intimidating butler bowed slightly at the waist. "I will show you to your room," he said.
Tamaki stared at the tall butler and slowly turned to Kyoya. "Kyoya, aren't you going to turn in too?" he asked with puppy dog eyes. Kyoya sighed and followed along in a reluctant manner.
"My god, does he have to act like a kid," Hikaru complained, staring at the closed doors.
Kaoru turned to Usagi, who began to eat the left over ice cream in a quick pace. "You shouldn't eat so fast, Usagi. You're gonna get yourself a headache."
Leaving the spoon in her mouth, Usagi stared at the slightly melting ice cream. "Ne?" she started, getting everyone's attention. "Do you think I should ask Ruka-chan to teach me self defense again?" she asked.
"Do you honestly think that a single girl like you can take on several fully grown men by herself?" Tamaki's voice echoed in the twins' heads.
"Well, we won't stop you if that's what you want, but is this really about self defense?" Kaoru asked, looking concerned.
"We know that being fearless and righteous is good, but it would be best if you should reconsider the events that had happened earlier today," Hikaru said.
Tilting her head slightly, Usagi said, "But I didn't do anything to you." Swirling the spoon in the melted dairy product, Usagi couldn't understand what everyone was talking about. "I still don't understand why Tamaki-sempai was so upset, but if it was because I caused everyone trouble then I'm sorry."
"Usa-chan, that's not it," Hunny said, clutching her hands. He looked up at Usagi and told her, "Let's apologize to everyone, okay? And to Tama-chan too; tell them that you're sorry for making them worry."
Usagi's face turned bright red. "You guys were worried about me?" she asked pointing to herself. She was use to her family and close friends worrying about her, but they've known each other for many years, compared to these guys that she knew for less than a year. Seeing her confused and embarrassed face, the others couldn't help but hug her tightly. Not knowing whether it was from her oxygen being cut off or from the earlier drowning incident, but Usagi's head began to pound. She slowly swayed from side to side and reached for her head.
"Usa-chan, are you okay?" Hunny asked, when he noticed the pale look on her face.
The twins loosened their grip and saw that Usagi looked like she was starting to pass out. "Hey, you okay?
"I don't feel so good," Usagi muttered, clutching her head.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Usa-chan is gonna die!" Hunny started wailing. Tugging on Mori's arm, he said, "Hurry and take Usa-chan to her room, Takashi! We have to call a doctor!"
"Hunny, it's nothing that serious," Usagi whispered. A squeal came from her lips when Mori lifted her into his arms and together they all ran down the hall. "Honestly, why doesn't anyone listen when I speak?" she wondered to herself. The shaking was causing her head to pound even more.
With all their feet pounding against the floor as they rushed towards Usagi's guest room and making so much noise, it caused a nearby door to open and an unfamiliar young man with bright blond hair came out. "What's all the commotion about?" he asked.
Everybody stared at the man in complete indifference. "Um…who are you?" the twins asked.
It was then that one of the maids came over, carrying a folded up robe. "Your wardrobe, master," she said. In one quick second, the maid and butler transformed the stranger into Umehito Nekozawa with the black cloak and wig.
Nekozawa coughed a bit. "What is the meaning of this?" he repeated in a crackling voice, while everyone just stared in complete disbelief.
Usagi felt her headache grow even more when everyone but Mori began to crowd around Nekozawa. She wearily tugged on Mori's sleeve, causing him to look at her. "Ne, Mori-sempai, can you put me down? I can get to my room by myself." She smiled softly when Mori just looked at her with the usual look on his face. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Gently, Mori placed her down on her feet and watched as she slowly walked down the hall. He was about to follow her, just in case she might end up collapsing, when he saw Hunny beginning to scale up on cloaked classmate and quickly rushed to his side to prevent him from falling.
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Usagi walked slowly towards her room, her hand trailed behind her on the wall, kept her standing. She groaned and leaned her whole body against the wall. "I knew coming here was a bad idea," she muttered, "Where is my room again?" She looked up and spotted a door. "Maybe I should lie down a bit before heading off," she said to herself. She walked slowly over to the door and knocked. When there was no answer, she figured that it was an empty room and opened the door.
Usagi entered the room. Her head was still hurting so she didn't notice the sound of water coming from the bathroom, all she could focus on was the large bed calling her name. After the long dragging journey across the room, Usagi had made it to the bed, falling to her side. The minute her head hit the mattress, her eyes and body just shut down, falling into a slumber.
As Usagi lay resting on the bed, the bathroom door then opened with Kyoya walking out with a towel wrapped around his neck. Having just finished his shower, Kyoya wasn't wearing his glasses and since he wasn't expecting anybody, all he wore were his pajamas pants. Imagine his surprise, when he saw Usagi asleep on his bed. He grabbed a nearby bottle of water and began walking over to the slumbering girl. "She must've been really tired," he said to himself.
Thinking for a quick second, he sighed in relief, "It's a good thing that idiot isn't here, or he would've probably enacted a scene from 'Sleeping Beauty'." Suddenly the image of Tamaki dressed as an extravagant prince kneeling beside the bed where a sleeping Usagi, who was dressed as a princess, and instead of immediately kissing her to awake her, he goes off sprouting nonsense made him want to bash Tamaki's head in. Kyoya grabbed his glasses that were lying on the nightstand by the bed and placed them on. He gently shook Usagi's shoulder, causing her to stir.
Usagi felt somebody trying to wake her up. She moaned softly and pushed the hand on her shoulder away. "Daddy, five more minutes," she muttered.
Kyoya watched as she buried her face into the blankets and couldn't help but smile. It's a rare event to see this female hostess with her guard down. It was also at this time that he pitied that he didn't bring a camera; he was sure that many of Usagi's hidden fans, both girls and guys, would pay high money for photos of her sleeping face.
Usagi felt somebody's warm hand on her shoulder, shaking her once again. She groaned and rubbed her eyes as she turned to her back. When she opened them, the first person she saw was Kyoya, staring at her with a blank look in his black eyes. "Sempai? What are you doing here?" she asked, still half asleep.
"This is my room," he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing.
Usagi immediately felt her whole body awaken when she heard his reply. "G-gomen," she apologized. She sat up in the bed, only to feel the rush to her head from the abrupt movement. "I knocked and didn't hear a noise so I just thought that I could rest my head for a bit before heading to my room."
Kyoya took a sip from the bottle. "So, what happened to everyone else?" he asked, not really caring.
"They're probably still bothering Nekozawa-sempai after discovering his true identity," Usagi said, rubbing the back of her neck wearily. She turned her body so that her feet could touch the floor. "Sempai, gomen for causing everyone to worry," she said softly.
"I wasn't worried," Kyoya was quick to point out, "I had to stop the twins from beating those creeps to death. And then I had to send flowers to all the customers as an apology."
Usagi sighed. "Those flowers are added to my debt, aren't they?"
As Usagi was too busy sulking and staring at her hands, a mischievous smirk came on Kyoya's face as he took off his glasses and placed them back on the nightstand. "Never mind that. Since we're alone, shall we do something else?" he asked, leaning in slightly.
"Huh?" Usagi looked up when Kyoya grabbed her hands.
Kyoya took Usagi's hands into his and pushed his weight down, forcing her to lie back on the bed. "You know, like how men and women do it," he said slyly, "You can pay for the flowers with your body." Using one hand, he reached over for the light switch and began turning the lights down. "You say that being a man or woman doesn't matter, who knew that you can be so naïve?" He placed his hands over hers to prevent her from stopping him; he leant forward until his face was a few inches away from hers. "While it's all right to act righteous and full of justice, it's also a mistake to let your guard down especially when you're dealing with a male," he whispered in a predatory-like voice.
Usagi stayed quiet and tried to understand what was going on. All she had wanted to do was to rest for a few minutes before heading off to her room and now she has Kyoya staring at her like one of those guys her father and Haruka had always warned her to stay away from. "Sempai, what exactly do you have to gain from doing this, especially if I hold no special value to you?" she asked in a calm voice.
It was then a chuckle came from Kyoya as he leant back and stood up. "That's true," he said, putting his glasses back on for the umpteenth time for the day. "Interesting way of putting it, but do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" he asked.
A soft smile came to Usagi's mouth as she sat up. "You're very kind, aren't you, sempai?" she said in a slight teasing tone.
Kyoya just stared at her with a blank face. "What do you mean?" he couldn't help but ask.
Usagi tilted her head slightly to the side, making Kyoya realize why Haruka would call her kitten. "Well, wasn't that what you wanted to show me?" she asked, her wide eyes blinking curiously, "You were playing the role of the villain to show me how I could be at a disadvantage against a guy, right?"
Kyoya couldn't help but be amazed with the way she put it. He was about to reply when the door immediately opened with Tamaki walking in. "Kyoya, do have any lotion? My sunburn is killing me," he whined.
The minute he walked in, he noticed several things. One, Kyoya was shirtless and standing in front of his bed. Two, Usagi was sitting on said bed with her nightgown slightly pulled upwards and tousled. And third, the bed was in a complete mess with the lights turned down. And with that, the gears in his head began to turn with his imaginations spinning off. His face darkened as he said angrily, "Kyo…"
"Don't open the door without knocking, idiot," Kyoya interrupted. He rubbed the bottle of lotion against Tamaki's face, causing him to scream out in pain. "Take the lotion. I'm going to look over the plans for tomorrow." He stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him and sighed. "That idiot needs all the help he can get," he muttered before slowly walking away.
As he walked away, he thought back to the image of Usagi's curious face. A small chuckle came out as he repeated, "No special value, huh?"
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Tamaki stared at Usagi with a calculating tone as he asked, "What were you doing with Kyoya?"
Usagi's eyes narrowed at his tone. "Nothing happened," she replied. She didn't know what to expect when it comes to Tamaki, it's like dealing with a timed bomb.
"How in the world can nothing had happened?" Tamaki shouted, his pointing went from the bed to her.
"Whatever you're insinuating, get it out of your head," Usagi threatened, "This is why the twins would always call you a pervert."
"YOU'RE SO…" Tamaki gritted his teeth and turned around. "Whatever," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he added, "I'm pretty sure that you're wiped out for the day, go to sleep."
He was about to leave the room when the impending storm decided that now was the right time to flash its lightening and sound off their thunder. What Tamaki didn't expect was for Usagi to immediately latch onto his shirt. "Huh?" Tamaki turned his head to face Usagi, wondering what she had wanted.
Usagi's face flushed red with embarrassment. She couldn't believe that she had just grabbed onto him like that. She immediately let go and shook her head. "It's nothing," she muttered. It was then another flash of lightning and boom of thunder echoed through the room, causing her whole body to stiffen.
"Usagi, are you scared of thunderstorms?" Tamaki asked, after seeing her flinch after another flash.
Usagi narrowed her eyes and quickly looked away, trying to avoid his eyes. "No, I'm fine," she said.
Tamaki stared at her with an 'I-know-you're-lying' look on his face. If she's scared then she should just come out and say so, why is she being so difficult? He watched as she flinched once more, but refused to do anything else to show her fear. "You know, if you're scared, the best thing to do is to just admit it," Tamaki said in a worried tone, "If you keep that fear to yourself, it's just going to explode in you one day."
Usagi shook her head. "I am not scared," she said, strongly, "There's no way I could be scared when I have to comfort my siblings during these storms. I have to be brave, I have to." She turned around to face the windows, but kept her eyes closed so that she wouldn't see the flashes.
Then all of the anger and frustration Tamaki had felt when Usagi had placed herself in danger was gone. He saw an image of her trying to be courageous as her younger siblings clung onto her, shaking in fear. It wasn't the fact that she was being too righteous and heroic that she didn't call for help, it was just that she was too use to being independent, only relying on herself.
Tamaki walked over and hugged Usagi from behind; he ignored the tensing of her body as his lips rose to a slight bittersweet smile. "I think I understand now," he whispered softly. He watched as Usagi had transformed into her name's keepsake and flinched like a rabbit every time she heard lightning strike. "You've struggled long and hard to be independent," he thought to himself.
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When Kyoya had stepped out of his room, the first thing he had done was stop the others from pestering their host.
"Hey, Kyoya-sempai, are you sure it's wise to leave Usagi alone with tono," Hikaru asked in an unsure tone. Tamaki tends to go overboard and acts like an overbearing puppy whenever he's around Usagi, which for some strange reason doesn't sit well with the older twin.
"Don't worry," Kyoya replied, "I'm sure that idiot won't do anything to that girl."
They all stood in front of Kyoya's room and was about to open the door when they heard a scream and a thump on the floor. Eyes quickly looked at each other in confusion before Kyoya opened the door. Everyone stared in complete shock at what they saw.
Usagi was lying on the floor, her nightgown slightly rolled up with her hair fanning around her. Tamaki was literally on top of her with his hands at both sides of the girl. Usagi had looked at them, but what really got the others growling mad were the evidence of tears in her eyes.
Fury rose up from Hikaru and Kaoru as they growled, "You…perverted…"
Tamaki immediately sat up. His brown eyes looked back and forth from his "beloved daughter" on the floor to the angry set of twins. "Wait! It's all a misunderstanding!" he shouted, waving his hands in front of him in defense. As the two twins grabbed both his arms and dragged him across the room, he wailed, "PLEASE BELIEVE ME!"
Kyoya sighed in annoyance, "Honestly." He walked over to Usagi and took her hand, helping her up t o her feet. While his head kept looking at the twins ganging up on their blonde leader, his eyes glanced over at Usagi when he felt her flinch at the next sound of lightning. "So that's it," he thought to himself, shaking his head.
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The next day, everybody was getting ready to head on back home. Just before Usagi had entered into the limo, Hikaru and Kaoru grabbed her by the arms. "Make sure you stay away from that perverted king," Hikaru said.
"Should've known that man wouldn't be able to control himself," Kaoru muttered, shaking his head.
As Usagi looked on with a confused look on her face, Tamaki shouted, "No, that's not what happened! It was because Usagi…"
The twins looked at him with blank faces. "Because Usagi what?" they asked in unison.
Tamaki then froze. "No, never mind," he immediately said while silently thinking to himself, "Usagi's weakness is my little secret." And with that he began to chuckle.
The twins eyed him with suspicion. They quickly took Usagi and ushered her into the limo, where everybody else was waiting. "Yeah, he is definitely a pervert," they mumbled, getting into the limo after the confused girl.
Kyoya rolled his eyes. "Drive," he ordered to the chauffeur.
Tamaki watched as the limo began to drive off as he chased after it. "Wait for me!" he screamed.