After dealing with the Host Club's absurd shenanigans on and off for the last few months, Izzy liked to think there wasn't much that could visibly surprise her anymore. Clearly, she'd been wrong. Izzy was very visibly shocked to see her parents and brothers sitting with Chi in the living room, as if they belonged there.

"Is that any way to greet your family?" Francesco rose first, crossing the living room to wrap his younger sister up in a bear hug. "Did you lose all your manners while you were away?"

Fumiko was somewhat intimidated as Alonzo and Vicente joined the fray. "You look just like Aunt Chichi," Alonzo claimed while gathering her up in a bear hug as well. She'd never actually met Izzy's family in person so their affectionate greetings were like whiplash to her. The two girls were passed back and forth between the three brothers as they loudly babbled on and on in a strange mixture of Italian, broken Japanese and even a little English.

"Okay, okay," Masami gracefully rose from her seat. She was dressed in a soft pink blouse with puff-sleeves tucked into a white skirt, looking like something out of a picture book. "That's quite enough now." She practically floated towards them, shooing her stepsons away with a smile. "My, Fumiko, what a beauty you are!"

Fumiko managed a smile, severely overwhelmed at the moment. "Aunt Sami, what a lovely surprise. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

She continued to smile and it was so glaringly obvious where Izzy got her beauty from. "Aren't you a gem? What a nice daughter you have, Chi."

Alphonse pouted, the only one of the Giovanni family not to move. "Unlike my daughter," he mumbled under his breath.

Izzy squinted at her father, eyes blazing at the insult. Chihiro laughed nervously before the brunette could retort, clearing her throat. "Why don't we all take a seat?" She was clearly nervous about a confrontation between her sister, brother-in-law and niece.

Masami turned away first and returned to her seat next to Alphonse, still smiling when he reached over and grabbed her hand, settling their joined hands on her knee. "Have a seat, Isabella. There's much to discuss."

Izzy made a face, irritated that her parents were suddenly here in Japan and had hardly even acknowledged her. There was a tight set to her mouth as she silently stared at her parents. Fumiko leaned into the brunette, fingers brushing her elbow. "Come on, Iz. Let's take a seat."

She conceded and let her younger cousin lead her to the sofa across from their parents. She remained quiet, hands neatly folded in her lap as she stared at her parents. Finally, she spoke up first. "Well, how was your flight—"

"Isabella, don't give me that. You explain yourself this minute," Alphonse cut her off before she could get her question out. Francesco, Alonzo and Vicente cringed in unison, knowing how temperamental their father and sister could be.

"I thought—" Izzy said loudly, laughing sarcastically. "—that you were going to call me, not ambush me like this."

"Young lady, do you honestly think this is a conversation to have over the phone?"

"I wouldn't know now that you're here."

"Alphonse," Masami sighed.

"Izabera," Chihiro warned.

Alphonse and Izzy both came to a pause, eyes locked on and glaring at one another. "What exactly are you so angry about?" Izzy demanded. "Is it the fact that I don't want to be under your thumb anymore or is it because I decided that on my own?"

Alphonse recoiled as if his daughter had slapped him. "Are you forgetting who you're here talking to, young lady? I did not send you here for this delayed teenage rebellion that you've got cooking up, Isabella."

"Ah, that's what you want to call this? Teenage rebellion? Is that what Hiroki and Shinobu called it?"

"Yikes," Alonzo muttered to his brothers. "That was a low-blow."

"Very," Vicente agreed.

"I'm getting flashbacks," Chihiro mumbled.

"Me too," Masami agreed. "At least we know he won't slap her like papa slapped me."

Alphonse's eyes were blazing, so terribly caught off guard by his daughter's sudden audacity. In all the years he's raised her, he's never dealt with her temper head on like this. He almost wondered where the hell she even got it from in the first place. "I," he sighed loudly, clearly frustrated. "I am your father. I've raised you for seventeen years, fed you, clothed you and made sure you never wanted for anything. I do not deserve this callous behavior of yours."

Izzy's expression was blank as she regarded Alphonse. "You're my father, isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

Alphonse made a hard face before dropping his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation. "Cara Mia…" He could barely connect the young woman to the daughter he once knew. What happened to his sweet Baby Bell? He took a deep breath. "We sent you here to get to know your family, Isabella," he said after a moment.

"Yes and I've met the nightmares known as the Morimoto family."

Her brothers tried in vain to stifle their cackling. They were immediately silenced when Masami glanced in their direction. Yes, her side of the family was a nightmare but that didn't make it funny. "Okay, time-out," Chihiro cut into the tense conversation. "Now, I'm not criticizing you, Al but speaking to your daughter like she's a toddler won't help. And Izabera, show more respect for your father. The scathing comments are unnecessary and unladylike."

Francesco leaned towards Fumiko. "Translate? We only understood about half of that," he grinned apologetically. Fumiko did as she was asked, translating her mother's words into English since she could only speak broken Italian.

"Oof," Alonzo grimaced. "I wasn't expecting this to go down like this. Pops can't handle this new side of her at all."

Fumiko regarded them strangely. "Is she…not like this?" she asked slowly. Izzy's sarcastic temper wasn't new to her at all. She'd been like this since she stepped foot in Japan. Maybe she'd grown a little more bold, a little more audacious but Izzy had a fiery temper.

"Isa's always been a little more sarcastic than the rest of us but it's always a quiet, mumbled under the breath sort of sarcasm. She usually hardly ever talks back to pops and mama," he explained, eyeing his younger sister.

"That's…a shock," Fumiko muttered back quietly.

"Fine," Izzy huffed with a stiff lip. "I'm sorry, papa but I think you're being a bit of a hypocrite."

"Why's that?" Masami asked, seemingly innocent.

Izzy eyed her mother for a short pause, suspicious. "You spin your story of how you and mama got together as this romantic tale and now that I essentially want to do something along those same lines, you say I'm wrong."

"Are you telling me that this is about a boy, Cara mia? Because that's not what you were sent here for."

Izzy paused as the room seemingly leaned in, waiting for her to either admit to it or deny the notion. She flushed terribly from the sudden attention, clearly agitated. "I also want to attend Ouran University…."

"So this is about a boy! I cannot believe this!" Alphonse threw his hands up in a dramatic flair. Masami sighed next to him, fed up with the theatrics. He certainly could believe it because they already had this conversation beforehand. "You tell me who this boy is right now!"

"No, not if you're going to act like this!"

"Wait, so you do have a boyfriend?" Vicente squawked.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"But there's definitely a boy somewhere in this equation," Alonzo pointed out.

"Is that really a point we need to focus on?"

"Of course it is!" Francesco snapped. "Who said you can even date?"

"Are you serious right now?"

Chihiro tutted at the explosive family. Her sister, on the other hand, was hardly bothered by her husband and children bickering. She watched them for several moments, almost amused if anything and grabbed Alphonse's hand to settle it back over her knee.

"Tell me right now, Isabella, are you pregnant?"

"What? Papa, what is wrong with you? No!"

"Are you having se—"

Masami finally decided to intervene. "Alphonse," she slipped her hand from under his and lightly slapped at his arm. "No."

He threw himself back on the couch with a childish huff, folding his burly arms across his chest. This wasn't going the way he planned. He came here to order his daughter to pack her things and get on a plane with them back to Italy. She, on the other hand, refused at every turn with a stubborn tilt to her mouth.

Fumiko cleared her throat. "Ah, I'm sorry but this might be my fault…" she trailed off with an apologetic smile. The attention was now turned on her but she didn't falter under their scrutiny.

"Fumiko?" Masami asked softly.

She picked at the cuff of her uniform dress. "Well, when Iz came to Japan, she was hardly interested in Ouran or making friends and…the crush that she has now."

"Oh, God.." Izzy muttered.

"I was the one who noticed that her classmate might have a crush on her but she denied it. I kept picking at it though, pointing out just how differently he treated her versus how he treated any of the other girls. I, well, encouraged her growing interest." She didn't want the ire of the Giovanni men but it wasn't fair that they were ganging up on just Izzy about all of this. Besides, she wanted Izzy to stay in Japan, she was absolutely elated that the brunette wanted to stay.

Masami glanced around, eyebrows high on her forehead. "Well, then, I'm guilty of that too then."

"Excuse me?" Alphonse turned to look at her.

His wife simply nodded as if they were talking about the weather. "Yes, I encouraged Isabella to take more of a risk with her life some time ago. I wasn't exactly expecting this though."

"Mimi! How could you?!" Alphonse demanded, feeling so betrayed at that moment. His wife and daughter were clearly against him. He was losing control of his household.

"This is getting deeper and deeper," Vicente commented.

"Where's the popcorn when you need it?" Alonzo grinned.

Francesco slapped the back of his head. "Not funny, Lon."

Chihiro glanced around the room and took a deep breath. "How about we put this conversation on hold for the moment? I think we all need some time to think about this situation. You five have been on a plane for hours, the girls have been in school all day. We can pick this conversation up later."

Izzy shot up to her feet first, her expression drawn in annoyance before she sharply turned and stormed out of the living room. Fumiko laughed nervously and bowed her head in respect before quickly following the brunette.

"Well," Alonzo was back to grinning. "That went swell, eh pops?"

Alphonse breathed heavily through his nose. "Franky."

Again, Francesco leaned over and slapped the back of his brother's head.

Izzy was left alone for a couple hours and she was grateful for it. She focused on her homework and did her best to control her waning temper. She couldn't believe her family just showed up, making demands of her. It wasn't fair, the hypocrisy of it all. She could understand their vexation but to treat her like an absolute child…it almost made her want to cry in frustration. She rubbed irritably at her eyes before the tears could actually fall.

There was a careful knock at her door and she regarded it warily, asking herself if she was in the mood to deal with whoever was on the other side. "Yes?"

"May I come in?" Francesco asked from the other side. With a soft sigh, she granted him access. Out of the Giovanni brothers, Francesco resembled their birth mother the most. While Vicente and Alonzo possessed Alphonse's light brown hair and eyes to match, Francesco's hair was a dark brown, almost black and his eyes were blue. His features were striking and he could always relate to Izzy because of her different appearance when it came to her resemblance to her brothers. "That went left," he offered a kind smile and sat on the edge of her bed. Izzy eyed him from her desk, frowning softly.

"Did you expect something different?"

While she loved her brothers equally, there was a large age-gap between Francesco and Izzy. Alphonse had him when he was young and he was nearly ten years older than her and was more focused on learning his father's business. Growing up, it was usually Vicente and Alonzo who looked after her.

He held up a box and shook it. "Nonna Serafina sent macaroons. Want some?"

Her eyes were comedically wide and she nearly raced over to him, plopping down with a grin. They shared a love of their grandmother's macaroons, often consuming them together whenever Francesco wasn't too busy. He opened the box and offered it up, watching with a smile as she picked one out.

"I guess it's a bit unfair for us to show up like this, demanding answers."

"A bit?" Izzy snorted.

Francesco sighed and tried to get his thoughts together. His sister was a beautiful girl, it wasn't weird of him to admit such a thing. Though she never had much of interest in boys, boys had an interest in her. Alphonse made sure that his sons knew they had to protect her at all costs so she wouldn't be led astray by some stupid boy. They, however, were allowed to date as much as they wanted. The three of them were popular, rich and handsome so there was always a girlfriend to be had here or there but Izzy wasn't allowed the same luxury.

It wasn't all that surprising that boys in Japan were just as interested but they never expected her to return any interest. If she wasn't allowed to date when she hit puberty and she wasn't allowed to date now, when exactly would she be allowed? How would she find a good husband if she had no idea what she was looking for? How would she know to tell the difference between boys who were interested in her for superficial reasons and the ones interested because they actually liked her?

So he could understand her frustrations a little better.

"Who's the kid that likes you? Mama and Aunt Chi say he's a nice kid."

"He's taller than the three of you," Izzy replied blankly, nearly laughing at his offended expression. "He's a kendo champ and he's into judo and karate, so don't think you're going to go and beat him up or something."

"He might be tough but I doubt he can take the three of us on at once."

"Franky," she glared at him. "Everyone who knows him likes him. He's really smart, kind and loyal but he's really quiet too. It's intimidating at first but he's really sweet."

Francesco watched her as she spoke, noting her sweet expression. "You like him a lot, Isa?"

She smiled softly, eyelids low as red dusted the bridge of her nose. "I do," she admitted gently, unaware of her expression. She was so young but he knew a lovesick expression when he saw it.

Francesco nodded slowly. "You know, you being my half-sister never made you any less of my sibling. I love you just like I love Vin and Lon, maybe even a little more since you're my sister," Francesco admitted with a thoughtful look. "I know I wasn't there as much as they were but it never changed how much I loved you."

Izzy blinked out of her daze, staring up at her brother with a soft frown. "I want you to be happy and it hurts that you'd rather stay here but I understand. I didn't at first, but I get it now." He'd been certain that when they left Japan, Isabella would be with them.

But he realized that might not be the case.

Dinner that night was a bit tense at first. Chihiro and Fumiko played their parts as wonderful hostesses, even with the slight language barrier. They kept up a steady stream of conversation that they all partook in except for Alphonse and Izzy. The two remained quiet, only ever speaking when they were directly asked something. Masami eyed them both, always with an amused twinkle in her eyes.

Alphonse was the first to break. He cleared his throat and settled his gaze on his daughter. "Isabella."

She glanced up at him, "Yes papa?"

He sighed heavily, big shoulders slumping in defeat. "I understand that I owe you an apology." Izzy squinted at him. "So, I apologize."

"You apologize for what?"

He seemed disgruntled by her question but relented. "I'm sorry for rushing here, making accusations and asking invasive questions. You're not a child and it was a mistake to treat you as such."

Izzy nodded slowly. "Thank you and I forgive you. I…I'm sorry but I'm not changing my mind. I want to stay longer."

"I understand but..please try to look at it from my view. You are my only daughter, my youngest child and you want to live in an entirely different country. You want to be involved with a young man whom I've never met and don't know his intentions for you."

"But it's not like I'll be alone in an unfamiliar country. I have Chi and Fumi and I want to go to University here. It's more than just that, papa."

"I had no idea you were that interested in higher education, Isabella. I thought you would be interested in the family business."

"Because you never ask. Never. I know that as a child, it makes sense to tell me what to do or say or where to go but I never had independence from any of you."

A flash of hurt crossed his face for a moment before he willed it away. "What are you interested in?"

"Well…I like architecture and the arts and fashion…"

"Fashion? You always gave Viv such a hard time."

"Because no one asked me if I wanted to wear and model her clothes for her! I was just told to put it on but I like putting clothes together."

"So, this is all about independence," Alphonse said after a long pause. The others watched the verbal sparring match with rapt fascination. They weren't expecting a calm conversation like this at all. They were sure it would be another explosive bout.

"Yes but…I do like Mori too." There was no point in being ashamed of her feelings for him. She was finally coming to grips that it was okay to like him and she wouldn't be told otherwise. Francesco smiled at her, flashing her a quick thumbs up.

"Mori, is that his name?"

"Well, his name is Takashi but nicknames are a big thing at school, apparently."

"Chihiro says he comes from a traditional family," Masami finally spoke up. "You realize that men from traditional families like that date to marry, don't you?"

Izzy flushed at the statement. Honestly, she hadn't thought of that. "I didn't…realize that, no."

"It's true. If he likes you so much, it might be something he's already considered. Being young and still in high school doesn't mean much in Japan. I guarantee a lot of your classmates have arranged marriages as well." She thought of Hisa, remembering their tense conversation about her arrangement. She didn't think highly of such an old fashioned tradition but was it different now that Mori was involved? Did that make her shallow?

"Is that something you can see yourself doing, Isabella?" Alphonse asked carefully, studying his daughter's face carefully.

"…Perhaps."

Well, that was a shock.

But still, it was a rather open-ended answer. But that's seemingly exactly what she wanted. To keep them guessing, wondering if she would or wouldn't consider the notion so young. He sat back in his chair and nodded slowly. "I see…"

The conversation was put to rest for the rest of dinner.

"Oh, this is cute."

Izzy smiled baselessly as Fumiko obsessively picked through her closet. She was convinced her cousin was more excited than she was Sunday morning. She hadn't mentioned her plans for the day to her parents and siblings, knowing they were still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that she was attracted to an actual boy. Fumiko emerged from the closet holding a blouse and a skirt. She shoved them at Izzy and ushered her into the closet. "Last night was intense, hm?"

Izzy shuffled around in the closet. "I can't believe they showed up like that." She slipped the shirt over her head, adjusting it accordingly over her torso. She shimmied into the skirt next, sliding it up her legs and hips, settling it high on her waist. She studied her image in the mirror, head tilting to the side in thought.

She stepped out a moment later, watching as Fumiko jumped up with a grin. She was dressed in a pretty white and blue, flower-decorated blouse. The sleeves were ballooned but cuffed at her wrist and had a deep sweetheart neckline. It was matched with a denim blue skirt that complimented the long length of her legs. "Stunning, I love it!" Fumiko clapped excitedly and motioned for her to take a seat at her vanity. "They care a lot about you. I understand why Morimoto's dynamics were such a shock when you first came here."

"A real shock," Izzy agreed with a laugh as Fumiko busied with her hair. "I'm glad they kind of relented but I know that won't be the last conversation we have."

"I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself like that," Fumiko admitted, combing out the abundant curls. She'd done space-buns before so maybe she'd do double ponytails this time. "I could never stand up like that. That's why I act so airheaded."

"Thanks," Izzy smiled into the mirror. "I think you might be surprised at what you're capable of, Fumi."

Fumiko shook away her cousin's words of encouragement, focusing instead on doing her hair. "I know I was pretty annoying but I'm glad you're going on a date with Mori-senpai. He really likes you."

"I'm still not so sure how you can tell," Izzy joked. "But I'm glad you pushed me out of my comfort zone, Fumi. My stay in Japan wouldn't have been so pleasant if you hadn't." Fumiko paused, hands tangled in toffee locks as she stared at Izzy through the mirror. She had an odd expression slapped onto her face, eyes a little wide. She always felt so unseen in her family but Izzy came along and quickly destroyed that notion.

It made her feel warm inside, to feel appreciated.

"You know," Izzy said after a pause. "Mori has a fascination with the freckles on my shoulders."

And that seemed to do the trick because Fumiko squealed like a wild banshee before going off on a tangent. Izzy behaved for once, nodding along as she hooked several layered necklaces around her neck, the charms and pendants cradled delicately in her cleavage. Fumiko fashioned the toffee curls into two high pigtails, wispy bangs framing the delicate curves of Izzy's face. She glanced at the time and ushered her out of the bedroom.

"You have to tell me everything that happens."

"I will."

"I mean it! Every small detail, I want!"

"That's a bit much, isn't it?"

The two chatted animatedly as they made their way downstairs. Izzy was almost out the door when they were stopped. "And where do you think you're going?" Francesco asked loudly, joining them in the foyer. As if his voice could conjure them up, Vicente and Alonzo joined them as well.

"And what the hell are you wearing?"' Vicente asked next, eyeing her outfit. "People can see your…."

"Cleavage," Fumiko helpfully offered.

"Yes! Go put them away."

"And how do you suggest I do that? Take my breasts off?"

"Bellaaaaa." Alonzo scowled, clearly disgusted with the fact that his sister did indeed have breasts.

Izzy only regarded them with hands on her hips. "I made…prior arrangements and I'm honoring them. I'll hang out with you guys when I come home, okay?"

"What arrangements?" Francesco pressed.

"And with who?!"

"Oh, for the love of God…" Izzy muttered, clearly fed up. Fumiko watched in clear amusement. She always wondered how Izzy could handle the wackiness of the Host Club so easily but it was clear she got all the practice courtesy of her brothers. "None of your business!"

"Wow, papa sure was right about the whole teenage rebellion stint. I'm not sure I like this side of you, Isa," Vicente chuckled.

"I'm not even going to bother with a retort for that. Be good and I'll see you later," she slipped on her shoes and quickly ducked out, nearly jogging down to the waiting car to get away from them before they could physically stop her.

The trio of boys weren't pleased at all with this and though Fumiko tried to sneak away, Alonzo caught her by the back of her blouse. "Hold it right there, Koko."

"Koko?" Fumiko repeated with big eyes.

"Everyone gets a nickname in this family," Francesco explained shortly as Alonzo physically picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. "Now out with it, Isa's gone on a date with that Mori kid, hasn't she?"

"…Perhaps."

He rolled his eyes, maybe all the women of Morimoto liked to talk circles around people. Vicente elbowed him out of the way and sat down next to her. "He's a good guy, yeah? He's not going to hurt her or make her uncomfortable on this date, right?"

She actually looked offended. "Mori-senpai is an absolute angel and would literally beat anyone up that made her uncomfortable!"

"Woah there, little lady. We didn't mean to offend," Alonzo patted her on the back. The language barrier between the four of them was almost humorous to listen to. It almost sounded like garbled nonsense of broken Italian, Japanese and English. "We don't know him like you do and Isa's a bit…oblivious."

"You can say that again," Fumiko laughed, a little embarrassed that she'd been so worked up.

"Is he really an angel if he's willing to beat people up?" Vicente blinked.

"He doesn't go around, doing it for fun! He does it to protect others. He's really athletic and he's into a lot of sports."

"I think Isa mentioned that. He does karate or something?"

"And judo and kendo. He's really tall too, taller than the three of you and well-built. A lot of girls in his year have a crush on him."

"How much taller?" Alonzo pressed.

"Ah, oh! I have a picture of them from their Christmas party, hold on!" Fumiko whipped out her phone and searched through the gallery before finding the right picture. It was a picture sent to her by Hisa, one that Izzy was unaware of that even existed. She was dressed in her red dress but was swamped in a large suit jacket. Mori was next to her, missing his suit jacket. It was obvious they were coming back from being outside from her flushed face, though Izzy was smiling jubilantly. Despite the fact that she was wearing heels, Mori was still much taller than she was.

"Jesus, what do his parents feed him?" Alonzo was the first to ask.

"Isa looks really pretty," Vicente commented offhandedly.

"That guy is definitely built," Francesco observed.

She had more pictures, a lot more pictures that Izzy had no idea even existed. Some were taken by her, others taken by Hisa or Ayame or Yuna. Most of the pictures were of Mori and Izzy but there were some with the Host Club. One thing's for certain in each picture though. Mori's attention was always on Izzy. Whether she was talking to him or not, he was always looking in her direction.

"Yeah, he's got it bad for her," Francesco decided after looking at all the pictures.

"Thank you! I had to drill it into her head that he was interested in her, she wouldn't believe me," Fumiko agonized. "She hardly believes anyone's interested in her and has been practically talked into going onto two dates without even realizing it!"

"She did what?"

Fumiko then had no choice but to recount two different debacles that ended with a shocked Izzy realizing that she was on a date. Her brothers found it both hilarious and concerning.

"Oh, God. She's like one of those kids who're lured away with the promise of candy."

"Or a puppy. You know how she loves animals."

"It's probably a good thing then, if Mori is willing to beat people up for her."

"Exactly," Fumiko nodded sagely. She always knew she'd get along with Izzy's brothers. "I can tell you guys about him, if you want. He's really nice and cares for her a lot. I think you'd like him."

They conceded, settling around the small girl to listen as she explained everything known about Mori. They seemed really impressed with his loyalty to his cousin, explaining away that family was extremely important to Italians. She further explained his helpful nature, pointing out that despite his many obligations, he still helped Izzy study for history when she was struggling.

She told them all she could about Mori. It was true that he was tall and intimidating and could probably knock someone out with just one punch but he was kind, smart and thoughtful. It was hard for them to really dislike Mori because he sounded like a genuinely nice person.

"Hm…she's on a date with him now, right?" Francesco asked once she was done.

"That's right…"

"You know where they went?"

"Correct."

Francesco grinned almost deviously. "I know what we're going to do today."

Izzy searched the growing crowd, wondering if she was at the right gate. She knew her brothers would be waiting for her once she got back but she waved the thought away. Just because her family was in town for an impromptu visit didn't mean she had to drop what she'd been doing.

She noticed a group of high school girls periodically looking in a certain direction, smiling and giggling. She followed their line of vision, eyes settling on Mori. He was out of the way, resting against one of the planted trees, eyes closed and arms folded. Izzy felt warmth spread across chest. Before one of the giggling girls could get brave enough to approach him, she called out to him. "Mori!" She raised her arm above her head and waved before bounding towards him. "Were you waiting long?"

Mori's eyes snapped open at the sound of his name only to see Izzy approaching with a broad smile. "No, I just got here. Is your ankle okay?"

She glanced down towards it. The black and purple had finally begun to fade an ugly yellow and green. She was actually surprised her family hadn't noticed it. "I feel fine, can't even feel it right now."

"Let me know when it starts to bother you." He nudged at her side with his elbow. She blinked at him before taking the hint, looping her arm around his with a smile.

Izzy's excitement with the zoo animals resembled the excitement children showed. In fact, she made a ton of friends with small children, crouching to their level to share their squeals of excitement. Mori had been complimented several times by amused parents, that his 'girlfriend' was absolutely adorable.

She wasn't exactly his girlfriend but he never corrected them, watching as the brunette gushed over the parade of penguins.

"Mori, Mori! Look at them waddling, oh my God!" She leaned against the fence of the enclosure, laying most of her weight against it. He joined her, hand settled on the small of her back. Graceful as she was, he didn't put it past her to topple over into the enclosure due to her excitement. "Aren't they so cute?"

He agreed easily though his gaze remained on her face instead. "Very cute."

Eventually he had to wrap an arm around her waist and drag her away from the penguins. Otherwise, they'd be there until the zoo closed. His arm stayed around her waist even as they moved onto the next enclosure but neither of them said anything about it.

Meanwhile, they were unaware of four figures following them, though at a distance. They were all dressed discreetly in dark clothes and were sure to stay out of sight.

"They make a cute couple," Alonzo decided with a shrug.

Fumiko tried hard not to squeal in triumph. "Don't they? I told her that he likes her!"

"I'm really concerned about her obliviousness. Is that our fault? I think she's too sheltered," Vicente worried. They hadn't even met Mori and they could tell he liked her. How the hell was his sister so clueless? It was starting to sound like it was their fault she couldn't take proper social cues.

"Definitely our fault," Francesco nodded.

Izzy insisted that she was not afraid of the dark but like the first time he led her deep into the bowels of Ouran, she clung to his arm as they entered the e nocturnal enclosures. She wrapped both arms around his and held him pinned to her chest, his hand resting against her stomach. "Bera, are you afraid of the dark?" Mori asked as they watched the bat enclosure.

"I wouldn't say that…"

"Are you sure?"

"…I can't see anything, Mori. How does that not make you nervous?"

"Because I can see you and that's all that matters."

She didn't have a comeback, uttering a small, "oh" instead. She looked around them, squinting as she did so. The group they'd been standing with had already moved on, two enclosures ahead while the group behind them were still four enclosures away.

She tugged insistently on his arm, pulling him closer to her level. He did so without resistance and she pressed a kiss to his mouth, leaning on the tips of her toes. He leaned firmly into the kiss, managing to free his arm from her grasp. She felt him curl his arm over her shoulders, the heavy weight of it settling against her and caging her to him. She stretched her arms across his broad chest and back, curling into the kiss.

There was a shuffle, one that was loud enough to pull them out of their lull. The next group was approaching. Izzy settled back on her feet, her face red enough to see even in the dark.

Fumiko and her cousins opted to wait outside. The exhibit was far too dark to keep an eye on them. They ran the chance of being caught in trying to sneak closer on them. "I bet he's going to kiss her in there," Vicente tapped his foot impatiently. While he was glad his sister was happily on a date, the thought of a boy kissing her made him agitated.

Fumiko's eyes sparkled. "You think so?"

"Definitely," Francesco folded his arms across his chest. "She's got that weird fear of not being able to see in the dark."

"Perfect opportunity," Alonzo nodded.

Mori's arm hung over Izzy's shoulder as they made their way around the zoo. They took a break to rest when Mori noticed when she began to shift her weight between her feet. She tried in vain to resist but he eventually hustled her over to an empty bench. "I'm fine, Mori," she whined petulantly. She just wanted to get onto the next enclosure.

"You need to eat. Stay right there," Mori turned before she could protest that she wasn't hungry and walked off to find a food vendor. Izzy pouted the entire time.

He returned a little while later, not that surprised that she managed to get a zoo pamphlet while he was gone. He offered her the white carton of yakisoba, watching in amusement when she eagerly reached for it. They sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the food when Izzy spoke up again.

"We should see the wolf enclosure next. You remind me of a wolf." He glanced at her, unsure if he should be offended or not but she only smiled. "You know, because you're strong and silent and fiercely loyal. Like a wolf. Oh, maybe we can have that for theme day. You could wear wolf ears. What do you think I would be?"

He didn't have to think hard on that, answering with a languid shrug. "A rabbit."

She sputtered, "a rabbit?"

But Mori only nodded. "Cute but jumpy," he reached over and tapped her on the nose.

She sputtered again, her face darkening as it was known to do. "Honey-chan would probably be a bunny."

"You can both be rabbits."

She tapped her chin with a thoughtful look. "I suppose bunny ears would be cute on the both of us." She raised her hands above her head and used her index fingers to imitate bunny ears. She wasn't sure if it was safe to let Hikaru and Kaoru dress her up as a bunny. Sure, they'd give Honey a cute costume but she had a feeling they would put her into something far more risqué.

For a moment, she imagined the twins dressed as foxes, Haruhi as a cat and Tamaki as a puppy. She struggled to think of something good enough for Kyoya before finally settling on a bat. She almost settled for a snake before remembering they didn't have ears.

Really, she considered mentioning the idea to Kyoya before deciding to nix it completely. There was no doubt that twins would put her in some provocative corset and bunny ears with a tail to match. And knowing Kyoya, he'd absolutely force her to wear it.

When they finished eating their lunch, they threw away their trash and Mori dutifully led her towards the wolves, arm around her waist like it was always meant to be there. "You know, as a wolf, you'd have to steal one of us rabbits away," Izzy mentioned offhandedly.

"I'd steal you both."

Meanwhile, Masami and Chihiro glanced around the empty house before looking at one another. "Where are the children?"

"The study of law and philosophy?" Izzy asked. They had left the zoo only moments ago and deemed it early enough in the afternoon that they didn't have to immediately separate. She hadn't been too sure about what they could do in the meantime so she simply offered going on a walk. He led her to a lovely park with beautifully blooming Sakura trees. The scenic picture of rows and rows of blooming cherry blossom trees was enough to render her speechless. Vaguely, she wondered if he planned this but didn't press the issue.

Masami once mentioned how she missed the Cherry Blossom season in Japan. Alphonse would often take her to Rome to celebrate Hanami there but it was never quite the same. Izzy never quite understood her mother's awe for it until she was experiencing the cherry blossoms for herself.

Once she had gotten somewhat over the view, she asked him about his plans for Ouran U, only somewhat surprised at his choice. "That's a noble path," she decided after a moment. "I'm not surprised."

He only grunted but she had the sneaking suspicion that he might be a little pleased with her compliment. "What about you?"

"Me? Oh, well I'm not entirely sure yet. I like architecture, music and fashion, I suppose. I don't know why though."

"You like to create," Mori commented easily

"Ah, that's a good way to look at it. Still, I'm not sure my family really approves. I have the option of Morimotos, which would be awful because I don't know a thing about cars," she rolled her eyes. "Or be given a secretarial job at my dad's winery. Which, I suppose, wouldn't be so bad since I like wine."

"It's frowned upon to drink while on the job, Bera."

"Yeah? Even if my father is the head?"

"That might make it even worse."

That got a genuine laugh out of her, a pretty peel of giggles that bubbled from her throat and filled his head with hot air.

"I don't think a secretarial job fits you," Mori said once she got her laughter under control. She glanced up at him, wondering if he'd further elaborate. "It's not challenging enough and it might even be a little boring for you."

Now that assessment surprised Izzy. Like most things in her life growing up, she never questioned being handed a job at her father's winery. She hadn't minded but did she really want to be just a personal assistant to her father and eventually to her brother? She was certainly smart enough to handle a job like that and admittedly she was bossy. But would she be satisfied with something like that? A job she didn't even work for, just handed to her?

"I suppose you're right." It was one thing to look after the Host Club, they were her friends and their antics could be amusing but it's something different to turn that into a career. Besides, the Host Club needed her to bring them back down to Earth when they got out of hand.

Her father needed someone to book appointments and answer phones and bookkeep and budget. He could easily hire someone with real qualifications. Not his wayward daughter. But with architecture, she could build things. Homes, places of businesses, orphanages. With music, she could teach and with fashion, she could create. The thought of doing any of that actually excited her, sparked something warm in her chest.

"This is the best date I've ever been on," she decided after a moment with a grin.

"You've only ever been on three dates, Bera."

"At least I knew this was an actual date."

And then Mori laughed and she decided it was her favorite sound in the world. She decided at that moment, under weeping Cherry Blossoms that she wanted to hear that laugh for the rest of her life. Of course, she didn't say as much, still finding the idea of marriage so young bizarre.

She could barely tell the difference between a friendly outing and an actual romantic date, how could anyone expect her to wrap her head around marriage so young? But still, she was the age that her mother got married. People married young all the time and apparently it wasn't necessarily a weird thing in Japan.

Still, this was only their first date and she felt a little weird for deciding she wanted to hear his laughter for the rest of her life. That clearly meant she wanted a romantic relationship with him that would eventually lead to marriage. But…the commitment of it all…

Did Mori even want that level of a relationship with her? Sure, he admitted that he liked her but…he probably wasn't in love with her. Well, she couldn't say for sure and it felt too soon to even ask. But Masami insisted that people like him, those with such traditional families, they dated to marry.

Would his parents even approve of something like that between the two of them? If they were so traditional, they probably wanted someone who fit the bill a little better than she did. Besides, there was the whole controversy of…well…her.

This wasn't looking so good for her.

His mother had been nice enough the one time she met her at that kendo tournament. His father was stoic but it didn't seem like he necessarily disliked her. That meant something, right? There was also what her parents would ultimately think. Masami seemed somewhat onboard with it but her mother could be manipulative. Alphonse, on the other hand….

What a mess.

Mori nudged gently at her side. "You're thinking too hard, Bera." She really, really liked the way he said her name.

"Don't I always?" she joked. "Here, let's take a break. My ankle is starting to—do not pick me up, Mori!" She only barely managed to smack his hands away, he was far too fast for it to be considered normal.

He didn't pick her up, though he was tempted to, but he did guide her to the nearest bench as per her request. She plopped down with a sigh, she couldn't wait for her ankle to fully heal. She was still cross with Katsu but oddly enough, he made himself scarce lately. She hardly even saw him between classes, it was like he was actively avoiding her. Maybe he actually felt guilty for once.

Or maybe Honey and Mori practically threatened him but she didn't know that.

When he settled down next to her, she scooted closer and carefully looped their arms together, smiling bashfully. So maybe it was shallow and even a little uncharacteristic of her to suddenly want to stay longer but it was her life. She liked where she was at. She liked the thought of going to school tomorrow and dealing with her friends and their shenanigans.

She liked it all and she wouldn't feel guilty over it. Sure, she could have talked about it with her parents sooner but what's done is done. Her family didn't have to like her choice but they would have to accept it. Izzy pressed closer to Mori, coiling into him with a satisfied smile.

Under the weeping Cherry Blossom trees, Izzy and Mori shared honeyed kisses and she decided that Morimoto and Giovanni would just have to deal with her presence. She was here to stay.

Tee: I thought it was important that Izzy sticks to her guns and made sure her father apologized for an actual reason, not just to appease her. Alphonse isn't a bad guy yall, don't hate him. He's just a parent worrying for his clearly oblivious daughter lol. I think her brothers would be understanding but they don't necessarily like it. And Masami, well, she's a Morimoto and you can never trust a Morimoto.

And let's hear it for Fufu for admitting to everyone that she's the reason this whole fic exists because she decided to nag Izzy into realizing Mori likes her. Now she just has to admit that she's also the reason the whole Big Sister shtick came about.

And Happy Halloween! My recovery is going well from surgery, thank you for your well wishes!! I really appreciated it and it made me feel so better. I'm not completely healed but I'm getting there.

I know its the start of their relationship but I lowkey wanna write a lemon for Mori and Bera. I can't help it. Maybe with a certain bunny costume, winkwink nudgenudge. Eventually lol.