"I can't believe you're actually friends with them."
"I'm not."
"What's more, you didn't even bother to tell me!"
"Because it's not worth mentioning."
Fumiko had been nearly hysterical when she found out three members of the Host Club came for Izzy that Sunday afternoon. How could Izzy not tell her? It simply wasn't fair. And she wouldn't even tell her why they'd come in the first place. Chihiro had been pleased that Izzy seemingly made friends but was a little concerned that the friends were boys.
Izzy brushed all of it off, insisting that the visit was nothing to fuss about. Fumiko wasn't convinced but by the next day, she was mostly over it. If the other girls found out about the supposed friendship, it wouldn't bode too well for Izzy's reputation. None of the other girls had been able to befriend the Club so they wouldn't accept Izzy's relationship with them. Even if she insisted that there was no relationship to agonize over.
Izzy often stayed behind after Club hours to plan for her part in their ball. She hadn't even realized they had a piano in the first place until the twins snidely reminded her that they were located in the Music Room, after all. They were able to keep Izzy's involvement under wraps for nearly the entire duration of planning for the ball.
And then along came Renge.
The afternoon of planning the last bit of Izzy's involvement was going quietly until a large crackle interrupted their quiet atmosphere. Izzy was seemingly the only one to react, pausing at the piano. She blinked several times, blanching when the floor suddenly opened. A boisterous laughed echoed throughout the large room before a small blonde with a large pink bow appeared on a platform.
Izzy tilted her head and leaned to the side towards Mori, not breaking eye contact with the girl. "Um...Mori?" She prompted, forgetting how uneasy her classmate made her. She was too busy reeling from the girl appearing out of the floor.
He glanced down at her, Honey perched on his shoulders as always. "Mm?"
"Uh...a girl just came out of the floor."
"Mm."
"Is...is….is that a normal occurrence?"
Mori only nodded, watching as Izzy tried to make sense out of the situation. She gave up after a few moments, sighing and shaking her head. "Of course it's normal," She muttered as the blonde jumped from the platform. She made her way to the piano that Izzy was perched at, eyes narrowed in thought.
"So you must be the young lady I've heard so much about," the blonde said immediately, stopping next to the piano. Izzy's fingers hovered over the ivory keys before she pulled them away, closing the lid. She placed her elbow on the lid and rested her chin against her fist, deciding that ignoring the loud girl wouldn't be in her best interest.
"Well, that depends on what you've heard," She replied smoothly, not too keen on the rumors the girl has probably heard of her. The last time she checked, she was a provocative and hot-blooded floozy. But then again, that Ozawa girl had been the only one to say so. She didn't know what the other girls were saying about her. She didn't really care.
"You're Giovanni Izabera, aren't you? The foreign girl?"
"I suppose so. And who you might be?" Izzy prompted, feeling as if she might regret even asking. The blonde wore a self-assured smirk and for some odd reason, it grated at Izzy's nerves. A loud, annoying, boisterous laugh erupted from the girl. Izzy felt her composure slip for a split second, wondering what in the hell was so funny.
"I," the blonde threw her head back dramatically. "am Houshakuji Renge," She introduced herself to the older brunette. Izzy blinked rapidly, eyebrows quirked.
"Should...that name mean something?"
"Of course it should!" Renge's cheerful disposition shattered. Izzy was sure that at this point, she was hallucinating because Renge's hair suddenly resembled writhing snakes, like Medusa. Izzy leaned backwards, palms held up with a disturbed expression across her features.
"Oh dear God," Izzy muttered distastefully, leaning even further back when Renge leaned in menacingly. She nearly toppled from the bench, only being saved when a firm hand planted against her shoulder. She tilted her head back just a bit and wasn't even surprised that Mori stopped her from reeling off of the bench in her attempt to get away from Renge. "Ah, thank you, Mori…"
"Renge," Kyoya decided to interrupt at that moment. He turned that phony smile on her and like every other girl attending Ouran, Renge fell right for it. Izzy watched in mild interest as her writhing hair seemed to settle.
"Medusa…" Izzy muttered thoughtlessly.
"Giovanni-hime, Renge is the Host Club's current manager," Kyoya explained peacefully. Izzy only raised her eyebrows at the notion. Renge nodded her head along to his words but suddenly turned her attention on Haruhi, losing interest in the entire conversation.
Izzy waited until the blonde was too absorbed in her conversation with Haruhi to speak up. "She manages the Club? Interesting….how important is her family's business to yours?"
"Very." Kyoya replied in a cheerful but firm tone. "So remember to treat her accordingly, Giovanni-hime."
Izzy rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless. It wasn't even five minutes later that Renge was back, hovering at the side of the piano. She blatantly eyed the older brunette, a slight frown marring her pretty features. At first, Izzy ignored the girl but after several seconds️, she grew restless under her gaze.
She took a deep breath before turning towards Renge with a tight smile. "Is there something you need?"
"What's your type, Senpai?"
"My type?" Izzy repeated blankly. "Oh. You mean the boys," She nodded in the general direction of the Club. "I don't really have a type," She said thoughtlessly.
"Everyone has a type."
Izzy felt her eyes narrow but remembered Kyoya's earlier warnings. She wasn't necessarily afraid of Kyoya but she didn't feel like dealing with his wrath if she offended this girl. The brunette took a deep breath and steeled her waning patience. "I really don't have a specific type but I spend my time with Haruhi or Honey-chan and Mori."
Renge hummed in thought, head tilting to the side. She rubbed her chin and smiled politely. Izzy didn't like that one bit. "I see and tell me, what's your current involvement that you need to stay behind after hours?"
Izzy looked down at the piano and then looked back at Renge. Clearly she thought Izzy was here on her own free will. Ha, as if. Although to be quite honest, the Host Club had yet to annoy her lately. Well, the twins and Tamaki did their best not to get under her skin and though she'd rather not admit to it, they'd been getting along well.
"I agreed to one of Tamaki's whims, of course," Izzy replied while lifting the lid of the piano. She ran her fingers over the ivory keys, somewhat lost in memories of her younger days. Masami was the one to teach her how to play the piano when she was just a kid. It had a special place in her heart. "I'll be lending my hand in playing the piano for their Ball this Saturday."
"You can play?"
"Well," Izzy plucked a key with soft smile. "It would seem so, wouldn't it, Hime?" She asked serenely. Startled, Renge flinched backwards with a red face. Steam practically blew from her ears and she babbled something nearly inchorrent before turning and hurrying towards Kyoya and Tamaki. Izzy watched the blonde retreat, smile now gone in favor of a look of confusion. "Was it something I said?" She asked, blinking owlishly.
"That was interesting," Kaoru drawled, suddenly plopping down next to her. Izzy only continued to frown in confusion. If she somehow offended Renge, Kyoya was going to mercilessly torture her someway, somehow.
"I was trying to be nice," Izzy said defensively as Hikaru leaned against the piano. "What did I do wrong?" She asked, on the verge of pouting.
"You sounded like a Host just now, Giovanni-hime," Hikaru said in the same lazy tone of his brother.
"Eh?" Izzy, like Renge, flushed at the notion. "She…" the brunette looked down at her lap. "She realizes that I'm a girl, yes?"
"Girls can be Hostesses, Hime."
"Yes but I'm not. And didn't I tell you all to quit it with that Hime nonsense?"
"What are we supposed to call you?"
Izzy rolled her eyes at the repeated question. "My fri—" She paused, suddenly looking rather pale for her mocha complexion. "Izzy is just fine. Or Bera. Really, anything but Giovanni-hime is just fine."
"And...what about Berry-chan?"
"Absolutely not."
"Renge has a big mouth."
Izzy scowled distastefully the very next day. Yuna, Ayame and Fumiko glanced at one another, figuring Izzy hadn't had the best day now that everyone knew she was taking part in the Host's Ball. It was obvious that being the center of attention made the brunette uncomfortable. And unfortunately for her, she was all everybody was talking about at the moment.
"It's kind of you to lend your talents, Bera-chan," Yuna spoke up first, hoping to soothe Izzy's waning temper. "It would have been a nice surprise though. Renge-chan is just too excitable."
"She's a demon, just like Ootori."
"Bera-chan," Ayame admonished with a frown. "That isn't nice and he'll hear you," She reminded her, nodding her head into the direction of Kyoya and Tamaki. Izzy followed her gaze, blankly watching as Tamaki noticed her staring. He smiled brightly and began waving enthusiastically. Izzy snorted and knowing he wouldn't stop until she acknowledged him, waved back at him.
"He knows what he is," Izzy replied simply, still waving at Tamaki. Fumiko watched the interaction with obvious interest. She wasn't sure if she could call the relationship between her cousin and the Host Club a friendship but there was something there that wasn't there before.
But whatever it was, it was...odd. Izzy basically turned her nose down at the notion of the Host Club and though she did put up an effort to avoid spending time with them, it seemed it was all for naught because somehow, someway, she managed to find a place within the Club. Although she'd probably deny these facts.
"Besides, he's probably already heard me," Izzy smiled wanly, settling her hand back into her lap.
"Have you decided what you'll wear to their ball, Bera-chan?" Yuna decided to ask kindly, hoping to change the subject. "If not, you're more than welcomed to join us for dress shopping tomorrow afternoon."
"Ah, more shopping?" Izzy shot Fumiko a pointed look. "But no thank you. Hikaru and Kaoru have already picked a dress out for me to wear."
The table was awkwardly quiet as the three stared at the older brunette. "You...they...they picked out a dress for you?" Ayame nearly tripped and fumbled over her words, feeling a spike of jealousy.
"Yeah, not that I was very willing at first but those boys can be very persuasive. Besides, they said that I had to look the part since I'll be representing their Club," Izzy explained in a careless manner. "Who I am to argue with that logic?"
"It seems that you've become quite close with them, Iz," Fumiko pouted at the notion. "They never let girls get close to them like that, except for Renge-chan," Fumiko pointed out, wondering what on Earth Izzy had done to gain favor with the club members.
"Mm, I wouldn't say that. When this party of theirs is finished, it'll go back to normal and they'll treat me like the rest of the girls."
But of course, fate had different plans for Izzy. Too bad she was none the wiser.
"And then Haruhi ended up kissing Kanako?" Izzy asked with wide eyes some hours before the scheduled ball. She was sitting still as Hikaru and Kaoru fussed over her hair and makeup. They were a bit surprised that she wasn't fighting them off and in turn, they told her some of their past adventures.
"It was Boss' fault," Hikaru stuck his tongue out.
"He was devastated, it was her first kiss, after all," Kaoru finished his brother's train of thought. The revelation made Izzy laugh and though she couldn't see it, Hikaru and Kaoru shared matching grins of victory. "Have you had your first kiss, Izzy-chan?"
Izzy made a sour face, puckering her lips. "Unfortunately," She answered. "I was fourteen and it was with the son of one of my father's business partners."
"Ahh, Izzy-chan has experience," Hikaru wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. His comment would have warranted a quick slap from her but Izzy only snorted.
"I wouldn't say that. It was like being kissed by an octopus with a suction cup for a mouth. Worst experience of my life, I was traumatized. I didn't even want him to kiss me, it was like an ambush," Izzy said with obvious distaste. Hikaru and Kaoru snickered at her revelations and Izzy easily joined in. "When he finally dislodged himself from my mouth, I punched him."
"I'm not surprised."
Their conversation was cut short by Kyoya. He approached them, absently fixing his cuff links. "Izabera," He greeted. After Izzy insisted on them not calling her Hime, Kyoya seemed to have dropped any and all formality with her. Not that it really bothered her, she simply thought it was a bit odd for him.
"Kyoya," Izzy intoned in her usual blank voice. "My, don't you look handsome? The purple really brings out the evil in your eyes," She smiled haughtily while leaning back to look at him.
Kyoya closed his eyes and smiled politely, deciding not to entertain Izzy's naturally snarky nature. "Remember what we've discussed this entire week, Izabera," He said instead, watching as she rolled her eyes. She continued to smile despite her exasperation.
"How could I possibly forget, Kyoya? You've subtly threatened me several times," She pointed out, reaching up to twirl her finger around a lock of hair. Hikaru swatted at her hand with the back of the hairbrush, grinning when Izzy hissed at him. She held her hand to her chest and shot him a dark look. "I got it, okay? Play the piano, mingle and treat the girls kindly. I'm not going to embarrass your club," She said just as Kaoru pinched her lips together into a pucker.
"Stop talking, Izzy-chan, you'll smudge the lipstick," He admonished her, coming at her with the makeup brush to fix her mouth. Hikaru began fixing her hair up, mumbling about the thick mane of hair.
"And remember," Izzy called after Kyoya's retreating back, despite Kaoru pinching harder at her face, "Have fun!"
If anyone asked Izzy to repeat just a single sentence of Tamaki's opening speech, she wouldn't be able to do so. She stood with Fumiko, who was dressed in a pretty dusty pink dress, with her arms folded. Even though she wanted to avoid it, she stood out in stark contrast to the other girls.
She was swathed in the bronze dress they agreed on, which to her dismay, fit a little tighter than she remembered. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that was the twins' doing. Her mane of curls was tamed into a messy braided crown. She didn't have much accessories but a Grecian-styled circlet. Her makeup was done in subtle tones, anything more would have made her unapproachable and that's not what they wanted at all.
One minute she was standing with her cousin and the next minute, she felt a blindingly bright light flash over her. Her eyes widened as she stood there, looking back and forth. Luckily for her, Fumiko paid close attention to Tamaki's words and leaned over towards her cousin. "You have to go play the piano now, Iz."
She wanted to take her heel off and throw it at Tamaki. There was no way it was necessary to flash a damn spotlight like that on her. Instead, she remembered all of Kyoya's warnings and threats and decided to smile amicably. Deciding that she would strangle Tamaki later, she started her trek towards the grand piano that was probably from the Victorian era. She huffed a silent smile and wondered if anything the Host Club did was simple.
Izzy approached the piano with an almost graceful sway. She reached forward and slowly drew her hand down the ivory keys, still smiling. If they only knew how much Tamaki and Kyoya made her practice the silly walk. They might be ridiculous but Izzy had to admit that they were a dedicated group to their cause. Even if their cause was quite absurd.
Ah, but to each their own.
She plucked an experimental key and almost cringed because the Ballroom was silent, just waiting for her to begin playing. She slid to the bench in a smooth swoop, laying her slim fingers against the keys. She kept in mind to play something romantic but upbeat.
Izzy played and suddenly the Ball was in full swing.
The brunette played until her fingers ached but to her, the feeling was welcomed. She had fond memories of playing for Masami while growing up. But as Alphonse's Empire expanded, Masami had less time to spend with her musically inclined daughter. And while her brothers doted on her, classical music was never their cup of tea.
"Izabera," Kyoya was suddenly at her shoulder, nearly startling her. She jumped, eyes wide and mouth pinched. He noted, in mild interest, that she continued to play despite her discomfort with his presence. "You've played for quite some time. A break is in order."
Izzy's playing came to a slow stop. She looked up at him, shaking the distant memories of her childhood away with a slight nod of her head. "Oh? Well, then, I suppose you aren't a total slave driver, yes?" She prompted with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She was actually grateful to the Shadow King's distraction. She was far too deep in her memories, she barely recalled what she'd been playing not even five minutes ago.
"Remember the rules, Izabera," Kyoya said in a stony voice before moving away to do whatever it was he did best. Izzy only hummed in compliance before standing to her usual height. Hazel-brown eyes searched the Ballroom, wondering what her friends were up to. To her amusement, Fumiko was dancing with Haruhi while Yuna was...talking to that Ozawa girl. Izzy tried not to scowl at the honey blonde in the pretty peach dress.
"Bera-chan!" Ayame suddenly appeared, dressed in a navy blue dress. Her hair was piled on top of her head, a nice change from her usual pigtails, and she was grinning almost manically. Izzy caught her as the younger girl barreled into her, catching her by the forearms to steady her.
"Ayame, you shouldn't run around like this. You could fall," Izzy scolded the younger girl with a frown. "And it's in bad taste. Ladies shouldn't run or something like that, I don't know," She added with a dash of amusement.
"Oh, who cares about that?" Ayame grinned excitedly at the brunette, nearly bouncing in her heels. "There's more important things to discuss!"
"If you ask me one more time about the Host Club, I'll strangle you."
"No. No, it's not about the Host Club."
"Shocking."
"It's about you!"
"And what about me?"
Ayame leaned in close, using Izzy's hold and the aid of her heels to lean in exceptionally close to her face. It really was a shame that Izzy wouldn't consider modeling. She was just so tall and pretty and oh wait….she was over there for a reason.
"You have a secret admirer and he wants to meet with you!"
Izzy didn't smile like she should have smiled. Instead she frowned with a quirked brow. "That's….nice? I suppose?" She pieced together slowly, not the least bit interested. Izzy didn't have time for secret admirers. She wasn't interested in seeking a romantic relationship with anyone, for that manner. She'd been the same way since starting high school, even when boys began to notice the tomboyish Giovanni flourish into a pretty young lady.
She wasn't sure why they thought her personality had done a complete 180 just because she grew into her face and developed curves. She was still the same girl who used to beat them all up for picking with the girls during their primary years. The fact that she was older didn't change a thing. Besides, she wasn't sure why any of them even bothered trying to date her when the other girls their age were more than willing to date.
"Don't be like that, Bera-chan," Ayame chided, pulling herself out of Izzy's grasp. She clung onto Izzy with a surprisingly strong grip and began to lead her through the bustle of the Ball. Izzy was sure that she could overpower her but decided to go along with Ayame's whims. Just because she had some secret admirer didn't mean she had to accept the boy's advances, whoever he may be.
Izzy tried to think back to any boy that might have shown her a bit of interest during her classes. She really couldn't come up with anyone who might have shown any interest in her. In fact, she realized that she mostly spent her time in class socializing with Mori and Honey.
Odd.
Ayame rushed outside, still holding onto Izzy with her freakish vice-like grip. She pulled her towards the large fountain, grinning all the while. "Now, Bera-chan, be nice, won't you? At least give him a chance before ripping him to shreds."
"Am I really that awful of a girl?" Izzy asked in wry amusement, sitting on the lip of the fountain. She folded one long leg over the other, bobbing her foot to some unknown rhythm. Ayama only smiled down at her but shrugged innocently.
"Just be nice!" She leaned forward to pinch Izzy's bare shoulder before rushing back into the ballroom. Izzy watched the excitable brunette go, smiling softly and shaking her head. She really didn't understand teen romance but she would at least give the boy a chance to speak his mind.
She heard echoing footsteps and slowly looked up, surprised to see a boy that was obviously younger than her. He was probably just a tad bit taller than her with black hair that sat up in spikes and familiar green eyes.
They reminded her of the green eyes that every Morimoto inherited save for herself. It was odd how they all seemed to have green eyes, maybe they were different shades of green, but each family member of Hiroki's side inherited them. Fumiko's eyes were a dark forest green, Masami's eyes were like glittering jade and Chihiro's eyes were dark office green.
This boy had eyes similar to Fumiko's eyes, maybe just a couple of shades lighter.
"Ah, are you the admirer my friend spoke about?" Izzy prompted first, knowing she'd seen this boy somewhere. Maybe in passing? He looked to be around Fumiko's age so perhaps she'd seen him in the second year's dining hall? It was possible, she supposed, and it made her feel bad if he really was the admirer. She barely paid anyone any mind.
"You mean, you truly don't remember me, Busy-bee?"
"Sorry I—" Izzy came to a sharp pause, blinking owlishly. "What did you just call me?" She asked slowly, head tilting to the side. No one outside of her family called her Busy-bee. Hell, no one but her immediate family called her that. Her father's side of the family had an endless supply of nicknames but none of them used Busy-bee. "Do I know you?"
The boy held a hand to his heart as if wounded. "Busy-bee, I'm hurt, really," He shook his head, sighing heavily. Izzy felt her temper flare, she was never the patient type and it was easily showing.
"I don't have time for this," She snapped, standing up. "If all you're going to do is play games, then I'll take my leave first. I knew this was pointless…"
"You really don't recognize your own cousin? How shameful."
Izzy came to yet another pause, slightly turned as she was in the middle of leaving. Her face pinched as she regarded the younger boy. His features were a little sharper but he did resemble Fumiko, somewhat. She squinted at the boy, head tilted to the side.
"Ka...Katsu?"
She never actually met Katsu in person. Takuma made damn sure of that. She spoke with him several times over the phone during their childhood thanks to Masami and Kioka's combined efforts but his voice sounded much different. She supposed he had puberty to thank for that.
Katsu smiled at her but it made her uncomfortable. Without warning, he closed in on her. Izzy felt herself back up but stopped short when she nearly tripped into the fountain behind her. "We finally meet," Katsu breathed a sigh of happiness, nearly crowding her against the fountain. "I've waited for this moment."
Izzy was officially creeped out.
"I'm not sure your father would approve," Izzy uttered slowly, watching as his green eyes narrowed. "Katsu, you don't attend Ouran, how did you get in here? Does your father even know you're here?"
Katsu's expression stilled into a stony mask of indifference. "You shouldn't have come, Izabera," He said, doing a complete 180. "Everything was fine until you showed up. You need to go back."
"Go back?"
"Where you belong," Katsu sneered. Izzy realized that he was actually taller than she thought. They were about the same height with her wearing heels. But Katsu seemed to be around Kyoya or Tamaki's height. Well, that was disheartening. "You don't belong here," He breathed down at her, green eyes narrowed.
If he crowded her any further, she was going to go crashing into the fountain. She reached up to catch his shoulder in an iron grip to prevent herself from falling. If she did end up falling, she was going to take Katsu with her.
"And who are you to tell me where I belong and don't belong?" She demanded hotly, grip tightening on his shoulder. "What I do and don't do is not up for you to decide. I see you've inherited some of your father's awful quirks," She continued to snap at him. Nevermind that she was against the notion of living in Japan in the first place but hell if she would tell Katsu about that.
Katsu yanked her hand from his shoulder and grabbed at her other hand in one quick snatch. She nearly went careening backwards but his freakishly strong grip on her prevented it. Instead he drew her closer until she pressed against him with no breathing room. The contact made her entirely uncomfortable and she felt herself squirming in an attempt to escape.
"Let go," Izzy demanded, schooling her features. "I don't have time for this and the fact that you tricked my friend into thinking you were some admirer to lure me out here says a lot about your character," Izzy growled at him while trying to tug her wrists away. "Now, please, let go. I won't ask again."
"Your manners are atrocious, dear cousin."
"My manners? Are you stu—" Izzy stopped herself from going off on a full rant. Instead she took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for whatever you're playing at," She pulled at her trapped wrists once more. The minute she broke his grip on her, she was punching her cousin in the face. To Hell with holding her composure, she was going to take her heel off and beat him with it.
"Is there someone you need to get back to?"
Of course not but he didn't need to know that. Fumiko and Yuna were unaware that she was even out here in the first place and Ayame had been tricked. There was no one to get back to because no one would think to check on her. No one knew she was stuck out here with Katsu and that meant she was going to have to beat him senseless.
"Berry-chan!"
Izzy jumped and for the second time, nearly pitched backwards into the fountain. That damn fountain was starting to give her anxiety, she really needed to get out of Katsu's hold and away from it. She had every intention of twirling them around and shoving him into the fountain since he insisted on invading her personal space.
Too bad she couldn't carry out her plan. Instead an arm slipped around her waist, hand coming to rest at her hip. She was easily jerked right out of Katsu's grip and tossed to the other arm. She fell against the arm with ease, eyes widened and arms still propped up as if Katsu was still clinging onto them.
"We've been looking everywhere for you, Berry-chan."
Izzy glanced down, spotting Honey regarding her with an entirely too innocent face. She leaned her head back and nearly paled at the sight of Mori. Just as quickly as she paled, her face heated up. He hadn't looked at her, too busy staring Katsu down, and she was grateful. She was sure she'd lose all composure if he turned his attention on her.
"I...you both didn't have to come out here for me," Izzy managed to say, struggling to keep her face from turning too red. Hopefully they couldn't see the blush in the low-lighting.
"You've been gone too long," Mori said, simple and to the point.
"I wasn't aware that I was needed.."
"Berry-chan, the night is almost over and you haven't danced with us," Honey pointed out.
Izzy blinked in silence. "Us? I...I wasn't aware that you were waiting for me to dance with either of you…" She trailed off incredulously. She honestly doubted that Mori wanted to dance with her but if it got her away from Katsu, she'd take it. "Well, Katsu, as you can see," She began to say in kind tone. "I'm actually needed back inside. This was fun, really, but no more surprise visits, yes? It's in poor taste."
Mori shifted his arm, allowing Izzy to stand upright. She offered one last fleeting smile to Katsu, who's face darkened considerably, before allowing herself to be led back into the bustling ball.
"Who was that, Berry-chan?"
"My younger cousin, Katsu."
"He didn't seem very nice."
"He was a bit out of sorts, wasn't he? I'm not certain but I'm sure he's not usually like that."
"Are you alright?" Mori asked.
Izzy's head popped up towards him, momentarily baffled with his sudden concern. She was sure the face she was making at him was odd, a mix of both sadness and surprise. Sadness because whoever the hell that was just now couldn't have been her soft spoken cousin. And surprise because why in the world would Mori really care if she was alright or not? To be quite honest, he probably just followed after Honey once they realized she was absent.
"Yes, I suppose so," She finally managed to say after realizing they'd been silently staring at one another. "I was just surprised to see him so suddenly, is all," She tried to remain aloof but she had this look in her eyes that told a different story. She conveniently left out the fact that she hadn't even recognized him at first. "But thank you for retrieving me. I suppose it's time to play again?"
Honey caught onto her hand with his smaller hands, tugging insistently on it. She had to lean to the side to accommodate all of his tuggings, lightly chiding him all the while. "But we haven't danced yet, Berry-chan. We have to dance," He insisted, eyes suddenly turning pleading. She knew as well as he did that there was no denying him once he turned those honeyed eyes on her.
"Oh, alright, Honey-chan, but just one dance. I'm sure my break from playing is nearly over."
"Don't forget about Takashi's dance."
"Yes, of course, if he wants to."
"I do."
Well, that settles that, doesn't it?
Izzy tried not to grimace as she let Honey yank her towards the designated dance floor. He was certainly stronger than he looked, she found out.
Dancing with Honey, Izzy figured out, that it wasn't really considered dancing. It was more so her spinning him around the room. She hadn't been too keen to the idea of swinging him around the room in heels and a dress but it surprisingly worked out well. Izzy was sure it was thanks to her strong legs from her dancing years.
By the time she was done with spinning around the room with Honey, she was laughingly out of breath. It put her in such a good mood that she didn't even think twice about turning to smile up at Mori. "Would you still like to dance?" She asked in a charming but breathless voice.
Of course he wouldn't actually deny her. He was a Host after all and though physically stronger, Kyoya would think of someway to retaliate if Mori denied a girl's request. Even if the girl happened to be Izzy.
She was all too aware of the large hand propped against her back. She tried not to grip too hard at his shoulder, nervous that she could possibly hurt him.
Despite her nervousness, she was grateful. With her tall stature paired with heels, boys often avoided dancing with her. She usually had to settle with dancing with her brothers since they were the only ones who stood over her. Even with her heels on, Mori still managed to considerably tower over her. To be quite honest, she was impressed with how well he danced but didn't say as much. It would come off as rude and the last thing she wanted to do was insult him.
She felt a dull ache from her wrists from the combined efforts of Katsu's strength and her swinging Honey around the room. She was sure there would be some bruises blooming there later on and nearly sighed at the thought.
"Izabera-chan," Mori's mouth suddenly dropped closer to her, breath tickling her cheeks. She nearly startled backwards but managed to salvage her pride by blinking at him. Izzy hadn't even realized she managed to zone out while still dancing with him. "Are you sure you're alright?"
She had taken notice that the entire Host Club seemingly dropped their formalities with her, opting to call her by her name and not her last name. They still used honorifics, which she thought to be odd, but her last name had been completely dropped.
Izzy noticed his silver gaze were drawn to the hand resting in his. She wasn't sure what gave her discomfort away and it unnerved her that Mori noticed whatever she hadn't. Maybe it was the light grip she had on his hand? The bruises hadn't begin to form so how could he possibly know something was up was beyond her.
"I…" Izzy looked over his shoulder, knowing she wouldn't keep a straight face if she looked him the eye. "I'm fine, just tired is all," She said instead of being truthful. Her encounter with Katsu left her vexed and uncomfortable but she saw no point in telling Mori.
The warm hand placed against her back abruptly became firm and she found herself pressed to Mori like she'd been pressed to Katsu. However, Katsu's touch had felt all wrong and inappropriate. And she supposed being pressed against Mori was improper as well but..it just felt so...nice.
Izzy had no choice but to look him in the eyes at this point. She wore a stunned expression but she didn't break eye contact this time. "Uh…"
"You're stubborn."
Usually when someone would call her stubborn, she'd react sourly. If it had been the twins making such a statement, she'd slap them and Tamaki, she'd verbally beat down. Kyoya, she'd trade barbed words with and Haruhi, she'd just stare at her. She doubted Honey would even call her stubborn. She wouldn't take Fumiko, Yuna or Ayame seriously.
But Mori's very plain accusation caused her to flush deeply. She broke their staring contest, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. "Yes, I've been told," She said after chewing at her lip.
He looked like he wanted to say more but the song they were waltzing to came to a sudden pause. Izzy saw her opportunity and quickly pulled away from him, blushing even harder when when she felt his fingers slide against her back. "Well," She smiled tightly. "Thank you for the dance," She dipped into a curtsy, hoping her quick movements hadn't offended him.
Just as she was about to run off in the most dignified way possible, Hikaru and Kaoru popped up at her sides. They pressed into her, sandwiching her between them. She duly noted there being no warmth from their presence.
"We didn't know you would dance tonight, Izzy-chan," Hikaru said in a lazy drawl, arm slipping around her waist. To her surprise, she didn't react to it.
"You didn't ask," She replied curtly.
And that was all it took for them to whisk the interacial girl away into dancing with them. It was a bit confusing to dance with them since they relished in tossing her back and forth between them. Ballroom dancing was never meant for three but the trio somehow managed.
As the night waned, Izzy found herself dancing with each of the Hosts. It was almost enough to distract her from the odd feeling roiling in her stomach from her meeting with Katsu.
Almost.
"When you asked me to join you for quality time together, this is not what I had in mind."
Chihiro only smiled at her niece, motioning for her to keep in stride. "Well, what did you have in mind?" Chihiro asked in good nature. She was dressed in a dark blue dress reminiscent of the 1950's fashion style that fit her frame well with a pair of stylish heels. A matching blazer hung from her slight shoulders, completing her fashionable look.
"I don't know, shopping?" Izzy asked drily. She was dressed in denim jeans with a slouchy but shoulderless green sweater. The sweater hung tastefully from her body, sleeves so long that they covered her hands. She'd woken early that morning to discover splotchy purple bruises clustered at her wrists from Katsu's tight grip. It didn't surprise her, only annoying her.
"Now why would I take you shopping? You're absolutely terrible company when it comes to our trips. I would simply ask Fufu to come with me to shop."
Izzy leveled her aunt with a dry look, slightly offended that she'd been called terrible company. "Fumi gets her terrible spending habits from you, doesn't she?" She asked, using her height to search for two available seats.
She found some quite easily and led her aunt towards them, looking bored all the while. "Well, she doesn't get it from her father," Chihiro remarked innocently when they settled comfortably. Izzy snorted at her aunt's wayward nature peeking through and reclined into her chair.
"Explain this to me, aunt Chi, I don't see the point of hitting each other with sticks," Izzy waved fleetingly down towards the center of the room.
"I don't see the point of kicking a ball back and forth."
"Football is a national sport."
"Here we like to call it soccer."
"Bah. Americans renamed it that but it's football," She waved a fleeting hand. Chihiro could only chuckle. Izzy defended football just as fiercely as her father and brothers.
"They're not sticks," Chihiro said, patting at Izzy's leg. "They're made out of Bamboo."
"Which are, essentially, sticks."
"Hush and let me finish explaining," Chihiro lightly chided her impatient niece. Chihiro sprang into an explanation, explaining the ins and outs of Kendo. Izzy seemed to understand it for the most part but it was obvious she still held football in a higher regard.
But this was something Chihiro obviously enjoyed so Izzy kept her sarcastic comments to herself. Unlike Fumiko, Izzy was willing to watch sports. It wasn't that she necessarily enjoyed sports, she was just used to watching them. Her brothers often dragged her along to tournaments when leaving her home wasn't an option.
Fumiko hated sports. And while Izzy didn't hate them, she wasn't much of a fan either. She simply tolerated sports for the sake of whoever's company she found herself in.
But Chihiro was quite fond of kendo, having grown up with it due to her father's interest in it. What surprised her was Chihiro's casual remark that Masami was also fond of kendo, even more so than Chihiro. Izzy couldn't recall her mother ever talking about the sport but perhaps it had been something she, Chi and Hiroki bonded over while they were growing up.
Izzy really couldn't understand the hype about kendo but it was tolerable. What impressed her so much were the heavy uniforms they were required to wear. It was a wonder no one passed out from heatstroke.
For Chihiro's sake, she paid close attention to the matches. It was interesting enough, holding her attention enough that she would ask questions every now and then. It probably meant a lot to her aunt that she was actually trying to keep up with it. She reminded herself to call Masami later and ask about her interest in kendo.
She zoned out at some point but Chihiro didn't seem to notice. Too engrossed with the tournament, she barely noticed when Izzy's gaze became vacant.
Her thoughts wandered to Katsu. His sudden hostility confused her. She couldn't recall a time where there was friction between the two of them. They got along pretty well seeing as how they only ever spoke on the phone. She knew his father wasn't at all fond of her but that never seemed to stop Katsu from speaking with her.
And what was with that whole 'you don't belong here' nonsense anyway? Who the hell was he to decide that? And what difference did it make now that she was staying in Japan for the year?
Suddenly Chihiro's words jumped to the forefront of Izzy's mind, slapping some sense into her. "Shinobu sees something in you that's not in Fumi or Katsu. I see it too."
Izzy blanched but Chihiro didn't take any notice. Katsu's hostilities stemmed from the potential she had to someday inherit and run the Morimoto family's business. Well, he could just toss that idea out because she had no intentions whatsoever to take over once she was of age.
Her brothers would often joke that Izzy's bossy and no-nonsense attitude was perfect to be in charge but Izzy always disagreed. Telling people what to do and not taking their crap didn't mean she was fit to run a million dollar company. It took more than that and Izzy didn't know the first thing about heading an expensive company.
No, she was perfectly content with attending a University and getting a job based on whatever degree she wanted. She had no plans to inherit either companies. If Katsu wanted that position, he'd have to beat Fumiko out, not her.
Oh, she would have to set things straight.
"Ah!" Chihiro broke her from her grim thoughts. "He won, as expected," a wide smile pulled at her lips. Izzy blinked out of her daze, trying to catch up. She climbed to her feet at her Aunt's insistence, hurrying after the smaller woman.
Izzy hung back once she realized the people Chihiro spoke to were business associates. There was no way she'd get involved with their conversations. At some point, they would ask her about her future plans and if Chihiro and Shinobu were grooming her to take over now that she was in Japan. Izzy did not have enough patience to deal with that sort of conversation.
"Oh, it's Berry-chan!"
Honey came bounding towards her, catching her off guard like he normally seemed to do these days. To her amusement, he didn't come flying at her waist in one of his infamous hugs. She figured that since they were in a more formal setting, he'd have to act somewhat accordingly.
She squatted down to his level and let him give her a regular hug anyway. "Well, if it isn't Honey-chan. Where's Mori?" She asked, tucking her slim arms around him. "You're here by yourself?"
Honey pulled away from her, smiling brightly as per usual. He didn't immediately answer, causing Izzy to quietly regard him with a quirked brow. A shadow fell over the two, prompting Izzy to look up. A very tall figure stood over them, dressed in the heavy kendo uniform. Izzy blinked at the figure, squinting slightly.
"Mori?" She nearly squawked as he pulled off the protective headgear. "That was you?" Izzy pulled her arms away from Honey and stretched back to her regular height. "You're the one who won! Is there anything you can't do?" She asked with a thoughtful smile. "I'm actually impressed. You moved so fast even though this armor you wear looks heavy," Izzy complimented him, tapping the front of his chest armor.
"Takashi is a national champion," Honey grinned, patting at Izzy's leg to gain her attention. She glanced down at him, wondering if he was bragging for Mori.
"A champion? Well, that's just not fair," Izzy grinned widely. She pulled her hand away from his chest only to have Mori catch her hand in a firm grip. The brunette blinked at him, eyes dropping to their hands. His fingers tightened around her palm, halting her from backing away. Izzy raised her eyebrows, wiggling her fingers. "Mori? I need my hand," She stated, trying to jokingly hide her discomfort.
But he ignored her, opting to pull her sleeve down with his other hand. Izzy vaguely wondered when Mori handed his headgear to Honey. Her sleeve was pushed down her forearm, settling at her elbow.
The moment their eyes fell on her mottled wrist, she flushed instantly. "It's nothing," Izzy said quickly, reaching up with her free hand in an attempt to pry her hand from Mori's grip. "It's not even as bad as it looks and—wow you're very strong…"
"But it's still bad, Berry-chan."
"So's manhandling me."
Mori dropped her hand, allowing her to jerk her sleeve back down. She folded her arms across her chest, hoping that would keep him from grabbing her once more. Her eyes swept the room, making sure no one witnessed her messy wrist. "Look, it's really not a big deal or anything, okay? If it's alright with you two, I'd like to forget the entire spectacle, alright?"
They didn't immediately answer and Izzy felt herself bristling impatiently. She cocked her hip to the side and tapped her foot. "Alright?" She asked in a more firm tone.
"Okay, Berry-chan."
"Sure."
Her eyes darted between the two for a quiet second before she exhaled deeply. "Great, thank you," She nodded her head and stopped tapping her foot. Her name being called distracted her, prompting her to glance over her shoulder and miss the quick glance between Mori and Honey.
Chihiro waved her over, ready to go now that she was finished speaking with her business associates. Her dark brows sat high on her forehead at the sight of Mori standing over Izzy and Honey.
Izzy turned back to the duo, this time smiling pleasantly. "I have to go now but I'll see you two in class tomorrow. Congratulations on your win, Mori," She continued to smile while waving at them. Quickly she set off for her aunt, physically pushing her into motion when Chihiro's gaze remained glued to Honey and Mori.
She was sure that was the last time there would be any mention of Katsu and her brusied wrists. Too bad Izzy wasn't aware that the Host Club could be just as difficult as her.
Too bad, indeed.
TeeBeMe: Changed Katsu around a bit. Too bad Izzy can't catch a break. No one wants to listen to her. Hope you guys enjoyed the update!