Izzy hated parties. She was sure that somewhere down the line, she made that pretty clear but she was related to Chihiro. And apparently Chihiro didn't take 'no' for an answer. Izzy had to guess that Fumiko inherited her stubborn nature from Chi. She wondered which side of her family were more stubborn. The Giovanni or the Morimoto families. It would be amusing to see the two sides go head to head with one another.
That's besides the point.
The point was that she'd been forced into another one of those constricting kimonos and dragged off to yet another party. Whispers exchanged between her and Fumiko would reveal that Morimoto Automobiles would be launching another luxury vehicle later in the month. That would explain why it was so imperative that she attend. Whether she agreed or not, Morimoto needed an heir to the company. They couldn't just not have an heiress, they had to at least save face. So for now, Izzy got to play that part, unwilling or not.
Her kimono was an emerald green with a swarm of Sakura blossoms starting from the collar of her kimono down to the skirt. Her hair was once again, piled and styled into a heavy bun that weighed on her skull, decorative charms and combs shoved into her locks for added effects. She was pretty sure she was thrown into the green kimono to compensate for her lack of green eyes that the Morimoto family were so famous for. Fumiko, dressed in a pale pink kimono with graceful cranes at the skirt, leaned over into her cousin's personal space. "Stop making that face," she whispered quietly, offering a smile to passing faces.
"What face?"
"The face you're making right now."
"That's just my face."
"I know."
Izzy huffed out a dry laugh, hands folded neatly in front of her. She was beginning to notice that her mild cousin was developing a bite to her usual polite demeanor. A tiny part of Izzy wondered if she had anything to do with that development in her cousin. Not that it was a bad thing, Izzy was quite proud that her cousin was becoming just a bit more snarky. It was obvious that growing up in the Morimoto family was the leading factor of Fumiko's docile nature. She was always a gentle soul but Morimoto's stern ways manhandled that gentleness into submission. Things were a bit different in the Giovanni family, different personalities were welcomed in the Giovanni family.
The Giovanni kids were allowed to grow into their own personalities with some guidance from their parents. Their different personalities were often encouraged during their childhood. Izzy's stubborn nature would later come back to bite them but that's a story for another time. The point was, if the Morimoto family hadn't spent Fumiko and Katsu's childhood beating them into submission, they wouldn't need to call upon the mixed-breed niece to be the face of the company.
"Izabera," a sharp voice interrupted the quiet conversation between the two cousins. They glanced to their right to see Shinobu approaching them, dressed in a dark blue kimono with her hair pulled back into a severe twist. Izzy often wondered if Shinobu's tight hairstyles were the reason for the woman's naturally sour disposition. Chihiro followed after her mother, dressed in a pretty orange kimono. Her face was mostly a blank slate but Izzy felt her stomach tighten as Chihiro and Shinobu were accompanied by Morimoto Takuma, Kioka and Katsu.
Oh great.
"Izabera, it's come to my attention that you've never formally met your Uncle and his family," Shinobu spoke first, stopping in front of her granddaughters. Izzy didn't visibly react, her face a blank slate much like Chihiro's own facade. On the inside, Izzy was scowling distastefully. It wasn't an accident that she had yet to visit with her Uncle. It was no secret that he didn't think highly of her mixed race nor was it a secret on how he felt about his oldest sister's scandal seventeen years ago.
"Katsu and I have met. Weeks ago, actually," Izzy replied in a blank tone, her usual air of indifference becoming somewhat haunty. It was petty that she was basically telling on Katsu but she was sure that Shinobu had sternly ordered Takuma and his family to keep their distance from Izzy for the time being.
"Oh?" Shinobu didn't sound pleased but her expression didn't change. It wouldn't do well if the Morimoto family began squabbling at their own launch party. That was just barbaric.
Izzy nodded, the charms dangling from her hair clacking. "He was...invited to an event that my Club was hosting at school some weeks ago."
Katsu paled as Takuma glanced at him, a quiet rage in his eyes. Kioka suddenly detached herself from Takuma's side, smiling politely at Izzy. The taller brunette noted that Kioka had a strange resemblance to both Masami and Chihiro. She could almost pass for a Morimoto daughter, the resemblance was so uncanny. "We've never met, Izabera-chan," Kioka said, obviously trying to change the awkward moment. Chihiro remained quiet, observing the odd encounter. "I'm your Aunt Kioka," she offered politely, perfect smile still in place. That much was obvious but Izzy didn't point that out. Kioka actually seemed like a genuine woman and though they never actually met, she spoke to Kioka several times during her childhood. Why Kioka even married Takuma was beyond Izzy but it was none of her business.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Aunt Kioka," Izzy replied just as politely, a small smile pulling at her blushing lips. There was no need to be unpleasant with Kioka. She already had to deal with Takuma, she didn't deserve Izzy's disdain as well.
Shinobu turned to her only son, an eyebrow raised. "Takuma, won't you say hello to your niece?"
Everyone seemed to have paused, waiting for the man to actually acknowledge Izzy for the first time. Acknowledging Izzy meant he acknowledged Masami's betrayal. "Izabera," Takuma finally said after a long moment. She wasn't sure how but Takuma managed to make her name sound like a curse.
"Uncle," Izzy replied just as coolly.
"Wonderful," Shinobu nodded, feeling the tension. "Now, let's remember what we're here for. Do not embarrass the family."
They dispersed after that with Izzy being dragged off by Fumiko and Chihiro to formally introduce her to Morimoto's extended family and business associates. They were mindful to keep her mostly away from Takuma as they busily schmoozed their guests into eventually purchasing the over-priced new model. She didn't understand why any of these people would spend thousands of dollars on a slightly different model but like a lot of things, it wasn't any of her business.
Izzy found herself hiding in the powder room under the guise of fixing her hair. She frowned at her reflection, adjusting the loosened hair charms so that they wouldn't slide right out of her hair. She wanted nothing more than to snatch them out of her locks but that would only serve to ruin her appearance and they couldn't have that. Izzy leaned into the mirror, making sure that her makeup hadn't smudged. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't hide in the bathroom forever lest she wanted her grandmother to send someone for her. Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the bathroom door.
Katsu was waiting just outside the door for her.
Izzy blinked at him for a long moment before turning her eyes upward to the ceiling. "Why me, God?" she asked no one in particular. She'd been hoping that with Shinobu's order not embarrass the family, Takuma and Katsu would keep a respectable distance. Clearly Katsu didn't get the memo. "Katsu," Izzy acknowledged in a sour tone that suggested she'd rather talk to the Devil himself over her cousin. "This is the ladies' powder room…" she pointed out, stepping away from the door and intent on getting back to the launch party. She was halted when Katsu stepped towards her, hand slapping rather loudly against the wall. She looked at his hand, a soft scowl on her face before she slowly turned to look at him. "So, I'm guessing it's not the powder room you want…" Izzy trailed off sarcastically, unimpressed with her younger cousin. She was right to assume he was taller than her, standing at Kyoya's height.
"I told you to go back to Italy," Katsu murmured softly, eyes unblinking as he stared down at her.
Izzy was busily planning an escape route but stopped when his comment sank in. She snapped her head up to look directly at him, an air of indifference hanging over her. "And I told you that what I do and don't do is not up for you to decide," she reminded him in a tight voice that would have usual offered no room for arguing. Katsu scowled down at her, leaning in and boxing her against the wall. Izzy had no choice but to step back, pressing her back tightly against the wall in a bid to put some distance between them. She was trapped, once more, but at least she wasn't about to tip over into a fountain this time. "Katsu, if this is about inheriting Morimoto Automobiles, I don't want it. If you want to go fight with someone else, fight with Shinobu about it. I only came for Hiroki."
"You're lying," Katsu hissed irritably.
"Oh, for God's sake…" Izzy rolled her eyes, she shouldn't have to prove anything to Katsu. She didn't want the damn company, she barely wanted to come to Japan in the first place. However, now that Katsu was insisting that she had to go back, her stubborn nature was rearing its ugly head. "Katsu, just...move. I don't know what you're playing at nor do I want to know," Izzy pressed her hand to his chest, shoving him backwards. He reacted quicker than she gave him credit for, snatching her wrist up and stopping himself from being pushed away from her.
"You're not in charge here, Izabera."
"Oh? And neither are you. Now let go."
She swore to God Almighty, if he left more bruises on her wrist, she was going to throttle him. Party and reputation be damned. Izzy would not let herself be bullied by her cousin for something she didn't even want in the first place. "No, I don't think I will. Not until you promise to return to Italy. You don't belong in Japan, you never did. You're nothing but a filthy half-breed pretending you belong. But you don't and you never will."
Izzy felt like she'd suddenly been slapped. For reasons unknown to her, Katsu's words actually stung quite a bit. Just because she was interracial did not make her any less important. It certainly didn't make her a filthy half-breed who didn't belong. Her feelings were actually hurt by his comment but hell if she'd let him see that. "I don't belong but Shinobu wants me, a half-breed, to inherit the company. That's ironic, isn't it? Maybe you should stop listening to all the garbage your father is feeding you, you mindless idiot."
Anger flashed across his face, reminding her of the quiet rage in Takuma's eyes. Most likely she'd gone too far and it looked like he was rearing up to slap the living daylights out of her. A hand suddenly landed on Katsu's shoulder, heavy and large. It was enough to startle the both of them, Izzy physically jumping at the intrusion. She peeked over her cousin's shoulder, a startled noise resounding from her throat.
"Mori?"
Mori was the last person she expected to see but there he was, heavy hand still on Katsu's shoulder. His fingers tightened in the fabric of his suit jacket, easily pulling him away from Izzy. Relief washed over her and she let out the breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. Katsu angrily shrugged Mori's grip off, scowling harshly as he smoothed the wrinkles away. Izzy was mortified, staring up at her classmate with wide eyes. What he was currently doing there was beyond her but she was embarrassed all the same. Mori's eyes only narrowed slightly but Izzy felt her stomach churn uncomfortably. She almost, almost, felt the protective need to shield her dumb cousin from Mori's silent wrath. Katsu glared right back at Mori but it wasn't nearly as terrifying. Maybe it was because she knew Katsu couldn't hurt Mori the way Mori could hurt Katsu.
"Don't touch her again."
Izzy flushed heavily, looking away to avoid either of their gazes. This simply could not be happening, wasn't it enough that Mori had stepped into an altercation before? What God did she upset and what could she do to rectify her wrong? Maybe if she wished hard enough, the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
...Or not.
Katsu turned his glare on Izzy, like she was somehow the blame for all of this, and promptly stormed away. Shinobu and Takuma were going to be furious. She shoved that thought to the back burner, for now she had to deal with the embarrassment that was flooding her head to toe. "Well," she clapped her hands together. "That wasn't totally awkward," she tried, smiling in embarrassment. "Another argument you shouldn't have heard. If this gets out, Shinobu is going to kill me."
"You haven't done anything wrong," Mori pointed out after making sure Katsu really had gone back to the party. He turned to look at her, silver eyes dropping to her wrist once more. Noticing his gaze and sighing softly, she offered her wrist to him. Silent as ever, Mori took the offered appendage and drew the wide sleeve back to examine her wrist.
"No but I'm not exactly the favorite right now," Izzy replied sullenly, almost pouting. "He's probably weaving together some stupid lie about how we cornered and bullied him," she explained flatly. "What are you even doing here?"
"Fumiko-hime said you were taking too long."
Izzy heaved another sigh, resting her unoccupied hand on her hip. "Right, of course she did," she shook her head, knowing the Morimotos would be furious with her. She'd gone to the powder room by herself and now she would be seen returning with a boy, unsupervised.
Fabulous.
"They're going to have a field day with this," she muttered as Mori released her. Unlike last time, no bruise would come of Katsu's manhandling. "Let's head back before anyone else comes looking for me." She was only mildly surprised when he offered his arm to her. It was polite of him and maybe it won't look as bad when they made their return to the party. With a smile, she slipped her arm around his, letting him tuck her hand into the crock of his elbow. "I didn't see Honey-chan," Izzy made idle conversation, wanting to do anything but return to the party.
"He had a stomachache."
Izzy puckered her lips, tsking in disapproval. "Too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing," she chided while shaking her head. "I hope he feels better and won't miss school because of it," she stated genuinely, a bit put off that Honey wasn't around. She was sure the pint-sized Host would bounce back but it was a shame he had to miss out on the festivities. Not that she was having much fun herself but she was sure Honey's presence would've made things better. "In any case," Izzy spoke up as the sound of the ongoing party began to greet them. "Thank you again for...well...that," she motioned behind them with her free hand. "I'm not sure why Katsu thinks he can intimidate me…"
"What does he want?" Mori asked as they skirted the edge of the party. It would seem that no one had taken notice of them returning together. Perhaps the Gods smiled down on her for once. She decided not to question it, somewhat surprised that Mori didn't relinquish his hold on her.
"Well," Izzy dug her nails into the fabric of his suit-jacket. She was sure that Kyoya might have mentioned her family's company and the current power-struggle being waged. "For me to go back to Italy," she admitted, looking at everything but her classmate. Mori made an odd noise in his throat, although she wasn't sure why. "He thinks I want the company, not that I have any right to it, at least I don't think I do. My right was forfeited when my mother fled to Italy. I suppose he's trying to scare me into going back to Italy."
She spotted Fumiko halfway across the room, speaking amicably with Chi and a rather large and intimidating looking man. She squinted at the man and then glanced up at Mori. "Is that your father?" she asked, hoping to distract him from her family drama. Mori glanced in her direction and gave one short nod. She could certainly see the freakish resemblance. She glanced between the two, humming with a nod.
"Will you go back?"
"Mm?"
"Will you return to Italy?"
Izzy paused, gaze slowly turning back towards Mori. She blinked under his unwavering gaze, seeing something in the depths of silver eyes. She wasn't sure what to call it but she was aware that there was something there. She stilled under his gaze, drumming her fingers against his arm. "No, I suppose not. At least..not yet," she murmured softly, tearing her gaze away. She suddenly felt too hot and the heavy folds of her kimono were of no help at all.
The look in his eyes unnerved her.
Izzy's face twisted in distaste as she quietly regarded her test grade. A bright red '70' stared back at her, silently mocking her. It was a passing grade but...barely. The problem with that is Izzy didn't do 'barely'. She was smart, she knew that, and had never gotten anything lower than a '90'. The test score was mocking her. She was a stickler when it came to her grades and even if she came from a powerful family, she didn't want that to be the only reason she stayed in the top classes. She wanted to earn her academic spot herself, like she'd been doing her entire school career.
The brunette nearly slumped back into her chair, lips threatening to pull into a petulant pout. She was far too old to pout but Izzy never did too well with failure. Hazel eyes roved the classroom, studying her classmates as they prepared to leave classes. Some would go to Club while others would return home. None seemed concerned or even put out but then again, no one was really concerned with their grades.
"Berry-chan," Honey appeared at her desk, big eyes straining to see what had her down in the dumps. "Are you okay?" he asked innocently as she shoved the test into her history folder. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of, she tried to rationalize. She failed miserably but she did try, that had to count for something. And technically, it wasn't even failing. It was just failing by her standards.
"Peachy," Izzy replied tightly, slipping the folder into her bag.
Honey stuck a finger in his mouth, "like a peach tart?"
"How on Earth can you link everything back to snacks?" she mused down at him with a curled smile. "You've barely gotten over that stomachache, don't you think you should hold off on the sweets?"
"Nope."
"Well, alright then," Izzy gave up fairly easy with a shrug. "But don't say I didn't warn you," she chided lightly as the school's chiming ended the school day. Honey didn't heed her warning, hurrying her to get up. It was Monday, after all, which meant that she was to Host today. She wasn't quite in the mood to do so, her disappointing grade weighing heavy on her mind, but she had no choice. She joined the damn club so she would do what was needed.
Izzy walked alongside Mori, Honey propped on his shoulders. It was becoming natural to her at this point and a small part of her was becoming scared that the three of them might even be friends. She often found herself fussing and bantering with not only them but the rest of the Host Club much like she would her brothers or even Fumiko. And besides, she felt...almost closer to Mori now that he witnessed yet another confrontation between her and Katsu. He didn't say much about it but sometimes she caught him staring at her. Well, she couldn't really say she caught him staring because he never actually hid his staring.
Which was unnerving to say the least.
But she wasn't as uncomfortable around him like she'd originally been. It was good progress but clashed with her plans of not becoming friends with anyone while she was in Japan.
Izzy was at a standstill.
She enjoyed being around the Host Club. Yes, she thought they were ridiculous and over the top but she did enjoy being around them. She did wish they understood the concept of 'no' but she couldn't fault them for that. The point that she was trying to make was that she was failing to distance herself from the Host Club. She entertained the idea of just quitting the Host Club but something told her they wouldn't let her off so easily. To put it simply, she screwed up.
Izzy turned the corner after Mori, somewhat lost in her own thoughts when she ran straight into his back. She stumbled backwards, rubbing her nose. "Mori," she grumbled around her hand. "You can't just stop like that without any warning," she tweaked at her nose, wriggling it and mentally willing the throb to subside. When she didn't get a reply from either of them, she blinked the pain away and peered around Mori's wide frame. It was almost a comical sight to see her suddenly lean around him, eyebrows slightly raised with her hand still pressed to her nose. The color in her face instantly drained when she realized what stopped Mori.
Katsu.
Again.
The three of them quietly watched Katsu, outfitted in the Ouran's uniform for boys. Izzy blinked at the sight, brain short-circuiting. She didn't know an awful lot about her irritating cousin but she knew for sure that he wasn't a student of Ouran Academy. The trio didn't utter one word as they watched Katsu leave through the grand front doors, unaware of their staring. Mori moved first after Katsu was gone, gaze settling on Izzy as she continued to stare at the front doors. Her brows pulled in confusion, plump lips pursed in thought. She made an odd noise in her throat before tilting her head up to look at Mori.
"Well," her lips thinned distastefully. "That was an unforeseen development."
Honey shifted, laying his cheek against Mori's hair. "Takashi said he was being mean again at your party," Honey spoke in such a cute manner that it barely registered to Izzy what he actually said.
"Ah…" she dropped her hand away from her face. "He was being mean again but Mori swooped right in so it's fine," she tried to wave the notion off. Discussing what happened at the launch party was the last thing Izzy wanted to do at the moment. Hell, she didn't want to discuss it at all, ever again in her life. She'd much rather leave it where it was. In the past.
Honey's eyes watered, catching the brunette off guard as he turned them on her. "You're not really going to leave us, are you, Berry-chan?" he asked in a seemingly innocent voice. Izzy only quirked an eyebrow, glancing at Mori in betrayal. She wasn't sure why she assumed Mori would keep the subject of their conversation to himself. Obviously he was silent with everyone except for Honey. She didn't want to lie to Honey but she did plan on going back to Italy once the school year was finished. However, something told her that Honey wouldn't take it so well. When the pint-sized Host had become so attached to her, Izzy would never know. And as apathetic as she could, Izzy could not bring herself to bring Honey to actual tears.
"Now why would I leave now?" she asked instead, smiling in a charming manner. "Who's going to keep Tamaki and the twins from driving Haruhi up a wall if I leave now?" she tried to steer the conversation away from her eventual departure.
"You can't leave at all, Berry-chan," Honey pointed out, turning those butterscotch eyes full of tears on her. Izzy almost pouted, wishing Honey wasn't so relentless.
"Mm, how can I when you've got those eyes on me? Your eyes remind me of butterscotch. Do you think Kyoya would order butterscotch pudding for us to serve to the girls?" she asked in a thoughtless manner, nearly grinning in victory when Honey took the bait. He completely forgot about Izzy leaving, instead going on a spiel about butterscotch pudding. Mori saw right through it, dark brow quirked as he regarded her. Izzy's struggles to hide her smug smile ceased as a more innocent smile tugged at her lips.
And for a moment, she forgot about Katsu.
"Busy-bee, Fufu," Hiroki's broad grin greeted the cousins as they hurried into his bedroom. It was an impromptu meeting and Shinobu wasn't too happy about the notion. It was Izzy's idea to drop by for a visit after they finished up with school and she wasn't the least bit sorry. He held his hands up, gently cupping their faces as they offered sweet smiles.
"Should you be up like this, Oji-chan?" Izzy asked, cupping the hand pressed to her face. "I don't think Ms. Ogen would approve of you being out of bed," she pointed out with a soft frown. The only reason why Ogen hadn't thrown them out was because they promised not to rile Hiroki up too much.
"Ogen worries far too much," Hiroki insisted, stepping back from his two granddaughters. "How are your studies faring? Shinobu has been telling me that you're adapting well, Busy-bee."
Izzy's face flushed somewhat, uncomfortable that Shinobu kept up on her. She was only paying attention to her because she wanted to make sure the future of Morimoto Automobiles was smart and capable. She didn't care if Izzy was fond of Japanese Literature or if she was making friends. "School isn't hard," Izzy said instead, wishing Shinobu didn't see whatever is what was that she saw in Izzy. She thought about pleading her case to Hiroki, that she was not fit to someday take over, but she was positive that he agreed with Shinobu. She was, after all, Masami's daughter. "I like learning."
"All she does is study, Ji-chan," Fumiko spoke up with a dramatic sigh. "It's so boring sometimes, she barely comes shopping with me," she whined, ignoring Izzy's bemused expression.
"There's more to life than shopping, Fumi."
"See?" Fumiko groused. She didn't want to point out that Fumiko's whimsical attitude was the reason why Shinobu had her sights set on Izzy. Maybe if Fumiko stuck her nose in a book and not in a shopping bag more often, Shinobu would think better of Chihiro's frivolous daughter. Izzy kept the thought to herself though, it wasn't Fumiko's fault that they had such opposing personalities.
"Education is important, Fufu," Hiroki pointed out with amusement dancing in his old eyes. "But you're young, Bera, you should have more fun. Shinobu also says you've become quite popular."
"How does she know any of this—"
"—she is! She even joined a club!"
Izzy flushed heavily, frowning. The last thing she wanted to tell her ailing grandfather was that she was in a club wooing dumb girls. Hiroki might get the wrong idea and that wasn't something she felt like explaining. The amusement in his eyes increased tenfold. Shinobu hadn't mentioned that so Izzy joining a club must have been a recent development. That made things even better, it made it seem like Izzy was more of a team-player. "A club? So you've made friends."
"I...I guess you could say that."
Izzy distracted herself by reaching out and guiding Hiroki into an overstuffed and expensive chair. "They're good kids, a little wonky but they keep me on my toes," she mused softly, watching with a keen eye as Hiroki took his time to get comfortable. She could hear him breathing a bit too hard for her liking. "Sometimes they can be a bit...too much though."
"She's like their big sister—"
"—I'm not—"
"Except with Mori-senpai. He's always looking out for Izzy."
"Fumiko—"
The blush was back as Izzy reached for Fumiko to shut her up. The younger Morimoto danced out of reach, eliciting a gravelly laugh from Hiroki. "It's true, Ji-chan. I think he likes her," she pratically squealed in a staged whisper. Fumiko's confession surprised Izzy, halting her in place. They hadn't discussed something that lately. Even so, she quickly recovered, hoping that her quietness wouldn't cause Hiroki to believe her cousin's words.
"How would you even tell? His face barely moves," Izzy pointed out, a hand on her hip. "She's lying, Oji-chan. Mori and I are just friends, is all. We're just the only sensible ones, I think. He does tend to go along with Tamaki's schemes though…"
"Education first," Hiroki hummed in good nature, seemingly ignoring their bickering. The light atmosphere was cut short when the door opened, Ogen stepping in.
"Excuse me," she paused to quietly study Hiroki. "Shinobu-san would like a word with the young Miss," she nodded towards Izzy. The light atmosphere wasn't just cut short, it shattered. Izzy didn't want a word with Shinobu. Her chest felt heavy and whatever Shinobu wanted wasn't going to bode well for the young brunette. Knowing she can't just ignore her grandmother's summoning, she followed Ogen.
Shinobu was not alone. Takuma was practically glaring daggers at her and Izzy found herself staring at the exit and wondering if she could make a break for it. It would be disrespectful and extremely undignified but Izzy hardly wanted to be in the same room as Takuma, let alone have a conversation. "Izabera," her name was like a curse leaving his mouth, lips twisted up into a sneer. Her name sounded absolutely...filthy. It didn't sound right coming from him.
"Uncle," she returned blankly, eyes darting from him to Shinobu.
"Izabera, Takuma has some concerns when it comes to the interactions you've shared with your cousin," Shinobu spoke once she realized the two had nothing else to really say. "We aren't particularly pleased with how you've been treating Katsu and all your behavior towards him."
Izzy's head twitched hard on her shoulders. "My behavior?" she repeated almost stupidly. The brunette squinted at her grandmother, slowly glancing at Takuma. "You aren't pleased with my behavior?" she repeated, looking for clarity.
"You can understand basic Japanese, can't you?" Takuma's lip pulled. "Masami taught you that much, didn't she?"
"I understand Japanese just fine," Izzy snapped briskly. "What I don't understand is why I'm the one in the hot seat right now when I've done nothing wrong."
"Katsu told us about what happened at the launch party—"
"He told you that he was harassing me?"
Takuma stepped closer to Izzy, dark eyes narrowed. She noticed vaguely that Takuma and Masami shared the same eye color. She'd never seen such a pretty color so dark with animosity before in her life."You and that Morinozuka boy cornered my son."
"Did we? And what, pray tell, did we do after we cornered him?"
"You—"
"Nothing! We didn't do anything because we didn't corner him. He followed me to the bathroom and tried to manhandle me a second time. Mori scared him off because he was threatening me," Izzy argued tensely, hair nearly standing on end. It was one thing to hurl accusations at her but at Mori? He hadn't done anything wrong but stop her own cousin from harassing her.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Yes!" she threw her hands up, completely fed up and over the conversation.
Takuma scowled at Izzy but turned to Shinobu, writing her off rudely. "Mother, you really believe that she's a good fit for Morimoto Automobiles? Just look at how volatile she's acting!" he waved his hands in her general direction. Maybe if she wanted the compay, his words would have serve to anger her even more.
Izzy squinted at her uncle and wondered what the hell she wandered into. What did that have to do with Katsu lying about her and Mori? Who cared about who would one day inherit the damn company? This entire debacle was ridiculous. "Where is Katsu? I'll bet he won't lie with me standing in his face. Ask him what he said to me, ask him about the bruises on my wrists that I had to hide for weeks."
"My son would nev—"
"—oh yes he would and he has—"
"—you're lying—"
"That's enough."
The scary thing about Shinobu is that she rarely lost her composure. She never raised her voice and people around tended to just fall in line around her. Cold gray eyes studied them both, mouth pulled into a thin line. "Hiroki is resting and all the shouting could disturb him," she reminded them in that grave tone of hers. Izzy nearly wanted to pull her hair out. Who cares about him resting? She just revealed what Katsu had done to her and all Shinobu cared about was that the shouting could disturb Hiroki. Never mind that he was on the other side of a giant manor and probably couldn't hear a damn thing.
"Grandmother, there's been a mix up. I've tried to avoid interacting with Katsu because he's the one who's been acting inappropriately," Izzy said after taking a couple of deep breaths. Her control was beginning to wane and her infamous Giovanni temper was about to rear its ugly head.
"I see Masami has taught you to lie just as well."
"You're the one with the lying, spineless son!"
Takuma took a step forward and Izzy took a step back. Faster than she could blink, Takuma's hand struck out, catching Izzy off guard when her head snapped to the side from the blow. She had tried to dodge out of the way of her uncle's swinging hand, allowing the slap to land higher up on her face.
"Takuma," Shinobu didn't sound angry but more so exasperated that her son just slapped the living daylights out of her granddaughter.
"What on earth is all the screaming about—oh!" Chihiro chose that moment to step into the room, instantly noticing Izzy's red face. Something wet dripped down from just under her eye, confusing her even more. Her face had gone numb but she knew there was something definitely wet dripping down her face. Takuma's ring had caught Izzy just under her eye, tearing the skin open and leaving behind a gushing wound. She reached up, fingertips coming away bloody as Chihiro screamed at Takuma to 'get the hell away from her!'
"We have to get her to a hospital, she's bleeding!" Chihiro practicality screeched as Kioka came hurrying in to see what all the screaming was about. If Izzy hadn't gone into shock, she would have groaned out loud. All she needed was Hiroki, Fumiko and Katsu to join in and then it would really be a family affair. The color drained from Kioka's face when she saw the blood. Chihiro had Izzy's face in a tight grip, trying to see pass all the blood. She was also simultaneously yelling at Takuma, a feat that would have impressed Izzy. She was too busy reeling from the fact that Takuma actually slapped her.
As Chihiro stepped away to further berate her brother, Kioka stepped into view. Her fingers were cool as she turned Izzy's face to and fro to study the damage. "Ogen, would you please have the car brought around? I think she may need stitches."
Stitches?
"Chihiro, calm down. You can't take Izabera to the hospital if you're this hysterical. What would everyone think?" Izzy heard Shinobu ask over all of the screeching. Oh sure, so her being slapped by her own Uncle was completely alright as long as no one outside the family found out?
This family was a nightmare.
Chihiro calmed down enough to drag Izzy to the Hospital, nearly forgetting about her own daughter. Fumiko was rightfully confused when she climbed into the car, paling at the sight of Izzy. The wound wasn't under her eye but more so along the curve of her cheek once the blood was cleaned away. It wasn't deep enough to require stitches, just butterfly bandages and they were sent on their way home.
Izzy remained silent for the rest of the night, having trouble with acknowledging that Takuma had really slapped her. And what's worse was that her grandmother didn't even seem to care. 'What would everyone think?' that's all she cared about? What everyone would think of them if they weren't the perfect family the media portrayed them to be? Newsflash, they weren't perfect. Katsu was a lying menace and his father was an abusive psychopath.
The fact that both Shinobu and Kioka remained calm was a warning bell to her. Were bouts of violence a normal occurrence? Did Takuma hit Kioka? Did he hit Katsu? Shinobu was okay with that sort of treatment? Did Hiroki know of his son's violent ways?
Izzy glanced at the phone in front of her. She should tell her parents, demand that they buy her a ticket back to Italy. There's no way Alphonse would allow his only daughter to stay after being slapped by her own uncle. She couldn't remember a time that her parents used violence as a disciplinary tactic. Not that she was a bad kid growing up but when Izzy dared to step out of line, Alphonse never once hit her.
Fumiko came shuffling into the room, looking absolutely distraught. "Izzy?" she asked carefully, slowly approaching her older cousin. Izzy glanced up at her, face blank. "I would ask if you're alright but I highly doubt it.." Fumiko trailed off sheepishly, finding her feet extremely interesting.
"Well, my face hurts," Izzy deadpanned in that special way of hers. "Is...is that normal?"
Fumiko finally looked up, fingers twisting the material of her expensive blouse. "Well...I've never actually witnessed any acts of violence but sometimes I would hear mama talking about it with Shinobu," she revealed slowly, sitting down next to her cousin. "But sometimes I see him grab aunt Ki too hard…"
"Shinobu didn't seem surprised at all…"
"She's never surprised by anything," Fumiko revealed cryptically, still pulling at her blouse. Izzy was sure Chi would frown at all the pulling. "Are you...are you leaving?"
Izzy reclined into the sofa, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. She could only imagine the absolute scandal it would bring if she hoped on a plan to run off back to Italy. She'd be just like her mother, running away and leaving all of her troubles behind in Japan.
"No, I'm not leaving."
Izzy resisted the urge to blow at her bangs. Maybe she should have just listened to Chi and stayed home from school. But Izzy was stubborn and simply brushed her bangs to cover half of her face. They were long and curly enough to hide the bandaids but she wasn't used to having half her vision obscured. Thankfully her hair was thick enough to hide the flesh-covered bandaid slapped against her cheek. She received tons of compliments on the style that she accepted graciously but she hated it.
It was only Tuesday, which meant she wasn't needed at the Host Club. She skipped out on Club all together, slipping away to the Library until Fumiko was done being hosted. She knew she would pay for the slight later when the Club members got a hold of her but she simply didn't have the energy to slap on her Club personality.
Her face was throbbing awful and a headache was weighing her mind down. She wasn't quite sure what to do after deciding to stay in Japan. She blamed her stubborn nature and extreme pettiness on staying but there's no way she would continue to tolerate Takuma. He couldn't just get away with slapping the hell out of her. Who the hell did he think he was?
"Pretentious bastard," she swore quietly, flipping through her history textbook. She breezed through nearly all of her homework, saving History for last. It only added to her already irritatable mood. It was a good thing she skipped Club, she was far too cranky to keep up her big sisterly persona.
"Oh, I've spent enough time thinking about that demon from Hell," Izzy snorted, threading her fingers through her bangs to pin up towards her forehead. No one was in the library at the moment, allowing her to clear her face of her bangs. She wasn't sure how long she was supposed to keep the ridiculous style, irritating her even more. "Lucifer sure must be lonely..."
Izzy finished up her History homework, knowing she might have gotten a few answers wrong. "Perhaps I might compare answers with Mori and Honey-chan tomorrow before history class..." she trailed off, stretching her arms high above her head. She continued to stretch, arching her back over the chair with a satisfied sigh. The brunette laughed, dropping her head to hang. Mori would definitely help her out but something told her she'd have to bribe Honey with treats.
"What on earth have I gotten myself into?" Izzy sat up, chuckling softly as she did so. Noting that the Host Club was most likely finishing up, she began to gather her homework. Fumiko would already be upset that she didn't attend, being late wouldn't help matters. Izzy fixed her bangs to sit back over her face, sighing as she did so. Humming a soft tune to herself, she left the library intent on beating Fumiko to the front doors.
Only to promptly run into something hard as soon as she steped out of the library. "Jesus Christ," she swore crossly, stumbling backwards into the doors. Looking up, she wasn't as surprised as she should have been. "For the love of God, Mori," she held her nose for what felt like umpteenth time. "What are you made of? Iron?"
Hands shoved into his pockets, Izzy noted that Honey was, once again, absent from Mori's shoulders. That was odd but she chalked it off, more concerned about her nose. This was her third time running face first into him, she wasn't sure if her face could take much more of a beating.
"For someone so big, you move a bit too silently for my tastes. This is the third time that I've literally run into you," she rambled, waving her free hand at him. "But what are you even doing here? I must be later than I thought if you made it here from Club already. Where's Honey-chan?"
"You didn't come today."
"Eh? Oh, well, it's Tuesday so it's not a host day for me. I thought I could get a head start on homework and study for a bit. Did Tamaki and the others miss me?"
"Something like that."
If Mori's short answers bothered her, she hid it well. She barely noticed, smiling with a soft chuckle. "I'll be sure to come tomorrow, no worries, yes?"
Mori gave one short nod, eliciting yet another chuckle from her. Her laughter came to a screeching halt when Mori finally asked his own question.
"What happened to your face?"
"...What?" she asked slowly, a nervous tic ruining her smile.
"What happened to your face, Bera?"
Izzy stared up at him, eyes a little wider than normal. She'd been careful all day not to move too much, avoiding jostling her bangs out of place. No one had noticed that the sudden change was because she was trying to hide something.
How in the hell had Mori noticed?
"My face? What happened to my face? Why would you think something happened to my face?" she stammered in a high-pitched voice.
Mori reached forward and Izzy flinched almost violently backwards. The last time a hand came within reach of her face, the living daylights were slapped out of her. But Mori didn't falter, fingers brushing against her skin as he tucked her bangs away behind her ear.
Her bandaids were now on full display.
"That happened to your face," he pointed out, dropping his hand moments later. "It wasn't there yesterday."
Out of habit, Izzy tucked her bangs back more securely, cursing herself moments later. "Oh," she was giggling nervously. "You mean that..."
Why was her voice so squeaky?
"Ah..well...I was visiting with my grandparentes yesterday and I...fell."
God, why was she suddenly so terrible at lying?
Although his face showed no sign of changing, she knew Mori didn't believe her for one second. She fell? Seriously? That's the best she could come up with? She was usually a better liar and had an impressive poker face. Something wasn't just wasn't adding up.
Mori's palm slamming against the door above her head had her jumping backwards, back pressing tightly against the door. He leaned his full weight against his arm while she pulled into herself, sliding a bit down the door in an attempt to put some space in between them. The hand right above her head drew into a slow fist.
"You fell," he repeated quietly.
They both knew it was a lie.
Tee: I forgot how hard of a character Mori is to write. Especially in a romantic sense. Dude barely talks as it is. Why do I always do this? I literally always pick the hardest character to write about lol. I hope y'all don't think he's been talking too much. Something's gotta give man or nothing will ever develop lol.
Anyway, hope yall enjoy.