"An...onsen?"

Haruhi nodded, amused by Izzy's clear confusion. Tamaki mentioned it first, as a sort of family bonding trip for them but Izzy was unfamiliar with the term. "Hot springs." The younger brunette answered, simple and straight to the point.

Izzy nodded slowly but she was still frowning. "And Tamaki wants to go to one this weekend?"

"Sounds like it."

She found it strange that Tamaki picked this particular weekend to want to take a trip. Fumiko and Chi were leaving for the weekend with plans to visit Shun in Yokohama while he dealt with another big divorce case. Of course, the invitation had been extended to Izzy but once again, she politely declined. She wondered if her big mouthed cousin mentioned the fact to Tamaki and that's why he felt the need for a trip.

"Hot springs are good for you, Senpai," Hikaru began with a mischievous grin, butting into their conversation, as usual. "You're not getting any younger, you know. It'll be good for your skin."

"It'll help you relax too since finals are coming up!" Kaoru joined his brother. "It'll help those wrinkles in your forehead."

Unimpressed, Izzy stared at them blankly. "You two are always so cute until you open your mouths," she said before casually brushing them off. Nothing irritated them more than being brushed off. "Anyway..I suppose it couldn't hurt. Ranka won't mind, Haruhi?"

She learned, at that point, that resistance was futile. If Tamaki was dead set on going to a resort, that included her as well.

Haruhi shrugged an uncaring shoulder. "He probably won't mind since you're going too."

That made Izzy smile, she wanted Ranka to like her and it seemed she was successful. Most of her success had to do with the luxurious food she brought around but it was still a win in her book. It was also because she was a girl as well but that was a minor detail.

"Well, I don't suppose it would hurt. It sounds nice and Chi and Fu are gone for the weekend," Izzy said after a moment of thinking it over. Besides, finals were creeping up and she was a little stressed about it. Of course, she could buy her way into higher education but she was determined to score well enough for admission.

Which meant that she needed to talk to her parents. She was warming up to the idea of staying longer in Japan, even if it meant having to deal with Katsu and Takuma. There was a small part of her that wanted to get under their skin, a pettiness she wasn't quite used to. Might be a Morimoto thing. It wasn't Masami she was too worried about, she'd been the one to encourage her daughter into trying something new and adventurous. It was Alphonse and her brothers. They weren't privy to Izzy's year-long stay and they'd definitely have a fit if her stay became indefinite.

She was, after all, the youngest and the only daughter. Izzy never rebelled against her parents, she catered to whatever they wanted her to do. That's the exact reason why she found herself in Japan in the first place. She did what she was told, what was expected of her.

Maybe Alphonse would kill her but he'd have to fly around six thousand miles to do so. Besides, Masami wouldn't let him be so reckless. And if push comes to shove, well, she wasn't above throwing her mother under the bus.

"Why aren't you going with Fumiko-hime and your aunt?" Haruhi questioned as Izzy loaded the service cart with dishes. It was the same for Christmas, Izzy opting out of joining her cousin and aunt for vacation.

"They're visiting Shun, Fumi's father. He's not around a lot, he's a big shot lawyer," Izzy explained with a shrug. They left the twins' area and wheeled the cart towards Mori and Honey. "Honey-chan, how were the sweets today?"

Honey mumbled something around the mouthful of cake. Izzy chuckled but leaned over, swiping a smear of icing from his cheek. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and hummed. "Yummy, cream cheese frosting?" He nodded vigorously, causing Izzy to smile. She turned to Mori then, lips pursed. "Ah, how was hosting, Mori? Did Honey-chan eat all the cake?" There was a tense sort of air around them now. It wasn't awkward but it was…loaded.

Mori smiled up at her and handed the stack of dessert plates. "He shared."

"Ah," she nodded and leaned closer to take the plates. "Did you try any of them?" She thoughtlessly handed them off to Haruhi. Mori shrugged, not all that fond of desserts to begin with. "Maybe you should, you might like it."

She wasn't sure what to label their relationship as. Friendship, obviously but now there was that…kiss. She wasn't quite sure what that meant for them.

Haruhi elbowed Izzy in the back and pushed the cart away. Izzy huffed and whirled around, following after the younger brunette. "What was that all about?" Haruhi asked in a blank tone.

"All of what?"

Haruhi frowned up at her, hardly impressed. "Play dumb if you want, Senpai."

Izzy huffed and scooped up Kyoya's singular teacup on their way to Tamaki's area. She shooed the blond away, brushing him off towards the twins and out of their way. He pouted but did as he was told, knowing how easily frustrated Izzy could get when it came to cleaning. She began picking up the fine china, handing them off to Haruhi. "I'm not playing dumb, Haruhi."

Haruhi only shrugged. "If you say so, Senpai. So you don't want to intrude on your cousin's time with her dad?"

Izzy nodded, glad that Haruhi dropped the subject. "Right you are. Fumi really loves Uncle Shun and she misses him a lot. I'd hate to get in their way," she shrugged and focused on cleaning. Tamaki's area always took the longest, he tended to have more china because of the girls.

"You sure are self-sacrificing," Haruhi observed. "Did you spend a lot of time with your father growing up?"

"Not really, he was really busy but my brothers kept me occupied but then they got more involved with his business and I…"

"Did what you were told?"

Izzy smiled but it lacked its usual warmth. She often criticized the other students about their subservient attitude when it came to their families but she was starting to wonder if she was the same. Maybe her parents weren't forceful about it but Izzy went along with what they said. Whatever they wanted her to do, she did it. However they wanted her to behave, that's what they got.

"You still plan on going to wherever they want you to go after Ouran?"

The taller brunette's smile dropped. "I…I don't know."

"Time's ticking."

"Shut up, Haruhi."

"My, isn't this impressive?"

Izzy blinked up at the luxurious onsen resort, genuinely impressed. She wasn't sure why she thought this would be a simple resort. They arrived late Friday evening, after she wished Fumiko and Chi a safe trip to Yokohama.

"You can't seriously be surprised, Senpai," Kyoya hummed from beside her. "You should be well aware of how we do things by now."

Izzy smiled and folded her arms across her chest. "I suppose that is true."

Kyoya herded them all into the onsen as Haruhi explained the rules of an onsen resort. They separated after checking in, Izzy and Haruhi going to their own room they were going to share. Tamaki insisted they could have their own rooms but the two passed, opting to share with no problem.

"So we bathe together…naked?" Izzy asked after they settled in their rooms. She wasn't sure what she thought about that. It's not like she made a habit of bathing naked with her friends.

Although…

No. No….not okay.

"Sure," Haruhi shrugged. "I mean, how else would you soak in an onsen?"

"In a bathing suit?"

"It's a hot spring, not a swimming pool. Now come on, I'll wash your back for you."

Izzy pinned all of her hair up like she'd be told to do. The Japanese really took their onsen seriously but she wasn't one to disrespect someone else's culture. Well, to be fair, it was her culture too. They went through the process of washing off and though Izzy had trouble disrobing in front of Haruhi, they made their way into the hot spring.

"Incredibile!" Izzy gasped as she sank below the hot water. "It's like a jacuzzi but…."

"More hygienic and better for your health?" Haruhi prompted from next to the older girl. "That's why we don't wear bathing suits. Unsanitary."

Izzy waved Haruhi's words off, groaning. She felt her muscles beginning to loosen up. "So much better than a sauna or a jacuzzi."

"So, which do you want to talk about? Your fear of upsetting your parents or the very strangeness that's going on between you and Mori-senpai?"

Izzy instantly sat up, splashing hot spring water all over the place. "I'm sorry, what? What strangeness? Things are fine." Her face was red but she could easily blame that on the hot spring. Haruhi only eyed her, unimpressed. "There's nothing…ara—" She paused, lips twisting in thought.

"You don't have to keep denying it."

Izzy groaned again but this time it was agitation. "Okay. So I may…I might have a crush on him."

"Obviously."

"Oh, it is so not!"

Haruhi snorted, causing Izzy to childishly flick water into Haruhi's face. "I just..we…"

"So, you like Mori-senpai?"

"I..I do."

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

Izzy wished that her hair wasn't up in a bun at the moment, she tended to use it as a curtain. "I sort of did something already…?"

Haruhi's eyebrows shot up her forehead though she didn't react in the way Fumiko would've reacted. "Did you? I'm surprised. It's not like you to take risks."

"Excuse me? I do so."

"You don't."

Izzy glared at her but gave up the argument. There was no point, that was her problem. She didn't take risks, she liked to be safe. Masami said so and it was true. It was so frustratingly true and it was driving her crazy. "Oh, shut up. What do you know? You're one to talk," Izzy snorted and closed her eyes.

"What's that mean?"

She popped one hazel eye open. "You're kidding, right?" she asked plainly. "You don't…" but she stopped herself and opened both eyes. It wasn't often she got the chance to have a girl's talk with Haruhi. "Haruhi, you like Tamaki, don't you?"

"Sure," Haruhi shrugged.

The elder brunette sighed and sat up a little. "No, Haruhi, not like that. I mean, do you like Tamaki the same way I like Mori?" Izzy asked in a careful tone, hazel eyes inquisitive. "You know, in a romantic kind of sense."

Haruhi blinked her big brown eyes at her, taken aback. "Um…I…"

"Yeah, you like him. It'd be hard to believe if I didn't spend so much time with you both," Izzy nodded wisely. "I can see why you like him, he's a good guy. You shouldn't give him such a hard time, yeah?"

"I'm not giving anyone a hard time," Haruhi answered in a steady tone but Izzy was eyeing her, unconvinced. "I didn't come to Ouran for a romance, Senpai. I came here for a good education so I can be an attorney, like my mom."

"An attorney. You've got a good poker face for that," Izzy agreed easily. "That's a good choice, I bet your mother would be proud." Izzy smiled and missed Haruhi's strange expression. "But I don't see the harm in something with Tamaki." She raised her arms above her head and hummed in content.

"You're sounding awfully chipper, " Haruhi noted instead, opting to ignore everything she said. "That's unlike you."

Izzy rolled her shoulders. "I just...maybe a little change is good."

They soaked for a little while longer before Haruhi managed to talk Izzy into getting out of the water. They wrapped themselves in comfy yukatas and begrudgingly (on Izzy's part) left the hot spring. "It doesn't happen often but Tamaki had the right idea coming here," Izzy stretched her arms high above her head for the second time, humming in content. "I feel lovely."

Haruhi hummed, though it was more thoughtless. "He could at least choose an onsen that's not so luxurious. These yukatas probably cost more than my clothes."

"The abundance of wealth is a little ridiculous but to be fair, that's all he really knows," Izzy nodded. "It's the thought that counts, isn't it?" She reached up and pulled the pin from her hair, unraveling the topknot with a sigh of content.

They found the room they'd been directed to, sliding the door open to see the rest of the Host Club waiting for them, sitting at a low table cluttered with a lot of luxurious food for dinner. The noise died down and Izzy smiled in amusement, arms folded over her chest. "That's a lot of food," she said by way of greeting before waving Haruhi in. "How was everyone's soak?"

"Hikaru-chan and Kaoru-chan tried to drown Tama-chan," Honey said in a voice that was far too sweet for the subject. Izzy blinked at him, settling down next to Mori. Hikaru and Tamaki were bickering over who Haruhi should sit next to.

"You…you guys let them try to drown him in hot water?" Izzy asked with raised eyebrows.

"It's not unbearably hot," Kyoya hummed. Izzy seemed hardly pleased with that, giving him a dry expression. "Don't fret, Senpai. Mori-senpai put a stop to it."

"And how long did that take?" Izzy rolled her head towards him, looking up at Mori. He turned to look back at her and she suddenly realized just how close she was next to him. "Did they make him cry?"

"No!" Kaoru grinned, watching Tamaki and Hikaru's fight in amusement. Haruhi had given up on sitting next to either of them, sitting next to Kyoya instead. "We almost did but Mori-senpai told us to cut it out."

"I guess the deviousness never takes a break," Izzy shook her head.

Dinner was a raucous affair, not that she was even surprised. Most of it, of course, was Tamaki and the twins bickering childishly and Izzy tried her best to put an end to their bickering. It ended when Izzy got fed up enough to start hitting the trio upside the head.

"A walk through the gardens? That sounds…" Izzy sat on the veranda, staring down at the odd shoes she'd be given. It was Tamaki's idea for a garden stroll under the pretty night sky but Izzy was sure that it was a ploy to get Haruhi alone. How he was going to do that was beyond her. "Lovely…" the brunette trailed off before sliding her feet into the geta. She stood up and looked a little confused. "How on Earth am I supposed to walk in these?"

But Tamaki was already bounding forward, dragging a less than excited Haruhi behind him. Hikaru and Kaoru chased after them, shouting about that unfair move and Kyoya followed along after a long-suffering sigh.

"You have to shuffle your feet, Berry-chan," Honey offered with a cute smile.

She pouted because it didn't seem like everyone else was shuffling along. Maybe they just had more practice than her. Still, she didn't want to fall on her face in front of them. Especially not the twins.

Mori nudged at her side and she glanced at his offered arm. "Ah, no, it's fine. Wouldn't want to slow you down with my shuffling."

But Mori only shrugged and nudged at her side again. "I don't mind."

Izzy glanced down at Honey but he was missing, having run ahead to join the others. She laughed softly but gave in, looping their arms together. "Let me know when you get bored of shuffling with me."

"I won't get bored with you."

Izzy's face was red but she smiled softly. "Well," she cleared her throat. "Did you enjoy the onsen? Besides the twins drowning Tamaki?"

"They tried."

"Right, my mistake." She was busy looking down at her feet, shuffling just like Honey said. "You know, my Nonna would have a fit right now, she'd smack me and say '¡Prendi i piedi, ragazza pigra!'"

"I can't speak Italian, Bera," he reminded her with a chuckle. She picked her head up, blushing terribly.

"Right, right. You know, it wouldn't kill you guys to learn Italian. She'd say 'pick up your feet, lazy girl!' and then smack me with her wooden spoon," she explained with a laugh. "Anyway, did you enjoy the onsen?"

But he shrugged, it was nice, of course but it wasn't like he hadn't experienced it before. It was obvious that Izzy enjoyed it, her eyes were bright even in the dark of the night. "You enjoyed it?"

"Yes!" Izzy cooed, bouncing on her feet and leaning all of her weight into the tips of her toes. She tipped forward, momentarily losing her balance and wrapped her other arm around his arm like a vice grip. "For Heaven's sake, walking in heels is easier than this!"

Mori chuckled but helped her regain her balance. "Pinch and pick them up with your toes when you shuffle. Stop swiveling your hips."

"I don't swivel my hips."

"You do."

Izzy paused and glanced up at him, eyes even brighter than before. She straightened up and released her vice-like grip on his arm. She felt that little spiral of insecurity building up but decided to ignore it, reaching for his hands.

Her actions were uncharacteristically forward of her but she settled his hands on her hips. "Swivel, huh?" Izzy grinned and stepped forward, purposely swiveling her hips. She had no idea she had a tendency to swivel her hips when she walked but apparently Mori did and that made her absolutely giddy.

Izzy leaned forward again on the tips of her toes, a little better at balancing on the tips of her geta now that most of her weight was resting on Mori. Pressed so intimately against him, she could feel every hard line of muscle and she hummed appreciatively.

"Bera—"

"Mori-senpai! What's taking so long, did Bera-senpai fall?" Tamaki suddenly yelled from somewhere ahead. The two paused, blinking as if realizing they'd been under some kind of spell. Izzy's face gradually heated up until she found the sense to peel herself away from Mori.

"Wow—uh…" the brunette struggled to form words, surprised with her brazen actions. She cleared her throat and tried her damned hardest to get her head straight. It was a cool night but she felt way too hot at the moment. "Shouldn't keep them waiting, hm?" Izzy finally managed to piece together. She reached forward and smoothed the wrinkles out of his yukata, flushing hard because she'd been rubbing up against him like a cat in heat.

She took a careful step around him, hand instinctively reaching out to settle against his arm to stop herself from tripping over her geta. "Aren't you coming? You know they'll come looking for us if we don't answer."

Mori turned into her direction, allowing her to grab him around the elbow once more. She smiled and patted at his arm, completely missing that loaded look.

Or maybe she didn't.

The next morning, Izzy woke up early. She didn't want to disturb Haruhi's slumber, so she pulled on another comfortable yukata and explored the onsen. Eventually she found herself sitting on the veranda, toes dangling above the ground as she enjoyed the early morning air. It was more relaxing than she realized.

"Good morning, Senpai."

She glanced up, eyes cracking open. "Ah, Kyoya. You're up early, I'm a little surprised. Tamaki says you and Honey-chan like your sleep," she said by way of greeting. "Here, come sit down," she patted the spot next to her, somewhat amused with his expression. Maybe he didn't want to sit with her but he did so anyway, settling down next to her.

He shrugged apathetically, laptop balanced on his lap. She eyed it warily. "I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep."

Izzy hummed in thought. "We're supposed to be relaxing, what's with the laptop?" she asked. "You do know what relaxing is, don't you? It means no work. There's no girls to be hosted here, no money to make off of them."

Kyoya chuckled but she knew it wasn't out of humor. "Not everything revolves around the Host Club, Senpai. I have my own things to look into outside of club work."

She shrugged, deciding to leave it at that. If he insisted on carrying the laptop around, she wouldn't hound him for it. She wished he would relax but she wasn't in the business of forcing him to do anything he didn't want to do. "Your sister is very lovely, how's she doing?" Izzy decided to ask after a moment, tilting her head back. "And her husband?"

"Fuyumi is just fine," Kyoya answered simply and straight to the point. "Why do you ask?"

She turned her head towards him, eyebrows raised. "Because I like your sister? She's nice and I wanted to know how she was doing," she chuckled. "Why else would I ask?"

"Because it's the polite thing to do, Senpai."

Izzy snorted. "Yes, I suppose but I genuinely care, Kyoya. I don't have any motives for asking how Fuyumi is doing."

"You care about my sister, who you barely know? Forgive me if I'm not thoroughly convinced."

"I care about you, Kyoya, for Heaven's sake," Izzy laughed again, this time sounding a little exasperated. "Not everyone has a motive. I mean, sure, a lot of people actually do but I sure don't. We're friends. Friends care about one another."

She didn't blame him, after meeting his family but still, his mistrust of even her was disheartening. Her laughter gradually died down and her smile slowly faded. She eyed him for a long time before taking a deep breath.

"Your family, they, uh, they really did a number on you, hm?"

Kyoya smirked at her but tilted his head until the early sun glinted off his glasses, hiding his eyes from her. "I assure you, Senpai, I don't know what you mean."

Her smile returned but it was more sympathetic this time. She was beginning to really put the pieces of the Host Club together and really seeing what the basis of their found-family was all about. The brunette sat up and slid over until she was pressed against Kyoya. He stiffened but she didn't care.

She lifted her arm and settled it around his shoulders, leaning her head against his. "I'm not sure what your father and brothers think of you but I think you do a fantastic job at being…well…you."

Kyoya chuckled and still had yet to shove her away but she felt like he was a bit too good to shove her away. "You don't know anything about them."

"So? Don't need to. I know you and that's all I care about."

"This is a surprise, given the fact that you're leaving at the end of the school year. Which, now that I think about it, is coming up soon."

Izzy made a face and drummed her fingers against his shoulder. "I may not be leaving, after all."

"Oh? I hardly think your parents are excited about that."

"Haven't even told them yet."

"And when do you plan on telling them?"

"Ara…when I get the acceptance letter into Ouran University?"

He turned to look at her, hardly impressed but Izzy was smiling in guilt, eyes closed to avoid having to look him in the eye. No, her plan wasn't that great and it was downright awful but it was the only thing she could think of besides telling them.

"Senpai?"

"Hm?"

"Your cousin is here."

"What?" Izzy asked. "I told you, Fumi went to Yokohama with Chi to see Shun. She's not here."

"I wasn't talking about Fumiko-hime. Your other cousin."

She made a confused noise in her throat and turned to see Katsu standing at the end of the veranda, staring back at her with wide eyes. He was dressed in the onsen's yukata. Izzy's eyes were just as wide as his, mirroring his expression.

"Oh, great."

Katsu shook his head but came storming up towards them. Izzy made another noise in her throat before she tore her arm away from Kyoya, scrambling to her feet. Katsu grabbed her by the front of her yukata, wrinkling the fine fabric. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

Kyoya was silently on his feet and maneuvered until he was standing in front of Izzy, forcing Katsu to let go. "Morimoto, we weren't expecting to see you here. We were just enjoying the onsen before finals."

Katsu scoffed. "You came here with a bunch of guys, Izabera?"

Izzy sighed and ignored the jab. "They're my friends, Katsu. For Heaven's sake, I'm allowed to hang out with them."

"Hang out. Sure, that's what you're doing."

Izzy's head twitched, curls bouncing around her face. She nudged Kyoya out of the way and stepped closer to Katsu, her expression a mixture of confusion and offense. "Just what are you insinuating?"

"My father was right about you."

"Your father doesn't know me and neither do you," Izzy said through gritted teeth, stabbing at his chest with her finger. "You don't have any right, Katsu, any right at all! Do you hear me?" Izzy's eyes were blazing.

Katsu scowled back at her though it did take a minute for him to get his wits about himself. Her anger was actually a little unsettling. "I do have the right because your antics affect our family's reputation!" He yelled, getting right in her face.

"Antics? What antics, you moron?!" Izzy threw her hands up. "You know what antic will get me into trouble? Throwing you into one of these hot springs! Back off."

Kyoya grabbed Izzy by the elbow and discreetly pulled her back. "That's quite enough, Senpai." He offered a polite but cold smile. "This is a place to relax and you're not doing that."

Izzy's jaw twitched but she took a deep breath. "Right, I'm sorry. I'm not sure what came over me…"

Katsu looked between the two. "What? You're done with Morinozuka and now you're moving onto Ootori? He hardly seems to be your type, Izabera."

Izzy leaned against Kyoya and reached over his shoulder, grabbing Katsu by his yukata this time. "Katsu, I will hurt you."

"Izabera."

She made a tight face but took another deep breath and let go of Katsu and took another step back. Her actions were a bit of a surprise to her. She had a temper, she knew that but resorting to violence so quickly was a little unhinged of her. Usually she could play Katsu's mind games for quite a bit.

"Katsu? There you are, what on Earth are you—oh! Izabera!" Kioka came striding around the corner only to come to a stop. She smiled brightly at the sight of the brunette. "I wasn't expecting you!"

"Aunt Ki?" Izzy blinked. "What are you doing here?"

Kioka continued to smile and ignored the very tense mood. "Hello, young man, excuse me," Kioka stepped around Kyoya. "Oh, well, you see, Takuma's been stressed lately so I thought it might be fun for the three of us to…"

Izzy reached for Kioka and drew her yukata's sleeve back to see a bright purple bruise wrapped around her wrist. Izzy's face was blank but she said nothing about the bruise, dropping Kioka's wrist. "Stressed…" Izzy hummed dryly.

Kioka's smile dimmed and was touched with a bit of sadness. "You know what stress does to a person. Takuma thought it was a good idea too." The older woman took a step back and turned to Katsu. "Come on, we'll miss breakfast."

Kioka pulled her son away with a quickness, smiling nervously while waving at them. Kyoya and Izzy watched them go, somewhat confused about Kioka's hastiness.

"Great."

"Hiking? I'm sorry but that hardly seems your style," Izzy said over breakfast. "Do I hate to wear the geta?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Senpai, of course not! And I'll have you know that hiking is a commoner's pastime for exercise!" Tamaki grinned excitably. Izzy hummed along to his reasoning, opting not to reply by eating her tamago.

"There it is," Haruhi muttered into her breakfast, ignoring Izzy's muffled chuckling. "And everyone's up to hiking? No offense but you guys don't seem to have the stamina for that. Besides Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai. And maybe Bera-senpai."

Hikaru scoffed, offended. "You really believe Bera-senpai has more athletic stamina than us?"

Izzy glanced up at him. "I used to dance and swim. What sports do you two partake in? Besides, you know, getting on my nerves?"

"You're more irritable than usual, Senpai," Kaoru observed, leaning into her. "You couldn't have woken up like that." He noticed almost immediately that she had a perpetual hard tic to her jaw. "You're clenching your jaw, can't be good for your teeth. Think of your smile."

That got her to actually smile. "You're right. Sorry. Ara, Kyoya and I…had a strange run-in this morning."

"A run-in with who, Berry-chan?"

Izzy busied herself with her teacup. "Katsu."

"Your crazy cousin is here?" Tamaki squawked.

"Tamaki, he's not crazy," Izzy sighed and placed her cup down. "He's just a little…unhinged."

"I think he might say the same about you after this morning, Senpai," Kyoya pointed out coolly. Izzy shot him a nasty look.

"What'd you do?" Mori asked while looking down at her.

"I didn't hit him, if that's what you all think."

"Why not? You hit us all the time!" Hikaru pointed out with a bratty frown. "And he deserves to be hit anyway, after all he's done to you."

"She certainly would have," Kyoya answered when Izzy made it clear that she wouldn't answer. "But to be fair, he was suggesting terrible things about her."

"What things?" Haruhi blinked her big eyes in question.

Izzy's face flushed terribly and she shook her head. "The same thing everyone thought of me." But they all remained quiet, staring at her in confusion, except for Kyoya. "Come on, you guys remember those rumors, right?"

"What rumors?" Tamaki asked innocently.

Izzy tilted her head to the side, confused by their confusion. "You guys really don't know? You didn't hear any of those rumors at all?" She was genuinely surprised by this but then again, they probably learned to ignore all the ridiculous rumors that floated around. "Well, a lot of students, specifically the girls, thought I was hot-blooded."

"Hot-blooded?" Haruhi repeated.

"Mm. A hot-blooded floozy, to be exact."

"People really said that about you?" Hikaru pressed.

Izzy nodded but she didn't seem all that miffed. "Yes, well…my grandmother and uncle think it's a little unbecoming that my closest friends are all boys and Katsu suggested some things beforehand."

"Haruhi isn't a boy," Tamaki rubbed his chin, offended for the younger brunette but she didn't care.

"We know that Tamaki and I didn't see the need to explain that to Shinobu and Takuma."

"Unbecoming that your closest friends are boys? Is that really such a problem?" Haruhi asked. Izzy sighed and motioned for her to come closer. She did as told and Izzy leaned in, cupping her ear and whispering something that the others couldn't hear. When Haruhi leaned away, she blinked rapidly. "They really think that about you?"

"Evidently."

"I don't see how, you're far too uptight," Hikaru snickered, which earned him a glare.

"This is why you get hit," Izzy scowled and leaned towards him, pinching his ear. "You're naughty boys, you know."

"You shouldn't talk like that, Senpai. It might add to that floozy rumor mill," Kaoru chuckled but stopped when she turned her attention to him, doing the exact same thing.

Breakfast soon ended after that and they all left back to their rooms to get dressed for their hike. Izzy pulled her hair into a ponytail and dressed in black tights and a tank top. When she met them at the front, she eyed them all. "That's..not how you dress for a hike. And Kyoya, why do you have your laptop? There's no internet up the mountain!"

"What did you expect?" Haruhi let out a dry laugh, her arms folded across her chest.

"Go back and get dressed in something less..flashier! And leave the damn laptop, Kyoya! If you're going to bring something, bring the notebook!" Izzy ordered, hand on her hip as she pointed back to the onsen hotel.

Haruhi chuckled. "Floozy? I can't believe anyone would think of you as a floozy when you treat them all like that," she pointed out, clearly amused. "Did it bother you?"

Izzy dropped her other hand to her hip as she stared at them. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Haruhi. "Not necessarily. It bothered me that those girls thought that just because I'm Italian."

"What about your family's opinion?"

"It bothered me because…you know, about my mom and everything. They think I'm just like her."

"Is your mom a floozy?"

"God, no." Izzy threw her head back with a laugh. "She has a bad rep for running off for a guy so now they think I'll do something dumb for a guy."

"Stupid like…staying in Japan?" Izzy laughed again but avoided Haruhi's open gaze. "Who says it's stupid though? If that's something you want to do or something your mom wanted to do, why is it stupid?" Haruhi didn't mind that Izzy wasn't looking at her. "She's happy, isn't she?"

"Of course. She says it's the happiest she's ever been."

"Right, so was it stupid?"

"Well…no…I suppose it wasn't. It was at the cost of her family though and that's..that's where we're different. She didn't get along with them but I get along with mine, I love them!"

"I'm sure your mom loves her family even if they don't get along," Haruhi nudged at Izzy's side. "She had to do something stupid to get that happiness."

Izzy didn't answer right away, the rest of the Host Club returning diverting her attention. They were dressed less flashier and Kyoya had his notebook instead of his laptop. She smiled at the sight of them, arms folded across her chest. "Stupid. Right."

TeeBeMe: Kyoya and Izzy needed their bonded moment, yeah? And Mori and Izzy still have terrible timing, no matter what lol