Aunt Maryanne looks around the room as the boys watch the door close behind their friends. The only one to make eye contact with her is Mori. "So," she breaks the silence. "I am not opposed to any of you courting my niece. You all come from high class families, so I know you'll be able to take care of her when she can't take care of herself. However, your family name means nothing to me. Who are you really? What makes you the perfect match for my dear Anna? I want to start with you, Honey. Anna called you her senior, yet you look and act like a grade school little boy. "
Honey stands as he addresses Anna's aunt. "Madame, I am a third year at Ouran Academy. Majority of my family are small in stature. Our height gives us an advantage in martial arts, as it typically throws off our opponent's balance."
"I see." Aunt Maryanne stands and walks closer to Honey. She circles him, assessing his size. "Height really doesn't matter, I suppose. Still, what can you offer my niece that these other gentlemen can not?"
"I am fully capable of not only financially protecting Anna," Honey says, straightening his back and holding his head higher, "but physically protecting her as well. If I need to, I can take out an entire police force single-handedly. She will never know what loneliness feels like, as I will always be by her side. When she feels weak, I will be her strength. When she feels sad, I will be her happiness. I will celebrate every joy of life with her as we grow old together."
Aunt Maryanne narrows her eyes as she takes her original seat. "So you're an optimist. My Anna is, as well. Very well, then. You're next, Mori."
Honey takes his seat while Mori stands. He closes his eyes and places a hand on his chest. "I am just as financially stable and strong as Mitsukuni. I, too, can take out a police force. I, too, can be her strength and her happiness. My strength, in being her match, is that I will always listen to what she has to say. I will support her physically, financially, and morally. If she reaches an emotional barrier, I will guide her around any obstacle. I will be her reasoning and her will."
"I like you, Mori," Aunt Maryanne says coolly. She takes a sip of her tea. "You have hardly said a word this entire evening, yet, to prove your point, you are able to say just as much as any of us in here. I will take your courtship into consideration." Mori nods and takes his seat. "I don't care who goes next, but whoever does, instead of comparing yourself to your predecessors, or telling me what you have to offer my niece, I want to know what you see in your future with my niece. Have you thought of any goals? Marriage? A family? Where do you see yourself with her in the next ten years alone?"
Mori and Honey look from Kaoru to Kyoya. Both seem to be contemplating every single question Aunt Maryanne had to ask.
Kaoru decides faster than Kyoya. He stands as if he's talking to royalty. "I have thought a lot about what my life would be like with Anna in the picture as my girlfriend. Eventually, yes, I would love to make her my wife. If she accepts me. I've always thought we would finish high school together. Continue college together, if she wishes to continue to study. If not, I would like to take her around the world with me. We can travel while I help my mom at her company. Of course I would like to talk to Anna about this and get her point of view of what she would like to do after we graduate. If I am able to date her, I would hopefully like to be married to her in the following few years or so. I can't plan an engagement or a proposal without knowing where my significant other stands on the matter. After travelling, when we're ready to settle, I want to have a family with her. A daughter, a son, and a dog. We can live in a manor anywhere she wants to build one. We can stay local here, or reside in her hometown in France. As long as she's happy, that's all I want."
Aunt Maryanne nods. She looks at Kyoya. "And how about you?"
Kaoru slowly sits down. He's not sure whether Aunt Maryanne not responding to him is good or bad. Kyoya remains sitting, but he crosses his legs and pushes up his glasses. "I agree, I cannot make future plans with Anna, without knowing what she wants or how she feels. Currently, my dreams are to run my own company, alongside my family's. Whether Anna wishes to stay with me through it all or if she wishes to live a different life is clearly up to her. I am positive, though, you have already made up your mind about every single one of us. You have known from the moment we came in and sat down. Earlier, when you had Anna originally leave to make us tea, I felt a heavy tension in the room while you evaluated us based on appearances alone. We never once spoke a word to each other though that encounter, so you didn't even know our names until Anna made introductions. However, you still had to ponder over who the better match for your niece is. Whether it be one of us, or someone else you already have chosen on your travels. You knew our names before Anna introduced us, because she writes to you every day. From the moment she stepped on the plane, leaving your estate, leaving your care, she has written you one letter for each day of the week. So you already knew all about every single one of us before even meeting any of us."
Aunt Maryanne sips her tea. "Another good quality about Anna is that she doesn't lie. She never has, even as a kid. She could, if she wanted to. But she doesn't. As she has mentioned to me before, you do thorough research on everybody who comes within your circle. You are correct, Kyoya. I know as much about all of you as she has written me. However, I have not made up my mind yet. Thank you, for your time, gentlemen. If you will please leave me to my thoughts. When you find the kitchen, please send in Anna for me. I'm sure she's anxious to know what has become of this little talk we've had."
The boys don't say a word as they leave the room. Kyoya lingers a bit longer to bow to Aunt Maryanne. She nods in response.
"32! 33! 34!" Hikaru and Anna's father are having a food contest to see who can fit the most marshmallows in their mouths. Haruhi and Anna's mother count in encouragement for both contestants. Tamaki and I watch in both amusement and disgust.
"Whose idea was this again?" I ask, covering her mouth to mentally keep herself from throwing up.
"Your mother's, I think." Tamaki replies, holding a small trash can closer to his chest.
The rest of the group joins everyone in the kitchen.
"What's going on here?" Honey asks, skipping in, back to his usual, cute self. When he notices there are marshmallows, he joins in on the fun.
"NEW CONTESTANT!" My mother yells. Hikaru and my father spit out the marshmallows in their mouths and chug a glass of water.
While my mother cleans up the mess and adds a new plate, Haruhi opens a new bag of marshmallows.
I look over at the other three boys. Kyoya smiles in my direction, Mori nods, and Kaoru avoids looking in my direction altogether. "Hey, welcome back. They're having a contest to see who can fit the most marshmallows in their mouths."
"Who's winning?" Mori asks.
"It was a tie until Honey joined. Who knows, now."
"What does the winner receive?" Kyoya asks.
"I don't know, a stomach ache?" I laugh.
Kaoru glances at me before saying, "Your aunt wants to see you now."
"Oh. Was everything okay between all of you? She didn't bother any of you, did she?"
Mori shakes his head.
"There was no problem at all, Anna," Kyoya says.
Kaoru shrugs.
I stare at Kaoru, but he still avoids my gaze. "R-right." I stumble over my words as I stand. "Well, I'm off then. Thank you." Before walking out of the kitchen I stop. Without turning around, I take a quick breath and add, "I mean it. Thank you all for coming tonight." I exit the kitchen, listening to their chatter and laughter fade.
"Anna, come in," Aunt Maryanne calls after I knock on the door. I take a deep breath and walk inside the room. As I close the door behind me, I notice a look on my aunt's face I have never seen growing up. She's smiling. I walk down the stairs and head straight for the table across from her where Tamaki and Kyoya were originally sitting. "Sit here, love," Aunt Maryanne says to me, patting the couch beside her. I glance towards the table before making the final decision to do as I'm told. When I take my seat at my aunt's side, she starts to tell me her process for this final lesson. "This was never about you finding a suitor, little one. I know I've always been hard on you, but it was to show you not everything is nice in the world. There will be a day you will find someone possibly worse than me. Especially for you to want to be an idol. I am very proud of the young lady you have become. You have done so well. And your friends," she pauses to sip her tea, "don't let them go. Those friends of yours are hard to come by. Cherish them. They sure cherish you."
I remain silent, not knowing what to say. I turn my head to watch the fire slowly devour the logs beneath it. Suddenly, I feel a gentle touch on my hand. When I look towards my aunt, her hand rests on top of mine.
"I'm sorry if you thought me to be cruel. I make no promises I will change my ways." She lets go and I feel an odd chill where her hand used to be. "You are too young to get married. However, if at any point you happen to fall in love with any of the young gentlemen lounging around in the kitchen, doing whatever silliness they are doing with the marshmallows-"
My eyes widen and she laughs.
"Yes, I know about the marshmallow contest. I started the game when I first met your father. It was a nice ice breaker for us, especially since it was around the time your mother introduced him to me. Anyway," Aunt Maryanne stands, "if you happen to fall in love with any of them, and they treat you with much more respect than you deserve, don't hesitate to tell them how you feel."
As soon as Anna's aunt leaves the room, she looks at the flames dancing in its hearth. At least the fire seems happy. She starts to laugh to herself. What an interesting woman. Anna reminisces her time living with Aunt Maryanne. She never had any friends, always had to study. Her only free time was when she was practicing her instruments. She remembers her aunt's secret ballroom. That's where Aunt Maryanne kept all the instruments. Anna continues to laugh as she compares it to Music Room 3 at Ouran Academy. Then she starts thinking of the boys.
Kyoya, always the cool type. Who can get easily irritated but not easily flustered. Even when he has to deal with Tamaki's antics.
Tamaki hasn't changed. Maybe he's a bit more responsible. He has a reason for everything he does, and when he has a will, he has a way.
Mori is very quiet. Yet he expresses so much in the ways he looks after Honey. His devotion is incomparable, even to monks.
Honey. Anna giggles to herself. I hope Honey never changes. He's already very mature for his age. If he wanted to blend in with our parents' generation, he could very easily do so. I like his energy. He can find the fun in everything.
Hikaru and Kaoru... Hikaru is childishly over-possessive of his friends. He's stubborn and rude and so quid pro quo. Yet he's undeniably loyal. Kaoru on the other hand is calm and has an innate sense of self-control. Both of them genuinely care about their friends, they just have different ways of expressing it.
Finally, Haruhi. Oh Haruhi. So observant to everyone around you except when it comes to yourself. You put everyone before yourself. But I hope I can teach you to express proper emotions... Or maybe Tamaki can... I wonder who you will choose, Haruhi? Tamaki or Hikaru?
Anna lays down on the couch. Facing the ceiling and holding her hand to her stomach she feels her breaths as she ponders 'choices'. Who do I choose? Do I have to choose? Do they choose for me? Why did my aunt make this entire arrangement a greater deal than necessary if it was for nothing? What did she have to gain from it all? Was it even for her benefit? Or was it for mine?