I'm breaking my back just to know your name
But heaven ain'st close in a place like this
Anything goes but don't blink, you might miss
"Come on, guys, it's not that big of a deal!" Haruhi insisted, her arms stiff against the side of her body.
Kaoru and Hikaru cooed as they nuzzled against the top of her head and her cheeks. "Yes it is, you little mutt."
The honor student sighed as she tried to blatantly annoy the way the twins were draped over her small form. "So I need a refresher course on how to waltz. Big deal. I only had to do it once before, so I'm not really surprised that I need to practice again."
Kyoya took this moment as the perfect time to begin the playlist of classical waltzes to practice to.
"Excuse me," Missy interrupted from where she was seated by the windows. "But the club is closed today, so why am I here?" The model had shown up at the door after class was over, surprised to find a sign on the door, stating that the club would be closed for the day. As she had turned to leave, the twins opened the door, grabbed the girl by her shoulders, and dragged her inside the room.
"Isn't it obvious?" Hikaru asked, still pressed up against Haruhi.
"You're going to stand in as Haruhi's partner!" Kaoru continued, mirroring his brother's movements.
From across the room, Tamaki seethed. "You two, stop touching your sister like that! Get off of her!" he shrieked. "Not to mention, Missy can't teach Haruhi when she herself doesn't know how to waltz."
"Oh, you're right boss."
"We hadn't thought of that," the twins replied, exchanging a look.
"That's right, boys," Tamaki replied suavely. Missy tried to interrupt at this point, but the three paid her no attention. "So, this time, I'll stand in as my Haruhi's partner." The senior quickly pulled Haruhi from the twins' grasp, shoving them aside in the process and pulling the girl close to him.
"But Tama-chan, you're too tall to be a woman," Hani stated in confusion. He was seated next to Missy, happily munching on some cake.
Tamaki, of course, ignored this and proceeded to twirl the junior around the room. Haruhi tripped over his feet in the process, glaring at Tamaki the whole time. "Senpai-"
"Haruhi, look at how cute we are. Me and my little girl!" the teen cheered as he ignored the pain in his toes. It didn't matter how many times she tripped over his feet, he was happy to let her if it meant that she would be next to him for a little while longer.
Ignoring the discomfort, Haruhi tried to follow along. Yes, she was dancing the girl's part, but it still counted as practice, right? Once she saw the way Tamaki's eyes brightened, she knew she couldn't crush his dreams so easily. He looked so . . . happy.
"Hey, boss! We want a chance to dance with Haruhi, too!" Kaoru and Hikaru exclaimed, raising their fists towards the upperclassman. Tamaki, however, refused to relinquish his hold on the girl and continued to evade the twins gracefully.
Missy, Hani, and Mori watched in amusement from their seats. Hikaru and Kaoru were still chasing Tamaki, trying to pry Haruhi, who seemed completely nonplussed by the situation, from Tamaki's firm grip.
"Masu-chan, do you want me to teach you how to waltz?" Hani asked his underclassmen, his brown eyes wide with affection. The two had spent at least one afternoon a week together since she had transferred in the previous semester, and she really liked the loli boy's company.
In reply, Missy shook her head. "That's okay, Hani-senpai. I wasn't planning on going to the formal anyway."
"WHAT?!" Tamaki shrieked, stopping completely, causing Haruhi to nearly collide with him. "Mommy, that's not true, is it?" he asked, turning his attention to Kyoya.
The dark-haired senior didn't look up from his laptop. "I assure you, Tamaki, that there is no logical reason as to why you are looking at me for confirmation. Masumi has the right to decide for herself whether or not she will attend a host club event. She is not, in fact, a member of the club, and therefore, not required to go to any of our parties."
Missy smiled at him, glad to have his support. "Thank you, Kyoya-senpai."
"That being said," Kyoya continued, "All of your friends will be in attendance, and according to your schedule, you have no prior engagements. It would look very bad for you to not participate in such an enriching experience," he said, eyeing her knowingly. "Of course, the choice is still entirely yours." And with those words, his entire focus shifted back to his computer, alerting the other members of the club that he would not contribute anything else to the argument, having addressed his point thoroughly.
"Kyoya-senpai, how do you know Missy's schedule?" Haruhi questioned, asking what everyone else in the room had been wondering.
He fixed her a level look. "That should hardly surprise any of you at this point."
Kaoru shrugged noncommittally. "He's right. We really shouldn't be surprised."
"Yeah, senpai knows everything about anyone," Hikaru continued. "Even if he doesn't always share it."
"Kyo-chan doesn't share stuff unless it benefits him."
Haruhi rolled her eyes. "That's what makes him so scary."
Imperceptibly, Kyoya smirked from behind the screen of his laptop. That was what made him so scary.
"Yes, well," Tamaki continued, his attention shifting to the model. "With that being said, it's time we started preparing you for the party."
Missy looked at him quizzically, her tea held out in front of her. "Why would you need to 'prepare' me?"
Tamaki gasped audibly, while the twins rushed forward to stand on either side of him, the same shocked expression on their faces. "My dear girl, you can't attend such a prestigious event without knowing how to dance! Imagine, being unable to dance with your many suitors because you simply don't know how," he said sadly, shaking his head. "It would break their hearts, and mine as well, to see such a beautiful girl sitting on the sidelines."
"Yeah, the party will be boring if you can't dance."
Haruhi chose this moment to take pity on the other girl. "It's okay, I didn't know how to either until last year. And honestly, it's not all that important. It's okay if you don't know. It doesn't affect how I see you at all, Missy," Haruhi stated earnestly.
The model shot her a grateful look. "Haruhi, I-"
"Hold on a second," Kaoru interrupted. "You're a dancer."
"Mmhmm," Missy replied. "Which is why I find it so amusing that all of you think I don't know how to dance."
"Yes, I see your confusion," Tamaki acquiesced. "However, there is a difference between the commoner dancing and the waltz." With a flourish of his hands, the senior was smiling brightly, no doubt imagining the girl learning the formal dance flawlessly, spinning around the room, second only to his dear Haruhi in everyone's affections. "The waltz is a beautiful dance that gestures to how well two individuals can come together to create something beautiful. Every refined person must know the steps."
From behind his many spreadsheets, Kyoya cleared his throat, directing all of the attention to him. "Forgive me, but why do you assume that Masumi doesn't know how to waltz?"
"Because she's a commoner," Tamaki and the twins all dead-panned, pointing out the obvious.
Kyoya chuckled from his seat. "A commoner, you say?"
"Guys, can we quit the commoner talk? It really doesn't mean anything," Haruhi insisted, causing the twins to turn back to Haruhi, fawning over her 'blunt nature.' The natural host was quite exasperated at this point, finding their insistence on the difference of pedigree to be so significant irritating. It didn't make sense to her. Who cares about someone's parents? All that mattered was someone's own actions. "Sorry about them," she said, turning to Missy. "They get a little carried away . . ." Haruhi trailed off, finding that the model was no longer on the couch.
Blinking twice, the hosts looked around, surprised to find that she was no longer in the room. Silently, she had slipped out the door.
"Where did she go?" Kaoru asked, his gaze sweeping the music room.
"She just disappeared!" Hikaru crowed in surprised. "How did she do that?"
While the twins and Tamaki began looking around the room, Hani sighed and placed his fork back on his plate.
"Masu-chan left because you weren't paying attention to her," the blonde said quietly.
The twins stared at him in frustration. "What do you mean 'not paying attention'? We were talking to her!"
The small upperclassman shot them an irritated glance, causing the two to take a step back.
"What do you mean, Hani-senpai?" Haruhi asked, taking a seat next to him.
"You were all talking about her like she wasn't even there!" Hani replied with tears in his eyes, holding usa-chan tightly to his chest. "She kept trying to tell you something, but you wouldn't listen." His voice had turned quiet and sad at the end, as if recognizing the emotions the girl was probably feeling. Hani certainly wasn't new to having his thoughts and feelings ignored.
"Yeah," Mori chimed in, echoing his cousin's sentiments.
Tamaki, of course, panicked immediately. "What have we done? We've alienated our second commoner daughter? Mother! What do we do?" the blonde shouted, immediately reaching out to Kyoya.
The twins began to move towards the door, citing that they were going to look for the girl. Before they took more than a few steps, Kyoya stopped them.
"Tamaki, when are we going to be done with this commoner schtick?" he asked, glaring at his classmate. Once again, the fool had managed to distract him from his work.
Hani immediately jumped on his friend. "That's right, Tama-chan. Just because Masu-chan comes from a poor background doesn't mean we need to remind her all the time!" Mori nodded in agreement.
Blinking slowly, Haruhi began to wonder how she had ever become friends with such crazy people. Truly, Mori was the only normal member of the group, especially on days when Satoshi wasn't there.
Overwrought with shame, Tamaki retreated to his corner, moaning apologies to his daughter for having ever offended her by mentioning her common roots. Haruhi merely rolled her eyes in protest.
Having had enough of their antics, Kyoya slammed his laptop shut. "Enough, Tamaki!" he barked, throwing the room of chaos into complete and utter silence, stopping the twins in their tracks. "I don't care if you want to use the word commoner, as long as you apply it to people it actually relates to."
The entire room was completely silent as the senior's declaration sank in.
"So what you're saying is-" Hikaru began.
"Missy isn't a commoner?" Kaoru finished, both twins scratching their heads in confusion.
The older twin blanched and turned towards his brother. "But half her wardrobe is t-shirts!" he sputtered. Kaoru nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, she owns more sweatpants than the entire track team combined!"
Kyoya sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Masumi is not, nor has she ever been, 'common.'"
Kaoru wrinkled his nose in confusion, his brother copying his features. "But if she was part of our society, wouldn't we have known her growing up?"
"Maybe not," Hani said thoughtfully, staring into his teacup. "Maybe she had to grow up far away."
"Well then who is she?" Haruhi asked, curious as to why her classmate's identity was such a surprise. Tamaki had taken this opportunity to move forward and stand behind Haruhi, staring at Kyoya with curiosity.
Kyoya, took it all in stride, leaning forward in his chair to give the information to his willing listeners. "Masumi Preston is the oldest child of Mei Kurumi, the sole owner of Kurumi energy, the company that distributes oil, wind, and electric energy to the entire country, as well as parts of Southeastern Asia."
Tamaki gripped the back of the sofa in surprise, his fingers leaving indents on the red cushions. "My little girl is . . . an heiress?" he questioned in disbelief.
In reply, Kyoya shook his head. "Not exactly. Masumi was the product of Kurumi's marriage to a William Tudor Preston, Marquess of Exeter*. He is a partner in British Petroleum, and he also owns a relatively new clean energy company, which is how he met her mother in the first place. They were business partners before they married. He also owns a lot of property, as well as a few odds and ends in scotland."
The rest of the club stared at Kyoya, completely stone-faced at the revelation.
Kaoru was the first to be able to articulate a coherent thought. "So-so where does that leave her inheritance now?"
"While Masumi is the oldest child of the Kurumi household, her mother's remarriage has produced a son, and possibly another boy in the near future, removing her from the claim, barring her mother's decision to hand the company over to her instead. This is, of course, unlikely, as Masumi has had little contact with her mother since leaving Japan six years ago," Kyoya stated emphatically.
"Six years ago?" Haruhi asked, folding her hands carefully in her lap. "Why?"
The senior only shook his head. "I'm afraid that not even my informants could get me that information. It's all under lock and key from the Kurumi family, although, I was able to glean that it was something about Masumi's safety," Kyoya admitted.
"And her father?" Hikaru asked shakily. "Did that asshole disinherit her, too?"
"Hikaru . . ." Kaoru soothed his brother, though his thoughts were identical to his twin's. He couldn't imagine anything worse than being rejected by his family.
"While Masumi is not William Preston's oldest child, that position belonging to her half brother, who lives in America somewhere, I believe, he has since remarried and produced two other daughters. It's hard to say where his estate will end up without looking at his will. But Masumi doesn't seem to have a strong connection to either of her parents, so it seems unlikely that she will gain anything. It's interesting," he paused thoughtfully, his face resting in the palm of his hand, "It's safe to say that most of her independent nature probably stems from a lack of dependency on either of her parents. That's probably what drove her to have a career so young," he mused.
"So Masu-chan doesn't really have any family, does she?" Hani asked sadly. The other club members could hear him sniffling, but only Mori moved closer to the college student to offer comfort.
"She has us," Kaoru said firmly, his brother nodded in agreement.
Tamaki and Haruhi both smiled, realizing what Kaoru's statement had meant. Rarely, did the Hitachiin twins refer to anyone as their family. Yet here they were, offering acceptance to a teenage girl that they had known for only a few months. More than anything, they hoped that the younger twin meant it.
"Hey guys, you'll never believe what my brother just told-"
The entire club whipped their heads towards the door in shock to find their friend striding in the room, her phone in her hand. The wide smile fell from her face immediately upon seeing their expressions and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Wh-what is it?"
"Masu-chaaaan," Hani wailed as he sailed towards her, flying into her arms. "We're sorry!"
Catching the older boy in her arms, Missy spun around in bewilderment before hugging the wailing boy to her chest. "What are you sorry for, Hani-senpai?"
Before the boy could answer her, however, the rest of the club, excluding Kyoya and Haruhi, had surrounded her for a group hug. Hikaru and Kaoru had both wrapped their arms around each other, the model trapped in the middle. Tamaki attacked from the front, pulling the group towards him while simultaneously squashing Hani who was hiccuping slightly from his earlier crying. Meanwhile, Mori stood off to the side, patting Missy on the top of her head. Kyoya and Haruhi watched from their seats in amusement.
Haruhi was mostly just happy to not be at the center of the hug for once, while Kyoya smiled softly, happy to see the girl finally bonding with the group of idiots.
"We're sorry that your parents don't want you to be a part of their family, but you can be part of our family, Masu-chan!" Hani cried.
Missy's entire body tensed in response. "Hani-senpai, what are you talking about?" she demanded, her usually pleasant voice threaded with steel. One by one, she shrugged each of the hosts off of her, fixing them each with a hard look as they stood before her, sheepish expressions on her face.
Tamaki was the first to crack.
"It's not right that your family shouldn't want you, but it's their loss! You're a part of our family now," the blonde said sincerely, his eyes boring straight into her.
The model clenched her jaw, remaining completely silent.
Hikaru scratched his neck awkwardly next. "Kyoya-senpai, kind of, told us about your family," he admitted with a nervous laugh. He looked incredibly uncomfortable and kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"I don't know what Kyoya told you, but I already have a family," Missy said through gritted teeth. With those words, she turned abruptly on her heel and headed straight for the door.
Nobody moved a muscle in the time it took for her to cross the room and slam the door shut behind her, but as soon as she disappeared, all hell broke loose.
"Senpai, how could you say that!"
"It's not my-!"
"Masu-chaaaaaaan!"
"She's never going to talk to us again!"
"Everybody, shut up!" Haruhi shouted. The honor student was more exhausted than usual after a day of club activities, and she had hardly been able to practice her dancing at all. Instead, they had all been caught up in a maelstrom of emotions, ending with offending one of their friend by prying into her life. Haruhi understood how much the girl was probably hurting, considering how much it bothered her whenever the club interfered in her own life.
The room was silent again, everyone stopping mid-sentence to stare at Haruhi. The natural host never raised her voice at them. It just wasn't in her to yell at people unless she was defending someone or excited about food. Truly, it was a day for shocking events.
Kyoya looked at her approvingly, respecting Haruhi's strong response and ability to handle the situation.
"Listen to me. Clearly, we have upset Missy by going behind her back and prying into her business."
"But-!"
"Shut up, senpai," Haruhi replied with a glare towards Tamaki, who could only hang his head in shame. "Obviously, she's very sensitive about her family. Everyone stays here while I go find her and apologize."
"Haruhi-!"
The junior whirled around and pinned the twins' objections with a hard stare. "Stay," she barked.
Meekly, they obeyed, slinking back towards one of the empty sofas.
Sighing, Haruhi left the Music room and trotted down the hallway, eyes and ears alert for any signs of her classmate.
Briefly, Haruhi wondered if the model had gotten lost. After all, she arrived with the twins, so she couldn't have left school grounds. So she had to be somewhere inside the school.
Turning down an empty hallway, Haruhi stopped and listened intently. To her right, she could hear steady footsteps against the tile. Immediately, she knew it had to be her friend, as there were no other clubs on this floor and most of the other students had already gone home for the day.
"Missy!" Haruhi shouted, hoping to catch the girl's attention so she wouldn't have to search for her.
The footsteps stopped and then picked up, this time faster and traveling in the opposite direction.
"Dammit," the honor student muttered lowly, annoyed at having to chase after her. She picked up her stride, allowing her short legs to carry her as fast as she could.
She turned down another hallway and ran directly into her missing classmate. "Ow!" Haruhi grimaced, colliding with the other girl.
Missy fell from the impact, landing on the ground with a soft 'thud.' "Geez, Haruhi. Watch where you're going," she growled, rubbing her back, resigning herself to the impending bruises.
Haruhi looked over the girl in concern, noticing the pinched look on her face. "You shouldn't have run off like that. Everyone was really worried about you."
"I don't know what Kyoya told everyone, but he had no right to invite everyone into my past," Missy hissed defiantly. She crossed her arms over he chest.
The honor student stood up, brushing the dirt off her blazer. "Grow up," she chided gently. "They talk about you because they care. If Tamaki-senpai didn't know everything about everyone he would implode."
"How would you know?" the brunette bit back icily. She knew she was overreacting and she knew that Haruhi wasn't really to blame, but she was felt hurt and betrayed. It was her life to share, not Kyoya's.
"The host club is like it's own family. It took me a long time to understand that," Haruhi admitted, her doe eyes softening. "Last year, I went to Karuizawa on vacation to work for a friend of my dad's, and they followed me, and stayed for the entire break. They meddle because they care."
"I know they care," Missy confirmed, the edge in her voice lightening, "I really do. But it doesn't make it okay. Besides, the host club isn't my family."
Haruhi looked over the model. She was sitting on the ground, her knees tucked into her chest. She looked . . .vulnerable. "I get it. You don't consider them family. But honestly, Missy, they consider you family. Tamaki-senpai . . . he doesn't really have much of a family," she said quietly. Missy looked up in surprise, her blue eyes focusing in on her friend. "And most of them have a lot of family problems. Hani-senpai's little brother hates him and half his family has ostracized him. Kyoya-senpai is overlooked by his family, and the twins haven't ever made friends outside the club. They need each other. There's a reason they act like that. To them, the club doesn't have boundaries because that's the only real family they have."
"What about you?" Missy asked, the anger vanishing from her voice. Her once irritated glare had turned thoughtful. She could see it now, if she looked hard enough. Glimpses of the bonds the hosts shared with each other. The model knew enough of Kyoya's family to know that they probably all had hard times relating to their parents and siblings. To them, they didn't need rules because the club was the only place where they really felt safe and loved. It was home.
"I-I was so focused on my goal to be a lawyer like my mom that I forgot to build bridges along the way." Haruhi looked off into the distance for a moment, reminiscing through the memories she shared with the club members. It had taken her the whole year prior to see how their antics and drama and love could improve the quality of her life. Suddenly, she turned her attention back to the other girl. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be annoyed with them. You're right, they should have asked you instead. But don't shut them out, either. That's all I'm saying."
And with those words, Haruhi pulled Missy off the ground and tugged her down the hallway, back to the music room. Within minutes they were pushing the doors open and greeting the other club members.
Haruhi, having done her duty thoroughly, went to find herself a piece of strawberry cake from the pantry, leaving Missy to the mercy of the other hosts.
Hani was the first to approach her, Usa-chan behind his back as he stared at the ground. "Masu-chan, we're sorry," he mumbled, his lip trembling as he tried to hold back the tears.
"Thank you, Hani-senpai. I'm sorry I got mad and stormed off. I shouldn't have left like that, and I'm sorry I worried you," she admitted, reaching down to hug the upperclassman. Hani accepted the hug, his entire face lighting up before he skipped away to find some sweets to share with Usa-chan.
Tamaki was the next to approach the girl. A whimper left his mouth while Kyoya glared at him from across the room, urging his apology. "Princess, I apologize. It was wrong of us to seek Kyoya's knowledge of your background instead of asking you directly. Please, forgive me," he pleaded earnestly.
As much as Tamaki irritated Missy, she also could tell that he was incredibly sincere. He may have loved giving false compliments, but that was just because he loved to see people smile. "I forgive you, senpai. But if you ever do that again, I will break your knees, okay?" Missy said sweetly. Tamaki smiled gently and bowed before stepping back to stand by Kyoya.
"We're sorry," Kaoru said, moving towards Missy, tugging his brother along. His amber eyes were downcast with contrition and the girl was surprised by the depth she saw there. Gone was the mischief. "We shouldn't have ignored you or dug through your past without asking you."
Silence overtook the conversation and Kaoru elbowed his brother in the ribs sharply, causing Hikaru to yelp in surprise and shoot his twin a nasty look. "Y-yeah. We're sorry for ignoring you. We should have listened to what you had to say."
"We upset you and made you leave twice. We have to be the worst hosts ever," Kaoru conceded, a playful laugh bubbling up.
"Twice?" Missy asked in confusion. "I left the first time because Josh called me. You guys weren't really listening to me, which was rude, but I left to answer a phone call, not to storm off dramatically," she clarified. "Josh wanted me to know that his team is coming here next month for a workshop in hand-to-hand combat."
"So, you didn't leave because you were offended?" Tamaki asked timidly, rising from his seat. Haruhi shot him a dirty look and he sank back into his seat.
"I was hurt the second time. You guys shouldn't have done that," she scolded, glaring at Tamaki and the twins. "But the first time I really was just answering a phone call. Ignoring me was annoying, but it's not worth getting upset over."
"But," Kaoru interrupted, "you forgive us, right?" He was rolling forward on his toes in anticipation, waiting for her to give him some approval.
She rolled her eyes and stuck out her arms for a hug. Both twins cheered before wrapping their arms around her. "Yes, I forgive you, idiots," she teased, releasing them from her brief hug.
Mori was next. He stared at her for a moment before nodding, to which she nodded in reply. All was well between the two after their brief exchange.
Next was the hard part.
"Kyoya-senpai," Missy called, directing her attention to the 'cool' host.
"Yes?" he asked, looking up at her expectantly.
"What, exactly, did you tell them?" she asked evenly.
"I told them about your parents, mostly. You were born here, alternating between two households. Your father had you during the school year, your mother on breaks. That's how we knew each other. However, you have had little interaction with either of your parents in the last five years, and both of them have since remarried and produced other offspring. I believe that sums up what I told them," he replied matter-of-factly.
Missy nodded slowly, realizing that while he hadn't told them anything that was a secret, per se, but it was still a sensitive subject. "Let me be clear," she warned, causing all of the club members to perk up in attention. "I have a family. My half-brother, Josh, and his mother, Marisol, are my family. They have a home in Texas, in the United States, and they mean the world to me. I didn't like you guys assuming that I didn't have a family because I do. Josh and Marisol have taken care of me since I was thirteen. My parents may be responsible to bringing me into this world, but that's where their claim on me ends," she stated evenly. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have calculus homework to do."
The room lapsed into a rare silence as everyone went about their duties, their minds still focused on processing what she had told them.
Within ten minutes, Kaoru was seated next to her on the couch, his math homework in front of him. It was odd, Hikaru was across the room, being tutored by an irritated Kyoya, but the two seemed more comfortable with the distance. "I really am sorry," he apologized scooting closer to her on the couch.
Their legs were barely touching, but she ignored the comforting warmth that emanated from his body, rolling off of him in waves. "I know."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she replied tersely, her focus still on the figures in front of her. The equation had so many variables that it was taking up half a page for one problem.
"Would you have ever told us about your parents if Kyoya-senpai hadn't told us first?"
She looked over at him in surprise, the math problem momentarily forgotten. His gaze was focused on her intently and Missy knew there was no getting away from that look in his eyes. Kaoru's mouth was fixed in a firm line, but he didn't look angry. Rather, he looked focused.
Clearing her throat to buy some time to think, she wondered. Would she have ever told them? While she could see the merit in having friendships, it was hard to say how deep she would allow the relationships to go. "I-I don't really know," the model replied honestly. That answer really bugged her, which she hated to admit. It wasn't like her to be afraid, but she was terrified to let people in and give them the opportunity to hurt her.
Kaoru nodded and leaned back into his seat, balancing his assignments near his knee. "I thought so. You're almost as closed off as Hikaru and I used to be," he said wryly. "But that's okay," he said, his entire countenance brightening. "The host club will do the same thing for you that it did for Haruhi."
"And what's that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Make you happy."
"It is my duty, as a member of the Elite Ouran Host Club, to make every girl happy." When he had said that to her after she had bruised her ankle, she thought he was teasing her, trying to make her laugh.
But now, she saw that he meant it. Those were words the entire club lived by, and Haruhi was a prime example. The entire club had gone to great lengths to try to enliven her life, to bring joy to her mundane existence, and to show her that love still existed, even with her mother gone. They all really loved her.
They all really loved her.
And here, Missy wondered just how much each individual member loved her.
But it wasn't the right time to question something that she wasn't really ready to receive an answer to.
"Just to clarify, you do know how to waltz, right?"
Missy shot him an annoyed look before writing down her answer in her notebook. "Yes, but I don't really like it."
"Really? Why?"
She shrugged. "It's kind of boring."
Kaoru tapped his pencil on his homework thoughtfully before replying. "Maybe you're just not dancing with the right person."
A/N: Ugh you guys are the best. Seriously, I loved reading the reviews. Let me know if there are any questions or concerns about this story.
*There is actually a Marquess of Exeter, but it's under a different family name.
-star
P.S. Has anybody figured out what's up with the chapter titles yet?