HELLO DARLINGS!

So, I know it's been awhile forever, an eternity, but to make it up to you I typed this all up TODAY and it was 11 pages long. 11. That's a lot. And I was super excited. And listened to "My Immortal" by Evanescence at least 15 times while writing. My fingers ache, my hands hurt, these wounds won't seem to heal. Anyways, I'm hoping you guys like it. Please leave a review to let me know and without further ado...

Tamaki watched with a nervous anticipation as the plane touched down. It was a surreal moment- for the first time since he was fourteen, he would see his mother. How did she look now? Would she even recognize him? Surely she would, she always recognized her baby- that's what she told him when he would dress up for things when he was a child. Then he began to wonder how she was. He knew that she was being treated for the Lupus while he was gone, but he did not know much about her health in general. Was she doing better? Was she getting stronger, more healthy? Did she still get so weak that he was afraid she would shatter into pieces of broken glass if she tried to stand? He felt his eyes sting some with tears. He wasn't afraid to cry in front of anyone, on the contrary, he was very secure about showing his feelings. A strong man wasn't afraid to cry in front of someone.

But what if she got sick here in Japan? How would they be able to treat her? He grew panicked before he realized he could ask Kyouya for help with that. He wouldn't say no to something like this, he was sure. But what if one of his brothers or his father found out and told Grandmother? He felt his mouth go dry as his stomach twisted at the thought that his grandmother would remove her support for his mother's treatment. He clenched his fists, shaking as he saw an image of his beautiful maman laying on her deathbed, white and so sick she could barely breathe, the pain almost unbearable. He had to focus on his breathing as he thought of it, realizing he was on the verge of a fit. The fact she was risking so much by coming here...

To distract himself, Tamaki tore his mind away from the gruesome aspects of what could happen and focused on the positives. He couldn't believe he'd get to hug his mother again, smell her perfume and hear her gentle voice. He loved his father, but he had missed his mother so much. When he was a small boy, he had often fantasized about his parents getting married so his family would be complete. Now he knew things would have to completely change before something as grand as that could even possibly happen. And he didn't know if his parents were still in love. It had been so long since they had been together and the strain of it all had definitely taken its toll on them through the years. Maybe in Tamaki's absence his mother had found someone else, had even gotten married. He had no clue because he wasn't allowed to know much about her, per Grandmother's rules. He stopped his anger at that as he watched his mother climb out of the plane. He was sure it was her, he'd recognize her blonde hair from anywhere! He rushed to the front of the gate, shoving people aside in his excitement. "Excuse me, Madam! I'm sorry, Sir, but I need to get to the front! Sorry!" He managed to make it without shoving someone on to the floor. His breathing was almost non-existent, as if he was holding his breath like a little boy, as he watched the gate from his spot. Then, suddenly, he saw her.

She was still beautiful, still looking as young as she did before he had born. He felt a tear fall down his face as he watched her. He was frozen as he saw his mom spot him and his approaching father. "Mon fils?" Her face lit up and tears started to stream down her face as she smiled, picking up her pace. Tamaki didn't know when he began running, but he made it to her in no time at all, hugging her tightly.

"Mother!" He smiled as he hugged her, feeling like he was five years old again. He laughed some as she hugged him just as tightly, enjoying the feeling and committing it to memory. He felt a huge unknown weight lift off of his shoulders, allowing him to breathe easy. Then a switch flipped on in him. "Mother, how do you feel? Do you need to rest? Water, maybe?" He fretted over her, suddenly scared she had put too much strain on herself by flying and then this.

"I'm fine, sweetheart, really. The illness is well under control- I don't have many bad days anymore. I can even take long walks away from home. I climbed the tower not too long ago. I have pictures for you, too. I promise, I'm okay, sweetheart, I promise." Anne-Sophie took his face into her hands, kissing his forehead and cheeks. Then she stepped back, "Tamaki," her voice was more serious now as she looked at him, "I'm not here alone for our pleasure, remember? I want you to meet your uncle and aunt." She stepped back to the side to allow her son to see the pair.

Tamaki had been so focused on his mother that he did not realize the people following his mother could be with her. He also felt some shame that he had forgotten what this visit was truly about. Somewhere out there, he had a cousin he did not know about until yesterday, and she was alone and nowhere to be found with no trace of her other than a ticket to Japan. He didn't know why his mystery cousin would choose to go and run away, but when she was found he could ask her. Maybe she was just upset and took a vacation? It was a dumb thing to do, not letting your parents know… But he knew ultimately there was no way it was just a vacation. This girl, his mother's niece, ran away and she had to have chosen Japan for a reason… but why?

He let his eyes drift to the couple and he froze.

Tinashi placed the last of the things she could take with her in her duffle bag. Everything she could not take had price stickers on it. A sale would be had and the money would be deposited to her bank account. It was mostly her books, her furniture- what little of it she did have, and a few knick knacks. She paused as she picked up an unframed picture of the Host Club from a few weeks ago. It wasn't an official picture, rather, it was one for just them, a rarity in and of itself. She sat slowly on the futon marked ¥20893 (about $189), smiling slightly as she looked at each of the faces, starting first with Hikaru and Kaoru.

"You sure this is going to work, you guys?" Tinashi asked as she regarded the set-up. She looked at the pair, her eyebrow lifted as she assessed the contraption. It was another one of their 'games' they liked to play with, you guessed it, Tamaki as victim. They had dragged her into the plan because they knew she had been a bit irritated by his constant outbursts regarding her as he shifted all of his "paternal love" on to her.

"Oh definitely-"

"-We've done this before and forgot to get it on film-"

"-Which is why you have the camera," They finished together, grinning at her like a cheshire cat.

"Alright, if you say so…" She flicked on the camera as she heard Tamaki start that way, taking a place to hide as she captured what was to be a very fulfilling moment for the resident jokester pair. She watched as Tamaki tripped on a banana peel, starting the series, pies being flung at him, rubber snakes being tossed at him, a creepy doll being dropped down in front of him, and finally a trip line which caused him to fall before a large bucket of water fell down on him. When it was all done and the twins fell out of their chairs, howling with laughter, Tinashi clicked end on the camera and left it there before sneaking off, not wanting to hear Tamaki's rant and get forced to help clean up. After all she didn't set up the damn prank… "Thanks, guys."

Tinashi moved her eyes from the twins down to Haruhi. She laughed softly as she remembered their stolen moments away from the guys. Neither she nor Haruhi were exceptionally girly, but she remembered one of their girl days.

"Are you sure you're supposed to do that?" Haruhi asked incredulously as Tinashi slathered a mixture of egg, avocado and mayonnaise to her hair before twisting it up in a towel. She felt a little sick and was confused as to why anyone would put food on their hair.

"Yep. I do this all the time. My hair is thick and kinda coarse so I coat it with these things so it can be soft and less frizzy. It also helps my hair grow. I love having long hair but because I bleach and dye the ends, they can get fried super easy. I have to take extra care of them by putting this gunk on. I let it sit for a few hours then rinse it out like normal. We can try a hair mask for you, too, Haruhi." Tinashi offered, looking at her.

"Uh… no thanks. I don't want that stuff on my hair," Haruhi made a face, still surprised that a concoction of food was what the caramel skinned girl used on her hair.

"It wouldn't be the same stuff- your hair is much too short and fine. I was thinking more like honey and maybe some strawberries or something." Tinashi stood to go rummage for said ingredients. "It'll just smell like shampoo, but your hair should be soft and even shinier. I'm jealous of the shine, by the way. It's one of the things I envy you for." She made a triumphant sound as she located the ingredients and began to mix them in a bowl for Haruhi, intent on sharing her DYI knowledge. She'd have to show her how coconut oil helped her skin, too…

"You're envious of me?" Haruhi asked in surprise, looking at her now. "Why?" It was a strange thing to Haruhi, that a girl would be jealous of something she had.

Tinashi turned and sighed, smiling some. "First off, Haruhi, your hair is no hassle. That has to be a glorious thing."

"Yours would be, too, if you cut it," Haruhi pointed out, rubbing her neck.

"I wouldn't look like me if I cut my hair. And I meant even if it's long, your hair type is no fuss. It's awesome. Then you could eat whatever you wanted and not gain weight. It's so not fair," Tinashi laughed a little, amused as Haruhi tried to counter her again.

"So? I'm skinny enough I got mistaken for a boy without intentionally trying to appear as one. And as everyone likes to point out, I basically am flat chested." Haruhi sighed some, shrugging. "I think you look fine just the way you are, Tinashi. We are given one body and one life so why spend it wishing you looked different?" She looked at her with her brown eyes. "Everyone is going to have something someone else wants, but at the end of the day, you have to accept yourself for who you are."

Tinashi's eyes softened as she regarded Haruhi and smiled slightly, "Thanks, Haruhi."

Tinashi felt her eyes water and she looked at Hunny and Mori in the photo now. She leaned back as she gazed at their faces.

"How do you guys do it?!" Tinashi panted, sinking onto the mats gratefully. She was sore in places she didn't know could be sore and she knew she was completely awful at martial arts. Completely. She could fight, sure, but this… this wasn't fighting, this was something totally different and she would instantly get her ass kicked if she went up against a third grader. She looked up as Mori extended his hand to help her up, clasping hers with his as he pulled her to her feet, causing a grunt to come from her as he stretched her sore muscles.

"You need to stretch or else it will be worse tomorrow," Mori told her, looking down at her with his neutral expression.

"Tina-Chan, I have to be honest. You're kinda awful at this right now… but that's okay because this was just your first day so you're a beginner! And with lots of practice you're going to improve and we will be here to help you along the way!" Hunny smiled at her with his boyish grin, watching as the younger girl began to smile a little.

"Thanks Hunny senpai, Mori senpai."

Tinashi looked to Tamaki as more tears began to fall, wiping her eyes as she stared at her violet eyed friend.

"Que nous devons avoir pour les collations au club aujourd'hui?" Tamaki asked her as he stared off into space, tapping his teddy bear pencil to his chin.

"How the hell should I know what snacks we're going to serve today? And that's not studying," Tinashi pointed out. She thought it was pointless for them to study together like this- both she and he spoke French fluently. It was a blow off class for them, a grade booster.

"Look at how well my student is doing! Daddy is so proud of his little girl!" Tamaki exclaimed, his eyes bright as he looked at her with pride.

"One… you are not old enough to be my father. Two, I told you I could speak French." Tinashi looked at him as she spoke bluntly. She sighed as she waited for his dramatic fit to end before he asked her a question.

"How is it you speak French? I thought you're from America."

"I have family who's French, Tamaki," Tinashi dismissed his inquiry as she closed her book. "Come on, let's go get ready for this afternoon. And by the way, Kyouya handles the snacks, remember?" Tinashi told him, amused at his look of realization followed by his typical trademark exuberance.

"Right! Let's go," He stood, excited now. Then he paused and looked at her, his voice softer now as he smiled, "You know, I really did enjoy studying with you. It was fun to be able to speak and have someone understand what I meant." He then smiled some more, "And it was nice to not have you yell at me. I'm glad you're one of my friends."

Tinashi paused as he spoke, forcing back tears she wanted the club to not know she could cry. She had only been there a month and they had took her in completely, treated her like she had grown up with them and made her feel like part of a family. She finally looked at him and spoke, her voice a bit raspy, "Thanks, Tamaki."

The final face Tinashi looked at finally broke her down. She looked at Kyouya's ever calm and collected face and she had to set the picture aside, covering her face as she began to sob. Her shoulders shook as memories played through her mind like a movie or something. She had expected it to be hard leaving, but she never thought it would be this hard.

Tinashi stared at the group of gathered boys as she held onto her things. She had been told by a girl that the libraries were always loud so if she wanted to have a quiet space she should go to one of the music rooms as they usually were not used outside of class. The girl seemed to have a knowing look on her face but Tinashi put it off as her paranoia and general distrust of everyone. So she had gone to a music room and picked the first one. Turns out that she picked the one music room that was definitely occupied. Now she was picking rose petals off of her uniform, staring at the theatrical group. They had to be some sort of theater troupe. Or a bunch of gay dudes- no judging.

"Hello there!" Yup, definitely gay dudes. Tinashi watched as the blonde began to speak.

"My my, a brave young man ventures into the host club!" He held up his hand to his chin.

"It's deja vu all over again," The twins murmured. They then looked up and clamped a hand over Tamaki's mouth. "Before he goes on his rant," " can you tell us you're not a girl disguised as a boy?" They stared at Tinashi who's face flushed red as she dropped her jaw.

"...Is it really that obvious?" She looked at them, a little weirded out now.

"No, though it wouldn't have taken us long. We just have had experience with this before," The door closed behind her as she found the source to the voice. He was tall, thin and had dark hair. Glasses balanced on his nose as he studied her with gray eyes. She swallowed hard. He was handsome, she'd give him that. They all were, but she had a thing for-

"If you are continuing on with your masquerade, then I would suggest you do a better job at hiding your femininity and not giving yourself away with direct answers to such questions." He continued, looking at her with a condescending look.

Apparently the one guy she found hot was a complete and total asshole.

"Look here, asshat," Tinashi spoke, her eyes narrowing, "I don't know who you think you are but regardless of that fact, there's no reason to talk down to someone like they're just dirt!" She hadn't meant to snap at him, but she never really did have that great a control on her temper nor a filter on her mouth.

And thus it had all began.

Tinashi gazed at her ceiling as she replayed memory after memory, their voices echoing in her head. What would her life had been if she had said no to them? Well, to him, since he was the one who asked her to join. Apparently it had been the first to a streak of her inability to say no to him. Unless they had been fighting, Tinashi had a hard time saying no to him.

Tinashi looked up as someone stepped in front of her desk. Slowly her eyes traveled up until she saw who was in front of her. Kyouya Ootori. Oh goodie. "Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. You see, when you left the other day, you caused quite a commotion and knocked over one of the workers who were moving something into the club room," Kyouya told her. "As a result, one of my family heirlooms that was loaned to me to display was destroyed. I'm afraid that is your fault." Tinashi stiffened as he spoke, his voice subdued so no one would look at them. "And I'm going to have to ask for payment."

"I don't have that kind of money," Tinashi told him, looking around.

"And yet you go to this school?" Kyouya looked at her. "No matter, if you cannot pay at once, I believe we may come to an arrangement." He regarded her like she was a cornered mouse and he was the cat playing with his meal before he devoured it.

"What kind of arrangement?" Tinashi asked warily.

"I want you to work for the Host Club." Kyouya watched her reaction. "You'll be able to earn the money to pay me off and I couldn't help but noticing that you don't have any relationships with our classmates." He sat as he opened his book to write. "In fact, you don't really do much of anything, which makes you rather boring. Still, I have gone against you in debate and you proved yourself to have some communication skills and to be moderately intelligent-"

"I'm second in the class! Of course I'm intelligent!" Tinashi told him, offended, her eyes flashing.

"And I am first," Kyouya looked at her as he lifted his right brow. " I have seen in the past that when the club has two members experiencing a bit of friction, sales rise and profit increases. This could be used in your favor, Miss Akuma."

"How did you know my name?" Tinashi asked, frowning.

"I know everything," Kyouya replied simply. "You are a new student and as you have pointed out, you are also second in the class. I know about you because you do a rather poor job at hiding things." He watched her scoff but had no clue as to what she was thinking or the irony of what he had said. "To continue my original offer, since you do owe me, it would give me some form of entertainment to have someone capable of disagreeing with me and able to reasonably defend their views. You are smart, I will give you that, but you are not smarter than me. I have laid out my reasons clearly and expect to see you at the club room this afternoon. We will fit you with a better uniform and go about hiding all traces of your female identity for now." He stood to go back to his chair.

"God, he was such a dick," Tinashi mumbled out loud as she remembered how he cornered her into joining. Still, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him, even as she remembered more about him.

The first time they say her without her disguise, she thought they were going to lose their minds. She was darker than the average Japanese girl, surprise, surprise, leading them to the conclusion she was biracial. What got them though was not how well she bound her chest, her thighs or kept her pants baggy so they would not notice her bottom. It was the red ends of her black hair, obviously bleached and dyed at home, as well as her piercings. Both ears were double pierced and her right had its cartilage done. She also informed them she had a belly button piercing. She thought they'd faint.

Unbeknownst her was when Kyouya got home, he was forced to realize she was attractive. She didn't look like a typical Japanese woman and that drew him to her, for some reason. Perhaps he had just grown tired of looking at a sea of faces with only minor variations. He wasn't talking about how everyone looked alike in his race because they certainly didn't. He was speaking about how all the girls were the same, even Haruhi in the end, though he did hold her above the others given how sometimes she could be intriguing. No, this infuriating, stubborn, distasteful, crude woman was nothing like the girls here… and that was what made her so interesting to him. It didn't matter in the end, however, because he would never act on any lust for her. He was careful not to ever engage with anyone close to any of the more prestigious families in Japan- it was much too risky and he would not have his reputation tarnished by some weeping idiot. And a scandal with a foreigner? He'd have to come up with a plan and make it foolproof before he would ever consider sleeping with her. Besides, they hated each other.

"You know, Kyouya, they say that you can tell when a little boy likes a little girl because he picks on her more than anyone else," Fuyumi spoke as she went about messing with his clothes, frowning as they refused to go back in.

"Sis, if you'd quit rummaging, I wouldn't have to call a maid to fix the mess again. And what are you getting at now?" Kyouya asked her, going over his homework. Then he had to analyze club fees and profit margins.

"Maybe this Tinashi is your little girl," Fuyumi started.

"Nonsense," Kyouya told her, switching to his club papers. It made Fuyumi smile because even as he denied it, she knew it was true. She watched him and imagined how it would look like, her baby brother and the girl he had a crush on.

"What is she like?" Fuyumi asked.

"Irritating, stubborn, idiotic-"

"You say the same things about Tamaki and he's your best friend," Fuyumi pointed out. She watched as he lifted his head to glare at her. She was unmoved, "Is she pretty?"

"She is… unconventional. Beautiful, yes, but that is a mere observation. And she's nothing like a Japanese woman's ideals." Kyouya shrugged. "Why are you so caught up on her, she's trivial."

"Because, I do believe this is the first time I've seen you with a crush!"

Tinashi recalled her biggest mistake, the time she should have said no. Thing would've been okay if she had said no to that damn note, if she had never went to that damn room. She could've exposed him… but she didn't. And she still, to this day, did not know why.

It was the day after he had found her at a cafe with a college boy. Aki had been a sweet guy and she was just having a small coffee date. She had honestly liked him. Then Kyouya showed up and used his influence to make Aki leave. Now he didn't return her calls. As Tinashi heard Kyouya walk in, she stood angrily. "What the hell was that about yesterday?! You stalked me to my date?! Then you act like a psycho and now he's not returning my calls!"

"It is not my fault that you chose a poor caliber of gentleman to entertain you," Kyouya told her. He had been furious to see her with that guy. He was a complete imbecile that wanted nothing more than to fuck the girl. So Kyouya played hero, just once, and drove him away. Granted, Tinashi probably would have given it to him willingly, but that thought disgusted him. He may have loathed the girl, but he knew she could do so much better. "And outside relationships would jeopardize your ability to be an effective and competent host."

"Since when do you control my life?!" Tinashi shouted.

"Since you broke one of my family's heirlooms!" He finally lost composure and shouted back at her. His word was final, why didn't she get that?! She was his mouse and now she was misbehaving and he would not have it! She couldn't be distracted with another man because she wouldn't have time for any of them any more and Kami forbid she quit arguing with him. He needed her to use her brain, to not be as stupid as the others, to be able to actually compete with him. He would go to Hell before he lost that. He watched as she crossed over and leaned in, her body so close he could feel the heat coming off of it as her breath whispered over his face.

"You're pushing it too far, Ootori. This is a dangerous path, one you don't want to go down. Now, I know you don't know anything about my past or anything else about me but what you've learned from watching me here at school. You know why? Because I did that. I know how to encrypt or erase everything about me. And you have absolutely no idea why I immigrated here, and let me tell you… It's not pretty." She smirked, "So I suggest backing off, or else."

Kyouya felt a thrill go through him as he leaned forward, not about to be won over by a woman. "Is that a threat, Ms. Akuma?" He narrowed his eyes as he stared down at her. She was glorious when she was angry and his blood was thrumming through his veins like never before.

"No, sweetheart," She looked in his eyes, "It's a fucking promise." She turned then and left Kyouya to his thoughts. He listened as the door closed before he began to smile. When was the last time he felt this alive?! He was almost giddy as he thought of a way to put her in her place. Then he realized that he was rock hard. Blinking, he assessed the situation. He had been turned on by the whole ordeal and his memory served to tell him by her flushed face and dialated pupils, she was too. Whether the thought was formed with one head or his other, Kyouya's plan was coming to life. Now to just get pen and paper…

Tinashi packed the photo away now, looking up as she saw a blue paint strip from when they were deciding colors for a possible nursery. She felt a pang rip through her. She should've been ecstatic she wasn't pregnant. She should've thanked God for her good fortune. Instead, she missed it. She missed how they ate dinner in her kitchen and she told him that further down the road he would put his hand on her tummy to feel the baby move. She remembered him trying then as if to get comfortable with the motion. His face had been filled so completely with awe for a moment as he realized his child was growing inside of her. Then he had to compose himself and discuss the science of pregnancies, to which she had to tell him to shut up and enjoy the moment.

"You don't hate me for this, do you?" Kyouya asked her, straightening up and looking down into her eyes. He didn't know why, but he felt an uneasiness settle over him at the thought she may hate him for getting her pregnant. Maybe he was worried it would transfer to the child or somehow harm it for the baby. Maybe it was something else he wasn't ready to admit yet.

"Not a chance," Tinashi told him, watching as he gave off minute indicators he was relieved. "It may be unexpected, but things will ultimately work out for the best." There was a long pause where she took his and her plates to the sink, her back to him. "Do you… hate me?"

Kyouya sat there as he studied her from behind. She would be the reason he could never be his father's successor, never take over the family. All of his hard work would go to waste because of the woman at the sink. In return she would bare him a child, and possibly many more if they could come to love each other. She would give him a family and possibly one day love and the acceptance he never got from his cold home. She would cost him everything he worked for, yes, but she would give him so much more. "Not a chance."

Tinashi began to sob again as she realized that in the end she was the perfect fool. He had only ever been there because he was guilty, not because he cared. She never really mattered to him at all. After all, the proof had been there in the voicemail on her phone "Good bye, Ms. Akuma." She wiped off her tears angrily as she grabbed her bag and went to the landlord's office. She dug in her bag and gave him her rent due and her keys before she walked off to the bus stop. She knew she was running dangerously low on money and she'd have to figure out what she was doing and fast. A rush of hot, foul smelling air hit her face as the bus stopped in front of her, allowing her to board. She knew she didn't have enough to leave the country and start somewhere new again, and she knew she'd definitely have to be careful and lay low for awhile. She didn't want to risk it…

After a three hour bus ride, Tinashi walked down the road towards a motel. It was run down and dirty, but it beat sleeping on the street. Procuring a room was a bit difficult, but after giving cash, the man gave her a room key, more content on counting bills than checking her age. The room was every bit as disgusting as she imagined it would be, but it would be home for the night. With that thought, Tinashi sat slowly on the floor, the light from a nearby lamp working as she set up her bed. She laid out the newspaper from that morning before going to the bathroom, holding in her hands cold metal. Later she would look for a job and research about low income apartments and schools. This was more important right now though. She was going to hate this more than anything, but something she had said before and popped up into her head. You wouldn't recognize me with short hair. With that, she began to cut off her long, raven locks.

Tamaki stared at the couple who turned out to be his uncle and aunt. He had to admit that the man, his uncle, was the perfect male version of his mother. He was tall like Tamaki with the same blonde hair. His uncle's eyes were more blue but even with that, they still looked like father and son. It was those blue eyes that had bugged them though as they had been familiar to him. His mother was explaining in the background that she didn't know she had a brother until shortly after Tamaki left, she was contacted by a man in the States. He had looked up his adoption record and found he had a sister and had reason to believe that she was his sister. When they met, DNA confirmed it. She then was introduced to his daughter and wife, who became her family quickly.

Tamaki moved his eyes to his aunt and that was when it clicked into place for him. She was darker skinned, her long black hair falling to her hips. Her face was scarily familiar to him, but where he saw dark eyes on his aunt, he knew there should've been blue eyes. He swallowed hard as he came to grip with the realization. They had always joked that he and she had been cousins or something because they were both bleeding hearts and prone to some form of dramatics. Now he realized he had known all along where his cousin had been.

"John, what was your daughter's name again?" Yuzuru asked, his frow furrowed as he failed to see his son's panic.

"Tinashi," John Akuma and Tamaki answered at the same time.