Whoo! I'll let you guys know now, I'm super sorry for the wait. I rewrote this chapter five times over and had a heck of a time trying to figure the whole thing out. All 47 pages of it. Phew. I hope you enjoy it though! I think Kyoya might be a bit out of character at the end there, but hopefully not too bad.

"Be Calm"
By Fun

"As I walk through the streets of my new city
my back feeling much better, I suppose
I've reclaimed the use of my imagination
for better or for worse, I've yet to know,
but I always knew you'd be the one to understand me,
I guess that's why it took so long to get things right."

"Sometime Around Midnight"
By The Airborne Toxic Event

"And so there's a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing like feral waves to your mind
Of the curl of your bodies, like two perfect circles entwined
And you feel hopeless, and homeless, and lost in the haze of the wine"

(Kohaku's POV)

I found myself slowly spinning on the dance floor wearing a tuxedo made of the finest cloth. It wasn't surprising. It was a dance and I was a host. Dancing should be expected, except not the way it was happening. I wasn't leading. Someone else was and that 'someone else' was also wearing a tux.

"Why am I doing this?"

The man chuckled. "Shouldn't you know already?"

I frowned, leaning my head against his shoulder. "How would I know?" I glanced to the side as people whispered. "People are staring at us."

"Of course they are. It's to be expected after what happened.

Rain and a flash of lightning.

I leaned away, frowning even more. "Right, because that was my fault."

He gave a short chuckle once more. "It was your fault. That's what you get for leaving yourself so vulnerable."

"I wouldn't have been so vulnerable if someone had just stayed put instead of running the wrong way."

"Ah. Sorry."

He man's voice changed, but I hardly noticed as I, myself, chuckled.

"Yeah, but I had fun, so I guess it wasn't all bad."

He smiled, reaching a large hand over to brush my bangs to the side. "You look…" he chose his words carefully. "…nice."

Mud splashed up, his body pinning me down.

"Yeah right." I muttered. "I'm wearing a tux just like every other guy here."

"So? You look beautiful no matter what you're wearing, Ko-chan."

His voice had changed again, his arms pulling me close, but once again, I didn't notice.

"How? How do you still like me so much after what I did?" I practically whispered, fists holding his tuxedo jacket tightly.

"Because, Ko-chan. I like the way you are."

"You're understanding and strong." A deeper voice.

"And you're different from all others." A voice full of pride.

"I love you, Ko-chan."

"Ah."

"I despise you."

Lips pressed against mine.

"Uwah!"

Wham!

I groaned, head pounding after falling off the couch and face-planting into the hard floor. Today is just not my day. A cold nose pressed against my cheek. You okay?

"Mm. Go on without me." I muttered.

Oh please. I rolled over and laid on my back with my arm over my eyes, letting out a tired sigh. Fu-kun crawled on top of me and nudged my chin. Why'd you fall off the couch anyway?

"Nightmare…I think."

You think? I nodded as he sighed, sprawling out on my chest. You really need to get some sleep kid. When was the last time you actually got a chance to do that? Rolling to the side, I cuddled Fu-kun close as I frowned.

"I don't know…It's been a while."

Fu-kun wiggled out of my grip, hopped up on the table, and proceeded to knock a pile of papers onto my head. You just got better from being sick not ten days ago! Are you trying to ruin yourself?!

"Leave me alone, Fu-kun." I said quietly, burying my face into the floor.

I just think you need a break. Ever since Karuizawa, you've been working yourself into the ground. Quite literally.

"This week is the school festival and I have a manuscript due right after, not to mention that I'm representing Coach's gym in a kick-boxing tournament the same days as the festival. I think I have a good reason to be working hard." I said, getting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

There's a difference between working hard and over working, kid. Fu-kun ran up my back to my shoulder as I went into the kitchen, putting a hand to my mouth as I yawned.

"Then tell me what I should do. I can't bail on Coach after all he's done for me and I can't ask for another break on my manuscript after just taking a month off."

Then tell Glasses you need a break. He'll understand if you explain it to him.

"I highly doubt that." I grumbled, remembering how furious he was in Karuizawa.

"This never happened, understand?" Kyoya growled, not bothering to help me up or explain what happened before he walked off to make a phone call.

Hey kid! I flinched, having been trapped in my memory. You okay? You blanked out. I took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Yeah. Sorry. I was just…remembering something."

About Glasses? I sighed, taking the soda I grabbed and putting it in my school bag as I went to change into my school uniform.

"I don't think it'll be that easy to convince him to give me a break, Fu-kun." I pulled on the dress shirt and lazily buttoned up all the buttons except the top two. "The festival's a big deal for the Host Club and, as much as I'd love to take a break from it all, I'm sure he won't be the only one needing my help."

But kid, even I know this much stress can't be good for you. Remember, you may be 20 on the inside, but you're only 17 here.

"I know." I tucked my glasses away, grabbed my bag, and put on my shoes. "How about this? If I start getting overwhelmed, then I'll see what I can do about convincing Kyoya to let me have a break."

Sounds good. But see if you can get a break first. If he says 'no' then try again if it gets to be too much.

"Alright." I just hope my class won't need me for anything. I'm not rich, so it shouldn't be a problem, unless I'm really unlucky.

I looked up from my manuscript, glasses slipping down my nose as I stared up at the group of girls in surprise.

"Y-You want me to help?"

The girls nodded eagerly.

"Please, Kohaku-kun! Honey-kun and Mori-kun already agreed and we need one more person!"

You really are unlucky. Tell me about it. I mentally groaned. Apparently, the girls had unanimously decided that the three hosts in the class should be the ones to dress up and hand out snacks during the festival. I believe they mentioned something about how they would sell better if it was the three of us, and the way they had me pushed back into a corner, I knew I couldn't refuse.

"A-Alright." I said, giving them a nervous, forced smile.

They cheered, before grabbing my arm and pulling me up out of my seat.

"Come here, Kohaku-kun!"

"We need to get your measurements for the outfit!"

I paled, struggling against them as I realized what they were asking me to do. "A-Ah! Wait! I-I can just tell you-"

"Oh no! It'd be easier to do it this way!"

Hands began tugging off my blazer and I fought to keep them away when I spotted Mori and Honey walking through the door.

"Ah! Takashi! Help!"

He caught sight of me being buried in a sea of yellow, before his head went out of sight.

"Don't be shy, Kohaku-kun!"

"It's only for a few minutes!"

I could feel my stress level rising and just when I was about to snap, two strong arms grabbed a hold of me and lifted me out of the fray. Holding me up with an arm under my legs and another across my back, Mori frowned slightly at the girls.

"He doesn't want to. Don't force him."

Everything went quiet as my face flushed a bright red, and Honey popped up at our side, using his sweetness to smooth over the situation.

"Ko-kun is really shy. It's not nice to pick on him. So how about we find something fun to do!"

The girls blushed and headed off with Honey as Mori put me down by my chair, kneeling in front of me to brush me off and fix my shirt. Looking down at him, I grew redder, feeling embarrassed that Mori was not only helping me, but also treating me like he did Honey.

"U-Uh, thank you, Takashi. For helping…b-but I'm okay. You don't need to-"

Mori looked up and gave me a stern look, silencing me. "It's fine. I want to."

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, before giving up and allowing him to put my blazer on me and try to fix my messed up hair. I then sighed as the bell rang and began picking up my things with Mori standing overhead. Grabbing my bag, I started walking towards the door with him, but he stopped me by grabbing my arm. I was a bit surprised at his straightforwardness and stared at him, confused.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Sure. The girls just spooked me and I didn't expect-" Cutting myself off, I looked up at him and realized I was mistaken. "Oh. You mean in general." I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. "I…I've been busy is all. Too much work, not enough time."

A thumb pressed itself just under my eye and I closed my eyes for a moment as Mori pulled his hand back.

"You need to rest. There's dark circles."

I flushed, lowering my head with a minute nod. "I know."

He smiled and ruffled my-once neat-hair before Honey bounced over shouting that he was ready to go. Mori led the way with Honey on his shoulders and Fu-kun crawled out of my bag and onto my own shoulder. Hm, even he's noticed. Guess I'm not hiding it very well.

"Neh, Ko-chan! Are you excited for the festival?"

I glanced up at Honey, not bothering to hide my tired expression. He probably knows anyway. "Not really, Honey. I mean, if I had time to actually enjoy to, sure…but right now it's just more work."

I let out a long breath and Honey frowned a bit. "Do you have another story to write, Ko-chan?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's due the day after the festival and with the tournament the same days as the festival, I'm more than just a little busy."

He perked up then, as did Mori, and I mentally smacked myself for mentioning the tournament.

"A tournament? Are you going to be fighting someone, Ko-chan?"

"Y-Yeah. The gym I work out at has a tournament coming up and I promised the owner that I'd represent him."

"Wah! That's so cool, Ko-chan! You must be really strong!"

"Ah." Mori said, smiling at me.

I blushed a bit, not used to compliments much. "I-I'm not that strong!"

Honey chuckled as we reached the doors to the music room. "That's not true, Ko-chan! You're super strong!"

I laughed too. "Alright, Honey. I believe you."

"Is something…"

"…going on?"

"We want to join!" The twins announced, hurrying over and hanging off my already sagging shoulders.

"Ko-kun's having a tournament!"

"Like a fighting tournament?"

Unnoticed by me, we had caught everyone else's attention.

"Uh-huh! And Ko-kun's gonna win too! Neh, Takashi?"

Mori nodded as I sighed, prying myself from the twins' arms. Unfortunately, our talk about fighting had alerted Tamaki and the man tackled me in a hug the moment I was free.

"Fighting?! My darling son can't be fighting! What if he gets hurt?! Or wors-"

I elbowed the rambunctious blonde in the stomach, not too hard, but hard enough to get him to let me go.

"I can handle myself, Tamaki." I grumbled, sending him to his corner.

I heard a quiet scoff though, and glared at Kyoya who had turned back to his laptop. Continuing to glare, I ignored him and went to go help Haruhi with the tea for our guests. I must have been handling the tea cups a bit roughly though, because she soon stopped me.

"Kohaku, you're going to break something."

"Good." I snapped. "Maybe then he'll be less of an ass."

Haruhi raised a brow, not used to hearing me curse, and set the tea aside, standing in front of me to keep my attention.

"What's going on, Kohaku?" She asked sternly. "You're not normally like this when is comes to Kyoya."

I frowned, turning my head to look away from her. "He pissed me off."

"Obviously. How are you going to make up with him?"

I snapped my gaze back to her, eyes narrowed seriously. "I'm not."

Her eyes widened. "What?! B-But you always make up with him!"

"And? I think it's about time he makes up with me. I'm done being pushed around by him." I went to snatched the tea, but Haruhi grabbed my arm with a concerned look.

"What's wrong, Kohaku? You never act like this! What happened between you two?"

Kyoya's lips pressing against mine…His back as he walked away, leaving me lying in the mud to call his limo…The threat…"This never happened."… I blinked, slowly looking at Haruhi, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"Nothing, Haruhi. Now let me go back to work." I grabbed the tea, her not stopping me this time, and left the room; not hearing what Haruhi breathed out.

"My God, Kohaku…What did he do to you?"

Hosting went by as usual that day and I was able to act my way through the anger and exhaustion that had been settling in my stomach since Karuizawa. Kyoya hadn't even looked in my direction all day nor had I glanced his direction. I could tell the other hosts knew something was going on though, and nimbly avoided all of their inquiries. Tamaki in particular, was very adamant about finding out what was wrong and was currently trying to bother me now that all of the guests had left. I'm sure it was an amusing scene. Me sitting calmly on a couch, drinking tea, and him reaching for me from the ground with my foot on his face holding him back.

"Daddy just wants to know what's wrong!"

"And I don't want to talk about it, Daddy."

The twins came up behind me then, leaning over the back of the sofa.

"Aren't you being…"

"…a bit harsh…"

"…Kohaku?"

I sighed, setting my cup down and moving my foot, allowing Tamaki to fly face-first into the base of the couch. The twins winced as he slid down to the floor, but I just closed my eyes and leaned my head back, ready to finally see if I could get out of helping for the festival.

"I won't be able to help with the club this week."

All eyes went to Kyoya, who had abruptly stopped typing and pushed his glasses up with a frown.

"Preparing for the festival is necessary for all club members."

"That's too bad, because I'm busy and have no time to help."

He let out a short chuckle. "Really? I suggest you get used to time management then, because you are participating. If not, then I will significantly increase your debt."

"That's fine."

He seemed surprised, as did everyone else, while I went on.

"I have a lot of stuff on my plate and I don't care if I need to pay more, as long as I get out of being busier."

The hosts said nothing as Kyoya shut his laptop and began heading my way.

"I'll just increase your debt and make you help."

At this point, I was in no mood to play nice and was more than prepared to fight him on the issue.

"Oh really?" I questioned him, standing up as well and confronting him. "You may be able to add to my debt, but I'd like to see you try and make me do anything."

My whole face told him I was serious and my chest swelled with pride upon seeing his surprised expression. AT the same time though, my throat closed up as I wished wholeheartedly to ask why he did what he did that night in Karuizawa. Why would you do that, Kyoya? What's going on?

Kyoya seemed to lean forward for a moment, but I must've imagined it, for he soon turned away.

"I will find a way." He said, walking off, and I watched him go; a painful feeling welling up in my chest.

"Kohaku?"

My gaze snapped to Haruhi and I gave a small, painful smile. "I'm just, uh, going to head home then."

I grabbed my bag, having lost all that confidence I felt before, and walked out the door with a small wave. Once I was heading out of the school though, my mood began to plummet as I thought about what happened with Kyoya. I don't get it. Why did he kiss me in the first place? I mean, it's Kyoya! This is so out of character from everything I know. I don't know what to think. Then stop. Fu-kun announced. This isn't some story anymore, kid. I thought you knew that? Stop thinking about what you know about him as a character and start learning about him as a person. Maybe then you'll figure things out. I glanced at the ferret, taking in his words, when our walk was interrupted.

"Ko-chan!~"

Looking up, I couldn't help but smile as Shindo waved to me from across the street, a group of friends standing around him. I checked the street before I crossed and ended up being literally swept off my feet as he pulled me into a hug and swung me around. I blushed as he kissed my cheek and set me down, his friends waving as they headed off.

"I've missed you, Ko-chan." He said, emerald eyes shining mischievously. "no tall, dark, and handsome around today?"

I frowned at the mention of Kyoya. "No."

Shindo raised a brow at my short, clipped response. "Something I should know about?"

"He…" I paused, thinking this over. Should I tell him? I feel like I should. Maybe he could help me understand what's going on with Kyoya. Be careful. Think about his feelings too. Right. He likes me, so telling him about what happened…might not be the best idea.

I pulled a hand through my hair with a sigh. "It's nothing. I'm…overreacting."

"He kissed you, didn't he?"

My head snapped to him so fast, I felt a sharp pain race up my neck, but ignored it in the shock.

"H-How did you-"

He smiled softly. "You weren't exactly pleased when I did it."

I looked down, ashamed. "Sorry."

He ruffled my hair and hugged me from the side. "It's alright."

I shook my head. "No it's not. I hurt you. I know I did…but him…I don't even know why. I don't know why he did it a-and when he walked off…I was so confused. I-I'm still confused! I don't understand what's going on. I just…don't get it."

I could feel my emotions fighting against the barriers I had set up and I willed myself to keep moving, but I still ended up stopping and Shindo pressed me to his chest murmuring softly as he brushed my hair.

"Hey. It's okay, Ko-chan. I understand. It's hard on you. I know." he pulled away and I glanced up at him as he spoke. "How about this. Your house is still a ways off, but my house is just down the street and I'm sure my mom would love to have you over for a while. You want to go talk about it? I'm more than willing to listen, even if it is about him. Sound good?"

I nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah. That sounds good."

Shindo smiled. "Good. Then it's decided."

He led me away, allowing me to lean into him as he let his arm lay across my shoulders.

"Thank you, Shindo." I murmured.

"No problem. Like I said, I'm here to listen." He hugged me again and I smiled a bit, glad I had someone here to listen.

I couldn't move. Kyoya Ootori-The Kyoya Ootori-was kissing me and I couldn't get my body to move or do anything. Why is he kissing me? I couldn't connect the dots. My mind was drawing a blank, drowning in the overload of emotions running through my head, making the kiss last forever when in reality it only lasted a few seconds before Kyoya pulled away.

I searched his dark eyes for anything that will help me figure out why he was doing this, but only found confusion and anger. A deep anger I knew all too well. He's angry…at himself? I was still frozen in place as he leaned forward once more, his breath brushing against my ear.

"Don't tell anyone about this." He growled before grabbing his glasses from off the ground next to my head and standing up. "This never happened."

He turned around, walking away as he took out his phone to make a call, leaving me there shivering in the mud.

(No one's POV)

Haruhi was worried once more. Kohaku hadn't come over for dinner the night before and Haruhi worried that she might not have come home at all. So she wasn't exactly pleased when she saw Kohaku in the club room after school.

"Where have you been?"

Kohaku turned away from the manuscript in front of her and pushed up her glasses, completely confused.

"Where?"

Haruhi frowned, arms crossed over her chest. "Last night. Dinner."

Kohaku groaned, removing her glasses and pulling a hand through her hair. "Oh man. I totally forgot. I'm actually staying at a friend's house for a few days and didn't have a chance to stop by the apartment to let you know."

"You have a phone. You could've called."

Kohaku pulled out her phone and showed the black screen to Haruhi. "It's dead and…" She put her glasses back on and turned back to the manuscript in front of her. "…I-I was a bit preoccupied. I'm really sorry."

Even though Kohaku wasn't facing her, Haruhi could tell something was up. For one thing, she said she's staying at a 'friend's' house. As far as I know, she only knows the Host Club and-no way…

"You're staying with Shindo-kun?" She asked bluntly, catching the attention of the other hosts in the room.

Kohaku, sensing that things needed to be sorted out before misunderstandings arose, set her glasses aside once more and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Haruhi, can we talk about this later, please?"

Haruhi frowned, not quite understanding why Kohaku was acting the way she was. "I think I should know, seeing as you kept me worrying the whole night while you were off doing who-knows-what with Shind-"

"Haruhi." Kohaku said, dropping her head in her hands as her voice broke. "Please."

Haruhi stopped, dropping her arms to her side as she took in Kohaku's position. She was slouched over her knees, head buried in her hands, and if she looked close enough, she could see her shaking slightly. Haruhi wasn't sure what was going on. She had only seen Kohaku like this once; when she first spoke about her family. Seeing her like this once more, scared Haruhi. Something's wrong. I knew that something happened between her and Kyoya, but for her to go to Shindo about it and react this way…what's going on?

Haruhi glanced around at the other hosts, hoping they had an idea about what was going on, but all their reactions said they had no clue and were just as worried as she was. The only expression that said otherwise, was Kyoya's. he seemed less than pleased about what he heard and was currently smashing the keys on his keyboard. Things only grew worse though, when the doors opened and Shindo walked in with a grin.

"Ko-chan!~ Are we go-" He stopped smiling and looked around, taking in the current situation. "Woah. Am I interrupting something?"

"No." Kyoya stated rather roughly. "Nishimura-san was just about to leave."

Shindo glared at him and went over to Kohaku, helping her gather up her papers with Fu-kun's help. She thanked him and said bye to everyone before leaving, but Shindo held the door open and turned around, aiming a menacing glare at Kyoya as he typed.

"You're a real jerk. I hope you know that."

Kyoya ignored him and he continued.

"Kohaku's a good person and it takes a lot to upset him like this. I just hope you're suffering just as much as he is."

With that, Shindo left and the moment the doors clicked shut behind him, Kyoya's typing stopped. Sensing something was about to happen, Tamaki took initiative and sent everyone home as quickly as he could, and not a moment too soon.

"God dammit!" Kyoya shouted, throwing his laptop across the room before slumping down in his chair, removing his glasses as he rubbed his temples with his other hand.

Tamaki sighed quietly, a hint of a smile on his face as he went over to Kyoya and pulled up a chair in front of him. "You're going to have to buy a new laptop." He mused.

"Shut up." Kyoya muttered, lowering his hand. "This whole thing is ridiculous."

"How so?" Tamaki asked, raising a brow"

Kyoya lifted his head and scowled. "How do you think? Here I am getting frustrated over nothing while that moron goes off and lets his boyfriend mouth off like he's better than me."

"Kyoya, I don't think that is what's causing you to be upset."

"I don't understand it, Tamaki. I don't want to understand it."

"Perhaps you should understand. Or at least try to. It's in-"

"Infatuation. I know." Kyoya growled. "But why him? Why does it have to be with some overly-shy, antisocial, emotional idiot?"

Tamaki smiled a bit. "Love works in strange ways, mon ami."

"I don't love him. I can't."

Tamaki's smile faltered. "Because of your father?"

Kyoya chuckled bitterly. "Him, me, society. He's a man, Tamaki. You know the kind of damage this would do."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't allow yourself to be happy."

"Do either of us look like we're happy?!" Kyoya retorted, but Tamaki remained calm.

"No, but I've seen you two happy before. Kohaku he…has that effect on you. He's different from the people we're used to and for you, that's a good thing. It's just what you need. He's not judging you because of your family and I think, right now, he's trying to deal with a similar situation as you are."

Kyoya scoffed. "He's just running away. I've seen the way he looks at me. He's scared. He always has been."

"I don't think he's scared of you, Kyoya. If anything, I believe he's afraid of getting into something like this. A relationship, to him, is something frightening. That's why he's always acted so shy around new people. Have you considered that he's been hurt by a relationship before?"

Kyoya sighed. "It was never worth looking into."

Tamaki shook his head. "Perhaps, mon ami, you should start looking into things like that. Stop trying to find his family background and start looking into who he is as a person. You may find something surprising that you may have overlooked."

Tamaki winked at him with a smile, before rising from his seat, grabbing Kyoya's bag and holding it out to him.

"You should still make up to him though, Kyoya."

Kyoya smiled, snatching the bag from Tamaki and getting up as well. "Of course. I can't just let him do as he pleases."

Tamaki sweat dropped. "Uh, that's not what I meant, Kyoya."

Kyoya chuckled deeply as he walked off, leaving Tamaki to chase after him, calling out to him. Sorry, Ko-kun! It seems I may have made things worse!

(Kohaku's POV)

Today was the first day of the school festival and I had never felt more exhausted. This past month or so, I had been going to the gym to train for my upcoming tournament and last night was one of the most intense training sessions ever, which meant my body ached and it felt like my legs were turned to jelly.

The first day of the festival though, was when all of the students did class activities and prepared for the parents, who would arrive the next day. It would be then that the students would prove their worth to their parents before the third day, where the final party will be held in order to allow the parents and students alike to relax and mingle with one another. I knew however, that on that final day the Host Club would play the biggest part and that there would be no way for me to get out of it. Just as I couldn't get out of my current situation.

"I feel ridiculous." I muttered, picking at the clothes I was now wearing. You look ridiculous. I frowned, turning to Fu-kun, only to snicker. "You don't look much better."

Fu-kun was wearing an outfit of brightly colored fabric with a miniature hat full of flowers and feathers on his head. My outfit wasn't much better though. The class seemed to think it would be funny to dress me up as a joker almost. I had a black and gold mask strapped to the side of my head with feathers attached, poofy pants, and a frilly, ridiculous looking, multi-colored shirt that made me stand out much more than I cared for.

"Kohaku-kun? Are you finished yet?" A girl from my class called out from the other side of the small room I was changing in.

I reluctantly sighed and opened the door, stepping out to a group of girls who immediately brought their hands to their mouths and cooed.

"You look so cute!"

"It's perfect!"

I covered my face, pretending to rub my nose, as I blushed in embarrassment. "T-Thanks…I think."

They proceeded to push me over to where Honey and Mori were standing with the sweet cart, already dressed in the Venice carnival attire.

"You look cool, Ko-kun!"

I gave Honey a slight grimace. "Ah, thanks. You look neat too and, uh, cute."

Honey beamed at my compliment and the three of us headed off to explore the campus to sell sweets. Mori must have noticed how exhausted I was as we went on, and kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. To say I didn't mind it would be lying. My fuse was already short and with everyone else watching us roam the halls in these ridiculous outfits as well, I was getting very close to breaking. Attention is the last thing I wanted right now.

"Takashi, if you want to ask me about something, could you please do so?"

I saw the slightest hint of red on his cheeks and felt good about being able to embarrass him this time around.

"A-Ah. Sorry." He turned away and went silent, causing me to sigh.

"Takashi, that means actually asking."

He grew redder and I chuckled a bit, having fun with the situation.

"You finally smiled." He said quietly, a small smile on his own lips as he ruffled my hair.

I pouted playfully and tugged his hand off my head. "Hey! You're avoiding the question!"

He let out a short chuckle. "Ah. You caught me."

"You still haven't asked! Takashi!"

"You're tired, aren't you?" He finally asked, still looking amused. "Training?"

I was glad he finally asked. "Yeah. It's been rough but yesterday was pretty intense. I was only able to get a few hours of sleep too. I kept waking up."

He frowned slightly at that. "Nightmares?"

I reluctantly nodded. "Y-Yeah. There's that…I've just been confused by a lot of things."

"Kyoya."

Startled, I glanced up at him to see a small glare, silently wondering if I was really that easy to read and why he was glaring at the sound of Kyoya's name.

"Y-Yeah. H-How did you-"

"Ko-kun! Takashi! Hurry up!" Honey called out, cutting me off. Seems Mori and I had been lagging behind during out conversation and Honey was a bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of girls surrounding our sweet cart. So the conversation was dropped and the two of us hurried to help, losing track of time as we walked through the halls of the third floor. Once we'd finished, there was only a short amount of time left for the festival, whish we were finally allowed to enjoy. Unfortunately, I had no time to enjoy it and instead made my way into the rose maze.

It was always peaceful there and I had often spent my lunch hour walking through it just to get away from everything. Today though, I knew exactly where I was going and was planning to spend the rest of the afternoon there to get away from the noise of the festival and continue my manuscript. Once I found the small white gazebo, I set my bag aside and plopped my headphones on to listen to some music as I wrote.

Hours passed and as the sun began to set, Fu-kun knocked me out of my revere. Kid, it's getting late. The match will start soon. I sighed, pulling a hand through my hair and packing up my things before leaving the rose maze. As soon as I had walked home and grabbed my gear, I hurried off to the gym; Fu-kun hanging on to my shoulders for dear life as I got a good warm-up run in.

The moment I walked in, Coach rushed me through the crowd and to the back so that I could change in peace. He then helped me tape up and started giving me pointers as I warmed up on the punching bag.

"Your first round if with Takahashi, the big guy on the left."

I caught sight of the guy and winced. If he hits me, I'll be sore for months.

Coach sighed. "I know. He's a big guy, but I heard he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. He's got slow hits, but has a temper, so watch your back out there."

I smirked, eyes shining with excitement. "You know me, Coach. I'm always watching my back."

He laughed. "It's your mouth I'm worried about! And make sure to come out of this in one piece. Wouldn't want to worry that lady friend you brought in that one time, right?"

I chuckled with him, stepping away from the punching bag as someone announced my match. "Of course! She'd kill me if I came back a mess."

I glanced at Fu-kun, who was seated on coach's shoulder, as I stepped into the ring. Good luck, kid. I gave a quick nod, facing my burly opponent with a wicked smirk. Luck has nothing to do with it. the bell rang, and the fight began.

"Ugh." I groaned, holding a hand to my side. "Stupid festival."

I had just arrived at the school for the second day of torture and was not in the best of moods nor the best of shape to be walking around cheerfully selling sweets. I didn't have much of a choice though, and was pushed into a changing room the moment I walked into my class, late.

Gingerly, I peeled off my shirt and winced at the large, fist-shaped bruise just under the ribs on my right side. Takahashi really did a number on me there. Good thing he ended up twenty times worse. I smiled a bit and put on my costume before walking out, immediately being shoved out the door to where honey and Mori were waiting.

"Ko-kun!" Honey cheered, tackling me in an exceedingly painful hug.

I cringed, gritting my teeth as Mori quickly pulled him off and I doubled over in pain, clutching my side.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, Ko-kun!" Honey cried, wiggling out of Mori's grip and standing before me with tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

I shook my head with a slightly pained smile. "It's okay, Honey. You didn't know."

"Are you okay?" Mori asked, stepping closer and glancing at my side in worry.

Nodding and ruffling Honey's hair, I looked up at him. "Yeah. I'll be alright."

"Did some big meanie hurt you at your fight?" Honey asked.

"Sure did." I said as we began making our way to the second and first floors of the building. "He was huge! As tall as Takashi and built like a bear!"

I was over-exaggerating, but the look of pure amazement and adoration on Honey's face was enough to keep me going; spilling out a tale of an underdog taking down a beast of a man as the crowd cheered them on.

"So I had to do an old trick of mine. He'd already managed a good hit to my side and I was handicapped because of that, but I knew I could win." I told him with a grin, hardly noticing the crowd of people-students and parents alike-that had gathered to listen in. "He swung a punch at my face, but I ducked underneath it, fast as lightning before knocking him off balance with a kick to his ankle. He stumbled forward, but then turned around swinging his foot around to knock me off my feet!"

Honey and a few girls gasped. "What then, Ko-kun?! Did he get you?!"

I shook my head with a laugh. "Nope! I jumped over his leg and gave him a good kick of my own, knocking him back!"

"Wow!" he called out, eyes shining in excitement.

"He wasn't done yet, though. He got back up and yelled in rage as he swung another punch, but I was ready and dodged it before hitting him square in the nose, knocking him out and winning the match!"

Cheers and applause rang up, causing me to blush nervously and rub the back of my neck in embarrassment, having just realized the extent of the crowd I'd gathered.

"That's amazing!"

"Did it really happen, Kohaku-kun?"

"How brave!" The young girls called out, but there was one older woman who scoffed, catching everyone's attention.

"Please. How barbaric. It's impossible that someone of your stature could defeat a man of that size. You shouldn't be filling these people's heads with such a frivolous fairytale."

Honey, I saw, opened his mouth to defend me, but I placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Ma'am." I said, stepping towards her with a gentle smile. "I assure you, I would do no such thing. Every word I have said is true. Although some facts have been a bit dramatized, I was in a tournament yesterday and had to compete with a rather largely built man."

She was most certainly flustered by my kind nature, if the blush staining her cheeks was any proof of that, but it seemed she still wasn't completely convinced.

"T-then where's the proof! Prove to me, young man, that there is some truth to your tale!"

"Very well." I smiled, reaching of the edge of my shirt and lifting it enough to sow my bruise. "Does this proof suffice, ma'am?"

Gasps and murmurs started up as the woman turned beet red.

"I-I…Y-You…I w-will not apologize for my misconjecture."

Before anyone could argue with her, I stepped forward and knelt before her, albeit painful, and took her hand; kissing her knuckles-something I picked up from Tamaki that would render any woman speechless.

"I would never ask such a thing from a beautiful woman of your stature, ma'am. To have you just listen and enjoy my tale is enough for someone such as myself, and I hope you forgive me for wasting your time when you should be enjoying yourself here at the Ouran Festival."

If she could get any redder, I'm sure she would explode. It took a moment, but soon she was able to stutter out a reply.

"O-Of course. I would expect nothing less, Mr…"

"Nishimura, ma'am. Class 3-A, Kohaku Nishimura of the Ouran Host Club."

"Yes. Nishimura-san. Perhaps we will see each other again during this festival."

I stood up, but placed a hand to my heart and bowed, hiding a wince. "I look forward to it, ma'am."

She nodded with a huff and a smirk, before strolling off, a majority of the group leaving as well. When they were all gone and the three of us continued on our way, I couldn't help but start laughing. Honey and Mori even joined me as we took an elevator down to the first floor with the sweet cart.

"That was really good, Ko-chan!" Honey said, a big grin on his face.

"Hahaha! But I feel absurd! How does Tamaki do this without laughing in the middle of it?!"

I continued laughing before I was forced to stop as pain flared up from my side. My chuckles died out and I doubled over slightly, once more cradling my side. A large hand covered mine and I glanced up at Mori, who was giving me a troubled look.

"You should ice it." He said quietly.

I nodded with a smile. "Will do. We need to finish this first though."

He sighed, but nodded, removing his hand from mine as the elevator doors opened. When we walked out, I looked down at my hand, flexing it. Huh, it feel colder now that Mori let go. You've got bigger problem to deal with. Look who just showed up. I almost wish I hadn't, because Tamaki and Kyoya were heading over and as much as I enjoyed the blonde's company, it was his dark-haired companion that had ice pumping through my veins as flashbacks from Karuizawa hit me like a train.

The forcefulness of his lips on mine and that dark feeling of confusion and loneliness as I watched him walk away. How could I forger that? It was abrupt and confusing. I still hadn't figured out why he kissed me and Shindo didn't want to help me and kept saying I had to figure it out on my own. Everything Kyoya said that night though, contradicted his actions and had my mind running in circles because of the foreign pressure growing in my chest. The moment I thought about him, the moment I see him, that pressure grows until it becomes near unbearable and practically suffocates me. Already, it's… I though, bringing a hand up to clench the fabric over my chest tightly…It's stifling….

"Ko-kun?"

A set of violet eyes blocked my view of Kyoya and I blinked as heat flooded my cheeks, painfully aware that I had been caught staring. Tamaki had a hint of a smirk on his face for a split second before it disappeared-or maybe it was my imagination-and he brought a hand up, placing it on my forehead.

"Are you sick, Ko-kun? Your face is red."

That set me off and I stepped back, pushing his hand away with a nervous chuckle, trying to play off the fact that I had gotten even more red.

"I-I'm fine, Tamaki. Heh, just uh, got distracted is all."

That smirk came back, but was gone before I even realized it was there, and Tamaki turned away and did the one thing I didn't want him to do. He called Kyoya over.

"Kyoya! Don't be stingy! Come over here and great our fellow club members!"

Kyoya exhaled and walked over, our gazes locking for an intense few seconds before he turned away, nodding his greetings to Honey and Mori-the second of which didn't look happy for some reason-and giving me another glance; looking as though he wanted to tell me something. Swallowing thickly, I was glad when Honey took the initiative to get us out of here.

"Sorry, Tama-chan, but we need to go sell more sweets so Takashi and I can see our brothers' class. Ko-kun has lots of stuff to do too, right?" He tugged the edge of my shirt, forcing me to look away from Kyoya's haunting gaze.

"Ah, right." I said, looking back up but avoiding Kyoya to instead look at Tamaki. "Sorry, Tamaki."

He bobbed his head with a grin and a knowing look in his eyes. "That's okay! We've got things to do too, right Kyoya?"

I closed my eyes to avoid looking at him as he answered.

"Of course. Your over-extravagant actions have, once again, given us many things to do."

Opening my eyes, we all gave our respective goodbyes and walked passed each other. At least we would've, if Kyoya hadn't reached out and grabbed my arm, making me turn around as pain sent a fire up my side. He must have noticed my wince though, and quickly looked me over with a small frown, before meeting my eyes.

"You're hurt."

"J-J-Just a bruise. I-I'm fine." I stuttered out nervously, questioning why he was even to me after he said he despised me. Bur he kissed me after that! So what did he mean?! He hates me, right?!

"Kohaku."

I quickly brought my attention back to him at the use of my first name but the way he was looking at me made that pressure in my chest grow as my heart thudded against my rib cage. What's going on? Am I getting sick? I-I don't like this.

"Kohaku, I need to speak to you about what occurred back in Karuizawa."

"I-I, uh-"

I couldn't get anything out. My throat was getting tight and my hands were shaking. My body didn't seem to want to cooperate and my mind wasn't much better as all the stress and confusion began to make me dizzy, all the while, my side and stomach aching terribly.

"It is…important that I speak with you." Kyoya said, oblivious to my current inner turmoil.

I need to get away. This is too much right now. I thought in a panic, tugging my arm from Kyoya's grip and turning away.

"I-I can't, Kyoya. I need to finish helping out my class."

Kyoya didn't like that and went to stop me again, but something surprising happened. Mori stood between us suddenly, Kyoya's outstretched arm in his grip.

"He said he can't." Mori told him, a distinct frown on his face.

Kyoya looked up at him before tearing his arm from Mori's grip and pushing up his glasses.

"Very well. Another time then." He announced, but I swear I saw a hint of rage just past the rin of his glasses when he glanced at Mori.

Mori, himself, either ignored it or didn't see it and instead placed a gentle hand on my lower back, leading me down the hall. What was that? These two looked like they were fighting or something. Was it my fault? As much as I hate to say this, ignore it. Fu-kun said, ditching Honey's shoulders for my own. Let them duke it out and focus on everything that you have on your plate first. You've got a long couple of days ahead of you.

I nodded slightly. Yeah. You're right. I'll try to fix things with them later. If I try to deal with it now, I won't last through the week. Fu-kun licked my cheek in affirmation and I scratched the top of his head before focusing back on selling sweets to the groups of parents and students. If I was lucky, we'd finish soon enough for me to have some time to myself in the rose maze. Should be okay, but being lucky was never one of my strong suits.

(No one's POV)

Kyoya sighed to himself as Tamaki ran rampant, greeting students and parents as they roamed through the commoner festival that class 2-A had set up. While he was annoyed by Tamaki's antics, he was more displeased by what had happened not moments before.

"He said he can't."

Kyoya clenched the pen he was holding before forcing himself to relax. No matter. I will just confront Kohaku before he leaves. Hopefully, without Morinozuka around to interfere. Kyoya pushed up his glasses with a miniscule nod to himself, and patiently waited for the festival to come to an end for the day.

The moment it had, Kyoya eagerly ditched Tamaki to find Kohaku. Eagerly probably being the wrong word because he was-in no way-looking forward to confronting Kohaku. He wasn't confessing or anything (he shivered at the thought). No, he was simply going to try and make things right and, as Tamaki said, make it up to Kohaku.

What had happened in Karuizawa had been a slip up on Kyoya's part. At least, that's what he convinced himself to think. And while he had pushed the incident to the back of his mind, it was obviously something that Kohaku was having a difficult time wrapping his head around. He already looks worse for wear. I highly doubt he's been resting appropriately, as the dark rings under his eyes will tell anyone not stupid enough to miss them. Kyoya glanced down at his hand for a moment, remembering just how tiny and frail Kohaku's wrist had felt when he'd stopped him earlier. He needs to eat better as well, it seems. Pushing the thought aside, Kyoya entered class 3-A and tapped the president on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, senpai, but could you possibly tell me where Kohaku Nishimura is? I don't see him here."

The class president scratched his head, looking around the room. "Actually, I haven't got a clue. The moment he came back, he changed and said something to Haninozuka-san about not being able to stick around because of some manuscript or something. Then he left."

Kyoya sighed. He has a manuscript due as well? That explains his reluctance to helping the club this week. "I appreciate your help, senpai."

Kyoya went to leave, but then the class president snapped his fingers.

"Oh! I think he mentioned dropping by the nurses office for ice. I heard he has a huge bruise from some fight he was in yesterday. Although, he doesn't look like he could fight…"

Nodding and thanking him again, Kyoya began making his way to the nurse's office in an attempt to catch the illustrious white-haired host. I should've expected such. He thought, thinking back to when Kohaku winced. Seems his first opponent in that tournament of his was more than he expected. He should be more cautious in his fights. Reaching the nurse's office, he questioned her as to Kohaku's whereabouts to find out that yes, he had been here. He got an ice pack, some pain medication, and then left muttering about going to his usual quiet spot.

Now, even Kyoya knew that there wasn't going to be many places that were quiet, especially during the festival. Unfortunately, he also knew that Kohaku was an extremely curious person who probably found a number of places that could be considered quiet throughout the school. First thing was first though. Kyoya needed to gather information.

Although the festival was over, the students still milled about, barking instructions to some of the workers to take down as much as they could before they had to leave for the day. So Kyoya asked around, going from one floor to the next to find the next person who had a hint of where Kohaku was. As the sun began to set, Kyoya was beginning to get frustrated at being sent on this wild goose chase through the school. He was exhausted and currently, he was following the last hint a first year had given him, leading him outside and towards the area where the rose maze was at.

He better be here. I'm tired of running all over the place searching for him and it's already getting late. I will certainly give him a piece of my mind when-Kyoya's thoughts were cut off as he reached the gazebo that was tucked away in the rose maze. There, head resting on his arms fast asleep, was Kohaku; an assortment of papers that had been torn out of his notebook and crumpled up, surrounding him and his ferret, who was also asleep curled up on Kohaku's head.

All anger he had felt disappeared upon seeing this scene, and he sighed quietly, stepping closer and picking up one of the crumpled papers and reading it over. He was surprised though, because the words on the page basically recaptured what had happened in Karuizawa (aside from a few changes here and there). Eyes wide, Kyoya picked up another only to find a similar tale. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kyoya set the pages down and took a seat beside Kohaku. You're more bothered by it than I thought. That's to be expected, As anti-social as he is, telling him you hate him and then kissing him was not the smartest choice.

Kyoya frowned at Fu-kun, who yawned with a stretch. Deciding to humor his subconscious, Kyoya snapped back. "Yet he continues to taunt me."

Taunt you? Hardly. He's just as confused as you are, you know. You should see how he is at home. Pacing and muttering to himself half the night. The kid's a wreck. Fu-kun appeared to sigh, setting his head down on his paws and watching Kyoya through one eye. However, something was wrong. If my subconscious is projecting itself onto Fu-kun, then how do I know what Kohaku is doing at home? Fu-kun snorted, and Kyoya glared at the ferret, deciding to ignore what he had been thinking for now. Forget it. I can't say what I wanted to say, so I might as well go since he's asleep.

Kyoya stood up and went to go, but paused when he heard a quiet sneeze. Looking over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Kohaku scrunching up his brows with a small frown and before he knew what he was doing, he took off his Ouran jacket and draped it over Kohaku's shoulders. As Kohaku's frown turned into a small smile, Kyoya couldn't help but shake his head with a small grin of his own. Reaching out, he hesitated for just a moment before brushing his fingers across Kohaku's forehead, moving a stray strand of hair just as Fu-kun let out a chuckle. Deny it all you want, kid, but you've fallen pretty hard. Kyoya pulled his hand back with a frown and left without another word, leaving Fu-kun chuckling atop Kohaku's head. You've certainly got quite the group of guys coming after you, kid. I wonder how you'll deal with it all.

"Uh, are you sure we should be doing this, Tamaki?" Haruhi questioned, walking with the Host Club-except Kohaku. "Kohaku's been pretty out of it lately and I really don't think he'll want us barging in on him like this."

Tamaki put an arm across her shoulders, his eyes closed as his other hand swept his bangs off his forehead with a flourish. "My dear Haruhi, that is exactly why we should be doing this! We cannot have our darling son missing out on the last day of the school festival!"

"I thought he wasn't helping…" Haruhi muttered under her breath unnoticed.

"And we can cheer for Ko-kun too!" Honey exclaimed from atop Mori's shoulders. "'Cause he'll be really good, right Takashi?"

"Ah." Mori nodded with a small smile.

"So what kind of tournament is this, anyway?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah." Kaoru said right after. "We know he's fighting, but is it like martial arts or what?"

All eyes went to Kyoya for answers, but he exhaled in defeat.

"I am not the one you should be asking. I do not even know where we are going, which is why Haruhi is leading. Ask her."

Haruhi raised a brow. "Really? He never told you guys?"

Everyone shook their heads, Honey pouting as he spoke.

"Ko-kun just said a tournament. He didn't say what kind."

Haruhi sighed and messed up her hair. "I don't know why he didn't tell you, but from what he told me, it's a three day tournament that goes on once a year between the gym he goes to and three others. Each gym picks their best fighter and they compete in a kick-boxing tournament. These past two days, it has been happening in the evening, after the festival. Today though, it happens during the day. Kohaku wouldn't even be fighting today if he hadn't won the past two matches."

"Woah!"

"So he's in the finals?!" Hikaru and Kaoru shouted, and Haruhi nodded.

"Yeah. Shindo-kun has been keeping me up-to-date on Kohaku's matches since Kohaku told me not to come. He's probably being reckless and doesn't want me to know, that idiot."

Haruhi frowned as Honey and the others chuckled.

"Ko-kun just doesn't want you to worry, Haru-chan!"

"Yeah." The twins said.

"You know how he is."

"He doesn't like people worrying."

Kyoya even had a small smile. "he's too stubborn for his own good."

Tamaki bobbed his head, also with a huge grin. "That's right, Haruhi! Kohaku will be fine!"

Of course, that was the moment they reached the gym and, upon seeing the large group of men shouting and yelling around a boxing ring, Tamaki lost all color in his face and practically wilted away on the spot. Haruhi was unperturbed though and hardly reacted at all when the large, burly man known as Coach headed over with a large grin on his face,

"Ah! Kohaku's friend! You're right on time! They're finishing up a preliminary match from yesterday. The kid will be going up next. Are these more friends?"

Haruhi nodded. "Yeah. They're here to cheer Kohaku on. Is Shindo-kun here?"

"Hm? Oh! You mean the flirty one. Yeah. He's here. He's the one who told me you were coming. Come on. I'll take you to him. You'll get front row seats to the match too."

He let out a hearty laugh and led them through the crowd, the twins having to drag Tamaki along since he was still frozen in shock. Tamaki was slowly beginning to snap out of it, when he witnessed one of the two fighters in the ring get punched in the face and knocked to the ground with blood pouring from his nose and mouth. That was about when they got to Shindo, who was watching Kohaku hit a punching bag nearby; oblivious to the world around her with some headphones in her ears. When Shindo noticed them, he shot up with a grin and hurried over, Fu-kun hanging on to his shoulders and trying not to fall off.

"Oh hey! Glad you guys could make it! They're starting a pot going around if you want to make bets. That big guy over there with the tattoos is who Kohaku has to fight."

Shindo pointed over towards a tall, dark-haired guy who had a dragon tattoo covering the whole left side of his chest, back, and arm. That, combined with his angry, scared face and sheer mass, had many of the club members worrying for Kohaku. Tamaki was the only one to voice his thoughts though.

"No! My darling son! You can't fight these beasts! No!"

Needless to say, he was attracting unwanted attention from the surrounding…beasts and the twins were quick to shut him up.

"Shut up, Tono!"

"You're going to get us killed!"

Kohaku had heard the commotion and unplugged herself from her ipod, surprised to see the Host Club there. Blinking a few times, she grabbed her water bottle and drank deeply from it before standing next to Shindo and addressing the group.

"What're you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be preparing for the festival?"

The group was fairly surprised at how calm and collected Kohaku was, not even stuttering despite being surrounded by men three times bigger than her. Not to mention her up coming match.

"We came to see you fight, Ko-kun!" Honey said, a big grin on his face.

Kohaku nodded. "Alright. Did you tell them the rules, Shindo?"

Mori and Kyoya frowned slightly upon hearing Kohaku dropping the suffix to Shindo's name, but they went unnoticed as Shindo explained.

"Oh right! Okay then, if you guys are here to cheer, I have to tell you the basic rules. First off, it's okay to cheer, but don't try to warn Kohaku."

"Why not?" The twins questioned, Tamaki still struggling to be heard behind their hands covering his mouth.

"'Cause it's distracting." Kohaku replied, watching the ongoing match. "Haruhi did it once. Got me hit in the face."

Haruhi pouted. "I said I was sorry!"

Kohaku chuckled, turning around to ruffle her hair. "I know, I know. Just messing with ya."

Shindo smiled at the scene before holding up two fingers at the hosts. "Second, don't touch the ring or stand too close. People do get thrown across the ring on occasion and it wouldn't be very good if they fell through the ropes and hit you."

The hosts nodded, swallowing thickly as they imagined the scenario.

"And finally, don't talk to anyone you don't know and if you bump into them or vise versa, always apologize."

"That includes you, Honey, Takashi." Kohaku said seriously. "I know you two could win in a fight, but I don't know a lot of these guys and if you take out one, there's going to be a lot more coming. We don't need an all out war in here."

They both nodded, but the twins were curious about what she'd said.

"What does you knowing them…"

"…have to do with us?"

Coach came up then, placing a hand on Kohaku's shoulder before she could answer.

"You're up, kid. Give 'im hell."

Kohaku nodded with a grin, fist-bumping with Coach before heading off towards the ring. Coach then led the group closer to the ring so they could have a full view of the fight.

"You boys wanted to know why the kid knowing the guys here is important, right?" he asked the hosts, calling a guy over with a shout that surprised them. "Hey! I'm betting fifty on the kid!"

Cries of shock and outrage came from a majority of the men surrounding the ring, many of them placing bets for the bigger guy as Coach smirked, turning back to the hosts.

"It's 'cause your friend up there has fought damn hard to earn my gym's respect. Around here, that kid's word is law. If he says so, my boys won't lay a finger on you. Ya know why?"

The guys all shook their heads and Coach stared back up at Kohaku, grinning madly.

"He hasn't lost a match yet. I'd say it's because he trains so hard, but even you can tell just how much he enjoys this."

The bell rang, signaling the start of the match and the hosts stood there in shock for a moment because Coach was right. They had never seen Kohaku so happy. She continued to grin throughout the match, dodging kicks and punches with ease. The hosts soon began cheering and once the first twelve minute round was over, they hurried to the side of the ring where Kohaku leaned over the ropes with a big grin across her face.

"You're really cool, Ko-kun!" Honey shouted.

"Yeah!"

"You really kick butt!"

"Good job!" The twins said, giving Kohaku fist bumps.

"No!" Tamaki shouted, coming up and looking at Kohaku desperately. "What if you get hurt?! I can't have my darling son fighting barbari-"

The twins quickly cut him off before he could insult one of the many men around them, by covering his mouth and dragging him off, much to Kohaku's amusement.

"Heh, And you four? What do you think? Do I stand a chance?" Kohaku asked the rest, genuinely curious about what they would say.

Mori nodded. "Ah."

Haruhi sighed though, rubbing the back of her neck. "I suppose you've got a chance. Just don't get yourself killed."

Kohaku chuckled and turned to Shindo, who gave her a huge grin.

"My Ko-chan won't lose to anyone! Good luck in the next round. I'm expecting you to beat some ass."

Kohaku let out a laugh. "You know I will!" She stopped though when she spotted Kyoya, who still hadn't said anything yet.

Pushing up his glasses, he gave Kohaku a small smirk. "I expect a good fight to make up for all the club work you've missed."

Kohaku could barely believe the words of encouragement Kyoya had just given her, and her grin returned as the referee announced the beginning of the next round.

"Yes, sir!" She mock saluted, before taking her place at the center of the ring.

Putting her mouth guard back in, she bumped fists with her opponent as per custom, and the bell went off, starting the round. The round before this was a tie, so this one would decide the outcome of the tournament and with her friends cheering her on, there was no way she was going to lose now.

Her opponent, Futo, started the attack with a quick combination of jabs, crosses, semi-circular kicks, and a roundhouse kick. Kohaku dodged all of them and used her speed and nimbleness to retaliate with a combination of heel kicks, sweeps, jabs and backfists. Futo dodged those, but didn't expect Kohaku to duck down and launch a kick upwards, clipping his chin before he could fully dodge.

She was swiftly back on her feet and tried to knock him back with a kick to the chest, however, he blocked it with one hand and used his other to deliver a bone-shattering hit to Kohaku's right side. The same side that was still recovering from two nights ago. The hosts went to 'boo' but Coach stopped them.

"There's no booing here, boys. All's fair."

They shut their mouths, but everyone was tense as Kohaku put some distance between her and Futo, breaths coming out in short gasps.

"Keep cheering." Mori suddenly said, and Coach followed.

"He's right, boys. Look at him. He's not giving up yet."

Sure enough, Kohaku still had a grin on her face and she quickly brought her arms up and closed the distance once more. This time though, it was almost as if she picked up speed. None of Futo's hits were landing and while Kohaku hadn't been throwing any attacks, ti was obvious that Futo was wearing down and growing frustrated.

Finally, Kohaku stopped dodging and began throwing hit after hit, leaving Futo with no chance to retaliate. The final hit though, shocked everyone. Kohaku swung a roundhouse kick to Futo's side and followed up with a spinning heel kick to his head, barely managing to land on the ground as Futo fell, unconscious.

Cheers rang up from everyone in the room, amazed at what Kohaku had just pulled off. Kohaku, herself, was pretty shocked even as she was announced the winner of the tournament and Coach and everyone hurried up to celebrate.

"You did it!"

"That was amazing, Ko-kun!"

"That was so cool! I never doubted you, my darling son!"

"Hey! Back off guys! Give him some room!" Haruhi called out, shoving the hosts back and sending the unresponsive Kohaku a worried look.

"Hey, you okay, Ko-chan?" Shindo asked, patting Kohaku's cheek in an attempt to snap her out of it.

She blinked a few times and turned to him. "I-I won?"

He nodded and then launched forward, catching Kohaku before she hit the ground as the others hurried over too.

"Kohaku!"

"Are you okay, Ko-kun?!"

As Shindo draped her arm over his shoulders to help her stand, Kohaku lifted her head with a grin, holding her side.

"Heheh, sorry. I-I can't feel my legs."

The group sighed in relief and Mori helped Shindo carry her over to a bench, setting her down as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back with a sigh. She relaxed for maybe a minute before she shot up with a yelp, reaching for her side only for Kyoya to stop her since he knelt beside her and had a hand pressed to her ribs.

"I need to check for broken bones."

Kohaku frowned. "Well can you do it a little nicer?!"

Kyoya frowned as well. "Unless you wish to go to the hospital for an x-ray, I suggest you hold still and let me check."

Kohaku opened her mouth to argue, but upon seeing everyone's worried faces, she sighed and sat back. "Fine. Just…be nice about it."

Kyoya rolled his eyes as Kohaku lifted the base of her shirt, and everyone visibly winced when they caught sight of the ugly-looking bruise marring the light skin of Kohaku's side. Kyoya pressed him fingers to the bruise, earning a wince from Kohaku. She continued to grit her teeth and cringe on occasion as Kyoya pressed down on her ribs, but he soon finished and stood up with a sigh, pushing up his glasses.

"They're not broken, but they're most likely cracked." He said. "You should wrap them and be checked out at the hospital."

Kohaku groaned. "I hate hospitals."

Everyone let out a relieved chuckle, when Futo suddenly stood before them, a bandage wrapped around his head. Kohaku stood up-albeit wobbly at first-and faced him, both remaining silent and staring each other down before someone came over and shoved Futo's head down, forcing him into a bow.

"I told you to thank the kid properly! You don't just stand there!" The other man shouted and Kohaku chuckled, easing the tension.

"It's alright. He may have been quiet, but I knew what he was doing." Kohaku said, also bowing slightly. "Thanks for the fight, Futo-san. It's been a while since I had a good challenge."

They both stood straight, Kohaku with a smile, before Futo nodded and headed back to where he had been sitting. The other man, an older guy with brown hair, shook his head with a sigh.

"I'll never understand that guy. Hardly says a word." He then turned to Kohaku. "That was a good fight though, kid. If you ever want a good gym to go to-"

The man was cut off suddenly when Coach came over with a hat full of cash, a few bills sticking out of his pockets too.

"Hey! No recruiting my fighters!"

The man smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and facing off with Coach. "Or what? You'll go tell mother?"

"'Mother'?" The hosts questioned and Kohaku turned to them in surprise, sitting back down on the bench.

"Oh? You didn't know? All the gym owners are related. It's a….family business."

They still seemed a bit lost, so Kohaku explained.

"This is Coach's brother. That one over there, with the red hair is his cousin. The one to his right is actually his sister. She got a sex change…And the older one is his uncle who'd teaching Coach's nephew the tricks of the trade."

The hosts continued to stare, open-mouthed, as Coach argued with his brother.

"How's it feel to be beat?"

"After a five year winning streak? Ha, it's about time you found someone."

"Says you! I'll bet I win the next one too!"

"How much? I'm willing to bet fifty, you don't."

"Oh! It's on! This kid'll beat anyone you've got!"

Kohaku raised a brow. "uh, Coach? As much as I love hearing your brotherly squabbles, can I head out? I have stuff I need to do."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Uh…" Coach began shuffling through his pockets before handing a rather large wad of cash to Kohaku.

"60:40. Here ya go."

Kohaku nodded, ignoring the hosts' shocked looks and pocketing the cash, getting up with a cringe. "Thanks. I'll see you again in about two weeks. Let's go then, you guys. Before Takashi gets recruited too."

The group nodded and walked out to two awaiting limos, which confused a majority of the group.

"Didn't we only come…"

"…in one limo?"

Kyoya nodded. "Yes. All of you will take Shindo-san home and head back to Ouran to prepare for the festival while Tamaki and I escort Kohaku to the hospital. We will meet you there."

"Aw." The twins whined. "No fun."

Kyoya rolled his eyes, climbing into a limo with Tamaki and Kohaku as the others reluctantly got into their own. Once they set off, Kohaku let out a deep breath and slumped down in her seat, thoroughly exhausted.

"I hope we're stopping by my place. I need a shower." She grumbled.

"I'm sure we'll have time for a short stop. Wouldn't want you ruining the outfits."

Kohaku frowned. "Love you too." She said sarcastically, earning a curious look from Kyoya.

"What makes you think I care for you in such a way?" He quipped back.

"It's sarcasm, Kyoya." She mumbled, eyes sliding closed. "I doubt anyone would love me like that."

Kyoya turned to her in surprise, but it was too late. She was already asleep, head bowed, arm draped over her stomach. Tamaki chuckled at the look on Kyoya's face.

"You're expression is amusing, mon ami. He said something unexpected, no?"

Kyoya frowned at his friend, sitting back against the seat. "Quite. What could possess him to believe such a thing?"

"So you do care for him?" Tamaki teased.

"I said no such thing."

"Of course not." Tamaki chuckled, before looking at Kohaku fondly. "Perhaps it is as I said before. He has been hurt."

"Perhaps." Kyoya said, giving in. "however, he is foolish for allowing such a thing to rule over his mind."

Suddenly, Kyoya stiffened, a foreign weight leaning heavily on his shoulder. Kohaku had fallen over, it seemed, and Tamaki was taking pleasure in watching Kyoya's reaction.

"Get. Him. Off." Kyoya growled.

"But mon ami! What is he wakes up? Is it not best to let a sleeping dog lie?"

Kyoya let out a groan, but relaxed, allowing Kohaku to sleep at least until they reach the hospital.

(Kohaku's POV)

I was not in a good mood when we left the hospital. For one thing, I was embarrassed because I had fallen asleep on Kyoya. Although, he didn't seem too upset about it. He just told me I should get more sleep to avoid sleeping on people in the future. But anyway, I wasn't happy because the stupid doctors kept poking and prodding my bruise like they had never seen one before.

"I wish they could've just taken the damn x-rays instead of stabbing me with their fingers for fifteen minutes."

Tamaki chuckled nervously, trying to ease the tension I was accumulating in the limo. "Well, at least your ribs aren't broken!"

"Only because Kyoya got them to hurry up. I'm sure I'd have at least one if they kept poking me."

When we reached my apartment, I thanked Kami and hurriedly took a shower. It felt so nice. I almost didn't want to leave, but Kyoya pounding on the door was enough incentive for me, and I unenthusiastically climbed out. The moment I'd finished dressing though, I realized I had a problem. It was going to hurt like hell trying to bind my chest and my ribs. And Fu-kun couldn't help me if he tried. Not to mention he's in the other room.

Grumbling profanities under my breath, I put the end of my shirt between my teeth and began the painful process of binding my chest with cracked ribs. Once I'd finished, I pulled my shirt down and collapsed on the floor, back against the wall as I tried to control my breathing; a bead of sweat dripping down the side of my head.

"Man…that was…harder than I thought…"

The pounding on the door returned and I got up with a groan, picking up the wrappings that still needed to go around my ribs and hurriedly pulled on my pants.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm coming!"

I opened the bathroom door, giving a glare to Kyoya before going to grab a soda from the fridge. Drinking some, and grabbing a water bottle as well, I stuffed both into my school bag along with my notebook and manuscript, in the hopes of getting some writing done.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped, wincing as my ribs shifted at Kyoya's question. He, on the other hand, sighed and took the wrappings from me.

"Sit down and take off your shirt."

"W-What?" I questioned, pink staining my cheeks.

"I need to re-bandage your ribs, unless you want another trip to the hospital."

I sat on the stool he dragged over, but didn't take off my shirt for obvious reasons.

"Kohaku, take off your shirt." Kyoya grumbled.

My blush darkened slightly. "I-I, uh-"

Luckily, Tamaki came over to save me. "Kyoya! How could you ask such a thing from our darling son?!"

Kyoya frowned. "Please, Tamaki. You're making it sound as though I'm asking something indecent. I need to wrap his ribs and I cannot do that the way he is."

"C-Can't I just lift my shirt?" I asked and Kyoya reluctantly sighed.

"If you are that uncomfortable with yourself, fine. You can just lift your shirt."

My face grew redder, but I nodded with a soft 'sorry' and lifted my shirt high enough to hide my chest bandages, but with enough room for Kyoya to wrap my ribs. Unfortunately, that also meant he would be leaning over me and that did not help the red state of my face.

Does he really need to be this close?! I thought as he leaned over, wrapping the bandage behind my back and allowing a waft of his cologne to brush past my nose. C-Cologne? But does cologne normally smell this…good?

"Did you just sniff me?"

I quickly looked at Kyoya, realizing that I did just sniff him, and promptly turned beet red.

"I-I, uh…no?"

Kyoya didn't look convinced, but went to finish my bandages only to stop suddenly, staring at my midriff for a good long minute.

"U-Uh, Kyoya? Something wrong?"

He glanced up at me before looking back and giving me a good smack to my side, causing me to yelp in pain.

"Hey!"

He let a sharp breath out of his nose, a small smirk on his face as he stood up. "Serves you right. Now hurry up. We've kept the others waiting long enough."

He turned away and headed towards the door, but I felt something was off. Why did he stop earlier? Shaking the thought off, I followed after him and Tamaki, who had the strangest of smiles on his face. Almost as though he knew something I didn't.

What I didn't know, was that he did know something I didn't. he knew what Kyoya had seen when he stopped wrapping my ribs. Kyoya had seen the very edge of my chest bandages, but I wouldn't find out about that. At least, not now.

Once we arrived, I helped out with what I could before the hosts deemed me useless and I was forced to sit at a table out of the way and write my manuscript. I actually felt bad for not being able to do anything. I mean, I hadn't helped the past two days anyway because I was confused and angry with Kyoya. So not being able to help now had me a bit depressed. Even Honey was helping! He's normally in the same boat as me right now, eating cake! This, of course, left Fu-kun to try and cheer me up.

It's your own fault. You shouldn't have gotten hit in the first place. Or not. And I wouldn't have, if that guy didn't blind me with his watch in the first round. Damn cheaters. Ah. Is that what happened? I just thought you were being an idiot. Why you little-

"Ko-kun!"

I stopped glaring at Fu-kun to look at the twins as they shoved a bag in my direction.

"You need to…"

"…go get dressed now."

"The festival is starting."

I raised a brow, taking the clothes from them. "Already?"

They nodded and pushed me towards the changing room, being careful not to be too forceful and possibly hurt me more. Once they left, acting rather suspiciously, I began putting on the black dress shirt and pants along with a cream colored vest and a small, thin, red bow tie. As soon as I was done, I was not surprised when the twins hurriedly fixed my hair. Nor was I surprised when Tamaki gathered us and said a few final words.

"Now remember, as part of the festival, the Host Club will be open to parents and visitors for most of today. Which means we will need to be more charming than usual. So let's get out there and show our honored guests the time of their lives!"

I was surprised however, with the sheer number of guests awaiting us in the main salon. Oh man. I hate crowds. I swallowed thickly, eyes automatically seeking out potential exits. Everyone was sent to do their respective roles, be it sweet talking the guests or eating cake, but I wasn't sure what to do. You need to calm down. You did fine with that last parent.

"Yeah, but that was just one person. Now there's a hundred." I muttered harshly to Fu-kun, when the twins suddenly came up and snatched him from off my shoulder.

"Sorry, Ko-kun."

"Kyoya said he has to stay in the club room."

"Something about not being proper around guests."

My nervousness increased as they hurried off and took Fu-kun to the club room, but they seemed to be up to something when they returned, equal smirks on their faces.

"Hey, Kaoru. Ko-kun looks really nervous. Don't you think?"

"You're right, Hikaru. Maybe he needs some help!"

They suddenly held out a glass with a gold colored liquid in it and I looked at it hesitantly.

"W-What's that? It's not alcohol, is it? C-Cause I don't drink."

"Alcohol? Oh no."

"It's not alcohol."

"It's liquid courage!"

I frowned slightly. "I'm not stupid, you two. It's champagne, right?"

They shook their heads. "No way."

"It's just sparkling cider."

"But it'll make you not nearly as nervous!"

I probably shouldn't have trusted them, but I took the drink and they left to go entertain guests with innocent smirks. I knew it was champagne. They couldn't fool me, but I felt they were right. I needed something to make me not as nervous, so I drank it. I felt a bit better and set the glass aside, but nearly jumped out of my skin when Haruhi put a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay, Kohaku?" She asked, concerned. "Are you're ribs doing alright?"

"T-They're fine." I lied. Her scaring me actually made my side burn with pain, but I wouldn't tell her that. "I j-just…I'm not used to so many people…is all."

She looked around, as though just realizing how many people there actually was. "Oh. I forgot you get all skittish around new people."

My eye twitched. How could you forget, Haruhi? I'm the shy type. Of course people freak me out!

Haruhi turned back to me and grabbed my wrist, tugging me along. "Well, since there's no way you can get out of helping, you can just stick with me. I could use your help passing out sweets and maybe you can keep me from dealing with the arrogant ones."

How am I supposed to do that?! I can only handle one or two at a time! Not fifty! I mentally screamed, but followed her diligently as she went around with the cart of sweets, taking interest in what the hosts were doing to entertain their guests. Currently, we were listening in on Tamaki's conversation with the same woman I, myself, had charmed not so long ago.

"I think that these young men just enjoy being fond over." the woman said, a hand covering her mouth as though she didn't want to be overheard.

Tamaki did though, and hurried over, a hand placed over his heart. "You are quite right, madam. We are such shameless, selfish creatures." He then took her hand gently. "All of this is mere pretense for spending time with lovely young ladies, such as yourself. It is a weakness. Forgive me."

Almost immediately, the woman and her daughter were swooning. "Oh! What an enchanting club!"

"I told you!"

Tamaki gave the slightest of bows. "You're too kind. Both of you."

"Good grief." Haruhi complained.

I nodded in agreement. "You're telling me. I went so far as to kiss that woman's hand and she didn't swoon that way for me."

"You did what?"

"Here, your buttons are mismatched. Allow me." Mori's deep voice interrupted, drawing out focus to him as he knelt down and fixed Honey's vest.

"Thank you very much." Honey smiled, the women nearby enjoying the scene.

"How adorable!"

"They must be brothers. The older one is so thoughtful!"

"Wrong." Haruhi grumbled again.

"Well how are they supposed to know?" I said, sneaking a cake off her cart and eating a bite. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think the same thing."

"Whatever."

"Oh hey, check out the twins." I said, using my fork to gesture at the two, who were surprisingly not doing a gay brotherly routine.

"But you see, our mother and father were both so busy that they had no time for the two of us."

"We played by ourselves, which is the reason we're so lonely now."

"Oh, you poor things!" The two women said, using their handkerchiefs to dab at the tears in their eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me."

I chuckled. "If you think that's bad, listen to Kyoya's lies."

We both turned towards said host as he spoke to one of the fathers of our clients.

"One of our daily goals here, at the Host Club, is to evoke different time periods. So, we make it a point to thoroughly research a wide variety of historical traditions in the interests of maintaining authenticity."

"That's quite impressive." The father said as Haruhi and I passed.

"Yeah, quite impressively political."

"Hey," I shrugged. "gotta stay in good relations somehow."

"Yeah, well, I don't exactly see you out there sucking up to these people."

I smiled nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. "Heh, well other than large crowds freaking me out, I'm not exactly one who should even try conversing with them."

Haruhi raised a brow in confusion. "Why not? Isn't it good to have connections in high places?"

"Uh…yeah, however…I'm a novelist."

"So?"

I put my hands in my pockets and turned my head to my the right, watching everyone enjoy themselves. "Believe it or not, Haruhi, being a writer is something the upper class look down on. It's not a good paying job unless you're really good. It's not a business either, and it doesn't take much to become one. So, it's pretty much the exact opposite of what they approve of. Combine that with me being a commoner, getting into this school no questions asked, and with special privileges like Fu-kun, and you've got yourself a disaster waiting to happen."

"Kohaku…"

I turned to her and grinned. "It's alright, Haruhi. As shy as I am, I can handle myself should I get dragged off into one of those conversations as long as it's only a few people asking questions. I've learned a new trick that keeps me from completely freaking out when put into tight situations. I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened yet."

"R-Right…" She said, not totally convinced.

It seems to work though. All I do is tell myself to act like Kyoya and I can defend myself. The only time I don't really need to do that, is when someone insults my friends. And then I'm completely fine and my mouth moves on it's own. I'd rather not be put in one of those situations though. As confident as I appear on the outside, I'm normally freaking out inside.

"Kohaku-kun!" A guest suddenly called out, coming up to me and linking her arm through mine. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" She suddenly turned bashful, dropping her head with a blush. "I-I…Could you come meet my mother?"

She must be one of my more clingy customers. She's smart though and knew that by linking her arm through mine she had me trapped and the shyness gets me every time. Sometimes I can be just a little bit too gullible. I nodded, yet another nervous grin on my face as my stomach churned uneasily with a twinge of pain. "O-Of course." I turned to Haruhi and let out a short chuckle. "Seems I spoke too soon. I'll see you later, Haruhi."

She nodded, glancing between the two of us before I was led off to my doom. And I need to keep an eye out if what I think is going to happen does happen. Let's hope I can talk myself out of this.

(No One's POV)

Haruhi was a bit concerned for Kohaku, watching as she did her best dealing with the small group of clients and their parents who had decided to join her. She appeared to be doing okay, but Haruhi knew better and could see how tense she was. Sighing quietly, Haruhi stood beside Kyoya as he now typed away on his-new-laptop.

"This is a bit too much, even by our standards. You could buy a small country with all the money we're wasting."

Tamaki suddenly appeared out of nowhere, placing his hand on Haruhi's shoulders. "What nonsense! That's not the Host Club way at all, and you know it. Happiness is above any price tag!" Tamaki posed dramatically. "Besides, think of all the exposure we'll-Ah!"

Haruhi was now pinching the back of his hand, removing his arm from her shoulder and not caring about the pain she was inflicting.

"No, Haruhi's right. You have overshot the budget." Kyoya remarked, not sounding the least bit pleased.

"Kyoya…"

Kyoya shut his laptop, turning to Tamaki and pushing up his glasses. "The use of the salon withstanding, you had the period style carriage shipped all the way in from France-" Carriage? Haruhi thought, not remembering such a thing, as Kyoya continued. "-Must you be so capricious? Your impulsiveness overwhelms my accounting skills."

Haruhi, having shaken the thought from her head, walked off to do her job in the hopes of checking in with Kohaku if she could, muttering a short "Typical." in response to what Tamaki had done.

"Whatever!" Tamaki called after her. "Capricious is just another word for creative! I'll have you know, that the whims of the Host Club king is the stuff of dreams! No price it too high!"

Haruhi ignored him and began serving guests again, getting close enough to hear what some elder women and men were talking to Kohaku about.

"I've never seen you around here before. Are you a new student?" One man asked.

Kohaku nodded, being polite, but Haruhi could see how tense and fake her smile was. "Yes, sir. I'm a third-year, however I just recently came to this school this year."

"What did you say your name was again?" A woman asked, eyeing Kohaku.

"Kohaku Nishimura, ma'am."

The woman frowned. "Nishimura? I've never heard of them. What do your parents work in?"

Haruhi sent a worried glance Kohaku's way, watching in surprise at how easily Kohaku handled the painful question.

"Unfortunately, my parents have passed away." She said, looking down for a moment.

"Apologies…Have you taken over the company then?"

Kohaku looked back up, but smiled politely courteously as she shook her head. "I have no company to inherit. My only job is that of a writer."

The group of parents seemed shocked.

"A-A writer?" the woman stated with a look of disgust. "Then you are nothing more than a commoner?"

Haruhi did not like where this was heading, but Kohaku stayed calm.

"Yes. However, I am quite happy with life. I have a job I enjoy and, should need be, I am quite capable of running a business if I choose to change paths."

"Capable?" The woman scoffed.

Her husband then stepped forward, a stern look on his face. "What qualifications would you, a mere commoner, have that would make you suitable to run a business?"

"I am not one to boast, sir." Kohaku replied, her expression beginning to scare Haruhi.

She looks like she's ready to punch this guy in the face, but she's still smiling!

The man smirked, thinking he had won. "Then you have none."

"Oh, quite the contrary." Kohaku smiled. "But if that is what you wish to believe, then you may do so. As a member of the Ouran Host Club, it is my job to ensure you enjoy the final day of the festival and will, therefore, not argue with you on what you believe to be true or false."

The man's smirk grew, but Kohaku wasn't finished.

"However…" Her face unexpectedly grew dead serious. "Should my club's reputation not be in jeopardy, I assure you, I would not hesitate to protect my pride and prove to you just how capable I truly am." She then smiled at the shocked couple and bowed with a hand over her heart. "Now if you'll excuse me. I'm sure you want to enjoy the festival for a while longer and I have something I need to attend to."

Haruhi grinned widely, as Kohaku strolled off, and silently praised her before Kyoya suddenly called Haruhi over to speak with Tamaki's father. The whole while though, she couldn't help but think how uncharacteristically brave Kohaku was for standing up to those parents without stooping to their level. Reminds me of Kyoya actually. They both seem to know their way around a conversation and know how to handle a situation without losing face. They'd be quite the duo together. Without warning, the harsh sound of a slap rang out and everyone's gaze shifted to the trio in the center of the room.

Kyoya was standing there, shocked, wide eyes clearly visible under the lenses of his glasses; as was Yoshio Ootori, who still had his hand raised. Both of them were staring at the white-haired host between them, whose cheek was now turning a bright shade of red.

"Kohaku, what are you-"

"Why did you interfere?" Yoshio cut Kyoya off, lowering his hand and putting on a stern expression.

Kohaku lifted her gaze, but the polite smile she'd had on all evening was now completely gone, being replaced with a solemn, blank expression.

"Kohaku." Haruhi got up off the couch she had been sitting on and took a step towards the trio, but Mr. Suoh stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head silently before they both went back to watching what was going to happen.

"This is a festival, sir. Not a place for you to vent your frustrations on your son. Especially if you have no idea what he is able to accomplish."

Yoshio frowned slightly. "And who are you to interfere in a private conversation between myself and my son?"

Kohaku smirked just slightly, gesturing an arm outwards. "Unfortunately, this conversation ceased to be private the moment you raised your hand against one of my friends."

"Do you know who you are speaking to?"

"Of course. You are Yoshio Ootori, the head of a chain of hospitals and other paraphernalia."

The hint of a smile crossed Yoshio's face. "Then you should know not to intrude in my affairs."

"Quite the contrary." Kohaku said, standing strong against Yoshio's threat. "You being the head of the Ootori corporation changes nothing."

"What?" Yoshio was shocked. Does this child not know what I am capable of?

"Oh, I know what you're capable of, Ootori-san. I'm sure you've taken down many empires on the way to the top, however, that does not excuse you from your previous actions."

"Striking you was not my intention-"

Kohaku cut him off. "I could care less about that, Ootori-san. I was speaking about your words to Kyoya as well as your attempt to hit him over something meaningless."

Yoshio was beginning to get annoyed with Kohaku's continued efforts to pry into his affair and thus tried to end the conversation. "I do not have to explain myself to someone such as you."

"Alright." Kohaku said. "Then let me explain."

Kyoya, who had stayed silent up until this point, took a hold of Kohaku's wrist in a silent attempt to stop her, but she would have none of that.

"I know what's going on with your company and it has you frustrated. Then, upon seeing Kyoya participate in something you view as a waste of time, you lose control of your frustration and lash out. A stupid move on your part, Ootori-san, for you haven't the faintest idea on what Kyoya does on a daily basis for this club."

"When they're young, many assume they have all the time in the world, but really, that is never the case. He should not waste his time with something that will ultimately have no value." Yoshio retorted, the slightest of frowns marring his face.

Kohaku scoffed. "And who are you to decide what value this club has? You don't know anything about the Host Club, nor how hard Kyoya works to ensure everything is in it's proper place and that everyone is happy. Entertaining others brings fulfillment into our lives and without Kyoya…without your son, I would have had nothing left to live for after my family died. So don't you dare say what he does-what we do-is a waste of time." Kohaku practically growled out, the seriousness of this situation finally registering in everyone's minds.

Yoshio took a second to compose himself before speaking. "Very well. I will take back my previous remark, but expect us to met again…"

"Kohaku Nishimura, sir."

He nodded. "Nishimura-san." he turned to leave, but looked over his shoulder. "Kyoya, this talk will be finished later."

Yoshio then walked off, leaving Kohaku and Kyoya to themselves as the other on-lookers went back to what they were doing. Kyoya released Kohaku's wrist, noticing how tightly she was clenching her fists, and reached out and brushed his hand against hers causing her to turn to him just as the hosts rushed to their side.

"Kyoya, Kohaku, are you two alright?" Tamaki asked, very concerned for his two friends.

The twins had their hands clasped together, looking worried as well. "Your dad is so mean."

Even Mori actively spoke his concerns, gently brushing Kohaku's cheek with his knuckles. "Do you want some ice? It's swelling."

"I'll get you some, Ko-kun!" Honey said, gazing up at her with equal worry.

She shook her head with a light smile. "That's okay. I'm fine."

"Kyoya?" Haruhi said, gaining everyone's interest. "He wasn't upset with you because of the Host Club, was he?"

Tamaki gasped, but Kyoya pushed past him.

"Don't worry about it." He raised a hand in a shrugging motion. "it's not like I didn't expect this."

"Because…of the Host Club?" Tamaki muttered quietly, but Kohaku bopped him on the head.

"Don't you start, Tamaki. We all love the Host Club, even Kyoya. So don't you go thinking otherwise, alright?"

He nodded as concerned looks were passed around, but the hosts were soon called away by guests, leaving Kohaku to stare off blankly and lose the fake smile she had been holding up. Mori noticed this from his place at Honey's side and silently watched her, a tugging in his chest telling him to go to her side as another part of him told him to stay with his cousin.

"Takashi!" Honey called out, a large conniving grin on his face. "I'm all out of cake!"

Mori glanced over at the-now empty- sweet cart and nodded, standing. "Ah."

Before he could roll it away to get more, Honey spoke again. "Neh, maybe you should ask Ko-kun to help you!"

Realizing that Honey was encouraging him to go talk to Kohaku, Mori gave him a small smile, causing the guests around Honey to blush profusely.

"Alright."

Honey chuckled, beaming, and went back to entertaining while Mori came up behind Kohaku, tapping her shoulder to get her attention. She jumped with a small cringe, he noticed, before putting on another fake grin.

"Oh hey, Takashi. Do you need something?"

Mori pointed at the empty sweet cart and Kohaku understood immediately.

"Honey ran out of sweets then?" She shook her head, not looking surprised, and waved for him to follow her. "Well come on then. I'll help you since I'm not doing anything."

Mori nodded and began pushing the cart behind her. That was one of the things he liked about her. She understood him. She knew what he was saying without him having to actually tell her. She was patient with him and never got angry about his silence, even going so far as to enjoy the quiet with him.

Lately though, he'd found her acting differently and he can't say he liked what was happening. He missed her laughing and smiling, and even her playful teasing. During these past months however, the smiles grew forced or strained, and it was more often than not that he caught her gazing out the club room window sadly or sighing with that nervous habit of hers; the pulling of her hand through her hair. Occasionally, he also saw a deep look of pain and confusion but it only happened when she looked at Kyoya, and that's what frustrated him most.

"Takashi?" Kohaku said, giving him an odd look. "You okay? You look unhappy about something. Is there anything wrong?"

Mori thought about telling her and opened his mouth to do so, but he spouted out something completely different than what he wanted to say.

"Why did you get between Kyoya and his father?"

"H-Huh?"

Mori blushed, looking away and starting to put cakes on the cart. "Nothing. Sorry."

"No! Uh, i-it's okay. I was just a bit surprised by the question, is all." Kohaku gave a tiny, reassuring smile before grabbing some cakes to help Mori and occupy her hands. "I saw them talking and kind of hurried in when I saw Kyoya was going to get hit. I wasn't really thinking about it or anything. My body just, sort of, moved on it's own."

Mori could see that she wasn't telling the whole truth and he found himself wondering is she would have been completely truthful with Kyoya. A tiny frown made its way onto his face.

"Why do you try so hard to please him?" Mori asked. "I see how it hurts you."

Kohaku's eyes snapped up before she kind of shrunk back, embarrassed. "I-I…I don't-"

"You do." he cut her off. "I've seen you."

Kohaku had a slight blush on her cheeks after having been caught and she nodded slowly, pulling a hand through her hair and sitting on a stool behind her.

"I do it because I thought he should be happy." She said, quietly. "I know he had problems with his father and I just thought…he should have something he can enjoy without worrying about his father trying to control him or without him having to search for some sort of benefit."

"But he hurts you." Mori replied, understanding what she said, but not seeing why she would try so hard to make Kyoya happy when she gets hurt in the process.

Kohaku chuckled anxiously, looking up at him as she rubbed the back of her head. Another nervous habit. Mori mused.

"Heh, I guess you could say that…but it feels good to see him happy. I can't really explain it very well. Um…it's like seeing honey's dark side, or Tamaki being serious, or seeing you smiling and laughing. It's something not everyone gets to see and for me to be able to make that happen…it feels good."

Kohaku smiled, not one of the fake ones, but a true smile. One Mori had missed seeing these past few months, and he found himself giving her a small smile as well, reaching a hand forward to brush it through her hair.

"You're smiling."

"I've been smiling!" She laughed, raising a hand to stop him from messing up her hair.

"Not truly…I wouldn't hurt you like that." Mori blurted out, stepping towards her and pulling her off the stool and into a hug, burying his nose into her snow white hair.

"I love you."

(Kohaku's POV)

I tensed in Mori's arms at those words, not sure what to do exactly. H-He…He said he loves me! W-What do I do?! Fu-kun, I-I cut my own thoughts off, remembering that the twins had put him back in the club room earlier. Oh man. I-I can't run away again b-but I don't know what to do! Do I love him? He's nice and caring, b-b-but I don't know! I've never done this before! I-I don't know what 'love' is! A-A-And I don't…I don't want to hurt him…

"I-I, uh…I don't understand." I finally managed to mumble out.

Mori pulled away, but nodded. "I can wait."

I shook my head, pressing a hand to my forehead and closing my eyes tightly. "No, that's not it. I just don't really know what to do. I-I've never been in love with someone. I don't know how it feels or anything and with everything that's happened…I'm really confused."

Shindo kissing me and confessing. Kyoya telling me he hates me but then kissing me too. And now Mori? Anyone else would love to be in my place, but I'm just so lost. I hate it. I hate not knowing what to do. I took a deep shaky breath, trying to calm myself down as my heart thudded against my chest and my stomach clenched painfully.

"I don't understand too."

"What?" I looked up at Mori, not sure what he was trying to say.

He scratched his head, looking away with a bit of red on his cheeks. "I see you laughing and being happy, and it makes me feel the same. And when you're upset or hurt, I want to be there to help you, but you're strong and I know you don't want that sometimes…but my chest gets tight and I worry that you'll stop being happy…And I want to protect that." He glanced at me now, so intensely that I almost wanted to look away. "I want to be the one to make you happy."

I could feel my face heating up and my heart seemed to only beat faster, making me wonder, maybe I was in love with Mori. Before I could say anything though, the door opened and in came the twins.

"Hey, Tono wanted us…"

"…to get together…"

"…for the carriage."

Kaoru and Hikaru then noticed we were in the middle of something.

"Woah…"

"…Didn't mean to…"

…interrupt~" They said while wiggling their eyebrows and grinning like the evil tricksters they are. Unfortunately, their teasing did not help the red state of my face, which grew redder with every passing second.

"S-Shut up!" I said, but that only made them snicker more as the four of us left the room, making our way back into the main salon.

We all gathered together with the others and I immediately stuck close to Haruhi and Tamaki. It wasn't that I was afraid of Mori or anything, it was just that I was more…aware of him now that he confessed. I must have been a bit obvious though, because Haruhi nudged me.

"You okay? You look a bit red. Do you have a fever?"

Haruhi, being ever clueless sometimes, placed her hand on my forehead to check my temperature. I quickly tried to find something to distract her and blurted out the first thing I could think of.

"I'm fine, but did you hear about the carriage?"

She dropped her hand, looking confused as I went on, pointing at Tamaki.

"Tamaki said something about carriages." I said, quickly throwing Tamaki under the bus. Sorry, Tamaki.

Haruhi turned to him in shock. "What carriage?"

Tamaki made to respond but an older woman walked in, followed by two suited individuals, and he hurried to her; bowing as he addressed her.

"Grandmother! I'm so glad you could come!"

Upon my recognizing who it was, I wasn't sure what to think. I knew that everyone back in my old world hated her for what she did top Tamaki and his mother, but I couldn't help but feel that there was something more to her actions.

"I hate that woman." Honey said, bangs shadowing his dark expression as he held his bunny closer.

Even Honey hates her but…I just can't seem to. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and silently watched, all the while, my mind racing.

"Please come in. Take a seat." Tamaki said.

"Don't patronize me." The woman muttered. "Filthy child."

Haruhi looked on in shock as the woman passed him and made herself comfortable on the couch across from the chairman. Haruhi then went over to Tamaki, thinking he was upset, only to be proven wrong. I shook my head with a small grin at his antics, when the person beside me bumped me with their elbow.

"Sorry." I said, only to turn red upon seeing it was Kyoya; Karuizawa coming back to me suddenly.

That's right. I still don't know why he did that…and I think that jacket I found on me the other day was his too…Maybe I should just ask…Yeah. I'll do that before all of my courage runs out. "Uh, Kyoya? I wanted to ask you about Karui-"

He abruptly glanced at his watch and waved me off. "Not now. Tamaki, it's almost time."

I opened my mouth to try and get some answers, but that didn't happen since we were whisked away for the grand carriage ride. The outfits were horrendous and I despised the sheer amount of frills all over it. I freely expressed this displeasure as well, being stuck between the twins, who kept sneaking sly glances my way and muttering under their breath to each other. I wasn't the only one suffering though. Haruhi was in a similar slouch and gave the oddly cheerful Kyoya a look.

"Kyoya, aren't you ashamed of yourself? I'd have though this wasn't the type of thing you'd enjoy."

He smiled an exceedingly fake, dazzling smile. "It's easy enough to cast away any sense of shame if it's for the sake of future profit. If you feel so ashamed, why don't you think of it this way…they're nothing but the scum of the Earth."

"Pft!" I couldn't help it, I laughed, doubling over as my aching ribs protested. "Ahaha! Why didn't I think of that?! Ahaha-Ngh!"

My laugh choked off as the pain from my ribs grew to be too much and I found myself leaning forward, hands pressing themselves to my ribs painfully as I got my breathing back to a normal pace.

"Oh hey."

"You okay?" the twins asked, looking genuinely concerned.

I nodded, sitting back up with a grimace. "Yeah…Just remind me…not to laugh for a while."

"Where's the fun in that?" They teased.

I rolled my eyes at them, thinking I might just get another glass of their 'liquid courage' since it helped with the pain earlier. At that point though, everyone but Honey and Mori got out of the carriage and we retuned to the main salon to continue entertaining guests. On occasion, one of the hosts would rush in and drag Haruhi or I back to the carriage and then rush us back, but other than that, it was the typical Host Club routine. The only issue was, I couldn't focus.

Mori's confession kept flashing through my head and that reminded me of what Kyoya did, making me twice as confused. Then there was Tamaki's grandmother, who I would glance at every once in a while, trying to figure her out. Add in the champagne I kept drinking and I was quickly becoming a mental mess. I was a bit too distracted apparently though, and hissed in pain as I ran into someone who wasn't supposed to be here.

"Shindo? You idiot!" I hissed, looking around quickly and pulling him to a secluded balcony outside.. "What are you doing here?!"

He smiled, green eyes shining mischievously in the dim light. "Couldn't let you have all the fun, could I?"

I groaned, keeping an eye out for people. "Shindo, you can't be here. What if someone sees you? Like one of the hosts or something!"

He laughed. "I'll be okay! What can they do other than kick me out? Now tell me. What's bothering you?"

I blinked at him, surprised at his quick change of topic and his intuitiveness. "I don't know what you're talking about." I muttered, turning away and putting my hands in my pockets.

"Oh yes you do~" Shindo came up behind me, wrapping me in a hug and resting his chin on my shoulder.

Having stayed at his place this past week, I had long gotten used to his breaching of my personal space and even craved it on occasion. Closing my eyes with a sigh, knowing he wouldn't let me dodge the question, I reluctantly gave in.

"I'm just really confused. A lot of things are going on and I don't know what to do…And I hate not knowing what to do."

Shindo chuckled as I opened my eyes and frowned. "I can see that. Is this about Glasses again?"

"Partially." I muttered, getting quiet. "I finally got up the courage to ask why he did that at Karuizawa, but we were so busy that he had to do something before I could get the words out of my mouth."

"But at least you have the ability to ask. Now it'll be easier to actually ask when you have time. Just make sure there's nothing to interrupt. And what else is bugging you? You mentioned that Glasses wasn't all of it."

I debated on whether to tell him, but I knew he'd pull it out of me sooner or later, so I just spat it out. "Takashi-I mean, Mori. He, uh, kind of just told me he l-loved me."

I saw Shindo raise a brow in the corner of my vision.

"Tall, dark, and quiet? He didn't kiss you, did he? You've seemed to have had enough of that already."

I shook my head. "N-No. but I don't know what to do or say to him. I mean…I'm not used to this…this whole love thing. How am I supposed to know that what I'm feeling is more than that of a friend or a brother? Hell, for all I know, it's just me being nervous." I said, growing frustrated as I leaned into Shindo, feeling his chest rumble as he hummed.

"Well…when you think about him, does your heart beat faster?"

I thought about it and nodded. "Yeah, but it does that for you and Kyoya too. And when I'm nervous around other people it does it also."

"Alrighty then. Let's see…think about the three of us with another woman then. Does anything change? Do you get angry or upset?"

Closing my eyes, I imagined Shindo, Kyoya, and Mori getting along with someone else and slowly began to frown.

"I can't tell."

"Think harder." Shindo said. "Have each one of use really getting along with the girls and try putting the other hosts in the mix too. Each one of us walks past you, being close with the girls. Maybe holding hands, hugging, kissing even. Now, blondie passes by. Do you feel anything?"

"No." I muttered, brows furrowed as I listened to Shindo's words carefully and did as he said.

"Okay. Now the twins. Anything?"

"Nothing."

"Now Mori-kun."

As I imagined this, I felt a weight settle on my chest. "I…feel heavier."

"Okay. Let's keep going. I walk past now."

The weight stayed and I frowned slightly. "It's still there."

Shindo nodded slightly, chin resting on my shoulder as he spoke quietly. "Lastly, Glasses."

I wasn't sure what happened then. The heaviness was there, but it felt as though something else was going on.

"I-It…feels weird."

"Like what you felt with Mori-kun and I?"

I nodded. "Yeah…"

"You don't sound so sure." Shindo said, hugging me a little tighter, being careful of my ribs.

"I'm not. I think it is…but what does that mean?"

"Well…do you want me to be blunt?"

"U-Uh…sure?"

He smiled brightly. "You like all of us as more than friends!"

I flushed a vibrant red, pulling myself out of his arms, flustered. "W-W-What?! A-All of you?!"

"Yup!"

"B-But…how?! Ugh, I'm so confused." I groaned, putting a hand to my head and stepping back to lean against the balcony railing.

"Hey now. Don't over-think it." Shindo said, patting my back comfortingly. "It's nothing to stress over. Just act like you always do and your heart will figure it out for you. Besides, I don't think any of us would want you over-thinking it. You're happier when you don't, and I believe everyone misses you being happy. So smile, Kohaku, and start taking care of yourself before you worry about us, okay?"

He smiled and I couldn't help but smile in return, his words warming my chest and calming me down.

"Alright. I'll try and thanks…Shindo. You've really helped me out this past week."

"Sure thing. Come stay with me again any time. My mom freakin' loves you. Heh."

I let out a short chuckle as well and waved him off once we re-entered the main salon. I felt significantly lighter after out talk and, although that weight on my chest was still there, I at least felt better knowing that I understood everything now.

"Student activities are now over. Please come to the grand hall and join the dance party." A person over the intercom announced and all the guests began leaving the main salon.

I headed over to where the hosts were standing around a small table, taking a seat beside Haruhi as Tamaki was summoned to greet the guests in the main hall.

"He acts like nothing happened." Haruhi said, watching as the door closed behind Tamaki. "I thought I was seeing a real-life soap opera unfold, but I guess it was just a dream…"

I stayed quiet as the other hosts began retelling Tamaki's childhood, having heard it many times before, but it still brought up the question of why his grandmother was treating him the way she was. Maybe she's just lonely and Tamaki reminds her of her husband so she doesn't want him going anywhere? No…that doesn't sound right…The only thing I could think of that would sound at least partially correct, is that promise she made with her husband before he died; that she would protect the Suoh company. She just got a bit out of hand because no one actively spoke about how her actions made them feel. And it's passed along through the family too. Tamaki, the chairman, even myself-although not a part of their family. All three of us try to do what we feel is best for others, but hurt ourselves in the process. I actually feel bad for her though, especially after what the chairman does to her later. No one should have what's precious to them taken away like that. I sighed, scratching the back of my head, not noticing the odd looks I was getting from the other hosts.

"You okay, Kohaku?"

"Yeah. You've been making that face for a while now."

"If you're not careful, it'll get stuck that way!"

I gave them a look, making them snicker. "I'm fine. I was just thinking, thank you very much." They're having way too much fun teasing me today, but maybe that's their way of trying to cheer me up.

"About what, Ko-kun?" Honey asked.

"Tamaki's grandmother." I frowned slightly, leaning my chin on my hand and tapping the side of my face. "I can't help but think that there's some underlying meaning as to why she acts the way she does."

They all exchanged looks before the twins attacked me, hugging me around the neck and messing up my hair.

"Hey! Stop it!"

"Our Kohaku is back!" they chorused and I chuckled, still trying to get them to stop.

"Alright! Alright! Now stop! You're messing up my hair!"

The group laughed before Tamaki returned, looking shocked when he saw us.

"You're having fun without me?!" He wailed, attacking me as well before we all laughed and joked around like we used to.

It was nice while it lasted, but Kyoya soon reminded all of us of the dance we had to attend and, judging by the way the twins dragged Haruhi off, she was going to have more 'fun' than all of us. I was proven right, when she joined me beside the buffet table; me in a nice black tux and dark red dress shirt, and Haruhi in a really pretty dress. Sue me for sounding childish, but the dress really made Haruhi look good and a slight pain in my chest reminded me that I would never look as good as she would in one. Shaking my head of the jealous thought, I smiled at her, remembering the nickname she had in order to not get caught by the guests.

"You look beautiful, Natsumi-san."

She frowned and smacked me on the arm. "Shut up." She then looked me over as I grabbed a glass of champagne, promising myself that this was the last one for the evening. "You don't look too bad yourself."

I raised a brow at her as I sipped at my drink. "To pull a Tamaki…I'm not nearly as beautiful as you, my lady~"

I chuckled with a big grin and Haruhi rolled her eyes before spotting the buffet table. Just as she made to go to it, a loud shout cut her off. Renge.

"Haruhi-kun?! Are you cross-dressing?!"

Haruhi froze, but I stepped in and helped her out, placing a hand on her waist.

"Actually, Renge-san, this is Natsumi, Haruhi's cousin. Haruhi is taking a break."

"Oh! She's a splitting image of him!"

I smiled, setting my-now empty-glass aside. "She is. Now, if you would excuse us, Natsumi-san owes me a dance."

"What?" Haruhi piped up as I led her away from Renge, who was probably thinking of all sorts of things in that messed up mind of hers.

"Play along, Haruhi." I told her quietly, taking her hand in mine and placing my other just above her waist. "A quick dance and then I'll leave you and the buffet table alone."

She blushed, causing me to chuckle, but soon we were both dancing across the dance floor. Haruhi occasionally stepped on my feet, used to dancing the guy's part, but I just smiled at her apologies and the dance soon ended. I bowed to her properly, cringing as I stood back up and led her to the buffet table. The champagne helps a bit with the pain but not much.

"Your ribs okay?" Haruhi asked, having saw me wince.

I placed a hand on my side with a tiny grimace. "It's been better, but looks like it's not happy about me being on my feet all day. Nothing some wine or champagne can't fix."

She rolled her eyes as I accepted a glass from a passing waiter. "Just don't get drunk. You already told me you hardly ever drink alcohol except for work purposes, and I don't need to end up dragging you home later because you did something stupid."

"Alright, alright. Last glass. I promise." I told her with a playful wink, the champagne already starting to get me a little buzzed.

Suddenly, Tamaki hurried over, bright red and with wide eyes.

"Haruhi? Huh? What? How come you're wearing…"

Haruhi put a forkful of food in her mouth. "I'm currently my cousin, Natsumi."

"You're Haruhi's cousin?!"

I sighed, whispering in Tamaki's ear about the whole plan. I leaned back, giving him a look. "You got it?"

He smiled blissfully, but I swear I saw smoke coming out of his ears. "Ah, that's it? I see."

Does he really? I questioned, but gave the two of them a wave as I spotted some guests calling me over. "I'll leave you two alone then Make sure you two don't get into any trouble. I would hate to have to call Kyoya over here." I snickered as they both turned red in embarrassment.

Once I left them, I heard a bit of commotion coming from there, but I knew they were fine and proceeded to dance with my customers. At around the seventh dance, I excused myself because I was a bit lightheaded and my ribs hurt, grabbing some food to counterbalance the alcohol in my system. I felt a whole lot better then and took a glass of water this time to rehydrate, when someone I didn't want to deal with walked over.

"Ootori-san, how nice to see you again." I said as calmly as I could with a painful bow.

"you as well, Nishimura-san was it?" He asked, making me wonder what he was up to since he was acting so nice to me.

"I'm surprised you remembered my name, sir."

He smiled a little. "I make it a point to remember the people I meet, and you are no exception. Is you cheek doing alright?"

"I hardly feel it anymore." I smiled back, sipping some of my water. "So what is it you wish to speak to me about, Ootori-san. Surely you did not come over just to make small talk."

"You are correct. I wish to speak with you about legal matters."

I looked at the man, puzzle pieces clicking in place. "You mean the possibility of me suing you for hitting me?"

The light flashed off his glasses as he gave me a short nod. "Yes and I am willing to compensate you handsomely for you to keep this matter to yourself."

I smirked slightly into my glass before setting it aside, blank faced. "Then you have nothing to worry about."

"Good." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a checkbook and pen. "45,000,000 yen should be fine then?"

I nodded. "Yes…Oh! But there's someone I want you to make it out to specifically."

He narrowed his eyes, suddenly cautious. "And that would be?"

My smirk returned for a split second before I covered it with a calm expression, looking Kyoya's father straight in the eyes as I spoke.

"The Ouran Host Club."

To say I was in a good mood the rest of the day was an understatement. I did my best to keep it hidden, but by the eighth glass of champagne, it was clearly visible on my face. I was lucky though, and managed to keep it contained until the end of the festival and everyone was already leaving. The Host Club had to stay behind for a little while afterwards anyway, and it didn't take them long to notice my cheerful mood.

"Uh…"

"Are you okay, Kohaku?" The twins asked as I came out of the changing room, cheeks red and a huge grin on my face.

"Never better!~"

My tux had been replaced by torn black skinny jeans, a white Union Jack shirt, and a thick leather bracelet, and I couldn't help but feel a bit bubbly at what I had managed to accomplish today. I solved my problems, I got to mouth off at rich people, and I's gots me some money~

"Neh, Takashi? I think there's something wrong with Ko-kun." Honey said, watching me giggle to myself.

Mori nodded. "Ah. Sit down, Kohaku."

He tried to get me over to the couch, but I nimbly dodged him. "No! Not until I give Kyo-chan his present!"

The twins started laughing hysterically, as Kyoya walked out of the changing room, buttoning his school blazer. I rushed towards him, arms outstretched and shouting his newest nickname.

"Kyo-chan!~"

I hugged him around the neck as the twins collapsed on the floor laughing and the other hosts came out of the changing rooms. Haruhi was the first to act, sighing with a roll of her eyes.

"Sorry, Kyoya. He's not used to drinking."

"How many drinks did you have?" Kyoya asked me and I chuckled.

"Nine! One was water though." I pouted and Haruhi face palmed.

"Idiot."

"Am not!" I called back. "I made Mr. Cranky-Pants pay up!"

The twins finally stopped laughing and gave me an odd look.

"Mr. Cranky-Pants?"

"Pay up?"

"What are you talking about?"

I smiled brightly. "Kyo-chan's present!"

Kyoya sighed, pushing up his glasses rather calmly despite having me hanging on his shoulders. "Does anyone know what he's talking about?"

Haruhi sighed again. "Let me try…Kohaku? Can I see Kyoya's present?"

"Okay!" I let go of Kyoya and began digging through my pants pockets until I found a neatly folded piece of paper and gave it to her. The moment she looked it over, I saw her eyes go wide and her mouth drop open, but I covered her mouth with my hand before she could say anything. "Sh. It's a surprise.~"

I snatched the paper out of her grip and did an abrupt about-face, standing in front of Kyoya with the paper behind my back.

"I won't give it to you unless you promise to answer my question."

He raised a brow, but nodded. "Very well. Can I have my…present now?"

I shook my head. "Nope! Question first! Don't want you being sneaky."

He sighed. "Fine. What do you want to ask?"

I got in his face then, surprising him (and everyone else), but he didn't move. "Why did you do that in Karuizawa?"

His eyes went wide, but the twins popped up and interrupted.

"Did something…"

"…happen in…"

"…Karuizawa?"

Kyoya quickly frowned, ignoring them and answering. "Because you have proven to be a nuisance even in my own head and I could stand it no longer. I did it to end something."

I blinked a few times, however I quickly recovered and grinned widely. "Okay! Here ya go, Kyo-chan! Happy…uh…birthday!"

He rolled his eyes and took the paper, allowing the hosts to gather around and read it.

"Holy crap…" Kaoru said.

"No kidding." Hikaru followed.

"Where'd you get this?!"

"I told you! Mr. Cranky-Pants!"

Even Tamaki was surprised. "Y-You mean…"

"Uh-huh! Ootori-san gave it to me! You should've seen his face when I told him qho to make it out to." I chuckled.

"Y-You got him to do this?" Kyoya questioned, still looking at the check.

I nodded, watching him. "He didn't want me to sue for him hitting me. I didn't want the money, so why not give it to the club? The look he had was all I needed." I smiled a bit more, when I suddenly thought of something.

"Haruhi! Your dad's gonna kill me!"

I hurried over to her, grabbing her in a hug and crying huge crocodile tears as I wailed. "I forgot to tell him about the festival! He was counting on me!"

Haruhi groaned and smacked herself in the face. "Yeah, well, he's going to be upset about more than that." She grumbled before turning to the hosts. "I'm going to take this idiot home now. See you guys later."

"I'm not an idiot!" I argued.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, Kohaku."

(No One's POV)

Once Kohaku and Haruhi had left, Honey chuckled, climbing up onto Mori's shoulders as they started heading to leave as well.

"Kohaku was acting silly, huh, Takashi."

"Yeah. Very silly." He replied, a small smile on his face.

"He was so drunk. Right, Kaoru?"

"Yeah. How many glasses did he have again?"

"Didn't he say eight?"

"I thought it was seven."

The twins left as well, but Kyoya hadn't moved and Tamaki went over to him in worry.

"Um, are you okay, Kyoya?"

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Kyoya began laughing hysterically, starting off in a low chuckle before it grew more manic. He put a hand to his head and wrapped the other around his stomach, doubling over as Tamaki stood back. Confused and slightly frightened of how Kyoya was acting, he slowly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"K-Kyoya?"

Kyoya gradually stood upright, but continued to laugh, waving the check in the air,

"Did you see what he did?! That idiot! He made enemies with my father! One of the most successful business owners in the world! And he was beat by that moron?! What I've been trying to do for years and he managed this much after one conversation with my father! It's…It's hilarious! Hilarious a-and absolutely astonishing! Imagine! Imagine what he could do if only…Oh, if only."

Kyoya's voice dropped off and he collapsed in a chair by the window. Tamaki, relaxing now that Kyoya had calmed down, came up behind him and began massaging his shoulders, forcing him to relax even more; although a smile still remained.

"He really surprised you today, didn't he?"

"You'd think he'd know better than to pick a fight with my father. It's not exactly a smart move on his part, despite how noble it is. The same could be said for his little drinking problem."

"Yes, well…Are you sure you shouldn't be giving him a little more credit? He's risking his livelihood to defend you and, while it's creative, he'll have certainly caught your father's eye."

Kyoya waved his hand, nonchalantly. "Then he'll find the same thing I found when I searched Kohaku's background. Nothing."

"What about Kohaku's work? His schooling? Surely your father could mess with that."

"He'll hardly make a dent. His sponsor is impossible to find and your father as well as a number of others are highly favoring Kohaku's novels. That, and I doubt he would quite writing even if only a few people were left reading. Heh, he certainly is stubborn. My father will have a hard time."

Tamaki smiled, silently glad that Kyoya and Kohaku had made up with each other. "Shall we go then? While you're still in a good mood? Heh, if not, I'll have to figure out what Kohaku had that made him so happy." Tamaki laughed.

Kyoya let out a short chuckle as well and together they left, neither knowing just how much the events that happened at the festival would effect them later. Or more particularly, Kohaku, who will soon discover just how difficult it is to be a part of high society after making enemies with the head of the Ootori corporation.

Okay, now I have a question to all my wonderful reviewers out there! I need help with this next chapter because I have no idea which Ouran chapters i should do. :(

I kind of want to skip over Kasanoda but I'm willing to touch on that part briefly. And I'm not so sure about the mall part, but I'll probably do that one as well. But I really want to start getting into the chapter of the manga that happen later on because I feel that those touch on things that the anime doesn't and it would be interesting to see what I can do by adding Kohaku into that mix.

But yes, that is the question! What Ouran chapters should I do in this upcoming chapter? And I'm willing to hear your thoughts on future chapters as well, if you have ideas for other Ouran stories you want to see in this. ^^ Please and thank you! Oh, and reviews would be awesome too ;)