"A woman's place is at home with their children."
Ai crept out of the bed and walked quickly to the bathroom. There she fell to her knees and threw up. Five months pregnant, and still throwing up. She wiped her face with a damp cloth and leaned against the wall. The doctor had said it was nothing wrong, and that people with twins often threw up during their whole pregnancy.
But no matter how annoying that fact, it wasn't the reason she had tears in her eyes.
She got to her feet, washed herself, got dressed, before walking out.
"Ai-chan."
"You're both up early."
She faked a smile at the two men. She was good to fake smiles. A talent she learned as a child.
"Women shouldn't compete with men in the workplace."
"Why are you going in there Ai-chan?"
"This is the dining room if I'm not mistaken."
"You mean you're not cooking today either?"
Ai froze for a moment, clinching her teeth together. Then she turned and smiled to the tiny man.
"Mistresses of big houses don't cook their own food Honey."
Then she sat down. Not seeing, but feeling the look the two men exchanged.
"Women are not supposed to fight. If I ever see you do something like that you'll really regret it."
She turned to the servant.
"Tea."
"You need to eat something Mrs Ai, you're loosing weight and in your condition that's not good."
"Then make me something."
The poor servant almost ran out the room and Ai looked hard in front of her.
"Ai-chan Takashi and I was wondering why you've stopped cooking."
"As I said Honey, mistresses of big houses don't cook their own food. You wouldn't find Eri and Hiromi behind a stove."
"A woman's job is to support her husband. To be a wife and mother."
"But Ai-chan loves to cook."
Ai froze again.
"This has something to do with the letter you got doesn't it Ai?"
Ai couldn't look at Mori. She knew he would see right through her, and she couldn't let him do that.
Arisu and Chieko came into the room.
"Why are you sitting here Ai?"
The servant came in, scared, and placed her tea in front of her.
"About time."
The twin girls looked confused at their sister.
"You've been rally mean lately Ai."
"If you lead, following won't be so bad."
Before anyone could fully understand what was going on had Ai gotten to her feet and struck Arisu over the face.
"Don't talk to me like that Arisu."
"If you lead, following won't be so bad."
The room was deadly quiet as the two people, mother/daughter, sisters, looked at one another. Arisu, her hand to her cheek, looked shocked at her. Then she turned and ran out of the room with Chieko close behind her. Ai just sat down and took a sip of her tea.
"Come in."
Kyoya was pretty sure who it was, considering he had left her side only few minutes ago. He turned from the window and people still sitting down in the garden.
"We need to talk."
Kyoya sat down behind his desk. Mori came in, closed the door behind him and took a step in the room.
"Sit down."
Mori nodded before doing just that.
"It's about Ai."
"I guessed that much."
Kyoya looked at him.
"You've noticed too?"
"She's not cooking. She shouts at the servants. She's short, and pretty much very unlike herself."
"You know pregnancy changes people."
"This morning she hit Arisu."
Kyoya's jaw dropped a little. No matter the change, no matter how much hormones was boiling inside her body. Ai would rather die than hit her sisters.
"What?"
"A couple of weeks ago Ai got a letter. That's when she started to change."
"I'm selling out." The false notes did mean something. He knows something.
Kyoya nodded before grabbing his phone and calling the direct number to Tamaki.
"Hi Kyoya."
Even his voice was less cheerful.
"I need to talk to you about Ai. Are you free?"
"I'll come by later."
Kyoya hung up and looked at Mori again.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I expected you to see for yourself."
Kyoya gave him his devil look, but Mori didn't even stir. He never did when it came to Ai. Then he just nodded and got up and left.
The door closed behind him, and Kyoya suddenly felt a jealousy he hadn't felt since he saw Ai in another man's bathrobe. He knew there were things that Ai and Mori shared that he would never be a part of, and for him that was fine. But the way Mori had accused him of ignoring the simple fact that Ai was in pain was too much, even for the former shadow king of the host club.
Simply because he knew it was true.
"Talk to him Ai-chan."
"Talk to who Honey?"
Ai looked straight ahead, at nothing really. Drinking her tea.
"Kyo-chan."
"Isn't that what Mori is doing?"
She didn't even turn as the door opened and Mori came in. Honey looked at the man and blushed.
"You've stopped calling him Takashi."
"I guess I have. Did my husband tell you something nice Mori?"
Ai didn't look up as Mori came in. Haruhi looked painfully from him to Ai. She hadn't talked to Ai for some time and was there now only because Honey had told him how much Ai had changed.
Ai took a new sip of tea. Slowly.
"Then don't question my decisions. A woman's place is in the home. Is behind her husband."
"You don't think Rebecca has a right to fight like other men? That I have a right to be a lawyer because I'm a girl?"
Her grip on her teacup tightened.
"That's different. Rebecca is an American, and soon Haruhi you'll be one too."
"That's stupid and you know it."
"You're the one abandoning me Haruhi."
Every one could see Haruhi was hurt and how hard she tried to be calm.
"You're scared for something, and it has to do with that letter you got. Talk to us Ai, you're not alone."
"Don't talk about being alone Haruhi when you've never been there. You've always had parents who loved you. Your father never hit you. Your mother died, she didn't abandoned you."
The handle on the teacup broke and the porcelain cut into her hand. She got to her feet and walked slowly out of the garden and inside to the bathroom.
You're not alone.
She placed her hand under the crane and opened the tap. Freezing water turned her hand numb.
I hate it Kyoya, I hate the person I've become. I'm so frustrated. I'm screaming at the people I love. And I hit Arisu. I swore I would never turn out like him, and I did. I guess I can't run away from who I am. You're probably going to call Tamaki aren't you? I called him because he knows you. He knows you better than anyone, even yourself. Do you know? Do you know about your brothers? About Paris? About my father? Do you know Kyoya? How much my heart is hurting? How I work so hard not to hurt you because hurting you again would break my heart?
"If I knew I would have told you Kyoya."
Kyoya tried to look calmly at Tamaki, but he knew he wasn't fooled.
"All she asked was if I still thought your dream was to surpass your brother. And I told her I thought it was."
"You had no right talking to her about that."
"We both know it is, so why keep it a secret?"
He never told Tamaki about Ai's promise or how she often stumbled around trying to do what she thought was right by him.
"You really need to grow up Kyoya."
He's the one to talk.
"If you want to know something, ask her."
"You don't know how changed she's been."
His voice was shaking ever so little. Tamaki leaned forward.
"You remember what you said to me on your wedding day?"
"What?"
"You told me about your father and you smiled. You said you had won. Now act like a winner."
The Tamaki said good-bye and left. Kyoya rose and walked over to the window. She was sitting in a lawn chair, drinking tea. Looking out at nothing. She wasn't even talking to Mori or Honey, just doing nothing. He could feel his anger boil up inside him and he hit the wall. A picture fell to the floor, but he didn't care.