ahh sorry i took awhile. but yet again i am extremely disappointed in the review turn up. the more you review, the faster i go, guys.

ah, anyway. here ya go. enjoy!

*creepyevildevilvoice* AND REVIEW. ~RBASA

C12: Suddenly I'm a Goth Jasmine

I ran in late to my first class, once again. If I was late one more time I would get a detention. I sighed, trying to concentrate on the class, but my thoughts kept flickering to the night before.

Jesus, I can't believe how I acted last night! How could I honestly feel moved by that jerk? Oh my god, he was IN MY ROOM! I gritted my teeth, angry. And he carried me. AGAIN! How DARE he? What a jackass. I can't believe I actually was comfortable in his arms last night. Ugh… I feel so… violated. He's a disgusting person who does NOT deserve my respect. I can't believe I called him BEAUTIFUL! No. I am NOT gonna fall for his tricks ever again! What was I thinking?

I stormed through the rest of my classes, only thinking about how pissed off I was, and getting even angrier as the day went on. In the back of my mind, I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn't hold back my sinister thoughts.

By the time I was ready to go to the Host Club, I was a raging bull, and the bitchy girls in all my classes did absolutely nothing to help my mood.

I was about ready to rip someone's head off when I opened the Host Club's doors.

"Ah, my princess, I'm glad you made it today. Now if you would please put this on…" Tamaki said, holding out a royal Arab outfit and smiling hugely as soon as I walked in.

I stared at him. There was no way I was wearing that. Not after today. I had woken up in another random tree, farther away this time, despite my precautionary efforts of locking my room's doors and windows. It was safe to say my day was NOT going well. Besides, I wasn't even in the club, why should I have to dress up?

"Aw but you have to!" the twins shouted, rightly interpreting my stare as a definite no. "You were such a great help to Haruhi the last few days that the club decided to hire you and Midori as our waitresses! Besides, you can't just sit around here and read the whole time."

I glared at them. Wanna bet? I wanted so badly to say.

"But Vinny-chan, you would look so cute in it!" Honey said, hugging Usa-chan. "Pleeeeease wear it?"

God, he was so cute! Ugh. I always had a weakness for kids, and even though this guy was older than me….

He shot me the puppy-dog eyes and I was a goner.

I grumbled and snatched the thing from Tamaki, stomping to the dressing room, Honey and the twins' cheers floating up behind me.

I ripped off my clothes and pulled the thing on, examining myself in the mirror. Baggy, almost see-through black and pants with gold trim and a sleeveless black top with a slit down the stomach, making me look like a real whore. I loved the headdress through. It was partially see-through, and all black with more gold trim. I wrapped it around my head, only my eyes visible. The whole thing actually wasn't that bad. I kind of looked like a Goth Princess Jasmine, from Aladdin. I smiled, positioned the top so the slit was invisible, and slid back the curtain.

I had hardly stepped out when I was glomped by a mass of bodies. "AHH! VINNY YOU LOOK SO CUTE!" the twins shouted, squeezing me to death.

"My daughter is growing up so fast!" Tamaki said, tears in his eyes as he snatched me away from the twins and crushed me in a bear hug, spinning me around.

Honey was attached to my leg the whole time. "Vinny-chan, you look pretty," he said, smiling up at me. "Ne, Takashi?"

"…Ah," he said, standing off to the side with the rational half of the group. I almost died. Luckily, the headdress hid my extreme blush. Stop! I yelled at myself internally. That guy is a money-grubbing jackass and you hate his bastard guts.

But as much as I yelled at myself, I couldn't help but notice that he was wearing pants like mine, but not transparent, and… well that was it. He was shirtless, just wearing the pants and holding a spear. I almost died all over again.

I pried Tamaki off me and Honey ran off, climbing up Mori onto his shoulders. I snickered.

Honey was wearing a toned down version of what Tamaki was wearing, a white and gold robe and a headdress that just went around his face, instead of covering it. They both wore white sandals while the rest of us were in bare feet. Tamaki had the jewels and everything. I sighed. He was an over-the-top kind of guy.

Hikaru and Kaoru were wearing matching purple and gold pants like Mori's, and were shirtless too. The Stalker, Haruhi, and Midori were in matching purple and gold robes. It seemed that everyone had their own matches.

I almost screamed when I realized Mori and I were a match.

I was about to march over to Kyoya and demand what kind of operation this was when Midori ran up to me. "HEY YOU STANKY SEAGULL!" she yelled, even though she was all of a foot away from me. I rolled my eyes and we shook hands.

"Well don't you look mighty fancy?" she said, admiring my outfit.

I shot into a dramatic pose and she laughed.

"Alright people, time to prepare for our guests," the Kyoya deadpanned.

Everyone gathered by the couch. I felt really out of place, but the twins steered me in front of Mori, who was standing off to the side of the sofa.

I stifled the urge to scream and held my head high, calmly waiting for the girls' arrival, shifting my weight from foot to foot. I knew I would be laughed at even more by the bitchy girls, but I shook the thought off. No need worrying about something that is unavoidable. Just make the best of it, I told myself, sighing.

The doors opened and I stayed silent as the group chorused, "Welcome." Mori was silent too. I wanted to spin around punch him in his bastard guts.

The girls poured in, and I had to stop myself from running away in fear. God, these girls are monsters, I thought, watching the way they pushed and shoved to get to their designated Hosts for the day.

Well, make the best of it, Vinn, I thought again, sighing.

[][][]

The day went pretty normally, Midori and I serving tea and cakes and biscuits and such while the guys did their thing. Fortunately, the girls didn't recognize me with my headdress on, but there were still whispers.

"Who IS that girl?"

"Do you think she's Russian?"

"What is she doing here?"

"What kind of costume IS that?"

"What a whore."

"Maybe she was raised to dress slutty by her Russian mother."

"Is she the Host Club's sex slave or something? Why is she dressed up like Mori?"

"Maybe she's Mori's secret girlfriend who he's going to run away to France with after the Host Club ends today."

"What if she's pregnant with Mori's child?"

"Ooh, scandalous."

"I think maybe she's Mori's secret lover who his parents don't approve of."

"Wow, Mori is so rebellious, going against his parents for the girl he loves."

"He's so sweet!"

"KAWAIIII!"

I seriously almost screamed. How the hell do these girls come up with these things?

By the end of the day, all the girls were convinced that I was Mori's secret Russian girlfriend who his parents despised for being common and slutty, but she was only slutty because that's how her prostitute mother dressed her, in hopes that she would grow to be just like her. Oh, and Mori had accidentally gotten said girl pregnant and needed to fly away with her to a special hospital in Eastern Europe, where he was going to confess his undying love and propose to her.

I could feel my eye twitching with the aggravation. I wanted to seize one of those girl's throats and scream in her face, "THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT I WOULD BE MORI'S GIRLFRIEND, AND THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY IN HELL THAT HE WOULD IMPREGNATE ME. AND I. AM. NOT. A. WHORE!"

I was fuming. Even Midori was afraid to come too close to me, scared that I would bite her face off. And I probably would have too.

At least SHE got a reasonable explanation for being there. The giggling girls figured that she was a home-schooled girl that was working at the club to earn some extra cash. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Ne, Vinny-chan, are you okay?" Honey tugged on my sleeve after the club ended.

I just looked down at him, my stress dissolving. It was impossible to be angry when looking at his unbelievably sweet face.

"OKAY!" he grinned, taking that as a yes. "Ya wanna eat some cake with us then?" He dragged me over to his table without giving me chance to answer. I was forced to sit across from Mori, and I almost jumped out the window. After all I had gone through today, I wasn't sure if I could handle THIS.

I slouched in my seat, glancing over at Mori. He was leaning on the table with his forearms, staring out the window blankly. I watched as his eyes slowly met mine. I felt like I could fall into those eyes forever, swimming in an endless ocean of gray, but I shook the thought away, becoming slightly angry. There was no way a douchebag like that deserved such eyes.

He slid his gaze back out the window and my eyes narrowed.

"Ne, ne, Takashi?" I heard Honey ask in a sad tone. I quickly turned to him, even though it wasn't my name he was calling. I was surprised to see tears in his eyes, staring down at his feet. "I – I think I lost my sandaaaal."

I almost started bawling at his sad face, but I immediately started to stand to go look for it, not even thinking about how random it was that he JUST realized he was missing a shoe. But as soon I made a single move, Honey grabbed my hand under the table with surprising strength, forcing me to stay.

Mori stood silently and quickly walked away in search of the missing footwear.

I looked down at Honey, confused. He looked up at me with those sad eyes again and I almost couldn't bear it. "Vinny-chan… do you hate me?" he asked, the most heartbroken look in his big brown eyes.

My eyes welled up. What had I done to make him think that? No, of course I didn't hate him. Of course not. I shook my head vigorously.

"Do you hate Takashi?"

I blanched. Um…. I thought. Well…

I looked over at Mori, who was searching under various inanimate objects for Honey's lost sandal.

Hate. Hate is a very strong word. I thought. I didn't hate anyone. Now, I wasn't saying I was terribly fond of the guy, but I most definitely did not hate him.

I glanced back down to Honey and slowly shook my head again.

A tiny, sad smile crossed his face and he looked back down at his feet.

I looked back to Mori, who was randomly searching in a potted plant.

I sighed.

"He feels bad you know." Honey continued unexpectedly.

I glanced back down to him again, raising my eyebrows in confusion.

"When Miki-chan was mean to you that day, Takashi felt really bad. He wanted to stick up for you but he knew that if he did, Miki-chan would just hate you more and make it worse."

My heart gave a painful pang. I had tried to push that memory aside, but now it came flooding back.

"You don't belong here, street rat. This school is for the high class, not scum like you… I would never want to be in attendance of a place that allows the likes of you in here."

That hurt, but I had taken much worse. What made it painful was Mori's silence. It was like… It was almost like he was agreeing with her. My eyes wandered over to him, where he was still searching diligently.

Now that I learned that this was not the case… I felt god-awful.

God, I am SUCH a BITCH! I screamed at myself. You've been nothing but a total jackass to him, and he did NOTHING wrong! I wanted to rip my hair out.

"But he's not mad at you for being angry," Honey continued, making me feel that much worse. "He understands why you would be mad."

My eyes suddenly stung.

"Takashi is very nice. I think you should give him another chance."

I closed my eyes, my head falling into my palms.

Mori came back, sandal in hand, and knelt before Honey, sliding it on to his foot with the utmost care.

Honey giggled and Mori sat back down, staring out the window once again.

My eyes bored into the table with frightening intensity.

Haruhi was walking by the table, gathering cups and plates, and suddenly Honey leapt up, screaming "HAAAARUUUU-CHAAAAAANNNN!" and all but tackled her.

"Wha-!" was all she could get out before Honey had her down and was dragging her away, rambling excitedly about a new cake recipe she had to try.

I felt Mori's eyes slide down to look at me, and I knew that we both knew this was all just a part of Honey's plan to get us on better terms.

I sighed and looked up at him with apologetic eyes, but was shocked to see the same expression on his face. Sorry, was the only thing it said.

My eyebrows furrowed. Why? What did HE have to be sorry for?

He just looked down and spread his hands. Everything.

"WOOOOAAAAHHHH they're having a silent conversation!" the twins yelled.

"That's amazing!"

"How can they do it?"

"They have absolutely fantastic communication skills."

"This is an incredible discovery of new ways to relay information!"

"It's a breakthrough of the human mind!"

The twins went on like an awed crowd, keeping the murmurs up between the two of them. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

The boy in front of me still had his eyes cast down, like he had committed some sort of crime.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Midori walked over to join the sudden excitement around us. "What's going on?" she asked.

"It seems they're having some sort of silent conversation. It's quite interesting, actually." Kyoya said, mildly amused, glancing up from his laptop.

Midori just smirked, crossing her arms and sitting down.

I turned my attention back to Mori. This kid is ridiculous, I thought, sighing. He glanced up and I frowned at him. Then I stood and, filling my outgoing actions quota for the year, I grabbed his hand and shook it once, ignoring the zing the touch sent up my spine. I refused to make eye-contact with him, and I quickly pulled back, turning away from the table and swiftly walking towards the storage/candy room. A sudden chorus of applause rang up behind me, and I rolled my eyes, shutting the door behind me.

I leaned back against it and took a deep breath, my hand still tingling from where I had touched Mori.

Woman, there's something wrong with you, I told myself, shaking my head.

[][][]

The club wrapped up quickly after that, we three girls working on cleaning everything up while Kyoya discussed plans for the Ball with the group.

"We are going on a mass shopping trip on Thursday, and the club will be cancelled in order to make time." He stated, causing everyone to cheer. He paused. "And everyone will go, including Midori and Vienna. No excuses or exceptions."

My head shot up. There was no way I was going to that! I didn't have a dress, or a mask, or a date, or a reason to go at all!

Midori looked pleased at first, but suddenly her eyes cast down. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kyoya interrupted her.

"The Hitachiins will pay for the three girls' outfits." He pushed up his glasses. Midori grinned.

The twins gaped. "WHAT? NO WAY! WHY US? I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

"You will also get to design their outfits and do their make-up, so long as you have approval from them." The twins immediately shut up and smirked at us. I rolled my eyes. There was no way I was getting sucked into this. I think I feel an illness coming on… I thought. I think it will peak on the night of the dance.

"Oh, and Vienna, I would advise you not to try and fake sick. My family runs a series of hospitals, and I can tell a fake from the truth any day of the week. You would also be wise to know that my family employs a secret police force that will obey my every command, yes?" His glasses glared, shielding his eyes.

Psh. You think you can scare me with petty threats? I glared and stuck my tongue out at him.

Kyoya shut his laptop and stood. "Alright, then. It's settled. Everyone is going to the dance."

My eyes made contact with Mori's for a split second.

"I will see you all tomorrow, then." Kyoya left and I saw Midori catch up to him and say something. I smiled. It seemed their relationship was coming along nicely.

I rode home with the twins once again after saying goodbye to everyone, almost falling asleep on the car ride.

I went inside, took a shower, finished my homework in record time and was ready for bed by 7 o'clock.

Life in the Hitachiin home was easy, simple. I liked it. Their mother seemed to keep her distance, always busy with work, and the maids and servants were kind and silent, staying out of everyone's business and bringing me dinner at the appropriate time (I refused to let them bring me lunch or breakfast, after all, there was no way I was letting this place spoil me), and he twins always seemed to have something to do. So, that basically left the house to me.

I loved it.

Going out on top of the roof was really fun too. I really wanted to fall asleep up there, but there was the whole sleepwalking off the roof and plummeting to my death problem to consider. I just sighed and clambered back in through one of the upper windows and made my way to my room.

I fell asleep dreading Friday.

~end of C12~

hurrah huzzah.

review review.

(please please.)

~RBASA