Why me?

Why was I left alone on that cold winter night? Would my Dad really come back?

"Okay! Today, Sir Mao Kurosaki will be serving his delicious Macaroons and his famous Cherry Limeades to all you girls! I'll be your server for today, Mika Kurosaki! *TWINKLE*!"

That was my sister, Mika.

As you can see, she's a very energetic spirit that I had to look after every day for the last ten years. You really couldn't tell, but she's actually the oldest sibling and I'm the youngest.

"Mao, do you think it's a good idea for Mika to be like that?"

"Is Hatori alright with it?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked me, the two on both my sides as the three of us looked at the energetic girl that was bouncing around everywhere like a second Tamaki. I looked at the guys that actually came here to see Mika and her cute little waitress outfit, which I made sure to the twins that it wasn't too revealing, and I was pretty pissed off that the guys were staring at her like that. So inappropriate!

I clenched my teeth and my fist and swallowed down my anger, replacing the anger with a smile that behind it was pure evil.

"Not at all! That's why I'm here though! To beat down whoever makes a pass at my big sis!" I said and quickly glanced back at the guys that caught my glare and then flinched when they saw in my eyes, how they will go out in this world. I chuckled silently and then looked down at the kotatsu's all around the room.

"Seriously, why did Tama-Hyung decide to do this anyways?" I said and pointed to the tall blonde guy who was standing there like an idiot.

"Ah! Mao! You're such a killjoy! I remembered you when you were shy and cute and always had fun, now you're a worry wart that pays attention to their savings account." Mika said. I grabbed her shoulder before she moved away and gave her a noogie. She began to yelp from the small amount of pain and then laughed. "Mao! Stop! Ow, that hurts! Hahaha!"

"Oh yeah? I'll make it worse by taking away your allowance that way you won't buy new manga! Say goodbye to your Black Bird manga for the month!"

"NOOO! Not Black Bird! Anything but that! Please!" She fake cried and tried to get out of my grip.

The Kurosaki siblings couldn't be more related than right now. That was just the thing; we weren't related, not by blood of course. We're adopted…adopted by the same family that gave us a home.

"How could they be so different and yet so alike?" I heard the gingers mutter out loud. Haruhi, who was just next to us, looked at Mika and I and we stopped what we were doing and then looked at her back.

"What's wrong Haruhi? Something on Mao's face?" Mika question and poked my cheek. I gritted my teeth so I wouldn't try to look more annoyed than I already was and then slapped Mika's hand away.

"So the two of you were both adopted by the Kurosaki family right?" Haruhi asked. Mika and I looked at each other and then back at Haruhi, nodding our heads. "Yeah…."

"Okay, so here's what I don't get. How are you so alike yet so different? Also, why did someone like Mao change into who we all know today?" Haruhi asked again. Mika and I had the same look of surprise when we heard the questions. We were asked so many questions during elementary and middle school, but the questions from High school were more different and more personal. I didn't know whether I should answer or not. For a split second, Mika and I looked at each other and studied our looks quickly before we turned to Haruhi with a smile.

"Did you ever wonder why Mao is called the Bipolar Tiger?" Mika said and folded her arms quickly.

TEN YEARS PRIOR

Back then, the two girls, who would eventually become best friends, were to become sisters.

SNIFF SNIFF

"DADDY! Daddy!" There was a woman passing by this one street at night to get more milk for her children. They really weren't her children, but she at least treated them like her family. That one alley that she was passing was the alley that I was in that night. I don't know how I got there, but I got there and this woman came to be because I was crying.

"Are you okay?" She asked me. I looked up at her, my eyes still blurry with tears. She was a nice woman with warm hazel colored eyes and black hair. She was so different from how I looked like. I wiped my tears and cried so more before I felt some warm arms around me.

"There, there. Everything will be okay." She told me and lifted me up. "We're going to my house now. I think you'll like it there. There are children off all ages there." She said to me, smiling down at my small form. We walked in the cold snow on a cold night.

I was tired and the tears on my face were freezing. We reached the place this woman was talking about and it was huge. Not huge like a castle, but big enough to fit at least fifty people or so. I watched in awe you could say and stopped crying when she brought me inside.

"You can sleep in my room tonight. I'll introduce you to the others in the morning she said." She had the voice of a caring mother and I really liked it. That night, I realized that I haven't seen my mom in a long time. I didn't know where she was and I didn't know where she was. I remember my dad saying that she was a beautiful woman who loved me so much. What I didn't understand though was why she left me all alone here with my dad and then dad said he was going to come back for me.

I waited and waited from that night until I realized he never came back.

That was it. He never came back because he forgot about me….

~/+/~

"Children!" The woman, Haruka, called out in the big dining room. She called them out with just a clap and all their heads turned to me and Haruka. I hide my face with the long hair that I had and blushed. Believe it or not, I was a little shy when I was little.

"I'd like you to meet a new addition to our family. Tell them your name." Haruka told me and I looked at the whole room, who were waiting to say my name. I opened my mouth, closing it soon enough, but I knew they weren't going to stop looking at me until I said my name. It took me a minute to realize what my name was. I just said what the first thing came to my mind was.

"M-mao. I'm Mao. It's nice to m-meet you all." I said. I then went over to this seat and I didn't realize who I was sitting with until I looked and there was this girl with blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She was a pretty girl and she wore a smile on her face.

"Hi!" She said to me, smiling at me. I looked behind me to see if she was talking to someone behind me, but I checked and she was talking to me. I didn't know what to do so I just said hi back. She giggled at me when I said my quiet hi.

"You're so quiet!" She said, extending her hand, "I'm Mika! Let's be friends~" She told me, grabbing my hand and shook it. I didn't know what to say so I just stayed in the same position I was in and looked at this strange girl that automatically made me her friend by force. I was little, I didn't know if she was just lonely or anything. I just assumed that she wanted to be my friend or something.

All I cared was if I was going to eat something.

I was new to the orphanage.

She was new to the orphanage.

I didn't know one soul.

She didn't know one soul.

I was alone in the world, like everyone else in this place.

She was alone in the world, like everyone else in this place.

Until I met her, my best friend.

Until she met me, her best friend.

That girl, the one that I'm sitting next to in the mess hall is my best friend, Mika. She's been in this orphanage longer than I have. She's had my back since day one and I tried my best to have her back, but I was such a meek and shy person that I still don't believe it to this day.

As I was lost in thought, some of the older boys came up to me and snatched the necklace I had on me. I looked back at the boys and they were the ones that always picked on the younger kids, kids like me. I looked at them and back at the necklace with tears in my eyes. They smirked at me and raised the necklace high in the air.

"Ha! Such a crybaby!" They said. I started crying when I tried to jump up to get my necklace back.

"Give it back! Give it back!" I said desperately.

"What are you gonna do? Cry to mommy? Oh wait, you don't have one!" They said and that made my cry again. I couldn't take any more and I almost decided to give up and run away. However,

"FALCON PUNCH!" I heard someone yell and when I looked up, I saw the same girl that became my friend, punch the boy right in the face. She glared harshly at the boys that they could now be six feet underground. They ran away, dropping the necklace on the ground and she turned her attention to me, who was sitting on the ground.

"It's okay now." She said, picking up the locket that they dropped. "Here, it belongs to you!" She smiled. I looked at her curiously and then hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you onee-san!" I said. She patted my head and from then on, we stayed by each other's side. We looked after another.

"Hey, what's with that necklace anyways Mao-chan?" Mika-chan asked me and pointed to the thin necklace that I always carried around with me since I could remember. I squeezed it in my hands and smiled.

"Dad gave it to me. It gives me hope that he'll come one day even if I'm adopted, I know he'll come back for me!" I grinned and ate more of my breakfast that day. My dad is going to come back. If he doesn't, I'll just look for him.

"That's amazing Mao-chan! I'll support you hundred percent!"

"Yeah!"

~/=/~

"Mao-chan! Mao-chan! Guess what?! Guess what!?" I heard Mika-chan yell out in the hallways and saw her running towards me. She turned to me and smiled brightly. "What is it?" I said softly. "I'm getting adopted! I'm going to have a family! And I came over and-" She stopped and saw me look at her sadly, but quickly changed my face before she even noticed it. I smiled brightly and led her to our room that we shared together.

"That's great Mika-chan! I hope you have a happy life! Write to me okay?" I tilted my head and got out her luggage. "Let's pack!"

When we finished packing, we walked together to the couple that adopted me. They smiled at Mika and looked at me.

"Is that Mao?" The woman, Yuki, said. She nodded her head and turned to Masato, the man beside his wife. He walked over to me and ruffled my head. "Hey, you're friends with Mika, right?" He asked me with a smile. I slowly nodded her head, looking at Mika and then back to Masato-san. His smile grew and wrapped his arms around my small frame carefully.

"Yuki…today we'll have two daughters." I couldn't believe my ears and neither could Mika. The man wanted to adopt us both.

That's when we both realized….

We were going to be sisters….sisters that were the best of friends…God wanted us to be sisters, even if we weren't biologically….

"Mao-chan! Let's go pack your things!" Mika said to me and I nodded, smiling once again.

Mika-chan…is precious to me…my family and my best friend…

Mao-chan is precious to me…my family and my best friend…

And then, she and I became sisters.

And then, she and I became sister.

"Mao. Mika. Hurry up if you don't want to be late for school." That was dad calling for me and my sister downstairs to go to the local elementary school. It was our last spring in the elementary and next year, we'll be in middle school. Mika and I were adopted by very kind folks that cared for us. The woman, Yuki or as I like to call, Mom, was half Korean and half Japanese. The man, Masato or Dad, was half Mexican and half Japanese.

I never met such kind people that treated the two of us like their real daughters.

"Let's go Mika! I don't want to be late!" I yelled at my older sister. I call her my older sister because Mom told us that even twins had to have an older or younger sibling so she made us play rock, papers and scissors. I lost so I then became the younger sibling.

"Coming!" Mika yelled as she was coming downstairs with a pink hair bows in her hair. I had my hair loose and let it be beside the little blueberry bow. Mika grabbed my hand and then the two of us went out, saying bye to Mom and Dad, on our way to school.

I wouldn't say that we were perfectly happy – Dad had his moments with his family and flat out ignore them. Mom tried to be nice to them when they were around, but they brushed her off and us too. Mom's family was different, they accepted us and loved Dad very much like their own son. I liked Mom's family too and they were the ones that introduced me to this thing called Korean Dramas. My favorite right now is Stairway to Heaven.

Whenever all this unhappiness happens, it pushes me a little to embrace it and not let get to me.

~/+/~

I learned from Dad that Mom was hospitalized one day when Mika and I were at school still. The teacher came and announced it to us and excused us to visit Mom and Dad at the hospital. The two of us feared the worst was going to happen to my Mom and I didn't want anything to happen to my Mom, not while I had this new family and I'm on a mission to look for someone.

We reached the hospital Mom and Dad were at and quickly met with Dad, who was sitting in the waiting room, his head hung over and not even looking up to know that it was us. When Dad was this depressed, we knew that it was bad. Dad was our strength and normally didn't look depressed or anything.

We sat next to him, rubbing his back to comfort him at least and waited for the doctor to come. When he came, he looked at us sincerely and announced to us,

"I'm very sorry. I wish I had better news for you. We ran every possible test that we could think of. Mrs. Kurosaki has stage one cancer." He said.

My whole world just stopped and I'm sure the same thing happened with Dad and Mika. Dad started shaking and dropped to his knees to bring us into a hug. I didn't know what was happening to Dad, but something came to my mind that he wanted to cry and he did because I felt my shirt becoming wet from the tears that he was shedding. He was shaking pretty badly.

I didn't know much about cancer, neither did Mika. We researched it and we found out that it's an incurable disease that you can get on anything in your body. There was brain cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, vaginal cancer, blood cancer, breast cancer, etc.

We were going to live with a Mom that will probably die.

None of us didn't know when will that happen, but we knew one thing…..

We weren't going to let that happen.

Dad did everything in his power to work his hardest and paid for the best treatment that there was possible and that happened to be the Ootori Medical Hospitals. Their treatments were pretty expensive, but that didn't matter to Dad, he wanted Mom to get better and beat cancer. We wanted the same thing for Mom too that we started doing most of the chores to help out Dad so he wouldn't have to worry.

I started cooking and I happened to be really good at it that I also joined the cooking club. Because I was really good at what I did, Dad decided to rebuilt the house and put a restaurant underneath our house. I liked cooking and he didn't have to do all of that.

He insisted and soon enough, we had a restaurant and our business was great.

"Happy Mommies Day, Mom!" I yelled, along with Dad and Mika. Mom was laying on the bed and smiled when we came into the master bedroom and in front of her was a tray full of first class food that looked like it just came out of a food catalog.

"Y-y-you made all of this?" Mom said to me and I nodded happily, pushing the food toward her.

"Yeah! Thank you for taking far of Mika-chan and I!" I said.

~/=/~

"What do you want to do Mao-chan for Show and Tell?" The teacher asked me, smiling widely at me when we were going over out plans for Show and Tell. She said that we didn't have to think too hard on it. I started drawing a picture because I wanted to show everyone what I wanted to do for everyone.

"Teacher, I can't tell you now. It'll ruin the surprise." I said, giggling. Before I knew it, Show and Tell came.

Parents were invited to see what their kids were doing in school. It was a good day and I've been working on a drawing that would surely impress the teacher and the parents.

"Okay class, today we're doing Show and Tell! Mao! What do you have for Show and Tell?" The teacher asked and I ran to the front of the classroom with a piece of paper with me and a smile on my face. The parents were awing at how excited I was and Dad just happened to take a picture. I flipped over the picture and it showed a drawing of the family and I.

"Um…It's a picture of grown up me and my family all happy! One day, I want to be a chef that makes people happy! I'll have my own café and bring smiles to everyone when they have a bad day!" I said and the kids were all clapping and aweing. "Even when I'm sad or angry, I will do my best to make people happy!" I finished.

"You want to make people happy Mao-chan?" A kid asked me.

"Yes! Happiness is one of the world's best things. People are much prettier when they smile!"

~/+/~

I was a troubled kid, not the kind that turned into a yankee or anything, I just liked to fight and because of that, Dad signed me up for some Tae Kwan Do, Judo, and boxing. I was excited that day.

"Ah!" I yelled and then looked up at the kid that beaten me black and blue from our match. Dad watched and made the other kid the winner. I was so sad that day because I at least wanted to show Dad that I could have what it takes to be strong and awesome at the one thing that he likes. I like martial arts; I can control that anger whenever I wanted to towards a punching bag.

"Mao, are you okay?" Dad asked me when I was still lying on the ground and looking at the boy. I rose my head and looked up to my Dads face to see him still smiling. I was confused, why was he smiling about my loss.

"Dad, don't look at me! I failed my first tournament! I'm so sorry!" I started crying and then winced in pain when I wiped away my tears. While I was crying, I had a hand rest on my head and some arms enveloping me in a hug.

"So? You try and you fail, you try and you fail, but true failure is when you don't try again."

Dad taught me how to protect myself and taught me some stuff that I will try to remember. He was my favorite person in the world and the one that wanted me to become his daughter. He was my Dad and I loved him very much! I was proud to be his daughter!

I wiped my eyes and nose, smiling at him. "Okay Dad! I'll keep trying!" I said, giggling.

Dad's my Dad and he's one of the best Dad's in the world. He was good at being my Dad that I almost forgotten about my real Dad that left me alone that night. I gave up on looking for my Dad when I was shown so much love and happiness that I barely experienced sadness and anger. Mom was also getting better from her cancer and was able to help around the restaurant when Dad wasn't home. I helped out too.

My life couldn't get any better than it is now.

~/+/~

"No! Are you sure?!... Lost!? No! Masato…! MASATO!" On a summer day on my second year in middle school, the house got a phone call from dad's workplace.

The house wasn't sad until that day. The house never wept or cried until that day. It was almost as if the house was one with Dad. The color around the house has never looked so bleak and colorless until that phone call. Mika and I were in the kitchen finishing up our chores and then saw Mom collapse on the floor. We were scared and called our neighbors to call the hospital. Then, we found out what happened to Dad.

Dad's gone. Dad won't be coming home to give us hugs or some mementos from his travels.

Everyone cried….Everyone cried except me….

"It's so sad for the Kurosaki family to have lost Masato." I heard a person say. Friends and relatives – relatives that didn't even talk to us before Dad died – were invited to the funeral and I never seen so much black in my life until that day. My world was black for a while because my favorite person in the world is now gone. Why him of all people?

"Yes, it seems as though the Mao girl doesn't seem affected at all. Didn't she love her father enough to even shed one tear? How disrespectful." I kept hearing whispers that wounded me on the inside. On the outside, I kept stoic and emotionless. Of course I'm sad about my dad passing away and I try not to pay attention to the whispers so that they don't affect me in a negative way, but…

I forgot how to cry…

"Mao, cry! Cry! CRY! Why can't you cry!? Didn't you love Dad enough that you can't cry? You-! YOU HEARTLESS GIRL! I WISH YOU WEREN'T MY SISTER!" I remember Mika saying that to me and didn't talk to me for two months. I somehow forgiven her and that just pissed her off even more, but somewhere deep in me, I was mad at her. And yet…

I had to be calm.

I had the silence I wanted, but I lost my best friend. I lost my dad and I didn't know what to do. I was lost yet again in that cold dark alley that I told myself I wouldn't end up again.

I was at that dark place again and I lost another parent figure…something just snapped in me….

"Mao! What are you doing up so early?! Wait, are those the taxes?!" Mom said when she came into the kitchen to make some breakfast before we went off to school that day. I shrugged and then continued more with the paper work.

"You're busy all the time with the shop so I thought I'd do something around here." I said and then pulled out the calculator to make sure I added up everything up. I didn't stop there though. After mom got into her sickness, I began running the business and started doing most of the chores. Right now, I don't think I would be able to take a break from very long because I have two people to take care of right now. My sister and my mom.

"Mao, you've been working too hard. Why don't you take a break and get some fresh air?" Mom asked me, coughing up a bit until she forced a smile on her face. There wasn't time to take a break. I had to work on my applications to some high schools despite the fact that high school is a few years away.

"I would mom, but then who'll run the café?"

"I will of course."

"No you're not mom. You're pretty weak right now and you gotta keep your strength up. Besides, I'm gonna have to come up with some money to pay off half of your medical bills and Mika's cram school."

"What about you Mao? Aren't you going to get anything for yourself?"

Anything for me?

No….I owe them this much….I have to repay for their kindness to me.

"All I want is to pay the electric bill on time." I said, putting up a smile on my lips.

~/+/~

*CLICK CLICK CLICK*

"Oh my, look at my little girls! All grown up and ready for their third year in middle school! How exciting is this!?" My Mom's personality was given to Mika, my older sister. They were two peas in a pod while I was like Dad.

Mika joined the Nursing and Art Club during that third year. I still stayed in the Tae Kwon Do Club and Boxing club, but I joined the Cooking Club too. I wanted to be close to something I want to be. I want to be a chef to make everyone happy; that's what I wanted to do for Mika and Mom. Dad too; I wanted to make him happy even when he's in heaven looking down on us and smiling later on when he recognizes how much I worked to keep this family happy. I want them to be happy while I can just continue on and making other people happy. I don't deserve being happy because I insulted my Dad's memory.

Maybe that's why I'm working so hard to get peoples forgiveness.

Maybe that's why I inherited the title of being the "Man of the house" after he left.

Who knows because I forgotten why I was doing this.

"Mao-chan! You know Kurosawa from 2-4 right? You have a crush on him don't you?" Some friends of mine at the school, from the same class as mine, came up to me and smiled at me when they found out I liked Tohru Kurosawa from 2-4. How did they even find out? That was supposed to be a secret between Mika and me! DAMN THAT GIRL!

"N-no! W-why would I like him!? I can't have a relationship with someone just yet! I have to focus on my studies!" I said, stuttering with my sentences and the more I did that, the more my friends teased me about it. I was getting more pissed off, but I had to keep a calm face.

And then, I did end up liking that boy even more.

I never seen such a hard working guy in my life and, that to me seemed to be the most attractive quality in a person. Eyes that shone brighter when he smiled and his face lit up when he laughed.

"Tohru-kun! I love you! P-please accept my feelings!" I said, looking down on the ground, not really up to looking at the guy that I had feelings for. He was a great guy who I ended up liking a lot when we met at the Student Committee. It was silent for a moment and then I heard something that I didn't want to hear in my life.

"I'm sorry Mao-chan, but I like Mika-chan better." He told me and walked off somewhere. That was my hit of reality that maybe my mission really is to make sure everyone is happy while I wasn't. I quickly ran out of the scene and towards the classroom that was my third period of the day, smiling the best I could without crying of course.

~/+/~

They ended up going out. Mika and Tohru-kun. I was happy for them. Well, I was until I came home from work at the bakery that day.

I was already exhausted that day from work and then I heard screams from Mika in our bedroom. Quickly, I opened the door to our room and saw my sister almost being raped by the guy I liked. I couldn't believe it, how could such a sweet person like him turn out to be this type of guy that wanted my sister's innocence? And that guy was the one I had a crush on. Mika being in the position of being raped, I had something snap in me and then next thing I knew, I was throwing him to the ground and punching him in the face multiple times. I heard his screams of pain and I enjoyed them; I ignored my sisters' plea to stop what I was doing, but I kept on punching him.

"Mao-chan! Stop! You're going to kill him! Stop! He's hurt enough already!" Mika said, trying to pry me off by grabbing me on my arm. I was getting angrier and then pushed Mika to the wall with all my force. I had so much anger in me.

"SHUT UP! HE'S SCUM! HE DARED TO TOUCH YOU LIKE THAT! SUCH IMPURE THOUGHTS! HE SHOULD DIE! DIE DIE! DIEE! DON'T EVER GO NEAR MY SISTER AGAIN YOU DIRTBAG! YOU BASTARD!" I yelled at his face and then turned to Mika when I grew bored of him. "I HATE YOU MIKA KUROSAKI! I HATE YOU!" I said, grabbing her shirt and slapped her across the face, leaving a hand print on it. I didn't even give her the chance to touch it because I slapped her gain. "WHY DID YOU CALL ME HEARTLESS!? HUH?! YOU THINK THAT DIDN'T HURT ME!? I LOST ANOTHER DAD WHILE YOU'RE STANDING THERE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE TWO DADS! YOU STUPID BITCH! YOU HAD NO DAD UP UNTIL NOW AND LOOK AT ME! I LOST TWO! GO TO HELL BECAUSE I HATE YOU!"That was the last thing I said before I slapped Mika one more time until she fainted.

When I did calm down, I realized what I have done and called Mom and the police, the ambulance. Anybody that could help me.

"She's suffered from some severe bruising and some broken ribs. It's a good thing your other daughter was there before something worse happened.

What have I done? Why did Mika have to suffer and why did I take out my anger on a person and not on a punching bag? I hurt my sister, my best friend, and she's been hospitalized now because of me!

"Mika! Mika! Wake up! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just that…! I was so hurt when you called me heartless after dad died! I forgot how to cry because I was too happy! I did all of this that way Mom and you can be happy while I can just sit in the back and smile like the robot I am! MIKA! DAMMIT! WAKE UP! I DIDN'T CRY BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW! OPEN YOUR EYES THAT WAY YOU CAN BE MY SISTER AGAIN!" Around the hospital, you would know that the one screaming was me at my sisters sleeping body. Even while she was still like this, she still looked beautiful like in the story of Snow White. During those months my sister was hospitalized, I dropped out of high school temporarily due to some debt problems when really; I was by my sister's side until she woke up.

I never seen anything so beautiful in my life than my sisters eyes open for the first time since I attacked her. I quickly enveloped her in a gentle hug and apologized as much as I could while I heard her sweet and gentle laugh that I've been hearing since we were kids. With that laugh, I also felt some tear drops on my hand and saw her tearing up.

"Mao…you don't have to smile anymore….you can cry, frown, throw things in the air….anything, but smile when really all you want to do is express yourself. Don't hide all your pent up emotions," She said, "And I'm sorry as well for saying your heartless, it's my fault….you're kind and you should also be thinking of your happy future too...now, stop hugging me. My ribs are just beginning to heal!"

~/+/~

And there goes another day in paradise. I thought and cleaned up the tables in one of my friends families restaurant. They own a place called Yamaguchi Bakery and I got the part-time job to be their bread maker. Yeah, I made bread and I had to study twice as hard to figure out what the heck I was going to do with the bread and which ingredients I was going to use. However, there was very little I had to do because I was a natural in the kitchen.

I had co-workers too. I worked alongside Mika's boyfriend's friend. He was a sweet kid yet I had some hard times trusting boys again, especially after the incident. Kohaku was different though. He was like the sweet guy of a Korean Drama, he was everything a guy could be in a Korean Drama.

"Hey Mao! We got another order!" Kohaku said, giving me the request for this kid's birthday cake today. They wanted one with strawberries and that edible colored gel. The cake should also be chocolate and fit the theme of Bakugan. Kids these days…..

I nodded my head and worked hard today to fulfil the request. By the afternoon, almost an hour before the kid's birthday, the mother came and I presented her the cake that her son wanted. She was awestricken and paid me extra.

"Jeez Mao. I don't think I saw you leave the kitchen for hours. You sure you don't want a break?" The black haired boy asked me and I winked at him.

"Nah. You know Mika. She wants me to pay for the new home of her manga collection. That girl is so weird." I said, heading to the sink to clean my hands and then got ready for a new batch of cinnamon rolls and some chocolate mint cupcakes.

I didn't know that my co-worker, my boss's son, Kohaku, was watching me with a blush on his face.

Then one day…

"Hey Mao." As always, Kohaku greeted me with a smile that I bet millions of girls would melt for.

"Hey yourself." I greeted back and then walked over to where I always hanged my apron. I tied it around my waist and then began to work. Kohaku was where he usually was and then gave me an order of eight little cupcakes that had letters on them saying "I love you". I got these kinds of requests from people everywhere and I think it was sweet of someone to do this.

When I finished them, I handed them to Kohaku, but he handed them back to me with a blush on his face. I looked at him and he kept looking back at me. I didn't know what to do and just stand there.

"Mao. There's something special about you." He said; the first one to speak, "I only heard things about you and I was kinda curious of how you would be like. You didn't seem like how I imagined, but that was the best part because you were better! Mao Kurosaki! I…I like you! I like everything about you!" He confessed to me.

"W-w-what do you mean by like me? L-like me as in a friendship kind of way?" I asked him and the next thing I knew, he drew his face closer to mine.

"In a sexual way!" He said, blushing more. His blush wasn't helping mine because it just intensified.

I didn't know what to say to him. It was a sweet confession, and he used food.

"Kohaku…I appreciate your confession…but…why me?" I asked.

"I like how hard working you are, and I worry when you over work yourself. I love your determination and don't take no for an answer. I love your selflessness and how you cook!" He told me. This was too much for me….

"Kohaku….I…"

~/+/~

"Everyone line up!" I ordered from the megaphone that I had with me during a school committee announcement in the court yard. Surprisingly, everyone listened to me and then got into a perfectly formed Military line with their arms stretched.

"Normally the President of the School Committee would be making these announcements but he's absent due to some circumstances! Lately, a bunch of you numb nuts have been forgetting your student handbooks! Proof is out there too since during last week's inspection of personal belongings, there were around sixty who've done this." Honestly, I really was disappointed when I had to make this announcement, you could hear it in my voice.

"Coming to school without your student handbook is like forgetting your pride as students at Karuzazaki! You drill that into your skulls, alright?!" I asked and I was pleased with the answer I got.

"YEAH!" That echoed loudly around the court yard.

"That's all the announcements for today! DISMISSED!" I yelled and pointed to the school and everyone marched right on into the building. I was kinda proud that I rose to such a position. I really liked having people trusting me and forcing a disciplinary committee for the school since a lot of some Yankees liked picking fights with some of the students. I taught the committee myself to learn how to protect themselves.

"Aish! Pay attention you idiots! When are you guys going to learn that we're not a school to be picked on! Our pride of being students of Karuzazaki is much stronger than letting people like you bully us. There's a new leader within the student body and that's Mao Kurosaki, the Bipolar tiger!"

~/=/~

"There she is."

"The Bipolar Tiger! Wow, she's scary, but so cool!" I'm not that scary, I just focus on my studies a lot because I want to become a great person. However, there were always the rumors that spread around like the one that I beat up some rival schools Yankee's and that I myself turned into one.

"Kurosaki sure is tough! It's no wonder she's a Yankee! She doesn't need that long skirt to be a Yankee or anything."

"Did you guys hear? She beat up a whole group of guys near the Shibuya district. They say they were real Yakuza guys!" A girl said, whispering to her friend.

"No way! How can our top student turn into a real Yankee in just a year? Scary."

"Do you think we should stay clear from Mika as well? They're sisters and all."

"Hey! You idiots! Mao was just looking out for me and she beat up the guys for trying to look up at her underwear! Any girl would do the same thing! If you guys make false stuff about my little sis again, I'll summon up Russia from my demon summoning song!" Mika….

Even if she doesn't look like it, she's the elder sister and she looks after me even when they were talking about her when they talked about me.

I owe her that much.

I want be like Aiko Shinate. She was amazing and created her Edelweiss Restaurant franchise. They served everything from the formal menu to the café menu.

I guess I knew why I took on so many waitress jobs at so many restaurants and cafés. I want to know the business inside and out.

Question is, which school would really help me to make sure I would be the same as my hero Aiko Shinate?

"Check it out! That's the school some kid in the Ikebukuro district went in several years ago. I hear he's doing well now with his Newspaper business."

"Wouldn't it be great if one of our guys was accepted there? They have a scholarship for everything there." I heard some guys say and quickly went over to the guidance counselor.

"Mr. Namikaze! I want to go to Ouran Academy!

~/=/~

"Aww! It's so sad that our beloved Bipolar Tiger's going to go ahead with attending at Ouran Academy! Everything will be so different without her!"

Graduation was coming around the corner and then we'll all be in high school. I was going to a prestigious school that I found out had some connections to finding my real dad. I wanted to find him! I want to find him so he can tell me straight to my face why he decided to leave me alone that night!

"I just can't believe she got accepted."

"Well, she's one of the school's top students. Who would pass a chance to accept a smart person like Mao?"

"But it wasn't for the Honors Scholarship, she was accepted through a Culinary Scholarship."

"Wow! That's awesome!"

Well it really wasn't, I just had to work just as hard to even make sure the scholarships stayed in place.

The real war now begins…with just one footstep…

"MIIII-KAAA! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU EVEN DO THIS TO ME!?" I yelled so loudly, the neighbors of our neighbor's neighbor could hear us from five blocks down. Mika was crying some crocodile tears when she was me point aggressively at the mess that she did to my hair. You see, she thought it would be funny to hide gum on my hair just when she saw me lying down on the living room sofa, defenseless and asleep. Mom had to help me cut my hair and the next thing I knew, my hair was just as short as Dad's when he was in high school. At least, that's what I saw in the old photographs of his.

"You gotta look the part now that you're "Man of the House"! So, I'm gonna have to call you Little Brother! Hahahaha~"

"Oh! I should buy you some boy's clothes too! Just remember to not get too overboard!" My mom said and I just went along with being a boy act.

"…Ah…mom…"

"What type of style would the rich girls like? The cool type? The jock? The rebel? Oh, how about the sweet and charming type?! Yes! You'll be that so we must buy you clothes that fit that! TO THE MALL!"

"MOM! WAIT! AT LEAST LET ME FIX MY HAIR! IT LOOKS LIKE A FIVE YEAR OLD TOOK SAFETY SICSSORS TO CUT A PIECE OF PAPER!"

"That's so mean Mao-chan! I only did this because I would be heartbroken that the guys at that school would then be interested in my little cute and smart sister~!" Mika said. I scoffed at her, laughing at her little joke.

"HA! That's funny. That will be some brave guy Mika. Worry about yourself instead of me. You have Hatori now!"

"Speak for yourself! Now come on! The Mall's going to close at eight! We're going to have to reorganize your closet so you can have the best of both worlds!"

PRESENT TIMES

"It seemed like a long time ago…." I said, looking down on the floor and looked up with a smile, smiling back at my hyper big sister. I rolled up my sleeves and walked toward the cooking room so I could make everyone a batch of Chery limeade like Mika told them I would.

In the kitchen, I looked all around and saw the little tiger stuffed animal that Mika bought for me as a birthday present and its button eyes stared back at me. Its collar was around its neck still and on it, it said,

"To the best sister and friend a girl could wish for, The Bipolar Tiger!"

Collar…

Necklace…

Here Mao…This is a present from me to you.

What is it Papa? It looks like a jewelry box.

Give me your collar.

Whoa! It plays our lullaby!

It's a prized family item. It's one of the things I got from the palace before I came and met mommy. I want you to keep this and always remember papa with this song.

But how will I remember the song Papa? What if I forget?

You won't forget. And you know why?

Why?

Because, Forever, we will never have the pain of separation (or a sad goodbye)

Sometimes, we may cry because of the deep sorrow but...

Together we can share all the pure dreams

Until the blue sky keeps us apart

"!"

I got a severe headache when I remembered that faceless man talking to me or what I thought was me and then held me like I was his own daughter or something. He began singing to me and….Guh! Even thinking about it when I was just remembering my past was just so painful. It's not like I hated my past, I just get these awful headaches when I just think about it too much.

"Mao! You have an order for some parfaits! Two strawberries and three peach flavored!"

"Coming right up! Hey wait! Since when did this host club turn into a restaurant anyways!?" I yelled through the door.

"Since the ladies liked your food. Think of all of this as practice for your own restaurant in the future!" Tama-Hyung said, throwing his hand out and smiled down at me. As much as I was pissed off right now, I really didn't have the heart to ruin that smile because I myself was smiling at the fool and the crazy idea he made me believe.

"Yeah. I guess I'll try, you idiot." I said teasingly and went back work.

Dear dad, the guys of the host club…might be changing me little by little….I just don't know it yet, I guess...