"Kaoru, aren't you ready yet?" my brother nagged as I put on an orange tie.
"Almost. It's unusual for all of the club member's parents to get together like this, isn't it?"
"They're all friends. The weird part is us getting dragged along."
"You think the boss and the others will be there too?"
"I remember Haruhi saying she'd already been invited as Tamaki's date when Furukia asked. Couldn't tell you as far as the others."
"I hope Zakia isn't mad when we turn up. I didn't think I'd see her outside of school again until our date tomorrow."
"I'm sure if you explain that to her, it will be fine. Are you sure you should be calling your trip to the movies a date? What if she's thinking of it more like an outing like when we took them to the square Saturday?"
"It's just going to be the two of us. There's no way she can possibly think of it as anything other than a date."
I finished my tie, a coral color matching my new phone, as Hikaru replied, "Are you sure? Those girls were raised differently than we were."
"I'll just clarify with her tonight. Speaking of clarity, why did you suddenly ask Mom for your own phone yesterday?"
The new blue device was in his hand as he wrapped earbuds around it.
"I want to be able to talk to Mori with a bit of privacy. There's been a lot on my mind lately."
"Trouble between you and Furukia?"
"Not everything has to do with the Notoskis. Mori doesn't even know they're girls."
"What kind of advice are you asking him for then?"
"The club and the violence between the president and vice-pres. From what Zakia said, it had to be pretty gruesome. If those two don't get along anymore, what happens to the club?"
"Does it matter? Sure, it was an amusing way to pass the time, but we can occupy our time in other ways."
"Boys, you're going to make me late!" Mom called.
"We can talk more about it later. We'd better go before Mom really gets mad," Hikaru excused and slipped out the door.
I tucked my tie into my grey vest and followed.
oOo
When we arrived, Tamaki was already there in a white suit with Haruhi on his arm in a cute pink dress.
"You look nice, Haruhi."
"Thanks, Kaoru. How are things with you and Hikaru?"
"Same old. How are things with you and the boss?"
"Tamaki-senpai makes me really happy. I hope Zakia and Furukia aren't too angry when they see him. He's already injured from yesterday."
"Has he said much about what happened?"
"No, I haven't. One should never involve a lady in troubles between men," Tamaki declared.
"You serious, boss?"
"Of course! When am I ever not serious about the ways a man should treat a woman?"
"Idiot," I muttered to myself and walked away from his excessive display.
Hikaru was leaning against a wall, listening to music and ignoring the boss and Haruhi. He seemed to be enjoying himself. I envied his ability to be so comfortable alone in that moment.
The front door opened to reveal Mori and Honey with their influential family members ushered by to the dining room. I suppose that meant all of the host club members were likely to be here. It was unlike Kyoya's family to be late. What could be keeping them?
"Look at my lovely nephews! You could rival the Hitachiins in those outfits," Tamaki called joyfully.
I whipped my head around in time to see Zakia and Furukia at the top of the stairs in surprisingly masculine attire.
Furukia was sporting a classy grey suit with a green tie and pocket square, with a green bowler hat and fashion cane. Zakia had a simpler look like what Hikaru and I wore, with an ebony shirt, a purple vest, a silver tie, and a purple fedora. However, she wore combat boots in place of dress shoes.
As they came down the stairs, Furukia smiled and seemed glad to see us. Zakia was downcast, and I'm not sure she had even noticed who all was here yet.
"Father, please let me sit in with you and the other adults," I heard the vice-pres plead.
"You should be more worried about impressing the Fujioka girl. Stay with the other kids."
Mr. Ootori was shown into the dining room meeting, while Kyoya slumped against the wall in the shadows. He stared at the twins wistfully. I was pinned by my desire to explain myself to Zakia and concern for someone who I'd considered a friend for nearly a year. The good guy in me won out.
"Are you okay vice-pres?"
"Hello, Kaoru. As non genuine as your concern is, I appreciate the sentiment. I have some personal problems I'm dealing with."
"How long have you known the twins were girls?"
"Since their records were added to the school's database when their mother applied for their enrollment. How long have you known?"
"Their first day. The boss was badgering us to rush them when they were changing, so when we poked in to tell them to get a move on, we saw Zakia with only her undershirt on."
He adjusted his glasses as he remarked, "And yet your argument against possibly taking on Furukia's request of finding a partner for Zakia was that you are not gay."
"I didn't know you knew their secret. After Haruhi, I should have known, but I didn't."
"Knowing her true gender, you plan to offer yourself as a partner for her, thereby filling Furukia's request."
"Is that your plan as well?"
"It was, but that's no longer an option."
"Why not?"
"She told me I terrify her."
"What?" Genuinely shocked, I looked back at Zakia, who was now sidetracked by Honey. Her gaze of focused daggers on Tamaki made her intentions all too clear. She still had a score to settle. It was impossible to say if she knew Kyoya and I were over here, but if there was one thing I'd learned about Zakia so far, it was that she was defiantly fearless. How could she be afraid of Kyoya?
"If you want her to stay in the club, you're more than welcome to try dating her yourself. I, however, will be keeping my distance unless Zakia requests otherwise."
"She can't have meant it in the typical way."
"What other way is there to take it, Kaoru? Please, enlighten me."
"Does she act like she's scared of you?"
"Not exactly." He paused, brow furrowing as he thought. "Actually, if not for her saying that, I'd say I was on track to get a date with her," he reasoned.
I shrugged. "I wouldn't take that at face value. Course, if you really want to back off, it would make things easier for me."
"Why are you advising me when it goes against your own interests?"
"You're my friend, Kyoya. Our feelings for a girl doesn't change that. We can compete for her affection without fighting, right?"
"There's the maturity and level head I normally expect from you. Thought you might have lost your mind the last week."
"Don't mistake me for giving up to improve your odds like I did for my brother. I wouldn't do that for you. However, there's no reason we can't both pursue her and let her decision stand, whatever it may be."
"Indeed. You may speak with her first. I'm still working up the nerve to approach her."
It was the first time I'd seen the vice-pres nervous. I had to hand it to Zakia for being able to make him that way.
"No, Zak-chan! I can't let you hurt Tama-chan!"
Honey was standing between the president and vengeful Notoski girl. Zakia's fist had paused midair before the short host could take a blow clearly directed at Tamaki.
"Stand aside, Honey-senpai. This is between me and that idiot."
"Tama-chan is already injured. It isn't fair to strike him while he is weak."
"He needs to pay for deceiving me and interfering in my life. I don't know any of you, not really, but a guy that uses his best friend, that doesn't properly value the trust placed in him, deserves what's coming to him."
"Furukia, I can not condone violence and still think of either of us as gentlemen. If this is how you solve problems, perhaps you're unsuited to be a host," Tamaki commented smartly. Despite Honey's use of her name, he still didn't get it right.
"Tama-chan, don't say that! Everyone speaks in different ways and Zak-chan is just trying to talk to you the way he understands!"
"Oh, a talk is it? Are you sure that's what he wants? He's been aggressive and violent since day one and the only reason I let it continue is because Kyoya assured me he'd be protective of us, not try to harm us."
"Neither of you is right," Mori speaks up. "Zakia is multifaceted and capable of expressing himself in many ways. He's going after Tamaki because by his perception, Tamaki has wronged him. That's vengeance in his eyes, not blind rage. He refused to strike Mitsukuni."
Before anyone could say more, Kyoya walked past, grabbing Zakia's arm and leading her back to Furukia's side before releasing her and taking his place behind Tamaki's left shoulder. His head hung, giving the impression of a kicked puppy.
Furukia, for her part, hadn't done anything to stop her twin. The only indication that she had even noticed was the helpless look on her face when Kyoya reunited the two and the scolding she seemed to be giving now. Once the reprimand was finished, I approached the girls myself.
"Furukia," I acknowledged, inclining my head to her.
"Kaoru," she recognized, bowing formally.
"Zakia, could I have a word alone with you?" I asked.
"What about?"
"I wanted to explain a couple of things, but mostly, I wanted to talk to you about the vice president."
Furukia nudged her my way. The darling ball of rage was getting passed around like a hot potato.
"Yeah, sure," she muttered with a glance back at Furukia before following me halfway up the stairs.
"First, I wanted to apologize for showing up unannounced. I know you weren't planning to see me until tomorrow, and I was under that impression as well. Then my mother demanded we come to dinner with her, and here we are. Regarding tomorrow, I wanted to clarify something. You understood when I asked that I was inviting you on a date, right?"
"I'm not mad that you're here, Kaoru. And yes, I knew tomorrow is a date."
"Why did it take you so long to decide to go with me?"
"We've only known each other for a week, Kaoru. Only half that time had elapsed when you asked me out. Can you blame me for being cautious?"
"When you put it that way... Do you know why the president and vice-pres were fighting yesterday? Is that why you tried to attack the boss?"
"As far as why those two fought, I have my suspicions, but don't know anything for sure. My grudge against Tamaki is my own. Is that all you wanted to ask about?"
I opened my mouth to ask about her comment to Kyoya that made the normally composed Shadow King so dejected, but stopped short. Was it appropriate for me to interfere in their conflict? Was it something Kyoya told me in confidence?
"Spit it out. I have other things to do this evening."
"You told Kyoya he terrifies you. Why would you say that to him?"
"Because it's true."
"But what did you mean by it? You really hurt his feelings."
She looked crestfallen for a moment before wiping the expression from her face. "It can't be helped that I hurt his feelings. I need him to keep his distance with me."
"Why? It doesn't make sense. You don't treat people you love like that."
Her eyes flashed with fury. "I never said anything about loving Kyoya, or anyone else besides my twin, got it? Stop putting words in my mouth, and butt out. This is the first time I've moved and had anyone who barely knew more about me than my name try to tell me what I think or feel."
Fury...or terror... Could someone with a disastrous upbringing like hers develop strong feelings for a withdrawn guy like Kyoya that fast? Of course not, that's ridiculous. I'm outgoing and straightforward, and look how long it took her to agree to a date. He hasn't even asked her on a date yet. No, I overstepped and she's pissed, that's all.
"Sorry, it's none of my business, and that was a poor choice of words. The vice-pres and I are kind of close. I'm just worried about him. I've never seen him so upset."
She glanced past me at him, took half a step forward, shuddered, and settled back with her eyes trained on me.
"I'm sorry he's hurting, but it's the only way. Anything else?"
"About the movie tomorrow...did you want snacks, or maybe we can get dinner after?"
"I'm not big on eating during or after a gore fest, but maybe we could do something else."
"You don't like gory movies?"
"I generally avoid them."
"So you don't like horror movies."
"I like funny horror movies, or ones that are so bad and obviously fake they become funny. Psych thrillers and scary horror, not so much."
"Why didn't you say so when I asked if you wanted to go? We can watch something else."
"I didn't want to shoot you down again. Thought you might give up if I did."
"There is this cool thing you can do, where you modify an idea without rejecting the entire concept. You might try it sometime," I poked fun at her. "Have you been to a theater before?"
"Not in a few years. It used to be a special treat when we were younger, but I haven't gone since Mother left us. I bought Furukia a ticket to a romance for our birthday last year, but as far as I know, that's the only time she's gone since, too."
"You didn't go with her?"
"I only had enough leftover for one ticket."
"Leftover?"
"I took all my savings and bought her a tarnished silver locket with a real amethyst on it and a picture of us together inside. She wears it every day."
"Why an amethyst?"
"It's our birthstone."
"What did she get you last year?"
She pulled on a dark colored chain attached to one of her belt loops, and a pocket watch slid out of her pocket. It was a beautiful piece, able to open the front for the time and the back to see all of the watch's inner workings. The inside of the front case had a date and a number engraved. February twenty-eighth, and below that, a seven.
"What is the significance of the date and the number seven?"
"My first gig was on the last leap day, and seven is a lucky number. Furukia and I were born seven minutes apart."
"Gig? What do you mean by that?"
"Miss Notoski, it is my deepest pleasure to see you this evening," Kyoya interrupted with a deep bow.
I noticed the way Zakia's back stiffened, how her every movement became taut with pressure.
"I trust you are recovering well despite refusing to tell me about your injuries?"
"I am healing. Most of it is bruises, though I have a small scrape on my back, a notable gash on my hip, and a cut on my left arm. It surprises me that you want such information from someone you are afraid of."
She looked anything but afraid presently, and Kyoya must have seen it, but he didn't press the issue when she remained silent.
When it became clear she wouldn't speak, he sighed. "You should get back to Furukia. She seems trapped in arguing with Tamaki."
Zakia and I both turned just in time to see Furukia slap Tamaki. The sound seemed to echo around the room.
"How dare you. You had no right to meddle in my brother's life. We are not your new toys to be played with. Never speak of him that way again. My brother deserves every happiness and if you ever treat him as anything less again, I'll show you just which of us you should fear."
Zakia ran to her side, taking her by the shoulder and guiding her into another room.
"I thought you had changed. I thought you knew how to treat people by now. How can you treat those boys like that and treat me the way you do? If you didn't count them as part of your little circus ring that you adore, why make them hosts? Why harass them only to make them suffer more than they already have? I'm going home," Haruhi began to cry as she left.
"You went too far, Tama-chan. I'd have expected this from Kyo-chan, not from you. Let's go, Takashi," Honey admonished before he, too, left. Mori followed dutifully.
"You're going to listen to this pair of strangers rather than me?" Tamaki cried after them indignantly.
"Do you ever stop?" Kyoya shouted.
"Stop what?"
"Blaming others for your inadequacies?"
"Please don't project your problems onto me. I've got enough on my plate without worrying about your activities."
"I'm not projecting anything. This isn't about me. You act foolishly and recklessly, taking no responsibility for the harm you cause in pursuit of your goals. Regardless of your intentions, I'm done cleaning up your messes. When you've decided to grow up and express accountability, you know how to reach me. You'd better apologize to those girls first though."
"What girls?" Tamaki asked, the idiot.
"Zakia first and foremost, but I think you owe your girlfriend an apology too."
"What?" One of the few times Tamaki was genuinely surprised, he stared at the steps Zakia and Furukia had last been seen on.
Kyoya knocked on the door to the dining room the parents were in before he entered. Tamaki turned to the only hosts left, Hikaru and I.
"Did the two of you know the Notoskis were girls?" he asked just loud enough to be heard.
Hikaru had either not noticed any of what just went down, or was choosing to ignore it. Either way, the boss's attention focused in on me when it became clear I was the only one he could talk to.
"We found out the first day, when you felt they were taking too long to change. We thought about telling you, but you weren't even listening to them when they came in and told you they weren't interested in the Host Club. We knew you wouldn't listen to us."
"I was just glad he was finally showing interest in someone. All I wanted was to get them talking. If I'd known she was a girl, I'd have approached it differently."
"From what the vice pres has told me, you shouldn't have gotten involved at all. And you made Haruhi cry! How could you do that to your best friend? How could you let your girlfriend down like that?"
"Watch it, Hikaru! She chose me, not you."
"I'm Kaoru, you imbecile! Maybe part of the problem is that you don't really care about the people you surround yourself with. If you did, you could tell my brother and I apart, you'd have listened to the vice pres or at least gathered how he was feeling from being around him, and you'd know how to treat people by now! I may screw up time to time, but at least I own up to it. I don't think I'll be at the Host Club for a while. If you can convince Kyoya to forgive you, I'll come back, but until then, you're on your own."
I tapped on Hikaru's shoulder, gesturing to the nearest door so we could talk privately. I owed him an apology.
"I have something to say," I told him earnestly when he pulled one side of his headphones away from his ear. At my words, he hit a button and pulled them down to sit around his neck.
"What is it?"