Hey guys! Sorry about the long break. I got lazy. I know, I know, that's not a good excuse, and believe me, I'll try harder! I was also debating on how to start the chapter. I thought this was the best course of action for the story overall. So, without any further ado:

Chapter 5: A Mad Tea Party

The complete and utter dread I felt was so indescribable, I couldn't even express it. The school day was over; the time had come. The afternoon of the tea party was upon me. I wanted to escape my terrible fate, but I couldn't because of the contract I was under (No, literally. Kyoya made me sign a contract). There was no escaping. I was sure I'd die of utter humiliation.

"Oh Kuro, I'm so excited!" and my moment was ruined thanks to Yuki coming up beside me as I walked down the hall. "I simply can't wait to see the boys' costumes! They can pull off any look!" I rolled my eyes and she gave me a look. We walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Oh. I can't walk with you down there," I broke the silence. "Kyoya told me earlier today to come to the club room instead. I'll probably see you down there, though," I told her.

"Oh, well okay," she said. She looked slightly saddened, but it's hard to keep her down long. We exchanged waves and went our separate ways.

As I enter the club room, the twins are there waiting for me. They were sitting symmetrically on a couch near the door. "Well, well. Look who decided to finally show up," they said.

I rolled my eyes at them and said "Let's get this over with." They snapped their fingers and the two maids from earlier were there within seconds. They bowed, grabbed me by the arms, and carried me to the dressing room. Again.

After much fuss, they got me into a frilly pink gown. They then brought me back out to the twins, who were in their costumes all ready. I was put into a chair where one twin started doing my hair. Within a few minutes, they were finished with me. They brought in a full length mirror for me to assess the damage. The dress they had put me in covered my feet. It was mostly a soft, candy pink, but had black accents. The white underskirt was partially visible, for the pink overskirt was cinched up in a few places. The frilled straps went across the arm side of my shoulders. There was also a fancy bow with a rose on my chest.

My hands and most of my arms were covered in silky, soft black gloves. A frilled white choker was around my neck doing its job well. My black hair was organized into two long ponytails with little twists at the end. My bangs were pretty much the same as always. To top it all off, a matching pink hat was placed atop a row of pink roses on my head, slanted a little. It was tied down with a white ribbon under my chin. Overall, it was ghastly. I couldn't stand to look at myself this way any longer.

I turned around so it was my back facing the mirror. "Why is this necessary?" I realized that I didn't know why they went to all this trouble in the first place.

"Just to make things more entertaining," Hikaru and Kaoru said.

I swiveled around to face them. "For who?!"

"Well…we should get going. I'm sure everyone's wondering where we are," Hikaru (I think..) said instead of answering my question.

The garden was decorated extravagantly in Victorian décor. There were several different stone platforms. Each bore a table dedicated to specific hosts. The one closest to the entrance displayed Honey and Mori in what looked to be satin Victorian garments. I noticed Yuki at the same table. She was next to Mori-senpai, and seemed to be hanging on to every word he spoke (er, well…didn't speak). I did not want her to see me like this. I quickly blocked my face from her view.

The next table was empty of guests and hosts. I then realized that it must be the twins table. They'd probably go there when they got me to where I had to go. The third table held Haruhi and her several guests. She seemed to be telling them a story. The fourth table is where Tamaki sat. He was entertaining his guests so seductively, that I wanted to gag. All the tables beyond Tamaki's seemed to be for all of the guests who were waiting their turns for their hosts.

As the twins were about to bring me over to Tamaki, Kyoya stepped in front of us. "There you three are." He had his ever-present black book in one hand, and a pen in the other. He was wearing an all black costume that reminded me of what a butler might wear in the era. "This is your second and last day with Tamaki, Kohaku," he told me. "I'd behave if I were you, lest you get another day tacked on to what you're due."

"You can't do that!" I let out an enraged outburst.

"Actually, I can. If you had taken the time to read the official contract instead of skimming through it, you would have known that," he told me cooly. He looked back at his book and walked away.

"Well, looks like it's time for you to meet the boss!" the twins said and started pushing me towards Tamaki's table. I groaned and gave the air in front of me an unhappy expression. We reached the table and the twins told the guests there "excuse us ladies, but the king now has another appointment. You can have him back next week." The guests got up and left with disappointed expressions. The twins practically shoved me into a chair and left.

I looked up at Tamaki and he was wide-eyed. His eyes scanned me up and down. "Would you stop staring at me like that?!" I felt like I was naked with that expression he had. He blushed slightly and looked down. We were silent like that for several minutes. "Well, this isn't awkward at all," I said sarcastically. He looked up at me with his violet eyes.

"So, what's it like in that dress?" Tamaki asked me cautiously. I knew what he was trying to ask, but he said it in a way that made it sound like he meant something else. I decided to get mad at him. Though really, there was no reason to.

I put on a shocked face, which I then turned onto one of anger. He looked at me in shock and confusion. "You pervert!" I yelled at him. I crossed my arms and turned to the side. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his shocked expression slowly turn into depression. He slowly shrank into a ball of darkness. When he looked back up at me I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye and a smirk. His eyes widened at the realization of what I did. "Just so you know this dress is complete and utter torture that leads to the worst humiliation possible. I was kidding about you being a pervert. But, your question could still be taken the wrong way," I explained to a (yet again) horrified Tamaki.

He gave a small "oh." We went silent again. I turned back around to try and make myself comfortable (keyword: try). "So Kohaku," I could tell he was fed up with the silence. "Tell me about your family."

"Why would you want to know about them?" I didn't talk about my family. That was not a subject that was entirely comfortable.

"I'm just curious." He replied.

"There isn't much to tell. I have two brothers. My parents are, well, my parents. Are you satisfied?"

"How can that be all?! Your family is extremely important! Without your family, who's left to love you, to make you smile, to care for you?!" Tamaki was desperate to convince me.

"Um, friends?" I said it like it was obvious.

"But they're your family too!" He was trying so hard to reason, but he didn't seem very convincing.

He was also getting on my nerves again. "Look! I see that you have this perfect view of what family is, but not all families are like that! Some parents might be nice, but they don't have the time in their busy lives to listen to you! Some older brothers are so mean and secluded that all you have to turn to is your delicate little brother! Why can't you see beyond your little fantasy?!" I rambled on and didn't realize that I had revealed information on my own family. He wore yet another shocked expression.

"I-is that r-really what your family's like?" He asked me concerned. I was shocked both at what I had let slip and the fact that Tamaki was concerned about me (The fact that he was brighter than he originally seemed was shocking too). I slapped my hand over my mouth with my eyes wide once I noticed.

I blushed in anger and looked away. "Let's not talk about this, please," I said to him as calmly as possible. We were mainly quiet the rest of the time.

Back in Music Room #3 after the tea party, I got changed into comfortable clothes. When I got back out to the main room, Kyoya came up to me. "Kohaku, on Monday come here after school. You'll be with Honey and Mori." He walked away after informing me of my instructions. I left the room without a word. I walked home as the sun was setting.

"So boss," Hikaru and Kaoru came up Tamaki. "How was day two?" They asked him with their usual smirks. "Is your plan working?"

"Well, I learned about her family. And no, the plan is not working," Tamaki told them.

"Her family?" the twins asked him with interest. Honey perked up in interest as well.

"Tama-chan, you learned about Kuro-chan's family? What did you find out?" Honey seemed quite curious.

"Yes, it was a tragic tale! Her family isn't as close as ours is! Her parents are always busy, and her older brother is mean. It's no wonder she's so aggressive!" He told them in a tragic tone. "She needs a better family to be there for her! All right men! We must give her a family like ours! Maybe then she will embrace her true girly side!" Tamaki sparkled in his improved idea.

The twins clapped and looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Honey cheered at the idea, while Mori was as impassive as ever. Kyoya didn't seem to be paying attention, and Haruhi looked like she was killing Tamaki in her mind (several times over). It looked like some club was going to be working overtime during the weekend.

All right guys, I know you're probably not happy with the time it took for this chapter to be published. I was having difficulties writing several parts of this. First, I couldn't decide how I wanted to start it. Then, I was having trouble overall about the flow and plot. I also took out a few parts near the beginning. Overall, this chapter was difficult. I know what I want to happen in the next chapter (a glimpse into Kuro's home life), so hopefully that won't take as long. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one! Remember to add your feedback in the review box below! (Don't forget that constructive criticism! Thanks to those of you who did help me with that!)

P.S.

Shoutout to anyone who gets the hidden refrence! GhostGirl202, you don't count. I already told you what it was. ;)P.M. me if you think you know what it is!