I'm really sorry about the long delay in updating! I've just been...busy. And I've got exams coming up in 3-4 weeks, and I'm starting to do what I always seem to do where exams are concern; start to panic! Aaaaargggghh!!!!!!!

Heh, anyway, thanks loads for all the reviews for the previous chapter! I'll reply to them all when I'm not in such a rush, so I can do them properly. I really will. I hope no one minds my doing that?

Here's chapter six; be warned, it's quite long, but that's to make up for the delay. (And in case the next chapter's delayed!)

Enjoy!

Chapter Six: The Many Moods of Misao and Making a Deal

"Young man! I am truly very sorry!" the old man's wail caused the said 'young man' to cringe. "I knew the way I brought her up was all wrong! I'm just so very ashamed at her behaviour and her actions. Will you ever, ever find it in your heart to forgive me? Or rather, to forgive her?"

Haruhi stood on the sidelines with the other hosts, unconsciously wondering if anyone was going to save the dark-haired senior from this...dilemma.

Surely he'd been through enough for one day?

A sudden squeak brought her attention back to what was going on.

"Apologize! I understand that you are a very passionate person - you are my granddaughter after all!- but it is not proper for a young lady such as yourself to...publically display such...romantic feelings towards a young male!" The old man, from the looks of things, was trying to get his dark-haired granddaughter to bow down in apology to the dark-haired senior.

"WHAT?!" bellowed Misao, as she stared at her grandfather in disbelief. "Are you out of your MIND?! I'm not apologizing to HIM!"

Kyoya wandered back to the group of hosts having kindly yet firmly kicked the last of the guests out, before slamming the doors shut behind them.

He could just imagine the profits the club was losing as he just stood there, contemplating.

"Ano...ojiisan," started Honey, as he stepped towards the arguing pair and his slightly pale-faced cousin. "It's alright. Takashi understands that Itachi-chan didn't mean to-"

"-What did you call me?!"

"You..." the old man paused, as he stared at the short blond."You...you..." Tears were rapidly forming in his eyes. "ARE JUST SO CUTE!!!!"

And the next thing Honey knew, he was being crushed in an almost suffocating hug. "Misao! I didn't know that you had such an adorable little friend!!" gushed the white haired old man, as he cradled (or suffocated) the short blond to him, like a father would do to his child.

Misao found herself scowling at her grandfather.

"He's not my 'little' friend," she snapped. "He's a 3rd year senior. Honey-sempai!"

"But he's still cute!!" protested her grandfather, as he beamed down at a now-smiling Honey. "Aren't you, little one?"

"Hai!" said Honey, happily, as he did his best to look as adorable as he possibly could. "Would you like to meet a friend of mine?" The old man nodded fervently. "This is Usa-chan. Isn't Usa-chan cute too?"

Deciding that things had gone on in this...vein for long enough, Kyoya stepped forward so that he was standing opposite the old man.

"Good afternoon," he said, politely. "I don't believe we have introduced ourselves. I'm Otori Kyoya." He bowed his head ever so slightly in a polite manner as a small smile found itself on his face.

The old man blinked, before turning to a...fuming Misao with an ugly look on his face.

"You should take lessons on manners from your lovely friends," he muttered, not caring that his granddaughter's eyes had narrowed greatly. "Kashiwazaki Okina," he said, once he had turned back to Kyoya. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyoya-kun." Kyoya simply smiled.

"As it is, to meet you, Kashiwaza---"

"-Oh, no, please call me Okina."

"Hai, Okina-san." He gestured to the hosts, standing behind him. "That's Suoh Tamaki-" His friend bowed down low to Okina.

"It is such a great pleasure to make the acquaintance of the grandfather of my dear niece!"

"Ignore him. He's a bit of an idiot," muttered Kyoya, at Okina's questioning glance. If he's your niece's grandfather, that makes him your father, baka. "Fujioka Haruhi."

"Nice to meet you," said Haruhi, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable with the knowing look the old man was giving her.

"Hitachin Hikaru and Kaoru-"

"-Yo, Jiya-chan-"

"-It's nice to meet you."

"And finally, that's Haninozuka Mitsukuni, and Morinozuka Takashi; more commonly known as Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai." Kyoya and Haruhi noticed the old man's eyes widen ever so slightly.

"Ah, Haninozuka-kun...hmm, that's interesting..." He glanced down at the short blond, who he had -thankfully- let go of. "Your grandfather was a great man, Haninozuka-kun..." Okina smiled at him before turning to Mori. "As was yours. It is an honour to meet the offspring of two so very prominent families in the world of martial arts."

Misao stared at her grandfather in surprised. Prominent families in the world of martial arts? She glanced at the two seniors. Those two? You have got to be kidding me!

Okina suddenly turned to the rest of the hosts, as an idea struck him.

"Say, what are you young ones doing now? Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Do you mean as a group, or individually?" questioned Kyoya.

"Individually." Kyoya shrugged.

"Nothing of great importance..."

"What about you, Tamaki-kun? And Hikaru-kun? Kaoru-kun?" Okina turned to Haruhi. "And...Haruhi-chan?"

Haruhi was still trying to figure out what gave her true gender away.

"I speak for my children, especially my dear daughter," started Tamaki, as he beamed at the old man. "We're not doing anything important!"

"What makes you think that I have nothing better to do anyway?" asked Haruhi, somewhat crossly. Tamaki gulped.

"B-but Haruhi-! O-otousan knows everything that his d-daughter does! R-right?"

"Mitsukuni-kun? Takashi-kun?" questioned Okina, turning to the two seniors. Honey didn't even glance in his cousin's direction -if he had, he would have seen the...pointed look his cousin was trying to give him, without being spotted.

"We don't have any plans either, Okina-san!"

Okina clapped his hands together gleefully.

"Brilliant! You boys can come home with us then!"

Kyoya adjusted the position of his glasses on his nose as he closed his eyes. Wait for it...wait for it, it's coming...3...2...1...

"WHAT?!"

And there she blows...

"Misao dear, do lower your voice. It's impolite to yell at people who aren't deaf. Young women do not raise their voices in such a manner," said Okina, as he beamed at the hosts. "Well then, gentlemen, shall we...?"

Kyoya shrugged. It wouldn't hurt. After all, it will be useful for the future, if I get to know him.

"Hai," he said, as a polite smile appeared on his face. "Let's get going." Tamaki was out of the room in a flash, dragging a protesting Haruhi along with him, which in turn caused the twins to exchange glances, shrugging.

"Come on, Miso, you don't want to be left behind do you?" questioned Hikaru, as he saw Misao standing still, a dark glare on her face as she stared at her grandfather.

The girl's hands twitched.

"Don't," she hissed. "Call me that." Hikaru snorted.

"What're you going to do? Jump me like you jumped Mori-sempai?"

"I didn't jump him!" snapped Misao, flushing. "I---"

"-You never told me you had a crush, Misao," said Okina, who had stopped in his tracks to watch the exchange between his granddaughter and the remaining hosts. He shook his head. "Whatever will Aoshi say...?"

Misao's green eyes widened as her gaze fell on her grandfather.

"I don't have a crush!!" she spluttered, face turning purple. "And...and what does Aoshi-sama have to do with anything?"

Okina blinked at his granddaughter in surprise.

"Oh. So you've decided to move on, from Aoshi?" He suddenly beamed at the girl. "I'm so glad! Everyone will be so happy to hear this!"

"I---what-?!" But all she could do was watch as Okina grabbed a somewhat weary-looking Mori's hand, before proceeding to skip out of the room. (Of course, Mori didn't skip...he just walked quickly)

"Wai! Wait for me!" exclaimed Honey, before running to catch up with the surprisingly energetic old man. Misao stared after them, a disbelieving expression on her face.

Jiya...one of these days, I swear, you're going to wish you never---

A little while later:

The Hosts followed Okina's lead as they entered the old, Japanese-style house, catching glimpses of lush gardens, small ponds and large, leafy trees within the complex, before they entered the house.

Following Okina into a large room, which turned out to be a tea-room, with a traditional low table and cushions around it, they quickly settled down.

"So, Okina-san, I presume that Misao will one day take control of the chain of restaurants you run?" Haruhi and the twins sighed as Kyoya started talking to the old man. Trust him to bring up 'business' matters.

Tamaki, on the other hand, was quite content with looking around the room.

"Ne, Okina-san...your house is very beautiful!" he exclaimed, glad at the fact that he was actually seeing a proper, traditional Japanese house.

"Why thank you, Tamaki-kun." Conversation stopped when the door to the room slid open, revealing a brunette dressed in a simple kimono.

"Tea's here," she said, cheerfully, as she walked into the, balancing two rather large trays in her hands. "And I made some lovely sponge cake to go with it, straight from the fridge and-"

"-Cake!" exclaimed Honey, looking very excited. "Can I have some? Please?" The lady glanced at him, blue eyes widening as she caught sight of the hopeful expression on his face.

"H-hai!" she exclaimed, smiling suddenly, and grabbing the plate away from Okina. "Here you go!"

"Waiii! Thank-you!"

"Oh my, what a sweet, polite young man..."

"Gimme that plate!" growled Okina, not looking too happy. "I want some!" The brunette sent him a stern look, placing her hands on her hips.

"No," she said. "Let Misao-chan's friends help themselves first. Besides, you're too old to eat so many sweets."

"Omasu! I'm not getting old! Fine, maybe I am...but I'm still young at heart!" exclaimed Okina, looking affronted. "Ahahahaha, see? See?!" And there he was, doing some silly kind of dance, trying to prove that yes, he was young at heart.

"Stop acting silly, Jiya." Omasu turned around, a smile on her face as she heard the girl's voice. Sliding the rice-paper door shut behind her, Misao walked towards the group huddled at the table, a scowl on her face as she caught sight of her...well, fellow students.

"Misao-chan," said Omasu, smiling at the girl who looked much more comfortable in the shorts and t-shirt she was wearing. "Why don't you sit down? I'll bring out some more sponge cake..." Misao sent the lady a tired smile.

"Thanks, Omasu," she said, scrunching her nose as she noted how...crowded the table seemed. "Where's my tea?"

Omasu pointed towards the other end of the table, directly opposite to where Okina was sitting (before he started dancing around).

"Over there, by your dark-haired friend..." she said, before leaving the room. A scowl promptly appeared on Misao's face.

Why, why???? Why does it have to be near him

Still scowling, she trudged over to where Mori was sitting, before plopping herself down, so that he, effectively, was seated in between her and Honey.

He eyed her warily, remembering...earlier incidents. Besides, her punches were quite good. For a girl of her petite frame anyway.

"My dear Misao!" exclaimed Tamaki, leaning across the table to speak to her. "I must admit that I do not particularly like your choice of clothing."

Misao raised an eyebrow at him as she pulled her cup of tea towards her. "It's...it's too revealing, my dear niece!"

"Someone shoot him before I do it myself..." said Misao, her voice low. She had had a tiring day, to say the least, and just wasn't in the mood to deal with any of Suoh Tamaki's silliness. Or with the Host Club in general.

"Oh, be our guest, Miso," said Hikaru, grinning.

"Yeah, feel free to take tono out," added Kaoru.

"So go ahead, Miso..." taunted Hikaru.

Mori pretended not to notice the accusatory glare that Misao shot him, before turning to glare at the twins.

"Don't call me that!" she hissed, feeling the sides of her head throbbing.

"B-but...as your uncle, don't I have a right to say that your shorts are too short for my liking?" questioned Tamaki, looking as though he was about to burst into tears at any given moment.

"You," started Misao, "Are not my uncle." She raised her cup to her lips. "And my shorts are not too short, so just...just find someone else to annoy, okay?" Not caring much about the looks she was getting, she took a big gulp of her tea...

...and promptly dropped the cup onto the table, before clasping her hands over her mouth.

"Honestly, you'd think that you'd know, by now, to wait until your tea cooled down..." said Okina with a sigh, as he saw her eyes watering. "You'll never learn, Misao...you'll never learn..."

"Itachi-chan! Do you want to hold Usa-chan?" queried Honey, leaning across his cousin as he observed the girl, concerned.

It was a good thing that Misao was...in the situation she was in, or she would have screamed out a few choice words at the boy, for being so silly.

Well...maybe not. He was too cute for that.

During her lack of concentration, she gulped down her mouthful of tea and felt her eyes water some more.

It's so HOT!

"Here." When she saw the cake that was practically in her face, she acted unconsciously, opening her mouth and biting onto it. Closing her eyes, she let out a mental sigh as she munched on the cool bite of cake she had taken, glad that the cake seemed to have been taken out straight from the fridge.

"Than---" She scowled as she saw the familiar face with its mop of dark, spiky hair. "You!" Haruhi and Kyoya both sighed as one.

With a shrug, Mori turned back to his tea, taking a rather large sip and not seeming to be the slightest bit affected by the warmth of the liquid. "Ouch! What the-? Jiya!" Misao turned around to glare at her grandfather, who had managed to cross over so he was standing behind her, his walking stick in his hands.

"Be polite!" exclaimed Okina, brandishing the walking stick dangerously. "Honestly, did I not teach you proper manners?!"

"I will not be polite to a sexist, perverted, pea-brain!" yelled Misao, glaring at her grandfather. The hosts sent Mori apologetic glances; sexist, perverted, pea-brain? Oh, poor Mori-sempai...

"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF YOUR SEMPAI IN SUCH A MANNER!" Okina bonked her on the head once more. "What would Aoshi say about the state of your manners?"

"But he is a sexist, perverted, pea-brain," protested Misao, before she tensed. "I don't see why Aoshi-sama would care." A bitter expression flashed across her face. "He needs to be around to find out about the state of my manners after all..."

Haruhi glanced at the girl, having noted the slightly bitter note in her voice. Aoshi-sama? Who...is that?

"Who's...Aoshi-sama?" wondered Tamaki, curiously.

"Ah." Kyoya's little black book was out again. "Shinomori Aoshi, aged 24; raised Makimachi Misao as a young child; an acclaimed businessman and famed martial-artist; frequently away from home due to his work, and a generally cold and indifferent person." He snapped the book shut. "Does that answer your question?"

Tamaki decided that he wasn't even going to think of asking his best-friend how he got all his information. It was best not to know. And everyone else in the room agreed with him.

"Yes, that's our Aoshi," affirmed Okina, a small, wry smile on his face. "Adored greatly by our little Misao, for reasons no one quite understands."

The dark-haired girl glared at him.

"Don't insult Aoshi-sama!" she snapped.

"But Misao...he's nothing but a block of ice," said Okina, "A block of ice who will never melt...not even if we sent him to the sun, strapped onto a NASA rocket."

"Jiya!"

"What?"

"Don't insult him! Aoshi-sama's a great person, and he doesn't deserve to have people like you insul-"

"-If I didn't know any better," started Kyoya, interrupting the girl. "I'd say you were in love with him..." Haruhi, Tamaki, the twins, Honey and Mori watched as a dark flush spread across the irate girl's face.

"W-what are you all staring at?" she spluttered, resisting the urge to bow her head in her embarrassment. Puh-lease, Makimachi Misao does not get embarrassed. Not easily, anyway.

Kyoya smirked.

"So you are in love with him."

"I---"

"No, Kyoya-kun, she's not." Okina grinned. "She's found someone better than Aoshi, remember? Some she loves with a passion."

Mori felt a curious flash of dread surge through him. "My little Misao is now in love with...Takashi-kun!"

"What?!"

"Yup, she's forgotten all about Aoshi, and is now in love with-"

"Don't you dare compare Aoshi-sama with...with him!" Misao practically snarled at her grandfather, much to everyone's surprise. "He's nothing compared to Aoshi-sama!"

Honey frowned ever so slightly at the younger girl.

"Ano ne, Itachi-chan, that's not nice you-"

"-And stop calling me that! And 'Miso'! Do I look like a plaything to you?!" Misao was glaring heavily at everyone by now. "Just because you're rich...just because you're stupid rich kids, you think you can get away with whatever you want! You think you can torment a person, and just...get away with it." She clenched her hands into fists. "I'm just fed up of everything! I'm fed up of going to that stupid school, of all the stupid, narrow-minded people that also attend the school...and I'm sick and tired of you!"

"Misao," started Okina, his face turning serious. "Take a deep breath and cal-"

"-No! No, I won't calm down!" snapped Misao. "And to top it all off, I've suddenly become the most hated person in school. And why?" She glared at Mori. "Because of a stupid fool's fans who just won't realize that I'm not like them, and therefore would not even think about seducing any of the hosts!" She threw her arms up in the air in frustration. "Urgh, just leave me alone!"

Rising to her feet, she crossed the room and was outside in a flash, not bothering to slide the door shut behind her.

The hosts stared after her, stunned.

"Oh dear..."

"Dinner's ready, everyone. Would you like to have it in here, on in the dining-room?" questioned Omasu, cheerfully, as she entered the room.

Mori walked down the corridor that had led to the bathroom he'd been instructed to use, letting out a soft sigh as he did so. If it wasn't for Mitsukuni, he would have gone home a while ago. But since his cousin seemed to enjoy being in the old man's company – as did the other hosts – there was no way that he was going to just leave him, and disappear.

Tsk...the day has been a bit too loud for my liking...

As he continued on his way down the corridor, he caught sight of the gardens outside. It looked extremely calm, at this time in the evening. Changing his course, he headed outside, towards the gardens.

Mitsukuni won't notice I'm gone, he thought, as he walked quietly over the grass, deciding to head over to one of the small ponds he had seen earlier. He'd just sit there, for a few minutes, to clear his mind before heading back inside.

He stopped short when he saw the seated figure by the pond.

Hmm

"I'm not hungry Omasu," said Misao, quietly. "I'll grab something from the fridge later." He watched as the girl dabbed her fingers into the water, creating small ripples to break out on its surface.

"I'm not Omasu," he said, slowly, causing the girl to look behind her. He couldn't really tell if her eyes narrowed when she saw him.

"Oh." He said nothing, choosing to stand where he was, as she turned back around. "What are you doing here?"

"Went to the bathroom." He winced. "And decided to...stay in the gardens for a little while." He shook his head. "I did not mean to intrude your personal space again. I'll just g-"

"-No, it's alright," said Misao, quickly. "You don't have to go." Mori stared at the back of her head for a moment or two, before shrugging. A few movements later, he was seated on one of the rocks next to the girl, staring down into the pond.

A rather awkward silence surrounded them, and it was further accentuated by the cool breeze that blew across the garden, rustling the trees and plants. "...Sorry," mumbled Misao. "About earlier."

Mori shrugged.

"It's not a big issue," he said, simply. "No need to apolo-"

"-No, I do. I shouldn't have lost my temper at everyone like that..." He shrugged again. Personally, if he had had to put up with everything she had had to put up with that day, he'd have...well, punched some senseless by now.

"It doesn't really matter." Misao shook her head.

"It does. Heh, Jiya always does tell me that I need to control my temper..." she trailed off with a sigh. "It's just...that time of the month, ya know...?" Mori paled. Did he really have to be informed of that? "And...today's just been horrid, what with...everything. And...I'm sure I won't be allowed to join the kendo club again. And, to top it all off, Aoshi-sama still isn't home."

Mori said nothing for a while.

"...You wouldn't get kicked out of the club that easily," he said, after a while –and it was true. Misao glanced briefly at him.

"You're sure?" He nodded.

"Aa."

"That's a relief..."

Mori glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Why the kendo club?" Misao was silent for a moment or two.

"Because it's interesting. Martial arts and kendo have always interested me." She paused. "Even more so when Aoshi-sama stopped training me, six years ago..."

Mori frowned slightly, before remembering what Mitsukuni had told him before, about what Kyoya had said. She came from a family that was known for its strong martial arts skills too (though not as well-known or strong as Mitsukuni's family); the Makimachi Clan.

And she was the family's...or the clan's sole survivor.

He grabbed her hand from the rock she had placed it on, earning him a quizzical glance from her.

"Toad." Misao edged away from the toad once he had pointed it out, a disgusted expression on her face.

"Thanks," she muttered, very quietly. She didn't want him to think she was being nice to him after all. "Hey...back then, Jiya was saying something about you and...Honey-sempai's families being good in martial arts..."

Mori nodded slowly. "Do you think you could teach me?" He stared at her. "What?" she asked, defensively. "It's just a suggestion. I mean...since we're both in the kendo club...I dunno, we could train there, and...well, you could teach me all these awesome moves-"

"-This is not something you should take lightly."

"I know that!" snapped Misao, as she took to glaring at him once more. "Geez! I just want people to know that being a girl doesn't mean that you need to be 'protected' and 'looked after' all the time!" She glared harder. "You should know what I'm talking about, you dumb sexist."

Mori sighed.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I don't think that's a good idea." Misao pouted, but he remained firm in his decision. Suddenly inspired, she fought the grin that threatened to form on her face.

"Fine, I understand..." she mumbled, softly. "You don't want to teach me. It's alright, really. I guess...I'll just be really unlucky if I'm suddenly attacked...or assaulted on the roads. At night too." She sighed. "I won't be able to defend myself one bit..."

Mori raised his eyebrows at her. From what I've seen, you can defend yourself quite well –against low-ranking attackers.

"... ... ... ..."

"Honey-sempai would be disappointed if he found out that you refused to give a defenceless girl lessons in self-defence..."

"... ... ... ..."

"What if Haruhi's around as well? I mean, we girls can't defend ourselves, so we'll be at a disadvantage."

"... ... ... ..." Mori's eyebrows twitched.

"I wonder if Honey-sempai knows how cold-hearted you are..."

"... ... ... ..." Dammit! What's it going to take to make me get him to agree?!

"What if I'm attacked by all of your violent fans tomorrow? I'll need some means of protecting myself. Even though...even though you don't seem to care, even though it was partly your fault to-"

"Fine."

"Arigato, Mori-sempai!" exclaimed Misao, a big grin forming on her face as she stared at him. Oh. "I mean, damn right you'll do it. It is your fault that I have to be on guard whenever I'm in school." Careful, Misao...you were being polite! To him. That should not happen, right?

"On one condition."

"Eh?!"

"You ask Okina-san for his permission." Misao leaned forward, towards him, a scowl on her face.

"Listen you! Who do you think---" And just like that, she lost her balance and toppled into the pond with a loud squeak.

Mori sighed as he heard, felt and saw the splash of water as the girl fell in. She was a bit of a klutz, wasn't she?

Misao stood up, spluttering. "Why you- it's all your fault! What're you trying to do?! Kill me?!"

Here we go again... "You! I'm talking to you! Can't you hear-" She stopped when the dark-haired senior stood up, leaned forward, and effortlessly lifted her from the pond, before putting her down on the ground next to him. She glared at him. "Now I'm all wet, thanks to you! Grrr...and it's cold too!"

Her glare was nowhere near being effective, as she looked like a drowned...weasel, dripping water everywhere. Dropping his light-blue uniform-jacket on her head, he steered her back towards the house. "I can walk, thanks! And I do know where the entrance is. I live here, remember?"

Mori shook his head. Does she never shut up? Aa...but it's better than the mood she was in earlier... He tuned the girl's voice out as they entered the house and walked down the corridor, with her dripping water all the way.

"Ah, Misao there you...what on earth happened to you?" asked Okina, stopping short as he glanced at her wet figure. "...Takashi-kun...?" An evil, amused gleam suddenly shone in the old man's eyes. "Aha...aha, I understand. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what you two kids have been up to. I can keep a secret."

And he winked at them.

As the weasel girl started off on her angry tirade, Mori found himself sighing once more.

What have I gotten myself into?

A/N

This was long, I know, but it was to make up for my delay in updating! Hope this was alright!

See ya soon (hopefully!)

Siriusgirl1