Oh jeez… We're still at a three-way tie… -.-' Anyway, new reviewer thanks to;
SilverNeira!
Thanks for reviewing! =D
Me: Ok~ I'm going to steal one of my OC's a made for a story I'm Co-authoring! Give it up for Momoku Faita from Team Insanity by XxHell-in-my-headxX!
Momoku: H-hi… D-De-chan doesn't own O-OHSHC or any of th-the songs she uses… G-gomen!
Me: Isn't he cute? Momo's my OC who's been adopted by Kakashi Hatake-sama…
Momoku: D-don't call me M-Momo!
Me: … ^^'
WARNING: Both songs are going to be in Japanese… ;D The first one is the opening to Fruits Basket… X3
Ch.21 Out of the closet...
Normal P.O.V
Actually, when Ichi woke up, she was surprised. No, she hadn't even seen the music sheets yet, but she did feel a bit squished between a slightly smaller object and a rather large one. Waking up further, she could see Haruhi had pushed her into Mori's side.
With a quiet sigh, Ichi carefully inched her way out and pushed Haruhi back under Ichi's original place and covered her up. After that, she looked around the room and mentally laughed.
Tamaki was most likely pushed off the couch by Kyouya who had his glasses still on, Hikaru and Kaoru were leaning on each other and one of the corners of the room, Hani was curled up in Hana's lap while she sat in an arm chair, while Haruhi, Mori, and Arc-cen were sprawled out on the floor with blankets covering them up.
"Poor Rene…" She whispered to herself with a sweat-drop. Ichi placed a spare blanket over him and forced a pillow under his head. She then left to go check on the kids and Anna.
'Aww…. Poor Satoshi… He looked so tired…' Ichi thought as she looked in on the room.
Satoshi and Cho were on each side of Anna. Cho had her fingers in Anna's hair and Satoshi had a hold of her arm, but all was peaceful. Anna even had a small smile on her face.
Ichi quietly shut the door and headed into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and was glad to see that Aisa did her shopping since she hadn't made sure last night. Pulling out the items needed to make the special dishes she knew would satisfy Mori and Satoshi, she made sure everyone else would like her food as well.
"Good morning Ichi…" Haruhi yawned/whispered, causing Ichi to jump and blush in embarrassment.
"O-oh… Good morning Haruhi! No one else is up yet so you scared me a bit…" Ichi smiled sheepishly and Haruhi sweat-dropped.
"Eh, sorry… Wait, you're making breakfast? Here, I'll help…" Haruhi began to cut up some of the ingredients as Ichi went back to cooking after a 'thanks' was given in return.
Soon they were done with dinner until…
"Oh my…" Ichi looked at the small dining table that only seated four people and frowned.
"It's ok, we can use the other table in the living room as well… It should seat the rest of us!" Haruhi comforted. Ichi gave a weak smile and placed several plates on said table and four on the smaller one.
"I'll sit down here with you, and Arcy, Satoshi, Cho, and Maman will sit up there, ok?" Haruhi nodded as Ichi went to wake the children and Anna first. As the kids sleepily came out, Ichi wheeled Anna in and placed them all at the table.
"Mmm… Thanks Kit-chan…" Satoshi said sleepily, "But have fun waking Mitsu-kun up…" Ichi and Haruhi waved that last bit away though and looked in on the still sleeping teens.
"Morning Mama…" Cho murmured.
"Good morning girls…" Anna greeted. Said girls greeted them back before going to wake the others.
"Haruhi, you get the twins, Mori, and Arcy while I get the other four…" She nodded and started to quietly wake them up.
"Rene, please be quiet…. I made breakfast for you…" He slowly got up and went to sit at the small table next to Kaoru. Ichi then moved on to Kyouya.
"Kyouya Ootori. If you snap at me, I will snap back… Get up and go sit at the table and I'll bring you coffee… Strong coffee…" Kyouya hesitated but just sighed before going to sit at the table.
"Make it black…" He growled.
"Like your soul~!" She retorted in a chime while fixing his glasses that were hanging off his face. He just glared groggily.
"Hani-kun… I'll bake you something sweet later if you come eat breakfast now…" He opened his eyes a little and blinked before outstretching his arms. Ichi laughed lightly while carefully picking him off Hana's lap and setting him down beside Mori at the table.
"Hana-chan, time to wake up… I made breakfast for everyone!" Hana woke up with a start before blushing darkly and shyly going to sit by Haruhi and Hani.
"Arcy, get your butt up… Haruhi already told you once and you know what I'll do if you don't get up now…" As soon as she finished that sentence, Arc-en's arms shot out and grabbed her. Ichi shrieked out in surprise as Arc-en pinned her down.
"Aha! Sorry Foxy, but now you can't carry out your evil plans!" She just smirked at him.
"One…. Two…." She just put down her third finger when Arc-en was thrown into the couch. Surprisingly, it wasn't any of the hosts who did this to him…
It was Satoshi…
"One of the rules for a Kendoka is that we must not harm an innocent person, male or female, so pinning down a woman, especially my friend, means that I can defend her." He struck a pose and pointed at Arc-en who was sprawled across the couch. "Stand down or I'll strike you once more!" Ichi stared up at him for a bit before bursting into laughter.
"Satoshi-kun, it's alright! He was just playing! Please, don't kill him just yet… He may be an idiot, but he's my idiot… Plus, he's sitting with you guys this morning." Satoshi nodded and calmed before going to sit back down.
"Ow…. That actually hurt… Good job Mini-Tallness!" Arc-en said as he sprung back up. At the nickname, Satoshi smiled while Mori's head fell a bit and the others laughed.
Soon everyone was seated and they looked to Ichi. She smiled at the sight before her as well and started breakfast.
"Itadakimasu!" They all said and began to eat. Everyone was enjoying themselves and even Hana was having a great time.
Ichi sat with Hana and Haruhi on both of her sides while Tamaki sat beside Haruhi, Kyouya and Hani were at the ends, and the other side went from Mori to the twins, and Arc-en.
When Ichi saw Hana looking at the guitar pick now hanging from her neck, she smiled and hugged the girl. Said girl hugged back with a bright smile and giggled somewhat.
"I almost forgot to thank you for this… It means very much to me…" Ichi said in the hug.
"Yes, you've told me before… I was just glad that Mori-senpai came and got it…" Hana sweat-dropped while smiling sheepishly and releasing Ichi.
"I couldn't thank you both enough…" Ichi tilted her head and actually smiled warmly at Hana with tears brimming from her eyes by just a bit. Suddenly Ichi was tackled in a hug by Tamaki and the twins.
"SO INNO-" Ichi bopped them on the head before they could continue.
"What did I say about calling me innocent...?" She grumbled. They just whined while going back to their seats, Kaoru being slightly uncomfortable sitting beside a smirking Arc-en…
Breakfast was done soon enough and, without asking, the twins, Tamaki, and Hani took turns taking a shower at different times. Ichi didn't notice at all though as she was cleaning up and talking with Haruhi or Hana, so she also didn't notice those same boys using her washer and dryer.
After the house was cleaned up, Ichi took herself a shower and got dressed in one of Arc-en's black, loose fitting band t-shirts, a pair of black shorts, and she put a hair band on the shirt to make it tighter on her and so that she could see her shorts under it.
Satisfied with herself, Ichi left the bathroom. The others were already dressed and had their things packed. Mori had wheeled Anna back to her room, put Cho back to bed as well, and now had Hani atop his shoulders.
"Thanks Mori-senpai! I really appreciate it!" Ichi said as she tried to towel dry her hair. She couldn't see where she was going and almost tripped, but just before Mori could grab her, Arc-en did.
"You have to be careful Foxy… You could've gotten hurt…" He said and took the towel from her. She blushed embarrassedly and nodded before he started drying her hair for her, making her blush while giggling and trying to swat at him playfully.
'I want her to be happy, and she is… So why do I feel angry every time he makes her laugh or smile?' Mori thought with clenched fists. While Ichi had her eyes closed, Arc-en looked up at him and smirked, causing Mori's fists to tighten even more.
"I'm so glad we got to do this! Maybe we can have a sleepover at one of your houses someday!" Ichi said. The hosts, Arc-en, and Hana all nodded while Haruhi just stood there with a deadpanned expression.
Satoshi bounded over to Ichi and picked her up in a hug, causing her to flail her arms and squeak in surprise.
"I'm just happy that I get to see you again! Plus you look a lot better than you used to and you're eating better!" Ichi blushed again as Satoshi turned around and faced the hosts.
"Taka-bro can we keep her?" He held Ichi at arms length and she deadpanned.
"Mori-senpai, I can see the amusement in your eyes… This isn't funny…" She pouted as his lips turned up a bit and the others laughed.
"No Satoshi…" Mori replied. This just made Satoshi pout as well and hold Ichi tightly to him.
"I'm going to miss you so much!" Fake tears rolled down his face as he shook Ichi back and forth quickly. Mori had to pull her away before she really got hurt though.
"W-woah… T-thanks Mori-senpai…" She said while leaning on him dizzily. He steadied her and nodded in reply.
"Ok everyone, I suggest we leave seeing as Ichi has work soon, correct?" The now fully awake Kyouya asked. Ichi snapped out of her dizzy spell and looked to the clock on the wall.
"Oh my, you're correct! I completely forgot about that… I have to work until a little before closing at Onpa today… Ah! I'll have to change again…" She sweat-dropped and grabbed a bag before going into the bathroom again. In a matter of minutes, she was back out with everything ready, even her whiskers were attached.
"Kit-chan's kawaii!" Satoshi said with a thumbs up. Ichi just laughed and grabbed her small-ish bag.
"Well come on, Aisa will be over soon and she'd freak if she saw all you boys in here! Actually I need to pay her… Go on ahead, I'll be right back!" Ichi said and got some money out of the bag. She then walked out of the house before the others and over to the next house.
Everyone who knew about the neighbor coming over regularly thought the same thing.
'Ichi never told us she was paying the woman to watch the house…' It was true, but Ichi didn't forget to tell them on purpose, she just didn't find the information important.
When Satoshi saw Ichi coming back over, he ran up to meet her halfway. The hosts were loading their things into a limo except for Mori, Satoshi, and Hani, but Haruhi had already left with Hana who wanted to spend some more time with her and Arc-en stayed inside the house.
"We can walk you to work Kit-chan!" Satoshi told her. Ichi looked at the three boys with a smile.
"Sure, that'd be nice…" She then turned to the others. "Ok, I'll see you at school tomorrow!" They all waved their goodbyes and left while Ichi started walking in the other direction.
Upon arrival to Onpa, Ichi smiled and grabbed Satoshi's and Mori's hand to hurry them up. This action caused Mori to blush slightly and for Hani to smirk while looking down at him.
"Cold…" Mori mumbled to himself while looking at their hands. Ichi snapped her head up to him.
"What was that Mori-senpai?" She asked while still hurrying ahead. Mori blushed a bit deeper when he realized he'd spoken out loud, but shook his head to dismiss her question.
They reached the doors and Ichi flung them open, causing the few other workers to look up and smile in greeting.
"And this is my other workplace! Magnifique, non?" (Magnificent, no?) She said. The boys really looked around for the first time and nodded numbly.
Looking around, they noticed that all the girls wore the same outfit as Ichi's while the boys wore white suits with black neko ears and tails as well.
"Hey Kitsune! What do you think we should play on the speakers today? Or do you wanna sing?" One of the guys asked from across the room. Ichi gave them the one-minute hand sign as she turned to the three.
"Ok, well I'm glad you guys finally got to see the place in action, but I have to go… Feel free to stick around if you want!" She waved back as she ran off towards the others.
Hani took off towards some Anime plushes and Satoshi sat down on one of the couches while watching Ichi talk to the band. Mori just looked at the bag around her neck and shoulder while wondering how she'd react when she saw the lyrics.
"Hey Kitsune? Do you think you could sing this while I play?" The boy from earlier asked. Ichi nodded as she read through the music.
"Sure, I love this song!" She replied while he walked over to the piano and sat down.
"Totemo ureshikatta yo, kimi ga warai kaketeta
Subete o tokasu hohoemi de
Haru wa mada tookute, tsumetai tsuchi no naka de
Mebuku toki o matte ita'n da
Tatoeba kurushii kyou da to shite mo
Kinou no kizu o nokoshite ite mo
Shinjitai, kokoro hodo ite yukeru to
Umare kawaru koto wa dekinai yo
Dakedo kawatte wa ikeru kara
LET'S STAY TOGETHER, itsu mo~!"
As she made little sounds, other band members joined in and she practically glided across stage.
"Boku dake ni waratte, sono yubi de, nee sawatte
Nozomi bakari ga hateshinaku
Yasashiku shitai yo, mou kuyamanu you ni
Nageki no umi mo koete ikou
Tatoeba kurushii kyou da to shite mo
Itsu ka atatakana omoide ni naru
Kokoro goto subete nage daseta nara
Koko ni ikiteru imi ga wakaru yo
Umare ochita yorokobi o shiru
LET'S STAY TOGETHER, itsu mo
Tatoeba kurushii kyou da to shite mo
Itsu ka atatakana omoide ni naru
Kokoro goto subete nage daseta nara
Koko ni ikiteru imi ga wakaru yo
Umare ochita yorokobi o shiru
LET'S STAY TOGETHER, itsu mo~!"
She ended it with her head tilted to the side and in a closed-eyed smile while extending her hand outwards. Whistles were heard as Ichi blushed cutely and was surrounded by her workers. Satoshi and Hani clapped as Mori smiled lightly toward her.
"Great job Kitsune!" Some of the workers called. Others cheered, or even whistled. She just thanked them all and returned to the boys.
"Ok, well I'm going to go take my stuff to the back room so if you all want, you can leave… Otherwise make yourselves at home!" She said. Mori joined the boys on the couch and Ichi just smiled before going into the back.
When there, she wanted to make sure her music was in the bag so that when it was her break time, she could write. As she pulled out the sheets, she looked at them all. Her eyes caught site of the lyrics page and her heart leaped.
"Ah~ These are amazing! I wonder who helped me out...? Oh well, it was wonderful of them to…" She spoke to herself before thinking something that caused her to blush randomly.
'Actually, it reminds me of Mori-senpai…' The fact she was blushing at the thought confused her, but she still smiled and neatly put the papers away.
When she came back out, Hani wasn't there anymore. It was just Satoshi and Mori sitting on the couch.
"Where did Hani-senpai go?" She asked, causing the two to look up at her.
"Oh! He had to go home early! His mom called him!" Satoshi explained. Ichi nodded while looking around.
"You guys should leave soon if you're not staying… The store's about to open up to more people and we usually get a decent crowd… I'll see you tomorrow Mori, and Satoshi…" Satoshi pouted while looking up at her. "I'll be sure to visit soon enough…"
Ichi smiled and kissed the boys forehead while he blushed and grinned. She just nodded with a smile at Mori and the two left Onpa willingly.
With Satoshi;
"Kit-chan's really sweet, huh Takashi?" Satoshi asked, trying to provoke his brother.
"Ah…" Mori replied coolly,
"She's also smart, brave, a good cook, cleans well, and is good with kids… The perfect wife right?" He didn't dare glance up at Mori as he put on a thinking face.
"Maybe… Why?" Mori asked, looking questioningly down and to the side at Satoshi.
"Well I was just wondering if maybe when I'm older I could get the chance to marry Kit-chan! She'd be a great wife!" Satoshi cheered. Mori's eyes widened and he put a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"She has a boyfriend…" Mori told him. Satoshi looked confused.
"Who? She's never mentioned him…" Satoshi wasn't serious anyway, but now he was curious.
"Arc-en." As soon as the name left his lips, Satoshi was on the floor laughing. Mori stared at him with one raised eyebrow. "What?"
"Arcy isn't Kit-chan's boyfriend! Ahaha!" He stopped to catch his breath. "Arcy's Kit-chan's best friend! Last night before you guys came over, Ichi told us that she only loved him like a brother and was confused when we asked her if they were dating or not!" Mori's eyes widened as he looked back at Onpa…
He didn't know why Arc-en would lie, but he definitely didn't like it… Mori was also even more confused as to why Ichi would kiss him like that last night. It was completely willing and she pulled him close.
'What's going on..?' Mori thought to himself. He and Satoshi then climbed into the limo and drove home. Ichi and Arc-en were going to have a lot of explaining to do…Well, mostly Arc-en because Ichi had no clue of the false relationship he had made up.
Later, with Ichi;
'I can't believe they let me borrow an electric piano!' Ichi thought in delight as she entered her home. Sure she was tired, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't give that new song a try!
Seeing that Cho was asleep in Anna's bed, Ichi quietly shut the door and returned to her couch-bed. Arc-en had actually left awhile ago, not that she noticed, but she also didn't hear a car pull up to the house.
Ichi turned the electric piano on to the correct setting and set the music on the stand. Little did she know, the hosts were right outside her door. Mori had made Satoshi repeat his words to Kyouya who informed everyone else and they had gotten curious.
Those that knew were nervous and worried things wouldn't go as well as they might think… However, all else was forgotten for a little while when beautiful piano music began to play and a voice sounded.
"Nani mo iwazu ni sugu soba ni iru yo
Donna toki mo
Kanashii omoi wa sotto tsutaete yo
Kiiteru kara
Umaku iezu ni kimi o komarasete shimau no nara
Hitomi o tojite sotto yudanete yo dakishimeru kara
Sugite yuku kisetsu no naka de ima
Kono mune ni tashika na mono wa hitotsu sa
Anata o mamoru tame nara
Nani hitotsu oshiku wa nai
Donna itami demo boku ga kawaru kara
Zutto soba ni iru yo
Kimi no kimochi ni kizukezu ni ita to shitta toki wa
Boku no chikara de dekiru koto subete todoketai kara
Itsudatte kimi to hohaba awase
Kore kara mo kawaranai omoi ga aru kara
Dakishimeta sono nukumori ga
Itsu made mo kienai you ni
Koboreta namida wa boku ga nuguu kara
Zutto soba ni iru yo
Anata wo mamoru tame nara
Nani hitotsu oshiku wa nai
Donna itami demo boku ga kawaru kara
Zutto soba de oboendete
Dakishimeta sono nukumori ga
Itsu made mo kienai you ni
Koboreta namida wa boku ga nuguu kara
Zutto soba ni iru yo~"
No one but Hani saw the smile on Mori's face or heard him humming along with the music because Hani had heard this song before… Hani remembered when Mori's mother would sing it to them when they were sick, or upset. It always made them feel better.
The feel of nostalgia was soon lost as Tamaki rushed inside and glomped Ichi to the floor.
"Fantastic Mon Ami! Bravo! Encore!" Tamaki cheered while rubbing his face against hers. Ichi just lay there with a deadpanned expression.
"Rene, Mon ami, why are you here?" She asked calmly. Tamaki sat back on his knees and looked at her seriously as the others walked in casually.
"Tallis Kitsune De LaChanson…" He said in a whisper before speaking so everyone else could hear. "Are you or are you not in a relationship with Arc-en D'sorcellerie?" Ichi looked totally confused and pushed him off slowly.
"What? No, who gave you that idea..?" She eyed the boys and Haruhi confusedly while some of them paled or anime fell.
"B-b-but! The singing and the kissing and the 'Mon amour!' Arc-en even told the twins that he was your new boyfriend!" Tamaki flailed about before Ichi put a hand over his mouth. He froze behind her hand as he saw the fierce glare she was giving.
"One, I sing all the time… Two, the kissing was because Hani dared us to during a game, and three, I called you Mon Amour the same day… Also, if you wake up my child or my mother, I will kill you…" He gulped in fear and 'melted' out of her grasp.
"Now what the hell are you talking about? Arc-en told you what?" Ichi half shouted, half whispered. Hikaru and Kaoru looked nervous and were fidgeting.
"The day Arcy used your phone to text us…" Kaoru started to explain.
"He said that he was your new boyfriend…" Hikaru ended. The fire in her eyes dimmed a bit and she sat down on the couch.
"That idiot…" She moaned. "He always does this because he thinks that someone else will hurt me… Therefore, he acts all lovey-dovey near me to ward off any guys… I don't know how I didn't see it…" Ichi was holding her head with one hand while Tamaki's eyes filled with tears.
"What a great friend! One who would put on a false relationship just to protect you is simply a marvelous person!" Spouting more nonsense, the others just ignored him and returned to Ichi.
"By the way, I know that two of you know his secret so why didn't you tell the others it wasn't true?" Ichi looked at both Kaoru and Haruhi who turned away and sweat-dropped nervously.
"Secret..?" Mori questioned. Hani peered over his shoulder to look at Ichi.
"Yep! Arc-en told me too!" He said. Ichi looked surprised before sweat-dropping.
'It was going to happen eventually, but I hope Arcy's ok with me doing this…' She thought worriedly.
"Oh… Well then you all might as well know what it is…" Kyouya's glasses flashed while Hikaru, Mori and Tamaki looked at Ichi seriously. She leaned into the conversation to build suspense.
"Arcy…. Is a homosexual~!" She drew out the word to match the pace of the blood leaving the faces of the four while grinning.
As the words sunk in, Hikaru turned to Kaoru, Mori turned to Hani, Tamaki to Haruhi, and Kyouya to Ichi. Ichi stood there with a smirk as the others sweat-dropped at the simultaneous question their mirroring friends asked.
"You knew?" The only one not asking was Kyouya as he just pushed his glasses up in expectance.
"Well, I don't know how Hani knows, but I told Kaoru and Arcy just told the girls last night… Satoshi knows so I'm surprised he didn't tell you Mori-senpai…" Ichi said, looking at a shocked Mori who was growing more confused by the minute.
"Satoshi… knows..?" He asked, now completely lost. Ichi nodded her head before looking up at Kyouya.
"And I thought that you of all people would have known…. Kyo-Kyo, I'm disappointed!" She faked sadness before smiling up at his glare. After a few more questions and awkward looks, the hosts left to get ready for school tomorrow.
Ichi pulled out her phone and with a whole lot of hesitation and worry, dialed Arc-en's number.
"Hey Foxy~!" He answered as he picked up. Ichi pursed her lips before telling him what happened. At the end, only one sentence summed it up.
"I-I had to tell the rest of the hosts your secret…" She said, voice wavering. There was complete silence for a couple of minutes until Ichi heard Arc-en sigh.
"Aw~! Am I in trouble?" He sounded as if he was pouting. Ichi sighed in relief.
"No, I'm just glad you're ok with it… I was worried…" She admitted. Arc-en chuckled on the other end.
"Foxy, I could never get mad at you!" Arc-en said, making her smile. "Besides, then I wouldn't have a model for all my clothing!" This brought Ichi into a small fit of laughter.
"Yeah, yeah… Well, I should get some sleep now… Bon nuit Arcy! Je t'aime!" (Good night, I love you) Ichi responded.
"Bon nuit Foxy~! Je t'aime!" Arc-en replied before hanging up. Ichi smiled and went into the kitchen.
"It's almost Valentine's day and I'm sure the hosts will be ready for tomorrow… I think I'll make Hani a cake and give it to him tomorrow, but then give the hosts their gifts on the actual day…" Ichi then pulled open her cupboard and brought out some different cake mixes.
"Ah, perfect!" She cheered as she spotted a strawberry bread cake with white and pink icing mixes. Ichi stayed up long enough for a decent sized three-layer strawberry cake.
With the white icing, she made an Usa-chan on top and little filled-in hearts all around it. Carefully putting it in a case, she labeled it 'Do not touch' before tying a pink bow around it. She then went to bed, exhausted.
Arc-en was in for it tomorrow and little did she know, Ichi was too...
Ok! Stopping here! Next chapter will be longer, I assure you… It will also be Hani's three bitter days and a very sad part at the obvious placing… If you didn't know, that second song was Itsumo Soba Ni, or Always by your side... Look it up! ;D
Well, I think we'll all be looking forward to it! Seriously though, if this poll ends in a tie, I'm going to choose who I want~ XD
Please review! Oh, and these songs ONLY work out if Hana is going to be paired with who it's for… Yes, that means that this is the last chance vote~!
'Invisible.' Taylor Swift –Kyouya O. (Face it, Kyouya loves Haruhi but he likes TamaXHaru better… So she sees him looking at her…)
'Glitter in the air.' Pink –Mitsukuni H. (No, this doesn't make them a couple yet, but she's saying that she's afraid of asking!)
'Things I'll never say.' Avril Lavigne –Other..? (Tell me who this is… I'll have to re-edit that one chapter if it isn't a host…)