Disclaimer: The series of Ouran High School Host Club and its characters belong to Bisco Hatori. The only things I own are the OCs and the plot of this story and I gain nothing from writing it besides the pleasure.

Storm Clouds - Chapter Three - Propositions

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"I will be here until Bon Festival

After Bon Festival, I will not be here.

If Bon Festival comes earlier,

I would return home earlier."

"You...still remember that lullaby, Arashi?" Granna's voice asked softly.

My body lurched at the suddeness of her appearance and my cheeks colored in slight embarrassment from being caught. "Uh, yeah, Granna." My lips curled into a wide smile. "I can still hear it in my mind as clear as day."

It was true. The meaning of the lyrics could be perceived as rather morbid but the lullaby was ingrained in my mind, to the point where I could still hear a sweet voice crooning it in my ears. Unfortunately, I never could quite remember who it was singing me that song due to fragmented and fading recollections and, every time I tried forcing myself to remember, the memory of that person appeared to become murkier and more distant.

"Say, Granna... Was it you who used to sing me that song, hmm?" I looked at her from the corner of my eye whilst I continued the task of making lunch for myself and something like a small box of sweets for Himemiya-chan.

Granna's eyes gained a distant look as her face contorted at my question. Her lips curled down, as if my inquiry had left a bad taste in her mouth, and her hands twisted together tightly, almost painfully. My eyebrows flew up in surprise before they lowered in a mix of confusion and worry.

"Granna?"

She was silent for a moment more before she shook her head and her eyes wandered up to my face. "...You shouldn't sing that song, Arashi." She smiled a weak, strained smile at my look of perplexity. "It's not a very happy song, dearie."

"Oh." I chuckled somewhat nervously, an attempt to drive off the tenseness on the small woman's face. "Ah, I know, Granna. I just can't help it, though. When I'm concentrating hard on something, it just pops up, hmm." I rubbed my lip as I smiled awkwardly. "But, I'll try to stop. Okay?"

Granna didn't respond for the longest of times. She just stared at me, her eyes searching my face for something that was unknown to me. I grinned at her, playfully giving her a thumbs up to ease her secret worries. Her eyes lingered but, after moments of uncomfortable silence, she relented and let her usual amiable countenance surface.

"All right, my little Shishi-kun." She chirped as she pinched my cheek a little too hard—as per usual—before she gestured towards the kitchen counter. "What's all this for? Your lunch? Surely, you don't need so much food in the afternoons! I feed you plenty, don't I?"

I laughed somewhat anxiously as I continued putting together the small jam-filled sandwiches. "Well, it's not exactly for me, Granna. It's for this girl I met yesterday... We chatted a little and she tasted some of my leftover cake slices." My face heated up in happiness. "She said she wanted to eat them over and over again so I told her I'd make her some more, hmm."

Granna's mouth dropped slightly and her squinted eyes blinked open. A dark look passed over her round face for no longer than a millisecond but I saw it, nonetheless. "W-what...?" Her eyebrow twitched. "Y-you're making something for..."

I grimaced uneasily, hoping Granna wouldn't revert back to the same tenseness as before. She didn't, for which I was immensely relieved, but she startled me by grabbing my face and squishing my cheeks together like they were made of clay. My eyes blinked rapidly as Granna's entire face seemed to light up and I groaned loudly as sparkles and petals emanated out of thin air, much like the flamboyant blonde-haired teen Tamaki Suoh had done earlier in the day.

"My little Shishi-kun is growing up~!" She gushed happily. "My little man is making food for a girl~! Oh~! I can't wait to tell the girls at the book club meeting!" She released me abruptly as she rolled up her sleeves. "But, wait! You can't give a girl monaka if you want to woo her!" She yanked my ear roughly, making me yelp in pain. "I thought I taught you better than that, Arashi!"

"B-but, Granna! She's not-" I spluttered out as I rubbed my aching cheeks, flinching as she pointed a threatening finger towards me. "I was gonna put some cupca-

"SILENCE! I'm going to go fetch my other recipe folder!" She waved her hands around. "Get that mess cleaned up and, when I come back, I want to see sugar, flour and strawberries! We need hearts! Sweet cream! Icing!" She threw her hands up as she scurried out the room, her rant continuing throughout the house.

I snorted softly at her ridiculousness as I turned back to my station. Once Granna was on a roll, there was no stopping her. Honestly, it had been a long time since I'd seen her move with such enthusiasm and energy. My small smile tugged down into a frown.

It had also been a long time since I'd seen such a perturbed look on her face. All over that lullaby. It was just a harmless folk song and, yet, my singing it upset Granna. The song was rooted deep in my mind, in my memories but, if Granna asked me to stop and I promised, then I would do it for her.

She still didn't tell me if she was the one who used to sing it to me. I thought as I put away my previous creations for a later use. Does she not know or...?

My thoughts wandered as silence descended upon the kitchen and my body straightened and cleared the counters almost mindlessly. Instead of throwing them away, I could either eat the monaka myself or I could give it to Haru-san tomorrow afternoon. If she didn't eat them, then she could easily give them to Ranka-san. I could also wrap them up and put up for sell in the shop...

...

..

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"I am from the poor families,

They are from the rich families.

The rich people wear good belts,

Wear good clothes."

My voice cut off abruptly. The song was so entrenched in my brain that it would be a chore to train myself not to sing it or hum it to myself any longer. I sighed under my breath as I began pulling out the cake ingredients. I didn't want to stop because I wanted to keep remembering. I didn't want to forget.

"The sleeping child's

Cuteness and innocent look!

The crying child's ugly look,

The crying child's ugly look."

...

Not only the song but also the woman who sung it to me so beautifully.

The next day's morning and afternoon classes passed quickly for me. I was relieved for that because academics were never a strong point of mine. Not exactly because I was lazy—which I was, to a certain extent—but because of the workload and the expectations that Ouran held for its students. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't used to dealing with such high standards when it came to schoolwork.

Going from public schools, where the work and expectations were a lot more lenient, to a private academy, where students were expected to learn and know all the branches of mathematics was daunting to the brain. The thought of all the thing that were required made me feel as if I were about to explode. I could only hope that I wouldn't crack under the immense pressures.

Don't think about school work. My brain suggested. Think about the pretty girl who liked your cakes and company so much that she wanted to see you again.

For a long time, girls had never been my forte. I'd never had a girlfriend before, not because I had a bad personality—far from it, according to several of my crushes—but because I wasn't the best looking bloke they could possibly be with. Of course, they never said that directly to my face but I could piece things together.

There was also the fact that I caught one of the girls I'd confessed to gossiping to her friends about me.

As stated by her, my mouth looked too wide for my face when I smiled. My eyes always looked to be squinty and/or closed. I was too pasty and looked sickly all the time. I had a terrible haircut. I had an annoying verbal tic. I was shorter than most of my classmates, girls included, and I apparently had a tendency to creep up on people, resulting in them being shocked of my presence. Ultimately, she described me as "some creepy stalker weirdo" and deemed me as someone well below her standards.

Needless to say, my self-esteem and self-confidence plummeted into oblivion thanks to that girl. Thankfully, my looks evened out once I hit puberty. My face and jaw grew a bit broader, making my mouth fit my face properly, and I gradually grew to a more than decent height of 183 cm, making me taller than most all my old classmates. I gained a tan once I started biking and fishing during the summers and I never let my Granna touch my hair with scissors ever again.

As for my squinting, my eyes are sensitive to bright lights. I have very light blue-grey eyes and, as with lighter eye colors, they lack some of the pigment darker eye colors have against bright lighting. My old schools had very, very bright lights and, to avoid painful migraines, I squinted frequently. Nowadays, the pain isn't as intense as it used to be so my eyes react accordingly.

The verbal tic is a habit I picked up from my Grandpa. He's just as lazy as me, if not more, and he didn't speak often because talking required more energy than he was willing to give. He ended up relaying information mostly through subtle body gestures, grunts and hums and, as a child, I thought it was pretty cool. I began to imitate him. The only real difference is that I actually like to talk, unlike Grandpa, and the hums just come almost automatically.

Unfortunately, my self-confidence still hasn't fully recovered and it wasn't until relatively recently that I'd been able to even look at a girl. Granna tried to help by telling me that most girls liked being complimented and Sayuri's initial response to flattery had me feeling slightly awkward and apprehensive.

Luckily, that wasn't the case.

Also, she liked my cakes and that was always a plus.

I lingered outside of classroom 1-A, watching as the other students filed out and hoping that I didn't come off too eager by waiting for Sayuri outside her class. It wasn't only because I wanted to see my new friend but also because I wanted to give Haruhi the monaka I'd made yesterday evening. My mouth curled into a smile as I caught sight of Sayuri's slightly wavy auburn hair.

"Himemiya-chan." I greeted lightly, chuckling softly as her face lit up brightly presumably at the sight of me. "I was just passing by and thought it would be a good idea if we went to the Host Club together, hmm."

"A-Arashi-san!" She gasped out, a darker blush flooding her cheeks. "You came to e-e-escort me?"

I nodded with a smile. "Mm-hm. I also brought you a whole box of sweets." I held up the delicately wrapped box. "I hope you don't mind, hmm. I wanted you to have a variety."

Her bright eyes glazed over in what I hoped was happiness and her small hands cupped her rosy cheeks bashfully. "A-A whole box? Just for me? T-thank you, Arashi-san!"

"No problem, Himemiya-chan. I try to treat all my friends good." I let my hand land on her head for a gentle pat. She looked close to falling over and my hand shot out to firmly grasp her arm. "Ah, don't fall over, Himemiya-chan!"

Her eyes widened until they seemed to cover her entire face, making my eyebrows lift slightly, before they averted to the ground, her seemingly perpetual blush somehow becoming even brighter. "A-ah, thanks f-for helping me, A-Arashi-san!" She squeaked out. "Can w-we go now!?"

"Of course, Himemiya-chan." Inwardly, I was laughing at her rather cute actions but, outwardly, I let a good-natured grin stretch over my lips. "Let's get going, hmm."

As we left, I vaguely remembered that I'd forgotten to look out for Haru-san but I remembered that she was the maid for the Host Club so odds were high that I would see her there.

We arrived to the Host Club's large doors within minutes and, before I could open the door, it opened for us, revealing none other than Haruhi's short visage. I smiled and lifted a hand in greeting. "Hey there, Haru-san! They got you working pretty hard, hmm?"

"Oh, Arashi-san." She smiled slightly before her expression turned into a deep frown. "Wait a minute... What are you doing here? I thought I told you I didn't want your help."

I tutted as I patted her head, snorting as she batted my hands away and fixed me with a glare. "Don't be so self-absorbed, Haru-san. I'm not here for you," I gestured towards Sayuri as I spoke, "I'm here because Himemiya-chan asked me to be here."

Her lips pursed as her eyes narrowed at me. I met her gaze with a relaxed smile and a shrug of the shoulders. The boyish girl's body relaxed as she softly sighed. "Fine, if you say so." She looked at me in slight amusement. "You just can't say no to people, can you, Arashi-san?"

"It depends." I smiled before I snapped my fingers in remembrance. "Oh, yeah. I had some leftover monaka and I thought you or Ranka-san might want it." I placed a container in her hands. "Hope you enjoy it."

"Thanks." She said dryly. "Now I have something else to carry along with the groceries I have to get for these guys." She shrugged as she waved a hand towards me. "I'll see you later, Arashi-san. You too, Himemiya-san."

We parted and Sayuri and I entered music room #3. My eyes squinted slightly as I felt a rose petal brush against my face and I knew it was the prelude of a certain blonde's entrance.

"Welcome back to the Host Club, my good chap~!" His voice was smooth, his gaze piercing and his smile seductive as he quickly strided over to me. "It seems that the club's services has drawn you back for another afternoon!"

"Actually, no." I dead-panned. "I'm here because Himemiya-chan asked me to come with her. Or did you not see her next me, Tamaki-senpai?"

"H-Himemiya-chan?" He blanched as his eyes whipped over to the girl by my side. He recovered almost instantly and he bowed down, taking the girl's hand in his. "Please forgive me, Princess! I did not mean to neglect your wonderful presence! We are very pleased to have you finally attending the Host Club!" He straightened up, a dashing smile on his face. "Now, please tell me which host suits your tastes, Princess."

Sayuri's face turned red as she stuttered out something illegible before she gently pulled her hand free of Tamaki's and crowded next to my side. "I don't want to request a h-host, Tamaki-senpai. I j-just want to sit with Arashi-san, if that's o-okay."

"S-sit with Arashi-san?" Tamaki's eye twitched slightly and I covered up my smug smirk with a cough. "But he isn't-"

"That's perfectly fine, Himemiya-san." Kyōya strided forth, easily breaking into the conversation with a charming smile. "It's our job as hosts to make sure you're as comfortable and as satisfied as possible." His eyes cut over to me briefly and his smile twitched. "Even if it means we ourselves won't be servicing you." He gestured towards a table near a window. "Why don't you and Hamasaki-san have a seat over there?"

My eyes narrowed at the bespectacled teen suspiciously as Sayuri bleated out a thanks and guided me towards our seats. That smile may have looked charming on the surface but I could see the slyness that Kyōya had hidden in its depths. He was planning something but what that was was unknown to me. Inwardly, I shrugged—as long as what he was planning wasn't detrimental to my health, I didn't really care too much. It just bothered me that he was so secretive and crafty about it.

I smiled slightly as I gently pushed the box towards the girl across from me. "Here you go, Himemiya-chan." My smile turned even brighter and my eyes squinted with the action. "I put a lot of care and effort into them so I hope you enjoy every bit."

She made a noise in her throat as she nodded rapidly. I watched in eagerness as she unwrapped the box, opened it and gasped at the contents. "A-Arashi-san, you didn't have to make me so many things!"

I laughed softly. "I wanted to make another good impression but, I admit, I may have gone a little overboard." I leaned over slightly to see exactly what I put in and I rubbed my lip in embarrassment. "Yeah, I definitely went overboard with this."

It wasn't only me. Granna had a large hand in the amount of sweets I put in that box for Sayuri. There was a slice of strawberry shortcake, a peach-shaped castella cake, a chestnut-filled anpan, some daifuku, a slice of caramal cake and a slice of German chocolate cake. I grimaced slightly as I took in the box's contents and I muttered a slight curse under my breath.

"Eh, I'm sorry, Himemiya-chan, I didn't mean to try and send you into sugar shock." I chuckled fearfully as I ran a hand through my hair. "How 'bout we share some of this, hmm?" I searched the table before I stood up. "I'll go find us some forks. Some water too, for that matter."

She smiled and giggled shyly as her eyes twinkled in humor. "That sounds fine, Arashi-san."

I grinned at her as I left the table. Then, I paused because I didn't know where the Host Club kept forks or cups or anything. I didn't want to bother any of the host, though, a couple of them didn't look to be busy and Haruhi wasn't back from the store yet so I couldn't ask her. I groaned softly as I moved to go back to Sayuri's side.

"Looking for this, Hamasaki-san?" A voice suddenly asked from next to me.

I jolted slightly with a hand to my chest to calm my beating heart. My hand turned to the side, staring widely at Kyōya as he stood there with a calm smile on his face and a silver platter in his hands containing two glasses of water, two plates and two forks. My eyebrows furrowed at his seemingly innocent façade. "Kyōya-senpai? How'd you know I needed this, hmm?" I took the offered platter regardless.

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I wouldn't be a very good host if I weren't able to keep our guests happy, would I?" His head tilted to the side. "You should really get back to Himemiya-san's side, Hamasaki-san. It seems that Honey-senpai has gotten a whiff of your desserts."

"What?" My head whipped towards my table and, just like Kyōya had said, the tiny senior was sitting in my spot, staring rather ravenously at Sayuri's box of confections whilst chattering happily. A silent Mori was by his side and Sayuri was glancing nervously back and forth between me and the teen. I heaved out a heavy sigh as I looked back at Kyōya, only to see him walking back towards wherever he came from.

I approached the table in less than a few seconds and smiled gently at Sayuri's relieved smile. "Ah, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai. Is there something that you wanted from us?"

His large eyes flickered over to me and an adorable smile covered his face. "Hi there, Ara-chan! Me an' Usa-chan was just asking Sayu-chan who made all this yummy stuff! She told us that you made it, Ara-chan!"

"That I did, Honey-senpai." I stated.

"Oh." He said simply as he looked down at the stuffed pink bunny. There was a pregnant pause and then, "Can me an' Usa-chan have some, Ara-chan?"

I couldn't stop the amused snort that came up. The way he batted his long eyelashes and poked out his lower lip to gain sympathy and look absolutely adorable was just too authentic. Honey-senpai was really too good at his act. He was too good at playing at people's heartstrings to get what he wanted; he'd somehow retained the art of manipulating people with the childish charms most others lost as they grew older—it didn't matter if he physically looked like a child. I could tell that even if he didn't, he'd still be too good at what he did and I couldn't even get made at him for it.

Judging by the mischievous glint his honey-colored eyes, he knew it and he knew that I knew it too.

"Well, I suppose you can eat my portion, Honey-senpai." I snickered as I pulled up a seat. "You don't mind that, do you, Himemiya-chan?"

"O-of course not!" She squeaked out. "P-p-please enjoy it, Honey-senpai!"

"Thank you!" He chirped happily as he grabbed up a fork, stabbed it into the slice of German chocolate cake and shoved the whole slice into his mouth in one bite. "Mmm~!" He hummed in satisfaction as he swallowed. "That's really good, Ara-chan! It's a lot better than the cakes Kyō-chan usually orders!"

My mouth dropped in shock at how he practically inhaled that slice of cake and, from the corner of my eye, I could see that Sayuri had an expression very much similar to my own. My mouth snapped closed as I noticed him reaching in for another piece of cake. "Uh, Honey-senpai, why don't you let Himemiya-chan try a slice of cake?"

"Huh?" His bright smile turned into a remorseful teary pout. "Ah! I'm sorry, Sayu-chan! I didn't mean to be greedy! It's just that Ara-chan's chocolate cake was so good that I wanted to try his other ones too!" His lower lip trembled and I again snickered to myself at his actions and Himemiya's splutters.

"I-It's okay, Honey-senpai! I only really want t-this cake here." She placed the peach cake on her plate and pushed the box towards the small senior. "Y-you c-can have the rest!"

"Really?" He asked and, at Sayuri's jerky nod, he grinned brightly and proceeded to dig in.

My lips twisted up and I grabbed up the glass of water to take down a gulp—looking at him take down all those sweets made me feel somewhat sick. I mean, I liked sweets and all but, really, the pace he was going through them were inhuman. I noticed something shift in the corner of my eye and I turned my head to look over at Mori-senpai, who I had actually forgotten was there.

"Mori-senpai, you don't want anything, hmm?" I asked over Honey-senpai's hums and gulps.

The imposing teen stared at me for a long moment before he slowly shook his head and looked away from me, causing my eyebrows to raise in slight surprise but I didn't question it. Mori kinda reminded me of Grandpa, in the way that they both didn't speak very often. Funny. Did that mean I viewed Mori as an old person?

"-ear me, Ara-chan?" Honey-senpai's voice asked.

"Hmm?"

"I said that, when you come back, could you bring me an' Usa-chan more cake?" He asked innocently and with pleading eyes.

Not if I came back but when I came back. He seemed pretty sure that I was gonna continue coming back to the Host Club even though, honestly, I really didn't have much of a reason to. The first time was for Haruhi and this time was for Sayuri but, without much reason to keep coming back, I wouldn't. It wasn't as if I were friends with Honey-senpai, either, and I couldn't keep giving out free cakes when I could be selling them at the store. I shrugged my shoulders as I rubbed my lip.

"Sorry, Honey-senpai, but it might be a while before I come back here." I gave Sayuri's sad face an apologetic smile and her head a gentle pat. "Sorry, Himemiya-chan."

"W-what? But why!?" He wailed as he clutched his Usa-chan to his chest and I flinched at the pitiful sight.

I desperately tried to smother down the stab of guilt that repeatedly lanced through my heart as he looked at me with his tear-filled orbs. I was trying. I was really trying to refuse him. I couldn't keep skipping out on my duties at the store like that but I really didn't want Honey-senpai to be sad, either.

Plus, Mori was giving me this look that was pretty hard to ignore.

"Please don't look at me like that, Honey-senpai. Please." I pleaded as I ran a hand through my hair. "I really can't keep coming back here like this."

"B-but-"

"Perhaps, I could help you with your dilemma, Hamasaki-san." Kyōya's voice said from next to me.

"Kyō-chan!" Honey gasped cheerfully. "You can convince Ara-chan to come back and give me more cakes!"

My eye twitched as Kyōya continued speaking, "Well, that's only if he'd let me." He sent me a smirk. I sighed and waved a hand towards him impatiently.

He adjusted his glasses. "Good to see you cooperating, Hamasaki-san." He looked down at his clipboard briefly. "Now, I'm sure the reason you're reluctant to frequent the Host Club is because of your job as a cashier at your family's store. Correct?"

How do you know that? I nodded. "Yeah, hmm."

"Unfortunately for you, Hamasaki-san, holding a job outside of campus is a violation of Ouran's policy and it could be used as a grounds to expel you from the campus." He smiled chillingly at my shocked expression.

"WHAT!?"

"However, it isn't against school policy to hold a job on campus." He continued. "In this case, I'd like to offer you a deal that could be beneficial to both you and the Host Club."

I ran a shaky hand through my hair. "W-what is it?"

"I'd like to run a...trial of sorts for your food. I've only gotten to observe Honey-senpai's and Himemiya-san's reactions to your cakes but, unfortunately, they are not enough to properly gauge the quality of your food—Himemiya-san is only one person and Honey-senpai is biased when it comes to pastries." He ignored Honey's whine. "If you would make a cake for the rest of the guests and hosts to try by the end of the week and they love it, I would offer you a position as the club's personal chef depending on the success of your food."

My eyes squinted. "Why? I mean, why not just hire a professional or something?"

"To be frank, Hamasaki-san, hiring you would be a much cheaper alternative to hiring a professional company." He smirked. "There's also the fact that a large percentage of the money you earn will go into the club's pockets instead of out."

"Hmm..." I rubbed my lip in thought. "What do I get out of it, then?"

He chuckled. "If all goes well and your dishes are a hit, you'll be rewarded..." He looked down at his clipboard once more before speaking up, "40% of your total earnings to be used towards your grandparents' store."

I whistled lowly as my eyes narrowed suspiciously at the teen. The deal sounded way too good to be true but, if he were telling the truth about the school's policy, it's not like I could work in the store, anyways. At least, in this way, I'd be able to help out my grandparents a lot more than just slacking off at the register. I rubbed my chin as I gave a glance towards the other three people at the table: Honey looked outright excited, Sayuri looked elated and Mori looked indifferent.

What do you have to lose, Arashi? I questioned myself before shaking my head. "I guess...that sounds like a good deal, Kyōya-senpai." I grinned. "I guess I can give it try. I mean, what could it hurt, right?"

"Yay! Ara-chan will make us more cakes!" Honey cheered happily as he twirled his Usa-chan. "Isn't that great, Takashi?"

The tall teen grunted softly while Sayuri smiled at me shyly.

Kyōya's head tilted as he smiled. "Good. I look forward to tasting your endeavors, Hamasaki-san." His glasses gleamed brightly.

...

I hoped this was the right thing to do.

"So... I hear you're a host now, hmm." I tapped my foot lightly as I looked down at the short girl. "What's up with that?"

She shrugged. "According to Tamaki-senpai, I have what it takes." She looked up at me. "So... I hear that you're gonna be the club's chef." She smiled lightly. "What's up with that?

I shrugged. "According to Kyōya-senpai, I can get expelled for working outside of campus grounds. Working for the Host Club seemed like a lesser evil of sorts." I laughed. "Plus, I'll get paid."

We descended into silence.

"Hey, Haru-san?"

"Yes, Arashi-san?"

"Do you...think everything's gonna be okay? I mean, regarding you an' the vase and me an' my grandparents?" And how I was even able to enter Ouran?

A sigh. "There's nothing we can do except wait and see, Arashi-san." She smiled. "But... I think things are going to turn out just fine." She brightly. "So don't worry, okay?"

I searched her face for a long moment before nodding shortly, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah. Thanks, Haru-san."

"No problem, Arashi-san."

.

A/N: Hello, everyone! First off, I mucked up the timeline because Haruhi became a host on the first day of school. As of this chapter, it's the second day of school. Just ignore my little mistake, please *insert nervous laughter* Now, then...

Thanks for the reviews! I find it very funny that all the hosts minus Haruhi and Tamaki have been suggested. *waggles finger* Are you guys trying to tell me something?

Just kidding.

To be honest, I have my own headcanon scenarios for each host—Kyōya, in particular. When I started this story, I swore to myself up and down that I would not pair my character with Kyōya because there are so many OC stories with him but, once I started typing, I realized that Kyōya just has this...something that makes him ideal for OC pairings. As for my Kyōya headcanon, all scenarios usually end up with him having a breakdown similar to the ones in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series, for some reason. I'm weird like that. I like to imagine that Arashi is able to fluster and anger him to the point of OOCness lol

But, because I want you guys to ultimately choose who Arashi ends with, I'm going to leave my personal feelings regarding pairings out of it for the most part. Maybe after the story ends, I'll post a mini ficlet with Arashi paired with an individual host in each chapter. Maybe. Choose who you want without my influence and bias!

On another note, here's a little dictionary thing for terms in the story that you may not be familiar with down below. I'm probably not always going to do this but I realize it helps sometimes. And, before you ask, yes, the lullaby is relevent to the plot. I promise that all will be revealed eventually.

-Dictionary-

- Monaka (最中) is a japanese dessert made by filling two thin wafers made of mochi with jam made from azuki beans but it can also be filled with sesame seed, chestnuts, rice cake (also mochi) and even ice cream. The shapes vary depending on the maker and the dessert is usually served with tea. According to wikipedia, there are very many monaka specialty shops in Japan.

- Anpan (あんパン) is a Japanese sweet roll most commonly filled with red bean paste. It can be filled with other fillings such as white beans, sesame and chestnut.

- Daifuku (大福) is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly anko, sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans.

- The Itsuki Lullaby (the song Arashi was singing at the beginning) is a lullaby widely known throughout Japan and it's a folk song indigenous to Itsuki Village in the Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyūshū. There's speculation on what the song is really about but it's thought to have been sung by poor babysitters for the weathy Genji families (Just read wikipedia for more info).

There are two versions of the song: the original and the more common version of it. Lyrics for it can be found on wikipedia. The version Arashi sings is a mix of both versions that is sung by a user on YouTube named Akire Ferris.

*Just about all this info was taken from wikipedia!*