Chapter 11

"So when can we come over?" The twins asked again.

I was speechless, there was no way I could let them come in. It might be too awkward.

Haruhi stood in front of me and said "Come on guys, you can't invite yourself to her house. She doesn't have to invite you if she doesn't want to."

But Kyoya argued back "Why? We came here unannounced and you still let us into your home."

Before Haruhi could answer back I put my hand on her shoulder "It's ok Haruhi, it was going to happen sooner or later right?"

I looked at the guys and sighed "Alright, you can come over next Saturday."

Hunny jumped up and down in excitement "Yay I can't wait to meet your family Mari-chan."

They all got into Tamaki's limo and drove away to their homes. Haruhi patted my shoulder and asked "Are you sure about this?"

I nodded "It's only fair, they've seen your home life...now they have to see mine. I just hope they don't feel uncomfortable." I hugged Haruhi goodbye and went home to tell my mum.

3rd person POV

Meanwhile with the boys, they all talked about getting to see Maria's home.

Hikaru began "I wonder what it'll be like?"

Kaoru finished "Her home can't be any smaller than Haruhi's right?"

Tamaki shrugged "Who knows. I just hope she isn't living in poverty. Hey Kyoya do you know her address?"

Kyoya nodded "Well I can get it from the school records. That's how I got Haruhi's."

Hunny giggled "What should I get for Mari-chan? Maybe some chocolates, she loves chocolate."

They all talked fr a while before Kaoru asked "Is it just me? Or did Maria look sad about inviting us over?"

They all stopped and thought about it, Tamaki said "Yeah, now that I think about it she did. Oh no my daughter's living in poverty and she was too scared to admit it!"

Kyoya rolled his eyes "Moron, I highly doubt that. Considering Haruhi lives in quite a stable home for a commoner, she might live in the same conditions."

They all thought about it until they all arrived to their homes.

Maria's POV

The week went all too quickly. All the guys kept on saying to me was how excited they were to go to my house, Haruhi tried to keep me upbeat all week but I couldn't help but worry. Then the day finally arrived. It was Saturday morning and I went shopping with Haruhi.

"Thanks for coming Haruhi, do you think they will like my cooking?"

Haruhi smiled "Of course, your cooking is amazing."

I opened the door to my home and got all the tea cups out to start preparing for when they got here. At around 12pm I heard a car pull up outside my home.

I shook a little as Haruhi grabbed my hand in support "It's gonna be ok."

I nodded and opened the door to see all of the boys standing there with smiles on their faces.

Tamaki beamed "Maria! Haruhi! It's nice to see you! It's great to be here."

Hikaru looked at my home and asked "You don't live in an apartment?"

I shook my head "No, this is a bungalow. It's a bit bigger than Haruhi's house."

Hunny came up to me and handed me a gift "It's for you Mari-chan! I know how you love chocolate, so I bought you a box of chocolates."

I smiled "Awww thank you Hunny that's really sweet of you. Oh won't you guys come in?"

They all walked in as Hunny asked "Do you want us to take of our shoes as well?"

I nodded "If you don't mind."

Hikaru looked at the floor and stated "Hold on the floor isn't make of tatami-mats."

I sighed "Oh yeah, well it's a good thing I bought you guys slippers. I wasn't sure what size you were so I guessed."

I handed them their slippers and they put them on. Surprisingly they fit them all well. They all thanked me and went into the living room and sat on the sofa.

Just then I head my mum's voice "Is that your friends dear?"

I shouted back "Yes it is."

Kyoya asked me "Is that your mum Maria?"

I nodded as my mum said "Let me meet them."

I looked at the direction of the voice in shock "But mum, the doctor said you need to rest."

But my mum argued "Oh boo hoo to what he says, I want to meet them."

I sighed and turned to the guys "Excuse me." I then ran to my mum's bedroom.

Tamaki's POV

I couldn't believe it! I was going to meet Maria's mother. Ok Tamaki just act cool, don't screw it up like you did at Haruhi's.

Those two devils then said "I wonder what Maria ment by her mum staying in bed?"

My darling Haruhi turned to them and whispered to us "Ok guys listen, when you meet her mum don't say anything rude and don't act shocked ok?"

I wondered what she was talking about when I suddenly heard shuffling from the other side of the room. We all turned to the sound and saw Maria supporting her mother and she walked with a walking frame.

"Mum I am still against this, I can take you back to bed."

Maria protested but her mum shook her head "nonsense dear. I'm only 40 I may act old but I'm not old at all."

Her mum was in a light pink dressing gown with matching slippers and holding on tightly to her walking frame. I thought those things were only for old people?

They finally made it over as Maria helped her mum sit down "Do you need me to adjust the chair mum?"

Her mum nodded "Oh please dear it's hurting my back."

As soon as she said that her chair was adjusted to perfection. I wondered what was wrong with her?

Maria's POV

Everyone was staring at me and my mum, I guess it looked kinda weird to help someone walk and sit down when their only 40.

I finally sat down as my mum said "Well, you boys are fine young chaps aren't you? Now let me guess. You're Hunny, you're Mori, you're the twins Hikaru and Kaoru and you're Tamaki."

I rubbed my temples "Let me guess Kyoya's been in contact with you hasn't he?"

Mum nodded "You were always bright Maria, Kyoya and I have been talking over the phone."

Kyoya smiled "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Claire."

I stared at him in shock "You know her name?"

He nodded "Of course, she insisted on me calling her that."

My mum nodded "Mrs Smith sounds so old doesn't it?"

The twins went to shake my mum's hand "It's nice to meet you Claire. I guess Maria takes her looks after you huh?"

My mum tried to bring her hand up but it shook violently. The twins looked at her in concern as I said "Mum, please don't strain yourself."

She put her hand back down as she said "Maria...have you told them?"

I shook my head as she continued "Well I think you should, your poor friends are looking rather confused."

I looked at them and sighed. "Can I trust you?"

They all nodded as I began "In middle school, just before I came to Ouran, I noticed that my mum wasn't able to move properly. She couldn't walk or move her body parts. Me and dad took her to the doctors and..."

I paused as mum patted my shoulder in reasurance I finished "And my mum was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis."

They all looked at me in shock at first, but then Kaoru asked "Umm...what is Rheumatoid arthritis?"

Kyoya stepped in and said "It is a painful condition, it can cause severe disability and ultimately affects a person's ability to carry out everyday tasks."

Kaoru nodded as Hunny asked "So you can't walk properly?"

Mum shook her head "Unfortunately no, because of my condition I have trouble walking and moving my limbs. My poor baby girl has to do everything for me."

They all looked at me as Kyoya asked "So you do the household chores?"

I nodded "Yes I cook, clean, do the shopping, I help my mum bathe, walk, dress and so on."

Hunny asked in concern "Can't you take some medicines to get better?"

My mum shook her head "I can, but they don't do much. We noticed it quite late and because of that it got aggressive. It can't be cured."

Everyone looked sad as my mum laughed "What's with the sad faces? I'm alive and well, it could be far worse."

That made them smile a bit. I always loved how mum was always so happy, even when she couldn't do anything.

Tamaki then asked "May I ask where is your father Maria?"

I clenched my fists and spat "He can be dead for all I care."

They all looked at me in shock as my mum said "Dear, you might as well tell them."

I sighed and stated "When mum was diagnosed with the condition dad had to work a lot. But none of the money went to her medical expenses...it went to his drinking problem. Every night he would come home reeking of a bar. Finally I came home from school one day and mum was crying...dad had ran off. Not leaving any money for us and abandoning us at our time of need."

Everyone looked at me in shock, my dad was a bastard and he didn't even give me a reason for leaving. I continued "Because we needed to get money in I began working when I had just started Ouran, I work every weekend and as often as I can."

Tamaki looked at me with guilt ridden eyes "And your not working today because of us?"

I didn't say anything and just looked down.

Hunny began crying "Wahh I'm so sorry Mari-chan! I should have thought about you first I'm sorry."

I went over to Hunny and hugged him "It's alright Hunny, please don't cry."

I gave him some tissues and Kaoru asked "Why didn't you tell us before?"

I frowned "Because when people from Middle School found out the other pupils would tease me about my mum, saying how retarded she was that she couldn't even lift a course I gave them a piece of my mind, but it always got me into trouble."

Tamaki, who was sobbing at this point, said "I'm sorry Maria, if I had known I wouldn't have invited myself over."

I looked at everyone who looked really sad and guilty. I smiled and said "But you know, I'm glad you guys did."

They all looked at me in confusion as I continued "I sometimes did want to tell you, but I was scared that you were going to do the same thing those others did. But I should have known that you wouldn't have. I feel so much better now that I have told you, and for that I am grateful."

I bowed my head as Tamaki, Hunny and the twins stared hugging me tightly "Your so cute Maria!"

I chocked "Hey guys! Can't breath!"

Mum laughed "Now let's forget about it and talk about you handsome boys. Tell me about yourselves."

For about an hour we laughed and joked around with each other which made both me and mum happy.

Haruhi smiled to me "I'm glad you feel better now Maria. I'm happy for you."

I hugged Haruhi as I looked at my watch "Oh my God is that the time? It's already 1pm. I should start lunch."

I ran to the kitchen and Haruhi followed to help me.

Claire's POV

My oh my, I didn't realize that they were this handsome. I mean my baby girl did tell me about them a bit but I never imagined them to be such gentlemen. They helped me get comfy, offered my tea in my own house! They were all angels. Suddenly I could hear an angelic voice coming from the kitchen.

Tamaki listened to the sound "Who is that?"

I smiled "Why that's none other than my daughter."

They all looked at me as the twins said "I never knew she could sing."

I laughed "Well, Maria has never been one to boast her talents. She thinks the kitchen in soundproof that's why she sings in there. But please don't say you heard her, she will be upset if you do. She hates having attention on her too much."

They all nodded as Maria came out a little frustrated "Oh man I forgot to buy some fish for the meal. I'll have to quickly go out and get some."

Haruhi came out soon after and asked "Do you want me to come with you?"

Maria shook her head "Nah I'll be fine, I'm only getting some fish quickly then I can finish the meal. I'll be back soon."

She came over and kissed me on the forehead and left the house to go to the shops. I frowned deeply and noticed that the boys were worried about leaving her alone to.

I turned to them and said "Can you boys do me a favor "

They all looked at me as Tamaki said "Of course, anything for Maria's mother."

I smiled "I want you to follow Maria, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen to her."

The twins got up and they shouted "You can count on us!"

They grabbed Haruhi, put their shoes on and followed Maria to where she was going.

Please let no harm come to my angel...

Maria's POV

"Thank you, come again soon." The shopkeeper waved as I made my way out to head back home.

I got some nice, fresh pieces of fish so now I could make my meal for the guys and it wouldn't even take me long. I hummed a little tune as I left the supermarket, on my way out I heard some wolf whistling. I turned to the sound and saw 3 rough looking boys winking at me. I rolled my eyes and pretended not to notice them. I continued walking home but felt uneasy, I felt a presence behind me.

I looked behind me and saw the three boys following me, I quickly looked forward and went to cut through the alleyway to my house. I walked down it and was suddenly grabbed from behind, I dropped my bag onto the floor and one of the boys whispered in my ear "Your far too cute to simply let go."

I elbowed him in the stomach which caused him to let go, but another boy grabbed my hands and held them behind my back. I struggled violently as the third boy grabbed my face and pulled me close

"Well, well it seems we have a feisty one here gentlemen...we're gonna have to teach her a lesson aren't we?"

They chuckled evilly as I tried to kick the boy away, but he dodged my kick and stood on my feet. He was really heavy and I couldn't move.

He tutted "Oh dear, we were gonna go easy on you but you've led us to this."

He raised his hand to slap me, I closed my eyes ready for the impact...but it never came. I opened my eyes and saw Mori holding the guy's wrist. He moaned in pain as Mori grabbed his arm and threw him over his back, causing the guy to land on his stomach.

He graoned in pain as the boy I elbowed was beaten up by Hunny, the boy who was holding me let go as the twins grabbed him off of me and beat the crap out of him.

I wobbled a little from shock, but someone caught me before I could fall. I looked to see who it was and it was Kyoya.

He looked at me with concern and asked "Are you alright Maria? Did they do anything to you?"

I shook my head "No I'm alright thank you."

I got up and Tamaki's arm wrapped around me protectively. "How dare you jerks try and harm Maria! Your lucky were letting you live!"

Wow...Tamaki's really protective isn't he?

Finally, the three thugs ran away crying as Haruhi ran up to me and hugged me "Maria! Are you ok? What did they do?"

I squeezed back "I'm fine, the guys saved me just in time."

I turned to the boys and bowed to them deeply "I am so grateful, I owe you my life thank you."

Hikaru came up to me and began "Don't worry about it..."

Kaoru lifted my head up and finished "We look out for each other don't we?"

I nodded, but asked "Hey wait a second why were you following me?"

They looked at each other awkwardly as Kyoya stated "Your mother wanted us to make sure you were safe. She said she had a feeling something bad was going to happen to you."

I smiled "Wow, my mum has a sixth sense or something. Well I'm glad you did."

I picked up the bag and looked at the fish "Phew the fish isn't ruined, we can still eat it."

Everyone cheered as we all walked home together. Kaoru and Kyoya stayed near me for the rest of the walk, not letting me out of their sight. Many girls in my neighborhood kept on blushing at the sight of them until we made our way back to my home.

I opened the door as my mum said "Oh hello dear how was the trip? Did you get what you need?"

I didn't want to tell her as she would only go into panic mode, I looked at the guys giving them a don't tell her look and smiled at my mum

"It was good, and yes I did. Now lunch will be ready in around 20 minutes." Everyone cheered as I went back to the kitchen with Haruhi to finish my meal.

Kyoya's POV

I had to admit that Maria surprised me. Her home was clean, organised and bigger than I imagined. When she told us about her mother's condition I couldn't help but feel a little amazed by her actions and they way she dealt with it. We sat down with Haruhi's mother while waiting for the meal to finish.

Hikaru complained "Man I'm starving."

Kaoru continued "Yeah, I hope lunch is ready soon."

Tamaki growled at them "You idiots you need to learn to be more patient!"

Claire laughed at their little drama "My oh my, you boys sure do know how to entertain a lady don't you?"

Tamaki immediately looked at her and smiled "Why of course, that's what we are known for at the Host club Mi'lady."

Moron...

Claire giggled but then asked in a serious tone "So what really happened out there? I know she's lying...she's my daughter after all."

We looked at each other as I shifted my glasses "Well, on the way back Maria was harassed by a group of men...no doubt they tried to molest her. Luckily we arrived just in time and Mori, Hunny and the twins 'respectively' made sure they learned their lesson."

Hikaru smiled "Don't forget you, Tamaki and Haruhi surrounded Maria to make sure she wasn't hurt by those guys."

Claire looked at us with tears in her eyes and smiled "Oh thank you so much, you saved her life."

Hunny giggled "It was no trouble, we all love Mari-chan and we want to protect her."

Claire looked at Hunny and smiled from ear to ear "Well, Maria did tell me about you boys and how kind you were. She thinks the world of you and cares for you deeply, I can just tell by the way she talks about you."

So...she does talk about us at home.

Suddenly we saw Haruhi and Maria come out with some plates at they placed them on the table. We knelt down at the table while Maria gave her mum her plate on a tray. We looked at the food and it was sashimi with some vegetables on the side. Maria sat next to me and Haruhi sat next to Hikaru and we all ate our food.

The food was nothing I ever tasted before, the flavors burst in my mouth. The meal accentuated the natural flavors of the ingredients which made me have goosebumps.

Hikaru looked at Maria and stated "Maria...this meal is amazing!"

Kaoru asked "Yeah where did you learn to cook like this?"

Maria shrugged "I didn't learn it anywhere, I just kinda picked it up."

I dabbed my mouth with the napkin and commented "Well, it is a very nice meal Maria. You should be pleased."

She looked at me in shock at first, but a gentle smile spread across her face. It made me happy to see her smile like that...what was I thinking?! She is nothing more but someone who is paying back a debt that was all.

Maria's POV

Kyoya...complimented me? I was so happy that I couldn't help but smile. He smiled back but quickly looked away to continued eating.

Even when giving a compliment he doesn't want anyone to think he's nice.

I shook my head and kept an eye on my mum, even though her hands were shaking she seemed to be able to eat ok.

We all finished eating as Tamaki looked at his watch "Oh man it's 4 already. I think it's about time we headed home."

The twins sighed and put their arms around me "Awww can't we stay a little longer? We wanted to play some games with Maria."

They winked at me and Tamaki dragged them off of me. "Stop that you two! We're going home!"

They all went over to my mum and each of them hugged her goodbye.

My mum said "Take care boys ok?"

They came over to me and Tamaki bowed to me "Thank you for inviting us over. We had a great time."

I giggled "Your welcome, I'm glad you all came."

They put their shoes on but the twins sneaked up behind me and said "Wanna play some games before we go Maria?"

Before I could shout at them Tamaki grabbed them by their ears and dragged them out to the limo.

Hunny came up to me and hugged me "The meal was yummy Mari-chan. Thank you!"

Mori smiled "Yeah thanks."

Oh Mori...a man of many words.

They left and Kyoya came up to me last "Well, thank you Maria for inviting us over. We will be happy to pay for the food you bought for us."

I shook my head "Thanks but no thanks, I'll only regret it later if I let you pay for it."

He chuckled "Well, see you on Monday."

He smiled before going to the limo and driving off with the others. I shut the door as Haruhi helped me in the kitchen with the washing up.

"Man what a day huh? I think it turned out better than expected."

I chuckled "Defiantly, and to tell you the truth. I don't think it could have been any better."

She smiled and I showed her to the door. I hugged her goodbye and watched her go.

I smiled to myself "Yeah...it couldn't have been better."

When Haruhi disappeared into the distance I closed the door behind me to now do the chores. But I could do those chores with a smile on my face.

A/N: Ta da! After all of your patience you finally found out what her home life was like. I'm sorry if it's a bit crappy but I thought that everyone has done the whole "my parents died tragically" thing so I decided to give something else a go. I hope you liked it and the next chapter will be episode 11 :D