XXx Aya xXX

"Alright!" Nakoto-sensei yells into the green room. "You guys are on in ten!"

I stare at my reflection, trying not to panic. But my eyes never stay on my own reflection long. They only flit to the other people reflected in the glass as they pass behind me, looking completely at ease.

"How do I apply these?" a regal looking red haired girl asks on one in particular as she looks down at a brand new set of fake eyelashes.

"It's not like you need them," a tall girl with inky black hair sighs from her spot on the green room counter, the emerald green sequins of her two piece dance costume reflecting like a bunch of tiny disco balls. "Your lashes are long enough as they are."

My hair tickles my bare shoulders as I attempt to pin it up with three white rose clips. The girls argue about it for a few seconds before a short hyper girl with voluminous ginger ringlets and a glimmering amethyst two piece dress with a waterfall of sheer gossamer ruffles at the small of her back steps up and offers her help.

She glues them on crooked, but if she'd just redo the redhead's eyeliner no one would notice.

I return my gaze to my own reflection, and the color remaining in my face drains and my panic returns. It sloshes around inside me like a boat in the middle of a hurricane. I close my eyes and try to force myself to steady my breathing.

Deep breath, in...out...I can still feel the butterflies surge through my stomach.

The slippery cobalt blue ruffles of my costume slide through my equally slippery fingers as I lower my shaking hands to my lap. The texture on my fingers is not comforting at all.

In just a few minutes the dance department be dancing in front of the whole school.

Normally that wouldn't bother me this much, but there are a few factors that I never really considered.

The most earthshaking being those freaky girls that came to the club yesterday.

They scared the crap outta me, that's for sure. They asked me to join them in a tea party.

I mean, the twins had dressed me head to toe in dark mauve fantasy armor, and I was carrying a huge katana. My eyeliner covered my whole lid and my lips were painted a deep black cherry color. They had contoured my face to the extreme, almost completely getting rid of the childish roundness it held.

I didn't exactly look like the kind of girl you'd want to invite to a tea party. Or any party for that matter. But something tells me that that's not the kind of party they would normally throw.

So I just kept the katana between us, making sure not to lower it from a basic defensive position. Better safe than sorry is a motto I'd like to think I live pretty close by. But they tried to get close anyways. After all this weird crap about trying to get as to transfer to their all girls academy, I was nursing a lethal migraine.

They don't know how to correctly accept a rejection. And they said that they would be back too. I shudder. This interschool event is really terrifying.

"Three minutes!" I hear Nakoto-sensei yell.

My stomach gives another violent lurch at those words.

I tuck a lock of waving hair behind my ear before pinning it into place with a blonde bobby pin. The clear plastic cup the pins rest in clinks sharply against the cans of hairspray and the rouge curling wands. My tongue runs over my lower lip, and I get a mouthful of artificial cherry flavoring.

The rest of the club is sitting in the crowd right now. Or as I would imagine Tamaki would have it, just sneaking in at this very moment and taking a seat in the back row. I told him not to come, but then again, Tamaki never really listens to me. Then he began pestering me for a reason why, and I didn't want to have to admit I wouldn't be able to focus if they were all there.

So he took my sidestepping the question as reluctant acceptance.

This show at the cultural festival is actually our midterm exam for our Latin/Ballroom dance unit and the last unit before summer break.

The rest of the class is partnered up for dances like the flamenco, salsa, cha-cha-cha, samba, and rumba.

I myself have been sentenced to the jive. Luckily my assigned partner is the best at ballroom dancing and seems to have an unlimited amount of energy, the most important thing for a jive.

"Side-stage now!"

I bite my bottom lip as I slip into my ballroom heels. I dab on a bit of red lip gloss to replace what was licked off before rushing out after my classmates. I try to keep a straight face as I watch some of the other girls fuss with their layers of fake eyelashes, almost smiling as I watch some of them cuss under their breath as their fingers come away coated with mascara and eyeliner.

"Cha-cha-cha is on first. Jive and samba are on deck!" the tech people whisper. We line up behind the curtain just the school onstage belts out their last notes.

"LO...BEL...I...AHHHHHHHHH!"

I wince as I recognize the three harmonizing voices coming from the center stage. I really hope they aren't exiting in this side of the stage. The last thing I need is for them to find another reason for wanting me to transfer to their insane school.

But of course they do, and for once in my life I'm glad I'm short. They strut off stage just as I duck down behind the tallest couple in my immediate sight. Luckily, they don't seem to notice me and as soon as the stage door closes behind them my back is ridged as the stage goes black.

I gulp nervously as the cha-cha couple maneuvers around the other side stage couples and onto the stage as the music starts up.

The girl is the same redhead from back stage and despite being in distress over a set of fake eyelashes not five minutes before, she looks proud and strong. The complete opposite of how I must look like right now. Her bright red hair glints like a polished ruby, her equally scarlet lips pressed into a hard line.

Her silver fringed dress swishes and glints in the stage light as her partner swings her up over his shoulders into the first lift of their number. I gulp nervously as I think about the lifts in my own number, and almost immediately imagine the worst possible scenarios.

I can practically feel the blood draining from my face.

"Are you alright? You look really pale."

My eyes flicker up and to the left. My partner looks down at me, mild concern clouding his eyes. I smooth my short ruffled skirt with shaking hands before nodding curtly.

"Fine," I mutter before I refocus on the couple on stage.

I can do this.

I know this dance like the back of my hand. And whether I like it or not, the guys (and maybe Haruhi), are out there to support me. I can hear them cheering like idiots from all the way back here. A small smile crosses my lips as the couple ends their number in one of the most difficult lifts I've ever seen.

The audience applauds as they make their way off stage.

My partner unceremoniously grabs my hand and begins our entrance. I can only hope I won't fall on my face like that one time in rehearsal.

So I just put on my best show smile and prep for the entrance.

XXx Honey xXX

I watch as Aya-chan's partner flips her onstage.

I cheer for her along with the rest of the boys as she lands in the splits, but not as loud as the rest of them.

It's a bit nerve wracking to see her tossed around like a rag doll. But, I do have to admit, both of them make this look so easy. My breath catches as he dips her low, her hair trailing on the ground for a few seconds before she pops back up again.

But I do have to admit I feel a twinge of irritation as I watch them body roll up against each other. Her partner wraps his arms around her waist and she steps up onto his thigh and gives a kick that almost has her leg touching the side of her head. He places her feet back on the floor and they're immediately off into a set of dizzying spins which end abruptly as Aya-chan ducks into a handstand and her partner grabs her hips and abruptly flips her over before wrapping his arms snugly around her torso and places her back on the ground again.

Then I remind myself that if his hands weren't there, Aya-chan would could have split her skull open by now. That justifies it...almost. Except that I know she could have been fine doing most of the lifts and flips without needing him spotting her.

I watch him plaster their bodies closer and closer together.

I might not have been as worried if Aya-chan's costume wasn't so low cut and exposed a lot of her stomach and back. It's also really short, but that and her heels make her legs look longer. Her hair is curled in loose spirals and is clipped into a long ponytail. Her bangs are swept to the side, held back by a trio of rose clips.

She looks...beautiful.

I feel my cheeks warm and I curl up with Usa-chan in the auditorium seat, hiding my face in the soft velvet fur. Maybe someday I'll be able to tell her. When I stop being so scared.

"Mitsukuni."

I look up at Takashi through my bangs. He turns my head away from his direction and back to the stage.

"She'll be sad if you don't watch."

I smile slightly as I clutch Usa-chan tighter. I know he's right. But the way he can tell what I'm thinking is kinda scary. It almost makes me wonder if I'm really that obvious, or if the insight is just something that comes with his silence. But either way, I put my focus back on cheering for Aya-chan. After all, who knows when I'll be able to see her look this alive again?

XXx Aya xXX

Like always, I quickly suck in a deep breath before the last few counts of choreography. I'm always so scared my partner's hands are going to slip and I'll go flying. He looks me straight in the eye and gives me a subtle nod before locking our wrists together and I'm sliding through the gap in his legs.

As I'm sliding he steps over my arms and rolls me around to face the audience. My vision is blurred as I try and keep my feet from floating off the floor like they normally would if this was martial arts. I feel my partner prep for the final and I hold my breath and brace myself.

But again, like always I'm pulled up to my feet for a nanosecond before my heels slide out and I land effortlessly in the jazz splits. My chest is heaves heavily as the audience applauds.

I made it through without breaking my face and that's really all that matters right now.

Even over the thudding of my pulse in my ears I can hear the guys cheering like idiots. I can't help the small smile that crosses my face as my partner lifts me to my feet, his hands dropping from my wrists to my waist. We bow quickly before the new music for the next couple comes on.

My partner leads me off, and I lock gazes with the girl from the samba couple.

The girl smiles shyly at me as we exit and she preps for her spins, the ruffles of her pink and gold dress reflecting the stage light beautifully. I try to return it before she returns her focus to the dance, but she's already deeply immersed in her hip rolls. Her reddish brown ringlets fly around her face as her partner hooks his arms under hers and spins her, her long legs fanned out and her toes pointed expertly.

Her partner catches her as she steps out of her last turn and dips her. The ends of her hair just graze the floor before he pulls her back up. It's arguably the best dance I've seen and it's barely three eight counts in. Though I have to admit that it's an opinion based solely on the girl's dancing.

"Great job you two."

I look up to see Nakoto-sensei scribbling something down on a clipboard. Most likely it's our grades. I give her a shaky smile as she goes back to critiquing the samba couple.

I stand there for another few minutes watching them alongside her, trying to contain my awe.

"You're free to go now," she eventually says as she makes another note on her clipboard.

I nod, not that she notices, a bit embarrassed that I was caught staring. After taking one last glance at the couple I take a moment to whisper a 'good job' to my partner and slip out of my heels before sprinting to the locker room.

I quickly dump my costume into the designated bin and pull on a pair of black shorts and a beige tank top with black lace layered over it. I lace up my black ankle boots and pull out the roses from my hair before rolling a bit of perfume onto my wrists.

Lastly, I rest my new headphones over my ears. Sadly, my other ones were wrecked by the rain two weeks ago.

I take a minute to mess with my hair, which lays a little funny now that it's no longer in a ponytail. After funning my fingers through my hair, which is still stiff with hairspray that kept it up in a princess poof and now feels like straw.

Once it's satisfactory I plug the head phones into my phone jack and stick my phone in my packet before slamming the locker door shut and spinning the dial on the lock. Pressing the pause button on the cord and sing along with the first song that comes on, glad that the rest of the school would either be sitting in on the shows, or in a classroom avoiding the chaos.

" MAIDEN! WHY ARE YOU RETURNING TO THAT GROUP OF IMBECILS?"

I jump a good foot in the air before yanking my headphones off and turning around. My stomach sinks when I see those creepy Lobelia girls staring at me intently.

"What?" I ask, fighting to keep my voice steady.

The leader, Benio or something like that, steps forward. She places her hands on my shoulders, fixing me in an intense gaze that just makes me want to shrink back.

"We've offered you a place among our sisterhood. Why would you willingly chose to stay here?"

I laugh uneasily, removing her hands rom my shoulders. This one's a lot stronger than she looks. Then I remember that she punched Tamaki yesterday so I shouldn't be surprised. But on the other hand, Tamaki is kind of a pushover.

"It's complicated," I say, not really willing to explain myself to them. "But it's really none of your business."

I look around Benio and see Haruhi standing in the hallway. I try to make a subtle waving motion to get her to realizes she has bout five seconds to escape. She wastes those precious five seconds looking surprised. And my gesture doesn't go unnoticed by the Zuka club.

"Ah…there you are maiden," Benio coos.

"Oh for the love of god," I mumble before pushing past them and all but clinging to Haruhi. "I was just about to make a break for it. are you in or out?"

"We've come you're your decision," the tiny one, Hinako, says as she blacks my path of escape.

"We're ready to face those Ouran Host Club idiots and set things straight once and for all," Chizuru says with a smile.

"Set what straight?" Haruhi asks.

For a minute I find myself being rather annoyed with Haruhi. I'm not sure what there is for her to be confused about. Unless she just doesn't listen to them when the talk like she does with Tamaki. And then, even though I already turned these girls down yesterday, I get dragged along with Haruhi down the hall in the direction of the club room, with our captors completely ignoring my attempts at protest.

Benio's grip on Haruhi is enough to subdue her, and had it only been one of them holding onto me, I might have been able to run away by now. But with Chizuru and Hinako on either side of me, it's almost impossible to escape.

"You two should come with us, and go to school with your own kind!" Benio declares as we stop in front of the doors to music room 3.

"There are plenty of girls here," I growl as they fling the doors open. "If you're so desperate then give us a legit reason to transfer. 'Cuz I'm calling BS on that."

Benio doesn't even acknowledge that I've spoken as she steps inside, trailing Haruhi like a rag doll despite her obvious reluctance. Chizuru and Hinako are close behind her, and an uneasy feeling builds up inside me as I stare into the dark room.

The room is almost pitch-black, and I have a horrible feeling about what's going to happen when we step in. And sure enough, the spotlights land on a dark clump in the center of the room. Oh dear god.

"Ouran!"

"Ouran!"

"Ouran!"

"Ouran!"

"Ouran!"

"OURAN!"

"HOST CLUB! WELCOME TO!"

I feel my jaw drop at the sight in front of me. All of them, well except Mori, are in ruffled princess ball gowns. And don't even get me started on the makeup...so heavy...

"Oh, Haruhi, Aya-senpai, welcome back," Tamaki says in a high voice as he steps up to us.

"Look Aya-chan!"

I watch a small pink blur twirl up to me and I all but die as it looks me in the eyes.

"I'm a princess now!" Honey says happily. "Aren't I cute?"

"W-well- uh yes," I stammer as I take in his costume. "I guess you are."

I'm having trouble following Tamaki as he makes his speech about his Freebie Campaign. This is just...wow.

To think they wanted to keep the both of us here this much. For the first time ever, someone really wants me here. And that just...overwhelms me. I push back the pressure at the back of my eyes, and feel the corners of my mouth quirk up.

I guess these guys really are my friends.

Then out of nowhere I hear Haruhi start laughing, and without thinking, I find myself joining in. The force of my emotions hit me like a falling sandbag, and I'm doubled over before I notice. Though my gasps for breath I can feel myself falling to my knees grasping my sides.

"Senpai?"

I manage to lift my head, seeing almost all of the hosts staring at me in shock. My laughter dies down and I take several deep breaths. My chest heaves as I fall back on my heels, looking up at them.

"What?" I ask, sweeping my bangs out of my face. "Is it the show makeup? If you're going to tell me I look like a drag queen I already know."

"No it's not that…" Tamaki trails off. "It's just, you're laughing..."

I pause for a second. He's right. I can't even remember the last time I laughed this hard. Honey steps up to me and sticks out his hand. I take it and he pulls me to my feet. I smile at the rest of them, and to my surprise, it doesn't feel unnatural anymore.

"Well, you guys look ridiculous!" I retaliate. "How can I not?!"

I step closer to Honey, smiling as his eyes widen slightly.

"First of all you guys need to blend this out," I say, rubbing the pad of my thumb across the part of his cheek where they put the blush. "And you should fix the eye shadow too."

I do the same thing to the teal color he has on. To think that the twins are responsible for this ridiculous blocky makeup has me laughing harder. I wonder if it's this bad due to lack of time or if it was part of their strategy.

"Well maidens, have you made a choice?"

I look over at the Zuka Club.

While Haruhi lets them down gently I just give them a blunt no like I did yesterday. There'd be no place for me at any other school now. So these guys are stuck with me.

XXx Honey xXX

I turn away from the argument Tama-chan is starting with Haru-chan. When is he gonna learn that's not how to win her over? But then again, when is he gonna learn how he really feels about her? That's what he needs to realize first.

"We're not going to give up on you maidens."

Aya-chan stops trying to fix my makeup and looks over at the Zuka Club, annoyance sparking in her eyes.

"I swear this to you!" Benio yells. "Someday we will come and rescue you from this place! And when we do we'll abolish the Ouran Host Club!"

I have no real response to that… so all I can do is watch as the other two follow her as they pirouette out of the room and down the hall.

Only to slip on some banana peels before they make it halfway across…

I hear Aya-chan burst into a fit of giggles beside me. I can't help but smile at the accomplishment all of us have made. We finally made her laugh. It too forever, but it was worth it.

"The answers going to be the same no matter how many times they come back," she says as the doors close. "Where else am I going to find friends like you guys?"

Tama-chan and the twins snap at her statement and squash her in a hug. I join in, and she hugs us back.

"Come on Mommy!" Tama-chan yells over to Kyo-chan. "You too Mori-senpai! Join the group hug!"

Takashi ruffles Aya-chan's hair and Kyo-chan just glares at him and goes back to typing on his laptop.

Well, that's just the kind of family we are I guess. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

XXx Author's Notes xXX

Fourteen you guys…I'm almost halfway there

Lotsa love, Krystal