XXx Aya xXX
It's complete and utter chaos when I enter the club room.
"IM NOT GOING TO WEAR IT!" Setsuko bellows at the top of her lungs as she ducks and dodges the twins with surprising agility.
She leaps over the back of a loveseat as they make another move to pin her down. They crash into the back of the seat, giving her some time to duck behind me, despite the fact that she's five foot seven and I'm a menacing four foot eleven. Well, to be fair right now I'm four inch platform boots. But still, she could have chosen a better shield.
"It's nonnegotiable," Hikaru and Kaoru say as they recover from the crash.
"What makes you think you can just weasel out of this?" Hikaru asks as he holds up a dress that looks like a shortened ball gown.
"All of you girls get to wear one," Kaoru says with a smirk.
"Come again?" I ask as I set my bag down on the floor next to my favorite plush chair.
The twins turn to face me, their catlike grins becoming even wider. I almost regret opening my mouth now. But hey, if I can survive the bikini then I should be able to survive anything these two can dish out. Emphasis on the should…
"Well of course you'll have different colors," Hikaru says matter-of factly.
"Yeah, to match your roses senpai," Kaoru says as he holds out a dress to me.
"This one is yours," they say in unison as I examine the dress.
It's not as bad as I thought, but it is rather puffy. It's a strapless mini dress in a pretty electric blue color with a black lace bodice and layers of tulle in the skirt.
Setsuko's looks just like it, only in green.
"Alright," I say as I drape it over my shoulder. "Can I keep my boots?"
The twins give me a quick once over before giving me a thumbs up.
"Great!" they say. "Just darken your overall makeup look and you're good to go! And do something with your hair to compliment the look."
Kaoru reaches out and brushes my bangs aside quickly to study my choice in jewelry.
"You can keep the earrings too," he says before stepping back. "The others are already dressed, so try and be quick about it."
"Kay," I say as I pick up my bag again before I start to walk over to the dressing room.
"You're just letting them dress you up like a manikin?"
I glance over at Setsuko, who's gone completely slack-jawed.
"It's just easier to go along with it," I say with a grim smile. "It saves time."
Setsuko's eyes flash, and it looks like she's lost some respect for me. The sight makes my stomach sinks at the sight. I avert my gaze from her, and make a move to walk away. But she beats me to it. She glares at the twins before snatching the dress from Hikaru and trudging into the dressing rooms.
By the time I make it over there she's shut herself up in a changing cubical. As I pass by the table in the center in the room. There is a pair of forest green Doc Martins with a post it stuck to them. On closer inspection I see they're for Setsuko, so as I make my way over to my own cubicle I place them right outside her privacy curtain.
Once I slip on my dress I head over to the twin's make up chairs and begin digging through their stash for some black cherry lipstick, an eyeliner pen, and a thick pair of false eyelashes.
I plug in my head phones, singing softly to myself as I elongate the shape of my eyes. My lashes are placed in record time and I sculpt and fuse them with my natural lashes with the mascara wand. Then I take a small brush and place my lip color carefully, so it looks good no matter if I'm smiling or frowning.
As soon as I set the lipstick case back in the makeup organizer a pair of hands cover my eyes.
I smile crosses my lips and I tug my ear buds out.
"You probably don't want to do that," I advise as I set them down on the vanity desk. "I just put on like an entire tube of mascara."
A light laugh comes from behind me as Honey moves his hands down to my shoulders and places a soft kiss right behind my ear.
A shiver runs down my spine and sets my nerves on fire. I feel blood rush to my face, and I swat his hand away.
"Stop it!" I scold half-heartedly as I swivel the chair around. "I'm not supposed to blush! Renge will kill me if I break character!"
"But I like it when you blush," he complains as his fingers trail lightly over my cheeks.
They reward him with the result he wants.
"N-now you're just being mean," I stammer as all the blood in my body seems to rush to my face. "Do you really want Renge to bite my head off?"
"Of course not," he says with an innocent smile. "But I do admit I'd like to see her try."
I smack his arm a little harder this time. He feigns hurt, and a smile breaks across my lips. He's such a dork. But at least he's my dork.
"Not that I don't love your company or anything," I trail off as I lean back into my chair. "But did you need something? Or did you just come to tease me?"
His face falls for a minute, and I immediately feel guilty as his eyes soften in sadness. He brings his hand up, and for the first time since he showed up, I notice that he's holding something. The rose is a pale yellow, and the tips of the petals are blue. I hesitate before I reach out and take it from him.
"This is your rose," he says somewhat sadly. "Try not to give too many away."
"If I had it my way I wouldn't be giving any away at all," I say, my voice taking on a slight edge.
"Save me one of yours and I'll save you one of mine?"
I look back up at him, and the innocent hope in his eyes makes me melt like butter again. My entire face relaxes and my frown is replaced with a light smile.
"Duh," I say with a giggle.
I give him a quick peck on the lips, careful not to leave behind any traces of the black cherry lipstick. But apparently, that's not enough, because his hand rests at the back of my neck and softly leans me back towards him.
I roll my eyes but let him get away with it anyways. Because no matter how much I'd deny it, I've been waiting to have some time alone with him all day. But if he's going to make a habit of kissing me while I have lipstick on, I should probably invest in a good lip sealant so it's not obvious.
Eventually, he pulls away from me, his eyes half lidded but somehow still retaining their innocent glow.
"Alright," he sighs dramatically as he looks up at me. "It's almost time for the club to open. Try not to have too much fun entertaining boys."
"I could say the same to you," I retaliate as I slide out of my chair, reaching up to wipe away a smudge of lipstick that decorates his mouth. "But then again, I'm kind of curious on how you'd host boys."
He sticks his tongue out at me and a smirk creeps onto my lips.
His expression melts into a soft smile and kisses my forehead before I shoo him out of the dressing room.
I sigh and place my rose on the vanity table and try to arrange my hair in one of those messy but cute styles, and am kind of glad I let it in its natural wavy state today. Just as I'm sliding in the last pin Kyoya's rose petals start blowing into the dressing room.
"Aya-senpai," I hear him call. "You have a customer."
I bite my lips and swallow back my nerves as I grab my rose and walk back into the clubroom, eyes glued to the floor.
The tiles click sharply under the heels of my boots, and my eyes are glued to the pattern they create. I force myself to calm down and just breathe. If I've survived everything the Host Club has thrown at me this far I'm practically invincible.
Kyoya's shiny black shoes make their way into my range of vision, along with another more battered pair.
"This is Minato Kagawa," Kyoya says before stepping away. "He'll be your first client. Happy hosting."
And with that he walks away, leaving me to my doom.
"Welcome to the Host Club," I say in an uncaring voice like I rehearsed, before rolling my eyes and extending my arm, handing the rose towards the figure in front of me.
"T-thanks," the boy says timidly as he takes the rose from me.
His voice sounds familiar, and when I finally look at him, it takes some serious effort for my jaw not to fall and hit the ground.
It's that guy Kisa set up to ask me out before we went to the Ootori's water park.
Shit.
XXx Shiori xXX
"Save me one of yours and I'll save you one of mine."
"Duh."
A stupid smile spreads across my face as I watch Aya-chan kiss Honey. And on the lips too! Not to mention in public and with only a curtain separating her from certain death by any of his regulars.
I knew Aya-chan had guts, but this is better than I thought!
It takes a ton of self-control not to break out into a fit of squeals and start bouncing around. I knew it! They are together!
I bite my lips to contain the happy noises that threaten to erupt from my throat. I spin on the heel of my lavender ballet flats and turn to leave before I get caught. But just as I whirl around I smack into something tall and solid.
I'm certain I'm about to fall and ruin the moment. But hand reaches out and grips my shoulder, steadying me before I fall in a heap on the floor and really give myself away. Once I've swallowed back my squeak of surprise I look up at the towering figure that is Takashi Morinozuka.
He looks down at me, his face blank and expressionless as always, but his stormy grey eyes hold the slightest hint of fear and worry in them.
It's the most expression I've ever seen him give off. Though I can't imagine he was just scared of me falling.
It clicks for me in a second, and I raise a finger to my lips.
"Don't worry," I whisper, my lips curling up into a smile. "I won't tell. I'm happy for them."
He nods, the fear ebbing out of his eyes slowly. I glance back at Aya and Honey, who look like they would still be stuck in each other's gaze even if the room was on fire.
"Is there another way out of here?" I ask. "I don't wanna interrupt anything."
He nods and gestures for me to follow him, the slightest tinge of pink high in his cheeks. I try to muffle my laughter with my hands and try to keep up with his long strides. But one of his steps is equal to about three of mine, so I have to almost jog to keep up.
Once we step out of the dressing room, the club is already in full swing, and I see Kyoya walking up to me.
"Asukai-senpai," he says in an almost happy tone of voice. "This is your rose. There are more at your station, but try not to hand them all out today."
I nod and take the rose from him. It's pale yellow with lovely lavender tipped petals.
"M'kay," I say with a smile. "And you can just call me Shiori you know. I don't like all those fancy honorifics."
"Very well," he responds, not even bothering to look up, or uh…down from his book.
"Well, I'll just go now," I mumble.
He acknowledges my response with a curt nod, and that's about it. So I turn to face Takashi, craning my neck up as far as it can go without me falling backwards…again.
"See ya," I say with a smile.
He nods, and with that I take off for my station.
XXx Mori xXX
I watch with carefully hidden concern as the small girl runs over to her station.
Her lilac dress swishes around her legs and her long copper hair bounces around her small body. Her large brown eyes shine with excitement as she clutches her rose in her small hands.
Not exactly a threatening image. But if I've learned anything from my martial arts experience, it is to never judge by outward appearance. Shiori Asukai doesn't look like a threat, but now that she knows of Mitsukuni and Amaya's relationship, I can't help but feel the need to treat her with extra caution.
But one thing sits with me more comfortably than I feel it should. She caught on to my thoughts before I had to say anything aloud. It feels reassuring and wrong all at the same time.
Only Mitsukuni and Haruhi have been able to do that. And I'm still getting used to Haruhi being able to.
Maybe it's best that I keep that encounter a secret from Mitsukuni. I gaze over at him, and like usual, he's munching on cake and chatting happily with our regulars.
So I should start heading over there too.
On my way over, I glance over at Amaya's station. She's in a conversation with a boy with shaggy black hair, brown eyes, and an explosion of freckles all over his face and neck.
She looks like she's not really enjoying herself, and actually putting more attention into staring at Mitsukuni than the conversation she's having with him.
For a second, her eyes light up and I see that Mitsukuni's felt her stare. He shoots a smile over to her, disguising it as one for the customer that is somewhat blocking her from his view. They hold each other's gaze for a few more seconds before they drop and return their attention to their guests.
But they both noticeably wilt like flowers that've had their stems bent but not quiet snapped in half. It seems like the both of them have enough to worry about right now. So I won't add more to the list.
I just sit down at our station and pretend to listen to the mindless chatter around me while my thoughts bounce between Shiori Asukai and a million other things that are bothering me at the moment, taking a sip of tea every now and then to try and relax.
A sweet pure laughter fills the club at that moment. Everyone at our table glances towards the source, and I keep my eyes on my cup.
"Well, that's something you don't see every day."
I find my eyes drifting up at the girl's comment, and shifting over to the source of the laugh.
I almost drop my tea cup at the sight I'm met with. Shiori is sitting on her knees in her seat; her long slender fingers are curled gently around her Ginori teacup. And across from her is a burly student in a faded leather jacket I've never seen before.
"That's Yazumi isn't it? From class D?"
My eyebrows raise a fraction of an inch. Yazami…as in the yakuza clan?
I do a double take at the boy sitting with Shiori.
He's got long shaggy bleached blond hair that's held back in a messy ponytail and multiple rings in his ears. He's got a mean face, squinty grey eyes, and an extremely pointy nose, but his face is flushed as he looks down at her smiling face. His eyes are wide in disbelief, as if he can't quite believe he just made a girl laugh.
Much less a cute one.
Well, cute as in…child cute. Or small animal cute…
I tear my eyes away from the scene as she offers the boy a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. Raising my hands to my head I rub my temples, trying to rid myself of an oncoming headache.
I really need to keep an eye on this one.
XXx Akina xXX
Setsuko mopes around in her changing room and refuses to come out. She won't even listen to me, let alone anyone else that tries to bring her out of there. I sigh in frustration and slide to the floor, my light pink skirts pooling around my legs as I hug my knees. Biting the inside of my cheek, I rest my chin on top of my knees.
Setsuko is just too stubborn for her own good. She wanted to get to know Aya-senpai and then she just goes and gives up because she has a weird hobby. While I may have convinced her to join the club, I don't know why I even bothered if this is how she's going to act.
And I didn't just convince her to join so she could get to know senpai. I did this for myself too. Because I need to meet people…to interact with them. I need to stop doubting every person I meet, and questioning their intentions to prevent myself from getting hurt.
She's ruining this for me too by staying in there. She knows without her I won't be able to set one foot out of this dressing room.
I blow my bangs out of my face in dulled irritation. No matter how childish Setsuko can be, I can't stay mad at her. I rely on her too much.
"Hey are the two of you ready yet?" two annoyed voices ask in unison.
I look up in time to see the Hitachiins stepping into the dressing room. They glance down at me before exchanging a strange look that makes a shiver trail down my spine.
The one with his bangs parted to the right nods and steps up to me while the other walks towards the changing cubicles. The one twin knees down so that he is face to face with me, making me extremely uncomfortable. The sudden advancement freaks me out a bit and I have to suppress the urge to scramble back into the protection of the nearest privacy screen.
"This is your rose Akina," he says as he holds the said flower out to me.
I glance up at him, his charming smile and use of my first name making my insides churn like I drank a carton of spoiled milk. I don't want him staring at me, so I wish, and not for the first time, that life would just come with a nice little trap door for moments like this.
My hand is visibly shaky as I reach out to take the pale yellow rose with pink tips.
The boy, who I'm guessing is Kaoru based on the pitch of his voice, smirks, seeming to enjoy my panic and gets back to his feet. He glances over to the rows of cubicles, nonchalantly flipping his bangs out of his eyes. The sight makes me feel disgusted.
"So where's the wild one?" the one I'm guessing as Hikaru asks.
I bite my lips and point to the changing room two screens down. He groans and rolls his eyes, as if he doesn't understand how he managed to miss her.
But his expression changes in two seconds, and he smirks as Kaoru extends a hand to me. I glance at it for a second, trying not to cringe.
Despite the fact that he is a Hitachiin and I really should hate him, something inside me gives me a little push, and I end up taking his hand.
His grin seems to falter as I allow him to help me up.
I can't decide if I should be offended or grateful for it.
XXx Kaoru xXX
She hesitated.
And when she finally took my hand, it wasn't the clingy, cutting off my circulation kind of grip. Instead, her hand was barely brushing my own.
She was acting like a frightened bird. As if my hand was a steel bear trap that would slice into her skin with the slightest touch. Her heart is hammering rapidly. I can feel it through the pulse point on her wrist.
Once she's standing she all but snatches her hand from my grasp, and begins fiddling with the stem of her rose. Her eyes are looking everywhere but at me, and mostly just remain glued to the floor.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was terrified of me.
"Care to help us get your dear friend out of here?" I finally ask her.
She flinches slightly at the sound of my voice, but nods and begins walking ahead of me. Her whole body is tense, as if she's extremely uncomfortable about having her back turned to me.
I bite my lip with exasperation. This is getting a bit ridiculous, but I've got to admit.
Though I'll admit, it is the slightest bit intriguing.
She's the challenge that I've been craving. It's become so boring winning over girls with just a simple smile and three seconds of a brotherly love act. Hikaru and I have them all bowing at our feet, and it's not as exciting as it used to be.
But unfortunately for me, it seems like Akina's resistance is brittle, but it seems like fun seeing how long she can last. Making her fall for me shouldn't take long. But I feel Hikaru will have more fun than I will. Setsuko seems like she's be more fun to break, seeing as she seems to actually hate us for some reason.
It's disappointing knowing I drew the short stick. But that just means I should insist on getting the first pick next time.
"Alright!" Hikaru yells at the only privacy curtain that has a pair of shoes sitting outside it. "You better be decent Setsuko! The guests are here!"
XXx Hikaru xXX
There's a shuffling of skirts from the other side of the curtain before she decides to answer.
"Yeah? And why do you care if I show up or not?"
A smirk plays across my lips as I hear her voice is leaden with irritation. Though I wish my next answer wasn't true so I would have more teasing material to work with.
"You have guests," I reply as I toss her yellow and green rose over the top of the curtain, and upon hearing a hissed curse, I deduce it possibly landed on her head or something.
"That cut my face you ass!" she hisses.
"So do I take that as a victory?" I ask, somewhat confused.
I didn't think the rose had any thorns on it. I guess our flower guy missed one. What were the odds that it'd be hers of all of them?
But to my delight the rose comes flying back over the curtains and lands on the floor in front of me. The petals bruise and bend, but for some reason the sight makes me happy.
"Not in this lifetime," she scoffs.
"Alright," I reply. "But I'll warn you, Kyoya-senpai has money to make. If you'd like, I could tell him you're hiding and he can come get you out. I'm sure you'll find he's a lot more persuasive than I am."
"You do that," she grumbles.
From the moment those words leave her mouth I know going to Kyoya is not an option. Where would be the fun in that if it's what she expects me to do.
I bend down to pick up her bruised rose and an idea pops into my head. I glance up and share a look with Kaoru. Thanks to our whole 'twin telepathy' thing, he realizes what I'm about to do and he nods before nonchalantly stepping in front of Akina as I stand back up.
And so without giving her a chance to prepare herself, I throw aside the privacy curtain and march into the small room.
XXx Authors Notes xXX
Whoo hoo! I am so pleased with how this came out. Ah Hikaru…I think this is the beginning of something beautiful. That is if Setsuko ever stops hating you. ^^'
Lotsa love, Krystal