XXx Aya xXX

"This looks…rather cartoonish," sensei says as he looks over my shoulder.

Shiori tries to stifle a giggle from across the table. Sensei gives her a disapproving look and her head snaps back down as she forces all of her focus on her own drawing. She composes herself quickly and swipes her bangs out of her forehead, leaving a smear of charcoal just above her eyebrow.

"This really wasn't the point of the assignment," sensei says sternly, calling my attention back to him.

"Realism isn't my strong suit," I reply weakly as I bite the inside of my cheek.

"That's not my problem," he says before walking over to look at Shiori's sketch. "I gave you criteria to follow. So follow it."

He glances down at the picture and scours it in search of a mistake. But since this is of course, Shiori, we're talking about, he can't find one. It's a long time before he gives up and walks over to the next table to give critique to the pair sitting there.

"What's his deal?" I grumble as I try to make my drawing of Shiori less 'cartoonish.'

"Don't mind him," she replies as she skillfully sharpens her pencil with the small knife provided. "He's just bitter since his art hasn't been selling well for the past year and a half. He feels the need to compensate whenever he sees something that has potential."

"No excuse," I mutter as I make charcoal Shiori's eyes smaller and mouth bigger.

The bell rings before I can try fixing the other facial features and I set my smudged drawing down next to Shiori's perfect one. It is ridiculously good. Like, it could have been a photo of me good.

"Are my ears really that big?" I ask as I sling my bag over my shoulder.

"Don't worry," Shiori assures me as she loops her arm through mine and drags me towards the dance department. "You can only tell when you wear your hair up like that."

She laughs as I self-consciously tug at the pins holding my hair up out of my face.

"I thought that this was the part where you say 'oh no they don't' and then quickly change the subject."

"But either way you know the real answer," she replies as she bounces down the stairs cheerfully. "So why bother?"

"You have a bad habit of being brutally honest you know that?" I grumble as I smooth my hair over my ears, feeling them burn with embarrassment.

"Now you know why we get along so well," she says innocently as she looks up at me from the base of the stairs. "We both do that."

I start to frown, but end up smiling as I land next to her on the floor. Just as my heels click on the floor I feel an ice cold presence behind me. I don't need to turn around to see who it is. Evil midget who is taller than me has her own special kind of hate that is distinguishable from across the world.

"Just keep walking," Shiori hisses in my ear as she latches onto my arm.

I can feel eyes on me as Shiori pulls me through the halls. My insides chill and I glance up at Shiori to see if she's noticed. Her eyes are hard, so I can only guess she has. We step outside, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"If looks could kill…" Shiori trials off.

"I'd be smeared all over the wall wouldn't I?"

"And she'd be picking bits of you out from under her nails."

"Yeah…that's an image I really didn't need there."

"Sorry."

Shiori licks her lips, looking like she really wants to ask something, but either doesn't know how to say it correctly, or doesn't know if it will offend me. So she opts for silence and just resumes pulling me in the direction of the dance department. We walk in silence for about a minute before curiosity wins over and she asks anyways.

"Doesn't it seem like everything would be easier if you guys just went public?"

She lets the question hang in the air, turning to face me while her arm slips from mine. I clutch the strap of my bag, biting my lower lip and fixing my gaze on the tips of my platform boots instead.

"Honestly I don't know." I reply. "I keep thinking the club is the main excuse. I don't know what Kyoya would do to me if profits dropped because of this."

"That's it?"

I glance up to see Shiori looking unimpressed. Heat rises in my face again under the sheer pressure of it. I end up having to avert my eyes again.

"I'm going to talk to Honey about this. I'm sure if he's the one who initiates it, external forces will have no choice in the matter."

My head snaps up, eyes bugging out as they take in the mischievous gleam in her cinnamon eyes.

"You wouldn't…" I mutter in horror.

"I think it's well established fact by now that I will in fact hold up to any threat I dish out."

And with that she takes off towards the locker rooms, leaving my cursing under my breath as I take off after her. I catch her so fast that it's rather anticlimactic. One jump and my arms are around her neck and she's laughing like mad.

"Ok," I promise as I loosen my grip on her. "I'll do it, but I'm sticking with the subtle approach."

"Fine, fine," she giggles with a wave of her hand. "Take all the fun out of it. But just know that if it doesn't happen before Halloween events then the rest of us are taking matters into our own hands."

I roll my eyes and follow her into the locker room where Aiko is already changed and waiting for us. Her sleek red hair is tied in a perfect ballet bun and she's playing with the frayed ends of her long sleeve shirt and reading what looks like history notes out of a small but thick notebook. The toes of her socked feet trail over the concrete floor lazily, and she is so immersed in what she's reading, she doesn't realize we're there until Shiori forces the book down from her eyelevel.

"You're studying habits are getting more overboard than usual," she sighs as she looks Aiko in the eye. "What's the hurry? I thought you just had a test today, why are you still studying?"

"I have mock exam coming up soon," she says evenly. "If I don't get top score by the end of the year, then…"

She trails off, her eyes hardening into disks of dim bronze.

"It's nothing," she says as she opens her locker and throws the book in.

"What is it?" I pry as I crack the combo on my locker across the way. "When people say 'it's nothing,' it's usually some pretty heavy stuff."

"I'm just in the middle of a bet right now," Aiko replies with a quiver of fear in her voice. "If I win, then I can get on with my life. And if I lose, then I'm running away to join a circus."

"Joking doesn't work well on you Aiko."

Setsuko and Akina walk around the row of lockers, dressed and unsure about how to react to Aiko's funk. Aiko on the other hand just gives us a grim smile as she slams the door of her locker.

"It's not a joke," she says. "If I disappeared, and you were the police force in charge of finding me, would you think to look in a circus?"

"Ummm…no?" Setsuko replies.

"That's why it's perfect!" Aiko exclaims, her bronze eyes suddenly flashing with pent up emotion. "I'll join the circus as a lion tamer!"

"What makes you think you can handle lions?" Setsuko asks, amusement obvious in her voice as she leans up against the row of lockers.

"If I can handle my mother a lion will be no problem."

"Valid point," Shiori replies from a little farther down the row.

"But still," Akina sighs as she sits down on the bench. "Why is all this necessary in the first place?"

Aiko goes silent and wrings the hem of her shirt. The turmoil inside her is visible in the way she holds herself. She usually carries herself tall and proud, completely confident that she can calmly handle whatever the world throws at her. But now she carries the weight of the universe on her shoulders, and its shattering her one ounce at a time.

"I'll let you know when the results come out," Aiko eventually replies. "I can't have any help with this. If I can't do this by myself it all means nothing."

"Well," I sigh. "At least let us know if we can bring snacks to ease the road a bit."

"Snacks are acceptable," Aiko says with a weak smile. "But thanks. If it doesn't work though I'm going to need to disappear. Know anyone who can help out with that?"

"Not really," Setsuko sighs. "Or at least not that kind of help."

Aiko's smile droops slightly, and she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. Silence resumes, and I pull my hair back up into a ponytail, trying to think of something to say to distract her. We call ourselves friends now, but I realize, I still don't know a lot about the four of them.

"Aiko, what do you want to do when you graduate?"

"I've never really been allowed to think about that," she looks back up at me, her eyes swimming but producing no tears. "All I've ever thought about is that if I studied hard enough I might get discovered by someone who could convince my mother that my life would be wasted as a housewife."

The four of us share a look while Aiko tries to regain her composure.

So she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, but she just doesn't want it to be a waste. She studies just to study, hoping she'll find something she's good at so it can be her escape from knitting baby garments for the rest of her life. A lump rises in my throat. I'd have never guessed that was what Aiko's home life was like. I thought that her parents were just the typical strict parents.

"Are you girls planning on attending class today or am I marking you absent?"

We glance over to see Nakoto-sensei standing at the end of the row of lockers, hip popped and arms crossed. She flips her bangs out of her face as she waits for an answer, her fingers drumming impatiently on her arms.

"No, we're coming sensei," Akina replies for the rest of us as she begins making her way towards her.

We all get up slowly and follow behind her as Nakoto-sensei clicks her tongue in an attempt to get us to move faster.

"Remember to be on time for practice after school," she grumbles. "It will be quick since you'll only be getting measurements taken for costumes today, so don't make us come looking for you. 'Cuz I sure as hell won't do that twice in one day."

We all nod vigorously and scurry into the dance room, trying our best not to make any eye contact.

XXX

I turn around in my cubical and step towards the mirrors handing on the opposite wall. As I brush out the white skirts the fabric billows out in an almost regal princess way, bringing attention to the pastel blue embroidery around the hem. I step into a pair of light blue lace pumps and turn back around, a heavy sigh falling from my lips.

Planting my hands on my hips, I critique my reflection. I guess I should pin my hair back. It's a wedding after all. But then again, Élise isn't really a formal person.

A knock on the wall next to the curtain breaks off the debate, and I pull the curtain aside to see Honey standing there.

"Almost ready?" he asks.

"Yeah," I sigh. "Just give me a minute."

I walk over to the table where Hikaru and Kaoru have their stuff cluttering every available square inch of available space and begin my hunt for some hairpins. I'm the only one still not ready, and my hands keep fumbling with a mixture of excitement for the wedding and the stress of being late because I can't figure out what to do with myself.

"So…" I mumble, trying to distract myself from my trembling fingers. "How are your clients nowadays?"

"Meirika has been putting in a ton of extra sessions," he replies. "Between her and Kisa I think my other regulars are becoming a bit scared."

"How are those sessions going?" I ask as I start making a stack of makeup pallets in an attempt to clear some space. "Meirika I mean."

"She's a lot more interesting to talk to now," he confesses. "Turns out her dad was in a rather popular rock band when he was young. He owns his own record label now, and she's met some interesting people over the years."

"I'm glad," I say with a small smile as I finally find a few hairpins lying in a pile under a stack of fashion magazines. "Well…I feel guilty, but I'm glad she's having fun."

Unconsciously my thumb glides over my ring. I've noticed this nervous habit seems to have replaced my scraping at the nails one, and I exhale heavily. I gnaw on the inside of my lower lip as I twist and tuck my hair and slide in a handful of pins.

"I know."

"I encouraged her knowing that there is no hope," I mumble. "I feel worse and worse about it every time I see her walk in. I keep thinking about anything else that I could have said. I mean...I guess she kind of knew what she was getting herself into, but…what do you say to someone who's already made up their mind about fighting for something they want?"

"I'm not sure there's anything you could have said to make this better," he replies as his eyes meet mine in the mirror.

"I told her I'd respect her as a romantic rival," I mutter as I bite my lips. "But I feel like I've been disrespecting her feelings since the minute I started to encourage her."

"Even if there wasn't anything between us, Meirika couldn't have gotten through the engagement barrier anyway. It would have been hopeless no matter what."

"Are you really trying to justify what I did?" I ask as I turn to face him.

"Not really."

"Well ok then, no need to be blunt," I say as a slight smile crosses my lips.

"Well, considering the fact that you're a pretty blunt person," he replies.

"Thanks," I snark as I walk back over to him and straighten the lapels of his jacket. "But there can only be one blunt person in this relationship. So, since that would be my shtick, that means you're the nice one."

"Whatever you say," he replies. "But you really should finish getting ready. We're all waiting on you."

XXX

The reception and the ceremony were held in the same room. A spacious little banquet hall that has its own small deck with a juice bar cabana and lounge full of a few plush chairs and two long couches. The sun had begun setting during the beginning of the ceremony, and now it's almost pitch black, but the banquet hall is has more than enough light and laughter to push away the cold night.

Jaq and Henri are playing soft romantic music on the small stage, smiling gently as they watch Elise and Christian take the first dance. As they waltz elegantly round the small space of ballroom floor, I can't help but wish that this night could go on forever, and I could just be happy in this swirl of odd people. The rest of the club look on silently from their seats all around the dance floor, and I'm really happy that they're here to experience all of this with me.

I lean back on the table next to Honey, watching wistfully as they whisper happy things between the two of them. They laugh and tease each other, looking like there's really nowhere else they'd want to be.

But then Élise breaks off from Christian and steps over reaches for my arm. I allow her to lead me away from Honey and onto the circle of polished wood floor, where she begins swinging me around in a slow circle. Her dress is barely wedding appropriate, especially for the bride. It's white, one shouldered, and only goes to her mid-thigh, with a slice of light skin toned material covered in sliver rhinestones bisecting the material across her stomach. It continues across her back, scattering the rhinestones like stars across the expanse of skin.

"So are you gonna?" she asks with a subtle nod of her head in Honey's direction.

"Maybe?" I shrug. "Just not now."

"Well get on it ma petit fleur," she laughs. "Your friend has already tried recruiting me for some help."

"You wouldn't," I gasp. "Oh who am I kidding you so would."

"Don't worry," she giggles. "I politely declined. But I did tell all of them to keep me posted."

I roll my eyes as she twirls me. I see that Setsuko has pulled Akina onto the dance floor and Shiori is trying to get Aiko to dance with her. Tamaki goes to ask Haruhi for a dance but is cut off by Hikaru and Kaoru. I laugh as Élise pulls me back and hands me over to Christian.

The three of us dance together for almost five songs, then I decide to give them some time together. They glance at me and I wave off the look they give me. So they go back to dancing and I head over to get some food. For as last minute a wedding this seems, things actually came together quite nicely. Like this food spread.

Then again, it probably did because its small and they have some sort of employee discount.

As I pour myself a glass of apple cider I glance at the clock, and my shoulders slump when I see how late it's getting. I wish that they didn't need to leave tomorrow morning. Leaning back on the table, I catch a breeze from outside. It cools the sticky heat of the room on my arms and legs, and coaxes me outside. I ditch my shoes by the door and go sit down on a couch under a large pale green juice bar cabana.

Another breeze blows over the deck as I curl up on the slightly coarse cushions. I take a sip from my cup before setting it down on the small wooden table. A sharp pain shoots up my neck, making me wince. My hands fly to my neck and rub it softly in small circles until the pain fades. With a heavy sigh I flop back in the couch, letting my mood mellow out and the wind to play over my face for the next minutes.

I don't even flinch as I feel Honey's hands rest on my neck and gently swipe my hair over my shoulder. It's funny, I can tell now, when he's behind me, when it's his hands verses anyone else. I glance up, leaning over the back of the couch. He rests his arms on the wood framing, pressing his forehead gently on the crown of my head.

The quiet is nice, and the cool sea breeze still has a bit of summer in it. It gently kisses our faces, tossing my hair around us. Everyone else is still inside the party room, so for a while we have some time to ourselves. A sigh of contentment leaves my lips without my consent.

"Relaxed now?" Honey asks with a soft laugh.

"Not quite," I reply. "I've been tense all day, my neck is killing me."

Without a word the slight pressure from his forehead is gone and he begins to softly knead the base of my neck. A smile spreads across my lips as the knots in my muscles begin to loosen. His hands travel up to the base of my skull, and another sigh escapes my lips.

"I could get used to this," I joke as I sink deeper into the seat.

"Don't get too excited," he replies. "You've got to repay the favor sometime."

"Sure," I sigh. "Just let me enjoy the moment though."

We sit in silence for a while, and he continues rubbing my neck. My body feels warm and flushed even though his hands never stray further than the crook of my neck. I'm reduced to jelly within seconds. This doesn't bode well for me, but that's a bridge I don't even want to think about right now. I'll take the detour for now.

"They all seem happy," Honey says as his hands still.

"Distracted?" I ask without opening my eyes.

"Tama-chan and Setsu-chan are both freaking out," he comments. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan keep trying to dance with Haru-chan and Kina-chan. Neither of them looks particularly thrilled about it. Takashi and Shi-chan are…dancing. Well more like Shi-chan is dragging him in circles. Kyo-chan and Ai-chan are studiously ignoring each other on one of the couches. Élise just broke open a bottle of something and is serving Jaq and Henri. It looks like Christian is going to play something on the violin."

"Ahhh…" I sigh.

"They look really happy."

"That's good. Élise really deserves it."

"…Aya-koi?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are we still hiding?"

It's not accusing me. But I can't help but feel like the question would sit better with me if it was. But it's merely innocent curiosity. And the pure childlike honesty makes my heart constrict. I know I'm a liar and I'm not being fair to him or his feelings.

"I honestly don't have a good answer," I reply around the nervous lump in my throat.

I'm too aware of everything. His hands on my shoulders, the pulse he can feel under the skin of my neck, the light material of my dress on my legs, the cool floor under my bare feet, and more than anything, his eyes on me.

"But I'm being stupid aren't I?"

"I just don't want to lie when someone asks what you are to me," he replies softly as his hands fall off of my shoulders. "I hate that more than anything."

I look over my shoulder, biting down hard on my lower lip to keep from saying something stupid.

"It wouldn't backlash on you would it?" I mumble into his neck. "It won't hurt your business at the club and cause Kyoya to get mad would it?"

"I wouldn't really care about that," he replies into my hair.

"I guess it's time for me to put on my big girl pants and deal with my problems," I sigh.

"Just give me a heads up ok?" he laughs. "If I'm too surprised it could be taken the wrong way."

"Then how about you instigate it?"

"Instigate?" he asks with a chuckle. "What is being a couple that bad?"

"Far from it," I steel my spine and bring my head up from his shoulder. "Ok, I'm ready."

"Now?"

My eyes meet his and I take a deep breath to chase away any butterflies still lingering. My toes curl in anticipation and relax again as I let out my breath.

He smiles and I turn my body around and get up on my knees, making it easier for the both of us. A soft breeze blows over us, tossing my hair over our faces and blowing some scattered rose petals from the tables. Lanterns bounce joyfully around the other lights hanging from around the deck, drifting with the melody from Christian's violin.

"Now."

His hands cup my face gently, his thumbs gliding softly over my cheeks while his fingers slightly tickle the skin behind my ears. Every time he does stuff like this, the temperature of my body raises more than just a few degrees. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be able to keep my composure anymore. But then again, I see the look on Honey's face, and I decide not to take this from him.

His kiss is soft at first. The lack of shyness of our first public kiss seems to have been transferred to this one. It's funny, how just a second ago he was all for this. I'd laugh if I wasn't currently occupied.

My arms leave their resting place in the back of the seat, and rest against his chest. Eventually my heart rate slows and the kiss becomes almost lazy.

We pull away and I rest my head on his shoulder, my arms looping around his neck. The party still continues inside, the glass doors not doing anything to conceal us, yet everyone is occupied with something or other, and their backs are our only witnesses.

"How do you like that?" I chuckle. "No one even saw that."

"Oh well…" Honey laughs as he ruffles my hair. "I guess we'll just have to try again."

"Let's have some fun with it though," I chuckle as I slide back down into my seat. "But for now let's just go back inside."

He nods and pulls me to my feet. A smile spreads across my face again as I walk around to join him on the other side of the couch. He wraps an arm loosely around my waist and we saunter back inside. The minute we step inside the temperature rises a few degrees and the crazy mood becomes a bit infectious.

Hikaru and Kaoru are still making Setsuko and Tamaki as nervous as possible. Hikaru currently has Haruhi in his arms and Kaoru has Akina. Setsuko and Tamaki dive to release them, but every time they get too close Hikaru and Kaoru elegantly sidestep them and trade off partners with a simple turn, starting the cycle all over again.

Tamaki looks like he's on the verge of tears while Setsuko just looks like an angry bull. They keep diving, never really stopping to think long enough to find a pattern and the best way to cut in.

"They've been at it for the past ten minutes," Aiko says as she steps up beside us. "It was funny at first, but now it's just sad."

"Well," Shiori chirps as she bounces up beside me. "At least two of them are having fun."

"When are they not having fun at someone else's expense?" I groan.

"That's cold senpai," Hikaru pouts as he hands Akina off again and expertly catches Haruhi mid spin.

"I think she's just jealous 'cuz we won't dance with her," Kaoru says with a smirk.

"Oh yes," I reply sarcastically, placing a hand over my heart. "My heart of stone just cried out in pain. Be careful boys, she's fragile."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the chorus as they stop their dance and pat my head.

A dry chuckle escapes me as Akina and Haruhi are finally able to escape. Tamaki dives for Haruhi again but she pinches his arm before he has the chance to wrap them around her. He whimpers and retreats into the nearest corner he can find. I roll my eyes. He really needs some help.

"So, now that we're all here," Élise says as Christian begins packing away his violin. "Let's get this over with."

She grabs her bouquet of pink and yellow alstroemeria from the table beside her and slips off her heels. Henri pulls a chair out for her and Jaq offers a hand to stabilize her as she climbs up onto chair. Once she's settled she tosses her hair and catches my eye and winks before turning her back to us. Automatically a feeling of dread pools in my stomach.

Oh no...She's not…

But that look in her eyes tells me, yes, yes she is. She tosses the bouquet, and as I feared, it sails right for me. So I do the logical thing.

I duck.

So the lace trimmed bundle flies straight over me. Shiori jumps for it, but falls back into Aiko, who catches her and tries to stabilize the both of them. So it sails over the both of them and goes straight to Setsuko. She tosses it like a volleyball, and it sails right into Haruhi's hands.

Tamaki stiffens and the beginnings of a tantrum start rearing its head. But Haruhi just looks down at the bundle of lance and tricolored flowers with no real obvious feelings, so she just turns to her right and hands the bouquet off to Akina.

Akina smiles shyly and cradles the flowers in her arms, running her fingers over the bit of lavender silk ribbon keeping the bundle together. A soft pink blush builds up in her cheeks and she quickly averts her eyes to her bare feet.

When I glance back at Élise I see her burst into a fit of cackles from on top of her chair and Christian and Jaq are trying to make sure she doesn't fall over. In a way she doesn't even look upset that I messed up her plan to move things along for us. She just clutches her sides and squats down on top of the chair, gasping and wiping tears from her eyes.

"I like them," Élise gushes as Christian proceeds to help her off the chair before she hurts herself.

"Getting any ideas?"

"It's not like we could make it happen even if I did. The moms have it all covered down to the last excruciating detail."

"Too bad," Honey whispers as he rests his chin on my shoulder. "This looks more fun."

"Yeah."

"Do you think we could petition for it?"

"Absolutely not."

XXx Author's Notes xXX

Sorry...I caught a particularly bad case of writers block...but I may or may not have some new story ideas...so I dunno if that makes anyone feel better...