Love Hurts 5 Ways (OUTDATED STORY) Chapter 39: LH5W Anniversary Special, Part 3, a Fushigi Yuugi + Ouran High School Host Club Crossover fanfic

ATTENTION READERS: This is the Beta version of LH5W, if you want to read the official, updated version of the story, you'll have to go over to DeviantArt. com and head on over to my page. My username is Aloubell. You can also get there by going to my fanfiction. net profile which provides a link over there.
In any case, this Beta version is basically the rough draft of LH5W, my first attempt at it. Much of the plot points from this version will be the same in the official version, but there are significant and consistent characterization changes, a few (but very important) plot differences, expansion of past ideas, and overall better quality in storytelling.

All of this will be done over on DeviantArt. I no longer will write the story in traditional prose nor submit/update it here to fanfiction. net. The Beta version will remain here, just know that it isn't the 100% official story.
The official version will be written in a lazy prose mixed with play-writing elements (you'll get what I mean when you see it).
This is the new format for the story from now on.
So please head on over there if you're interested in updates to the story! Thank you for stopping by =D

-Aloe

PLEASE NOTE: The official version is being written somewhat out of order. The official version will start on chapter 46, the place where the Beta version left off. The official version will go on to complete the last chapters of Season 2. Once those are done, I will redo the story over again from Chapter 1 which will be the official version.

Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!

~*SPECIAL OMAKE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL PART 3: FINAL*~

Shokyoku: 15 minutes later~

If it weren't for Chichiri's teleportation ability, I wouldn't have been able to go back to my apartment and change into a dry set of clothes (long, grey cotton pants and a black tube top). Out of all the things planned for my day, never in a million years would I have expected for all of this to go down. Well, maybe not a million years, since other, bigger things have surprised me, but still. Perhaps there was a third curse on me—a curse where I would never be allowed a chance to relax! To always be around a bunch of crazies who had nothing better to do than to come and influence my day.

Instead of saying anything to anyone upon my return to the party, I just took notice of one of the couches in the center of the room and plop myself down—pretending as if I didn't give a damn.

But honestly, my patience was running thin. No, really. I was ready to either just give up, or let all Hell break lose—whichever one of the extremes seemed more appropriate at the time. Everyone else seemed more or less aware of this and kept their distance as they tried to determine how exactly I would handle everything.

Taking the bold move, Mitsukuni decided to be the first one to break the ice. "Hey Aki-chan, you wanna hear what we all came up with earlier? It's something we've been hoping to tell you and the audience!"

Giving him a passive glance, I sighed and responded, "Whatever…sure, why not?" They did mention earlier that they had a revelation of some sort at their little conspiracy meeting.

Kyouya took over the explanation in the know-it-all fashion he was so custom to. "Well, we've evaluated all of the men that you've become interested in since you began your journey." Are you guys honestly that bored? "And there was something that we noticed a few patterns. One of them being that you fell for two guys who's hair color was closer to red on the spectrum. Also, two of them had yellow-ish eye colors. And finally, two of them had fangs complimented with somewhat irritable attitudes."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What exactly are you getting at?" Just by adding those things up, I had a feeling that I knew what dangerous direction they were going in. For once I was hoping that they proved me wrong.

Holding up a finger in explanation, Nuriko continued where the Host left off. "If you rule out Dark as the outlier, since he's really the only one whose looks and personality differ from everyone else's, the it's pretty obvious who you're likely to either fall in love with or kiss next. I mean, your pattern has become pretty predictable Aki."

"Pattern? I don't have a 'pattern'." I scowled at him. Do I?

"Yup! We all talked it over and it looks like…Drum roll please!" A spot-light spontaneously came on and under it stood Takashi with a snare drum. With the drum sticks in his hand, he effortlessly rolled them onto the crisp-sounding percussion instrument. Extending his arm out pretty far, Nuriko managed to reel in one of his fellow warriors. "Tasuki is the one! I congratulate you two on many years of happiness!" That boy was much too amused by this.

"WHAT?" Tasuki and I shouted out at the same time. I was so appalled by the statement that I immediately shot out of my seat. How could they even conceive such a ridiculous impression? It was bad enough that they felt that they needed to invade my love-life (or lack of one), but now they were playing compatibility test. And I was pretty damn sure that they didn't have the right authorization to do either.

Even Tasuki jumped quite a few feet, eyes popped out as wide as dinner plates. "Wait, when in the hell did'ja come up with that lame-brained idea? And why wasn't I a part of it?" The fiery-haired bandit complained. "I was in that damn meetin' too and no one ever said that!"

Chichiri answered first, "It was just one of those times when everyone already knows the answer to something so it wasn't worth mentioning out loud, ya know?"

Tasuki began to stomp his foot a few times. "No, I don't know! Excuse me fer not havin' telepathy like you Mr. I-Can-Read-Minds-And-You-All-Can't-'Cause-Yer-Chumps pants! I demand a re-count!"

Looking a bit troubled, Chichiri told him, "It's not really something you can re-count, ya know? And don't blame me just because you fail at deductive reasoning."

"You damn traitorous monk!—"

"Out of all the people in the world, your conclusion came out to that guy?" Using my thumb, I motioned over to Tasuki while addressing Nuriko and the other spectators.

"Hey! I take offense ta that!" The bandit shouted over. "What's so bad about me? You made it sound like Ima bad catch er somethin'!"

Shooting him a look, I was somewhat surprised that he put himself out there like that. "Oh will you drop it? You're supposed to be against this too. Don't change positions so quickly."

"I'm not! I'm still against it. Just don't pin me as undesirable!"

Okay, I'm leaving that one alone. I faced Nuriko and Kyouya once again for the answer. "Well? Explain yourselves!"

"Explain what? You like guys with red-hair, some kind of yellow-eyes, and fangs. Tasuki is the obvious choice!" Nuriko cheerily pointed out. I was seriously close to bringing down the house on that guy. But the better part of me was trying to convince myself that about 90% of what Nuriko ever said was specifically meant for getting under my skin. For the sake of everyone's safety, it was probably best for me to stay calm.

Haruhi sighed. "Senpai, I am so sorry for you having to deal with their rash reasoning's…" You say that, but I don't hear you disagreeing.

"If you two are so indecisive about it," Mitsukuni suggested, sporting a sweet smile, "then maybe we should show that clip of you two in the hot spring again to confirm!"

"NO!" The two of us loudly protested. Sometimes, I had to stop forgetting that Mitsukuni was older than he looked, and that he was secretly more conniving than he led everyone to believe. No one else may have caught on, but I had a heightened sense of observation.

Through the middle of the commotion, my ears caught onto a muted giggling. Looking over, I noticed Miaka standing with a grin on her face and eyes closed while she stood with Tamahome.

"This is an odd time to laugh, don't you think?" I asked her, slightly curious about what she was so glad about.

When she opened her eyes, the smile remained, but she looked a bit more solemn. "It's just nice to see you surrounded by so many friends Onee-chan. Whenever something really good happens to you, that curse of yours always seems to get in the way. You could be in the happiest place ever, yet there would always be something holding you back. I mean, when someone even mentions the curse, you'd fall into some sort of fierce depression…" Just as she said that, the whole room went quiet and focused in.

Sweat-dropping, I politely asked, "You mean like what you just did?" A dark cloud hovered over everyone's head as the atmosphere completely shifted.

Miaka blinked a few times and laughed nervously while put her finger under her lip in bewilderment. "Oops…"

Shokyoku: You know, I always took offense to whenever people call me a curse. It's so incredibly rude! Despite my name, I am a positive part of Aki's life! It just depends on how you look at things and overlook some of the…unfortunate side-effects. It's all for the greater good…really!

Wait…what am I doing trying to explain myself to humans? Pft. You aren't even worth the explanation…

Clip-Set #5—Negative Curse

Aki had never been allowed to live a normal life. Thanks to a combination of curses, one known as Shokyoku, she had been forced to endure alienation, neglect, and constant disappointment. Though she maintained a tough front, no one could even imagine the trauma that had built in her for so long.

"There is a mysterious ring of dark energy around me.

…

"You guys can't see it, but it's there—it's always been there…as long as I can remember anyway.

…

"I know it sounds weird, but it's true. Some kind of negative aura has always been around me...like, a physical, more or less , legitimate one. When I was younger, I used to be able to see it. I was in the center of a dark ring that pretty much effected anyone who got close. Causing anyone that it agitated to feel misery or anger beyond all belief... Perhaps other people couldn't see it, but it kept them away. I'm pretty sure it's still there, but…dimmed, I guess. It's really hard to explain. But because of all that, it's been hard to really be me to anyone. No matter how much I wanted to be. Things have been…" I paused to think about a word to describe my years if isolation. "…difficult."

…

"Every single day, I was forced to live through every painful experience almost as if it were happening over and over again. The feelings I had would remain, the torment never ceasing. I could still hear my cries of agony and sink in the depth of hopeless ness—every little memory that made me want to cry.

Remember earlier when you guys suddenly felt cold and miserable? Well, that's what it does to people—it brings out the dark, horrible emotions that everyone has buried deep inside of them…and amplifies them."

…

So…there was no true freedom after all. This torture was no better than repeatedly dunking someone's head into water and allowing them only a second of breath before making them deal with burning lungs and a desperate need to not drown.

…

I was conflicted.

And I was alone.

I knew that Miaka didn't mean to say anything like that, so I didn't blame her, but anything regarding the hex on me was always bound to bring any sort of celebration to an end. The sudden manner in which the feelings in the room had shifted sort of made me feel bad. Though Miaka was the one to bring it up, I was technically the originator.

Sigh.

Just then, someone took my arm and brought it over my head, proceeding to move it around in such a way that caused my body to twirl. A few times around, and I found myself standing in a waltz position with Tamaki—our hands held up together while my other hand rested on his shoulder and his other hand on my waist.

"My dearest Aki, do not fret on things that make that beautiful face of yours so sad. We do not regret the day we met you. In fact, we're all here to celebrate all of the fond memories we've had with you and the accomplishments of the past year. There is simply no time to be down. Now," He winked at me, emitting such charm and radiance that practically blinded me. "Show us all that wonder smile of yours." Having it been a while, I actually forgot how incredibly sweet Tamaki was. Though overly dramatic, I was always sure that his personality was genuine. And even if I never had a crush on him, his flattery always made me blush.

But…

We were now hitting a point where this was getting a little too far out of my comfort zone-like so far that not even the Hubble telescope could spot it. If it wasn't bad enough that the mushiness level was somewhere in the reds, but this whole thing had become a two-person performance that everyone seemed to be eating up. Really? They couldn't focus on anything else?

Releasing myself from the King of the Hosts, I took a huge step away from him to widen the distance. "Really feeling the love here Tamaki, but too much of it can be a bad thing…"

"Nonsense! It's love that makes the world to round!" Stretching his arms out and hoping for an embrace, I groaned a bit and thought, Well, can't say that I didn't warn him. Not a second later, his persistent advances led to his face meeting the flat of my shoe as I held up my leg in affection defense.

"I'm not a sob story Tamaki, so give it a rest already." Even with my huge hint, he still tried to hug me, but to no avail.

Feeling only for a second that I was in the clear, I was suddenly bombarded by two people, resulting in my slam to the ground, landing Miaka and Mitsukuni on top of me.

"It's always better to smile Aki-chan! Or do things that make you smile—like eating a bunch of cookies and cakes!" That's your thing…

"We're really trying to make this a fun day for you Onee-chan. Try giving it a chance before you knock it—just let loose!"

Not really giving much of a fight, I couldn't help but think of the times when I used the curse—Shokyoku—to get myself out of situations, or the times when it—she—was just convenient. If those two weren't my friends and if I didn't know her dangers, I would have totally used Shokyoku to get Mitsukuni and Miaka off of my person. Okay…maybe I wouldn't have, but it was nice to know sometimes that she was there.

Clip-Set #6—Positive Curse

I still had the dark ring to protect me, so I was never, ever defenseless.

Chapter 18: Room for Two—Wait, What?

During Aki's flashback of her meeting with Miaka Yuki, she reveals just how she was able to make the bullies, who were tormenting the young Miaka, back off. Even though Aki didn't yet know the truth of the dark ring, she put it to good use.

There was an incredible urge to clench my fist, but the self control Kajou had taught me told me to hold back. I remarked quietly, "You guys could never make me cry. Vice versa, however…" Feeling the anger well up inside of me, an odd feeling went throughout my body had somehow…branched out. All of a sudden, the group of boys started to shiver and hold themselves, with looks of fear in their eyes.

"Wh-why do I f-feel so cold?"

"Dude, you're crying!" One of them pointed to another.

He countered, "Shut up! You are too." They all sank to the ground all saying how they feel something bad and it frightened them to death. None of them could explain what was going on with them, but I knew. This was what happened when people got too close to me. Their minds would recall how they felt when they were the most miserable and make them emotionally experience it once again...but much, much worse—whether or not the catalyst for the fear was actually there.

Knowing that I had already won, I told them in monotone, "If you want the pain to go away, then you'll give the girl back her bear and go home." And with that, the boys immediately got up, threw the bear to the ground, and ran off.

Chapter 24: Bandit Fever

When they first met, Aki challenged Genrou (Tasuki) to a fight (she was annoyed of his rudeness and chauvinism), the battle initially started off as something serious. But somewhere along the way, it turned rather childish with cheek pulling, tripping, etc. At one point, the two ended up in a rather sensual position. Shokyoku didn't take that very well~

"You had me there for a second, but like I said before," he smiled devilishly, "you can't wi—" Right as I put my hands over his to prevent him from pulling any more, the peculiar spark from before surged between us. "…win…" He stopped pulling a wave of pleasant and warm sensations played throughout my body, going back and forth as if the two and us were sharing it.

So there we were, on the ground, him on top of me as we stared at each other from the jolt. Finally realizing what kind of position it looked like we were in, my face instantly turned red and, for some reason, the dark ring around me suddenly pulsated, sending out a wave that would have normally been absorbed by my enemy, causing them to shrivel up in depression. This time, the wave seemed to hit the guy…like physically…causing him to be pushed off of me. Sitting up, I looked over at him who was rubbing his head.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked.

When someone is forced to live with a particular curse like I had, they come to realize a few things. One of the important ones being the ability to look past all of the bad stuff and learn to use it as an advantage when you can—when you have lemons, make lemonade (except for those times when the sour lemon juice happens to run into an open wound and then its hurts like hell).

As I sat up, Hotohori made his way over and offered a hand to help me up, just like the perfect gentleman. I would have been a fool not to take it. "I for one am overjoyed with the progress you've made, and to know that the curse on you has weakened—or has been made under control. I find that you are happier when you don't have to worry about such a thing." When he helped lifted me up, he looked down at me with his soft hazel eyes. "We are now free to celebrate with you and show our appreciation." Feeling my cheeks burn, I thought, Why do words always sound so much better when he says them?

"Having that said!" Nuriko blurted out, ruining any moment with Hotohori, which was probably his plan to begin with. "Let's return back to that other little matter that we were discussing before! Your lack of a love life!" My scowl returned with a vengeance. Dude...so uncalled for. When I turned around to face him, my mouth dropped open to see the ridiculous scheme he had set up next. There Nuriko was, with Tamahome, sitting behind when looked a lot like a lemonade stand, except it said "Kissing Booth" at the top.

My arms hung down in disbelief. "Do I even want to know?"

Nuriko chuckled and motioned with his hand for me to come over. "Of course you do silly! This kissing booth isn't for our sake, it's for yours!" What the hell? "I promised you that I'd find a man and this is probably the most ingenious way to do so." You know…I heard eHarmony is a pretty good site…This plan had stupid written all over it. There was no way that he thought I'd actually go for such a thing.

Holding up an empty jar labeled "$$", Tamahome grinned widely when he told me, "And this is where all of the profit is going to go. Yup! A nice place where Kyouya doesn't have access." He yelled over to the glasses-wearing Host. "Hear that Ootori? You don't get any of the cash because you were stingy earlier. This is poetic justice at its best." I rolled my eyes. Oh brother.

Well, I better stop this before they start to believe that this actually has a chance. Settling on a resolve, I brought out the Hammer of Justice, lifted it up high, and swung it straight down onto the booth, crushing it to pieces with a single strike.

"Hey what's the big idea—" Knowing perfectly well that I couldn't hurt Nuriko with the toy hammer because of his super strength, Tamahome was fair play, so I was free to hit him as hard as I wanted.

And so I did.

The teal-haired boy was hit straight up into the ceiling, putting holes into at least three of the floors, before he came crashing down onto our floor, right at the foot of his girlfriend.

Reaching up in pleading, Tamahome struggled to say, "M-Miaka…" But she stood with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed.

She did not approve of the booth either.

Holding him up by his collar, a demonic expression had rolled onto her face. "I can't believe that you'd exploit Aki-nee-chan like that just to earn a few bucks. You jerk!" Bringing her arm back and somewhat downward, she released an intense uppercut that sent him bashing through the ceiling once again, but landing a bit further away. Talk about tough love!

Boy were we REALLY abusing that room. It was a good thing that we had rich people on our side *cough, cough* Host Club *cough*

Feeling that Tamahome was in "good" hands, I turned my attention back onto Nuriko. "And as for you…I am soooo not desperate enough to do something like this. And if you have any more idiotic suggestions, please don't include me in them because I guarantee you that I wouldn't be interested in your kind of 'help'." Yeah, he promised to find me a boyfriend. Was I beginning to regret that? Yup.

Out of nowhere, a familiar male voice whispered into my ear. "I'd definitely like a piece of that action~" Am arm wrapped around my shoulders as a figure positioned himself behind me. Curious me turned my head to the side to see who it was and I was met by a pair of lips pressing against mine.

In the background, Tasuki and Hikaru jumped up with shocked and angry faces, pointing an accusing finger at the man who was so bold as to kiss me.

"What the f&%king hell?"

"He can't do that!"

The two guys gave each other suspicious glances.

"Hey, if you two broke up, then why do ya care so damn much?" Tasuki asked him.

Hikaru asked a counter question. "If you don't like her like that, then why do you care?" Static electricity cracked in between their deathly glares towards one another.

Shokyoku: GET AWAY FROM MY AKI! I did not give you permission to soil her!

With my heart racing from the unexpected greeting, my brain was also in jumbles as it tried to process what was going on. The connection that did seem to make its way through was that a.) this was an extremely cute guy, and b.) I was really enjoying the kiss.

Breaking away slowly, the man smiled as his fierce purple eyes gazed right into mine. "Hey pretty lady. It's been a while~" Brain still wasn't putting the pieces together fast enough. Purple hair…purple eyes…hot…

I gasped as the realization hit me. "Dark! You're here!" The fact that he just came out and kissed me out of nowhere was making much more sense now that I knew who he was. Dark Mousy was just not the type to be shy about those sorts of things. He was casual about kissing, even if the girl he was locking lips with wasn't even if his girlfriend.

He closed his eyes and maintained his charismatic smile. "Of course I am! I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Behind him, walking up was two others I hadn't expected but was sort of happy to see. With his long silvery hair and cute dog ears, Inuyasha came into the picture (wearing casual, modern-day clothes which made it sort of odd, but not in a bad way) along with sexy carrot-top Kyo. It wasn't much of a surprise how shocked I was by this reunion. Kyo and Inuyasha did not seem like the type of people to show up to such a thing—Dark did—but…here they were! Seeing those guys was a real treat!

Shokyoku! I can't believe that that lower life-form had the nerve to just kiss her like that! Well I have every reason to—

Author: Shokyoku! Just introduce them already!

Shokyoku: Fine…Some of you may be asking why the mutt, the cat, and the flirty bird are all doing her as well as why the casts from their particular anime aren't here. Well, they are the only ones who matter so why include unnecessary people. Of course, they're all unnecessary to me…except Aki.

Author: Why weren't they here earlier?

Shokyoku: The invitations got…umm…lost?

Author: …uh huh…

The half demon approached me with his arms crossed, with only a slight half-smile to show that he wasn't being a Scrooge. "I can tell you've gotten stronger Aki." Damn-straight I have!

Smirking, I told him, "Wand no longer required. And Fire? Not. A. Problem."

"Hey Aki, congrats on the 1-year," Kyo softly punched me on the arm in greetings.

"Thanks! But really I couldn't have done it without you guys—it's more of a congrats to all of us." When I thought about it, that was probably one of the most positive things I had said during that entire party. In combination to that epiphany, I glanced around to the rest of the room to find that the Host Club members and the Suzaku Warriors were all intensely glaring at me.

"Onee-chan…why were you so nice to them?"

"He were trying to get you to smile from the start—"

"And then you go behind our backs and smile just for these guys?"

Not showing them any sort of backing down on my actions, I told them, "Hey, I'm in the right here. They didn't kidnap me and include me in a bunch of hijinks."

Speaking of hijinks, the excitement went back on track when Miaka decided to be sneaky and carefully creep up to Kyo from behind, resulting in her leaping out towards him. With not enough time to react, she wraps her arms around him. And not a second later, poof! A white poofy cloud emerged where Kyo once was. When it cleared, we all saw that what once stood in Kyo's place wasn't there anymore. Instead stood a small orange cat…that had a very apparent look of annoyance on his cute little cat face.

Crouching down to get a better look at the feline, Miaka smiled as she attempted to play with him. "I'm really sorry about that Kyo—I just wanted to see if it was true of not."

Understandably irritated for having been turned into a cat, Kyo yelled, "Of course it's true you stupid girl! Why couldn't ya just ask?"

Not catching onto the negative energy, the girl couldn't help but fall for his adorable cat form. "You are so cute! Wanna be my kitty?"

"No I'm not—and no I don't—"

Poor Kyo. Mitsukuni decided to get in on the action once he saw Kyo in his Zodiac form. Speeding over faster than the speed of light, the small Host picked up unfortunate carrot-top and hugged him like no tomorrow. "Kyo-chan is just so cute! I want one! I want one! Hey Takashi!" He called out to his cousin. "You think that I'd be able to get one of these?"

For the second time during the party, Takashi spoke. "He's a person Mitsukuni—so he's not for sale."

"Aww…" He pouted. Instead of setting him down, Mitsukuni just started to swing Kyo around. "But I really want him!" The swinging continued to a point where I was getting dizzy just watching the whole thing go down. However…better him than me~

"Umm…Honey-Senpai?" Haruhi put in her two-cents. "I don't think that swinging him like that is such a good idea…" The whole thing was sort of hysterical once you thought about it. Part of me felt sorry for Kyo, but the other part was being greatly entertained. Seeing the way that things were unfolding made it so that I couldn't help but remember when I first met the Sohma's and learned of their interesting family secret.

Clip-Set #7—Sohma encounter

Literally dropped into the Sohma's home unexpectedly (by Taiitsukun), Aki found herself in the presence of a mysterious family.

When the world finally went back into focus, I shot my upper body up and shouted to the hole while showing my fist at it. "What the hell Taiitsukun! Who the hell even does things like that? I—"

That was when I realized that there were two guys staring at me.

…

"WILL YOU GET THE HELL OFF OF ME! I CAN'T BREATHE!" Gasping, I shifted a bit to see what, or who I was sitting on and all I could see was an orange cat who had its paws covering its mouth. I quickly scooted over and picked up the small creature that was gasping for air.

"I can't believe that I landed on a cat!" Looking over at Yuki, I gave the best apologetic face I could. "This is your cat, right? I am soooooo sorry that I almost squished it!" Then I blinked a few times and gave the cat another look. Did this thing just talk? And...is it glaring at me?

Yuki immediately lost the sweet tone in his voice and looked away. "It's not my cat. You can continue using him as a cushion if you like, Miss Tsubaki."

Assuming he was joking, I gave a brief laugh and looked the now growling intensely cat that was, I swear, glaring at Yuki. "I just like you to know that I really like most animals, especially cats, and didn't mean for this to happen. Even if you are…" I smiled sneakily, "a talking cat."

…

Without any warning, there was an evident poof! followed by a bunch of white smoke. Realizing a while ago that carrying a wand around would be a HUGE pain the ass, I managed to find a way to make it disappear into a space and make it materialize when I needed it. Knowing that, it instantly appeared in a string of light into my hands, ready for anything and everything. But I definitely wasn't expecting this.

Standing in front of me was a nicely built guy…And he was not…wearing…anything. Nothing. At all.

My face instantly heat up and turned my body around the fastest I could. OMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSH!Was all I could really muster in my head. Since that was true, I figured speaking may come out as complete loud and obnoxious gibberish. I was honestly getting dizzy just thinking about what I just saw—from knowing he was still standing there!

…

"The point that Shigure is trying to make is that you saw something that was supposed to be a secret." Yuki calmly explained after cutting off Shigure.

Yeah, I can see why you would want to do that. "I don't mean to pry or anything, but what exactly was the thing I saw that was supposed to be a secret?"

"Hmm…where to start…Well, Kyo isn't the only one in the family that can transform. Yuki, and I as well as ten other Sohma's can turn into one of the animals from the Chinese Zodiac."

Taking notice of how Kyo was being abused (once again…poor guy), Inuyasha watched in disgust. "Tch, you don't see me becoming pathetically vulnerable by turning into some dumb animal—especially not some cat." The tension between canines and felines apparently extended to demons as well as one could tell by the condescending statement.

A glare of death shone in Kyo's eyes in response to the derogatory statement. Struggling more fiercely than before, the orange cat was able to escape the clutches of Mitsukuni and Miaka, allowing him to extend his claws and aim for Inuyasha. "Who're you callin' pathetic half-breed? Reaching out before Kyo could make contact with Inuyasha, Chichiri caught him in mid-air by the skin on his back.

"It's supposed to be a fun day, ya know? So let's try to avoid as much violence as we can." Apparently the monk blinked every time I hit someone with the Hammer. This party was definitely not a violence-free zone. Our wreckage of the unlucky place had been proven that time and time again.

"Wait a minute…" After simmering in a previous statement of Inuyasha's, Tasuki found it appropriate to respond. "Don't'cha turn into a human once a month?" On the night of the new moon, Inuyasha's human DNA takes over, suppressing his dog-demon DNA, causing him to become human.

Catching onto his point, Hikaru and Kaoru add, "So wouldn't that—"

"Make you sort of vulnerable?" Well, they had a point…

Stuttering as if he didn't expect anyone to bring up that fact, Inuyasha cleared his throat and turned his back to everyone to hide his embarrassment. "W-Well, that's different. It's once a month and…" Turning his head to narrow his eyes at Kyo, finished with, "At least I still have opposable thumbs and an ability to fight on more of an equal playing field with my opponent. Oh yeah, and it helps to be taller than a foot."

Erratically moving his arms and legs, Kyo twisted and turned like there was no tomorrow. He seriously wanted to mess Inuyasha up! Chichiri seemed to have been having some trouble keeping the cat from causing a stir—'tis the unfortunate role he had chosen. "It would be wise to stop insulting him. Keep the peace, ya know?"

Pushing up his glasses once again, Kyouya groaned. "This nonsense has gone on long enough." The harshness in his voice prompted the room to not really go completely quiet, but silent enough for him to make his message known. "Everyone is here for a purpose, so stop fooling around!" Really? There was actually some purpose to this madness? If the purpose was anything other than "give Aki a headache", then I would have been truly surprised.

"Yay! Mommy is taking charge!" Applauding as if this was one of the most spectacular scenes he had ever witnessed, Tamaki smiled approvingly at his Vice-President and addressed Kyouya by a more detested (but liked by Tamaki) title. "A well balanced family only works if at least one parent puts their foot down—I must say Bravo for attending to your role Kyouya!"

Squeezing the skin in between his eyes, Kyouya mumbled, "Idiot…"

Sharing similar feelings to the drastic turn that the celebration had taken, Hotohori sighed. "It's wonderful to see everyone in such high spirits, but I do feel that things have gotten a little…"

I completed his thoughts. "Out of hand?" Sighing, I tried to think of a way to get everyone's attention—not that I wanted their eyes on me again, but finding a way out of that unbearable randomness seemed to be top-priority. As a light bulb appeared over my head, a mischievous smirk wiped across my lips. This oughta get their attention. I began to cast a spell "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows…" A Darkness collected all around me as red and black lightning sparked repeatedly in my hands. Feeling a dramatic shift in energy, people were starting to take notice and their eyes grew wide with fear. "I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand. Before the mighty gifts bestowed in my unworthy hands…"

"No, wait Aki! Hold on!"

"Don't use that spell—it's too dangerous!"

"You'll kill us all!"

"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" Collecting the destructive Darkness in the middle of my collected palms, everyone gawked in horror to the evil I would release upon them. The room tinted a bright red, flashes of blinding light became ever-more apparent with the appending doom. "Dragon Slav—Psych!" In an instant, all of the negative energy with the black and red lighting and such disappeared altogether, resulting in a simple, small puff of smoke coming from my hands. Straitening up, I smiled triumphantly. "Well, now that I've gotten you're attention…" I stopped my sentence mid-way when I found mostly everyone turned to pale statues from the previous fear. Had I gone too far? Oh well~ Shake it off you bunch of wimps. Putting my hands on my hips, I continued with what I wanted to say. "If you all want to have a party, then fine, I've made peace with that. But can we at least stick to the plotline?" Otherwise this thing will never end.

Unfreezing from their petrified states, the merged groups talked amongst themselves in a reasonable volume to come up with a reply.

"So what exactly do we do now?" Tamahome asked. "I sort of forgot the things that we actually planned to do…" See? This is what I'm talking about! Randomness screws everyone up.

Nuriko crossed his arms as he thought about a solution. "Well…we've wasted quite a bit of time." Resting his head on his hand in sorrow, he mentioned, "Oh darn we won't be able to do the karaoke contest anymore. And I was so looking forward to that!" Had I known something like that was planned, I'd have been out of there ages ago. "What a pity too. Aki was going to sing a lovely song for us!"

I said flatly, "No I wasn't."

"But Aki, you've sung so many times before, why not now?"

Clip-Set #8—Sing with a purpose

In times like this, it made me feel better to sing. Singing had been a sort of outlet I discovered years ago—helping me to slightly unwind.

Aki didn't like to sing for other people. It was a secret talent that was supposed to be a private matter. However, since things didn't always go her way, Aki sometimes found herself singing on some sort of stage for some type of audience.

Chapter 14: Emotional Depths

During the night of the Hitachiin twins' birthday party, Hikaru, who was Aki's new boyfriend, and Kaoru had cleverly planned to get Aki to sing for them as a present. Of course, she didn't like the idea especially with all of those people watching her. But…

A…song? Wait a sec…that's not just a circular platform, that's a stage!

The twins stepped forward. "In honor of our birthday—"

"—we request that the commoner, Aki, who doesn't have the money to buy us a present, sing us a song."

"A nice one too."

"What makes you two idiots think that I could sing?" I shouted.

They wrapped their arms around each other's waists. "We heard you singing on that day you woke up."

"Instead of recording it and watching it over and over again on our phones," (Bastards),"we wanted our own personal concert. So, what do you say?"

"You might be crazy

But have I told you lately

That I love you?

You're the only reason that I'm

Not afraid to fly, and it's

Crazy that someone could change me

Now no matter

What it is I have to do

I'm not afraid to try

And you need to know that

You're the reason why!"

Chapter 25: Siren's Song of Suffering

Facing quite a dilemma consisting of siren-like Shadow Kissed women and zombiefied men, Aki, Chichiri, and Genrou (Tasuki) seemed to have been backed into a corner. Thinking quickly on her toes, Aki took a gamble at a possible solution.

"You think that whole trick you did with me could snap those guys out of it?" Genrou pointed to the still trapped men. Thinking about his suggestion, I rolled it over in my head.

"Probably not…they aren't the ones being possessed by darkness…If they were the ones who were Shadow Kissed, however…then a similar thing would get them out of that miserable state…" But that's where the problem lies. How do I win against people in their own element?I listened to the never ending melody, watching the men continually fuss, attempting to escape captivity. The song…An idea suddenly hit me. What if there was a way that I could block the frequency of the song and fix everything?

Chichiri spoke my thoughts. "If we could just stop that song somehow, then we would be the ones with the advantage, ya know?" Fortunately for him, I had already thought of an idea—but I wasn't going to like it.

I sang.

"Wish I could put a spell on you,

Wish I could make you feel like I do,

Wouldn't that be sweet?

So magical!

Wish I could blink and wave a wand,

Get everything that I ever wanted.

And put a spell on you,

And make it all come true."

The entire time, I was scowling at that stupid invention for showing those unnecessary clips. And by showing all of those times I sang, people are going to figure that it's only fair that I sing for the anniversary party.

Folding their hands and looking up at me with large, pleading, puppy-dog eyes, Miaka and Nuriko requested something of me. "You did all that singing before and you won't sing for us?" Told you.

"Please Aki-nee-chan? We'll love you forever!~" Dammit. People weren't supposed to know that I had a good voice. Now they always expect some freakin' concert out of me as if I were some personal jukebox.

Even with their pitiful positions, I declined. "Nope, sorry. But I don't like to sing for crowds. Plus, let's get something straight. The first time I sang on this journey was supposed to be for myself, the second time I was tricked and backed into a corner, the third time I was pressured and obligated, the fourth time, I needed to sing in order to defeat the enemy, and the fifth time, I was in a dark place and needed an outlet. Under none of those circumstances did I sing for a crowd because I wanted to."

"Aww…Aki's so selfish sometimes…"

"Well, we can't pressure her, I'd feel bad." At least Miaka had some courtesy.

Changing the subject before this one got out of hand like the others had, Chichiri pondered. "So…what other clips could we show?"

The somewhat irritating thing about that invention Kyouya brought was that, technically, the sky was the limit. I mean, whatever people could think of, it would show. And peoples brains contained a lot of info. We could be here *gulp* forever! Oh God no…It didn't take long before Haruhi came up with something. "Well, seeing her progress…I've always been sort of curious with how Aki-senpai did her training."

Clip-Set #9—Training Days

Chapter 4: Rough Feelings? The Fire Within

Still learning how to use her powers, Witchling Aki figured that she at least had the basics of Water, Earth, and Wind with her wand. But every time she'd try to use Fire, it would malfunction and come out as an explosion. Here's an excerpt from one of her Letters to the Universe:

Damn that stupid element! According to element compatibility and stuff, the opposite of Wind is Earth, so that should have been the problem, not Fire. But no, I had to get screwed over with a bunch of freaking explosions that come out of my wand or at my target whenever I try to use Fire. WHAT THE HELL?

Chapter 8: Shadows From the Past

Even though Wind was Aki's primary element, there were times when her control on it wasn't that great. In fact, whenever her emotions got too strong, there'd always be a threat of something being blown away. While chasing mysterious shadows, Aki's uneasiness with not knowing how to deal with the unknown threatened to provoke a tornado.

For some reason, the wind started to blow more than usual again. A whirlwind around Kyo and I surrounded us as my thoughts sank more and more into confusion. The moment I took notice, I tried to stop it with my thoughts, but that proved futile with my head all in a jumble.

Kyo protectively embraced me the moment he realized that the wind was blowing more fiercely, forming a mini cyclone ready to lift us off the ground and violently throwing us. "What is this?" He yelled out. But not a second after doing so, he transformed into a cat. He was now too light to keep himself from flying away, so I grabbed him and held his small feline body close.

This power was going too far. I growled before I boldly shouted, "Wind I command you to cease this instant!" As that was said, the wind didn't hesitate to stop—it just instantly stopped blowing. By this time, both Kyo and Shigure, who was standing and watching everything from not too far away, were staring at me with the biggest mixture of confusion and concern I've ever seen.

Chapter 12: With Friends Like These

When Aki first entered the world of the Host Club, she was told by Taiitsukun that she had the ability to fly. Of course, nothing comes easy so Aki had to practice and see if the old woman was just playing her or not. So when the Host Club when to the beach, Aki went off by herself to do some practicing. The results were less than satisfying.

Jumping from the top of a tall rock, I concentrated my energy onto my body. Letting all of gravity go, I hovered successfully over the sand. The moment I felt that I finally had it, I fell straight to the ground, butt-first. Rubbing my bottom, I slowly stood up.

Dammit! Why can't I get it? Flying should be simpler than this. I considered using the Wind to help me float, but deep inside, I knew that would be cheating. Damn technicalities.

Chapter 29: The Show of the Century (Part 1)

Having been lectured by Genrou (Tasuki) some time before about needed another means to protect herself using other means than just magic, Aki thought what better than to learn how to use the kunai that Hotohori gave her properly? Of course, her incredible inability to use normal physical means to defend herself made itself known when she pretty much failed at sparring with Genrou.

He chuckled, bearing his fangs, avoiding yet another one of my swings. "Yeah…fer some reason, I don't think that that will be much of an issue." As much as I didn't want to admit it, he had me outmatched. I jumped and stumbled along in my attempts to get a blow on him (not a real one mind you. We weren't trying to kill each other…this time). Assuming from his swift movements and ability to predict my every move, I was clearly a novice…and it was embarrassing. Here was the girl who could dish out badass spells, but couldn't wield a weapon well enough to even tap an opponent with it. Talk about a stab to the ego.

Gripping on tight to the handle, I launch my arm out straight for his chest, thinking that I finally had him pinned. Without any effort, he shifted to the side and swing the bottom half of the golden staff at my legs. In a sudden sweep, my feet involuntarily lifted off the ground, falling me straight on my back.

"Dammit…"

Growling a bit, I spoke through somewhat clenched teeth. No one wants to have their blunders be shown in front of their friends. I was so not into bloopers. Okay you stupid machine… "Show the clips that make me look at least somewhat competent. Sheesh!" Sure, training was important and all, but I wanted results!

Clip-Set #10—"I am a Master Sorceress!"

Through about a year of training, Aki had moved up the ranks as a magic user. She went from using a wand to going without. From walking on the ground to soaring in the sky. From beginning as a Witchling who was completely foreign to magic and its uses, to a Master Sorceress who, although a bit too confident in her magic, could cast badass spells—able to stand her own ground and protect those who were important to her.

"Saisu!"From the wand shot out a crescent shaped blast of wind emitting light energy. Hitting right on target, the demon was sliced in half horizontally with its two halves dropping to the ground like rocks. "Alright!"

…

"Come out you stupid things." I taunted. "I am not in a good mood and I don't really feel like waiting this out." Hearing a faint crack, I looked up at the ice arch. Water suddenly broke free, sending a hydro pump of shadow creatures heading straight for me once again. Knowing that freezing it would probably delay the inevitable, I decided on a different route. "Deep Submerge!" A beam of bright blue light shot out of my wand and through the water—completely de-possessed it, causing the water to grab the creatures, slamming them straight to the ground.

…

"Hotohori, Nuriko! Leave the ones you are fighting and come over to me—quickly!" Immediately after hearing the order, the two jumped away from their assassins and to both of my sides. Not allowing my magic high to disperse, I called on the power of ice once more as the remaining four girls charged at us. "Holy Wind, Wind which flows gently across the land, let all things be filled with your pure breath!"The temperature in the room dropped as the spell persisted."Van Rehl!"In the middle of the room, ice began to form into a giant spider web consisting of extremely thin strands of ice. The girls didn't have enough time to avoid it, so they all ran straight into the web—each getting stuck once their bodies froze from hitting it.

…

"Woman! As plain as you are, you will be ours!"

…Plain…? Plain? PLAIN? Lifting my hands over my head and directing the dark ring, I began to gather intense energy—red lighting forming in my palms. My bad day ends here. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows. I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand—before the mighty gifts bestowed to my unworthy hands. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" A large sphere of intense red and black energy collected in my hands—the trees all around rustled from the atmospheric disturbance. Aiming at the cliff hideout, I finished the spell, "Dragon Slave!"

…

"Chichiri! Either duck or get out of the way!" With that, he nodded and instantly teleported to some place that I didn't have the time to focus on. Seeing that he was out of the way, the snakes now knew our positioning, so they came slithering our way. Knowing that I didn't have a whole bunch of time, I slid off of Genrou and concentrated my energy into a spell. "Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright. East winds that blow, have you as their source into my hands. Ignite all their force!"Five arrows made up of a bright orange energy manifested in the air in front of me, giving off waves of heat. Pointing to the quickly approaching serpents, I completed the spell, "Flare Arrow!"They instantly shot off like heat-seeking missiles locked onto their target, showing no mercy when they struck. Just as the attack hit spot-on, the monsters were immediately disintegrated.

…

Chichiri then shouted out. "Aki, if you're going to do something, do it now!"

With a sudden burst of energy, I stretched my arms out wide, and then yelled at my enemies, "Back off! Gigano Saisu!" Swiftly bringing my arms towards each other and crossing them like scissors, a larger, orange-tinted version of the Wind-blast crescent-shaped attack shot out and attacked the monsters head-on, knocking them all clear across the cave and into the wall of the other side. I didn't give them a chance to recover since another spell came to mind. "Wind that blows across eternity, gather in my hands and become my strength!" Like I know it always will be…Emulating a cross-bow, a powerful collection of Wind gathered around my arm and manifested as a single arrow, the tip followed the contour of my arm. Finishing the spell, I yelled, "Bram Gush!" Releasing the arrow, it flew straight towards the already wounded creatures with incredible speed. The moment it reached them, it burst open on contact, shredding all of them to pieces.

…

"They'll never get the chance." Feeling the power of Fire and Earth combine in my overall flow of energy, I casted a spell as my hands extended downward, palms straight to the ground. "Infinite Earth, mother who nurtures all life, let thy power gather in my hand."The temperature of the tent practically sky-rocketed up what seemed like one hundred degrees (probably more—I don't study the way atmospheric temperature works), making just standing around and being there extremely uncomfortable. With sweat running down the sides of my face, I hurried through the rest of the spell. "Vlave Howl!"The ground under us instantly transformed into a pool of searing magma. And with a bunch of magma came a bunch of creepy clowns being tormented and melting away almost reminding me of Alka-Seltzer tablets slowly dissolving in water. Yup, if you want to get rid of things all at once, this was the way to do it. I didn't quite get the satisfying screams of agony that I wanted, but at least we were being rid of those pests.

Huh…I really have been through a lot. I've went to so many places, learned new spells and abilities, met so many people…I've done things that I could only dream of as a child.

It's been one crazy year.

"Hey, you know what that reminds me of?" Nuriko was referring to the final batch of clips that were just shown. He smirked while his pink eyes trailed over to me. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Naturally, I glared at him for bringing that back.

Somehow ending up back in the clutches of Miaka and Mitsukuni, Kyo managed to find about ten seconds of peace to acknowledge Nuriko's observation. "You're talking about Aki's love for Buffy? You guys just found out about that? I thought it was obvious." I was at a loss for words. Really? There was no way that it was that obvious. No one suspected before…

Dark grinned. "Well of course it's obvious. Buffy is tough and sexy, Aki is tough and sexy—makes total sense." That comment stimulated the blood vessels under the skin, sending a rush of heat to be spread all over my face. Me…sexy? That's stretching it a bit…

"Then it's decided! Aki will begin starring in a new show called 'Aki the Vampire Slayer'." Tamahome announced—dollar signs in his eyes. "We're sitting on a gold-mind here people! A show with our girl slaying vampires!" Oh. My. Gosh. We are so not talking about this.

"I'm on it." Flipping out his cell-phone and dialing some number, Kyouya, for the first time of this gathering, agreed with Tamahome. Was this a new business partnership? They are seriously talking about this…ugh…

Getting into the groove, Kaoru and Hikaru figured that they could have some fun with this. Both of them raised their hands with a rather amused attitude. "We'll be the vampires who have an affair with Aki!"

"Mori-senpai could be our evil vampire boss who turns good in the end!" This is so stupid!

Leaping into the picture, Tamaki joined in. "Any handsome boss/king role would be a perfect part for me to play."

"Ahem," Hotohori retorted him, "I believe that those roles rightfully belong to me. After all, I am an emperor~" Do I get a say in any of this?

"This sounds like fun!" Miaka squealed excitedly. "I'll be Aki-nee-chan's sidekick! And…" She held up Kyo. "I'll add in an extra anime element by bringing in a talking cat partner for her!" POOF! In a big release of smoke, Miaka was forced to release Kyo as he transformed back into a human. Oh crap! Smoke clearing, I made sure that I learned from my first mistake when I first met the Sohma's.

I ran over to the two other girls and turned them around, shouting out, "Haruhi! Miaka! Shield your eyes!" Protect your innocence!

Shokyoku: 5 minutes later~

Taking the five minutes out for Kyo to get dressed did not stop everyone from their idiotic delusion of making a new vampire slayer series.

Next up was Mitsukuni and his contribution. "Tasu-chan and Inu-chan should be the werewolves! That would be awesome!" I disagree. But what does my opinion matter?

Blowing a kiss to the audience, Nuriko threw himself in. "I can be the smart, attractive woman who gives out helpful advice!"

"Yeah…" Tasuki bluntly responded to Nuriko's idea. "Yer not a woman…" Without even giving him a chance, Nuriko ran up and punched him so hard that we didn't even see him flying. It wasn't until a third impression of the bandit was left on that wall on the opposite side of the room that we realized just how fast and hard Nuriko impaled him. Once the guy peeled off of the wall, he fell to the ground, body twitching from the pain.

Ignoring the travesty that was just committed, Dark reached out for my chin and gently lifted it up. "This sounds like fun. Maybe I can be Aki's love interest." It has to be unhealthy to blush this much! Damn his hotness and damn hormones. "We'll have to practice our kissing scenes over and over—" N-N-Nani?

"PICK ANOTHER ROLE!" Tasuki and Hikaru demanded him.

This topic somehow blew way out of proportion. The entire room was honestly in a buzz about this whole thing. These people were insane…but they were all having fun. They are all so different people yet they were brought together and are now finding common ground…with a brainless idea I may add, but they don't seem to mind. So many smiles and happiness…so much going on, never a dull moment.

I laughed.

Ceasing their antics, everyone watched me as if I were a spectacle surrounded in neon lights. "You guys are too much!" They're all so weird…but entertaining…and sweet. They're my friends. "I got to meet you all in this past year, the first full-year of Love Hurts 5 Ways…hmm…" Yeah, I was a little freaked out with what the universe would bring in the future…but…I don't know, maybe it was the weirdo in me, but I was a little excited. "Let's not ever forget what happened this first year…but…let's all promise to make the next one even better. No matter what challenges we face, no matter who comes and goes, let's all keep going…and promise to meet again." Everyone exchanged smiles at this and nodded in agreement. So it's a promise…

Shokyoku: Well, that's that. The party has entered its final stage. *breathes sigh of relief* Finally.

Aki: Hold up Shokyoku. There's still one more thing we have to do…

Shokyoku: *hugs Aki* Oh Aki! I missed being with you! Having to be around those idiotic monkeys was beginning to be too much for me! I almost cracked! You are so admirable for being able to endure that type of torture.

Aki: O…kay…a bit over dramatic, but…okay.

Anyway…

Thanks for reading Love Hurts 5 Ways and following my story. It's because of all of you that this 1st anniversary is possible. It's because of you that my story can keep on going—that I can keep going for my wish.

Shokyoku: Of course, there's still a long way to go.

Aki: *sighs* Unfortunately, but, that's the way things go I suppose.

Here are the special fan questions: What was your favorite moment from the past year? And what are you looking forward to in the year to come? Feel free to write them down and amuse us with your hypotheses.

Well…Here's to another year!

Until the next time!

The Entire Cast of Love Hurts 5 Ways: C YA!

This chapter featured songs: "You're the Reason" by Victoria Justice, "Magical" by Selena Gomez, and "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera

EDIT 5/26/15

the part with Aki singing "Reflection" was actually edited out of the original chapter it was from. So...it never happened lol. Just ignore that. Read below and you'll see that a bunch of stuff needs to be edited throughout this story.

In the official version, there is a good chance that these anniversary chapters won't exist anymore...due to so many changes being made in the official (such as Aki's character changing so she's considered to be OOC in these anniversary chapters now...oh well! It was fun to write it back then XD )

-Aloe

Having said that, if you choose to continue on reading, I hope you enjoy the Beta version and look forward to the official!