A Drizzle of Honey Chapter 5
Author's note:
As always I love and appreciate every single one of my readers and reviewers. Thank you so much for your critiques and support. I have used some more MMA terms so the asterixed words have definitions at the end of the story. Enjoy!
That evening, Edie called Demi in a panic. "I mean crap, I spend one day in Japan and already piss off one of the most influential families in the country. What is my dysfunction?"
"Mmm," Demi grunted.
"Well thanks Demi, but I totally am dysfunctional. I may have totally blown Dad's chances to expand the business," Edie ran fretful fingers through her hair, still wet from the night's bath.
"Mmmm."
"I know Dad won't be mad at me. Though he really should be, Demi."
"Mmmm."
"I-I'm just angry at myself. I got mad and messed everything up. I don't know what to do."
"Mmmm."
"What?! No, no way. I cannot apologize to that jerk. You should have been there. You would've totally beaten him up," Edie shrieked.
"Mmmm."
"Okay fine, so you probably wouldn't, but Conor and Anthony so would have."
"Mmmm."
"Jeesh alright lay off already. I know you're right…I just don't want to admit it yet," Edie finished in a soft voice.
"I love you Eeds," Demi comforted.
Edie sighed, "I love you too Demi, even if you don't always tell me what I want to hear."
The last thing Edie heard before the finishing click on the other line was her brother's rumbling chuckle. She groaned and flopped onto the bed. Tomorrow is going to suck. Edie let sleep claim her so the sounds of isolation could fade into nothingness.
The next morning, Edie rose and strapped herself into some yoga pants and a sporty, zip-up jacket. Fifteen minutes later, she was well into her daily five mile run. Moving to Japan had caused her to miss a few days and she was glad to return to a structured routine.
Back in the United States, Edie ran the mountainous trails that surrounded her Coloradan home, but here the manor was large enough that she could run all five miles without even stepping foot off of the estate. They had a freaking river running in between the buildings. Despite the tropical atmosphere at the Host Club yesterday, it was still early spring. Edie shivered slightly as she sprinted over an ornate wooden bridge. Her breath fogged before her eyes, so she almost missed the collection of boys wearing black gis* and waiting in front of one of the larger buildings on the estate.
One of the six boys called out to her, "Hey! Hey you! This is private property. You can't just run here."
He was tall for a Japanese man, but his bucktooth and acne spotted skin made him less than desirable. Edie slowed her pace until she could jog in place in front of the boys.
"Sorry for the misunderstanding. My name is Edith Hale. You may or may not be aware, but I'm staying with the Haninozuka's for a year," Edie explained.
Bucky the tall chuckled to his friends, elbowing a few of those unfortunate enough to be standing within range. "You, a Hale? There's no way a pipsqueak such as yourself could be related to the Tyron Hale."
The urge to roll her eyes fell upon Edie, but she suppressed. She got this all the time. Her oldest brother, Tyron was by far the most famous of all the Hale progeny. He currently held the belt for UFC heavyweight champion and had even won bronze in the last Olympics for judo. Weighing in at two hundred sixty-two pounds, Tyron was a bear. The only similarities that Edie and her sibling bore were their pitch-black hair and steely blue irises.
"Well, if you want me to prove it, we could always have a friendly bout," Edie offered.
Bucky looked hesitant, but not intimidated. "I don't fight little girls," he declared.
"Don't worry. I'm a little girl, but I can do pretty big things," Edie smiled sweetly.
"Pound for pound, I pack way more power than you. I'd hate to make you cry," Bucky began to warm to the idea.
"That's okay. I'm a really good sport, even if I lose," Edie hadn't lost a fight since she was thirteen, but she suspected it was still true.
"We're not supposed to go in the dojo until Yasuchika-sempai arrives!" a wispy kid in the back corner blurted out.
"Don't worry. Chika-chan is my buddy. I'll just tell him that I made you let me in. He won't get mad at little ol' me," Edie winked.
Apparently that appeased the worried Haninozuka disciples because five minutes later Bucky and Edie were taped and ready in the center of the training room.
It was an expansive space. Mirrors lined the walls and a mat covered the entire floor of the room. Edie knew there was also a springy subfloor that was standard in most fighting gyms, so she bounced a few times to test the give. Perfect.
"Are you ready?" Edie chirped.
It didn't matter if this was just practice. When Edie fought, she wanted to destroy her opponent. She wanted every battle to be so one-sided that there would be no doubt who was victorious. Bucky didn't know it yet but he was facing down the dragon.
"This is your last chance to back out. I really hate making pretty girls like you cry," Bucky taunted.
"I'm gonna be mad if you go easy on me," Edie warned.
"Don't worry, I don't fight unless I intend to give it my all."
Edie respected that. One of the five spectators, the wispy one, stepped forward. "Bow," he commanded.
Edie and Bucky dipped in mutual respect.
"FIGHT!" Wispy shouted, becoming the unofficial referee.
Edie and Bucky danced around each other. Then, Bucky started launching hefty kicks at Edie; trying to strike the body, sweep the leg. Edie dodged nimbly, eyes calculating, waiting for the essential moment to strike. There! Bucky threw a furious kick directly at Edie's chest. It was the kind of movement with lots of power, but very little control. Edie sidestepped to the left of the kick and used both hands to push upwards on the leg. This allowed her to use all of Bucky's momentum to throw him on the ground, flat on his back. Edie pounced like a spider monkey. She grabbed the color of Bucky's gi and pulled Bucky on top of her, catching his neck in the crook of her right arm. She squeezed hard. Bucky's legs flailed to try and free himself from the chokehold, so Edie pinned those with her own lower extremities. Using her lower body as leverage, Edie cranked Bucky's neck even harder. Finally, Bucky tapped out and Edie quickly released him.
"Edith Hale wins by ippon* with mae hadaka jime*," wispy referee declared.
Edie offered her hand to Bucky to assist him up, which he gladly accepted. He coughed away the discomfort in his trachea. When he'd finished, he bowed deeply to Edie in recognition and Edie returned the honor. When Bucky rose, he rubbed the back of his neck abashed, "Well, you certainly fight like a Hale."
Edie giggled, relieved that Bucky was a good sport. Edie paused when she heard someone clapping behind her. The six boys shrank slightly at the sight of Yasuchika Haninozuka applauding.
"Well fought Miss Hale."
Edie lit up and sped over to her least favorite Haninozuka son, "Chika-chan, did you see me win? Did you?" Edie bounced.
Yasuchika's disciples whispered to each other "Did she just call him Chika-chan to his face? Honey-sempai is the only one who gets away with that."
Yasuchika fired a burning glare their way, which shut them up. Edie remembered her promise, "Chika-chan, no. You shouldn't get mad at these guys. I made them let me into the dojo because I haven't been given a tour yet. They were super nice and I like them," Edie defended.
She reached up to ruffle Yasuchika's impeccably arranged hair, earning more whispers from the peanut gallery. Yasuchika cleared his throat in an attempt to smother the rage that was currently bubbling up his esophagus.
"I apologize for not showing you around sooner," he replied in a pinched manner.
"Silly Chika-chan. You're my little buddy. Buddies don't have to say sorry," Edie informed Yasuchika, who was six inches taller than her, "I gotta go get ready for school though, so I can't stay to play with you."
"What a tragedy," Yasuchika said drolly.
Edie gave a mock salute, "Whip these plebs into shape 'kay? Bye, bye guys."
The troupe wiggled their fingers good bye while Edie practically waltzed out of the building. She was just like Honey-sempai, an amalgam of lethal talent and plushy cuteness.
After prepping for the day, Edie walked her way over to Honey and Mr. Tanaka in considerably brighter spirits. She may have to eat crow with Kyoya today, but at least she got to win a fight and tease the oh-so-serious Yasuchika this morning.
The ride to school was silent, yet Honey kept sneaking peeks at Edie. There was something about her today, and extra glow, a twinkle. She looked as though she was about to burst into song at any minute. This was a standard effect of Edie's after-fight high, but Honey attributed it to the fact that Edie had seen him in action at the host club yesterday. He didn't think Edie loved him yet, he wasn't that naïve, but maybe she at least saw him as more of a man.
Mr. Tanaka pulled the car into the front drive of the school. Just like that, the light exploding from Edie was snuffed. Gloom settled around her head. It was so apparent that Honey even tried to waft it away with his hand. Edie looked at him in depressed confusion.
"Edie-chan, are you okay?" Honey asked tenderly.
He had witnessed Edie snap yesterday and decided he'd rather not have a serving of pint-sized wrath for breakfast, thank you.
"I have to go to your club today after school," Edie settled into a mopey pout.
"Do you really hate it so much?" Honey was crestfallen, "I know you told everyone that you'd see them today, but they'd understand if you never wanted to come back again."
The words nearly killed Honey. He loved Edie (wait did he really just think that?) he really did, but how could she love him when she despised a big part of him. Somewhere along the line, the Host Club became a second family. What if Edie hated his family?
Edie waved her hand to dismiss Honey, "It isn't like that and anyway I do have to go. I just… am not that excited about it."
Honey took little comfort from her response. Even so, he mustered all his courage and slipped his hand into hers, "We'll go together."
It struck both of them how comfortable it was to hold hands with someone that was the same size as you. They had just about reached the classroom when a familiar presence loomed over them. Edie quickly snatched her hand out of Honey's.
"G-good morning Mori-sempai," Edie stammered.
The gentle giant reached down to ruffle Honey's hair in greeting and nod to Edie. Then, the awkward love triangle trotted into the classroom, where they remained until the end of the day.
As the clocks ticked by seconds, minutes, and hours, Edie's foreboding grew by increments. When the final bell tolled, knots of dread twisted and tugged Edie's innards. Even the Honey-Bees noticed. The trio had decided that Edie was an invaluable asset to the Host Club. Her presence made Honey cuter and more affectionate. Still, the dark atmosphere swirling around Edie made approaching the tiniest member of the third-year class intimidating. They decided to draw straws and Ayako lost.
"Hi E-Edie. We could take you with us to the Host Club today. That is if you want," Ayako stammered apprehensively.
"You guys are the best. Though, I have to go early with Honey today. We got serious business," Edie made a playful peace sign in front of her face to hide the shadows that never left her eyes.
Ayako breathed a sigh of relief and booked her hasty retreat back to Chizuko and Kimiko. Edie shoved her books back into the buttercup yellow bag. She was about to sling it over her shoulder when Mori lifted it out of her fingers.
"M-Mori-sempai, you don't have…" Edie began until Mori turned and walked out of the classroom without a word.
"Thanks sempai," Edie said softly.
Honey grabbed her by the shoulders and shuttled Edie out of the door. Once they were well into the hall, Honey grabbed Edie's hand again. She withdrew hers hastily, not wanting Mori to get the wrong idea. Honey looked at her puzzled and reclaimed her hand. She tried to remove it once more, but Honey only squeezed her hand harder, refusing to relinquish his treasure. Honey set his jaw stubbornly. Edie eyed him. That was pretty aggressive for a loli-shota. What was with him today?
"Tell me what's wrong Edie-chan. I can help. Takashi will help too," Honey offered.
Edie waited, but Honey was her best friend in Japan. If she couldn't confide in him, then who could she?
"I just, I have to apologize to Kyo-chan and I really, really don't want to," Edie sighed.
"That's it?" Honey laughed in relief, "I thought you hated everyone in the Host Club. What are you even apologizing for?"
"I told you this morning it wasn't like that," Edie pouted, not enjoying being laughed at when she already had to lower her pride.
"Come on, tell me please," Honey begged.
Mori was walking in front of the pair, but even he had to grin at Honey's cajoling tone, Edie didn't even have a chance.
"Okay, okay!" Edie chortled, "You saw yesterday. I was kind of mean to Kyo-chan and I should say sorry."
Kind of mean? To Honey she was a roaring lion laying claim to her territory. Kyoya had been out of line though. He thought about it while they turned left down a corridor.
"So, if you say sorry, does that mean you're gonna become a host?" Honey asked, hope in his heart.
"No way," Honey's face fell," No offense Honey, but I'm not cut out to be a host."
It was Honey's turn to pout, but luckily they reached the music room before he could really muster up a proper snit.
Mercifully, the welcoming committee had not been assembled yet. Edie was spared from another blinding pose as Kyoya and Tamaki were the only two in the room.
"My little princess!" Tamaki called when he caught sight of Edie.
The blonde bounded towards Edie. The only difference between him and a golden retriever was the tail. Edie found herself being swung off the ground by her armpits and spinning in dizzying circles. She giggled until the motion sickness kicked in. "Mori-sempai!" she begged for aid.
However it was Honey who rescued her. "Put Edie DOWN." Honey ordered, a dangerous glare flashing in his caramel irises.
Tamaki still had bruises from yesterday. He placed Edie back on the floor hastily to avoid another assault. She thanked Honey, but was confused. Since when was the little cutie so forceful? For the second time today Honey had behaved much more manly than usual.
Kyoya stood and stalked towards Edie, "I am afraid you caught us during prep, Miss Hale. All non-hosts need to wait outside until we open."
Edie suppressed the urge to growl. Tamaki saved her. "Now Kyoya, you mustn't be petty. Edie is more than our average guest," he pointed out while attempting to massage Kyoya's shoulders.
Kyoya stepped out of Tamaki's rubbing fingers. "Be that as it may, she still insisted to remain a guest and therefore is not welcome during our prep time. This is your rule Tamaki," Kyoya said icily. "Should she agree to be a host she could stay, but until then…."
"You're right," Edie cut in, "I am just a guest, so I'll leave in just a minute. Kyo-chan, we need to talk."
"There's nothing you could say to Kyoya that I couldn't also hear," Tamaki interrupted, hoping to spare Edie from Kyoya's wrath.
Kyoya cut Tamaki a sharp look to warn him not to interfere. "Alright Miss Hale, follow me to the prep room."
Honey watched her leave and sent as much support as his love-struck heart could manage. Haruhi and the twins entered the clubroom just in time to see the door shut on Kyoya and Edie.
"What is that all about?" Kaoru wondered.
Tamaki crossed his arms, serious for once; "Edie has decided to take on Kyoya on her own."
"Sick! Clash of the titans right Haruhi?" Hikaru said.
Haruhi already thought that Kyoya was one of scariest people she'd ever met, but watching the altercation between him and Edie had made Haruhi terrified of Edie as well.
"Wait what are you two doing?" Haruhi asked the twins.
"Are you kidding me?" Kaoru said as he pressed his ear to the prep room door.
"We wouldn't miss this for the world." Hikaru added as he joined his brother.
Within the confines of the prep room Kyoya leaned his narrow hips against the marble countertop running along the wall. His long legs extended before him. Kyoya was the picture of relaxed elegance.
"So Miss Hale, what is it that you wish to discuss?" Kyoya began.
"About yesterday, I…I…" Edie started the apology, but was choking around the words.
She growled in frustration. Kyoya wasn't helping, "I'm very busy Miss Hale, if you have nothing to say then…"
"I'm sorry!" Edie practically spat.
As far as apologies go, it didn't seem very sincere, but Kyoya had no use for sincerity. He said nothing and waited until Edie could finish.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you in front of your friends yesterday. I don't like feeling cornered and I tend to lash out," Edie grumbled.
"Much like a small animal?" Kyoya offered.
Edie fired a venomous glare in his direction, but Kyoya raised his hands in surrender. He walked calmly over to the door and opened it suddenly. Hikaru, Kauro, and Tamaki all tumbled into the prep room, looking a shame-filled, rumpled pile of mess.
"Oh, you two were still in here. Amazing," Tamaki feigned unconvincingly.
"There is only one exit for this room, so you were well aware of where we were," Kyoya chastised.
Edie was blushing from head to toe. Did they hear everything? Hikaru and Kaoru were trying their best to appear apologetic, but the smirks and smothered chuckling eroded their honesty.
"What are you going to do now?" Kyoya asked the huddled mass on the floor.
"Prep for the club," they mournfully responded.
"Good," Kyoya said as he closed the door once more. He turned back to Edie, "I apologize as well. I am unaccustomed to being rejected. In the heat of the moment I suppose things got out of hand."
Edie stood dumbfounded, "So you make me apologize when everyone can hear, but you get to say sorry in privacy? No fair."
"The privilege of the informed, Miss Hale," Kyoya returned to his spot at the counter.
"Fine, whatever. So are we cool now?"
"Are you willing to be a host now?" Kyoya asked.
"Nope."
Kyoya pondered this. "That is disappointing. Alright Miss Hale, for now we have a truce, but be aware that by the end of next week you will be working as a host."
Edie snorted, "You can try Kyo-chan. It isn't going to happen, but you can try."
Kyoya smiled knowingly, not even bothering to retort. He placed a hand on Edie's back and chauffeured her out of the prep room. Much to Edie's relief, the Host Club didn't have any fanciful themes today. She spent the greater part of the hosting hours at Honey's table enjoying tea and petit fours and laughing with Honey and his fans. They begged her to regale them with stories of life in the United States and she rewarded them with some of her more interesting anecdotes.
Kyoya kept vigilant watch over his flock, like every other day. Despite the fact that Tamaki was not happy about it, Haruhi was making excellent progress in her dance lessons with Kanako Kasaguzaki. The twins were up to their usual antics teasing their guests and caressing each other. Out of the whole bunch, Kyoya was most fascinated by Edie Hale. She behaved like a charming child. Every guest and the hosts doted on her with glee, but Kyoya knew better. Yesterday he had seen the fighter behind the friend. Edie was passion and fury, manipulation and enchantment. She may be playing the little girl, but Kyoya didn't mind. He respected the way she used her appearance to get what she needed. Now Kyoya had to get Edie to use her appearance to get what he needed. He had the perfect plan.
*gis: This is the plural of gi, a martial arts uniform commonly used for karate, judo, and other easter asian forms of combat.
*ippon: This is the highest score a fighter can receive in judo. It is awarded when fights are won by submission
*mae hadaka jime: This is a front naked choke. Commonly referred to as the guillotine. In the story I sort of explained what it looks like, but if you google it, you can find some great pictures of how it should be executed.