Sorry, it's been while since I have been writing. Please R&R.

Chapter 7

"Yes?" The group exclaimed loudly at her.

"I have to show you. It is going to be hard to explain out loud," Sakura said and got her coat. "I might as well show you."

The Host Club seemed confused but yet they followed her. As they walked down the street, dark clouds thundered in the sky, the wind gently swayed the green tree leaves. They passed various buildings and people, and occasionally Sakura had to drag one of the club members away from the innocent bystanders.

"Why couldn't we drive?" Kakashi complained, stretching his arms up high.

"Yeah, this is as stupid as riding a bike," Takashi said from behind Kakashi.

"You are both lazy," said Toga walking behind them, earning him a glare from both brothers. "You guys have never gone out, despite Dad's warnings."

"Where are we going, Sakura?" Ichigo asked Sakura, who was leading the way quickly. "I hope it isn't a waste of valuable time."

Sakura grumbled at his words. "It isn't."

The streets were starting to grow dark; ruins of houses started to line the street, each telling a story of despair and darkness. With no end to the darkness in sight, the Host Club was starting to feel scared slightly while Sakura felt at peace in the darkness.

"Who are we going to anyway?" Kakashi asked, not fazed by the surroundings.

"Yeah, is it far?" Takashi said, clinging on to Kakashi's left arm.

"I'm scared," Toga said, clinging on to Kakashi's right arm.

"He's an old friend of mine," Sakura replied, as she lead them down an alleyway.

Raiko looked around and said in a low voice: "I recognize this place. I wonder whether you are going where I'm thinking of?" Kazuya looked at Raiko,shook his head and sighed loudly. "Shut up!" Raiko said grumpily. "Just because you're older than me does not mean you have any right over me!"

"Will you both just zip it?" Sakura hushed them sharply; she stopped and looked at them. "It's bad enough they like to rhyme with each other," Sakura said, pointing to the triplets who shrugged their shoulders in unison.

"It's our manly charm that's making her act this way," Kakashi smiled at her.

"We are the way we are," Takashi rested his head on Kakashi's left shoulder.

"She sounds like our mother," Toga said, resting his head on Takashi's left shoulder.

"Where are you taking us?" Ichigo asked Sakura.

"It's right here," she replied and pointed to an old shabby house. The Host Club opened their mouths in shock.

It was an old house with broken windows and no door. It was painted black once, but most of the color was now peeling off. The veranda had an old rocking chair with a teddy bear laying just across from it, broken as well. The path leading up to the house was surrounded by roses with sharp thorns, and long vines were dangling from the roof. There was lots of junk in the front garden: old tires, mashed up car parts, trash, and various other things. There was a sign on the roof which gave them the creeps.

"Why so dark?" Kakashi whispered in Sakura's right ear.

"Yeah, this whole place gives me the creeps," Takashi whispered in Sakura's left ear. Toga looked around in complete silence.

"He doesn't like visitors or non-customers, so he bought all the houses on the block and ruined them all, giving off the impression of a dark neighborhood," Sakura casually told them.

"I knew it," Raiko muttered, running his hand through his hair and shaking his head. "This is the place

"That is quite clever… In a creepy kind of way," Ichigo said curiously. "You say he is a good manager?"

Rukia and Moka pointed at a flea-ridden black rat. "Ew! Disgusting!"

"He has been running this place for a while now and is always interested in other work," Sakura said as she led them up the path. When they got to the front door, she rang the door bell. It was a loud ringing followed by a shrill of laughter – the door flew open.

"Come in, come in. Just remember you might not come out!" A ghostly voice cut through the air.

The Host Club cautiously followed Sakura. The interior sent shivers down everyone's spine: there were jars of various things lined up on shelves, stocked to the roof. A skeleton was tied to a pole and was hanging by the head near an entrance. There were posters of human anatomy plastered all over the walls, and coffins in various shapes and sizes.

The Host Club looked around in shock. "You want this guy to be our manager?" The two girls exclaimed loudly.

"What wrong with me coffins?" The voice said from behind them, thick with some sort of accent that was hard to tell. The Host Club turned around to find a man with golden eyes and black pupils, like snake eyes.

Rukia screamed and jumped on Moka; the rest just stared in shock except for Raiko, Ichigo, Kakashi and Sakura. The man continued to stare at them and smiled: "Can I finally interest you in one of me coffins today?"

"No. We need you to be the new Club manager." Sakura said with a stern tone.

"Oh… look what we got here," the man said. He was wearing a light brown suit jacket with black pants. "Mr. Raiko Haninozuka. Been a while, has it not? Last time you were here, I fitted…"

"Are you going to listen to Sakura or do I need to make you listen?" Raiko cut off the crazy teenager. "I'm not the one for remembering the past and I'm sure not the one to remember the present so please, do listen, Juniper, the undertaker."

Kakashi, Takashi and Toga looked at Raiko curiously then back to Juniper. Kakashi stood tall with an unsteady expression written on his face. "First solve the riddle, then let us talk!" The man, whose name was Juniper, laughed hysterically.

"We don't have time for riddles," Rukia said to him.

"I'm about to begin," Juniper began, "I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?"

Raiko thought to himself.

"That's impossible to figure out!" Kakashi exclaimed loudly. "What can be that?"

"Yeah," Takashi agreed.

"Why are we out of time again," said Toga.

Sakura thought but none of it made sense.

"Wait a minute," Raiko said, walking up to the man. "It is the future!"

Juniper grumbled crankily, one of the glasses breaking as he stared at the younger looking teen with darkness. "How did you know?"

"The future will always to be but never will come officially, no one can see the future and never will. It is confidence of humanity that there is a future," Raiko smiled at the man. "That riddle was no harder than your last one, so start listening."

"Will you be our new manager?" Ichigo asked from a desk in the room. He was on his laptop, writing something. "It's either that or whoever miss Renge chooses for us."

"What is this host club you speak of?"

"The host club entertains ladies and gentleman who have too much time on their hands with other gentlemen and ladies who also have too much time on their hands," Kakashi told Juniper.

Juniper thought for a moment. "I shall be your manager as long as you each choose one of me coffins. Also, I get to move my parlour to your high school and wreck it a bit. I know how to manage anything."

"Fine…" Ichigo said as he typed a message. "We have found ourselves a new manager, even though he is a creep."

"Can't be more of a moron than the boss," Kakashi pointed at Juniper.

"Looks like we get the creep," Takashi said, pointing on the other side.

"Yay, can I get a coffin?" Toga asked Juniper. Kakshi and Takashi knocked Toga over the head, causing Toga to fall to the ground and sulk loudly.

"You are a fool, Toga," Kakashi sighed as he picked up Toga then hauled him over his shoulder.

"A real idiot," Takashi groaned as he followed Kakashi.

The host club walked out and Juniper waved them goodbye. "I'll start first thing in the morning."

A week later at the Host Club

"Can I interest you in one of me coffins?" Juniper asked some lady who was sitting at a table.

"Um… no sir," she politely refused his offer.

"A pretty lady like you deserves a good coffin," Juniper stroked her hair. "Here is my card if you ever change your mind." The woman blushed and took the card gently, Juniper bowed as he smiled to her then took off to meet the next lady. The rest of the club looked over in complete horror.

"Why did you employ this guy?" Kaito and Annette said in unified shock.

"You weren't here," Ichigo said in a menacing tone. "It was the best we could do."

"An undertaker is the best we could do?" Annette glared at him.

"Well he knew…" Kakashi began.

"...Raiko and Sakura…" Takashi continued.

"...And they liked him," Toga finished.

"So we thought why not?" The triplets shrugged.

"Rukia got so scared," Moka laughed at Rukia.

"Be quiet!" Rukia snapped at her friend

Another day at the Host Club, Sakura thought. She noticed Raiko sitting by a window, a single tear running down his cheek.

"You alright?" Sakura asked him as she walked up.

"Yeah I'm fine," Raiko said looking out the window. "It's nice isn't it?"

"Yeah," Sakura smiled as she followed his gaze. Then she stuck out her fist. Raiko looked at it for a moment and laughed. "Another Host Club job done!" He said as he fistbumped her.

"What a great start to a new year," they laughed together. Raiko stood up and left to join Kazuya. Sakura looked at him for a second and shook her head. She ran to greet the other hosts.

End of Chapter

Please R&R