Everyone followed Kyo-niichan's finger to Arata and Arata just stared back at us. The room was filled with tension and from the looks on some of the hosts their faces, I seriously thought they would attack my bodyguard so I tried to lighten up the mood a bit. I looked around.
"Kyo-niichan, you and the others are the only gentlemen I see here…" I said, playing dumb (yoyowezy, I hope you don't mind that I used your idea, I just really loved it and couldn't help myself ). My niichans just looked at me and Kyo-niichan sighed, it didn't really seem to had any effect.
I was a bit hurt that they didn't laughed at my try to humor them but then I heard Arata snicker and burst into laughter. Well, at least someone could appreciate my efforts. When Arata stopped laughing, which took quite a while, he looked daring at Kyo-niichan. "I won't talk."
"Then we'll make you talk." Mitsu-niichan answered and even though his cute appearance, he sounded really menacing. Arata looked at him and smiled arrogantly.
"I still wouldn't talk."
"You…" Mitsu-niichan started.
"Mitsu-nii." I interrupted him. I walked to Arata and kneeled down. "You work for my aunt, don't you?" I asked. I saw a bit surprise flash through his eyes. He let his head hang and smiled. For a while it seemed like he was thinking really hard and then sighed.
"I do…" he confessed and I heard some enraged noises coming from behind me.
"But it's not the aunt you are talking about that I work for."
"Huh? I have another aunt?" I asked dumbfounded.
Arata rolled his eyes. "The lady you see on television isn't the real Princess Aneko."
"How's that possible?!" Kyo-niichan asked confused. Before Arata could answer Kaoru and Hikaru started talking.
"It's a pity that he's already talking." Kaoru-niichan commented.
"Yeah, it would have been more fun to force it out of him." Hika-niichan added. We all shot them an irritated glare and they shut up.
Fortunately, Arata didn't stop explaining. "Simple, it's all Akito's scheme."
"Akito's?" I repeated.
"Yes, that o-so-pitiful nephew of you is actually the real villain." He said. I frowned. Is he trying to make Akito look bad so that he can save himself… or is he actually telling me the truth?
"So you're saying my aunt on television isn't my real aunt and you don't work for this fake aunt but for my real aunt?" I tried to summarize.
"Yes."
"Even if Akito and this fake aunt are the villains, my real aunt still ordered you to kill me, didn't she?" I asked, Arata averted his eyes.
"It's not like I wanted to…" he muttered.
"Tch!" Hika-niichan snapped. "As if we'd belief that!"
"Let him talk, Hikaru." Tama-niichan said and bent down next to me. "If you didn't want to kill her, why didn't you just quit?" he asked.
Arata shrugged. "I'm indebted to Aneko-sama, I won't be able to repay her in my whole life." He explained. "She took me in when my father was killed after Haruhi-sama and her mother escaped the castle."
"If the Aneko on television isn't the real princess, where is the real one hiding?" Mitsu-niichan asked.
"Akito hid her in some mansion at the border of the country."
"Why doesn't she defy her son?" Kao-niichan asked.
"She can't, her life would be in danger if she would do that openly so she works from behind the curtains."
"That doesn't explain why she wants me dead." I said.
Arata sighed. "Calm down a bit, everyone. I'll explain what I can but don't throw random questions at me."
"You aren't really in the position to request something like that." Tama-niichan said. Arata smiled sadly but didn't comment on Tama-niichan's remark.
He met my eyes and started explaining again. "Actually she doesn't want to kill you, she would love to her niece again but she believes you are a danger to the country."
"I am a danger?!" I repeated dumbfounded and Tama-niichan frowned.
"Akito wants you to make your identity public, right?"
I nodded.
"He plans to kill you after your introduction to the press." Arata explained.
"How does that benefits him?" Kyo-niichan asked.
Arata sighed again, clearly annoyed. "Could you guys please stop interrupting me?"
"Sorry." All seven of us said in unison.
"As long as it's not proved that you are really dead, Akito can't become King since there will always be people that support you and they will keep postponing his coronation until you or your body is found." He explained. "So Akito wants you to make yourself known so that when you die in a so-called accident, there won't be any excuses for others anymore to oppose his coronation."
I and the other hosts stayed silent after that explanation. "You can untie him." I said after some time to Taka-niichan.
"Haruhi!" Tama-niichan called my name. "He might be lying."
"I don't think he is." I locked eyes with my bodyguard. "Even more, he'll make an useful ally in case he isn't lying." Arata looked surprised at me.
"What… What are you planning?"
I smiled ominous and my eye twitched in anger. "Right now, I'm actually really pissed. Akito lied to me, used me and deceived me, so did you but we'll ignore that fact for now." I said, Arata laughed sheepishly. "I want my revenge."
"For your parents?" he asked.
"Partly." I crossed my arms. "Do you think you can make my aunt join my forces?"
He smiled and nodded. "I think I can."
"What else can you tell us about Akito and that fake Aneko?" Kyo-niichan asked.
Arata shook his head. "I can't tell you anything more, I'll need permission form Aneko-sama to talk about this."
"Then why did you tell us all the other stuff?" Kao-niichan asked.
Arata's eyes shifted to me and he quickly averted them when our eyes met. "It was probably… an apology." He muttered, only loud enough for me and Tama-niichan to hear.
Kao-niichan frowned but didn't ask further. I sighed and stood up.
"If you need permission, go ask for it." I said.
"You're letting me go?" Arata asked surprised.
"Can't you just call her or something?" Hika-niichan asked him.
Arata shook his head. "Aneko-sama doesn't like to use cellphones or telephones, there's always a chance that were being traced."
"I guess we don't have another choice then." I said. "If you're not lying, you'll come back, right?"
"Of course!" Arata stood up. "I'll be back tomorrow night."
Everyone watched him leave and no one said something before Arata closed the door behind him.
"Are you sure about this?" Kao-niichan asked and I nodded.
Kyo-niichan clapped his hands. "All right, while we wait for that little spy, let us also do some homework."
"But we don't any homework today, Kyoya." Tama-niichan said and Kyo-niichan sighed.
"He meant that…" Hika-niichan started.
"We should look up on Aneko, Akito and that Arata guy." Kao-niichan ended their sentence. Kyo-niichan took his computer on his lap.
"We'll help you, Kyoya-senpai." The twin said and walked over to him. Mitsu-niichan tucked Taka-niichan sleeve and looked up at him with begging eyes. "Can I have some cake?"
Taka-niichan nodded and Tama-niichan and I joined the two other hosts. Taka-niichan gave me a strawberry cheesecake and I smiled grateful at him. I took a bite and melted. I don't like admitting it but cakes bought from expensive patisseries were way better than from the supermarket.
Tama-niichan got a chocolate cake and attacked it without holding back, he must have been really hungry.
Taka-niichan gave his strawberries to me.
"Haru-chan, you got cream on you cheek." Mitsu-niichan said, I wanted to wipe it away but Mitsu-niichan leaned forward – standing right up his chair – and reached out. His nose almost touched mine, he took the cream away with his finger and putted it in his mouth. He smiled brightly. "Sweet!"
"Mitsukuni.." Taka-niichan called his small friend. Mitsu-niichan giggled.
"Are you jealous, Takashi?"
"I don't think Taka-niichan would want you to wipe the cream off his face." I said to Mitsu-niichan. Though the reverse, Taka-niichan wiping off Mitsu-niichan's face, happened quite often.
Mitsu-niichan smiled sweetly at me. "That's not what I meant." He said, puzzling me.
I caught Tama-niichan looking at me so I turned to him and our eyes crossed. The prince of our host club turned red.
"Are you mad at me, Tamaki-senpai?" I asked. "For not telling you?"
"Uh… I…" Tama-niichan sighed, studied my face and smiled. "No, I'm not angry at you."
I smiled relieved. "Thank goodness… Then can I call you Tama-nii?"
He turned as red as a rose.
"T-Tama-nii?" he repeated.
"Yes, it doesn't matter how I call you, right?"
"I don't mind but I'm your father…" he said, his ears still red.
"Then why don't you become my brother?" I asked.
"Brother?"
"Yes, I already have a dad, but no brothers, so won't you become my niichan again?" I said.
He smiled brightly and imaginary flowers popped up around his head. "Then Kyoya will become your sister!" he said excited.
"Y-yeah, something like that…" I laughed it off.
We're almost at the climax of the story! I hope Arata's explanation was clear enough ^_^