well i thought i was about time i updated this one :D gomen ne for the short chap but i promise the next will be up as soon as possible so july/august at the latest :D enjoy

The next morning, Kyouya awoke, readied himself for the day and headed down for breakfast. A certain occupant of the house was not present, sparking a curiosity that he will never admit to. Well, if he waited any longer for her now, they would both be late for school.

Knock. Knock.

"Tsukiko?" Kyouya called. "Tsukiko, we're going to be late!"

"Door's open!" a reply came and he obliged, opening the door and stepping in.

Her room wasn't quite as extravagant as his, her bed wasn't up in a loft like his. Despite the lack of a loft, the room was a decent size, most certainly larger than Haruhi's apartment and there was a lift in the floor where her closet was that you needed to take a few steps up to reach. Though now he noticed the lacking presence of a bed.

He noticed two sets of French double doors at the wall of the lift, one set slightly opened. Curiosity killed the cat as they say, well that did not apply to Kyouya. Gently, he pushed one of the ajar doors open, revealing the perfectly made canopy bed, a dresser, and another door where a light was lit. "You didn't sleep in the library all night, did you?" he called toward the door, where Tsukiko popped her head out.

"Of course not!" she retorted, snapping back into the room she was in. She fixed the top part of her hair that was in a ponytail into a bun, pinning bobby pins and clips in, fastening it with a yellow ribbon Hikaru had given her the day before. "Honoka-san came in and woke me up not long after you did."

"Then I supposed you made your bed this morning?" he inquired skeptically.

"No," she replied, fixing her mascara. "I didn't sleep in my bed so there was no need to make it."

"Then where did you sleep?" She came out of the room, turned off the light and grabbed her bag off the loveseat that was only a few feet from where the Ootori stood.

"The couch." She said, walking out the door.

"The loveseat?" He raise a brow, sure she was tiny but could she really fit lying down on a two seater couch?

"No, The couch where the coffee table is in the little main room thing, by the way, why are all the bedrooms basically apartments? And by apartments I mean small houses? Don't you think it gets a little lonely?"

"Many of our guests are business associates of my father, all mostly wealthy people or people sent by the wealthy and the better we treat them the better reputation my father and his company receives." He explained with slight exasperation. Shouldn't this all be common knowledge? "Are you quite ready yet?"

"Hai!" She said while skipping out into the hall. "C'mon, slowpoke we're gonna be late!"

Kyouya just shook his head and followed. "You realize I was the one who had to get you to hurry, right?"

"Details, details." She waved a hand scurrying down the stairs.

"Your thesis statement is arguably the most important part of any essay you write," their sensei lectured, drawing diagrams and examples on the board to support his lesson. "It raps up everything your essay is about and even the concluding paragraph is like a thesis…"

Tsukiko managed to tune him out as she completed the notes he was writing, as well as the homework she had been given in her math class a period earlier. She hated lectures. They were just so boring! And half the time she already knew everything the teacher was trying to tell her! It was so frustrating.

She just couldn't stand listening to such an uninteresting lecture. The faster she could get to her homework the better. Then she could have more time investigating the type of gala the Watanabe family had been famous for hosting. What sort of dress would Fuyumi suggest she wear?

She barely had anything in her own wardrobe for a formal party, she hoped that when Yoshio said his daughter would help her pick out a dress he didn't mean out of Fuyumi's closet! As much as she loved her, Tsukiko knew that clothing for a five foot four woman would not fit properly on a teenaged girl her size. She be lucky if it didn't fall off!

But, would Yoshio really pay for a new dress? Sure, he was loaded, but he was already paying for her tuition and allowing her to stay at his house. Why go to any further trouble?

"Mizushima-san!" the exclamation broke the girl from her reverie.

"H-hai, sensei?" she replied, with a jump. Actually it looked delayed slightly, as though she forced it to happen…

"Now that I have your attention, would you mind telling me what I had just said?" the man at the chalkboard crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. "You need to learn to keep all of your focus-"

"You said that under no circumstances is one to put any personal pronouns in a thesis statement. However, I was going to raise my hand and ask why you would even have any personal pronouns in your essay in the first place," she recited, her eyes wide and innocent. Completely taking the man off guard.

"W-well, as an answer-" the man stuttered as some snickering and comments were made amongst the students. "Class! That will be enough of that!" he shouted, slamming his ruler on the blackboard behind him, silencing the room.

The sensei went back to his lesson, leaving Tsukiko in the clear to finish the final math problem she had for homework. Onto chemistry.

"Don't forget to study for the test on The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, as well as the history surrounding it. It's tomorrow at the beginning of class."

Onto chemistry.

Today for the enjoyment of the guests, the club dressed as pirates. Even had a model pirate ship and performed skits and gave tours of the ship. It was pretty cool, but Tsukiko knew she wouldn't really be able to get a chance to investigate it until the guests left and she was getting bored. Then she saw the violin sitting in the corner.

"Ay, Kyouya, ye scurvy dog! How's about I play the violin for these landlubbers? I can play some piraty music and entertain the wenches," she smiled as she imitated a pirate's accent.

"I believe a more appropriate term to call our guests would be beauties," Kyouya reprimanded making a note on his clipboard. "As for playing the violin, not today I'd have to talk about it with Tamaki and everyone else."

"Admit it, you just don't want me to play and show you hosts up!" she retorted a smirk on her face and her arms across her chest.

"Not exactly the words I would use, but in essence, yes," he shrugged, heading to some customers to entertain them.

"You're so mean Kyouya-kun!" Tsukiko laughed and fake pouted.

"Are you even supposed to be here anyway? Why don't you hang out in the library?"

"Don't boss me around!" Tsukiko turned to leave the room.

"And where are you going?" Kyouya smirked.

"To the library! But of my own accord!" Kyouya just chuckled.

However, someone wasn't too happy with the confrontation they just witnessed.

"One two three four five six seven, one two three, one two three, toe throw, one two three, turn, perfect Haruhi-chan!" Tsukiko exclaimed as she and Haruhi danced in the boyish girl's apartment

"Thanks!" she replied as they stopped to take a breather. "Are you staying for dinner tonight?"

"No, not tonight I have to leave before eight *1 to meet up with Kyouya's sister," Tsukiko declined, checking her phone. "I don't have much time, want to practice for a little longer and then I'll help you get dinner going."

"Sure."

They danced for another ten minutes then went into the kitchen to start dinner. Buzzing rang in the air over the sound of meat sizzling on the stove. "Looks like Shin's here to pick me up," Tsukiko sighed. "Sorry to just rush out like this."

"No, it's fine," Haruhi chided with a shake of her head. "Besides, I need to get another look at my notes from Sei Shonagon for that test tomorrow."

Tsukiko dropped her phone.

"Crap! I forgot about that test!" she exclaimed. "What am I going to do!"

"You didn't read it?" Haruhi asked, turning the temperature of the stove down to low and poured the sauce on top to simmer.

"Yes I read it, but I wasn't in class when you guys went over the history of the period and of her. I mean, I have the notes, but still…" she was freaking out now. Tsukiko never liked tests, especially when she forgot to study, then again, who really did?

"Go home, eat and study, you'll do fine," Haruhi assured her.

"I hope you're rights, thanks Haruhi-chan."

The evening had been quiet, and Kyouya was grateful for that. His homework was finished and all paperwork for the Host Club's activities were done for the day. Looking at his clock he realized how late it really was. Nearly midnight. He finished all of his work just in time to get a few hours of shuteye before a new day of more work. Great.

"Psst! Kyouya!" came a whisper. Kyouya looked up from his desk in his room to see his sister hovering in the doorway. "How much can you lift?"

"Fuyumi? What are you doing here so late?" Kyouya's brow rose.

"Father wanted me to help Tsukiko find a dress for the gala the Watanabe family is holding on Saturday," she explained with an eye roll as though it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"Hai, I know that, but it's almost midnight, why are you still here or even up for that matter?" Kyouya resisted rolling his eyes as well.

"Quit avoiding my question! How much can you lift?"

"Why?"

"Forty, forty-five kilograms?"

"Why?"

Fuyumi rolled her eyes again, grabbing her brother's arm and dragging him out his door. "Just come on, and try to be quiet!"

"You're the one making noise," he chided.

"Shh!"

"Fine."

She led him down the stairs and into a large family room space where on the couch covered with books and papers lay a petite brown haired girl, fast asleep. Fuyumi gestured toward her once they had reached the room.

"She has a test tomorrow and I was helping her study," she explained. "Then I went to get us some tea and when I came back she was like this, we can't let her sleep here all night."

"We?"

"You're going to carry her," she said flatly.

Kyouya just shook his head again. He wasn't up for arguing, it was too late at night. He just wanted sleep. "Fine."

"Good," his sister smiled as she removed the books and papers off of the sleeping girl. "Now be careful, we don't want to wake her."

Kyouya sighed and shook his head again as he snaked one arm under the girl's knees and the other under her shoulders. He lifted her up as his sister gathered the books together.

The walk was silent for a while until they were reaching the third floor. "C'mon, admit it, you've missed her," Fuyumi whispered.

"Actually, when she left I thought she was out of my hair for good," Kyouya teased, earning a light shove from his sister.

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "You know, this reminds me of when you two were playing in the garden and Tsukiko fell asleep."

There we go, that far off look in Fuyumi's eyes whenever she goes into a memory. Kyouya might never get to sleep if she continued to chat about childhood. "What about that day? She just fell asleep in the garden."

"But you did too."

"You're memory's fuzzy, Fuyumi," Kyouya chided, seeing Tsukiko's room just a few doors down.

"I have pictures." A sweet smile appeared on her face, though Kyouya knew all too well that it was far more devious than sweet. "You two were so cute lying under the shade of the Sakura tree, a few pink petals falling onto you. It would've made a great postcard or even a festival advertisement."

Fuyumi held the door open for her brother and they walked toward the separate sleeping area. "The best part of that day was when you finally woke up but she was still asleep," Fuyumi smiled fondly as she pulled back the covers on the bed.

"And what happened that made it so great?" Kyouya was mocking her a little, the way only little brothers could manage to do.

"You carried her inside and laid her down on a few pillows in the family room," she continued with a little giggle as Kyouya placed her on the bed. "Then built a wall around her with pillows so no one would try to wake her. It was the sweetest thing."

"I think you dreamt that last part, why would I do something so childish?" Kyouya scoffed as his sister covered Tsukiko with the blankets.

"Well, you were, in fact, a child. Still are, actually." She led the way out of the room.

"Then why don't I remember any of this?" By now they were safely out of the bedroom, away from waking anyone.

This time Fuyumi sighed. "I don't know," she shook her head. "No, really, I don't know. You even told me it was the best day of your life. You and Tsukiko had so much fun as children and for some reason you want to be stubborn and see her as nothing more than a nuisance." Her eyes softened as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You need to lighten up a little, Kyouya, it's okay to have fun even though there's a lot to be done."

And Kyouya was left alone, wide eyed and staring as his sister walked to her room. Trying to process the relevance of her words. And for once, the young Ootori couldn't put two and two together.

*1 in japan kids don't get out of high school until around 4 in the afternoon due to after class cleanup and such and then club activities usually run until about 6 so that's why Tsukiko is there so late :)

Well there you have it a new chap! :D sorry for the grammar i'm not really one to double check lol and i wanted to just get this up more will be coming soon Dangerous Souls should be updated next or this will be idk depends on what i feel more inspired to write :D

please review i'd love to see what you think jaa nee! ^.^