Chapter 15: Good-bye?
The next few weeks passed by quickly, and somehow, I got through our school exams even though I was very sleep deprived. We were coming up on November, but first came Halloween and boy was it a to-do around here.
"Halloween?" I asked Shiori at lunchtime.
"Oh, that's right, you're new and wouldn't know about it," she said. "Well, for Halloween, each class is allowed to hold an event for the day, parties, and such."
"Eh? You rich kids have to have your own parties for Halloween? Can't you guys just, oh I don't know, dress up in costumes, go around saying "trick-or-treat," and get free candy from people?" I said sarcastically, and Shiori laughed.
"But that wouldn't be as fun, besides we get to take the rest of the month off to plan and prepare," Shiori said.
"Wait, you guys get off from school for this?" I asked, and she nodded. "Sweet!" I exclaimed, glad to be rid of homework for the time being.
Every class had something going on, but most were having tea parties and such. Haruhi and the twins class were doing the same thing they had done the year before, a fear trial test of courage thingy. Which I thought sounded way cooler then what my class was doing, a boring old costume contest.
"That's not fair," I complained to Haruhi as we ate our lunch. We had gotten into the habit of eating together under "my tree." Sometimes Honey and Mori would join us, and today it happened to be the twins. Tamaki would come around often, but today he wasn't there, of which I was glad.
"Well, there was a class vote, and I'm sorry but majority rules," Shiori said. Shiori followed me anywhere I went, and as for Kasanoda well, he got embarrassed too easily and only ate lunch with us on occasion.
"What did you vote for?" Haruhi asked me.
"She didn't vote," Shiori said with a giggle, "she was asleep at that time, and I told her what the class had voted on when she woke up."
"You fell asleep in class," Haruhi said, staring daggers at me.
"Sorry, I get sleepy during history," I said, shrugging.
"So, since you guys are having a costume contest, what will you be dressing up as?" the twins asked. Shiori bragged about her costume she was putting together, and I said that I hadn't decided yet.
When the Halloween Costume Contest came around, I didn't dress up in anything, I just threw on some of my regular baggy clothes and went to school. The other students called it "commoners garb," and I almost won the contest just for that.
November hit and the cool of fall set in, everybody got back to being serious again, and we were forced to move our lunch group inside when Shiori caught a cold. Unfortunately, it ended up getting moved to the host clubroom.
Then my father returned from his really long trip, and one day, after school was over, he called me to his office.
"Hello Ayami," he greeted me when I walked into his office.
"Hello," I greeted in back, "and welcome home, father." He smiled and motioned for me to take a seat as he leaned back against his desk.
"How have things been? Haven't gotten into any more trouble, have you?" He asked as I sat in the chair.
"No, everything's been going fine," I replied with a smile.
"I'm glad to hear that. So, I'm a bit curious to know if she was true on her promise or not; did your mother call you by any chance?" He asked, and I looked at him, surprised.
"Yes, she did, how did you-" then I remembered what my mother had said.
"I just... well, your father is annoying." "... the bas*ard threatened me now he's forcing me to do this!"
"You're the one who asked her to call me," I said in realization, and he smiled with a nod. "But why?" I asked curiously.
"I heard from a very concerned cook that you were under some sort of a cloud, so I did a little digging and found out that it was your sisters' birthday that day. I gave your mother a call, and with a little persuasion, she gave in."
'I see, so Georgina called him. I wonder what he did to persuade her, or gave,' I thought as I stared at him for a moment.
"Thank you, father," I said, smiling at him. He looked like he blushed a bit, but he quickly moved on to the next thing on his list of things to tell me.
"While we're on the subject of your mother, I'm going to be having a meeting with her in a week or so. Hopefully, we'll be able to get everything agreed upon at that time." I stared at him, my smile disappearing.
"Is that so," I said uneasily, "well, I hope that everything will turn out okay."
"So do I," he said, sitting at his desk. "Oh, and by the way, I did some talking with your mother, and she agreed to let you watch your siblings while we have our meeting."
'I'm happy that I get to spend time with my siblings, but,' I thought sadly, 'this is starting to sound more like a good-bye than a reunion.'
*Beep-beep-beep* My alarm clock went off. I slammed my hand down on the button, and I dragged myself out of bed. As I went through my morning routine, I thought over what he said about the upcoming meeting.
'At least I'll get to spend some time with the kids,' I thought as I brushed my teeth. 'but will it be the last time?' The thought sent a stab of pain through my heart, and I shook my head and tried not to think about it as I headed off to school.
When I arrived, I was surprised to find out that Shiori was still out with a cold even though it had been a couple of days.
Classes were just as dull as usual, and when the lunch bell rang, I figured I would be eating alone, but Haruhi met me in the hall.
"Hey, Aya, can we talk?" she asked.
"Sure," I said, and we started walking through the halls. After a bit, I noticed that Haruhi seemed off. "Okay, what is it?" I asked; we stopped walking, and she looked at me.
"It's just... I think," she started then paused, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "I think I know who your older brother and father are," she said, and I looked at her, shocked.
"You do, do you?" I said quietly. "And who do you think they are?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Tamaki and chairman Suoh," she said, and I tightened my jaw; she waited for my answer. "I'm right, aren't I?" she guessed. I kept my lips pressed together tightly, but eventually, I nodded my head.
We both stayed silent for a long while.
"Aren't you going to freak out?" I said with a chuckle.
"No, I'm not," she said, and we both started walking again. "I'm glad," she said, and I looked at her, confused.
"You're glad I'm related to an idiot," I asked sarcastically.
"Tamaki may be an idiot," she paused, "but if you actually tried to get to know him, I'm sure he'd surprise you. God knows he's surprised me plenty of times." she said with a laugh. "When are you going to tell him?" she asked.
"I'm not going to tell him," I said stiffly, "my father's planning something." She nodded
We headed to the clubroom for lunch, and I thought over what she had said as we ate our lunch.
The next day Shiori returned to class, fully recovered, and things were going well again.
I tried my best not to think about what was going to be happening in the upcoming meeting or about what would be happening afterward, but every night the thoughts came pouring into my head and prevented me from sleeping.
Every morning I awoke more tired than the day before. I was sleeping in class but still trying my best not to disappoint my father.
Then one day at lunch, I learned about something interesting.
"Everyone!" Tamaki shouted as he came into the club room. "I have something to tell you all!"
Tamaki's point of view:
Earlier that day:
"Ah Tamaki, I've been waiting for you," my father said as I walked in the door.
"You called father," I said curiously, and he handed me an envelope.
"What's this?" I asked.
"An invitation to a Christmas party," he said with a grin. I opened the envelope and read what was on the invitation.
"This is an invitation... to a party at our house!?" I exclaimed, and he nodded.
"Yes, I want to throw a big Christmas party. I'm going to invite many important people, and I want it to be a big success." then he pointed at me. "I want you and your host club to entertain our guests at the party."
"The host club?" I said, confused.
"Yes, I want you to put on the biggest and best Christmas party of the year!"
"Are you sure, father?" I asked, feeling a bit of excitement at the thought of putting on a large party; He nodded.
"Would I be allowed to invite all our guests from the host club?" I asked, and he thought that over.
"I think it would be alright."
"Yes!" I exclaimed.
"Then I'll leave that to you," he said, going back to his work.
"Yes, Thank you father, I won't let you down," I said, heading out the door to tell the rest of the club.
Ayami's point of view:
"Christmas party?" the twins asked.
"Yes, and my father wants us to host!" Tamaki said excitedly.
"Sounds interesting," Kyoya mumbled.
"It sounds like fun!" Honey said excitedly.
"Oh, and we're allowed to invite all our guests as well. Speaking of," Tamaki said, turning to me. "you'll be invited as well."
"Me? But I'm not your guest," I said, taking a bite of my sandwich lunch. "Besides it's on Christmas day, who's going to show up?"
"How rude," Tamaki complained, "everybody will be there because it's going to be the best Christmas party ever!" I rolled my eyes and finished eating my lunch as the rest of them began planning their party.
'So dad's throwing a party,' I thought as I walked to class, 'I wonder why he asked the hosts to entertain? Oh well, doesn't involve me.'
After school, I was called to my father's office once again.
"You've got to stop having me come up here," I said as I walked in the door, "people will get suspicious." I looked at him with a grin, but his face was serious. "What is it?" I asked, and he took in a deep breath.
"Ayami, your mother and I," he said, watching me, "will be having the meeting tomorrow."
I felt a strange mess of feelings wash over me; excitement and anxiety, happiness and sadness, all at once, and I didn't know how to react, so my expression remained blank.
"It will be right after school. After the meeting, I want you to come up here and talk with me for a bit because you will most likely no longer be attending this school as Ayami Sohma. Also," he said, handing me a slip of paper, "This is an invitation to a Christmas party I'll be having."
"I heard about it from Tamaki," I mumbled as I looked at it.
"At this party, I will be revealing your identity to everyone who attends, that includes Tamaki and your friends." He said. I nodded emotionlessly. After he told me this, he reached out to me and gave me a very awkward hug then sent me home.
As I was walking out to my car, I tried to sort out my thoughts.
'So, the meeting is tomorrow and after tomorrow then what? Why is Tamaki organizing the Christmas party? And what am I supposed to do?' I thought.
"Ugh, I'm so confused," I whined, shaking my head.
'I need to sort things out... maybe I should pay a visit to Haruhi; she was always good at working out problems.' I thought that over and nodded. 'Yes, I'll see what she says about this.'
After a quick stop at home, to change clothing, I told Chris to take me over to her house.
It looked the same as I remembered it. I walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell.
"Yes?" Ranka said, answering the door. It took him a second to recognize me. "Aya!" he screamed, pulling me into a choking hug.
"Hey, Ranka," I said, strained, "is Haruhi home."
"Yes, she was just finishing her homework." He said, releasing me from his grasp. "Haruhi, guess who's here!" He called. Haruhi came out from the back and looked at me, surprised.
"Aya, what are you doing here," she asked.
"Do you have some time to talk?" I asked; she looked at me curiously.
Ranka gave us some privacy and went out shopping as I explained everything to Haruhi over tea.
"It looks like my father was planning this even from a long time ago, after all, ever since I moved in he's been having me take lessons on manners and dancing," I said, flicking the tassels on the pillow I had in my lap, as we sat in her room. "I guess Tamaki is like his father in that way, they get an idea in their head and just go with it," I said with a sigh.
"Are you sure that your mother is going to give up her parental rights? I mean, it doesn't seem logical," Haruhi said, pouring me a third cup of tea.
"Yes, it's happening, I'm sure of it," I said, taking my cup. "It may not be logical, but remember this is the woman who took a job at a bar when she was seven months pregnant." We both chuckled at that one and sighed.
"So it's really happening," she stated, looking down at the table.
"Yep," I said, gulping down the entire cup of tea.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, and I shrugged, putting my cup down. "What about your family, do you think this will be the last-"
"I don't want to think about it," I interrupted. She was quiet for a bit after that.
"Don't you think you should tell Tamaki before the party? He would want to know about this kind of thing before everybody else," she said, and I shook my head.
"Dad said that he was going to tell him at the party, and if I had it my way, Tamaki would never ever know we're related, so no, I'm not going to tell Tamaki," I replied, glancing out the window. It was getting dark out, so I decided it was time to go; I stood up, as did she. "I should probably head back now," I said and started to walk down the hallway.
"Aya," she said; I stopped and looked at her, "You know you don't have to force yourself to be what your father wants you to be, and I think it would be easier if you just tried to be yourself instead." I blinked, surprised by how much sense she was making.
'I don't have to... but...'
"You're probably right," I said, walking to the front door mumbling the next part, "but who would I be then?" She looked at me, confused as I exited. "See you tomorrow, Haruhi," I called, closing the door behind me. I walked down to my car. Chris got out and opened the door for me.
"Home, Miss?" he questioned as I slipped inside the car. I looked down the road towards our old apartment.
"No, I'd better not," I said, and he looked at me, confused.
"Take me back to the mansion," I said with a sigh; he blinked once, then nodded and shut the door.
The next morning, I got up early and packed a change of clothing in my bag; I did not want my siblings to meet me in the royal yellow puffiness. I then went downstairs and ate a quick hot cereal breakfast before heading out to school.
When I arrived, I jammed my bag of clothing into my locker and scurried off to my first class. School lessons seemed to drag on forever, and by lunchtime, I was ready for school to be over. My anticipation was keeping me on edge, and Shiori noticed that I was tense.
"Hey Aya, why are you so high-strung today?" she asked as we walked to the clubroom for lunch.
"Hmm, oh, no real reason," I said with a shrug and a grin. She looked at me, doubting.
"Then why are you smiling?" she asked.
"I'm just a little excited about something is all," I said. The truth was that I was both dreading and looking forward to this afternoon.
"About what?" she pried. I debated whether or not to tell her.
"Well, something important is happening this afternoon, and I'm a bit," I paused, searching for the right word, then saying the only thing that came to mind, "anxious."
"Tell me what it is already," she complained. I shook my head, no. "Why not?" she whined.
"It's a secret," I said, sticking my finger over my mouth. She frowned but didn't pry anymore.
When we arrived at the host club, we found the room filled with a hundred mannequins, all wearing different dresses. My jaw dropped to the floor.
"Holy crap!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, wow!" Shiori said, putting her hand on her cheek.
"Aya, run!" Haruhi yelled from the other side of the room, but I was too shocked to move. Suddenly the twins each grabbed me by an arm.
"Target. Captured," they said.
"Wha- what the hell is this!" I screamed, trying to get free of the twins hold.
"Not so fast," Hikaru said.
"You're not going anywhere until you pick a gown," Kaoru finished.
Did I ever tell you that I had learned the difference? Yes, it took a while, but I can finally tell the two of them apart; after all, the triplets all look alike, but I know which is which by their personalities.
"Yeah, right!" I shouted at them. I wiggled until I got an arm free, and I elbowed Hikaru in the jaw.
"Hikaru!" his twin shouted, and, while he was distracted, I stomped hard on his foot, and he released me. I pushed away from him, but now they were between me and the door.
"Ow, that's smarts," Hikaru said, rubbing his jaw.
"But we're not letting you escape that easily," Kaoru finished.
"I don't know what's going on here, but I'm not going along with it! Now let me pass!" I shouted.
"Fat chance," the twins said, taking defensive stances.
"If I have to fight you off, I will," I said, putting up my fists, and they both looked a little worried. Just then, someone snapped their fingers.
"Mori, immobilize her!" Tamaki ordered.
"Ah," I heard Mori say, and suddenly, he was right behind me. He pulled me off the floor and into his grasp, holding me tight to his chest in a version of what felt like a big hug. He kept me from using my arms by holding them down to my sides.
"Let me go!" I demanded, kicking my legs, but my feet were a foot off the ground.
"Calm down," Mori said quietly in my ear, for my head was now near the same height as his, as he placed one of his hands on my head. I blushed and stopped my thrashing. He then backed up until he reached a chair and sat down, putting me on his lap like a little kid; I blushed, feeling stupid. I then turned my head around to look Mori in the eyes, puckering my lip in annoyance.
Mori didn't say anything, but he looked apologetic and also slightly embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry that we had to use force," Tamaki said, walking up to us, "but picking out the perfect dress is a must for every girl who attends a party." I glared at Tamaki, and he backed away and hid behind Haruhi.
"I don't want to pick out a dress," I said practically in a growl.
"That's too bad," Shiori said, and I turned to look at her, "some of these are really cute!" She was smiling largely as she went through the dresses. I rolled my eyes with a sigh.
"Aya-chan," Honey said, and I looked down at him; his eyes were all cutesy like a sad puppy. "Don't you want to look pretty at the party?"
I bit my lip. I was very embarrassed and irritated, but I couldn't bring myself to yell at the little guy, so I took in a deep breath to calm myself. Then I looked over the hundreds of dresses, all of them had something about them that I didn't want.
"Even if I did, I wouldn't wear any of those," I mumbled I was sure Mori heard me. "Mori, you can let me go now. I promise I won't run off," I said to him, and he nodded, letting me off his lap.
"Now then," I said, standing up. "I'll look through them, but I'm not trying anything on."
"Aww," the twins complained.
"Aww," Shiori said with them, "but this one is so pretty, and it's your color. I want to see what it looks like on you." I took one quick look at the dress; it was a forest green evening gown with spaghetti straps
"No," I denied instantly.
"Why not?" she asked.
"I don't like it," I said.
"Why?" she asked, and I sighed.
"I just don't okay," I said as I walked into the sea of dresses. Shiori disappointingly put it away.
"Where did you guys get all these anyways?" I asked, passing by every dress that had something I didn't like or want.
"They're from our mother's new clothing line," Hikaru said.
"How about this one?" Kaoru asked, holding up a little red number. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline, a natural waist, and flared out to just above the knees.
"Definitely not," I said
"Why?" Hikaru asked.
"For starters, I won't wear anything red," I answered.
"How about this one," Honey said, pulling out a lilac, puffy, strapless dress with flowers on it.
"I can't wear anything that shows my shoulders," I said, which included more than half the dresses there.
"Eh!" both twins exclaimed, "Why not?" 'Um, because when I was fourteen, I paid off a tattoo guy to tattoo Yoshiro across my right shoulder.' I thought with a mental laugh.
"Will everybody please stop asking me why," I said.
"I like this one!" Tamaki said, holding up a hot pink long dress with sequins all over it.
"Good heavens, no," I said, feeling sick just at the sight of it.
"What kind of a dress were you thinking of," Haruhi asked me.
"Thank you for asking," I said, and I started my list, "Nothing that shows my shoulders, back, or cleavage, no bright or pastel colors, nothing too glittery or sparkly, nothing shorter than my knees, and nothing puffy." All of them looked at me like I was crazy because that included every dress in the room.
"There's not a dress on Earth like that!" the twins shouted.
"Oh well, then it looks like I won't have a dress for the party, so I can't go, darn," I said sarcastically with a snap of my fingers.
"Why do you have such a long list of no's," Shiori groaned, and I grinned.
"How about this dress," we heard Mori say from the back of the room, and he started walking our way with the mannequin.
It was a midnight blue gown that ended mid-calf, with short sleeves. It had a V-neck, but nothing to showy and an empire waist, from there down it had a chiffon covering over it. A few sparkles here and there and a star-shaped broach on the front.
I looked it over; it actually wasn't bad at all. The length was right, and it covered my shoulders in the back. It wasn't too frilly or sparkly. I stared at it for a while, trying to imagine how I would look in it.
"Not bad," I mumbled, blushing a bit.
"How cute," Tamaki said, and I looked at him. Tamaki, Shiori, Honey, and the twins were looking at me all cutesy. I blushed even more.
"Whatever," I said, turning away from them. "It's time to eat lunch."
During lunch, they teased me plenty, and I almost got up and walked out of the room. Haruhi convinced me to stay, saying that they were just happy to help me find my dress. I tried to keep my blush to a minimum as they talked about how pretty I would look in it. Eventually, though, they got to talking amongst themselves, leaving me alone and giving me some time to think.
'It's not all that bad of a dress but who cares, and I have more important things to think about, like what I'm going to do with the kids this afternoon. We could play some games or something maybe if Haruhi's still around, she could see them again.' I went over the afternoon itinerary in my head.
Then I remembered something.
'Today will be my last day here as a Sohma. After today, I will be a Suoh.' I looked around the table of smiles and laughter. 'Will they still treat me the same?' I thought, glancing over the faces.
'No, I don't expect them to. They will probably be upset with me for lying to them, but... I'm not... not really.' I thought, poking at my food. 'I'm not lying; I am, right now, Ayami Sohma, but I don't think they'll see it that way.' I looked over the faces once more, and Mori looked to me, meeting my eyes. He gave me a questioning look, but I gave him a half-smile and went back to my meal.
'No, after today, they will surely treat me differently.'
Mori's point of view:
"Mori, immobilize her!" Tamaki ordered.
"Ah," I answered quickly, making my way to her. I picked her up with ease, holding her tight to my chest to keep her from fighting me too much.
"Let me go!" she yelled at me, kicking her feet.
"Calm down," I said quietly in her ear, placing one hand on her head, hoping it would help her to calm down. Suddenly her body relaxed, and I saw her blush. I then walked back and sat down in a chair, placing her in my lap. I could see her blushing as she turned her head around to look me in the eyes. Her lips were puckered into an adorable little frown.
I tried my best not to blush at what I had just done.
"I'm so sorry that we had to use force," Tamaki said, "but picking out the perfect dress is a must for every girl who attends a party." She glared daggers at Tamaki, and he hid behind Haruhi.
"I don't want to pick out a dress," she said through her teeth. She sounded like a growling cat.
They started talking with her about the dresses. Then she asked me to let her go, and I realized that I was still holding her tightly, so I released her.
The rest of the hosts all started offering her different dresses, and she denied all of them. I wandered through, looking for something that I thought would look good on her.
"What kind of a dress were you thinking of," Haruhi asked.
"Thank you for asking," she said. "Nothing that shows my shoulders, back, or cleavage, no bright or pastel colors, nothing too glittery or sparkly, nothing shorter than my knees, and nothing puffy."
"There's not a dress on Earth like that!" the twins shouted as I looked through the forest of mannequins, finding something that looked like it might fit her wants.
I liked the color. It would go well with her pale skin and blue eyes.
"Oh well, then it looks like I won't have a dress for the party, so I can't go, darn," she said, sarcastically snapping her fingers.
"Why do you have such a long list of no's," her friend complained and I picked up the mannequin with the dress I liked.
"How about this dress," I asked, walking towards them. I placed it in front of her, and Ayami looked it over. As she did, a light dust of pink blush came through on her cheeks.
"Not bad," she mumbled.
"How cute," Tamaki said.
"Whatever," she said, blushing even more.
'He is right; she is cute,' I agreed in thought, grinning slightly.
Ayami's point of view:
After lunch and classes, I hurried out to my locker and grabbed my bag of clothes. I was going to head into the girls' bathroom to change, but there were too many girls still around, so I headed to the clubroom.
"Excuse me," I said, walking through the door.
"Aya?" Haruhi said, confused.
"Are you coming to the club?" Tamaki asked excitedly.
"No, I just need to borrow your changing room," I said as I ran into the back.
I quickly changed into the clothes I had brought; a pair of cargo pants, a black T-shirt, a baggy teal hoodie, and, of course, the very special hat of Yoshiro. I stuffed my hair up inside the cap and took a quick look in the mirror and nodded in approval.
When I walked out, all the hosts stared at me in disbelief.
"How do I look?" I asked Haruhi.
"Like normal," she replied, and I grinned.
"Normal!" Tamaki yelled, "that's not normal!" I looked at him sarcastically then turned back to Haruhi.
"Wish me luck," I said with a thumbs-up, and she nodded, giving me a half-smile. The hosts all looked at Haruhi, confused as I dashed out of the room.
I ran up to my father's office, and outside in the waiting room, I found five familiar faces.
"Hey there," I said, and everyone turned to me.
"Sissy!" Kotomi and the triplets yelled together. The triplets dashed up to me. I kneeled and wrapped all three of them up into one big hug.
"It's good to see you again," I said, squeezing them kissing each one on the forehead.
"You too, Kotomi," I said, and I hugged and kissed too, she grinned up at me.
"Hero," I said, "get over here and give me a hug."
"No way," he said, still as rebellious as ever I see.
"Fine then, a fist bump?" I asked, and he reluctantly put out his hand. We did our fist bump then I gave him a small ruffle of his hair.
"Stop it!" he complained, blushing, making me grin.
"Have you guys been good for mom?" I asked, looking down at the triplets.
"Mmm-hmm," the three of them answered, nodding in unison.
"Are you talking about me," I heard my mother say and I looked up. There she stood in the doorway of my father's office.
"Hey mom," I said with a grin; she didn't grin back.
"Just for now," she said, and I nodded, knowing what she meant. I looked at my father, who was standing in the office with his lawyer.
"Make the meeting as long as you can," I called to him, and he chuckled. My mother rolled her eyes and went back into the office. I smiled and kneeled down to my siblings' height. "So, what do you guys want to do first?"
Haruhi's Point of view:
Club went by slowly; my mind kept getting distracted by the thought of Aya and what she was going through right now.
'Is the meeting already over? or is she still with her siblings?' I wondered.
"What's the matter, Haru-chan?" Honey asked, looking concerned.
"It nothing," I lied, going back to the tea I was making. He didn't look convinced, but he didn't bother me about it anymore.
After the club was over and we had just finished cleaning up, somebody opened the door. We all looked to see Kotomi standing in the doorway.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" Tamaki said, "A lost little kitten." Kotomi giggled as a distracted Hero walked in the door playing a hand-held video game.
"Kotomi, hold the door open so that I can get in," we heard Aya say. Kotomi held the door open wider and in waddled Aya with three little blondes holding on to her. She had one on each leg and a third on her back.
"Hey there!" she said with a wide smile.
Ayami's Point of view:
"Who are these children?" Honey asked.
"These are my siblings! Everyone introduce yourselves," I said, turning to Kotomi.
"I'm Kotomi Sohma, pleased to meet you," she said with a polite bow. I nodded and looked at Hero, who was still engrossed in his video game.
"Hero," I said, and he waved me off; I sighed.
"And that's Hero. Girls, you too." I said, placing Momo on the ground.
Meme and Mimi got off my legs and took their places. Momo handed me Pan-chan, her stuffed Panda, then toddled up beside them, and the other two waited. Mimi looked at Momo then pointed for Meme to do something. Meme then flicked Momo in the arm, and I snickered.
"I'm Momo," she said nervously.
"I'm Meme!" she said with an air punch.
"And I'm Mimi."
"And we are the Mo-Me-Mi's," they said together, making strange ninja poses. I giggled Haruhi gave me a look that said, "What does that mean?"
"It's a spin-off of Do-Re-Mi," I said.
"They're so cute!" Tamaki shouted, coming up to them. "Why hello there, I'm the king of this club it's a pleasure to meet you!" he said, kneeling down to them. Momo got scared and ran behind my leg. Meme and Mimi just looked at him strangely.
"If you're a king, then where's your crown?" Mimi asked; Tamaki looked stuck.
"Weirdo, you're not a king," Meme said, and Tamaki turned gray; it made me laugh.
"You guys don't be rude," I said, handing Momo Pan-chan and leaning over to pick her up.
"But he is weird," Meme said, turning back to me.
"Yeah, but you don't have to say it," I said, walking up beside them, patting Meme's head; Tamaki looked even paler.
"How old are they?" Honey asked.
"Hero's twelve, Kotomi's ten, and the Mo-Me-Mi's are four," I said.
"Wow, they've grown so much," Haruhi said.
"I know," I said to her. "The last time you saw the triplets they were, what, one and a half?" She nodded.
"Ara?" Kotomi said, "Could it be? Are you Haruhi-nechan?"
"Yeah," Haruhi said, smiling.
"Wow, it's been a long time!" Kotomi said. Hero's head popped up from his game, and he dropped his hand-held.
"Ha-Ha-Ha," he stuttered frozen. "Haruhi!" He shouted, surprised.
"Yo, it's been a long time, Hero," she greeted. Meme picked up his hand-held, but Hero was still in shock and didn't notice.
"Y-you! Your hair," he stuttered out.
'This poor boy.' I thought, knowing full well the extent of his crush on Haruhi, which was partially based on her cute looks and, once, long hair.
"Oh, yeah, I cut it," she said completely nonchalantly.
"Why..." he said soullessly.
"You look good, Hero, I think you've grown taller since last I saw you," she said; now it was time for an inside joke.
"Oh yeah, He's grown so much taller," I said, placing my hand on top of his head.
"Yeah," Kotomi said with a smile as she placed her hand on his head.
You see, Kotomi was nearly four inches taller than Hero, so we liked to tease him about his shortness.
"Grr," Hero said, then Momo reached out her hand and placed it on his head.
"En," Momo said, and Hero exploded.
"Shut up!" he shouted, throwing our hands off his head, and we all laughed.
"Nice one Momo," I said, giving her a high-five. She grinned and put her little hand on mine.
"Hey, where's my-" Hero said, looking for his game. He found it in the hands of Meme and Mimi, who had wandered off playing with it.
"Hey give that back, I was working on my high score!" He shouted, and he ran off. I sighed and turned to Momo.
"Hey Momo," I said, and she looked at me.
"Do you think Pan-chan would like to meet a new friend?" I asked, and she shook her head no then yes. I smiled and placed her on the ground.
"Maybe he would like to go meet that cute little bunny over there," I said, pointing to Honey and Usa-chan.
"Hello, my name is Honey, and this is Usa-chan," Honey greeted, holding up his stuffed rabbit.
"I'm Momo, and this is Pan-chan," she said, holding up her stuffed panda. They gave each other this look that said, "let's play," and they ran off to a table to have a tea party with their stuffed animals. Honey, of course, ran to the table where Mori was sitting.
Momo stopped, looking up at the dark-haired giant and second-guessed walking up to him.
"This is Taka-chan," Honey said, jumping into Mori's lap, "He's really nice, see." Honey said, hugging Mori around the neck. Momo debated, then reached in her pocket and pulled out two pink ribbons. I watched in shock as she tied them into bows, one on Mori's wrist and one on Usa-chan.
"How cute, she likes you!" Kotomi said. Mori looked at the ribbon, then to me, expecting an explanation.
"Uh well, back when I taught Momo how to tie her own shoes, I taught her how to tie a bow. Ever since she's been putting pink ribbons on anything and everything she likes most," I explained, rolling up my sleeve to show the ribbon she had placed on my wrist just today.
"We match," Mori said, holding up his own wrist; I smiled, blushing softly. Momo climbed up into the chair next to Mori, and the three started their mini tea party.
"So, how are things going?" Haruhi asked, walking up to me.
"How should I know?" I replied, shrugging.
"How's what going?" Kyoya asked.
"Oh! Well, my parents are in the middle of a meeting, and I get to watch the kiddos while they're working things out." I answered him, putting my hands in my pocket, and finding something in there.
"What is it?" Kotomi asked, seeing the confused look on my face. I pulled the thing out of my pocket; it was my very, very long lost MP3 player.
"I found my MP3 player!" I said, holding it up like Link from Legend of Zelda and Kotomi giggled.
"Sissy!" Mimi said as she hurried up to me. "Meme and Hero are fighting again over that stupid game." She tattled, though I was pretty sure she had just been playing with it too. I sighed, shoving the MP3 player back in my pocket and walked over to the feuding pair.
"Let go!" Hero said.
"No, I wanna play!" Meme said, "You dropped it, anyways."
"Hey," I said, and the two looked up at me.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked darkly, and they both knew that I meant business.
"Meme, it's Hero's game. Hero, what's wrong with sharing. And seriously guys, why are you fighting over something so petty," I said, putting my hands on my hips, and they stopped fighting.
Meme let go of the game, and Hero looked at her then glanced at me.
"Fine, you can watch me play, but you can't play until I beat this level," he said, sitting at a table.
"Yes," Meme said, doing a fist pump as she jumped up beside him. The twins walked over to them, also watching Hero's gaming skills.
"Now that that's been taken care of," I said, turning to Mimi and Kotomi. "What do you two want to do?"
"Color!" Mimi shouted as she got out her coloring book from her backpack.
"Read," Kotomi said, pulling out her novel. Kotomi and Mimi then went and sat at the same table as Hero and Meme.
"Would you like some tea?" Haruhi asked, smiling at me.
"We've been playing basically since school got out, so yes," I said, grinning. I followed her to where the mini tea party was, and she poured me a cup of tea. Tamaki looked like he wanted to join us, Momo noticed him too.
"Tea?" Momo said, offering him a cup. He looked touched and took it from her.
"Why, thank you, little princess," he said, touching her cheek.
"Tamaki, stop touching her, or else I'll make you regret living," I threatened, glaring at him; he backed away. Momo blinked a few times, confused, then ignored him and went back to her own tea.
"Would you like a cookie?" Honey asked Momo, and she nodded. At this time, Meme noticed the twins lingering over her.
"Double!" she shouted, jumping out of her chair and pointing at them.
"They're twins," Kotomi said, and Mimi looked at them.
"Like we're triplets?" Mimi asked; Kotomi nodded.
"Cool!" Meme shouted, no longer interested in Hero's game. "What are your names?"
"I'm Hikaru," the first said.
"And I'm Kaoru," the other said.
"Cool!" Meme shouted again, for it was her first time meeting anybody like themselves; I smiled.
"So how much longer do you think?" Haruhi asked; I shrugged. I didn't want to think about that right now; I just wanted to enjoy all the time we did have.
"How much longer till what?" Tamaki asked, and I looked at him.
"Nothing," I said. Haruhi gave me a look that seemed like concern; I smiled at her.
As we drank our tea, Honey and Momo had their own little conversation, though Momo, being pretty shy, didn't say much.
Meme was having fun and getting annoyed at the twins while she played the, "Which one is Hikaru and which one is Kaoru game."
Kotomi read her book for a bit then watched Hero play his game. He kept losing, so she asked if she could try; she was killing it like a boss, and Hero got irritated at that.
Then Mimi finished her drawing and waddled over to me.
"Here, I drew this for you," she said, handing me the picture she had drawn.
"Thank you," I said, taking a look at it. It was a drawing of us. Hero, Kotomi, the triplets, and myself all standing in what appeared to be a park with a swing set.
She waited, smiling.
"I love it," I said, pulling her up into a big hug and landing a kiss on her forehead. She giggled and hugged me back. I folded the picture and put it in my pocket. "Here," I said, giving her two cookies, "One for you and one for Meme."
"Yay," she said, taking them and running off. I giggled, and when I looked back at the others, they were all staring at me except for Momo.
"What?" I asked.
"That was so cute!" Tamaki said.
"Yeah," Honey agreed.
"I wasn't trying to be cute," I said, blushing and crossing my arms.
"Aww!" Tamaki said.
"Shut up!" I shouted at him, and Honey giggled.
"Ugh," I sighed, then I saw Momo rub her eyes and yawn.
'Why? She shouldn't be sleepy, not if she took her-' I thought and realized.
"Hero," I said.
"What?" he asked.
"Did you make sure that the triplets took their nap today?" I asked accusingly, and he froze.
"Um," he said, sweating. "No," he said quietly. I glared at him, then sighed and stood up.
"Come here," I said to Momo, picking her up. She wrapped her little arms around my neck, looking tired. Out of the three, Momo was always the one who napped the best, Meme tried to fight it off for as long as possible, and Mimi took them but could also go without them.
I walked around the room, stroking her hair a few times, and she was out within five minutes.
"Aww!" Tamaki exclaimed in a whisper, "so c-"
"If you say cute again, I'm going to slap you," I whispered back, annoyed; he fiddled with his fingers.
After a bit, I felt a vibration in my pocket. I pulled out my cell phone; it was a text from my dad. I felt a knot in my stomach as I read what was written.
The meeting is over. Your mother is coming to pick up your siblings. I told her where I thought you would be, the host club room. I thought I should give you a heads up before she got there. When you're ready, come to my office.
I swallowed a lump in my throat.
Okay, I texted back then I shoved the phone in my pocket.
I looked at Haruhi, she looked worried. I half-smiled and nodded my head. She understood, and her expression became sad.
All the hosts were watching me as I took in a deep breath and walked over to where Kotomi, Hero, Meme, and Mimi were.
"Okay," I said, "Mom's on her way to come pick you guys up, so get ready." Hero and Kotomi both looked up at me speechless; my guess would be that they knew what was going on or at least had a pretty good idea. Mimi nodded and started putting away her colors.
"Eh, already?" Meme whined, and I nodded.
My heart felt like it was sinking into my stomach as I watched them get ready to leave. Then somebody opened the door; it was my mother.
I held the sleeping Momo a little tighter.
"I've been looking all over for you," she complained as she walked into the clubroom. She looked around, noticing all the hosts. "My, my, what have we here?"
"Hey mom," I said as she noticed Haruhi standing beside me.
"Why Haruhi, I didn't know you were going to this school," she chimed, then her gaze landed on Tamaki. Her eyes widened; after all, Tamaki had similar hair and eye color to Yoshiro, but Tamaki's eyes had a violet tint to them, and his hair was more of a platinum blonde.
"Oh, so you're Aya's mother," Tamaki greeted, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"You," she said, shocked for a bit. "Um," she shook her head, "What's your name?"
"I am Tamaki Suoh," he introduced himself, and my mother snapped.
"Well, well, now," she said, turned a burning glare on me, "Isn't that interesting," she said; I swallowed again.
"Time to go," she said to Hero and Kotomi, and they all stood up. I stepped forward, and Meme and Mimi ran up to me and hugged my legs.
"See you later, sissy," they said. I smiled, ruffling their hair. Then Kotomi walked up to me, and I gave her the best hug I could since I was holding the sleeping Momo.
"See you soon," Kotomi said, trying to sound hopeful; she gave me a sad look. She then took Meme and Mimi by the hand as they headed for the door.
"This scene," I heard Tamaki say quietly behind me, but I tried not to pay attention to the hosts behind me.
"Hero, come take Momo," I said. He walked over to me, and I kneeled down to his height. I carefully handed him the sleeping Momo, who woke up slightly and groaned.
"Go back to sleep," I said, stroking her hair. Hero then turned to leave, and I grabbed him by the arm. "Hero," and he turned so that he was facing me. "I have something for you," I said, taking off Yoshiro's favorite hat.
I saw his eyes grow wider.
"This hat was given to me by somebody very important," I said, and I could feel the tears threatening to come out, but I kept them at bay. "I'm giving you this hat," I said, putting on his head; he looked at me, shocked.
"But-" he started.
"But only under a promise," I interrupted, stopping him, "You have to be a big brother."
He looked like he was going to cry.
"You have to be there," I continued, "for every skinned knee, every nightmare or boogie-man, you have to protect you younger sisters from anyone who tries to pick on them, and," I paused taking a breath, "you have to be there for every birthday, and care for them no matter what. Okay?" I was really on edge here, almost in tears, and so was he.
"En," he said, nodding his head; I nodded back.
"Here," Haruhi said, handing me Pan-chan. I nodded to her in "thanks" and gave it to Hero.
"You're the big brother now," I said.
"Hero, let's go," my mother said. I put my forehead against his and kissed Momo's hair. Then I sighed as I leaned back, and he turned to walk away.
"I love you all," I said as the last lock of Momo's blonde hair slipped out of my fingers. I sat there on the floor as I watched Hero walk out the door. Kotomi looked like she was crying as she exited behind him with Meme and Mimi, who were both very confused.
"Good-bye," my mother said her back to me as she left through the doors.
The doors shut, and everyone in the room looked at me.
"Aya," Honey said, sounding sad.
"Ayami, what just happened?" Tamaki asked.
"I'm," I said lifelessly, "no longer a Sohma."
"What?" Tamaki said. I was going to reply but felt too choked to say anymore, Haruhi noticed.
"Her mother just gave up her parental rights," Haruhi spoke for me.
"No!" Honey exclaimed, "That's terrible!" He sounded like he was crying.
Just then somebody opened the door. I looked up as a man walked through the door.
"I've been sent by your father to get you," he said to me, but I wasn't looking at him.
I was looking behind him at the silent scene of my family walking away.
Then I watched in worry as Momo struggled out of Hero's arms, falling to the floor. He tried to offer her Pan-chan, but she pushed him away and started running down the hall towards me.
I reached out my hand to her instinctively.
Then my mother grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her away.
"Sissy!" she cried from down the hall.
Then...
*Click* the door closed shut.
I wanted to run to her,
To all of them,
To pull them into my arms and tell them I'll always be with them,
But I couldn't,
Because that would be lying.
I stayed sitting on the floor as I leaned forward, the tears falling to the floor.
Haruhi knelt beside me and placed her hand on my back.
"I wasn't supposed to cry," I babbled with a cynical laugh.
"It'll be alright!" Honey said.
"Yes, after all," Tamaki said as handed me a handkerchief, "this isn't 'good-bye,' just 'see you later.' You'll see them again someday." I looked up at him. "I'm sure of it." he finished smiling at me.
I took the handkerchief, but the tears didn't stop right away. When I was only sniffling, I stood up and faced the man who was awkwardly waiting for me at the door. I looked over my shoulder at the host club.
Haruhi, Honey, and Tamaki all looked like they were trying to be positive, Kyoya and the twins seemed more stoic, and Mori... looked worried. I gave them a partial smile then turned back to the man. I nodded my head, and we exited from the room.
I looked down the hall where my family had just been; it was empty.
"This way," he said, walking down the other hallway; I slowly turned and followed him.
We walked through the halls up to my father's office, and the man left me at the door. I placed my hand on the handle and walked inside.
There stood my dad holding some papers; he looked up at me.
"It's finished," he said, "You are no longer a Sohma, you are now officially Ayami Suoh."
AYA! WHAAAAAA! I'm sorry this one is so sad; it was making me cry as I wrote it!
~Thank you for reading~
~MiraCarpathia