Chapter 16: Party of Secrets - Part ONE
Haruhi's point of view:
The next day at lunch, we were all going to meet in the classroom, as usual, when Shiori brought us some disturbing news.
"Haruhi?" Shiori said, running into the clubroom, "Is it true?"
"Is what true?" I asked, and she looked shocked.
"You mean, you don't know? Aya! The teacher just told me that she's no longer attending Ouran Academy!" she said, almost panicked.
"What?!" Honey and Tamaki exclaimed.
"But that's-" I said, not completing the sentence.
'That doesn't make any sense. Why would she be pulled out of school? Well, I guess since her father is the chairman, he could have done it. But still...'
"The teacher didn't say why, but only that she wasn't ever returning to school!" Shiori said practically in tears.
"There, there," Tamaki said, comforting her, "I'm sure this is just some misunderstanding."
He then had all of us go to Aya's class to question the teacher.
"The student, known as Sohma, Ayami, was unenrolled yesterday afternoon," The teacher replied when Tamaki asked her.
"Are you certain? Maybe there is some mistake," Honey said, and she looked down at him.
"No, there is no mistake. They were very clear that she was no longer attending," she said, then she checked her watch. "Lunch is half over, so I need to get going if I want to file these papers before then." She said, picking up some files off her desk. "I'm sorry," she said, giving us a polite bow before leaving.
"How could this happen?!" Tamaki yelled, seeming furious. "We were just getting started with Operation Ayami's Happiness!"
"Do you think this could have anything to do with what happened yesterday?" Kyoya asked. I looked at him, knowing that he was directing the question at me.
"I don't see how the two could be related," I lied; Kyoya could tell but didn't push it.
Mori's point of view:
"Takashi," Honey said, looking up at me with tears in his eyes. "You don't think it's true, do you? Do you really think that Aya isn't coming back to school?"
"I don't know," I said he looked even more worried.
'It doesn't make any sense,' I thought as I sat in class, not paying any attention to the lesson on physics.
'Why wouldn't she say anything? Well, I guess with her personality, she wouldn't... and I guess she had more important things on her mind.' The image of her hopeless, crying figure came to mind, and I felt a sting of pain; I shifted in my chair uncomfortably and placed my head on my left hand.
'At that time, I wanted to help her, to calm her, but I think that if I had tried to do anything, she would have only pushed me away. She would have been too embarrassed to let someone help her while others were watching. I was surprised when she took the handkerchief from Tamaki, with the way she's always rejecting him, but I guess she was upset enough that she didn't care... Or perhaps something else?... Perhaps Aya wasn't rejecting Tamaki because she disliked him. What if - what if she was rejecting him all the time because she actually liked him? That would explain why I always catch her staring at him, and, since she gets embarrassed by these kinds of things, she would act as if she hated him.' This thought bothered me.
'Why? Why does it bother me, she has the right to like whomever she wishes to.' I shifted in my chair again, switching arms.
"Takashi," I heard Honey whisper; I looked over at him questioningly.
"Is something wrong? You seem uneasy," he asked.
"No, it's nothing," I said; Honey didn't look convinced.
"Are you thinking about Aya-chan?" he guessed; I didn't reply, but he knew.
"Me too," he said, looking sad.
The next day, Ayami wasn't there, and the next, and the next. Pretty soon, days were passing when nobody even mentioned her name. Not that any of us had forgotten her, for every day at lunch when Shiori would arrive, we would all look at the door an extra second longer, to see if Aya would just shuffle in behind her friend. With that, every day would be another letdown.
The days turned into weeks, and Aya was still nowhere to be found.
'Why?'
Haruhi's point of view:
It was now two days before the party, and no one had seen or heard from Aya since the meeting between her mother and father, not even me. Every so often, Tamaki or Honey would ask me if I had talked with her, once even Mori had asked me, but I always had to tell them that I hadn't.
'I'm worried about her,' I thought as I tried to focus on my studies. 'But I don't know what to do; I don't know how to find her.'
Then I heard the phone ringing.
"Moshi-moshi?" I heard my father answer. "Ara! Aya, is that you?" I nearly bounced up off the floor and rushed down the hall.
"Is that Aya?" I asked. My father looked surprised that I had just burst into the room but nodded. I put out my hand to take the receiver, and he handed it to me.
"Aya?" I said into the phone.
Ayami's point of view:
Time passed slowly; I felt like I was floating in the ocean. With nothing but water above me and below me.
I went through lessons as my father arranged for me, but I spent all my free time lumbering about the house.
I had no appetite to eat anything and only ate when the cook insisted.
I was very sure she had called my father again, but I was just as sure he wasn't going to do anything about it.
"I hate him," I said, the words slipping through my lips without me even realizing it. I caught myself and sat up straight in bed, putting my hand over my mouth.
'Do I really mean that? Yes I hate what he's doing to my life but the person? No, I do not hate the person.' I sighed and flopped on to my side, my head hanging off the bed, and my eyes landed on the phone.
I nearly dashed across the room, picked it up, and dialed the number for Haruhi.
"Moshi-moshi?" I heard Ranka answer.
"Hey, Ranka," I greeted.
"Ara! Aya is that you?" he said.
"Yeah, it's me. Is Haru-" I said, then was interrupted.
"Aya?" Haruhi's voice said.
"Haruhi?" I answered, and I heard her sighed with relief.
"Where on Earth have you been?!" she screamed in my ear; I pulled the receiver away slightly and shook my head.
"Okay, first off ow, and secondly, what's up with you?"
"What's up? What's up?! What's up is that you've been MIA for weeks!" she screamed, sounding furious.
"Uh," I said, not really knowing what to say.
"What did you think it didn't matter? Everybody has been worried sick about you! Tamaki nearly had Kyoya call his private police force to do a city-wide search!"
"Sorry?" I said, unsure, "I didn't know... but, um, I'm kinda not even supposed to be talking to you right now anyway, so be glad I called at all."
"Uh, right, so what all happened? I mean, you were pulled from school?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said as I sat back on to my bed, "My dad said since I legally couldn't attend school as Ayami Sohma, he had to pull me; and since the big reveal isn't until that stupid party then I won't be returning till after."
"Oh, I see," she said, "Still, you could have said something, we were all really worried about you."
"I'm sorry again, but it really didn't occur to me, I was a little... preoccupied," I said, not wanting to talk much about it.
"Oh, that's right. Sorry about yelling at you," she apologized.
"Nah, you were right; I should have given you guys a heads up," I replied, laying back on my bed. "I sent them Christmas gifts, and I hope my mom lets them have them."
"Me too," she said with a pause. "So... the party's in a few days..."
"Yeah," I answered with a sigh.
"Tamaki has us all working double time to prepare for it," she said.
"Speaking of the party, will you be wearing a dress or a suit?" I asked, looking at the bag that held my midnight blue nightmare. Not that I hated the dress; in fact, I thought it was gorgeous, just the thought of what I was going to be doing in that dress was scary as hell.
"A suit," she replied, "Easier for me considering that half the people there will be attenders of our club."
"I guess so," I said, then I laughed, "save a dance for me," I said sarcastically; she laughed with me.
"Miss Ayami?" I heard my maid call.
"Crap!" I exclaimed, sitting up.
"What?" she asked.
"I got to go. If I get caught on the phone with you, they're gonna kill me," I replied.
"Okay, see you at the party," she said.
"See ya," I said, hanging up the phone and putting it in its place, then running back to the bed. No sooner had I rolled on to my side had the maid entered the room.
"Miss Ayami!" she said, irritated, "You know you have a dance lesson today, so what are you doing in bed?"
"Dying," I moaned.
"Don' be silly, now get up and get ready to go!" she ordered. I sighed, rolling out of bed and on to the floor.
"I don't wanna!" I complained. She glared down at me, and I gave in.
"Fine," I said.
'At least I won't have to take any more lessons after this stupid party.'
Haruhi's point of view:
It was only hours before the party, and we were all putting together last-minute details.
"A little to the left, that's perfect!" Tamaki said, directing the cake decorating crew. They had just brought in a massive five-layer cake, which I thought un-needed, and were putting on real flowers like a wedding cake.
The room was too excessive for my tastes. There was a large marble staircase that leads down to a massive dance floor that was skirted by a hundred white tables with red chairs. The food tables were on the far wall and outsides of the room, every table had a large arrangement of red and white roses, and everything else was covered in garland and holly.
"Haruhi!" Honey said, skipping to my side. "You look great!" I had just changed into my outfit for the night. Everybody was going to be wearing a suit that matched their signature color.
Tamaki was in a white suit with a gold tie.
Kyoya, a black suit with a purple tie.
Honey, pink suit with a blue tie.
Mori, dark blue suit and a black tie.
Hikaru, a light blue suit and white tie.
Kaoru, an orange suit and white tie.
Then there was me in a red suit and a green tie.
We were going to greet everyone in our signature colors, then half-way through the party, we were going to change into matching Christmas themed suits.
"I still don't see why we need such a big cake," I said, looking at the towering confection.
"I do!" Honey said, "because everybody is going to want cake!" I smiled at him and began to walk away when I thought of my conversation with Ayami.
'Should I tell them? It couldn't hurt...'
"Um," I said, and everybody looked at me questioningly.
"I got a phone call a couple of days ago, from Aya," I said. Tamaki and Honey stepped towards me.
"Really, what did she say?" Honey exclaimed.
"We didn't talk for very long, but," I said, looking at Tamaki, "she did say that she would be coming to the party."
"Really!" Tamaki said excitedly. "Then Operation Ayami's Happiness is back in business!" I shook my head as Tamaki's enthusiasm took over.
"Haru-chan," Honey said, calling my attention back to him.
"Did Aya say anything about how she's doing?" he asked.
"Not really, but she seemed calmer than I expected for all that's happened," I replied. He looked up at Takashi, who seemed to have a worried expression.
"I'm sure she'll talk to us all at the party tonight," I said with a smile, and Honey returned it with a grin.
"Yeah!"
Ayami's point of view:
I sat eating my lunch, a mini pizza, in the huge dining room.
"Miss, there's someone here to see you," Hinata said, walking into the room. I looked up to see a tall young woman, maybe thirty, with bleached-blonde hair.
"Hello, Miss Ayami. My name is Amy. I was sent by your father to help prepare you for tonight's ball." She said, smiling; I choked on the bite of pizza in my mouth.
"What?" I asked, still coughing.
"Tonight's Christmas ball, of course. Your father thought you would need a hair and make-up stylist," she said considerately. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Fine," I gave in. "But aren't you a little early?" I asked, looking at the clock; it was ten past one.
"Oh, no, I dare say we had better hurry if we want to get everything done by seven. We have to get you a pair of shoes and other accessories to match your dress, and we have to buy you some sort of cover for your shoulder. Then we have to wash and style your hair, give you a manicure and a pedicure, then we have to do your make-up, and we only have six hours to get all this done." She listed off all this, and I stared at her blankly.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"Yes, your father was adamant that I make you more than presentable for tonight," she said assuredly. I sat dumbfounded for a bit before taking in a deep breath.
"Okay," I said, "What's first?"
"Well, first, I need to see what you'll be wearing tonight, then I'll plan the rest of your wardrobe around that. I was pretty upset when I heard you had already picked out a dress, for I wanted to pick one out for you, but it's also a good thing considering the amount of time left before the party." She rambled on about different stores we would be going to.
Thus I showed her my gown, and she fawned all over me and how it was absolutely perfectly fitting to my features.
"With some white elbow gloves and a pair of silver heels, oh, and a white fur shrug! Oh! You will look like an angel!" she complimented. I just smiled fakely as she went over all her nightmarish plans for me.
She then dragged me with her to five different stores, one of which being a hair and nail salon, at which I was put through a painful amount of primping.
When all the washing, painting, and clipping was done, I looked at myself in the mirror.
"I look..." I was at a loss for words; I actually looked like a rich girl from the upper class.
"Beautiful," Amy finished placing her hands on my shoulders.
"Any man who does not ask you to dance tonight is a fool."
"I doubt I'll do much dancing," I said.
"But you must, this is one of those few occasions where you get to dance, so you must seize the opportunity." She giggled, and I shook my head with a small laugh.
"I'm not really in the dancing mood," I said, just then Hinata knocked on the door.
"Miss, it's almost time to go, and your father is here to see you," she said. Amy smiled and handed me my shrug. I thanked her and grabbed my handbag as I headed downstairs.
As I walked down the stairs, I looked up to see my father standing in the foyer with another young man, maybe twenty-five or so.
"Ayami," my father said, smiling at me.
"Father?" I questioned, reaching the bottom of the stairs.
"My you look lovely," He said, taking my hand and kissing it.
"Thank you," I said, blushing slightly.
"This is Matthew Billings," he said, motioning to the young man beside him, who bowed in greeting. I nodded my head then turned back to my father.
"He will be your escort for part of the evening," my father said.
"You mean you got me a date!" I exclaimed, horrified. My father and the man both laughed.
"Oh no, Miss Suoh," the young man said, and I winced when he called me Miss Suoh.
"I will merely be assisting you in getting yourself associated with certain peoples at the party this evening." he finished, and I looked to my father, who explained further.
"Matthew will help you get into conversations with important people that I want you to meet and impress with your dignified lady-likeness."
"So... he's here to help me get on the good side of all the rich kind," I said, and they both laughed again.
"I wouldn't put it so bluntly, but yes," Matthew said, smiling at me.
"Whatever," I said as I started to put on my shrug.
"Allow me, Miss," Matthew offered. I blushed as he helped me put it on.
"You sure act like a date," I said sarcastically, making him laugh once more.
"Well, it looks like the two of you will get along just fine," my father said, checking his watch. "I need to be going, what kind of party would it be if the host was late?" He laughed, and I half-smiled.
"See you there, I'll be waiting for a dance," he said as he exited. After he left, I glanced at Matthew, who smiled at me.
"Well, Miss Suoh, why don't we sit and get better acquainted," he said, and I glared at him.
"Stop calling me that," I snapped, and he looked taken back.
"Then how would you have me address you?" he asked.
"Ayami is fine, no surnames," I said, walking towards the sitting room.
"That is not very professional, but I will comply if it is what you wish, Miss Ayami," he said, following me. I rolled my eyes as we entered the room, and each took a seat.
"Shall we go over the basics?" he asked, pulling out a folder. "These are pictures of the people you should try your best to have a conversation with tonight," he said, pulling out some photos from the file. "Not only should you greet them, but you should hold a meaningful and memorable conversation with them."
"Meaning I have to leave an impression on them," I said, looking over the photos of faces.
There were three pictures, one of a young couple, a man with dark brown hair and a lady with long black hair, the second a picture of an older gentleman with black hair and glasses, and the third of an old lady with gray hair.
"These are the Nishimura's," he said, pointing at the couple, "They are the young successors to a company that your father wishes to go into business with. They have a daughter about your age," he said, pulling out another picture. The girl looked very much like a younger version of her mother, only she had her father's hair color.
"She's fourteen, and her name is Rina. They just moved to Japan from London, and she will be starting at Ouran soon. Your father wants you to make friends with her."
"Okay," I said, looking her over, memorizing her face as he moved on to the next picture.
"This is Yoshio Ootori," he said, pointing to the second one.
'Ootori? Isn't that Kyoya's father?' I thought in surprise, looking at the picture. He wasn't smiling and looked very stern.
"He is significant in that he is in a substantially large business agreement with your father."
"This," he said, pointing to the picture of the older lady, "is Shizue Suoh, your grandmother." I looked at the photo wide-eyed.
I had never had a grandmother, another something it seems I have gained with this new family. My mother's mother hated my mother, and by extension, me. I have never met her, but I have heard about her from my mom.
"She's a tight ass!" My mom had always said. I felt now that she and I had only this in common; disagreements with our mothers.
"She knows who you are and will most likely refuse to talk with you, but your father has said that you must talk with her and treat her with the utmost respect and honor, no matter how she treats you." I nodded.
"These are the only three, at your father's request, that you should talk to, but I will help you in associating with others as the night goes on."
"Great," I said unenthusiastically, and he smiled.
"However you will be doing part of tonight's social talking on your own, I can not stay the entire time and will leave halfway through the party." He said as he put the pictures away.
"Oh, okay," I said as he checked his watch.
"Well, we had better get going," he said, standing to his feet, "Shall we?" I nodded, and he offered me his hand; I reluctantly took it.
"If you keep treating me like this all night were going to have a problem," I said, and he smiled.
"If I treat you any less then what you are, your father will be upset with me and I with myself," He said, opening the door for me and leading me through it.
"Why?" I asked, and he grinned.
"Who could treat a beautiful young lady, such as yourself, as less than?" he said. I raised one eyebrow at this and blushed slightly.
"Whatever," I said, heading for the front door, not waiting for him.
Haruhi's point of view:
As usual, we were greeting the guests as they entered through the doors and into the ballroom. Standing on the small landing on the stairs, half of us were placed on one side and the other half on the other side. We were all putting on our most hostly acts as many of our usual guests arrived, bringing along their parents with them. Then Tamaki's father arrived.
"Father!" Tamaki greeted.
"Well done, Tamaki," he said, looking over everything, "Everything is as I expected and more."
"Thank you, father," Tamaki said with glee.
"But I wonder what she will think of it," he mumbled.
"She?" Tamaki questioned. His father paused a bit then answered.
"Your grandmother," he said, and Tamaki's face changed to a smile.
"She's coming?!" he exclaimed.
"Last I heard," his father said.
Tamaki could barely contain his excitement, but I felt an uneasiness settle on the rest of the club members, all of us remembering the last encounter we had had with her; this, however, did not defer Tamaki from his joy.
"Well, I leave you to your hosting," Mr. Suoh said, excusing himself.
We all continued our greeting of the guests until a particular guest arrived.
Mori's point of view:
I had just finished greeting a frequenting guest of mine when I looked up and nearly froze in place. There at the top of the staircase stood Ayami. She was wearing the dress I had picked out for her with tall white gloves and short silver heels. Her hair was up in a bun, and she wore a light amount of make-up on her face.
I felt a bit of blush come to my cheeks when she looked our way, but it faded when she smiled, for it wasn't a real smile that graced her features.
"Aya," Haruhi and Honey greeted together. We all walked towards her to greet and talk with her.
"You look beautiful!" Honey said, turning to me.
"Don't you think so, Takashi?" Honey asked me. I blushed slightly and nodded.
"En," I said, and a bit of blush began to show on her face.
"You do look great," Haruhi added.
"Great!" Tamaki exclaimed, "Great does not even begin to do it justice! You look like an angel sent from above to grace us with your heavenly image. A princess whose beauty surpasses any other I have ever seen. A-"
"Before you start comparing me to rainbows and unicorns, can you please stop," she said, irritated.
"But-" Tamaki started, and she scowled, stopping him.
"Why not take the compliments?" a man with dark brown hair said as he walked up beside her. I looked at him, shocked as he placed his hand lightly on her back.
"You do look quite exquisite tonight," he said, and she turned to him.
"I thought I told you to stop it too," she said just as bothered with him as she was with Tamaki; her friend smiled.
"Of course, Miss Ayami," he said, and she rolled her eyes and looked out at the ballroom.
"Good-golly," she exclaimed, "Could you guys have done anything more extravagant?"
"This is quite normal for these types of parties," her friend said, and she raised one eyebrow.
"It looks like a waste of money, time, and effort," she mumbled, and her friend laughed.
"Perhaps, but in this circle of people, it is considered to be one of the more common things to do," he said, but she still seemed not understanding. She then looked at each one of us hosts again and sighed.
"So yeah, here I am," she said, and I couldn't help but smile at her unenthusiastic introduction.
"Yes, you are," Tamaki said, stepping forward, taking her hand. "And may I be the first to say welcome to our Christmas party. I do hope you'll enjoy yourself this evening." I expected her to slap his hand away from hers, but she did not; instead, she simply stood there staring at him.
'Something seems off... She's probably still upset over her family, or could it be that she really is starting to like Tamaki?' I thought uneasily.
Just then, her friend spoke up. "You were saying how you were feeling a bit peckish, do you want to see what they have to eat."
"Sure," she said, and he offered her his arm.
We all watched in awe as she took his arm, and the two of them began walking down the stairs.
"Well, would you look at that," Hikaru said.
"Looks like she got herself a date." Kaoru finished.
"How could this be?! Kyoya," Tamaki said, "Who is he? Who is this man that has attached himself to our beloved daughter?!"
"I'm not sure," Kyoya said, looking at him and pushing up his glasses, "But he does seem familiar." Tamaki threw himself in dramatic agony.
"I don't think that's he's her date," Haruhi said, and we all looked at her.
"Aya would have told me if she was bringing a date; that I know for sure. Not to mention they don't seem to act like a couple," she said.
'She's right,' I thought, watching Aya as she looked over the food items. 'From what I know of Aya's personality, she wouldn't be showing off a dating relationship so publicly. Even so...,' It thought as I saw her pick out a piece of fruit tart, something I had noticed her having at the club before, 'Why does this make me unsettled?'
Ayami's point of view:
I raided the food tables taking two platefuls of the best foods there were. I barely got to enjoy it, though, because Matthew had me trying to multi-task both talking and eating.
He then forced me to try and make friends with the very talkative, fourteen-year-old, Rina Nishimura by myself, as if talking with the hosts wasn't already uncomfortable enough. Though it wasn't so hard to speak with her because she spoke better English than Japanese and our conversation soon turned into an English only one, her British accent made me giggle a few times.
I did try my best, though, and before I knew it, we had exchanged phone numbers, and she was talking about all the handsome young men in the room.
"I like the tall one. You know, the one with the suit that matches in color to your gown," she said, looking at Mori.
He was standing with Honey and was talking with a few girls, or really they were talking with him, by the drinks table. She was right; our outfits did match uncannily.
'I bet the twins did it on purpose.'
"Do you?" I said, trying to sound interested, as I took a bite of a chocolate-covered strawberry.
"Yes, it's adorable how he walks around with his cute little friend!" she said, going fan-girl on me.
"His name's Takashi Morinozuka; we're... friends, of sorts," I said, and she looked at me excitedly.
"Really! Do you think you could introduce us?" she asked ecstatically.
"Sure," I said, and she hugged me against my will.
"Oh, thank you!" she said; I grinned uneasily as she took me by the hand, and we walked towards Mori.
Partway she released her grasp on me and slowed so that I was in front of her. I looked at her curiously but soon noticed that she was blushing heaps; I snickered at her shyness towards men.
We stepped up to the circle that the two hosts were standing in and soon got their attention. Mori was the first to glance up at us, or really, me; he did not glance at Rina.
"Aya-chan!" Honey said, hugging me around my waist. I smiled at him, but it was painful, he reminded me of my siblings too much right now.
"Hey," I greeted simply, he looked up at me curiously, but I shifted the conversation.
"This," I said, motioning to Rina, "is Nishimura, Rina, she was curious to talk with you."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a curtsy.
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Honey," he said, then tilted towards Mori, "And this is Mori." Mori nodded his head, and she blushed.
"Rina just moved here from England and will be starting at Ouran in a few weeks," I said.
"Really?" Honey asked, and Rina nodded, blushing, even more, when Mori looked at her.
"I hope you come by the club sometime," Honey said.
"I must if I get to spend time with handsome men like you," she said, blushing beyond red now.
"Excuse me," a girl said, walking up to us.
"Would you care to dance?" she asked, blushing and looking down at her feet.
I believe she was directing the question at Mori, but Honey grabbed her by the arms and swung her on to the dance floor.
"Sure!" he said, and they twirled off.
'Poor girl,' I thought, turning to look up at the exceedingly tall figure beside me.
"So, um..." Rina said, "Do you dance, Mori?" Mori looked down at me, then at her, and was about to answer her question when he was interrupted.
"I would like to think that he should," a familiar voice said from behind us. I turned around to see Andrew, my dance partner, and instructor, walking my way. "Any man who does not like to embrace a woman in dance is an idiot."
"Andrew!" I exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" He smiled and put out his hand to me.
"Isn't it obvious, I'm here for a dance." he grinned a flirtatious grin. "Would you do me the honor?" he asked me.
"Do I have to?" I asked, and he gave me a sarcastic look.
"Yes," he said. I scowled at him, then sighed.
"If I must," I agreed reluctantly; he grinned and stood up, holding out his arm to lead me to the dance floor. He looked up at Mori, and a strange expression appeared on his face. Something like curiosity and interest as well as understanding.
"Young man," he said, addressing Mori in a challenging tone, "If you know so much as a simple waltz, then you should take her," he pointed at Rina, "out on the dance floor. It would be a shame for her not to dance with anyone tonight." Rina's blush deepened, and Mori looked down at Andrew; the two had an interesting staring contest.
"Ah," Mori said, and Andrew grinned.
"Miss," Andrew said, leading me towards the dance floor.
I wasn't quite sure what had just happened between them, but as a nervous Rina took Mori's arm, I felt a strange sense of competition between the two men.
Mori's point of view:
I put out my arm for the young Nishimura girl, and she took it nervously. We followed Ayami and her dance partner to the dance floor. The song that was playing ended, and they took their places. I took my place with my dance partner, uncomfortably because of her short stature, and we waited for the music to start. The waltz started, and Ayami and her partner started in time with the music.
I started us dancing as well as I watched them.
Ayami's face seemed to be pleased when she heard the song, and her movements matched perfectly with his. I watched, a bit bothered by this, though I was still not sure why it bothered me.
Ayami paid little attention to her partner as they danced, her eyes wandering around, then landing on us. I looked up at her, and she looked away, this was when I realized that I was neglecting my dance partner.
"Mori-san, were you listening to me," Nishimura asked, for this entire time she had been making nervous chit-chat. "I asked if you danced at parties often?" she repeated. I shook my head, 'no.' "Am I an exception then? Or are you only dancing with me to watch Ayami?" I looked down at her, surprised as she blushed with a giggle. "Well, you have been staring at her this entire time, even while she introduced me," she said. I looked down at her blankly, trying to see what she was getting at. "Is it possible that you have a crush on her?" She asked, and I looked at her, shocked.
'Crush? On Ayami? I do like her, but do I like her in a way other than friendship?' I thought, glancing towards Ayami. I watched her as she danced lightly across the floor; she looked like an excellent dancer.
As I was admiring her movements, she looked our way, and I felt some blush seep into my cheeks before she quickly looked away.
"I don't know," I finally answered Nishimura-san.
"Would you rather be dancing with her and not me?" she asked, and I thought it over, not sure how to answer. "If you say, 'yes,' I won't be offended," she said; I didn't reply, but she took it as a 'yes' anyway.
"I knew it," she said with a giggle, then sighing.
"Andrew!" Ayami exclaimed. I looked up at her and saw her blushing wildly at whatever he had just said. He was laughing, and she looked very embarrassed. She said something to him in a threatening tone, but I couldn't hear what it was.
They talked back and forth a bit, and she scowled at him and turned to walk away from him. He pulled her back to him with a spin; she did not look pleased. It bothered me to see him forcing her to dance with him. 'If she doesn't want to dance with him, then why did she agree to it?' I thought. Then he said a few things to her, and she looked happy for a few seconds and giggled. 'She giggled? Why?' I thought, very much wanting to know the reason.
They continued to talk throughout the rest of the dance.
"Thank you for the dance Mori-san," Nishimura said with a curtsy when the dance was over. I bowed to her slightly, and she smiled. "You should think over what we talked about," she said, turning to look toward Ayami.
Ayami's point of view:
Andrew and I took our places and, when the music started, I realized that I knew this dance; it was a waltz we had practiced, one of my favorites, and I could predict his movements with ease.
As we danced, I found my eyes mindlessly wandering about the room. I ended up watching Mori and Rina dancing. She was occupying their dance with chatter, and he seemed to be neither entertained nor bored with it. He looked my way, and I turned back to Andrew, boring my eyes into his chest.
"You know," Andrew said, bringing my gaze to his.
"It's insulting not to look at someone when you're dancing with them." He grinned widely, and I blushed a deep red.
"Andrew!" I said embarrassed, and he laughed.
"It's not funny," I said, "If you don't stop laughing, I will leave you right here, on the dance floor, right now."
"Alright, I'm sorry, but I had to tease you," he said.
"Yeah, whatever - so where's Madison?" I asked, looking around for her.
"She had a performance, and she's sorry that she couldn't make it," he said.
"And you're here because...?" I asked.
"Because I wanted to see you in a fancy dress," he said with a straight face. I turned to leave, and he made it look as if he took me into a spin.
"I'm dead serious about leaving you here," I said monotone, and he laughed again.
"Right, right, I know. I'm sorry, but you're so much fun to tease," he said, and I scowled at him.
"I came to give you a final test. This is your final dance lesson," he said.
"Really?" I asked, then I grinned, "Really?!"
"Yes, there's no reason to be so excited about it," he said, furrowing his brow; I giggled slightly.
We talked a bit about Madison and other things until the song came to an end; Andrew checked his watch.
"I need to get going," he said with a bow, "The dance was lovely; you pass with flying colors."
"Why, thank you," I said proudly.
"You must have an excellent teacher," he said flattering himself.
"Yes, I do," I said, and he looked at me, surprised. "Her name is Madison Ross." I finished, and he laughed.
"Good one," he said, "Well, it has been very nice dancing with you, and I hope to do so again someday."
"Maybe," I said; he bowed and turned to leave just as Mori and Rina walked up to us.
"Hey," Andrew said, patting Mori on the arm, "Your dancing wasn't half-bad." Mori didn't reply but looked confused as Andrew grinned and left.
"Who was he?" Rina asked, fishing for gossip.
"My dance instructor," I answered flatly.
"Oh," she said, suddenly not interested; Mori looked at me strangely.
"Miss Ayami," I heard Matthew call to me. I looked at him, and he motioned for me to come his way.
"Well, If you'll excuse me," I said.
"I'll come with you," Rina said, walking with me, and she shuffled along beside me.
"So, how did it go?" I asked once we were out of earshot from Mori.
"Not so well, he's different from how I thought he would be," she said, looking disappointed.
"Well, you know what they say, 'never judge a book by its cover,'" I said she nodded but still seemed down.
"Cheer up, there are plenty of guys here, go talk to one on your own and see how you do," I said she smiled at me and nodded.
"Yes, thank you, and thank you for introducing us," she said with a smile. I smiled back, and she skipped off.
When I made it to Matthew, he introduced me to a group that had a few young men in it; two of them asked me for a dance.
The first was stout and looked much older than me, and his dancing skills needed some work, but otherwise, it was tolerable.
The second was my age and very unskilled at dancing; he stepped on my toes twice. He was very apologetic about it, though.
Matthew then had me talk with some more "important" people until someone of greater importance arrived.
"Look there," he said, pointing to the top of the stairs. I looked up, and there stood Shizue Suoh, my grandmother.
Mori's got a crush?! What will happen when Aya meets her new grandmother?
Sorry, I kind of end this chapter strangely, but I had to.
~Please review!~
~Thank you for reading~
~MiraCarpathia