I sighed as I once again dropped onto the couch beside Kaoru. This back and forth was rather annoying and tedious after only a few minutes. 

The Lobelia she-demons would claim we (Haruhi and I) were being harassed; the Host Club members would fire back that that was in no way the case here.

And on and on it went.

I myself didn't get the chance to say much, other than the occasional snippet here or there. Haruhi, too, was silent for the majority of the time here. She did, at one point, try to help by pointing out flaws in the other girl's logic, but was quickly shut down by the hosts. 

I learned Tamaki is French as well as Japanese, if it's any consolation. 

But what made things infinitely worse was Rose-sama's demand that Haruhi and I join her in the Zuka Club (of which I still had no knowledge). But from what I gathered from the expressions the hosts wore, I understood it was a club I would no doubt find fault with. 

Currently, Haruhi was dealing with the shock of finding out that the mechanical pencil she'd misplaced some time ago had been sold at auction, one organized by Kyouya no less.

"The winning bid for the mechanical pencil that you threw away was thirty thousand yen," Kyouya informed her, a hint of pride in his voice. "Quite nice, huh?"

Who in their right mind... would pay thirty thousand yen for a pencil of Haruhi's? I simply couldn't wrap my head around it. It made no sense. But perhaps that was because in the past I hadn't been very loose with my own money (others called me stingy, but I digress).

Anyway, back to Haruhi's ranting.

"I never knew any of this before?! No one told me we received money this way!"

"Didn't think that we go through all this just for community service, did you?" Kyouya responded, lighting pushing his glasses back into place. He gave Haruhi a condescending smile that's covered with false charm. "Even expenses plus costume expenses plue the client's food, etc."

Eh? Client's food? I furrowed my brow, puzzled. The food is mostly from me, and I pay for the supplies myself. Maybe he means before I was "hired"?

"There's not even that much profit. Nintey-nine-percent expense," he added. .

"That doesn't give you the right to steal someone else's things and sell them!" Haruhi insisted, clenching her fists tightly. Her face was a mixture of angered disbelief and... some other emotion I didn't quite get. Constipation? Ah, that's not an emotion, but I think it fit well for the situation. 

"We didn't steal them," the twins chorused, "it was dropped."

I looked between them, frowning in disapproval, as Haruhi sent them a rather menacing glare while they feigned innocence. Tamaki soon swooped in and tried to comfort poor Haruhi (she looked like she could have done without) and I took a moment to cross my arms under my chest and look pointedly at the Hitachiin brothers.

"What?" they said in unison.

"You know perfectly well what," I replied testily. However innocent they claimed to be, I'd known them long enough to see past the obvious facade. I was always surprised when the girls in the club fell for their act; their acting skills weren't that great. I would know too. I mean, I... Ah, forget it. It doesn't pertain to the current going-on's of the Host Club. "You guys stole from Haruhi. How exactly do you expect to gain her trust when you do stupid stuff like that?"

"Why do you think we want her trust?" Hikaru asked boredly, inspecting his nails though they shone to perfection. 

"We're perfectly content with only trusting each other," Kaoru added.

"You both have to realize that's a lie, right?" 

They blinked simultaneously, exchanging a look over the top of my head, as they were seated on either side of me. They stayed silent for countless heartbeats. Fed up, I sighed and shook my head, bewildered. How could they live with only each other as true companions? I myself had always been a loner (of sorts) before meeting the Host Club, but it was because I was strange no matter where I was. Hikaru and Kaoru didn't have that problem. They were popular. 

But maybe I could understand. I'd seen how they toyed with their guests, having them play the "Which One's Hikaru" game or whatever they'd named it. Nearly everyone got them mixed up. All except Haruhi and I. The other hosts as well, but we were the only girls who saw through them. Tipping my head back to gaze passively at the ceiling, I wondered if they'd ever gotten close to any girls before. Even I, in all my weirdness, had had a boyfriend. But did these two ever trust a girl enough to have genuine feelings for her?

Kaoru poked me in the forehead, jarring me from my thoughts. "Huh? What is it?" I asked, casting an inquiring look between them. They both took hold of my chin in their slim fingers and jerked my head around to face the club entrance. Ah, so the Lobelia girls were leaving then? But what was this...?

"We'll come back tomorrow," Rose sang as she was pulling the heavy doors closed. "We'll be expecting some good news!"

"Good news...?" I echoed thoughtfully, tapping my chin. "What exactly is that she-demon talking about?"

"You were spacing out," Kaoru teased with a mocking smile.

"So you missed their offer," Hikaru added.

"They want you-"

"-and Haruhi-"

"-to join the Zuko Club tomorrow-"

"-and dump us punk hosts," Hikaru finished. He didn't sound quite so cheery anymore.

I blinked. "Punk hosts? Where the hell does that freak of nature pervert feminist get off calling you guys names?! For God's sake, that woman's insane! Worse than any of you!"

"Sooo... Does this mean you're staying?" they chorused, cocking their heads to the side.

"Of course!" I huffed, sinking further into the plush couch. I pressed a firm hand to my throbbing temple. Note to self: Boys, though they make me embarrassed more than I'd like, are still better friends than girls. At least in my experience. "Besides, I still have a debt here, don't I?" The corners of my mouth lifted with amusement and I saw Hikaru and Kaoru flash each other their usual grins. Then they, as one, pinched my cheeks, cooing, "Aw! Micah likes us!"

I said it earlier; there was no use taking it back now.

But what about Haruhi? Would she enjoy staying with the hosts, if she had the chance to join a school where no one would mistake her true identity? She did tell me gender doesn't matter, but being mistaken as a boy for as long as she had... would it change her feelings?

I watched through worried eyes as they stalked over to the doors, still shaking from being slammed by those Lobelia she-demons. She paused with one hand wrapped around the door handle. "I'll... call it a day here too. Bye..."

And then she was gone, vanished, leaving a room full of guilty hosts.

"...You're all idiots." I was the first to break the oppressing silence. I abruptly stood from my seat, preparing to go after Haruhi, only to have the twins yank me back down. My cheeks finally found themselves flooded with heat. "W-What?" I stammered, cursing myself for my lack of ability in dealing with guys.

"You're a girl," Hikaru stated. I nodded warily, fighting back a scowl. Was he trying to be stupid, or did this come naturally to him?

"But you aren't upset that we might've been selling your things," Kaoru said, leaning forward, one elbow propped up on his knee and his chin in his hand. 

"Are you selling my things?" I demanded.

"No," they chorused.

As if I could believe that...

"Well, whatever," I sighed. "It doesn't really matter. Sure, I'm upset about it, I guess, but it's just stuff. And you're selling things like mechanical pencils? Not really something I can't live without."

They shared another look. This twin telepathy was beginning to wear on me. It was less aggravating when they teased me. I counted out ten heartbeats before Hikaru chose to respond. His voice was full of teasing as he said, "We really didn't sell your stuff. Someone wouldn't let us."

Someone? I glanced up at Hikaru, but his knowing smirk was turned on his own brother, who frowned under the appraising stare. Why would... Why would Kaoru defend me?

"I'd like to thank someone then," I said slowly, turning back to Hikaru. "But if they'd like to remain anonymous, then so be it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go home. I've had enough insanity for one lifetime, let alone this one day." I stood, and neither brother halted me. Grabbing my bag from where I'd thrown it against the table before us, I started walking over to the doors.

Tamaki's tone stopped me before I could close the door behind me.

"How could I not have realized it until now....? Perhaps for that kid, instead of the Host Club... wouldn't the Zuka Club be more suitable...?"

I shut the door without a sound. My back fell against the polished wood, my shoulders dragged down by a weight not seen by mere mortal eyes. If I knew anything about the Zuka Club, I could comment on this, give Tamaki a reason to think Haruhi would stay. But... the more I thought about it, the more it seemed likely that the Zuka Club would be something suited for Haruhi. Rose-sama or whatever her real name was clearly had an affinity for playing the role of a male lead, as in a play or production. Perhaps that's what the Zuka Club did? An all girls cast who put on theatrical productions? 

Haruhi didn't quite seem to be an actress, but with her uncaring attitude towards genders and her natural inclination for male clothing... It made sense. Even so...

I clenched my fist in frustration. Why, when I'm just beginning to understand that I don't actually hate the Host Club, do these infuriating temptresses have to come in and whisk Haruhi away? Obviously, I was not to be swayed, but for our little cross-dresser... And it had to fall on a day when Haruhi was sufficiently irked by the hosts' actions. Damn you, Fate. Why are you never willing to show me anything worth smiling over?

Alright. I supposed I'd just have to suck it up, as I've done before. If Haruhi wanted to, then I had no right to stand in her way. Even Tamaki, whom I never would have guessed would accept this, seemed to be willing to let her go. If he was able to quell the pain in his heart, then so would I--

The doors were suddenly swept open and I was forcefully tugged back inside with an (unfortunately) undignified yelp of surprised. 

"Oh, good!" I heard Tamaki exclaim in relief as I was set down carefully by Mori. "I thought my precious daughter had left already!"

"I suppose you're lucky I was lost in thought," I murmured, consciously patting dust off my clothes. 

"Now, listen!" Tamaki leaned in close, pointer finger straight up as though he planned to lecture me. "We'll not let Haruhi go without a fight," he said, smiling coolly, "and I've got the perfect idea!"

As I listened to his hare-brained scheme, an inevitable soft smile played at my lips. So this was why my affection for the hosts ran so deep...

[The Next Day....]

"How do you tie this...?" I stared blankly at the silky black tie dangling between my fingers. I'd never worn something like this, how was I expected to function with it?

"As expected, you're hopeless."

"Haha, you're funny. Now help me with this damn thing. You picked it out, anyway." I turned around and had to stifle a giggle at the sight of Kaoru. Tamaki's plan would be the death of me. I would forcefully hold back each and every one of my girlish giggles and I would eventually explode from the build up of unreleased gases. Quite the obituary I'd get, in any case.

Kaoru sighed dramatically and swiped the tie from my hands. He proceeded to play with it, as though we had all the time in the world. Hadn't we told Haruhi to come in the moment the Lobelia girls returned? Time was running out for us to get in our positions.

"Leave it untied," he instructed at last, wrapping the tie around my neck. Both ends dangled down with the look of an uncaring party boy. I rather liked it. "This suits you better than the clothes the rest of us are wearing. Tamaki's "Princely" clothes just don't look right on you if you're trying to look like a guy. You're not impressive enough to pull them off."

"Gee, thanks, you're so sweet, Kaoru," I muttered dryly, tugging unconsciously at the ends of the tie. I wasn't at all used to these clothes, and I would rather not wear them, given a choice. But with Tamaki's "genius" plan in action, I didn't receive that choice.

"Huh. So you'd rather have me tell you I think you're attractive as a guy?" Kaoru smirked and captured my chin his hand, brining our faces no more than two inches apart. This seemed to be a reoccuring trend among the hosts. And my blushing was another familiar in this situation. "You know, Hikaru and I could always incorperate you into our 'Brotherly Love' routine. I'm sure the girls would love to see you with us..."

I felt nauseous just at the thought, and jerked away from Kaoru's hand. "Not interested," I mumbled, rubbing at my cheeks, once again, to stamp out the flames. He smirked in response and scuffed up my hair, which he'd helped to pin back earlier. "Hey!" I protested, swatting his hands away.

"Just giving you that 'sexy, bad boy' image." He gave me the peace sign before skipping off to join his brother, as well as the other hosts. They all looked so ridiculous. I stifled another giggle. Who knew they'd go so far to bring Haruhi back...?

I straightened my jacket and untucked my pristine white shirt as I calmly made my way over to my own position. The long pants were a bit of a bother; they chaffed in all the wrong places. But I made do. After all, this was all for Haruhi's sake.

The regal-looking clock ticked loudly in the sudden quiet of the room. I shifted nervously, wondering if I should bother retying the laces on my combat boots. Then again, leaving them loose would go well with the loose tie... I thought, anyway. I wasn't quite sure. But when I turned slightly and lifted a foot to Kaoru, he caught on immediately and nodded, telling me to keep them as is. Hikaru, glancing over just in time, nodded as well, hand held high in a thumb's up.

That settled that.

I heard the click of the door coming open and my back straightened without hesitation, my nerves making an undesired reappearance. But I forced back my worries and gave into a boyish slouch, hands slid lazily into my pockets. 

At the door stood a flabbergasted trio of she-demons and our very own Haruhi, blinking in confusion.

I could guess why they were so surprised. The hosts had pulled out all the stops. The twins and Honey were dressed in adorable princess gowns, frilly and flowing and undeniably girly, while Mori, Kyouya and Tamaki were their dashing princes, complimenting their already perfect looks.

I must admit, they pulled off their respective looks rather well. Honey, especially. I would have adored having a younger sister as cute as he was that day. Even Kaoru and Hikaru looked like innocent(?) young woman, fans held up to hide their coy faces.

As the Lobelia girls stood in shocked silence, I sauntered into view to perform a gentleman's bow. Straightening, I flashed a (hopefully) sexy smile and said, "Welcome, young princesses. Thanks for taking the time to grace us with your lovely smiles."

Rose was the first to recover, throwing out her arms in exasperation. "What the hell is this?!" she demanded, trying to force her way past me to lay her claws at the base of the hosts' throats. "Are you insulting our culture?!"

I held out my arm, barring her way. Taking a cue from the guys, I slipped a hand up to her chin and tipped her head down so that we were eye to eye. Another crooked smile tugged at my lips. "An insult? We'd never be that cruel," I assured her, tracing the outline of her ridiculously masculine jawline with my twitching fingers. This. Felt. So. Disturbing. "We're simply offering something our King thought dear Haruhi couldn't possibly pass up."

"Micah...?"

"And the guest of honor makes her presence known!" I abandoned Rose (who was left shivering at my touch) and pulled Haruhi forward, twirling her around as gracefully as I could manage. "You see, Haruhi," I said, leaning in close to give the appearance of one holding some precious secret, "we wanted you to know that choosing the Host Club would not only assure you the guidance of nii-chans, but of nee-chans as well! And in my case, I'd love to play your older brother for the day, Haru-chan." I cupped her cheek and smiled in that annoying cute way boys have. It's difficult to explain, but if you, dear reader, have ever seen Rin Okumura from Ao no Exorcist smile, I'm sure you'll understand.

Haruhi blinked.

"Haruhi, how is it?" the twins called, winking at said girl. "Who's prettier, your dad or us? Please, tell us." Luckily, I'd been informed earlier about the state of Haruhi's father, otherwise that statement would have completely thrown me off.

Honey scampered away from Mori and leaned on tiptoes to peer into Haruhi's face. He cradled Usa-chan in his arms, adding to his little girl charm. "Haruhi, Haruhi~!" he sang. "You can call me nee-chan~!"

"How... how horrid!" Rose exclaimed. She seemed as though she was having a fit; the others members of her party, in contrast, still stood in awed silence by the door. "You've even drawn that lovely girl into your stupidity! And look! She's clearly wasting her talent here with you punks! See how she plays the male role perfectly? She even gave me shivers!"

"I'm not particularly proud of that," I informed her crossly, slapping a hand over my twitching eye to conceal it from view. No need to ruin my "astonishing" performance. With a sigh, I used my free hand to rake my fingers through my hair, letting the silky black strands fall carelessly into my eyes. "Thanks, though, for the compliment, Princess."

She scowled at me and swung her attention back to the hosts. "So you've captured one naive girl! But do you... do you think Haruhi will fall for that kind of trick?! Even immaturity has--"

"Pfft!!!"

Haruhi's smothered laugh cut through Rose's angered speech.

"H-Haruhi?" she ventured cautiously as the girl sank to the floor, clutching her stomach. Honey instantly fell down beside her and I dropped to one knee, a hand on her shaking back. 

I could just hear what she was muttering behind her hand. "I did keep thinking to myself, stupid... stupid... But..." Her giggling laughter rang out throughout the Host Club. "This... this is the limit.... To think you even brought Micah in on this... I thought you were smart! Just what are you guys doing?"

My lips flickered with giddy smile as I exhaled as dramatically as Kaoru had with me, crashing back onto the polished floor with my arms spread out around me. So there was nothing to worry about in the first place... "You're the weird one here, Haruhi," I mumbled softly.

"It's that funny?" Honey and the twins chorused.

Haruhi only laughed harder, a look of childish joy on her face. The same look overtook both the twins and little Honey-nee-chan. They smiled at each other so enthusiastically I laughed myself, rolling over onto my side, an arm tossed over my eyes so no one could see my laugh-induced tears. How humiliating would that have been, I wonder, to let them know they made me laugh hard enough to cry?

Soon, after the twins and Honey had had their fun with Haruhi and she was able to calm down, Rose approached her. I was in a half-crouch, unsure if I should intervene, especially when she placed a hand on Haruhi's arm and stared into her sparkling brown eyes.

But I realized my fears were unnecessary. 

"Haruhi," Rose began softly, only to have Haruhi cut her off.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling with all the sincerity in the world. "There are all kinds of people in the world, and I think that your attitude in life is unique and interesing, but... There is a dream that I want to accomplish... That's why I enrolled in Ouran. So ever since the beginning, I never had any thoughts of quitting here."

The hosts all started in shock, and Tamaki became downright frantic. "If you didn't have any thoughts about quitting the Host Club, then why did you get so mad yesterday?!"

Haruhi put a hand to her chin and nodded, looking as though she was recalling the events of yesterday. I did the same, and an unconscious groan escaped my lips. She can't be serious...

"Since you sold off someone else's things without permission, it's only natural to get mad," she explained. "And yesterday, the supermarket had a special one day only sale..."

"WHAT?! That's it?!"

"Ah, that's right," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck to hide my embarrassment. "She showed the flyer to me a few days ago... Can't believe I forgot, since she offered to let me come with her..."

"I will not give up.... Haruhi, Micah..."

My head snapped up and I let out another groan. Just when would these girls leave?

"I swear!" Rose vowed, turning around to vanish from the Host Club with her groupies. "That without fail, I will save the two of you and destroy this Host Club garbage...."

The doors closed behind them with a triumphant crack.

"She's a sore loser," I commented as I finally climbed to my feet and swept the dust and such from my clothes. I wondered how much these cost. They seemed tailored to my specific frame, so there was no telling if they'd get another chance to be used. I couldn't think of a time I'd be in need of a male suit again. But then again, this was the Host Club. I wouldn't count out any possibilites.

"Hey, Kao-nee-chan!" I called, catching Kaoru's attention. He smirked, obviously delighted with my nickname for him. I smiled also, a genuine smile, although the scene of Tamaki smothering Haruhi in a hug nearly caused me to frown in annoyance. "I'm going to the bathroom! Make sure Tamaki doesn't kill Haru-chin with his fatherly love!"

I only called out to Kaoru because nearly every other host was preoccupied. Honey and Mori had found my secret stash of sweets I'd hidden away for emergencies and Honey looked to be in inner turmoil over whether he should devour them or not, with Mori trying to sternly guide him on the right path. Kyouya was scribbling in his book, looking up every so often as though he were mentally calculating something. Hikaru was staring at himself in the mirror towards the back of the club. And Haruhi and Tamaki... 

I sighed. I felt her pain.

When Kaoru nodded and began prancing over to Tamaki, a mischievous smile on his face, I slipped out into the hallway to breathe a sigh of profound relief.

It was over. Finally, the Host Club could return to what I now considered normalcy. 

Lighthearted, I linked my hands behind my head and headed for the restroom. It only took a few moments and then I was rinsing my hands in the sink.

I heard the door open and swing shut, but I paid it no mind. There were, after all, other club activities going on after school here at Ouran. Why would I worry over who was walking into the bathroom?

But as I was drying my hands, I happened to look up, just slightly, and caugth sight of the male uniform pants. "Hey! You're in the wrong bathroom, you little pervert--" The words died on my lips as my eyes widened. I stumbled backwards, slipped on a wet patch of floor, and collapsed onto my behind on the ground. Still, my eyes were locked on the boy standing there, like a deer caught in the headlights. 

He was just as I remembered him. Tall, at nearly five-foot-ten, and eyes as beautiful as the bottomless ocean, such a rich, deep blue I used to drown in them. His hair was ruffled and styled to perfection, the same golden blonde as it had been when we met, as thought touched by the rays of the sun at birth. The bag he carried fell to the ground.

"Micah?" That velvet voice of his hadn't changed.

I swallowed thickly. "D-Daire?"

My troubles were far from over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I've decided. Out of the Hosts, it'll be between Mori, Kyouya and Kaoru, because I like how their relationships with Micah have developed over the course of the story so far. I'm sorry Nekozawa fans, I love him as well, but I just don't see him as a romantic interest. He was only ever meant to be a good friend to Micah.

Sorry again! But thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoy the mysterious new character I've thrown at Micah!