"Thanks for walking me out, Kyoya," I say, holding into his arm for support. We walk out to the limo parked in front of the school, the other students doing the same. I saw some of the guests of the Host Club glare at me, but once Kyoya explained the fainting spell earlier, they gushed over him rather than hate me. The driver opened the door for me and I slid in. I roll down the window to get the warmer air in rather than drown myself in cold.

"I'll meet you here tomorrow, alright?" I ask. "We've got another whole day of adjustment before I can get this place in my head."

"Only if you don't mind coming to the Host Club after school once more."

"I don't mind at all," I smile at him. "They are quite kind."

"Yes." He looks away, and I can tell he's thinking about the club and what they've done for Kyoya. "They truly are."

I wave goodbye and sigh as we start driving away. Only a twenty minute drive to the home, but it feels like forever.

I walked into my father's study while he was on the phone. He was speaking to an adult, I could tell because his voice is gruffer, deeper. I sit quietly on a chair by his desk, waiting for the conversation to end.

"Thank you for alerting me on the matter," He says before parting. He places the phone back on its hook and looks over to me. His face morphs into one of happiness, but I see worry in his eyes. I hug him and he does the same, although very lightly.

"Hello my darling," He kisses my forehead and sits behind his desk. "How was school today?"

"Alright." I fiddle with my yellow dress and make creases in it, even though I shouldn't. "I met Kyoya's friends and they are all very nice to me."

"That's wonderful to hear," He smiles again. "I heard you had a spell, but Kyoya made sure to alert me."

"Yes Father," I sigh. "I got a little overexcited and ran up the stairs."

"Oh Mitsumi, it's perfectly alright," He places his hands across the desk, grasping mine. "You should be able to do what you want, just please make sure you know your limit, yes?"

"Yes, Father."

"I love you, Mitsumi. Now, why don't you change out of your uniform and I'll send dinner up for you? I've got a meeting, unfortunately."

"Alright, I love you too." I hug my father once more before going up to my room. I close the door lightly and start unbuttoning the collar of the yellow dress. The sunlight starts fading from my window as the yellow is slipped off and a light pink and white, ratty nightgown is put on. I've had it for two years now, and I refuse to get rid of it; it's the closest thing to my mother.

I sit at my desk, which has my journals and a rickety typewriter. I like the aesthetic of the type and it makes a fun clicking noise, so why not write with it rather than on paper? The current story I'm focusing on is one of love. I haven't fully experienced anything like that, except from my parents, so it's a difficult subject to work on. I try to write each night, even just a sentence, but I keep getting stuck after my last one.

'Love is something that can't be won, but something that can grow within you.'

It's cheesy and romantic, but I don't know what isn't cheesy about love. I huff and leave my desk, I can't think of anything anymore.

"Miss Inoue, your dinner," A maid comes up with a plate of curry and jasmine rice, a delicious treat for today. Along with it is a small bowl of egg drop soup and a slice of chocolate cake for dessert. I thank the maid and begin eating with the delicacy of the social status I uphold. My desk faces my only window, which overlooks the gardens. I can't see much since the sun is leaving, but I can see the willow trees and the birds getting ready for bed as well. It's a very pleasant sight, and I try to see the setting every night.

I finish up dinner and get ready for the night, yawning over the crazy day; it doesn't matter that I fainted, I still get very tired after a long day. I close my eyes with the host club in my mind, from Kyoya to Hani. A good start to a school year continues tomorrow.

I hop out of the limo, my father is too busy to drop me off again. Kyoya is waiting for me by the drop-off area and he nods as I walk towards him. I follow along as we head to our classroom, wanting to get there early and away from the rambunctious teens of this school. Awaiting us was Tamaki, who was in his seat next to Kyoya's.

"This is the second time you've walked with her, Kyoya!" He exclaims. "Don't tell me you're her boyfriend now."

I snorted and tried to cover it up, but I couldn't help but laugh. Me, with Kyoya? A guy I've known my entire life, who's like a brother to me?

"Tamaki, you moron," Kyoya taps the blond on the head, making him whine. "Mitsumi and I's relationship is purely platonic."

"That's right," I say through my laughter. "He's like a brother to me. I don't think I could ever go out with him, no offense Kyoya."

"None taken."

I sit in my seat, as does Kyoya and open my journal. On this page is a list of quotes that I could use. Tamaki looks over my shoulder, coming a little close to my face. I inch away, but he doesn't notice. Instead, he read the quotes and smiled at the ones about love. He obviously had someone on his mind, but I could never guess who. I snap the book close and he shrieks. I giggle and he has an overdramatic frown on his face.

"That was cruel, my dear daughter!" He whines. "Why would you hurt me like that?"

"What?" I muse. "Daughter?"

"Don't question it," Kyoya grumbles. "He calls me Mommy and himself Daddy. I tend not to think about it too much."

"Alright, I won't." I put away my journal as the bell rings, making the classroom fill up once more with students.

"Hey, Mitsumi," Tamaki says. I look over at him. "Are you coming to the club later?"

I smile and nod. Other girls get a little mad at the attention the boy is giving me, but he goes back to giving the girls a lovely conversation, making them blush and act all shy. I smirk at Kyoya as I realize I have an advantage over these girls; I have pictures that Kyoya would kill if they saw daylight, but the girls would fawn over. Perfect!

The three of us start walking up the steps back to the Host Club, excused early from school because they apparently take club activities more serious than that of Etiquette Classes, which I'm fine with. This time, we move slower and talk along the way. I learn more about Tamaki and his relationship with Kyoya, as I only knew him as a nuisance who takes up too much time from Kyoya. But then again, us two are very different people who are allowed to have different opinions, and in my opinion, Tamaki is a very nice boy who has enough energy to power the school. I don't know how exactly Kyoya and Tamaki became friends, but considering the relationship between his father and the urge to gain more power, I wouldn't be surprise it would be because Mr Ootori, but I'm happy that Kyoya seemed to get away from the idea of only business relationships with other people. It was difficult to become the friends that we are today, and there's still a lot I don't know about him, but he's opened up enough where we both value our friendship very much.

"Mitsumi." I jump a little, one hand over my heart, and look over at the towering person. I smile as Mori and Hani come closer, the smaller boy dancing around with his little pink bunny. Mori was holding his hand out with one of my journals. I blush a little in embarrassment and take it from his hands quickly.

"Thanks, Mori-Senpai!" I give him a small smile. "Pardon me for asking, but did you happen to read anything in it?"

He hesitates, meaning he probably did. He looks down in apology.

"It's alright, I don't mind too much," I say, dusting off the book before putting it in my bag. "I was just wondering if the writing was any good."

He nods his head and looks away. Hani watches him closely and grins.

"C'mon, guys! If we get there early, we can have some cake before the guests come!" He lightly holds my hand and drags me along. Kyoya looks at me with worry in his eyes, but I just wave him off. He and Tamaki walk ahead and chat about what to do for a theme while I walk with Hani and Mori. Hani still held my hand, looking over at Mori and me occasionally. Mori walks with large steps, making Hani hurry, in turn making me walk a bit faster than normal. It isn't as bad as being dragged by Tamaki, but I was starting to feel a little out of breath.

"Hani-Senpai, would you mind slowing down, just a tiny bit?" I give him a smile and he looks at me with dewy eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mitsu-Chan!" He almost cries. He throws his little, but powerful, body into mine and I catch him as quickly as possible. "I was so hasty in getting cake that I rushed you too much. Are you okay?" His brown eyes looked so watery and so much like a puppy's that I couldn't help but blush from the overall cuteness.

"I'm fine, Senpai," I say lightly. "I just need to walk a little slower."

"Mitskuni." Mori places a hand on top of Hani's head. "I will walk with her. You go ahead."

"Okay, Takashi!" He brightens up at the prospect of sweets and catches up to Tamaki and Kyoya, who are very close to the door compared to Mori and me.

"You can go ahead as well, Mori-Senpai," I say. "I swear I know how to walk on my own, despite Kyoya's worries."

Mori gives me a small crack of a smile before going back to a stoic look. We walk, his eyes glued to me, to the door a bit quicker than usual. Not as much as when I was with Hani, just enough that I wouldn't worry about Kyoya and I wouldn't pass out again. God, that would just be so embarrassing!

"Mitsumi."

"Yes, Mori-Senpai?" I stop and look back. He was a few steps away from me. I turn my whole body to give him full attention. He looked startled for a second before scratching at the back of his neck and avoiding my eyes.

"I liked the story."

I smile at him. I haven't had anyone except Father read my manuscripts and first drafts. I am worried about people reading them, considering it isn't all romance and fairy tales. Life isn't made for romance and magic, life comes with a lot more difficult things. Speaking of which, the story that Mori had started was about a young girl who couldn't breathe in the air. She wasn't a mermaid persay, as she still was very humanoid, but she had to breathe in the water because the air was poisonous to her. It hurt her friendships and she learned to watch along the sidelines.

"I'm glad you did." I take out the journal and hesitate. The first draft isn't finished, nor edited, but it couldn't hurt to have a new perspective.

"Would you like to finish it?"

His face turned a little pink, just barely a sheen. He nods and takes the book, his hands tracing over the rough leather lightly. He puts it into his case carefully and once again gives me a small smile. He holds out his hand and I let him lead me to the Host Club. Once we get to the doors, however, he lets go. I miss the warmth, but it's fine; I can't constantly cling to someone. The twins and Haruhi were arguing about something or other while Tamaki was pulling outfits from a back room. Kyoya was sitting at one of the tea tables, his laptop open and bright against his glasses. I sat by him quietly as Mori and Hani went to set up the room, which was sitting on the floor rather than at the small tables. The boys go in the back room to get dressed while Haruhi waits with me.

"Mitsumi-Senpai, it's interesting to see you with Kyoya all the time," She remarks, not in a rude way, more as if she's musing on something. "What happened to him to even talk to you?"

I chuckle at her wording.

"Oh you know, a connection business between adults and kids happen to be the same age," I wave it off. "He was a lot easier to open up to when we were younger, but his father is kind of harsh with the boys, so he shut down for a while."

"Huh," She looked over towards Hikaru and Kaoru who were just leaving the room. "I figured it was some sort of power trip of his."

I full-on laugh at that. I gasp a little, wheezing even, and try to regain my breath. I cough for a second before calming down.

"Kyoya is an ass, I will admit that," I say, wiping a little tear off my face. "But once you get to him, he's one of a kind. You just need time, Haruhi. With time comes the understanding of a friend."

That's a good line. I take out my journal of quotes and write it down. Haruhi looks over my shoulder but stops before reading the full page. She goes to change and the twins wander around as Tamaki and Hani come out from changing. They were in these lovely kimonos, the twins matching in dark blue and red flowers. It was an interesting pairing with the ginger coloration of their hair, but they managed to pull it off. Tamaki was a more elegant pattern, but it kind of reminded me of a grandmother's carpet. I wouldn't say that to him, however; he'd get so sad! I smile at the boys before delving back into my journal. I like reading the quotes I've collected over the years, from the silly misspelled ones to the current overly dramatic ones. It's interesting to see the list grow, as well as my list of interesting words.

I feel the eyes of someone on me once more. I looked over to see Mori, he was reading my list. I don't mean to be rude, but why is he so interested in my work? It's nothing special in the slightest. He glances at me, notices that I was staring at him, and I noticed the pink once more over his face. I smile at him and place my journal back in my bag once more.

"Senpai, why are you so interested in my writing?" I inquire.

He shrugs. I try to read him, but it's like he's trying to block all emotions. It's strange; with such a welcoming friend group, you'd think that expressing emotions would happen often for everyone. Even Kyoya seemed to smile and chuckle.

"The doors open soon." I nod at his words.

"Thank you for telling me, Mori-Senpai."

"You're welcome."

I get up and head to one of the little corners, as to not get in the way of the girls and the Host Club. People can get so outrageously jealous, and while Kyoya has said that we are platonic, and will always be platonic, it doesn't seem to reassure them. So, I set up a little table with a cup of tea and a few snacks before the doors open. If I'm out of people's way, there's no reason to seek me out. The Host Club goes into a welcoming position in front of the doors as they open. Girls in the same yellow dresses as me look around in awe, the room and the boys having transformed into more fantasy than reality.

"Welcome!"

Flattery is one of the highest forms of flirting, and the boys happen to be very good at it. Or, good enough for some girls. I particularly don't like the Twincest act, nor the overly dramatized words of Tamaki, but it does give the girl goosebumps and good feelings, so they might as well do what they can.

"It seems you've had a pretty steady flow of new customers lately," Kyoya remarks to Haruhi. He writes the numbers down in his little black book. "Keep up the good work. I'm not going to charge interest on your debt, like I normally would, so keep this up and you should be able to pay it off," He looks up and gives a rather menacing smile. "Although the rental fee on that kimono you're wearing is nothing to sneeze at."

Haruhi gives a little shiver and I look at them for a while. I heard about the debt after the day we met, but I think it's ridiculous at this point. You can tell Haruhi doesn't mind too much entertainment, it's the idea of it being to repay a debt that makes her hate it. I keep looking at them. They talk more, including with some of the girls and the twins, who were talking about a photo book of some sort?

I giggle at the idea of Kyoya trying to secretly take pictures of the boys and Haruhi. He's never been the stealthiest person, and I can't imagine him asking anyone for help. I wouldn't mind helping, but Kyoya refused help from me, even though he knew I wouldn't do something just for a favor later in life.

"Mitsu-Chan!" I hear Hani cry. I look over to see the boy in a green and orange kimono. He was holding one of his sandals in his hand and he had tears in his eyes.

"Hi Hani-Senpai, what's wrong?" I couldn't help but baby him. I feel guilty, knowing he was older, but he ate it up. I pat his head and he sniffs, trying to stop crying.

"Mitsu-Chan, I don't know how, but I lost one of my sandals!" He bawls out.

"Well, did you retrace your steps and see if you dropped it anywhere?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't find it anywhere."

"I can help you then."

"Really?" His eyes sparkle from tears and hopefulness. I smile at him and nod my head. We walk around the room a little, some of the other fans walk with us, trying to console Hani. I try to retract myself from the crowd, but Hani's hand is strong and he holds it very tightly. One of the girls gives me a glare and I try to appear small so no one else gets mad at me.

"Mitskuni." The shadow is here once more.

"Takashi?" Hani looks up at Mori, who is holding the missing sandal. He bends down and helps Hani put it back on.

"I noticed you dropped it."

Hani sniffs and cries a bit more before pulling Mori into a hug. It's cute, but I just smile and head back to my table. A girl follows me, not so very sneakily. I sat down and gestured to her to sit down as well. She looked surprised for a second but sat down and gave me a glare like one earlier.

"What's your motive, Mitsumi?" She points at me overdramatically and almost is in the shouting range. "How are you so close to Kyoya-Senpai and Hani-Senpai? Are you planning on ending the Host Club like the witch you are?"

The accusation didn't surprise me. I've heard stories of the fans and while I am afraid of confrontation, I couldn't help but laugh at her accusing me of wanting the boys. A few giggles leave my lips and she looks confused.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just the idea of being with the boys," I say through the giggles. I try to compose myself and it works for a while. I can't help it when my lips turn up into a smile. "Kyoya is my childhood friend, he's like a brother to me. I couldn't ever date him."

"W-well, what about Hani-Senpai?" She stammers out. "He reaches out to you and not any of his other loyal customers! You are hardly here!"

"I don't have an answer for that," I say, biting my lip. "I hardly know the boys, but I am not here to ruin the Host Club. They make people happy, and I couldn't bear it if I were to take away yours or any other person's happiness."

She blushes lightly and seems to crumble into her chair.

"Oh."

"Sorry if it seemed I was doing that, I have no intention of being with any of the boys."

"Oh. I apologize."

"It's alright." I give her a grin and she blushes again. "I know how the situation can seem suspicious."

She walks back to her seat with Mori and Hani. Hani was talking and eating little sweets with the girls. I noticed that Mori was looking over at me. I gave him a little wave and he seemed a little startled in the eyes. He hesitates but gives a wave back before going back to the guests and Hani.

A commotion at the door makes me look up once more. Hikaru and Kaoru were near another girl, almost crowding her.

"Come on in," Kaoru says, lifting her chin up. "What are you waiting for?"

"Watching from afar is no fun." Hikaru drapes his arm around the girl, making her flush.

"Please miss." They get closer, if that's even possible. The girl looks so nervous that I get up from my seat to go to scold the boys, but Tamaki already starts lecturing them, as well as trying to enchant the girl. I feel a hand on my shoulder and jump at the sudden contact.

"Oh Gosh, Kyoya." I nudge his stomach with my elbow. "Don't creep up on me, you'll give me a heart attack one of these days."

He chuckles at my morbid joke and I smile up at him.

"Don't touch me you phony!"

I lurch out of that good moment to see the new girl absolutely digging into Tamaki. He looks like he's falling, rather slowly, and the girl glares at each of the boys before landing eyes on Kyoya. I look at him, confused, but he seems to already know her. He pushes up his glasses and looks in his little black book.

"I don't suppose you are--"

"It's you, Kyoya!" The girl grins and rushes towards us with reckless abandon. I step back in alarm. "Oh, how I longed to meet you! My one and only Prince Charming!"

My jaw drops to the floor as she presses herself into him. This girl has to be out of her mind!