A week or so has passed since the whole fight between the twins, and everyone seems to be getting along just fine. Well, besides the ever growing attraction between Tamaki and Haruhi, with her oblivious deflections and his even more oblivious exclamations of being her father. The way he phrases it makes me a bit uncomfortable, but as long as he doesn't act weird with Haruhi, it's not my place to pop in. Mori was right; I can't fix all situations and I shouldn't be in anyone's business besides my own.

It's been pleasant otherwise; Kyoya has been calm about the budget and resources for the club, Hani is cute as ever, the twins continue with their act, and Mori has been talking a bit more with me. It's been nice having small conversations in between customers, everyone pops in from time to time.

"Alright gang, I have the perfect outfits for everyone!" Tamaki squeals. I smile politely at him and go to my usual seat.

"Oh no you don't!" I feel my arms yanked back, making my whole body fall backwards. I get caught by four hands and I feel my face get warm. "There's an outfit for you too, Mitsumi-Senpai! Boss wanted one."

"What?" I look back and forth between Hikaru and Kaoru's faces. "I'm not part of the club, I'm just here to be with you guys."

"How adorable!" Tamaki goes into the dramatics with crocodile tears and the swooning. "One of my precious daughters wants to be with us, to share time with us! How considerate and kind of her!"

"Whatever," Hikaru pushes me towards the backstage area of the room, equipped with a box and a headpiece of some kind. "We designed the costumes and it would be a cost to the club if we didn't have use for it."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to mess with Kyoya-Senpai's calculations, would you?" Kaoru gives me a mischievous grin. I deflate at the thought of messing with Kyoya. He doesn't like having extra finances to go over, and if this will rearrange the numbers..

"Fine," I resolve, shoving the twins lightly out of the changing area. "I'll be out in two seconds."

While the three excited boys cheer, I go into the changing room farthest from the entrance. I slip off my yellow dress and the petticoat underneath it, folding it nicely to put into the box. Tamaki went with an Arabian Nights theme today, and while the costume is beautiful, I have to contemplate the use of a culture as a costume. I'll have to talk to Kyoya about this later today. I pull out a pair of dark purple pajama-style pants, a white bodice to be tucked underneath, and a peshwaz of some sort. I place the bodice on top of my tank top and then tighten the pants around my waist with pearl drawstrings. The material was light and airy, soft to the touch, and very cozy. I placed the peshwaz over the top, the lilac having an embroidered design of flowers that flowed gracefully over the deeper purple pants. I then placed a dupatta over my hair that matched the color of the pants. I put on the, hopefully, faux gold bangles and necklaces, the gold making the whole outfit very regal and elegant. They didn't give me a pair of shoes to go with the outfit, so I just go in my Mary Janes, barely covered by the pants. All in all, the outfit was quite comfortable and I admire the twins for having their mother help make them.

I step out of the changing room and join the boys and Haruhi who were conversing about the pose and style they wanted to do. Everyone looked very elegant, with the same gold and pearl accessories and bright colors. I tap Kyoya on the arm to show that I'm back from changing, and he smiles down at my outfit. This makes Tamaki look at me, and this boy has never-ending tears, doesn't he?

"Look at my baby girl," he blubbers out, about to squeeze me tight. "You look so beautiful, like a little itty-bitty princess!"

I prepare for the oncoming bear hug, but I don't feel anything coming near me. I open my eyes and Mori has stopped Tamaki from coming at me, him facing a different direction.

"No overwhelming her, remember?" He mumbles, making Tamaki stop in his tracks. Tamaki nods, but continues to fawn over me and Haruhi. I fidget with the sheer fabric of the peshwaz, the material soft but still having a good texture to mess with.

"Now, two of our gentlemen are dressed in purple as well as Mitsumi," Tamaki says, going back to poses. "I think she should stand over Haruhi, having our cute little girls close together, as well as continue the darker color scheme going."

I obediently stand next to Haruhi, who looks disinterested in this whole affair.

"I'm sorry you have to get roped into this as well," She mumbles, fidgeting with her own outfit. "I know how this can be overwhelming."

"It's all fine," I assure her. "One day in an outfit won't hurt."

"It might not be just one day, you know that right?"

"Then I'll just talk with Kyoya and see what I can do about my personal costs."

"Damn rich people."

I laugh at her last comment, as the door to the club wildly swings open.

"Welcome!" The club choruses, posing all the while. I smile nervously, not really knowing what to do in this position. As the rose petals and the light from the previous room fade, we see a small boy in a green uniform; Ouran's elementary school outfit. I look over at Haruhi who looks back with just as much confusion.

"Oh, it's just a kid," Hikaru yawns out, his posture more relaxed.

"Not only that, it's just a boy," Kaoru leans against his brother with his comment. I look at the little boy in confusion; how has someone so young even heard of the Host Club in the first place, and why is he in here?

"What's wrong, little boy?" Tamaki says, making a 'come hither' face. "Did you come to my palace in search of something?"

I can almost hear Haruhi roll her eyes. I bit my lip so I don't laugh at the overdramatic antics of Tamaki.

"Come closer, lost one," The little boy does as he asks. "What was it that you just called me?"

"The king." The boy stumbles out, obviously confused. Tamaka swoons on his throne, the compliment going to his head and inflates his ego. This time I look over at Haruhi and she looks like she's going to lose it right then and there.

"This poor boy," I whisper. "He has no idea who he's going to be dealing with."

"I know, right?" Haruhi replies. She fidgets with her outfit for a second, before a sentence comes out of the boy that we do not expect to happen.

"I want the Host Club king to take me on as an apprentice!"

Tamaki just sighs and grants him the request. I went to change out of the costume.

The buzz of an apprentice leaves the majority of the girls with Tamaki, until Shiro makes them want to leave. The boy has no tact and reminds me of a spoiled dog, but he is only what, ten years old? Of course someone as young as that won't have too many manners. The last girl that fled the room crying was labeled as a carp by him, making Tamaki finally lose it.

"Man, what a crybaby," Shiro says while slouching into his seat. I can practically see the smoke coming out of Tamaki's ears. The twins chuckle over in their corner, bringing my attention and Tamaki's to them.

"So how's it going, boss?" Hikaru asks, smirking. "That's an adorable little apprentice you have there."

"Hikaru," Kaoru says, clinging to his twin's shirt, his doe eyes bright. "Do you wish you had a little brother like Shiro?"

Hikaru instantly recognizes a cue and holds up Kaoru's face close to his, too close. I really don't like this act they have to put on.

"Don't be silly," He admonishes (another good word). "I could search the globe and I'd never find a better brother than you, Kaoru."

While their fans squeal and make merry at the scene in front of them, I write down the word earlier. It's strange to see this brotherly love, clearly I'm not a fan, but do any of their fans even realize how gross it is? I mean, it's getting money for the club, but there has to be a better way than this fanservice of forbidden, brotherly love.

"They're homos!" I hear, making me bristle up. "And they're brothers! That totally makes it insectuous!"

I get up, wanting to calmly walk over to Shiro, but instantly feel dizzy. I haven't done much today, so I don't know why. I glare at the boy and he flinches.

"Hey, I thought customers weren't supposed to look mean," He whines. "She looks almost evil, you should kick her out."

"Why, I was just thinking the same about you," I snarl, completely unladylike. "We treat everyone with respect here, unless they are undeserving, like you and your attitude."

I turn away, trying to calm down. Kyoya makes his way over to my table and pours me another cup of tea. I thank him, not looking at his face.

"We have to try this out, Mitsumi," Kyoya soothes, taking out his notebook. "Tamaki is soft, and he's not going to let go of that idea unless it completely fails."

"Regardless, he shouldn't say 'homo' with such disgust," I mumble. "The LGBTQ community isn't something to be labeled with disgust and disrespect. He needs to go to some social justice classes and realize how awful he is."

Kyoya chuckles, but quickly stops when I glare at him.

"I know," He amends. "One day he will learn, and I can't wait for that day to come, but for now just lay low and let Tamaki play out his fantasy."

"Not that he even likes this fantasy."

We look over as the crash of beautiful China is heard around the room. I stare in shock as the boy blames it on Haruhi, who was just handing it off to him. I want to smack this boy on the head and order him out of the room, but I have no say in the club. I sigh and rub my forehead as a headache threatens to appear. Kyoya goes over to assess the damage, regardless I will be paying for anything placed on Haruhi's debt. It wasn't her fault it was broken.

Suddenly, a metal cage drops over the boy, making him squeal, and Haruhi yelps. Why is there a metal cage in a music room? Honestly, it's a waste of the school's budget.

"This is no way to treat your loyal apprentice!" Shiro yells, trying to get out. "Now, let me out of this cage!"

Tamaki sits with me, sipping on his tea and primly crossing his legs. He clearly is sick of the kid, why is he dragging this along? I close my eyes as the headache starts to pound a little. I drain my tea and He pours me another cup.

"Not until you've learned your lesson," Tamaki says a bit snottily. "I made you my apprentice because I thought you were serious about becoming a host. I guess I was wrong."

"I am serious! Totally serious!"

I try to block out the boy and close my eyes. The lights are a little too bright for my liking right now.

"Are you alright, my dear daughter?" Tamaki's voice says through the haze. "Would you like Kyoya to take you home?"

"Ah, no I'm good. Thank you," I say, opening my eyes once more. "I think you should be focused on Shiro, yeah?"

He sighs and looks back at the whiny kid. He goes on a tirade of wanting to make girls happy and flattering Tamaki, which makes him jump back up and instantly like the boy once more. I shake my head, bemused by his actions.

A shadow looms over me, it happened regularly here at this point. I look up to see Mori looking concerned at me. The shading around my face makes it much more relaxing, the headache still present but not as harshly. He goes to sit across from me and I try to stare straight ahead.

"You should go home, Mitsumi." He grumbles out.

"I'm fine, Mori-Senpai," I assure. "It's just a headache, I have to admit I'm not fond of Shiro."

He continues to sit and stare at me, making it a bit uncomfortable. I turn my attention back to the situation at hand, which is apparently finding the perfect 'type' of boy that Shiro is. Suddenly, my seat is pulled back and the shadow is back. I look up at Mori, who looks more concerned and is holding out his arm. I shake my head and continue to listen to the idiocy of Tamaki.

"I am not asking, Mitsumi."

"I am fine, Mori-Senpai."

"No. I will tell Kyoya or I will take you home myself."

If he tells Kyoya then my father will hear and freak out. I haven't had a headache in quite a while, but considering that I fainted only a few weeks ago and constantly seem out of breath, he might pull me out of school again. I begrudgingly take Mori's arm. It takes a minute for me to stand up, but I manage to grab my bag and my journal before heading out the door with Mori. Kyoya watches and I wave goodbye to him.

"I'm going home, talk to you tomorrow!" I call out, the rest of the club is too immersed in our newcomer. Kyoya just nods and we continue walking out of the club room.

We walk in silence, only the sound of my heels and his loafers are around us. I tighten my hold on his arm as we walk down the steps, the headache making everything hard to focus. Mori slows down for me, just enough for us to continue walking in sync with each other. I'm grateful he's doing so, but I feel almost ashamed of myself with not being able to stay the full day like normal. When we get to the last few steps of the school, Mori stops me and I am forced to look at him. His eyes are worried, his face trying to remain blank, as always.

"Please," He says. "You don't need to mask pain around us."

"I could have handled the rest of the day," I argue, trying to keep going, but Mori hold's fast to me. "You saw how I was doing, hardly anyone noticed."

"Everyone noticed," He objects. I feel my face get hot with shame. 'They just don't know how to help."

"I don't need help right now, everything's coming up fine."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I don't need someone to walk with me, I don't need accommodations, I don't want to be seen as helpless, okay? Because I'm not."

Kyoya must have called the limo, because I was going to wait until Mori walked back to the club before calling. He continues to help me across the courtyard and to the car, and opens my door like the gentleman he was raised to be.

"It's not shameful to ask for help, Mitsumi," He says slowly, not closing the door just yet. "We want to."

"Thanks Mori-Senpai," I say, turning my head away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He closes the door and I curl up in the seat as the driver starts forward.

"Are you alright, Miss Inoue?" He asks. "Would you like me to take you to the Emergency Clinic?"

"I'm fine, thank you," I say quickly, his worried eyes too pitying for comfort. "I just want to go home."