Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to OHSHC; I only wish I did.

So, even though I haven't gotten anymore reviews (which really makes me wonder if this story is just that bad) one new person alerted it, and I didn't want to disappoint/punish all the others who are following this just because no one leaves a review. Therefore, I want to thank everyone who has added this story to their alerts or favorites; it really does mean a lot to me. C:

Anywho, I obviously have yet another update for you guys ('cause I seem to be on a roll) and this time you can actually thank the OHSHC episodes I watched the other day. Kyoya just seemed ten times more adorable yesterday, and I felt like writing for fun; thus, you have this chapter. :D I hope you enjoy!

chapter iv

Kyoya suddenly closed the German book, and I blinked at him. We had been working for all of thirty minutes, which meant there was still nearly an hour left of the club period. I opened my mouth to say something, but Kyoya held his hand up to keep me silent before he rummaged through his briefcase. The next thing I knew he was flipping open to a page of some agenda. He put it down on the table and flipped a couple of pages, nodding to himself as he flipped back through them, as if double-checking what was written there. Finally, his mouth curled into a satisfied smile, and he looked over at me. "I am available Monday through Thursday from eight to ten. We can average about two chapters a night, and you should be able to catch up with the class in two weeks. If you still need supplemental instruction after that, we can arrange a time to meet. Does that sound fine with you?"

I quirked a brow at him and retorted, "And who says I will be available those four days at that time?"

Kyoya actually looked slightly surprised. "Surely you jest, Nakamura-san," he replied.

"Actually, Ootori-san, I do not jest. Every Wednesday night from those times, it has been decided that I will call my mother. I used to live in Panama City Beach, Florida, and, in case you cannot calculate the time difference, it would be six am for her when we started talking. We talk until she gets to work at eight am," I answered, looking at him seriously. "On Tuesday and Thursday nights, I will be taking karate lessons." I was actually excited by this prospect; I couldn't wait to get back into proper fighting shape. "Therefore, Mondays are the only night I have available out of those four because I cannot skip my karate lessons; they're expensive because they are private lessons."

Kyoya closed his eyes, and I saw his nostrils flare. What the hell is with him? He honestly couldn't have expected me to be free every day during that time frame, could he?

"Ootori-san, I said earlier that I can find someone else to tutor me if needed," I reminded him quietly. He didn't answer me, nor did he open his eyes. I expelled a soft sigh, looking away from him and letting my gaze wander over the people in the room. There were five hosts in all (six, really, if Kyoya was included) and Tamaki seemed to be the only one who really worked alone. Which, honestly, was a good thing considering how melodramatic the violet-eyed boy was. Watching him with the girls around him was actually rather weird; they all seemed to believe every word that came from his mouth, and I wondered how deluded they had to be to do such a thing.

Then there were Takashi and Mitsukuni: the two who worked together but separately at the same time. The two did have a bond that was definitely different from the typical cousin, but it wasn't anything homosexual. Girls were so weird in that respect, finding things homosexual without them really being there. I will admit to having done it, but it was always with fictional characters, not real people.

And last there were the twins (whose names I did not know just yet). The twins definitely acted like they were homosexuals, but there was something about their words and actions that didn't ring true. It was obvious they cared deeply for each other, but it wasn't romantically inclined. And when they randomly hit on the other girls, there was an odd...detachment. I couldn't quite explain what it was, but it was a lot more obvious than with the others, who seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and their clients. With the twins, though, it just didn't look as though it held the same appeal, and it made me wonder just what it was that tied them to this club.

"Nakamura-san, do not make me shake you." (1)

I looked up at Kyoya with a, "Hm?"

Kyoya kept his face perfectly neutral, but I heard the controlled anger in his voice. "You were off in your own thoughts again. What, pray tell, was so important that figuring out a schedule for your tutoring sessions did not take precedence?"

I frowned at him. "There is no need to be angry, Ootori-san. I was simply contemplating what could possibly be keeping those twins here when it's obvious to me that they do not enjoy being around, or flirting with, those girls."

Kyoya directed his gaze to the twins for a long moment, and when he finally looked back at me, he looked puzzled. "How could you tell that?"

"Oh, wouldn't you just love to know, Ootori-san?" I teased lightly, flashing him a smile.

Kyoya seemed to detect that I was not going to tell him what I knew, for his expression slipped back to its indifferent mask. "Well, Nakamura-san, what schedule would you suggest?"

I indicated his agenda. "May I?" Kyoya, surprisingly, handed it to me, and I scanned through the dates and the times quickly and easily. "You seem to have some time on Sundays, Ootori-san." I lifted my gaze to his. "We could do Mondays from eight to ten and Sundays from two to five—that would give us two chapters on Monday and three chapters on Sunday."

Kyoya thought it over before addressing a concern, "That means it would take us about a month to catch up with the class."

I knew automatically what he was referring to, and I smiled at him as I shook my head. "If we start on chapter two, of course it will. Have you possibly considered that I don't need help with any of the early chapters, though? I am not that much of a beginner, Ootori-san." I opened the German book to the table of contents and perused through it momentarily before nodding in satisfaction. "If we start on chapter five, I could be caught up in three weeks, and that would include catching up with the chapter the class will be on." I shut the book before looking up at him. "So what do you say, Ootori-san? Are you up to the challenge?"

Kyoya smirked. "Of course, Nakamura-san, but don't expect this to be easy for you. There is only so much I can do as a teacher if you do not utilize what you learn from me."

I chuckled and replied, "Don't worry about that. My grades are important to me..." ...and I know a lot more German than you think.

We were silent for a few minutes before I realized something we had yet to address. "Ootori-san, are we starting the tutoring sessions this week or next week? In my calculations, I assumed next week."

"Next week is what I calculated for as well," Kyoya murmured, though he seemed slightly distracted by the notebook he was writing in.

I nodded and let him write in silence for a few more minutes. "And where will we meet?" I questioned suddenly, and he paused in his writing, his hand tightening around the pen before he continued writing again.

"For Monday nights we could meet at your place. On Sunday afternoons, we could meet at the local café," Kyoya suggested.

I barely stifled a laugh. "Sounds like a plan." It probably wouldn't last very long when he found out where I lived.

I waited until he had relaxed into his writing again before I spoke, "Ootori-san?" His grip on his pen tightened to the point that his knuckles were white, and finally, he looked up at me. I made sure not to show my amusement at how easily I had annoyed him and asked a question that would insure his anger dissipated almost immediately. "How much would it cost for me to become a regular client?"

The tight grip on his pen loosened considerably, and Kyoya smiled, his eyes even closing. It was even worse than his cold smile, especially because it was probably the closest to a genuine smile I had received, and even then it was miles away from it. "For whom, exactly?" he inquired, pulling out his laptop.

I was momentarily distracted and didn't answer him because I had just seen him log onto his computer without seemingly doing anything. "You have one of those fingerprint scanners, don't you?" I asked excitedly, and Kyoya blinked, tilting his head.

"Yes," he answered, studying me carefully. "A business partner of my father asked me to test it."

I honestly didn't care that I probably looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "Test it how?" I queried, cocking my head.

Kyoya made a noise and abruptly shut his laptop and waited a moment for it to enter sleep mode before opening it again. He turned it towards me and instructed, "Try running your index finger over the scanner."

I stared at him in awe. "Seriously?"

"I need proof that it at least works for the time being; what better time to find out than now?" Kyoya answered logically.

I held my breath as I reached out and lightly ran my index finger over the scanner. I giggled giddily when I was denied access. "That is so cool," I breathed out. I was so awed by it that I didn't hear Kyoya chuckle, nor did I notice that he had turned his laptop back to face him, logging on easily as the fingerprint scanner registered his print.

"Nakamura-san, for whom did you wish to be a regular client?" Kyoya inquired, reminding me of the reason he had actually pulled out his laptop.

I shook my head to make myself focus and shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I guess anyone you can put me with for any given day. I don't want to take up a spot with Takashi and Mitsukuni that some girl may want; besides, I'd probably just be a distraction for them if I were there all the time."

Kyoya glanced over at me. "So you are willing to be with any of the hosts—wherever you can be placed—so long as you can be with someone each day?"

I smiled and shook my head. "It doesn't even have to be every day, Ootori-san, just a few days each week. I could always help with the accounts or something if you're busy with clients and need the extra help on the days I have no host or hosts. I'd just like to spend time with everyone, understand their motives for being here, hopefully make friends with some of the girls."

That was when Kyoya surprised me by shutting his laptop again, and I frowned. What was wrong with what I had just said? "I'll make you a deal, Nakamura-san," Kyoya said after a short silence. "I will alternate the amount of days you are a client each week. One week you will be a client for two days, the next three, and then the week after back to two. The days you are not a client, you can help by running errands or assisting me with the accounts."

"And how much do you want each week?" I queried.

"Actually..." Kyoya hedged, "...I was thinking you could sing as payment for our services. Once each week, just to change things up a little."

"Ah, I see. You're hoping to bring in more clients, which means more money," I guessed. "And, of course, you would need to increase your prices, considering the props you would have to supply me with would be taken out of the budget, even though it wouldn't cost nearly that much." I smirked at the gray-eyed boy, shaking my head. "I must say, the way your mind works amazes me, Ootori-san."

Kyoya actually seemed pleased that I had caught on, and he merely quirked a brow at me. "Well?"

I laughed. "Under the condition that you do not increase your prices, I will agree to your terms. Ah, ah, ah, let me finish," I reprimanded him, wagging a finger at him as he opened his mouth to protest. "I will supply my own props, so nothing would be coming out of your budget. I feel bad enough about having these girls pay to come hear me sing."

Kyoya shook his head. "They will be paying for our services after they are initially attracted here. We will make sure of that."

"So we have a deal, Ootori-san?" I queried, wanting to be reassured.

Kyoya sighed and looked at me seriously, "Of course, Nakamura-san. The prices will not increase."

"Then I look forward to doing business with you."

"As do I."

"Tsuki-hime!" Tamaki cried after the last girl filed out of the room and the doors closed firmly behind her. I winced and prepared myself for whatever Tamaki may do, but I found myself suddenly pulled up and into the embrace of someone.

Correction, the embraces of two people. "Ah, the twins," I murmured to myself, noticing the different color of their uniforms (which I knew to be the middle schoolers' uniform) before looking up to confirm it definitely was the orange-haired boys.

The one on my right reached around and turned my face towards his, smiling down at me. "Good evening, Nakamura Tsukiko."

"We've heard quite a bit about you," the one on my left spoke, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Yes, you're even more beautiful than Tono said," the one on my right added.

"With your beautiful, soft brown locks," the boy on my left sighed wistfully.

"And your seductively innocent emerald eyes," the one on my right continued.

"Hikaru, what are you saying?" the one on my left cried out in mock hurt. "I thought we were using generic lines..."

I was suddenly released, and the one on my right (Hikaru) pulled his twin into his arms, tilting his chin up and murmuring, "Oh, Kaoru, I didn't mean it."

The twins weren't allowed to get any further in their act because I couldn't help myself anymore and burst out laughing. It took me a few minutes to calm my laughter into giggles, and I had tears rolling down my face by that point. I looked up at the twins to see them smiling cockily. By the time I fully composed myself, everyone seemed to be smiling at me, except Kyoya. I wiped the tears from my face and nodded at the twins. "That was a very nice performance you two, but I have to say I didn't feel very special with those generic lines," I teased.

"Well, we can't always be perfect," the twin standing on the left (at least from my view) pointed out.

"That is very true, Hikaru," I agreed.

The twins blinked in surprise, and Kaoru was the first to recover. "How did you know we had switched sides?"

I blinked before thinking back on what had happened. "Huh. So you did. But I could just tell the differences in your voices."

"But we sound identical," Hikaru and Kaoru spoke at the same time, and I smiled with a shake of my head.

"Maybe to the untrained ear, yes, but not to me, boys." I allowed them to mull over that and walked over to Takashi and Mitsukuni. Mitsukuni hugged me, and I ruffled his hair affectionately before he released me. "So do either of you mind telling me their last names?"

"They're the Hitachiin twins!" Tamaki was the one who answered, and though I could tell he was close behind me, it wasn't enough of a warning. I was suddenly being twirled around. "I didn't expect you to come see us, Tsuki-hime!" Tamaki exclaimed happily.

"T-Takashi!" I yelped, hoping that his reflexes were as quick as they used to be. I was suddenly pulled into a safe, non-moving body, and I sighed in relief before squeaking and blushing darkly as an arm hooked under my knees so I was being carried bridal style. I instinctively curled one arm around Takashi's neck to help support me, knowing it would be pointless to try and fight out of his grip.

I looked over at the others to find Tamaki moping in a corner, the Hitachiin twins and Kyoya smirking knowingly, and Mitsukuni laughing happily. "Ne, Tsuki-chan, you're blushing~" the young blonde sang, and it only caused my face to burn more.

I refused to look at Takashi to register his expression and instead simply cleared my throat and addressed Mitsukuni. "So do you know what you want to do tonight?"

"Whatever you wanna do~" Mitsukuni chirped.

Normally, I would have been excited at the opportunity to choose what we were doing, but I hadn't had much time to see what all had changed in my seven year absence, and I honestly wanted Mitsukuni or Takashi to contribute to my slow (but ever-growing) pool of knowledge about the new area. "I seriously would love to tell you what I want to do, Mitsukuni, but I don't really know anything to do. Everything's changed quite a bit in the last seven years, and when I was here on tour, I didn't really get too far past my hotel door before I got into a car," I explained, hoping he would understand my unwillingness.

Mitsukuni frowned as he went into thought, and with how his brows furrowed, I honestly thought he was going to hurt himself. Thankfully, Takashi kept that from happening. "Pizza," he said simply, and Mitsukuni snapped his fingers, and his frown transformed into a grin, his eyes shining.

"Takashi, that's great! We can take her to Irongate! They have the best pizza ever, Tsuki-chan!" Mitsukuni exclaimed, laughing. "And then, afterwards, we can go get something sweet~ Does that sound good, Tsuki-chan~?"

I smiled at the honey-eyed boy. "That sounds great, Mitsukuni," I agreed with a nod.

"Well, well, what is this?" a male's voice rang out, and I blinked as I looked over at the door.

Ah, hell. I felt my face burn hotly even before anything else was even said.

"Tsuki's already managed to get into Mori's arms," Hiroshi finished, smirking at me. My face only burned hotter, and I sent my three friends dark looks.

However, my look apparently wasn't effective enough to get them to stop. "Well, she wouldn't be there if Mori-kun didn't want her there," Tamotsu pointed out.

"I believe you're correct, Momo," Hiroshi agreed.

Emiko giggled. "I don't think I've seen Kiko-chan's face that red ever."

"Mori-kun's blush is actually quite noticeable, too," Tamotsu added.

"Guys, will you stop?" I finally snapped. There had been a quiet conversation going on in the background with the other hosts, but it was now deathly quiet in the room. "It's one thing for you guys to tease me when it's just the four of us; you're lucky I even take it then. But there is no need to taunt Takashi, and especially not in front of his friends!"

Hiroshi, Emiko, and Tamotsu at least had the decency to look ashamed, but I wasn't going to be appeased that easily. They knew I didn't really like them to tease me about my feelings for Takashi, and it really bothered me that they were willing to even do it in front of people who were basically strangers to me. "Tsuki," Takashi murmured, and I (albeit rather reluctantly, for once) looked up at him. "Your eyes are silver."

I couldn't say I was surprised that they were; it happened when I was either angry or hurt, and in this case, I had an unhealthy dose of both. "I guess they would be," I mumbled, not sure what he was getting at.

A small smile formed on his lips. "They're pretty, but I prefer the green."

I blinked, startled, and my face started burning hotly again, which caused me to avert my eyes. I heard the blood pounding in my ears and knew my heart had started racing. I honestly didn't know what to say to that, so I took a page out of his book. "Ah." I heard Mitsukuni laugh cutely and felt my face only grow more red.

"Oh, she's just too cu~ute!" Tamaki exclaimed, and I was very glad that I was not on the ground because I was one hundred percent sure that if I had been, I would have been awkwardly crushed to Tamaki's chest as he babbled in his typical half-French, half-Japanese rant. As it were, he was babbling already, and naturally everyone simply ignored it.

"Well, seems like Tono chose to stop cultivating mushrooms," Hikaru and Kaoru commented with chuckles.

I shook my head and looked back in the direction of the door where my three friends had been silent. Takashi suddenly bent over and lowered my feet to the ground. I reluctantly removed my arm from around his neck and he nudged my back to reinforce his point. "Yeah, yeah, Takashi, I'm going," I muttered to him, childishly sticking out my tongue at him before I walked over to the two blondes and the black-haired boy. Clearing my throat delicately, I sighed out, "So."

Hiroshi spoke first, frowning. "Tsukiko, we're really sorry. We weren't really thinking; we should have known it would upset you, and it was very bad decision-making on our part."

"Yeah," Emiko added, looking the most pitiful out of the three. "We would never purposely do something that would hurt you like that."

"Especially not Emiko and me," Tamotsu added, smiling wryly. "Considering we just got back into good graces with you and all."

"That is a very true statement," Emiko stated, nodding vigorously.

I couldn't help but laugh softly. These three were my friends through thick and thin; it would be wrong to be angry with them for too long, especially after they apologized. Besides, it wasn't as though it were a life or death situation. "I will forgive you guys on the condition that you guys forgive me for getting angry over something so small," I stated.

"Of course we forgive you!" Emiko and Tamotsu exclaimed at the same time, rushing forward to hug me.

Hiroshi exhaled a deep breath, shaking his head. "I don't know, Tsukiko. I mean, I felt deeply hurt by that. Right here," he sighed dramatically, placing his hand on his chest.

I quirked a brow and remarked, "Uh, Hiroshi, your heart is on the left side of your chest."

"Who said I felt it in my heart? I was talking about the wound you left in my soul," Hiroshi continued dramatically.

I glanced at Emiko and Tamotsu to see them rolling their eyes, and I found myself smiling. "Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" I taunted.

Hiroshi seemed to seriously contemplate it before he answered, "Well, I was just gonna have you take me to dinner or something, but you're more than welcome to put your lips on me, Tsukiko. Though I didn't think you'd be the type of girl to do that stuff in public." His lips curled into a devious smile and he winked at me. "Never knew you were so kinky."

I burst out laughing and jumped at him, hugging him tightly as he easily caught me. "Pervert," I admonished affectionately, and I felt his hands slipping lower on my waist. Laughing, I wriggled out of his arms and shook my head at him.

"What? You said I was one," Hiroshi answered, acting completely innocent. "I thought you knew what my intentions would be."

"You are a sick man, Hiroshi," Emiko sighed, shaking her head.

Hiroshi bowed, lifting his head and smiling wickedly, "Guilty as charged."

"Oh, please; it's not like the three of us aren't sick. I think the only one who isn't is Kiko-chan," Tamotsu scoffed.

Emiko's mischievous smile said it all, and I felt my face start to heat up. "Actually..." Emiko hedged.

"You are a vile woman! Trying to taint Tsuki-hime's name; you should be ashamed of yourself!" Tamaki exclaimed from right behind us, and I literally jumped a few feet in the air, a squeak coming from me out of fear and surprise.

"Damn, Suoh-kun, you scared the—" I didn't get to finish my exclamation because a hand had covered my mouth, and Tamaki had started wailing in despair about my cussing.

"Jeez, Kiki. Did you not have to censor yourself in America?" Hiroshi asked exasperatedly.

I blushed and tried to explain myself, but I still had a hand over my mouth, so I'm sure all they heard was, "Mf mmm mfmmmmmfm m mmm mmm." The hand over my mouth moved, so I repeated myself, "No, sir, actually I did not."

"What kind of a school did you go to?" Hikaru asked incredulously, and I smiled brightly.

"A public one, actually. Everything was free except lunch, and even then most of the food was horrid. By the end of my first year I was eating a turkey and cheese sandwich with Italian dressing. Surprisingly, it's a meal I actually miss," I answered, my explanation turning into an aloud musing. Embarrassingly enough, my stomach growled at that exact moment, but that was something I was used to having happen around strangers, so I didn't blush.

I heard Mitsukuni's cute laugh and realized that all of the hosts had migrated towards the door, which I believed was their cue for wanting to leave. However, before I could say anything about it, Mitsukuni looked up at Takashi and spoke, "Sounds like Tsuki-chan is hungry, Takashi! Maybe we should go?"

Takashi looked at me, and our eyes locked as he smiled slightly and said, "Ah." I blushed softly and averted my gaze, coughing delicately.

"Ne, Tsuki-chan, I just had a great idea~" Mitsukuni sang, skipping up to me.

"And what is that, Mitsukuni?" I asked him, smiling softly.

He lowered his voice and whispered (which, with Mitsukuni, is more-so a stage whisper, so everyone could still hear him) conspiratorially, "We should invite everyone with us."

I felt something akin to dread pooling in my stomach and ventured to ask, "And who is 'everyone'?"

"Everyone. Emi-chan, Mo-chan, Hiro-chan, Tama-chan, Kao-chan, Hika-chan, and Kyo-chan~" Mitsukuni chirped, smiling brightly with his honey-colored eyes shining. I simply couldn't deny Mitsukuni anything when he looked at me like that, and he knew it, the little chit.

"That's definitely a great idea, Mitsukuni," I agreed, nodding. "Why don't you ask them?"

Mitsukuni laughed giddily and turned around to face everyone. "We're going to go eat pizza and sweets, everyone! Do you guys wanna come~?"

Now, I expected a few people to decline because, really, it just seemed like it would have been awkward. Not to mention, we would be asking for a table of ten. But it seemed like these guys seriously had way too much free time on their hands because they all said yes. While they discussed how we were going to get to the pizza place, I walked over to stand in between Kyoya and Takashi. I could feel both of them looking at me, so I asked, "I guess no one's going to take the liberty of calling these people and telling them we're coming, are they?" I distinctly heard two soft chuckles, though they were barely audible. Resisting the urge to slump slightly, I sighed, "Yeah, I didn't think so."

This was going to be one long-ass night.

"Tsuki-chan, sit by me!" Mitsukuni exclaimed, and I laughed softly.

"I'm working my way to you, Mitsukuni, but you and Takashi just had to choose the far end of the booth," I teased, sliding across the rubber seat with a little difficulty. Oh, yeah, that was right; I had a dress on. You would think members of a host club would think about that, but these guys apparently didn't.

I was surprised to look up and see Hiroshi sitting across from me, with Emiko beside him and Tamotsu beside her (which meant that Tamotsu was seated across from Takashi while Emiko was across from Mitsukuni). I heard the Hitachiin twins and Tamaki arguing about something, and I sighed as I looked in their general direction. I wasn't sure what they were fighting about, but I could have sworn I heard my name involved, and if so, I had an inkling of what it might be. That was when I saw Kyoya walk around them and slide onto the booth seat beside me. I chuckled appreciatively, "Very nice, Ootori-san. You have effectively made their argument pointless."

Kyoya looked at me innocently, but for once I could see the glint in his eye, and I was not fooled by his nonchalant response. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Nakamura-san. I saw an open seat, and they were simply standing there."

"Actually, there were three open seats, Ootori-san," I corrected, motioning to the actual chairs across from him.

Kyoya shook his head. "Those seats would simply not have worked. I do not like having my back to the rest of the restaurant."

"If you say so, Ootori-san." I smiled and opened the menu in front of me, looking over the selections as I absently murmured, "You just wanted to sit by me."

Kyoya, of course, did not rise to the bait and answered quite generically, "That factored into my choice, as well. I do enjoy the company of an intelligent young woman."

"Now those host skills appear," I teased lightly. "I wasn't entirely sure you actually had them."

"Of course Kyo-chan does, Tsuki-chan!" Mitsukuni exclaimed, alerting me to the fact that the people actually seated had heard the conversation, though it didn't really matter. We weren't discussing anything secret. "In fact, Kyo-chan has the second highest amount of customers!" (2)

That surprised me, and I was immediately distracted from my perusal for my dinner. I looked over Mitsukuni's head at Takashi for confirmation, and the black-eyed male nodded. I turned my head back towards Kyoya, incredulous. "Well, you're just chock full of surprises, aren't you, Ootori-san?" I was, of course, referring to all the times he had surprised me today, but I wasn't sure if he knew that. By the stare I received, that assumption was confirmed. "Eh, nevermind," I dismissed with a wave of my hand.

"Uh, shouldn't someone tell those three to stop arguing?" Emiko queried, motioning to Tamaki and the twins, who still hadn't noticed their argument was futile. "I think they've scared off all the servers."

When no one volunteered, I sighed and cleared my throat. I really didn't want to do what I was about to do, but since no one else seemed to feel like putting a stop to it, I felt that I had to, for the sake of my stomach. "Suoh-kun~!" I chirped loudly, and Tamaki immediately turned around. Before he could say anything, I cut him off. "You and the Hitachiins are scaring away the servers. Sit down, please, so we can get someone to take our order." My voice and smile were sweet, but the three teens obviously heard the steel edge underneath it, and they immediately sat down, Tamaki next to Kyoya and the twins in the only two seats open across from Kyoya and Tamaki. "Thank you, boys~" I sang, going back to looking at my menu. I heard some stifled laughter from the others at the table and a snicker from Kyoya, but otherwise it was suddenly quiet at our table.

Thankfully, that was enough to have two waiters come up to our table and take our drink orders, saying they would be back shortly. I felt Mitsukuni tug on the sleeve of my dress, and when I looked at him, he asked, "Our usual, but doubled?"

I closed my menu with a smile and, after looking at Takashi for confirmation, nodded. "Sounds great to me, Mitsukuni."

Hiroshi snorted, and I looked over at him with a quirked brow. "I don't think even that will be enough for the three of you," he explained.

"Of course it won't be," I agreed, smiling brightly. "But after this, we're going to get sweets."

By the time Takashi, Mitsukuni, and I finished our food, three people were gaping at me. "What?" I asked the twins and Tamaki irritably; they had been giving me odd looks all evening, and it had finally annoyed me.

"H-how?" Hikaru stammered, incredulous.

"You're so small," Kaoru added.

"But you ate so much," Hikaru and Kaoru finished together.

"It's not natural!" Tamaki wailed.

Hiroshi, who was apparently enjoying this, leaned forward and said, "Oh, but guess what?"

"What?" the three boys asked in sync.

"She could still eat more. In fact, she will be eating more," Hiroshi answered. I found it odd that he was delighted by their horror-struck faces.

"But-but!" Tamaki sputtered. "How does someone so small and cute and lady-like do that?" He managed to flail around while seated, which I found to be quite a talent.

I shrugged, taking a sip of my Pibb Xtra(3). "I like food, Suoh-kun, and I have high metabolism. I haven't eaten anything since lunch, which is not normal for me."

"Her dad says people unknowingly call her bottomless pit a stomach," Hiroshi added in helpfully. I scowled at him, but he shrugged it off.

"Kyoya, is that even possible?" Tamaki wailed, gripping onto Kyoya's arm with both his hands.

Kyoya did not look happy that he had been dragged into the discussion, considering he had been writing in his notebook. Sighing, he looked up at Tamaki and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, like he was going to say something big. It was obviously a letdown when Kyoya simply said, "Yes and no." He promptly went back to scrawling in his book.

"What does that mean?" Tamaki whined, and I decided to intervene before Tamaki's head became a permanent indention in the wall.

"By yes, he means it's possible that I would eat so much because of high metabolism. By no, he means it's not literally possible to have an endless pit in place of a stomach," I explained. This seemed to appease Tamaki because he stopped wailing about my eating habits. The silence that followed was very pleasant, and the waiters finally brought our checks. We had simply told them we were all on separate tickets (which actually probably made their jobs a bit more difficult). When one of them tried to hand my ticket to me, a hand intercepted it. "Hey!" I exclaimed, frowning at Takashi. "Why did you steal my ticket?"

Takashi didn't answer as he also took Mitsukuni's ticket, after which he pulled out his wallet. Mitsukuni grinned over at me before he laughed. "You should have known, Tsuki-chan~ We're gentlemen!" he chirped by way of explanation, and I shook my head with a sigh. I had known that it was very likely Takashi would pay for my meal, but I had hoped to keep it from happening since I could easily afford to pay for it.

"You may as well accept it, Nakamura-san. Arguing will not change the fact that you are not paying," Kyoya informed me, and I knew he was right and that I should just accept it gratefully.

So instead of arguing, I simply crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the wall, huffing, "Men."

It was nearly ten by the time I was heading home, seated in the back of the Haninozuka family's limo, the sleeping Mitsukuni's head in my lap. I was running my fingers through his blonde locks, Takashi and I sitting in a comfortable silence. Well, mostly comfortable. I was itching to tell him I liked him, even though I was quite sure he had to know, but Hiroshi had convinced me not to say anything yet, and I had decided he was right. I mean, it was the first day I had seen him in years (well, excluding the times I visited while on tour) and suddenly blurting my feelings for him probably would not go over very well. I knew I wouldn't be able to withstand holding it in for very long, but I could manage for a week or two.

I blinked as I heard movement, and then I felt Takashi's head on top of mine. I blushed darkly and stammered, "T-Takashi?" I was definitely confused by his action, and I was sure he knew it.

"I'm tired," he answered, and it all clicked into place. Of course; there was one thing about Takashi that had always been odd, and that was the fact that he actually got more talkative the more tired he was. It was pleasant, typically, but I had also noticed that he seemed a tad bit flirty when he was sleepy, which would not bode well for my face (that I was surprised wasn't permanently tomato red).

"Ah," I muttered, not knowing what else to say. I felt his head move slightly, but I wasn't sure what he was doing.

He didn't leave me guessing for very long. "Your hair smells nice," he murmured. "Kind of like cotton candy, but not exactly; it smells better than that." He was silent for a mere second before I felt him nuzzle my head. "Soft, too."

"Th-thank you," I squeaked, my face aflame. This was definitely not normal for Takashi, and though most people would have thought I would like this change, I couldn't honestly say that I didn't prefer the awake Takashi. He was typically very straightforward and didn't worry about elaborating, but when he was sleepy, he wasn't nearly as direct with his statements and often elaborated more than he should. Exhibit A: talking about my hair and trying to discern the scent. I would have been fine with hearing him say my hair smelt nice, and then I could have explained why. When he elaborated, I felt as though explaining was pointless. Don't get me wrong; I liked both sides of Takashi. His sleepy side has always been cute and has simply gotten even cuter as he aged. I just wasn't sure how to have a conversation with his sleepy side at the moment.

"What are you thinking about?" Takashi queried, and I blinked up at him, just now realizing he'd lifted his head.

I blushed softly and mumbled, "You. Particularly the differences between when you're wide awake and when you're sleepy."

Takashi smiled softly, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I inhaled sharply as I felt his palm brush against my jaw as he pulled his hand back, and I felt my face burn hotter as Takashi's smile widened knowingly. I coughed delicately, turning to stare at Mitsukuni's blonde locks. I heard Takashi's barely audible chuckle. "You are very pretty when you blush, Tsuki," he murmured, and I almost didn't hear him. I didn't answer, pretending like I hadn't, even though I know my face burned darker.

I had a feeling that things would have simply gotten worse if the driver hadn't suddenly rolled down the partition and announced, "We are at Miss Nakamura's hotel."

I exhaled a sigh of relief and thanked the driver before he rolled the partition back up. Lightly, I pulled Mitsukuni up into a partially-seated position so that I could slide out from underneath him. He stirred slightly as I leaned him against Takashi, who had scooted closer to the blonde boy. I heard the limo door open but ignored it for the moment. Leaning down, I kissed Mitsukuni on the forehead, which roused him long enough for me to tell him good night; he mumbled it back before he slipped back to sleep, and I smiled softly. Then, even after the extremely awkward ride there, I hugged Takashi briefly and tightly before smiling brightly at him. "Good night, Takashi; see you tomorrow."

Takashi smiled back, murmuring, "Good night, Tsuki-hime."

I made a face at him before laughing. "Don't you start that as well, mister," I chided, slipping out of the limo. It was nice to fully stand after being stooped over for those few minutes. "Thank you," I told the man who had opened the door. He smiled and bade me a good night before I headed inside.

I was in the elevator and almost to the penthouse floor when I cursed softly, "Damn it." I let my head fall back against the wall as I frowned at myself. I had left my schoolbag at school. So much for getting an early start on homework(4).

(1) Interesting fact: The end of that sentence totaled to the word count 666 in this chapter (excluding the "chapter iv" of course); I thought it quite humorous. C:

(2) Keep in mind this is when the club had only been started for one quarter. So, though Kyoya is not seen with actual customers very often (if at all) in the show, he definitely had to have them to begin with. They couldn't have started the club with only five hosts, and since Kyoya was important to its formation, I thought this could be a valid statement for the time period.

(3) Japan has Coca-Cola products, and since Pibb Xtra is a Coca-Cola product, I assumed it would be fine for this story, in case you were thinking it was a far-fetched idea.

(4) This is in reference to her not having enough time to wait until the weekend, which was mentioned in the last chapter. I wasn't sure if you all would remember that, so I figured I would tell you. C:

So, I'm not going to lie; I didn't really like how the end of this chapter worked out, but it was rather awkward for me to try and have Takashi talk. However, I figure that he would have missed her as much as the others, if not more, and therefore he would want to be at least slightly affectionate. I don't have much to really go off for Takashi's sleepy side, considering I only read about it when I was looking up specific details. I'm basing everything I know off the show, which means that those of you who have read the manga will have to forgive me for not following its storyline after the last episode, "This Is Our Ouran Fair!" I will be making my own storyline after that, which means it will basically be a spin-off. Just a forewarning.

Anyway, as always, I would love it if you guys reviewed, even if it is only criticism *insert totally conspicuous cough here*! Thank you for reading! C:

~DM ;)