February 12

"Welcome." Kaiyoka watched as Kyouya and the rest of the hosts putted around the room, doing their usual song and dance with extra charm thrown in. She'd put herself at the back of the room; seated at a small tea-table, she deemed herself out of the way and in the perfect place to observe. And observe she did- Kaiyoka had watched the twins and Tamaki charm about seventeen innocent mothers into believing that the host club was the best thing to have ever graced the school. She also couldn't help but notice that Miyuki was nowhere to be seen, and it put a smile on her face.

"People-watching, as usual?" A voice behind Kaiyoka made her jump, and she turned to see Haruhi standing behind her. "You never do change, Kaiyo." Kaiyoka shut her book, smiling as she looked over at Haruhi.

"Oh? And what else do you suppose I do?" She asked.

"Host," Haruhi answered. Kaiyoka was surprised at her immediate answer.

"Host? As in what you all do every day? I couldn't; I'm better off behind the pages of my notebook, where my thoughts are uninterrupted." She responded, eliciting a nod from Haruhi.

"Fair enough. Well, why don't you walk around with me for a while? I have to push the cart of hors d'oeuvres around, but you can come with me if you want to. You can get the chance to observe up close!" Haruhi was just joking, and Kaiyoka knew it, but she shut her book and got up anyway.

"Sounds like fun," She replied, smoothing out a wrinkle in her skirt. "Let's go."

The pair spent time milling around, talking to our own fair share of mothers ourselves. Haruhi was just as good at charming them as the boys were, and by the time we walked away to get some space, Haruhi had a group of mothers who were all fans of hers and 'wanted to adopt' her. They were ready to be away from the crowds, but a sharp sound drew both of their attention. Kaiyoka watched with wide eyes from across the room as Kyouya's father brought his hand down on his son's cheek, leaving an angry red outline and a crowd of shocked individuals. A fire roared in Kaiyoka's lungs.

*

I stood in disbelief, the sound of the slap still resonating in my ears. I broke away from Haruhi, who was also standing in shock, walking briskly over to Kyouya and retrieving his glasses for him. I stood up after helping him up and handed him the frames, barely hearing him thank me before I steamrolled through the crowd to Kyouya's father. I took a breath before speaking, trying to control my anger and keep it to an acceptable level.

"I don't think you give Kyouya enough credit." Kyouya's father barely turned around, raising an eyebrow when he saw me. He gave me a look that was enough to scare off the other people trying to approach him, but I stood my ground. Something in me snapped.

"Kyouya is a wonderful, hardworking individual. He's the only high-schooler that I've ever met who I'd consider a workaholic. And it's all for your benefit, Ootori-san; to ensure that both your family business and the host club run as smoothly as they do. So, pardon my intrusion, but I do believe that Kyouya deserves miles more respect from you." I could feel herself getting angrier as I truly realized what an unfit father Kyouya had. It wasn't right.

"Kyouya bends over backward for everyone in his life, and yet you, his own father, do not appreciate him or what he does. Not once have I seen you act like you should toward Kyouya. He deserves a father, Ootori-san. And coming from someone who no longer has one, I can tell you that he currently deserves far better than you." By now, I was aware of how out-of-turn I was speaking toward Kyouya's (excuse for a) father, but I didn't care. Anyone could get mad at me for telling him off all they wanted, but until something changed for the better, that man didn't deserve respect or decency from anyone, and certainly not from me.

Before he could turn away from me, which I knew he would, I turned on my heel and walked out of the room. I could practically feel the stares of the host club on my back and I could easily hear the whispers of those who'd heard me arise. I continued walking even after I'd left the room- I walked far enough so that if I were to scream, it would only faintly reach the ears of anyone in that room. That buffer was more than necessary.

*

Kyouya looked up, surprised, fixing his glasses to see Kaiyoka standing before his father. He heard every word she said, eyes widening as she told Yoshio Ootori himself off in the middle of a fancy event. He couldn't help but smile for a second; Kaiyoka seemed to have a knack for putting members of the Ootori family in their place.

His father's words ran through his mind as he saw Kaiyoka walking out of the ballroom. It was a conversation they'd had weeks ago, but the words rang painfully clear in his mind.

'It's her and it's this frivolous club. You cannot be participating in that club while associating with a commoner and expect to achieve anything with the company. Make a choice.'

Kaiyoka's words ran through his mind as he saw her walking out of the ballroom.

'Kyouya bends over backward for everyone in his life, and yet you- his father- do not appreciate him or what he does.'

Kyouya made his choice as the door slipped shut behind Kaiyoka. The sound of the oak door closing dulled in comparison to the sinking feeling in his chest and the loud, uncontrolled beating of his heart in his ears. Kyouya looked over to his father, feeling an unusual mix of determination and shame beginning to rise in him.

*

I found myself wandering into the garden where Haruhi had found me crying over my notebook. It seemed so far away, like a distant memory. Sitting down in the same spot that I had all that time ago, I took a moment to assess what I just did.

I'd yelled at Mr. Ootori in front of the highest concentration of rich people I'd ever encountered in one space. And yet, the part of me that was responsible for my common sense did not care. Not even a little bit. I found that, the angrier I got about things that mattered, the more inclined I would be to act on it, and the less I cared about what others had to say about it.

About a semester ago, I would have taken every measure to assure myself that 'not yet' hadn't come yet, that I didn't like Kyouya in that regard, I didn't like him yet. But it had come to the point where my immediate actions were speaking much, much louder than my words. I found it frighteningly easy to explain how much I cared about Kyouya. I used to have a hard time trusting people, simply because I was always cautious of how abruptly things could end. How abruptly lives could end. I still struggle with that. But being able to admit to myself that Kyouya meant more to me than he probably should was scary and exciting, all at the same time.

"Kaiyoka!" My head snapped in the direction of the voice, and I saw Haruhi and Tamaki running toward me. I stood up, smoothing the fabric of my skirt as they approached.

"Are you okay?" Haruhi asked as they slowed to a stop in front of me. I nodded.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked. The two exchanged a look.

"You yelled at Kyouya's father, arguably one of the most powerful men in Japan," Tamaki pointed out. "I'm a little surprised you're still alive." I smiled at that.

"You did also call him an incompetent father in front of hundreds of other people. You, a commoner in their eyes." Haruhi added. I nodded and shrugged.

"Yeah, I did. But I meant what I said, and I'm not afraid of Mr. Ootori. Nor am I afraid of how he will react." Haruhi raised an eyebrow. She was about to open her mouth when the twins ran up behind her and Tamaki, cutting her off.

"Boss! Some girl was looking for you." Hikaru said. "She was French, and her name was, like, Macaroon or something."

"She was looking for you, but we didn't tell her where you were. She seemed interested in you, though." Kaoru added. Haruhi's eye twitched at that, and I held back a laugh.

"Guys, don't you have people to be entertaining?" I asked. "Let's go back inside. There are girls who are missing out on time that could be spent swooning! Don't make them wait." They all started laughing as we walked back.

"Like you care about the hosting, Kaiyoka," Hikaru said, elbowing me. It was now my turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Of course I care. What, just because I'm not a host, I can't care about the reputations of my friends who happen to be hosts?" Hikaru considered my point, and when his brother added that I did just tell Kyouya's father off for being a bad father and Tamaki pointed out that I'm a member of the club, Hikaru responded,

"Point taken."

*

The rest of the evening went smoothly enough, although any other interruptions could hardly overshadow Kaiyoka's prior outburst. Mothers continued to be engaged and swept away by Tamaki's dramatic stories, Mori's stoic trustworthiness, Honey's adorable childline nature, the twins' inability to leave one another alone, and Haruhi's mere existence. Kyouya stayed far out of the way for the remainder of the event, hidden behind his computer screen. Even when the event ended and cleanup started, no one wanted to bother him after what had happened, and he was perfectly fine with that.

"Finally! It's over." Hikaru pushed the last cart up against the wall, sighing. The hosts all gathered around the fountain in the middle of the room, talking about the day's events. All except for Kyouya, who remained standoffish. He was standing a little closer to the exit door, watching Kaiyoka pace around in the corner where she'd spent the first half of the fair, murmuring to herself.

"Where is it, where is it?" Kyouya waited until she was about to begin panicking before catching her attention.

"Are you looking for this?" He asked, drawing the attention of Kaiyoka and, incidentally, the other hosts. Kaiyoka's eyes lit up as she saw her notebook outstretched in his hand, and approached him quickly to retrieve it.

"Thank you, Kyouya-senpai!" She said happily, taking the book gently and clutching it to her chest. He fought the urge to smile.

'What is really important to you, Kyouya?'

"Miss Sahni." Kyouya said, causing her to look back at him. In that moment, he did his best to feel nothing while every thought that involved Kaiyoka came crashing to the forefront of his mind. He remembered the dinner at his house, the sleepover, the time she got thrown off a cliff and he'd almost lost his mind.

He probably would have brutally injured those men if the others hadn't taken care of it.

He remembered the day she first walked into the host club. The day she joined the club as an official member. The evening at the dance, where she was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. The evening at the dance when he probably would have kissed her out on that balcony.

He remembered it all, their whirlwind of a friendship that may have been destined for something more, and for the first time in a very long time, Kyouya felt guilty.

"There will be no further contact between the two of us." Ignoring the surprised look on her face and the hurt and shock in her eyes, he turned away from her and toward the doors. "Good night." The other hosts had gone dead silent, and everyone stared after Kyouya as he walked out. The clicking of his shoes echoed through the silence, and he left them all standing there as the door closed silently behind him. Worse yet, he left Kaiyoka standing in the same place, her book being held tightly to her chest, wondering what on earth she'd done wrong.