Hosting Anew // Private

[buwie]

It was quiet, just a little too quiet for Kaoru. He looked up wondering what was up, and he found he was the only one not keeping anyone company. His brother didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight and he felt just a bit lonely. Mori…and Sho. Wait…Sho? The tanuki had actually come to campus with its owner? Well either way Mori and Sho were entertaining Zal, Kyouya and Honey were speaking with Haruhi’s language buddy and Haruhi appeared to be struggling with something as Tamaki looked like he was in his mushroom growing corner. With a sigh Kaoru left their idiot king to his mental state and wandered over to Haruhi hoping that things were ok.

“Boss got your mind messed up again?” He said as he gently nudged Haruhi’s shoulder with his arm. It was about all he could do next to giving her a hug but that wasn’t appropriate right now.

Zal had read about these natives of Japan, but she didn’t think she’d ever see one in real life and here one was. She’d done so much reading on raccoons and animals that looked like them cause next to dolphins and orcas, raccoons where her favorite animal. This had warranted her uncontrollable gush. Seeing Mori wiggle his shoulder Zal kept her hands to herself waiting for the tanuki to do as it wished, which was walk down his owners arm and look at her. Despite Mori giving her permission to pet…Sho? She thought that was what Mori had said, she held out her hand for Sho to sniff and determine if he should let her pet him or not.

“He’s so adorable I just want to hug him and squeeze him and call him George.” She gushed out again then realized how creepy and odd that sounded, “Sorry. The whole George thing is a family thing. But he really is adorable.” Zal noticed that smile that had come across Mori’s face and she found it…rather cute. She had a feeling it was something that didn’t happen often with this man.

Honey’s eyes lit up and seemed to sparkle as Naomi talked about introducing him to this Maki person. He knew he had promised Takashi in their duel before they graduated that he wouldn’t have too many sweats, he would be a treat taster, it wasn’t like he was going out every day and deliberately eating sweets. Plus he knew he needed to distance himself from his cousin who he felt was attempting to do the same thing. It made him a little sad, but he knew with the duel, and losing it, that Takashi had a firm resolve in being independent from him so he should be to.

“I would love that!” Honey beamed a large smile spreading it’s way over his face.

Kyouya didn’t realize his mind was wandering until he noticed Naomi was looking at him and it in turn made him realize he was staring at her. He blinked as he heard her ask what had brought them all there to EBA with Haruhi. Well that wasn’t a hard answer to give her.

“We all felt as though we should gain some independence and learn a bit more about the world before going back.” He knew that wasn’t the whole reason for all of them but it seemed as though the twins and Mori and Honey had used it as a way to gain independence from each other.

[Fateful]

Haruhi didn't know what to say, for once, to calm Tamaki down. "Tamaki..." SHe said,taking hold of his arm as he grew mushrooms on his head. "Hey..." She leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek to get his attention away from how upset he was.

Takashi saw her gush over Sho. Never before had he had something like this happen as a reaction to Sho. Well, it happened in a club a few times when he'd gotten lose, since Sho hated to be at Takashi's home or in the dojo alone. So, he had been known to come with him to a lot of places he might not necessarily belong. He rubbed the top of Sho's head, scratching behind his ears. "He is." He said, still scratching the small raccoon. Sho released a soft sound of content at being touched.

Naomi smiled at Honey's reaction. She put her hand in her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Unlocking her iPhone, she added a new contact and handed him her phone. "There's a contest at the end of this month. If you put your number in my phone I can call you after I talk to Maki. Boston has a fall festival that's coming up at the end of the month. EBA usually gets pretty into it, the school provides transportation and we celebrate the end of the summer and the start of the fall. It's a pretty fun festival, I think that if you've never been here before, you should come with us." She said, referring to herself, Zal, and some of their friends. "It helps you to get to know the area, the customs and all the best food." Now she was talking to both Honey and Kyoya, since they seemed the most focused of their friends, whether it was on her or food.

Independence? Well, that did make sense. "I find that America is more liberating than Japan. I've lived in Boston, New York, and California, my father had to relocate constantly for his business, so every time he opened a new branch we moved for a short time. And my mother had to spend a good deal of time in California. Whereas Japan is more beautiful of a place and I find it soothing, I find America interesting. There's more movement and I find the people more interesting." It sounded strange, but she honestly felt that way. "Especially here, you can meet so many people from all over the world."

There were more reasons they had all come here, she was sure, but she wasn't really one to pry.

[buwie]

Tamaki registered pressure on his cheek, but he was still growing mushrooms. Never had anyone looked at him with such disgust. He understood it wasn’t because of his status or his looks he was sure, but surely this girl wasn’t so repulsed by his charm? He just couldn’t understand it.

“…hates….dislike me…do wrong?” He mumbled, all of his thoughts seeming to meld into one sentence even if he only mentioned a few words.
Seeming to take Sho not running from her hand or giving a runaway reaction Zal gingerly reached out to touch his fur making sure to pet under his chin and along his neck. Most non-domesticated animals didn’t like to be petted on the head, so she assumed the same was true of him. She smiled as Mori petting Sho caused the tanuki to make a sound that she found cute.

Zal then looked up at the tanuki’s owner, “He just follows you everywhere? Isn’t that a bit problematic?” She paused a moment before she remembered something, “Yet how is it you have an endangered species for a pet and was able to bring him with you?” She of course wasn't trying to be condescending she was just genuinely curious.

A grin still plastered on his face Honey inputted his number into her phone and gave it back to her. Really excited to be doing this that he was already starting to imagine all of new sweets he would be trying.

Events like festivals and the like were definitely something that Kyouya knew the whole group would love to partake in, and of course were more than willing to tag along with Naomi and her roommate. It was the ‘appreciation for the commoner life’ in Tamaki that they never failed to experience. Although he was sure it would be a different commoner life in America then it was back in Japan.

“America is a melting pot of multiple ethnicities and it’s not surprising after all of the immigrants seeking a new life. I would think it hard to find someone who’s fully one nationality.” Kyouya replied knowing Naomi was right that Japan could be too stiff for people, but he for one was taking it in stride. He would have never met someone like this Zal who was Native American either visiting Japan or living there. Although he was sure people of her heritage visited all the time he just knew he didn’t meet any of them.

[Fateful]

Haruhi sighed. "Kaoru, help me?" She asked, looking to the twin at her side. There had to be something she could do. "Tamaki-semp-- Tamaki, I'm sure that it has nothing to do with that. America isn't like Japan. Remember what Renge said? That France wasn't ready for a Host Club? Maybe that's how America is." She pointed to where Zal was, talking to Mori. "Besides, you're not her type. She likes the Wild type." Putting it in that context, she assumed Tamaki would feel better. He never pouted when a girl preferred another Host to him. So... maybe that was the way to go about this rather than being affectionate--something she herself wasn't as comfortable with.

Takashi nodded. For the most part, Sho did follow him around. it was problematic, especially in the morning. Several times Sho had jumped into the shower while Takakshi was in there. By now, he was used to water and would usually sit in the bottom of the tub until his owner was finished. He was trying to figure out how to keep Sho in the apartment when he was at school. Sho could be at the dojo back home, but he might not be safe here, so he would probably have to keep him at home more often then he wanted to.

"We took a private jet here." He stated. Tamaki and Haruhi flew over together on a 'commoner' flight, whereas the other hosts took the Haninuzuka's private Jet to America to beat Tamaki and Haruhi here so they could surprise them. Well, surprise Haruhi, since Tamaki knew they'd be there. "I just took him with me." This was the most he had spoken to someone in a long time. Simply because he preferred smaller means of communication. It also helped his speaking ability that Honey was talking to someone else. The blonde appeared happy in his conversation with Kyouya and Zal's friend, so he had to stand on his own. At least, for a while.

Technically, since he was rich and nursed the tanuki back to health, he was free to keep him, but he felt that was not his place to stay. "I found him in my high school, back in Japan. He was injured and I helped him get better. I have a chicken too." He added, as if as an after thought.

Naomi hadn't seen someone so happy in quite a long time. It made her happy that she could make someone as happy as this. "Tell you what, since you like what you had today, I can take you there tonight and show you where it is and introduce you to Maki. I have a music rehearsal tonight, but I should be done at around 4:30 tonight. If you live near Haruhi, I can come pick you up and drive you there." She offered. Maki had been looking for someone to test her recipes on since Akane had moved back to Japan, so Naomi thought it would be best to bring someone she knew, even vaguely. And Honey really annoyed sweets. It was an adorable quality in him.

"Single ethnicity are hard to find." She told Kyouya. Whereas Kyouya and Takashi were full Japanese, it was clear that Tamaki was not. His actions(flamboyance), in combination with his hair were a dead give away. "Even I'm not completely Japanese. My father is completely Japanese, but my mother is not." Naomi herself was of average height for a woman in Japan, about five foot and one inch, the same height as Haruhi. Her hair was long, black, and her eyes were angled. The biggest giveaway that Naomi had non-asian in her was the fact her eyes were a herb green color. "I think that the lacking of a single ethnicity makes living here more interesting." She told him. "And the food here is always amazing. There's a sushi place, an Italian restaurant, a Mexican tortilla shop, and an Indian restaurant within ten blocks of my apartment."

[buwie]

Kaoru was about to speak up to help Haruhi deal with Tamaki before she figured it out herself. Her language buddy’s roommate seemed to be charmed by the Wild Type. Ok maybe charmed wasn’t the word since she was actually able to talk, and in coherent sentences, and wasn’t shy like most of Mori’s customers back in Japan. He blinked as he looked towards his sempai, had this girl really gotten him to speak more than just a sentence? He looked around and up in the sky, hoping the world hadn’t come to an end.This Zal may just be someone who could get their naturally quiet companion to talk.

Tamaki registered ‘She likes the Wild Type.’ But it took him a while as he kept drawing circles in the dirt. “She likes the….the Wild type is her type?” Tamaki asked mechanically as he stood up and looked at Zal and Mori. He watched the interplay between them and the gears started clicking in his head. He wondered if maybe love would blossom here. Even though most people would say that there wasn’t enough there to go straight to that thought line, but leave it to Tamaki to see through it.

Zal could sense Sho loved his owner. She scratched his chin again listening to Mori explain things. The private plane made things make sense. She’d heard stories on the news of exotic animals being brought to America and getting through customs on private planes. As she listened it almost seemed as though he was struggling to speak or he was thinking before he spoke, trying to word things right.

“You just brought him with you. I guess that’s a good reason. At least you took good care of him. Some people have good intentions, but end up doing more harm than good.” She responded then it hit her that he had said he had a chicken, “Did you just say you had a pet chicken…?” It wasn’t that pet chickens were rare, just the opposite, more people were taking farm animals as pets in some rural areas near cities and towns. She just had a thing about birds. She didn’t particularly care for them, cause they always seemed to dive bomb her or leave their business on her whenever she was near them. So it wasn’t that she disliked them, they just didn’t like her.

“I do live near Haru-chan. And really?!” Honey asked restraining himself from jumping up and down a few times and instead opting for rocking back and forth on his heels. His Usa-chan ear’s bobbing behind his back as he was holding his prized bunny behind his back.

“It does make things more interesting here. I believe America is a conglomeration of the rest of the world, mostly because of the different ethnicities.” Kyouya replied, suddenly realizing how theological this talk was. He rethought on what he had said and was quite surprised at his views as a foreigner and how spot on they were.

“That’s a nice mix of restaurants.” Kyouya mentioned as Naomi switched the conversation to food again, “I’m sure a few of us will love to try that out.” He was sure some of them would notice a difference from the Americanized/family dishes than the dishes they could get traditionally in a country. Much like how commoners both in America and Japan loved ramen. American ramen was much like the commoner’s 3 min. ramen unless they went to a Japanese restaurant that served traditional ramen which he was sure was rare.

[Fateful]

Haruhi smiled at Tamaki and nodded. "It seems that way to me." She said, pointing to the two of them. It surprised her as well, however, to know that Takashi could talk so much to someone. She had rarely ever seen him speak so often to anyone, even to the hosts in the club. It was a rather rare occurrence.

Takashi found that Sho liked Zal. Much of that had to do with Takashi's calm demeanor in normal settings. Pets often took on the personality of their owners and animals always did well around Takashi and often enjoyed being around him simply due to the fact he was calm. Back home, their house had several dogs that were once used as defense to protect the clan in its early days and fight in times of war. They were still used in training, sometimes, but for the most they were companions. Takashi fed a few of them regularly and they came to expect him to do so. At least, until he got Sho and the prey drive kicked in. Since then, the former champion spent more time with the tanuki.

The bonding time they spent together paid off. A nod. "Hm." He affirmed that he had a chicken as well. He was surprised Sho hadn't tried to make a meal of him yet, but Takashi had built him a small pen were he laid eggs. Mitskunai loved the eggs for cakes and other sweets, whereas Takashi enjoyed them, usually for breakfast. It was good to have a chicken around, he reasoned, since it made gathering up some breakfast easier for himself and his cousin.

Speaking of, one of the only other people who had heard him speak this often was probably the Haninuzuka. Sho made a noise between purring and a contented sound as he was pet by Zal and laid down on Takashi's arm to show his own relaxation. The small eyes closed across his bandit masked face.

So, they all lived close to one another, Naomi reasoned. It was strange. What was it with this girl that all of these men flocked to her. Most people would wonder if Haruhi had a relationship with them all, but Naomi knew better than that. Haruhi was a smart girl, sweet, and quite generous, it seemed, but she was not deceitful or crude in that way. Rather, it appeared that she was so good of a friend that all of them wanted the absolute best for her and wanted to make sure she was okay here. Watching her interact with her boyfriend made Naomi almost happy to know that there were people in Japan that genuinely cared for one another. She had never felt that sort of love or belonging, even from her own family. It was why she chose to stay in America. Or, one reason, anyway.

"Sure. If you'd like to invite anyone to come with us, that's fine. Just have them at your house by 4:30 tonight. I can be there a little before five to pick you up. My car only holds five people, including myself, but someone could follow us. Or we could walk. I ran there this morning. It depends on what you're more comfortable with."

The way that Kyouya spoke reminded Naomi of her father, in a strange way. It was the way she had spoken before coming her. Here, she found it better to downplay her intelligence in the way she spoke because it made it easier for others to understand what she was saying. Unlike most others, Kyouya was smart. And he knew he was smarter than the average person. It was something she admired in him, even though she just met him. His confidence in his intelligence showed, and it was an admirable quality in any one, but especially men in her eyes.

"If you want, I can take all of you on a tour of the restaurants in the area. So you can get to know them and use them on your own. Grocery stores too." She assumed they didn't have staff with them.

Leaving the topic of food, she figured they might talk about something else. All this food talk was making her hungry. But, being around those from Japan made her miss real Japanese food. There were some traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese food here, but none of it was like what they had back home. All the talk of food made her miss her sister. She felt homesick for the first time in years.

[buwie]

Kaoru listened to Tamaki and Haruhi as he looked between them and Zal and Mori. He knew the look that had crossed Tamaki’s face when he realized Mori was Zal’s type. It was his look that told people he wouldn’t stop with something until he got the end result he wanted and Kaoru had a sinking feeling in his stomach it involved their beloved sempai getting together with Zal. The sinking feeling wasn’t on the part of the two getting together but how much Zal and or Mori would put up with his meddling. He walked up to Tamaki hoping he could dismay him from doing it.

“Boss whatever line of thought you have with those two. Just let it run it’s course. She seems like the type to be spitfire if pushed and frankly I don’t think Haruhi can handle you being in your mushroom corner 24/7 if you constantly meddle with them.” Kaoru stated quietly that Mori and Zal couldn’t hear him.

The gears in Tamaki’s head began turning, coming up with things to do for Zal and Mori. He honestly didn’t think Zal was Mori’s type, but he couldn’t tell Mori’s type as he was a quiet man and he never showed a particular interest in any one girl back in Japan. Not like he was showing that type of interest in Zal now, but with the right meddling maybe he could make something show. Apparently Kaoru had seen his look and commented on it.

With a frown he replied, “But Mori-sempai’s never shown an interest in girls.”

“Doesn’t give you the right to meddle.” Kaoru responded, “Let those two figure out on their own, not on your terms, whether they’re compatible or not. Besides they’ve just met. I’ve see nothing between them yet to suggest a spark of interest.”

It was rather soothing to pet Sho and Zal greatly enjoyed it. Themis was a great dog and all, but Zal wasn’t a dog person, she preferred cats more and missed her two odd balls. Being able to pet Sho was a great opportunity and an experience she wouldn’t forget. She kept petting him as there wasn’t much else to do. She smiled and felt a little elated when the tanuki settled down on its owners arm, closed its eyes and made a contented sound. Sho’s bandit face was just so adorable.

“The chicken isn’t around is it?” Zal asked calmly but inwardly she was panicking a bit hoping it wasn’t. She just didn’t want to deal with birds today. It was a good day and now an even better day since she started petting Sho.

Still beaming Honey ran over to Mori, “Takashi want to come with me to meet this Maki and eat tasty treats? Naomi-chan said I could invite anyone I wanted.” He then noticed the content tanuki being petted by Zal and giggled, “Sho likes pretty ladies, doesn’t he Takashi?”

Having someone guide them around the area wasn’t a bad idea. The grocery stores would be more of Haruhi’s thing, but for them it didn’t hurt to try out these restaurants so Kyouya answered, “I believe that will be a good idea. Haruhi would be more interested in the grocery stores and maybe Honey and Mori-senpai too. Maybe we could go somewhere tonight together then. Where is up to you unless any of the others have a specific place they’d like to try.”

[Fateful]

Hearing Kaoru's concerns, Haruhi's patience rapidly deflated and she sighed. Ugh... Leave it to Tamaki to want to meddle in anyone else's life. Really? Just a conversation? Him talking to someone meant that he was automatically destined to be with someone? The true test, at least in Haruhi's mind would be how long it took Takashi to say Zal's name. It took months for Mori to address her by her own name and that was only at a time when Honey wasn't there.

A sudden realization came to her when her eyes darted to see that Honey and Kyouya were both talking to Naomi. It was only without his other half, so to speak, that Mori was speaking and acting on his own. For the most part, Honey had always spoken on the behalf of the duo. Much like the twins, Honey and Mori were always together so Mori's voice was whatever Honey needed. Kaoru was much the same way in the past, he acted and did as Hikaru wished for the sake of keeping his brother happy.

"I think Kaoru is right." She told her boyfriend. Pointing to where Honey was with Naomi, then to were Mori was with Zal, she moved her hands apart to show the separation. "they're acting independently now, just like how Hikaru and Kaoru had to grow apart, Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai have to grow apart too. So let them do it at their own pace. Mori-sempai has never showed interest in anyone except Honey-sempai. He only joined the Host Club for Honey-sempai, right? So it was never something he wanted, he just put up with it." Now the three of them had formed a collective huddle and were consulting one another in the grass not far from where the rest of their friends were grouped. Since Tamaki had been growing mushrooms, they were bending down, almost sitting, in a circle.

Takashi looked a bit confused. "Piyo is in his coop. Only Sho follows me." He stated, believing this to be sufficient for explanation.

As she pet him, Mitskunai came to his side and he looked down at his cousin affectionately. Having the blonde at his side immediately put him at ease. His body never looked tense, but it looked to physically relax, as if injected with a drug when Honey came to his side. Rather than speaking, he simply nodded. Takashi would gladly accompany Mitskunai anywhere he wished to go, especially in this strange country that he did not completely trust.

Hearing the comment about Sho liking pretty ladies, Takashi smiled and shook his head, humored by those words. He doubted very much that animals judged by the same principles of beauty as humans saw as relevant. Rather, they judged based on temper and spirit. Calmness meant more to them then a body.

Noami's attention had wandered not to the cousins and her best friend, but rather, to the huddle between Haruhi, Tamaki, and Kaoru that was happening about fifteen feet away from them. With her hand on her hip Naomi stood; her head slightly tilted to the side as she studied them. "Haruhi seems more interested in meddling than in food." Naomi elaborated, a smile drifting across her previously contemplative features.

"Should I just let this go, or should I be concerned that they're planning the fall of a dynasty?" She asked, obviously a joke. Whereas she knew something was going on, she didn't know what it was. Her focus had been on Honey and Kyouya up until this point, so she hadn't even noticed what Haruhi, her oaf of a boyfriend, and the kinder of the twins were doing.

Her long hair moved as the wind cascaded through the grass, allowing the perfume she put on this morning to drift through the air. "I will find an appropriate place for all of us to go tonight, but I will make sure to introduce Mitskunai-san to Maki first." Whereas most would be deceived by Honey's appearance, Noami knew he was older then she. They were friends and had nicknames for one another. When Mitskunai found it appropriate to give her a nickname as he had his other friends, she would feel more comfortable calling him by the nickname they used to address him.

"Of course, the others would be happy with anything I showed them." Naomi added, talking a step closer to Kyouya. They were still a comfortable distance a part, but close enough to have a more private conversation. "You, however, Kyouya-san, don't seem as easily pacified. Is there anything specific you want to see? I wouldn't want to alienate you in order to make the others happy." Whereas she knew it might not be a good idea to be this direct with him, she was also very aware that the others put a great deal of faith in him. It was something she appreciated, since that was much the way she was with her friends.

[buwie]

Mori talking and being independent from Honey was a good thing from Kaoru’s point of view, but Haruhi was right just as he was. He knew Mori had never cared about being in the Host Club he just went with it because it was what Honey wanted to do. Heaven forbid the duo that everyone swore was a couple, ok maybe their customers swore they were a couple, would go their separate ways in high school. It was a shock when Mori had challenged Honey to the duel and mentioned his career path that differed from his cousins, just before they graduated. It was Mori who had mentioned the independence first, leading Kaoru to believe that Mori had felt it was time to start living apart from his cousin. He hoped Mori would continue to come out of his shell and act as an independent person, no matter who pulled that out of him.

“Mori-sempai mentioned being independent first, even before we came here. So as Haruhi said just let him be himself without your meddling. I’m sure something good will come out of it. Don’t just assume they’ll get together. It will only make an ass out of you.” Kaoru added kneeling just in front of Tamaki.

“I just want to help them.” Tamaki mumbled, the independence thing not quite ringing in his head.

Kaoru sighed, “Your definition of help is liable to make Mori-sempai upset. And from what I’ve seen of the girl and how she glared at you, Mori-sempai wouldn’t be the one you have to fear for it would be her. Please just listen to us and let this go. Let love blossom on its own between them if it’s meant to be. "

Zal let out the breath she didn’t know she had been holding as Mori affirmed her fears that the chicken was nowhere within range to attack her. Her hand was presently still petting the tanuki and she swore it was static cling keeping her hand on Sho.

It remained quiet between them for a few brief moments as her tall companion’s cousin came up a slap happy grin plastered on his face. Zal sensed a change in the quiet man she had just been talking to, when the shorter man came up. She raised her eyebrow out of habit wondering what it was between these two as Mori stopped talking and went to nods and body language. Very peculiar.

The shorter man’s compliment on her being pretty didn’t impress her though. This man was just a bit too cutesy for her liking. She could sense that these two had strength, probably had some training in martial arts or combat, but unlike his tall companion Honey didn’t come off to her as a rough type. He just seemed too innocent, or was that his looks? Well whatever it was she just knew this shorter man wasn’t going to be on her list of instant like.

“Nah. I’m not that pretty. Most men don’t like that I prefer to work with grease and grime then paint, compose music, or work as an accountant. “ Zal replied, wondering if these men even noticed the probably permanent grease stains on her hands and arms.

Honey was pleased his cousin would be coming with him. He half expected Mori to chastise him for all the sweets this meeting would entail later, but maybe this was part of the independence they were both taking. Mori trusting his cousin enough to slow down on the sweets. He then blinked up at the long haired women, puzzled as to why she would prefer to be dirty over being in nice pretty things. It baffled him a little bit.

“But you are pretty. But if those men can’t appreciate that
that’s who you are then they obviously don’t deserve you.” Honey answered. Being a bit deep, and despite being puzzled by it he just had a feeling that this was how she was.

Kyouya had not been blind to Mori and Zal, he however wasn’t quite sure as to the mushroom growing circle. He hadn’t seen Tamaki’s look so he hadn’t figured out what Tamaki was planning. His attention had remained on Naomi the whole time though, taking careful steps to reply so it didn’t sound like he was condescending.

“You have nothing to worry about from Haruhi on meddling or planning the fall of a dynasty. Tamaki would be the one to worry about for that. I believe Haruhi and Kaoru are trying to either cheer Tamaki up, or keep him from doing something stupid. Knowing him, it could be either or both.” Kyouya replied then added, “Honey-sempai would greatly appreciate that, especially if there are sweets involved.”

Naomi took a step toward him and he looked at her. Slight curiosity dancing in his eyes wondering what she was getting closer for. Then she launched into asking him what he wanted to see. He looked taken aback for a few seconds, before his face settled and he responded as though he hadn’t just been surprised, “Whatever they want to see. I’d never live it down from Tamaki if we all didn’t do something as a group like we used to.” He was lying of course. But for the moment he didn’t know what he wanted. He came to America with them because yes they were his friends, but just as each of the others was searching for something different here so to was he and he wasn’t sure of that yet.

[Fateful]

"Tamaki-kun, please, help them by staying out of it." She said, quietly. Whereas she did love him, she wanted him to be aware of the fact that Mori wasn't the type of person that would appreciate something like this. He wasn't a club member or some other mindless girl. Mori would react negatively to being helped by Tamaki, especially in the way she was proposing. She didn't like the idea of trying to force him with someone he didn't like just because he had a conversation with them. If that was the case, Tamaki would run himself ragged by trying to fix all of the hosts up. For all she knew, Tamaki would try to do something outlandish like meddle in Kyouya's love life.

She cringed at the thought of that.

A conversation leading to a set up would mean that Kyouya and Honey would be dueling for Naomi's attention since they were both just speaking with her. Suddenly, Haruhi realized that she'd originally spoken to Naomi first and smiled. It humored her, in a way that her first kiss was a girl despite the fact she had no interest in them. It made her happy and she felt better about herself in that moment. Yeah... there was no way Tamaki would do this and she'd keep an eye on him to make sure.

"Please, Tamaki-kun, just do as Kaoru and I ask, okay?" She said, her tone still slightly above a whisper so no one else could listen in on their conversation.

Having Mitskunai around him instantly push Takashi at ease. He visibly relaxed at his cousin's presence at his side. He glanced to Zal for a moment, as if wondering if she would be there with them. Somehow he felt having her around would ease his transition away from his cousin and into the real world outside of Japan. It was a strange thing to want, but to have someone else he could easily rely on and look over would give him a means to break free. Truth be told, taking care of Mitskunai is all he had known for years. Breaking out of that would take more than just a new country and school. This was something that would likely take him months, or even years to fully get over. But, it was time to get started.

The conversation that followed interested Takashi. A girl like this was a mystery to the hosts. Even Haruhi who liked to dress in boy's clothing and break conventional norms wasn't like this. Whereas Takashi didn't mind being dirty or sweaty, or doing any form of labor at all, he didn't go out looking to get filthy. But perhaps he was reading too much into what she was saying. She didn't say she liked it, just that she wasn't opposed.

"I agree." He said, in response to Mitskunai's declaration that someone who would use those qualities against her didn't deserve her. And there was a great deal of truth to that. Someone who couldn't accept her didn't deserve who she was. And that went for any women or man. Haruhi was one of the best examples he could think of. Someone who couldn't accept her short her and lacking interest in all things feminine didn't deserve to be with someone that sweet and loving. It's just throgh some miracle that Tamaki happened to win her heart.

So, Naomi was right. It was Tamaki that instigated trouble. Oh well, it was something she could look out for in the future. SHe felt that Haruhi had a really good chance at being successful here, but Tamaki proposed a threat to that. From their interactions earlier, and even now, Haruhi seemed preoccupied with making Tamaki happy and not worrying completely about herself. And, seeing how he acted, growing mushrooms and what now, she could see why she was so concerned. Oh well. As long as Haruhi wasn't held back significantly.

Kyouya's reasoning for why they could go anywhere didn't completely pass through her, but she noted that he was willing to make his friends happy, which was a good quality. So, for now, she thought of the places they all would enjoy. All of the, including Zal of course. She seemed to get along with the tallest member of their group well, so she thought it would be best for Zal to come alone. And, it would get her out of the house. Sometimes the two of them went through phases were they spent a lot of time at home. Naomi wanted to make sure that Zal was balancing out her fun and work. And, if it was dinner, it was worth going out for at least a few times a week, right? And this had the promise of being fun. "What do you think they'd like to go? Based on the description of places I offered you earlier?"

[buwie]

Tamaki didn’t want to stay out of it though. He didn’t want to let it go, but he couldn’t make Haruhi mad at him. With a sigh he mumbled, “I’ll leave them alone.”

Still he knew he could help them, when the time arose. Hopefully he’d have the random chances to help, and hopefully Kaoru and Haruhi wouldn’t realize he was still up to it. That thought cheered him up a little bit and he looked around, Kaoru seemed to be watching him closely.

He wondered if Tamaki would even speak up after being told not to do something, so Kaoru looked at him closely. Tamaki spoke up after a little bit and it was just a mumble, but he knew Haruhi had heard it along with him. Yet something was telling him Tamaki didn’t really mean what he said. He would keep an eye on Tamaki with Haruhi.

“Come on boss, I think Kyouya and Honey-sempai have been talking with Haruhi’s language buddy about dinner tonight.” Kaoru mentioned as he stood up, steering away the conversation.

The shorter man’s reply was true, something that her grandpa had been telling her and what she had read in books. As she was thinking about her reply she noticed the glance their quiet companion gave her. She couldn’t figure out what it was for, but she wasn’t too worried about it at the moment. Mori’s agreement to his cousins response made her look at him quizzically. There was something coming out of the tall man. She couldn’t grasp what it was, but she had a feeling she’d be seeing more of this man so she left it for another day.

“You guys would say that. Most of the time it’s not gentlemen like you who hit on me. Not saying you guys are, just that I tend to get the nerds who turn out to be downright stalkers. It’s been hazardous to my mental state.” She found herself rambling a bit and wondered why she just did, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go on like that. Anyway, I think I heard going to dinner come out of Naomi’s mouth. Why don’t we all go after your meeting with Maki.”

“That’s a very good idea. Since Naomi-chan was mentioning places that were around here.” Honey replied from his cousin’s side, loud enough for Naomi to hear it.

In his own way Honey had been trying to push his cousin into talking more, and it had succeeded to a degree. Although he really wasn’t sure what stalker nerds had to do with her willing to get dirty. Oh well something he’d find out later, his mind was on the sweets and meeting this Maki for now though.

“I believe it would be Italian.” Kyouya replied knowing that Asian was out for a while since that was their main staple in their homes. He felt Naomi’s eye’s watching him knowing she wasn’t done with asking him what he wanted to do. He knew she’d leave it be for now. Since it appeared all of them where going to gather around and decide who all was going to come to dinner. It seemed as though they all would be with the exception of Hikaru who seemed to be nowhere around.

[Fateful]

Haruhi was glad that tamaki agreed not to do what he wanted to do, but had the feeling he was going to do something stupid anyway. Still, she loved the big dope and knew she'd have to watch him. At least... well, a lot, but still. She wanted to help him out and help him get over one of his bad qualities - meddling.

She noticed now that Hikaru was gone and had taken off after embarrassing himself. "Bring Hikaru with you." she whispered to Kaoru, not wanting to leave the other twin out of it. She knew that Hikaru would be really upset if that happened.

Gentleman? that was flattering, Takashi thought. It was a very kind thought, he believed. He wasn't sure they were being gentlemanly at that moment, but who knows. Apparently women liked that sort of thing. Tamaki was good at it and she didn't seem to like him in the slightest. Still, he was glad she at least heard what they said. The mention of creeps made him wonder if he should watch her a little more closely to assure himself there was no one he needed to get rid of. After all, he was a martial artist and someone hurting or putting down a woman was something he wouldn't stand for.

"I think dinner would be a good idea." Takashi told his cousin. "So you can meet her and before you're too tempted to have dessert we can have dinner first and then go back. Right?" He pried, their bargain coming in. "Since you wouldn't want to spoil your dinner." It sounded nagging, but Takashi had gone almost three months without mentioning it at all. He was allowed it this once, especially when Mitskunai was so excited.

Italian? Naomi nodded. "That's probably a good idea. I'll cal the owner. But, if all of us go, I can't fit everyone in my car." She explained. I don't mind driving and having someone follow, however. I can fit Zal, Haruhi, Tamaki, and you." She told Kyouya. She assumed that the twins and Honey and Mori would want to travel together, since it might be awkward to split one of them up. She knew the twins lived together, for obvious reason, and was sure that Honey and Mori also shared an apartment.

A loud bell sounded and Naomi turned. "That... would be our warning." She said, turning to Honey. "I will text you. I'll call you later and we can meet around your house at 5 and all of us can go out to dinner from there." She said, waving at the others.

It was time for them to part ways.

"Haruhi, we have homeroom together, come with me." She waved her hand to beckon the other girl to follow her. Zal was also in her homeroom, so the three of girls started to walk in the same direction.

[buwie]

Standing at Haruhi’s side Tamaki had heard Kyouya mention going for Italian. He looked a little confused, having been preoccupied with trying to meddle in his sempai’s love life. Meeting each other over dinner wouldn’t be bad and Italian was a good mood setter.

Kaoru nodded wondering where his twin had gone. He seemed to have felt like a third wheel and taken off. Kaoru wondered if Hikaru would even listen to him and come with him. He would at least try.

“I’ll try.” Kaoru whispered back.

“Sounds like a dinner then.” Zal replied with a smile as Mori gave his agreement. Then she heard Naomi mention the car problem, “I could walk with these guys, since my truck is out of commission. Not like it can haul 5 people anyway.” She wasn’t bitter about her truck, she loved the hell out of it actually. It just sucked sometimes when she had a large group of friends to take places and she could squeeze two people into the cab of her truck.

“I promise Takashi.” Honey replied looking cutesy up at his cousin, trying to get him to rescind the sweets thing tonight. He really wanted sweets. Ok he wanted sweets every day. Although he supposed he could let it go since Mori hadn’t brought up the promise for a while. It didn’t hurt to tug at his cousin’s nice streak though.

"Ok!" Honey replied knowing he'd anxiously await Naomi's text.

Kyouya looked around as the bell rang, being just about to speak up when it had. “That’s a good idea. Well I guess we’ll see each other at dinner then.” Naomi’s roommate had proposed a nice alternative to the carpooling issue. He was sure the Twins and Honey and Mori wouldn’t mind walking. Plus Naomi had said the place was within a reasonable walking distance, so he saw nothing wrong with it.

Zal waved towards the cousins as she walked with Naomi and Haruhi. Looking at Honey first and Mori last, Sho still contentedly lying on the taller man’s shoulder. That tanuki loved its owner. She silently wondered what kind of man he was if a wild creature like Sho could love him this unconditionally.

[Fateful]

Somehow, Naomi hadn't really considered them walking. Walking was something she preferred, but her American friends usually preferred to drive. That was what she assumed was a given. But, she was glad to have the opportunity to actually walk somewhere. "Thank you." She said to Zal with a smile. "You're one of the few friends I have that like walking and don't see it as a chore. We'll do that." It gave her the chance to go home and change so she could wear something else. It wasn't that she wanted to dress up that evening, but she'd like to wear something else after running around all day in the same clothes. One thing that Japan instilled in her was that you don't wear the same thing to school that you do when you go out after it, if you have time to change. It was back in the days where they used to wear uniforms. Because of EBA's design students, they didn't have uniforms. Some of the majors, such as their Law and Business schools did have dress requirements, however.

As they walked to class, Naomi texted Honey her number, so he could contact her. She texted Maki to tell her they were coming. When she texted back, she'd let him know.

Once classes were finished, the campus emptied rather quickly. Some lingered behind to hang around the campus, for pre-club activities. That was one of the things Naomi had to do. The Theater club had a meeting about the show they were putting on. Naomi had spent much of the summer rewriting the songs they couldn't get the rights to, and a better way to do transitions, since it was complex to turn a movie into a stage production. After her meeting and small mention of auditions, she left. On her way to her car, she told Honey that Maki had a few small dishes made that she was going to serve at the festival. She wanted him to sample them and see if she should alter the recipes. Also, she'd be over in about 45 minutes since he'd texted her address to her that morning. He lived four blocks away from her apartment.

Once home, Naomi took a quick shower, changed, and went to get Zal, knocking on her door. "Are you ready? I figured we could walk there."

Naomi had changed into a pink lace dress that reached a little past her knees. She had a simple white cardigan over her shoulders and a few gold bracelets around her wrist with a gold necklace with a simple diamond in the center of her collar bones. Her hair was the same as this morning, still curly and bouncy.

They arrived in no time to find that the others had gathered at Honey and Mori's apartment.

Haruhi was standing between the twins, trying to convince Hikaru to uncross his arms and at least pretend to be happy that he was invited. They were doing something nice and making friends. This was a good thing! Hikaru wasn't convinced, but had a constant bombardment of texts from Kaoru and Haruhi all day until he agreed to go.

When Naomi and Zal arrived, they were waiting outside, in front of their apartment. After Naomi said she was on her way, they all came downstairs. Sho was in the fourth story window, paws pressed against the glass. He wanted to come, it seemed. Takashi left out some of his dirty clothes on the bed. Eventually, Sho would go to the bed, lay on his clothes and rest until they returned home.

"Naomi-chan." Haruhi said, coming over to her. "You said you had to go to the Theater club. What do you do for them? Are you an actress?"

Naomi shook her head. "I'm not an actress. I'm the Music Director and the Assistant Director." It was a heavy job, but she loved it. "You have to join a club in order to stay enrolled, so if you're looking for one to join, I can introduce you to the club and you can see if you like it. They offer credit for set creation, backstage work, even costumes. Would that interest you?"

Haruhi glanced to Tamaki. "W-Well... I don't know if I'd be any good at it, but I wouldn't mind meeting anyone new."

[buwie]

“When you meet Papa you’ll wonder why I have a vehicle at all. He walks EVERYWHERE, and I’ve had to go on some of those walks with him. It was also logical at the time.” Zal replied rubbing her neck awkwardly as the three of them walked to class. She wondered what she could wear tonight. Most of her clothes were covered in grease stains, and that included some of her nice school clothes. Well there was that cute red top that she could always wear her black garter leggings with and a pair of flats. She fussed about how to do her hair all throughout class, finally deciding to just go with it when she was getting ready.

Wet hair clung to her face as Zal walked home that afternoon. She, Naomi and Haruhi had parted ways once school was over, she had gone to swimming and Naomi and Haruhi had gone to the Theater Club. Zal used to not really care about musicals and stage plays, and honestly she still didn’t care for them much, but having Naomi for a roommate she found a few musicals she liked. Not to mention she went to a few of the productions the Theater Club put on. Naomi and her were roommates and best friends, but both couldn’t be into literally everything the same. It caused fights. So Zal was glad she took up swimming. She had been on a local club swim team in middle school, but she just couldn’t make time for it in high school.

Walking in the apartment she gave Themis a pat on the head before she dumped her bag in her room and ruffled through her dresser for her v cut red top and once she found that she sat down on her bed trying to remember where her garter leggings were. While trying to remember she thought she might as well start getting ready. It wasn’t like Naomi hadn’t come home to her in just a top and underwear, although she just felt it was common courtesy to not to lounge in them all day. She remembered she stuck her leggings in her costume drawer and grabbed them out pulling them on, never having gotten over the feeling of the metal clasps on her thighs. She was throwing her hair into a ponytail when she heard Naomi come home.

Sometime later while Zal was straightening up her room she heard Naomi knock on the door and she opened it, “Yep. Got no grease stains on the top do I?”

It had been a chore to get Hikaru to come along, but when Haruhi kept asking him he had agreed, although he was still rather sour about it. Kaoru stood next to his brother feeling awkward and a tad bit embarrassed at the fit his twin was giving. They were old enough to stop being childish but that never stopped Hikaru. They had come over to Honey and Mori’s shortly before the other three had, and were just sitting around waiting as Honey and Mori were still getting ready. Neither of them spoke, and Kaoru didn’t even try as he knew Hikaru wouldn’t talk.

Honey was anxious the rest of the day after the bell had wrung. He was really looking forward to the treats, even though he had promised his cousin he would eat his dinner first. His phone notified him of texts throughout the day and they were from Naomi. The texts only added to his anxiousness and he the wide smile was plastered to his face the whole day. Despite Mori trying to tell him not to be so excited about it.

Arriving with Haruhi and Tamaki on time at Honey and Mori’s apartment Kyouya caught up on some last minute homework on his laptop. He had no problem with leaving it there while they all went out to eat. He’d pick it up before he went home that night. As they all waited downstairs he waited a few steps from them all, people watching. It wasn’t hard to miss Naomi and Zal though, Naomi was in a pink dress, a stark contrast from Zal’s outfit which was…well he thought it was something for a Goth club. They all walked with the two girls as Haruhi asked Naomi about the Theater Club.