Author's note: Hey guys! It's almost Christmas! And soon, New Years! One resolution of 2016: Get the boyfriend into anime! ...maybe... I don't know! What's one of your resolution? Beta of this story: Aihara Awayuki/Ai-Pi!

Chapter fact(s): Last part from the previous story. Karai's background is being written at the moment so if you have any questions about the Mori/Karai fight/moment in this chapter, I swear I will fix it if need be. This chapter also has the Hostesses' first cosplay: big wild cats like lions, tiger, etc. Oh my...wait...

Disclaimer: See Chapter one.

Episode XI: The Lives After the Fall

~Last time on Ladies of the Host Club~

"Oof!"

"Ow!"

Two voices exclaimed throughout the room, getting everyone's attention. The sight they saw made them either raised their eyebrows or widen their eyes.

Hikaru was top of Mayumi who laid on a couch, his legs straddling her hips. His hands laid on her shoulders, lightly gripping them, while her hands were pressed against his chest. They stared at each other, eyes wide and cheeks red. The distance between their lips was so small that if either one of them moved their lips would touch. However, that did not happened when Mayumi broke out of her thoughts and push Hikaru off of her. He landed on the floor beside the couch that Mayumi laid on.

"Hikaru," Kaoru rushed to his brother's side. "What happened?"

Hikaru broke out of his stupor, blinking. "What does it look like? I tripped and landed on Foot Stomper here."

"Foot Stomper?" Mayumi hissed, glaring at him. "Is that an insult from last week? I thought we were over that."

The next day...

"Oof!"

"Ow!"

This time, the display was opposite of the last time. Mayumi was on top of Hikaru on the floor, her legs straddling his hips. Her hands were pressed against his chest while his hands was on her waist. Like last time, they stared at each other, eyes wide and cheeks red. However, unlike last time, Mayumi's and Hikaru's lips were seal together. They pulled away instantly and Mayumi got off of Hikaru, her hand covering her mouth. Hikaru's hand covered his mouth as he got up from the floor. The two turned their backs on the other as their twin confronted them.

~OHSHC; Music Room #3~

Still flustered by the events, Hikaru and Mayumi sat on different sides of the room, with their respective twins trying to get them to talk about the events. The rest of the Hosts and the Hostesses stood in-between the two sets of the twins.

"Can anyone explain what just happened?" Haruhi asked, trying to understand the situation.

"Haruhi, my dear," Tamaki sighed, embracing Haruhi softly. "Your brother and sister kissed, but it was an accident."

"Yes, Haru-chan," Hani nodded, recalling the event. "May-chan just tripped and fell on Hika-chan."

"Which caused them to lock lips," Ukemo added, also recalling the events.

"A mere accident," Sakura and Kyoya stated in unison, causing the two to glare at each other.

"Uh, yes," Hikaru blurted out, standing up. "It was just an accident."

"Hikaru," Kaoru softly whispered, worried about his brother.

"An accident that won't happen again," Mayumi declared, also standing up. "So let's quit talking about it and move on, shall we?"

"Mayumi..." Naomi softly sighed, also worried about her sister.

"Alright," Tamaki hesitantly voiced, before going back to his normal tone. "Now I propose that we should discuss what you girls should cosplay first as a club..."

~OHSHC; Akiyama Twins' Bedroom~

"Come on, we have to talk about it, Mayumi," Naomi urged her sister.

Later that night, the Akiyama twins were hanging in their room. Mayumi was playing a video game from her pink bed and she has since she came home.

"No, we don't, Naomi," Mayumi shouted back at her as she continued to play her game.

Tired of the games distracting her sister, Naomi went to the outlet that powered the entertainment center and unplugged it. The screen went black as the only source of power was removed from it.

"Hey, I didn't save my place," Mayumi glared at Naomi.

Naomi placed her hands on hips, staring sternly at her sister. "No, we're going to talk about this, whether you like it or not."

"No," Mayumi groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Yes!" Naomi yelled back at her.

Mayumi stuck her tongue out at her before crawling underneath the covers of her bed. Naomi rolled her eyes at the childish behavior Mayumi was displaying. The purple-loving twin promptly climbed on the lump that was her sister, and sat on it.

"Hey!" Mayumi exclaimed, struggling to get her sister off of her. "Get off! I want to move on from what happened!"

Naomi continued to sit on her sister. Mayumi's actions stilled. "We have to talk about it to move on, or else we won't able to..." Silence filled the room. "Mayumi?"

"...first real kiss..." the lump mumbled out.

"What did you say?" Naomi asked, raising an eyebrow.

The covers were pushed back to reveal Mayumi's red face. "It was my first real kiss..."

"It was?" Naomi's eyes widened, before softening as she rubbed the back of her neck. "But what about the kisses in the plays in middle school?"

"Those don't count and you know it," Mayumi snapped, glaring at her. "Can you get off of me please?"

"Oh, sure," Naomi nodded, before getting off of her sister.

Mayumi used her foot to knock her sister into the floor, earning an 'Oof!' from Naomi. Naomi glared at her sister who was laughing her head off.

"I see that you're feeling better," Naomi grumbled, pouting angrily as she crossed her arms.

"Much, but..." Mayumi trailed off. "Though it was my first real kiss..."

"Hey," Naomi frowned at her. "It was an accidental kiss, and sometimes even they don't count." Then, she got a huge smirk on her face. "Unless you like-like Hikaru."

"No, I don't like Hikaru," Mayumi glared at Naomi, before gazing off in sorrow. "Besides, it wouldn't matter anyway. Hikaru likes Haruhi who he has known longer. I wouldn't even have a chance to begin with."

Naomi softened her face to a sad expression, feeling empathetic to her sister. Suddenly, Mayumi's phone rang, silencing her. Picking up the phone, she checked the caller ID. Having a worried frown on her lips, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mayumi," Hikaru's voice came though the phone. "Listen, about the kiss..."

"Don't worry about it," Mayumi smiled.

"The thing is," Hikaru hesitated before continuing, "That kiss was my first..."

Mayumi's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? What a weird coincidence. It was my first kiss as well."

"It was?" Hikaru's chuckles warmed Mayumi's heart, though she didn't show it.

"Well, my first real kiss," Mayumi dismissed, "I have a few stage kisses in the plays I was in during middle school..."

"Wow..." Hikaru drawled, Mayumi feeling him deflating through the phone. "Anyway, don't tell anyone, especially-"

"Haruhi?" Mayumi finished his sentence. "Remember what I said: I know that you like her."

"W-what? No, I don't!" Mayumi could hear his blush in his voice as well as some laughter not from the one she was talking. "Stop laughing, Kaoru! You didn't even hear what she said!" "...yes I did..."

"Listen, I feel a little better that now we can talk to each other. We both agreed that we can move on with this."

"Yes. Oh, by the way, next time when you walking or running too fast, make sure you watch where you're going!" His growl made her believe that they're back to the fighting and she was happy and angry with this.

"How about you watch where you're going, huh, Mister? Falling onto a lady is not very polite so you need to learn a few lessons on manners and etiquette!"

Naomi smiled as she watched Mayumi fight with Hikaru over the phone. Then, she heard a buzzing noise from her bed and saw that it was her phone. She checked it and noticed that she had a new message from Kaoru.

Mission accomplished! ;) :)

Naomi replied with, Agreed! ;) :)

~OHSHC; Music Room #4~

A week went by after this incident. , the doors opened to reveal the Hostess Club dressed in wild cat cosplay. Ears, tail and all.

Haruhi was dressed as cougar. Her face was painted a tan-brown tint. She wore strapped knee-length loose dress, the same color as her painted face. On her hands she donned claws-like gloves that resembled the wild cat she was cosplaying. A pair of tan leggings covered her legs and feet, almost like socks. On her head, a pair of cougar ears. Protruding from her back, a thick, furry tail that was a combination of tan, white, and brown.

Sakura was dressed as a black panther. She wore a black mask that didn't conceal her whole face. She wore a black body suit with gloves and socks that resembled claws. Black cats were settled in her black hair while a black tail protrude from her backside.

The Akiyama twins were dressed as tigers. Their faces painted with an orange base and black-white strips on the base. They wore black and white vests over orange shirts with elbow-length claw-like gloves. The skirt over knee-length leggings they wore were the same color scheme. Pairs of large carts situated in their hair with tiger tails behind them.

Ukemo was dressed as a lion. She wore a light brown long-sleeved shirt with a tutu skirt and leggings of the same color. The tail hanged from the back of the skirt. She wore light-colored claws on her hands and feet. In her brown hair sat a pair of lion ears.

Karai was dressed as a snow leopard. She wore a furry, body suit that had pale coloring and black dots. Her face painted to match the suit with ears of the same color settled in her blonde hair. A furry spotted tail protrude from her backside.

The cosplay was a success for the Hostess Club. The Host Club dropped by after club hours to find...the Hostesses still in cosplay. Tamaki started ranting about 'appropriate' cosplaying and how 'girls shouldn't wear something so provocative'. Kyoya just huffed, and, with a ting of pink on his cheeks, started talking to Sakura as she typed the data for the day. The Hitachiin twins had a spot of pink on their cheeks as they chatted with the Akiyama twins. Hani stared at Ukemo with pinked cheeks as they devoured cakes together. Mori looked periodically at Karai with a touch of pink on his cheeks. Most of the Hostesses were amused with these reactions while Haruhi rolled her eyes at Tamaki's preaching.

Suddenly, the doors busted opened and revealed it to be Tenchi, angered look in his eyes. The Hostesses and Hosts, save for a select few, rolled their eyes.

"Hey, Tenchi..." they greeted, an event that's too familiar.

"It seems what I was told was right: you are cosplaying," Tenchi huffed, crossing his arms. "As a panther no less."

"It was my idea to cosplay, yes," Sakura replied, nonchalantly. "After all," she paused to look up at him, "it was a treat for our guests." She pushed her glasses up, giving him a challenging stare. "The choice of cosplay was the Akiyama twins."

"Right-o," Said twins confirmed.

"But if you don't like my cosplaying then...well, you know," Sakura hinted at them breaking up.

Tenchi growled, knowing his defeat. "I'll wait for you outside in the limo after you changed." He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"I don't trust him," Kyoya mumbled low enough for Sakura to hear him. "He's up to something..."

"No need to get jealous, Ootori," Sakura chuckled lowly, shutting her laptop. "I can handle him."

"I'm not jealous," Kyoya denied sharply, before noticing that she didn't reject the idea of his statement. "Wait..."

"I'll see you Monday, Ootori," Sakura interrupted, walking to the dressing room.

Kyoya stared off after her. He could have sworn that Sakura was swinging her hips intentionally because she turned back at him and winked before she entered the dressing room. The Ootori shook his head and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed her "display". Thankfully, no one seemed to have, he thought with an inward sigh of relief.

~OHSHC; Kuizumi Mansion~

As promised, both Hani and Mori arrived at the Kuizumi Mansion. The two were escorted by maids to their destinations: Hani to the dining room and Mori to the mansion's dojo. Both Ukemo and Karai were already in these places, dressed for the occasion.

"And this is Cherry-Berry Surprise," Ukemo explained, pushing a single-tiered red cake toward Hani.

"What's the surprise?" Hani asked curiously, eying the cake with curious eyes.

"The type of berry used in the cake," Ukemo replied, eating a piece of the same cake. "Go ahead and try to guess what it is."

Hani did so, tasting said cake with a calculated mind. He beamed when he realized the berry was... "Strawberry!"

"Yes!" Ukemo exclaimed in excitement, before giggling. "I know it was your favorite so I used it."

"You mean you made this cake yourself?" Hani asked, looking at her in admiration.

Ukemo paused, smiling sheepishly at him, "Well, I had a little help," from my mom.

"You still made it, and I think that's cute," Hani commented, before digging into his cake.

Ukemo's face grew red, matching the cake that Hani was eating, while she finished her piece.

Hani paused his eating. "I wonder how Takashi and Karai are doing," Hani wondered outloud, cupping his chin.

In the dojo, Karai dodged Mori's attack. She retaliated by delivering a roundhouse kick to his legs to which he jumped to avoid it. Both were dressed in a gi, and they were using a combination of any martial arts training either has ever received. Mori attempted to punch Karai's head as she was still on the ground, but she forced herself to lay back and swiped her legs under his. She succeeded in bringing him to the ground on his back. Quickly, she climbed on top of him to pin him to the mat. Both were in a set of mind to take down their opponent, ignoring the other's gender. However, this mindset was turned off a few moments after Karai pinned Mori, their eyes softening as they stared at each other.

Mori snapped out of Karai's gaze, and use his weight to pin her to the mat. Karai, not expecting this, experienced pain as her head slammed against the mat. She met with Mori's hard gray glare, but her eyes widened in panic, glazing over. She thrashed around in Mori's grip, trying to escape his grasp. Mori released her in surprise, and watched as she crawled away from him. Karai sat up and hugged her knees, tears in her eyes. She rocked slightly back and forth as tears came out of her eyes. Mori silently watched her as she released tiny sounds of what too appeared to be sobbing, burying her head in her knees. He went back over the events in his head, and realized why she was in the state she was in. His fists clutched, growling inwardly.

The silent giant quietly crawled over and wrapped his arms around her, frowning when she flinched.

"Hey, I don't know who he was or is, but I would never do that to you, Karai," Mori softly assured her.

Karai responded by turning her whole body and wrapping her arms around him. She buried her head in his chest, clutching his shoulders. He released her hair and ran a hand through her blonde hair, rubbing her back soothe.

The two of them sat in silence, with the exception of Karai's dying sobs and whimpering hiccups.

~OHSHC; Commoner's Supermarket~

"Senpai, you don't have with me to go to the supermarket," Haruhi explained, looking around her. She expected the others to jump out because Tamaki was walking with her, and anytime Tamaki was around, the Host Club was not far behind.

"Nonsense, Haruhi," Tamaki brushed it off, "what kind of a fath-er-friend would I be if I let you go to the market by yourself?" I've got to stop doing that... Tamaki mentally slapped himself.

"A non-creepy one." Haruhi didn't noticed that he nearly say father instead. "Besides, hanging out with you and the others are a sign of trouble. Where are they anyway?"

"Probably at home. We do have lives outside of the club, Haruhi. We're not all joined at the hip."

"Right... Just don't get in the way of my shopping, Senpai."

"Oh, Haruhi, you wound me!" Tamaki exclaimed dramatically.

"Senpai, you're not allow to grow mushrooms in the streets..."

After that, the two Ouran students spend the day at the supermarket. In Haruhi's opinion, it was like being a mother because Tamaki would run off when he saw something ordinary, thinking it was "commoner-made". She ended dragging him away from everything most of the time. She debated about getting a leash for him, but in the end decided against it. In the end, Tamaki stopped running off and helped Haruhi find the items she needed and carried them.

At her apartment, she unlocked the door and guided Tamaki to the kitchen. He helped her put the groceries away in their proper places.

"You know, Haruhi," Tamaki spoke up to her after they were done, "the reason I kept running off today is because I wanted to spend the day with you." He looked at her affectionately.

"So why run off?" Haruhi asked, going over her list to figure out what to make for dinner.

"To stall so it would take longer to get groceries," Tamaki replied.

"Why do that?"

Tamaki opened his mouth to reply, but closed it to smile fondly. "Never mind."

"Whatever, senpai," Haruhi responded, walking into the kitchen. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"I better leave to get out of your hair." Tamaki stood up and headed to the door. Before your dad finds me. He opened the door, "Good-bye and goodnight, Haruhi," and shut the door behind him.

"Out of my what?" Haruhi popped her head out of the kitchen. "Senpai?" She looked around the empty apartment. "Huh?"

~OHSHC; Mysterious Location~

"Son, making any progress on your relationship?"

"The progress is going splendidly, though I haven't gotten to say 'I love you' yet."

"Then why don't you say it first? That way she would have to say back. Once that happens, I will commence the next part of the plan."

"Yes, father."

"We're close, Son. I just know it."

And done!

End of Chapter note(s): Again, I'll fix that scene if need be. Aw...Tamaki's coming into terms that he's not Haruhi's daddy! CX

Review, ladies and germs!

Luv, Flutejrp