Manami stared at the desk in front of her. How could her teacher leave her like that? He's the worst cousin ever!

"Well, are we going to get started or not?" Hikaru asked her impatiently. She sat up straight, looking over at him. He stared at her with a bored haze over his golden orbs. His slim face rested in a pale hand. Manami once again noted the sharp contrast his features had –the coloring giving him a supernatural air.

"Sure," Manami shrugged, imitating his pose and bored look, "What do you need help with?" she'd let him tell her what they should work on.

He gave her a lopsided grin, "Anatomy." Manami flushed out of anger, her cheeks burning as she abruptly and subconsciously scooted farther away from him.

"I'm sure you're fine in that department," she retorted, glaring, "you are in the Host Club after all. Anyways, what about an actual class? Like history or English. Are you struggling with conversational French?"

He shrugged at her, "Whatever you want to do."

Manami frowned as she reached into her messenger bag, grabbing out a book written by an English man. Her Sensei did say that Hikaru had trouble grasping the language.

"This is one of my favorite novels," she told him, holding up the book, "It's in English. I want you to read to me."

Hikaru took the book, looking slightly uncomfortable; the hand that wasn't holding the book was clenched tightly, his knuckles turning even whiter than they already were. He eyed it then looked at her, his eyes flicking around her face as if to see if she was telling a joke. Surely she didn't actually want him to read it! But basing his assumptions on her stoic expression, he sighed.

"Why?" was all he asked.

"Sensei told me you're bad at other languages. What better way to learn than to read an English novel? I own the entire series. Go ahead, if you're stuck on a word, I'll help you," Manami pulled her chair away from the desk and scooted next to him, their legs touching. She leaned her head on her hand, watching him stare at the cover of the book.

"The..." he paused, eyebrows furrowed at the next word.

"Hobbit," Manami filled in, "By J.R.R Tolkien."

Hikaru scowled, "How am I supposed to read a book that has a title I don't even understand? Sensei never taught us the word "Hobbit"!"

"I know he didn't teach us the word, but by reading this, you'll be ahead of the rest of the class," Manami told him. Upon seeing his distraught expression added, "I'll be here, every step of the way."

Her voice held the soft tone she usually used when with her animals. It was one that made Hikaru's stomach seize up, and his throat seemed to close. He liked the voice she used. It's a lot better than the one she normally spoke in. He looked at her. He liked the pale pink that sprinkled across her cheeks even as she looked at the book, caressing the binding softly, as if remembering something from a long time ago. She turned her head, her cheeks reddening. He liked it when she blushed like that. Then, he blushed, realizing how close their faces were. He leaned back, scooting to the edge of his chair. Manami cleared her throat, scooting away as well. She felt embarrassed and unnerved by his fathomless gaze. It was light and sweeping –yet deep and searching.

"Let's go ahead and read a little bit. I'll write down the words you have trouble with and we can work on those later. Also, you need comprehension of what you're reading, so I'll be periodically asking you why the character feels a certain way and what they feel. Also, when you ask, try and ask it in English, then I'll reply in Japanese. That should give you the ability to switch between the languages easily. Now, start."

He just nodded, lips pursed as he opened the book, he then began, the words flowing awkwardly out of his mouth. His brows were furrowed in confusion.

"What is with those weird rine things?" he asked, pointing at the dashes, his accent thick.

"In the English language, those are used to indicate a change in thought, then, when they close, it goes back to the original sentence."

"That is weird."

He continued on, pausing every once in a while to say a word slower than his normal pace, he looked at her again.

"How do you say that word?"

"Baggins," she answered, "and the plural is Bagginses. That's the main character's last name."

"How does having no adventures make you respectabre? I …" he paused, looking for the right English word, "understand the rich part, but I don't understand the other."

"Because, that's their culture," Manami answered, "It doesn't make any sense to me either, but it plays a huge part in the book."

He just nodded, looking back at the novel, turning the page, and continuing on, the words coming out a little slowly, since Tolkien's explanation of the hobbit was very detailed. However, he stopped again. Manami filled in:

"As I was saying, the mother of this hobbit –of Bilbo Baggins, that is –was the famous Belladonna Took, one of the three remarkable daughters of the Old Took, head of the hobbits who lived across The Water, the small river that ran at the foot of The Hill." (Tolkien, 4)

Hikaru just nodded, picking up where she stopped, words beginning to come easier.

"It is Bungo, right?" he asked, the name sounding weird as he said it, but right none the less.

"Yeah," Manami answered, "Good job!" she grinned at him. "Just finish this paragraph and we'll discuss what you've read so far."

Hikaru nodded, glad he had finally gotten the names under control. He finished quickly, only stumbling on one word –"queer" –and looked up at her, waiting.

"So, what do you think of the book so far?" she asked him.

"I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"Can I go back to Japanese? I can't exprain it werr in Engrish."

Manami sighed, "Sure."

He easily switched back, "I think it's boring and pointless. Why do I need to read about something that doesn't exist? And magic is completely stupid –it defies the laws of physics! No man can be 50 years old and not have a beard! That's middle-aged! Plus, these names are weird and I don't know half of what I'm reading! This book makes no sense!"

Manami raised an eyebrow, "To answer your questions: A) so you'll have a better understanding of English novels. B) Magic is not stupid, and there are some things that feel purely magical. Hobbits are not midgets, they are their own species, and 50 is quite a young age for them. The names are weird because they are names from a language Tolkien made up. And no, it doesn't make sense in the beginning. I'm making you read this book because you'll gain much better comprehension of the English language, alright? Stop questioning my methods. I'm the tutor and you'll do as I say."

"You also have to be professional because you're the tutor, and I don't think that's very professional," he used the classic Hikaru voice that irked her so much.

"Hikaru…? Are you ok…?" Kaoru asked, sliding open the door –his eyes on his brother.

"Don't worry Kaoru! I'm fine," Hikaru said, smiling at his brother.

"If you're sure… I heard yelling and…" he trailed off, looking away.

"Gag," Manami coughed and then got an idea, "Hey! Kaoru! I need your help!"

"What?" he asked.

"I know that you're really good at English, and basically the same stuff that I am since our projects are usually displayed, so, could you help me help Hikaru?"

"Sure, how so?" he inquired, coming over to the desk.

"I'm having him read The Hobbit –if you haven't, I recommend it - and he's having trouble. I was thinking that because you two are always together, maybe you could help him with his comprehension?"

"Of course," he said, "Anything for Hikaru."

"Kaoru, you are so kind!" Hikaru beamed.

"Again –GAG!" Manami said, making a strangled noise. The twins looked over at her, confused. "Look, I have a twin so the whole twincestous relationship… it doesn't work with me. If you want to be gay, be gay around those yaoi fangirls, not me."

They shrugged, and Hikaru stood up.

"Can I go now?" he inquired. Manami stood as well, grabbing her book.

"Sure," she answered, nodding, "Just work on your English. I don't want to be around you more than I have to."

Kaoru frowned, grabbing Hikaru by the arm, "Manami-san, why are you so mean to Hikaru? He hasn't done anything to you and I would know if he did."

Shrugging, Manami put her book back into her bag and shouldered it, laying a hand on the wide strap. "I already told you. I just don't like him." After saying this, she took out her phone and called Akiko.

"Hey, are you still here?"

"Of course not!" Akiko said through the phone.

"Could you possibly come back to get me?"

"Nope! Why don't you just hitch a ride back home? Our limo driver is picking up the others. I think he might quit, Natsuko put a snake in his seat."

"Seriously? And it's not Natsuko, it's Natsuki."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyways, I'm sure one of the Hitachiin's can take you home. Then they could stay for dinner!"

"That's not a wise choice."

"I know, but it's common courtesy –hey what are you-?"

"Manami, it's Hibiki."

"What's up, gay-wad?"

"For the last time –I. Am. Not. Gay!"

"I know, I know. You reactions are just priceless!"

Hibiki sighed, "Look, I overheard the conversation you were having with Akiko. Just ask them for a ride."

"What about the so called 'common courtesy'?"

"Um… invite them over for dinner. I'll see to it that the younger ones don't scare them too bad."

Manami frowned, "Fine."

She turned to look at the twins who were exiting the room. She ran over to them, grabbing the back of Kaoru's jacket and pulled on it, getting his attention.

"What do you want, Manami-san?"

"I need a ride. And I wanted to invite you both over to my house for dinner," she averted her eyes as she asked, so she didn't see Hikaru's smirk and Kaoru's eyebrow quirk.

"After you said such mean things to Hikaru, you expected us to do you a favor?" Kaoru inquired quietly, invading Manami's personal space.

"W-Well, I decided that since I don't really know you guys that well -5 years of separation and hating after all –I should get to know you again so I can figure out whether to hate you or pursue a friendship," while Manami hadn't actually thought any of this, she was reminded of her earlier conversation with her club members. If this is what it's going to take to get home, then so be it. Hikaru and Kaoru shared a glance, having a conversation with their eyes before turning around again.

"We'll take you," Hikaru responded.

"And we'll eat dinner with you," Kaoru agreed.

"If," they began together, "you come to the Host Club tomorrow and play "Which one is Hikaru?"."

"I thought you couldn't do anything with the Host Club until you bring your grades back up," Manami swiftly stated, trying to get out of it.

"Nu uh, uh!" the twins continued, "That won't happen until next week."

"W…hat?"

"This Friday we get our progress reports," Kaoru said and Hikaru began.

"So our final grade report isn't out yet."

"Meaning," they started together once more, "we're still in the Club for the remainder of this week."

Manami was slightly freaked out by their twin bond. She hadn't ever experienced one that strong with herself and Akiko. Kazuo and Daiki, while they had this behavior, spent most of their time together fighting –Kazuo being hypocritical and Daiki berating Kazuo on his hypocritical-ness. So to see a pair of twins so in sync with each other was slightly unnerving for her. She was envious, in a way, because she wished that she and Akiko could be closer, act more like twins.

Manami pursed her lips into a thin line before nodding in assent to the request, "Alright. I'll do it."

"Good," Hikaru and Kaoru replied, "Allow us to escort you to the limo." As one, Hikaru slid his arm around Manami's shoulders and Kaoru took her waist. She blushed at being touched in such a manner. Manami felt uncomfortable, having both of them on her, and flicked her sideways black bangs into her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued out to the Hitachiin limo.

Hibiki sighed, watching as his many younger siblings filed into the living room. Hachirou was pulling on Natsuki's long brown ponytail, and in response the girl spun around and smacked him in the face. Hachirou's green-gray eyes welled up with tears from the sudden blow before Rei ran over and grabbed onto his leg. Rei's shoulder length blonde hair covered her face.

"Don't cry Hachirou-nii!" Rei cried out, "Natsuki-nee's just a meany!"

"That's not a nice thing to say," Kazuo started, coming into the room with Daiki at his side. Kazuo ran a hand through his black hair. Hibiki noticed that he seemed a little antsy. Daiki frowned at the scene in front of him, crossing his arms over his snowy uniform. The two of them were middle school third years and would join the eldest Kurosawa's –Hibiki, Akiko, and Manami –next year. Both of their brown eyes scanned the scene before them with indifference.

"We're going to change," Daiki and Kazuo said together, locking arms at the elbows as they began to walk upstairs.

"Me too," Natsuki agreed, pulling at her sweaty gymnastics leotard. "Practice was intense today."

"Hold up," Hibiki made his siblings pause, "Akiko, attention over here please."

Akiko closed her book, and looked up at her family. Taking this as his chance to continue, he said:

"Manami's friends from school are coming over for dinner. That means you need to be on your best behavior. Which means in turn, Osamu," the boy turned around from where he was trying to climb up a wall, "No Falcon Punching or Hulk-Smashing or anything of the sort. I want you to actually take your medicine. Akiko, don't tune the world out with your books, act a little dumber so the rest of us can actually understand what you're saying. No nuclear physics, ok? Natsuki and Hachirou, no fighting, got it? I don't want one of you to make the other cry and don't be rude to them if they ask if the two of you are twins because let's face it –Natsuki, even if you're Osamu's twin, the resemblance between you and Hachirou is uncanny. Rei, don't be mean to the guests or the rest of us, got it? Just because we aren't Hachirou doesn't mean that you can be openly rude and annoying. Kazuo don't… just act as if you know what social boundaries are. No "your mom's!" or anything of the sort. Daiki, don't chastise your brother openly in public. Try to match my level of maturity. That last one goes for all of you, act mature and in control of yourselves. Osamu, come with me and I'll get you your medicine. The rest of you, go get changed into comfortable clothing."

Kazuo rolled his brown eyes, "Whatever, Hibiki." Daiki cast his older twin a worried look and then the two walked upstairs together, completely in sync.

"Who are her friends?" Natsuki asked Hibiki as the other children –and teenagers –filed upstairs to get changed. Osamu seemed slightly interested as well. Hibiki handed him a pill from the narrow orange container that held the medicine and Osamu swallowed it without water.

"Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin," he answered, his interest peaking when Natsuki's eyes widened. Hibiki ruffled Osamu's hair. Osamu in turn gave Hibiki a hug and then hurried upstairs to get ready –his uniform wrinkling with his movements. Hibiki and Natsuki watched them go.

"I love the Hitachiin brand!" Natsuki exclaimed, her green eyes sparkling. She then gestured to her pretty leotard, "I get all of my gymnastics clothes from them!"

"Oh. Seriously?" Hibiki raised an eyebrow, "Cool."

Natsuki nodded happily, the motion causing her long brown locks to bounce. "I can't believe Manami-nee would have them as friends. She's so lame it's hard to imagine! I'm going to go and put on my best clothes –just for them!"

Hibiki rolled his eyes and shook his head, observing as Natsuki skipped off and up the stairs. What am I going to do with these kids…? If mother and father knew how strange we've become, Manami, Akiko and I will no doubt end up getting a strict lecture. I just hope that they can pull it together tonight –if they act up, I'm sure that the twins will inform the Host Club. This'll be dangerous business.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he focused on the task at hand. Preparing for guests.

Sorry, no crazy life's today. You'll have to wait for the next chapter. Wrote this while listening to the Phantom of the Opera. Sarah Brightman is amazing!

Review, I need payment!

Oh, and seriously, if you haven't read The Hobbit or the rest of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I do recommend it. It's an amazing series!