A/N: I have no excuses to give you about my lateness because they'd all just sound really lame and fake. I blame laziness and writer's block, and that's about it. Enjoy this chapter, everyone~

Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are not mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all.

FOURTEEN

Dawn broke over the horizon, bathing the Nakamura estate in a pale golden light. The sparrows living in the many trees around the mansion itself sung a merry tune as they went about their business in the early day. The sun might've woken the sparrows from their slumber, but Manabu and his home's staff had beaten them all by a solid hour.

Manabu was dressed and clean shaven as he gathered the papers he'd need to get through the work day ahead. With several meetings to attend, three clients to meet with, and a letter to the Prime Minister of Great Britain to finish drafting, he was looking at another extended day — and he needed to finish it all before lunchtime. It was no wonder that, as he finally closed his overflowing (but orderly) briefcase, he allowed himself just a moment of rest. His weariness oozed from every pore, showing through his strong outer physique — he looked as ragged and beaten down as a man of his workload would be expected to look.

He sighed, then pulled back his sagging shoulders, straightened his back, and the moment passed: the hard working and dedicated CEO of Nakamura Enterprises had returned. Picking up his briefcase, Manabu exited his bedroom and made his way to the dining area.

The kitchen staff had prepared a breakfast with their boss' tough day ahead in mind: protein and vegetables in the form of an omelet stuffed with broiled fish and ham, flecks of spinach between; grains taken care of by the okayu, or rice porridge, sprinkled with cinnamon for his sweet tooth; fruits and dairy mixed into a delicious fruit parfait; and a small slice of peach cobbler to take on the ride to his office. If anyone could brag about having the best cooks, it would be Manabu Nakamura.

He seated himself at the head of the long, empty table and tucked in. The staff bustled around him as they went about their daily duties, overlooked by a watchful Yumi.

Hana appeared at the shoulder of his chair, a pitcher of orange juice in her hands. "Good morning, sir," she greeted him cheerfully as she refilled his glass. "Are you enjoying your breakfast?"

He swallowed before speaking. "Good morning, Hana — breakfast is, as usual, perfect. Tell Stefan he's really outdone himself today."

The young maid bowed her head. "Of course, sir. Enjoy the rest of your meal."

As she disappeared back into the kitchen, Manabu reached out to his right where the morning newspaper sat, unfolding it with one hand. Technology would have made getting his daily news much easier, without a doubt, but he'd always been a stickler for the traditional way of things. In that sense, at least. It helped to ground him and kept his immense wealth from going to his head, as it had his father — as it undoubtedly would have, had it not been for Kokoro.

Just the thought of her name sent him into a nostalgic trance, lowering his paper and gazing out of the window. Ah, Kokoro...

Her gentle nature and delicate features had hidden beneath them a truly obstinate and cheeky idealist. From the minute they'd met, she'd let him know what she thought of him: a pompous, superficial young man, who'd had a silver spoon in his mouth for as long as he'd lived. She wasn't at all taken by his wealth and obvious handsomeness as any other woman had — in the beginning, it had been a shock and a rather heavy blow to his ego. Manabu had prided himself on his womanizing abilities. Who was this brash, overly judgmental woman to say such things? Kokoro had irked him and, perhaps for lack of a better word, intrigued him as well. For this same woman possessed one of the kindest souls he'd ever known.

An unorthodox pair they might've been, Manabu found himself falling for her — and thanked his lucky stars that she felt the same. They'd married and it felt as though nothing would be able to take their happiness away — until the news from the doctor came, like a sledgehammer to the gut.

Kokoro was inconsolable for months after, falling into a depressed state that required constant supervision to make sure nothing too...serious happened. Their marriage suffered greatly; fights broke out so easily over the smallest things. At the same time, Manabu's business was in a state of decline. All he wanted was to see his wife's smiling face once more.

But then, like an angel from heaven, they received their miracle — a tiny savior in the form of a pink bundle they'd called Aiko. Right away, Kokoro said that she would be a fighter, not to mention the best heir for the Nakamura name in a long time. "She'll grow into something neither of us will be able to grasp completely," Kokoro whispered as she held her newborn daughter for the first time. "Her blossoming will be late — but that will make it all the more extraordinary."

Manabu could do nothing but agree with her. His daughter was the key to a bliss he'd never thought he could have. His wife was well again, and the Nakamura name seemed to skyrocket overnight. He felt unstoppable; the world was his canvas, and he formed it into his image.

And the sickness came. It was sudden and violent — a tragic reminder that no matter how great you were, how rich or famous or powerful, bad things could still happen. No one was immortal.

After Kokoro passed, Manabu spent much of his time soul searching. An all consuming grief for which nothing could help. Not meditation, medication, or any other remedy could help a shattered heart such as his. For a long time, he felt that this was his divine judgment: too much power, too much happiness, too soon. The world demanded a balance. The reaction was to knock him down a few rungs to gain perspective of the world and his role in it.

Those bleak months might have made up only a tiny portion of Manabu's life, but they felt like an eternity. His mind knew he had to get better — Kokoro wouldn't have wanted him to wallow in grief over her. She'd have snapped at him, "Are you the bull-headed man I fell in love with, or not?" and forced him to enjoy the life given to him — but in such dark days, there was nothing solid to grab hold of. It all felt so unsubstantial that if he attempted to pull himself up, it would dissolve and leave him falling once more.

The thing that saved him, pulled him from those pits of thoughts of doing the unspeakable, was the one star in his life. The thing that granted him so much happiness in the first place: little Aiko. His precious baby girl.

She'd been young, only seven at the time of her mother's death. Manabu could only guess how strong she'd had have to have been to losing not one, but essentially both of her parents in just a few short months. He wasn't proud to say that he'd had her sent to boarding school so that she wouldn't be subject to the pain he felt. The fact that she resembled Kokoro in mind and body did not help his bleeding heart, either.

It was during the first summer break after her mother's death — Manabu found her on the edge of his bed, drawing in her notebook. Though tired and broken, she'd merely given him a single glance before showing him her work. It wasn't the best drawing, and at first Manabu had trouble understanding what it was.

"It's our f-family," Aiko explained in her sweet voice. The stutter she had back then wasn't nearly as noticeable. "That's you, and that's m-me, and Mommy's up here, looking d-d-down at us from Heaven." She pointed to the figure placed above some clouds. "She's crying because we're sad, especially Daddy. Mommy wouldn't want you to be sad."

That had been the moment Manabu realized how far he'd fallen—how close he'd been to losing himself completely.

He got his act together. He threw himself into his work with gusto, determined to make sure his precious little girl would never have to experience an inkling of the pain he had. Looking back now, in the process, he might've pushed a different kind of distance between father and daughter; the minutes they spent together were far and few between. But Manabu knew Aiko understood it wasn't a forced separation — were it up to him, he'd spend as much time as he could with his daughter and heiress — but work would not let it be.

Everything I've done up to this point has been for your sake, sweetheart. To ensure your future is as bright as you are.

Manabu was pulled back from his thoughts as Hana approached once again. "Sir, the limo is waiting for you," she said, bowing. "Have you finished your breakfast?"

"Ah...yes, Hana." He blinked, a tad lethargic. Only half of his meal was gone, but Manabu didn't feel very hungry anymore. "I'll be out in a moment." The maid nodded and left.

Rousing himself from the unexpected flashbacks, Manabu took a final sip from his glass before gathering his things and walking to the entrance. Yumi waited for him with his coat in hand and a disapproving look on her face. "Master Manabu, you shouldn't leave without finishing your breakfast," she scolded.

The old maid was perhaps the only one who could speak to her boss in such a way; she'd been around longer than Aiko had been alive. Which is how she knew her words were empty to his ears.

"I know, Yumi," he replied as she helped him into his coat. "But I have to get to the office. A letter to the Prime Minister isn't gong to write itself, y'know."

She didn't look convinced. "A letter is hardly more important than your health, sir."

Manabu smiled dryly. "If only we all thought that way." Briefcase in hand, he paused as Yumi opened the door. "And where's Aiko this morning? Still sleeping, I bet."

"Of course, sir. She fell asleep at her drafting table last night — I had to rouse her enough to get her into bed." Yumi shook her head. "That girl just doesn't know when to take a break — I find she reminds me strongly of someone in that area."

"What can I say? Stubbornness runs in the family." Manabu chuckled to himself as Yumi shooed him out the door before another word could be said.

Hours after Manabu began his workday at his office, miles away at the Hitachiin Manor, two handsome, outwardly charming young men were just rousing themselves from sleep. It was their first morning back home from spending half the weekend away at Okinawa with their club.

Kaoru woke first. He blinked several times, trying to gain his bearings. Hikaru laid next to him, snoring lightly. They'd arrived home pretty late last night, considering the meeting Kyoya had made mandatory once all their guests left. It included usual nonsense that didn't interest the twins in the slightest — they spent the majority of the meeting teasing Tamaki and his "suspicious actions" with Haruhi.

Just thinking of the female host's irritated face caused Kaoru to chuckle.

The noise was just loud enough to wake his brother. Hikaru stirred before opening an eye. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just laughing to myself."

"Hmm." Hikaru sat up, ruffling his bed head.

Immediately, the twins' personal maids appeared. "Good morning, masters. Your breakfast is waiting for you downstairs."

"We'll be down in a minute," Kaoru answered, yawning.

"Very good, Master Kaoru," they said, bowing.

Hikaru checked his phone for any messages as they disappeared. "No panicked messages from the boss today. Guess we're off the hook from any lame schemes he's thought up."

"Does that mean we finally have a day off?"

"Looks like it."

Kaoru sighed in relief. Sure, he and his brother might've been infamous for their own pranks and schemes, but something about Tamaki's just...exhausted him for some reason. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were always ones to help people. Having a good heart was tiring.

But, he couldn't say he hadn't enjoyed getting dragged around on the weekends; it had grown into something of a tradition of the Host Club. A crazy, nutty tradition for a crazy, nutty group of people. Kaoru put his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. A few years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea that anyone but his brother would mean anything to him, be close enough to be called his "friend." Hikaru was all he needed — most days. Slowly, Kaoru was coming to understand that remaining solely in the company of his brother was being forced to the side as he spent time with other people; not separately, not yet. But it was still a far cry from their younger days, that was for sure.

"...so what're we gonna do?" he finally murmured.

Hikaru didn't answer at first. He stared at the screen of his phone until a smirk pulled at his lips. "I think I've got an idea."

Ring ding dong!

Yumi looked up from the clothes she'd just pulled from the dryer; the other maids in the washroom stared back blankly, just as confused.

"Yumi-san," Hana bustled into the laundry room, panicked and flustered. "There's someone at the door!"

"Yes, Hana, I think I noticed." Yumi stood, brushing nonexistent dust from her uniform. All of the staff within the vicinity seemed to have gathered around the head maid, like startled ducklings seeking comfort from the mother mallard.

Hana wrung her hands. "B-But we're not supposed to be having guests today!" she exclaimed. "Nothing is prepared! The guest lunch hasn't been cooked, the curtains have yet to be changed, and only the second floor plants have been watered!"

"Then I suggest you alert the cooks, post haste." Yumi walked out of the laundry room, the other servants parting like the Red Sea. She called out instructions over her shoulder: "Sergio, help Tsuki finish the laundry; Nagisa will assist Hana in the kitchen to serve the food; I shall answer the door and show our guests in. Has the front parlor been cleaned?"

"Yes, ma'am," one of the staff members supplied. "Shall I go and open the curtains?"

"Please." The maid bowed and scurried off. The rest of the staff stared at Yumi's back. She turned around sharply. "As for the rest of you, I assume you all have chores to be doing. Get moving!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

They all scattered. Yumi continued towards the door, muttering under her breath about incompetent staff these days. She took a moment to straighten herself before opening the door. "I apologize for the wait."

"It's no problem—"

"This place is pretty big, after all—"

Yumi blinked at the twins in front of her. "Young masters," she greeted, not phased at all. "Please, come in."

"Thanks!"

They entered the foyer, shedding their normal shoes for a pair of house slippers Yumi set in front of them. "Might I ask why we are being graced with a surprise visit, young masters?"

Hikaru laughed. "Oh, about that—"

"Is Aiko home?"

Ah — no wonder, then. "The young miss is still in bed," Yumi explained. "If you could wait in the parlor, I'll have her down as soon as possible—"

"That's okay, we'll wake her for you. We remember the way!" Both twins grinned impishly, turning tail and disappearing up the stairs before Yumi could open her mouth.

The door to Aiko's room inched open, just enough for Hikaru's head to poke through, closely followed by his brother's. The lights were off, diluted morning sunlight filtering through the curtain the only illumination. Even without a good visual, they could make out an Aiko-shaped lump on the bed, still asleep if her light snores were anything to go by. The twins glanced at each other and nodded; the door opened wider as they crept into the room, splitting on either side of Aiko's bed.

From what Kaoru could see, he assumed Aiko fell asleep in the middle of pulling an all-night sketching session — her fingers still curled around the pencil she'd used. Every now and then her fingers would twitch, as if she were still drawing in her dreams. Aiko was splayed out on her back, an arm propped near her head, the other thrown to the side awkwardly. She wasn't even under the covers: a blanket was thrown over her legs, covering the mess of papers and books he could see poking out. Courtesy of Yumi, probably.

He shook his head in somewhat awe. The heiress to a multi-billion dollar company was sleeping like she was a commoner. Or at least, how Kaoru pictured commoner's slept. He'd have to ask Haruhi.

But...she looks kinda cute when she's sleeping like that. Not all freaked out like she is at school. Aiko's brow was smooth and unlined, and her face was so peaceful it was almost surreal. Maybe we should just let her sleep... He turned to his brother to suggest this, only to find that Hikaru was looking at Aiko's face. He appeared to be frustrated over something.

"Hikaru." His twin looked up sharply, startled. "Do you think we should let her sleep? It looks like she was up pretty late..."

The question brought Hikaru back to himself. He huffed, placing a superior look on his face. "Why? That's her own fault for not going to bed. We're her guests — so she should be entertaining us, not snoring."

Kaoru pulled a face as Hikaru reached towards the sleeping girl. Like you're one to talk...

It — took — ages to wake Aiko up.

First, they tried shaking her by the shoulder, lightly to start with, then harder when she didn't show any signs of waking. Hikaru and Kaoru took turns pushing against her mattress (they didn't dare jumping on it for fear of being stabbed in the foot by a hidden pencil) — she hardly stirred. They snapped their fingers next to her ear, blew in her face, called out her name, pulled at her hair and arms, anything they could think of. Aiko remained out cold.

They tried to coax her awake with some candy in their pockets — threatened to draw on her face with permanent marker — teasingly saying they'd crawl into the bed with her — nothing would work. In the end, both twins were irritated and slightly out of breath.

"Well," Kaoru grumbled. "Someone's a deep sleeper."

Hikaru grunted in agreement. He tried to walk over to his brother, but stubbed his pinkie toe on the poster of her bed. He bit back a curse, curling in on himself as his foot throbbed painfully. Kaoru looked over, wincing. "Maybe we should open the curtains..."

He moved around the bed carefully, watching every step he took so as not to follow in his brother's example. He gripped the curtains and pulled them apart, grateful for the sunlight that now flooded the room. Kaoru turned to help examine Hikaru's foot when a thick, slurred, voice rose from the depths of the bed.

"Yumi...shut that c-curtain..." Aiko mumbled.

Hikaru and Kaoru were at the bedside immediately, staring in disbelief as the young girl made a face and turned her head away from the sudden light. She sighed once before turning over completely, shoving a pillow over her head. "Yumi," she stressed. "Close the c-curtain...'m still sleepin'..."

After another pause, Aiko's breathing started to even out as she slipped back into unconsciousness. Hikaru, having spent the better half of ten minutes trying to wake the girl, was not about to let that happen. He snatched the pillow from Aiko's grip and promptly brought it up and smacked her in the face with it.

It made her flinch, but she didn't react as the twins assumed she would. Her head barely lifted, voice still half asleep. "...Yumi, wh-what was that fo'...?

"For the love of God, just get up!" Hikaru shouted, smacking her once again.

Confused and slightly irritated, Aiko lifted her head towards the voice that had woken her, blinking blearily at the sunlight in her face. What registered in her head wasn't the most normal of sights one would expect upon waking: an annoyed Hikaru, fluffy pillow in his grip waiting to be used, and a smirking Kaoru, who was perfectly content to sit back and watch his brother use it.

This couldn't be right. Aiko must have still been dreaming. Hikaru and Kaoru wouldn't be in my room on a Sunday morning...

Kaoru's smirk widened into a grin. "Good morning!" he sang.

That seemed to do the trick. At once, Aiko let out a choked noise, eyes wide and half-crazed. The twins watched as she struggled to get out of bed, but her legs were now tangled in the blanket, throwing her off balance. She surged backwards, overshot, and slipped onto the floor — taking several books, pencils, and part of the duvet with her. Then, all was silent.

The twins exchanged a look.

The top of Aiko's head rose from the other side of the bed, disheveled pigtails scattering strands of hair in all directions. Her eyes popped up next, now wide-awake. She stared up at the twins pitifully before speaking, her voice hardly more than a hoarse whisper. "Wh-Wh-What are y-you two doing...in m-my room?"

A cloud of irritation hung over Hikaru. "We've been trying to wake you up for—" He glanced at Kaoru.

"Nearly ten minutes."

"—nearly ten minutes!" Hikaru continued. "You could've just told us that the only way to get you up is to open the damn curtains!"

"B-B-But...but..." Aiko tried to say, just to be cut off once more.

"I don't think there's another person who could possibly sleep as deeply as you do! Not in the entire world — even Honey-senpai wakes up after a little bit of noise, and he takes naps everyday!" Hikaru worked himself into a rant, so agitated he began to pace. Aiko watched the pillow in his hand warily.

Kaoru hid his smile behind his hand, struggling not to laugh at the scene before him.

"—not even yelling in your ear worked! And then we tried just talking, things we'd know would get you upset, like saying we'd get in bed with you—"

"Y-You what!" Aiko squeaked, the rest of her head coming into full view. Her face was quickly coloring.

Hikaru jabbed a finger at her. "See? Like that!"

Now this — this was just too much. Kaoru let out a snort that dissolved into hysterical giggles at Aiko's helplessly chagrined features. She looked like a fish, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound coming out. Hikaru just stood there, arms crossed, pilloow still in his hand, and glaring at the wall.

Kaoru had difficulties getting himself under control. "We were bored," he explained with a snicker. "And you weren't awake when we showed up."

"B-But...is that an-ny reason to come into m-m-my room...and s-scare me half to death?" Aiko insisted, still peeking from over the bedside. Hazel irises flickered from Kaoru to Hikaru, worried the frustrated twin would lash out with her pillow again.

"Well — no, not really," was the thoughtful answer. "But this was much funnier than I'd thought it'd be. Good job, Aiko!" Kaoru gave her a thumbs up, to which the girl sighed wearily.

"F-Fine..." Aiko's head disappeared while she untangled her legs from the blanket. She stood slowly, frowning at the mess. "Yumi's n-not going to l-like this..."

The pillow slipped from Hikaru's grip. His earlier annoyance dissipated once Aiko had stood. She was clad in a large shirt, most likely a present from her father — it hung on her small frame, wrinkled from having been slept in. The neck hole was so large it was constantly in trouble of falling off her shoulder. It stopped about mid-thigh, revealing a hint of yellow fabric the twins assumed were shorts. Her socks were bunched around the ankles, purple with blue hearts.

It was difficult for either twin not to immediately pull Aiko into a smothering hug and fawn over how cute she looked; as it was, they were both blushing pretty heavily.

Aiko, as soon as she realized the twins were staring at her, immediately became flustered. Red-faced, she fidgeted under their gazes, trying to adjust her clothing so it wouldn't seem so inappropriate.

"W-Well...c-c-could you two please w-wait in the p-parlor...s-s-so I can get...dressed...?" Aiko tried to prompt, looking from the floor to her door, which was still open from the twins' entrance. Kaoru vaguely wondered why a maid hadn't been sent in when they heard Aiko's cries. "...I sh-should be down in a m-minute."

"Want us to help you?" they intoned innocently.

Her face flamed to knew heights — it was a surprise to the twins that smoke didn't start pouring from her ears. Distressed sounds came from her mouth, words not processing completely from her brain to her lips. Shaking her head dramatically, Aiko scurried over to them, pushing them in the direction of her door from behind. Though they could stop her, they allowed themselves to be shoved only because they were planning on leaving soon.

"I-I'll m-m-manage...on m-my own..." she stammered, voice at least two octaves higher than normal.

Hikaru huffed, crossed his arms. "We were only trying to help."

"By the way," Kaoru spoke over his brother. "You did promise us that the next time we came over, you'd let us play Mario Kart."

These events where happening too quickly for Aiko's brain to catch up. She just nodded, mumbled something that sounded like, "Y-Yeah, okay," before shutting the door in their faces, a bit harder than necessary.

With the door closed and the twins finally out of her room, Aiko placed her back against the wall, sinking to the floor in a weary heap. Her head fell into her hands. This wouldn't do — she had to get herself under control. Knowing the twins for hardly a month, Aiko should have seen this coming. They were remarkably good at surprising people...or maybe that was just her.

Either way, they're in my house now. The thought brought Aiko short; then the full weight of the words fell on her. The twins are in my house!

She sprang from the floor in a mad dash for her closet, throwing on the first things her hands came into contact with. There would be no time to take a shower: those twins could get into more trouble in five minutes than Aiko could bathe. She gargled some mouthwash, ran a brush through her bird's nest of hair, and splashed some water on her face to keep her awake.

Less than ten minutes later, Aiko was stumbling down the stairs as quickly as she could. Several maids and servants had to use evasive maneuvers to keep from being knocked over in her haste.

Aiko arrived, out of breath, at the parlor entrance. Hikaru and Kaoru didn't even look up from the couch, too riveted with the characters on the TV smashing into each other along a race track — they hadn't waited for her to get there before starting the game. A silver cart filled with breakfast pastries and brunch delicacies sat next to the sofa; dirty, empty plates piled on the coffee table. Obviously, they didn't wait before eating, either.

"There you are!" Hikaru exclaimed when he noticed her. "We were starting to wonder if you'd gone back to sleep—"

"—and were about to come wake you up again," Kaoru added. He jerked the remote wheel in his hands hard to the right, leaning his entire body with it. "Hikaru, you almost knocked Bowser right into me!"

"That was the point, Kaoru!"

So childish, Aiko thought with a fond look.

The sounds of race cars and power ups ceased as the pause menu popped up. Both twins looked at Aiko skeptically. "What're you doing standing over there for?" they demanded. "Come sit down — it's your house, isn't it?" They grinned, patting the empty spot between them on the couch.

Aiko hesitated; it was a pretty small spot. She didn't think she'd be able to fit between them...

A sly look appeared on Hikaru's face. "Or would you rather to sit on our laps, instead?"

Aiko's face flamed. "Wh-what?"

Hikaru and Kaoru took advantage of her delayed reaction to grab her arms and drag her down onto the couch with them — thankfully, they just placed her in between them instead of forcing her on their laps. Aiko pressed her hands to her scarlet cheeks as the twins high-fived over her head. They were...teasing me, she realized, pouting. Oh, those jerks. They can be so mean!

Their attention had already returned to the game, with the exaggerated wheel turns and exclamations that went along with it. Aiko resigned herself to being bumped and squished for the duration of the races, reaching for a bowl of oatmeal from the tray.

As she settled down to watch and eat, Aiko couldn't keep the little content smile off her face. This isn't so bad, she decided. I thought the twins would go crazy If I left them unsupervised in my house too long. But... She glanced at Hikaru, then Kaoru. They look like they're having fun. I'm glad.

Time passed in a flurry of power ups and speed boosts and shortcuts; the breakfast tray had been swapped out for a sweets tray, and Aiko mechanically munched on a cookie while she watched the twins play. She roused herself from her stupor upon hearing the front door being opened. Normally, Yumi or Hana would have announced a visitor at the door — the only time they wouldn't bother telling Aiko would be if it were Kyoyko, or—

"D-Dad?"

Manabu Nakamura paused in the parlor's archway, peering in curiously upon hearing his daughter's voice. He was met with a stricken look from Aiko, and two blank stares from a pair of twins whom he'd never seen before. They sat on either side of her, Wii controllers in their hands, giving off an air of familiarity with his daughter that shocked him. The men all blinked at each other while Aiko attempted to sink further into the sofa.

"Aiko." Manabu eyed the twins skeptically. "I wasn't aware you were having guests today. I would have made sure something had been prepared for them."

"Uh...uh..."

Hikaru and Kaoru sprung up from their seats, hands extended towards Manabu as they walked over. Pleasant smiles plastered across their faces, they were speaking before either Nakamura in the room could react. "You must be Aiko's father, Nakamura-san. It's an honor to meet you, sir. We're the Hitachiin brothers; we're classmates of your daughter. We've heard a lot about you from Aiko."

"Hmph. Really?" Manabu wondered, genuinely surprised. Since when did Aiko speak of him to her friends — if they spoke the truth, at least. His daughter usually found it hard to speak about herself to others, let alone her father.

The twins shook his hand. "Yes, sir. She'd told us all about your dedication to your work. It's really admirable."

They were laying it on a little thick, now. Manabu wasn't surprised that kids from Ouran knew how to schmooze like a pro — he dealt with it from their parents on a daily basis. But his initial surprise lowered his defenses, making him a fly in a honey trap.

"I see, I see. Good," he chuckled, shaking their hands with a bit more enthusiasm than before. If he'd bothered glancing at his daughter, he'd notice her trying to hide her face with a pillow. "Ah — one moment. Did the two of say your name was Hitachiin?"

"Yes, sir. I'm Hikaru—" supplied the twin to the right.

"—and I'm Kaoru," said the twin to the left.

Manabu put a finger to his chin. "You two are the young men that tutored my daughter the other day, yes?"

The twins were all smiles. "That's us!"

He gave a brusque nod. His voice took a serious tone as he continued, leveling a hard stare at Hikaru and Kaoru. "I suppose it goes without saying that I expect nothing but the best for my only daughter. That includes the people she surrounds herself with. If you have anything but pure intentions towards Aiko, I will find out about it — and the appropriate action will be taken against it. Am I understood?"

"F-Father, please," Aiko squeaked, red-faced.

Hikaru exchanged a startled glance with his brother. The personality flip Manabu just performed would be second only to the host club's Shadow King. This was a truly intimidating man — even if he was shorter than them. "Y-Yes, sir."

A few tense moments passed. Then Manabu's booming laughter rang out, causing the twins to flinch. He clapped a large hand on their shoulders that nearly pitched them to the ground. Intimidating and strong. "I'm just teasing you. I know my princess has excellent judgment when it comes to her friends."

They laughed nervously, rubbing their aching shoulders. "Of course, Nakamura-san."

Manabu waved them off. "Oh, don't call me that. Makes me feel old. Just call me 'Manabu'; makes it easier to blend in with the 'hip' youngsters, don't you think?" He chuckled at the twins' expressions.

Aiko groaned into her pillow at the lame joke. Well, she hoped he was joking.

"Well, I've spent enough time chattering. I should get what I came here for and get back to work." He glanced at his watch a moment before turning and calling for one of the maids to bring his briefcase. "I only popped in because I forgot some blueprints this morning. You three get back to your games — I won't be in your hair much longer."

At that, Aiko looked up, disappointment coloring her tone. "Y-You're leaving alr-ready, Dad?" She joined the others at the archway.

"Yes, sweetheart. I'm running late as it is," he admitted. Manabu's expression, the twins noticed, softened considerably when he spoke directly to his daughter; his voice, too, became gentle and soothing. This was, without a doubt, a man who loved his daughter above all else. "But it's better this way. With me gone, you won't have to worry about me showing your friends any baby pictures—"

Aiko fidgeted. "A-Alright, Dad..."

"Or have to stop me from telling any embarrassing stories—"

"I g-got it, Daddy."

He chuckled at her childish pout. Hana appeared from behind, briefcase and Manabu's coat in her hands. "Ah, thank you, Hana." The maid helped him into his coat while he spoke to Aiko. "Now, you have fun, sweetheart. I'll be home before you know it, okay?" He placed a kiss to the top of her head, smoothing the hair down afterward.

"And you two." Hikaru and Kaoru snapped to attention. "Please take care of my daughter today."

"Of course, sir." Hikaru nodded.

"I was a pleasure to meet you," Kaoru added.

Manabu shook their hands. "Likewise." Then he smiled. "Don't make yourselves strangers here, alright? It's good that Aiko have friends to spend time with while I'm working."

With a nod from both twins, Manabu bid them farewell once more, giving Aiko a not-so-discreet wink that made her flush. He was gone as suddenly as he'd arrived; the only sign he'd been there at all was the resigned look in Aiko's eyes. Hikaru exchanged another look with his brother, who nodded.

An arm draped across Aiko's shoulder, startling her. "Well," Kaoru said. "That was an interesting introduction, don't ya' think?"

"Yeah; I think I like your dad, Aiko." Hikaru smirked, leaning against the wall. "He's got a sense of humor."

"A really weird one—"

"—but we've dealt with worse."

She nodded, not really paying attention to their words. The sullen expression on her face worried them. Was this what she had to go through day after day, all by herself?

Kaoru clucked his tongue. "It's too bad about those stories, though. I was really looking forward to hearing some."

That seemed to do the trick — Aiko snapped her head in his direction, panicked. "Wh-what?"

"And those baby pictures, too," Hikaru sighed, truly disappointed. "I was hoping to see one of you in the bathtub; everybody's got one, y'know. Hey — you think you could tell us where your albums are, Aiko?"

"N-No way!"

"Aaaw," they complained. "Why not?"

"B-B-Because!" was her only excuse.

Hikaru reached out and pinched her cheek, not unkindly. "You're no fun."

"Ow-Ouch, Hikaru...l-let go..."

"Oh, well," Kaoru sighed. He placed his hands on Aiko's shoulders, steering her back to the sofa. "We still have a race to finish, anyway."

"Best two out of three, Aiko?"

"Huh?" A controller was shoved into her hands and the game restarted before she could protest. Immediately, her character was hit with a banana peel from Hikaru.

With her attention promptly diverted, Aiko had no time to sulk over her father leaving — exactly as the twins had wanted.

"I can't believe you didn't win any races," Kaoru exclaimed in disbelief. He wasn't even joking this time. "We played, like, 60 times — statistically speaking, Aiko, you should've won at least once."

"There was a reason it hadn't been opened yet, Kaoru," Hikaru snickered.

"That's true, I guess."

Their teasing made Aiko's cheeks burn, but she still smiled. "I d-did badly, I kn-know..."

It was late afternoon when the twins' limo arrived. She'd been hoping they could stay for a little longer, but Kaoru reminded her that they all had school in the morning.

"And you of all people need your rest," he'd added, tugging a strand of her hair. "Wouldn't want you to be late because you overslept — who'd we have to mess with at school if you were late?"

He was right — about her sleep, at least. Aiko had stayed up far past what she'd expected to last night, and ended up paying the price for her deep slumber. But — she looked down at her hands, hiding a small smile — it turned out alright, in the end. She might not have won any races, but she'd had more fun in that one afternoon than in the last few years of her life. Manabu had even given his blessing over the friendship, and that meant a lot to her.

Now, with the sun disappearing below the horizon, casting its orange glow over the world, she couldn't help but want them to stay — if only until her father returned home. This house, which always felt a little empty, would seem positively deserted once the twins' large presence left.

"Don't worry about it too much," Kaoru sighed. For a moment, Aiko thought he was talking about her thoughts — she gaped at him as he continued. "You'll get better at it next time."

Oh. He was just talking about the game. Aiko stopped walking, causing the twins to turn curiously. "...n-next...time?" she repeated, hesitating.

They gave her identical looks of incredulity. "What? Did you think this was going to be a one time thing?"

Aiko averted her eyes. "—N-No..."

Hikaru rolled his eyes; Kaoru nearly face-palmed. "You'd think some as smart as you would notice when people genuinely want to spend time with you."

"I...I'm s-sorry." How was it that these two could see through her so easily? "It's just...I'm not u-used to having people ov-ver like this...hang-g-ging out..." Aiko sighed, blood pooling into her cheeks. She preoccupied herself with her hands, not daring to look at the twins. "This...is completely n-new to m-me."

It was silent. Aiko hardly breathed.

A hard, but not unkind knock to the side of Aiko's head made her jump. "Dummy," Hikaru mumbled gruffly. If she didn't know any better, she' could have sworn Hikaru was blushing, too — but that was probably just a trick of the sun's fading light. "You've got more friends than just Honey and Mori-senpai, y'know."

"Besides," Kaoru added, smiling kindly. "you dad said it was fine for us to come over whenever we want to. We were going to do that anyway, but it's better when you get permission."

"So expect us over more often, 'kay?"

Warmth flooded Aiko's chest, for once having nothing to do with embarrassment. Her face most likely resembled a stop light, but that didn't stop a smile from curling her lips up.

"...s-sure."

END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ah, it feels good to get back into the groove of writing after a long funk period. Being out of school for the holidays helped, too, I suppose. Tbh, this chapter was done before the holidays-I just didn't feel in the mood to edit it, haha.

On to reviews~

From Cathiee: Hikaru doesn't want Akio to make friends that isn't himself, Karou or Haruhi! . ILY AKIOxHIKARU!

Haha, we all know how possessive the twins (i.e. Hikaru) can get over people they actually like. It can be taken both good and bad. Thank you very much for your review!

Chibi-Ninja-Writer: You're alive? Gomen, it's just been so long! Great chapter btw, arigato!

No, no, I deserve that. It feels like I have died, this school year has been so long already. A nice long summer vacation is what I need, tbh, but I've still got another semester to deal with -sighs- Thanks for your review, dear UwU

KangMina: Yay! I was super excited when I saw you'd updated! And Kasanoda! He's so awkwardly cute. But I still ship AikoxHikaru the most. They are the best. 3

Kasanoda was adorable in the anime (even though he scared me the first time, hehe) and he grew on me in the manga, too. I couldn't not have him in this story, y'know? And I'm glad you're dedicated to your ship, haha. Thanks, dear!

A looooong review from Left-to-die: So I just happened to stumble upon this story and im so glad I did! I love this story more than I love myself. And that's a lot. The one thing I really appreciate about this story is the growing friendships between your OC and the host club rather than...instant bonding, I guess? Or instant attraction, I suppose in the case of romance.

I also really appreciate Honey and Aiko's friendship thing they have. It's pretty adorable, first of all, but I also feel like it really adds to the character development. I'm also glad they don't have a romantic relationship because, honestly, I love who Honey ended up with in the manga. That's cute.

And of course the twins. They're amazing. Extra points for Kaoru and his sly, all-knowing smirks. But really, Kaoru is especially hilarious in your story. He just knows about his brother and all, and that makes total sense! they're cute too. All these characters are too cute. Their cuteness level is over 9000. (AH Wrong anime.)

Also, I cannot believe you added Kasanoda (Casanova, really). I mean, I'm just so happy. When I first read that - red hair and all - I just had this huge grin on my face. Oh, I knew what was coming. I kneeeew.

So yeah, overall I'm pretty pleased with this fantastic story. Not to mention your grammar is pretty amazing - a rare sight now. And gee sorry for this long review. All my ramblings.

-LtD

-distant squeals of happiness- You don't know how happy your review made me when I got it, omg. Everything I'd hoped to portray in the story, you've loved, and that makes me really, really proud. Which doesn't happen often, trust me. Omg, Kaoru always stood out to me more than Hikaru did, and it would be an absolute tragedy if I didn't do his character justice.

Your ramblings are fine with me! Thank you very, very much for your review!

Cookie-chan99: I love this! It's so cute and amazing! Lalalala I love this story PLEASE update soon! I can't wait. I'm soooooo excited for it! I till I read it then get dis appointed that its over and then want the next to come out so one and so on. So I have a question, is that romance I smell? If so tell me so ill know I'm a dunce and never realize that there's romance so I jut started asking... Also who with?

Ah, romance. Ouran was always considered a romantic comedy, of course, so why shouldn't there be romance in this fic? Hehe, though this story is not centered around the romance, there will be hints of it as we go on, trust me! Thank you, Cookie-chan, for reviewing!

Wajagirlliz: Love your story! Can't wait to see what happens next _ 3

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, dear!

Rosezelene Ersa: Kasanoda?! I did not see that coming. I was really proud of Aiko, though; he deserves at least one person that'd not be scared off by his face. Personaly I adore the awkwardness, and you didn't try to quicken the scene, which I appriciate. I like how Aiko is such a realistic character- and she somehow retains the quirks which allow her to be a beliveable Oran student. The twins as bodyguards was perfect, so kudos to you :)

One last thing, if you reply to this reveiw in your next update, please do not refer to me with a pet name such as "dear" or "sweetie", just R.E is fine. Thank you for putting up with this rather long and kinda sorta demanding reveiw,

-R.E

Kasanoda deserves all the friends, I know. The poor guy's just too awkward and mean-looking -sighs- Thanks very much for your review, R.E. it means a lot :3

Getting your reviews makes my day, guys, I"m serious. Especially when I'm under the weather, it really picks my mood up x10.

Aiko's question time~

From Chibi-Ninja-Writer: Aiko-chan, I'm not certain if anyone's ever asked you this, but what is you'r favorite stuffed animal, if you ever had one?

Aiko: Uh...I had one wh-when I was small. It was a p-p-panda bear my m-mom got on one of her t-trips.

Cookie-chan99: Aiko, what is your favorite time of day and time of year?

Aiko: I think...the f-f-fall is my f-favorite season. The leaves are r-really pretty, all d-d-different colors and such. And I-I like the early morning...

-sweat drop- Says the girl who hardly wakes up early when she doesn't have to...

Aiko: -blushes- Sh-Shut up!

Aw, you're so cute when you try to act all tough =w= That was the last question, though. Thanks to everyone for their reviews and to my two who sent in questions!

Aiko: Th-Thank you.

That's the end of this author's note, which means I'll see you all next time! I hope everyone had a happy holiday, and a great new year!

Also, for anyone who hasn't done so, go on my profile and copy the link there. It'll take you to my tumblr page and my sketch dump of Aiko so you can get a feel for what she looks like! Apologies in advance, my artwork is not the best, but I try! And I'd never say no if someone drew their own version of our precious Aiko *winkwinknudgenudge*

Until next time, everyone! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!