Okay, just say it. I fail. *falls to ground* I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I last updated! ...I really have no excuse with this story since this one's finished. *mumbles* I'm sorry! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and support, though! It makes me so happy, and keeps me motivated :)

Well, school is out, and it's onto summer jobs. It's been very slow here so far, so I'm taking this time to update some stories. First some review replies, then you can get on to reading! Enjoy!

Grell Waldo: Thank you for your reviews! :D They made me so happy ^.^ Hmm, a poison dart frog, you say? Interesting... I took Honey's and Mori's animal likenesses from the manga itself, soyeah, that's what the mangaka thought they'd be haha Thank you again! I hope you like this chapter! :D

EMI: I love you, seriously XD Thank you so much! D'aww, thanks *blush* bahaha I just updated WSI, so go read and tell me what you think! :D I'm so glad you like this story, too! Yaaaay! ttfn, my dear!

Thank you to everyone who's reading, too. Thank you, thank you :)

Now, on with the story!

-VI. Hosting a Party-

Early spring at Ouran was a sight indeed. There was still that slight chill in the air, and the cherry blossoms were just starting to bud. That was one of the many things I loved about Japan: Cherry blossoms everywhere. I thought they were so much prettier than the little flowers people planted in boxes outside their stores in London—not that there was anything wrong with those either. I just couldn't wait until the cherry blossoms bloomed.

By that point, we'd sort of made it routine to go to the Host Club and visit the hosts. I kept telling myself that I just went because I wanted to have more friends, but, looking back on it, I think I had other reasons.

We opened the door one afternoon, and almost fell over in surprise at what was on the other side of the door.

"How'd we wind up in the tropics?" I wondered aloud.

The whole room had been redecorated, complete with palm trees and tropical birds and flowers. And it was about eighty degrees in there!

What. On. Earth? I asked myself. These guys are crazier than I thought!

My head bowed slightly when a toucan landed on it. Why me? I thought. Pigeons liked me back in London, too. Just so long as they don't poop or lay eggs on me, I'm just fine. I gently shooed the toucan away while Sarah and Peggy tried not to laugh at me.

"Welcome, friends!" Tamaki said happily. After I registered that Tamaki was not wearing his uniform, I realized that he was wearing a half-shirt robe kind of thing, so his chest wasn't completely covered by the shirt, whereas the rest of the hosts were basically shirtless, but I digress.

"Why does it look like the rain forest in here?" I asked. I looked at Sarah. She was looking at Peggy. I looked at Peggy. Her eyes were fixed on the boys (probably because of the state of shirtless-ness I mentioned before). I rolled my eyes. "According to what I know, it's still early spring."

I glanced at a chameleon, who was eyeing me curiously. Sarah walked over and stared at it, thinking that she could stare anything down. Let's just say that the chameleon won.

"Huddling under a kotatsu table, fearing the cold, is nonsense!" Tamaki said, moving his arms about dramatically. "And, besides, the heating system we have is...the best!"

Certainly one for drama, isn't he? I thought. And I can tell the heating system's good by how warm it just got in here. I blushed a little at how that comment could have been taken, had I said it out loud.

"Gentlemen don't bundle up in bulky clothing," Tamaki continued dramatically. "It may be chilly early spring out there in the real world, but here in the Club, we want to surprise our chilly little kittens with a warm tropical paradise."

I trailed my eyes back and forth behind Tamaki as he spoke, watching Mori run Honey around on his shoulders, Honey laughing gleefully.

Suddenly, I felt an arm around my shoulder, and looked up at Tamaki. "Ah, yes, we have turned this place into...Nirvana! A balmy tropical island of everlasting summer! !"

Definitely got the "balmy" part right, I thought as I saw the same chameleon from before devour a butterfly. A shiver went up my spine. "Funny, I'm suddenly feeling a massive chill."

In the few weeks we'd been there, my cousin Sarah, my best friend Peggy, and I had started to feel a little more comfortable at the "prestigious Ouran Academy." The place really was like a palace. A clock tower; tall spires on the roofs; grand, marble staircases; the whole shebang. It was all so magnificent—much more stately than we were used to. ...We still hated the uniforms, but what can you do?

As for the Host Club, I'll let you know how Tamaki describes it.

"Only those with excellent social standing and those from filthy rich families are lucky enough to spend their time here at the elite private school, Ouran Academy. The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran's elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful."

Can you say, "egotistical"?

"What heartlessness... Even with my lustrous skin, shining like ivory, exposed by my Balinese king outfit, I am no more than a slave before my goddess. I kneel before you and swear my loyalty." Tamaki was leaned in so close to the girl, his hand under her chin, that I thought for a moment he would kiss her. But that wasn't how the Club worked, apparently.

"Oh, Tamaki..." the girl swooned.

"Lucky..." the other girls at his table said to their friend. I could practically see the hearts in their eyes as I made my usual rounds around the Club.

Since we were "friends" with the hosts, we agreed to help out around the Club. It was mostly things like making tea and refilling cups, but I didn't mind. Back in London, I'd worked for a short time in a cafe, so it wasn't exactly new to me. ...I wasn't too sure how Sarah felt about it, since her idea of a job was one where she didn't have to associate with people, but Peggy seemed to like it well enough, as did I.

"Oh, yes," Tamaki said. "I almost forgot to mention to you ladies."

My ears perked up at that. What was he going to tell them?

"Next week, the Ouran Host Club is sponsoring a party."

A party, huh? I thought.

"What kind of party is it going to be?" Peggy asked from her place between two other girls at the twins', Hikaru and Kaoru's, table. "Is it going to be formal?"

"Yes," Hikaru said. "In fact, we've rented the school's largest hall."

"It's the perfect for dancing," Kaoru said.

Hikaru suddenly leaned in close to Kaoru, putting his hand under his chin. "But I really wanted to spend some alone time with you...Kaoru."

"Don't be upset, Hikaru," Kaoru said. "I know exactly how you feel."

The girls squealed and I felt like I was going to be sick. I don't care if it is an act, I thought. I still don't like it.

"Have they no shame?" Sarah whispered.

"It would seem not," I replied.

We shrugged at each other, and continued around the room.

"Seems like the guests are even more worked up than usual," I said to myself as I walked back over to the "bar" (which contained no alcohol whatsoever).

"Showing some skin proves popular with the ladies," Kyoya said.

Well, I thought I'd been talking to myself.

Kyoya was still writing in that little legal pad of his. Gosh, did he write everything down so he could write a memoir after he took over the world?

"So was this whole thing your idea?" I asked.

"I have no decision-making authority," Kyoya said. "All of the Club's policies have been laid out by the king, Tamaki. But," he said, smiling and pushing up his glasses, "I guess there's no harm in admitting to casually slipping a Bali photobook onto his desk."

So he's the real brains behind the operation, I thought as I refilled the water pitcher I'd been carrying around.

"Ta-da!" Honey sang, showing off his red flower lei.

"Awww! You're so cute!" the girls gushed.

"See these flowers?" Honey asked excitedly. "They're from Bali! We had them flown in!"

Mori was walking by then, carrying a pineapple (of all things).

"Ah, he makes fruit look so hot," Sarah said.

I raised my eyebrow and looked at her. "And you say the twins have no shame?"

"What?" she asked, picking up her pitcher again. "It's not like I'm saying that to him. I do have scruples, y'know."

I rolled my eyes as she walked away.

"Takashi!" Honey gasped. He ran over and climbed up to Mori's shoulder, throwing a lei around his neck. "There! Now we match!" Honey giggled.

The girls squealed some more about how cute Honey was.

"Kelsey, there you are!"

I was going to ask Tamaki why he'd been looking for me, but he just kept on talking, leaving no room for a response.

"I've been meaning to ask you! Since you and Sarah and Peggy are helping out with the Club now, we thought we'd ask you if you'd like to cosplay with us! We have one all picked out for you for today! In fact, you and I are a pair!"

I felt myself blushing like mad, and Sarah walked by and grinned at me. What timing that girl has, I thought. "Um, I think I'll pass," I said. "I think I'd feel a little out of place wearing non-early-spring attire in early spring." Even I wondered at what kind of excuse that was supposed to be.

"Wow, you're really faithful to the different seasons, Kelsey," one of the girls sitting nearby said.

But...the guests seemed to be buying it.

Now, I'm not saying that I was popular (which would've been a better description of Sarah's or Peggy's status), but I was known around the Club. It fairly normal for a few guests to take to me every day (whereas they practically attacked Peggy and Sarah), and I liked that.

"Do you think the cherry blossoms'll be in full bloom on the night of the party?" another girl asked.

"I hope so!" I said excitedly. "I've never seen them in real life before! Just pictures! I think it'll be the greatest thing ever!"

3_3_3_3_3

Kyoya glanced up from his writing long enough to see Tamaki staring at Kelsey, blushing slightly. "Why are you staring at her?" he asked. His tone would tell that he really didn't care, and that he was just asking to gain information. Which was usually Kyoya's motive for the things he did.

"I am not!" Tamaki snapped, spinning to face Kyoya.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a terrible liar?"

Tamaki sighed. "It's just..." he said, walking closer to Kyoya. "It's her accent. It's so darn cute! And her excitement about the cherry blossoms!"

"So why don't you tell her that?"

"You're crazy," he said. "But why do you think I think that about her?"

"Why do you think what you think about anyone?"

Tamaki looked thoroughly confused and Kyoya chuckled.

"Just try to sort this out, Tamaki. There's enough confusion going on in your head as it is without a girl in the picture."

3_3_3_3_3

"I think cosplaying with the Club would be fun," Peggy said, finally tearing herself away from the twins to talk to us. Honestly, I couldn't see what she saw in their little facade. But it made her happy, so...

"Maybe," I said. "But maybe not as a Balinese...whatever, you know?"

"I agree," Sarah said. "With both of you. I think we should just see where this goes. I mean, if they cosplay as something really out-there, you can count me out."

"Me, too," I said. Then I thought for a moment. "Well, unless it's really cool."

The three of us laughed, then laughed a little harder at the looks we got for speaking English.

I saw a second-year girl walk past us, over to Kyoya. "It's about time for your next request, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," Kyoya said, smiling.

The girl giggled, blushing a little. "I think I'll make you my new favorite," she said, giggling some more.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tamaki start and stare at the girl. What's up with him? I wondered.

;;;;;

Later, after all the guests had left, Tamaki sat at a table on the far side of the room, sulkily eating Ramen (which had become his new favorite food, of late, for some reason or another). He slurped in the noodles just like I did with spaghetti, and muttered to himself. "I can't take this anymore..."

"Hey, boss," Hikaru called from where we were standing around another table. (Well, the guys were standing, we were sitting. Anyway.) "Why don't you stop eating that commoner's Ramen and come over here to help us with the party planning?"

"Does it really bother you that Princess Kasuga has taken a liking to Kyoya-senpai?" Kaoru asked.

"He shouldn't be surprised," Kyoya said, typing away on his laptop. "She's had the illness for a while now, hasn't she?"

"Um...illness?" I asked.

"She's got the host-hopping disease," Hikaru said.

"A.K.A., the 'Never the same boy twice' disease," Kaoru elaborated.

"Usually, our customers choose a favorite host and then see them regularly," Kyoya explained. "However, Princess Kanako tends to change her favorites on a regular basis."

"That's right!" Honey said. "And before she chose Kyo-chan, Tama-chan was her favorite!"

"Oh," Peggy said. "So he's upset because you took her from him, Kyoya-senpai?"

"Shut up!" Tamaki shouted, jumping up and running over. "I couldn't care less."

Peggy blinked at him, looking quite bored. "De-nial," she sang.

He sighed and stepped back. "I'm running out of patience!" He dragged a big box out (seemingly from nowhere), the words "KING'S PRIVATE PROPERTY" written on the side. He pulled out a giant frame and pointed to the picture inside. "I couldn't care less that this is now gone!" It was big romantic picture of him and Kanako, their arms around each other. ...And they looked like they were standing in the middle of the field of flowers. Random.

"Dude, Peggy's right," I said.

"Dude, you're right," Sarah said to me.

Tamaki cried out. "AHH! Girls should never refer to themselves as 'dudes'!"

"Dude, everyone says that in England," Peggy said.

Tamaki wailed, looking at the picture. "Mama! How could you steal my customer? And the girls are using dirty boy words!"

I rolled my eyes, and then my eyebrow raised as I realized what Tamaki had said.

"I'm sorry," Hikaru said, looking at Kyoya, "but who is 'Mama'?"

"Based on Club position," Kyoya said as Tamaki slinked to the floor and cried, "I assume it's me."

Weird, I sang in my head. I sighed.

"Look, I don't see what you're crying about," Sarah said. "Working as a Host, it's all your jobs, including Kyoya-senpai's to entertain the guests. Who cares if one switches around a lot? Back in England, it's kinda similar to this thing called dating."

"Yeah," I said. "You gotta try a few people on before you find a good fit."

"Girls should not know anything about this until they're married!" Tamaki cried. "You should know nothing of 'trying people on'!"

"How the heck are you supposed to get married if you don't?" Peggy asked.

"AHHHH!" Tamaki screamed.

I sighed and shook my head. What a drama king.

Sarah stood up and went over to Tamaki, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "Get ahold of yourself, man! Snap out of it!"

"Take it easy, Sarah!" Peggy said as she and I stood.

"Yeah, don't kill him!" I said.

She released him and looked down at him. "It's okay," she said, looking back up at us and smiling. "He's unconscious!"

"Oh, good grief," I said, facepalming.

"And he's bleeding, too!" Peggy said. "Geez, Sarah! What'd you do to him? !"

"It's not blood!" she said defensively. "It's paint!"

"Well, where'd the paint come from?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

She shifted her eyes from side to side, a sure sign of her thinking (possibly of a convincing lie), "Well..."

"Hate to change the subject," Hikaru said, rolling his eyes, "but do any of you girls have formal dancing experience?"

"It's all formal dance at the party," Kaoru said.

Sarah and Peggy looked at me, and pretty much everyone else (except Tamaki, who was still unconscious) did, too.

"What're you all looking at me for?" I asked. "And, really, I don't think I'll be going."

Now even Tamaki was looking at me, as if this statement had woken him up.

"What? I'm not really big on events like this."

"Is it because you don't know how to dance?"

I yelped a little at Tamaki's sudden consciousness (not to mention appearance at my side).

Peggy giggled. "Are you kidding?"

I shook my head at her, waving my hands to try to get her to stop.

Sarah sighed, realizing that the hosts didn't get it.

I shot Peggy a look.

Peggy grinned. "Kels was the best dancer back at our school in London," she said.

I facepalmed again.

"All the guys always wanted to dance with her!"

"They did not," I said.

Peggy started naming dances off that I could do. (I didn't say I could do them well.) "She can waltz, swing, cha-cha, merengue, foxtrot, break dance..."

I burst out laughing. "Okay, that last one's not true," I said.

She smiled. "I know. I just wanted to get you to smile."

"Seems you're quite the dancing aficionado," Tamaki said, smiling. "We would be honored if you taught us."

"But, Tama-chan," Honey said. "We all already know—"

Tamaki pushed a forkful of cake into Honey's mouth, stopping any further discussion. Tamaki chuckled. "Would you, Kelsey? We'll stop Host Club meetings for the next week, and we'll work here after school."

I thought about that for a few moments. Teaching the host club how to dance? Hmm...

"I know we'll all be perfect after you've taught us!"

Just like a puppy, I thought. I smiled. "Okay. I will, Senpai."

"Hooray!" he cheered. He ran over to Kyoya. "Mama! Guess what? ! Kelsey just agreed to teach us how to dance! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Tamaki, get off of me. And stop calling me Mama. Why do you insist on referring to us like we're a married couple?"

Tamaki ignored the question and ran back over to us. "Thank you, Kelsey! You're such a good friend!" He hugged me, and I froze. Certainly not shy about showing affection, is he? I thought.

;;;;;

"So you're teaching some boys to dance?" Mum asked after we got home that day.

"Well, Kelsey is," Sarah said. "She's teaching our new friends."

"That should be interesting," Mum said, setting mugs of hot chocolate in front of us. "What is this dancing for?"

"This party at the school next week," I said.

"Oh, is that like a dance?"

I didn't like that look in her eyes. Sarah and I looked at each other, then back at her. "Yes..." Sarah said carefully. "Why?"

"Oh, your first dance! We'll have to find dresses for you girls and Peggy!" She jumped up and went for the phone, dialing Peggy's home number as fast as she possibly could.

"You're just like Tamaki," I said quietly, looking down into my hot chocolate.

Sarah laughed softly.

"What was that, dear? Miranda? Goodness, did you hear?"

I tuned out her excited conversation with Peggy's mum, and continued looking into my hot chocolate. I could still feel Tamaki's arms around me, hugging me. I could still feel the butterflies his smile put into my stomach. I could hear him yelling at the twins for doing whatever they had done wrong that time. I even laughed a little at the thought of his "corner of woe," and how quickly he could come out of it.

He's really something, I thought.

"What's so funny?" Sarah asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing," I said. "Nothing at all."

3_3_3_3_3

"Tamaki, enlighten me."

Tamaki turned to Kyoya.

"If we all already know how to dance, then why did you ask Kelsey to teach us?"

Tamaki laughed softly. "And I thought you knew everything, Kyoya."

"Well, I do," Kyoya said. "But tell me anyway."

Tamaki shrugged. "I get the feeling that she just needs something to occupy her time."

"Isn't that..." "...what her schoolwork is for?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked.

"I mean something to take her mind off of school," Tamaki said.

The rest of the Club looked at each other and shrugged. Tamaki will be Tamaki was the general consensus of the situation.

I guess I just want her to feel like she's important to us, Tamaki thought, looking out one of the many windows in the music room. That she matters to us beyond just her coming to the Host Club every day. I get the feeling Peggy and Sarah think the same thing about her. I also get the feeling that there's something in her past that she's keeping hidden, something that only her and her best friends know.

I'd like to know, Tamaki continued in his head. I'd like to be close enough to her that she would confide in me. I'd like her to feel like she can come to the Host Club not only for entertainment, but for solace and comfort. She always seems so positive. He laughed soflty to himself. But I know all too well that no amount of optimistim can change your past. It certainly hasn't changed mine.