Italics = something Akira has written

Disclaimer:

I, in no way own OHSHC or any songs/books/films that may be mentioned in this here fanfiction. I'm making nothing off of this and it's purely for enjoyment purposes!

Chapter 3: The Decision

I woke with a start, beads of sweat running down my forehead as my eyes danced around my dimly lit room. I sighed slumping back into my pillows the realization that I was safe, in my bed, in my aunt and uncles house and literally miles away from "him" washing over me allowing my breathing to return to normal. I realized I had been rubbing my throat or to be more exact one of the hideous reminders of what he had done to me. Quickly I pulled my hand away and threw the sheets off of myself my feet hitting the plush carpet of my room, past experience telling me I wouldn't be returning to slumber tonight. A quick check of the clock on my desk telling me it wasn't so bad I had just woken an hour before I had set the alarm anyway which meant I could go for a quick swim before having to get ready for the day ahead.

It wasn't long before Rai could be seen through the windows of the house running towards my current location next to the pool. As he neared I noticed the bathing suit he had adorned himself with, I guess I had woken him with my initial dive into the pool.

"Aki! You started without me!" He cried. I'd always wondered if he had been a fish in a past life, the way he acted so indignantly when he found out you were swimming without him. My simple shrug in response seemed to annoy him more so than the actual fact that I was already wet and he was still dry.

"Guys, breakfast!" came the yell of my uncle, just before Rai could dive in. His simple response a grumble about how unfair it all was. I shook my head as he handed me my towel ruffling his hair in thanks. The rest of the morning was fairly boring, we had a quiet breakfast of poached eggs with wilted spinach and a slice of toast accompanied by freshly squeezed orange juice (thank you Mr. Yushoto) before getting showered and dressed in our respective school uniforms and heading to the foyer as we always did. Rai once again did my blasted tie for me, the damn things were harder than I had expected. I'd been up until 11 last night baking and trying to learn how to do this, still with no luck, but slightly better than I had been beforehand.

"Don't stress yourself about the whole tie thing Aki. Remember I've been wearing them to functions since I was seven...you normally wore a dress" He said seeing the frustration flitter across my face at the whole thing. I just nodded and headed out to the car all my baking from the previous night in my had spoken to Kyoya earlier that morning to organize the storage of the baking in the supposed fridge of the host club, I was still trying to work out where the fridge could be as the one I had been able to find was tiny and full of milk and store bought cakes, which I assumed were predominately for Honey. As usual Mr. Yushoto was waiting for us by the car, and as usual Rai talked his ear off on the way to school. I just watched the world go past tuning in and out of the conversation. The horrendous pink building soon loomed in front of us, the host club standing outside waiting for our arrival a bouncing Honey pointing at us as we drove up a pink bunny in his arms his tall friend just nodding to something he said.

"Hi Guys!" Honey yelled as we climbed out of the car, a small blur running towards us which I quickly realized was the aforementioned 3rd year. Rai quickly placed himself between me and the over excited, bunny holding kid intercepting the hug for me. I smiled at my cousin in thanks as I struggled to carry my bag and all the cakes, ingredients and sauces I had bought with me. The baking quickly finding itself out of my hands as Honey's large friend (Mori, I think was his name) lifted them effortless out of my hands. I quickly grabbed my notepad and started scrawling on it in blue ink.

You really don't have to take them, they're really heavy.

I quickly showed it to him...and by proxy half the host club only to be meet by giggles from my small classmate.

"It's ok Aki-Chan, Taka-chan is a kendo champion" the ever so happy senior said. I just looked between the pair of 3rd years and my cousin who simply shrugged. I guessed this was my punishment for going swimming without him. I sighed inaudibly and followed the rest of the club up to the third music room to find this supposed fridge.

To my astonishment there was a large cool room (bastards cool this a fridge) hidden behind a mirror in the music room. I'm not even sure why this would be here it's not like a music room actually needs a cool room and it's not like a normal fridge where you just bring it in, these rich bastards would have to have it properly installed which would be a big construction and the school would have to sign off on it. Either way here it was and it would be temporarily housing my cakes.

The day was slow and in no way overly exciting. At lunch Mori and Honey made me sit with them, we apparently had a different lunch to the rest of the school on a Tuesday and Wednesday and I was glad that Rai had bought lunch from home, I guess he'd looked at my timetable at some point last night.

As the final bell for third years rang Honey appeared by my desk.

"You ready Aki-chan? What are you going to be making? Is there more cake?" He rattled off like spitfire.

"Mitsukuni" Came the deep voice of Mori from behind the other boy. I looked up at him my head cocked slightly to the side, so this was what Takashi Morinozuka actually sounded like. I'd never heard him say more than his usual 'ah' and he'd avoided answering any questions in class up to this point. Either way I quickly packed up my History books and stood up my note pad in my arms in case I needed it. Honey bouncing on the balls of his feet before literally climbing the other boy and sitting on his shoulders.

Honey mused about all the possible sweets I'd bought on the walk up to the third music room. Mori making the occasional sound to signify his attention, I on the other hand tried to make a mental map of the quickest way to the club room for future reference. As soon as we arrived I busied myself in the small kitchenette...not that it was actually small or anything it would have been perfect in a flat close to the city back in France, but this wasn't France and I needed to pull myself from memories of that place and the people there or I'd start having a minor breakdown. I'd once again found the discarded aprons noticing a wide colour variety. I simply stuck my hand in and pulled one out, apparently today my apron was to be pink, not that it really mattered. I tied it around my waist thankful that this one didn't have a bib front and continued my work. As I finished off everything I had started last night and started plating them in a more attractive display than I'd been able to manage yesterday, all whilst shooing Honey out of the kitchen, the door to the club opened and the rest of the members entered. Tamaki almost seeming like he was floating on air as he came into the kitchen.

"What is that delectable sent?" he asked, I glanced up at him as he started wondering around and getting under my feet. My eye twitched as he grabbed for a puits d'amour that I had just finished plating, when he was lifted from the ground by Mori and walked out of the kitchen.

"You can't eat them yet Tama-chan" came honey's sweet little voice "the customers haven't had a chance to look at all the pretty little cakes...but they do look so delicious" he added as the younger boy looked disheartened, Rai quickly whispered something in his ear which caused the host king to look towards me his eyes wide. I simply shrugged and continued the final decorations for the plates and placed my notepad in the pocket of my apron and placing everything on my silver trolley from yesterday.

As the club became busier I found myself running between tables when needed serving customers and hosts alike, occasionally disappearing to retrieve a requested beverage. At one point Honey made me sit with him and Takashi, I found it an odd experience Honey did most of the talking Mori occasionally saying something or just making a noise, but the girls loved it. It wasn't long before Rai wandered over making himself comfortable with us and entertaining the customers as well. A cursory glance around the room made me jump up quickly and make my way through the tables, glad I could get away from the stationary position. I wasn't much for entertaining guests with idle chat...not that I responded too well, and I felt like I was just boring them that way so I could at least be of service more literally. As we wound down I bowed to the last of the customers taking their dirty dishes and hurrying back to the kitchen to pack the dishwashers. Upon re-entering the room I found the rest of the hosts in a heated, but hushed debate. I quickly tapped the wall so they knew I was no longer in the kitchen all heads shooting towards me.

"Aki, we need to talk to you" Rai started, I just nodded waiting for one of them to continue.

"Upon assessing your skills as a host we've decided that you're..." Kyoya started looking at his little black book of doom.

"You're shit as a host Aki" Rai blurted out. I sweat dropped. My cousin could be very blunt sometimes. The rest of the hosts looked horrified at what Rai had said, Haruhi started what I assumed was her version of damage control.

"It's not that you're not great with the customers but you're just not a typical host" She stated, I smiled slightly pulling my notepad out quickly as Haruhi stopped looking at the others for assistance.

Haruhi, it's fine. I know I'm no good at being a host. The customers don't know how to react to me and I get fidgety sitting "entertaining" them.

I wrote showing it to her. She looked almost relieved at my understanding of the situation.

"But boss..." one of the twins wined, I think it was Hikaru.

"We like our new play toy." the other finished both throwing an arm over my shoulders. I froze, I could feel my eyes widen in terror as I held my notepad closer the paper crunching under my vice like grip. Tamaki sat tapping his chin, Kyoya staring at his notepad whilst Rai looked at the shadow king unaware of my current state.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, you're scarring her" Mori simply said, causing Rai to glance over and dash to my side pulling the twins off of me.

"Aki, Aki! You're ok! You're safe! They're not here, this isn't France" he said pulling me into a hug his chin resting on my head as he rocked back and forth.

"Guys, I told you, you can't touch her yet!" He almost yelled at the twins. Everyone just sat staring at us, wide eyed at Rai's sudden outburst at the twins. I could feel the tears rolling silently down my face as Rai held me tighter rubbing small circles into the tops of my arms careful to avoid my back.

"Does this happen every time someone touches her?"Kyoya asked readjusting his glasses on his face.

"Just when men touch her" Rai answered pulling away slowly looking at me. He quickly sat me next to Haruhi and placed her arms over my shoulders. I turned into the younger girl burying my face in her shirt as I continued my silent melt down.

"She'll be fine with the customers, but you guys have to work your way up to being allowed to touch her, even in small ways." Rai explained. Kyoya just nodded whilst Tamaki went into full blown drama-king mode, I of course tuned him out that is until..

"Wait, France? You're from France?" He yelled his eyes lighting up. "I'm from France!" He adds almost dancing up to me reaching to grab my hands. Haruhi glares at him.

"Didn't you just listen to Rai Sempai. She doesn't like being touched by men" she says causing the host king to retreat to a dark corner where he somehow manages to begin growing mushrooms. it was at that moment when Rai's phone beeped signalling a new text. A quick check and he looked at Kyoya.

"Hey Kyoya-sempai, our mum wants to know if you guys wanted to come shopping and for dinner on the weekend." he said re-reading the text to make sure he hadn't missed anything. This of course seemed to please the founder of our club who came out of his dark little corner rather quickly.

"That is a brilliant idea. we can even have Haruhi dress like a girl!" he declared. Haruhi sweat dropped slightly shaking her head. Kyoya just nodded at Rai who quickly responded to his mother to get the rest of the details. I'd finally stopped the tears flowing down my face, wiping the remainder from my face and looking around at everyone else hoping no one saw me, unfortunately both Honey and Mori were glancing at me. I gave the pair a weak smile and looked over at Kyoya who had snapped his book of doom shut, I always wanted to know what was in it, it never left his side.

"Our offer still stands for you to join the host club Akira-sempai. But with one minor change. You would not be a host but instead our own private chef and barista." he said looking at me for a response. I simply nodded, this was a plan I was more comfortable with.

A/N: Hi again! Thank you for reading all the way down to here! I'd like to take a moment to mention and thank the following people.

ThePictureOfSophisticatedGrace, arealnative, Zae Marks, AnimeAndGames4Ever, ikemengalore2014, Stupid Crazy, LaughterLover98, Kuroi-Akuma-no-Okami, Idek1998, FloraRose23, Aquarius Youkai, royalpurple153, Sweet Demons6, sierra halle, Ducky the Insomniac Panda

You guys are amazing!