Chapter 5 - Slave no more!

It was the following day when a sudden thought hit Tohru and it began bothering her a great deal. Enough to make her lose some sleep and throw the idea around her head for a good hour anyway.

It started the night before as she lay staring at the ceiling. She was thinking how lucky she was to meet these people when it suddenly struck her. How did she get there? Who took her in? She wondered why no one volunteered to tell her who took her into their home. It felt strange, like something was missing. She might as well properly thank the person that took her in. She guessed it was Ayame since he was the first one to meet her the day she woke up. But then again, Ayame usually liked to say everything that happened to him if it would make him look good. But he never said anything of the incident.

So, the following day at breakfast, Tohru cleared her throat gaining the attention of the men. "Um..."

"What is it Tohru?" Ayame asked. He leaned back into his chair while crossing his legs in a royal manner. "It's alright, please tell me what is wrong so I can help the common people of my kingdom."

Hatori shifted his eyes above his orange juice glass in Ayame's direction. "You act as if you were really a king."

"Like Tohru would be a common girl. She does most of the work in this house..." Haru added.

"Ayame does have a way with exaggerating his position." Shigure laughed.

Tohru twisted her napkin around her finger. "Well..." Should she ask? They never questioned her drunk state and why she ran out of her wedding so why should she question how she got there? They might ask her about it if she asked them how she got there. But it was a fair trade if they did ask her a question in return right?

"I was wondering... how... um... who brought me... here...?" she asked out slowly trying to decide whether it was a good idea to ask or not. Oh well, the question was out there now!

The tableware stopped and everyone's eyes turned to each other, giving each other knowing glances. Tohru felt their uneasiness and instantly tried to cover it up.

"Acutally, I don't want to know! All that matters is that I'm here, and that's that! Ah, um, more coffee, Richan-san?" She motioned the coffee pot toward Ritsu.

"Tohru-kun." She froze at such an emotionless voice from Shigure. "Tohru-kun, the person who took you in... well, he is the special host of the Zodiac Host Club."

"Special? Oh, so then I was right! It was Ayame-san!" She smiled. Whew, she was relieved for some reason.

Ayame stared at her. "What was that?"

"I said that it must have been you because you're the special host of the club! You're the king!" Ayame blinked and put a hand to his ear as if he didn't hear her. "I said you're special because you're the king!"

"Ahhh! Did you hear that? Did you hear?" Ayame suddenly got up and did a little cinematic twirl with shojo flowers hanging everywhere around him. "She called me special!"

"Oh yes... you're special alright..." Yuki muttered darkly as his older brother stood laughing with his hands on his hips. "Idiot."

Shigure stiffled a laugh while covering his mouth. "Um... no it is not Ayame although I think you boosted his ego quite a bit with that one word."

"Ayame-niisan is so confident!" Ritsu chimed in admiring the president, now singing a song about his greatness.

"You have heard that old folk tale of the zodiac right, Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked.

"Ah, yes... the one with the cat?"

"Yes, well you see, there is one member of the club that you have not met."

"I'm guessing he is the cat?"

"How did you know there was a cat in our club?" Momiji asked her.

"Well... there was one more empty table in the far corner with a piece of paper with an angry cat face." Tohru said. "I... didn't know what that was all about, I thought maybe it was just supose to be an empty table."

Hatori's eyes traced their way to a grinning Momiji. "Momiji, you need to take the drawing down."

"Aww I was only having fun."

"He will come after you later if you don't."

Momiji pulled his hat over his eyes. "Waah, I don't want him to hit me again!"

Shigure turned to Tohru again. "At any rate, I think he is scheduled to make an apperance today."

Tohru clasped her hands. "Oh really? That's so exciting, I can't wait to meet him then!"

"Ah, I doubt you will." Haru said rocking back into his chair.

"Hua?"

Ayame decided to join the conversation again. "You see, the cat is out special attraction. He only makes an apperance once a week thus he is our special host-- besides me of course. He does not particually like to be a host but decided to do it on his own free will. We think he enjoys it but he won't admit it." Ayame paused. "And because he is out special host he is normally swarmed with girls from the moment he steps into the room. He can fill Yuki's daily quota in about three hours with the wild amount of people wanting to speak with him. Odd really since he's so cranky and violent."

Haru laughed. "Violent hua? I could whip his @$$ anyday."

Yuki turned to Tohru. "That is also a weekly thing when the cat comes. We have one match between either Haru, him, or me."

"A match? Like fighting?"

Yuki shrugged. "It's no big deal, it isn't like there's blood, just a friendly match between us."

Tohru thought a moment and put a finger to her mouth. "So... what is his name?"

"Kyo." Yuki responded. "He's just about our age, Honda-san."

"Kyo..." she repeated. "I must thank Kyo-kun then." She glanced back at Yuki. "And Tohru is fine, Yuki-kun." The other boy only smiled apologetically.

Haru got up from the table to take his plate to the kitchen. "Good luck with that."

Tohru smiled at Haru's back. "Ah, by the way, Hatsuharu-san, would you like me to dress that wound again?" Haru spun around and stared out at the other men at the table before turning to Tohru. "I wouldn't want it to get infected, the way you fell down the stairway the other day..."

Haru snuck another glance around the table making sure none of the other guys were looking at him. "That would be helpful... Tohru..." He turned back and went into the kitchen. Suddenly the men pounced Tohru for questions.

"He actually fell down the stairs?" Momiji asked.

"What a clumsy boy!" Shigure laughed.

"Ah, he was startled by someone on his cell phone I think, and forgot there was a step behind him. It was an honest mistake." She tried to defend while raising her hands. She turned to Hiro at the end of the table, trying to change the sujbect. "Oh and Hiro-san, I checked your summer math homework and it all looked perfectly fine! Maybe I'll help you with long division with fractions later though, that seemed to be the only visible problem."

Hiro suddenly colored and hid his face behind a ceral box while muttering a thank you.

"Richan-san, I've finished up stitching the open seam in that beautiful green kimono of yours."

"Tohru-kun! That is Mine-chan's job!" Ayame exclaimed. "And I had no idea that you were skilled with needle and thread!"

Tohru beamed. "Well, I didn't want to call Mine-san all the way over just for a small stitching. It really was no problem. I'd hate to be a bother to you, an unworthy girl like me."

Ayame blinked and rested his hands on his chin. "Tohru-kun, you are a very helpful girl."

"Oh... ah thank you..."

"I don't think this house has ever run so smoothly, not to mention everyone seems to draw their conversations to you at one point or another throughout the day."

Tohru blushed and turned to everyone around the table now trying to look away from the girl. She suddenly felt so special. No one had ever paid her so much attention like this before.

"So from this day forward..." Ayame put both hands on her shoulders getting right in her face. "You no longer are the Host Club slave! I shall fire all our help and have you as our only helper."

"What?" Tohru asked out loud.

"I guess it would make sence since you really do most of the work now and do it better than any of our other help ever had." Shigure told her.

Ayame slamed his hand down on the table. "I have announced your new title as the very first Host Club Housekeeper!" Ayame touched Tohru's face lightly while meeting her eyes with his own. "Does that suit you... dear housekeeper?"

"Get off her, you perverted man!" Yuki reprimanded while shoving his older brother off the poor girl. "You should be ashamed of yourself, sicko."

"He should be called King Perv." Hiro said.

"King Perv, King Perv, Ayame is King Perv!" Momiji chanted while laughing and running around the table to hug Tohru. "Don't worry! Momiji will protect you from King Perv!"

Ayame looked to Hatori for help but the other man simply continued to read the newspaper. "You got yourself into this one, King Perv."

"Gure-san! Ha-san is not on my side!" Ayame complained to Shigure.

"I should say he wasn't, King Perv."

Everyone burst in laughter at seeing that no one was on Ayame's side, the king finally being over thrown. Ayame gave up and excused himself to see the preparations for that day's customers.

After breakfast, Hatori helped Tohru with the dishes and the pair made it out into the grandous hall.

Ayame appeared with a package under his arm. Everyone else in the room seemed to also have one of these mysterious packages and he was walking straight towards her. "Here you are, Tohru."

"No, 'Tohru-kun' today, Ayame-san?"

He laughed. "Not anymore. You are no longer the slave! You are a housekeeper and as a hosuekeeper you must be called and dressed like a housekeeper! Every week we have a theme in mind and create costumes for everyone. Splended idea don't you think? Not to mention with my genius ideas, I have created a womanly outfit for you as well. I never really considered you a slave in this home but you really couldn't be called a member without proving yourself worthy!"

"But I'm not worthy..."

"Of course you are. Now, my housekeeper, go dress in the outfit!" Ayame laughed while walking away to inspect Momiji's outfit. "Splended, Momiji-chan!" Tohru stared down at the package and walked towards the bathroom noticing a package on that normally empty table as well. She grinned and put a little extra hop in her step. She felt so happy being bumped up in the ranks! But even with the title of slave she wouldn't have cared. She had not felt this much joy in such a long time. But the feeling of being unworthy of any man was still on her mind.

Tohru opened the bathroom door and smiled nonetheless. She would have to be sure to thank Kyo as soon as she saw him today. She had to thank him for giving her so much happiness.

To be continued...

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