Chapter 23 - An unexpected request

A week went by and everything fell back into place. Well somewhat anyway. Haru moved out of the Sohma residence to live with Rin, while Hiro returned home as well to get ready for the up coming school term. He and Kisa would be attending the same high school, Tohru was informed by Yuki earlier that week.

The club members did not seem fazed by the loss of two Sohma members and activities bustled in the main hall as usual. Dispite the fact Kyo told her he loved her, none of the other men harassed her about the fact. But then again, who knew what happened when she wasn't present in the room. Oh the gossip!

But we digress.

Tohru stretched her arms up high over her head sighed. She smoothed out her old western styled dress with it's ample amount of skirts and rather itchy stockings before fanning herself slightly with her gloved hand. It was much too warm to be wearing such an outfit. Ayame's theme was the old west and everyone was dressed like cowboys, cherifs, and anything in between. The entire hall was also heavily decorated with catus and tumbleweed decor. A theme it was indeed.

This week, Tohru refilled glasses with cactus juice. Ayame said it helped the complection and the customers hurridly took this advice in hopes of beauty. Tohru tasted it herself and Kyo warned her not to fall for Ayame's insane lie. She was so gullibe sometimes. She paused in her serving and couldn't help but stare at Kyo's rather sexy outfit. Cowboy hat, button down shirt with the top few undone... it made her blush at her thoughts. It felt strange though because Kyo wasn't acting the way he normally did while he was hosting. He looked rather bored and didn't really pay much mind to the girls. She wondered what he was thinking about...

She went by Yuki's table hearing a snip of their conversation. "Oh Prince Yuki," one girl said shyly turning away from Yuki while he watched her with full attention to the color of her stained cheeks. "I'd hate to monopolize all your time. The other girls would become jealous... I just don't want this moment to end."

Yuki leaned over. "Princess, as long as you hold onto these memories, the moment will never end. A beautiful girl like you will always be embellished in my mind. Just as the flow of ink forever stains it's beautiful writting on fine white paper."

"PRINCE YUKI!" All the girls swooned.

Yuki gave them his charming smile and they all began squeeling with joy. Sometimes Yuki wondered if these girls were really that simple minded. Was it really that easy to be swept off one's feet with such nonsense? The funny part was none of these girls really knew who he was. To them, he was just Prince Yuki of the Host Club... and yet it made him wonder if that was all he really was.

"Yuki-kun," Tohru voiced out, "I believe the next group is waiting." Yuki nodded and bid the girls a good afternoon.

"Good bye, Prince Yuki! Enjoy the brownies I baked you!" One girl chirped.

"Every bite will soothe my soul till our next meeting."

The girl fainted.

"Don't faint! You're missing his charming-prince-like-smile!" The girl's friend yelled while catching her star struck friend. She began smacking her repeatedly. "Wake up!"

Yuki sighed and loosened his collar while Tohru only chuckled at the slightest change in Yuki's facial features. These girls always brought Yuki goodies and presents but the truth was Yuki had no idea what to do with it all. "Yuki-kun has so many admirers." Tohru giggled. Behind the lounge chair Yuki was sitting at was a massive pile of different goodies from various customers throughout the day.

The rat looked behind him at the pile with a rather depressed look. "I just can't seem to say, 'I don't really care for sweets'." Yuki confessed to Tohru. The other girl smiled.

"It's the thought that counts."

"But I can't eat all of that."

Shigure tip-toed over and grabbed a platter of small cakes from a blank looking Yuki. "Well I know you're watching your weight, Yuki--"

"No, I'm not--"

"--So I'll just take some okay?" Shigure laughed. He appeared behind Hatori who was hosting a different girl. "'Tori-san, would you like a taste?"

Hatori turned the other way. "No."

Shigure moved to put the cake in his face. "Please? I'll even feed it to you if you want."

Hatori closed his eyes. "Definitely no."

Suddenly Ayame spun Shigure around so the two friends were almost in a hugging position.

"I'd love some cake, Gure-san." Ayame bent his head to eat the cake right out of Shigure's hand. "Mm, it tastes so good."

"Oh, Aya!" Shigure cried. "We only do this at our sleepovers, not in front of the customers!"

Ayame held Shigure's hands with his own, the pair off in their own world now with shojo bubbles and random floating flowers everywhere. "But I cannot wait until dark to eat sweets. The ones where I can eat it from your hand are just so much sweeter."

Shigure posed with a hand over his head. "And those that you feed to me are just as sweet."

Ayame held a fork with a small bite of cream pie on it before Shigure's mouth. "Would you like a demonstration?"

All the girls around them burst out with squeels. "Romance between two friends! WAIII!"

"Grab the camera!"

"I'll buy that fork Ayame-sama used as a souvenir!"

Yuki slapped a hand to his forehead. "I hate it when they do that," he growled while watching his cousin and brother make a scene infront of the scary fan girls.

Tohru just sweatdropped and led Yuki's next group of ladies to his table. She made sure they were all settled and left with a friendly wave.

After living with the Sohmas for so long, the customers were taking a liking to her. No more evil eyes or anything, they were actually quite nice. Sometimes.

She began dusting the mantle over the unused fire place. She was really enjoying herself here. She turned around slowly to look in Kyo's direction. Since the day that they shared their first kiss, Kyo was acting a bit like a high school boy. He stumbled sometimes over his words and got angry a lot, but then tried to cover it up by speaking in friendlier tones to her. Once he even made a small lunch for her! She found it quite adorable. And the way his presence seemed to calm her, it was a nice feeling. He let her feel free.

Even now, they met on accident on the roof. One night, she'd discovered a small step ladder leaning on her balcony. She had no idea how he got it there, but was thankful all the same. It made climbing the roof that much easier. She wondered if they really met on accident or was it planned? Secretly, she always hoped that Kyo would be there to keep her company while they stared at the stars. Sometimes she would begin to dose off and Kyo would have to wake her and tell her to go to bed. But sitting on the roof was so much more calming.

Every so often, his hand would 'accidentally' brush hers. She wasn't too sure if it really was an accident, but she liked to pretend he did it on purpose. She really wanted to hold his and and open share her love as well but she didn't know if she was truly in love with the man. She wanted to, she really did, but her mind kept telling her no. She couldn't give her heart so freely in fear of being hurt again.

She watched wistfully as Kyo's eyes suddenly met hers across the hall and then just as quickly looked away. She giggled-- he acted like he was caught seeing something he wasn't suposed to see.

Around the other Sohmas, Kyo was rather loud and always being teased. It usually ended up in his anger meter jumping way off the charts. But when it was just him and her, she got to see the softer side of him. Still, he was awkward when it was just the two of them. Not that he was the only one feeling awkward. She took much of that into her own account especially when he watched her or said something that made her blush. Numerous times he said something along the lines of her being cute or funny but she couldn't be any of that! She was so plain and uncute! But he always made her blush anyway. It was cute.

Not that Kyo would like to be called cute at all.

Suddenly the main doors opened as Tohru continued to carry on her chores.

Ayame popped into the doorway. "Welcome ladies! You are new guests here I see." Ayame looked over the serious blonde woman and an indifferent raven haired girl. He met their eyes again and put a hand toward them. "Please come in and enjoy the atmosphere of our small topia."

The blonde girl backed away from Ayame's hand just as quickly as he put it out. "Don't touch me your faker!" She shoved him and Ayame stared at them bewildered.

"Gure-san! She actually pushed me!" Ayame complained while Shigure ran over to hug his friend.

Hatori stood up and stared at the new comers. The blonde girl looked around the room in rage while the other girl stepped into the room closing her eyes as if blocking out all the noise.

"My electric waves are feeling uneasy."

"The hell it does!" The other girl said. Hatori steped up to the girls, his rather serious tone fazing over the blonde girl's loud one.

"Arisa-san?"

Uo jumped at the man calling her by her first name. She stared at him and then smiled.

"Hatori! Whoa, you scared me. Haven't seen you in a long time."

Hatori turned away while motioning Uo to follow. "Making a scene here is not wise, plase have a seat." He eyed her stomach. "And uncontrolled anger is not good for the baby either."

Very few things made Uo blush, and talking about her and Kureno's child was one of them. Sometimes she just couldn't believe she was holding a little life in her womb.

She clicked her tounge and turned to her darker friend. "Hanajima and I are looking for our friend, right?"

Hana nodded. "Precicely."

Hatori nodded. "Tohru-san, I presume."

Hana looked around the room with the same blank stare. "We're making sure..." Hana's eyes met Hatori's, "this is a good environment for our Tohru-kun."

Hatori could feel a prick at his back. Were these two really her friends?

"We trust that Tohru-kun is being take care of..." Hana stared off. "Proper eating, sleeping..." her eyes seemed to suddenly glow, "she's not being over worked..."

Hatori never lost his cool, but this girl was... how should he say, creeping him out.

Suddenly the group heard a rather loud gasp. The two girls and Hatori turned around to see Tohru staring at them wide eyed.

"Hana-chan! Uo-chan!" Tohru nearly wailed running over to hug her friends. Both Hana and Uo went in to hug their sorely missed friend, the three girls screaming with joy. She embrached them tightly as she rambled about how glad she was to see them in so long. Tohru leaned away from them. "How did you...?"

Uo held a familiar piece of stationary between her index and middle finger. "Kureno gave me a letter from you. As soon as I read it, I forced him to tell me where you were."

Tohru sighed. That was Uo for you.

Hana put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. "We are fine that you decided to stay here..." her eyes loomed around the room full of promiscuous flirting, "we're only here to see that this lifestyle is most fitting."

"And to see who this cutie pie you wrote about is." Uo laughed in a rather loud voice while smacking Tohru lightly on the back. "Come on Tohru, we want to hear the gossip! Have you guys kissed yet?"

Suddenly a certain orange head poped up among the crowd and Tohru hoped that he didn't hear that. How embarassing!

Uo stopped laughing and looked down at Tohru's attire. "What's with the dress?"

Tohru's eyes lit up. "Oh, you see, Ayame-san makes clothes as his real job aside from the host club and he makes outfits. This one is an old western theme!"

"It's interesting."

Tohru beamed. Uo paused to take in Tohru's full apperance. She did look brighter, not as skinny anymore, and most of all absolutely happy. Uo could still remember that old Tohru figure from a few months ago. She always looked so pale and depressed dispite how she tried to smile for everyone. What had caused her this change? The Tohru standing before Uo was a resemblance of the former Tohru she knew in high school.

So much had changed over the years...

"Tohru-kun, you seem to be much healthier from the last time we've met." Hana cut in as if reading Uo's exact thoughts. "Taking care of yourself?"

"Of course! With all the Sohmas looking after me, I always feel good. They're almost like family." She smiled. Hatori even cracked a small smile at Tohru's kind words. "They were even so kind to give me a permanant living quarters."

"Oh in that case." From no where, Uo tossed down two rather large suit cases. "Mind if we stay the night?"

"EH?"

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