Chapter 13 | Dates and Host Hoppings

--three days later--

~Arabella's POV~

Hey, will you be my date to the Winter Ball? Pretty please? You'd be doing a good deed.

'Sup? You, me, the Winter Ball?

I know we don't know each other that well at all, but I'm a desperate girl who's in need of a date very badly. Will you possibly consider going to the Winter Ball with me? I'll pay you.

These are the three options I'm considering of how I might ask someone to the Winter Ball.

Option one is... alright, I guess... Option two is bold, alright...

However, I'm leaning toward option three... That, or my backup plan: I dig a hole, climb into it, and die alone.

I can't tell which would take away the most of my pride and dignity.

But, literally, who am I supposed to ask??? All the decent dudes are already taken, and all that's left are the perverts.

Excuse me if I'm picky, but I'd like to survive the entire ball without some dude I don't even know try to force himself on me in a manner that's definitely NOT appropriate in school.

So, this naturally makes my options of dates rather limited.

I sighed as I entered Music Room 3.

When I got there, myself and the rest of the Host Club were the only ones here.

We canceled club hours for today so we could plan for the Winter Ball.

Seriously though, what am I supposed to do??? The ball is drawing nearer and I still don't have a date or even the slightest clue of who to even ASK.

"So! Give me an update; who has dates to the Winter Ball???" Tamaki said excitedly.

No one spoke.

"Seriously? None of you have dates??? Come on! You could at least pretend to care...!" Tamaki said.

Hikaru shrugged. "I dunno, boss..."

"... it seems like too much work." Kaoru finished.

Tamaki rolled his eyes. "Sure! I'm sure it is...!" he said sarcastically.

Hikaru suddenly spoke up. "Actually, Kaoru was thinking of asking this one girl he likes."

Kaoru turned red and immediately elbowed Hikaru in the side. But Hikaru hardly noticed.

Wait second... Kaoru likes somebody and was thinking of asking them to the dance...???

... Why does that fact seem to... bother me...?

Tamaki's face lit up. "Really??? That's great, Kaoru! So, who were you thinking of asking???" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah! Who is it you like, Kao-chan???" Honey said.

"Yeah, tell them, Kaoru." Hikaru urged his brother.

Kaoru just gulped nervously and laughed. "Oh...! They don't wanna hear about that...!"

"Yes, we do." Kyoya said.

Kaoru glared at Kyoya. If looks could kill, Kyoya would be dead.

"Come on, Kaoru. Tell us." Haruhi said.

"I... I don't think that's really necessary...!" Kaoru said.

Hikaru shrugged. "Whatevs. I'll tell them for you, Kaoru!" He cleared his throat. "Okay! Kaoru has been hopelessly in love and infatuated with her since the moment he laid his eyes on her, and all he's wanted to do since then was make out with her and tell her he loved her! He also wanted to do a bunch of other stuff to her, if you know what I mean~! Kaoru has a huge, gigantic monster crush on Ar--"

Kaoru immediately slapped his hand over Hikaru's mouth before any more could be said.

We all looked at them odd.

Kaoru chuckled nervously. "Ignore him! He's delirious! I don't like anyone! Really, I DON'T...! Trust me...! Okay???" he said all at once.

"Uh... alright..." Haruhi said.

"We believe you..." I mumbled.

Kaoru smiled before he suddenly yanked his hand away from Hikaru's mouth. "Ew!!! Hikaru! What the hell?!" He wiped his hand on Hikaru's uniform jacket. "You--You licked my hand!!!"

Hikaru smirked. "What?" he said innocently.

Kaoru glared at him before he rolled his eyes.

What the hell was all THAT about???

"You two are so immature! You disgust me! We all need dates for the Winter Ball. Real ones. NOT fake ones that Hikaru makes up!" Tamaki said.

Hikaru's eyes widened. "I wasn't making anything up--"

"SHUSH! No fake excuses, shady twin! We must focus on the task at hand: preparing for the Winter Ball! We have so much to do, and so little time! So, let's get to work, men... and Haruhi and Arabella!" Tamaki said.

Planning this ball is certainly gonna take a lot of energy outta me...

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day in the Host Club, our cos-play theme was "Incredibly Attractive Gods of the Tropical Jungle", or that's what Tamaki likes to call it anyway.

However, Haruhi and I refused to wear the outfits the guys picked out for us.

When Hikaru and Kaoru asked us why, we both replied with, "Too revealing."

When we said that, Hikaru and Kaoru out their hand on their hips. "Really? You're the one to talk, Arabella." Hikaru said.

I gave him a look. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Back when we went to Okinawa, Kyoya showed us pictures of you and Haruhi when you were both in the eighth grade." Kaoru said.

Haruhi and I froze.

"Where did Kyoya get pictures of us in the eighth grade???" I asked.

"And how did he get them???" Haruhi added.

Hikaru and Kaoru shrugged. "We don't know. All we know is that you, Haruhi, were much more in touch with your feminine side back then and wore skirts all the time..." Hikaru started.

"... and you, Arabella, were in beach volleyball tournaments back then and you wore bikinis all the time when you played." Kaoru finished.

"So, what's the difference with wearing the outfits we picked out for you when you used to wear stuff like that?" the twins said together.

"First off, my mom made me wear those. Second off, I quit beach volleyball a long time ago. And third off, my bikini wearing days ended when I quit beach volleyball." I explained.

"What a shame." Kaoru said with a sigh.

"Yeah, it would be a shame... especially for you, Kaoru." Hikaru mumbled under his breath. But, Kaoru heard him and sent him an immediate glare.

I just shuffled awkwardly at Hikaru's statement.

Haruhi whistled awkwardly.

Tamaki got in Kaoru's face. "STOP HITTING ON MY LITTLE GIRL, YOU SHADY TWIN!!!" he shouted.

Kaoru blushed. "For the last time, I'm NOT hitting on her...!!!"

"Yeah, he's definitely NOT hitting on me...!!! Jeez!" I said.

"Yes! He's NOT! Now, let's stop messing around and get into position! Club hours will officially start in about a minute from now! Let's go!" Tamaki said. We got into position.

Our customers arrived no more than one minute later.

And, when our female customers saw what the boys were wearing, they all fangirled.

Tamaki smiled proudly. "Fine men do not bundle up in bulky clothing! It may be winter out in the world, but in our club, we welcome our chilly princesses to a warm, south tropical aura! Yes, today this place is a supreme paradise! A hot, hot island with everlasting summer!" he declared. Haruhi and I rolled our eyes.

To go with the theme of our cos-play, Music Room 3 was decorated to look like a tropical jungle; fake plants, flowers, and palm trees were everywhere, really making the music room look like something out of an exotic island.

Tamaki was suddenly by one of his customers. "Even with my lustrous skin, like ivory, and my outfit, like that of a Balinese king, all too fitting for me, I am no more than a slave before my goddess, kneeling and swearing my loyalty." he said poetically.

His customer swooned, along with two others. "Oh, Tamaki...!"

"That was beautiful!"

"Amazing!"

I sighed and chuckled.

"Haruhi!"

Haruhi turned to see three of her customers sitting at a table. "Aren't you going to wear a south tropical outfit too?" one of her customers asked.

"Yeah! What about you, Arabella? Aren't you gonna wear something too???" one of my customers asked, he was obviously curious as well as the rest of my customers.

Haruhi faced her customers. "Uh, no. I... I just think these outfits should only be worn during the spring or summer, at the appropriate time." she said.

"Same with me. I believe wearing these wouldn't be appropriate during the winter." I told my customers.

Tamaki and the twins approached us.

"Haruhi! There's an outfit ready for you! Once more, it's paired with mine! Now we can be matchies~!!!" Tamaki said before he held out a female tropical outfit that somewhat resembled his.

"No thanks." Haruhi said immediately. Tamaki frowned and pouted.

"How about you, Arabella? We have one for you as well!" Hikaru and Kaoru said before they held up another female tropical outfit.

"Not happening." I said. They sighed.

"Haruhi, you have a strong sense of the seasons, huh?" one of Haruhi's customers said.

"Then I hope the cherry blossoms are in full blume for the Winter Ball!" another one of her customers said.

"Actually, it's kind of winter right now, so there won't be much flowers..." I pointed out.

Haruhi's customers ignored me. "The two of us...! Dancing among the fluttering cherry blossoms... It's so dreamy...!" a third customer said.

"You really think so? Ladies, you're so cute when you have such dreams." Haruhi said.

All her customers instantly blushed.

"Excuse me."

I turned to see another girl had approached Haruhi's table. She had short brown hair that ended just under her chin and hazel brown eyes.

"I believe that it's just about time for designee changes." she said.

Haruhi's eyes widened. "I'm sorry! You must be my next customer, Miss..."

"Kanako Kasugazaki, very pleased to meet you," the girl or "Kanako" said. She lifted Haruhi's face up by her chin. "You're even cuter than I thought you would be. I haven't been to the Host Club for awhile so I haven't met you yet," Then she turned to me. "Or you. I'm guessing you're the female host?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am. Hi, I'm Arabella Hashimoto. It's nice to meet you."

Kanako nodded. "Likewise," She turned back to Haruhi. Then she smiled. "I've just made up my mind, you're going to be my new favorite."

Huh? What's she mean by new favorite???

The second Kanako said "new favorite", Tamaki immediately tensed up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After club hours, Tamaki sat in a corner eating Ramen noodles in vain with a grim expression on his face. "I cannot accept this..." he mumbled.

"Tono, stop eating that commoners' Ramen and come help us plan the ball that YOU made us be in charge of!" Hikaru said.

"Is Kanako taking a liking to Haruhi really bothering you that much?" Kaoru questioned Tamaki.

"Her illness isn't something that just started, right?" Kyoya said as he typed on his laptop.

"Illness?" Haruhi and I repeated together.

Kanako had an illness??? What kind of illness???

"The Host Hopping Disease." Hikaru said.

Host Hopping Disease???

"Otherwise known as the Never-The-Same-Boy-Twice Disease." Kaoru said.

"Usually our customers designate the same host in perpetuity, but Miss Kasugazaki tends to change her favorite on a regular basis." Kyoya explained.

"Up until last time, Tama-chan was her favorite, right?" Honey said.

"Ah, this is all because he had his guest taken from him." Haruhi said.

I shrugged. "I guess that makes sense." I said.

"It is not! That's not why!" Tamaki said. He was out of his corner. "I'm at the limit of my patience! Haruhi, start dressing like a girl! I let you go on for awhile, but it is winter now, the middle of the school year! It's time to change! Now, dress like a girl! Why do you have to be so woefully popular with the girls, when you yourself are a girl?! To put it bluntly, the only people who know you're a girl are in this club!" he said before he suddenly ran off and came back with a trunk that was labeled King's Private Property and flipped the top open. Then he pulled out a large framed photo. "Daddy... daddy... wants to see you the way you were back then!!!" He shoved the photo in Haruhi's face.

She gasped. "Please don't go blowing up my photos without asking me!"

I sighed. "Tamaki, leave poor Haruhi alone. She doesn't want anyone enlarging her photos without permission. Respect that, please." I said.

Haruhi shot me a thankful look.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, during club hours, Kanako came in and requested Haruhi.

Not a surprise, she did mention yesterday Haruhi was her new favorite.

However, what was surprising is that Kanako was the only one of our customers that came in for club hours; we later found out, since the Winter Ball was getting closer, all our customers were busy getting prepared.

It was weird having Music Room 3 empty. While Haruhi was hosting, the rest of us just sat around.

"I must say," Kanako suddenly spoke up. "I'm rather surprised no one showed up today, even with the ball drawing closer. But, I'm glad to have you all to myself, Haruhi."

"Yeah..." Haruhi said.

Kanako suddenly looked down at the teacup she was using. "Ah...! You got new cups! Ginori, right?" she said.

"You have a keen eye, Miss Kasugazaki. In fact, they arrived just yesterday." Kyoya said.

I do remember us receiving a new shipment of tea sets yesterday, they a were very high quality and very expensive.

But, when you have rich friends, you apparently have money to burn.

"Lately, our club is looking to improve our tea sets." Kyoya added.

"I see. It's a beautiful color. Very lovely." Kanako said, studying her teacup.

"You must really love tableware, huh?" I said.

Kanako suddenly slammed down her teacup and her face flushed. "N-No...! Not really...! I don't...! My word, what are you even implying??? I don't like tableware at all...! It's just tableware...! Right???" she studdered. Then she laughed nervously.

Hm... She does seem to like tableware... But why would she hide it?

Suddenly, the doors to Music Room 3 opened and a guy with a chart came in. "Hello. I've brought the tea sets you've ordered." he said.

Kyoya approached him. "Ah, thank you. Every item that you choose for us is very popular with the girls. Very impressive."

The guy smiled. "That's good to hear."

"Are you a dealer?" Haruhi asked.

"I'm just a regular student... I'm wearing a uniform, see?" the guy said.

Kanako suddenly giggled.

"Haruhi, you're so funny! Although I can't blame you. He doesn't look like the heir to a first-class corporation, after all!" Kanako said.

"Heir?" I repeated.

"His family business, Suzushima Trading, is a company whose business centers around the importing of tablewares. Currently, it has the top market share in the country." Kyoya said.

"Oh yeah?" Haruhi asked.

"Yes. So when anything exceptional comes in, we've asked him to send it our way," Kyoya said. He turned to the guy. "That's because we trust your eye for these things, Suzushima-kun."

I suddenly noticed that both Kanako and the Suzushima guy weren't listening to the conversation at all, they were just staring at each other before Kanako suddenly stopped staring and turned back around.

The guy snapped out of it too and faced Kyoya again. "Oh no...! My eye still has a long way to go...!" he said.

"Your studying abroad in England starts next month, was it?" Kyoya said.

"Yes. Well, I'll be off." the guy said before he left.

Tamaki approached Kanako. "Are you enjoying the Host Club?" he asked.

Haruhi and I approached Kanako as well.

"Hey, Kanako, were you close to that guy who came in?" I asked.

Kanako immediately went stiff. "Huh?! N-No...! N-Not really... I-I'm not...!" she studdered. She then stood up. "N-Now, if you'll excuse me... I've got go! Take care!" Then she left.

"Ara-chan, Haru-chan! You know, Suzushima-kun is Kasugazaki-chan's fiancé!" Honey suddenly said.

Her fiancé?

Tamaki looked at Kyoya. "Kyoya, how long have you known?" he asked him.

"About him being her fiancé? I do, of course, conduct general research on our customers. The two are childhood friends. Their engagement seems to have been arranged by their parents. It didn't seem to be information we could use, so I just left it alone," Kyoya said before he opened a book. "Toru Suzushima: outstanding grades, fair social status, ordinary looks, with reliability as a strong point. If I had to fault him for anything..."

"Not much presence." Hikaru jumped in.

"He's faint-hearted." Kaoru added.

"In other words, he's plain. That's it." Kyoya said. He closed the book.

"Toru is a good boy. Right?" Honey asked.

"Yeah." Mori said.

"Alright, then... Let's examine our strategy." Tamaki said.

Strategy?

"Which one?" we all asked.

"Ouran Host Club exists to bring happiness to girls!" Tamaki stated. Then, he smiled. "And that's exactly what we're going to do."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Club hours soon ended and I began walking home.

Haruhi had an after school assignment to work on, so she couldn't walk with me today.

I was about to walk out of the school when I was suddenly approached by Hikaru and Kaoru. "Hey, Arabella!" they said.

"Hey." I said.

"So, random question: have you figured out who you're going to ask to the Winter Ball yet? We really wanna know!" Hikaru said.

Kaoru shoved him. "Uh, no, we DON'T..." he said.

Hikaru shoved back. "Yes, we DO!"

"No we don't!"

"Yes we do!"

"We really don't!"

"We really do!"

"Um, guys...?" I asked.

"What?" they both replied.

"Why are you, or why are you not interested in who I'm asking to the ball?" I questioned.

Hikaru smiled proudly. "Well, Kaoru here has something he has to tell you!" He nudged his twin toward me. "Well, Kaoru, say it...!"

Kaoru shuffled awkwardly. "Uh... Um... D-Don't listen to Hikaru...! He's just not... all there, if you get what I'm saying..." he said.

Hikaru glared at Kaoru. Kaoru glared back.

I legit don't know what's happening here...

"Uh... what's happening right now?" I asked.

Hikaru answered, "Everything!" at the exact same time Kaoru answered, "Nothing!"

I just stared at them, confused, mainly because I was.

"Would you just tell her already???" Hikaru asked Kaoru.

"Uh, no! Because there's nothing to tell...!!!" Kaoru snapped.

"Yes there is!"

"No there isn't!"

"Yes there is!"

"Quit it!"

"I won't because it's obvious you like h--"

"Say one more word, Hikaru, ONE MORE WORD and I will END YOU..."

While the twins continued fighting over God knows what, I suddenly heard a "psst".

I turned in the direction it came from.

"Psst!"

I saw someone hiding behind the corner.

It was Soga.

Hikaru and Kaoru were still deeply engaged in their argument when I approached Soga.

"Hey, chairman, what's up?" I said. "You were signaling me, right?"

Soga nodded. "Yes, Hashimoto, I was." he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because... You how the Winter Ball is in just a week from now?"

"Uh, yeah. My club is planning it."

"Of course, I knew that... It's just... the ball is coming up soon and I still don't have a date..."

Gee, that sounds awfully familiar...

"Really? What a coincidence, I don't have a date either."

Soga's face immediately lit up when I said that. "Really??? You don't??? I thought someone would've already asked you...!" he said.

"Nope. No one's asked me." I said.

Soga smiled. "This is perfect!" he said.

Huh???

"Uh, why?" I asked.

"Because," Soga said before he cleared his throat. "Hashimoto, will you go to the Winter Ball with me?"

I froze.

Did... did he just say what I think he said???

"W-Wait... Like... like as your date???" I studdered.

Soga nodded. "Exactly!" he said.

What???

"Uh... Um...," What the hell do I say?! "Uh... sure...?" It came out as more a question than an answer.

Soga smiled again. "Great!" he said. "This is great!"

I eyed him. "Uh... Any particular reason you're asking me???" I asked.

Soga leaned in and whispered to me.

My eyes widened as he explained. It all suddenly made sense.

When he pulled away, I smiled and laughed like a little schoolgirl, all giddy-like. "This is great, Soga! Good for you! I'm so happy you're doing this!" I said.

Soga nodded. "Yeah... I was thinking about when I should do it... Then I heard that the Winter Ball was coming up, so I knew I had to jump at the opportunity. What do you say?" he said.

I smiled brightly. "Of course, Soga, I'd be delighted to."

Soga smiled wider than before. "Thank you, Hashimoto! I won't forget this!" Then he hugged me, smiled again, and ran off.

"Uh, what was that all about???"

I turned to see Hikaru and Kaoru standing by my side.

I shrugged. "Oh, nothing... It's just I finally got myself a date to the Winter Ball!" I said.

Hikaru gave me a look. "With class rep.?"

I nodded. "Yep."

"Uh... Alright..." Hikaru said.

"So, wait, you're going to the Winter Ball with Soga?" Kaoru said.

"Uh huh." I said.

"Let me get something straight: you could go with ANY GUY in this school, and you choose Soga??? Really???" Kaoru snapped.

Woah, what's with the sudden hostility???

"Uh, there's nothing wrong with going with Soga! He's a very nice guy! What's the problem with that?" I retorted.

"Oh, nothing...! Nothing at all...!" Kaoru said through gritted teeth.

What is with him all of a sudden??? Did I say anything???

"Come on, Hikaru, let's go home. I'm suddenly tired." Kaoru said.

Hikaru gave him a look, which Kaoru returned with an immediate glare.

Hikaru threw his hands up defensively. "Okay, sure, let's go home," he said. "Bye, Arabella."

"Bye..." I said.

Kaoru didn't say anything. He just pulled Hikaru by the arm and, just like that, they left.

I stared after them.

Okay, what the hell was all THAT???

What's Kaoru's problem??? Have I done something or said something that ticked him off??? I don't remember or think I did anything wrong or that would make him angry...!

I wonder why he reacted like that...