Chapter 35 | A day in the Life of the Hashimoto Family!

--one week later--

~Arabella's POV~

"So, Arabella, how are you feeling today?"

"Fine, I guess... My head hurts a little..."

"Alright. How was your first week back at school?"

"Overall, pretty good and normal."

"Excellent. Okay, how are you feeling emotional-wise?"

"... Well, there is something that's... confusing me..."

"And what is that?"

"Well... I think I might like this guy."

"Really? Who?"

"He's one of my friends, actually."

"Really? Great. What's he like?"

"He's everything; kind, gentle, funny, caring, extremely handsome, and everything in between...! He's just... perfect."

"Perfect, hm? He sounds nice. You're a lucky girl."

"Well, Dr. Takahiro, that's just it: I'm not lucky. In fact, we're not even dating at all. He doesn't even notice me..."

"And, you want him to?"

"Well... Yes! No! I don't know...! I really think I like him, but that's bad! Because I've learned firsthand that I can't trust anyone... anyone except Mom and Daniel, that is."

"Ah. I see. You're afraid. It's okay to be afraid. Really, it is. After all you've been through, I can imagine why you must be somewhat reluctant towards your feelings for this boy. It's completely normal. Do you think he might like you back?"

"Probably not. I mean, don't get me wrong, we have had somewhat awkward encounters in the past..."

"Really? Awkward how?"

I crossed my legs. "Well... he called me beautiful once. Me! Beautiful! Me!"

Dr. Takahiro smiled. "That's great, hon. How nice. What else? That didn't seem that awkward."

"That's just the icing on the incredibly uncomfortable cake... You see, he also saw me naked..."

Dr. Takahiro's facial expression immediately changed. "That's... nice too... I suppose..."

I blushed. "I-It's not what you're thinking, Dr. Takahiro...! I swear, it's NOT...! H-He walked in on me..."

Dr. Takahiro nodded. But something told me she didn't quite believe me.

"Okay, well, he didn't walk on in me... But...," I sighed. "Do you want to hear the whole story? It's kind of a long one..."

Dr. Takahiro looked at her watch. "I'd love to. We have fifteen more minutes of our session. I can push back my next session if needed."

I shook my head. "Oh no! That's alright! It's long, but not that long! It's long-ish... Kinda. I guess. So. Where to begin...? Well, at the country club, duh."

"You were at a country club?"

"Yes, we were. My friends invited me there to swim and hang out. So, I went. We were having fun when one of my genius friends spilled soda on me, I went to go change into my clothes after that. I was in the girl's locker room with Haruhi... You remember her, right?"

Dr. Takahiro nodded. "Yes. The crossdresser, correct?"

I nodded. "Yes. Correct. So, anyway, I was in there with Haruhi, and she went to wait outside for me. Apparently, and to this day I still don't know how, the guy I liked was somehow in one of the lockers and was watching me undress the entire time. I think Tamaki--remember him?--locked him in the locker somehow before Haruhi and I entered the locker room--"

"Wait. Tamaki is the bubbly blonde baka, right?" Dr. Takahiro interrupted.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Okay. Continue."

"Alright. So Tamaki trapped him in the locker and he was left there until Haruhi and I arrived. I undressed and finished putting on my clothes literally right before Tamaki came in. Haruhi was supposed to be guarding the door, but apparently I wasn't too clear on that... Tamaki came in anyway. When he did, he unlocked the locker... And guess who was inside? It all pretty much explains itself from there..."

"I see. Awkward indeed."

"At first, I kinda freaked out and thought he was somewhat of a pervert, but he told me about Tamaki locking him in there. So yeah. The end." I finished up.

Dr. Takahiro checked her watch. "Perfect timing too. You're supposed to leave in five minutes," she said before I grabbed my purse and she and I stood up. "It looks like you're off to the supermarket, huh? It is Sunday, after all, the day you usually go to the supermarket."

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm actually going with Haruhi. She volunteered to shop with me today."

Dr. Takahiro smiled. "Arabella, before you go, I just wanted to let you know how proud of you I am. You've opened up and made so much progress over our several sessions. Back in the distant beginning, you never talked. At all. Never. And now you're opening up, sharing stories with me, no matter how awkward they may be! I'm really proud. Your mother must be too."

I smiled back. "Thanks a lot, Dr. Takahiro. You've been a real help in all that. However, there's still room for improvement. Much more. I'm not exactly a beautiful social butterfly," I said before I started out the door. "Bye, Dr. Takahiro! See you next week!"

"Goodbye, Arabella! See you next week!"

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

~Third Person POV~

"Hello..?"

"Kyoya! It's me!"

"Tamaki? What are you doing, calling me on a Sunday morning? You woke me up. You know good and well I'm not a morning person..."

"Sorry, Kyoya! But I have something very important to discuss with you!"

"Like hell you do."

"Kyoya, this is serious!!!"

"Fine. But this better be good..."

"It's not! It's awful! I just had a horrible nightmare! My little girl, Arabella, is living in POVERTY!!! We all went to her house, which was nothing but a small, filthy SHACK!!! She didn't even have cups to pour us tea in!!! She also had to fast for three days just to save up enough money to get us food!!! And the food was cheap, crappy sushi. NOT premium sushi, Kyoya--cheap, crappy sushi...!!!"

"Tamaki--"

"Did you hear me, Kyoya?!?! CHEAP, CRAPPY SUSHI!!! We need to go over to Arabella's house right now and see if my nightmare was reality! Because, if it is, then my little girl is poorer than dirt!"

"I can assure you, that's NOT--"

"I'm going over to her house! Right this instant! You meet me there as soon as possible!"

Then, before Kyoya could get another word in, Tamaki hung up.

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

"Well, we got everything! It looks like we're good. And, Haruhi, thanks for shopping with me today." Arabella said as she and Haruhi walked.

Haruhi smiled. "No problem. I needed to go grocery shopping as well. Thanks for shopping with me," Haruhi said. "Wow, the supermarket really is the place to spend a Sunday morning."

"It sure is! Once I get home, I have laundry to do, but it's only a little bit. Then we can hang out." Arabella said.

"After we're done hanging out for the day, when I get home, I have to clean my apartment space. It shouldn't take too long though." Haruhi said. Arabella nodded.
Suddenly, Haruhi's eyes widened.

Arabella nudged her. "What is it, Haruhi? Are you okay?"

"Look at that." Haruhi said before she pointed at the end of a car that was just sticking out. The rest of it was covered by somewhat of a crowd of people.

And it was parked in front of Arabella's house.

"What's this, out in front of my driveway?" Arabella asked. Haruhi shrugged.

As Arabella and Haruhi moved in closer, the talking of the crowd grew louder.

"What an expensive-looking car...!" someone said.

"I think it's a limo...!" someone else said.

Suddenly, one of the limo's doors opened and people started getting out.

Not just any people.

The Host Club.

Arabella and Haruhi groaned.

"So, this is Ara-chan's house, huh?" Honey said.

"It's bigger than I thought it would be." Mori said.

"See, Tamaki? I told you there was nothing to worry about. Arabella definitely isn't living in the poverty that your delusional mind created." Kyoya said.

"We tried telling you, Tono! But you wouldn't listen!" Hikaru said.

"Hikaru and I have actually been to Arabella's house before." Kaoru said.

"Kyoya! What's with all these people?! I just wanted you to come with me! No one else! Especially the shady twins!!!" Tamaki shouted at Kyoya, clearly irritated.

"Oh. Well, I knew you wouldn't have the courage to come alone." Kyoya said.

"And that's why I wanted you to come with me! I didn't want or need anyone else!" Tamaki said.

"You should've been clearer on that matter. Since I knew you wouldn't have the courage to come alone, I knew I had to come with you, but I thought that wouldn't be enough. So, I called them. I thought it would be better if we all came en masse. I guess that was somewhat uncalled for," Kyoya said before he grabbed Hikaru and Kaoru by their shoulders and turned them away from Arabella's house. "Oh well. Come on, children, let's go home."

Hikaru and Kaoru immediately pulled away from him. "No way! We don't want to go home!" they said.

"I'm sorry, forgive me! I don't want to be alone," Tamaki said. "But, remember, everyone--this is just a 'we happened to be passing by' sort of nonchalant visit! It is definitely not research on the Hashimoto family's way of living! The words 'shabby', 'cramped', 'rundown', and 'crappy' are absolutely forbidden!"

"Why would we use any of those words to describe Arabella's house? We wouldn't!" Hikaru said.

"Yeah, Arabella's house is nice. I've been inside it before." Kaoru said.

Tamaki's eyes immediately narrowed. "Why, shady twins, were you inside Arabella's house?" he asked suspiciously.

"We were there to invite her to our country club, remember?" Hikaru and Kaoru said.

"No! You were supposed to call her or text her or something of that nature! NOT go to her house!!! I should've been the first one of us to see her house! As well as Haruhi's!" Tamaki said.

"So? We wanted to invite Arabella in person. Is that so wrong?" Hikaru said.

"We did the same thing with Haruhi too." Kaoru pointed out.

Tamaki took a deep breath. "No matter. Anyway, while we're at Arabella's house, under no circumstances are you to say or do anything to make Arabella, Daniel, and their mother wish we would leave!" he said.

"Too late for that! You're already annoying Arabella! Now, leave!" Haruhi shouted at them.

They all spun around to see Haruhi and Arabella, holding groceries.

"Haruhi! Arabella!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Those simple outfits look good on you two!" Hikaru and Kaoru commented.

Haruhi and Arabella looked down at the simple dresses they were wearing.

"Uh... thanks...?" Arabella said.

"Shut up!" Haruhi shouted at the boys. "Get the hell out of here! Arabella and I were going to hang out here together alone. As in no annoying rich boys!"

Arabella held her hand up. "No, Haruhi, it's okay. We can still have our peace-and-quiet day together," she said. "I'll allow them all one small peek. Then, I'll make them all leave and we can hang out. Okay?"

Haruhi groaned but nodded. "Alright," she said. "Come on, guys, you get to see Arabella's house."

They all smiled widely.

Haruhi and Arabella led them to the front door of the house.

Arabella put her hand on the door knob. "Alright, I'm warning you now, all you get is one look. Like, for three seconds. Once you've seen it, you'll immediately--"

"Ara-chan! Look!" Honey said as he held up a small box. "I brought cake, it's a gift! It has both strawberry and chocolate and some others too!"

Arabella looked at the box and sighed. "Well, I guess we could all have some tea..." she said.

Haruhi's eyes widened. "What?" she whispered.

Arabella ignored her and turned the door knob, opening the front door...

Soon, it was all the way open, and the Host Club got a good look at Arabella's living room and kitchen.

Tamaki let out a breath of relief. Phew...! This is a LOT BETTER LOOKING than in my nightmare...! It's actually somewhat classy-looking... he thought.

They all entered Arabella's house before Arabella closed the door.

"I'll put on some tea," Arabella said as she entered the kitchen. "Haruhi, help me?"

Haruhi nodded. "Sure." Just get through this, and soon you and Arabella will be hanging out ALONE with no annoying boys... she thought to herself before she followed Arabella into the kitchen.

The boys took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Arabella! As far as tea goes, I have some black tea that my father bought. Here." Hikaru said before he tossed the bag of tea into Arabella's hands.

Arabella smiled. "Thank you." she said.

"It's best with milk. Do you have any milk?" Kaoru said.

"Yes... I believe we have some milk..." Arabella said.

Tamaki's eyes widened before he glared at the twins. "You idiots! How could you ask something like that of her?!" he whisper shouted.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at him. "Huh?"

"Are you trying to embarrass Arabella by giving her that rich, fancy, and expensive tea?! Her tea probably isn't anywhere near that fancy...!" Tamaki said. "Look! Look at how both Arabella and Haruhi are at a total loss of what to do with your fancy tea! But, they can't bring themselves to tell us so!"

The bottom Hikaru and Kaoru's lips quivered.

"A-Arabella! I'm sorry! You don't have to make us any tea...!" Hikaru said.

"Yeah! Water will be just fine for us!" Kaoru said.

"What? Really? But Haruhi and I have already made it." Arabella said. She was holding a tray.

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru all stared at the tray of tea Arabella held out.

"Oh... well, in that case... okay..." Hikaru and Kaoru mumbled.

"That was a close one! We were narrowly rescued by commoners' wisdom...!" Tamaki whispered.

"What do you mean by that?" Hikaru asked.

"In this place, none of our common knowledge holds true... There's no telling, but one of our offhanded remarks might inflict serious damage upon Arabella's feelings! Thus, in this fight, whoever embarrasses Arabella is the loser." Tamaki whispered.

"I haven't the faintest idea why you feel the need to turn this short visit into a contest." Kyoya said.

"The tea is ready, sorry not all the cups match." Arabella said as she and Haruhi handed out several cups and poured the tea.

Suddenly, Daniel came running into the room and yanked open the refrigerator door before he noticed Arabella and her friends.

He looked at them. "Uh, hey, Arabella. Hey, Haruhi."

Haruhi waved.

Arabella nodded her head at the Host Club. "Say hi to the rest of my friends, Daniel. Remember them? From winter break? Africa?" she said.

Daniel nodded. "Oh yeah. Fun trip. I definitely remember the ginger-twins. Hey, isn't one of them your boyfriend? Kaoru, is it...?" he said.

Arabella blushed. "No, Daniel. He's NOT. Now, would you stop asking that question every time you see him?!" she said, gritting her teeth.

Daniel thought for a moment before he said, "Nah. It's too hilarious! It's your faces when I say it though! Priceless," he snickered. "Oh, and by the way, speaking of priceless, I've been reading your diary lately. And, according to that thing, Kaoru is your prince charming, and you totally wanna have his baby."

The room grew extremely silent.

Kaoru and Arabella's cheeks grew extremely red.

Tamaki's eyes widened, mortified. Kyoya was smirking. Mori was covering Honey's ears.

And, Hikaru was snickering and giggling under his breath. "I love this kid..." he whispered to himself.

Daniel had heard, and was smiling, proud of himself.

Arabella was seething. THIS is exactly what I was afraid of if my friends ever came over to hang out... I knew this would happen... she thought angrily.

Then, she cleared her throat. "Um, Daniel, don't you have somewhere you should be...?"

Daniel's eyes widened before he nodded. "Oh yeah! That's right--my friends are here too. They're in the backyard. Blowing things up. I came in here to get some Pepsi." he said before smirking and taking several Mintos out of his pants pocket.

Arabella shook her head. "Daniel Lee Hashimoto... Minto bombs? Really? And I thought those kind of things were beneath you..." she said.

Daniel shrugged. "It's too much fun. We're gonna shoot one over our fence and into our crabby neighbor's yard." he said before he went back to what he was doing and grabbed a giant Pepsi bottle out of the refrigerator and closed the door.

Arabella put her hands on her hips. "You still didn't say hi to my friends."

Daniel faced the Host Club and gave them a nod. "'Sup." he said before he ran off again and into the backyard. When he opened the backyard door, they could hear the shouts of his obviously excited friends. Then, he closed the backyard door and the shouts faded.

Arabella and Haruhi sat down at the kitchen table.

"I'm so sorry about him; he's a real pain in the ass," Arabella said. "Man, he was much more loveable and cute when he was a baby..."

Honey opened the box and loaded out several cakes before putting them all on the table. "Ara-chan, you get to choose your cake first!" he said.

"Are you sure?" Arabella asked.

"Of course! After all we're used to eating this stuff!" Hikaru said.

"Hm... let's see..." Arabella said to herself as she looked at all the cakes.

"Baka!" Tamaki and Kaoru snapped at Hikaru before they both flicked him harshly on the head.

"Ow!" Hikaru said.

"What are you trying to do?! Flaunt our wealth and damage her self-esteem???" Tamaki whisper shouted.

"Hm... The chocolate one, please." Arabella finally said.

Tamaki sighed. "How cute is my little girl???" he gushed.

"Okay, Ara-chan," Honey said before he handed the piece chocolate cake to Arabella. "Now, your turn, Haru-chan!"

"I'll have the strawberry one." Haruhi said.

Honey smiled. "Okay!" he said cheerfully before he gave the strawberry piece of cake to Haruhi.

Then, Honey gave a piece of the strawberry cake to Mori and himself.

Mori picked all the strawberries off his cake and gave them to Arabella and Haruhi. "You like strawberries?" he asked.

Haruhi and Arabella both nodded. "Yes! Thank you!" they said together.

Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru flipped out. "Ahhh!!! Why didn't we think of that?!" they wailed.

Eventually, they all finished their cake.

"Ah... After eating that cake, I'm a bit peckish...!" Honey said.

"Now that you mention it, it's way past lunchtime." Hikaru and Kaoru said.

"I could order a pizza," Arabella said. "I should have the money for it."

Kyoya stood up. "Now, we're the ones that dropped in on you without warning, so we'll pay for it." he said.

"No, it's really okay! I'm gonna regret it later if I have to pay for something for you. And I guarantee it'll cost more than just a pizza..." Arabella said.

Kyoya pulled out a golden credit card. "Not to worry. This is from all those pictures of you and Haruhi we auctioned off. The ones Hikaru and Kaoru photoshopped." he said.

"WHAT?! Kyoya, I never gave you permission to auction those off!!!" Tamaki shouted.

"So, wait... doesn't that mean it's really on Haruhi and I...?" Arabella asked Kyoya.

"I've got an idea--a friend of mine owns a sushi shop in town, I can call them and we can have sushi along with the pizza. Trust me, they'll have some real good sushi there." Haruhi said.

Suddenly, Tamaki grabbed a pen and a piece of paper out of nowhere and began writing. Then, he handed it to Haruhi.

Haruhi read it out loud. "'Remember, my daughter, even if the sushi's label on the package says premium, doesn't mean it's actually high-quality, so be very careful. Your senpai'," Haruhi frowned at Tamaki before she crumpled up the paper into a ball and threw it into a nearby trashcan. "I think I know that much."

Tamaki whimpered.

"I'd like to have something made by you and Arabella, Haru-chan. We can always have pizza or sushi, but we can't always have something made by you both." Honey said.

"Honey-senpai...!!!" Hikaru gasped.

"What a daring thing to say...!!!" Kaoru gasped.

"That's fine. But, even starting now, it'll take some time." Haruhi said. Arabella nodded in agreement.

"We'll wait, then!" Honey said happily.

"We should've said that to them!!!" Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru cried.

"We'll get to eat Haruhi and Arabella's cooking...!" Tamaki cried happily. He and the twins smiled as they cried.

"Okay," Arabella nodded at Haruhi. "Let's get started.

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

"The food's almost ready!" Haruhi called from inside the kitchen with Arabella.

"Okay!" Hikaru and Kaoru called back. They were in the living room playing a video game with Daniel, whose friends had left some time ago.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Host Club was in the game room.

"So, how long do you think until your crabby neighbor comes here and yells at you?" Hikaru asked Daniel.

Daniel, of course, had thrown the Mintos bomb over the fence and into the neighbor's yard.

"Hm... Last time it took him ten minutes. It's been fifteen. Maybe he finally gave up." Daniel said as he and Kaoru played the game.

"What's your deal with him?" Kaoru asked.

"Well, he deflated my favorite football and threw it in the lake on purpose, and he called me a little rat several times over." Daniel explained.

"No offense, but that doesn't seem like that big a deal..." Hikaru said.

"It's not the football. It's the name--little rat. Someone in my past used to call Arabella and me that very name... Of course, that's nowhere near how horrible the other things he did to us were, though..." Daniel said.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at him.

I have a feeling I know who he's talking about... Kaoru thought.

Then, he stood up. "Um, where's your bathroom?"

"Down the hall, first door on your right." Daniel said.

"Thanks." Kaoru said before he headed down the hall.

Then he found the bathroom and went inside.

When he was done, he exited and turned to leave.

But that was when he looked up the stairs and saw a slight light.

He got curious and went upstairs.

He then saw where the light was coming from.

An open door.

Kaoru approached the door and opened it wider. He looked inside.

It was a bedroom. The walls were painted a greenish-blue and there was a dresser with a large mirror and a nightstand with a lamp. There was also a sitting area with a bay window.

Kaoru entered the room.

His eyes wandered until they landed on a bulletin board with several photos on it.

A picture of Arabella and her family, a picture of Arabella playing volleyball, a picture of Arabella and her volleyball team smiling widely and holding up a large first-place volleyball trophy...

A picture of Arabella as a little girl, atop her father's shoulders.

"This must be Arabella's room..." Kaoru whispered to himself.

His eyes studied the photo of Arabella and her father.

Arabella's father was a tall man with black hair and a friendly smile.

Just by looking at him, Kaoru could tell he must've been a good father.

Kaoru also saw Arabella's father had brown eyes.

Kaoru smiled. "So that's where she got the brown eyes..."

Arabella's mother, Nina, had green eyes. So Kaoru often wondered where Arabella and Daniel got their brown ones.

Now, he knew.

After he was done looking at the photo, he moved on to another.

But, this was different from the rest.

For one, this was the only group photo that Arabella was in beside the volleyball team one.

And, it was a picture of all of them.

The Host Club.

They were all together, squeezed against each other as they all tried to fit in the photo. It was a picture of them at Kyoya's theme park--their first outing together.

Then, Kaoru saw another picture of them; they were all huddled together at Africa during winter break.

He saw another; this one of them all sipping hot cocoa in Tamaki's living room together on New Years Eve.

And finally, there was a last one of them all together at the country club.

All the photos of them ended there.

Kaoru smiled at all the photos of them together.

He also smiled when he noticed the one with them on New Years Eve had a paper frame around it that said Friends Forever.

Kaoru kept looking around the room for more photos and things until something caught his eye--mainly one of the drawers on the nightstand which had a lock on it.

Kaoru wrapped his fingers around the handle and tried pulling the drawer open, it didn't budge, of course.

Because it was locked.

"Hm... Maybe there's a key around here..." Kaoru said to himself as he began to look around again.

Suddenly, he heard something.

He immediately spun around to see Daniel at Arabella's door.

Kaoru gulped. "U-Uh, hey...!" he said nervously.

Daniel just looked at him before he noticed Kaoru's eyes were fixed on the drawer.

Daniel sighed before he walked over to a bookcase against one of the walls inside Arabella's room. He then pulled out a random book and opened it up--Kaoru saw it wasn't really a book at all, mainly because it was hollowed out.

Daniel then reached inside and pulled something out before he set down the hollowed-out book.

He held up a golden key. "Looking for this?" he said.

Kaoru's eyes widened before Daniel handed him the key. "W-Why are you--" he started.

"Because. She already told you, didn't she?" Daniel interrupted.

Kaoru looked at him. "Told me about what...?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Kaoru's eyes widened again. "Do you mean... about her past...?" he whispered.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "No, I mean about her favorite type of sandwich...!" he said sarcastically. "Of course I mean about her past! What else?"

"But, how did you--"

"--know that she told you?" Daniel interrupted again. He snickered. "Come on. It's obvious. Just like it's obvious that she's closer to you than any of them. And I have a really good guess as to why."

"Are you... Are you mad...?" Kaoru asked.

"Kinda. But not really. I told her not to tell anyone, but that's her mistake. Not mine. I already know I'm definitely never telling anyone. I just thought she did too. Well, apparently not..." Daniel said.

"Okay then... But what does that have to do with this?" Kaoru asked.

"Because. The stuff that's in that drawer is very much related to what we're talking about," Daniel said. "Some of its a bit extreme though... You should probably brace yourself."

Kaoru just nodded, not knowing how else to respond. "Thanks I guess..."

"Don't thank me. As I told you before, my family and I are a very tightly-knit group--we don't let anyone else in. Ever. So, before you get my sister all starry-eyed over you and you say you care about her, actually care about her first. Okay? Because I'm not gonna let her get any more broken than she already is. Even now, she still has the nightmares. About what he did to us. And every time she does have those nightmares, she screams and cries in her sleep and I have to go to her room in a major panick, hoping and praying that she isn't scared enough to try and take her own life again! That's what it's like with her. So, if you can't handle that, then I suggest you back off now, before you hurt her even more than she already has been." Daniel said seriously.

"I'm not going to back off. Because I do care about her. More than I've ever cared about another person ever. Even Hikaru knows I care about her so much. So, I will not back off. Not ever." Kaoru said, just as seriously.

Daniel just eyed him up and down before he gave him a curt nod, and left.

Kaoru slowly turned back around to face the drawer with the lock. He then fit the key inside and turned it...

The lock clicked open and fell off.

Kaoru took a breath before he opened the drawer...

Inside were two files.

That's all.

Kaoru carefully picked them both up in his hands before he sat down on Arabella's bed and opened the first one.

"A police file...? What's this doing in Arabella's room...?" Kaoru mumbled to himself as he looked through the file. He turned the first page and saw a picture.

But nothing could prepare him for what he saw.

Kaoru gasped at the horrid sight and nearly doubled over. But, he kept his eyes trained on the photo.

It was of Arabella.

All beaten up.

Her face was so swollen it was almost unrecognizable and she had two black eyes.

He read.

Arabella Hashimoto--age 13

Kaoru's eyes widened.

Age 13.

Arabella was only thirteen when this was done to her.

Kaoru read on. The file said Arabella had suffered several injuries; she was almost beaten to death.

After Kaoru was done reading the first file, he put it down and picked up the other one.

However, after seeing what the first one held, he was sort of afraid to look in this one...

Kaoru kept glancing at the first file in horror.

How could someone do that to another person...? he thought.

Eventually, he summoned the courage to open the second file.

He was just about to turn the first page when suddenly he heard the door creak open...

He spun around again and saw, this time, Arabella.

Kaoru's eyes widened even wider.

I'm caught.

Kaoru immediately closed the file, dropped it on the bed, and stood up.

"I... I just came to tell you that lunch is ready...," Arabella mumbled. "What are you doing in my room...?"

"Arabella! Listen, I'm so sorry...! It's just, my curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't help it... Plus, Daniel gave me the key!" Kaoru said.

Arabella glared. "Daniel... That little weasel, he's going to pay later..." she growled.

"So... are you... are you mad at me...?" Kaoru said.

Arabella sighed. "Surprisingly, no. I'm not. I'm just shocked," she said. "Did you see what was inside the first file?"

Kaoru nodded.

"Huh. Well, if I were you, I wouldn't look inside the second one; the stuff in there is more extreme. It's my mother's file." Arabella said.

Kaoru cringed. "My... If you don't mind me asking, how did you get these? It said they're police files. How did you get them?"

"I asked the police if I could keep them after they locked Robert up. And they let me."

"But why would you want to keep something like that?! That's a crude memory of what your family suffered!" Kaoru said.

"That's precisely why I kept them--as a memory. As a reminder." Arabella said.

"But WHY would you want to be reminded of THAT?!"

"Because, Kaoru, those very files remind me of what that bastard did to my family. And those very files also remind me that I can't trust anyone. The reminder is crude, but effective." Arabella said.

Kaoru looked at her with disbelief. "Arabella... you still think you can't trust anyone...? Why? Why won't you trust us, your friends??? We sure trust you! You need to know that not all people are bad! You can trust some people! Because, there are good people in the world! People that you can trust. And I understand why your ability to trust people outside your family is damaged. But, the Host Club, me, we all love you, Arabella. And we would never do anything to hurt you!" he said before he took Arabella's hands in his own. "You can trust the Host Club... you can trust me."

Arabella just stared at Kaoru.

"Don't you get it? You're not some toy to us, Arabella! You're our friend. You mean a whole lot to us. We're not going to just throw you away if we suddenly just get bored of you--you're worth so much more than that. And you deserve better than that. So, when are you going to let us in? Please we deserve that," Kaoru said. "We really do love you, Arabella. And nothing you do or say will change that."

Arabella was silent for about five seconds before she calmly pulled her hands out of Kaoru's. She took a step back.

"Everyone else is probably eating right now. You and I should get down there. The food is getting cold." Arabella said before she started down the stairs.

Kaoru sighed and looked down at his feet before he looked up again and followed her down where they met up with the others and ate in silence.