--> On the side is Daire... Kinda cute, isn't he?

Third Person POV

The Host Club's day had begun normally. Or, as normal as it ever got around those troublesome boys (and Haruhi). 

The charismatic hosts smiled and drew in their guests while the girls chatted aimlessly. A soft feeling of contentedness washed over the club room, even as Tamaki shamelessly and obviously hinted to Haruhi he'd enjoy some homemade chocolates. The girl, in true Haruhi style, was blissfully ignorant of his wishes.and continued to wave off his antics.

All was well, which was to be expected. But then the veil of ease was lifted in one foul swoop when Reina, the girl who'd taken a liking to Micah recently, shifted nervously in her seat across from Hikaru and Kaoru. They noticed her unease and paused, with Kaoru's lips a hairsbreadth away from his brother's. "Are you alright?" they asked.

"Well, ah... I was just wondering," Reina murmured. Her eyes shifted between the two hosts indecisively. "Is Micah ok?"

"Huh?" The boys cocked their heads to the side, pondering this. They caught each other's gazes, eyes narrowing to thoughtful slits as they crossed their arms. 

"She hasn't been in school for a few days," Kaoru noted, bobbing his head.

"Yeah, she hasn't even shown up for the club."

"And she disappeared the day the lesbian girls left."

Lesbian girls? Reina wasn't quite following the situation. She wondered if they were talking about the girls whom Micah had stood up to some days ago. She hadn't liked the girls much, but her respect for the petite ravenette had grown by leaps and bounds that day. A smile touched her lips at the thought, and she gradually drifted away from the conversation.

"I wonder if something's actually wrong." Kaoru himself was now uneasy. Hikaru picked up on it instantly and raised a brow at his brother.

"Do you want to go check on her?" he asked, practically reading his mirror's thoughts. Nonetheless, Kaoru pulled a blank face.

"Shouldn't that be Mori-sempai's job?"

"You'd be right, if only you weren't wrong." 

The boys blinked and tipped back their heads; Kyouya stood just behind their designated couch, infamous black book in his hands. He flipped through a few pages uncaringly as he spoke. "She's failed to show up for numerous club activities; I'll have to add onto her debt... But the more pressing matter is Honey-sempai's deteriorating state. He's not his usual self at the moment, and it's affecting his work." He pointed a pen at the aforementioned blonde, who sat next to Mori in a glum slump, nibbling at a piece of cake Micah had baked days prior.

"Since when does Honey-sempai eat stale cake....?" The brothers sweat dropped.

"He normally wouldn't," Kyouya pointed out, still scribbling away, "but he's grown rather attached to Micah and not having her here is a sort of nightmare for him. He's trying to preserve what she's left behind."

"You make it sound like she's dead."

Kyouya shrugged. "Simply thinking of all the possibilities."

Kaoru muttered something under his breath, then joined his brother in giving the "politician" another of their famous blank, unimpressed looks. The teen shrugged again, not once looking up from his book. "What I meant earlier," he continued without breaking stride, "is that Mori-sempai and Honey-sempai have already tried to visit Micah."

"Huh? It didn't work?"

"Not quite. You can ask Honey-sempai about it-- Look, he's here now."

Honey, seemingly out of nowhere, crawled onto the couch, squishing in between Kaoru and Hikaru. His fans gazed at him longingly from where he'd left them at his station, while Mori followed his lead and came to stand beside Kyouya. 

"Mi-chan said she wants to quit practicing with Takashi and me," Honey sniveled. His honey-blonde locks trembled as he shook with repressed sobs. "She called and said it's over! Did Takashi and I do something wrong?" the little blonde wailed. Mori patted his head, though he too looked quite distraught even with his usually stoic features.

"So even you two haven't seen her all week?" Both Mori and Honey shook their heads. Hikaru cocked a glance at Kaoru. "Maybe tono did something to her and she's pissed."

Tamaki's furious voice rang out through the club: "I would never harm my precious daughter!" He too appeared from thin air and tried to knock the twins' heads together, to no avail. "You two shady twins are the ones who hurt her feelings by making fun of her while she was changing the other day!"

"What?" Hikaru asked. "All we said was that her chest size was a step up from Haruhi's at least."

"You made her uncomfortable!" Tamaki insisted, shaking a fist in their faces. They ignored it and turned back to Kyouya. He held back an amused smirk as Tamaki fumed, his face scarlet from anger. The twins certainly knew how to push the Host Club King's buttons, and they enjoyed themselves far too much while doing it.

Kyouya took another glance at his book, eyes scanning page after page behind his thin glasses. She's been absent for over a week now, he mused. Has something really happened? Perhaps it wouldn't be impudent to check on her...

The hosts sat in a sort of troubled silence, none of them willing to break it with a hasty decision. Honey's quiet sniffs were all that was heard throughout the room, as now even the guest had guessed something was amiss among the boys. Haruhi, still seated at her couch, cast a glance at the boys. I wonder if it's about Micah, she thought, hooding her eyes. She herself hadn't had that much interaction with the American since she'd decided she wasn't coming to school, and truth be told, Haruhi was worried. But she forced the troubled look from her face and attempted to appease her own guests. They was no need to worry them unnecessarily. 

Just when the silence was becoming deafening and Kyouya was about to order the hosts to return to their respective stations, a resounding thud shook the club room. 

The door had been slammed open, and a short black-haired girl stood panting in its wake.

"Deja vu," the twins muttered, raising their brows at Micah's flustered appearance.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the girl chanted, clasping her hands together in a pleading manner. "I know, I've missed a lot of club days and I haven't been keeping up with my work. I'm sorry. But there were.... unusual circumstances and I just couldn't...." She stopped herself from rambling and turned her head to the side, her arms falling stiffly. What could she say to explain herself? The truth certainly wasn't an appealing option.

"Mi-chan!" Before anyone could properly react, the bubbly little blonde hurled himself at Micah, causing the both of them to tumble to the ground in a messy heap. She wrapped her arms around him on instinct, feeling shame heat her cheeks. Her call to Honey days ago had caused him to react this way, she knew. Her heart flamed. Why was she so damn selfish?

"I'm sorry, Honey," Micah murmured, patting the blonde's head as she stood and he begrudgingly released her. She faced the remaining hosts and, taking a cue from the Japanese culture she'd recently been brushing up on, bowed down in apology.

The hosts blinked, still shocked at her sudden arrival.

"I don't have a good excuse," Micah began upon straightening, "so I'm willing to take whatever punishment the Dark King has prepared for me. Just so long as it doesn't involve any disturbing sexual experiments."

She's still on that? Kyouya wondered, faintly amused.

Honey tugged on her arm as the hosts seemingly regained their composure and began making their way towards her. The guests stayed seated, looking to Haruhi, the only sitting host, for clues as to what was going on. She offered a calming smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"Mi-chan what happened?" Honey asked, staring up at her, his wide brown eyes imploring. She sighed just as the other hosts reached them, forming a lazy half-circle around the girl.

"The day those Lobelia girls were here.... Someone.... Well...." She broke off, unsure how to continue. She hadn't mentioned him to any of the hosts prior to this, not even Honey and Mori. How did she just abruptly bring up the one person she had never wanted to see again for the rest of her life? Would they consider her naive and childish for the way she reacted? Would they be angry she him distract her from her debt? 

"You get cornered by you ex or something?" Hikaru asked teasingly, sneaking a glance at his brother. But he was unprepared for the way Micah responded. Her face bleached, then almost immediately flushed red, and she balled her hands into frightening fists. 

She opened her mouth, afraid of just what might come out of it, but she was never even able to utter a single word. His voice stopped her cold.

"Micah! Phew. I found you! You run fast for such a shortie!" 

On impulse, the girl ducked behind Kaoru and Hikaru, peeking around Kaoru's side as the boy drew closer, standing proudly in the doorway. Sharing a glance, the Hitachiin twins then flicked their gazes over the (admittedly) attractive teen now facing them. More precisely, he was looking past them at the girl who practically cowered behind them. 

"Who're you?" they asked bluntly.

The boy stiffened, apparently surprised, but soon smoothed over the look and gave a disarming smile. "Daire Wolfe, at your service," he announced, a hint of pride twinkling in his ocean-blue eyes.

"Who?" All the hosts (apart from Kyouya) stared at him, dumbfounded.

Daire deflated visibly, shoulders slumping as though they carried the true weight of the world. "Jeeze, tough crowd..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand, clearly embarrassed. 

"Daire Wolfe," Kyouya stated, reciting from memory alone, "sixteen, and one of the youngest pop stars to reach number on the Billboard Top 100 in America. His career began a year ago when he was discovered at a school talent show and he's steadily been gaining a loyal fanbase since his debut." He pushed up his glasses. "If I'm correct, you're from Philadelphia, Micah's hometown no less."

"Whoa, you are one dedicated fan," Daire smirked. He was pleased. Of course he had fans like this, even in Japan! "Want an autograph or something?"

"...I'd like to decline."

"Oh. Suit yourself, then." Daire shrugged uncaringly, once again smiling that vibrant smile of his that caused pefectly healthy girls to go weak in the knees.

"So... you're famous, Dai-chan?" Honey asked, clutching Usa-chan to his chest, his eyes bright and inquisitive. 

"Sure am, little kid!" Daire reached down to scruff up Honey's tousled locks, but froze when a biting voice said, "He's older than you, you annoying little moron!"

"Really?" The young pop star blinked in surprise as Honey giggled in confirmation. His head tipped to the side. "No freaking way! He's like, two feet shorter than me! How old is he?"

"Stop talking like he can't understand a word you say, bastard!" Micah snarled, still glaring at the boy from behind Kaoru, who watched her with interest. "But just because I don't want any of these guys to talk to you, I'll tell you he's a third year, seventeen and has the ability to snap your legs like twigs if he wanted to. But Honey's probably the sweetest person in existence, so he wouldn't do that, even though I'd be forever grateful if he would."

"Ah, same old Micah," Daire drawled, lips curling up with amusement. "Feisty and adorable. How do you pull off being so cute all the time?" He chuckled when she turned even redder than before. She'd forgotten how it felt to be complimented by him...

Daire strode forward, brimming with overconfidence, and subtly pushed the Hitchiin twins out of the way. Micah froze as he bent down, bringing their faces only a few inches apart. He heard her breath hitch and a lazy, sexy smile claimed his lips. "I just knew you missed me, my Little Tigress." 

The hosts watched on in fascinated horror as Daire slipped a hand under Micah's chin, tipping her head back so that their lips nearly met. No one had the ability to move, though nearly every one of them felt the overwhelming desire to.

"Daire..." Micha's voice was soft.

"Yes?" he breathed in response, smirking at the dazed look on the girl's face. He did have the effect on the general female population.

"I have to admit, in the year we've been apart, there's something I've really wanted to do."

"Well, go ahead, I'm sure as hell not gonna stop you." His smirk widened as every breath ceased among the room's occupants.

"If you're sure..." Micah's own smirk went unnoticed. "I'd say this is a pretty good representation of how I feel for you, Daire."

No one could comprehend the twisted look that overtook Daire's face as Micah rocketed her knee up between his long legs.

He dropped to the ground, clutching at his crotch, a low moan of pain seeping out from between his thin lips.

Micah dusted off her hands, a look of pure satisfaction settling over her normally complacent features.

"Impressive," the twins commented, smirking widely at Daire's pathetic form, rolling around on the club room's polished floors. "We didn't know you had it in you."

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped visiting the Host Club," Micah said politely, hands held on her hips. "I'm afraid we only cater to the whims of young girls, and while I don't think of you as a man any longer, I still can't have you causing trouble, now can I?" She cocked her head, catching both Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes. They smirked simultaneously at the devious look on the girl's face. "I give you guys full permission to do what you do best to this useless waste of space. Prank him, humiliate him, whatever. I'm sure as hell not gonna stop you."

And with that, Micah smiled her sweetest smile and spun around, walking off to her Work Station to begin prepping for tomorrow's festivites. With Valentine's Day around the corner, she knew she'd have to prepare something for the hosts. Out of gratitude, of course. Nothing more, nothing less.

The twins, still smirking, hauled Daire to his feet, holding him between them so that he faced the entirety of the male hosts. "So, tono," Kaoru started, "what do you wanna do with him? Micah's made herself pretty clear."

"You're right." Tamaki, looking oddly serious for once, placed one hand at his hip, the other held straight out, pointing a very accusatory finger at Daire's still-twisted face. "You are not welcome at the Host Club! If our young Princess believes you don't have a right to be here, than we'll heed her wishes. After all, that is the eternal goal of our humble club: To make our beloved Princess' dreams come true!"

"True," Kyouya adds, giving the idol an appraising stare. "If it hinders Micah's ability to perform her job, it's only reasonable for us to remove the obstruction."

"If it makes Mi-chan happy, I'm ok with it!" Honey chirped. Mori nodded his agreement, silently staring down the boy who so troubled his young friend.

"We just don't like him," the twins chimed in, shrugging. "He seems like he might become more popular than us."

"You guys.... are who Micah's hanging out with these days?" Daire managed to grumble, watching through eyes nearly forced closed in pain. "No wonder she won't take me back..." he added quietly to himself, shifting his thoughtful gaze to the floor.

Without any further ado, Tamaki waved his hand at the door, and the twins ever-so-politely shoved the boy out into the hallway. "Try not to trouble our Princess again!" was Tamaki's farewell call as the door once again slammed shut.

Daire, alone with nothing more than his thoughts, sighed. He quietly rose to his feet, making sure to pick all the dust off his uniform. He'd had it only for a week; what would his house staff think if he came home with it completely ruined?

The blue-eyed blonde stared at the door that separated him from Micah. In truth, Micah's own feelings were the real barrier between them, but he wanted to believe that was something to be overcome. Much like this rule about him not being able to visit her club any longer. 

"I'm gonna make you fall for me again, Micah," Daire murmured to himself as he walked away from the troublesome club. "Definitely."

Micah's POV

I had little time to seethe over Daire's reappearance over the course of the next few days. Things had taken a turn for the worst among the hosts after Daire had been.... disposed of. It turned out that Honey had been hiding a cavity from Mori so that he could continue eating sweets, mine especially, he said. While it warmed my heart (and my cheeks) to know he held my baking in such high regard, I was all with Mori, who laid down the law (rather harshly), saying that Honey could no longer enjoy the things he loved most in the world until his cavity was gone.

That put a damper on my Valentine's Day plans. I had been thinking about making little gifts for each of the hosts, but Tamaki had declared that none of them were to recieve anything even resembling chocolate while Honey was forced to endure without. 

I myself, much to my own surprise, had been forced to reject several gifts from boys who were in several of my classes. It wasn't particularly hard to say no; I didn't know the boys very well, and my self-restraint was marginally better than Honey's.

Today was, in fact, the day before Valentine's Day, and Honey was worse than ever. He alternated between moping (much like Tamaki on occasion) and sneaking around in the snack cupboard in my Work Station. Naturally, Kyouya had asked me to get rid of anything that could worsen Honey's condition, and I readily complied, so he had nothing of worth to find. The past few days, I'd settled on making proper food instead of sweets, which was a tiny portion of my culinary skills that I was only too happy to show off. 

I'd tried to comfort Honey earlier by promising to make him whatever he wanted once the cavity was gone, but he'd only stalked away, leaving me feeling a little broken inside. I utterly loathed seeing Honey in this type of state.

Currently, I sat on one unoccupied couch, drowning in my own sort of misery. This had to be my fault, didn't it? Maybe if I had spaced out the amount of sweets I made for Honey, this wouldn't have happened.... I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn't help myself. Honey was like my younger brother; if I'd done something to hurt, I hated myself for it.

My head snapped up as I heard the alaming call of, "President, no!" made my Hikaru, and I turned around in my seat just in time to witness Honey clamp his teeth around Tamaki's hand, more viciously than I could have imagined. I was immediately on my feet, running to... I don't know? Help Tamaki? Reason with Honey? Something to stop that adorable little blonde cherub from turning to the dark side.

But I was stopped in my tracks when Mori held out an arm, warning me to go no further. He glanced at me, silently warning me that this remained his job. I ducked my head in embarassment. Right. Mori was Honey's protector or sorts. It wasn't my duty to help him. Oh, but how I wanted to!

"Honey," Mori began calmly as he walked towards the blonde, "don't take your anger out on innocent people or objects. It's unbecoming."

Something sinister shifted in the air before I realized what it was. "Takashi..." Honey's voice was dark as he turned to meet his best friend. I hoped he would listen to Mori's wise words, but that hope was utterly dashed when the tiny blonde yelled, "You dummy!!" and threw Mori to the ground with a collosal thud reverberating through the club.

My heart nearly skittered to a stop.

As Mori struggled to sit up, a hand pressed to his forehead, Honey continued to shout. "What's so wrong about eating a little bit?!" he demanded. "You worry wart! Butthead! Baldie!"

Baldie? I couldn't help but find that one more childish than dummy.

"I don't wanna..." Honey's fierce eyes filled with even fiercer tears. "I don't wanna see your face ever again!!"

Honey ran from the room, tears streaming down his face, his cry echoing though the room even after he'd left. I was tempted to run after him, but then I watched as Mori staggered, stumbled, and eventually fell to the ground in a state of depression so morose, I felt my own heart turn cold and dark. On impulse, and out of concern, I dropped to my knees in front of him, trying to get him to look at me, as he was currently staring at the floor.

"Oh, Mori, he didn't mean it!" I tried to reassure him. I felt molten tears prick the back of my eyes. Dammit, I cursed silently, I care about these guys way too much! "He's just upset..." I trailed off as I listened to the twins' commentary.

"Mori-sempai seems to be in a deep shock," Kaoru commented. "Perhaps he couldn't help himself...? Or maybe it's self-destruction..."

"If he was going to get scolded so badly, he shouldn't have done anything to earn hatred," his brother added, sweat dropping. "Even if it was all for Honey's sake."

I watched Mori's depressed form, feeling all too hollow. What could I say to make him feel better, short of having Honey forgive him? 

"On purpose?"

I blinked, then looked over my shoulder at Haruhi's thoughtful face.

"Huh?"

"By any chance, is Mori-sempai trying to make Honey-sempai hate him on purpose?" Haruhi finished.

By the stiffening of Mori's shoulders, I knew she was right. But why? was the new question. 

My eyes widened in sudden realization. He couldn't... "Mori," I began softly, though I was certain the other hosts could still hear me. "You don't... you don't think this is your fault, do you?" 

"It's my fault." I sat back on my heels in confusion as Mori pulled himself together enough to sit properly, leaning his arm against his propped-up knee. "Honey's cavity is because of my carelessness. I forgot to make him brush his teeth before his nap, about twice..."

Needless to say, the other hosts were a little flabbergasted by that response.

I was merely upset.

"I'm more to blame than you are, Mori!" I said bitterly, forcing him to look at me. His eyes widened, only slightly, at my sudden outburst. "Your responsibility to Honey doesn't extend to something as trivial as reminding him to brush his teeth! Someone as old as Honey can do that himself, and if he forgets, it's his own fault! Stop holding yourself accountable for blame that should be squarely placed on my shoulders."

"What the hell are you talking about, Micah?" Hikaru questioned, giving him a deadpan look. I glared at him before turning back to Mori.

"I'm this club's chef, pastry or otherwise," I said, shooting a look at Kyouya. I still remembered that little insult of his. He smirked accordingly. "Anything that deteriorates their health due to food is my own damn fault! I take full responsibilty for it! I'm the one who should have been thrown to the ground by Honey!"

I was seething again. I pushed a hand against my forehead, trying to hide how much this affected me. It was ridiculous. I shouldn't have felt so much guilt for this. But I saw how it was ruining Honey and Mori's relationship, and I couldn't stand it! I couldn't stand Mori killing himself over it, either! I just...

"Micah."

"What?" I mumbled, wiping frustratedly at the tears welling up in my eyes. My breath caught in my throat when I felt Mori brush his finger under my eyes, catching the crystalline tears himself. He offered me his soft smile and I knew without a doubt my cheeks were aflame once again.

"Thank you," he said, "for trying to ease my guilt. But I'm afraid you're wrong. Mitsukuni's well-being is my responsibility. And if Mitsukuni hadn't at least thrown me to the ground, I could never even slightly feel better."

A shaky smile appeared on my lips. "Honey's right," I murmured as I continued wiping away my tears. "You are a dummy. Physically abusing yourself isn't going to make either one of you feel better. Or me for that matter..."

"So that's how it is, Sempai. What do you want to do about it?"

I barely had time to react to the sudden appearance of Tamaki's voice before I felt Honey crashing into me, knocking the both of us into Mori's arms. He was crying, sobbing, and sounding as guilty as Mori and I still felt.

"I'm sorry Takashi, Mi-chan!" he wailed into Mori's chest. "It's all my fault! I'll never forget to brush my teeth again! And I won't ask Mi-chan for so much sweets!"

Hearing Honey so blatantly apologize, I couldn't help but smile and wrap my arms around him in a hug. I felt Mori encircle the both of us with his long arms, and even though my blush turned crimson, I didn't feel nearly as awkward as I normally did.

Third Person POV

Valentine's Day was successful, despite all the stress leading up to it. Honey was fully healed by the time the fated day came around, and received his many gifts from his devoted fanbase. The other hosts were showered with gifts as well, even Micah, who seemed too flustered to know what to do with anything she received. 

Hikaru and Kaoru helped her decide by throwing everything into the trash.

She refused to speak to either of them for the remainder of the club that day.

However, they made no move to deprive her of the blue rose Mori offered her near the end of the club. It was his way of thanks for her trying to help with the Honey situation, and the twins could see how much she treasured the gesture, as she held tightly to the rose for the rest of the day, never letting it leave her sights.

When the club was over and all the guests had departed, Micah was left alone in the club room, cleaning up the last of her supplies. She had, in fact, succeeded in her original plan to gift each host with a box of homemade chocolate, and had received varying degrees of enthusiasm in return, Tamaki being the most graphic with his thanks and appreciation.

Smiling to herself, Micah finished with her cleaning and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. She had promised Honey that she would return to studying under him in martial arts over the weekend, so she had chosen to walk home this day instead of asking him for a ride.

Earlier, during the festivities, she had confided to Haruhi about why she'd been absent for so long. Haruhi hadn't quite understood why Micah felt the need to keep away from Daire Wolfe for so long, but she was nonetheless supportive of her friend, and had helped her talk to the host club about it. 

Only Kyouya had really been upset, and that had revolved around her debt once again piling up.

The others somewhat understood her reasons; it wasn't hard to tell what sort of relationship Micah and Daire had had back in American, nor was it hard to tell how it had ended. It was only natural she would want to avoid seeing him.

Micah sighed as she stepped into the hallway, making sure to close the door firmly behind her. Why was she thinking of Daire again? Was it because it was Valentine's Day that her memories of him wouldn't cease? They had only shared one together...

Shaking her head, Micah dismissed the thought and started down the hall. She wanted to be home as soon as possible, where she could curl up with her newest book and drown out the world for as long as she liked.

However, this plan was hindered when she caught sight of the of the figure waiting at the end of the hall.

"Daire." Her voice was scathing, full of nothing but contempt and ill feelings. "I thought I made it clear I wasn't in any mood to see you. Are you still this stupid?"

"Micah," he said slowly, coming closer to her, hands hidden behind his back. "C'mon, you really can't forgive me? It was a mistake. I apologized. I tried, Micah, really hard to have you forgive me. So why can't you?"

"You're ruining my already dim view of pop stars," Micah bit out, trying to step past him. "Are they all as infuriating and hopeless as you are?"

Daire stopped her by catching her arm. She futiley tried to release his grip on her, then sighed and slumped forward, waiting for what he inevitably had to say.

"Look, you act as though I came here just cause of you!" Daire sighed, his voice a bit forlorn. "And I probably would have, if I'd known you were here. But I swear, it was completely by chance! I'm going to be in Japan for the next few months, trying to boost my image here, and my manager got me enrolled here so I wouldn't slack off on my studies. C'mon, don't you think it's.... I don't know, fate that we're back together again?"

"It is anything but, Daire," Micah hissed, finally succeeding in jerking away from him. She leveled her harshest glare in his direction. "It's my curse. I've been trying to forget about you since you left. There is on way in hell I would ever consider forgiving you."

Daire, his mouth set in a determined line, pulled his other arm out from behind his back, brandishing the cliche heart-shaped box of chocolates he'd bought for her. "Can you forgive me now? They're your favorite..." he enticed, holding out the box for her.

"You really are as idiotic as I remember," Micah laughed contemptuously. She ignored the box completely, as well as it's owner, and resumed her stroll down the hall so that she might leave Daire behind.

He didn't follow her.

As Micah walked home, she couldn't help recalling her time with Daire. In the beginning it had been a blessing, someone she could finally trust after so long... But it had ended with her heart in tatters and hours of crying even her mother could not console. Even now, her heart trembled at the memory. Tears slid silently down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to forget. Forget Daire, what he'd done to her, how much everything had hurt.

When Micah arrived home, her thoughts of her new book were lost, and she slipped silently into her kitchen where she slid off her coat and dropped it over the chair that sat at her kitchen table. It slipped, however, and dropped tot he floor. Micah, wiping away the last of her tears, scowled as she bent to retrieve it. But something caught her eye, something that fallen out of the pocket. Two somethings, actually.

She frowned as she inspected the two roses that had been hidden in her jacket. One a startling and vibrant orange, the other a cool and soft lavender. When did someone have the time to put these in here...? she wondered silently. Nonetheless, she felt touched by the gesture and, along with the blue rose from Mori, placed the roses in a vase displayed prominently in her kitchen.

Running the back of her hand across her eyes, she smiled at the sight of the roses. Maybe.... maybe forgetting Daire wouldn't be as hard as she thought, even if he had come back into her life.

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

Long chapter! Woohoo! And I'm sorry if Micah seemed like a crybaby or the chapter seemed to jump all over the place. I was trying to incorporate Daire into this specific chapter of the series, and I think I might have failed...

Oh well. I'll do better next time for sure!

Anyway, what do you guys think of Daire Wolfe, international pop star and *gasp* Micah's hinted-at ex boyfriend?! Do you like him, are you rooting for him to be with Micah? (Probably not, but I still feel like asking)

I hope you guys liked the chapter at least a little, and I hope you'll like the next one even more! I think I'll do a special chapter, cause of what comes next in the manga, so stay tuned!