I think what might have been the hardest part of all of this was getting ready for school on Monday. Not only did I have to figure out how to manage to get that dress on with one hand, but I had to do it and still make it look perfect as Uncle expected it to be. That was followed by having to locate wherever I’d tossed the bottle of pain-pills the night before and managing to get the cap off without spilling them.

Needless to say, I had a bad feeling it was going to be an extremely long day.

By the time I’d managed to escape Uncle’s annoyed gaze and arrive at school I was already so tired of everything that the surprised looks I received from my classmates didn’t even bother me. I actually might not have noticed them if it wasn’t for one little problem.

“I was so scared when you fainted,” Chie gushed the moment I sat down. “I mean, you were perfectly fine one moment and then you were down the next! Ayumu-kun explained everything and I couldn’t believe it! You fought with a broken wrist? How bra-”

I laid my cast over one ear and my other hand over the other as I dropped my head on my desk. There wasn’t a single part of me that even considered putting on the friendly act today. I just wanted to get through class then club hours as quickly as possible.

“-Nao-chan, are you listening?”

I raised my just enough to give her a look that should have answered any questions she might have. Much to my surprise, Chie laughed.

“You’re in a bad mood today,” she observed. “Does it still hurt or something?”

By this point she’d attracted the attention of the majority of our classmates that had already arrived. Splendid.

“No, I’m on wonderful drugs,” I informed her. “Now, please leave me alone before you somehow manage to create a headache that the drugs can’t fix.”

She actually laughed again.

What was amusing about that?

“You’re a bit mean when you’re in a bad mood,” she continued. It seemed my words had had no effect. “Or is it because of the pills? What sort of pills did they give you? My imouto broke her leg once and started talking about seeing rainbows after they got some sort of pain reliever in her system-”

By that point I began to tune her out again, dropping my head back to my desk and closing my eyes. Perhaps if I ignored her long enough class would start and then she’d have to be silent. My initial impression after learning that Ayumu had a crush on her was right, they’d be perfect for each other. Both of them loved to talk.

“-o~ Nao~ Nao-chan~”

I suddenly realized there was a voice talking to me that didn’t make me wish for earplugs. Raising my head for the second time, I offered Honey a tired smile. He returned it with a bright one and plopped himself down in the desk next to mine. Furrowing my brow, I glanced around the classroom in an effort to figure out where the person that normally sat there was at.

“Honey…” I began slowly as I spotted the person in the front of the room. “You don’t sit there, do you?”

“Now I do,” he replied cheerily. “Nao-chan needs someone to watch out for her so I volunteered.”

What?

Mori took the seat on the other side of Honey, causing a frown to work it’s way onto Honey’s face. He suddenly hopped up from his desk and picked up the bag that Mori had started to sit on top of it.

“Takeshi~ I changed my mind,” Honey announced. “You’re sitting here, I want to sit there.”

Mori and I simply looked at him.

“Come on, I want to sit there!”

Slowly, Mori stood and picked up his own back to switch desks. The smile that Honey had previously been wearing returned as he dropped himself down once again and plopped his bag on top of the desk. He turned the smile in my direction a second later.

“I can see better from here,” he said in explanation. “The person sitting there-” He gestured towards the seat that was no in front of Mori. “-Is too tall!”

For some reason this caused Chie to giggle as she sat down in front of me. I shot her an annoyed look as I tried to recall exactly who sat where Honey had pointed to. I guess it wasn’t that hard to be taller than Honey…

“Nao-chan~” Honey called, pulling my attention back to him. “How long do you have to wear the cast?”

“Around two months if nothing goes wrong,” I replied with a shrug. “Although the doctor said he was on the fence about whether or not he should have performed surgery, so I have a check up soon to see if the bone is doing what it’s supposed to be doing.”

Honey looked thoughtful, then studied my cast curiously. It was a rather amusing sight seeing as he had to pull himself up on his desk and lean over to be able to see it. In an effort to help him I moved it forward so that he didn’t have to lean so much.

“Is it water-proof?” he asked.

I tilted my head, trying to figure out where that question might have come from.

“No, I’ve been told if I’m going to be in water that I should put a bag over my arm,” I replied. “Why?”

Honey frowned but relaxed back in his seat, apparently done studying it.

“Nothing, just curious,” he began, then suddenly grinned. “Hey, hey, Nao-chan?”

It seemed that being around Honey could easily cure me of my bad mood.

“Yeah?” I replied, smiling.  

“Can I write on it?” he asked excitedly. “Please? I haven’t gotten to do that before, but I’ve heard you can!”

I hesitated, wondering what Uncle would think of that. A second later I dismissed the idea, deciding that if he argued it then I’d use the excuse he’d told me to become friends with Honey and Mori, which meant keeping Honey happy.

“Sure,” I said, then paused as I caught sight of Sensei entering the room. “During lunch, alright?”

Honey must have caught sight of Sensei as well, because he grinned and flipped open his text book.

“Okay!”

_____________________________

When lunch rolled around it was decided, by Honey, that he and Mori shouldn’t be the only ones with the chance to sign the cast. That was how I ended up being brought along with them to the lunch room, despite having brought a bento as I usually did. When I entered the lunch-room with Honey I wasn’t all that surprised at the few jealous looks I received from girls around the room. It wasn’t every day that a host club member actually brought a girl with him to his lunch table. Even if it was Honey it seemed to cause quite a commotion.

“Nao-senpai?”

Pulling my eyes away from the crowd I was met with several surprised looks from the host club members. I returned their looks with a simple gesture in Honey’s direction. From the understanding that appeared on a few faces, it seemed that it was enough of an explanation for now.

“Nao said I can sign her cast!” Honey announced excitedly as he took a seat and tugged me down next to him, which meant Mori was left with the choice of sitting on my other side. I gave him an apologetic smile to which he simply nodded, apparently not minding. “So I brought her with me for you guys to sign as well!”

“Great idea!” Tamaki replied instantly. “I’ll write a message that will remind her of me everytime it hurts! That way she’ll be able to think of me and instantly be healed!”

I think that made less sense than most of the other things that I’d heard come from his mouth.

Never-the-less, within moments I had the host club handing around multiple colored markers that Honey had brought with him from class. Not sure what else to do, I simply laid my arm out on the table and watched as it slowly went from faded white to rainbow colored with each message.

Well, then you had Tamaki’s message which made me wish I had white-out.

“My turn!” Honey declared as most of the host club members became distracted discussing the plans for the club later today. Indulgently, I kept my arm still as he began writing on it in bright pink.  When he finished he sat back with a bright grin and went back to eating his lunch. Pulling my arm close enough to read it, I couldn’t help but smile as well. Like the others Honey had written “get well soon” but he’d also added a few flowers with it, as well as a train of numbers. I glanced at him and raised a brow.

“My phone number,” he explained. “That way you can call me if you have problems.”

I just smiled and started to open my bento. I was startled when Honey suddenly reached out to grab my good hand. Confused I glanced in his direction to see him pointing towards Mori.

“You forgot Takeshi!”

“Oh…” I murmured, turning in the direction he’d pointed. Mori’s expression didn’t change much, but when I held my arm towards him with a questioning look, he nodded.

A second later he’d swiped a marker from the table and jotted down a similar message, followed by a trail of numbers as well. When I’d thought he finished I was about to pull my arm away, but instead he started writing again. This time when he’d finished he put the cap on and handed the marker back to Honey.

‘Be careful.’

The black words made me pause, unable to go back to eating my meal right away. My eyes flickered to Mori who seemed to be listening to the rest of the host club’s conversation. He’d wrote that?

_______________________________

“There isn’t practice today.”

“I know.”

Mori simply regarded me from where he stood in the center of the dojo. I glanced away, instead shifting myself so that my back was laid comfortably against the wall before laying my hands out in my lap. When I did eventually look back to him, Mori had turned his attention to his sword instead of me and looked to be ready to start his warm-ups.

“You don’t have to come to practice until you’re better.”

“I know.”

Seeming to have figured out that I was simply there to think, Mori nodded and started his motions. My eyes followed each movement, lips pursed together as I realized how much smoother they were than my own. As much as I liked to think I’d gained in the months since starting the sport, it was painfully obvious how far off I was from someone who’d been practicing for years when I watched him.

Uncle’s lecture the night before began running through my mind. Which each remembered word I pressed my teeth more and more against the inside of my lips, to the point where instead of pursing them I was biting them. Perhaps he’d been right. In trying to keep from disappointing him, I’d ended up with this result. Having to sit here, fully aware of how far I was from the person Uncle wanted me to be. Mori was more of the person Uncle wanted.

Eventually I found it in myself to ask the question that began to form because of my thoughts. From what I understood of Mori, he’d give me the right answer, not the one I wanted to hear. Or at least, I assumed he would. He didn’t seem the type to lie to someone.

“Was I wrong?”

Mori paused, turning to look at me. There was nothing in his expression to tell me whether or not my words had made sense. I ran my fingers over the hard surface of my cast before continuing. I was acutely aware of how a dull ache had began to radiate from the injury, the medicine I’d taken this morning had started to wear off.

“When I asked you to let me continue, was I wrong?”

Mori didn’t respond right away, causing me to wonder if I needed to explain further. A second later he lowered his sword, his normally stoic expression slightly thoughtful.

“Why did you ask?”

It took a second for me to realize that he meant why did I ask to continue. Pulling together what I was willing to share, I felt myself tense somewhat.

“I wanted to keep from disappointing...someone.”

Mori once again didn’t respond right away. I dropped my eyes, figuring that was a good enough of an answer. After a few moments had passed, however, he finally spoke.

“Did you?”

“...no.”

“Are they important?”

Startled, I brought my eyes back up to him. His expression hadn’t changed. I hesitated, curling the nails of my good hand into my palm. Are they important?

“... they’re family.”

“Do you think so?”

I blinked, even more startled than before. Mori must have seen the confusion in my face.

“Do you think you were wrong?”

I hesitated, then nodded. Without saying anything more, Mori turned back to practice. I guess I’d gotten my answer. When he’d finished and had changed back into his school uniform, I stood and started to grab my bag. I wasn’t all that surprised as he did what Honey had insisted on earlier today and grabbed it before I could. I simply gave him a smile and started for the door.

“If you were wrong, I was as well.”

Startled, I paused with the door halfway open and turned to face him. At that same moment the door was pushed open the rest of the way as Honey joined us with his happy grin and chatter.

The question would have to wait for later.

___________________________________

When we arrived at the club room I instantly headed for one of the side-tables, hoping that I could just stay out of the mess for today. It wasn’t a hosting day, but a meeting one. Still, I’d rather be here than at home, so I stuck around. Once I’d sat down and pulled out my book, however, two identical figures took seats on the other side of my table, ruining my hopes of peace.

“Hey, Nao-senpai,” one greeted.

“We were wondering,” the other one added. “If you’re hurt, why don’t you come directly to the club?”

Because I don’t enjoy being here where it’s loud, I’d rather be there where I can at least relax.

“I kept Mori company.”

The two of them exchanged grins before shrugging as one.

“Besides,” I said, remembering something. “I’ll probably be a bit busy soon enough and won’t be able to attend.”

That comment caught the attention of several of the host club members and Honey immediately joined me at the table.

“Why?”

“Well… I’m going to be escorting a new student…” I began.

Tamaki blinked, tilting his head in thought. I was about to continue when his eyes suddenly lit up in recognition.

“Right! My father said something about that,” he commented. “That there was a transfer student starting in a few days.”

Kyoya frowned thoughtfully, flipping through a few pages in his notebook before studying me.

“What was the name of this student?”

Why did me saying I was going to be gone have to draw so much attention?

“... Kimura Ren,” I muttered reluctantly.

Recognition appeared on several faces at once- Honey’s first.

“What? Why is Kimura-san staying at your house?”

I quickly drew up the reason my Uncle had given me and told them, leaving out the fact that he’d basically given me the responsibility of watching over Ren as a punishment. When I’d finished most of the host club seemed to be thinking, Tamaki seeming to come to a conclusion first.

“Kimura-san can come to the club with you!”

Sadly, I realized Uncle would probably love the idea.

A/N: So, when I got to the conversation with Mori, I was suddenly concerned that he was talking too much. I looked up a bit of information and realized that if you look at Mori when he's alone with people and has a reason to talk, he actually carries on conversation! Like when Hikaru stayed at his house when he was arguing with Kaoru. It surprised me a little, but because of that we get to have a fun conversation in this chapter! :D

This was sorta just a bridge chapter, so I hope you guys enjoyed it anyways! See you next time!