A/N: *rasps* Haaaaaai.

SHOUT OUT TO:

HufflepuffKat: Thanks! Only time will tell... I still haven't decided yet!

THANKS FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS!

Potato9234
Project6stuff
WordSmyth

AND THE FAVORITES!

Noiruna
Project6stuff
WordSmyth

Without further ado, let's begin!

Chapter 18: Girls' Day Out!

Haruhi looked down at her phone at the last text she had gotten from Kida. 'Great! I'll see you at 2:00!' She looked at her watch. It was now nearing 2:15. I could've finished the dishes with those fifteen extra minutes! She lamented, moaning at the thought of time ill-spent.

A limo pulled up across the street from her seconds later, pulling her from her thoughts as it emerged in her peripherals. As it rolled to a stop, she heard muffled arguing coming from the inside. The driver came round to open the door, revealing her friend, who was obviously angry, as Haruhi could tell by her body language — raised shoulders and body tense and coiled like a cat waiting to spring up and catch somebody right in the nose — despite her facing away from her, to the other occupant of the car. With a grunt, Kida scooted out, scowling callously before spotting Haruhi. Her face dropped into a smile immediately, making the brunette question having even seen the severe face that her friend had just sported. She pushed it to the back of her mind as Kida approached. Stepping forward to meet her friend, she raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey, Kida-san. Was that Evans-san back there?"

Maka waved, but held back a grimace as she thought back to a few moments ago. "Hi! Yep, that was him. I'm sorry for being late, Soul insisted on coming with me last-minute." Smiling as she imagined the scene and drew parallels with her own encounters with the Hosts, Haruhi graciously waved off Maka's worries, satisfied with the excuse.

Maka smiled to herself, allowing herself to show her excitement outright. She couldn't share it with Soul — he'd just laugh at her — but she was super excited for this date. It would be much different from going out with the girls at home, whose fashion expertise well exceeded her own. From what she had gathered, Haruhi was much more of an elbow grease kind of girl, the kind that preferred to prioritize practical skills and place fashion on the back burner. There was no way she'd be able to confide in Soul with embarrassing thoughts such as these. He'd laugh her straight out of the house. Her cheeks colored with excitement as she imagined exploring girly things with someone of equal stature.

"Let's go, then!" She quipped excitedly, tugging the girl along with her in her haste. "To the mall!" she declared, pointing in its general direction.

"Er, Kida-san, the shopping district is a bit far. Are you fine with walking?" Haruhi questioned, acutely aware of her friend's frail health.

Maka froze, a bit ashamed that she had so easily forgotten herself. "I feel fine today, so there shouldn't be any problem," she amended, earning a smile from her friend. "Let's go!" She once again chirped, stepping ahead excitedly. Even if she was playing at a sickly character, it didn't mean that she couldn't have fun! She'd just have to remember to keep her steps small and labored. She smiled, slipping into conversation as the two began towards their destination.

"L!" A ginger-haired girl squealed with displeasure as cold snow slid down her winter coat. Clawing at her back as if to remove the offending substance, she no sooner realized the futility of her efforts than did she hear the giggling of her sister.

"I- I'm sorry, A!" The girl apologized brokenly, her apology spoken in bits and pieces through her laughter. Within the next second, her long hair was soaked, face frozen in shock as her younger twin giggled behind her hand. "I'm going to get you back for that!" She promised, raising her hand menacingly.

Without warning, from the depths of her gut came a swelling feeling that threatened to break out more with each passing second. The snowball dropped from her hand, overshadowed by the swirling bits of ice that whipped dangerously around her young frame. When the bubbling became too great for her to handle, her body quickly began shutting down.

When she resurfaced, her sister was sprawled out on the snow, a nasty gash gushing out blood from her head. "A! A!" The girl screamed, shaking her sister, wishing desperately for her twinkling green eyes to wink playfully at her once more.

Hours later, the two were recovered from the snow in critical condition.

Fat tears dripped from the girl's pale cheeks as she gazed on the even paler visage of her beloved sibling. This is all my fault, she thought in dismay, biting her lip. She had just woken up from having cried herself to sleep by her companion's bedside, only to find that it did near nothing to improve her mood. Loud sobs quieting down to sniffles as her tear supply plateaued, she quickly became aware of the voiced outside the room.

"This confirms it. Ellupsia has always shown a higher aptitude for magic, and it has been made clear through its awakening from its dormant state. A mother could not possibly be prouder."

"It's just a shame that Avulpesia failed to advance as quickly as her. But what more could you expect from twins? One almost always robs the other of its strength, making it into a lesser being. I'm surprised that she has any affinity for magic at all. Surely, it is because of your superior handle on the art, Madame Arcticus."

A dry laugh preceded her mother's reply. "Oh, you're too kind. In any case, this is just perfect! I had thought that my having mothered twins would be a curse, but the potential Ellupsia holds is nearly infinite — ripe for the taking. She'll be a perfect stand-in for our goals. And even if she fails, we'll have her sister as a back up. The situation could not be better!" The two shared another laugh. "I'll have to put them through specialized training to fatten them up and wait for them to grow, of course, but I've always been a patient woman."

The conversation ended there, as the sound of footsteps became more and more faint. Ellupsia was far too young to understand everything that was said, but old enough to know that nothing would ever be the same.

And that it was all her fault.

"Let's try going there, next!" Maka pointed to another store, determined to buy at least one thing, if only to be able to boast having gone shopping with a girlfriend before. However, she had had no luck so far with her current trip. Whereas she had thought that she and Haruhi were on equal footing in terms of fashion sense, the reality was much, much graver.

The girl was absolutely clueless.

She barely knew a camisole from a chemise, let alone a tasteful pairing from a visual calamity. Maka couldn't purchase anything with confidence that she wouldn't become laughing fodder for both DWMA and Ouran students everywhere when it was Haruhi who was assessing her choices. Not to mention, the brunette's distracted mhmm's were less than reassuring when she seemed to be more affixed to the giant sale poster on the boutique window than to Maka's own tentative creation.

Sighing sadly at the outcome of her latest outfit, Maka decided that a break was in order. "Let's call it quits just long enough to fetch something to eat," she offered, eyeing the fatty tuna poster that her friend was ogling at that moment.

"Huh? Oh, okay." Haruhi snapped back into attention, but not before staring long and hard at the delicious-looking sashimi that the ad boasted and sighing longingly. Maka smiled, the sight reminding her of her partner that she had left at home.

"That looks good, actually. We could go there, if that's okay with you?"

Haruhi briefly wondered if her cry of affirmationwas a little too enthusiastic.

"Mmm," Haruhi sighed through her food, savoring the taste. It wasn't exactly fancy tuna as the Hosts would define it, but it melted across her taste buds and pleased her stomach all the same.

"Alright, here you go," a waitress said, setting a large platter in front of Maka.

"Oh! Sorry for not waiting for you, Kida...san...?" Haruhi's jaw dropped down as she ogled the large meal that had just been placed in front of the girl: a 24 oz steak piled high with a luscious-looking gravy sauce, a crispy, nutty crust, and two sunny side up eggs sat next to a ludicrous amount of mashed potatoes, fixed with plenty of bacon, chives, cheese, sour cream, and more of that elusive gravy. A separate dish held an entire bowl filled to the brim with steamed mixed vegetables, and a confusingly large omelet soon joined the other dishes, steaming hot and oozing chicken, cheese, and vegetables galore. Lastly, an almond-crusted tuna steak on a bed of lentil quinoa salad was set next to a daunting, frothy chocolate milkshake.

Maka's knife froze a centimeter from digging into the first egg of her steak. Well... Crap. She gulped, searching for an explanation. Haruhi beat her to the punch.

"Well, that's a lot of protein," she commented, nodding to herself. "Evans-san must work out a lot, right?" She paused long enough to place another perfectly constructed bite of fish and rice on her awaiting taste buds.

"Y-yeah!" Maka almost yelled, relieved for the excuse. She had been forgetting herself way too much for comfort, and it was beginning to wear on her. Falling into the lie like a crutch, Maka felt herself begin to unwind. "He prides himself on his strength, saying that he wants to protect me and all that, but I really wish he'd just rely on me more. I do my best to support him, but..." she trailed off, not even knowing where she was planning to go with her statement. What am I doing, putting all this on poor Haruhi, of all people? Shaking her head, she decided to switch topics to easily a more relatable one: the Hosts. She watched as an unconscious smile erupted on the female Host's face and smiled happily at her friend's improved mood. So what, they hadn't bought anything? She always appreciated another friend. Shaking her head as the brunette began ranting about a certain blond, Maka waved her hand for a waiter. "Hey, can I have..."

She messed up.

Maka had thought that she was being courteous by picking up the tab, but it merely caused her friend to retreat into silence, waves of displeasure radiating from her.

"It's not your fault, Kida-san, I just don't like to..." Haruhi's words died down into grumbles, but Maka picked up just enough to, coupled with her own intuition, grasp her friend's train of thought. To owe people? But it's not like I'd ever hold it against her — we're friends! Maka bit her lip nervously as she sought a solution. Oh, I know! She thought excitedly, a revelation visibly sweeping over her.

"Let's go to a bookshop, Fujioka-san!"

And just like that, Haruhi's expression began to melt into something more tame, her soul soothed by the promise of a good read. Maka was overjoyed.

Several moments later found them in front of a medium-sized bookstore, the first that Maka's GPS search yielded to them. It had taken a bit of trial-and-error to find a workable route (AKA one that Maka was able to give the impression of having worked through), but it she had needed to solidify her image. It was a necessary evil.

Regardless of the mildly troubling circumstances, she had greatly appreciated the slight smile on her friend's face afterwards, making it well worth it. Stepping through the cool air that was displaced by the opening of the sliding doors, Maka's smile widened upon feeling Haruhi's soul rejoice at the smell of ink on paper and worn leather. Deciding that it would be best to leave the girl to her own devices, Maka ambled away, fully intent on finding a novel (or two) to immerse herself in.

Maka's eyes glazed over as she smiled goofily. Resisting the urge to spread her arms out on either side of her and hug the nearest shelf, she merely gazed in a slaphappy stupor at the rows upon rows of literature. Suddenly released from the paralyzing glee that held her fast in her place, she skipped to the first one, a satisfying shiver running down her spine as she ran a finger over the books'. Stepping back and clasping her hands together, Maka recollected herself — she had been getting a bit too worked up over the Japanese titles — and set out to collect as many fables as she could, an excited blush coloring her cheeks as she all but ran to the furthermost rows.

Ignoring the nagging in the back of her mind that even a girl in excellent health wouldn't be able to carry such an amount of books without struggling, Maka put the two in her right hand on the growing pile nestled on her left arm, ignoring the three bags of leftovers (for Soul, she had explained, upon Haruhi asking, although in reality only one — the one filled with sashimi and the like — was for him) as they dangled perilously and reached the freed hand to select another epic, only for her face to crumple as another reached it first.

"Oh! Did you want this one, Kida-san?" The perpetrator turned, revealing herself to be Haruhi.

Maka paled, which helped further her act as she made a show of her knees buckling. After being helped by Haruhi and nodding her thanks, Maka internally smirked in triumph. Parting her lips for the first time in about two hours, her voice came out a rasp, and she coughed before trying again. "No, that's alright, since you got to it first. Just so long as I get to borrow it when you're done?" She pleaded.

"I guess that's a deal, Kida-san," Haruhi consented, returning the smile that Maka beamed at her.

"On one condition, though," Maka stopped Haruhi in her tracks, the brunette raising an eyebrow in question. "If we're going to be friends, then you'd better call me by my first name!" She smiled widely, her outgoing personality shining through and easily winning the girl over.

"Alright, then, Haruka-san—"

"—Nope, none of that! It's Haka-chan!" Maka corrected, wondering if she was enjoying herself too much.

"Haka-chan...?"

"That's right, Haruhi!" Maka chirped, pleased at having made a new friend.

She calls me Haruhi, and yet I have to call her by that ridiculous nickname... Haruhi sweatdropped, but smiled anyway as a pleasant feeling washed over her. She had a girlfriend. It was different from the Hosts, from Renge, and from even her old girlfriends back in middle school. She looked out the window briefly, her smile growing fonder.

Can you see me now, Mom?

"...Aaand we also have a small chapel for the few Catholics we have in the area, although some do travel from neighboring cities to go there on Sundays." Maka nodded as she took in the information, somehow managing to keep up with Haruhi neatly recording every word in a small notepad. "There's also a—"

Maka stopped a second from bumping into her friend, about to ask what was wrong, when she felt a droplet of water seep through her hair. Looking up, she noticed the sky above them just barely giving way to sheets of stratus clouds, the sun still shining stubbornly through the blotches of grey paint against the blue sky. Further back, darker wisps of grey seemed to be converging into the trademark anvil shape of a storm cloud. "Awh, looks like rain. We'd better find some place to take cover," she pointed out, watching as others around the busy street came to the same conclusion. Haruhi nodded her agreement.

The rain began to pour just seconds before they reached the shelter of a small cafe, leaving their shoulders completely soaked through and their bags significantly wet as well. Rather than going inside and messing up the upholstery on the seats, the girls decided that it'd be best to sit outside, where the overhanging roof protected several benches from taking the brunt of the rainfall. Once the two had situated themselves on the bench, bags taking up the majority of the available space, Maka stared up at the sky in worry, Haruhi visibly mirroring her distress. "Looks like it won't be letting up soon..." Maka sighed, getting up. "I need to quickly powder my nose," she pointed at the body part, a pleasant enough expression showing on the outside, but she scowled internally at the pointlessly alien phrase. I need to take a piss, she corrected, the uncouth phrase a side effect of rooming with Soul for so many years, no doubt.

"I'll just be right back, okay?" She turned her back and gave a quiet grunt of discontent before running out into the rain.

The crash of thunder snapped Maka out of her thoughts. The storm is right over us now. She quickly dried her hands before she left the washroom. Waving to the lady at the counter who had let her in, Maka made a sad tent with her hands to cover her head, before rushing into the vacant streets.

Running for the bench where she had left Haruhi, it wasn't long before she realized that something was amiss. Slowing to a stop several yards before it, she stared at the abandoned cargo. Many of the bags were overturned, the contents soaking up water. Some had fallen to the ground, and Maka could see the pages clotting together, the ink draining from the paper. The books would be unreadable now, and Maka would be livid at any other time, were it not for one thing missing from the picture.

Where's Haruhi?

Maka pushed away all frantic fantasies of what could be happening to the small girl, forcing herself to calm down. Closing her eyes, Maka only needed to concentrate a little in order to locate her friend's soul. Small and blue, the human soul quivered in fear brought on by the thunder of the storm. I should've checked! I said that I'd help her! Maka gritted her teeth, taking off in the direction she felt it.

With her running speed, it took several minutes before she reached Haruhi's position. She couldn't imagine how it had been from her friend's perspective. Even Maka's eyes burned from the rainwater. She quickly pushed through the doorway, sensing her friend's startled soul within.

It was dank and damp inside, and Maka couldn't hear a thing over the sound of her own breathing. It was too dark for her to see, too, and she had barely made it through the entrance without clumsily colliding with something or another. She closed her eyes again, honing in on the frightened Haruhi, too distracted to even notice her entrance.

"Haruhi," Maka moaned sadly, falling to her knees as she hugged the trembling brunette.

"Ha—" Haruhi's body seized up in fright at the sound of another thunderous crash.

Maka ducked the girl's head to her chest, covering her the best she could with her thin clothes and noodle arms, and squeezing whenever another boom caused the shaking of the girl in her arms to intensify.

A particularly loud crash elicited another yelp from Haruhi, followed by silence, but for the loud pitter-patter of rain on the roof. The storm was passing.

When the girl's sniffling died down a few moments later, Maka jumped on the chance to speak. "Why didn't you tell me that you were afraid?" You could've canceled. You could've told me you were tired. You could've said something at the cafe!

Haruhi flinched at the accusatory tone, but said nothing. It was silent for the next few moments until Maka broke the silence again. "Haruhi-chan. You can tell me anything and not worry about being judged, because we're friends. That's what friends do. You can trust me to keep your secrets because I care about you. That's what friendship is." The next few moments were quiet as the two mulled over the words.

"I'm sorry." Haruhi said after a small eternity. "I don't like to... To rely on people," she admitted quietly.

Maka smiled as the brunette affirmed her thoughts. "But that's not what friendship is all about, dummy. You rely on me and I rely on you. The only way that can happen is if we trust each other with our feelings. It's not bad to lean on your friends or to let them help you. In fact, I'm sure all of Hosts want you to let them help you sometimes, even Kyoya-senpai. They want you to trust them like they trust you."

Haruhi's eyes watered as she considered this. Was she really making the Hosts sadder by not allowing them to do things for her?

"Everyone knows your independent, Haruhi. They want to help you, not because they think you can't do it on your own, but because they love you."

Haruhi lowered her head further into Maka's dress. A mumble followed a few moments later. "...Okay." Maka smiled. "Damn rich bastards," she added as an afterthought.

With the half-hearted phrase hanging in the air, the two sat in silence until the rain died down to a drizzle. Haruhi had been yawning every so often and was a wink away from when she spoke. "Y'know, Haruka-chan, you're really strong. Rely on—" a yawn, "—us too, okay?"

"Huh?" Maka said, almost missing the entirety of Haruhi's statement, having lost herself in the silence ages ago. But the girl was already fast asleep, leaving Maka to shrug it off as sleep-dazed rambling. Rather than pondering it further, she maneuvered around the snoozing girl to reach for her phone, having felt it vibrate earlier. Opening it, she noted two messages: one from Soul, and the other, surprisingly from Kyoya (since when did she have his number?).

Opening the one from her partner first, she waved off his concerns about the weather and said that she'd be a while before returning home. No sooner had she sent it did she receive a reply.

'Aight, eating without you.'

She rolled her eyes at his lack of concern, giving him the go-ahead before checking the text from Kyoya.

'I trust that she's alright?'

It was short and simple, but sent chills down her spine anyway. Just how much did that man know? She sure didn't tell him that she would be going out with Haruhi and was fairly confident that the sensible brunette didn't either. Of all the Hosts, he was the one she was most wary of finding out their secret. She fired off a quick reply before closing her eyes for an impromptu nap as well.

"A! A!" Ellupsia was smacked with a sense of horrid nostalgia as she watched her sister hit her head on her way to the floor. Shaking her double's fevered body, she cried out for help, wilting with relief when her mother showed up around the corner moment later. However, she failed to notice the woman's anger. "Mother, please, A's..."

The with approached the two, her severe features finally becoming apparent to the older twin as she stepped back in apprehension. The woman did not slow in her approach, pointing a neatly trimmed finger towards the girl before screaming. "Get away from her, Ellupsia!"

Startled, the girl did as she was told, only to stare, bewildered, when her mother snatched her arm roughly, leaving her sister on the ground. "M... Mother, what are you doing? Help her! Mo—" Ellupsia quieted when her mother's palm came down upon her face with a hard smack.

"Stop dawdling and leave that useless child alone! That pest is ruining everything!" The woman hissed, black hair flying around her hard features. "Come now, we must double — no, quadruple! — your training! That child can barely complete menial tasks, and now that one is doing something to my precious power supplies! We have to suppress her before long..."

The girl reached towards her sister in a futile effort as her mother pulled her along. She hardened her eyes. This is all her fault! That Maka Albarn pest...

"Welcome to the Host Club!"

Is it just me, or are there more clients than usual? Maka wondered as she listened to the cry of what seemed to be millions of girls. Just a peek, she promised herself as she took a look at some of the souls in the room. Yep, definitely don't recognize her, she eyed a brunette with a high-set pompadour. Or her, she noticed another girl with a blonde bob.

She didn't have the time to consider any more newcomers because the floodgates suddenly opened. Maka pulled in her legs just in time to avoid it getting smashed by dozens of heeled shoes. She was being pushed at from all sides, encapsulated in a coffin of yellow.

"Alright ladies, if you don't mind — you're suffocating a special guest of mine."

And with those words, she could breathe again. It was scary, actually, how quickly all those crazies managed to organize themselves into an orderly pack in front of the Cool Host. She looked at him in surprise, slowly lowering her legs back to the ground as she squinted apprehensively. She turned her head when he glanced at her, after which he cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for your patience and continued support. This month, in addition to our Host Magazines, we have some special photo shoots including Sweet, Strong, Natural; Twins/Toy; Tamaki and his Princess(ess); and a limited edition booklet, The Hidden Feelings of Soul. If you have pre-ordered a package, please indicate so on the provided transaction sheet, otherwise, Renge-kun will be taking your orders." With that, the stampede rushed towards the aforementioned student, who had managed to set up a kiosque with neatly arranged stanchions and arrows painted on the ground to direct the crowd without being noticed.

"Interested in purchasing anything? We can print one up for you if there are none left after our clients make their transactions." Kyoya informed, seating himself across from her. "For a price, of course."

"Likely not," Maka waved off the offer.

"Ehh, why not?"

"Surely you would want ours." The twins said, placing themselves on either side of her from behind the couch.

"If she doesn't want to, then she doesn't want to!" Haruhi intervened, approaching her as well. Seeing the question on her face, Haruhi spoke again. "On days like this, business is a bit sparse, especially in the beginning, as the girls place and retrieve their orders. Mind if I sit with you, Haruka-chan?"

While Maka pouted at the nickname, the twins gasped as if something scandalous had occurred. "Oh, what's this?"

"Haruka-chan?"

"When did this development-"

"-Come about?"

"Last time I checked, it was none of your business what I call my friend," Haruhi replied airily, goading the twins on as the pair adopted equally mischievous grins. Those grins quickly dropped to frowns as they delved into their act.

"Oh, you wound me, Haruhi!" Hikaru cried, falling into his twin's arms.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru cried, holding his hand.

"I can't believe... She could be so cruel... I didn't want to believe that it was possible, but I've been fooling myself!" Hikaru continued, tears falling from his eyes as he stared into the distance.

"Shh... Don't talk. Just think about me! I'll never betray you!" Kaoru comforted.

Hikaru slid his eyes to meet his brother's. "Really? Will you truly never betray me?"

"Of course not, you idiot! I love you!" Kaoru confessed, eyes watering. The two embraced then separated, leaning in to each other.

"That's enough, you devil twins!" Tamaki raged, pushing the two apart. "Stop tainting my daughters with your perverted acts!"

"But Tono,"

"You do perverted things with your clients all the time." They defended.

"W-well that's different! It's a perfectly normal, loving relationship between a woman and a man—"

"But Tono, does that mean that two guys can't love each other? Cassanova-kun liked Haruhi before he realized that she was a girl."

"Stop twisting my words, you evil doppelgängers!" He reached over to grab them, only to topple over and fall on his face instead.

Laughing at him from a safe distance, they threw a second banana peel, causing him to fall again, just as he righted himself. Tamaki began to shed crocodile tears from his place on the floor. "MO—" His voice caught in his throat as he spotted the glare that his second-in-command had for him. His lip trembled as he sought out another- "HARU—" but was met with one equally as harsh. Crawling to Maka in a last attempt at acceptance, he gave her his best impression of puppy eyes. "Kida-hime, nobody likes me."

Internally sneering at the irony of his statement, she gave him the curtest answer she could. "Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you should try a bit harder to act in such a way that they would accept you? Like your age," she whispered, turning back around without waiting for his reaction.

The twins roared with laughter as he crumpled to the floor, keeling over in a massive attempt not to fall with the force of their mirth. Tamaki then retreated to his mushroom corner, and Kyoya decided to simply let him be, figuring that he'd be out before his clients started trickling in.

"Let's relocate to a quieter place," Haruhi lowered her voice to a level that the twins didn't hear, nudging her friend to get her attention. Maka nodded, following her to Honey and Mori's station.

"Hi, Haru-chan! Hi, Ha-chi!" Honey was the first to give any outward acknowledgment of their arrival, peeling his face from his cousin's hands as he greeted them.

"Mitsukuni." Mori rumbled sternly, garnering a huff from the blond.

"Takashi, you didn't say hi to Haru-chan and Ha-chi!"

The giant gave a quick nod of greeting, before turning his sights back to his cousin.

"That's not good eno—"

"Mitsukuni." The teen repeated.

The senior in question remained silent for a moment, before suddenly bursting into tears. "I don't have a cavity, okay? I can eat cake just fine!" To demonstrate, he spooned a slice into his mouth, but it was obvious that he was chewing only on one side.

Maybe we came at a bad time... Maka tried to communicate to Haruhi with her eyes, but the brunette was watching the pair before her with rapt attention.

Pulling an ice pop from literally nowhere, Mori caught the Host by surprise when he stuck it in his mouth. Honey reacted strongly, squealing in protest, then quickly palming his cheek as if to hide the pain, but the damage was already done.

Mori gazed down upon him in obvious disapproval. He moved towards him and Honey closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was coming, opening his eyes when he felt the air move beside him. By the time he realized what was going on, Mori had already removed the plate from the table and was heading for the trash. Honey watched in horror as the confectionary slid off the dish and landed in the bin beyond his view.

Watching worriedly for an explosive reaction, Maka was shocked when the student simply turned and exited the room moments later.

A/N: AY, YO MORI AND KYOYA FANS. PLEASE SHOW YOURSELVES. YOU CAN VOTE ONCE PER CHAPTER, BUT Y'ALL ARE BEING OUTDONE BY THE TRULY PERSISTENT. BE VIGILANT!

On a side note, Hikaru and Kaoru are getting a lot more votes than I had expected... That would be an interesting outcome.

Lots of stuff to talk about today.

This chapter is dedicated to Lovesymmetry8888 for being my 100th follower! Feel free to request anything, be it a one-shot or a chapter, or anything. Thanks so much! :D

Big thanks to Moon487 for suggesting the title for Soul's photo album! Wouldn't have even included this scene if it wasn't for you!

Let the records show that I, also, cannot tell the difference between a camisole and a chemise, just that they are both articles of clothing that begin with c.

Omggg, so I was looking for incidents where Maka and Tsubaki converse so I could decide what Maka and Haruhi would call each other, and just listening to Resonance brought back so many memories... I think I'm going to rewatch Soul Eater. I just rerewatched OHSHC last month, so I might as well (even if SE is much longer, lol).

Ugh.

(is flailing)

SOUL.

UGH.

KIDDO-KUN, MY SON.

UUGGHHHH.

(falls)

Is it okay to name my son Kid?

Still taking suggestions for which Host Maka ends up with, vote wisely! I'm rooting for Kyoya~

Psst. I'll let you in on a secret.

I got the inspiration for Maka's thoughts during the shopping scene from my own experiences. Quick story time: I don't consider myself particularly girly, with the makeup/nails/clothes/fashion/whatever sense that most girls around me seem to have. I grew up, to an extent, hating that kind of stuff. However, my younger sister has proven to be sort of girly, and she tends to ask me to do... girly things with her. When I can't say no to that adorable face (I have no good reason to decline besides 'I don't like that kind of stuff'), I end up painting her nails and having to paint mine, taking selfies, or whatever...

...And I sort of enjoy it.

Now, wait a second — this is the kind of stuff I don't tell people. The kind of stuff that I can only reveal, thanks to the anonymity of the Internet. [Amber, Courteney, Jennifer, Vicki, Jordyn, Anah... Nicolas. NICOLAS, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT.] I'd never tell my mom, and we're SUPER close. I told my best friend and regretted it immediately after because he screenshotted the whole thing. Maka has it even worse, since my best friend isn't as crude as Soul — just the opposite, he's polite to a fault. He, at least, would have the decency to laugh behind his hand, for example. But as for Maka? Who can she speak to about her newly-found feminine interests? Well, Haruhi, of course! Even if she can't spill everything, she can get a decent load off her chest without feeling judged by a highly knowledgeable friend. I'm relieved by Maka's relief.

Channeling myself through my story is funn~

FREAKING NICOLAS, IF I EVER HEAR SO MUCH AS A SINGLE SYLLABLE ABOUT THIS, SO HELP ME, GOD, I WILL STRANGLE YOU MYSELF.

Posted: August 22, 2017
Updated: August 22, 2017

~Reginna Grace