Chapter 36

The weekend had passed when, right on Monday morning, my grammie reminded me about Samhain. I felt so exhausted already, having very little energy left for things. I asked if she and grampa would handle most of the planning, as I honestly didn't think I could handle that, plus my grief, plus schoolwork. She was exhausted herself, but understood that it wouldn't do for me to slack on my schooling, even a little. She promised me that I would only need to handle a couple of things for the sabbat, and they would all handle the rest. I was thankful, and I gave her a tight hug before going off to school.

When I got there, everyone had their minds on the end of term exams. That, and also my now shorter locks. I hadn't gone to school on Saturday due to needing some time to myself; plus, my grammie needed to clean up my sloppy hair chop. She made it into a cleaner A-line cut with a bit of an undercut. When my classmates who hadn't been at the funeral asked me why my hair was short now, I told them it was tradition for my family to do this when someone in their immediate passed on. They wisely didn't say anything more on the subject.

The club was taking a break from doing anything cosplay-related until it got closer to Halloween. I had already notified them of the Samhain ritual being held at my manor, and they all said they would attend. I also told them that costumes were encouraged, and that was when Tamaki, Mitsukuni, and the Twins got excited. They were already planning costumes, and I let a small chuckled escape me.

"Goofballs," I murmured to myself. I looked up at Takashi, who kept looking at my hair. I furrowed my brow, starting to get a bit worried. "Does it... look bad...?"

He shook his head. "No, just different. You will always look beautiful. I never picture you with short hair. That's all."

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah... neither did I. I'd been growing it out for four years, only getting a few centimeters off the ends to keep it healthy... Well, I guess change can be good, though," I added, shrugging. "It'll make it easier to wear wigs..."

He kissed my cheek, not saying anything else.

When the end of term exams were almost over, we had a class meeting. Apparently, when the exams were done, the students were given a few days of free time to celebrate. Luckily, Halloween fell on the second to last day, so everyone would be free to come to the ritual and sleep in the nest morning.

I shook myself out of my thoughts when the class president spoke up. "Alright, next item on the agenda: I move that we discuss what our plans will be for next week after exams have concluded."

"After exams are done?" asked Haruhi.

Everyone explained everything to her about the days off that everyone receives, and how a lot of the classes used those free days to throw costume parties and such. She nodded in understanding, and the twins added in their two cents.

"Yeah, we socialize, or watch old movies, that kind of thing," they chimed.

"...that sounds kind of boring," I said, raising a brow. Renge came to my side, throwing her arm around my shoulders.

"I agree, Gwen! Halloween is the day when summer closes, bringing in the icy breath of winter! The day when ghouls roam the earth, and dressed as ghouls, we try to ward them off! Also," she added, a little evil glint in her eyes, "it's a day where you can play pranks on trick-or-treaters with reckless abandon!"

I grinned, a giggle clipping out of my lips. Looking at the president, I said, "She has a point, class prez. It's time to get spoopy, as they say. We should have something scary and fun, like a haunted house or something. As long as it's not right on Halloween; my family is having a Samhain festival and ritual, and I'm needed there all day. Everyone is welcome to stop by," I announced, looking around at everyone. "Tell your friends in other classes as well. The Samhain festival and ritual is my family's pride and joy."

"Back to the matter at hand, though," Renge said, "we need something spooky! Something invigorating! Something with costumes~! Soooo, I propose holding a Halloween test of courage tournament! The bravest student wins!"

I felt my grin turn slightly evil as it widened, and a dark chuckle escaped me. "Hehehehe...now you're talking~... Oh, I pity whoever meets me while we do this~... I once made someone wet themselves with fright~!"

Everyone began murmuring about the idea and getting excited. The president, however, was looking a little green around the gills. I sighed, slightly shaking my head. /He's a scaredy cat, no doubt abut it.../

"Here's what we'll do! We'll ask the superintendent to give us access to the school after hours when it's dark," explained Renge. "Then we'll all dress up in our freakiest costumes and proceed to have the time of our lives scaring the absolute crap out of each other!"

Everyoe nodded in agreement, and the president only looked more panicked. Deciding to have some mercy on the poor guppy, I raised my hand. "I propose that we set up in groups and take turns so that way it's a bit less hectic. After all, if everyone goes off by themselves, it'll be hard to keep track of everyone."

The president looked a bit less scared, and nodded vigorously. "Y-yes, I agree with Gwen! O-organization is key!"

The vice-president nodded, giggling. "Yeah! Teams of three or four would be much scarier!" she chimed.

"And anybody who leaves," began Hikaru.

"Gets featured on the front page of the school newspaper as 'The Captain of All Cowards'!" finished Kaoru.

"Seconded!" everyone cried.

The president looked like he was mentally sinking into a dark abyss, but composed himself and looked around. "A-alright. Are there any objections to the majority vote?" he asked. His gaze seemed glued to Haruhi, as if he was trying to wordlessly communicate with her. I bit back a grin.

/That apathetic girl is not gonna come to your rescue, prez,/ I thought to myself.

"Are there any at all...?" He paused. "Is /anyone/ opposed to the idea...?" Another pause. "Come on, /anyone/!?"

Again, there was silence, and he seemed to just give up on life. "Oh, very well... the motion passes unanimously... The class 1-A special event for this year will be a Halloween Test of Courage Tournament..."

Everyone cheered, and I felt a little bit of a competitive fire light up within me. "Awesome~! Now... who wants to be on my team~?" I asked, looking around at everyone. "I was known as the 'Queen of Halloween' back in my old school, so anyone who can nab me is lucky."

~o~0~o~

It was decided that I would team up with Kimiko and the vice-prez, Momoka. They were both excited for the scare-fest, and to have me on their team. I wanted to try and make more friends aside from the twins and Haruhi, and they had been nabbed by the president anyways. Which was all well and good, but I really hoped that the twins wouldn't give the guppy a hard time.

The three of us spent time at Kimiko's place after school to plan things out the entire week before the event. When I would finish with them, I would head home and also do the few things I needed to prepare for the Samhain ritual, along with studying for the following day's exams. I slept... very well during those nights. I was so exhausted, but also kind of excited. I had managed to print out fliers for my family's Samhain festival and ritual to hand out at school. The Black Magic Club members were all honored and nearly bursting at the seams over the event. I had even proposed that they team up with the Host Club to do joint club activities on the last day of exams, and they agreed. Then I had t let Kyouya and Tamaki know.

"You WHAT?!" screeched Tamaki.

"I figured that if they come and really make the day's activities spooky and scary, then it would give not only them a good rep, but also make our regular guests very happy and into the mood," I explained. "They could do tarot readings, and other fortune telling things. Plus they could help us decorate, so we can save some money for once. I mean, geez, you guys spend a shit ton of money on things to get the 'ambiance' right. Well, they have everything we need. Plus I have a few things at my place."

Kyouya perked up at the idea of saving money, as I knew he would. "Very well, Gwen, we have no problems," he said with a pleasant smile. "They could perhaps help with our wardrobe as well. We do still need to figure out costu-"

I pulled out a list and nearly shoved it in his face. "Already covered. Takashi and I will be vampires; the twins will be goblins; Jaycee and Mitsukuni will be imps; Haruhi will be a werewolf; Tamaki-senpai, you will be a mummy; and Kyouya-senpai, you will be a dark wizard."

They both blinked in shock for a few seconds, then Kyouya took the list from me. "...you are very excited for this, aren't you?"

"Ooooh, yeah," I replied, grinning. "This is the one time of year that is the most fun for my family..." I trailed off, sighing. "It's... been a lot less cheerful at home lately, and I just... I want us to be able to have fun with this, you know? My... my mom loved Halloween, and she would've wanted all of us to have fun and get into the spirit of things."

Tamaki pulled me into a tight hug. "Alright, Gwen. We'll make Maria-mama proud," he whispered. "Even if it means me getting the crap scared out of me by Nekozawa-senpai," he added, shivering.

I giggled, hugging him back before pulling away to look at him. "Umehito-senpai is just different, Tama-senpai. He's not a bad person."

And with that, the final preparations were made. On the last day of exams, I dashed out of the classroom with the twins and Haruhi, meeting up with Jaycee as we headed to the club room to get everything ready. When we opened the doors, the Black Magic Club was helping Kyouya set up the decorations. I waved to everyone as I snagged Haruhi and Jaycee to head into the smaller spare room to change.

I had a wide, shameless grin on my face the entire time I got ready, even when I struggled a little with my long, white wig and assisted Jaycee and Haruhi with their costumes. "Ooooh, I'm so excited!" I chimed. Then, I calmed a bit and sighed, my smile turning sad. "I wish mom could see this..."

"...but, she can, can't she?" asked Haruhi. "She's still watching you and us."

I stilled, then chuckled, shaking my head. "You're right, Haruhi... And she's probably going to have a good laugh watching our class scare each other. She was very much a prankster when she was our age, and she never lost that."

Jaycee and Haruhi giggled, and nothing ore was said as we finished up. Heading out into the now transformed club room, I was not disappointed. It looked like an elegant gothic paradise, something straight out of Bran Castle. Spotting Takashi, I stilled, then marched up to him.

Pulling him down by his collar, I whispered, "Could you keep this outfit, darling~? I want us to use it in the future~... I'd love to have you nibble on my neck with those fangs while we make love~..."

He nearly choked on his own spit, and I let him go with a bright grin that showed off my own fangs. "That would be fun, ne~?"

Even with the sclera contacts he had on, I could tel his gaze had turned heated. "...mhm."

My grin turned darkly mischievous, and I winked at him. "Awesome... I'll do the same with mine. I quite love these fangs..." I trailed off, then licked over each one provocatively before turning around and walking over to see what Umehito was working on.

As the goth boy explained everything to me, I chanced a glance behind me to see that Takashi was still frozen and looking like he wanted to devour me. Biting back a giggle, I returned my focus to Umehito and patted his back. "It looks great, Senpai. I'm sure the girls will like it. Now remember, try not to scare them too badly," I said.

Nodding, he sat down in front of his large crystal ball in a plush, dark violet chair. Chuckling, I went and took my place in my coffin, which was right next to Takashi's. We were lucky that Umehito had these in his house; especially one that was tall enough to fit my six foot four boyfriend. They were both lined with dark grey satin and when I closed the lid, I was surprised at how comfy it was. I faintly heard Takashi get into his beside me, and I waited to hear the signal from Tamaki for us to step out.

Finally, I heard his vice coming our way, leading both mine and Takashi's clients towards us. "Ladies, I must caution you," I heard him say. "Both of our fiercest hosts have become something other... Something terrifying to behold."

I rolled my eyes, then blinked a few times to realign the sclera contacts I had on. I then pounded twice on the lid of my coffin, signaling Tamaki, and I heard Takashi do the same after I had pounded the first time.

I heard the girls gasp, and Tamaki finally said the signal. "Oh my! The vampires have awoken!"

Takashi and flung open our coffins with as much force as we could, and I looked at all of the ladies in front of us, slowly perusing each and every one. Then, I slowly grinned, letting my fangs peek out over my bottom lip.

"Mmmm... dinner~..." I purred. Takashi stepped out and offered me his hand. Taking it, I stepped out, and we both sat on the black opera sofa beside our coffins.

"Don't be impatient," Takashi murmured, though he did so loud enough that the ladies would hear him. He turned his gaze to them, a small smirk on his lips. All of the ladies were bright red at this point, and I could see little hearts floating around their heads (figuratively speaking).

"Hmm, you're right, dear," I lamented, frowning. Then, I grinned evilly, lifting my hand towards Setsuna. "Come here, little mortal~..."

And with that, Tamaki slinked away back to his spot. Setsuna came towards me and took my hand, though her own was trembling. Most likely from excitement and confusion. Once she had placed her hand in my own, I pulled her forward and gently cupped her chin in my other hand.

"Hmm, you're a lovely one... What blood type are you, mortal~?"

She blushed bright red, seeming unable to speak. I chuckled, then took a long sniff. "Hmmm, judging by your scent, I would say you are type B. Your blush is so strong, I can make it out easily~..."

Her lips parted on a small gasp, and Takashi took her free hand and lifted it to his nose. "...you're right."

The ladies that were watching all started to fangirl, a lot of them fanning their heated faces. Letting Setsuna go, I loked out at all of them and closed my eyes, sniffing deeply once more. "Mmm, ladies, you're tempting us so terribly~," I said in a sing-song voice. "Could it be that you want us to... have a little nibble~?"

They all squealed and started crying out for both of us to bite them. I chuckled darkly, though I knew my eyes betrayed my good-natured amusement. I glanced at Takashi and saw him smiling so one of his fangs peeked out. Looking back at the girls, I bade them all to sit down.

"Now now, little mortals... we can't stuff ourselves willy-nilly," I chided. Then, just as we'd planned out, I 'accidentally' dropped the tea cup I had just picked up. It shattered on the floor, and I reached down to pick up a shard. In reality, though, I was reaching for a little tablet that had edible fake blood in it. Making it look like I had picked up a shard wrong, I let out a small hiss, raising my 'bloody' finger.

I frowned in annoyance, then Takashi did as we rehearsed and grabbed my wrist firmly, making me look at him. Then, I slowly smiled, looking into his eyes. "...thirsty, dear~?"

He smirked at me. "It's too much to waste..."

The ladies watched intently, holding their breath as he opened his mouth and flashed his fangs before sucking on my finger. I would be lying if I said that having him do that didn't make me want to rip off these cosplays and take him in front of everyone. He was... /very/ thorough in licking my finger clean so none of the fake blood remained.

As I drew my finger out, I made sure to have it caress his tongue slowly as a little payback for making me so flustered in public. It was also fortunate that his tongue seemed to reach out slightly after I had pulled away. The girls were practically inconsolable with 'moe' as Renge called it. I grinned at Takashi, stroking his cheek.

"Don't get greedy, dear... You can have more later."

And with that, a couple of the girls basically passed out, and the rest were all practically screaming. I sent my flustered boyfriend a wink, which he returned.

~o~0~o~

When club had finished, I got up and stretched my arms above my head. "Ahhh, that was a successful session..."

Takashi nodded, slipping an arm around my waist. Just then, Kyouya came up to us with a wide grin. "Mori-senpai, Gwen, you both tripled your income today. Very good work."

I grinned wide and clapped my hands. "Awesome! I didn't get a chance to really see how the others were doing, though," I added, frowning a little.

Kyouya chuckled a little. "I wouldn't worry about that. Everyone else did as well as they normally do, if not better. Perhaps we should do joint activities with other clubs more often."

"Hehehehehe~... I'm glad that we made you so proud, my little kouhai~," cackled Umehito as he appeared right at Kyouya's elbow. "My club would like to thank you for letting us assist in this. How would you like for us to make a custom tarot card for each of you~...?"

Kyouya smiled pleasantly. "That would be most kind, Nekozawa-senpai. You may do so if you wish."

"Lovely... we shall start right away~!" Umehito cackled once more, blending back into the darkness and seeming to disappear.

I blinked a couple of times, wondering how on earth he even did that, before mentally shaking myself. "I better go get changed; these sclera lenses are starting to hurt. My eyes need oxygen..."

After kissing Takashi's cheek, I went to go get changed. Once I had finished, I packed up my cosplay, ready to bring it home. However, I decided to keep the fangs in, as they did look rather fetching on me. When I went back out into the main room, I was shocked to see that all of the decorations were taken down already.

"Wow, that was very quick..."

"It's cuz we have no time to waste!" chimed the twins. "We need to finish up preparations for tomorrow night with Haruhi and the class prez!"

"Oh yeah," said the apathetic girl. "I almost forgot about that. Did you and your group finish stuff?" she asked me.

"Mhm; me n' the girls are all set for tomorrow night. We're gonna get things ready at Momoka's place," I said with a nod.

Jaycee pouted at my side, crossing her arms. "No fair that you guys get to have fun with that; my class just settled on watching Halloween movies all day in our pajamas and having an all-you-can-eat buffet."

I patted her head. "Hey, that's not so bad... As long as there's good movies, I think you'll be okay! After all, scary movies here are legendary for being so creepy that it boggles the mind!"

She calmed down a little and nodded. "True... But I did tell them that we HAVE to watch the 1992 version of Bram Stoker's Dracula that has Wyonna Rider and Gary Oldman in it, along with The Corpse Bride, so we'll at least have those two movies that are familiar to me."

I laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders. "That's the spirit! Come on, let's head home. Alaina said grammie and grampa are cooking tonight, so you know dinner's gonna be good."

And with that, we bid everyone farewell and made our way back home. When we arrived, everyone was sitting in the kitchen and talking while grammie and grampa stood at the stove preparing dinner. When we walked in, my uncle Nate greeted us with a wave.

"Hey short-stack, hey brat," he said, calling Jaycee and I by his favorite nicknames for us.

We both stuck our tongues out at him and blew raspberries, which only made him laugh before turning back to Amelia. She was starting to show in her stomach area, and a soft smile came to my face for a moment. /I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl...?/

"Alright, now that everyone is home, we can finally talk about stuff," announced grammie. Jaycee and I shared a look before sitting down at the table.

"So, with Maria... gone," started my uncle Stephan, "you four girls have no one to look after you guys."

"Uncle, I'm an adult," countered Isolde. "I'm not exactly helpless, you know..."

"We know, dear, but there's also Maria's business that we need to worry about," grammie added gently.

"That's why," continued my uncle Stephan, "I'm going to be staying here with you girls when everyone else flies back to New Hampshire. I..." He paused, then sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "M-Maria told me awhile ago, back when you were all still living in New Hampshire, that if something were to... happen to her, she wanted me to run the bakeries. I honestly refused when she told me that, but she made me promise."

We all sat in shocked silence, and then grampa cleared his throat. "There's also... her will. Her lawyer is going to be coming over this evening at eight to read it to us."

The atmosphere then became heavier than it already was, and I trembled. Nodding, I stood rigidly. "I-I see... uhm, I'm going to... go get changed..."

With that, I took my bags and made a beeline for my room. Locking the door behind me, I saw Cecilia lift her head from her paws, blinking sleepily. I frowned. "Sorry, girl... didn't mean to wake you..."

I changed into more casual clothes in a trance, not really feeling what I was doing. My gaze landed on my phone when I was finished, and I saw myself picking it up and calling Takashi.

*ringringring*

"Hello?"

I jumped at the sound of his voice, then sighed. "...hi, honey..."

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"...my mom's lawyer is coming over tonight to read her will," I whispered.

He was quiet for a few moments, then I heard him let out a slow breath; I wasn't sure, but it almost sounded shaky. "...do you need me to come over?"

I thought for a moment, then nodded to myself. "Yes. The... the lawyer is supposed to be here at eight..."

"Okay. I will bring Mitsukuni and Yasuchika, and notify Kyouya."

Again, nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "...okay... I love you, Takashi... than you for putting up with me..."

"I don't 'put up with' you," he chided gently. "I am with you and I love you. I will be there later, Gwenivere."

"Alright... I'll see you later, darling... I love you, so much."

"I love you too, koibito."

*click*

With that conversation over, I let out a huge breath and wiped my face, feeling tears on my cheeks. I guess I had been crying without realizing it. I slapped my cheeks a couple of times, trying to pull myself together. Once I was a bit more composed, I laid on my bed and waited for someone to come and get me for dinner; I didn't feel like seeing anyone until then. I needed to be alone with my thoughts.

~o~0~o~

When we had all finished eating, I heard the doorbell ring. I had let everyone know during dinner that we were going to be having more company, and let them know who. Isolde, Alaina, and Jaycee had looked relieved, and I knew I had made the right move in calling Takashi.

My grammie went and answered the door, welcoming the boys inside. The rest of us rose from the table and went to the living room to relax as best as we could. Grammie led the boys inside, and each of them gravitated towards their significant other: Kyouya settling in beside Isolde on the loveseat, Mitsukuni lifting Jaycee onto his lap in an armchair, Yasuchika silently sitting next to Alaina on the big couch, and Takashi coming to be beside me on the floor in front of Jaycee and Mitsukuni's chair. I glanced around at everyone and thought to myself that we looked like a huge mess of a family, but a family all the same.

The doorbell rang once more not even five minutes later, and it was grampa who answered it this time. He came back leading a thirty-something-year-old woman who had pin-straight black hair and a powerful, but gentle, aura. She sat in the empty chair that my grampa had set up for her in front of everyone. She looked around at all of us with a small, sad smile.

"Hello; I'm Hinako Kenshin. I'm very sorry for your loss... Maria-sama was a kind friend to me, and a sweetheart to have a client," she said. I knew she was being sincere; the touches of sadness in her eyes were noticeable. "She entrusted her will to me a few months ago. She said that she had made some revisions to it."

Miss Kenshin opened her briefcase and took out a manila envelope, then opened that up and pulled out a thick piece of parchment paper. "I have to say... Maria-sama had beautiful taste in stationary and the prettiest penmenship I've ever seen," she said with a small chuckle.

My lips quirked up slightly, then I sobered up and listened as the woman cleared her throat. "This is the reading of the last will and testament of Maria 'Mountain' Beilschmidt, daughter of Elizaveta 'Raindrop' Beilschmidt and Thor 'Thundercloud' Beilschmidt, mother to Isolde 'Starlight' Beilschmidt, Gwenivere 'Moonbeam' Beilschmidt, and Alaina 'Sunshine' Beilschmidt, and sister to Stephan 'Thunder' Beilschmidt and Nathan 'Lightning' Beilschmidt. Let it be known that this last will and testament is written in the hand of the deceased, and has not been seen by anyone but her."

Taking a breath, Miss Kenshin continued. "To my mother, I leave her my collection of beanie babies which are stored at Castle Nightshade in a glass case in my closet. She has instructed here that you are to sell them so that you may be able to retire, as your job being a bus driver has begun to affect your arthritis," added Miss Kenshin before continuing. "To my father, I leave him all of my vintage vehicles that are stored at Castle Nightshade, so that he may enjoy them and take care of them as only a true mechanic can. To my brother Stephan, I leave him the CEO and Head Chairman position at my baking company, Hidden Delights, so that he may fulfill his dream of becoming a chef and baker just as I have."

My uncle Stephan trembled where he sat, tears going down his face silently. Miss Kenshin gave him a moment before continuing once more. "To my brother Nathan and his fiance Amelia, I leave them my spare house in Hopkington, New Hampshire so that you don't need to go through the hassle of buying a brand new home, and so my niece or nephew is guaranteed a large yard to play in. To my daughter Isolde, I leave her my kitchen supplies and recipe books, along with my galaxy black velvet paintings, embroidery kits, and copper jewelry."

Miss Kenshin paused to take a sip of the tea my grammie had brought out. I figured her throat must have been getting dry from talking so much. After a moment, she went on. "To my daughter Alaina, I leave her all of my musical equipment and sheet music that I have stored away in the basement, along with my records and record player, my stuffed animals, and my golden jewelry. She also say," added Miss Kenshin, an indulgent smile on her lips, "that if Yasuchika Haninozuka ever asks for her hand in marriage, he may choose one of the golden rings in said collection to use as an engagement ring."

Both him and Alaina blushed bright red at that, and everyone got a good chuckle out of it. Especially Mitsukuni. Once everyone had calmed down, Miss Kenshin picked up where she had left off. "To my daughter Gwenivere, I leave her this manor and Castle Nightshade to do with what she will, along with my blankets, spell books, and my silver jewelry. To Jaycee 'Tiger' Mahoney, I leave her a home and room, along with a decent allowance while she is here in Japan. To Takashi 'Dragon' Morinozuka-"

"Huh?" we all asked, surprised. I glanced over at my boyfriend and saw that he looked just as shocked.

"Yes, she left something for Morinozuka-san," replied Miss Kenshin. Clearing her throat, she began again. "To Takashi 'Dragon' Morinozuka, I leave him my daughter Gwenivere to cherish and love for the rest of his days, along with any silver ring of his choosing for when he asks for Gwenivere's hand in marriage." He and I both blushed bright red as she went on. "To Mitsukuni 'Rabbit' Haninozuka, I leave him a permanent all-access pass to any of my bakery locations around the world, so that he may enjoy all the cake and sweets he desires, as he is my number one customer. To Tamaki 'Robin' Suoh, I leave him a specially made charm that can be found in my right hand desk drawer in my office; it will be within a white silk bag. To Haruhi 'Purity' Fujioka, I leave a copy of my stew and jam recipes. To the Hitachiin Brothers, Hikaru 'Firelight' and Kaoru 'Waterlily', I leave them a copy of the book within which all of our family's traditional clothing is documented. To Kyouya 'Shadow' Ohtori, I leave him in charge of my company's finances and marketing, until such a time when he has made his own business."

Miss Kenshin took a breath as she finished, looking around at all of us. "Stephan-sama, Ohtori-sama, I will contact you both at a later date to go over the inner workings of the company and the finances. I hope, for the sake of the late Maria-sama, that you both can work together to bring her treasured company into further success, as she would have wanted. I will also be in contact with the legal systems in your home country and state about the property deeds and vehicle registrations. I will also make copies of Maria-sama's will and send them to whomever wishes to have one."

She placed my mother's will back in the envelope and sealed it back up. With that, she rose and my grandparents escorted her out to her car. The rest of us sat there and processed everything we had just been told. It was... a lot to go over mentally.

/Okay, so... mum left me the main mansion and this manor, her spell books, her blankies, and her silver jewelry. I own... I own two big houses. I'm seventeen, and I own property. ACTUAL property... fucking hell. What am I gonna do with TWO houses?! I mean, my grandparents can keep living there, I'm not gonna kick 'em out, that'd be bitchy of me,/ I thought to myself, fighting back the urge to snort. Mum had thrown me for a loop when she decided to add the Host Club into her will, though. I mean, I thought that maybe she'd added Takashi, but not the others. And making Kyouya her company's financial adviser? On one hand, he probably felt honored, but on the other, he was probably very confused.

Everyone began to rise and go about there own business, and I figured that the boys would probably need to head home. Takashi helped me stand, and I hugged him tightly. "...I didn't know she would add all of you in her will," I murmured to him. "I guess... I guess that was her way of saying that she saw you all as her children, too..."

Takashi said nothing, but just stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. Pulling back a bit, I looked up at him with a small smile, my eyes still a little teary. "You go on home, darling... we can probably have a small meeting with the others tomorrow in the afternoon for lunch out on the town to discuss everything."

Kyouya apparently overheard me, because he cleared his throat. "That would be good. The others have to be notified of... what Maria-san left them."

"Alright, then. One-thirty, then? I'll let you pick a place for food, Kyouya-senpai..." I trailed off, then smiled teasingly. "Or should I call you 'Kyouya-nii-san', hm~? Since you're sweet on my big sister~..."

He had the decency to blush, even if only slightly. "...I am not opposed to the idea, as long as it is in private with only those who know of... my attachment to Isolde," he murmured.

I grinned wide and let Takashi go so I could hug Kyouya tightly. "Awwww, my new big brother is blushing~..."

He wormed his way out of my hold and lightly bonked my head with his fist. "Don't talk nonsense, Gwen, it's unbecoming of you."

I only giggled and rubbed the top of my head. "Whatever you say... nii-san." I then sobered and pulled him to my face by his shirt collar. "But if you hurt my sister in any way, I will murder you with my bare hands, liquefy your corpse with a wood-chipper, and bury your slushy remains in the woods out back so deep that even Cecilia won't be able to dig you up."

His expression remained unchanged, but he did get a bit pale. "I have no doubt. Now could you please release me? I need to go home and sleep."

I smiled pleasantly and let him go. "Okay! Sleep well, guys!" I said cheerfully. I kissed my man's cheek and sent him off with the others, waving goodbye to them at the front door.

I turned to go up to my room when Isolde stopped me, raising a brow. "You know I can take care of myself, Gwen..."

I sighed, then pulled her in for a hug. "I know... but it's my job to threaten your significant other at least once... now that mom isn't here... I don't want you to get hurt like she was. I want to protect you... and Alaina... I already threatened Yasuchika."

Isolde hugged me tightly in return. "I know, Gwen... I know... but you need to let us take care of ourselves, yeah? We want to make it easier on you. You may be the alpha female in personality, but even a good alpha knows when to let their pack show their own strength."

I couldn't argue with that logic, so I relented and said goodnight to her and everyone else. Flopping onto my bed after getting a soft, flannel nightgown on, I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep. Cecilia's deep, even breathing and the feeling of her steady heartbeat against my side finally lulled me into sleep's arms, and I descended into a deep, dreamless slumber.

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A/N: The reading of Maria's will and a sneak peek into what will be happening for the Halloween chapters. I'm probably going to need to split the Courage Contest and Samhain into two separate chapters just so it doesn't get too long, especially since I'm having everyone meet up before the Courage Contest to discuss what happened at the reading and who was left what; I'll also have Gwen hand out all of the things to everyone.

Until nest chapter,

Chrissy )O(