Unlovable

Chapter Seventeen

Her first instinct was to run, as fast as she could and as far away as possible. Kagami fought to keep the look of dismay off of her face as she stared into the courtyard where she and Hotaru ate. Mori and Honey were there, just like they had been for the past two Mondays, but that wasn't what had alarmed her. Mori and Honey had brought the rest of the host club with them.

Tamaki was talking animatedly to a perplexed Hotaru while the twins sat chatting with Haruhi. Mori was giving Honey a piggyback ride around the courtyard and Kyoya sat typing furiously on a laptop, paying no heed to anything that was going on around him. Kagami didn't know if she could deal with all of them at once. Haruhi, Mori, and Honey were okay but the rest of the host club was a different story. Tamaki was far too flamboyant and Kyoya seemed to feel the need to pry into everyone's business. Hikaru and Kaoru were the two that she wanted to see the least. She had managed to avoid them all morning and if she went into the courtyard now they would definitely start asking her questions about the ball. Kagami didn't want to see them here, in the one place at school she had considered safe. But now, all of that would be ruined.

The desire to run away suddenly became overwhelming. If she left now no one would ever know she had been here. She could eat her lunch peacefully in the quiet of the classroom. Hotaru wouldn't blame her for not showing up just this once. Kagami tried to convince herself that running away would be fine but couldn't quite manage to do it. She stayed frozen in place, torn between the temptation of a peaceful lunch break and her desire not to disappoint Hotaru. Kyoya's piercing voice made the decision for her.

"Wakahisa senpai," he said in his cold, smooth voice, "I was wondering if you could tell me what your relationship is with the model Mitsuki. I'm curious to know how you convinced him to go to a school event with you."

"Um, well, that is . . . " Hotaru's voice trailed off as she looked around helplessly.

"Well?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "Surely it can't be something too scandalous."

"Of course it's not!" Hotaru exclaimed, blushing bright red. "It's just that, um . . ."

Kagami couldn't take it anymore. Stepping out of the shadows she walked towards the group and stood in front of Kyoya with folded arms.

"That's really none of your business senpai." She said in a voice that was the definition of cold.

"I was merely curious." Kyoya said calmly. "None of the sources I found say anything about Mitsuki having a girlfriend."

"That's because he doesn't have one." Kagami replied. "He went to the ball with Hotaru because I asked him to."

"Oh?" Kyoya looked interested now. "In that case, what is your relationship with Mitsuki Tsukino san?"

"As I told you earlier that's really none of your business." Kagami glared down at him. "But since you're obviously not going to let this go anytime soon I'll tell you. Mitsuki is my cousin. And don't bother asking which side of my family he's on or what his real name is because there's no way I'm going to tell you that."

"No way!" Hikaru exclaimed. "You're related to that stuck-up pretty boy?"

"Yes, I am." Kagami smirked at him. "He told me about how he met you at the studio and how he couldn't stand you. I guess being a good judge of character runs in the family."

"Hey!" Kaoru shouted.

Ignoring him, Kagami turned and walked over to sit beside Hotaru, who rewarded her with a smile full of gratitude.

"Why are they here?" Kagami asked, jerking her head in the direction of the host club.

"I'm not sure." Hotaru replied softly. "They just showed up with Honey and Mori."