//Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.//

CHAPTER NINETEEN

NO MORE SUGAR FOR YOU

"This is nice," Asami comments as she strolls through a park with Takashi next to her. In his arms are a blanket and wooden basket which causes Asami to assume that they'll be having a picnic. Takashi finds a quiet, picturesque spot in the park for their picnic that is by the lake which is full of animals. The sun is shining, and a gentle breeze rustles the leaves of the surrounding trees. Asami helps him spread out the blanket and sits down, watching as he opens the basket to reveal it is filled with delicious homemade treats. "Wow, thank you for bringing me here and for cooking these." She licks her lips, eagerly eyeing the strawberry shortcake she spots.

"I thought you might like it. It's quiet and peaceful." Takashi says quietly with a nod.

"I'm impressed that you made all of this without Mitsukuni eating them all." She comments with a laugh.

"It was like fighting off a ravenous coyote." He jokes. She stares at him in a bit of shock before grinning.

"I like hearing your laugh, it's full of warmth. You should do that more." She says. Asami takes a bite of a sandwich. "Mmm, it's really good! What's in it?"

"Turkey, cheese, and a secret ingredient." Takashi informs her.

"A secret ingredient? You're not going to tell me?" She gasps in fake hurt. "I thought we were friends."

"It wouldn't be a secret if I did and we are." They share a comfortable silence, enjoying the food and the serenity of the park. She watches a pair of swans laze around the lake, a school of fish jumping out of the water, and children playing tag with their parents supervising them.

"You know, I appreciate you inviting me out like this. You're not usually the one to take the initiative." She muses. It is true, she usually has to drag Takashi with her to do things together.

"I thought it would be a nice change of pace. And... I wanted to apologize." He admits. She looks at him curiously.

"Apologize? For what?"

"For the way I've been acting lately. I missed a few of your kendo lessons. I know I've been distant." He states.

"It's okay, Takashi. We all have our moments of being distant. What's been bothering you?" She asks, setting her half eaten sandwich down to give him her full attention.

"My father informed me how I am a possible suitor for you. I felt," he sighs, "strange about it. I know I am not your first choice, and I feel guilty over pursuing you when I know that this is something you do not want." 

"Awe Takashi," she reaches over and rests her hand on his shoulder, "I appreciate you taking my feelings into account; however, this is something we must do for our families, I understand that. And I'd prefer if it's mostly you pursuing me. My other suitor that I met was not the nicest." She shudders.

"He wasn't?" He frowns. "I do not understand how someone could not act nice toward you. You're a way of sunshine." Asami wants to laugh at that comment, but she knows that he is serious.

"Yeah, he was a real prick." Takashi snorts at her insult. "Thank you for opening up to me."

"Thank you for listening." They exchange a gentle smile. They continue their picnic, the atmosphere becoming more relaxed and carefree as Takashi jokingly puts some whipped cream on Asami's nose which resulted into a mini food fight—thankfully, most of the food was already eaten by then.

•••

Asami's hand covers her mouth as she states in horror at the wet plushie. Tamaki accidentally spilled tea on Honey's beloved bunny plushie. She turns to the twins and her brother. "You've doomed us." She growls.

"Now we've really done it!" exclaims Tamaki, who honestly looks very stressed out.

"You've done it all right," Hikaru chimes in with a smirk, while Kaoru shrugs, distancing themselves from the unfolding disaster. Asami shakes her head at the duo and grabs them by their ears, dragging them back into the fray.

"Asami!" They whine. "We don't want to die! We're too pretty."

"And I'm not pretty enough to not die?" She asks.

"That's not what we meant." They glare at her.

"F-Fools! You guys bumped into me!" Tamaki defends himself, pointing angrily at the twins.

"Well, Haruhi was running away," Hikaru points out.

"We finally got the chance to have Haruhi cosplay and have some fun..." Kaoru adds, but Tamaki interrupts.

"We're always doing cosplays!"

"Not the usual Host Club cosplays but..." Hikaru teases.

"...a bunny girl outfit. We can give her female attire," Kaoru suggests mischievously. Asami sighs.

"Why do you play into his perverted fantasies?" She asked.

"Entertainment." The twins reply.

"Female attire?" Haruhi questions, raising an eyebrow.

"You want to see it, too, right, my lord?" Hikaru and Kaoru say with wicked grins as they turn to Tamaki.

"Ah..." Tamaki hesitates as his mind wandered into an imaginative realm. "Ohh, yeah, I do... No, but now isn't the time for that! Hey, what's with those hands trying to take advantage of this situation?! Get away from Haruhi!"

"We don't wanna~," the twins teases, causing Haruhi to feel a bit uneasy.

"Gahh!" Haruhi exclaims as she tries to escape the twins' playful advances. "Asami!" The said girl was currently busy trying to determine how she was going to save the plushie. She grumbles and stomps over.

"Leave my sister-in-law alone!" She yanks Haruhi out of their grip and cuddles Haruhi to her chest.

"Out of one devils hands and into another." Haruhi mumbles, deadpanning.

"Don't ruin our fun," the twins pout at Asami.

"You guys... We do not have any guests right now, so I do not mind the commotion, but are you guys sure? Honey-senpai is going to wake up." Kyoya comments. The room falls silent, and everyone's attention turns to Mitsukuni, who is peacefully napping nearby under a curtain partition.

"Everyone, be quiet." Asami hisses. "We do not want to wake him up before we clean that bunny." The twins nods their heads in agreement while Haruhi shook her head no.

"Well, you can't do anything about something you spilled. We should wake him up and apologize directly." Haruhi suggests and begins to walk toward the sleeping boy. Asami immediately yanks her back.

"Are you trying to kill us?" Asami whispers angrily.

"Don't go near Honey-senpai!Honey-senpai has a megaton-esque bad temper when he gets awoken," Tamaki warns urgently.

"Huh?" Haruhi states at them puzzled.

"No, if you want proof that Honey-senpai has an evil alter ego, we've got more! Honey-senpai's blood type is AB," Tamaki shares with a mysterious tone. Asami blinks and raises her eyebrows in confusion. Why does that matter?

"So?" Haruhi questions.

"And so... he has the same blood type as Kyoya!" Tamaki reveals. Asami's mouth drops open at the revelation. How could such a cute but dangerous boy share the same blood type as the evil notebook man?

"Ah!" Haruhi gasps, surprised. The atmosphere in the room changed, and the members of the Host Club, along with Haruhi, peer at Kyoya, who is typing on his computer, seemingly unbothered.

"Is there something wrong with my blood type?" Kyoya asks, looking up from his work.

"No," Asami quickly says.

"AB is evil." Tamaki whispers. Kyoya's eye twitches.

"Stop angering him," Asami says. As conversation continued, Mitsukuni, rolls over and slowly wakes up. The Host Club members, freeze in panic.

"No, we won't make it! We have no choice. Use another substitute!" Tamaki shouts. Mituskuni starts to wake up and sits up, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Usa-Chan?" He calls out. Asami is gripping her hair tightly, imagining the chaos that will ensue after he sees the bunny.

"You're on your own." She mumbles to Tamaki, spinning on her heel and quickly moving away from the scene of the crime. Tamaki gawks at her.

"Mitsukuni, look over there! It's a rare cake-flavored butterfly!" Tamaki suddenly shouts.

Mitsukuni, still half-asleep, blinks in confusion. "Cake-flavored butterfly? Where?" he asks with curiosity. While he was momentarily distracted, Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru sprang into action.

Tamaki grabs a map and shouts, "Quick, Hikaru, Kaoru! Get your family's Cessna! Fly to Mt. Osore and bring a blind priestess. Have her communicate with Honey-senpai's grandmother so that she can make us a new bunny doll!"

The twins exchange bewildered glances. "Yes, sir!" they yell in unison.

"Take this Aomori prefecture map with you! As souvenirs, don't forget to buy apple juice and apple jam, and don't forget the Nebuta doll, either!" Tamaki instructs them.

"We don't have time for that..." Hikaru mutters, but Tamaki is already deep into his imaginative escape plan.

"Alright, then let's do this. While we send the bunny doll away for cleaning, Haruhi..." Tamaki turns to Haruhi with a mischievous grin. "...wear this mascot uniform," Tamaki presents Haruhi with a bunny costume.

"No!" Asami appears out of nowhere and karate chops the outfit.

"I may have given up on the bunny girl, but you shall become a bunny with this! A bunny you shall become!" Tamaki declares dramatically. "Let her wear it, Asami!"

"No, keep your weird fantasies at home!"

Mitsukuni, now fully awake, looks around with confusion. "What's going on?"

"Ah, Honey-senpai! We were just discussing the cultural significance of bunnies in various societies, and how they are often used as symbols for good luck and fertility!" Tamaki explains.

"It sounds more like you're trying to use me as a distraction, senpai." Haruhi retorts.

"Oh well, as long as it's for something fun." Mitsukuni shrugs. However, before Tamaki could continue with his elaborate plan, Mitsukuni's attention was drawn to the table where his bunny plushie sat, covered in tea stains.

"Who got my bunny doll dirty?" Mitsukuni asks, a hint of seriousness in his tone.

"It was him!" Asami points at Tamaki.

"Traitor!" Tamaki hisses. "Mori-senpai, help!" He cries out after seeing the anger being directed toward him.

Takashi approaches the scene and grabs the plushie. "The bunny doll wanted to drink tea really badly."

"I see! That's why his face is all dirty! Oh, will he eat cake, too?" Honey asks innocently. Everyone sighs in relief.

"So," Tamaki hovers over Asami with a dark aura, "you would throw your darling brother under the bus if it saved you, would you?"

"Tamaki, don't take it to heart," Asami begins to back up slowly, "you've never sparred with Mitsukuni before. He's a machine, one that I do not intend to ever make mad."

"Still, you could've blamed one of the twins and saved me," he falls to his knees and pathetically grabs her skirt, "have they corrupted you so much that you'd protect them over me?" He sobs. Asami awkwardly pats his head while looking at everyone for help. They all whistle and turn away from the scene, leaving her to suffer with the emotional Tamaki. 

•••

After the bunny incident, the club opened for normal business. Asami is helping take care of guests today because she already played her music quota for the week. "Asami, may you come here and help me some financial paperwork?" Kyoya calls out to her as she walks by with some tea to bring to Mitsukuni's customers. She sends him a curious look.

"Yeah, I'll be over in a minute." She replies and hurries to deliver the tea. "Here you are my fair ladies, I do hope the tea is to your liking." She smiles sweetly at them before leaving to join Kyoya. She calmly takes the notebook he hands her, beginning to go through and balance each account. A few minutes of peaceful silence surrounds them despite the chatter and chaos ensuing around them with the other hosts and their customers. She takes a sip of her tea.

"I am one of your suitors." Kyoya randomly comments causing Asami to cough on the tea she swallowed. She turns to him and stares at him in shock. "Your grandmother approached my father about it a few months ago. I informed her that I would be taking you out on a courting session during club hours today." He glances up from his work to lock eyes with her. "Would you like to know the rest of your suitors?"

"You know?" She mumbles quietly.

"Who do you think I am? Of course I know." He smirks at her with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Turn to page 116." She quickly turns to that page, her eyes eagerly reading the list of names.

Ootori Kyoya

Morinzuka Takashi

Nekozawa Umehito

Sakamaki Ayato

Takumi Usui

Sata Kyouya

Wataoshi Ushijima

Gakushu Asano

She deflates, noticing that a certain name was not along the suitors. She recognizes a few from when the cultural event occurred. The only name that does not have a face in her mind is the Ayato person. She glances up to watch Kaoru and Hikaru put on their incest act, causing the customers to squeal and blush. "Why did you go through the trouble of getting this? You usually do not do things unless it benefits you." She muses.

"It does benefit me in a way." He close his notebook and leans backwards into the couch. "I am the best suitor on that list for you. The other males, you do not personally know enough to have close bonds with them thus eliminating them automatically. Takashi and Nekozawa are contenders, but both are the oldest in their families which means they need to provide heirs." A sullen look crosses his face. "I am not the oldest and do not have the responsibility of providing my family with heirs. I know you do not have a fondness for children." She narrows her eyes at him.

"I feel like there's more to this than you're willing to tell me." She comments.

"Observant as always," he mumbles, "yes, there is more; however, I am not inclined to share those reasons with you unless you agree to become my fiancée." She stares at him with a frown. While she appreciates him giving her the list of suitors, she does not like the information he is telling her because he is right. She would never choose anyone from the bottom half of the list. She needs someone she has a close bond with and there is not enough time to form those bonds with those males. Kyoya, Takashi and Umehito are friends of hers. They have close bonds and she knows she can trust them—however fleeting that trust may be with Kyoya at certain times. Children...the thought of having children does cause her discomfort. She prefers to stay away from children, but if she had more time to develop deeper bonds with Takashi and Umehito, would she be more willing to provide them heirs? She scrunches her nose. She hates that she even needs to think about such things at her age. Kyoya, in theory, is the best choice.

"Thank you for the information. I do not have an answer at this exact moment." She finally says after a long pause.

"That is understandable. I didn't expect you to immediately say yes." He raises from his spot and sends a tiny smile. "I do hope you make the best choice for you in the end." He walks away to attend to some wandering customers. Asami sits there and merely watches everyone around her. She feels like she is floating underwater. This is truly her life now.

•••

Asami sits with Takashi and Mitsukuni for the day. "You ladies look lovely today," she compliments the guests. "Is that a new hairstyle, Aoi?" Aoi blushes and nods her head yes. "Wow, I might have to try it. It looks so fitting on you."

"Thank you." The girls squeal. She smiles at them and turns when Marika and Ayumi, two regular customers, join them. The group gets settled and conversations pick right back up.

"Honey-kun, what kind of chocolate do you like?" Marika inquires with a dreamy expression.

"Mousse? Bonbons? Maybe you like chocolate cake?" Ayumi adds, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Umm... I'm happy with all of those! I like chocolate, my bunny, and everyone!" Mitsukuni replies. The girls squeal in delight, finding his sweetness utterly charming.

"Honey-senpai, real name Haninozuka Mitsukuni, age 17. Ouran Academy's high school division, senior class 3-A, and member of the Host Club. His favorites are cake, chocolate, and his bunny doll. He possesses the loveliness that senior students shouldn't possess and is an invincible loli-shota character." Renge voice overs dramatically.

"Honey-senpai is pretty happy today." Haruhi observes as Asami feeds Mitsukuni some cake which he returns the favor.

"I'm so glad that the bunny doll problem has been taken care of peacefully." Tamaki sighs in relief.

"Liking sweets and cute things are Honey-senpai's charm points... or that's how things are right now, but personally, I can't accept this kind of lackluster character setting! There's just not enough sadness!" Renge yells. Asami grumbles, sending a glare at the overly loud girl.

"Do you not like Renge-chan, Ami-chan?" Mitsukuni asks.

"I think you know the answer to that." She jokes. He grins in response. Haruhi approaches their table with a tray of tea and a piece of cake.

"Honey-senpai, you shouldn't be eating so many sweets. I'm not going to be responsible when you get cavities." Haruhi scolds.

"Don't worry. I brush my teeth." He replies happily; however, as he bit into the cake, a sudden pain shot through his mouth. "Ngh!" He winces, holding his jaw. This catches everyone's attention.

"Hey! Open your mouth, Honey-senpai." The twins tease.  The room fell silent as Mitsukuni's discomfort becomes apparent.

Haruhi, concerns, urges him to open his mouth. "Come on, open your mouth." Reluctantly, he complied, revealing a painful cavity.

"A cavity, is it?" Tamaki says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, I heard those suck." Asami winces. "I never had one myself so I don't know how much they suck."

"Never?" The twins asks.

"Never." She confirms. They turn to Tamaki with questioning eyes.

"I've never had one either." He replies to their quiet question.

"Wow, you guys must have good dental genetics." Haruhi comments.

"No... I'm fine!" Mitsukuni insists, trying to mask his discomfort.

Kyoya responds, "You guys shouldn't slack off with dental hygiene, either. Do not give Honey-senpai any sweets, no matter what methods he uses. Ah, just for the record, this is Mori-senpai's order, not mine."

"Why do we have to?" Asami whines, grabbing the snacks left on Mitsukuni's table in a hurry.

"What a foodie." Kaoru says.

"Food is love. Food is life." She says.

"Ah... N-No, Takashi... I don't want snacks to be forbidden... It doesn't hurt... It doesn't hurt!" Mitsukuni pleads. Takashi takes a piece of cake away from Honey, declaring it forbidden.

"And thus, cruel as it is, Honey-senpai's hell has begun," Renge dramatically announces.

"We don't need your commentary." Asami grumbles.

•••

Days passed, and the Host Club enforced the snack ban rigorously. Mitsukuni's attempts to indulge in sweets were met with resistance, and he found himself in a state of withdrawal. Ayumi, Marika, and the other female students who had been enamored with Mitsukuni's sweet tooth expressed sympathy for his plight. Asami watches in amusement as they send the boy sad looks. 

"He's pissed," Tamaki observes.

"Someone talk to him. I'm too scared," Kaoru admits.

"Not me," Asami declines. "He'll see me as sparring practice."

"Ahh, he's going to the snack cupboard!" Hikaru exclaims.

Kyoya reassures them, "Don't worry. It's empty anyway."

Mitsukuni, in a moment of frustration upon finding the empty snack cupboard, throws Tamaki's teddy bear to the ground. Tamaki wails, "Ahh! My teddy bear again!" Suddenly, Mitsukuni collapses.

"Oh no." Asami winces. The club members exchanged worried glances as Takashi got up from the table.

"Takashi... you idiot!!" Mitsukuni shouts, directing his frustration at Takashi. In a surprising turn of events, he throws Takashi over his shoulder, expressing his pent-up emotions. The Host Club members watched in shock as Mitsukuni unleashed his frustration. "Just a little is okay, you cheap punk! Stubborn pig! Takashi... Takashi... I hate you!!"

"He's unexpectedly negative." Haruhi comments. He continues to express his frustration and resentment, revealing a side of him that the club members rarely saw. Mitsukuni runs out of the room, and Tamaki follows after him. The remaining club members try to process the unexpected events, with Takashi reflecting on the consequences of his actions.

"It's not your fault," Asami hovers above him with a sad smile, "you've done your best in protecting him, this was something out of your control." Takashi does not acknowledge her words. She sighs.

"Mori-senpai might be feeling guilty about Honey-senpai's cavity. It seems like he blames himself for it." Haruhi muses.

"But is it really Mori-senpai's fault? I mean, it's just a cavity," Hikaru ponders.

"True. Mori-senpai seems to be taking it harder than he should. Maybe there's more to this story than we know." Kaoru adds on.

"It's evident that Mori-senpai's strictness was a form of self-punishment. He wanted to make amends for what he perceived as his own failure." Kyoya answers.

"It was my fault. It was my carelessness that led to Mitsukuni's cavity. I forgot to tell him to brush his teeth before napping twice." Takashi admits, closing his eyes in defeat.

"You shouldn't have to remind him to brush his teeth." Asami groans.

"If Mitsukuni had to get all his teeth replaced... I... I..." Takashi trails off, his guilt apparent. "If Mitsukuni didn't throw me like that, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"You're not at fault," Asami stresses to him, "Mitsukuni is old enough to remember to brush his own teeth. You went out of your way to remind him when you shouldn't have had to. Stop feeling guilty." The atmosphere remains heavy with tension as Mitsukuni and Tamaki enter the room again. He approaches Takashi, a look of sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Takashi! I won't forget to brush my teeth now! I won't... Ugh... Wahhh..." Mitsukuni apologizes, tears streaming down his face. Asami moves and watches with a smile as Takashi and Mitsukuni make up.

Takashi is obviously very caring, but the self punishment for feeling guilty worries her about their possible future together. If she chose him, would he do similar things when she becomes sick or misses the train or gets a bad grade on an assignment? She glances at Kyoya. He's very intelligent and financially reliable, but is she going to have to worry about him always working in the future? Will he make anytime for her? She sighs. This decision is so hard. She then remember Umehito. He is intriguing and always listens to her, but he struggles in too much light. Could she truly live in darkness?

•••

Several days later, the Host Club resumed its usual activities. Mitsukuni, his cavity now treated, indulged in a mountain of cakes with renewed enthusiasm. Renge, observing the scene, declares, "Several days later, as if in reaction to the snack ban, Honey-senpai, with his cavity fixed, devoured a mountain of cake."

Kyoya, however, sighs as he looks over the new calculated expenses that Asami did for him. "Haa..." he says. Asami is also staring in shock at the number.

"Kyoya-senpai, you seem kind of depressed. Asami, you seem shocked."

"Honey-senpai's snack money... was that much?" Kyoya asks.

"So expensive." Asami shudders.

The twins exchanged glances. "Honey-senpai's snacks were quite an investment," Kaoru comments. A new client enters the Host Club room, catching everyone's attention.

"Ah, a new client, perhaps?" Tamaki speculates. The girl approaches Takashi, her eyes filled with determination.

"I finally understand... who Mori-kun's special someone was." She says. Asami furrows her eyebrows. "I can't believe that the most important person to you was Honey-kun... That's... That's... kind of... so... great!!" she exclaims. Asami frowns, now knowing that this must be a girl with a crush on Takashi.

Renge, delighted by the unexpected twist, remarked, "Moe~! Totally moe~! This is the best!! The best!!" As Takashi wipes Honey's mouth with a napkin, the girls in the room erupted in excitement. The unexpected turn of events left the Host Club members both amused and bewildered.

"The mood is somewhat that of a happy ending, but is it really okay for a twist like this to be a happy ending?" Haruhi ponders, still trying to make sense of the unconventional developments.

"I don't see why not." Asami shrugs, eating some strawberry shortcake. She grins happily when Takashi walks over to put more strawberries on her plate. She digs in, forgetting completely about the numerous things that have been worrying her.

•••

"Asami, why did you call this meeting?" Shizue asks, sipping on her tea while eyeing her granddaughter.

"Grandmother, I apologize, but I saw the suitor list for me." Asami informs her.

"That list cannot be changed." Shizue immediately says.

"I am not asking for it to be changed." Shizue cocks an eyebrow curiously. "I wish to tell you that I have chosen which suitor to take as my fiancé." Asami expects anger or hostility for having the gall to choose her fiancé, but the reaction she suspects does not happen.

"I am proud of you." Shizue says. Asami blinks in shock as Shizue raises from her seat and approaches Asami. She sits next to her, pulling the young girl into a hug. "Unlike your father, you understand the importance of family and reputation. You are making a sacrifice for the family which will always be greatly appreciated." Shizue pulls away and softly tucks a piece of Asami's hair behind her ear. "I understand that I have harsh with you; however, that harshness comes from a place of love. Matriarchal households are more well perceived, even in the modern times we live in. Women need to be harsher in order to survive."

"Tamaki will be taking over so the family will become a patriarchal once more." Asami comments, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Oh, my dear. The Souh household has always been matriarchal. The males are merely the faces of the family, but the Souh women run everything from behind the scenes. I, unfortunately, was not graced with a daughter. If I had a daughter first before your father, she would be taking over the family duties and then her children would. Instead, I got cursed with your shameful father." She sighs. "Tamaki is older than you which is why he will be the face of the family, but my dear," she grabs Asami's hands and leans in close, "you will be the true head of the family. If only you were born first, you would be granted the opportunity to be the face of the family as well. I was lucky to not have any siblings so everything was granted to me. Do not take your familial duties lightly. We hold everything together. If we lose balance, the entire family will fall. Our dynasty will collapse." She hisses angrily.

"If I am the true head of the family, does that mean my children will take over after Tamaki?" Asami inquires.

"If you have a daughter and Tamaki does not, she will take over; however, if Tamaki has a daughter, she will." Asami nods her head at that. She still does not need to produce heirs as long as Tamaki does.

"Now, tell me, which suitor have you chosen?"

"I have chosen....."