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Gifts from Friends

It went better than I thought it would've. After screeching into a parking space and bolting inside, Mrs. C only screamed for close to three minutes rather than the expected fifteen. Of course, she threatened to cancel tomorrow night's dance if this was how I was going to act. I knew it was empty though, since my first night brought in so much revenue and she wasn't likely to shy away from another opportunity.

She stopped screaming after being timidly informed that the people in the kitchen could hear her. Giving me one last disgusted look she told me to change and stormed off swearing.

I was overall unaffected by her angry tirades after two years here, but even her worst moments left me with a squirming stomach. I made sure to hit every note, get every step, and stay up on orders the rest of the night. Before I left she notified me that I was still on tomorrow night, but if I was late I'd find more sympathy from the Devil. I fearfully acknowledged and thanked her again before leaving, trembling at the thoughts coming to my head.

The short trek back to my car was happily uneventful. After a run in with a livid Mrs. C, I wasn't eager to take anybody on in my jumpy state.

I sat in my car in the unusually warm night air. Since I'd been working so hard in the club I was still sweating a little and the heat wasn't helping. I tried to think of somewhere I could go to cool off before heading toward the Hitachiin's mansion when the idea hit me like a punch.

No duh, I grumbled in my head at my density. Think you took long enough, Shay?

Fifteen minutes later and I walked into the darkened graveyard, leaving my car by the park a few blocks away. I sighed as I looked at the depressing yet beautiful grounds, shadows like pitch in the low-light night.

Picking my way carefully through the graves and bushes I settled down next to my parent's rock. The shadows made it impossible to read, but somehow there was a sliver of dim light glinting off the stone.

"Hey Mom, Dad," I very nearly whispered after being quiet for so long. I wracked my brain for something meaningful to say, but when I found nothing I just started talking.

"I just came from work," I offered hopefully. "Actually, I just came from my friends' birthday party – it took three days! And one of the boys, his present was the spa and resort we stayed at. Can you believe it? Man, rich people are crazy," I half-laughed, trailing into a soft silence.

"Those two boys – twins – that were here before, do you remember them? They're Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, and they've forcefully adopted me." I stopped to chuckle. "But I have to say, even though I want to hit them sometimes – which I do, actually – I'm so grateful to them. They've been really good friends these past weeks."

My eyes glazed over and I stared off into the distance as I mumbled, "I don't know where I'd be without them."

It took a while to come back to the present, but I eventually left when I noticed the sky beginning to lighten.

Quietly, I'd managed to park my car and get to the heavily-vined window I'd crawled out of. Hoisting my bag on my shoulder I started grabbing at the plants and wall, trying to remember which ones I'd used coming down. It was a struggle but I made it up easily enough.

I didn't give myself time to catch a breath, just set off to my borrowed room hoping the brothers wouldn't be up for some reason.

It felt very strange, sneaking around a house that wasn't my own. Before it was just my routine to get to work, but now it felt like I was an intruder. Shaking the guilty feeling off as best I could, I shut the door to my room softly.

Well, guess I'll just have to try and sleep, I mused, stashing the bag safely away. Not like there's a shower here – and there's no way I'm gonna use the twins'.

Much to my displeasure, it was no surprise that I couldn't seem to fall asleep. The most I could get were five to ten minute catnaps, always waking with a jolt and heart beating hard.

Every now and then I'd catch a last glimpse of red and yellow waves, or hear broken yells before the memory of the dream disappeared completely.

It was a bit of an understatement to say it put me on edge. My memories of the fire were coming back vividly, no help from my visit to the graveyard. My time spent sleeping was disappearing faster and faster and leaving me awake to relive that horrible day.

At some point my simmering fear turned into burning terror from replaying the scenes in my head. I'd backed up against the headboard, hardly breathing, eyes darting to all the shadows in my room, trying to catch them moving of their own accord.

Calm down, calm down, calm down, the voice in my head chanted uselessly, sounding frantic itself. I couldn't take it anymore – being in here made me think people were hiding, ready to jump out and burn me when I blinked.

Painstakingly slowly, so as not to upset the hidden monsters, I got out of bed and crept toward the door to the twin's room. When I turned for the handle an irrational fear spurred me into super speed. It took every ounce of self control to not slam the door.

I was separated from my fears only by a door, but already I felt relief flooding my system. The atmosphere even seemed lighter, happier than the one I just came from.

Unbelievably, I cracked a smile when I peaked at the twins. Apparently my absence had been appreciated, their forms loosely intertwined and breathing softly.

Seeing them at such peace relaxed me further, and the heavy weight of lost sleep dropped on my head. I stumbled over to the couch I'd slept on before.

Damn, I grumbled slowly in my head, quickly succumbing to sleep. What's up with me? Freaking out on second, passing out the next. There's really something about this room. . .

-F-

It might've only been a couch and a couple of hours of sleep, but it was some of the best sleep I'd had for a while. I was a little curious as to what woke me up, but the desire for rest overpowered it by far.

I snuggled in a little deeper when a very soft sound reached my ears. There was a continuous shuffling sound and just underneath it sounded like barely-contained giggles. Both noises cut off abruptly and I was about to open my eyes to see what was going on when. . .

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" someone – no, two someones – yelled joyfully.

The horrific dreams still fresh in my memory I shrunk back in an instant, pulling my legs toward my chest and arms over my face. Incredibly, they didn't stop saying – screaming, more like – it, and I cracked my arms open to see what was going on.

The Hitachiin twins were practically dancing around each other, chanting "Happy Birthday" like a good luck mantra. It took a few moments to realize that, yes, it was in fact my birthday. Though why those two were so happy, or even knew about it, was beyond me.

"Uhm, thanks?" I ventured, snapping the duo out of their energetic trance. "How'd you guys know. . ?"

"What's with all the suspicion, Shay?" Hikaru countered afrontedly.

"Aren't normal people happy when everyone knows it's their birthday?" Kaoru asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

I didn't answer them. "How'd you guys know?" I repeated more forcefully.

They gave a collective sigh, grumbling something about a fun killer. "Remember when we said Kyoya checks everyone out?" I nodded. "Well, birthdays aren't exactly hard to find." I wanted to smack myself it was so obvious.

"Well, thanks, I guess," I mumbled, lowering my arms so I could sit up on the couch. "But shouldn't you let the birthday person sleep in or something?"

They gave me a curious look. "You're the one always saying you get up early, even on weekends. Besides we did." I checked the clock they were pointing at, which glowed a soft 10:17am. Let's see . . . four, five hours of sleep? Good enough.

"But why did you have to wake me up like that?" I grumbled, not even putting in the effort to point out that they had woken me up yet again. I doubted the message would ever sink into their heads.

"Because we couldn't wait!!" they cried unexpectedly, snapping together in an excited hug. They ignored my bewildered face and blundered on with, "Now come on!"

They grabbed my wrists, pulling me from my spot and herding me into my room, then the closet. "Surprise!" they yelled as we burst into the room – which had completely changed.

I stared at the full racks and drawers of clothing, accessories, and shoes. "When the hell did all this happen?" I asked, reaching out to touch a soft cardigan. There was something for every season on its own designated wall with some unspecified areas, from full winter coats to summer jumpers. It was easy to see it was all designer lines that no one had heard of.

"We had it moved in this morning when we realized you snuck into our room," Kaoru said, browsing through some shirts.

"Again, might I add," Hikaru sounded from near the shoes, not taking his eyes off his targets.

I gave him a shrewd look but couldn't find a counter. I couldn't very much say that I'd had my wits scared out of me and ran into their room like a child. But last night would've made an adult feel like running.

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, disgust washing over me when I realized I hadn't taken a shower yet.

"Oh, and we stocked you up on the Ouran uniform too," Kaoru piped up, brining my attention to the rack he motioned at. "We got you everything we thought you would need, so getting ready shouldn't be a problem."

I felt my stomach drop and an almost guilty feeling come over me. I hated when people got me things, and this whole room was filled with everything expensive. One of the t-shirts probably cost more than an outfit I could put together. I stifled a groan and looked at the brothers.

"Thank you so much, really," I said sincerely. "But you didn't have to, honestly."

Hikaru shrugged, propping an arm on his brother's shoulder casually. "It's our present to you, so don't worry about it." They smiled in unison.

I tightened my eyes as I smiled back at them, rubbing my hand behind my head nervously. "Oh, that reminds me, could I take a shower? Or is there any shower other than yours I could use?"

They gave me devil grins. "Well we could show you, but you'd probably get lost. Why don't you just use ours?"

"Can I take my chances getting lost?"

Their faces fell and I could hear a soft groan emanating from them. "Just use ours," Hikaru grumbled, disappointing I wasn't playing along. "It's the closest anyway."

I wasn't exactly happy with using their bathroom, but they were right. I grabbed one of my shirts and jean shorts, declaring that since it was my birthday I'd dress how I wanted to.

Their bathroom was, not to my surprise, enormous. A long counter with two sinks and a huge mirror, edged with some decorative gold fringe design. The toilets – yes, two – each had their own little room with another smaller sink. The bath looked like a giant hot tub, and the shower took up the space of a small bedroom. This time I let my head fall into my hand with a smack. Rich people are . . . ahhh. I couldn't even finish the thought.

-O-

I stepped out, running the towel through my hair roughly. The shower had been far too large for my comfort, but I'd been able to deal. I imagined it's how showering in a waterfall would've felt. Dressing quickly I looked at my reflection. I looked tired still, but there was less of an edge to my face. It looked softer, brighter than before. I guess the couch nap had really been beneficial.

I walked out, slightly disturbed by the fact that the twins were sitting on their bed together, fumbling over some handheld gaming system, waiting for me. Their heads snapped up at me with grins, and I knew this couldn't be good.

"We got you something else, but you ran off before we could give it to you," Hikaru said, shutting the device off.

"Since you're living here now, and you've never had one, we figured this would be a good way to keep in touch," Kaoru said, handing me a dark rectangle with a shining surface.

"Uhm, thanks?" I said, unsure of what it was.

My eyes widened as I looked at the smart phone. It was so thin and light, like it would break if I dropped it. I played with the phone for a bit. It had a huge screen and only a few buttons. It was sensitive to the touch, obeying even the most feather-light commands.

"Shay," two voices sang, unhappily dragging me away from my new toy. "Come on, the others are gonna be here soon!"

Before I could even begin to choke out a response they each took a hold of an arm and proceeded to yank me out and down the stairs.

"Oh," they said. "Guess they're already here."

"What?!" I snapped my head up and there they were – right in front of us. Kyoya's raised eyebrows were the only clue to his mild surprise at our welcome.

"Yes, the maids let us in," he managed to get out before Honey and Tamaki tackled me away from the twins.

"Gah, what're you-?!"

"Happy birthday!" the excited blonde blobs said, squeezing me as my limbs flailed about.

Thanks to the twins' possessive nature they were removed from me. When I stood up I noticed the pile – literally a pile – behind the boys, almost as tall as Mori.

"What the hell is all that?" I cried in a high voice, motioning behind the silent man.

"Those are presents. Surely you've had a birthday before?" Kyoya inquired. I gave him a bored glare.

"I can't wait for you to open them all!" Tamaki squealed, latching onto my arm and rubbing his face on it.

"Me neither! I hope you like them all!" Honey decided to copy his King, using my other arm.

"You didn't have to tell them when my birthday was," I shot at Kyoya, who kept a straight face. Tensing my body I waved my arms till I'd shaken the two loose.

I took a second to sigh to myself before the twins could occupy the open space around me. This was going to be a long day.

"Happy birthday," Mori's gravelly voice rumbled. I turned and looked at the tall man from the very corner of my eyes. He'd come over to collect Honey, giving me a soft smile as he conveyed his words.

Taking a moment, I smiled brightly back at him. Sure it was gonna be a long day, but knowing these guys, it would definitely be interesting.

-X-

I sighed heavily, sitting back on the couch between the twins. So far I'd gotten through Tamaki, Honey, and Mori's presents.

As soon as he was given the chance Tamaki had swooped me up in his arms, hovering low over my body like we were frozen in a dance. From behind his back he whipped out a bouquet of flowers. A freaking bouquet. But that wasn't all; he'd brought a number of clothes straight from French designers. My already crowded closet – thanks to the twins – was now practically full to bursting.

It had been nice to get some half-way normal gifts from Honey. Noticing my love for chocolate he'd brought enough to last a year, along with other candies and sweets. It almost hurt to look at all the artisan chocolates from all around the world knowing I could eat hardly any of them because of soccer. His final gift was an enormous stuffed bear. Although it wasn't as tall as me it was twice as wide. It was almost more frightening than adorable by size alone.

Mori seemed like the only level-headed one when it came to presents. I'd gotten a range of earrings and athletic wear from him. I was spilling out thank yous even before I got to the last presents from him; everything soccer. There were socks, shin guards, hair ties, wraps, and tape. And finally a new pair of cleats. I had jumped over the coffee table to hug him. They weren't the ones I'd been dying for – that had burned in the fire – but they were damn close and better than what I had.

Now all that was left were Kyoya's gifts, which were two, suspiciously small items. Settling myself, I took the thinner of the gifts and started to unwrap it.

"A laptop?" I said disbelievingly, shifting my eyes to him. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not at all," he answered seriously. "You have yet to look inside, though."

Raising my eyebrows dubiously I opened it up. It was so smooth I was almost tricked into thinking it was automatic. On the keyboard was a fancy envelope. Curiously I opened it, reading the card with narrowed eyes.

"Am I to believe," I said, flipping the card in my hand as I turned to the black-haired teen, "that this is real?"

My target raised an eyebrow delicately. "But of course. Why wouldn't it be? You were there just the other day as my present to the brothers, so that should only confirm it."

"Yeah, but a whole day at the spa. . ." I drifted off, remembering my recent stay.

Kyoya's cough interrupted my dreaming. "Read carefully. It's only after the soccer season is over." I scrutinized it before sliding a glare at him. "Consider it a form of motivation."

I rolled my eyes but the smile wouldn't leave my face. A laptop and a spa date . . . eventually. However unexpected, everything was royally appreciated.

I tore open the next present, which was heavy and felt like plastic. When I was done it sat in my lap as I stared at it. A First Aid kit?, I thought. What the. . ? Oh, I see.

Swiftly I set it on the ground and reached across the twin on my right – Hikaru – to prop myself up on the arm rest. I was directly across from Kyoya, a pleasant smile playing across his lips as I gave an annoyed grin.

"Much appreciated," I said sweetly through clenched teeth. "You trying to say something?"

"Of course not." He met my gaze with a cool, pleased smile. "Just making sure you can take care of yourself."

"Ugh." I let my head drop limply to my arms before righting myself. "Well, can't say I'll use it, but it's much appreciated."

I turned so that I could address everyone. "Thanks so much guys. This was so unexpected, but I love everything, and thank you so much for coming. But please don't get me so much stuff." I grimaced slightly. "I hate when people spend or do a lot for me."

"Be we were happy to do it for you, Shay!" Honey said from behind Usa.

"Thanks, but still, you don't have to."

"Oh, but where would be the fun in that?" The twins embraced me from either side. "If you feel indebted, then we can-!"

Crossing my arms I put a hand on each of their faces and shoved, but they wouldn't break their grip. "Don't even finish that." The memory of waking up in their bed flitted over my mind, tinting my cheeks.

Honey wanted to improve my 'birthday experience' by going somewhere. Once I found out they were talking other countries I exploded.

Then they got the idea to go to a club, sharply reminding me of tonight. It took more time to discourage them but eventually they let it go. I'd felt Kyoya's eyes on me the whole time, leaving me twitchy. I didn't know if it was left over from my nightmare or paranoia, but it was incredibly annoying.

The four other boys spent the rest of the day at the Hitachiins', leaving when I announced that I was tired – the excuse I'd used to get out of clubbing – and that I'd be going to bed. The twins pestered and teased me for going to sleep so early and in my own room for once. I knocked them nice and hard on the heads before forcing a yawn and slamming the door. Even if that last part was true, they didn't have to bring it up! Especially since I had no idea why I couldn't sleep in my own room.

I'd been planning on getting some catnaps, but things haven't been going according to plan recently. I was still haunted from last night, making sleep short and testy. Deciding it was no use, I explored my closet and triple checked to make sure everything was in my bag.

I was very jumpy sneaking out this time. I wanted to make sure I wasn't late, but I didn't want to run into anyone on my way out. Not to mention the bear I'd gotten from Honey looked like it was watching me – which really hadn't helped sleeping. I made a mental note to turn it around when I came back.

-X-

Description
Gifts from Friends

It went better than I thought it would've. After screeching into a parking space and bolting inside, Mrs. C only screamed for close to three minutes rather than the expected fifteen. Of course, she threatened to cancel tomorrow night's dance if this was how I was going to act. I knew it was empty though, since my first night brought in so much revenue and she wasn't likely to shy away from another opportunity.

She stopped screaming after being timidly informed that the people in the kitchen could hear her. Giving me one last disgusted look she told me to change and stormed off swearing.

I was overall unaffected by her angry tirades after two years here, but even her worst moments left me with a squirming stomach. I made sure to hit every note, get every step, and stay up on orders the rest of the night. Before I left she notified me that I was still on tomorrow night, but if I was late I'd find more sympathy from the Devil. I fearfully acknowledged and thanked her again before leaving, trembling at the thoughts coming to my head.

The short trek back to my car was happily uneventful. After a run in with a livid Mrs. C, I wasn't eager to take anybody on in my jumpy state.

I sat in my car in the unusually warm night air. Since I'd been working so hard in the club I was still sweating a little and the heat wasn't helping. I tried to think of somewhere I could go to cool off before heading toward the Hitachiin's mansion when the idea hit me like a punch.

No duh, I grumbled in my head at my density. Think you took long enough, Shay?

Fifteen minutes later and I walked into the darkened graveyard, leaving my car by the park a few blocks away. I sighed as I looked at the depressing yet beautiful grounds, shadows like pitch in the low-light night.

Picking my way carefully through the graves and bushes I settled down next to my parent's rock. The shadows made it impossible to read, but somehow there was a sliver of dim light glinting off the stone.

"Hey Mom, Dad," I very nearly whispered after being quiet for so long. I wracked my brain for something meaningful to say, but when I found nothing I just started talking.

"I just came from work," I offered hopefully. "Actually, I just came from my friends' birthday party – it took three days! And one of the boys, his present was the spa and resort we stayed at. Can you believe it? Man, rich people are crazy," I half-laughed, trailing into a soft silence.

"Those two boys – twins – that were here before, do you remember them? They're Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, and they've forcefully adopted me." I stopped to chuckle. "But I have to say, even though I want to hit them sometimes – which I do, actually – I'm so grateful to them. They've been really good friends these past weeks."

My eyes glazed over and I stared off into the distance as I mumbled, "I don't know where I'd be without them."

It took a while to come back to the present, but I eventually left when I noticed the sky beginning to lighten.

Quietly, I'd managed to park my car and get to the heavily-vined window I'd crawled out of. Hoisting my bag on my shoulder I started grabbing at the plants and wall, trying to remember which ones I'd used coming down. It was a struggle but I made it up easily enough.

I didn't give myself time to catch a breath, just set off to my borrowed room hoping the brothers wouldn't be up for some reason.

It felt very strange, sneaking around a house that wasn't my own. Before it was just my routine to get to work, but now it felt like I was an intruder. Shaking the guilty feeling off as best I could, I shut the door to my room softly.

Well, guess I'll just have to try and sleep, I mused, stashing the bag safely away. Not like there's a shower here – and there's no way I'm gonna use the twins'.

Much to my displeasure, it was no surprise that I couldn't seem to fall asleep. The most I could get were five to ten minute catnaps, always waking with a jolt and heart beating hard.

Every now and then I'd catch a last glimpse of red and yellow waves, or hear broken yells before the memory of the dream disappeared completely.

It was a bit of an understatement to say it put me on edge. My memories of the fire were coming back vividly, no help from my visit to the graveyard. My time spent sleeping was disappearing faster and faster and leaving me awake to relive that horrible day.

At some point my simmering fear turned into burning terror from replaying the scenes in my head. I'd backed up against the headboard, hardly breathing, eyes darting to all the shadows in my room, trying to catch them moving of their own accord.

Calm down, calm down, calm down, the voice in my head chanted uselessly, sounding frantic itself. I couldn't take it anymore – being in here made me think people were hiding, ready to jump out and burn me when I blinked.

Painstakingly slowly, so as not to upset the hidden monsters, I got out of bed and crept toward the door to the twin's room. When I turned for the handle an irrational fear spurred me into super speed. It took every ounce of self control to not slam the door.

I was separated from my fears only by a door, but already I felt relief flooding my system. The atmosphere even seemed lighter, happier than the one I just came from.

Unbelievably, I cracked a smile when I peaked at the twins. Apparently my absence had been appreciated, their forms loosely intertwined and breathing softly.

Seeing them at such peace relaxed me further, and the heavy weight of lost sleep dropped on my head. I stumbled over to the couch I'd slept on before.

Damn, I grumbled slowly in my head, quickly succumbing to sleep. What's up with me? Freaking out on second, passing out the next. There's really something about this room. . .

-F-

It might've only been a couch and a couple of hours of sleep, but it was some of the best sleep I'd had for a while. I was a little curious as to what woke me up, but the desire for rest overpowered it by far.

I snuggled in a little deeper when a very soft sound reached my ears. There was a continuous shuffling sound and just underneath it sounded like barely-contained giggles. Both noises cut off abruptly and I was about to open my eyes to see what was going on when. . .

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" someone – no, two someones – yelled joyfully.

The horrific dreams still fresh in my memory I shrunk back in an instant, pulling my legs toward my chest and arms over my face. Incredibly, they didn't stop saying – screaming, more like – it, and I cracked my arms open to see what was going on.

The Hitachiin twins were practically dancing around each other, chanting "Happy Birthday" like a good luck mantra. It took a few moments to realize that, yes, it was in fact my birthday. Though why those two were so happy, or even knew about it, was beyond me.

"Uhm, thanks?" I ventured, snapping the duo out of their energetic trance. "How'd you guys know. . ?"

"What's with all the suspicion, Shay?" Hikaru countered afrontedly.

"Aren't normal people happy when everyone knows it's their birthday?" Kaoru asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

I didn't answer them. "How'd you guys know?" I repeated more forcefully.

They gave a collective sigh, grumbling something about a fun killer. "Remember when we said Kyoya checks everyone out?" I nodded. "Well, birthdays aren't exactly hard to find." I wanted to smack myself it was so obvious.

"Well, thanks, I guess," I mumbled, lowering my arms so I could sit up on the couch. "But shouldn't you let the birthday person sleep in or something?"

They gave me a curious look. "You're the one always saying you get up early, even on weekends. Besides we did." I checked the clock they were pointing at, which glowed a soft 10:17am. Let's see . . . four, five hours of sleep? Good enough.

"But why did you have to wake me up like that?" I grumbled, not even putting in the effort to point out that they had woken me up yet again. I doubted the message would ever sink into their heads.

"Because we couldn't wait!!" they cried unexpectedly, snapping together in an excited hug. They ignored my bewildered face and blundered on with, "Now come on!"

They grabbed my wrists, pulling me from my spot and herding me into my room, then the closet. "Surprise!" they yelled as we burst into the room – which had completely changed.

I stared at the full racks and drawers of clothing, accessories, and shoes. "When the hell did all this happen?" I asked, reaching out to touch a soft cardigan. There was something for every season on its own designated wall with some unspecified areas, from full winter coats to summer jumpers. It was easy to see it was all designer lines that no one had heard of.

"We had it moved in this morning when we realized you snuck into our room," Kaoru said, browsing through some shirts.

"Again, might I add," Hikaru sounded from near the shoes, not taking his eyes off his targets.

I gave him a shrewd look but couldn't find a counter. I couldn't very much say that I'd had my wits scared out of me and ran into their room like a child. But last night would've made an adult feel like running.

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, disgust washing over me when I realized I hadn't taken a shower yet.

"Oh, and we stocked you up on the Ouran uniform too," Kaoru piped up, brining my attention to the rack he motioned at. "We got you everything we thought you would need, so getting ready shouldn't be a problem."

I felt my stomach drop and an almost guilty feeling come over me. I hated when people got me things, and this whole room was filled with everything expensive. One of the t-shirts probably cost more than an outfit I could put together. I stifled a groan and looked at the brothers.

"Thank you so much, really," I said sincerely. "But you didn't have to, honestly."

Hikaru shrugged, propping an arm on his brother's shoulder casually. "It's our present to you, so don't worry about it." They smiled in unison.

I tightened my eyes as I smiled back at them, rubbing my hand behind my head nervously. "Oh, that reminds me, could I take a shower? Or is there any shower other than yours I could use?"

They gave me devil grins. "Well we could show you, but you'd probably get lost. Why don't you just use ours?"

"Can I take my chances getting lost?"

Their faces fell and I could hear a soft groan emanating from them. "Just use ours," Hikaru grumbled, disappointing I wasn't playing along. "It's the closest anyway."

I wasn't exactly happy with using their bathroom, but they were right. I grabbed one of my shirts and jean shorts, declaring that since it was my birthday I'd dress how I wanted to.

Their bathroom was, not to my surprise, enormous. A long counter with two sinks and a huge mirror, edged with some decorative gold fringe design. The toilets – yes, two – each had their own little room with another smaller sink. The bath looked like a giant hot tub, and the shower took up the space of a small bedroom. This time I let my head fall into my hand with a smack. Rich people are . . . ahhh. I couldn't even finish the thought.

-O-

I stepped out, running the towel through my hair roughly. The shower had been far too large for my comfort, but I'd been able to deal. I imagined it's how showering in a waterfall would've felt. Dressing quickly I looked at my reflection. I looked tired still, but there was less of an edge to my face. It looked softer, brighter than before. I guess the couch nap had really been beneficial.

I walked out, slightly disturbed by the fact that the twins were sitting on their bed together, fumbling over some handheld gaming system, waiting for me. Their heads snapped up at me with grins, and I knew this couldn't be good.

"We got you something else, but you ran off before we could give it to you," Hikaru said, shutting the device off.

"Since you're living here now, and you've never had one, we figured this would be a good way to keep in touch," Kaoru said, handing me a dark rectangle with a shining surface.

"Uhm, thanks?" I said, unsure of what it was.

My eyes widened as I looked at the smart phone. It was so thin and light, like it would break if I dropped it. I played with the phone for a bit. It had a huge screen and only a few buttons. It was sensitive to the touch, obeying even the most feather-light commands.

"Shay," two voices sang, unhappily dragging me away from my new toy. "Come on, the others are gonna be here soon!"

Before I could even begin to choke out a response they each took a hold of an arm and proceeded to yank me out and down the stairs.

"Oh," they said. "Guess they're already here."

"What?!" I snapped my head up and there they were – right in front of us. Kyoya's raised eyebrows were the only clue to his mild surprise at our welcome.

"Yes, the maids let us in," he managed to get out before Honey and Tamaki tackled me away from the twins.

"Gah, what're you-?!"

"Happy birthday!" the excited blonde blobs said, squeezing me as my limbs flailed about.

Thanks to the twins' possessive nature they were removed from me. When I stood up I noticed the pile – literally a pile – behind the boys, almost as tall as Mori.

"What the hell is all that?" I cried in a high voice, motioning behind the silent man.

"Those are presents. Surely you've had a birthday before?" Kyoya inquired. I gave him a bored glare.

"I can't wait for you to open them all!" Tamaki squealed, latching onto my arm and rubbing his face on it.

"Me neither! I hope you like them all!" Honey decided to copy his King, using my other arm.

"You didn't have to tell them when my birthday was," I shot at Kyoya, who kept a straight face. Tensing my body I waved my arms till I'd shaken the two loose.

I took a second to sigh to myself before the twins could occupy the open space around me. This was going to be a long day.

"Happy birthday," Mori's gravelly voice rumbled. I turned and looked at the tall man from the very corner of my eyes. He'd come over to collect Honey, giving me a soft smile as he conveyed his words.

Taking a moment, I smiled brightly back at him. Sure it was gonna be a long day, but knowing these guys, it would definitely be interesting.

-X-

I sighed heavily, sitting back on the couch between the twins. So far I'd gotten through Tamaki, Honey, and Mori's presents.

As soon as he was given the chance Tamaki had swooped me up in his arms, hovering low over my body like we were frozen in a dance. From behind his back he whipped out a bouquet of flowers. A freaking bouquet. But that wasn't all; he'd brought a number of clothes straight from French designers. My already crowded closet – thanks to the twins – was now practically full to bursting.

It had been nice to get some half-way normal gifts from Honey. Noticing my love for chocolate he'd brought enough to last a year, along with other candies and sweets. It almost hurt to look at all the artisan chocolates from all around the world knowing I could eat hardly any of them because of soccer. His final gift was an enormous stuffed bear. Although it wasn't as tall as me it was twice as wide. It was almost more frightening than adorable by size alone.

Mori seemed like the only level-headed one when it came to presents. I'd gotten a range of earrings and athletic wear from him. I was spilling out thank yous even before I got to the last presents from him; everything soccer. There were socks, shin guards, hair ties, wraps, and tape. And finally a new pair of cleats. I had jumped over the coffee table to hug him. They weren't the ones I'd been dying for – that had burned in the fire – but they were damn close and better than what I had.

Now all that was left were Kyoya's gifts, which were two, suspiciously small items. Settling myself, I took the thinner of the gifts and started to unwrap it.

"A laptop?" I said disbelievingly, shifting my eyes to him. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not at all," he answered seriously. "You have yet to look inside, though."

Raising my eyebrows dubiously I opened it up. It was so smooth I was almost tricked into thinking it was automatic. On the keyboard was a fancy envelope. Curiously I opened it, reading the card with narrowed eyes.

"Am I to believe," I said, flipping the card in my hand as I turned to the black-haired teen, "that this is real?"

My target raised an eyebrow delicately. "But of course. Why wouldn't it be? You were there just the other day as my present to the brothers, so that should only confirm it."

"Yeah, but a whole day at the spa. . ." I drifted off, remembering my recent stay.

Kyoya's cough interrupted my dreaming. "Read carefully. It's only after the soccer season is over." I scrutinized it before sliding a glare at him. "Consider it a form of motivation."

I rolled my eyes but the smile wouldn't leave my face. A laptop and a spa date . . . eventually. However unexpected, everything was royally appreciated.

I tore open the next present, which was heavy and felt like plastic. When I was done it sat in my lap as I stared at it. A First Aid kit?, I thought. What the. . ? Oh, I see.

Swiftly I set it on the ground and reached across the twin on my right – Hikaru – to prop myself up on the arm rest. I was directly across from Kyoya, a pleasant smile playing across his lips as I gave an annoyed grin.

"Much appreciated," I said sweetly through clenched teeth. "You trying to say something?"

"Of course not." He met my gaze with a cool, pleased smile. "Just making sure you can take care of yourself."

"Ugh." I let my head drop limply to my arms before righting myself. "Well, can't say I'll use it, but it's much appreciated."

I turned so that I could address everyone. "Thanks so much guys. This was so unexpected, but I love everything, and thank you so much for coming. But please don't get me so much stuff." I grimaced slightly. "I hate when people spend or do a lot for me."

"Be we were happy to do it for you, Shay!" Honey said from behind Usa.

"Thanks, but still, you don't have to."

"Oh, but where would be the fun in that?" The twins embraced me from either side. "If you feel indebted, then we can-!"

Crossing my arms I put a hand on each of their faces and shoved, but they wouldn't break their grip. "Don't even finish that." The memory of waking up in their bed flitted over my mind, tinting my cheeks.

Honey wanted to improve my 'birthday experience' by going somewhere. Once I found out they were talking other countries I exploded.

Then they got the idea to go to a club, sharply reminding me of tonight. It took more time to discourage them but eventually they let it go. I'd felt Kyoya's eyes on me the whole time, leaving me twitchy. I didn't know if it was left over from my nightmare or paranoia, but it was incredibly annoying.

The four other boys spent the rest of the day at the Hitachiins', leaving when I announced that I was tired – the excuse I'd used to get out of clubbing – and that I'd be going to bed. The twins pestered and teased me for going to sleep so early and in my own room for once. I knocked them nice and hard on the heads before forcing a yawn and slamming the door. Even if that last part was true, they didn't have to bring it up! Especially since I had no idea why I couldn't sleep in my own room.

I'd been planning on getting some catnaps, but things haven't been going according to plan recently. I was still haunted from last night, making sleep short and testy. Deciding it was no use, I explored my closet and triple checked to make sure everything was in my bag.

I was very jumpy sneaking out this time. I wanted to make sure I wasn't late, but I didn't want to run into anyone on my way out. Not to mention the bear I'd gotten from Honey looked like it was watching me – which really hadn't helped sleeping. I made a mental note to turn it around when I came back.

-X-