"Hey! Aka-chan! Wake up! It's Christmas!"
Akane's eyes flew open. For some reason, her mattress was creaking, tilting, and quivering like crazy. "Wha----what's going on? Earthquake?"
"Huh? What're talking about, Aka-chan? There's no earthquake." A head suddenly popped into view, right in her face. It took her a few minutes to recognize Honey-senpai.
"Huh? Honey-senpai? That was you?"
Honey-senpai pouted. "I dunno. All I did was this." And with that, he began jumping up and down on her mattress, giggling with glee.
Akane sighed in exasperation, letting out a breath she had been holding. "So, you were going on about Christmas? Wait----- I don't believe it! For a second, I completely forgot all about it! Wait outside, senpai. I'm getting dressed. Be out in a minute!"
She grabbed Honey-senpai by the shoulders and ushered him out of her room, before yanking open her closet and changing out of her pajamas. She quickly yanked a brush through her hair, then grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and making a beeline for the bathroom.
Christmas. She thought as she rinsed her mouth of toothpaste. Probably one of my favorite times of the year. And the day my real parents left me at the orphanage to wait for my new family. That's right. Her real parents had dropped her off at the orphanage after arranging the whole adoption with the Hayashiis. She had lived there for a few weeks, until the Hayashiis arrived to pick her up.
Geez, I feel nostalgic. I'm really getting soft, aren't I?
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"Yay! Presents time!" Honey cheered. "I'll go first. My present for everyone is------cake!"
"Well, whoopee!" Hikaru said.
"We never would've guessed that." Kaoru added sarcastically, earning an elbow from Haruhi.
One by one, the Hosts exchanged gifts, until it was finally Akane's turn. She felt a little self conscious as she passed out her paper wrapped bundles, one for each Host.
"You can open them now, or you can wait." She said awkwardly.
Tamaki, Honey, and the twins immediately tore off the paper, while Haruhi carefully peeled off the wrapping. Mori and Kyoya studied their own gifts for a moment, then began peeling away the tape. Their faces lit up as they saw her present.
"They're scarves." Akane explained, blushing. "I got them so that they'd be the same color as your roses, as well as with your initials embroidered on it. It's not much, but-------"
Haruhi smiled, gently running a hand over the red fabric of her scarf, tracing a finger over her initials. "I think they're great. Thanks so much, Akane! But you got one for yourself, right?"
Akane looked away sheepishly. "Um, well, I don't have a rose-- not that I mind or anything!" She added hurriedly. "But yeah, I could use a new scarf, so I just got a plain light brown one."
Haruhi sighed. "Now you're making the rest of us feel bad for accepting your presents."
Akane opened her mouth to say something, when something exploded behind her, and she yelped in surprise, leaping to her feet and spinning around. "Wha---what was that?!"
She was met by Hikaru and Kaoru grinning brightly, each twin holding a small party popper in his hands. Small confetti strings hung from the poppers, which had just been popped open.
"Geez, Akane, loosen up."
"That's right, It's Christmas, after all."
Akane clenched her hand into an angry fist, a red irk mark appearing on her temple as she gritted her teeth in annoyance. "And would you please explain why you would pop one of those things right in my ear?!"
"Whoa, whoa, relax, Akane. We didn't mean anything by it."
"There's just a lot of bad vibes in this room. I mean, it's way too awkward for the holidays!"
Akane sighed. "You two seem to be in a rather good mood this morning."
"Of course we are. It's Christmas!"
"Yes, yes, I know. You've said that already."
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Akane was sitting on the edge of her bed, practicing her flute, when Haruhi poked her head in through the door. "Hey, Akane. Are you free for the rest of the day?"
"I have to get ready for another concert, but that's not until seven hours later, so I guess I have some time. Is there something you need?"
"Yeah. There's a call for you."
"For me?"
Haruhi held out the phone. "Here."
Akane took the phone and held it up to her ear. "Hello? This is Akane."
"Good morning, Miss Hayashi. I trust that you're doing well?"
Akane's eyes flew wide open. "Mrs-----Mrs. Ootori!"
"I'm glad you remember me, Akane dear. Do you have some time?"
"Yeah, I have a few hours."
"That's good. Do you think you could come over to my house for a few minutes? I'd like to talk to you about something."
"Sure, that's fine. When should I head over?"
"I've sent a car to pick you up. It'll arrive in front of the academy in maybe five to ten minutes."
"Sounds good, Mrs. Ootori."
"Oh, and another thing, Akane. Would you do me the favor of keeping this from Kyoya, at least for the time being?"
Akane frowned. Keep this from Kyoya-senpai? "Um, okay." She replied. "Why?"
"Let's just say I want it to be a surprise."
"Oh, okay then."
"In that case, I'll see you in a few minutes, Akane." Mrs. Ootori said, then hung up the phone.
Akane took the phone away from her ear, frowning. What could Mrs. Ootori want to surprise Kyoya with? And why did it involve Akane?
Hmm. Looks like I'll find out soon enough.
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Mrs. Ootori was waiting for Akane on the front steps of the Ootori home, a thick coat wrapped around her shoulders to protect her from the cold. Akane quickly leapt out of the car, hurrying towards her.
"Mrs. Ootori! You didn't need to wait for me out here in the cold. Is your health-----?"
Mrs. Ootori waved it off, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Akane. I'm perfectly healthy now, so don't you worry. Please, come on in."
She pushed open the door and entered the house, Akane following behind her. The inside was just as she remembered: crisp white furniture, an airy and spacious interior, and the pure white grand piano sitting in the center of the living room.
Mrs. Ootori lead her over to the sofa. "Would you like anything to drink?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you, though."
Mrs. Ootori sat down across from Akane, lacing her hands in her lap. "Akane, have you heard about the Christmas ball that we hold every year?"
"Hmm? The annual one? Yeah, the Hosts mentioned it. Why?"
Mrs. Ootori leaned back in her white armchair. "You see, each year, the Ootori Group sponsors a charity or organization. This year, we're sponsoring an orphanage in downtown Tokyo, where teachers teach the children to involve themselves in performing arts such as acting, singing, or playing musical instruments, in order to open up a future for those children."
"That's sounds great, but what does that have to do with me?"
"Well, as you know, at a dance, you have an orchestra playing dance music while the guests pair up and dance."
"Yes, I know."
Mrs. Ootori's smiled brightly. "And this is where you come in, Akane. You see, in order to prove that our newest generation can become great, my husband and I were thinking of inviting students to perform at the ball. Would you be interested?"
Akane drew back in surprise. "Me? Play at a ball? But---why me?"
The woman gave her a stunned look of disbelief. "Akane. Are you truly going to ask me that question? You're a musical prodigy!"
Akane's face flushed a bright red. "Um, I don't think I'm a prodigy-------"
"You're much to humble, Akane. But will you at least consider performing?"
"Well, what day is the ball?"
"It's three days from today. Will that be alright?"
Akane reached into her pocket and pulled out her agenda, flipping through it. "Let's see, three days from today----------three days from today--------- yup, I'm free! What's the time?"
"The ball starts at five o'clock in the afternoon, here in this home."
She popped the cap off her pen and made a note in her agenda. "Okey dokey, I'll see you at the ball, then, Mrs. Ootori."
"Sounds good, Akane. And please keep this a secret from Kyoya, would you?"
"Sure, if that's what you want. Bye, Mrs. Ootori!"