I was bouncing up and down in my seat as I stared out the window of the airplane. The clouds were blocking my view so all I could see was endless blue and white. We had just taken off from the airport 30 minutes ago and I couldn't believe it.

I was finally heading to Japan.

It had been my dream to live in the country - or even just visit it! – ever since I was little. My mother had been an anime fanatic when she was a teenager. It made her fall in love with the Japanese art, language, and interesting culture. Although she deemed many of her favorite animes too inappropriate for us to watch until we were older (due to swearing mainly. bless her heart she wanted to keep us pure and in honesty it makes me thankful), She did share the love of the language with my sisters and me ever since we were little. Eventually, when we started middle school and became busier with multiple subjects' projects and homework, our mother gave us the option if we wanted to continue learning Japanese.

Kat was the first who had to decide. She entered sixth grade five years before me and two years before Maddie. I had been curious as to why she wasn't showing up to the lessons so Maddie and I went to ask.

"It's not like we're ever going to go there anyway." Kat and said matter of factly. "Its too much money to visit – lets face it, Dad's work would never move us there and after high school I'm going to be busy with college and then settling into a job and a stable life." She had always been a forward thinking girl, always picturing how her current actions would effect her future.

When Maddie came of age, she agreed with Kat's logic, she had no intention of going to Japan on her own and she knew it wasn't likely to happen now. Out of the three of us, Kat had the most wisdom, I was second in that and Maddie tended to ask us of our opinion when it came to looking towards the future, in this instance, she sided with Kat.

I tried convincing Maddie to stay, I liked the bonding time it gave me with my sister, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. It wasn't that Kat and Maddie didn't like the language, they did, but they just didn't share the same passion Mom and I had. Although Maddie had struggled more with the choice then Kat did.

I was the only one who planned on visiting Japan no matter what. I was going to go. So I continued learning. Because it was one-on-one sessions with my mom now, we became extremely close. And when I caught up to her knowledge, we started taking classes together online.

Meanwhile, Dad was moving up the ranks at his job. He started out an engineer when Kat was a year old, then he moved his way up to the business part of work. We were well off as middle class American citizens. When I was 13, my dad was offered a promotion that frequented him traveling over in Asia. China, Thailand, India and Japan mostly. I begged and pleaded with him to take me just once.

"It's a work trip." He would say. "I'd be in and out of meetings and busy with preparing for the next one. There wouldn't be any time to go anywhere or do anything."

"I could look around by myself!" I argued. "I know how to handle myself there better then you do!" he would give me a flat look at that fact and I'd blush sheepishly in return. My dad and I were very similar, I often considered myself to be the female version of him. We had this unspoken language between us and most of our conversations were just spoken in glances. The look he would always give me after this part of the conversation always said "I'm sorry, but no."

In the beginning he never left too terribly often. Only once or twice a year for a month max. But as he became more important to that branch of the business, he began traveling once every quarter for a month minimum, although he rarely stayed for more then that.

It was hard not having him around all the time, but as soon as me and my sisters were out of the house he swore he'd take Mom with him. Both of them weren't willing to leave us that often and they talked almost every day when he was on a trip to keep their relationship strong.

What I didn't know what that on these business trips, behind closed doors, my dad had been keeping something from me. Each time he was in Japan he was looking into schools that offered an exchange student program. He wanted me to experience the best of Japan that he could afford, and, as an a man who wanted to look out for his daughters well being, figured that if I was going to attend school here then I'd attend the best of the best. He wanted to make sure I would be protected in the foreign country and figured the best way to do that would be to get me into an elite private school. However, the best of the best only offered these exchange programs didn't align with MY current schools program. Non the less, he only does things to the best of his ability and would do all he could to make it work. He had a school picked out for me to attend, but unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, it was too expensive.

In all honesty, I should have guessed he was looking for a school. He would set up video chats for me with students from different schools, how he got them to do that with having a lower status in his company I'll never know. Lobelia Academy for girls was the one he had me see most often. The Zuka club would chat with me on their own time and I quickly grew to… dislike them. When someone else was in the room with me, they seemed like perfectly normal individuals, but when I was alone all hell broke loose as they praised Benio like she was an angel sent from God. I always felt a little disturbed after conversations with them…

Luckily that wasn't the school he ended up sending me too. You see, my father's business sent him as one of the representatives in forming a partnership with Suoh Enterprises – considering he knew most about his business' dealings and other such things in Japan. He had been speechless out of his mind but he made it through the charming environment provided by Mr. Yuzuru Suoh, the head of the meeting – much to my father's surprise.

Afterwards my father was preparing to suck up his courage and possibly risk his job to ask a favor of the Suoh. He was planning to tell him that he would do anything he could to make the partnership beneficial for the Suoh's company if he would help me, his daughter, get into Lobelia. 'Just a little Japanese business man influence' was all he wanted. Although Lobelia did have a scholarship program, it didn't offer a free ride, it only deducted from the fee. He told me later that he had been hoping that with a great name like Suoh representing me, perhaps the Lobelia academy would be impressed and lower the school price to a more… affordable rate.

Much to his surprise Suoh had come up to him after the room was clear and my father had been packing up after the presentation he had given.

"Nice job." He said. "So I've heard around the grapevine that your family is very interested in Japanese culture! I'm surprised you haven't taken them here sometime."

Apparently my dad was so stunned that Suoh was talking to him, let alone about something so casual as family! He acted as if they had been old friends. And sure, her father had occasionally talked about how much his wife and youngest daughter loved Japan … okay he pretty much talked about his family 24/7 when it wasn't a work related conversation. Still, he had no idea how and the world Mr. Suoh of all people would ever hear about it. He found out why soon enough.

"Although you seem pretty eager to give your daughter a shot at Lobelia." There was a certain glint in his eye, my father explained to me, as if he had been looking for something in my father response.

After his brain took the time to register the question he replied with a slight stutter.

"W-well yes. You see my daughter dreams of coming, possibly even living here one day. But I'm aware of how difficult that may be if she doesn't have any experience with Japanese education. I figured with her entering the grade that high school starts here, I might get her into a school. I know there are scholarships to help pay but even with that it's still to expensive and…." My father seemed to trail off. "I apologize for rambling. In short, yes I'm looking for a school to put her in."

"Ah, well Lobelia is certainly a wonderful school but I assure there are better ones out there." My father raised his eyebrows at the response as well as the tone that came with it.

"Well I've seen a few others, but Lobelia is… well one of the top schools that is the closest to our price range ." 'even with a scholarship its too much…' he thought to himself " Plus, its an all girls academy, so that's a bonus in any father's eyes."

"None sense." Mr. Suoh waved his hand as if to wave the thought away. "If your daughter is as intelligent as I've heard from Lobelia, then she should have no problem passing Ouran High school's entrence exams. They're coming up here soon and if she passes with flying colors, all she has to do is stay first in the class and she gets a free ride."

After processing the information my dad took a deep breath. "With all do respect sir, why are you so curious as to where my daughter goes to school? I mean, I'm not very high in my company, I have very little influence and my family hasn't done anything to spectacular as far as I know."

"Well you see, Mr. Gray. In all honesty I have a slight rivalry with Lobelia, without going into much detail, I would prefer to keep any student I can from going there." He coughed lightly into his hand. "So if your willing to fly her out here her to take the exam and give it a shot, I assure you she'd be going to the top school in the country."

"I never though Mr. Suoh would be such a competitive man" My dad chuckled to me when he had been recanting the story.

"Thank you for the advice. " My dad told him. "I'll certainly make the most of it. But, if you don't mind me asking… why so adamant on Ouran?"

The Suoh company Head just smiled at him. "You'll see." And that was it.

After that trip dad told me to start studying my butt off and I did. My parents were cheering me on the entire time. My dad got a tip from a Japanese work friend of his who's kid had taken the exam. He told them about the subjects most heavily emphasized and the general material of the test. It was the most intense work I had ever gone through, and I had numerous talks with my school about a possible transfer. Because it wasn't an exchange program, considering that would cost too much money and the scholarship was the only chance of me going, I would have to transfer over my current information and such, I'd even need to get a temporary living visa in Japan (I'd be boarding in the school. They had rooms for students whose families didn't live in the area but still wished to attend Ouran) in addition I'd need a student Visa. I was glad I wouldn't have to do any of the paper work if I got in, but it'd be important for me to know about in case I did end up staying there after high school and have to renew the visas.

Now at the tender age of fourteen I was flying over to Japan with my father. I knew my parents had mixed feelings about letting me go, but I also knew we worked to hard for this, and they wouldn't pull me out this far down the road.

We'd be staying for one week and while he did some extra work over here (surprisingly with Suoh Enterprises) I was allowed, albeit limited, reign over sight seeing. I couldn't leave the hotel for more then an hour without him and had to let the front desk know when I was leaving and that if I wasn't back in an hour they would have to call my dad. He had stayed at the hotel every time he was in Japan and his charismatic and authoritive personality had created a kind of odd bond with the usual employees there.

Right now, I was just bouncing in my seat, taking glances back my father who shot humorous glances back at me.

"Settle down Bee." He said. "We'll get there soon enough, why don't you review some study material in the mean time?"

I pouted at him. "Oh come on dad, its good to take a break now and then. Besides, I'm too restless to study!" I squirmed around in my seat for emphasis.

He leaned over and started pressing buttons on the small, finger smudged TV screen in front of me. After a few quick clicks he had put on a Japanese drama show for me to watch. It certainly occupied my attention for the time being and for the rest of the time I was awake I had been enthralled with the show. Eventually sleep over took me, and the rest of the plane ride proceeded with casual stretching and attempts to continue uncomfortable resting.

All that was on my brain, is that I would be in Japan soon.

Very soon.

I had absolutely no idea what would await me, but I was more than eager to find out.