A Companionable Silence: Library Love Story

by RMoriluvr

Mori meets a young woman in the college library. Mori/OC

I don't own Ouran or any characters except my own. I have made up so much of this stuff, including political figures, and other such stuff… It's my first time writing one of these, and so, if you like it good. I just had to get it written down.

It all started with a simple thought. All he wanted was a place to sit down and study in peace. That meant no talking, no strange outbursts, no whining for cake. So, he set off to find a place on his own after the crying, begging and apologizing from four of his closest friends.

Not much had changed when he transitioned from Ouran Academy to Ouran University. He enjoyed spending a year studying in Boston, but now he was back, and he had two more months left of his fourth semester of college. He was almost halfway through with his undergrad.

People never seemed to have to study in college, much like high school. He wondered as he walked by all the chatting, flirtatious faces what their majors were. Were their classes a lot easier than his?

Finally, he turned and found a small, rectangular table. Based on his excellent hearing, he could only hear soft breathing, the rustle of a pen and the light fall of turning pages. He looked to see a girl sitting at the table.

Even with her sitting down, he could tell that she was quite tall. She had long blond hair that was braided back. That's all he could see of her when he moved a chair away from the table, and startled her out of the text book she was reading.

She looked up suddenly, and he saw that she had pretty blue eyes and some light freckles across her nose and cheeks. She smiled at him swiftly before focusing again on her work.

Mori smiled to himself. He was very happy that he had found a quiet place to sit and study, even if there was somebody there. He didn't mind her presence. She was very quiet and studious, only looking up when people passed by. And then, she wouldn't say anything. Just give a friendly, kind smile.

Every day, he would find the exact spot. And the same girl would be sitting there. And, they would both just study.

Every day when he sat down, or when she sat down, she would just give him a quick smile before returning to her work or starting her work.

And, after a few weeks of this routine, they became very comfortable in each other's presence, in their companionable silence.

And after a month and a half, Mori started to wonder what her name was. Then came more questions: What was her major? Where was she from? What was she like?

He knew she was studious and friendly. And that was about it.

Every day, he told himself that he would work up his courage to at least say hi. Or maybe to introduce himself. But every day, he just worked next to her.

He had become comfortable with the silence. He had become comfortable with her presence, but only when she wasn't talking. If she started talking, he may not like her as much and he would have to find a new place to study.

Eventually, the last day before finals came. And he was furiously studying for his toughest exam.

She looked peaceful and thoughtful when he noticed her as she sat down. To his surprise, she didn't pull out anything from her backpack. He looked up as soon as she seemed comfortable and she smiled at him.

"I just wanted to say thank you for being a good study companion" was her statement.

He was shocked. She had a slight British accent although her Japanese was flawless, and he was surprised to hear her talk.

"Well," she continued, "I hope you have a good summer". She stood up to leave when he shook himself out of his surprise.

"You're welcome", was his reply.

"My name is Allie." She said, extending her hand to his. He noted that she used her first name only. Mori returned her smile and her handshake. "Takashi."

"Nice to meet you Takashi-san. I hope you have a great break and you don't work too hard." Then she was gone.

He looked after the door that she walked through and wondered if he would ever see her again.

Summer passed by in a blur. He had fun as usual with his friends. He was grateful that Mitskuni wanted to join the Host Club. His fellow hosts had become his closest friends over the past three years.

Haruhi approached Mitskuni toward the end of summer with Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kyoya. Mori was coming back from his Kendo training when he heard the question Haruhi posed.

"Honey-sempai," Haruhi started. Mitskuni turned and smiled at his friend, "Is Mori-sempai okay?"

"What do you mean Haru-chan?" Mitskuni asked innocently. Mori paused outside the door when he heard Haruhi say his name.

"I mean, Mori seems withdrawn and quiet." Haruhi then corrected herself, "A lot more than usual it seems."

"Yeah, he seems to be walking around with this intense, brooding look on his face." Hikaru added.

"I don't know exactly what's going on. But Takashi just seems to have a lot on his mind right now. I wouldn't worry about him too much." Honey responded and then changed the subject quickly, slyly asking Tamaki when he was going to propose to Haruhi.

After all the stammering, outbursts, and teasing were through, Mori walked through the door and nodded in greeting to his friends. He then went through the house, found the shower and changed.

He thought to himself, "Am I really that different than before? Do I seem more reserved to them?" He sighed in frustration.

He couldn't deny that he had been thinking a lot this summer. He had been thinking about how stupid he was. He thought he would forget about her, about Allie, while he was on summer vacation.

Instead, he found himself thinking about her more than ever before. He hardly thought of himself as a romantic person, but his mind kept flashing back to moments in the library. The silence they worked in was never awkward, but very relaxed. The way she chewed on her bottom lip, and her eyes narrowed while examining the text. The way she would shift in her seat, the way the sun shone through the window, lighting up her golden hair. Her sweet, friendly voice when she called him "Takashi-san". And the beautiful, friendly smile that she flashed at everyone that passed by their table.

"Their" table. Like it belonged to both of them. Mori rolled his eyes in frustration. He had tried all summer long to get her image out of his mind, and instead he found himself thinking of her more and more. She was the only girl he had ever given a second glance to (besides Haruhi). And she was the only girl that made him want to know more about her

The summer was almost over, and he worried that he had lost a chance to get to know this girl better.

"Takashi", Mitskuni began, "what's going on?"

"I think I made a mistake," Takashi said, "I only hope I get a second chance to correct it."

Mitskuni stared at his cousin and said, "Well, are you going to tell me anything else?"

Mori smiled at his best friend. "I met a girl last semester."

Honey gave a big smile to Mori, surprised that a girl was the change in his demeanor. Honey assumed that Mori would have to be in an arranged engagement in order to be married. Now he was showing interest in a girl. Honey wondered what she was like. "Okay, Takashi. What's her name? What's she like? What does she study? I want answers!"

"Her name is Allie."

Honey looked disappointed. "Is that all you know about her?" He asked dramatically.

Mori looked sheepish. "Yes."

Honey sighed and gave a smile to his cousin. "Well, you'd better make sure to fix that. Especially if you've been thinking about her all summer."

The second day of the new semester was hot and humid. Disappointment filled Mori the day before as he looked for Allie in the library, at "their" table. He walked dejectedly to the last general class he had to take for his degree. He should have taken Humanities earlier, but it never fit in with his schedule. Now, he had to before he could get into the main core of his pre-law curriculum.

He sat down in the auditorium style class, while several girls passed by saying "hi Mori or Mori-sempai" and giggling. He sighed as he took out his pen and paper. Several minutes passed by and people were seated all around him when she walked in. His spine straightened to attention and could hardly believe his own luck.

She was in the same class as him. She walked to the bottom of the auditorium, where the only remaining seats in the class were. He stared at her as she adjusted her bag and pulled out her materials. Her long blond hair was down and she pulled out something from her bag and straightened.

The professor walked in and began class. Mori could hardly concentrate on the syllabus and professor's lecture as he droned on.

Images and words raced through Mori's mind as he wondered what in the world he was going to say to her. He wasn't good at this stuff. He wasn't smooth like Tamaki, but he had decided that in order to get to know this intriguing girl better, he would have to actually talk to her.

Class ended and he failed again. He couldn't get up to approach her. He didn't have the courage. He sat at his desk, putting all his stuff away, resigned to the fact that he was a coward when he heard a voice say, "Takashi-san? I didn't see you earlier. How was your summer?"

He looked up from his shame and saw her. She had a smile on her face. She was wearing glasses. And he finally realized how tall she really was. She was only a few inches shorter than him, probably around 6'0'' or so. Her smile began to falter and she looked slightly confused at his strong stare.

"Good." Mori recovered as he saw her slightly turn to leave in confusion. He cleared his throat, opened his mouth and said, "My summer was good. How was yours?"

She gave him a big smile as she said, "My summer was pretty good too. Well, it was good seeing you, but I should probably have lunch before my next class. Maybe I'll see you later." She turned to leave for good this time when he caught her arm.

"Why don't we eat lunch together?" Mori found himself saying. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment at her look of surprise. Her eyebrows were raised, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a sweet, sly smile.

"I can do that," she said cautiously. They walked out of class together, and made their way to the cafeteria for a lunch together.

Their walk was in quiet. It was a companionable silence, like all the afternoons in the library the semester before. He paid for himself and for her meal, even though she protested. Red crept up her face when he turned to her and said, "It's not a problem."

They sat down together at a table, when they were spotted by a few friends.

They were joined by Hikaru, Kaoru, Kyoya, Honey, and Tamaki, all who had come for lunch.

"Hello," Kyoya said warily as Hikaru and Kaoru plopped themselves on either side of Allie, who was sitting across from Mori.

"Hi," Honey said, bubbling, when he sat down next to Takashi. "Takashi, is this a friend of yours?"

"Ah," was Mori's response.

"Mori-sempai," Tamaki began dramatically, "Won't you introduce us to your lovely friend?"

"This is Allie."

"Ah, Allie." Tamaki said, holding his hand out to her. She shook his hand and looked at Mori questioningly, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Tamaki Suoh."

"Nice to meet you Tamaki." Allie replied politely.

"You should be a model," Hikaru abruptly interrupted the introduction.

"What?" Allie asked confused.

"You're very tall. You'd make a good model. Especially for Adidas, or Nike or Puma. I mean, you have an athletic build." Kaoru finished this statement by squeezing her upper arm.

"Just what I thought, she's definitely toned." Kaoru informed his twin.

"I beg your pardon!" Allie protested, the British accent coming out strongly.

"Kaoru, Hikaru." Mori said, as he gave them a small glare.

"Sorry, Mori-sempai".

"Sorry, Allie. My name is Hikaru Hitachiin and this is my brother Kaoru. We just get excited when we see tall girls that could model our mother's clothing."

She gave them a guarded smile, and said, "It's okay. Please don't do it again." She then turned to Mori with a questioning look on her face, "Takashi-san, why do your friends call you Mori?"

"I don't call him Mori." Honey said to her with a big smile on his face. "My name is Mitskuni Haninozuka. Takashi and I are cousins."

"But, in answer to your question, Allie, Mori-sempai's nickname is taken from his last name, Morinozuka." Tamaki answered the question.

Kyoya looked over at Allie. "My name is Kyoya Ootori. May I ask your full name Allie?"

"Of course, my full name is Allison Greene. But I've been called Allie for as long as I can remember."

"And you're from England, aren't you?" Hikaru asked.

"Yes. I am from Liverpool."

"Why are you going to school here?" Kaoru inquired next.

"I wanted to get out of the country. Plus, I was offered a great opportunity here."

"What kind of opportunity? Are you allowed to tell us Allie-chan?" Honey asked. She smiled at Honey sweetly.

"Yes, of course. It's not top secret. I play on the volleyball team here. There aren't too many volleyball teams in England. It's all about football there."

During the entire exchange Mori looked slightly put out. Only Honey noticed something was odd. Mori was annoyed and at the same time grateful for his friends. They were asking questions he hadn't gathered the courage to ask her yet.

"You play volleyball?" Honey said in astonishment. "You must be really good. The university has an excellent team."

"Well come see for yourself on Thursday, if you'd like. We have a home game at 6:00" Allie told them all.

She started eating her food with a pensive look on her face, when she felt someone staring at her. She looked up, and Mori was gazing at her with a small smile on his face. It was very slight. She gave him a kind smile, and told him the food was delicious.

Honey noticed Mori and Allie looking at each other, and he distracted everyone else with talk about their summer vacation and Haruhi and all the classes they were taking.

"Allie," Mori began and then stopped. Why was he acting like he was in middle school? It was driving him crazy. He was a grown man! She had looked up from her food when he said her name.

"What are you studying here?"

"I'm a double major. I am in the nutritional fitness program and the education program. What about you?"

"Prelaw".

"Ah.. were you planning on staying on here for your law school?"

"Yes"

They then noticed the silence surrounding them. Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, Tamaki, and Kyoya were looking at the pair, surprised. None of them had ever heard Mori converse with a girl so much before.

"Ah…um… Well, we need to leave. By Takashi, Allie-chan!" Honey managed to get himself, all his friends, their bags and their trays and leave within five seconds.

Allie blinked at what had happened. Takashi had a slight blush from his friend's reactions.

"How old is he?"

"Mitskuni?" Allie nodded affirmatively.

"He's 20. We're the same age."

"Really? So does that make you a junior this year?"

"Yes. May I ask your age?"

"Of course. I just turned 20 in the summer. I'm also a junior."

There was a slightly awkward silence. Takashi looked at his watch. He had class in 20 minutes and it was on the other side of campus. Allie noticed him glancing at his wrist watch.

"I am going to the library" Allie stated, "I don't have any more classes today and I need to get some homework done before practice at 4:00. Should I save a seat for you?"

Mori smiled at her comment. "Please do."

She got up from her seat, told him thank you again, and swept off gracefully with her tray and her bag.

"School cafeteria lunch for your first date Mori-sempai? I thought you'd be more suave than that!" Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, Kyoya and Honey had snuck over quickly after Allie left.

"Of course you were watching…" Mori said, unsurprised.

"Do you realize who that young lady is Mori-sempai?" Kyoya asked curiously.

"She and Takashi met last year and it looks like they probably have a class together." Honey answered quickly.

Mori nodded as Honey talked, thankful for his cousin who was very good at deducing things about Takashi from the simplest of clues and conversations.

"Well, she comes from a noble family in England. Her father is a businessman and a politician with many connections, and I think that there's another reason why she's here in Japan than just volleyball." Kyoya said darkly.

Mori looked at Kyoya, then his watch and said bye. He took off to class.

"Kyoya," Tamaki whined, "why did you say anything?"

"That young lady comes from a powerful family, Tamaki. I doubt that they'd be happy to hear about her relationship with Mori-sempai. From what I've heard they're not fond of Japanese people."

"But they're just friends," Honey stated, "I'd know if Takashi was dating her."

"They may be friends now," Kaoru said.

"But it won't be that way for much longer" Hikaru finished.

"Yeah, I've never seen Mori-sempai look at a girl like that before!" Kaoru added dramatically.

"Well, we need to leave it alone. No plans or code names." Honey said decidedly, "Especially if he really likes her. I don't want anyone messing it up!"

They all saluted Honey-sempai (excluding Kyoya, of course), and returned to their random talk of the powerful and wealthy.

Thursday evening, Haruhi found herself dragged to the university's gym for a volleyball game.

"I don't care about volleyball and I don't know why you're making me come!" Haruhi shouted.

"It's so you can meet Mori-sempai's lady friend", Tamaki answered slyly.

"So? I can meet her some other time. I don't have the time for this. I have to study."

They met up with Mori, Honey, the twins and Kyoya in the bleachers. Haruhi promptly pulled out her homework.

"No homework!" Hikaru stated, taking her homework away.

"But I need to get it done!"

"We need you to watch the game with us and watch Mori-sempai so we can analyze his behavior!" Kaoru whispered conspiratorially in her ear.

"Why don't you guys just let it be?"

"Hey, we're just observers. We've already promised Honey-sempai that we wouldn't interfere." Tamaki answered Haruhi's question, putting an arm around her shoulder.

On the court, Allie warmed up with her teammates. There were only 5 minutes until the opening home game of the season. She paused to look up at the bleachers. There were so many people she almost didn't find him. But there he was. Sitting straight-backed and proud like he usually did, with the stoic look on his face. And little Mitskuni was perched on his shoulder.

"They're quite a pair" Allie thought to herself, with a smile on her face.

"Allie!" one of her teammates yelled, "Get your head in the game!"

The rest of the girls on the team laughed and Allie ran toward her teammates in anticipation of the start of the game and their pep talk.

The volleyball match started and it was very quick. None of them had been to a volleyball match with the skill levels that these teams played with. Allie seemed to be all over the place. She was the heart and soul of the team. They watched her serve, pass, dive on the floor and get the ball up before it hit the ground, spike and block the other team's hitters.

"This is really intense." Honey said, "I didn't realize that volleyball was so exciting to watch."

"It is if there are good teams." Kyoya responded, "There are rumors that Allie will be playing on England's team this upcoming summer for the Olympics".

"Wow," Tamaki said softly, "she must be really good. What number is she again?"

"Number 6. The one with the long hair braided." Kaoru said

"And the tight, little shorts. Oh wait, that's all of them!" Hikaru said, "I think I appreciate this sport".

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the exchange.

"That's just the standard volleyball uniform" Honey told them informatively.

Mori just ignored the exchange as he watched Allie play in her match. He was amazed at her skill, from serving and digging to blocking and hitting. She was all over the place. Her face was red from exertion. He could see small beads of sweat on her cheeks. And to him, she looked more beautiful than any other time he had seen her.

Maybe it was the passion and intensity she had or the respect and encouragement she gave her teammates, but she seemed so alive and happy. Just seeing her play, he knew he wanted to get to know her better.

After Ouran University's close victory over the visitor, Tamaki and the others rushed to the court to congratulate Allie while Mori trailed behind them slowly.

She was working on taking down the volleyball net, when they approached. She gave them a smile as they approached.

Honey yelled, "Allie-chan! You were amazing!" He then proceeded to jump and attach himself to her side in a huge hug.

She flushed a little bit more red, and said, "Thanks Honey-san. You are too nice. I can't believe you guys actually came. Most people find volleyball boring."

"No, it was quite fascinating." Kyoya said honestly.

"And it was entertaining." Hikaru said while he eyed one of Allie's teammates from behind.

Allie raised an eyebrow at Hikaru and said, "Down boy. She's taken."

Hikaru turned to look at Allie with a look of surprise on his face.

"You just talked to me like I was a dog."

"Well, you were acting like one Hikaru." Haruhi said. She had finally gathered her homework and made her way down the bleachers.

Tamaki took Haruhi's elbow and pushed his way forward.

"Haruhi, this is Allie. Allie, this is my girlfriend Haruhi."

"She's a commoner." Kaoru whispered in Allie's ear.

Allie moved away from Kaoru, and stepped toward Haruhi, extending her hand. "It's very nice to meet you. You must be a very patient person if Tamaki-san is your boyfriend."

"You have no idea", was Haruhi's response.

"But before she was Tamaki's boyfriend, Mori-sempai accidently felt her up when he thought she was a boy" Hikaru said, as both the faces of Haruhi and Mori reddened.

"It was an accident." Mori mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

Allie just looked highly amused.

"As much as I would like to hear more details about that story," Allie said, "I do need to shower and get home for dinner. Thank you all for coming to cheer for us!" She turned to leave when Mori finally found his voice again.

"We were all going out to dinner," Mori said so quietly she almost didn't hear him. Haruhi was in the background looking confused while all the boys had smirks on their faces. "Would you like to come with us?"

"I'd love to, but I don't want to hold you up while showering and getting dressed…" Allie trailed off while looking at Mori.

"We'll wait." Mori and Tamaki said at the same time.

Allied looked at them. She nodded her head, grabbed her bag, and headed off to the locker room. She returned only 15 minutes later, ready to go out.

"I hope we're not going somewhere too nice. I don't wear that kind of clothing to classes."

"You look fine, Allie-chan. We're just going to one of our favorite sushi places." Honey answered.

Allie's wet hair was pulled into a high, messy bun. She wore a plain green t-shirt with a black cardigan over it, jeans and black sandals.

"Yeah, you look nicer than Haruhi" Kaoru said.

Haruhi just rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever, I don't really care."

They all headed out toward the three cars at the front of the school. There were two Mercedes and a Rolls Royce. Allie jumped slightly as Mori touched her elbow, directing her to one of the Mercedes cars.

He held the door open for her and let her go in first. Honey then went in next and Mori climbed in last, closing the door behind him.

"How are your classes so far this semester Allie-chan?" Honey asked nicely.

"Pretty good. I am getting to volunteer in some classrooms a couple of days a week. And I really like my Humanities classes so far."

"Do you like Japan?"

"Yes. I do miss England sometimes. But not enough to go home." Her face darkened slightly at the mention of England and home.

"How long have you lived here for?"

"Since I was 16."

"Really? No wonder you're pretty good with the language. You've been here for a while."

"Yes. It was tough learning it, but I think I've done okay. Even though you can definitely tell I'm not a native speaker."

Mori smiled at Allie as she spoke. He liked her slight British accent when she spoke Japanese. He was drawn to her; he just didn't know how to go about talking to her and getting to know her.

"You're really good at volleyball Allie. Will you play on England's Olympic team this year?"

"No," Allie said shortly. Honey and Mori looked surprised.
"I'm sorry if that came off as being rude, but I don't intend to go back to England ever or to represent the country in a game. It's complicated."

"That's okay." Mori said, "Don't feel like you have to tell us."

Allie smiled in appreciation back at Mori. Honey noticed the sparks between his cousin and his new friend.

"So, Takashi-san," Allie began seriously, "What's this I hear about you groping Haruhi? You don't seem the pervert type."

"Well, in order to explain that, we should probably tell you about Tamaki and the host club we participated in while we went to high school." Honey began while Mori mumbled again, "It was an accident."

"So you two," Allie summarized, "along with the twins, Kyoya, and Tamaki, participated in a host club, entertaining high school girls by merely being yourselves?"

"Basically," Honey said, "The best part about it was all the cake and the friends we made. I don't think we would have become friends with Kyo-chan or Tama-chan or Kao-chan or Hika-chan if we wouldn't have been in the host club."

"Okay, and Haruhi pretended she was a boy in order to pay back the money for a vase that she broke?" Honey and Mori nodded.

"And Takashi-san found out that Haruhi was a girl, when he lifted her up to get her away from an overenthusiastic Tamaki and his hands were on her chest." Takashi blushed while Allie smiled.

"And I thought you were a gentleman." She told him teasingly. He gave her a small smile of his own.

"Any more questions Allie-chan?" Honey asked sweetly while he pulled some candy out of his pockets to eat.

"Several, but I hope I can find some out later. Now, I'm just wondering where on earth you're taking me!"

"It's only a few more minutes. We promise it won't be too much longer," Honey glanced nervously between Mori and Allie, hoping she wasn't upset.

Mori looked at Allie and said, "Do you have a time you need to be home by?"

Allied smiled at them indulgently. "No, I live by myself with a few servants. My parents and siblings are in England."

"Are you the oldest?"

"No, I have an older brother. He's 22. And I have a younger brother and a younger sister. They're 16 and 14."

"Your family is pretty big. Did you have fun with them growing up?"

"Yes, for the most part we got along very well. I still call them and my younger brother and sister will come and visit from time to time."

The car then stopped. The driver opened the door of the car. Mori went out first and held his hand out to Allie to help her out of the car. She looked at the hand, and gave him her own and let herself be helped out. They walked into the restaurant where the rest of the group was waiting and were led to their seats.

As they sat down, Mori sat on one side of Allie, and Honey sat on the other. Haruhi sat across from Allie to get to know her better. Haruhi and Allie were soon chatting like old friends, talking about all the stuff that they liked to do.

Mori found out several things from eavesdropping on this conversation, including the facts that Allie liked running, reading, watching football games (soccer), the color purple, baking and learning new hobbies. One of the servants in her house was teaching Allie how to decorate cakes and another servant was teaching her sewing basics. Mori was amused. It looked like Allie, who was going to school to become a teacher liked being a student herself.

Kyoya watched Allie with interest and asked, suddenly, "Why teaching? Isn't there a business that you'll inherit?"

"I don't want any part in my father's businesses. I've already told him that he should give them to my siblings instead." She answered, not missing a beat.

"That's interesting. Most children will stand to inherit. If I recall correctly, in England if you're not set to inherit, you're usually put in an arranged marriage."

"You're correct. For the most part anyway." Mori visibly stiffened next to her, but didn't say anything.

Honey looked sadly at Mori, and with the eyes of the now somber crowd on Allie, he asked her, "Are you engaged then Allie-chan?"

"I was at one point. It was decided that it wasn't a good match, so I am no longer in that relationship."

Everyone started smiling nervously and changing the subject. It felt like everyone had let out a deep breath all at once.

Mori still was a bit stoic and stiff next to Allie. It was hard for anyone to read his reactions, but Honey could tell that he was thinking quickly about things. He wanted to get to know this woman better, but he didn't want to scare her off. And he wondered about the relationship she was in. Did they love each other? She didn't sound too upset about it.

Would she jump to conclusions if he asked her out? Probably not. She didn't seem like that kind of girl. She seemed very rational and down-to-earth.

The waitress brought their sushi and rolls and they all settled down to eat.

As they were eating, Allie paused, touched Mori's hand slightly, and asked, "Takashi-san, are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Were you surprised to hear that I was engaged?"

"Ah."

She looked at him mischievously and said, "Aren't you happy to hear that I'm not?" She had a sly smile on her face as she looked at him.

"Yes." Mori answered honestly.

The others all looked at the exchange between the two, smiling at each other knowingly.

The bill was paid, and they were on their way home while Honey, Mori and Allie talked quietly. It had been a nice evening, especially for Allie and Mori, who were getting to know each other better, bit by bit. The car stopped at Allie's house, and Mori walked out with her to make sure that she got in.

She turned to him on the doorstep and said, "Thank you so much, Takashi-san. I had a wonderful time with you and your friends."

Mori was staring at her with a thoughtful expression. "You don't have to call me that."

"Would you prefer if I called you Mori?" Allie asked, confused.
"No, I mean, you can drop the –san if you'd like."

Allie's smile grew as she looked at him. She knew he was handsome, and there was just something about him. Maybe it was the kindness she could see, or his intelligence, or his stoic nature. But she knew she was becoming more and more attracted to him with the more time they spent together.

"Alright, Takashi-kun. I think I can do that." She then went inside and left him to walk back to the car and his own thoughts.

"Takashi," Honey interrupted Mori's train of thought while they were on the way home, "Do you like Allie?"

"Yes."

"More than a friend?"

"I'm not sure."

"That's okay Takashi. I'm sure you'll figure it out. I think she's really special."

"Ah."

Honey smiled at his cousin's response. He would have to sort out his feelings on his own. But Honey could see, with the rest of the host club as well, how much Mori and Allie seemed to like one another and how well they got along. They seemed perfect for each other. Their personalities complemented each other very well. Kyoya was suspicious of Allie, but he was suspicious of anyone he couldn't find information on, so they didn't pay too much attention to what he had to say.

Friday and the weekend passed by in a blur. Every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch became the same for Takashi and Allie. They sat next to each other in their Humanities class, Mori would persuade Allie to eat lunch with him in the university cafeteria, and they would eat, chat, and go their separate ways. At least three days a week, they would find themselves at that same table in the library, studying together.

After a couple of months of this routine, Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki and Haruhi (grudgingly dragged along) approached Honey and Kyoya.

"We have to do something about Mori-sempai and Allie. They are moving so slow, it's driving me crazy."

"Leave them be, I say." Haruhi added.

"All they do is talk, sometimes, and eat lunch together." Kaoru whined. "We want this to move faster. We need more entertainment."

Honey pondered the thought. "Takashi will move slowly with this sort of thing. It's his personality. But I can tell that he likes her a lot."

"I've got it!" Tamaki jumped up. "Remember when we went to Nekozawa-sempai's beach? Maybe we can go there. Paradises like that usually get people to come together quicker. And we can all go, that way it wouldn't be awkward for them."

"Not to mention Mori-sempai seeing Allie in a bikini," Hikaru whispered to Kaoru. Kaoru nodded in agreement.

"I don't see a problem with that." Honey said. He then turned to Kyoya and asked, "Kyo-chan, can you arrange that for this upcoming week? It's Fall Break."

"Not a problem Honey-sempai"

The others all found Mori and Allie sitting together in the library studying in silence, and working on homework.

They approached them, and Tamaki started flamboyantly, "Guess where we're going this week for our fall break?"

Allie looked up, surprised to see all of her new friends there. She looked at Mori and shared a smile with him before looking back at Tamaki.

"I have no idea Tamaki. Where are you going?"

"The beach. Have you been to one here in Japan? They're too cold in England."

"No, I've never been."

"Then you must come!" Tamaki said triumphantly.

Allie and Mori looked at Tamaki suspiciously.

"Will you please come with us?" Honey begged Allie sweetly.

"I don't have a swimsuit at all." Allie started to say. She was interrupted by Hikaru and Kaoru who appeared behind her.

"Don't worry about that. You know our mother is a designer. We'll get you set up."

She glared at the pervert twins. "I won't wear anything you pick out for me."

"It will be okay. We'll make sure it fits your personality and what you want." Kaoru said.

Allie finally gave in. "I guess."

"Come to our house on Friday and we'll find your suit!"

"Okay, see you then!"

Allie turned away from her friends as they left to see Mori looking after his cousin and friends confused.

"Takashi-kun, what's wrong?"

"They're up to something."

Allie smiled, and then put a hand on top of his in a friendly fashion. "It will be okay. They mean well. Will you be able to come with me to Hikaru and Kaoru's on Friday?"

"It's my brother's birthday."

"Oh. Okay." Allie said, sounding disappointed.

"But, I'd really like for you to come over for Satoshi's birthday dinner."

"I don't want to intrude Takashi-kun! It's your brother's birthday. That's a family event."

"My brother wanted me to invite you. He'd like to meet you." Allie looked surprised and faintly pleased. She didn't know that Takashi had mentioned her to his brother.

"What time?" Allie asked.

"6:00"

"What should I wear?"

"We dress traditionally for our birthdays and formal dinners. Do you have a kimono?"

"A kimono? I don't even know how to put one of those on."

"I'll let Hikaru and Kaoru know. Their mother will help you with putting it on."

"And what can get I get Satoshi-kun as a gift?"

"Don't worry about it." Mori said, looking at Allie expressively.

"But, I am intruding on his birthday. Either you can help me get him a gift or someone else can."

Mori didn't answer as he looked at her. It was incredible that with all the passing days that they had casually spending time together and talking and studying, how much more he seemed to like her and how much more beautiful she was. He had never had these feelings before. Everyone could tell that something was different about Mori. His parents, his brother, cousins, and friends all knew that there was something or perhaps someone that was affecting him. He was smiling more. He was spending more time at the university. He was deep in thought more often than usual. And he was spending more and more time in the dojo's meditation room.

"Takashi-kun?" Allie asked questioningly. He had just been staring at her with an intense look for a while and didn't answer her query.

Mori smiled at her. "I'll come by for you at the Hitachiin mansion at 5:00".

Allie returned his smile, and said, "I look forward to it."

Hikaru and Kaoru found Allie after her last class on Thursday and dragged her off to their home. Tamaki, Kyoya, and Haruhi were already there waiting for them.

"Okay, Allie. Let's introduce you to our mother."

They led her through several rooms and up to a huge room that could only be described as a workshop. Allie "oohed" and "ahhed" appreciatively as her fingers and hands touched material and pulled off outfits from their designated spots.

"Is this my new model boys?" Hikaru and Kaoru's mother asked as she swept into the room.

Allie was introduced, and inspected by Mrs. Hitachiin. "You are quite tall. Not skinny enough to be a model. Too much muscle in your arms, legs, shoulders and you've got too much of a figure. Pity. You've got such a pretty face and your hair is beautiful. Yes, I'm afraid you will never make a good model."

"Darn." Allie said sarcastically, "My dream is in ruins."

Mrs. Hitachiin smiled approvingly at Allie, nodding her head. "I like sarcasm. Let's find you a swimsuit and I already have your kimono picked out for you."

"What?" Hikaru practically shouted.

"Yeah, I thought we were going to help with the kimono" Kaoru said, sounding disappointed.

"Sorry boys, I already had a specific fabric." She looked over at Tamaki with a wink. "Mori sent it over to me, and asked that I make it for her."

Allie flushed with embarrassment.

Haruhi and everyone else looked flabbergasted. Mori-sempai had chosen a fabric specifically for Allie and was paying for it to be made?

Mrs. Hitachiin smiled at their surprised looks, winked, and said, "Alright, let's go get this girl a swimsuit, then we'll get to dress her up for tonight."

They went through several swimsuits. Tamaki kept sending girly pink ones over. Hikaru and Kaoru kept picking out bikinis. Eventually Haruhi and Mrs. Hitachiin found something that fit Allie's approval. It was decided by all (except Allie, of course) that she should be in a two piece swimsuit. She had a nice body, they said, and she should show it off. Allie, however flat out refused to wear a bikini.

"Why not?" Kaoru whined.

"Yeah, you'd look great in it." Hikaru confirmed.

"I just don't feel comfortable showing my stomach off." Allie offered.

"How about we narrow it down to one of these?" Haruhi pulled a tankini off the rack, "That way it's a two piece to satisfy you guys and it will cover Allie enough to satisfy her."

They went through the tankinis. Allie ruled out on anything pink, red, orange or yellow. Those colors didn't look good on her (her own thoughts).

Mrs. Hitachiin cried, "Ah-hah!" triumphantly, holding up a bathing suit.

The suit was a dark brown color with blue flowers. It was a halter top and a regular bottom. She dragged Allie into a dressing room and changed her into the bathing suit.

Allie loved it. It fit her personality and it modestly fit her body. She stepped back into her jeans and t-shirt when she walked out the dressing room.

Mrs. Hitachiin had one of the servants bringing up the kimono and obi that she would be changing into. She barked orders to Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, and Tamaki to get everything else ready.

Mrs. Hitachiin gently took the silk kimono from the servant's arms. It was black with gold threading. The design was light blue, small flowers with green leaves. The obi was also light blue, matching the flowers perfectly. It was easily the most gorgeous thing that Allie had ever seen. She gasped when she saw it, tears filling her eyes at the sight of the garment and the thought and effort that went into picking out the fabric. This said a lot about Mori. He knew she would prefer a more classy and elegant, yet simple design. And it was perfect.

"Yes," Mrs. Hitachiin said when she saw Allie's face, "He chose this himself for you. And I take it that you approve?"

Allie nodded in astonishment, still shocked to see the kimono and its beauty.

"I can't take this." She told Mrs. Hitachiin, "It's too much. All this silk, it must have cost so much money."

Mrs. Hitachiin smiled, but didn't answer. She asked the servant to help Allie with undressing, and proceeded to tell her the proper way of putting on a kimono. She finished tying the obi, and after the tutorial she looked at Allie.

"Allie, listen. I was once told that a man in love has a way of developing many talents he never possessed before. Now, I've known Mori, and I look at this kimono, and I can't believe that he was the one that spent the time, energy and money on this gorgeous fabric because he could envision you in it. It looks like he's developed quite a good skill in picking out fabric for beautiful kimonos. Or at least the kimono you'll be wearing." She ended with a wink, stepped aside and held the door open for Allie.

Allie stood in surprise, mulling over the words that Mrs. Hitachiin told her.

"Come on, Allie," Mrs. Hitachiin said, "we don't have as much time as we like for your hair and makeup."

Allie shook herself out of her reverie, and walked out of the dressing room into the hair and makeup room.

"Wow," Tamaki said, "you look very pretty."

"Very pretty is an understatement Tono!" Hikaru said, "I can't believe that Mori-sempai picked out that fabric. It fits you like a glove."

Allie squirmed under their scrutinizing gaze. Kaoru ran up to her, grabbed her arm and led her to the makeup table while Hikaru started on her hair.

Allie met with the approval of her friends and Mrs. Hitachiin who was fixing the obi straight. The door bell rang and Mori walked in wearing his traditional outfit.

Allie walked down the stairs where Mori just stood, gazing at her. Her makeup was light, but she hardly ever wore make up so she looked a bit different. Just some light mascara, some blush on her cheeks. And her hair was braided back in a single plait. And the fabric that he chose out for her kimono was even more beautiful than it was when he picked it out.

Mori smiled at her, and she looked at him with a smile on her face. "Thank you for the kimono, Takashi-kun."

"You're welcome."

He held out his arm to hers, and led her outside to where the car was waiting. When they were gone, Mrs. Hitachiin looked around and said, "I'd better get started on designing some wedding outfits." She then left to her work room.

Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, Tamaki and Kyoya all silently agreed with Mrs. Hitachiin.

"What's wrong?" Mori asked Allie as she sat next to him in the car, slightly shaking.

She smiled nervously, and said, "I'm just nervous."

"Mitskuni and his family will be there also."

"Oh, so I'll be able to talk with you and Honey-kun?"

"Ah."

Allie just smiled at his "ah" answer. She was starting to grow quite fond of that noise that she heard often.

"How old is Satoshi-kun?"

"18".

"I didn't get him anything. I didn't have the time. He won't be upset will he?"

"No."

"Good."

They arrived at a two story mansion with an attached dojo. It looked similar to the old homes of the feudal lords. Mori held the door open for Allie and she stepped out.

Mori walked her to the front door, entered and accompanied Allie to a sitting room where there were two families. A blonde-haired family and a black-haired family. Allie did a casual sweep with her eyes of the two families. It was easy to see which sons belonged to which parents.

"Allie-chan!" Honey yelled, when he saw Allie enter the room. He hugged her enthusiastically and told her how pretty she looked.

Mori made some introductions. Mori's mother and father were both dark haired and proud looking, like Mori. His mother gave Allie a big smile and a hug when they met, while his father just shook her hand and nodded politely. Satoshi gave Allie a big grin, a big handshake and started talking to her nonstop when they met.

Honey's family was equally welcoming and polite. Except for Yasuchika who didn't talk to her at all after they were introduced.

They had traditional Japanese dishes for dinner, mainly Satoshi's favorites, including a very potent tea that was, according to Mori, one of his own concoctions. Allie now knew why everybody else had politely declined.

After dinner, they all sat and spent time together, chatting, or reading. Mori, Honey, Satoshi and Yasuchika (grudgingly) offered to take Allie on a tour of the Morinozuka estate.

Allie was amazed at the simple beauty of the home that Mori had grown up in. And seeing his family made her miss her own family. She was looking out the door from the training room in the dojo that he was showing her when tears filled her eyes unexpectedly. She missed her home. She missed her parents and siblings. She missed England with its cold, clear air. She missed the accents and the dry, British personality. She missed the good chocolate. She missed the football.

Takashi noticed Allie with her arms around her chest, staring up at the sky and shaking slightly, he approached her and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

He was surprised to see the tears in her eyes as she looked at him. "Being here, with your family…It's making me miss England and my own family."

Mori was torn. He didn't like to see her unhappy, but he didn't want to ask her…"What about if you went home? If you want to see them so badly…"

"No. I can never go home." She said seriously.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like seeing you upset."

Her eyes softened when she looked at him. She was trying to convey to him through her actions and her eyes, how much he meant to her. "Please don't apologize, Takashi-kun. I will tell you, sometime. I promise. I just can't right now."

"It's okay. Just tell me when you're ready."

Allie changed the subject. "I really like your family, Takashi-kun. They're all very kind and caring."

Mori looked at her. He was trying to think of what to say in response, but all he could think about was how beautiful she looked and how much he wanted to tell her. Instead, he put his hand on her face, behind her neck and leaned into kiss her. She met him halfway and kissed him gently back.

She had never had a kiss given so sweetly to her, and she enjoyed it. It wasn't passionate, leaving promises of other things to come. It was a nice, affectionate kiss that promised love more than lust.

They broke apart and smiled at each other.

"Allie," Mori began to say, "I don't say things very easily, but…"

Allie cut him off with two fingers on his mouth.

"You don't have to tell me Takashi. You just showed me."

He took her home and gave her another small kiss. The entire ride home, all he could think about was the pounding of his heart and the flush of her cheeks; the way their lips had touched; the feel of her hands around his neck.

Was this love? He wondered. Was he in love with her? He knew that he was attracted to her, but he didn't know much else. He had never even really liked a girl like this before. But he knew that he wanted to be with her, to get to know her and to see what happened. He didn't just want to walk gently into the pool of their relationship, but he wanted to dive in, headfirst and be with her for as long as he could.

The next morning, the bags were packed and they all met at Kyoya's house to head toward the beach. They were all piled in the car together, so Mori and Allie didn't have time to talk privately. The trip to the beach was still fun, and they soon arrived. They changed at Nekozawa's mansion as soon as they got there, grabbed their towels and headed toward the beach.

"Good call on the tankini, Haruhi," Hikaru said as he saw Allie walking toward them. She was holding her towel up against her shyly.

"Come on Allie-chan," Honey yelled, "Let's go in the water!"

"AAAAAAA!" Allie screamed as soon as she stepped in.

Mori ran toward her furiously, "What's wrong?" He demanded.

"It's cold." There was a stunned silence.

"The ocean is cold. Didn't you know that?" Tamaki asked quietly, wondering why she was acting so innocent.

"But I've never been in an ocean before. Remember, it's way too cold in England to go to the beach. It's freezing!" She moved out of the ocean, her arms tightly around herself.

"Do you want a towel?" Mori asked her kindly. She looked up at him sweetly.
"Yes, please." Mori went off to get her a towel so she could dry off and try to warm up.

After she dried off, she began walking on the beach, just soaking up the sun and feeling the sand in her toes. She saw a volleyball court and smiled in appreciation. She watched Honey and Mori play in the ocean. She watched Haruhi and Tamaki body surfing and Hikaru and Kaoru playing around with water guns.

She sighed, and thought quietly about herself and this year. And of course, she thought about Mori. She was starting to feel so strongly for him. She wasn't sure, because it was so early, but she thought she was in love with him. She sighed again, contemplating how wonderful her life was, when all of a sudden, something hard hit the back of her head and all she saw was black.

"Where's Allie?" Mori asked Tamaki, worried. He had been keeping an eye on her while she walked along the beach, watching the ocean and collecting sea shells. He had turned away from her for only a few seconds to help Honey get seaweed off his leg. When he turned back around, she was gone, and there was no sign of her.

"No," Tamaki saw the worried look on his face, and said, "We'll find her though."

They all gave up their activities to look for her. Where did she go?

They were following her footprints in the sound when Honey spotted something. It looked like she had been dragged off in a direction for a few feet, and then carried away. Honey glanced at his cousin.

"Takashi," Honey said quietly, "we're going to find her."

His hands were clenched and his eyes had darkened, trying to find her.

Kyoya called his family's police force, gave them a picture and description of her, and took off looking for her. Mori and Honey insisted on accompanying them.

"Takashi," Honey said quietly, "What if they took her out of the country? Her family has a lot of money. What if they called in a ransom to her family?"

"I think her family cut her off." Mori told him shortly.

"Really?" Honey was surprised. He couldn't imagine what a sweet, gentle girl like Allie would have done to be cut off from her family.

"Ah."

Honey sighed and put a hand on his cousin's arm. "Let's keep going."

They eventually got a lead from an older shopkeeper in the downtown district. She had seen a young lady, in a brown and blue bathing suit taken out of a large car across town. It was an older house that was rented out to vacationers. Perhaps they could look there.

Honey informed the police force. They found the supposed house and did some reconnaissance. There was nothing in the house. But, it looked like there could be access to a basement in the house. As quietly as possible, they entered the house and made their way to a door just adjacent to the kitchen. Light sounds could be heard. The police force stopped what they were doing. They communicated with the rest of the squad who positioned themselves around the house.

Mori and Honey went with the first group down the stairs.

"Somebody's here!"

"Grab the girl!"

"No! Leave her!"

The suspects were trying to flee when they crashed into the basement. Allie was tied to a chair, her mouth bound so she couldn't talk. There was a scratch on her nose. And a bruise forming along her cheek bone.

"Don't you know who I am?" One of the men called in English. He had brown curly hair and was just an inch or so shorter than Mori. "Check the id in my wallet. You'll see you can't hold me for too long." He smirked as he stared at Allie.

"I want the boy Allie." The man said as Mori took off her gag.

"Bastard" was Allie's very unladylike response.

"I don't want to hurt your friends or family." He threatened.

"You know what my family did to me. Why would I care?"

"Because, I know you. You love your family, even after they disowned you." He then turned to Mori, "Has she told you, big guy? About what happened to her to send her fleeing to Japan? You should ask her." Allie spit at him as he was taken away. Mori was holding her against him with all his might, so she wouldn't attack him. She then stopped struggling and began sobbing in his arms.

"Come, on. Let's get you back to the mansion and in bed." Honey said quietly as he led the pair out. Mori held on to Allie the entire time in the car. She fell asleep with her head against his chest almost immediately.

Inside, Mori's thoughts were in turmoil. What had happened to Allie? Did he want to know? And the more important question, would he still love her even if he didn't like what he heard? He felt hurt that she had been holding things back. He felt hurt, that as soon as he had met someone that he could possibly marry and raise a family with someday, she had kept something hidden from him. He tried his best to be positive, but he had no idea what any of that was about.

He tucked her in bed after Haruhi threw some pajamas on her, and he went to bed himself. He had a hard time sleeping as he felt his heart ripped in two. What was going on?

Allie didn't approach Mori the next day. Instead she avoided everyone by staying in bed. She didn't know what to do. She knew that she owed him an explanation, but she didn't know where to start. That afternoon, Kyoya and the rest of the group came into her room. Mori wasn't there. He was out, getting some first aid supplies just in case anything happened again during the day. He was still worried about her.

"I think you owe us an explanation." Kyoya said seriously.

"I don't know what to say."

"Allie-chan, did you know those men?" Honey asked.

"Yes."

"Why did they take you?"

"That is none of your business."

"Listen, Allie. Mori-sempai and Honey-sempai has been worried sick about you. My family's police force helped find you. And, one of my close friends has been thinking about marrying you. I think it is our business."

"Kyoya," Mori said as he walked into the room. He had heard the questions, and although he wanted answers, he was okay with being patient for a while longer.

"No. She's a totally different person now. She made us think she was just a regular English girl who played volleyball. She knew those people. And I want to know what happened."

Allie finally snapped. "You want to know Otori? Fine. I'll tell you. That man that I called a bastard last night is named Matthew White. He was my fiancé. We had been betrothed since we were 12. When I turned 16, he decided that we should become intimate, even though we weren't married. I told him no, he didn't care and he raped me. When I told my family, they didn't believe me, because Matthew, you see, is the third in line to the throne. He had always acted like a gentleman around them. They told me to suck it up and make him happy."

"Well, if it wasn't wonderful enough that I was raped by my future husband, I found out I was pregnant. That's what made my parents kick me out of the house. You see, they thought I would be smart enough to not get pregnant. Matthew broke off the engagement, thank goodness. They disowned me and gave me to my grandparents who live here. My grandparents actually knew the scumbag that he was, and they took care of me. They leaked out news that I had a miscarriage, when in reality, we found a couple who couldn't have their own child and after I gave birth to the little boy, I put him up for adoption."

"I went into a deep depression for a year after that. I did my own schooling at home to graduate from school and get accepted into Ouran. I was scouted for volleyball when I was playing for fun. And until I met Takashi, I never had any intention of falling in love and getting married. I'm sorry if I didn't tell you this right away. You haven't had the same experiences as I. While you were stuck playing hosts in high school, I was raped, found out I was pregnant, and I gave birth to a child that I didn't want to keep. Do you know how guilty I felt about not wanting him? Is there anything else you'd like to know for your little "file"? Or is that enough of my life story for you?"

There was a stunned silence that followed her tirade. Mori's thoughts were all over the place. He was angry with Kyoya, angry with this White character, and overall he felt terrible for Allie. She seemed so happy when he saw her or was with her. She suffered through so much, and he didn't know how to make it better for her. How could she always smile? What kind of person did she have to be, in order to go through all of that, and still be happy and kind to people around her?

"Allie-chan," Honey began, tentatively putting a hand toward her arm.

"Please leave," she said as she yanked her arm away from Honey.

Mori was upset with her attitude toward Honey. While everyone else stalked away, he just stood there, looking at her.

"What is it Takashi-san? Are you disappointed in me?" She asked quietly, her voice shaking. He sat down next to her. She was so beautiful. So vulnerable. So stubborn.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Does it matter? You know now."

"It matters to me. You, telling me anyway. Would you have waited until we were married?"

"Absolutely not. I would have told you sooner."

"Allie," Takashi put his hand gently on her chin and pulled her face up. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. In her eyes he saw fear, sadness and a little hope. He contemplated the words he could say to her.

"I'm sorry." Or "You'll be okay."

Instead he told her, "You've been very brave. How can I help you?"

She looked surprised at his question. And with that, she burst in to tears. She sobbed into his shoulder about everything, the rape, the pregnancy, the child, her family, her feelings and her friends. She had lost so much in England. She lost her innocence, her reputation, her family and everything that she held dear.

He held her, with his arm around her shoulders, his hand in her hair, patting her head. He had never comforted a crying woman before, but with the way she felt in his arms, he knew he was doing the right thing. And, even with the doubts he was having earlier, he knew now that he loved her even more and he would always protect her.

Kyoya apologized to Allie the next day for the way he confronted her. She accepted his apology graciously.

Kaoru and Hikaru brought her flowers and told her how much they liked her and it didn't matter what had happened.

Honey, Tamaki and Haruhi made her a cake as an apology (which Honey helped her eat).

She told them over dinner the next night that she was thankful for their friendships and that she was happy she moved to Japan so she could meet all of them.

They spent the rest of the week playing around on the beach, and reluctantly returned to their homes. Thing s returned to normal. Allie finished off the volleyball season on a high note, even though they didn't make it into the playoffs. She was still named one of the top college volleyball players in the world.

She and Mori became even closer than before. It wasn't obvious that they were dating. They never held hands in public, but they were always with each other. Eating lunch, studying in the cafeteria, and sometimes even running and exercising together. She went to his home often to study. She usually didn't invite him over to her house since it wasn't entirely proper. Plus, Allie liked the hustle and bustle of Mori's home. She loved his family, with their friendly manner. They all welcomed her with open arms, especially his mother.

Mori had been thinking deeply about his future and, of course, what role Allie would have in that future. He knew exactly what he wanted her role to be, and from what he could tell, she wanted that too. But he was determined to do it properly, so he approached Kyoya one cool day in November. It had been almost three months since Mori had found out that Allie was in his class. And the air was crisp.

"Kyoya," Mori said as he approached him, "I need you to find out where these people live."

Mori slipped Kyoya a piece of paper that had some names that Allie had told him in casual conversation.

"Of course, Mori-sempai." Kyoya said, "I'll let you know as soon as possible."

It was December when Kyoya approached Mori and whispered something in his ear. Mori was at the library with Allie. He stood up suddenly. Allie looked up with a slight frown on her face.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned as she started to get up as well. Mori reached over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Everything is fine. Kyoya just has a question to ask me." He looked at her tenderly and she smiled at him as she sat back down.

Mori followed Kyoya out of the library.

"Here is the information you were looking for. Are you planning on traveling to England?" Kyoya asked.

"Yes. I'll have to go over winter break, but I don't want to wait any longer than I already have."

"Will you see her grandparents before or after?"

"After."

"I thought so. Good luck, Mori-sempai."

Winter break came, brisk and cold. Allie was bundled up in a coat, scarf and a hat. Her blonde hair was flowing in the wind as she and Takashi walked toward his house. Her arm was in his, and she was radiant.

"Takashi," Allie began, "my grandparents want to come see me for Christmas. Would you like to meet them?"

Takashi smiled at Allie. He tightened his grip on her arm and leaned close to her ear.

"I'd be honored." He whispered in her ear.

"Do you need a nap?" Honey had told Allie about Mori's tendency to flirt when tired, and she had even witnessed it on occasion.

"Maybe…I hate having to tell you this. Allie, I am going to be gone for a few days before Christmas."

Allie looked disappointed. "Okay."

"You'll spend time with Haruhi or the rest of the gang, right?"

"Yes. I understand if you need to do something. When do you leave?"

"Day after tomorrow."

"Oh. That soon?"

"Yes." She looked sad when she found out he was leaving.

"Allie." She looked into his eyes, and he was smiling.

"I love you." Takashi said, smiling at her.

Allie giggled. "You really are tired, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"I love you too Takashi." He leaned forward and kissed her.

Takashi nearly had a stroke from the insane pressure he was feeling in his stomach and chest. The flight to England didn't help at all either.

He checked in at the airport in customs, and had his passport stamped. He double checked to make sure he had Euros, and he headed toward the ground transportation. He was making the trip as short as possible; He wanted to get back to his family and Allie in time for the holidays. But, he had a duty to perform first.

He got a taxi, stepped in and gave the driver one of the addresses listed on the sheet of paper. The driver looked surprised but didn't ask any questions. He started the car and made his way through traffic.

They stopped in a wealthy neighborhood of fancy townhomes. The driver had informed Takashi that the most of the inhabitants in the neighborhood only stayed in those homes during the winter and the season, which was still pretty popular among the wealthy and famous.

He dropped him off at a nice looking townhome. Takashi asked the driver to stay or come back in 20 minutes. He gave him the money, and he went up the steps to ring the bell.

A butler opened the door and Takashi gave him his name, in English with only a slight accent. Living in Boston was good for Takashi and his English conversation skills.

The butler was hesitant about letting Takashi in the house, but relented when Mori mentioned that he was a friend of the family, and only wished to talk business. He was led into a small sitting room, and told that the master of the house would be with him shortly.

About 10 minutes later, a teenage girl burst into the room. She looked like a mini version of Allie. She stopped as she looked at Takashi, and ducked her head.

She said, "Please, excuse me. I didn't realize anyone was here."

"Claire," said a mysterious male voice, "Where are you? You need to give that book back to me!"

A teenage boy stepped into the room, saw Takashi, and said, "I say. Who are you?"

He then turned to his sister and said, "Who's the Asian guy, Claire?"

"I don't know Robert." She said condescendingly, "I came in here to hide the book, and I found him sitting here."

Takashi was quite perplexed. "These have to be Allie's younger siblings", he thought to himself, amused.

"Well, yes. Sorry. My name is Robert Greene." He held out his hand to Takashi to shake. Takashi took it with a smile.

"Takashi Morinozuka", he introduced himself.

"And this is my little sister," Robert said as Claire protested, "Claire. She's 15. I'm 16, almost 17."

"Why are you here?" Claire asked curiously.

"Claire," a deeper male voice asked, "I don't believe it's your place to ask those questions, is it?"

A tall man entered the room with a beautiful blonde lady. The man had dark brown hair, and blue eyes.

"My name in Charles Greene. This is my wife, Eleanor. How may we help you, Mr. Morinozuka?"

Takashi stood up, and shook the hands of Mr. Greene and bowed to them both respectfully.

Robert and Claire just stood in the room, watching the exchange. "Out." Mrs. Greene pointed to the door for the teenagers to leave. They left reluctantly.

Takashi was at a loss of where to start. Thankfully, Mr. Greene opened the conversation.

"I don't really know what a young Japanese man like you would like from me. I must say, I am quite perplexed. Is it a business deal? I've heard of your family before, you know."

"No," Takashi answered firmly. "I am just at the university now. I am not taking part in business affairs at the moment."

He paused, took a deep breath, and said, "This is actually about Allie."

The Greenes looked shocked. "We haven't seen Allie in a few years." Mrs. Greene started to say.

"Are you trying to blackmail us?" Mr. Greene asked angrily.

"No!" Takashi said, shocked, "It's nothing like that. Please, hear me out. I love your daughter. I want to marry her. She's told me about what happened, and I wasn't sure how you'd react. But I wanted to try to do it properly."

He looked at the Greenes who looked stunned. Since he had already told them his feelings for Allie, he just plunged right in to it. "I want to marry her. But, I would really like to have your permission first."

There was a silence. Then Mrs. Greene said, "How did you meet?"

"At the university."

"You know what happened to her?" Mrs. Greene asked, "That she became pregnant when she was 16?"

"Yes."

"What are you asking of us in return for marrying her?" Mr. Greene asked.

"I only want your approval. And I think Allie would like to see you."

"And if I don't give my permission?" Mr. Greene asked harshly, "I'm sorry, but a Japanese man, even if he is wealthy and of noble blood…"

"I'll get permission from her grandparents instead. It would just be better coming from you."

Mr. and Mrs. Greene looked shocked as he said it. Takashi seemed shocked that he had said it also.

He sighed and stood up.

"This is my phone number and my address. This is the address of where Allie is living. I'll give you time to think it over. Please just let me know before the 23rd." He then turned to leave, when Claire and Robert burst into the room.

"You're going to marry Allie?" They both shouted, practically squealing with delight.

"Please, please, let us go to the wedding!" Claire and Robert begged to their parents.

Takashi looked over at the Greenes, still in shock and trying to calm their two energetic teenagers.

"Thank you for hearing me out." Takashi left the house and found his way back to the taxi.

The next place he stopped by was the International Police Force headquarters in London or Interpol. He entered the building, gave them his Japanese ID, and asked to see an investigator.

"Hello, Mr. Morinozuka," a thick British accent drawled, "Follow me please."

He followed the male investigator to his office and sat down. What can I do for you?"

"My friend was kidnapped in Japan about 8 weeks ago. We found her, and the perpetrator was arrested. He was released because of his social standing and I just want to make sure he doesn't bother her again."

"What's the name of your friend?"

"Allison Greene." The investigator paused, and then said, "So, she went to Japan, huh?"

"Yes." The investigator was typing into his computer when a file came up.

"So she was kidnapped by the bad boy Matthew White?" Takashi nodded.

"We're keeping tabs on him already. He's bad news. I'll make a note about your friend on his report. We promise that there won't be any more problems."

"Thank you." Takashi stood up to leave, and was out the door in a few minutes.

He climbed into the cab and had the driver take him back to the airport.

It was as soon as he landed back in Japan that he had a phone call. It was from the Greenes.

"Umm… Takashi?" the voice asked questioningly.

"This is Takashi."

"This is Charles Greene. You have my permission to marry Allie. And my wife has one requirement."

Takashi felt slightly panicked since he hadn't told his parents, and he wasn't expecting to have to negotiate a business deal with them.

"What's that?"

"She wants a western style wedding."

Takashi breathed a sigh of relief. "That can be done. We'll have two ceremonies then. Thank you very much sir."

"You're welcome."

He arrived at Allie's home on Christmas Eve. He wasn't able to see her for a few days because of family activities and ring shopping. Plus, he was nervous about seeing her and proposing to her too soon.

He hesitantly walked up to her house, rang the door bell and was let in by one of her servants. The servant took his coat, and led him to a living room with a roaring fire where Allie sat with two elderly people.

"Takashi," Allie said with a bright smile as she saw him enter the room, "thanks so much for coming!"

"No problem."

She led him over to her grandparents who were sitting next to each other on the sofa, holding hands.

"Grandma, Grandpa, this is Takashi, the young man I was telling you about" she said.

"Takashi this is my grandmother Jane, and my grandfather Robert." Takashi shook hands and bowed to them.

"Hello handsome, you weren't joking when you said he was a looker Allie dear," Grandma Jane said mischievously.

Takashi felt his face warm up indiscriminately. He looked over at Allie and saw that her face was stained with pink as well. He felt satisfaction at seeing her embarrassed as well. Plus, he thought she was really cute when she blushed.

"Leave the poor boy alone. God knows that we need to make a good impression. At the rate Allie's going, she's going to end up an old maid." Grandpa Robert commented.

"Grandpa! Grandma! Why did even bother inviting you over if you were going to be like this?"

Takashi just looked at Allie's grandparents with a smile. He liked them a lot, especially knowing that with all that Allie had been through, her grandparents had always supported her.

"Come here and talk to me Takashi. I want to make sure you're good enough to be dating my granddaughter." Grandpa Robert said as Takashi sat on the arm chair to rest.

The evening passed by quickly and Allie's grandparents went to bed rather early and so he was left up with Allie, in front of the fireplace in the sitting room.

"Takashi," Allie asked sweetly, "Is it alright if I give you your gift now?"

"Only if I can give you the gift I picked for you."

Allie smiled, then went over to the beautifully decorated Christmas tree and brought out a wrapped box.

Takashi came back from the entryway, where his coat was and brought a wrapped box over to her.

"You go first!" Allie said.

Takashi took the wrapping paper off, and opened the box. Inside were two objects. The first object was a book on Japanese history, culture and art. The second item was at first glance, a book. The title was "The Way of the Samurai". Takashi noticed there wasn't an author, and he took a look inside the book and only found blank pages. He looked at Allie curiously.

"I know that a journal is kind of girly," she said, "But, I thought, since you're my samurai… I mean, a samurai, you could give…" She was interrupted when Takashi leaned forward and kissed her.

"You called me your samurai."

"Yes. Satoshi-kun and I agree that you're the last samurai in Japan. You're honest and disciplined and you have a kind manner. And you treat me very nobly."

Takashi smiled as she said all this, and then said, "Well, it means more coming from you than Satoshi. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Takashi hesitated, and then he gave Allie the gift he had picked out for her. She unwrapped the paper and opened the box to reveal several items. One was an ornate tortoise shell comb for her hair. She unwrapped it, and sighed.

"It's beautiful Takashi, I just don't know where I would wear it."

"I'm sure you'll need it sometime." Takashi answered her kindly.

She then pulled out a dark purple scarf made of cashmere. She fingered it lightly, and smiled at him kindly. "Did Mrs. Hitachiin design this?"

"Yes."

She then pulled out a book and smiled at him. It was a cookbook on traditional Japanese food. Since she was learning to cook, Takashi knew she had wanted to make more conventional recipes.

"Really, Takashi," she said as she put everything back in the box, "you spoil me too much."

"Do I?" Takashi asked mischievously. He paused, and then asked, "Do you want to know where I went?"

"Of course. I've been curious since it's not like you to not tell me."

"I went to England, to visit some people." Takashi looked at Allie to gauge her expression. She was frozen and looked frightened.

"Who did you go see?"

"Well, I went to the home of a family and I met two teenagers named Claire and Robert."

Allie's hand flew to her mouth in shock. She stared at him with a fiery look in her eyes. "Why did you go see my family?"

"Because I wanted to do this properly."

"What properly?"

Takashi reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. He opened the box to reveal a beautiful round cut diamond with complementing sapphires on a white gold band.

"I wanted to make sure that I asked you to marry me properly. Will you?"

Her eyes were brimmed with tears as she looked at Takashi. She removed her hand from her mouth and put her left hand out toward Takashi.

"Of course I'll marry you." She leaned forward and kissed him. He put the engagement ring on her ring finger, kissed the ring, her hand and then her full on the mouth. It was the most passionate kiss that they had shared in their relationship up to that point.

Allie smiled and said, "I have to know, Takashi. What did my parents say?"

"Your father gave me permission. I know your parents didn't treat you very kindly, but they still love you. The only bargain I had to make was to concede to a western style wedding in addition to a traditional ceremony."

Allie hugged Takashi around the neck and kissed him. He loved her very much and he was very happy that she agreed to become his wife.

The next day the Morinozukas, after hearing the news of the positive answer from Allie, invited Allie and her grandparents to their home for a festive celebration in their honor (and the holidays). The Morinozuka family was very happy with arrangement of Takashi marrying Allie and Satoshi was excited that he would be getting an older sister who was just as cool as his older brother. Honey was beyond excited. He kept bouncing and hugging Allie and smiling.

The rest of the Host Club found out soon and was equally, if not more excited. They immediately began making preparations for the weddings after consulting with the families. Kyoya managed to book one of the famous Shinto temples and a beautiful garden for the reception. With his connections he was even able to get it all for May 7, about a week after the winter/spring semester and right after Takashi's 21st birthday.

Allie's family came from England, three weeks later to meet the Morinozuka family and to start making plans for the events. The planning was mostly headed by Takashi's mother, Allie's mother, and the Host Club. All wardrobe items were arranged by Mrs. Hitachiin. Allie's mother wasn't exactly sure about the formal wear for the western ceremony, but after seeing Allie's wedding dress (designed and made a month before they were even engaged), she was very happy with the arrangement.

And so, it was in the beginning of May, right at the end of the spring semester that Takashi and Allie were married. The traditional Japanese ceremony was in the morning, very quiet and very short. The Greene family and Allie regrettably changed out of their kimonos into more formal and less comfortable wedding attire for the western, modern ceremony.

Allie was kept away from Takashi in between ceremonies lest they engage in consummating their marriage before the second wedding. Her mother and Mrs. Hitachiin fretted with her white wedding gown and hair just a few minutes before the wedding. Mrs. Hitachiin fixed in the jeweled, tortoiseshell comb in her hair that she had got for Christmas. Her dress was a spaghetti strapped, A-line gown. It had very little design and detail to it. And when she walked down the aisle to Takashi, who looked dashing in his tuxedo, she thanked the powers that be and anyone that helped her in her life to meet him. She loved him so much and she was thankful that she would be his forever.

Their reception was too long (according to the married couple) but with the dinner, dancing and entertainment, it was one of the biggest hits in the London (for those close friends of the family invited) and Japanese social season. Eventually, Takashi and Allie were able to sneak off to their new home together.

They decided to live in Allie's home, since she had no other family there. She found that as Takashi led her into the house that some people (Host club, servants, grandparents, siblings and everyone else, probably), had lined the floor with rose petals and candles, leading to their bedroom. And there for the first time, they were able to truly express their pure love, adoration and feelings for each other.

"I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Why couldn't we have just eloped?" Haruhi complained as Mrs. Hitachiin and Allie fixed Haruhi's hair and dress.

Allie smiled at Haruhi sympathetically. "It's worth it Haruhi. And remember, it isn't just for you. It's for Tamaki, your father, his father, his mother, his grandmother, and all of your friends."

Haruhi looked very pretty in a white wedding gown that showed off her petite figure. Allie looked like a huge giant next to her, in a lavender, knee length dress. Allie's hair was up, her face was round and glowing, and one hand rested on her 8 months pregnant belly.

Haruhi looked at Allie in concern. "You okay? Mori is worried about you in heels. You look huge."

"That's real nice Haruhi. She'll be fine." Mrs. Hitachiin said. "Okay, you're set to go. You'd better get ready Allie."

Allie escorted Haruhi (who was really the person having a hard time with the heels) to the hall while they waited for the march to start walking down the aisle.

Allie found Kyoya, who would be escorting her down the aisle. Kyoya looked at Allie, and her belly and said, "You'd better not fall or Mori will try to kill me."

"Would he really have to try, Kyoya?" Allie quipped back with a slight smile.

As Haruhi's matron of honor, Allie had to walk down the aisle with Kyoya, Tamaki's best man. Takashi graciously accepted the arrangement, and she would be allowed to sit with him during the dinner and reception.

The wedding was beautiful, and Allie was reminded of 18 months earlier when she and Takashi were married. She didn't remember much of the wedding, but flushed slightly as she thought of the wedding night. She didn't have any troubles reminiscing about that.

She found Haruhi during the reception, her arm on Takashi's. She let go of Takashi's arm and whispered to Haruhi, "Have fun tonight. We can talk about it later." And winked at her. She turned back to her husband and Takashi lent her his arm again and they went to sit with his family.

Married life had been very good to Allie and Takashi Morinozuka. They were very happy together. Allie had graduated and secured a job teaching kindergarten at a local public school. This was her first year, and she would stop as soon as she had the baby. Many of the students had a hard time saying her name, so she was known as Mrs. Mori to them.

Takashi had started law school that year, and was at the top of his class. And he was very happy about becoming a father, even though most people couldn't tell.

They went home from the Suo wedding, and fell asleep, exhausted from the wedding that day.

Takashi paced the sitting room he was in. Allie insisted on delivering the baby at home as soon as contractions started. She didn't want to go to the hospital unless she absolutely had to. He wanted to be in there with her, but as Takashi's mother gently reminded him, birthing a child was no place for a man, especially a worried husband to be.

So, instead he alternated between sitting down and standing up while his cousin, uncle, friends, brother and father sat relaxed.

"Takashi, don't worry. She's strong." Takashi's father reminded him.

He wasn't hearing any noises from Allie. Weren't woman supposed to be screaming in pain when they were in labor? All he was hearing was heavy breathing and sometimes sharp intakes of breath. He also heard his mother encouraging her or the doctor talking with the nurse, but nothing from Allie.

It didn't help knowing that she wasn't going to be using painkillers. When she was asked about it she said, "My ancestors handled this without medicine. I know I can too."

Takashi sat down with his head in his hands, when he heard, a slight cry of pain, and a bustle of movement behind the thick door. He straightened in his seat, and then heard a small wail. He breathed heavily. That was his child. He wasn't expecting having a child so quickly. In fact when they found out that Allie was pregnant, they were very surprised. But now, hearing the sound of that child crying, it sounded like the most normal thing in the world to him.

Takashi heard some 'shh' noises and the wail quieted to a whimper. Footsteps approached the door, and his mother peeked her head out. She found Takashi, with an almost stricken look on his face as he looked at her. She smiled at him, beaming, and motioned for him to enter the room. With a quick bound, Takashi was up from his seat, and rushed into the room where he saw Allie propped up against the head of their bed, holding a small bundle in her arms. He tried to ignore all the blood that he saw as the nurse took the birthing sheets away.

"Takashi," Allie said weakly, with a small smile.

Mori looked between his mother and the doctor, panicked. "Why is there so much blood? Is she okay?"

Allie rolled her eyes. His mother shook her head. And the doctor decided to answer, "She'll be perfectly fine. Most women are weak after giving birth, and considering what they've just been through, they should be. She'll fully recover and probably be back to herself in a month." With that the doctor left.

Takashi looked to his mother for assurance. Allie's face was as white as a sheet. "The blood loss is normal, Takashi. I'm going to share the news with everyone." She patted him on the back.

He walked quietly over to the bed. He put his hand on Allie's face, and she finally looked up at him.

"It's a boy." Takashi felt a stirring in his chest as he finally took his eyes off his wife and looked at the little bundle in her arms. He gasped quietly as he looked at his son. He had a lot of dark hair, chubby cheeks, and wrinkly skin.

"He looks like you," Allie commented wryly.

"I'm wrinkly?"

Allie giggled weakly, and asked, "Would you like to hold him?" Takashi nodded.

"His head can rest in the crook of your elbow and your hand can come up on his bottom to support him." Allie coached him quickly.

She sighed quietly. "He's a big boy. Just like his daddy." Takashi tore his eyes off of his son and looked at Allie. "How much did he weigh?"

"9 lbs, 6 oz and 22 inches long".

"Ah." Takashi said, and then cringed visibly. "I'm glad I wasn't in here."

"It wasn't pretty." Allie agreed. She then looked at Takashi, putting her hand on his unoccupied arm, "I love you."

Takashi looked at Allie, staring her straight in the eyes. "I love you. And thank you."

"For what?" Allie said, slightly confused.

"For my son." He kissed her on the head.

"And for your strength." He kissed her nose.

"And for your love". He kissed her cheeks.

"And for letting me sit at that table in the library with you." She smiled and laughed quietly as he kissed her lips.

THE END