Chapter 1

Now I feel my heart beating,

I feel my heart underneath my skin,

And I feel my heart beating,

Oh you make me feel,

Like I'm alive again...

~Adventure of a Lifetime; by Coldplay

Luna Akira Akiyama had grown up in Barcelona, Spain, with her Spanish mother, María, and her Japanese father, Hitoshi. Hitoshi is the head of the Akiyama family business—a very large and very successful record label company. The company had started out with Hitoshi's father, Luna's grandfather, who managed to make a successful business out of the talent he found in the streets of Japan. The company continued to expand and grow, soon becoming an international business. It was because of that business that Hitoshi met María. It was a business meeting in Barcelona that brought them together.

María was a widow with three kids from her previous marriage.

Hitoshi, who'd never been married, had fallen in love with her. He accepted María's kids as his own, and they eventually married after a year of courting.

Then came Luna and her younger sister, Rosaline.

Though his family disapproved of Hitoshi's wife, stepchildren, and biological kids, Hitoshi stayed in Barcelona, still maintaining control over the business while raising his family. Hitoshi soon became fluent in Spanish; María becoming fluent in Japanese; Luna's and Rosaline's older half-siblings became fluent in Japanese; while the girls grew up learning both.

But it wasn't just Hitoshi who had a successful business to maintain. María had come from a successful business that makes specific technology for other companies around the globe. Though María wasn't in charge of running the business—Luna's Uncle Indio is in charge of the company—she helps out when she's needed.

To put it simply, Luna Akira Akiyama had only known the life of someone who's rich. A life where her family always had plenty of money and anything they could ever ask for. But that didn't make her spoiled or rude. Luna grew up being kind, generous, sympathetic, and friendly. Rosaline was the same way.

Hitoshi and María made sure to instill in their kids' minds that having a lot of money would not make them happier or superior. Whether they were rich or poor, Luna and Rosaline would learn to treat everyone equally regardless of their social status. María had taught her other three children that rule before Hitoshi entered their lives. It was something they followed since as long as they could remember.

"Luna! Can you come here for a second!"

Luna, having just finished her homework and piano lessons, went downstairs and saw her mother leaning against the kitchen counter. María was holding some papers in her hands, looking it over carefully.

"Is there something wrong, Mama?" Luna asked.

"Cariño, have you ever heard of Ouran Academy?"

A feeling of confusion swept across Luna. "I've never heard of that. Is that a school here?" she said.

"It's in Japan," María sighed. "They want you to come to their school."

Luna frowned. "Why would they want me to come to their school?"

María sighed. "It was probably someone from your father's family."

That confused feeling seemed to intensify. She'd never heard of Ouran Academy. Her father never mentioned it, so knowing they sent her some kind of letter asking her to go to their school didn't really mean anything to her.

"I could ask Papa if he knows about it," Luna suggested. "He's never mentioned it to me before."

"That would be a good idea." María handed the paperwork to her daughter. "They're offering you a full scholarship to go to their school. I don't know why they'd do this, but..."

After Luna left the kitchen, she slowly started making her way to her father's study. Luna wanted to make sure she had a chance to read over what was given to her. Her mother had been right, though—Ouran was offering a full scholarship if she chose to attend. But in order for the scholarship to actually count for anything, she'd have to take some exams so the school's officials knew where she landed and then she'd have to remain at the top of her classes.

Once she reached her father's study, she gently knocked on the closed door.

"Come in!" Hitoshi called.

"Papa?" Luna asked. "Have you ever heard of Ouran Academy?"

Hitoshi turned from his work and looked at his daughter with mild surprise. "I have," he exclaimed. "I had a cousin who attended Ouran. It's a very good school from what I've heard. Where did this come from?"

"Mama said that they sent me a letter asking if I could go to their school." Handing the paperwork to her father, Luna waited patiently while Hitoshi read over the paperwork.

He gave a long sigh.

"What?"

Hitoshi shook his head. "I have a feeling this is has your grandmother's name written all over this."

Luna furrowed her brows. "Grandma Rai?" she scoffed. "Why would she be behind this?"

"You know your grandmother and I had a falling out when I married your mother." Luna nodded. "Even though your grandmother and I don't communicate very often, I do send her what I consider your and Rosaline's greatest achievements." Luna nodded again, slower that time. "Last month, during your piano recital, I sent your grandmother a recording of it. She's on good terms with some of the officials at Ouran, so I'm assuming she showed them the recording, hoping—knowing—you'd get some kind of letter asking for you to attend."

"Why does she want me to go?"

"You're the eldest of her grandchildren," Hitoshi said. "And I know you've never met her before—she's never made the effort to visit you or Rosaline. But this is her way of reaching out to you."

"Why?"

"When I retire, she'll need to find a successor to the business." Hitoshi pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm the eldest of her children, you're the eldest of her grandchildren. You're getting older, Luna, and she's starting to realize she needs someone to take over when the position's available."

Luna frowned. Her entire life, her grandmother made absolutely no attempt to reach out to her or Rosaline. Hitoshi briefly mentioned that when he married María, Rai had been furious. Rai expected Hitoshi to marry a nice Japanese woman. It had been a shock to the entire Akiyama family that he'd marry María and stay in Barcelona.

"Luna? Is something wrong?" Hitoshi asked.

"Maybe I can give the school a call to see what they're all about," Luna offered. "I can't get a good feel of it if it's just a bunch of paperwork."

A look swept across Hitoshi's face. "Are you actually considering going?" he asked.

"No," Luna responded. "I'll need a little more convincing."

Author's Note:

Sorry it took so long to put this up! I've been having internet troubles! Nothing in the 'Ouran' universe belongs to me! I own my OC's and my fillers, everything else belongs to the creator of the series.

Leave a helpful and kind review, please!

Thank you.

Susan Strong