A/N: Um…Excuse me? Could I possibly come in? Because I missed writing Ouran fic and well…This seemed like the best place to be. As I sit on my planner, pressing a flower between its covers. Anyway…

Hi, guys! It has been a loooong time since I wrote more of the saga of Lana and Kyoya. For those of you who are new here, I suggest reading Kiss, Kiss and Back to Normal first. Also, if you're new here and don't know, this is a story that tends to deal with various mental illnesses (mostly based on my own experiences with them), so if that's not your cup of tea, then there are plenty other stories on my profile to satisfy your appetites ranging from G rated to not so G rated. Feel free to glut yourself. But if the situation calls for it, I do post trigger warnings before every chapter that needs them. But, I don't think I have much more to say. Lana, what about you? Nope. I think you got it covered. Between you and our back and forths on Twitter for the last week. Alright. Let's get into this then, shall we? We can talk later.

But before we begin, poor little Lana's going to be going through a little bit of anxiety. Tread lightly. I love you.

It's hard to believe a whole summer went by already. It feels like just yesterday when Kyoya and I left Tokyo. Or that he took me to see American Idiot and proposed. But he and I made an agreement the morning after. We put our engagement off until after graduation. If we still want to marry each other then, we'll start planning the wedding. For now, we only have one thing to focus on.

We had orientation this morning. But there was one little problem. I knew damn well that neither one of us wanted to get out of bed. The feeling of Having Kyoya wrapped around me was the worst and best addiction I've ever had. Nothing brought me down quite like it, but it could also kill my motivation like nobody's business. We had things to do today. Maybe five more minutes? Yeah. Five more minutes. That's all I need.

A soft, gentle kiss fell on my forehead, "Did you think I wouldn't realize you were awake, young lady?"

"You know," I nuzzled into my boyfriend's warm, comfortable chest, "A simple good morning would've worked just as well."

"Have we ever been simple?"

"Good point," I agreed, getting one more kiss, "Good morning."

"Good morning, my princess," Kyoya flirted deliriously.

"Really?" I teased, "Even after graduation, after the million times I've told you they don't work on me, you're still dropping your host charms like that?"

"I might be," he held me against his chest, "So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?"

"I might bite you."

"No, you won't."

"I'll...sue?"

"Lana, we both know you're horribly out-lawyered to sew me over something so frivolous," Kyoya felt around on the nightstand box with all of our nightstand pieces still inside for his glasses, "Could I ask you a favor?"

I already had an inkling, "Of course. What do you need?"

"You know the little blocks of ice attached to your ankles?" Just as I thought.

"I'm pretty sure the technical term for them is my feet," I giggled, "What would you want with my feet?"

"My shoulder itches," Kyoya whined, "If I scratch at it, we'll end up with blood on the new sheets. Do you know how to get..."

Kyoya stopped himself, fully aware of my answer. His embrace tightened around me. Like an apology. And I couldn't help but move closer into it, "Yes. I know how to get blood out of bedding."

"Lana," he kept his voice down, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. My brain wasn't fast enough to catch up to my mouth and..."

Before Kyoya could spiral any more, I cut him off with a kiss, "It's alright. You're ok. So am I."

"You sure?" he worried.

"Positive," I promised, putting my feet on his shoulder just like he asked me, "Besides, do you know how pissed Rhiannon would be if she caught you scratching at it?"

"She'd kill me," Kyoya chuckled, holding my feet on the black and gray mermaid on his shoulder. Over the summer, he made a call to Yoshi in Tokyo, asking him for his blessing to get a new tattoo. We weren't in Tokyo anymore, so Kyoya had to find a new artist. Since Rhiannon had a gift for pin-ups, he asked her to do a mermaid for him. Something about a symbol of a fresh start, "You know, Lana, I'm surprised you haven't gotten anymore."

"I've never thought about it," I admitted, getting the itch again, "Maybe I will one day. Maybe I won't."

"Maybe I can do your next one," he thought, "Rhiannon would be ok with that, right?"

"Hell no," I squeaked, "But since she's off work right now, I'm sure Carlos would be more than happy to train you right now."

"I better not," Kyoya shook his head, "If it's not Yoshi or it's not Rhiannon, I want no part of it. Family loyalties and all that."

"I understand." That was one of the best parts about our relationship. Kyoya and Rhiannon had the strangest bond. It nearly rivaled ours. But Rhiannon took a shine to Kyoya very quickly. I wasn't sure if it was because he was mine or because he was cute, but they became instant best friends. Not that I'm complaining. At least one member of my family liked him.

"So..." he reached over for yet another item on our almost nightstand. Because our morning routine wouldn't be complete without it, "Are we just going to avoid the elephant in the room?"

"What elephant?"

"It's our first day, Lana," Kyoya pointed out, "You nervous?"

"Surprisingly no," I did a quick mental assessment, "I think I got this."

"That's my girl," he started doodling on my wrist like any other morning. I probably have more ink in my bloodstream than blood at this point, "But you do know that if you need anything to call me, right?"

"Of course."

"I'll only be a quick half hour across town?"

"Yes, Kyoya," I groaned, "I know. Honestly, I'm kind of excited about this."

"Really?" he switched colors.

"Don't ruin this for me, Kyoya," I stuck my finger in his chest, "I'm in a weirdly good place right now and I'm not looking this gift horse in the mouth. Not yet anyway."

"Alright," Kyoya let it go, coloring his outlines in bright red, "You'll be fine. It's a bit of a disappointment that you're not going to NYU with me."

"Hey," I chirped, "I'm sure that, with your grades, you could probably transfer to Columbia."

"I know more about the arts department at NYU than the one at Columbia," he capped his marker, "Besides, I have a few connections there."

"And by connections," I twitched a little as he blew on the wet ink, "You mean Rhiannon's connections, right?"

"She's already talked to a few of my professors," Kyoya confessed, "I should be ok."

"Good," I glanced down at the line of three 8-bit hearts across my wrist, "Really?"

"You act like I don't know you're a little bit of a nerd," he teased, "I've seen you and Rhiannon in arcades, Lana. You're both monsters."

"I wouldn't call us monsters," I argued, "But we are pretty great."

"Not to mention," Kyoya kissed my other arm, up the sakura blossoms he drew on me last year, "You always wear your heart on your sleeve, Lana. All three of them."

"If you're going to get deep and philosophical on me this early in the morning," I pulled myself out of bed, "At least let me make some tea first."

"We need to get going," he glanced at the clock on the wall, "You don't want to be late. I sure as hell don't want to be late."

"Dibs on the shower," I gave him a quick kiss and bolted for the bathroom. Fortunately, Kyoya and I got a joint graduation present from his oldest brother in the form of our cozy, spacious apartment. However, the hot water still only lasted so long. But the building also had a water heater from Hell, so we had that going for us. I was very careful to not get Kyoya's morning doodle wet. Not an easy feat when I needed to wash my hair, but I can manage. Or I can try my damnedest.

Ring, ring!

Dammit.

Ring, ring!

I shut the water off and grabbed my phone off the counter, "Morning, Rhi."

"Morning, sweetie," my sister chimed on the other end, "How are you this fine day?"

"Peachy," I threw my closet door open. We still didn't have everything unpacked, but for the most part, we were waiting on the dresser to be put together. Elliot was going to be a lamb and do that for us, but he's been busy between working and taking care of Rhiannon, "How are you?"

"Are you sure?" Rhiannon turned the tables, "It's your first day of school again. You want me to come with you? I don't know any Columbia professors, but that doesn't mean I can't try to make friends."

"I'm sure," I rolled my eyes, "What is with everyone? Kyoya's worried, you're worried. You both need to give me a little more credit."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "That's my job, Lana. I'm supposed to worry about you. That's supposed to be Mom's job, but because I'm closer and because, if you ask me, I'm a little better at it, it falls on my shoulders."

"I'll tell you what," I bargained, thumbing through my side, "After I'm done with orientation, I'll meet up with you for lunch and tell you all about it."

"Awesome!" Rhiannon squealed, "I look forward to a full report and no skimping on details. I never went to college and I need to live vicariously through you."

There was the sister I knew and loved, "Fine. But I have to get ready yet and our place is the half way point between our respective schools. I don't want to be late."

"Alright," she let me go, "I love you, sweetie! Good luck!"

"Thanks, Rhi..."

Click.

I settled on a short, gray dress and a light blue cardigan and did a spin in the mirror. Damn, Lana, you're adorable some days. Now...I know I didn't lose my sapphire in the move. Sure enough, right next to all of my medications (Almost down to two! Thanks, Yuuichi!) laid a dainty chain with a little sapphire pendant. Out of all the jewelry I've ever owned in my life, very few pieces had sentimental meaning to me. And there were only two that I would never leave the house without. That sapphire always brought a smile to my face.

That was almost a year ago. Hard to believe. I sat by myself in a rose garden in London, waiting for Kyoya without even knowing it. I still had that dress in the closet, too, but today wasn't the day for that. Although...I missed living in London. I missed living in Tokyo. I missed the way things used to be. But just because I missed the past didn't mean I wasn't ridiculously excited for the future.

The whole world was ahead of me. Now was the time in my life where I was supposed to kick ass and take names. I'll just settle for getting through my first semester with my head still attached. If I can do that, I'm sure the kicking ass and the taking names will fall into place at some point. With a kiss from my loving boyfriend and a quick stop at a coffee cart for a cup of jasmine green tea, I started heading for the Columbia campus. Lord help me.

I've never had my gung-ho attitude sucked out of me as quick as it sparked before. I knew I wasn't going to be the only freshman here, but my god, there were a lot of people here. Happy place, Lana. Try and get through it as best as you can before you hit the panic button and call Kyoya. You can do this. At least, I think I can. But my heart rate spiking and my stomach turning said otherwise.

This campus was huge! What if I end up getting lost? I'd more than likely end up late for that class and fall behind and end up flunking out. I'm here on scholarship. There's no way I can afford to lose that. Ivy league schools don't come cheap and I know damn well my parents wouldn't be able to foot that bill. And I'd feel awful asking Kyoya for that. Engaged or not, I promised myself that I'd never use him for his money.

Just when I think my hellish thought train can't get any worse, another god-awful possibility pops into my head. Sure, I might make it to class on time, but it's the first day. I'm sure someone at some point is going to want to get to know me. My social skills were horrendously stunted and my stranger danger factor is a million times higher than the average person. Hell, even with people I knew, I could be anxious. And God only knows what kind of hazing they give the freshmen here! I took a seat on the front steps to breathe this out. Settle down, Lana. Settle down.

"Hi!"

"AH!" I jumped out of my skin.

"I'm sorry," a red-headed girl sat next to me, "I didn't mean to scare the hell out of you."

"Don't worry about it," I brushed her off, "I know this is the oldest line in the book, but it's not you. It's me."

"You're a freshman, aren't you?" she asked. Dammit! She could smell it on me, couldn't she? I nodded quickly, hoping for the best. Instead of any sort of paddling, the girl looked me over, "Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I...I don't do new people well."

And the meds hadn't kicked in yet.

"It's alright," she spoke softly, but not enough to patronize me, "Everyone gets nervous on their first day. Especially around these parts. As long as you get plenty of sleep and don't overdose on caffeine, you'll do fine. Come on. You're with me, freshman."

"Where are we going?" I quivered as she pulled me onto my feet.

"I know this campus like the back of my hand," she assured, "Care for a tour?"

"Absolutely," I agreed, following closely behind her.

"We should probably start with introductions," she figured, "What's your name?"

"Lana," I babbled out, still not entirely sure what was going on.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lana," my new friend beamed, "I'm Kiki. If you need anything at all, come talk to me. I don't want to say I have my fingers on the pulse of everything here, but I have my fingers on the pulse of everything here."

So, if there was anyone I needed to follow like a lost puppy around here, it's her. Got it. For the rest of the morning, Kiki and I wandered around the beautiful campus of Columbia, taking it all in. There were random groups of people here and there. Some were already getting a jumpstart on their classes for the semester. Some were catching up. For the most part, this wasn't so bad.

Despite the huge campus, this wasn't much different from Ouran Academy. I started to come down and get a better grasp on the situation. I could do this. I had a map in my head of where all my classes would be already. I'm not going to be late to any of them. This year is going to be ok, I think. But then, we got up to a group of houses that looked almost like smaller versions of Kyoya's parents' house.

"And coming up on your left," Kiki put on her best narration voice, "This is the Greek housing. All the fraternities and sororities in one place. Like a gated community, but not nearly as strict. If it were, we wouldn't have half the fraternities anymore."

"It's beautiful," I was left completely in awe with a hint of nostalgia.

"It gets even better," she stopped in front of a house with a giant, wraparound porch and the Greek character for Gamma between the upper floor's windows, "See this house here?"

"I'm guessing the Gamma house?"

"This is our house," Kiki grinned. I thought I saw some sort of pin on her shirt, but I thought that was more of a fashion statement than representation, "Not to show off or anything, but it's not often you get a personal guided tour of the school by the Gamma Phi president."

"Excuse me?" I gasped, getting anxious again, but not enough to warrant panic.

"No worries," she settled me, "As far as the sororities go, we're pretty tight-knit. Our first rush party is this weekend, if you're looking to pledge."

"I don't know about that," I bit my lip, "I'm not really the sorority type."

"Lana," Kiki awed, "Come on. I've been getting to know you since you stepped foot on our playground. You're definitely Gamma material. Don't let any of the others fool you. Some of them can be bitches."

Yikes, "I'll think about it."

"Please?" she begged, "Please, please, please? We could use a few new members from the new class coming in. I promise it'll be great."

"I said, I'll think about it," I stood my ground. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I had a feeling that Kiki would get along famously with Renge. She had the same kind of commanding presence, but she played it off as subtlety. Like a mixture of Renge and Haruhi. I miss them, too.

"And that's it!" Kiki chimed, "You're more than welcome to leave any time. A lot of people use today just to settle into their dorms. Which one's yours?"

"I'm staying off campus," I told her, "My boyfriend and I are more in the city."

"Does he go here, too?" she wondered.

"No," I shook my head, "He's up at NYU."

"I hate when that happens," Kiki sighed, "My high school boyfriend and I were like that. We started going to different schools, fell into different groups of friends, and eventually, we drifted apart. But we weren't living together."

There was another one. The main reason why I worried about Kyoya and me going to different schools. I didn't want to lose him. He's been one of the best things to happen to me and I know what life is like without him. It's hell. I grabbed the sapphire around my neck like one would a cross, "I don't think we're going to break up any time soon."

At least I hoped not. A quick smile shot onto Kiki's face, "I'm sure you'll be alright. If you two moved in together, it has to be a little serious. Am I right?"

"Yeah," I nodded, feeling a bit more at ease.

"I'm sure you have other things you need to be doing today," she let me go.

"Yeah," I came to again, "I have a lunch date with my sister that I should be getting to."

"Well, Lana," Kiki threw her arms around me, "It was so nice meeting you and I hope I'll see you this weekend."

"I said I'd think about it," I reiterated, "But it was nice meeting you, too, Kiki. Thanks for showing me around."

"No problem!"

The two of us parted ways and I got into the first cab I could find. Rhiannon when she's hungry is a scary thought. Rhiannon when she's hungry and hormonal is like unleashing Godzilla. I'm sure she's waiting for me. A quick glance at my phone screen confirmed that suspicion. There was a Chinese restaurant down the block from her apartment that she stuffed her face at regularly. And I'm saying that in the nicest way I possibly can.

"You?" Rhiannon squealed, "A sorority?"

"Would I lie to you?" I defended, taking a long sip of my green tea.

"I'm sorry, Lana," she giggled, "I can't see it. Don't get me wrong. I've been friends with a few sorority girls in my life, but you do not strike me as the type."

"That's what I told her!" I explained, "But I don't think this girl knows how to take no for an answer."

"Some of them don't," Rhiannon pointed out, "But they're not all like that. What are you thinking?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "I might. I might not. I'm pretty undecided about everything these days."

"And that's why I picked where we're having lunch," she admitted, "You're too indecisive. You need to make some blind decisions, my dear sister. Leaps of faith aren't nearly as bad as what you think they are."

"Define not as bad as I think they are."

"Do you know how many blind decisions I've made in my life?" Rhiannon dangled a chow mein noodle in her mouth, "Moving to New York was a blind decision for me."

"Really?" I wondered, "I thought you always planned on moving here."

"Nope," she went on, "I had no idea where I wanted to go. I just knew I had to get the hell out of Waterloo. And I did! And here we are today. I got in with Carlos and I haven't left his side since. Look where that blind decision got me. Not only am I in New York, but I'm here with you!"

"I had nothing to do with that."

"You had everything to do with that..." a slight melancholy washed over my sister's face.

"What do you mean?" I wondered.

"Do you remember the day I left?" Rhiannon began, "You were awfully young yet."

"I was eleven, Rhi," I remembered, "Because you left a year after I was diagnosed."

"If you wouldn't have gotten your diagnosis," she confessed, "I would've left sooner. But I knew Mom and Dad wouldn't understand how you worked, so I stuck around to take care of you. Then, they said you were going to England and I figured I needed to be moving on, too. I didn't have the money to move to London with you."

"But you went to JFK with me," the day started coming back to me.

"I never left after that," Rhiannon rested her hand on her growing belly, "I was a bit of a mess. My best friend in the whole world just left for England and I was left behind. So, I stayed in a crappy hotel in Brooklyn and walked around until two in the morning. There was a for rent sign in an apartment building a few blocks from my hotel and I never left it. Mom and Dad sent the rest of my stuff the following week. So, if you wouldn't have gone to England, I probably wouldn't be in New York. That was my blind decision. I didn't know what this town was going to hold for me. But when I got drunk one night, I met Carlos and he said there was an opening at his shop for some part time help. If I remembered meeting him in the morning, give him a call. Lo and behold, I remembered him. Making blind decisions can lead to some pretty incredible things."

"What do I make a blind decision about?" I popped a piece of orange chicken (that still wasn't as good as mine, but a close second) in my mouth.

"That's the thing. You're not supposed to know," Rhiannon pushed her hair out of her face, "But as far as the whole sorority thing goes, I say go for it. What the hell? What's the worst that could happen?"

I was still a little on the fence about it. Rhiannon asking the worst possible question for someone like me didn't help. I knew someone that'd be able to help me out with this. And I'll see him later, "More importantly, Rhiannon. How are you? Doing alright?"

"I've been better," she blew bubbles in her diet Coke, "I'm tired. I'm sore. Little man hates me, I swear."

"No, he doesn't," I assured, "He loves his mama. He just doesn't know how to express it yet."

"HEY!" Rhiannon squealed, "Since I have you here! I need a favor."

"I'll consider," I allowed, "What's your favor?"

"I need you to guilt your boyfriend into painting a mural for the nursery," she ordered, "You think he'd be down for it?"

"Absolutely," I nodded, "You know Kyoya wouldn't pass that kind of opportunity up. Have you decided what theme you're going with?"

"I'm thinking space," Rhiannon decided, "Could Kyoya do space?"

"Probably," I assured, "There's not much he can't do."

"I'm due in three weeks, Lana," she groaned, "Three weeks! Why can't he come out now?"

"Because he's got three weeks left," I pointed out the obvious. Then, I caught a glimpse of my phone, "Speaking of Kyoya, I need to get going. He's probably getting out about now."

"Sure," Rhiannon scoffed, "Leave me all by myself."

"Rhi," I stared at her blankly, "Your boyfriend is just around the corner and up the stairs."

"Three flights of them!"

"There's an elevator," I chuckled, "You can't get pity out of me. I'm sorry."

"Remember," she repeated, "Ask him about the nursery!"

"I will!" I gave my sister a hug goodbye and headed out again. I bet he hasn't left the NYU campus yet. When the cab pulled up, I sat on the steps outside and waited. He's going to freak when he finds me here.

I was supposed to go here. This was the dream. Our first choice together. This was it. But given that an ivy league college wanted me more, me sitting on these steps was more of a middle finger to NYU than anything. Oh well. Maybe my rejection letter from here was one of those things that happen for a reason. Or they didn't realize a good thing when it was right in front of their face. They got Kyoya, though.

"Lana?" Speak of the devil.

"Hey, baby," I cranked my neck back.

"What are you doing here?" he pulled me onto my feet and into a kiss.

"Surprise," I beamed.

"Are you ok?" Kyoya's worrying reflex went into hyperdrive.

"Yes," I promised, "I'm fine. Everything's good. For a brief time today, it wasn't, but I managed to get through it. Even made a new friend. It's been a damn roller coaster, Kyoya."

"I know what you mean," he relaxed, taking my hand, "It's amazing what people will say in front of you when they don't think you speak English. Aside from some of the grosser things I've heard, it's actually quite fun. In that sort of sadistic way."

"You're not going to believe what I've heard," I sighed out, "I got a guided tour of the campus from one of the sorority presidents. She wants me to pledge."

Kyoya sat back with a little smirk on his face, "Really? You, too?"

A/N: And so it begins…Again. I did miss writing for Ouran. It's going to be a bit different this time around, though. Lana and Kyoya have started college. Rhiannon's uber pregnant at this point. Elliot's working his ass off. And Lana's thinking about pledging a sorority. And by the sounds of it, Kyoya's got Greek life on the brain, too. I thought to myself, "Lumi, what's the next step up from the host club?" That's when it hit me. The host club was a group of boys that might as well have been brothers. Why not get Kyoya in semi-familiar surroundings and get that boy into a fraternity? Tell me he wouldn't and I'll call you a liar. Also, tell me he wouldn't use the language barrier to his advantage. Kyoya's Kyoya. Of course he would. Now, if it's alright with you, I'm going to bed. See you next chapter! xx