A/N: Thank you for popping in. I know that this particular topic has been used many times to start a story, but please, don't let that keep you from reading on. There's more to this story than one may think, I promise! Any comments or suggestions are more than welcome. This is my first attempt at writing a fan-fic, so knowing what I'm doing well or poorly is helpful. Hope you enjoy!


I will never forget the way he looked at me that night. The way his eyes grazed over my skin as thought I was the one who had just recently stepped from the shower. It was as though he was slowly running his long, slender fingers over my skin, gently caressing each and every inch. I had never felt so devoured in my life, and yet… I couldn't look away. My eyes were locked to his, swimming in the depths of his dove grey eyes, swallowed by the thinly veiled passion they held within them as he gazed at me. His voice still haunts my dreams, and even now, I can hear the words that sent my heart beating a staccato in my rib cage– "If you like, you can pay me with your body."

Those words waking her instantly from her sleep, Haruhi sat bolt upright in her bed. Blinking several times, it took her a minute to remember where she was. "Oh yeah, I'm at the hotel," she reminded herself as she clasped the coverlet to her chest in an effort to calm her racing heart. This was not the first time that scene had played through her head. In fact, she's had the same dream for the past thirteen years, each time waking just as he reached his hand towards her.

It never ceased to leave her flustered, her mind playing different scenarios each time, different endings, each one leaving her more and more restless… and frustrated. Taking a few deep breaths, she managed to regain her balance somewhat before glancing at the clock beside her bed. "Six-thirty," she sighed. "I suppose I should get up and get ready." Rolling herself off of the gigantic hotel bed, she pressed the button on the coffee machine conveniently located on the bathroom counter before jumping in to take a hot shower.

It had been ten long years since she had seen those young men who had become her second family, ten years since she had graduated and gone to College. As she sat on the edge of the bed, she thought back on the things that had transpired until now. Even after graduating from Ouran High, she had managed to keep in touch with the guys from the host club who had become her second family, mostly through phone calls and e-mail.

Tamaki had gotten married six years ago to a lovely young Italian lady he met during a business trip. They now had two little boys, and were finally expecting their first daughter in a few months. They lived primarily in Japan so that he could continue to run the family business with his father, his grandmother finally relinquishing control of it just after her first great-grandchild was born.

Hikaru and Kaoru were currently modeling in Paris, partly due to Tamaki's connections, but mostly due to their mother's influence in the fashion industry. Hikaru had taken up baking as well, and ran his own patisserie, while Kaoru had become a magnificent painter. His artwork was currently on display in New York. Kaoru had fallen in love and was currently engaged to a lovely musician from the United States. They had seemed very happy together in the picture they had sent her from Hawaii, so Haruhi was, of course, happy for them. Hikaru, however, had seemed to show no interest outside of casual dating, and was left, quite contently, single. He claimed that it allowed him to focus more on their work, but through their conversations, Haruhi felt that there was much more to the story than that.

Takashi and Mitsukuni (She hadn't been allowed to call them by their nicknames since they graduated High School. Their decision.) were leading the way at the family dojo. While Mitsukuni also worked with the different police forces to make sure that they stayed top-notch, Takashi worked, surprisingly, with the younger students. She remembered hearing them in the background of many of their conversations, clamoring to get his attention. Being as devoted to each other as they were, the cousins, much like the Hitachiin twins, were not seeing anyone either. Even knowing their personalities, however, Haruhi wondered why.

Kyoya was now a major business owner in Tokyo, having bought out several of his father's companies from underneath him over the years. At first, it had been a cat and mouse game between the father and son duo to see who would win. After some time, though, Yoshio Ootori was forced to admit that his son was simply too good, and finally folded his cards. Another factor lay in the numerous failed marriage arrangements that the elder Ootori had attempted to sign his son up for. From what Haruhi had distinguished between the words on the others and the newspapers she read almost religiously, Kyoya had threatened that if Yoshio had tried to force him into another marriage, he would buy him out completely and force his father into a small home out in the countryside. She assumed that his distaste for women was due to their lack of benefit from them, but it still made her sad to think that her good friend was leading such a stark and lonely life.

Then again, she really didn't have much room to talk. Much to her father's dismay, Haruhi had never once dated. Not in High School, not in College, and not since College. She used the reasoning that if she had time to date, it would be better spent studying so that she could graduate at the top of her class. Which she did, walking up to the podium in front of five-thousand or more people on graduation day.

Surprisingly, she had not had any stage fright as she delivered her speech to the graduating class, encouraging them to never quit, to always keep learning, and to enjoy life. The two people who had been present had been Ranka and his new boyfriend, but for Haruhi, it had been enough. She shook her head at the thought of having had the Host Club at her graduation before taking a sip of her coffee. Knowing them, there would have been fireworks and streamers floating down from the sky, she mused, a slight sense of nostalgia crashing over her as she smirked at the thought.

Oh, those boys. "Men now, I suppose," she sighed into her now empty mug. "I wonder what surprises lay in store this round?" She glanced over at the invitation she had received two weeks prior. Tomorrow was the day of her ten-year class reunion and the first time she had seen them in that entire time. Her phone vibrated on the table next to her and she picked it up. It was a message from her father, letting her know that he would be there in about ten minutes.

After hearing about the reunion, Ranka had decided that he would be taking Haruhi out to get ready. She knew that she didn't have any appropriate clothes for something of this caliber, and so, as much as she detested shopping for anything besides food, she agreed to allow her father to treat her, just this once. Smiling as she placed her phone back on the table, she began to gather her things together, waiting patiently for the inevitable knock on the door.