INTRO - Same Day, Different Year

THE SOUND OF THE ELEVATOR MUSIC kept Shouhei in a hazy trance, his eyes drooping as it lulled him into sleep. He was alone in the small room, barely feeling the vibrations as the small elevator moved upwards.

At the sound of the elevator chiming, indicating that he had reached his floor, Shouhei let out a grunt and opened his eyes, blinking sleepily.

As the elevator came to a halt, the teen rubbed his eyes, yawning. The doors slid open and Shouhei grabbed his suitcase, the light package seemingly heavy in his grasp.

Stepping outside of the elevator, he glanced down the hallway, squinting through the dim lights that indicated no one should be awake at this hour.

Quietly shuffling down the hallway, Shouhei searched for the number he had been memorizing for a week. As he came to the end of the hallway, his heart leapt to his throat.

269 sat on the door, in large black font. His shoulders sagged in relief and he walked toward the door, knocking on it softly.

There was the sound of grunting coming from within the apartment, a man's voice murmuring something incoherent and a deep voice responding in a hushed tone.

Loud footsteps echoed through the door, the sound of something hitting the floor making Shouhei wince. The door opened and a tall man with tousled black hair stared down at him, his dark eyes wide with surprise.

Letting out a groan, he ran a hand over his face and turned around, gesturing his hand at someone. There was shuffling and a door slammed shut from within the apartment.

The tall man turned around, offering the teen a small smile.

"I'm guessing you're Shouhei?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah... I guess so," the blond teen states, struggling to sound casual.

"Well, come inside. Sorry about that. I have an, er, guest over." the taller stated with a nervous laugh.

Shouhei only nodded in response and his uncle stepped back, allowing the teen to enter the apartment. The door shut behind him and his uncle slid past him, heading to the kitchen.

"You hungry?"

"Not really."

"Oh..."

An awkward silence filled the room, and the sound of a door opening caused Shouhei to glance toward the noise, desperately needing something to interrupt the awkward silence that filled the kitchen.

A blond, feminine looking man made his way into the room, wearing only a pair of boxers. Blushing, Shouhei looked away and instead stared at the floor.

"This your nephew Yuudai? I would've never guessed."

A hand landed on Shouhei's shoulder and he looked up, his dark eyes landing on his uncle's face.

"Why is that?" Yuudai questioned, smiling at the man.

"For starters, he's more handsome than you. And he's also probably way better in-"

The blond man stopped talking when the tall man gave him a dark look and he cleared his throat, glancing down at his nephew.

"Why don't you get settled into your room? I have some business to take care of. It's the last room in the left hallway," Yuudai stated briskly.

"Right." Shouhei responded, nodding his head slowly.

His uncle released him and the blond wandered past the feminine man, his feet dragging on the wooden floor. Making his way down the hallway, he listened to the hushed voices of his uncle and the strange man.

Drowning their words out, he headed down the left hallway and reached his room. Placing his hand on the cold doorknob, he twisted it slowly, the noise causing him to freeze for a moment, out of fear that this was only a dream.

Shaking his head, he pushed open the door to reveal a large bedroom. A king size mattress sat against the wall, beneath a large window that spread to the other walls and up to the ceiling.

Stepping into the room, Shouhei flipped on the light switch and took in the interior design of everything. A closet door sat across from the bed and a desk was in the corner, a box set on top of it.

Setting his suitcase down, the blond shut the door behind him and inhaled the air. It smelled faintly of cherry blossoms, and he shuddered at a memory that flashed through his mind.

Ignoring it, he grabbed his suitcase and opened the closet door, staring at the large rack that sat within. Hangers hung down, surrounding a uniform that sat within. Raising his hand, he felt the fabric, the texture familiar to him.

There was a sudden knock on his door, the noise causing him to jump in surprises. Gently letting go of his suitcase, he headed for the door and opened it. His uncle stood there was a small smile gracing his lips.

"So, how do you like your room, Shouhei?" Yuudai asked, his voice tinted with hope and excitement.

"It's amazing." Shouhei responded, a tired yet genuine smile caressing his lips.

"I'm glad. I just wanted to let you know that the uniform in your closet is for your new school, Ouran. My associate told me it's a really prestigious school and you'll get far in life for going there. You can start within the next week or whenever you feel." his uncle explained, leaning against the door frame.

"Thank you. For everything." Shouhei dipped his head in appreciation, his eyes almost tearing up.

His uncle ruffled his hair, letting out a small chuckle. "It's not a problem. If you need anything just tell me, 'kay?"

"I will. Thank you, again."

"Like I said, no problem. And one more thing; I have guests here often. So you'll be meeting a lot of people while you stay here. Try to think of it as a chance to make relations." Yuudai stated, giving the short term a nod.

"Right, I'll keep that in mind. Goodnight," Shouhei murmured quietly.

"Goodnight."

His uncle moved down the hallway and Shouhei shut his door, locking it. Turning around, his shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh of exhaustion.

Glancing around the room once more, his gaze landed once again on his laptop. He felt a twinkle of curiosity build up in his chest and he walked toward it, settling on pulling open the tab to the box.

His fingernail slid behind the tab and he lifted up the top of the box, his eyes widening. A thin laptop sat there, the pineapple icon staring at him. Carefully pulling it out of the box, a slip of paper fell out of the laptop and floated onto the floor.

Setting the laptop down, he bent down and picked up the piece of paper. Slowly unfolding it, Shouhei stared at it in confusion.

'Thought this would help you out. See you in school, Takeshi ;) - K.H'