"Where are we going?" I asked, following Haruhi through a suburban neighborhood that wasn't far from my apartment. "If you believe you can drag me back to that psycho club of yours, think again."

To my surprise, she was wearing a pseudo-girlish outfit, which consisted of a pale pink t-shirt, a light denim jacket, brown leggings, and short-heeled black boots. A gaudy silver locket sparkled from her-

Wait, a necklace? Since when did the crossdressing, no nonsense Haruhi Fujioka wear necklaces?

"What's with that?" I wrinkled my nose, gesturing towards the offending object.

A look of panic flickered across her face, and for a moment, just a moment, she seemed uncertain, unconfident, before regaining her composure so quickly that I almost forgot her moment of indecision.

Key word: almost.

"Oh, this?" She laughed nervously, fingering the locket. "Tamaki gave it to me."

Her explanation seemed valid enough, but somehow, I wasn't buying it. However, if it was true, it confirmed my suspicions that Tamaki indeed had the taste of a lovesick fangirl. The locket itself was inhumanely large and heart-shaped, with "I love you" emblazoned in swirly, cursive letters. It was enough to make me want to vomit.

Besides, even if he did give it to her, that didn't mean she actually had to wear it. The Haruhi Fujioka I had known would never have worn such a monstrosity. Maybe she wore it just to pacify him? That was a scenario I could most definitely picture.

"To answer your question, we're just going to the supermarket and back to my apartment," Haruhi added, changing the subject at the speed of light. "Um, if you don't mind me asking...what happened the other day?"

We stepped into the grocery store, Haruhi's boots clacking against the tiled floor. Striding confidently between the aisles like she owned the place, she picked up canned foods and bundled-up vegetables, carefully scrutinizing their prices before placing them in her basket.

I shrugged, a little unnerved by her interrogation. "I guess I was annoyed by those idiots and I...couldn't take it anymore. Honestly, I don't get how you deal with them everyday. I just don't belong there."

Actually, I probably didn't belong anywhere. Not in my home, where I felt vulnerable alone, not at my old school, where I was treated like a freak, and certainly not in that trashy academy.

When I snapped back to reality, Haruhi was waving a hand in front of my face, trying to pull me out of my thought bubble. "Hello? Senpai? Are you there?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." I forced a grin. "

"Alright, we're just about done-"

"Haruhi, darling!" an agonizingly familiar voice called out, its owner waving his arms frantically and not-so-subtly beckoning us forward. None other than the esteemed Tamaki Suoh himself was standing before me, surrounded by his clique of rich brats.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" I hissed, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Commoner stores are absolutely fascinating! Of course, we'd do anything to understand our darling Haruhi better!" Tamaki trilled, clapping his hands like a delighted toddler.

The twins were poking at a dried-up mango and gesturing wildly at the wide variety of inexpensive tropical fruits, marveling at the remarkably low prices. Mori, stoic as ever, stopped Honey from making a beeline towards the baked goods by placing a firm hand on his mop of blonde hair, while Kyoya merely smirked, making a note on his omnipresent clipboard.

I had absolutely nothing to say, so in lieu of staring at their idiotic faces any longer, I dragged the dazed Haruhi to the cash register, paid for the groceries with some spare change I found in her wallet, and briskly exited the store.

"What was that about?" I snapped, even more peeved than I had ever thought possible.

Haruhi heaved a sigh. "I ask myself that question every day."

She turned left, and I followed, soon arriving at her her two-floor apartment complex. Pulling out an organized key ring, she inserted it in the lock and flung open the door.

I was greeted by the scent of a pinecone air freshener, and a humble, tidy home. Everything was in place; it gave off an aura of being well-loved and cared for. Haruhi and her father must have worked like hell to keep the dinky place neat and orderly. It was the complete opposite of my apartment, where objects were strewn across the floor and tables, dishes were piled high in the sink, the air permeated with the stench of alcohol.

My father barely lifted a finger at our house; sometimes, after his late night shift at the bar, he would come staggering home, head straight towards his bedroom, and collapse on the floor, falling into a long, dreamless sleeps.

But some nights, it wouldn't be so terrible. He would quietly sit down at the dinner table, maybe help me cook a meal, and ask me how my day was. I would never give him an honest answer, but maybe I wanted to smile, just a little at the thought of being happy with my father. In those short moments, I caught glimpses of the man my mother had fallen in love with, the quiet soul who sat there patiently and waited, wondered how much he had to love her to fall to pieces when his daughter needed him the most.

Would I ever be able to forgive him?

Snapping out of my reverie, I kneelt across from Haruhi at the table, sipping a cup of freshly brewed green tea.

"Why did you invite me here?" I asked, suddenly curious to know why this girl, who barely glanced at me in middle school, was suddenly treating me like I was her best friend.

She leaned forward and gave my hand a warm squeeze. "I've noticed you around school since Kyoya pointed you out. I guess I realized that no one really paid attention to you, and it was the same thing for me a little while ago."

I waited for her to continue.

"Tell me what you like to do." The request was so random, so out-of-place, that for a moment, I had no idea how to respond.

"Well, let's see." I pondered for a moment, ignoring the sinking, suspicious feeling in stomach that something simply wasn't right. "Anything that has to do with art, I guess."

"Is singing included?" Haruhi asked automatically, a strange glint in her eyes.

"I guess," I replied, taking another sip of my tea and eyeing her warily. "Why?"

"Could you sing for me?" she pressed,

"Alright," I agreed to her request reluctantly. I still couldn't figure out what she could possibly be trying to get me to do. If it had something to do with that insane Host Club, though, that girl was dead meat.

But I could trust her, couldn't I?

Against my better judgment, I pushed myself onto a creaky wooden stool, closed my eyes, and opened my mouth.

"I've been believing in something so distant

As if I was human

And I've been denying this feeling of hopelessness

In me, in me

All the promises I made

Just to let you down

You believed in me, but I'm broken

I have nothing left

And all I feel is this cruel wanting

We've been falling for all this time

And now I'm lost in paradise

As much as I'd like the best not too exist

It still does

And as much as I like to feel like I belong here

I'm just as scared as you

I have nothing left

And all I feel is this cruel wanting

We've been falling for all this time And now I'm lost in paradise

Run away, run away

One day we won't feel this pain anymore

Shadows of you

Cause they won't let me go

So I have nothing left

And all I feel is this cruel wanting

We've been falling for all this time

And now I'm lost in paradise

Alone, I'm lost in paradise."

I exhaled shakily, opening my eyes to Haruhi's tidy apartment. The music which had just seconds before washed over me faded, and I was left staring blankly ahead, as I did every time I finished performing. It was a sad reminder that I couldn't run away forever, that someday, sometime, I would eventually have to wake up into cold, hard reality.

I walked out of the classroom, stretching my arms above my head and yawning widely. Barely given a moment to relish my hard-fought freedom, however, I was seized me from behind, a dark blindfold tied over my eyes as I was dragged down the corridor. I thrashed in a wild attempt to break free, but to no avail. Screaming myself hoarse, I let loose a chain of every expletive I had ever heard in my life.

Suddenly, I was thrust through an open door and hit with the sickly sweet fragrance of rose petals. The blindfold was ripped off my face, exposing Hikaru and Kaoru's identical Chesire cat grins.

"Why did you bring me here?" I snarled, glowering at their smug faces. "What the hell do you want from me?"

Stupid eggheads. Why were they so intent on associating themselves with a nobody like me, anyways? Were they really sadistic enough to torture the sanity out of a poor commoner?

"This." Kyoya dangled a locket in front of his face, lips twisted in his signature smirk. Listening intently, my eyes widened as I recognized the sound of my voice playing softly from an invisible speaker.

"Why you- Haruhi!" I scowled at her.

Feeling defeated, I plopped down in a plush chair that resembled a throne, the one that Tamaki regularly occupied, and folded my arms across my chest. "Fine. But before I hear you out, I believe that I am entitled to ask you freaks a question: just what the hell do you want from me?"

"Your voice," Mori said simply.

"Yeah, Aya-chan, your voice is beautiful!" Honey chimed from his place perched on top of Mori's shoulders.

"Join the club, Ayame," Tamaki urged, flashing me a charming wink. "I guarantee you'll be falling for me soon!"

I rolled my eyes, letting out a derisive snort. "As if! There's no way in hell I'm going to join this crackhead club, no matter what you promise me. You all are just wasting your time."

Ready to storm home and furiously bang on my piano as planned, I was halted by a certain Kyoya Otori. "Your arts scholarship only covers half of the tuition, correct?" he said slyly, adjusting his glasses.

I whipped round, my jaw going slack. "How did you know that?! That's-that's confidential-"

He gave me a mysterious smile. "There isn't a single thing about this school that escapes me, Nakamura-san. I thought you were smart enough to realize that.

My curiosity piqued, I lingered, my foot tapping impatiently against the floor. "Your point being?"

"If you work for us, I'll pay the rest of your tuition," he promised. "And no, there isn't a catch. No contracts, no taxes, no nothing. It's as simple as that."

"You swear?" I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, Eventually, temptation won out. Giving a curt nod, I held my hand out for him to shake.

"Now, would you sing for us again, Aya-chan?" Honey-senpai begged, clutching his stuffed bunny to his chest.

"Alright," I reluctantly agreed. After all, who could resist Honey-senpai?. "Hmm, for accompaniment-"

"I'll do it!' Tamaki volunteered, raising his hand like a little schoolboy.

"You can play the piano?" I asked, entirely taken aback.

"Uh-huh. For fourteen years!" he declared, bounding to a secluded corner of the room and sweeping past a dusty crimson curtain. Behind it was a a sparkling grand piano, its keys gleaming beneath the light.

Throwing caution to the wind, I rushed forward, seating myself before it and flexing my fingers. "Well, play a duet with me! What are you waiting for?"

Tamaki grinned broadly, before running forward to join me, obviously eager to play. "Rowley's Concerto For Two Pianos?" he said breathlessly, running his finger across the keys in a glissando.

I nodded enthusiastically, the urge to finally play almost overwhelming as Tamaki played the first line of the score, filling the room with his expressive music.

Throughout our piece, I glanced at him him every now and then. He seemed so at peace, so elegant and serene, showing a side of him that I had never seen before, his fingers dancing effortlessly across the ivory keys. This was a Tamaki that I could become friends with, a boy who closed his eyes while playing his heart out, who looked like there was no other place he'd rather be.

Maybe I could respect him. Just maybe.

We finished the song, and as he carefully stood up from the piano bench and dusted off his dress pants, an inexplicably profound sensation overcame here. Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my face in his chest. "Thank you. That was amazing."

He stiffened in shock, but relaxed and leaned into my embrace. We stood there in comfortable silence, just holding one another and willing for the moment never to end.

Breaking the ice, I looked at Kyoya and nodded firmly. "It's a deal."