Okay, so no, the floors are not made out of solid gold.

That doesn't make the interior of Ouran any less extravagant. Just like the outside, everything is lavish and polished and perfectly designed. Crystalline chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and velveteen curtains without a single speck of dust are pulled from the windows. Everything seems so exaggerated, with wide hallways and tall ceilings. Kosuke can't be sure, but she feels that the building she's being led through is supposed to be the main building of the University.

The building is also fairly full of people—mostly teenagers and their parents—and Kosuke's soaking wet and bedraggled appearance isn't earning her favorable looks. Nor is the constant squeaking of her loafers. To be fair, it wasn't like Kosuke had simply been caught in the rain and thus only lightly sprinkled on. It was like she had just taken a half-hour shower with her clothes on.

All the while, the blonde boy stays by her side, his arm always hovering around her waist. He politely greets the passerby with friendly greetings and charming smiles.

At some point, he waves an arm in the air, calling out an unfamiliar name. "Haruhi! Haruhi!"

It takes Kosuke a moment to see who he's calling to. It's a girl, a bit shorter than Kosuke, with chocolate brown hair as short as her ears. Her large round eyes are the same color. She's wearing dark dress pants and a close-fitting dress shirt, yet somehow manages to still look completely feminine despite her attire. She dismisses herself from talking to a girl and her mother to come meet them halfway.

When they do meet, the boy keeps his arm by Kosuke's waist and uses his other hand to gesture to the girl standing before them. "This is my girlfriend, Haruhi Fujioka. No need to be scared, my girlfriend is the most delightful person you'll ever meet. Isn't that right, Haruhi?"

Haruhi sighs at the boy's overabundant introduction, but nevertheless smiles politely at Kosuke and extends a hand to her. "Nice to meet you."

Kosuke shakes her hand, and the boy leans into her ear to whisper, "She's my girlfriend."

Haruhi gives him a blank glower, but there's no malice to it. As a matter of fact, a little smile twitches at the corners of her mouth. "Is there something you needed?"

"Oh, right." The boy gestures to Kosuke. "Do you think you could help her dry off a bit?"

It seems that Haruhi only then realizes Kosuke's absolutely soaked appearance. But not because she's standing right in front of her, but because apparently, Kosuke's dress has been leaving a trail of water droplets behind her. There are several screams, and the sound of shattering glass as one of the waiters carrying a platter of glasses slips on a puddle and goes sailing. Kosuke can't bring herself to turn around and just stands completely immobile.

Haruhi blinks once, then twice, and then leads her away by the hand.

Once in the bathroom, Kosuke dries off her hair as best as she can with some towels, subsequently leaving behind a red rat's nest. She rings out her dress, too, but that just leaves it damp and crumpled. Haruhi is kind enough to wipe off the bottom of her loafers to stop the constant squeaking.

They finally make it back out, and the blonde boy is now talking to another boy. He's dressed similarly in a blazer and dress shirt, but that's where their similarities stop. Whereas the blonde boy has relatively delicate features, the other boy looks...sharp. That's the only way Kosuke can describe him. Jet black hair is combed neatly away from his face, and piercing gray eyes are almost hidden behind ovular glasses.

Whatever the two are talking about, it includes the raven writing something down in a notebook while the blond jumps to and fro with flamboyant hand gestures. When he sees Haruhi and Kosuke approaching, he freezes (somehow in midair, much to Kosuke's awe) and approaches them with a friendly smile.

"There you two are," he says.

The raven leans around him to say, "The waiter is fine, by the way." He turns back to his notebook. "The glasses and Pinot Noir sent in straight from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, not so much."

Before Kosuke can reply, the blond makes an "oh!" sound and laughs. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself!" He sticks out a hand to Kosuke, so quickly that he almost jabs her in the belly. She flinches back on instinct. "Tamaki Suoh, pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He chuckles, and it's light but also very proud. With one hand still shaking hers, he brushes his bangs from his face. "I'm sure the feeling is mutual."

Kosuke glances sideways at Haruhi. She nods, as if to say "Yes, he's being for real."

"This –" Tamaki gestures behind him. "—Is Kyoya Ootori. He's also happy to meet you."

Kyoya gives a scoff of a chuckle.

"That's his way of saying 'Yes.'" Tamaki's grin returns to his face. "I also never asked for your name."

He's still shaking her hand.

"Kosuke Nakahara. Thank you and sorry."

"It wasn't a problem." The warm smile on Tamaki's face drops into the same concerned frown he had worn before. "But I hope you don't mind me asking what you were out there for."

"Well—"

"Tama-chan!"

Kosuke's response is cut off when someone else approaches them. It's a child, about as tall as her chest, with honey-colored locks of hair and big brown eyes that remind her of a stuffed animal.

"What is it?" asks Tamaki when the boy comes to them.

"We ran out of German chocolate cake." The boy holds up a small China plate and a silver fork in his hands. There's a slice of moist cake on top, rich brown and topped with curled shavings of chocolate. "This is the last piece." The boy pauses and looks down at his hands. "...Maybe I shouldn't have taken this from the table, huh?" His eyebrows furrow together as he pouts. "I would eat it myself, but that would be kind of rude, wouldn't it?"

He finally takes note of Kosuke, and gives her a smile that's so utterly...flowery that she swears it just made her blood sugar boost. "Hello!" He holds out the plate to her. "German chocolate cake?"

Kosuke, not being a particular chocolate fan, would normally turn this offer down, but heck if she isn't starving at the moment. "Please and thank you," she confirms. She takes the plate and fork from him. It's still not quite to her taste, but she can't deny how unbelievably perfect it is made regardless.

"This is Mitsukuni Haninozuka," Tamaki says. He gestures to Kosuke as he adds, "This is Kosuke Nakahara."

"You can call me Hani, if you want," the boy tells her with yet another flowery smile. Then he notes her half-dry rat's nest of hair and crumpled clothing, and the smile turns into a curious frown. "Are you okay? You're all wet."

"We were just getting to that," says Haruhi. She turns back to Kosuke expectantly. "You were saying?"

"It—"

"What's the verdict?"

Yet another voice, this one surprisingly and almost comically deep compared to Hani's light voice, speaks up, and all attention is given to another newcomer. He's particularly tall, with shaggy dark hair and eyes the color of charcoal. Kosuke can't be sure with his attire, which is not quite formfitting, but she thinks that he also has a bit more of a muscular build. His face is set into a perfectly neutral expression.

Hani turns from him to Kosuke to explain, "This is Takashi Morinozuka, my younger cousin."

Kosuke smiles politely. "Oh." She looks between the two of them for a moment, and still smiling, asks, "What?"

"What do we do about the cake problem, Tama-chan?"

Tamaki hums and strokes his chin thoughtfully. Eventually, he points up his finger and decides, "Tell them to double the production of crème brulee. That should satisfy the masses."

Mori gives a thumbs-up and turns on his heel. As he walks away from them, the remaining four teenagers turn back to Kosuke expectantly.

"Alright. Well..." Kosuke passes her empty plate and fork to a passing sever and takes in a deep breath. "A few hours ago..."

"What are you wearing?!"

Kosuke stopped in her tracks at her aunt's half-shocked, half-furious voice. She was waiting for her at the gate of the villa. She was dressed in a navy blue, shin-length dress with matching stilettos. She had a string of pearls around her neck, and her chestnut brown hair was as straight as a needle, just brushing against her shoulders. Rin Nakahara was by no means an ugly woman, but she was definitely...intimidating.

Kosuke looked down at her attire confusedly. Her dress was long-sleeved, a sort of brownish-pink color, with a knee-length plaid skirt. The loafers probably weren't the best, admittedly, but they weren't eyesores. She had a piece of her hair tied to the side while the rest hung loose, and she had her usual satchel at her hip. She didn't see anything wrong with how she looked. "Clothing?"

Rin sighed and span her niece around limply like a dress-up doll. "You might as well be wearing pajamas...Would it be too much to ask that you actually try once in a while?"

Rin narrowed her eyes at Kosuke's forehead. A moment later, she was rubbing at the port-wine stain above Kosuke's right eyebrow, as if it would rub away so easily. She had done it ever since Kosuke was a little girl.

Kosuke inched back from her. "The invitation said semi-formal."

"There's no such thing." Rin sighed again and just gestured to the entrance to the villa. "It's too late to go home and change. Let's just go ahead and go in. You've got your portfolio, right?"

Kosuke nodded and held up the manila folder in her hands. Rin took it from her and flipped it open, the corner of her mouth twitching down as she did. After a moment, she held it back out to Kosuke. "Don't get your hopes up."

When she received no response, Rin turned to her niece. She had knelt down in front of one of the flower bushes and had taken out her camera from her satchel. She was snapping away at a monarch butterfly that had landed on one of the hydrangeas. Rin sighed and took a hold of her ear, dragging her inside while she gasped, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

This was by no means an unusual event. Kosuke had decided to pursue photography two years prior. The Nakaharas were almost exclusively artists – musicians, composers, painters, sculptors, writers, actors, so on, and so forth. It was simply tradition that every Nakahara found their "calling" sometime in their teenage years, and Kosuke's was photography. Her aunt, a renowned photographer herself, namely for her husband's successful fashion magazine, had been uncharacteristically delighted to hear the news. It was one of the three times that Kosuke had ever seen her genuinely smile—the other two times being when a rival magazine shut down and took her high school bully down with it.

However, Kosuke's work was not what she had expected nor wanted. Kosuke figured that Rin had wanted Richard Avedon and instead got Jay Maisel. Rin favored straightforward, neat, black-and-white photography that got straight to the point. Kosuke was far more interested in more colorful, sweeter, nostalgia-driven photography. Sunsets, rainy days, busy boardwalks—really, just whatever caught her interest and felt right in the moment. Rin was, needless to say, displeased, but no matter what she said, Kosuke's mind did not waver.

Unfortunately enough, Kosuke's mother and stepfather were away on business affairs. Her mother, Kayoko, had been a renowned chef from the age of fifteen and had put her skills to use by creating what would eventually be the most successful five-star restaurant chain in Japan, The Lily Bowl. As such, her and her husband (Kosuke's stepfather) always went to the annual Food & Wine Festival in North America, and Rin was left in charge of her and her siblings.

Rin was taking every opportunity to push Kosuke into the spotlight of the photography world—art shows, gallery openings, even weddings for absolute strangers—and this was one of those attempts. Emi Inoue was the owner of a well-known art gallery in Tokyo, and was always looking out for new works to put into it, especially from young and aspiring artists. It just so happened that her daughter, Ai, was a classmate of Kosuke's who had invited her to her birthday party at their. Kosuke tried and failed to keep it from her aunt.

Once they entered the villa, Kosuke had to give her aunt some credit – she wasn't lying about the nonexistence of semi-formal attire. Every girl that passed by was in their Sunday best, all pearls and diamonds and silks. Every man was dressed in prim and proper suits and ties. Kosuke wasn't gathering stares or even that many looks, but even she knew that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Not that she was going to lose any sleep that night.

Rin pulled Kosuke aside. When she spoke, it was like she was going over battle plans. "I'm going to talk to Emi, and find a way to casually show her your portfolio. Just be friendly with Ai, okay?"

Kosuke saluted her. "Aye, aye, Captain."

Rin rolled her eyes and handed her the wrapped box in her hands. As she took the portfolio from Kosuke, she hissed, "Don't screw this up."

As she stops away, Kosuke half-whispers, half-calls after her, "Thank you for the vote of confidence!"

She continues on her way to the sitting room, where Ai and the other girls were. They were there for the actual birthday party – the parents were more or less treating it like a social event for themselves. The girls were all either standing or sitting on one of the sofas, and a miniature mountain of gifts sat on the table.

Ai herself finally caught sight of Kosuke and smiled at her in greeting. She was a beautiful girl, a bit shorter than Kosuke, and a bit plumper, and was probably the most pure, innocent person Kosuke had ever met. Once, when they were passing by one another in the hallway, Ai asked her how her day was going. Kosuke had responded with "Thank you."

"Hey, Kosuke!" Ai pulled her into a hug, which was unnecessary, but welcome.

The others girls noticed her presence as well, and sent a small chorus of greetings ("Hello~!" and "Hey~!") her way. Kosuke just smiled and waved politely.

She held the box in her hands out to Ai. She took it and playfully jiggled it in her hand. "What is it~?"

Kosuke paused, then shrugged and hummed a genuine 'I don't know' sound. Rin had not let her within five feet of picking out the gift, so she genuinely had no idea what was inside. Ai shrugged it off and turned on her heel.

As she did, another girl came walking to Kosuke. With a single look, the first thought anyone would think would be "Ballerina". She was petite and slender, and her every movement held a sort of light grace. Her honey-blond hair was pulled from her face in a tight bun, and her cheeks were permanently flushed pink. If her image weren't already obvious, she was wearing a knee-length pink dress with a skirt made of tulle.

She came to Kosuke with her head slightly ducked. When she came to her, Kosuke let her entwine their arms, as she always did.

"I almost thought you wouldn't show up," the girl, Okina Henka, murmured to Kosuke.

Kosuke shushed her soothingly. Cupping the girl's head in her hands, she tucked her underneath her chin and lightly stroked her hair as she cooed, "Hush, my little one, I would never leave you with the big girls all by yourself~."

Okina whined and pulled back from her. "Stop that!"

Kosuke wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Okina feebly struggled against her, and Kosuke once again cooed, "Let Mommy love you!"

Okina and Kosuke had been friends from their first year of junior high. They met on a class field trip, when the teacher told everyone to pick a partner. Kosuke had seen her standing away from everyone, so nervous to ask anyone that she seemed close to tears, and asked if she wanted to partner up with her. They had been a duo ever since, but while Kosuke had found her love of photography and grew out of her shell, Okina had stayed as a shrinking violet. She was better, but still preferred to stay with Kosuke in any social gathering.

"Is your aunt here with you?" Okina asked.

"Yeeup," Kosuke replied, popping her lips on the 'P'. "She's talking to Emi right now."

Okina frowned. "Don't you get upset when she drags you around like a show pony?"

"Yes, but I also enjoy living, so I don't say anything."

"I guess so. Your aunt is kind of…well…" Okina intentionally trailed off, but Kosuke kept watching her expectantly. "She's…you know…"

"Horrifying? Terrifying? Fear-inducing?"

"No, no, no, no! She's just…"

Kosuke rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Okina, I won't be upset if you call my aunt scary. I think she's scary."

Okina vehemently shook her head. "She's not scary! That's rude!"

"My aunt is not scary?"

"No!"

"Good, because she's staring right behind you."

Kosuke already had her arms extended to catch Okina when she jumped up and into her arms with a squeal of fright. Spinning her head left and right, Okina found no sign of said woman, and turned back to Kosuke to pout at her angrily.

Kosuke patted her on the back. "Mommy will protect you from the Big Bad Rin."

Ai called the other girls to to start opening gifts, and Kosuke set Okina down on her feet. Most of the girls sat down on the sofas, including Kosuke and Okina, while others were left to sit on the floor as primly as they could.

Ai went to opening her presents, and Kosuke simply sat back, relaxed, and watched. Chanel sunglasses, a Versace purse, tickets to The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway...Okina's gift was a silver hairpiece of diamonds and pearls, and she flushed red when Ai thanked her. Kosuke only spoke up every now and then to give an impressed "Ooh!" or "Oh, that's pretty!" At some point, she took her camera back out to snap a few pictures of the scene. She took random photos of her classmates often, so there was nothing unusual about it. Okina, on the other hand, always took some convincing before she let Kosuke snap a camera at her.

At one point, Ai pulled out a short sapphire dress with a ridiculous amount of embroidery. Kosuke had just thought 'That looks familiar' when one of the girls, Suzu, squeals, "I saw that in Picture Perfect!"

It was the name of her uncle's magazine, so that answered her question. Not every girl in Kosuke's class read fashion magazines, but if they did, rest assured they read every issue of Picture Perfect.

And, as with every mention of it, Kosuke was met with the standard questions.

"Hey, Kosuke," said one of the girls. "Can you tell us what the next spring fashions are going to be?"

Kosuke shrugged. "I can ask."

"What's the 'special edition' issue going to be about?"

"Something special. Sorry, but that's all I know."

"Do you have any idea what the new black is going to be?"

"It's...I...What?"

Ai carefully folded the dress back into the box. As she set it aside, she asked Kosuke, "So are you planning on working for your uncle once you're a photographer?"

Kosuke had been taking a swig of her tea and laughed so hard that she sent it dribbling down her chin in a bubbling snort, causing Okina to jump. The day that Rin allowed Kosuke a photography job with Picture Perfect would be the day that pigs sprouted wings. She wiped the liquid away from her face and took in several deep breaths to calm herself down, eliciting a few more small giggles, before finally calmly replying, "No."

"...Oh. Well, it would be really cool if you did." Ai wiggled her eyebrows. "Then you can be our personal spy and send us all the secrets."

The others giggled and chuckled at that. Kosuke just smiled. She had not a drop of ill will towards Ai, but because they were not particularly close, she seriously doubted she would see much of any of her classmates after graduation, especially since it seemed that everyone was going everywhere.

Another girl – Kosuke could never remember if her name was Katheryn or Katelyn – spoke up, "I think it's really cool that you're apprenticing your aunt."

Kosuke's smile dropped into a confused frown. Apprenticing? "What do you mean?"

Katheryn/Katelyn paused, probably wondering if she had gotten her information wrong. "I thought you were. She's been teaching you, right?"

Oh. Well, technically, she wasn't wrong. However, 'teaching' usually implies 'learning'. Kosuke had learned only one lesson from Rin—Trust no one, and she didn't even know how that applied to photography. "Sort-of, kind-of, not really...? She's—"

Another girl, Mai, perhaps, speaks up, "Yeah, and I thought you were going to France to enroll in that arts school? The same one she went to?"

Rin had talked to her at some point about enrolling at said school, because she had graduated from there and knew full well that they could polish up Kosuke's skills – or, if they couldn't, then she was hopeless. As much as she insisted, Kosuke only kept it as a possibility at most. "We talked about it some..."

Ai added, "I think Mom mentioned that she had her first work in the Sando gallery when she was seventeen...So did you, right?"

Some time ago, Rin had struck a sort of deal with another gallery owner to at least take a look at one of Kosuke's works and consider putting it in to the exhibit. In the end, she only agreed to show him Kosuke's simplest black-and-white photograph. It got in, which was nice, but Kosuke still felt disappointed in how the picture turned out. And that was just a few short months after her seventeenth birthday. "I...did."

"Oh, right!" Mai took a swallow of tea before adding, "That's where she met your uncle, right, Kosuke?"

They had visited the gallery on the first night that Kosuke's photograph was displayed, to listen to the feedback and thank the owner formally and whatnot. While they were there, Rin had constantly pushed Kosuke into talking with a boy named Ikuto. Kosuke didn't know what it was about him that caught Rin's interest. He was a perfectly nice boy, but what made him stand out to her aunt? Then again...she did mention that he was planning on starting a couture magazine of his own... "That's...correct..."

"Actually," Ai said thoughtfully, "I think...Yeah...Yeah, my grandmother put some of your aunt's works into the gallery. She said she just so happened to have her portfolio with her at the time, and when she looked at it, she offered to put it in. They were at my mom's birthday party when it happened."

Surely Rin had already showed Emi the portfolio by now.

Kathryn/Katelyn cooed. "Weird..."

Mai nodded. "Yeah, it sounds like your stories are turning out pretty much the same."

In her thoughts, Kosuke was hardly managing not to tune them out. She was staring straight ahead, her hands frozen on her lap, her face frozen. Only Okina seemed to notice, because she placed a hand on Kosuke's forearm with a concerned frown.

"Isn't that amazing, Kosuke?" Ai's eyes were sparkling with so much oblivious innocence that it almost hurt. "You're going to turn out just like your aunt!"

So, of course, Kosuke did the most obvious thing in such a situation.

She screamed.

She couldn't exactly put a sequence into her head, but she knew that one second, she was sitting with the other girls in the sitting room, and the next, she was running into the streets with her mouth open in a shrill, unwavering shriek. Did she scare the living daylights out of the girls, including Okina? Probably. Was Rin realizing that the ungodly sound that just shook the entire villa belonged to her niece? Most likely. Did Kosuke have any idea where she was going?

Nope, and she couldn't care less.

"I was passing by and decided to take a look." Kosuke shrugs and takes a light swig of her sparkling cider. "Then Tamaki came out to get me, and now—" She wiggled her free fingers. "I'm here."

The other Hosts nod slowly, one or two taking sips of their own cider. They are all still standing in a semi-circle around Kosuke. Most of them just look politely interested, while Tamaki and Haruhi look concerned and frankly a bit disturbed.

"Um..." Haruhi's eyebrows are knit on her forehead, and a bead of sweat runs down her temple. "Don't you think you overreacted?"

"Yeah." Kosuke shrugs, making a face that clearly says, Can't fix it now.

"Well." Tamaki quickly digs into his pocket and withdraws a flip-phone. He holds it out to Kosuke. "Do you want to call someone to come pick you up?"

Kosuke pauses. To be honest, she can stand some alone time for another hour or two, but it would simply be cruel to leave her family and Okina worried about her for so long. The thought of her younger sister, probably shaking with worry and fear, makes the guilt inside of her roil.

"Yes, please," she sighs.

Tamaki just nods encouragingly as she takes the phone from his hand. She steps away, and then pauses. It's a bit too loud and busy in the room to take a phone call, but of course, it's still raining outside. Eventually, she decides to just duck into the nearby bathroom once more.

As the door swings shut behind her, Hani looks up at Tamaki. "Did you hear anything from Hika-chan or Kao-chan?"

Tamaki shakes his head with a sigh. "Kaoru said he's doing fine, but nothing from Hikaru. As per the usual." He takes a glance over his shoulder. "You should all return to the guests. I'll take care of Kosuke."

Everyone nods and turns on their heels. Tamaki is left alone, nodding politely to and greeting guests while he waits.

And then, he, and everyone else in Ouran Academy, and probably Tokyo, hear it.

It is a difficult sound to describe. In a way, it somewhat sounds like a particularly long yowl from a cat, but at the same time, it's similar to the roar of a bear. At its sound, the entire world seems to tremble, champagne rippling in glasses, chandeliers swaying from the force. If one were to listen closely—heaven knows why they would—they would perhaps manage to catch warbled roars of phrases like "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA" or "NEVER BEEN SO EMBARRASSED!"

It goes on for no more than a minute, but it feels like an eternity to everyone listening. When it's over, all ears are left ringing, and perhaps one or two hearing aids are rendered useless. For a few minutes, one can hear a pin drop in the silence, until voices slowly resume speaking.

The bathroom door, the source of the unholy noise, swings open, and Kosuke steps out. All of her hair is swept to the left from blast force, and her pupils are the size of quarters.

She makes a stiff, straight line to Tamaki and holds up his flip-phone. When it comes into his palm, she obliviously shouts, "THANK YOU!"

"You don't have to stay here with me, you know. Don't you have to talk to everyone?"

Tamaki waves his hand at Kosuke dismissively. "A gentleman does not abandon a lady in unfamiliar surroundings."

Kosuke pauses, considering, and then shrugs. "Fair enough."

The limousine is already en route to Ouran, so all Kosuke has left to do is wait. Considering she's already gained herself the noble titles of "Little Miss Drip Drop" and "Eardrum Destroyer", she has all intent to simply shrink into the corner and out of anyone's attention. However, Tamaki insists on sticking by her side, despite having actively talked to the guests all evening. Now the two of them are standing against one of the walls, where fewer guests stroll.

Kosuke chews on her lip awkwardly. Tamaki doesn't seem to mind the silence, but it's a bit uncomfortable for her to just watch everyone else converse from the sidelines.

She clears her throat and asks, "So what exactly is going on tonight?"

Tamaki smiles at the question and extends an arm out at the scene before them. "This is a formal event for students and parents that are planning to attend Ouran University. We already had the Ouran Fair to display the school and its attributes, but this is somewhat of a 'Congratulations' party for everyone coming in."

Kosuke doesn't know how to reply, so she just dumbly says, "Oh."

"To be honest," Tamaki continues, "When I saw you outside, I wasn't sure if you were here for this or not. Then I noticed you were alone, and I thought something was wrong."

"Well, I'm okay," Kosuke replies with a reassuring smile. Then she pauses, and a bead of sweat runs down her temple. "Alright, that's not entirely true, but I'm okay enough."

She somewhat expects Tamaki to just nod and turn back to the crowd, but instead, he turns his body towards her.

"I am curious, though," he says, "Why aren't you attending Ouran? Everyone recognizes the Nakahara name—By the way, please tell your mother that her teriyaki salmon is amazing."

"She'll be flattered."

"And Ouran University has a photography course. It seems like just the place for you."

Kosuke purses her lips before she replies, "I don't know. I always wanted to attend here, but I live a little over two hours away, in Nagoya. When she was younger, my sister would have a meltdown if I was gone for more twenty-four hours, and Okina and I hardly managed to hang out as it was. But now, I've been keeping it as a possibility. I really need to start planning ahead. Graduation is just a few months away…"

"It's not too late to apply," Tamaki replies. "We extended the application period, so we're still taking newcomers."

It wasn't a bad idea, Kosuke has to admit. She wouldn't say that attending Ouran is something that she's dreamed of every night, but she also wasn't lying when she said that she had always wanted to attend. Other than being the most prestigious school in Japan, its classes and clubs are something to marvel at. Saga Academy, the school she has attended since junior high, is nothing to laugh at. Actually, it can be considered a runner-up to Ouran, but even so, Ouran offers probably hundreds more opportunities. She was planning to attend Ouran University before her aunt showed her several other options—both overseas and not—that would benefit her photography future.

"That doesn't sound bad," Kosuke muses. "That doesn't sound bad at all…Ouran has other art clubs too, right?"

Tamaki nods enthusiastically. "Absolutely! We also have a cooking club, a film club, an animal club, a Dark Magic club—" Kosuke starts at this, but he continues, "—an archery club, and several literature clubs, just to name a few of many." Tamaki proudly shuts his eyes as he readjusts his tie. "I myself am the president of the Ouran Host Club. You met the other members tonight."

Kosuke pouts her lips in thought. 'Host Club.' Why was that ringing a bell?

"What is the Host Club?"

Tamaki's smile turns into a frown faster than a light switch. Violet eyes stare unblinkingly at Kosuke, almost silently pleading that she is not being serious. When he realizes that yes, she is, he steps back as if she had struck him—with a hand over his heart and everything.

"You don't know—?"

"Nope."

Tamaki huffs out a breath through his nose, but then that confident smile is back on his face. He leans forward, rounding his arm around her to place his hand on her opposite shoulder. Kosuke looks down at the hand with a raised brow, but then goes wide-eyed when he presses her to his side. He holds out his other hand as if gesturing to an image before them. For some reason that Kosuke cannot explain, it feels like the people around them fade away into darkness, leaving the two of them in a spotlight.

"The Ouran Host Club is a team of individuals who use their charm and beauty to the delight of the young women of Ouran Academy," Tamaki explains. You'd think he was explaining a world wonder rather than a school club. "It was originally a high school club, but as of now, all of our members have graduated into Ouran University. It has become a proud treasure of Ouran over the past few years."

Tamaki turns her slightly, and in the dark distance, another spotlight shines down, this time landing on the slender boy with combed jet hair and thin glasses.

"Kyoya Ootori," Tamaki tells Kosuke. "Second-year student, age twenty, son of Yoshio Ootori, head of Ootori Medical. Kyoya is our financial adviser, but is also the 'Cool Type' of the Club. He appeals to women who prefer straightforward, intelligent conversation."

He turns her again, this time drawing her attention to yet another spotlight. The light bounces off of the short boy's honey-colored hair, and illuminates his flushed cheeks. As Tamaki and Kosuke watch, he laughs silently, rocking back on his heels with joy.

"Mitsukuni Haninozuka—third-year student, age twenty-one, member of a family infamous for their skill in martial arts. Mitsukuni—or 'Hani', as he prefers to be called—is the 'Loli-Shota Type'. His childlike innocence and infectious laughter hold the love of many."

Not too far from Hani, another spotlight appears. If they were closer, Hani might have been cast in the shadow of the much taller boy with broad shoulders and a straight face.

"Takashi Morinozuka—third-year student, age twenty-one, and a member of the Morinozuka family, who have been closely entwined with the Haninozukas for many years, to the point of being cousins with Hani. 'Mori' is the 'Wild Type', or to some, the 'Strong and Silent Type'. He does not speak much, but his kind soul and close relationship with his cousin have many girls wanting to find something underneath his stony exterior."

The fourth spotlight comes down, this time on the petite girl with short brown hair and wide brown eyes. She's nodding and smiling politely to a shadowed figure.

"Haruhi Fujioka. first-year student, age nineteen, and currently the only commoner to attend Ouran, as well as the only female member of the Host Club. Haruhi is the 'Natural Type'—she has no secrets to keep, and has a warm, friendly approach that makes anyone feel immediately comfortable."

Their own spotlight intensifies. Kosuke flinches in the glare and shields her eyes with her hand. She can just barely manage to see Tamaki standing gloriously in the light, with the air around him shimmering

"And myself," he declares, "Tamaki Suoh, second-year student, age twenty. Son of the chairman of Ouran, and, as said before, president of the Host Club. I am the 'Princely Type'. To me, every girl should feel cherished and cared for, like a princess, and I am more than happy to help."

There is a moment of complete darkness, then the room is fully illuminated once more. Everyone continues walking and talking as if nothing had ever happened.

Tamaki removes his hand from Kosuke and lets his hand drop down to his side. When he speaks, his face has fallen somewhat, almost in disappointment.

"We have two other Hosts, but they are not attending this evening, unfortunately." Then his smile returns in full. "Nevertheless, the Ouran Host Club is a hallmark of this school." He leans forward slightly with a secretive wink at her. "If you attend, you'd be able to pay us a visit. We'd be happy to see you."

"As nice as that sounds—" She isn't being sarcastic. It truly does sound like a fun thing to try at least once. "—I'll have to think about it. My aunt has a lot of other colleges she wants me to attend for photography."

Tamaki hums and leans back. He reaches into the pocket of his blazer and pulls out a white handkerchief, and then pulls a pen from his pocket. As Kosuke watches, he scribbles something down, and with a quick smile, holds it out to her. She raises a brow, but nevertheless takes it. A series of numbers is written on it.

"If you want to apply and have any questions, just call this number," he instructs her. He pauses. "It's your choice, you know, not your aunt's."

Kosuke looks between him and the handkerchief. Eventually, she curls the cloth into her palm and asks, "Why do you want me to attend so badly?"

He seems taken aback by her question, but only for a moment. "I would like anyone and everyone to attend Ouran." He pats her lightly on the head. "Including you."

Kosuke looks down at her feet thoughtfully, then at the handkerchief.

"You'll consider, right?"

Tamaki is watching her expectantly. Kosuke sends him a small smile and a nod.

"Right."

"Kosuke, why the heck are you even 'considering'?"

Kosuke shrugs defensively. "I have a hundred other colleges to consider!"

From across the cafeteria table, Tomoko raises an unconvinced brow at her. "Like the one in Nowhere, Ireland? Where the only civilization for twenty miles is a sheep farm?"

Kosuke blinks. "I…Yeah, that one."

It had been almost a week since she had visited—well, stumbled upon—Ouran University. When she got home, everything went about as well as she expected. Her younger sister, Minami, was about three seconds away from crying when she came home, and almost tackled her in a hug when she did. Her aunt sat her down for two hours straight to tell her how she had embarrassed both of them, that she had never been so ashamed, that they wouldn't be able to show their faces to the Inoues for at least fifty years.

The phone kept ringing all the while, until she finally gave it to Kosuke. Both of her parents were on the other line, both were equally relieved and upset, and with her aunt listening to her every word, Kosuke had to tweak the story a bit. When everything had calmed down, her parents both agreed that she was grounded from going out for two months, and her phone would be taken away for three weeks. Kosuke wasn't happy, of course, but she knew that she wasn't going to just get a slap on the wrist for what she did. On the plus side, her parents refused to listen to Rin's ideas—they unanimously agreed that "behavioral readjustment classes" were far too severe.

At the moment, she's in the Saga Academy cafeteria, seated with Okina and their other friends, Tomoko Silva and Jet Tsukuda. Their fifth member, Kohta, had called a meeting with the other members of the fencing team during lunch. They all knew of the incident at Ai's birthday party (it had spread like wildfire through the school and gained Kosuke unflattering popularity), but Kosuke only just now mentioned Tamaki Suoh inviting her to attend. No one was particularly impressed with her hesitance.

"You know," Jet says through a mouthful of sandwich, much to Tomoko's obvious disgust, "if I were personally asked to go attend Ouran-freaking-University by the chairman's son, I would go tell Rin to stick it where the sun doesn't shine, because I'm going."

Kosuke reels back, offended. "Geez, Jet, I thought you liked me. I didn't realize you wanted me dead…"

From beside her, Okina speaks up to almost a normal volume, "If I were you, I would go."

"If anyone were her, they would go," Tomoko sighs. She jabs a thumb at herself, making her gold wristband jingle. "I would go, if I weren't going to Moshida. Jet would go, if he were smart enough to not fail two days in."

Jet muffles through another mouthful of food in agreement.

Okina nods and adds, "I was going to go until I got the dancing scholarship to Orugu."

"What about my aunt?" Kosuke. She places her chin on her hand and huffs, "Ouran isn't an art-driven school, and I think I have to agree with her for the next ten years just to get her to look at me again."

Tomoko sighs and leans forward, lightly taking Kosuke's hands in hers. Her face is gentle, yet stern, almost like a teacher speaking to a student.

"Kosuke, I'm going to say this in the nicest manner that I can." Tomoko pauses, makes sure Kosuke's blue eyes are locked with her dark ones, and slowly tells her, "Grow a backbone."

"Rin-zilla feeds on fear." Jet nods knowingly. "The more she scares you, the stronger she becomes."

Kosuke tips her head side-to-side. That sounds about right.

The bell rings, and the cafeteria is filled with the sound of hundreds of footsteps and the rising chatter of voices. The four of them stand up, and as they do, Tomoko and Jet step away to head back to their shared sixth period class.

"Don't think too hard about it," Tomoko calls behind her.

"Don't be an idiot!" Kosuke hears a sharp smack, and Jet's pained "Ow!"

Kosuke and Okina both pass their empty trays to the cafeteria workers and head to the cafeteria exit. Once outdoors, they walk side-by-side, listening to the sound of footsteps on cobblestone and birds twittering in the trees.

Kosuke, meanwhile, continues to purse her lips in concentration. She had to consider the pros and cons of attending Ouran, and while the pros seemed to count higher, she still wasn't absolutely sure if she should make the decision or not.

"Kosuke," says Okina. She lightly bumps the taller girl with her shoulder as they walk. "I'm pretty sure you want to attend Ouran."

"Of course I want to, I just—"

"Then do it. Go." Okina wiggles her fingers in Kosuke's face. "Be free."

Kosuke lightly chews on the inside of her cheek. She opens her mouth, closes it, then opens it again to say, "You really think I should?"

"Yes. We just spent the last half-hour telling you 'Yes.'"

They fall into a short silence after that. Kosuke kicks at a pebble on the walkway, and when it disappears into the grass, she speaks again.

"You know, no matter what school I go to, we're going to be hanging out less often than we do now. We'll always be at least three hours away from each other, and we'll be busy enough as it is."

Okina pauses. They both know that Kosuke is right. All throughout high school, the two of them didn't hang out quite as often as best friends did. Okina has taken near-daily dancing classes since her sixth year of elementary school, school breaks were usually spent majorly at their respective vacation homes, and not every weekend plan managed to work out. School had become almost their only way to see one another, and that would be taken away the day that they graduated.

Eventually, Okina shrugs. "We can text. We'll visit every now and then. It's not like we're just going to immediately forget about each other, right?"

Kosuke nodded with a small smile. "Right."

Okina reaches her hand into the pocket of Kosuke's blazer. She pulls out a familiar white handkerchief and places it in Kosuke's hand. Kosuke had kept it with her almost all week, trying and failing time and again to grow the nerve and call the number written on it.

Kosuke looks back up at Okina, who gives her an encouraging nod. Kosuke nods back.

Here it is! I again apologize for the wait, it's been a busy summer where I am. If you guys don't mind, can you tell me if the scenes feel too short or not? I want to make sure I didn't rush anything. :) Other than that, review to your heart's content!

It's great to be back!