Chapter 2

Takashi awoke having had a very odd dream. He had been standing on a path lined by Sakura trees. The breeze that had come through brought the sweet scent of the blossoms. He saw the form of a shadowy figure at the end of the path. When he was nearly in the spot when the figure stood he heard the woman whisper "find me" and she was gone. He had woken up right after that. Takashi wiped his hand down his face and exhaled. His eyes wandered to the alarm clock at his bed side. He still had twenty minutes until it was set to go off, but he knew he couldn't sleep anymore.

He got out of bed and fixed the sheets, making it look presentable again. Takashi pulled on some flexible clothing and made his way down to the home gym. It seemed that Satoshi was just waking up and his father had already left for work. He knew his mother wouldn't be awake for another hour.

Takashi flipped on the light in the workout room. It was covered in mats, weights were off to the right side of the room. He went in the direction of the weights and stretched before doing bicep curls. He did his normal weight routine and added in a few push-ups and crunches before ending with squats. Takashi stretched once more feeling much more awake and refreshed. He went back to his room to shower and get his things together for his classes.

Takashi turned off the alarm on his clock and grabbed his cell phone. Before putting it in his pocket he checked it for messages. There was a text from Mitskuni and one from Hikaru. He flipped it open and read Mitskuni's first.

*Takashi, did you find anything out about the anonymous photographer?*

Takashi took a moment to think about his reply before sending the text, *Yes. I'll tell you in person.*

Takashi checked Hikaru's message, *Mori-senpai, are you and Hani-senpai coming to the Host Club today? Tono says he'll be able to make this meeting happen.*

He replied, *Yes, Mitskuni and I will be there.*

He put the phone in his pocket and felt light-headed all of a sudden. His stomach growled loudly. It was then that he remembered he hadn't eaten much of his dinner last night. He grabbed his bag and went to the kitchen. The staff had laid out a good spread. Satoshi was already at the table working on his second helping.

"Hey Taka-kun," he smiled.

"Satoshi, you shouldn't eat so much in the morning. It's bad for your digestive system," Takashi kneeled at the table. He scooped the last omerice on his plate and ate silently.

"Did you work anything out about the mystery sender, Taka-kun?"

"A little," Takashi answered putting a few more items on his plate. He was so hungry this morning! "She hid a clue in the picture of herself."

"There's a picture of her?" Satoshi turned his attention to his brother. His eyes widened at the amount of food on Takashi's plate. He mumbled, "And you told me not to eat so much."

Takashi glared at his brother, "I didn't eat dinner. And yes, there's a picture of her, but her face is hidden."

"Oh," Satoshi said.

The head of staff entered the kitchen, "Takashi-sama, Satoshi-sama, the car is here to take you to school. The Haninozuka's are waiting for you."

Takashi nodded and took one last bit of his food before standing and following his energetic brother to the car waiting out front. He got in the car and took his seat next to Mitskuni. He stayed silent while Satoshi rambled about this and that to Chika. Takashi felt Mitskuni's eyes on him.

The younger siblings were dropped off at the high school section of Ouran first. Mitskuni and Takashi were alone in the car.

"What happened last night, Takashi?" Mitskuni asked.

"She sent the pictures to my house."

"What?"

Takashi pulled the manila folder out of his bag and handed it over to Mitskuni. They got out of the car and made their way into the main building of the university. Before they parted ways, Mitskuni pulled the three photos out and examined them. When he got to the picture of the photographer his eyes narrowed. Takashi knew he was reading the words written all over the picture, 'Find me,' in the woman's hand writing, 'wind,' 'Sakura,' and 'April' in Takashi's hand writing.

"Where did you get these words from?" Mitskuni asked confused.

Takashi pointed to the woman's painted nails, "I used a magnifying glass."

"Are you going to play the game?"

"I have no want to, but I'm sure she won't leave me alone until I 'find' her," Takashi answered. He pulled out his cell phone to check the time. "I have to get the class."

Mitskuni put the photos back in the folder and handed it back to Takashi, "Okay, meet me in the library after class. We'll go to the high school together."

Takashi nodded and headed in the opposite direction as his cousin. He felt himself being more attentive as he walked to the classroom. He walked past the central courtyard and entered the classroom. This one was different from other classrooms because it was set up like a courtroom. It gave law students a chance to create mock trials. Today was the introduction to this level.

Takashi took a seat in the first row of bench seats. He pulled out his notebook. This class was different. It was more of a discussion of law rather than a study of it. He had to admit, this was one of his more exciting classes.

More students began filing into the room. There was a surprising amount of people in this section of the class. Takashi counted once everyone was accounted for. There were thirty-two law students. The professor began speaking.

"This semester you will be participating in mock trials with your classmates. You will work in groups of four to complete a case. Two of you will act as lawyers while the other two will be the accused and the one filing charges. After the first trial ends you will switch roles giving everyone a chance to participate as a lawyer. The success of the case will not determine your grade. What will determine it is the preparation put into your case, how well you comprehend the material, and the level at which information in delivered. There will be no exams in this course. I suggest you take as many notes as possible during the trials. Everyone not participating in the trial will fill out evaluations which will be turned in to me. This will act as the jury and the verdict of your case. Are there any questions?" He asked.

The girl sitting directly behind Takashi raised her hand, "Yes, Professor, how will we be picking our cases?"

"Ah, yes," he started. "I have scenarios in the bucket on my desk from which you can choose or you may come up with a scenario on your own. If you choose the latter you must consult me. I am here to help you succeed and I want to make sure you are creating a case that is solvable without too much confusion."

A boy in the back raised his hand, "Will we be picking our own groups or have they been assigned?"

"I have assigned the groups," he answered passing out a sheet with the groups listed. "There will be a trial each week starting next week. I suggest for the first two groups that you pick a scenario from the bucket."

Takashi looked at the sheet and saw he was in a group with two other men and one woman. He knew the woman as she had been a regular at the host club; one of Tamaki's customers. He only acquainted with the two men in his group.

"Now, find your groups, introduce yourselves, and discuss," the professor announced.

Takashi stood and before he could move much the woman was in front of him. She had curly black hair and brown eyes set in a thin pale face. She smiled brightly at him.

"Hello Mori-kun," she said. "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Junkata Aiko."

"I remember," Takashi smiled causing her to blush.

The two men came up to him and introduced themselves as Akinoto Jun and Tichibana Roshi. Takashi introduced himself and they discussed the schedule. They would be having their first trial during the sixth week and then again on the fourteenth week. It was decided that Aiko and Roshi would be the attorneys in the first trial. They exchanged emails and were going to brainstorm about what scenario they were going to make into a case. The rest of the class time was devoted to introducing themselves to their peers.

When class was over Takashi decided to take his half hour break in the courtyard. There were plenty of students chatting and studying. He recognized a couple of people he graduated with and quite a few he didn't. He picked a tree with good shade and took a seat. He leaned back, resting his head against the tree and closed his eyes for a moment. After a minute he opened his bag and took out his note book. He started writing down case scenarios that he would email to his group members when he got home.

It had taken him almost his full break to come up with a good list of scenarios. He packed up his things and went to his next class. This one was a theory class. It wasn't his favorite, especially since his brain felt like mush afterward from the fast paced lecture. He went to the cafeteria to grab lunch during his next break. A few of the girls who frequented the Host club came to sit with him. They wanted to know how he liked his time abroad last year and if he was enjoying his studies. They asked if he missed Hani which seemed odd to him as he still saw him every day. He just figured that they found it odd to see him without his cousin. He continued to eat and answer shortly as he always did. They asked if he would be visiting the Host Club any time soon.

"Today, Mitskuni and I are visiting the Host Club. Tamaki will be there, too," he answered.

They three ladies who were sitting at his table squealed with delight.

"Excuse me," Takashi said before taking care of his tray and heading to his last class.

At the end of his last class, a history of famous trials, Takashi went to the library. He made a few adjustments to his notes as he waited for Mitskuni. He only had to wait a half hour until his cousin met him.

"Ready to head to the high school, Takashi?" Mitskuni asked.

"Yeah," he answered smiling a little because Mitskuni didn't have Usa-chan with him today.

"Okay!" Mitskuni giggled and the two walked to the high school. When they entered the third music room, they found everyone except Kyoya waiting for them.

"It's a good thing Kyoya-senpai isn't here or he'd make some comment about you being late," Kaoru said.

"I wonder how Kyo-chan is doing." Mitskuni said.

"He's fine, sticking to his studies constantly, according to Tono," Hikaru answered.

"Mori-senpai," Tamaki approached. "This came for you about fifteen minutes ago." Tamaki handed him a manila envelope.

"Another one?" Mitskuni asked.

"What do you mean by 'another one,' Hani-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"Takashi had an envelope sent to his house yesterday," the loli boy answered. "It's a mystery!"

"Mystery?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked at the same time.

Takashi sat on one of the couches and opened the new folder. Three photos fell out. One of him sitting in the mock court room by himself, one of him leaning against the tree in the courtyard, and one of the photographer, or what he thought could be the photographer. It was the picture of a foot, presumably a woman's, standing on a mat typically used in martial arts. Takashi flipped over the last picture. There was writing on this one, too.

"I'm sure you figured out the clue in the last photo. You're a smart man. So, here's a new one." It was the same hand writing from yesterday's photo.

Everyone was leaning over the back of the couch to get a look at the photos.

"Is this person black mailing you, Mori-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"No," he answered as he pulled the first envelope from his bag and opened it. The twins grabbed the photos from him and looked through them.

"Find me?" Tamaki asked.

"I think it's a game," Takashi said.

"Oooooh," Hikaru laughed. "I like this woman."

"Any idea who it is?" Kaoru asked.

Takashi shook his head and went back to looking at the new photos. He couldn't find anything unusual about the foot itself. Nothing like the nail polish.

"Mori-senpai," Haruhi started. "Where did you get these words?"

He turned to look at Haruhi who was holding the picture toward him. He pointed at the woman's hands.

"Her nails," he answered.

Tamaki grabbed the photo and narrowed his eyes, "How can you see that?"

"There's something called a magnifying glass, Tono," Hikaru poked fun at him.

"Oh, right," Tamaki laughed. "Well, I think we should leave this to Mori-senpai for now. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

"Okay," Takashi answered. He looked around the room and thought of something. "Tamaki, who delivered the envelope?"

"A couple of middle school girls," he said.

Takashi nodded. He knew it wouldn't be that easy to identify the woman. He put the pictures away and gathered the other envelope from the twins.

"Let's get ready for our guests," Tamaki said while Haruhi put tea sets on every table.

Mitskuni was already sitting at the usual table digging into a piece of cake. Takashi sat across from him and packed up his bag. The doors were opened and the customers filed into the room. Word had travelled fast that Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai would be at the Host Club this afternoon. Takashi was inside his own head a lot more than usual and the guests could see it.

At the end of the day, Mitskuni and Takashi said goodbye to the other hosts and headed home in the shared car.

"Have you thought of anything yet?" Mitskuni asked.

"No," Takashi answered. "This photo isn't quite as obvious."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, Takashi. And just like Tama-chan said, if you need help, don't hesitate to ask."

Takashi nodded and exited the car to head to his home. By the time he got in the door he felt exhausted. His classes, the Host Club, and the new photos had turned his brain to mush. He went to his room to email the case scenarios to his classmates. He laid down on his bed and looked at the new photo. After almost twenty minutes of staring at the picture he gave up and went down stairs to eat dinner with his family.

He told his parents about the new photos and finished dinner without having to explain too much. When he went up to his room again, he decided it was time to sleep. He brushed his teeth, set his alarm, and changed his clothes before collapsing into bed. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.