"And that is how we began our club!" The dark-haired male finished lavishly, an arm being swept out for added affect.

"Is that so?" The blond responded, uninterested and unimpressed.

Enzio wilted.

"Your version was a bit choppier." Royce reasoned. "And way too rushed."

The way Enzio had made it sound, it sounded almost like some sort of miracle. It wasn't. It was hard work on both ends, and dedication and trust that brought them where they were. Perhaps Enzio had believed it was simply too personal too put into his little tale.

"I guess you're right." Enzio slumped even further.

"But anywaysss," Enzio returned his attention to the blond, "Whaddya say, Jiroo-kun? Will you join our club?"

"Hmm." Takuma Jiroo feigned thought, "No."

Royce couldn't say he was surprised. Takuma Jiroo was even more of a people hater than even he was. It may not have been too obvious at first, but years of observing others from a safer distance gave him enough practice to know one thing: Takuma Jiroo hated people, but loved everything they could give him. He was a blonder, greener eyed version of Kyoya Ootori. And Royce disliked Kyoya Ootori a whole great deal. But, a club member was a club member he supposed.

Especially since they were so short on people. They'd only managed to convince one person to join their little club (and joining may not have been the correct term for what exactly went down). No one else seemed to be interested in a club with an incredibly vague goal and structure. Royce couldn't blame them. The students of Ouran were training in the art of business, after all, and no matter how naïve many of these people seemed, they were all calculating and manipulative in their heart of hearts.

Takuma Jiroo was not the first person to turn them down today, and he definitely wouldn't be the last.

When he looked over to Enzio to tell the redhead this fact, Royce froze at the look in his eyes. It was the look that he got when he was thinking about doing something ludicrous; all hazy and whimsical.

Jiroo caught this look as well and gave an almost eerie smile.

"Something the matter, Rapaccini-san?" He purred silkily. It was silk that hid the edge of a finely-honed blade.

Enzio promptly snapped out of it and grinned almost too excitedly, "Nope, nothing at all! C'mon, Roy-chan!" And he scuttled off.

"Yeah, yeah," He sighed, then cast a glance at Jiroo, "You really should consider it, though, Jiroo-san. I doubt you'll regret it."

The only acknowledgement was the tightening grip of a pen. Royce took that as a small victory. He had nothing more to say, so he turned and walked away.

()()()()()()()()()()

Walking down the halls, Enzio still had that dreamy look on his face.

"Enzio…" The brown-haired student began cautiously.

"His name was Takuma Jiroo, yeah?" Enzio asked slowly, like he was trying to formulate his thoughts. Which didn't bode well with anyone involved.

"Yes…" Royce drawled, unsure.

"Alright. I want him."

Royce promptly stopped in his tracks, "You what?"

Enzio was unperturbed. Grabbing his friend by the shoulders, he looked the other male straight in the eyes.

"I. Want. Him."

"Okay, yes, but- but why?" He sputtered in exasperation.

"We need a manager. And word is that Kyoya Ootori himself approached him for the role. What do you think that says?"

"Who told you that?"

"Don't worry about that."

Royce pursed his lips.

"Royce."

"…"

"Royce."

Sigh, "Yes?"

"I want him. We're getting him."

"Please, no."

"Yes please." And that was that.

()()()()()()()()(

"Hmm," said their beautiful, auburn haired senpai, her kohai watching her intently.

They were clumped up in the corner of a noisy library, a place that was quiet as could be without the privacy of a clubroom. A clubroom they could not receive without first starting up their club. Which they also could not currently do because of low members and no business model.

"Takuma Jiroo is, ah, very antisocial. But I take it you gathered that already?"

They nodded. She nodded back.

"Well, then…" She looked at them, "And you're sure you want him in this club of ours?"

Enzio nodded enthusiastically; Royce less so.

"If that's the case… You should make a deal that he can't refuse." Retsuko settled, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms in finality.

"Like a deal with the devil!" Enzio snapped his fingers.

Retsuko giggled and dipped her head in confirmation, "Exactly. What you would offer him though…"

"Don't worry, I think I already have a good idea of what I need to do."

"That's never a good thing." Royce informed her wearily.

Retsuko laughed again, "Well, maybe not. But at least there'll be some amusement garnered from whatever he's planning, ne?"

Royce agreed, rather reluctantly, to that.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Royce was not amused.

Shocked? Yes.

Horrified? Oh, most definitely.

At least he wasn't the only one with his jaw on the floor.

It went something like this:

"Jiroo-san! You dislike people a whole lot, right?"

"Quite."

"Well then, I have a proposition for you!"

"And what would that be?"

"I wager that if you join my club you'll make lots and lots of friends by the end of the school year!"

"…that's the stupidest thing I've heard."

"That may be so, but it's stupid enough for you to actually be interested, right?"

"…okay then. I'll play along. If, and only if, we were to go through with this, what would you have to win?"

"If I win, then I'll have the pleasure of having you in my club and having an even greater pleasure of rubbing how right I was in your blond, smug face. If you really wanna up the stakes, then we can throw in you eating your least favorite food."

"I see. And if I prove you wrong?"

"Well, then, I'll give you sixty percent of my company when I finally inherit it."

There was silence. Royce swiveled his body toward his president.

"You'll what?!"

And that brought them to the present.

"Mhm," Enzio hummed, "But whatever connection you've made during the club will be no longer. To prove that you really couldn't care less about them, you see."

"You have to be the stupidest person I've met." Jiroo breathed in disbelief.

"Or the smartest." Enzio retorted, grinning.

"No, the stupidest!" Royce barked out, smacking him on the back of his head, "Have you lost your mind?! What is the matter with you?!"

"Ow! Calm down, Royce! It's a good deal, I swear!"

"Like Hell it is!"

"It's not even your inheritance!"

"So? Do you think it makes me happy seeing you throw away your future?!"

"I'm only throwing away sixty percent of it- would you stop hitting me?!"

"You're willing to bet something so important on a club that hasn't even been formed, on people you haven't even met yet?"

Both went silent and turned towards Jiroo, having even forgotten he was there.

"I mean… yeah," And he smiled, a radiant sun, "I have confidence in myself, my club and its members; even the ones that I 'haven't even met yet.'"

"I… see." The blond turned and left.

The remaining two look at one another. Enzio finally opened his mouth.

"Do you think I should have offered more or-"

"Not another word."

"But-"

"Not. Another. Word."

()()()()()()()()()()The Next day()()()()()()()()()()

"He what?" Retsuko breathed. She then looked at the person in question, "You what?"

"I made him an offer he couldn't refuse." Enzio recited.

Retsuko buried her face in her hands.

"That is not what I meant."

"Only a complete and utter idiot would even think that." Royce growled, turning a furious gaze on their president.

"It's not that bad, Roy-chan."

"Not that bad- Not that bad! You made a stupid, stupid deal with someone you don't even know will tell the truth-"

"Royce, don't worry. I trust Jiroo to do the right thing."

"Trust him?! You can't just trust any random person, Enzio."

"But I don't. I trust a good person who just doesn't know he's a good person yet." The young man corrected easily.

"Regardless," Retsuko sighed, "What's done is done."

"Ahem. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

They all went very quiet.

"Not at all." Enzio finally broke in, smile perhaps a bit more strained.

"Alright then. Let's get to business."

Enzio blinked, "Eh?"

"You'll need to sign the terms of our contract. After that, we need to inspect our current clubroom. And then, we'll get to business about the club and its goals."

"You managed to get a club room for us?" Retsuko asked in surprise.

"Yes. A club requires four members, and you've just gained your fourth member. Me."

Royce stared, "A club can only get a club room if they know the objective of said club. How-"

"It's simple, really. I just put in a random club objective until we have our actual club goals."

"Great!" Enzio clapped his hands together.

No, it's really not. Royce thought but did not say, If Jiroo is willing to cheat the system, even for something as small as this, just what else is he willing to do?

Royce, rather reluctantly, had begun to trust Enzio, and to some extent Retsuko, but that did not mean he was necessarily kind to everyone. Takuma Jiroo was the last person he wanted to place such trust in. But, he supposed he would have to deal.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

An hour later, the four students of Ouran made their way down the desolate halls.

"What is this place?" Enzio questioned, a bit uneasy at the quietness.

"This is one of the abandoned halls at Ouran. There was a horrible gas leak a few years back, which left this place uninhabitable."

"And it is safe now, right?" Retsuko questioned, fiddling with her lower lip; a nervous habit of hers.

"Mmhmm." Jiroo hummed idly, looking off to the side. "Hopefully so. It would be so tragic if we died, no?" And he shot them an eerie grin.

Royce, between Jiroo and his other companions, shifted to put the two out of the blond student's sight.

"A tragedy indeed." He droned.

Takuma gave him a look, opened his mouth, and then promptly shut it again.

"Kind of scary, neh?" Enzio said, trying to break the tension that had formed.

"I've heard a few stories about this hall, being a senpai and all." Retsuko hummed idly, peeking at them from one eye.

"Woah, really?" Enzio bounced, eyes wide and sparkling. "Like what?"

"Oh you know, the usual. People dying from the gas, the halls reeking of death being the real reason this section of the hall having to be abandoned, ghosts haunting this section, still thinking they're alive, things like that."

"I don't know what I was expecting when I asked that." Enzio sighed, deadpanned.

"A story of rainbows and sunshine, perhaps?" Takuma drawled.

Royce was caught between amusement and irritation. The amusement won out eventually.

"Oi, of course not!" Enzio exclaimed.

"Yes, of course not, Jiroo-san." Royce scoffed, "Don't forget the puppies and kittens and leprechauns and… the magic of friendship." The last part was stated in English, in a whimsical, dreamy tone.

"What kind of person do you people think I am?" Enzio sighed.

Retsuko laughed, "A very interesting one."

"And an idiot." Royce teased, elbowing him lightly in the side. "Maybe even a pony."

"Okay, first of all, your Americanism disgusts me. Second, this is bullying." The Italian hissed.

"So you're saying you don't like sunshine?" Takuma asked.

"Well… o- of course I do. What kind of person doesn't?"

"And rainbows?"

"They're nature's painting! Why wouldn't I?"

"And what about the puppies and kittens?" Royce hedged.

"So what if I did?" Enzio huffed.

"And the leprechauns?"

"They lead you to a pot of gold and- and the rainbows!" Enzio cried out in his defense.

"And you obviously adore friendship and its magic and crap." Royce snorted.

"Obviously." Takuma reinstated.

"Obviously." Retsuko said herself, stifling her laughter.

"You guys suck." Enzio muttered, slumping.

"Obviously." The three chimed.

"Jerks."

Takuma ruined the moment by saying, "We're here."

"Well, come on then!" Enzio chirped, eyes wide and bright.

The blond nodded, whipped out a napkin, and opened the doors.

Their lungs filled up with dust with a single step inside. Coughs reverberated across the room as the club members tried to clear the dust from their faces. All except Takuma, whose handkerchief protected him from the worst of it.

"You couldn't have warned us?" Royce wheezed out.

"Couldn't I?" The blond retorted.

There was a barely suppressed growl. Whatever comradery they had developed had gone away like a flash of light. Retsuko's gentle hand eased onto his bicep, like a country girl trying to calm a wild stallion.

"Calm down, okay? Being face to face with your exact personality is never too pleasant to begin with." And she gave a reassuring smile.

He looked away with a scoff. He didn't like what she said, the reluctant truth of it like a bitter afterthought at the back of his throat. He stepped away from her touch. He ignored her sigh in favor of looking around the room.

Even at first glance, the place was huge. The walls were a dull grey in color, and the floors made up of once pristine white tiles. It was a windowless room, the only source of light coming from a flickering lightbulb above their heads. And that was just the first room. Enzio, Retsuko now at his side, cheekily knocked on a door all the way at the back. When nothing happened, Enzio snickered to himself, turning to them with a laugh plain on his face.

Knock Knock Knock

"Ack!" The male choked out, balking.

Retsuko promptly burst into peals of honey sweet laughter.

"Retsuko! Not cool, man! Not cool at all!" He whined.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Takuma deadpanned. "And it wasn't about Haruno-senpai either."

"Oi, I'm plenty cool!" The red-head barked out, offended. "Tell them, Roy!"

"I can't have any true relationships built on lies." Came the immediate response.

"Assholes." Enzio huffed.

"Anyways," Takuma drawled, "This clubroom of ours was once used by the drama club. Considering how… extravagant those kinds of students tend to be, you'll find many, many perks. We have five bathrooms, two kitchens, ten changing rooms and showers, ten miscellaneous, a dining hall, a performance room- and yes, there is a stage- a backroom, and a storage."

"How did you manage to get all this?" Enzio gaped.

"I just told them the truth." Takuma said.

"Which was…?" Royce's eyes narrowed.

Takuma did not look fazed, "That our club would be one of the most successful ones in this school."

"That's very… optimistic of you." The only female in the club tilted her head slightly.

"It's nothing but the truth." And Takuma locked eyes with Enzio, who grinned, "The complete and absolute truth. Especially with people like us on board."

Royce faltered, before sighing in what had to be defeat, "I suppose it is, huh?"

"Of course." The green-eyed male said back, smirking, "It's only fair."

And he had a feeling that he wasn't just talking about this one moment right here, but the ones before this one and the ones to come after. Royce felt some part of him he didn't know was coiled up in the first place relax.

"Yes. It is."

At that moment, they came to an understanding. It was one on shaky terms but… it was an understanding nonetheless. He would deal with that.

"Alrighty then!" Their president called out, "Now that we have that figured out, it's time to start thinking about this club's long-term goals."

"Right." Every one of his subordinates barked.

"Good." He nodded with a grin. That grin faded slightly, replaced with a more serious stare, "Now, I've been thinking- what a surprise, I know-" He watched each and every one of their mouths snap closed, "But in terms of what this club can do, I have five main objectives. One of you guys write this down:

We volunteer wherever we can whenever we are able

We use our skillsets to help out our peers with whatever problems they may be facing

We travel to new places, meeting people, experiencing new things

We document each and every place and event through picture and through word

We have fun while doing it."

He took a deep breath, "Sound good?"

Retsuko beamed, "Sounds perfect."

"Yes. There is one thing though." Royce cleared his throat.

"What is it?" Enzio looked at his trusted vice.

"Money, pres." Royce laid it out there.

Enzio wrinkled his nose contemplatively, "Well, we'll each have to pay our dues… and after that we can start sales."

"Yes, but on what?" Takuma questioned.

"I'll leave that up to you, manager dear." Enzio chuckled. Takuma rolled his eyes.

"As important as funding is, Royce-kouhai is right. We need to settle who's what and our club name. The harder stuff can come later."

"Right." Enzio face twisted. "Well, I'm obviously president-"

"Obviously." The three stated.

"and Royce is vice president, Takuma is the manager, so that just leaves you, senpai!"

"Counselor."

"Okay then- wait, what? Retsuko? You mean like a uh… guidance counselor?"

"Mm-hmm."

"For a club?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Not like a secretary? Or the treasurer?"

"Mm-mm."

"Uh, I guess that's okay. That is okay, right? Not breaking any school policies?"

The two males shook their heads; Retsuko stood there with a blinding smile.

"Not too sexist either, right? Putting our only female in a sort of nurturing position…?"

They shrugged; Retsuko's smile became even brighter.

"Okay, cool. Guess that's that then."

"And the name-" An arm was slung around Royce's shoulders.

"Yes, the name. We'll call it… the Fun Times Club!"

And so came a new beginning. A rather fun one, if I do say so myself.

And I am dooone. Bam. And if it's not obvious, Chapter 1 was told through Enzio recounting it to Takuma, as sort of implied in this chapter. That's my reason for the crappy writing, and I am sticking to it. It mostly took me forever to update because you know, life happens sometimes. But yeah, here it is.

Now, for the character descriptions:

Takuma Jiroo: Straight blond hair, layered. Green eyes that either sparkle or shade over, depending on mood. 5'9. Fair skin, beauty mark.

Retsuko Haruno: Auburn hair that reaches waist, hair usually in partial folded bun, and rich green eyes. Sugar brown skin tone.

Retsuko WILL NOT be the only female in the club. As of now, however, she is. That's bound to change soon though, so don't worry TOO much about it.

Anyways, the Host Club will make appearances, but for right now, I'm trying to focus on the FTC's growth and development. I'd say the club will make a major appearance in like, the next few chapters.

But anyways, lemme describe the clubroom to you.

When you go in, there an entrance. To the right of said entrance, there's a dining hall, and to the left, a bathroom. Now, if a person goes down, opens the door, there's two huge kitchens on each side of it. Past the hall is the performance room and the stage. There is the backroom then, connected by two vertical halls. The backroom has a storage to the right of it, changing rooms behind both the storage and the backroom and two bathrooms, with showers that are intercoonected with the hallways of the storage room.

And that's it for now!

Don't forget to favorite, follow and review!

Bye!