The next two weeks of school passed quickly. I emailed my parents some of the photos I'd taken to show them what my school was like, what my new friends were like, and what Tokyo was like.

Toui and I went for an actual coffee at Starbucks somewhere in Tokyo. I don't think I've ever enjoyed waiting in a line for twenty minutes more – I gladly waited, and would have waited longer, just to have that beautiful grande iced mocha in hands.

"This tastes weird," Toui commented as he sipped my drink then scrunched his face and set it back down on the table. "No, I don't like that at all."

I tutted about how he just didn't have good taste, and then happily gulped down the rest of the iced mocha in my hand. it tasted like a little piece of heaven. "That's it – I'm coming here every day before school."

"School starts before this place opens," Toui informed me.

I frowned. "damn. Then I'm gonna send out some of my bodyguards to fetch me one for lunch."

Toui laughed, "great use of your resources, Scarlet."

I took out my camera and got a great picture of Toui drinking his coffee, the cream clumping on his upper lip like a foam moustache as he drunk. "So, who's this friend of yours? Poppy something, right?"

"Poppy Lawson," I nodded. "She's great. you'd like her."

"She's in your French class, isn't it?"

"Yeah. she's helping me catch up. I suck at French."

"Me too. must be a family thing," he chuckled. "So, you and Hikaru then? what's going on there?"

I giggled, "nothing. why does everyone assume there's something going on? he's funny and we're friends. there's not a fibre of my body that's attracted to him, at all. seriously, you've got nothing to worry about there."

"Good. cause I don't think I could stand another one of them making out with someone I'm related to," he said, shuddering as he spoke the words. It was a rather unsettling thought. "So, any guys at all I have a right to punch then?"

"Nope."

"Really? cause a little birdie told me you were flirting with Kyoya Ootori."

I frowned. "Was this little birdie Hana-shaped?"

"Maybe."

"It's a lie. She thinks I like him. Don't see how she could possibly assume that. I've spoken to the idiot twice – the first time I wanted to punch him in the gonads, and the second time I did. hardly flirting tactics, are they?"

Toui's face brightened. "Not exactly, no. did you really do that?"

"Yes," I admitted. "Best part was he didn't believe me. he didn't actually think I'd do it. you should've seen the look of surprise, mixed in with the feeling of pain, on his face right afterwards. Priceless."

"No picture?"

"Unfortunately not. He had taken my camera from me, which was the very reason I'd punched him. Didn't get it back till he opened his hand as he crumbled to the ground. by that time I'd already missed it. I did get him curling up in the foetal position on the floor though, which is good enough, I guess."

"You're actually insane," Toui chuckled, taking a bite of the chocolate muffin on the plate we were supposed to share, but now he'd drooled all over it I wasn't going to claim my half. "But if you weren't, I doubt we'd be best friends."

"But you have to be a little insane to have a best friend like me," I pointed out. he pondered the theory for a second, then grinned and agreed. We spent a good half hour trying to work out if it was all the Izumis who were insane. We came to the conclusion we realised it was. not one person in our blood-related family was sane. Said something about my family, didn't it?

When we got back from Starbucks we walked in on a Host Club meeting being held in the living room. joy. "Scarlet!" Hikaru grinned as he jumped up to hug me. "Guys, have any of you had a proper introduction to Scarlet yet?"

Kyoya frowned from across the coffee table. "No, but I'll be fine without one."

My fists scrunched, hearing his voice. He was just so damn irritating. The blonde I'd seen my first day at school jumped up and threw on a scarily-enthusiastic grin. "We have yet to have the privilege. My name is Tamaki Suoh," he greeted. "Now, I've heard you've a bit of a spitfire."

"I've seen her in action," the little brunette at the end laughed. "It was so funny."

His resolve of it being funny lasted a few short seconds before Kyoya's blazing glare frightened him and he stopped laughing, looking down at his feet in fear. Poor guy. I had no idea who he was, but I guessed he was the famous Haruhi. He looked quite feminine. Maybe that was his charm?

"Cake!"

Everyone turned in surprise to the tiny blonde boy seated on the sofa beside a brunette giant. The little boy was clapping his hands as the brunette handed him another slice of cake. My jaw nearly fell out of my mouth – how was this guy older than me? He was in the year above me, somehow. he looked about five years old to me, but he was apparently some prodigy in martial arts.

I never understood martial arts. How were they going to help you when someone could just knock you unconscious? The only way martial arts made sense was if you were fighting someone who was going to use martial arts too, and if they go for the full-on violent approach like I favoured, of if they pulled a weapon, like a gun, you couldn't exactly defend yourself against the attack, could you? the only place martial arts ever make sense was in Jet-Li films.

The only one that seemed to be missing was Suki, and she wasn't even really part of the Host Club. I think she was an honorary member or something like that. she had some ties to the club I think, other than being Hana's best friend.

Suki was insane. not the way I was - she was just strange. she and Hana had been friends since she'd started Ouran I'd been told. I'd spoken to her a couple times cause she's in my year. We didn't really have all that much in common, other than hating Kyoya, but she seemed a good friend to Hana. Along with Haruhi, she'd been the one to set Kaoru and Hana up on a date at the aquarium. She'd given me a play-by-play of the entire thing, till Kaoru and Hana had run away from them about half an hour in.

"Wanna go upstairs and play some video games?" Toui suggested, clearly dying to get out of this room as quick as possible. I nodded and Hikaru asked if he could come with us.

"We've still got important business to attend to," Kyoya frowned, motioning him back into his seat. "You can play with her later, when we're finished, Hikaru."

Hikaru looked to me then sighed and returned to the couch. "Let it go," Toui said, grabbing my wrist before I could tackle Kyoya out of his chair and to the ground. "Breathe, Scarlet. Really big, deep breaths."

I threw a sceptic look at him. "I'm helping," he informed me. "Now; let's leave before you attack someone else."

"It'd just be that jackass."

"And I'd love nothing more than to see you take him down, but right now you've not no reason to do it," Toui sighed, motioning to the group on the couches who were intently listening in to our conversation. "It's a club meeting – Hikaru can't just get up and leave."

I frowned. why did he have to be right? One more look at Kyoya, who was smirking a little, then I stormed off up the stairs. I don't think I've ever wanted to break someone's nose more in my life, and I'd met a bunch of irritating people. But no one knew how to push my buttons like Kyoya Ootori did. I don't even know how he does it – he doesn't know anything about me, yet he can get under my skin like no one else. I hate him.

"Scarlet, you like him don't you?" Toui asked as he came up and took the seat beside me in the games room. I looked to him in disbelief – maybe those pain pains of his had finally made him delusional.

"No."

"You sure? Cause you guys definitely have chemistry."

"No we don't. we don't have chemistry, and we don't have a love-hate thing going on either, so don't dare start quoting your sister," I hissed at him, crossing my arms. "Stop saying I like him, cause I don't."

Toui's expression was half-sceptic, half-amused. "Alright. I'll drop the subject and we'll never speak about it again."

"Good."

"Now, what game d'you wanna play?"

"Something I get to shoot things in," I decided, grabbing one of the controllers from the table then kicked off my shoes, readying myself for some serious anger-releasing gaming.

"Black Ops it is."

Two hours later Hikaru came upstairs, flopping onto the couch on top of me. I pushed him off, though I was happy to see him. Toui paused the game and went to a three-player game. "You took a long time."

"Sorry, but Kyoya decided we should go through everything," Hikaru apologized as I shuffled over to make room for him on my left side, so he didn't have to sit in between me and Toui. "Probably did it on purpose, just cause he knew you were waiting."

"Sounds like him," I growled, shooting some more assassins, envisioning Kyoya's head on each one of them. "What is the point of bodyguards if they can't keep people I don't like away from me?"

Toui and Hikaru shrugged. "I think they're only charged to stop you getting kidnapped or shot at. Annoying seventeen year old boys are a little out of their jurisdiction," Toui smirked. My fist collided with his shoulder – now was not the time to make jokes. there was a time and a mood for jokes – this was not it. he should know better. "I'm gonna go call your friend Poppy over before you blackened one of my eyes."

With that Toui got my cell from my bag then left the room. I hoped Poppy wouldn't be busy. I really needed her here. "You're letting Kyoya get to you, Scarlet," Poppy told me fifteen minutes later when she arrived and she took Toui's place in the game and he went to bed.

"I am not."

"Japanese, please. I'm not good with English," Hikaru begged us.

"You're such a baby," I laughed.

"A very cute baby," Poppy corrected, in English, so she wouldn't feel embarrassed and Hikaru wouldn't understand. Language barriers were always wonderful things to have when you were trying to tell someone you liked them, without implying you liked them.

Poppy said things like this, but I don't think she meant them. at least not in that way. she could. For all I know she could have liked Hikaru for years. I just didn't think that was it. if she liked him, why not join the Host Club? It's not like she couldn't afford it. "What was that?" Hikaru asked, and we both just laughed and shook our heads, refusing to tell. "You two are cruel to me."

"Oh, but we're your only friends. clearly us being cruel doesn't really bother you," Poppy pointed out, in Japanese this time.

"I'd hardly call either of you friends yet. I've known you both little more than two weeks," Hikaru pointed out. "Course, I can see us becoming friends. Good friends."

Poppy rolled her eyes. "You've known me almost three years."

"Fine. so I hadn't actually ever spoken to you before a fortnight ago. Better?" Hikaru chuckled.

Poppy nodded. "Much better, yes." I looked at her, confused as to what the point of that was and she smiled, "it's the small victories of being right that count, Scarlet. Ever something as minor as this is important."

"My mom says the exact same – it's the small things that matter," I smiled. Poppy grinned, as she thought it an honour to be compared with my mother. I'd done it once before, and she'd explained the smile, so I knew what it was this time round.

"We should do this every Saturday," Poppy decided as I walked her and Hikaru to the door as it was getting late and they needed to get home. "How about you two come to my house next week? Smaller than your places, obviously; but it'd be good."

Hikaru and I nodded, "sounds awesome."

"More information at school on Monday then," she smiled as she walked over and got into the convertible that had pulled up outside. her dad waved from inside the car and I waved back.

"So, I guess I should be leaving too," Hikaru realised as we waved Poppy off as she disappeared down the drive. I nodded at his suggestion and we were both still left on the steps outside the door. "You know, this would be the perfect time to kiss me."

I laughed and pushed him away. "No chance, you idiot."

He chuckled and shrugged, "worth a shot."

"Give up now," I informed him. "I don't ever kiss you."

"Oh, now you really shouldn't have said that," he grinned, flicking his hair. "Cause I'm now gonna make it happen, somehow. so watch out, Scarlet Knight; you're gonna kiss me by choice sometime. It's my life's ambition."

"Great life ambition," I assured him, rolling my eyes and stepping back to go inside. "Goodnight, you utter moron."

"Night, you psychopathic American," he grinned as he descended the steps and I closed the door, going up to sleep.

Sunday I talked on Skype with my parents. I was missing them like crazy, and they were sure to assure me they felt the same. I missed DC. Sure I was settling in better at Ouran than I'd ever settled at Emerson Prep, but DC was home. America was home.

Dad excused himself to go to the bathroom and mom was quick to dive into a conversation about boys. "So, anyone you like yet?"

"No. I've got a boy I hate though."

Mom smiled, "there's a fine line between love and hate."

"No, it's a very big line. A big line, with a gorge in the middle and police tape round the sides," I assured her and she shook her head, laughing. I knew where this was going – she was going to talk about when her and dad met.

"That's exactly what I thought when I met your father," she started. see? I'm psychic. "Course he found his way under my skin and into my heart."

"But dad's a nice guy."

"And I was stubborn, yes. That's not the point. The point is all boys are idiots when they're young. To be honest they never really grow out of it, but there's a time when they think the world of themselves. you just gotta knock some sense into them," mom smiled, reaching up to push back the one lone strand of hair that had fallen out of its clasp. "I'd be careful if I were you, Scarlet. One second I believed I hated your father, and in an instant everything changed."

"Yeah, why did it exactly?" I questioned her. "You never actually told me the rest of the story. what changed your mind?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Definitely."

The gentle smile that appeared on my mom's face seemed reminiscent. "It was when he told my father I wasn't going to have an arranged marriage and to go to hell. Of course I'm paraphrasing – there was slightly more profanity in what he said."

I giggled. I could never, ever imagine my dad doing that. my dad – CEO of a multi-billionaire business empire – swearing at my grandfather. No wonder they hadn't ever spoken at Thanksgiving dinner.