Hello! I'd firstly like to apoligize, this took forever to come out. I finally just sat down and wrote it. So here it is. I'm not thrilled with it, but tell me what you think, don't hold back. If you need to rebel against me for talking so long, you can do so by throwing virtual tomatoes or something (just don't take it out on the reviews if you want more story! You guys keep me going you know!) Unless, of course, you want to kill my review button by reviewing ALOT... I'm okay with that. But, in all seriousness, thanks for sticking with me, I hope you reader people are doing well.

I may be going back and editing the previous chapters, if I get stuck writing this. I hope I'm being exciting enough and not writing you a terribly boring story. If i am, let me know.

Enjoy the chapter! And thank you to you people who reviewed and didn't get all mad at me for my hiatus. Thanks for the motivation, all of you.

Without further ado...

CHAPTER FOUR

(confetti)

In Germany

Somewhat before current story

Their country had been stereotyped a few times too many for Aleida Heintz not to complain about it. Yes, there'd been a Holocaust. Like Germany was the only country at fault, the only people to discriminate. One or two bad people stamped with a German surname, and the whole country was shamed. Maybe they had a name for themselves for being headstrong and independent; but, they weren't the heartless, merciless brutes the storybooks made them out to be. It was a culturally rich place, Germany, complete with rolling hills and a gentle factory smoke somewhere outside her penthouse window. She was, as many of her friends called her, a patriot. And she was damned proud.

Her pride and joy was her school, aside from her country that is, she had been divorced a decade and only wished her daughter to graduate from the academy and take over as chairman when Aleida was ready to retire. The academy had become her blood, part of her, and she couldn't imagine being without it.

It was shaped around the ideal image of a wealthy German, sophisticated and strong, a natural leader. She hired teachers from any part of the world, who presented themselves in a neat and ordered manner. Her sister became the Dean of Discipline, she'd ironed out the mannerisms for each student, secretly biasing this rule or that towards the male or female students. All of the students that graduated her school became role models for society; they headed businesses or became trophy wives with a brain in their blonde head, who often wrote books or had TV shows on cable.

She tapped her nails against the desk, leaning back in her chair as she often did when she thought. She met Haruhi Fujioka during a trip to Japan, and she didn't take much interest in her until she learned her story. She couldn't remember the whole thing now, but she was dazzled by her, this Haruhi girl reminded her of herself. So she acted on her impulse and knew she must have this girl attend her school. Of course, Haruhi declined, bantering on her loyalty to her scholarship and that kind of crap.

Aleida almost forgot about Haruhi, until she got a call a week or two back. She mentioned a predicament that was causing her grades to slip, past the level of accepted scholarship. Frantically, she promised that, if she could get some sort of scholarship, the rut would past. She was desperate, really.

With a smile, the chairman stuffed the usual blandly written, legally sound letter of acceptance into an envelope. Haruhi would be a nice addition to the ORCHIS family, with some hair extensions and a wardrobe update, maybe.

Putting the letter to the side, she went back to her slandering and muttering. What a good few weeks it had been.

Back to regular time

It was a bit chilly this early in the morning. Haruhi walks through the tall grass that loops behind the pension and down towards the shops downtown. Albeit the cold in her ankles, as her pant legs have become soaked through from the morning fog and dew, she feels good. She knows all she needs is a break, a little quiet to clear her mind.

It's just becoming light out, and noise begins to come into her surroundings, a bird call here or the sounds of a shop preparing for business. She sits in a shaded area overlooking the town, watching a couple dress a mannequin outside of a thrift store. She lays down on the grass, unsure if the sensation is painful or calming. Both, she decides. Numbing.

She remembers vaguely a moment when her mom was alive. She couldn't place the memory, but numb had something to do with it; being numb or feeling numb or—something like that. Her eyes flutter shut, time turns slow and farcically, until the sounds of morning lull her to sleep.

Kyoya wakes with a start, feeling that he's had a bad dream, but not quite remembering much. Without needing to look, he knows the room is empty.

It's the first time he notices how quiet being alone is.

The clock reads six fifty, before the alarm again, and this brings a wave of emotion he bites back. He takes a minute, sits and lets the bed creak under his weight.

The room is empty, and Haruhi is gone. It's quiet and he is suddenly very lonely.

Haruhi cannot leave Ouran and go to Germany.

He stops-

-and falls into laughter, chocking on his breath as he lays on his back.

He didn't sign up for this, no. He signed up for a lousy paycheck and a place to sleep at night. Not an empty room and a lonely mind and some stupidfuckingjuvenilecrapsch oolboycrush.

The alarm blares, which makes him laugh even more. Incomprehensibly, he mutters, "I'm already awake."

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