Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran or any of its characters. You know the drill.

Chapter 3

Punishment

Weeks had gone by now, and with each passing day, Tamaki's unease and distracted thoughts were fading as Akane's health steadily progressed. Most of the bandages were removed by now, but the pain was still evident every so often. Being the concerned older brother, every day after school he went home and sat next to his sister's bed.

She hardly spoke to him, but every so often he would get a smile. Even if the smile was not the blissful one he remembered, but instead that painful, desperate smile, he still smiled back. Since she wouldn't talk much, Tamaki spoke enough for the both of them, telling her all about Ouran, classes, his friends, and the host club. He would sometimes get lost in stories about their bizarre endeavors. Akane would nod and stare at him, occasionally letting a smile of laughter slip onto her face, only encouraging her brother more.

His days after school were devoted to her, and when he finally left, Akane would cry. Cry that he was so kind, so happy. Cry because he was still the same lovable, slightly childish, and wonderfully lively boy she known so fondly. Why was he making it so hard for her? Every time she saw him smile, she wanted so badly to hide away and cry. Why couldn't he just hate her instead?

"Akane-chan, the doctor said you can go to school in three days! And you can get out bed tomorrow! Aren't you excited? You'll have so much fun, and you can meet everyone at the host club. They'll love you, I just know it!" Tamaki blabbered, excited as a child on Christmas morning.

Akane nodded and smiled slightly back, as her brother began to ramble on all the things they'd do, how much she'd enjoy going to Ouran. But inside, the girl knew it was never going to happen. She knew what was going to happen, and her soon-to-come meetings with her grandmother just confirmed her theories. She was ready though, this was her punishment, she knew the moment she had done what she had done that this was her destiny. No amount of naïve wishing and hoping would stop it.

Akane sighed, and turned her eyes from Tamaki to the now open windows. Once she was able to sit up, she had asked the servants to keep them open, so she could feel the warm sunlight on her skin, to give her some false comfort while she could afford it.

Unbeknownst to any of the servants or doctors, she had already gotten out of bed. While Dr. Rokaro was on break, and no maids were around, she had removed her tight covers, and tried to use her legs. The first attempt had left her knee hurting in strain, but she had begun to regain her balance and strength, slowly but surely. She would sit next to the window, a small niche by the glass big enough for her to sit on, her knees to her chest, and her eyes to the brilliant sky. Of course, she'd have to pretend she couldn't walk when they let her out of bed in three days.

--

She'll be here soon. I wonder if she'll like the club...maybe we should throw her a welcoming party...

"Tamaki, is everything alright?" One of his customers brought his train of thought, waking him up to reality. Her huge blue eyes were full of concern, more that he wasn't flirting with her than worried if he was okay.

"Princess, I sincerely apologize. But you should know, as long as I am with you, I'll always be fine," He recovered, staring deeply into her eyes. She could only let her cheeks flush a bright pink in reply, nearly melting as he held her hand.

As the customer squealed in delight, Tamaki looked across the room to Haruhi, who was entertaining guests of her own. She smiled gratefully at them, thanking them for their designation today.

She looks so cute when she smiles like that...I'm such a lucky father...

He felt bad he hadn't been paying much attention to her, and thought he might talk to her and the others after club today. He wasn't going to explain everything, no; he wanted everyone to be surprised, well, almost everyone...

--

A week earlier...

As the host said goodbye to all his friends, Tamaki rubbed his posterior sorely. That day had been a Hawaiian theme, and he was irked at the twins. While he had trying to show off his newly learned hula dance, the twins had "accidentally" dropped a banana peel in front of him, causing him to slip into Hunny's Hawaiian pineapple cake.

"I'll get those two, just you Kaoru and Hikaru," he mumbled, making his way down the steps to his limo. As he took the next step, a firm hand caught his shoulder, sending him to a halt.

"How long do you intend to keep it secret?" A cold, serious voice asked behind him. The blonde host didn't need to turn around to know who stood behind him, but he did anyway. He put on his best innocent face and decided to try and play it dumb.

"Kyouya, what are talking about? I kept a secret from you? Why would you even—"

"Stop playing dumb Tamaki,"

Damn!

"How much do you know? How did you find out?" Tamaki questioned, changing to a very business like voice. He stared harshly at his best friend, trying not to show weakness to the shadow king. Kyouya remained unfazed

"Enough, it's very intriguing to investigate why so many doctors, including one of the best in Japan, gather in one place, for one patient," Kyouya answered, flashing his glasses cleverly. No one was good at keeping secrets from him, no matter how they tried to cover things up. Although he didn't' know everything about the situation, he was sure he'd know soon enough.

"Kyouya, she's in a delicate state right now. It's not good to spread this around. Akane's just..."

"Ah, so it is a she. Akane, was it?" The shadow king replied, pulling out his notebook and jotting down some new info.

"What?! You didn't know?!"

"I don't know everything, Tamaki. But I'd like to suggest that you not keep secrets from me," He snapped his files shut, returning them to his brief case. Oh yes, he had some information now. Kyouya turned around, waving a hand without looking back to Tamaki. This time it was Tamaki who caught his shoulder, stopping the Ootori short.

"Kyouya...do you know...why Akane is here?" He asked earnestly, deep violet eyes burning holes in the prodigy's back.

"Not yet," He answered, not turning around to give his answer.

"If you do find out, please, keep it secret. She just..."

"Fine, fine," Kyoya replied, shaking off the boy's firm hand. He walked off, deep in thought at the moment. He needed to find out soon, it was going to be very interesting, that he knew...

--

The First Suou mansion was beyond belief. It made the second one look like a poor house, and a poor house look like a dumpster with a door. Every room had gorgeous stone tiling, the light shining off of them made the Antique chandeliers on the ceiling almost unnecessary. Statues, tapestries, and paintings filled the walls, making Akane feel more like she was in an art museum than someone's home.

The hallways seemed endless, so vast that the girl had to keep only one footstep behind the butler that led the way. Yesterday she had been removed form her bed, and could comfortably walk, much to the doctor's surprise. He had said it would take more than a day, but Akane had decided to shock them instead. Besides, she didn't like acting and faking. She sighed, now realizing she'd probably be doing much acting soon enough.

"Madam Suou, Mistress Akane is here, as you requested," The butler said, knocking on a large pair of beautiful double doors, incrusted in what looked like gold.

"Enter," The woman replied, and the butler opened the door wide for Akane. This room was more cavernous than the halls, and even more art hung form the walls. In the middle of the room sat a small glass table, two chairs made of the same transparent material on either side.

"Please take a seat, Akane," Her grandmother offered, more of an order than an invitation. The woman sat in the opposite glass chair, her two black-suited guards a few feet behind her. The girl gently sat, at first afraid of breaking the chair, but kept her grace in front of the head of the family.

"Good morning, Madame Suou," She greeted. In her mind, she knew the woman would not be pleased at being called grandmother. Tamaki had told her about their grandmother, as well as her father, who had given her a ride to the mansion. The advice was different, but Akane decided to go by instinct.

"You may call me Obaasan if you wish, or you may refer to me as Sensei, since I will be teaching you a great deal," She corrected, her tone never changing and her face like a statue's. The elderly woman waved her hand and one of the suited men carried a tray of tea over to the pair. He began pouring the tea as hey continued.

"Yes, Sensei,"

"Now, I'll cut to the point, since I can't stand fickle talk. I hope you realize that yes, the Suou family must take care of you since, well, I don't need to explain that, do I? But, were you stay and how you are treated is up to me, and unlike your brother, you are not to be any sort of successor to the Suou Company. So, you will contribute to the family in a different way," Her grandmother continued icily, pausing momentarily to sip her tea.

"Understood," Akane replied, scared at the fact the woman had not added an ounce of cream or sugar to the bitter drink.

"Marriages are only one of the ways companies can become friendlier with each other. That is why, at Ouran Academy, you will become friends with everyone, every son or daughter of any large company head. Talk to them, laugh at their jokes, do whatever you need to to get them to like you. Especially the sons who will be inheriting companies; become very good friends with them. Every half a week or so you will meet with me here and tell me how things are going," Her grandmother paused, taking another sip of the hot tea, "If you fail at this task, you will have no use to the family, and I will distribute punishment as necessary. Am I quite clear, Akane?"

Akane took a deep breath, exactly as she had thought. There was no room for error, and no room for personal feelings as well. This is what she had chosen, and this is what she had to do.

"Very clear, Obaasan," She answered, a cheery smile on her face, although it wanted to be far away form this woman. "I'll do my best!"

"Good answer. We have a bit more to discuss as well. If we want this to succeed, you need to..."

After another hour or so, Akane left the mansion, soon to return in four days. She had her job, her punishment at last. Her sin deserved such a task, even if it meant losing her freedom.

--

Hey guys, thank you so, so much for all the favs, alerts, reviews, and all that jazz. Cookies for all of you (err...something like that...)

Oh and does anyone know Tamaki's grandmother's name? Thanks again!