Katsumi sat at a table at the back of Music Room 3. It was just a normal Wednesday. She had already prepared the tea for this round of guests and was waiting to gather up the dirty dishes that needed washing. She glanced up at the clock. It would be another twenty minutes until it was time for this round of guests to leave. Reaching into her backpack she fished out her copy of Brave New World. Takashi senpai had recommended this to her when she had told him that she liked dystopian novels. It was definitely unlike anything she had ever read. With all of the sex and drugs it was about the exact opposite of 1984, her current favorite. There was some sex in that too, but nothing like this. Despite her recent weekend tryst with Kyouya, Katsumi still considered herself quite innocent. Some chapters took one or two read-throughs for her to understand what was really going on. A few scenes had actually managed to make her blush. Besides those parts, she actually liked the book quite a bit. She was excited to talk with Takashi about it once she'd finished, and find out what he liked so much about the book.

"Hey Katsumi, what're you reading?" Kaoru asked her. Katsumi had been so focused on her book that she jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Don't scare me like that! You'll give me a heart attack," she demanded, holding one hand over her heart and setting the book face down on the table.

"Sorry." Kaoru chuckled at her over dramatization. "Seriously though, what're you reading?"

"It's called Brave New World. Takashi senpai gave it to me last week when I went over to do homework."

"Is it for class or something? I thought we were reading A Midsummer Night's Dream." Kaoru furrowed his brow in confusion. Was there some book report he was totally unaware of?

"No it's not for class. It's for fun. I rather like reading, you know," Katsumi teased. Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief.

"You still have to read that manga I told you to read, with the character that reminds me of Kyouya senpai," Hikaru cut in as walked over, resting his arm on Kaoru's shoulder.

"You mean Black Butler? The one about the demon? Come on guys, that's not nice," Katsumi fixed him with a glare.

"For the last time, I don't sound like the demon from that anime! I don't know where you get that sort of nonsense!" Kyouya yelled from across the room. Katsumi sighed. Apparently Kyouya had been eavesdropping again. All the girls at Kyouya's table twittered with laughter.

"I don't know Kyouya," one of them said. "I think he sounds rather sexy. His voice is all smooth like yours."

"While I greatly appreciate the compliment, I can say with certainty that I am no demon." Kyouya flashed them all a brilliant smile. Katsumi snorted, rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to her book. She knew that smile. It was the one he put on when he felt he had to smile, the one that was meant to dazzle.

"Oh come on, don't ignore us!" the twins said in unison.

"Don't you have guests to see to?" Katsumi asked, not raising her eyes from the page she was reading.

"So?" Hikaru asked. "To be honest we like you better."

"Don't let them hear you say that," Katsumi warned. "These girls can get crazy."

As soon as the sentence had left Katsumi's mouth, the double doors to the music room burst open. It was Kotoko Yamada, one of Kyouya's regular guests. She looked furious. Marching straight up to Kyouya's table, she slammed a newspaper down, spilling tea everywhere. Katsumi sighed and went to go get the mop.

"Explain this!" Kotoko shrieked, pointing to the front page. Kyouya glanced up at his regular guest. She was trembling with rage and her whole face was red. What could he possibly have done to make her this angry?

The other hosts gathered around behind Kyouya to read the newspaper that Kotoko had thrown down in front of him. Kyouya picked up the paper, shook it out, and read the title of the article.

HITACHIIN MODEL AND YOUNGEST OOTORI SHARE HOT WEEKEND IN OKINAWA

Below the headline were pictures of him and Katsumi. One showed them holding hands on his private beach, another showed them locked in an embrace, his lips on hers. Kyouya closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead. He had been worried about this. He had wanted minimal staff at the beach so they would have less people in their way, but it looks like he should've brought extra security. He had been so wrapped up in her that he hadn't even noticed the cameras. All the color drained from his face. Had his father seen the front page? What was he going to say?

When Katsumi returned a moment later with the mop, she was thoroughly confused by the spectacle in front of her. Kyouya sat there white faced with his head in his hands. The twins kept glancing from the newspaper in Kyouya's hands to her then back again. Tamaki stood there with his hand over his mouth and Hani senpai was getting on his tiptoes to read over everyone's shoulders. What did that newspaper even say anyway?

"So? What's the big news?" Katsumi asked, moving to stand behind Kyouya with the rest of the hosts so she could read the headline. It took a few minutes for the words to really sink in. She had been followed, someone had followed them to Okinawa. A lead ball dropped into her stomach. This girl was mad at Kyouya because of her. They were in the newspaper. What if Kyouya's father had seen it? She felt her cheeks turn the color of a tomato.

"It's you…" Kotoko said, studying Katsumi carefully. "You're the girl in the pictures! You bitch, you stole him from me! I can't believe that you're a model. I don't know what he sees in you."

Katsumi shrunk back a little, her back bumping into the twins. They each rested one hand protectively on her shoulders. She was used to standing up to boys but she'd never had a girl scream at her like this before.

"She didn't steal me from anyone," Kyouya answered, his cool mask back on. He stood up and adjusted his glasses.

"But… but Kyo… I thought that we were…" Kotoko stuttered, tears forming in her eyes.

"We were not," Kyouya said simply. Honestly he was relieved to have an excuse to rebuff her. She had become increasingly possessive which was hurting his business with his other clients. "She and I, on the other hand, are very much together." He took her hand in his, gently tugging Katsumi to his side. Katsumi ducked her head so that she didn't have to see the hurt and betrayal in Kotoko's eyes. She felt embarrassed and just wanted to sit and process this whole incident for a while but it looked like she wasn't going to get that chance.

Kotoko reached up and slapped Kyouya across the face. He acted unphased, simply adjusting his glasses which had been knocked slightly askew.

"We don't tolerate any violence in our club, princess." Tamaki gently grabbed her arm and tugged her away from Kyouya. "I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave."

"I can't believe you'd do this to me Kyouya!" Kotoko yelled as she was being escorted out. The twins shut the doors behind her, leaning against them and breathing a sigh of relief.

As soon as she was gone Kyouya's phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out he winced slightly. Only Katsumi noticed and she squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Katsumi, it's my father. I have to take this." He released her hand and walked over to the other side of the room, talking softly and quietly.

"Alright princesses, we're closing the club for the rest of the day so we can deal with this in house matter," Tamaki said, ushering the girls toward the door. "We will see all of you lovely ladies tomorrow."

The girls waved and said their goodbyes to their respective hosts, pouting as they walked out the door. As soon as they were gone Katsumi plopped down on a couch, raking her fingers through her hair.

"You going to be alright?" Kaoru asked her, taking a seat beside her. Katsumi just nodded, adjusting so her head was resting on his shoulder. Just breathing in the scent of her best friend was comforting. Haruhi sat on her other side, taking one of Katsumi's hands in hers. Katsumi glanced over at Kyouya. He was nervous, she could tell by his posture. What was his father saying?

"Kyouya, you should've told me things with this girl were that serious," Mr. Ootori lectured.

"Yes Father, I-" Kyouya began, but he was cut off.

"I enjoyed meeting her a few weeks ago. Why have you not brought her back to the house so I can speak with her further?" Kyouya breathed a slight sigh of relief. So his father had liked her after all.

"I can bring her to dinner," Kyouya offered.

"Yes, do that. This weekend."

"I'll bring her on Saturday."

"Very good. I look forward to getting to know her better. After all this publicity, you understand my expectation, yes?"

Kyouya pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew what his father was getting at. He expected them to become engaged.

"Father, I'm not sure if she's-" he started.

"I will see you both on Saturday for dinner." The line then went dead. Sighing, Kyouya shut his phone and placed it back in his pocket. How was he going to talk to Katsumi about all this? Turning around he saw Katsumi's head on Kaoru's shoulder. What were they doing? Were they like this all the time? Was she cheating on him with Kaoru? It would be easy for her to do that. They lived in the same house after all…

Katsumi interrupted his train of thought by coming over and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"So what did your dad say?" she asked him.

"He wants us to come for dinner on Saturday," Kyouya answered simply.

"He does? Did he see the paper?"

Kyouya just nodded.

"Are you in trouble?"

"No, surprisingly I am not in trouble." Kyouya opened his mouth to tell her about the engagement requirement his father had for them, but he quickly shut it again. This wasn't the time or place to have that discussion with her. He just closed his eyes and placed a kiss on her forehead. How was he even going to bring that up?

Katsumi lay on the floor of the Morinozuka family dojo, her math homework spread out in front of her. Lately she and Takashi had taken to meeting twice a week. Their meetings were a mix of sparring and homework. Sometimes one day was all sparring and one was homework, and sometimes the two days were a mix of the two. Today had started out as a homework day but the numbers on the page in front of her were starting to become intelligible squiggles.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this, Takashi senpai."

Takashi sat in a corner reading a book, his homework already completed. He'd been enjoying his biweekly meetings with Katsumi. Sometimes they would spar, sometimes they would do homework. It always made him feel good when he was able to help her with something she didn't understand. He watched as she groaned, biting the end of her pencil before rolling over and giving up. Her rolling over had raised her shirt slightly, revealing part of her midriff. He noticed how pale and smooth her skin looked and his hands itched to touch it.

"You can get it," he reassured her, giving her a small smile before returning his eyes to his book. He was reading 1984, Katsumi's favorite book, even though he'd read it before. They did a book exchange last week and since it had been a few years he decided to read it again. He had forgotten how much this book creeped him out.

Katsumi groaned and rolled over again. "They've just turned into intelligible squiggles Takashi senpai. I can't make heads of tails of them. I don't get this integral thing they're trying to teach us."

"Integration isn't so bad. It's differentiation backwards," he answered simply.

"Gee thanks a lot," Katsumi said flatly. "That really cleared things up for me. It all makes perfect sense now. The clouds have parted. It's like magic! It's-"

"Alright, I'll come help you." Takashi lifted himself off the ground, leaving his book on the side of the dojo. At this point in the evening Satoshi and his father had finished practicing so they had the dojo to themselves. Both of them were rather fond of Katsumi, who usually was able to knock Satoshi senseless. Takashi, on the other hand, she had never beaten again. He sat cross legged next to her and picked up her homework, glancing it over.

"Here." Takashi grabbed a pencil and wrote the solution to the problem she was currently working on. "Does that help?"

"No," Katsumi sighed, resting her head on Takashi's leg. Takashi, quite unaware of what he should do in this case, awkwardly patted her head.

"You'll get it eventually," he offered.

"I hate math," Katsumi mumbled into his thigh. "Can we spar instead? Maybe that'll help me clear my head."

Takashi nodded and gathered her books and papers in his arms, dumping them to the side of the dojo by his book. Neither of them were dressed to spar, but Takashi didn't care much. He would do just about anything for her, anything she asked. She had him wrapped around her finger.

Katsumi shifted into fighting stance. She knew she and Takashi weren't dressed for sparring, but she didn't care. She was so angry at her math and at herself for not being able to understand something that seemed so simple to everyone else. She had to get this out of her system somehow.

The rage boiled in her veins as she lashed out, jumping up to kick Takashi. Grabbing her foot he pushed her back. She barely managed to land on her feet. She steadied herself for a second before lashing out at his legs. He just dodged out of the way. He wasn't even trying.

Takashi noticed how sloppily she was fighting. She was angry about something, probably at her math. He remembered how long it had taken him to understand integration. Sparring had always helped him. She glared at him when her eyes met. He sighed. She could tell he was going easy on her.

"Come on Takashi senpai! Fight me!" Katsumi insisted. Takashi narrowed his eyes. Alright, he'd fight her.

Takashi kicked, and Katsumi was barely able to jump back in time. He reached over and grabbed her shoulder, pressing on a pressure point and forcing her down to her knees. It was a beautiful picture, her on her knees in front of him. He shook his head slightly to clear it. When they were sparring was not the time to think about… that!

While he had been distracted, Katsumi had grabbed his left leg, twisting it and making him fall. Fuck, he had to be more careful. On the whole she was getting a lot better. This fight was a draw.

He sat on the ground, staring at her for a moment. Suddenly she burst out laughing. Her laugh was infectious. After a moment, Takashi found himself laughing right along with her. They didn't stop for nearly five minutes. By the time they calmed down, Katsumi was almost in tears.

"Thanks Takashi senpai. That really helped. I feel a lot better."

"Sure, no problem."

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He felt her body against his, could feel the heat of her through his clothes. He gently wrapped his arms around her back. It was getting harder and harder for him to be around her lately. She was like quicksand, drawing him deeper and deeper under each minute. She had taken over his mind. He thought about her all the time. He had even begun to write stories about her, what he thought she was like with the other boys, what it would be like for them to be together. He blushed, remembering a story he was working on last night. He'd have to toss that one in the shredder.

He really was an honorable guy, and sometimes he hated the way he thought about her. She was more than just a piece of meat for him to drool over. She was his friend. And she was Kyouya's. He should have nothing to do with her. He shouldn't think about her this way. But here she was, at his dojo, in his arms, and he had the strong desire to kiss her.

As she pulled away, everything seemed to move in slow motion. He had turned his head slightly towards hers, so as she pulled back her nose brushed against his. She could feel his breath on her mouth. She wanted to move back, but felt frozen in place, the butterflies in her stomach having a paralytic effect on her whole body.

Before he realized what he was doing, Takashi leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Takashi felt lost, as if he were drowning in her. Her lips felt so soft under his own, so warm. He could slightly make out her taste, a hot, savory, sweetness that danced on the tip of his tongue. Pressing his hands into her lower back he pulled her closer, needing to have her near him. This is what he had wanted for the past month and a half. Her, just her.

Katsumi felt frozen. As soon as his lips made contact with hers it felt as if the butterflies in her stomach had started to explode. She hadn't known he felt this way about her. This was different than anything she had experienced before. He wasn't controlling and demanding, but he wasn't hesitant either. His hands gently moved along her back, his lips softly molding to hers. It was like he was asking permission with each movement, while at the same time knowing exactly what he wanted. It was very different than Kyouya… Kyouya!

Katsumi pushed back against Takashi's shoulders. "What the hell Takashi senpai?!"

Takashi was lost for words. He shouldn't have done that. She was Kyouya's. What had gotten into him? "I-" he began, not quite sure what he was going to say. He ruined it. He ruined their friendship.

"I can't… Takashi I can't do this." Katsumi took her head in her hands. "I can't do that to Kyouya. I'm not like that! I'm not." She felt tears come into her eyes.

"I know. I-" he began again.

"I like you too, okay? I like you a lot. But this… this can't be. I… love him." Now, Katsumi wasn't quite sure if that was true, but she had to say something. She adored Kyouya, and was still very sure that she wanted to be with him. She had noticed his clinginess increasing lately, but as long as that didn't become a problem, she knew she would never leave his side. She got to her feet, backing away from Takashi.

"We can still spar, can't we?" he asked, desperate to at least keep her as his friend. He hadn't missed the part where she said she liked him too, but he understood her loyalty, and that came first.

"I… Takashi I don't know." Katsumi bit her lip. She wanted to keep sparring with him. She really valued their friendship, but she wasn't sure if this changed anything.

"This won't happen again. I promise. I can control myself." He got up as well, standing there stiffly with his hands in his pockets. He felt horrible about what he had just done. He had kissed his friend without her permission, touched another man's woman. He rested his hand on his forehead. What was he going to do about all these impure thoughts? To his credit, not all of them were impure. He enjoyed the thought of them doing things together. He often thought about them cooking, going on dates, and going swimming. Then every once and a while these other thoughts would creep into his head and get a strangle hold on him. He wanted her as his own, he knew that. He would just have to deal with having her as his friend while she belonged to someone else.

"I… oh okay. I need the practice. But this really can't happen again, alright? I'm going to have a hard enough time talking to Kyouya about this as it is."

"Is he going to stop you from coming?" Takashi asked worriedly. He could see Kyouya doing that. He knew he could control himself and keep their relationship to just a friendship. Just as long as he still got to see her…

"He can't. I'm my own person and I'll do what I want. As long as you won't try anything again, I'll keep coming. It's not like he's going to make me choose between him and my friends. I trust you, Takashi. You're one of my dearest friends. Don't let me down." Katsumi gave him a soft smile.

"I won't. Katsumi," he grabbed her wrist as she was heading over to gather up her homework, "I'm really sorry."

"Me too Takashi senpai. Me too." As she packed up her things she started to become really worried about what Kyouya would say about all this. It's not like she had kissed him first. She had stopped him, told him that this could never happen again. Kyouya couldn't get mad at her for that, could he? Her stomach twisted in nervousness. How on earth was she going to tell him?