"Junk, junk, junk, pay, junk," I muttered sleepily, tossing a handful mail into the trash can. Nearly eight hours of almost falling sleep to the dull voices of my professors, due to the lack of rest I received last night as a result of cramming for an exam I most likely failed, didn't exactly improve my mood. All that kept me from collapsing on my lumpy mattress was my mountain of homework and chores.

Just as I was about to pull my math worksheet out of my backpack, a flash of shimmery gold caught my eyes. Curiosity piqued, I picked up the oak tag paper tucked between the crumpled pages of my science notebook, an eyebrow raised.

In swirly gold cursive, it proclaimed: "We cordially invite you, Ayame Nakamura, to spend spring break at the Otori Ranch. Please RSVP by the next week. Thank you, and we hope that you can come!"

Seriously? An Otori ranch? And I was invited? This had to be some ridiculous joke.


"Hi, Haruhi," I greeted, tapping her on the shoulder. "What's up?"

She turned around, startled, before smiling wearily. "Oh, good morning, senpai."

I pulled out the invitation from the pocket of my jeans and showed it to her "I found this in my backpack yesterday after school. Any idea of what this means?"

Haruhi glanced it for a second, before waving a dismissive hand. "Oh, that thing? Tamaki-senpai gave one to me yesterday. What, are you planning to go or something? I thought it looked alright."

"I don't really know whether I should go or not. It seems too innocent, like a death trap. Do you think that they're being serious about this?" I asked, heaving a sigh.

"I think they are. You know, they don't seem like the sort of people to send an invitation as a joke. It probably wouldn't look good for them to play pranks on us," she said absentmindedly, leafing through her science binder.

"I guess you're right. And it's not like we have expensive vacations to spare," I added, pocketing the invitation. "But I've never actually gone pony-riding or whatever the hell you do at a ranch before."

Haruhi shrugged. "Neither have I. I guess they'll have instructors or-"

"So you girls will be coming?" Kyoya quickened his pace until he was walking beside me, scribbling furiously on his clipboard. "My family will be absolutely delighted. However, you'll have to mail a letter of acceptance to my father clearly stating that you are overjoyed to have been given such a wonderful opportunity, and that you would love to come. Make sure to play nice. Very nice, Ayame."

I swatted him on the shoulder. "I thought that I was very nice at the dinner, even to that creepy brother of yours."

"I can't say that I disagree," he said curtly, his lips upturning in a little smirk. "But now, I'd just like to warn you, he'll be my only family member accompanying us on our vacation. The rest of my family are far too busy with my sister's wedding preparations."

My jaw went slack. "Seriously? Out of all of the people in your family, it's that headcase? I'd almost rather spend a day at the beach alone with your bastard father. Um, is it okay if I withdraw my acceptance now?"

He clucked his tongue. "Ah, I'm afraid that if you do that, we're going to have some serious issues. My father does not take kindly to having his invitations so bluntly refused." Kyoya gave me a simpering smile, his pen poised delicately above his clipboard.

I gulped, before sighing in defeat. "Fine, fine. I'll go to your stupid ranch."

As my classmate strutted away in obvious satisfaction, dress shoes clacking across the freshly-waxed floor, I widened my eyes fearfully and leaned towards Haruhi. "I told you that it was a death trap!"


I widened my eyes in amazement as the rolling hills and cozy wooden barn came into view. Pressing my face to the tinted-glass window, a wide smile spread across my face. "Wow...that's pretty amazing."

"Isn't it?" Akito grinned crookedly, waving an airy hand. "When we were younger, Kyoya-kun and I would come here all the time for vacations...until, of course, he decided that he was far too grown-up for pony-riding."

"Pony-riding?" I snickered, shooting him a sideways glance.

"Oh, come on, Ayame-chan!" Tamaki trilled. "Get into the spirit! One is never too old to go pony-riding!"

Kyoya sighed irritably, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. "Yes, Ayame. I enjoyed riding ponies when I was younger. Happy?"

I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand. "Sorry, it's just hard to imagine."

He turned away to face the window, eyes locked on a patch of colorful flowers growing on the side of the road. I frowned, formulating the appropriate respond, but was distracted when Akito tapped me on my shoulder, "Never mind about ponies. I'll teach you how to ride a horse. There are a couple of lovely trails in the forest."

I flashed him a half-hearted thumbs-up. "I can't wait, Akito-san. Thanks for everything. Coming with us, I mean. I bet you're really busy-"

"Oh no, not at all. It's not a problem. It's a pleasure spending time with Kyoya-kun's friends." He gave me an affectionate pat on the shoulder, smiling brightly at his brother.

Kyoya's eyes narrowed at Akito, who was chatting freely with Tamaki and the twins. When I glanced at him and tilted my head to the side, he merely shook his head and averted his eyes.

Before long, the limousine pulled up on a rugged driveway just before the barn. A tall woman waved us in, her flyaway brown hair streaked with gray.

Akito hopped out of the limousine, the rest of us slowly following, and shook hands with the woman. "Izumi-san, it's lovely to see you again. How have you been?"

The woman squinted at him, before grinning. "Akito-san! Wow, you've gotten so tall! I heard from your father that you've just started medical school. How's that going for you, dear?"

"Perfectly fine. It's plenty of work, though, I'm afraid to say," Akito laughed softly, giving her a pat on the head. He turned towards us, gesturing politely towards the woman. "Everyone, this is Izumi. She takes care of the ranch when we're not visiting."

"And I insist that your father gives me a pay raise. I didn't expect such a crowd," Izumi chided, placing her hands on her bony hips. "I'm going to have to do lots of extra cooking tonight."

"Anything for your food, of course," Akito quipped, smiling cordially at her. "How have the horses been doing?"

"Karin's been doing beautifully, if that's what you're trying to ask!" Izumi grinned cheekily at him, before continuing, "And Akina just had her foal a few days ago! It's been very exciting here, to say the least. It's good to see you again, Akito-san."


The a beam of sunlight struck me squarely in the face. Howling in anguish, I flopped over to my side and buried my face into the nearest pillow, further enmeshing myself into my nest of blankets. Oblivious to my wails of agony, Haruhi snoozed from the next bed over, the room filled with her quiet snores.

A sharp knock on the door drew my attention. "Good morning, Ayame-chan. Meet me at the stables in thirty minutes. The weather is absolutely gorgeous this morning," Akito chirped, far too chipper for it to be 7 AM.

"Um...okay," I mumbled, scrambling to a sitting position and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "I'll meet you there."

When he was finally out of earshot, I heaved a sigh and reluctantly threw on my plaid shirt and riding boots, twisting my hair into a messy ponytail. Just for good measure, I wrote a quick note for Haruhi, telling her where I'd gone, before smoothing down the crinkles in my pants and stepping out.

The house was neat and orderly, with its antique wooden furniture and robin's egg blue walls; omnipresent vases of wildflowers sent a pleasant aroma swirling around the entire place, dried petals pressing their fragrance to our clothes.

Wobbling around in my boots, I eventually arrived at the stables. It was a musty space, permeated with the heavy smell of hay and manure. And there, just as promised, was Akito, plopped onto a stool in front of one of the pens. Looking about as relaxed as I had ever seen him, he was petting and murmuring quietly to a chestnut horse, feeding her a handful of sugar cubes.

"Is that Karin?" I asked, bracing myself against the nearest wall.

"Yeah." He nodded, gazing fondly at her. "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

"Uh-huh." I gave him a thin-lipped smile, waiting for his next move.

Akito clambered to his feet, nonchalantly dusting off his pants. "Enough of that. You excited to ride? There's a scenic trail in the forests around the ranch." Akito strolled to a tall horse that was a deep shade of copper, patting him on the head. "This is Haiku. He's one of the gentler horses here."

He flung open the doors to his pen, guiding him out by his reins until we were standing outside. Frowning when he realized how antsy I was, he gave me a reassuring smile, coaxing me forward, "Come on, he won't bite. Just climb on! Once you're up there, it'll feel as natural as breathing."

Still jittery, I allowed him to pull me closer to him, uncomfortably aware of Akito's proximity, the strong pressure of his hands on my waist. "Ready, Ayame-chan? One, two, three!" Yanking me up, he placed me in the saddle, making sure I was perfectly snug. "Feeling alright? How's the view?"

"Yeah, just fine," I said, still breathless and quivering. "But I'm not sure if I can actually-"

"No worries, I'll just lead you," he assured me, placing his hand on mine for the briefest moment.

I shrank away from him. "Um, are you sure-"

"Positive." His response was so reflexive, so natural, that it was impossible for me to believe him.

Akito tugged on the reins, leading the horse down the crude trail. It led straight into the lush green forest, following the path of a bubbling brook. "So, tell me, Ayame- how has Kyoya-kun been doing?"

The question caught me off guard. Clearing my throat to stall for time, I settled for shrugging. "Just moody. Not that that's usual. He's always been sort of pissy."

"I haven't had to opportunity to really spend quality time with him in the last couple of years, but from what I remember of him- you know, him being really moody about not inheriting the company, his antagonistic behavior, so on and so forth- if anything, he seems more...agreeable now."

"Agreeable? Definitely not the world I would have chosen," I quipped, jolting with every step the horse took. "Kyoya's not agreeable in the slightest."

"I said more agreeable, not entirely." He turned to flash me a lemony smile. "He's not a bad person, no, not in the slightest. He's just...pressured. And far too driven for a boy his age. Although, I can't blame him, especially when he's reaching for the one thing that will never be his."

"The company," I said quietly.

"Exactly. He never got the chance to enjoy himself growing up, to fool around, to make mistakes and learn from them. It was always perfect grades, pleasing our father, kissing up to important client, charming everyone," he added, looking glumly down at the path. "Kyoya's a tough kid, I know that. I just think you should remind him every once in a while that he's not Superman. He should have fun, while he's still young."

"Kyoya's a nice guy, underneath all of that," I mused to myself. "He just has trouble showing his true self."

"So you know what that is?" he fired back, eyebrows quirked in a silent challenge.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. With the way he's been acting lately...well, I'm really not sure," I admitted, absentmindedly patting the horse's mane. "Aren't you his older brother? You should know him better than I do."

"Truthfully, we never really spent much time together growing up," Akito said morosely, gazing off into the distance. "After all, six years is a huge age difference; it's been difficult for us to make time for one another. But, I think things are really looking up for him- meeting you and Tamaki and the rest of the club has changed him more than you know. I may not know how to express it, but I'm extremely grateful to you. Thanks to you, Kyoya's life could really change."

"You're a good guy, Akito-san." I chanced a sheepish grin. "A decent brother, at least."

"Ha, that seems a lot, coming from you, Ayame-chan." He flashed me a charming wink. "Funny. Even though we've known each other for such a short period of time, I feel like I've gotten to know you so, so well. Take care of Kyoya for me?"

"I'll do my best," I laughed. "He's a bit of a crazy guy."

"Even I know that much."

Maybe Akito wasn't that bad. A bit of a creep, but alright.

But wasn't every other psycho in my life kind of like that?


Two days after our first riding session, I found a note from Akito tucked beneath my door, instructing me to meet him at the library at two in the afternoon. Don't be late! he'd written, accompanied by a smiley face. I can't wait to tell you the great news!

I opened the library door and smiled at the sight of Akito. He waved jovially at me from his place on an overstuffed arm chair, mug of green tea in hand. "Ah, Ayame-chan. So nice of you to join us."

Us? Baffled, I followed his line of vision.

Much to my surprise, Kyoya was hidden among the ceiling-high bookshelves, perched on top of a stepladder. After inspecting a thick leather bound volume and tucking it under his arm , he glanced up at me, giving me a courteous smile. "Good morning, Ayame-chan. I would absolutely love to chat with you two, but I'm afraid that I was just preparing to head out. Have a nice day."

Hopping off, he gave me a curt nod and quick tap on the shoulder, before trudging out.

"Um...so, what sort of pole is jammed up his ass this time?" I leaned against the chair, shooting him a puzzled look. "I mean, he seems even prissier than usual."

"It's nothing, Ayame-chan." Akito gave a minimal shrug of his shoulders, shaking his head. "It's like you just said- he's just going through one of his moody teenager phases. He'll be back to being our energetic Kyoya in no time!"

"Um...yeah," I managed, still unconvinced.

"Alright, straight to business," Akito said briskly, folding his hands in his lap. "I haven't told the others yet, but my father is hosting a large party for our family friends, business clients, and so on the day after our little excursion ends. And naturally, you and your little Host Club crew are invited. But, this brings me to my next point: you are a perfectly nice girl, a very talented one at that. and I have to admit, I'm grown quite fond of you. So, Ayame Nakamura, would you do me the honor of coming as my date?"

"Are you...asking me out?" was my reflexive response.

"Put bluntly, yes." He seemed unperturbed, merely giving me his confident smile. "What do you say?"

"Wow, this is just so sudden," I blurted out, at a loss for what to say.

My first impulse was to reject him. He was six years older than me- what was I doing, fooling around with a guy way out of my commoner league? Not to mention that he was Kyoya's brother.

But, then again, why did that bother me? There really was no good reason why I should refuse his offer. Even though he could a little over eager sometimes, Akito was a decent guy, perfectly charming and groomed. He had been so patient and kind towards me, even taking time out of his busy schedule to spend time with us. And I owed him for that.

"Yeah, sure." I smiled brightly at him. "Let's go raise some eyebrows."


I zipped up the back of my pale green frock and clipped my bangs back with a barrette, giving myself a quick check over in my dressing room mirror. Once I deemed my appearance appropriate, I sauntered confidently out the door, searching for Akito and Kyoya's room. I skimmed the hallway, muttering to myself, "109, 108, 107, 106!"

I was ready to pull open the door when a voice stopped me.

"-don't think that I don't know what you're trying to do."

Kyoya.

Curiosity overwhelming my tact, I chose to stay put, listening intently.

"Oh? Tell me, little brother. What am I trying to do?" Akito fired back, sounding smug and arrogant and... just so unlike him. So unlike the man who guided me on horseback for two weeks, who cared and worried and hurt over his brother.

"What? Do you really think that I'm so stupid as to not notice? You're only using her for your own gratification. I'm not sure whether Father persuaded you otherwise, but the fact that you're an adult now does not give you any excuse to use her for your petty little schemes. It disgusts me that you would play with an innocent high school girl just because your girlfriend- if I may be so blunt- dumped you."

"Ouch." I could practically hear him blanch. "I thought you had a bit more delicacy than that, Kyoya."

"You're toying with her." Kyoya plowed on, completely ignoring him. "Pretending to be someone you're not. Complimenting her, being nice to her, pretending to play the cello even though you know as well as I that you haven't touched the thing in seven years. As genuine as this gentleman act may be to everyone else, you're not fooling me in the slightest."

"And what is she to you, little brother?" Akito said, voice dangerously soft. "Why should you care if I'm using her or not?"

Kyoya made a strangled noise, but did not argue any further.

"Exactly," Akito said primly. "You have no good explanation. Now, as touching as your concern for your little harlot is, I'd like to ask you not to interfere with my personal affairs."

Unable to stand it much longer, I pushed open the door, stumbling into the dim light of the dressing room. "Um...hi, guys," I squeaked, managing a tight-lipped smile.

"Ah, Ayame, perfect timing. Kyoya-kun and I were just finished getting ready. And I must say, you look absolutely stunning in that outfit," Akito said smoothly, transitioning back to nice guy mode as if nothing had happened. Flashing me a charming smile, he looped his arm through mine, practically marching me out the door.

Dear God, please have mercy.


"Ayame-chan, why don't we dance?" Akito declared, standing up abruptly and holding his hand out to me. The orchestra had struck up a light, cheerful tune, and crowds of couple had begun to descend upon the polished dance floor.

I cringed, still processing the earlier conversation, before shaking my head and laughing sheepishly. "No, no, I don't dance. Really, it's much better for your personal health if my feet stay rooted to the ground."

"I insist." He yanked me to my feet, tugging me to the dance floor. "You'll be fine."

"Um, okay," I mumbled, although my thoughts were along the lines of shit shit shit shit.

Through my obvious predicament, I couldn't help but notice a woman staring intently at me. She was tall and curvaceous, with tangles of ginger hair cascading down her shoulders. Noticing my stares, she lifted her wineglass up to me, her lips curling into a sinister sort of a smirk.

Akito's hand on my waist drew my attention back to him. I gulped as he intertwined my fingers with his. "Alright, here we go."

I did my best to follow his lead, uncomfortably aware of the woman's patronizing gaze locked on me. Almost tripping over the hem of my dress after Akito spun me around without warning, I spiralled out of control, just about to fall to the floor when he tightened his grip on me.

"Akito-san, if you don't mind me asking- who's that girl over there?" I said breathlessly, growing increasingly more uncomfortable with every moment that passed by. Being with him felt wrong, like a gnarled branch of discomfort growing from the outside in; for some reason, that night of of the Valentine's Day dance with Kyoya just would not escape my mind.

"Oh, her? Just an old...friend of mine. My ex-girlfriend, to be exact," he laughed humorlessly. "Nothing to worry about, Ayame."

"But she's-" I began, interrupted by a firm tap on my arm.

The woman from earlier was standing behind me, eyes narrowed at him. "So...you're a friend of Akito-kun's, huh? I don't believe I've seen you before. Are you new here?"

"Um, I wouldn't say that. His younger brother is a classmate of mine at Ouran Academy. My name's Ayame, by the way. It's nice to meet you." I held my hand out to her, letting out a jittery giggle.

Wrinkling in my nose, she grasped my hand as if it were a dirty tissue, letting go of it immediately. "Likewise, Ayame-san."

"Ah, Akane, so nice of you to join us this evening," Akito cut across us, arching a quizzical brow at her. "I thought that you had declined your invitation."

"Decline an invitation to a grand Otori gala? As if I have the audacity to do such a thing. Well, since I'm here, why don't I be a dear and help this little girl out here? She appears to be struggling." Akane let out a tinkling laugh, bowing mockingly towards Akito. "May I have this dance? Unless, of course, Ayame doesn't wish to have her partner stolen from her.

"Oh no, of course not!" I said hastily, releasing his hands and edging away."He's all yours, Akane-san!"

I turned on my heel and melted into the crowd, the bustling atmosphere suffocating me. Overcome by a sudden desire for fresh air, I hiked up my skirt and shouldered my way through the masses of partygoers, finally bursting into the balcony. Gazing at the glimmering stars in the dark night sky, I finally let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding, leaning against the railing.

What a night. Really, these high-stress operations were just too much for me.

"Ayame, there's something important I have to tell you."

I whipped around, finding myself face-to-face with none another than Kyoya Otori. "What, that your creep of a brother was using me as a rebound to make the girlfriend that dumped his sorry ass jealous? Well, you're a tad bit late with the big reveal of the night. I'm not exactly stupid, Kyoya."

"Funny, I thought otherwise," he quipped, though he still looked concerned.

"Not the time for wisecracks, bastard. But thanks for caring, anyways," I said grudgingly

"Caring?" Kyoya scoffed. "You misunderstand my intentions. I merely didn't want a case of pedophilia on the Otori family's hands. That would be quite the blemish on our flawless reputation, one that we simply cannot tolerate."

"Pedophilia? Is that really the best excuse you can come up with? God, Kyoya, you're such a laugh." I grumbled, blowing some of the air out of my cheeks. "Can't you just tell me you care and be done with it?"

I didn't know why I needed that from him, but I did. I needed him to take my hand and tell me that he cared, needed someone to be there for me. Even if it had been to be Kyoya.

"Fine...I cared enough to not want him to break your heart and use you. Happy, Ayame?" he huffed.

I harrumphed, turning my head. "Break my heart? Ha, as if! Bastard."