A/N: Sorry about the incredibly long wait again, everyone. This chapter is a bit on the long side, so I hope this makes up for the wait. While this chapter and the next take place during the Ouran fair, let me be clear: I absolutely REFUSE to use Éclair Tonnerre in this fanfic. I really don't like her as a character, and putting her in this would be too cliché. Besides, there's enough drama in this chapter without her. :)

Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter Thirteen: Uncertainty

"What's going on?" I asked Kyoya, who was standing amongst the crowd with a clipboard in his hands. Things were being constructed all over the place, and most of the student body was gathered outside, along with what looked like business representatives and movers.

"The annual Ouran Academy school fair is taking place this weekend. During those two days parents and visitors are invited to come see the school." Kyoya explained.

I looked around. "But isn't the school supposed to plan this out?"

"You seem to be forgetting what kind of backgrounds the students here have." Kyoya smiled. "Being from prominent families, it's important that they have the necessary planning and leadership skills in order to take on their family's businesses. So, the Ouran fair is an ideal training ground."

"That makes sense, now that you've explained it. I guess there's still a lot for me to learn about being rich." I grinned. "You can take the girl out of the commoner world, but you can't take the commoner out of the girl!"

Kyoya laughed. "When you put it that way, I suppose you're right!"

I wandered around to look at everything that was being set up, and when I noticed that the main salon in the central building was open I couldn't resist a peek. When I walked inside I couldn't help but stare open-mouthed at everything around me. The entire room's floor was covered in a soft-looking reddish-pink carpet, the white walls were decorated with gold accents, and two crystal chandeliers were suspended from the pink ceiling. Small tables, couches and armchairs were scattered all around the room, and at the very center was an ornately carved marble fountain.

"Ah, Valerie!" Tamaki waved from the center of the room. "What do you think? We're using this room for Host Club entertainment during the fair!"

"Don't you think this is a little much?" I asked, coming over to join him.

"Well, we need a bigger space than just a music room to accommodate the parents and visitors coming. No price is too high! And think of all the exposure we'll get!"

"You've got a point there when it comes to needing the extra space." I sat down on the nearest couch and sighed.

"Oh, what's wrong, my dear?" Tamaki sat down next to me.

"I'm just nervous about the visitors. I know that a lot of Japan's elite has taken interest in my dad's fortune. They'll probably want to meet him while he's here today, but what if they want to meet me as well? I'm just worried they won't think highly of me."

"Just be as confident as you can, and since your father's going to be here he'll probably do most of the talking. You're always polite and kind to people, so just be that way with the visitors and they'll approve of you." Tamaki gave me a kind smile and gently squeezed my hand. "You'll be fine, princess. I know you will."

I smiled back. "Thanks, Tamaki."

"You're very welcome. Now then, let's head to the music room. We Host Club members to get ready, and Hikaru and Kaoru need to get you dolled up."

I looked out the large window at the clock tower. "Yeah, you're right. The fair is supposed to start soon." I got up and followed him to the music room, and I noticed that he had a thoughtful look on his face.

"I don't know why," Tamaki said, "but I think this Ouran fair will be the best one yet."

****

I nervously smoothed the dress I had on, and I made a mental note to thank Hikaru and Kaoru for picking it out for me. The tea-length dress was made out of sky blue chiffon with a scoop neckline and cap sleeves, and the empire waist was decorated in an intricate pattern of white beads, which matched the white pumps I was wearing. Looking around the salon I was glad to see that I wasn't overdressed, in fact this whole fair seemed to be a semiformal event judging by the way the other girls in the room were dressed. I heard the clock chime three in the afternoon, and the doors opened and the parents and visitors began to enter the room. I didn't see Dad at first which worried me, but I sighed in relief when I saw him enter the salon.

"I'm glad you could come to this, Dad." I said after we'd hugged. "I was kind of worried something came up at the last minute."

"I was a little worried about that as well, but everyone respected my request to keep this afternoon open." Dad smiled. "I have the afternoon off." He looked around the salon. "Is everything the Host Club does as over-the-top as this?"

"Dad, there's no such thing as over-the-top at Ouran Academy." I rolled my eyes and we both laughed.

"Ah, Craig! Good to see you again!" A middle-aged man with a few locks of mahogany hair escaping its slicked-back style and wearing a business suit came over to join us.

"Ichiro!" My dad smiled and the two of them exchanged bows. "Valerie, I'd like you to meet Ichiro Akiyama. He's the man who expressed interest in my phone in the first place and helped me get my business started. Ichiro, this is my daughter Valerie."

I couldn't help but be amazed, after all my dad and I owed everything to this man. If it weren't for Mr. Akiyama, we would've never had this opportunity. Remembering what Tamaki had said, I smiled politely and bowed to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Akiyama."

"And it's a pleasure to finally meet you at last, Miss Valerie." Mr. Akiyama smiled back. "I've wanted to meet you for some time, your father has told me a lot about you. Do you like it here at Ouran Academy?"

"Yes I do, in fact. It's a really nice school and I've made a number of friends since I started attending school here."

"That's excellent to hear. I was one person who recommended Ouran Academy to your father when the two of you were searching for possible schools."

"Oh, well thank you for recommending it to him." Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Hikaru and Kaoru weren't busy. "Could you excuse me, though?"

"Of course." Dad nodded. As I walked off I could hear Mr. Akiyama and Dad talking.

"She's so polite and mature for someone her age, Craig, and quite pretty, too. You must be very proud of her."

"Well, yes, I am." Dad nodded with a smile. "We're very close, after all it's always been just her and I."

I sighed when I heard that. My mom had died when I was two, so I never really knew her. When I saw kids with their mothers, I found myself wishing I could've grown up with her there. Still, that only brought Dad and I closer together, and we were inseparable now.

"Hey, you two." I smiled, and their faces lit up when they saw me. "I never got the chance to thank you guys for the dress."

"No problem, it was our pleasure." Hikaru grinned. "You know how much we love to dress you up."

"Yeah, I do." I laughed, but I stopped when I saw Kaoru. Instead of looking at me he seemed to be staring off into space. "Hey, Kaoru, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Kaoru replied softly. "Are you enjoying the fair?"

"Yeah, it's not so bad once you get used to talking to the people that visit."

"That's good." Kaoru didn't say anything else after that. The twins had to do some more hosting to do, so I just walked around to see if there was something else I could occupy my time with.

"Valerie!" To my surprise, I saw that Katie was at the top of the stairs leading into the salon.

"Katie!" I exclaimed. "What're you doing at Ouran?"

"Well, there was a freak power outage at school. They've found out what went wrong but they need to fix the wiring in the whole school, so it's closed until next Thursday."

"Wait a sec, did my dad hear about that and just offer to fly you over here again?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, pretty much." Katie shrugged and we both laughed. "Hey does my dress look okay to you?" She was wearing a knee-length black halter dress with a crystal brooch on the bodice.

"It looks great!" I nodded. "What do you think of mine?"

"I love it." She smiled. "I've always liked your taste in clothes."

"Aww, thanks." I looked over and saw Kyoya coming over to us and smirked. "And here comes Kyoya." I had to stifle a laugh when I saw her blush.

"What a pleasant surprise, I didn't expect to see you here, Katie." Kyoya kissed her cheek.

"Oh, uh, hey Kyoya." Katie blushed again and I laughed. My heart melted when I saw him slip an arm around her waist as they sat down to talk about what they'd been doing since the last time they'd seen each other.

"Excuse me, Master Kyoya, but your father is here." A man who looked like a bodyguard appeared as the three of us were talking. We looked over to see a slightly thin middle-aged man with black hair, mustache, beard and brown-rimmed glasses looking over at Kyoya expectantly.

"Very well." Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose. "Katie, Valerie, please excuse me."

"So how are things between you and Kaoru these days?" Katie asked.

"Oh, pretty well I guess. It's just that…" My voice trailed off as I thought about what had happened earlier.

"What is it?" She sounded a bit concerned.

"It's nothing." I shook my head dismissively. I didn't want to tell her what had happened, or that Kaoru's demeanor hadn't changed for the rest of the day.

Suddenly we heard a loud slap. I looked up just in time to see that Kyoya's father had his arm raised, and I noticed a red mark on his son's face. I gasped as everyone else did when we realized what had happened: Kyoya's father had slapped him.

"I cannot believe you've been taking part in such a ridiculous club as this." Mr. Otori's voice was dangerously low. "You are an embarrassment not just to me, but to the Otori name." He walked away and Kyoya walked back over to Katie and I acting like nothing had happened.

"Kyoya, why didn't you tell us that your dad treats you like that?" Katie asked. We'd gone into a corner of the salon so that we could talk to him about this. "You could've told Val and you could've told me. What's going on between you and your dad?"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you." He sighed. "Both of my brothers are medical school graduates, and they're both the managers of two of my family's most successful hospitals. Being the third son I'm under considerable pressure to surpass both of their achievements if I want to be my father's successor. When he found out that I'm a member of the Host Club, he told me I'm an embarrassment to our family and that I'm not fit to succeed him."

"So you're saying that your dad doesn't think you're good enough for him just because you're in a school club?" I asked incredulously, and he nodded. "Kyoya, that's not fair! Your own father shouldn't treat you like that! If it wasn't for you, the Host Club would go bankrupt!"

"I know, but my accounting abilities aren't enough to impress my father." He sighed. "I'll consider it a miracle if I'm even considered for being named his successor after this."

"Excuse me a minute." Katie said, and when I saw her I was shocked. I'd never seen her as angry as she was then. Shaking with rage, Kyoya and I watched as she walked over to his father. "Excuse me, Mr. Otori, do you have a minute?"

"Why yes, I do." Mr. Otori nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"What can you do for me? You can explain why you treat your youngest son so poorly, that's what you can do for me." Katie replied icily. As soon as she said that everyone in the room turned to watch. "As his father, you should be proud of Kyoya instead of ashamed of him! Maybe he hasn't done what his brothers have, but Kyoya works twenty-four seven to make sure the Host Club doesn't go bankrupt and to make sure the guests are enjoying themselves! How dare you say that he isn't good enough when it's obvious that he is good enough? Kyoya is extremely talented at what he does, and I think you denying him the chance to succeed you would be the biggest mistake you'll ever make."

A long silence passed before Mr. Otori finally spoke. "I see." He got up and walked out of the salon. "That must be the girl Kyoya currently has an interest in." Mr. Otori muttered to himself as he walked past me.

"Val, I think I'll leave now." Katie said after she calmed down. "I'm staying at your house again, so can you please call Masaru so that he can pick me up?"

"Sure, no problem." I got out my phone and dialed his number. Where Katie had gotten the courage to confront Mr. Otori like that, I would never know.

****

Thankfully, the first day of the Ouran fair was drawing to a close. I decided that I wanted to leave early so I called Masaru to pick me up. I told Dad that I was leaving, and I went outside to wait for my ride home. As I waited I saw that two women were talking to each other, and I managed to catch what they were saying.

"His fortune is impressive, but it is new money." One woman remarked. "Selling a cell phone? How can you possibly make a fortune by doing that?"

"Oh, I agree." The other woman nodded. "And just look at his daughter! She's got the manners and all, but she couldn't manage that company to save her life! I don't care how rich she is, she's still a commoner and that'll never change. In my day, there was no way a former commoner could get into Ouran Academy!"

The two women laughed and I felt my cheeks burn, and they were still red when Masaru finally arrived.

****

The next morning, I could still hear the words and laughter of those two women in my head. When I had woken up I didn't have the strength to get out of bed, so I decided to stay home that day because I wasn't required to go to the Ouran fair. All I could think about was what the women had said, and I realized there was some truth to their claims.

Did I really belong in this world of the rich? If you really think about it, I was just lucky in that respect. My dad was taking a risk and the odds were against him, and even though we'd become incredibly wealthy I knew that not everyone would take us seriously because we got rich so quickly. I also knew and understood now that some people thought that I wouldn't be able to take over the company because I hadn't been trained to do so.

Maybe I should just move back home, I thought. The more I thought about it, the more the idea seemed to be the right thing to do. I'd go back to the States, see if I could finish up my high school years and live a normal life instead of the one I was living now.

I would also forget about Kaoru.

He seemed so distant recently, as if he had something constantly on his mind. He wasn't really speaking to me that much, but when he did it was just small talk. Even if I looked his way and we made eye contact, he'd blush and instantly look away. Honestly, I didn't want to forget about him, but I felt it would be for the best if I did. He deserved someone better, a girl whose money had been in her family for generations and was brought up to be ready to inherit it.

I had to leave Japan. It was the only way I could get my head on straight.

An hour later I was all packed, and I had receipts printed out for my plane ticket back home and the hotel I was going to stay at. From there I'd see if I could go live with one of my relatives for a while until I could find myself an apartment and a job that would help me pay rent.

"Valerie? Where are you going?" Dad asked when he saw my suitcases in hand.

"Well, the Host Club is going on a weekend trip to New York City and they invited me to come with them. I'm supposed to meet them at the airport because our flight leaves at three today."

Dad nodded. "Okay, have a good time. Call me when you get there."

"I will." I then headed out the door and got into the limo. "Masaru, can you take me to the airport, please?"

"Of course." Masaru replied. His eyes lingered on my passport. "Going back to the United States?"

"Yeah, we have a family emergency right now." I don't know how I came up with that excuse so quickly, but fortunately Masaru seemed to buy it. Now there was one more thing I had to do.

"Ah, Valerie. What can I do for you?" Kyoya's cool voice answered through my cell phone.

"Hey, Kyoya. I was just wondering if you could tell everyone in the club that…I can't make it to the second day of the fair. There was a death in my family and I need to go back to the States for the funeral." I managed to say.

"All right, I'll tell them." Kyoya assured me.

"Okay, thanks Kyoya." The minute I shut my phone my tears spilled over.

Obviously there wasn't a death, but one could assume otherwise because of how much I was crying. No matter how much I could try to convince myself otherwise, I knew I was going to miss the Host Club. Mori sticking up for me no matter what, Hunny's cuteness and incurable love of sweets, Tamaki being the perfect gentleman despite his spastic tendencies, Kyoya's skills at keeping everything together, Hikaru and Kaoru's unbreakable bond between each other, Haruhi's ability to stay sane and be such a good friend to me…I was going to miss all that so much. But the one I was going to miss the most was Kaoru. The love he had for me was one of the things I'd come to value the most in my life, and I'd still love him despite my best efforts to forget about him. After all, they did say that you never forget your first love.

"We're here." Masaru pulled up in front of the airport doors and helped me get my suitcases out of the limo. Just as I was about to go inside Masaru took my hand and looked at me the same way Dad did when trying to comfort me. "Before you go, I just want to tell you something I think will help you. Everything may be in shambles now, but I promise it'll get better later on. Just remember, Mistress Valerie, you have to stay strong even if it seems that everything around you is falling apart."

"I'll try to remember that. Thanks, Masaru." I had to hold back tears as I took my suitcases into the airport.

As soon as I got my boarding passes and passport checked, I sat down in the gate. My head fell into my hands and I started crying again. Wiping my eyes, I looked up at the clock and saw that I had half an hour until the plane took off. I could only hope that the Host Club and Dad would forgive me for leaving.