Hey guys! Sorry about the wait, I had a bad case of writer's block and then a lacking in enough computer time to update all of my stories. ^^' But I'm back and I hope you guys still enjoy!

It's okay, you can do this. Planes aren't that scary. Statistically, in fact, going on a plane is safer than going in a car. Less traffic and all that. So deep breaths, and…

At a tap on her shoulder and a 'That's my seat', Claire stood up and made herself as thin as possible so the man could pass to his own chair. Once her row was filled and she felt she could bury herself in her seat until the plane landed, she pulled her iPhone out and stuck her earbuds into her ears, successfully drowning out the rest of the world.

Through a strike of luck, she managed to fall asleep sometime during the flight and was pleased to have missed most of it when someone's elbow in her face woke her up.

She thought she was going to throw up just from the close proximity of so many people, but, through another lucky strike, she kept herself in check until she got off the plane. Then she started panicking.

Oh my God, how am I going to find him? He said there would be a sign, but… Ugh, it's all in Japanese! I don't know Japanese, how am I going to survive here for days?

Before she could panic further, a big sign with Claire Williams written in blocky handwriting caught her eye and she let out a deep breath before taking long strides toward the fancy man in a chauffer's uniform.

"I'm Claire," she introduced herself with a smile once she reached him.

The man smiled back and nodded, handing her a card.

Good day, Miss Williams. I hope your flight was bearable. Sorry you were in coach – late booking and all and I figured you wouldn't mind, being unused to first class anyway, so I didn't bother pulling strings. My driver's English is non-existent, so you won't be able to have much communication with him, but he knows where to go already, so you need not worry. See you soon.

Kyoya Ootori

Claire looked back up at the driver and gave him a sheepish smile. Of course he didn't know English. Silent car rides, whoopee.

He took her bags from her and led her outside before putting them in the trunk of…a limo? Geez, how rich was this guy? Must be a good friend though, spending all that money just to help out his friend.

Remembering why she had been brought here, she shuddered. Dr. Honda… She hoped she'd never have to see him again. All she could do now was hope she'd be able to keep herself in check when she did.

She was brought to a really nice hotel and given a room with a double bed that looked like a cloud and felt even softer. Claire wasn't able to enjoy it for long, though, before the cell phone the driver had given her started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Miss Williams. I trust you are enjoying the hotel?" a barely familiar voice crackled through the device.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous here!" Claire exclaimed, stretching out on the bed she was positive had to be made out of thousands of cotton balls.

"I'm glad you like it. You won't be there for long, though. As soon as you feel able, I would love for you to meet my driver back downstairs and he'll take you to my school. Is that alright?"

School meant Dr. Honda. No, it wasn't alright. It would never be alright.

"Yes," she replied. "I'll be down shortly."

~o~0~o~

When she exited the limo in front of what was in no way a high school but was definitely a mansion, she could practically feel the eyes that bored into her, wondering what an American was doing there and she started to wonder herself. She calmed down a bit when a tall (attractive, she couldn't help but add) boy with black hair and glasses came up to her and took her hand.

"Miss Williams. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Kyoya." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it and Claire could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. No one ever did that in New York. "If you would?"

He started pulling her in the direction of the school building and she followed nervously. "Does anyone else speak English?"

"Most do, it is a taught subject; they just tend to avoid it. You will probably find most people difficult to understand, some only due to thick accents and others because they're not very good in the subject or they are lazy. After high school, few people still remember it, though. But I should be around you most of the time, so don't worry about it." He turned his head to look at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"How come your accent isn't so thick?" she asked.

Kyoya chuckled softly. "My father does business with many American companies. We've learned to quell the brunt of our accent to avoid any miscommunication issues. Here, up the steps. I need to get someone before we meet with the administration."

She followed him up, tilting her head at the sign that read "Music Room 3." How many music rooms did they have in this place?

When they entered, she saw a boy, perhaps a year younger than her, sitting by the window. He looked up when the door opened and Claire saw him smile broadly until he saw her, when he frowned in confusion. He said something quickly in Japanese that Claire couldn't grasp and Kyoya responded, probably introducing her, judging by his hand motions and the thickly accented "Claire" she heard.

"This is Kaoru," Kyoya turned back to her. "He's the one we're trying to help. He's not what you might call a 'good student,' so his English is pretty lacking, but I can translate for you."

Claire wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to have to be translated for words of encouragement, not that she knew what to say anyway. Instead, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. She felt him tense beneath her and was about to pull away with an apology before he hugged her back.

"Thank you," he said in an accent so thick she almost didn't understand him and she smiled back and bowed her head in response. She turned back to Kyoya.

"Come on. It's rescuing time."

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