As the limo pulled up in front of the dorm building where Shana usually lived, Kyoya heaved a sigh. This was it. The fairy tale was over, and it was back to real life. Kyoya also had a gut feeling that whatever the rest of the Host Club had arranged for the two of them was going to make or break this relationship.

He was almost tempted to ask the driver to turn around and go back to the main Ootori residence, but he had never run from anything before, and damned if he was going to start now, with so much on the line. He looked over at Shana, who was still curled against his side, sleeping, and steeled himself. "Time to face the music," he muttered, before gently shaking her awake.

As she slowly registered the movement, her brows pinched together into a frown. "No," she muttered, opening one eye and glaring at him.

He stifled a laugh and continued to shake her. "Come on, we're back at the dorm."

She mumbled something under her breath and then opened both her eyes, leaning against the back of the seat for a moment. "Fine," she said grumpily, and pushed him out of the open car door, before climbing out herself, obstinately refusing his help.

They walked hand in hand back up to her room, Shana feeling a little self-conscious since she was still wearing Kyoya's shirt. She hurried down the corridor to her room once the lift doors opened, pulling him along in her wake. Stopping outside the door to her room, she rooted around in her clutch for the key card.

"God, I hope Chantelle isn't here," she muttered to herself as she slotted it into the lock and opened the door. She couldn't imagine the scene they would have to deal with if Chantelle saw Shana and Kyoya together again…

Pushing the door open all the way, she froze in shock and dismay. Goddamn it, she thought. It appeared that her supply of luck had run out last night, because there Chantelle was, staring at the two of them with shocked, wide eyes. And… what on earth was she doing?

For a moment, the three of them froze there, a tableau of shocked, awkward silence. Kyoya was secretly plotting to slowly and painfully murder every last one of the Host Club members – what the fuck were they all thinking? Having Chantelle here when they returned… it seemed like something out of a nightmare.

Unexpectedly, it was Chantelle who broke the silence, kneeling down in front of them, her forehead touching the ground. "I'm sorry, so sorry!" she almost screamed. Then she looked up at them, tears streaming down her face. "It was fake, all of it! Kyoya and I didn't have sex, I tried but we went back to his apartment and all he could talk about was you and then he passed out and I had to pretend!"

The confession looked like it was costing Chantelle dearly; it seemed like she was practically forcing each word out. Yet she gritted her teeth and continued speaking, and Kyoya knew that this was the surprise Tamaki had spoken of. He had to say, he was rather impressed. He was the one who usually handled the coercion and negotiations of people who crossed members of the Host Club. It appeared that even without him, they could handle things just fine.

Shana, on the other hand, was busy processing the image of the usually brash, brazen and cocky roommate who treated her like scum kneeling on the ground in front of her. This was, to say the least, an uncomfortable situation.

She was also having a hard time comprehending what Chantelle was saying to her – that Kyoya had actually never cheated on her. She'd spent a while coming to terms with the fact that he had last night, since she knew it was a mistake and that he clearly regretted it, and she'd finally managed to accept it and put it in the past where it belonged. And now… well, this was a paradigm-shifting development.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me that all these months I've been moping around feeling depressed and you've been giving me all that shit for no reason at all?!" Shana was getting angry now, as the reality of the situation set in. All the time they'd wasted, being devastated over the loss of their relationship, and over something that had turned out to be so unnecessary? "Why on earth would you do that!" she exclaimed, fighting back tears of anger and hurt. She'd known that Chantelle found her irritating for some reason, but to go so far as to actively get in the way of a relationship, even to the point of deception… that was a low she hadn't thought Chantelle was capable of.

She took a deep breath, ready to start on a tirade and rip Chantelle a new one, when Kyoya put a hand on her shoulder, and she instantly calmed down.

"I… I'm sorry," Chantelle cowered. "Please don't get me expelled or fire my father," she pleaded. "I've already sent in a notice to the dormitory management committee that I will be moving into an off-campus location as soon as possible, and will be staying at a hotel until the apartment is ready. I'm packing now to leave…"

"Fine," Shana said, turning to leave the room.

As she walked out, Kyoya watched the undisguised hatred in Chantelle's expression as she stared at Shana's departing figure. He turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back to look at Chantelle.

"Your little stunt was not appreciated," he said coldly. "And you will not even entertain any thoughts of revenge on Shana, or I will make the reality of the threats my friends made to you seem like heaven in comparison to what I will do to you and your family. Do you understand me?" He glared at her, putting the full force of his anger and disdain into the look.

Chantelle shrank back in fear, wondering how he'd managed to guess what she was thinking. "Yes, sir," she said meekly, finally understanding that she'd chosen the wrong people to toy with.

He turned, and the light from the corridor glinted off his glasses, hiding his eyes. His mouth, which was still visible, quirked up on one side into a triumphant smirk. "Excellent," he said, and walked out the door, letting it close behind him.

He hurried to catch up with Shana, who had stopped about two doors down, after realizing that Kyoya was not with her. "What did you say to her?" she asked curiously. "You went all shadow king on her, didn't you?" she predicted with a sigh.

He frowned. He really wished that the others hadn't told her of the 'shadow king' mantle he'd earned among their group. Still, he supposed it was as good a description as any.

"I just helped her to understand the repercussions of any further plans she might have to mess with us, that's all," he explained, the picture of innocence as he smiled at Shana.

"So… in other words, you threatened her and her family with financial and social ruin if she ever came close to either of us again?" Shana concluded.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Pretty much, yeah."

Shana wanted to tell him that he shouldn't do things like that, that he should have been nicer about it, that Chantelle clearly regretted her actions – although she was most likely helped along to that realization by the other Host Club members – and he didn't need to do anything that excessive, but she found that she couldn't. Chantelle had been so cruel and vindictive towards her that she just couldn't bring herself to defend the older girl.

And, although she was never going to admit this to Kyoya, she did like that he was like that sometimes, and found his 'shadow king' side incredibly hot. Then again, judging by the smirk on his face, he was well aware of that, the insufferable bastard. Then she smiled. Her insufferable bastard, and if she had anything to say about it, that's how he would stay.

"Come on, let's go!" Kyoya said, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the lift. Shana laughed at his Tamaki-esque exuberance.

"Where are we going?" she asked, still laughing.

He turned and looked at her. "Well, first we're going to find the other Host Club members at the café just off-campus, where Tamaki informed me they'd be hanging out for the rest of the afternoon. We're going to thank them for taking care of the Chantelle situation and spend a little time with them. Then, we're going to walk back to my apartment and…" He leaned in and whispered wickedly in her ear, things that made her cheeks flush with simultaneous embarrassment and arousal.

"That sounds like a fabulous plan to me," she told him, pulling him down to give him a kiss. "Especially the later plans," she added with a lascivious wink, which caused him to tense up in shock. She laughed at his stunned expression and pressed the button for the elevator, before coming back to him and taking his hand.

"You know," she said almost conversationally as the doors to the elevator slid open, "I don't think things could have worked out any more perfectly than they did."

As they stepped into the elevator and Kyoya wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her smaller body flush against his own, he couldn't help but agree. Everything was absolutely perfect.

Yay, I finally finished it! Wow this story took about 3 years to finish (so sorry to everyone who was following me since like 2011?!) I hope you enjoyed the story and the ending was satisfactory! Please do drop me a review to tell me what you thought of it!

On another note, what would you guys like to see me work on next? Would you guys like me to continue the series with the twins, or write a vampire Ouran fic? (If you have any other requests now would be the time to inform me as well hehe). I also haven't decided which twin to write about next, so if you have a preference, do let me know as well!

Yup, that's about it for now!

Love,

Peachy Hikaru