WELL, IT WAS UNPLEASANT TO READ THE VERY NASTY REVIEW LEFT FOR ME. IT WAS LEFT BY A GUEST WHO READ NOT EVEN TWO OF THE CHAPTERS AND I UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYONE LIKES MY STORIES AND YOU ALL ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR OWN OPINIONS BUT I DID DELETE THE REVIEW SO AS TO NOT OFFEND SOME OF YOU. IT HAD SOME OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE. IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME EVEN MORE GRATEFUL TO THOSE WHO DO LOVE MY STORY. BIG HUGS TO YOU ALL. :)

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE LAST CHAPTER AND HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS ONE. :D

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OHSHC IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.

Chapter 26

Avianna's POV:

"Avianna, relax." Kyoya whispered as we stood behind the curtain in the Red Dragon Hotel's largest conference room. I tried to do as he instructed but the sound of the reporters and spectators on the other side of the curtain put a fresh wave of panic through me. I've always had pretty bad stage fright growing up, which stopped my parents from ever putting me in plays or anything that required public appearances. "Remember, you don't have to speak."

"Just the idea that they're all staring..." I whispered after taking a deep breath.

"If it helps, focus on a point at the end of the room and don't take your eyes off it. There are four chairs ten feet in front of us on the other side of the curtain. The first chair to the left will be for Mark, the second for you, the third for me and the fourth for my father."

Mr. Ootori and Mark chose then to walk right for us. Mr. Ootori took one look at the black diamond necklace around my neck and smiled. "Let's get this out of the way, shall we?"

The noise suddenly died down, a signal that it was time to start the press conference. Mr. Ootori walked on stage first with Mark behind him. Kyoya squeezed my hand tightly once more before letting go and walking on stage himself with me mechanically following. The image of hundreds of people staring at me was terrifying. Taking a seat, I did as Kyoya said and focused on a piece of the wall above the heads of everyone.

"Hello." Mr. Ootori said almost charmingly to the crowd. "Let the questioning commence."

Every reporter in the room stood and began waving for attention. I watched Mr. Ootori point to someone out of the corner of my eye and a woman with blonde hair just in my line of vision looked down at a paper. "Mr. Ootori, is it true that Ootori Company and Yukimura Incorporated are merging?"

"That is correct." Mr. Ootori told her. "The companies will be officially merged just in time for the Ootori family gala in a little less than two weeks."

The crowd began to roar with questions again. Mr. Ootori pointed to someone out of my vision. I considered risking a quick look but my nerves just wouldn't allow it. A man spoke this time. "Are the rumors true that your youngest son and Mr. Yukimura's sister are betrothed?"

"That is also correct. Let you all bare witness to this binding contract. After the graduation of my son and my partner's sister, our empires will be connected."

Kyoya stood suddenly, bringing my attention away from the wall. He offered me his hand and I took it, allowing him to help me from my chair. His actions confused me. What exactly does he have up his sleeve? He gave me an apologetic look before reaching into his pocket and retrieving a little velvet box. What little color remained in my face left. Was he...?

The cameras flashed almost blindingly as he opened the box and presented the most stunning ring I've ever seen. The diamond the size of my thumbnail had a row of diamonds encircling it all around in points and the band had diamonds around it too. All in all, it was something very hard to ignore.

He smiled, bringing one from me. In the noise of the room, Only I could hear his next words. "Avianna...will you marry me?"

I was too speechless to speak. He reached for my left hand and took it in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. I smiled. "I will."

The commotion in the room increased tenfold as Kyoya slid the glittering ring onto my left hand ring finger. He held out my hand to the audience, allowing them to snap pictures of it before helping me into my seat and sitting in his own. Looking rather satisfied with the response, a smile spread across Mark's face.

"Any other questions?" Mr. Ootori asked.

"Mr. Ootori, what led you to create a merger with Yukimura Incorporated?"

"While Ootori Company is much larger and more established, Yukimura Incorporated is a rising star in the medical field and, come this time next year, should be significantly greater."

"Mr. Yukimura, is it true that you are in contact with your grandfather, the infamous Isao Yukimura?"

Taking my eyes off Kyoya finally, I saw that Mark looked surprised. He obviously didn't expect to be called on. "I have no comment to make on that."

I sighed. I'm so confused. Is Mark in contact with my grandfather or not? Why can't he just answer? To Mark's relief, the questions went back to Mr. Ootori.

"What led you to arrange a marriage for your youngest son to someone with only recently acquired wealth?"

This question came from a woman. Risking a quick glance at Mr. Ootori, I saw that his jaw was clenched. "No further questions."

With the crowd still shouting questions at him, Mr. Ootori stood and the rest of us followed suit. Ducking back behind the curtain, we hurried into a side hall and out the back door, where the limo that had taken everyone here was waiting. As we drove quickly through downtown Tokyo, I subconsciously ran my fingers over the ring on my finger. Risking a quick glance at Kyoya, I saw that he looked worried. Possibly about my reaction? Without much thought to the other occupants in the limo, he took my left hand in both of his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"We're here, Mr. Ootori." The driver said as soon as the limo stopped. As soon as the driver stepped out to open the door closest to the curb, Mr. Ootori exited and then Mark. Kyoya stepped out next and offered me his hand, which I took. As if the reporters knew that we'd be here, camera flashes were all around as we entered the French restaurant.

As soon as we were seated and the alcohol was handed over, the overall mood of the table became bearable. I accepted a small glass of champagne, which we toasted to to celebrate the union and before I knew it, I had downed the whole glass and was accepting a refill. I had no idea what had come over me. I'm not the type to drink at all and suddenly, I'm downing glasses as fast as Mr. Ootori, or if not that bad, at least as fast as Mark. It's got to be the nerves. I did just accept a real proposal for all of Japan to see.

As soon as I finished the second glass, Kyoya took the glass from me and handed me water. He gave me a disapproving look and I blushed. With my head feeling a little swishy, I listened to the table conversation.

"That sounds like a very good idea, Yoshio. When would you like to leave?"

"After we eat, if possible."

I looked to Kyoya and asked him what they were talking about as softly as possible. He leaned in. "They're going to take a trip to Kyoto. This, they're openly admitting, is a pleasure trip, rather than business. We may be on our own as soon as we return to the Ootori estate."

As soon as Kyoya leaned away from me, Mark looked in my direction. "You'll be alright for a few days, won't you? Mari and Mr. Kobayashi will be there to look after you."

I nodded, actually managing a smile. A few days without Mark around. "I'll be perfectly fine."

The rest of lunch passed with me actually feeling happy. As we exited the restaurant and returned to the limo, I found myself striking up a conversation with Kyoya about what the next class trip would be. "The one around Christmas for Ouran is usually the second biggest and the Spring one is usually quite remarkable. If I'm not mistaken, the top ten in each grade will be going to England during Christmas and the Spring one will be to France."

"That would be amazing."

As the limo pulled up to the front doors inside the gates of the Ootori estate, Kyoya allowed Mr. Ootori and Mark to run inside while we chose to walk around to the back and enjoy the garden. Just in case, we should wait until after they leave before heading over to the school. After half an hour, Mr. Ootori left for the airport in his limo and Mark left in his to go pack once he was assured by Kyoya that I would have a ride home.

Finally a very dazzling smile began to play on Kyoya's lips. "Are you ready?"

Accepting his hand, I smiled back. "Absolutely. Let's find that dang book."

With a smile on my face, I headed off to Ouran with Kyoya in a little black sports car that he explained was his to use if he wished. It was the type that could be turned into a convertible, if the driver wished. Since it looked and sounded as if a storm was brewing, we chose to keep it shut. As we drove along in companionable silence, I decided to turn on his radio, which began to play very pretty classical music.

"It's a CD of some of my favorite classical artists." He explained, looking a little embarrassed.

"It's beautiful. Which artist is this?"

"Yiruma." He admitted after a moment.

"I enjoy Yiruma myself."

His eyes, which had been focused solely on the road, darted to me for a moment. "Are you sure you want to be with me when I look? It may be Sunday but that doesn't mean that nobody is here. If a student decided to request that a teacher come in on Sunday so they can be tutored, we'll be caught here and questioned."

"I have a pretty good feeling we'll be here alone." I told him as we pulled into Ouran Academy's gates and parked near the high school building. "All the lights are off and there isn't a car in the high school parking lot except for yours."

Stepping out of the car quickly, he was around to open my door for me just as I removed my seat belt. As soon as we were out, he locked the doors and turned on the alarm before pocketing the keys and bringing out another set of keys. "These keys go specifically to the school. The gold one opens the front doors and the brass one is a skeleton key to open everything from classrooms to lockers."

At the front doors, he glanced around before unlocking one door and stepping inside. He immediately locked it back to keep anyone else from getting in. Walking down the dark halls of Ouran is even creepier when I know the building is closed. Kyoya wrapped an arm around me and led me back to the gym, where we cut through it and went into the boy's locker room. He turned a light on and gave me a tired look before going to unlock each and every one of the lockers. In the first section.

A couple hours later, we had finished all the lockers in the boy's locker room and had even opened up some lockers Kyoya knew belonged to boys in his gym class. Finally, as we were about to give up and head home, I accidentally brushed against a locker, causing a little note sticking out of it to fall to the ground. I picked it up.

Your little stunt with the Yukimura

girl almost got you arrested while you still

have the book. When you get back to

school, you better bring it to me or

there WILL be consequences. Learn

to finish what you start. If you don't

snag her, I will.

-K. E.

I paled and Kyoya snatched the paper out of my hands. Once he read it, he glared. The curiosity as to who wrote it getting the better of me, I took the hand not holding the note. "Do you know who K. E. is?"

He shook his head before putting the note back in the locker's little opening. "Not a clue. But whoever they are, they know Hiro. This note is meant for him."

"That means this is his locker." I whispered. Sensing where I was going with this, he took the brass key and opened it, careful to keep hold of the note. He lifted some of the folders on the top shelf before kneeling down and looking under the pile of books. To our intense surprise, it was there. The little red notebook looked old and was bound in leather. A V about the size of my hand print rested in the middle of the cover. "Should we read it?"

He shook his head. "We shouldn't do anything. We need to take it home immediately and turn it in to the principal first thing tomorrow."

A loud clap of thunder caused me to flinch. Looking out the nearby window, I watched as rain began to pour heavily. I hope Haruhi is okay.

"Tamaki informed me last night that he's taking her to the movies tonight. They should already be sitting in the theater now, blocking out the sound of the storm."

"How'd you know I was worried?" I asked as he slid the notebook into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"You're easy to read. For me anyway." He said with a shrug, a smirk playing on his lips.

After giving him what I hoped was an intimidating glare, we made sure that the locker looked as if it hadn't be touched and headed for the door. Pausing at the stairs, I looked up. "While we're here, we should look around. It's creepy when the school looks this dark but it's cool too."

He glanced at the door quickly before going to stand beside me. "Sure, why not? It's too late in the afternoon for us to expect any teachers deciding to show up."

First, we decided to pop into the club room long enough to make sure it was cleaned and ready for tomorrow's club meeting, then we headed back downstairs to the same hallway the common rooms are located in. Kyoya stopped at a door to the left and used to key to open it. I was surprised to see a set of stairs leading down into darkness.

"What's this?" I whispered.

"This is one of two entrances to Ouran's vaults."

"Oh? What's that?"

Offering me his hand, he and I walked down a couple steps before shutting the door behind me. The stairwell was pitch black. I had to completely trust Kyoya to not let me fall down the stairs. When I was sure that I was standing on solid ground, the room lit. Adjusting my eyes, I looked from the light switch to Kyoya to the stone walls around me. Looking at all the paths around us leading to different sections of the basement, it looked like we were standing in some kind of catacombs.

"Would you like to see the vaults?" He asked after a moment.

"Is that allowed?"

"Not really. Not even I am allowed here. It started with the chairman, Tamaki's father, showing his son. Tamaki showed me and...here we are. The vault's entrance is around the corner to the left."

Following him further in, we entered the hallway to the left and stopped at the end, in front of a steel door. To enter this one, we'd need a pass code to enter into the key pad. He was quick to type in the numbers '41503'

"41503?" I asked as the door slid open and the lights in the hallway beyond lit up.

"April 15, 1903. The date that Ouran Academy was first established. Up until 1922, it was solely a men's school. At that point, they created a women's finishing school on the opposite side of the property. In 1940, they finally decided to group the men and women together into one institution. In 1967, they separated age groups and made it a middle school, high school and college. The elementary school wasn't created until 1979."

As Kyoya spoke, we walked down the hallway that led into several locked up rooms. Some were simple and contained old boxes, some had curtains on the inside, blocking the room from view. "What all is stored down here?"

"Everything from old uniforms to paperwork and even some items that the chairman refused to tell his son about. Considering the vaults run directly from the high school to the college, that would make it a very large storage space for even things are large as cars, if there were a way to get the cars down here."

"This is all fine and well but what exactly about the vaults did you think would really interest me?" I asked after a moment, hoping I didn't offend him.

He chuckled. "What I want to show you is up ahead."

Taking my hand, he stepped forward until we reached the end of the hall. Taking a left turn, he stopped at the door at the end of that short hall and unlocked it. Before I even had a chance to blink, he pushed me inside the dark room gently and flicked on a light switch somewhere.

I gasped. Books. Endlessly books. It was a two story library the size of the cafeteria only slightly bigger. The center of the room was lit by a chandelier the size of the one that graced the foyer in the main high school building. Taking about ten steps into the room, I smiled.

"This is incredible." I whispered.

"This library is located below the actual high school library. Each and every book you see on these shelves are collector editions of every notable book ever written. Ouran even owns the original manuscript for Romeo and Juliet. That, my dear, is a very long story."

I laughed. "How did they manage that?"

He adjusted his glasses, his expression a little sheepish. "To put it plainly, it was stolen from the original holders of the manuscript thirty years ago and brought here. Am I correct in assuming that this interests you?"

"More than you can imagine. I love books. Seeing all of these treasured ones...it's just so cool."

"Go on then. Look at them if you like. You can't remove them from this room but you're welcome to read them here. We could try to make time every Sunday for it."

Overwhelmed, I ran forward and gave him the strongest hug I could manage. "You're the best!"

After a moment of surprise, he returned the hug in a more gentle manner. Pulling away, I ran right across the room and started scanning the bookshelves. Any book that couldn't be reached by hand or by the rolling ladder attached to the wall were on the balcony of the room, which could be reached via a winding staircase to the left.

It felt like we were there for hours. While I had my face practically pressed up against the very first copy of one of my favorite Japanese books, Kyoya spent that time going through a side room in the library that contained the written information about each book in the secret library. When I finally closed the book and put it away, Kyoya emerged from the side room and shut the door.

"We should head back upstairs soon." He said gently as he went to stand beside me. "It's nearly eight. Your brother may be gone but you'll want to at least inform your house staff of where you are so they don't worry."

I pulled out my cellphone. "I haven't received a call...but the reception is terrible down here which would block any calls..."

"If we return to the first floor of the high school, you should get your reception back."

As he turned to leave, I quickly grabbed his arm. He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. I blushed. "I'm not ready to go home yet."

I'm not sure what he saw in my expression but it caused him to pull me into his arms and hug me tightly. "I understand. It's upsetting to return home knowing that only the house staff are there."

I grimaced. "I'm sorry. It's just awkward. Having Mari there makes it better but still..."

"Would you like to stay here a little longer? We could go to the common rooms and watch a movie?"

"Won't the school be upset when they review the footage and see that we've been here for hours?"

"The school's security team are very well bribed. They'll erase all evidence that we were here." He paused to shrug for a moment. "You know, or else."

I rolled my eyes and took a step back. "You know you really aren't as frightening as you think you are."

Walking towards the exit to the secret library, I could hear Kyoya walking behind me but I chose to ignore it. Just as I reached the exit, I felt him grab me around my middle and yank me back. A little startled, I tried to give him a glare but he kept me facing forward by holding on to my neck below my chin. "Aren't I?"

The low, ominous tone in his voice managed to give me a chill. "Alright, cut it out. We need to get out of here before we manage to get caught. You know my luck."

"Answer me first." He murmured, his lips against my ear. "Do you mean it? Am I not frightening?"

"No." I answered honestly. 'But you are intimidating', I thought.

"Then what am I?"

I wasn't sure what sort of answer he wanted but I figured that the biggest likelihood is he wanted me to admit that he could be scary. I rolled my eyes. "You're a very scary boy. Is that what you want to hear?"

"That works." He chuckled softly. Even after I answered him, he did nothing to loosen his grip. When I began to fidget, he removed the hand under my chin and turned me around so that we were face to face and flush against eachother. He took in my expression, which I hoped expressed how much I wanted him to kiss me right now. "What's on your mind?"

I blanked for a moment. What was I thinking? The longer he stared, the more I could only focus on his face and the way he held me. His eyes did a sweep over of every inch of me that could be seen while our arms were around eachother. I blushed. "What's on your mind, Kyoya?"

"I'm thinking that my tailor disregarded my instructions as it pertained to the cut of your bodice."

I looked down at the small amount of cleavage that could be seen above the top line of the dress and averted my eyes and blushed. "You shouldn't be looking?"

My words made him smirk. "Is that a question? You seem uncertain."

I pouted, a little frustrated with myself. No, really frustrated at myself. "You shouldn't be looking. There. I said it."

His smirk faded and his hold on me loosened a little. "You're right."

For some reason, his sudden distance upset me. I sighed inwardly. I need to just own up to my feelings. I like Kyoya a lot and I sometimes I find myself wanting to get a little closer than protocol allows. So why can't I tell him that?

"Something's on your mind." He whispered, his hands trailing from the top of my waist to the bottom of it. "Care to share?"

I blushed, everything that needed to be said hanging on the tip of my tongue. "I really like you."

He smiled slightly, though it was no less genuine than a full smile. "I know. I like you too. Much more than I thought I would, even before I decided not to ignore you."

"When we first met, you mean?"

He nodded, his expression almost bashful. "I never really looked at you until I was asked to take you on a tour of the school. Even in the small amount of time it took to give the tour, you managed to catch my interest in a way. You were nothing like any of the girls here. By the time school ended on your first day here, I had wanted to go against my father and at least figure you out a little more but I had also already nearly determined to pretend you don't exist. The one thing that made me change my mind is when you outright demanded my attention during your first host club meeting. No one had ever done so and it...impressed me a lot."

I smiled. "To put things simply, you like me a lot?"

The corners of his lips twitched. "Precisely."

Sliding my hands up the front of his shirt, I rested the tips of my fingers on his shoulders, bringing my attention to the ring. A question came to mind. "What was the reasoning for you publicly proposing? It seemed a little...not romantic."

The sheepishness increased. "I'm sorry for that. It was expected of us but that doesn't excuse it...You deserve better than that and you'll get it even if I have to propose to you ten different times."

Taking a step back, he took my left hand and before I knew it, the ring was off my finger. "Kyoya, what are you doing?"

Taking a deep breath, he sank to his right knee in one fluid motion. "Avianna...I don't even know where to begin. Your suddenly appearance in my life has done something that nothing else could. It got through to me. You never deserved my family forcing their way into your life or your brother's encouragement. The fact that you've accepted my feelings for you even though this merger has been hurting you and your relationship with your family is much more than I deserve. So when I ask this, unless you are one hundred percent certain in your heart that this is what you want, don't accept. I will ask again one day. Will you marry me?"

My heart pounded. If it wasn't enough that he romantically proposed again, he also worded it in such a way that I had to pause and think through my response. "I...know that this engagement was forced on us and I feel like I should apologize that. It was my brother's idea..."

"Avianna." He tried to interrupt but I put a finger to his lips.

"Regardless...I still have strong feeling for you. I do want to be with you and if we make this work, I'll still feel that way when the wedding comes. But...I don't love you. Not yet. As far as the public eye is concerned, we're engaged. But when it's just you and me, let's do what we've been trying to from the beginning and fall for eachother in our own time. I'm sorry. I hope you understand."

So many emotions flashed through his eyes as I spoke. Hope, worry, acceptance... Glancing at the ring, he took my left hand anyway and placed the ring in my palm before closing my fingers around it. "I want you to do what makes you happy. I do understand. Keep this. Wear it, lock it in a box..."

As he stood to his full height, I clutched the hand that contained the ring to my chest and sighed. "I'm sorry."

His searching expression changed to one of determination. His hands ghosted up to the sides of my face. "Never apologize, Avianna. Not for that. Not for any of this."

A shiver went up my spine. Not because of the emotion that dripped from his voice as he spoke but because of what I saw reflecting behind him. It was so quick that I couldn't even make out whether it was a boy or girl but someone most definitely turned the corner leading away from the library door. I spun around, ripping his hands from my face.

"Kyoya, there's someone down here with us. I saw their reflection in your glasses."

He quickly walked past me and glanced around the corner cautiously. He turned back after a second. "Are you sure? There's no one there. You might have seen the light reflecting."

"Whoever it was had on a red shirt."

He looked around the corner again. "As in the uniform blazer?"

"No, it didn't look like the same shade of red. Not quite, anyway."

He was silent for a minute, trying to hear even the tiniest sound. Finally, I heard what I thought was footsteps growing further and further away. Kyoya looked to me. "Stay here. If you hear the steps getting closer, shut the bars over the doorway and it will lock you safely inside."

And he was off. I stepped into the hallway a moment later to see him run out of the steel door ahead, leaving me in the vault alone. I shivered. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Backing against the wall, I let my eyes dart around frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of Kyoya. Why do I feel like I'm being watched?

The steps that I had heard earlier began to approach again. My heart pounding frantically, I ran for the library and slammed the bar door in place before stepping back. The steps just grew closer. "Kyoya? Is that you?"

Just as I contemplated locating a weapon, they rounded the corner.

!HEY! :D IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO SEE PICTURES OF THE BLACK DIAMOND NECKLACE AND AVIANNA'S ENGAGEMENT RING, CHECK MY PROFILE.