A/N: Good morning, friends. I mean. It's morning when I type this bit out. Might still be morning when I post. I don't know. I'm starting to wake up a little and I got a bottle of Monster water by my side. Anything's possible. At the end, we need to do a little talky-talky, if that's alright. Nothing too serious, but a little talky-talky. I feel like it's been a while since we've done that and I want to touch base. So, let's get into this week's chapter, yeah? I did promise it'd be a good one. And oh…I can't wait. Because now, I know what next chapter's going to be like and that one will likely be better than this one. But I'm going to stop rambling and let's get to it.

Ring, ring.

Well. Would you look at that? It appears the Shadow King has risen to take his throne. For the safety of others, let's hope that it was of his own volition and not because his best friend doesn't handle time alone very well. We just got to Tokyo. I'd hate to see it burned to the ground. Cautiously, I slid my finger across my phone screen, praying for the best.

"Hi, baby," I crossed my fingers, "What's up?"

"Good morning," he let out a low, rumbly grumble. Oh, my…

"Did you sleep the jet lag off?" I hoped.

"Yeah, actually," Kyoya must have just woke up. He still sounded a bit out of it, "Are you back at the hotel?"

"No," I shook my head, "I'm currently wandering Shimokitazawa. Why?"

"Did you see Yuuichi this morning?" Oh, Kyoya. Always the worried mother.

"Yes," I nodded, "We talked for a couple hours this morning. But then, he got a call and had to go."

"Could you do me a favor?" he asked, "While you're out, will you get me some coffee? The swill in the hotel tastes like raw sewage."

"Of course." He's so cute, "I should be back soon. I'm about to get on the train."

"Thank you, Lana," Kyoya sighed out, "I love you."

"Love you, too." I boarded my train with a full heart, "I'll see you shortly."

"Bye."

Click.

My boyfriend could be so cute when he's first waking up. Sure, Kyoya has his mornings where he wakes up a dick, but they weren't all like that. Sometimes, he wakes up like a sleepy toddler. That was only for me, though. And if he woke up on his own before our alarm goes off. Those mornings were a guilty pleasure. Such a shame I didn't get to witness it firsthand. It feels like we've hardly had any time alone since we got here. We'll have Karuizawa, though. Even then, I'm sure Misuzu will be up our asses sporadically. That's what the Ootori family cabin was for, right?

As I got of the train in Shibuya, I had to reorient myself. I needed to get to the nearest convenience store. Kyoya without coffee was not pretty. Maybe I should get him some instant coffee for the sake of nostalgia. No. He needed the real stuff. Kyoya's waking up from a long, heavy, jetlag sleep. He'll need the caffeine boost that instant coffee can't give him. It's like he has an immunity to it. Then again, Haruhi has been a part of the host club for a while now. And I don't think any of them knew such a thing existed before her.

Regardless, I found a convenience store near our hotel and figured that'd be the safest bet. Should I get anything else other than Kyoya's coffee? I could stand some, too, but I've been slowly getting hooked on energy drinks lately, courtesy of my sister. She couldn't drink them while she was pregnant, so she gave most of them to me. Maybe I should get some of them. I could do that. Just one won't kill me. I've had doctors tell me that someone like me should avoid caffeine, but clearly, they've never seen me without it.

I'm pretty sure I got all the essential food groups. There's fruit juice in my energy drink. There's fruit in my Pop Tarts. There are potatoes in my can of Pringles. There's grain in my donuts. And there's milk in my chocolate. Kyoya only said he wanted coffee, but I'd be willing to share. And beans were used to make Kyoya's coffee. There. All the essentials.

"Oof…" I bumped into the back of a tall, somewhat disheveled woman in line, "Gomen'nasai…"

"Ii yo, ii yo," she settled me. But then…I realized something. As did the person in front of me, glaring at the items in my arms, "You really should be taking better care of yourself, young lady. All this junk is no good for you."

I put all my stuff on the counter and threw my arms around his waist, "Maybe I could use a dad to love me and steer me in a better direction."

"How long have you been home?"

"A couple days," I tried figuring it out, but the time zones gave me a headache.

"AND I'M JUST NOW FINDING OUT?! LANA, AS YOUR FATHER I AM SORELY DISAPPOINTED."

"Easy, Ranka…" I did my best to settle him down as we started getting the weird looks from various other people in the store, "We're still in public, man. Come on."

"I'm sorry," Ranka always was the excitable one, "Get your stuff and we'll take a walk."

"Deal." Anything to get me out of here. So, the two of us hurried up and left the store as covertly as possible. Not that we didn't stick out of a crowd. Ranka's Ranka and I'm an American girl in Tokyo. Sore thumbs.

"Alright, sweetheart," he took my hand, "Where to?"

"Our hotel," I told him, "Kyoya needs coffee or he can't function properly."

"I understand," Ranka let out a big yawn, "I need to get to bed. I just got off a little while ago and I thought I'd eat something before I go to sleep."

I thought he looked a bit tired. Last night's makeup, a broken heel, holes in his fishnets. My god, Ranka looked like Rhiannon before the baby after a long night, "Then, why are you still out here with me?"

"Because I only get to see one of my daughters regularly," he pouted, "The other one had to move all the way to the other side of the world."

"For the sake of my education," I pointed out.

"There were plenty of schools you could've gone to here," Ranka argued, "Any one of them would be happy to have you, Lana."

"I know…" Guilt started setting in, "But this was one of those things I had to do for me. Columbia's an ivy league school. If I get a degree there, then a letter of recommendation from a certain someone with a little bit of pull from the Ootori family, any door could be blown open for me. I know you want what's best for me and you want me to stick around here. But…The two aren't exactly mutually exclusive. I need to go off once in a while, too."

"Wow…" he blinked a couple times, "That was a little too deep for me to handle right now…"

"Sorry," I giggled a bit, "I had a session with Kyoya's brother this morning and remembered to take my medicine. My mental clarity is off the charts right now."

"That's good to hear," Ranka threw an arm around me, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just being selfish. But you can't blame me! I hardly ever see you anymore. Haruhi's seen you more in the last six months than I have."

"I know," I shrugged, "But Kyoya's seen me more in the last six months than you, too."

"You also live together," he grimaced, "Which I can't exactly say I approve of…"

"Ranka," I rolled my eyes, "Kyoya and I have been all over the world together. We've shared many a hotel room. We've shared the family cabin. We've shared my old bedroom! I think we're good. Hell, we're engaged. We might as well…live…together…"

Uh-oh. I don't think I told Ranka that Kyoya proposed. The look on his face confirmed it. I don't think Kyoya ran our engagement past Ranka. I'm scared. I think I need to seek shelter. But then, Ranka took a deep breath and got himself to calm down, "When did this happen?"

"Shortly after we moved to New York…"

"Honestly," he confessed, "I couldn't picture you with anyone else. It doesn't seem right."

"Thank you," I smiled, "I'm glad we got your blessing."

"Of course, sweetheart," Ranka hugged me tight, "As long as I get invited to the wedding, you'll always have my blessing."

"On one condition."

"Shoot."

"You stay far away from my parents," I begged, "I love you, Ranka. You don't deserve that. It's for your own personal protection."

"Honestly, Lana," Ranka rolled his eyes, "You demonize your parents so much, but how bad could they really be?"

"Has Haruhi not told you the horror stories?" I gave him a look, "Trust me. You're too precious to me. Just stay away from them."

"Deal," he kissed the top of my head as the two of us approached the front doors of the hotel, "I'm guessing this is your stop?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Inside is the boy of my dreams without coffee, so I need to get back to him."

"Hey," Ranka took my hand, "Why don't you come see me tonight?"

"I just saw you now," I pointed out, "But are you still at the same club you were at last time I saw you?"

"Yep!" he chirped, "Same place. Same time. I need a nap."

"Sleep tight, Ranka," I threw myself into his chest, not wanting to be anywhere else for a while.

"You, too, sweetheart," Ranka melted, "I love you."

"Love you, too," I needed to get inside before I burst into tears. Although, I will admit. It was so good to see Ranka again. I miss him. Granted, I kind of have someone like him in New York, but Dash could only get me so far before I needed a dose of Ranka again. Oh, god…If those two end up meeting at my reception, we may need to seek shelter. Someone's paying a steep price…

I walked back into our hotel room with a bag in one hand and a hot cup of coffee in the other. Sure enough, Kyoya sat on our bed, twiddling around on his computer. I took a seat next to him and laid my head on his shoulder, "Hi."

"Hi," Kyoya kissed my cheek, taking his coffee from me, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Lana," he brushed his fingers along my cheekbone, "Why are you covered in glitter? I thought you were just getting me coffee. I know you didn't get that from seeing my brother."

"No," I giggled under my breath, "I ran into Ranka, so I might be a tad sparkly."

"That explains a thing or two," Kyoya shut his laptop, "So how is Ranka?"

"Fine," I reported, "However, we need to go to Shinjuku tonight."

"Why?"

"We were invited," I explained, "Besides, what's so bad about us going to Shinjuku after dark anyway?"

"Absolutely nothing," Kyoya approved, "In fact, even if Ranka wouldn't have suggested it, I would've. I need to touch base with Yoshi anyway."

"Expanding, are we?" I wondered, getting a pen from the nightstand drawer.

"I've been thinking about it," he admitted, giving me his arm. It's only fair. I let him draw on me all the time. Whenever he doesn't have a spare piece of paper, I'm his favorite canvas, "Rhiannon's tried talking me into it since she and I started working together. We've talked things over. Ever since I got the first one, I've been itching for another."

"I feel your pain," I sighed out, looking over the pretty spray of flowers on my arm, "You think we should get matching ones?"

"Rhiannon said the same thing," Kyoya gave me a nudge, "But Carlos said it'd be disastrous on the off chance we don't last."

"And we need to worry about that?" I asked.

"No," he snaked his arm behind me, "I don't think so. Although, I wouldn't go down the matching tattoo route. But what would you say about getting something with me?"

"I'd be down," I agreed, "But I think Rhiannon would hunt my ass down if she knew someone else put a needle on me."

"It's Yoshi. I'm sure Rhiannon wouldn't have a problem with him."

"I'd still feel like I was cheating on her," I admitted, "But it's weird to say that about my sister. What were you thinking?"

"Your flowers would look so pretty," Kyoya traced his finger along my wrist, careful to avoid any scars, "with a dragon snaked through them. A black and gray one."

"Actually," I gave him the pen. I knew he was itching, "That doesn't sound too bad. I like that. If that's going to be yours for me, what's mine for you?"

"I don't know," he started a rough sketch around my flowers, "I thought I'd leave that up to you."

"Take your shirt off," I demanded, "Right now."

"My, my, Lana," Kyoya blushed, "How forward of you."

"I want to see your ribs, you weirdo," I laughed, rolling my eyes, "I need to see what I'm working with."

"Fine," he gave me the pen back and peeled his shirt off. Oof, "There. Happy?"

"Very," I looked over the big, light purple rose on my boyfriend's ribs. I put that there. I remember drawing it out. What would go there, though? I know Kyoya's reasoning for the dragon. A symbol of him always keeping an eye on me. Both strong, yet docile. Much like Kyoya himself. He could take over the world in an afternoon out of sheer boredom if he wanted to, yet he didn't. So, what would be something like that for me? I thought maybe a mermaid. That seems to be a reoccurring theme in our relationship, but I don't see a mermaid working with what he's already got.

What about a fairy? Rose gardens have always attracted fairies. And I could see one sitting on the edge of one of the petals. If only Kyoya didn't have my arm pinned down. I'd start on it now. But my artistic skills were nowhere near good enough to do something like that. I wasn't my sister. However…I'm sure if I text her the idea of a celestial fairy, she'd be on board and get her sketchbook. Fairies were symbols of freedom. And I think that's what he needs more than anything else. That's what our move to New York was all about. He got out from under his father's thumb and from under the crushing weight of his family. But now, we're free, baby. Just us.

"So," Kyoya wondered, "When we go to Shinjuku tonight, are you thinking just us?"

Creepy you phrase it that way, "Why? Were you thinking we take the others with us?"

"I wouldn't have a problem with it."

"I don't know," I bit my lip, "It's Ranka. You can't tell me Haruhi wouldn't be a bit mortified at all our friends going to a drag show."

"You may not know this," Kyoya smirked, his glasses frosting over, "But Haruhi's much more resilient than you give her credit for. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time we've been to drag shows together. You took us to one."

"That was bingo. And didn't involve any of our friends' dads."

"It's Ranka," he defended, "It's nothing we've never seen before."

"Alright," I let it go, cuddling into Kyoya's bare chest, "Family outing, it is then."

A/N: Yay! We're all going to Shinjuku! And Ranka knows Lana's in town! And engaged…I'm so excited for next week. Shinjuku. The host club. The Ranka. Shenanigans will ensue.

So, that thing I wanted to talk to you guys about. Because I know I've talked about the Compound before. If not, see the post on Tumblr. Let me know if you need to see it. Anyway, because I have habit of running this account (and my review section) like Tamaki runs the host club (Sorry. I lack a Kyoya, so you'll just have to live with it.), I was thinking of starting a group project. Kind of like a guest book for the Compound. It wouldn't be anything too extensive or strenuous. Right now, I just want to gauge interest. If you're down for it, I'll give more details. If you're not, then we'll pretend this never happened. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a spastic puppy that wants to go for a walk. See you next chapter! xx