DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB IN ANYWAY SHAPE OR FORM

When Ei got to Hikaru and Jun's floor, she found it eerily quiet. The only exception was a tapping sound. Ei followed it to the balcony door where she found Hikaru lazily tapping his hand against the balcony door with Jun still outside ignoring him.

"Hikaru?" Ei said as she came closer to the door.

"Oh good, you're here," Hikaru said with a sigh of relief.

"So what's going on?" Ei asked as she looked out the balcony door at Jun who was drapped over the railing, dangling her bottle over, swinging it back and forth. Ei hope she didn't drop it.

"In not sure, she came home and immediately went out there with the bottle and has been out there ever sense. I sent the twins down to Kaoru's floor just so they didn't have to see their mother like this," Hikaru explained. "I've been trying to get her attention or something but she keeps ignoring me. And I don't know what she did to the door, but I can't get it open!"

Ei tried reaching for the latch and pulling at it but to avail.

"Jun? She called out knocking at the door, "Jun, can you hear me?"

At that Jun did turn around and look at Ei. She put on her sly smirk as she pulled open the door.

"Well," she said in a slurred voice, "if it isn't the little golden girl. Apple of everybody's eye and all around loveable. The girl who can do no wrong! The Miss Perfect of Japan!"

Next thing Ei knew Jun was lightly slapping her face, although they still hurt.

"Owe! Owe!" Owe!" Ei kept saying after each slap.

Jun suddenly stopped and looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry kid, it's not your fault," she said, even though she gave Ei one last slap.

"Owe!" Ei moaned, "what's not my fault?"

"My dad of course," Jun said as she stumbled back out onto the balcony. She slammed her back against a wall and slid down, trying to take another drink from her bottle. "Damn, gone already?" She flung the bottle out of her hand and it rolled over towards Hikaru and Ei.

"You drank all of this already?" Hikaru asked as he picked it up.

"Guess it wasn't as full as I thought it was," Jun muttered.

"It's not even alcoholic," Hikaru said as he looked at the label that read, 'Mr. Smily's grape juice'.

"Hmm," Jun muttered shrugging her shoulder, "I just grabbed a bottle to chug."

"Jun, what's really going on?" Ei asked as she knelt down next to her. Hikaru took a similar stance on the other side of Jun. "You said something about your father?"

"Yeah, dear old daddy," Jun said, "he told me today after I got done doing a delivery for him, he's planning on merging his company with HOST, and having Ei be put in charge of it instead of leaving it to me and the twins."

"What?" Ei said in shock.

"That's must have been what he's doing here earlier this week!" Hikaru said mad.

"But why?" Ei asked.

"Because we're not as responsible and level beaded as you dear Ei. He wants the company going to somebody decent!" Jun said in a mocking tone. A shadow anger clouded her face, "of course the only reason I'm am like this is because of him! But do you think he realizes this? No! Of course not!"

She sighed in frustration, wiping her face. "I never told you guys the full story of my mother's death did I?"

""She died from cancer didn't she?" Ei asked softly.

"There's that," said Jun, "I'm talking about the aftermath and what my dad did or didn't do with me."


I was still fairly young and Mom had been been in the hospital for months getting treatment. I get to see her plenty of times, but as she started getting worse, the visits got limited.

Then one morning, I heard some commotion going on outside my room. I ran out over to this big bay window we had at the end of the second floor hallway and looked out to see dad walking out to his car with a few of his assistants. I didn't know exactly what was going on but I could feel in my gut something was wrong. I stayed by that window all day, didn't even try eating any of the servants brought to me. It wasn't until late at night, that dad's car return. I remember hurrying down to the stairs and too the front door.

I ran out to the front stairs right as dad was coming up the walk way with all his goonies. They looked upset. I was worried about what dad was going to say, but I guess I didn't have ro. Dad walked right past me and into the house. Walked right past me like I was just another shrubbery or statue on the front lawn! He even shut the door on me.

I stood outside a little stun by dad's actions. He didn't even look at me. When I finally got over the initial shock and went back inside, I wondered around until I found dad in the main ballroom with all the staff talking to them. I only got there in time to hear dad say,

"...and so you're allowed to spend the rest and tomorrow as you see fit. I'll understand if any of you need time before you return to your normal duties. In the meantime I wish to be left alone in my room."

It didn't take much to figure out what happened with that. However, I still expected dad to say something to me. But once again he didn't even seem to notice me as he walked out of a different entrance than the one I was standing at.

Instead a maid who ofter looked after me was the actually the one who came over to me.

"Let's get you to be my poor dear," she said softly a she led me upstairs. She didn't say anything either, but by then it was too obvious. My mother was gone.

The old maid put me to bed and everything, but she didn't flat out tell me anything about mom's passing. I guessed she assumed dad had already told me or something.

The next day, I decided to maybe try and talk to dad myself. I walked towards his room, only to have my maid stop me.

"Your father doesn't want to be bothered right now sweetie. You two will talk again when you both have had more time to take it all in."

It was starting to get a little frustrating not having anyone flat out tell me about mom's fate, but I still expected somebody to.

But the next day, I tried to see if dad was going to speak with me about mom. That day however, dad came out of his room and like he did the first day, walked past me, barely giving me a glance.

Over the next few days he kept on just ignoring me. Not even a sideway glance. I was getting mad and frustrated by the day with how no one was telling me anything. Especially dad.

Then finally came the day of the funeral.

That morning my maid came into my room with a new black dress.

"I got this bran new for you for today," she said as she laid it down on my bed. She kept going off about my outfit, "and I got you some nice new shoes for it. And I was thinking doing you hair up with a nice bow. Your mother loved your hair up in bows."

"So this really means mom is dead huh?" I finally asked.

"Why would you ask such a question dear?" my maid asked looking towards me, only to notice the look I was giving her. A lone stone hard look.

"My dear, do you mean to tell me, this whole time no one had sought to tell you that your mother..." she started to ask. I just kept my stone expression.

"But surly your father...," my look stayed on my face.

"Oh my goodness! This whole time!" At that the maid got up and hurried off out of my room.

I watched as she hurried down to my father's room and knocked at the door. Or more likely pounded at it.

"What is it? Is it time to go?" my father asked as he came out.

"No, sir this is about your daughter," the maid tried to say.

"Is she ready?" my father asked interrupting her.

"No sir, not yet," she said, "But...,"

"Well hurry up and get her ready, we have to go soon," my father interrupted again. He walked past her too.

"But my lord!" she tried calling to him.

"Just give her a little swat on the butt if she gives you a hard time," my father called back like it was nothing.

I never felt less cared for by my dad than that moment. It was like I was just an object to be made up to look nice. Nothing more.

I was hurt and angry with my dad, I barley really paid attention during the funeral service. I don't how long it was before I was brought back to reality. It was at the wake for my mother.

Lots of dad's business associates, both local and abroad were there. I didn't even recognize a lot of them. That was until I walked past one of the foreign associates and heard him talking, about being at my mother's funeral.

"I didn't come all the way over to Japan to attend a funeral for somebody I didn't even now. You'd think Mr. Tsuuken would have found a way to schedule this funeral around my visit. How hard could that have been?"

I was so mad at this man showing what I felt was disrespect to my mother I walked right up to him

"Excuse me sir?" I said in my most child like innocent voice I could come up with.

"Yes who are you little girl?" the foreign guy asked.

"I'm Jun, and this is my mother's funeral," I told him.

"Oh, I'm very sorry for your loss," he tried to say, but I could tell he didn't mean it.

"Yes, I bet you are. I can see the tears coming down his face," I said. And with that I threw my drink in his face. It splashed all over him, dripping down.

He shouted so loudly it got my dad's attention and he came running over.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Your daughter splashed her drink at me for now reason!" the man accused me.

"What?! Jun! How dare you! This man is guest, come to pay your respect to your late mother!" my father scolded.

"I bet he was real sad when you told him mother had died huh?" I asked.

"Yes, that's why he's here," my father kept scolding. "Now you show some respect and apologize to him!"

"I'm sorry sir," I said as kindly as I could.

"And now go to your room until you learn to behave!" my father then ordered and I obeyed. But as I was walking away, I realized two things.

One my dad had taken the time to tell a foreigner who could have cared less that my mom was dead but I couldn't have brothered to tell me, his own daughter! Her daughter, she was gone!

And also, that was the most attention I had gotten from my dad since mom died.

That part didn't really sink in until the next day when I came out of my room, and I saw a cocky looking butler tidying up in the hallway.

As I walked past him, he looked up at me.

"You sure were misbehaving yesterday weren't you? At your own mother's funeral? If you were my child, I would have done a lot more than just send you to your room!"

"Like what?" I asked him.

"I would have taken away half of your toys for one thing!" the butler said.

"Hmm and what would you do if I were to pour some cleaning supplies on someone?" I asked.

"Probably ground you from the pool!" the butler said.

"Well good thing I'm not your kid huh?" I said as a I did just that to him.

The guy screamed and shouted at me, "you little spoiled brat!"

My dad somehow heard him and came running to the scene.

"Now what happened?!" he asked.

"Your daughter dumped some of the cleaning solution on my head!" the butler complained.

"Jun! Are you still misbehaving! How dare you young lady! What has gotten into you! Go back to your room!"

"I just telling her if she was my child and she did that, I'd ground her from the pool!" the butler told my father.

"Well I guess we'll try that!" my dad agreed, "Jun, you're not allowed to use the pool for a week!"

I didn't care thoug. At that point I had already started up on the path to who I am. One that didn't care what others thought about me and if the only way to get my dad's attention was to act up, than it was going to be!


"And this butthead has decided to he's so embarrassed by me thay he couldn't dare leave his company to me!" Jun said mad, smacking her hand against the wall behind her.

"I'm sorry Jun, that's terrible," Ei said, her lip trembling a little.

"I honestly can see your dad doing that," Hikaru said as he adjusted himself to sit next to his wife, "aa bad as my parents were, always being gone, I'd never took as somebody who would be like that. Granted Kaoru and I would act up, but we knew, our parents loved us and would be there for us if we needed like that."

"Hmm," Jun muttered not looking towards him. She looked over to Ei and sighed.

"I'm sorry kid, I know you have nothing to do with this. You're just being yourself. You had it a lot worse than I ever did and you never acted out."

Ei looked down in shame, "that's still no excuse for your dad to treat you like that. Putting me on a pedestal and knocking you and your kids down like that." She gave off a sigh, "we don't have to accept his offer, do we?"

"It's either that or dad has to appoint a different successor or dissolve the company. I'm sure dad would love that and would still blame me for it," Jun explained annoyed.

"What does Grandfather Tsuuken have to be such a dick?" Ei asked.

She heard both Hikaru and Jun make a snort.

"I guess when you don't have much naturally you have to make up for it in attitude," Hikaru said.

"You're bad!" Jun said with delight as she reached over and hugged him, laughing just a little. Hikaru held her close, obviously happier from before.

Ei looked towards Hikaru who nodded at her.

"I'm just going to slip out," she whispered as she practically crawled back inside. She hurried off the floor and got on the elevator.

She sighed mad as she road to her next destination and quickly hurried out of the elevator when she arraived.

"Kyoya, you here?!" she called out as she walked into the Otori penthouse, doing her best to look and sound serious and to not be messed with.

"Right Ei," Kyoya called back, "though I am in the middle of something."

Ei followed his voice to the living room where Kyoya was sitting with Hunny and Gin.

Ei suddenly lost her intimidating attitude when she saw her other set up parents.

"Hi Ei-Chan," Hunny said with a smile.

"What's going on here?" Ei asked.

"Arrangements for some your Mother Gin's family to come live here," Kyoya explained.

"What?" Ei asked looking at her Haninozuka parents.

"We just got word, Dad's going to have officially file for bankruptcy now," Gin told her.

"And Kyo-Chan and Aki-Chan both theorized that when it's over, he won't have a dime," said Hunny.

"And we can only assume some of the first on dad's chopping block will be my brothers' wives and maybe some of the kids. Dad will probably try and get my brothers to divorce the poor women and try having marry richer wives to make up for his lost. And he'll try casting out some of their kids he doesn't like...,"

"You mean his granddaughters," said Ei.

"Yeah," Gin admitted, "and I wouldn't be surprised if dad to divorce mom to do the same thing. That means the plans your daddy and I were discussing about helping the ladies find homes and jobs will probably have to happen now."

"So we were asking Kyo-Chan here if we can use one of the office floors that's not used that often and turn it into maybe some smaller apartments for them to live in for now and also find jobs within the company," Hunny finished.

Ei nodded and looked at Kyoya, "and what did you say?"

"I have the perfect floor in mind," Kyoya said, "if Gin's relatives don't mind maybe holding up in a hotel or being tightly squeezed in Gin and Hunny's penthouse for a bit, we should be able to refurbish and restructure the floor to suit their needs. It might not hurt having some extra living spaces in case of guest or family visits and such."

"When are you going to let Grandmother and the aunts know?" Ei asked.

"We're going to meet with them in secret tomorrow and discuss it," said Hunny, "if we act soon enough, we can help the sister-in-laws keep their sons as well."

Ei nodded, "I hope it works out."

"Don't we all," said Gin.

"Did you need to talk to me about something Ei?" Kyoya asked.

"Yeah it's about the merger Grandpa Tsuuken suggested to you in regards to his flower company!" Ei said trying to go back into her serious mode.

"That sounds like our cue to go," Hunny said as he and Gin stood up.

"Yeah, we're done here," Gin said, "is Jun's dad really wanting to merge with HOST GROUP?""

"Well, we shall see," said Kyoya.

Ei waited until Hunny and Gin were gone before she spoke to Kyoya again

"So it is true? He wants to merge with our company?"

"He did come asking Akira and I if we would like to consider such an act," Kyoya admitted.

"But what will that leave Jun?! This means she won't be able to take over the company herself!"Ei pointed out frantically.

"Yes, I do suppose that is in inevitable," Kyoya said.

"But that's not fair! He can't just brush her off like that!" Ei insisted.

"Business is not always going to be fair to everyone, Ei," Kyoya said calmly pushing his glasses up further on his face, "even if it benefits most, there will nearly always be someone who will suffer from your choices and decision you make in regards to business. And that's something that you'll have to deal with if you expect to be the head of the company like you claim you do."

Ei sighed as she looked down in defeat. "You're right," she admitted, "but I still don't like it. I don't like Jun getting treated this way by her father."

"I understand," Kyoya said, "but this isn't just about her, there's a lot of other people who would be affected by this merger and in some cases it might be good for them."

"I guess," Ei allowed sounding depressed about the whole thing.

Kyoya sighed, "I tell you what, I'll speak to Akira and see if she agrees to let you be the one who decides if we should accept the merger or not."

"Me?" Ei replied, a little shocked.

"I think this would make a good test for you in regards to making tough business choices," Kyoya said, "you'll have to decide what other choice is better, business or family."

"What if I choose Jun' over business?" Ei asked.

"Well that'll be for you to deal with, as I'm sure many other situations such as that will happen in your time. I know I have," Kyoya explained calmly.

"I bet you usually make the right choice though huh?" Ei said.

"Not necessarily, even when I've chosen family," Kyoya replied with a smirk.

"Bet that comes up a lot huh?" Ei asked.

"More often than even I realized at first," Kyoya admitted.

Ei nodded and rose to leave.

"Ei," Kyoya called out after her, "I will say I'm a little proud of you for coming to deal with a problem you felt needed addressing. And I have confidence you'll make the right choice in this situation."

"What do you think is the right choice?" Ei asked.

"I have my opinion on that matter. However, I feel it would be best not to share it with you at the moment as I feel it would cloud your judgment," Kyoya explained.

Ei nodded and started to head off again. However, she did find herself stopping again.

"Um, I hate to sound like I'm changing subjects too quickly, but I did want to ask you something in regards to the theater you asked me to help get more popularity?"

"Yes," Kyoya recalled.

"I was wondering, would it be possible and or affordable to maybe turn it into a dinner theater?" Ei asked.

"A dinner theater hmm?" Kyoya said stroking his chin in thought, "I suppose we would have to view the theater in person to see if it's even possible and also ask if the residents of the town it is in if they would like such a thing. But it does sound like an intriguing idea."

"Thanks Kyoya!" Ei said sounding a little better.

"What made you come up with the idea Ei?" Kyoya asked.

"Oh Wiatt suggested it," Ei told him.

Wiatt hmm?" Kyoya said, "a smart boy. If it's possible to do the dinner theater idea, maybe we could get his stepmother's family to help with it. It be a good idea to consider being business partners with some of the boy's different families' business."

Ei groaned a little unsure of Kyoya's comment. "You sound a little like his dad the way you talk like that."

"Mr. Sakurato, hmm?" Kyoya asked, "I will admit I've always admired the man and his work, even so far back as high school."

"Did he go to Ouran with you guys?" Ei asked, "I thought Wiatt said both his parents grew up in France."

"They did, but that doesn't mean I didn't hear about his achievements and such, along with his ex-wife's. I even remember hearing about Wiatt's new stepfather's work as a boy growing up in Italy. All very remarkable people in their own way."

"Really?" Ei said, "I guess in a weird way, Wiatt and I have a lot more in common."

"Yes, you do," Kyoya said with a smile.

"I hope you're not making any plans of trying to force us together!" Ei warned.

"Oh I wouldn't dream of that," Kyoya assured her, "but if you like him, and he likes you, there's nothing wrong with the idea of fanning the flames a little."

"Thanks Kyoya," Ei muttered as she finally left his penthouse.

She road back down to Hikaru and Jun's floor. There she found the pair on the couch talking, with Hikaru holding Jun close.

"We'll leave when you're ready," he was saying. Then he noticed Ei.

"I think we're good now," Hikaru assured her, "but I'm still taking her out tonight to help make her feel better. Alice and Kaoru said they'd feed and house the twins for us, so you're free to do what you want."

"Thanks," Ei said, "as long Jun's okay."

"I am kid, honest," Jun assured her as she stood up and walked over to Ei. She smiled her real smile at Ei before she decided to head upstairs to change and get ready.

"Don't worry about this Ei, I'm sure between Kyoya and Akira, they can work it out," Hikaru kept assuring as he also headed upstairs.

Ei looked down ashamed at Hikaru's words.

'Except I'm the one who's going to have to make the choice,' she thought, 'and what if I have to chose Grandpa Tsuuken's side? Will they both be so easy to forgive me?'