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Ouran High School, Japan

Springtime

Summer

He checked his watch, impatient. It read 5:00. The hands ticked on, the ticks echoing loudly to his perceptive brain and another minute passed. 5:01.

Kyoya was in his family waiting room just besides the front door of his home. He'd been unwilling to allow the housekeeper or even his Mother to answer the door when she arrived - no, it would've been wrong to play those sorts of games with her. It would be outrageous, after what happened to her this week. He needed to be the first friendly face she saw, it was why he'd dismissed any notion of her seeing him at Ouran when her plane landed yesterday. She deserved privacy.

It had been three years, and if Tamaki pulled his princely play on her, he'd kill him. And although the twins kept a degree of respect towards him, he was sure that Summer's presence would shatter their illusion - and they were far worse than Tamaki on their best day.

Kyoya checked his watch once more. 5:02.

A watched pot, he thought, grimly.

The last time he saw her was in middle school, just before their second semester in third year. Just before her parents divorce.

Summer Yuna was the beloved granddaughter of the owner and CEO of the Natsujikan car company, one of the biggest up and coming rivals for Honda and Mitsubishi since the 00s began. Satoshi Yuna had started the company after spending years in the automotive industry himself, and was seen as a visionary in the world - however, with every inspiring artist, he also ended up being a bit of a quack. His designs were new, the colors and interiors he wanted were striking... And then, it came down to his granddaughter. His 'muse.'

Summer quite literally had been named after her family's company. However, if her Father thought that would give himany upstanding points in his father's eyes, he was wrong.

Brandon Yuna was the Mr. Satoshi's son. It was said that the man was so desperate for his artist Father's approval, that he'd gone out of his way to attend UCLA in his Father's footsteps, even marrying an artist himself. It was seen as quite pathetic, and even a little moving. He was seen as the Prince Charles of the Natsujikan company. Even the occasional tabloid, when they've been without their usual famous suspects, picked on the car moguls son.

With Brandon never quite living up to his Father's artist ideals (the man more or less had been placed in a dismissed marketing role with little to no power), Mr. Yuna set his artistic sights on his granddaughter. The rumor was that she was who would surpass her own Father in the line of succession. Mr. Yuna claimed that the shapes and interiors of his first line after she turned five-years old were taken directly from crayon drawings she'd scribbled. Which, even if it wasn't true, certainly was a rumor that certainly kept Natsujikan in the local consciousness. After all, a car designed by a six-year old, who wouldn't become curious?

Summer was moved into the Ouran school system starting her first year of middle school. And she was different. Raised almost entirely in California, her personality doused the school with a fresh injection of Western-fever (which had only just settled down from the last partly Western student's induction.) However Kyoya had already known her by her first day in class, since luckily, her Father had happened to purchase the house next door to Ootori-family home that spring, and had spent the entire Summer vacation remodeling it.

Kyoya turned and looked out the window behind him. There was no one approaching the house yet. He checked. 5:04.

The Yuna's house used to be a Japanese-style mansion. It was simple, even sought after as an interesting slate, with three stories, a koi pond in the front yard and large hedges standing 6-feet high surrounding it.

Until the first day of Summer.

The sound of a wrecking ball echoed throughout the neighborhood as it knocked down the simple mansion, starting from 7 in the morning. He'd stayed up late the night before for the elementary school celebrations, and the sound had practically knocked him out of bed. Even at that young age, he despised mornings, and when he'd stomped into the kitchen that day, all of his siblings and his parents had been perfectly calm, all wearing earplugs, while the sound of elegant music played in the dining room.

Apparently, while he had been at school the day before, the new neighbors had popped over, informing them of the construction and apologizing for the noise by providing them with plugs, noise canceling headphones, and music. Which left him to the mercy of the noise.

Fuyumi had still been home then, in her first year of high school. Akito had been staying in Tokyo during his first year of college, and Yuichi was in his third year at Stanford University.

Through the noise and earplugs, Fuyumi shouted at him over breakfast that morning, "They have a daughter who is about to join you at school! She's going to be a first year too!"

"Don't raise your voice, Fuyumi." Their Father said coolly, keeping his voice level, forcing his children to have to strain to hear him. Father had then lowered his paper. He had been in the business section, and the Yuna name was plastered across it. "It would be prudent to get to know our new neighbor, Kyoya. I would like to know which rumors are true and which are not."

Understood. "Of course, Father." He'd said dutifully. If anyone was to find out if Summer Yuna would surpass her Father or not, it would be him. He would obey his Father. And he didn't have to wait very long to do so.

By the third day of Summer, and the third day of nonstop construction, NONSTOP - the Yuna girl showed her face.

After two generations of marrying out, she hardly looked Japanese. She looked like how he thought everyone from California looked. Blonde, tan, with naive blue eyes - and pretty. Very pretty. He'd spotted her when he'd been prepared to introduce himself. He'd dressed nicely, in neat pants and a collared shirt - and she had been in jean shorts and knee-pads, wheeling out a pink bicycle from her paneled off home.

5:05 now.

"Oh. You're Miss Summer Yuna, aren't you?" He'd said, putting on a light and surprised tone as he approached.

She hadn't been looking, she'd been adjusting her kneepad. He'd surprised her.

"Woah!" Summer had said in English - her tone genuine, unlike his. "Hi, yeah." She'd said, then winced, and repeated it in Japanese.

"We can speak in English if you'd like to. I'm fluent myself." He'd said politely - it was before he knew how to be truly charming. Though, he wasn't too young to recognize how pretty she looked when she shot him that relieved smile, complete with an airy giggle. She'll be popular at Ouran, he'd thought. It was excellent that she lived so close. It would've been difficult to reach her if he attempted this when the school year began. She'd be surrounded by every boy there, middle school or otherwise.

"Oh thank god!" She said, the smile reaching her eyes, making them sparkle in the afternoon light. Very popular indeed... "Not that I'm not fluent in Japanese myself, y'know! I just - well, we just spent so long in L.A., and when Grandpa isn't around, we just speak English at home!" She spoke loudly, excitably.

But he could handle it - and she had just mentioned her Grandfather.

"Your Grandfather - Satoshi Yuna, the car owner, isn't that right?" He'd asked, glancing over her shoulder, towards the construction. They were transforming the Japanese style to some kind of brick colonial. There was no sign of the Father or Grandfather from what he could see.

"Yeah, that's right." Summer had looked interested and amused, supposedly because he already knew so much about her.

"I'm Kyoya Ootori from next door." He'd introduced, bowing his head for her benefit.

She looked pleased. It was new for her to be recognized in public. Then, the blonde had delicately bit her glossy lips and looked at him - and he felt nervous. Because there was no expectation in her. Just daring and curiosity. Without understanding what it meant, he straightened his shoulders underneath her glance, waiting for her to say something.

"Hey, do you wanna hop on?" She gestured to her bike handles.

5:07. Kyoya looked again out the window, at the Colonial House. Her car wasn't there yet.

He'd been put on the spot. It was an offer, get to know this girl Kyoya, but to get on her handles? He didn't have a bicycle himself - or any sort of toy-vehicle. This is how to verify the rumors. Do it. "I won't let you fall." Summer had promised with a wink.

He'd been about to force himself to do it - prepared to do what it took to obey his Father - when she waved him off after a moment too long of deliberating.

"Don't worry, you don't have to. I'll just walk it or go really slow, ok Kyoya?" She used his first name, but he didn't bother correcting her. They weren't classmates yet.

"Yuna, if I can ask, where are you riding to? We could take one of my families cars if you don't have a driver."

"Oh, no." Summer said dismissively, straddling her bicycle. "I just wanted to take a look around the neighborhood to see what's around. I dunno if you heard, but my house is kinda loud right now." She joked, not using her pedals yet, just using her feet to move her bicycle slightly down the sidewalk, himself following beside her.

"I'm certain the entire block heard." He couldn't help the sarcastic tone his words had, the noise hit a spot. He nearly flinched, expecting the girl to turn sour at his negativity - but instead she snorted.

"Tell me about it! You think it's loud out here, just imagine being inside it! I don't even really have a bed right now, I've just got a mattress in the living room while they're breaking down the damn walls." She exclaimed, flinging her hands in the air. Her mild curse was surprising, but that just proved how successful he already was, getting her so comfortable so quickly.

"You're only on a mattress? Why not stay in a hotel during the renovations?" He inquired, actually a tad curious now.

Summer scoffed and kept moving down the sidewalk. "My Mother doesn't trust the guys she hired. She wants everything to be just right. And she didn't want to stay here alone, so she got us to stay here with her under the guise of 'wanting our input'. So, bare mattress sleeping it is."

"Are your Mother and Father in the living room as well?" An ease in to ask about her Father.

"Nah." Summer said, pushing back her gold hair. "They put themselves in the dining room next to me. They're starting on the top two floors and the exterior first, so we're pretty confined. Even the kitchen isn't that safe. It's completely full of tiles and paint and everything."

5:10.

"Well, I would say you'd be welcome at our house, but I'm afraid the noise can't be much better." Polite, always polite.

"Yeah," she agreed, a bit dismissive. "That's why I thought exploring might be better. It is summer vacation, after all."

Her uninterested tone in his home (and therefore him) had struck something. The air of possible failure?

"Perhaps we could arrange a visit away sometime? The town center isn't far from here, I could have our driver and a chaperone come with us? That is - if your Father will allow it." He didn't usually try this hard - girls liked him, they typically fawned over him. She only seemed mildly interested, hardly caring either way. Summer shrugged with a smile and moved her pedals slowly, causing him to pick up his walking pace.

"No problem, I'd have to ask. Normally, he likes to have dinner with the friends I have before he lets me go out anywhere with them though." That's perfect, actually. "But I think with the renovation, you might be off the hook."

With that, she left him with a wink, now fully pedalling, shouting over her shoulder, "Sorry, I'd like to explore a little on my own! But I'll see you later, Kyoya Ootori!"

He had no choice but to let her speed off down the street, her hair flying behind her, which was striking in the Tokyo suburb. That was their first meeting. He'd been acting selfishly, and had gotten next to nothing for it. Nothing but an opening.

5:12.

By the fifth day of renovations, Kyoya had been sleeping horribly. Every morning, at 7 am, the sound of trucks and banging began. He'd tried wearing the headphones, but they only worked while playing music, which he simply couldn't sleep through.

So of course, this was the day that Summer came for a visit.

She was dressed casually, so casually it pained him, because his Father was home all day that day, and she was once again in shorts. In pink, corduroy overalls, actually, which made her look like a bright tiger lily floating on a grey pond. He was immensely glad it was himself who answered - and even gladder than their door had a panel of warped glass to see her through.

"Hi there, Kyoya!" She chirped in Japanese, horribly pleasant at that ungodly hour.

"Oh, Yu - Summer." He corrected himself at her pointed look, gaining a smile when he used her first name. "I'm sorry, were we meant to see each other today?"

"No." She said simply, hooking her thumbs under her overall straps. "I just wanted to know if you were free."

That's all? "What did you have in mind?"

There was a knock on his door.. He'd missed watching her walk up from her driveway. But there she was, he saw her through the glass. The end of her gold hair was tinted pink, looking foreign and wrong compared to the black mourning clothes that were draped over her. He opened the door, looking down at her - he was finally taller than her now. 5:15.

"Hi Kyoya." Summer said weakly.

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