"Hey," the doubles from homeroom stood in the doorway. Hikaru and Kaoru, I think, "It's the guy from homeroom."

"A new student?" a tall, good looking blonde rushed to my side, "Huh…Gay…Good for you. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Excuse me?" I gave him a look, "No. I'm not gay."

"No need to be ashamed," he assured, taking my hand, "We at the Ouran Host Club service all kinds. Princesses and princes alike."

"Look, man," I shook him off, "I think you have the wrong…"

"So," he asked me, "What kind of guys are you into? I'm sure we have one suited to your tastes. Let's see…You seem like the kind of guy who would go for…"

"Tamaki…" one of the others held a clipboard in his arms and adjusted his glasses, "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" he wondered.

"If I tell you," Clipboard let out a heavy sigh, "You don't learn anything. You're Reila Mendoza, right? The new transfer student from America."

"Rei," I wonder how many people I'm going to have to tell that, "Yeah. That's me."

"Hikaru and Kaoru were talking about you," Clipboard had a familiar aura about him.

"Because I scared them shitless in homeroom," I giggled, "Now, look. You have me all wrong, dude. I'm sure as hell not a prince and don't you EVER fucking think you can call me princess."

"Rei," Haruhi stepped in, "You have to forgive him."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick the shit out of him," I glared a hole through him.

"Because," Haruhi thought for a moment or two, "How do I put this without crushing Tamaki-senpai's spirits?"

"Go ahead, Haruhi," Clipboard allowed, "We're all thinking it."

"He's simple," Haruhi let it out, "And sometimes, not the brightest bulb in the lighting department."

"Oh," I started to understand, "His elevator doesn't go to the top floor."

"Exactly."

"Haruhi…" he started eroding away.

"Uh…" I stared in confusion, "Does this happen often?"

"Only when Haru-chan tells Tama-chan that he's not very smart," a little bundle of sunshine slipped his hand in mine, "Hey, Rei-chan, do you want some cake?"

"I'm sorry," I looked down, "Who are you to be calling me Rei-chan?"

"Mitsukuni, come here," Morinozuka ordered. The little one must be his sidekick.

"Ok, Takashi!" he happily obliged, "Is that a no on the cake, Rei-chan?"

"Yeah," I passed, "Maybe Morinozuka can take my cake. He could use it after the ass kicking he took in kendo."

"What?" the twins gasped.

"But Mori-senpai," Hikaru awed. Maybe it was Kaoru. How the hell was I supposed to tell them apart?

"Aren't you the best in the whole school?" the other one pointed out.

"Who was it?" How do they talk in unison like that?

"Rei," Morinozuka confessed, hanging his head a bit.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," I comforted, "You were a formidable opponent. But now, you can go to bed tonight knowing you got your ass handed to you by a girl."

"What?" the twins' jaws fell to the floor.

"Yeah," I smirked, "I gave him quite the public spanking."

"Forgive the interruption," Clipboard stepped in, "But I don't think that's what surprised them."

"You're…" the pretty blonde studied me closer, "You're a girl?"

"No, dipshit," I rolled my eyes, "I'm a fucking duck."

"You can't really blame him for the mix-up," Clipboard excused him, "You are wearing a boy's uniform."

"That's because they sent me the wrong one," I clarified, "Is that what happened to you, too, Haru…?"

"Hikaru! Kaoru! Get her out of here!" Pretty Boy barked.

"Right, boss!" Boss? I would've expected Clipboard to be boss more than Pretty Boy. The twins carried me off to God only knows where and threw my ass in a chair. If they were trying to be menacing, they'd have to try harder.

"Look, boys," I settled them, "I don't think you realize…"

"How did you find out about Haruhi?" one of them asked.

"Hikaru or Kaoru?"

"Hikaru."

"Hikaru," I addressed him directly, "Look, I see what you're trying to do, but this isn't my first rodeo."

"How did you find out about Haruhi?" Hikaru repeated.

"I'm not blind," I shrugged, "Why? What's the big deal?"

"Bigger than you think," Clipboard walked in, "Not many know we keep a secret maiden in our ranks. It is our most coveted secret."

"Right next to what Kyoya-senpai writes down in his notebook," Kaoru figured.

"No," Hikaru corrected him, "Tamaki-senpai's fake eyelashes he tries to pass off as his own."

"Any other host club secrets you two care to tell her?" Clipboard glared, making them stop immediately. Damn. Just when shit was getting good, "Now, Ms. Mendoza."

"Rei…"

"You now know some information that's supposed to stay under wraps," Clipboard was the only one who made me the slightest bit nervous. He seemed like he had some power, "You understand that we can't just let you go."

"What's keeping me in this chair?" It's cute how they try to be all big and tough.

"Let's call it good faith," he smiled, "And the fact that I know more about you than you know. You came here from New York, didn't you? A member of the Mendoza family."

"Alright, I get it!" I snapped. Who the fuck is this guy? And how does he know so much? "What do you want from me? Not money. All of you guys are probably already loaded. Not information. We just met."

"Actually," Pretty Boy joined us, "I had something better in mind."

"Oh, boy," I rolled my eyes, "And what's that?"

"You," he shoved his finger in my face, booping my nose, "are going to be the host club's new project."

"What the fuck is a host club?" I gave him a look.

Pretty Boy let out an overdramatic gasped, "Such appalling language coming from a young lady! Oh, you're worse than I thought…"

"What do you…?"

"Don't worry, princess," he wrapped his arms around me, "Daddy's going to make it all better."

And there was my final straw. I flipped him over me and hard onto his back. When I sat on his chest, I could see nothing but pupil, "Listen to me, you son of a bitch. There is only one man in this world I will ever call daddy and he is the only one who can ever call me princess. I'm not your fucking project. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, ma'am," Pretty Boy shut his eyes tight, quivering beneath me. Is he…?

"My god," I groaned, "Are you fucking crying?"

"No…" his voice broke.

"Wow," I got off him, "And you're the one they call boss. When your balls drop, we can talk. But only because…"

I gestured over at Clipboard. He got my message, "Kyoya…"

"Kyoya," I went on, "knows some things I wish he didn't. I'll keep your secret for Haruhi's sake. But for now, it'd be best for you all to stay off my dick. If you'll excuse me, my driver's calling me and probably worried sick."

I grabbed my bag and hightailed it out of there. It's too bad it wasn't a fight club. That would've been a lot more fun. I still had no clue what the hell a host club was, but at this point, I didn't care. Nonetheless, I needed to get out of there. As soon as humanly possible.

Bang!

"Hey!" an angry voice growled above me, "I know you're probably still in your host club haze, but watch where you're going!"

"I will when you will, ass…" I got a good look at his face…his nice, yet mean looking face, "…hole."

"Just…" he helped me back onto my feet, "Be careful, man."

"Ok," I nodded, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me," he brushed me off, "What's your name, new guy?"

"Um…" Looks like Pretty Boy dumbass isn't the only one who just sees the uniform, "Rei."

"You can call me Kasanoda," he introduced himself, "Only in passing! Don't start thinking we're friends."

"Never said I did," I snapped.

"Alright then," Kasanoda retaliated, "I don't like your tone, Rei."

"Fuck you, man!"

"Fuck you, too!"

That guy…Kasanoda…He was kind of cute. A huge prick…but cute…

"There you are, Rei!" Roy stood outside the limo, pale as a ghost, "What did I tell you? Right after school."

"I'm in one piece, aren't I?" I slid into the backseat, "Besides, I had something I needed to see. It's not a big deal, Roy. You're reading too far into it."

"Alright," he dropped it. Thank God, "So, how was your first day?"

"Not too bad." What I remember of it. I was pretty spaced out for most of the day.

"Did you make any friends?"

"I don't know if I'd call them friends," I shut my eyes, in need of another nap, "But kind of."

I couldn't get that Kasanoda guy out of my head. We've never met a day in our lives, yet something about him felt familiar. He seemed like he had a giant chip on his shoulder, but there was something there. Something special. But I heard him loud and clear. He wasn't looking for my friendship. That doesn't mean I couldn't try. Maybe I just caught him on an off day.

"It's good that you're socializing," Roy praised, "Well, it's just the two of us, Rei. The world is our oyster. Do you want a guided tour around the city?"

"That sounds like a regular barrel of monkeys, Roy," I nuzzled my face into the car door, "But I just want to go home and take a nap."

"Jetlag still bothering you?" he assumed.

"Yeah," I nodded, "It's my own private hell."

"You'll get used to it soon," Roy promised, "I bet you'll be on local time by the weekend."

"Maybe."

"Is there anything you want me to get you while we're out?" he offered, "You seem like you could use a little something."

"Just take me home," I ordered, suffering through my caffeine crash. And struggling to process what just happened. Why did Kasanoda seem so familiar? I feel like I've met a million guys like him, yet I can't get him out of my mind. And I hate not knowing why I'm letting it bother me.

Maybe a nap will help. Just an hour or so. Enough to make me feel better, but enough to where I can still sleep tonight. And when I wake up, I'll go out, get some dinner, and any thoughts of that asshole Kasanoda will be out of my head, "Hey, Roy?"

"Yes, Rei?"

"Do you know what time it is in New York right now?" I asked.

"Almost four in the morning."

So much for calling Daddy. It would've been nice to vent. Although, it's times like these where I start to miss my mom. It still feels like she's going to walk through the door and say that she's ok. That was the one time I had ever seen Daddy break down. She was just walking home from work when she got caught up in a drive by. Over the years, Daddy has made a lot of friends, but all the same, he's made enemies, too. And Mom was his biggest soft spot. Needless to say, the fucking prick who pulled the trigger? Well, he's not breathing anymore either. Some of the local bacon were kind enough to look the other way on that. His case file was mysteriously lost. Or Daddy slipped fifty grand to the department in shut up money. Nevertheless, I needed some sleep.

And my couch…My couch was dangerous. Especially with naps. Because it's pure delight. When I woke up, though, my couch didn't help me forget Kasanoda. Dammit! You betrayed me, couch. Oh, well. What do we do when we don't want to fee feelings? We eat them. I rolled off the couch and onto the hardwood floor. Roy said that the area had good restaurants within walking distance, so I probably won't have to call him. We can chalk that one up in the win column. Which leads me to this. What should I have?

"Ohayo, sunshine." Joy, "How was your nap?"

"How long have you been here?" I wondered, rubbing my eyes.

"Since we got here," Roy reported, "I let you sleep and did some of your unpacking for you."

"Creepy," I shook him off, "Don't you have a life outside of me?"

"Not really," he sat next to me, "There are the ladies at my spin class a few times a week, but my spin class is in the morning while you're at school."

"Let me guess," I assumed, "A handful of divorced women getting together to gossip about the bitches at their kids' preschool?"

"No," he laughed it off, "Never anything like that. And only one of them is divorced."

"Should ask one of them out for drinks," I suggested.

"Isn't noon a little early?"

"Not right after spin class, dumbass," I rolled my eyes, "I'm sure at least one of them has caught your eye."

"Well…" Roy blushed, "There is one…Yumi. She's really nice and she's really pretty and she always smells like strawberries and vanilla."

"Then maybe you should ask her for drinks," I nudged him along, hoping this Yumi chick could get me some time to myself, "The worst she can do is say no."

"No way," he giggled, "She's too good for me."

"Right there," I jabbed my finger in his chest, "That's the problem."

"What?"

"You lack the confidence," I explained, "If you had the slightest bit of belief in yourself, I bet she'd say yes."

"You think so?" My god, this schmuck is eating it up.

"I know so," I inflated his ego, "And you never know until you try."

"I might ask her tomorrow."

"Come on, Roy," I just need you out of my house, dude, "You can do it."

"Thanks, Rei," he smiled, "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"What can I say?" I shrugged, "I'm a fucking peach. Now, if it's cool with you, I'm starving and I'm thinking I'm going solo"

"Are you sure?" Roy worried, "You don't mind eating by yourself?"

"I'm sure." Get the fuck out of here. Let me be alone, "It's nothing I've never done before. I'm probably going to that ramen shop you told me about."

"Alright," he got up from my couch, "I guess I'll go home then. I'll see you in the morning, Rei."

"Bye!" Jackass.

Once Roy was out of eyeshot, I started talking a walk around town. Shibuya wasn't half bad. Busy, but nice. It made me want to catch a flight home, but this would make a good transition. Still, I'm starving and ramen would hit the spot. A bright neon bowl greeted me at the door. Alright. This place was cute. It couldn't have been more than ten feet wide, but I guess it added to its charm. I took a seat in a corner booth and got comfortable.

"Hi," my waitress smiled sweetly, "Can I help you?"

"I've never been here," I looked over the menu, "So, if you could give me a minute…"

"Pork ramen," a familiar grumble ordered for me, "Ginger broth, green onion, half an egg. Two of them."

"Yes, sir," she wrote them down, "Would you like any soy sauce or sriracha with either of those?"

"Both on the side."

"Yes, sir," she bounced away.

"That was painful," Kasanoda sat across from me, "Have you never ordered ramen before?"

"I grew up in New York," I scoffed, "Cut me some slack."

"Wait," he gave me a look, "So, you really never have ordered ramen before?"

"No," I shook my head, "My driver suggested this place, so here I am."

"Oh," Kasanoda played with the straw in his drink, "How the hell was I supposed to know. We've talked once."

"I didn't ask you to order my ramen for me," I pouted, "But thank you."

"By the way," he backed off, "About earlier…I'm…Look, this doesn't happen very often, so you better feel fucking special!"

"Wow," I deadpanned, "Hard not to after hearing that. Really hits me right in the warm and fuzzies."

"Fine!" Kasanoda snapped, "I was going to apologize, but if that's the way you're going to be…"

When he got up, I realized I didn't have to be such a little shit to him, "Wait, Kasanoda, come back. I'm sorry, too. Don't make me sit by myself. Besides, you got ramen coming."

"You're lucky I have food coming," he sat back down.

"Don't be so bitter," I sipped on my water, "I appreciate the attempt at an apology."

"Don't mention it," Kasanoda brushed me off, "Seriously. People can't know I hand those out willy nilly."

"Your secret's safe with me," I promised, "Not the first one I've been asked to keep today."

"And what was that?"

"That, I can't tell you," I pointed out, "Or I'd have to kill you."

"Yeah," Kasanoda chuckled under his breath, "As if you could."

"I beat Morinozuka in a kendo match today," I told him, "Who says I wouldn't be able to kill you?"

"You beat Morinozuka-senpai at kendo?" he gasped, starting to come around.

"Yeah," I giggled, "Scared him shitless. But I also had practice. Not with bamboo, but still, a bat works just as well."

"A bat?" Kasanoda gave me a look, "Like…a baseball bat?"

"Yep."

And so, our evening went on, talking about scraps we've been in and asses we've kicked. It was cool to see the dick from the hallway this afternoon get so fired up. At the same time, I made him nervous. Mostly because he could tell I could fuck his shit up at the drop of a hat if I wanted to. But all we did was talk. About our fights, little peeks into each other's lives. For this first time since I got to Japan, I felt like I was home. Talking to Kasanoda over a bowl of ramen put me back home. Who would've thought the asshole I bumped into in the hall would've been this good of a dude?

I don't like it. I really don't like it. When I got to Tokyo, I made myself a promise. No sense in making friends. Friends would make for an emotional attachment and I had no intentions of sticking around here. I didn't need anything that would make it harder for me to leave. Once my time here was over, I'd go home and head up the family. That was the plan. But I didn't think Kasanoda and I were going to hit it off so well over battle scars. I don't like this. I don't like this at all. It could get messy.

But…What harm could it do? Having someone like Kasanoda on my side couldn't hurt. The guy has taken some lumps and he's still standing. The same argument could be made for Morinozuka, too. Two big, badass guys by my side for the next few years sounded tempting, but like I said, it also sounds like attachment. Not necessarily. They'd just be for protection purposes. It'd be easy to let them go. It'd be like carrying my knife around only they can carry themselves. Simple as that. I pushed my door open and threw myself on the couch. Phone…Where's my phone? I felt around my pockets and opened my recent calls. It's late enough, isn't it?

"Morning, princess," Daddy grumbled on the other end, "You ok?"

"Yeah," I smiled, "Hi, Daddy. I was about to go to bed. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No," he lied through his teeth, "I've been up a little while. How was your first day of school?"

"Not bad," I reported, "You'd be proud of me. I kicked a guy's ass in kendo. And apparently, he was the best in the whole school."

"That's my girl," he praised, "I expect nothing less from you, Rei. You come by the Queen of Diamonds honestly."

"Damn straight."

"Other than that?" Daddy asked, "Everything's good?"

I debated whether or not to tell Daddy about Kasanoda. Or the fact that I got half assed jumped today. I had no doubt that he'd only want Roy that much more in my crack. Quite frankly, I'd rather an enema, "Yeah. Everything's fine. Although, it'd be really cool if you could tell Roy to unclench a little bit. This leash is becoming more of a noose, Daddy."

"Sorry, baby girl," he apologized, "That leash keeps you from running into traffic. I know you want to explore the city, but you don't need to get too adventurous."

"But Daddy," I tried my damnedest to keep the whine out of my voice, "I can't even be in my own penthouse by myself. I went for dinner tonight by myself and it was wonderful."

"You were completely by yourself?" Daddy freaked.

"Not entirely," I lowered his blood pressure a bit, "I met up with someone from school. He ordered my ramen for me."

"He…?" Uh-oh.

"Yes, Daddy," I rolled my eyes, "A boy. He's already asked me for my hand, introduced me to his parents, and we're to be married in the morning. Whatever shall I do?"

"Alright, smartass," he chuckled to himself, "I get it. Tell me about this punk my little girl has her eye on."

"I wouldn't say I have my eye on him," I stammered, "We're hardly acquaintances."

"So," he figured, "I got nothing to worry about?"

"You can trust me," I promised, "If all else fails, I learned from the best. I could take him out and no one would be the wiser. Not that he wouldn't be a challenge."

"Really?" Daddy wondered, "The kid's a fighter?"

"I don't know if I'd say that," I thought, "But by the way he was talking, he's got some of the same bruises I do."

"You sound kind of sweet on him, Rei," he teased, "Are you sure I got nothing to worry about?"

"I don't think he's interested," I threw my feet over the back of the couch, "But it was nice to have someone to hang out with that wasn't Roy."

"Maybe I could tell Roy to back off."

"Thank you, Daddy," I smiled, "He's smothering me. But I'm working on that."

"Really?"

"How many nannies have I slipped?"

"About three," Daddy figured. Actually, it was four. I managed to get one of them to quit, but she didn't want Daddy thinking it was my fault, so she said it was on her own terms, "So, what's the angle this time? Drugs? Drinking on the job?"

"No," I filled him in, "I did a little inflation of his ego and he's going to ask a lady in his spin class for drinks. Nothing too serious. I'm just hoping nature takes its course."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I have my ways," I shrugged, "I'm sure that with a little push from me, he'll be married by the end of the year."

"Reila Ann, you are a little minx," he gushed, "But I love you for it."

"I love you, too, Daddy," I melted inside, "I miss you."

"I miss you, too, princess," Daddy assured, "But you need to get to bed. Got it?"

"I will," I got up and grabbed pajamas out of my closet, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, princess. Good night."

I plugged my phone in and crawled into bed. Although, I wonder what made Daddy think I had a thing for Kasanoda. We've hung out once. That was a pretty good bowl of ramen. And he did pay for both of us. Not that I didn't have any money. Daddy made sure I had a bank account set up here before my plane touched down. But no. I'm not into Kasanoda. We're not even friends. We just had ramen. I just need to go to sleep. Tomorrow morning will be better.

But what if Kasanoda…No. Hush, Rei. Just go to bed.

A/N: Hi, friends. Welcome back. Happy Monday. I hope. Looks like our friend Rei has met the host club. And damn near killed Tamaki with her bare hands. She's a very particular young lady. She's not calling anyone other than her father Daddy. And no one's calling her princess. She can and will kill someone without hesitation. In her defense, he did call her a project…But all that aside, she's also made an acquaintance out of Kasanoda. They had ramen, compared notes, it was cute! Will that be all? Just ramen? We may never know. But if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed now. See you next chapter! xx