The next morning, I woke up well rested to a quiet house. Looks like Roy hasn't broken in yet. I did tell him to leave his key on the kitchen counter. He didn't need that anyway. I can handle myself here just fine. Now, coffee. Coffee sounds like a hell of an idea. There was a café in the lobby of my building. I've never tried it, but I also haven't lived here very long. As quick as I could, I pulled myself together, uniform and all, and started heading down. A caramel mocha would be fucking delightful.

When I opened my door, I didn't expect to see anyone on the other side, "Good morning, Rei. Ready to go?"

"Who buzzed you in?" Because I needed to have words with them.

"Doorman," Roy followed me to the elevator, "I didn't expect you to be ready so early. Special occasion?"

"Thought I'd check out the lobby's café," I hit the button, "I haven't had anything caffeinated today, Roy. I'd keep a healthy distance if I were you."

"How's your sleeping coming along?" he asked, "Getting any better?"

"A little," I nodded, "I'm still getting up a couple times a night feeling wide awake, but I should be alright. Enough caffeine and I can conquer the world."

"That's the attitude to have," Roy applauded, "You'd make a hell of a motivational speaker, Rei."

"Part of the job," I stepped out of the elevator, "How is anything going to get done if the morale is low? Sometimes, the boys need a pep talk."

"Maybe you should come teach my spin class," he suggested, "Then, you could meet Yumi!"

"I'm sure I'll meet Yumi soon enough," I got up to the counter. There is no fucking way I'm teaching a spin class. I got better shit to do with my time, "Can I get a caramel mocha, whole milk, and a chocolate chip cookie please?"

"Rei…" There he goes again, thinking he's my dad, "You really think a chocolate chip cookie is the best for breakfast?"

"Fine." As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point, "Cinnamon roll."

"That's a little better," Roy smiled, "But you don't think you could do something just a bit better?"

"Get off my sick, Roy!" I snapped, "Let me live my life!"

"Alright," he backed off, "Can't tell you haven't had your coffee today."

"No caffeine, low blood sugar," I growled, paying the poor lady behind the counter who had to witness this, "I'm so sorry. My assistant likes to overstep. When it's this early, I get a bit cranky. Here…"

I tipped the girl for her troubles. But mostly for Roy's idiocy. And generously. Her eyes lit up, "Thank you!"

"Thank you," I smiled sweetly, taking my breakfast from the counter.

Then, the two of us took of for Ouran. Day two? I could manage. Maybe I'll even do something silly like stop by that host club everyone seems to be abuzz about. Monkeys would fly out of my ass first. Let's be honest. Just as I was about to get out of Roy's car, I hear the rev of a motorcycle engine pull up next to us. Who in the hell would take a motorcycle here? I thought they all had drivers. A teacher, maybe?

Then, he took his helmet off and a flash of dark red popped out. That's who would take a motorcycle to school. Pretty bike. Pearlescent black paint…and she wore it well. It suited the rider nicely. And the rider was enough for Roy to go pale. I gave him a little nudge, "Roy…? You still in there, buddy?"

"Yeah," he snapped out of his headspace, "I'm good. Have a good day at school, Rei."

"Ok." I'm guessing Roy just saw some punk on a motorcycle and made judgments from there. Let's see how much I can scare the shit out of him. When I got out of the car, I ran over to him, "Hey, Kasanoda!"

"Hi, Rei," he greeted me, "What are you doing here?"

"I go to school here," I pointed out, "Why?"

"Not here, here, smartass," Kasanoda groaned, "With me."

"A little to scare the piss out of my driver," I admitted, "Mostly to ask you about your bike. She's a beauty."

"You think so?" a little smile graced his face, "I don't like riding domestic bikes."

"I see that," I studied it closer, "Harley?"

"Yeah," Kasanoda gushed, "If you can believe it. I've only been able to ride it for a few months, though."

"Just get your license?"

"Uh-huh."

"This is absolutely beautiful," I swooned, "How far have you taken her?"

"Mostly around town," Kasanoda shrugged, "I haven't had the time to take her out much. And everyone insists I take a driver."

"I feel you," I grumbled, knowing exactly what it's like to have that dead goose hanging around the neck, "My driver's always up my ass. Being by myself last night when you showed up was nice."

"How'd you manage that?" he asked, the two of us walking inside.

"Told him to fuck off and go home," I giggled, "No. I wasn't that big of a dick. Just sent him home. I called my dad and asked him about getting him to back off a little, so he should mellow out soon. Not to mention, I talked him into asking a chick out from his spin class, so hopefully, once he gets laid, he'll leave me alone."

"That's cool." All of a sudden, Kasanoda got super quiet. Kind of like when Roy got all freaked out over Kasanoda. But then, Kasanoda got a little flustered, "Hey…Rei?"

"What?" I asked, watching the vein protrude from his forehead.

"Last night…" he began, suddenly lashing out, "I don't do shit like that! Ever!"

"And it shows."

"I'm trying to say I had a good time with you last night!" Kasanoda blurted out, "And we should hang out more!"

"Um…" Was one bowl of ramen all it took for us to form a friendship? Because he seemed like a good dude. What the hell? I mean, it might be nice to have someone to hang out with, "Yeah."

"Look," he brushed me off as we walked into our homeroom, "Forget I said anything!"

"Kasanoda," I reiterated, "I said yes. We can hang out. That's cool. Let me know when first."

"Uh…" Kasanoda went blank, "Friday after school?"

"Ok," I nodded, "My place. It's just me there usually. But if it's still a shitstorm, forgive me. I'm still in the process of unpacking."

"Ok," he agreed, "And where do you live exactly?"

"By the ramen shop," I directed him, "Just meet me there, ok? I'll show you."

"Ok," Kasanoda nestled down into his desk, "Not to be an asshole or anything, but I'm kind of tired. Thinking about a nap."

"Me, too," I gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Good night, Kasanoda."

"Good night, Rei."

I sat down in my same seat from yesterday and thought about a nap myself. But then, it hit me. Did…I just make a date with Kasanoda? And he initiated it, too. Oh, shit. What have I done? No attachment, Rei. You had one rule. No fucking attachment. I'm not getting attached. I'm just overthinking. We're just hanging out. At my penthouse. Likely by ourselves, unless Roy decides to be weird and third wheel us. Not that this is a date. It is totally, one hundred percent, a not date.

"Good morning, Rei," Haruhi sat in front of me, "How's the jetlag coming along?"

"Slowly, but surely," I reported, "My driver thinks I'll be fine by the weekend."

"That's good to hear," she smiled, "Hey, about yesterday with the host club…"

"Don't worry about it, Haruhi," I let it go, "Water under the bridge. I get a little hot sometimes. You think I could stop by for a second and apologize to everyone?"

"If Tamaki-senpai comes out of hiding," Haruhi giggled, "You get used to them. They've been like my version of your jetlag in human form."

"My sympathies," I winced, "I wouldn't wish this shit on my worst enemies."

"Like I said," she repeated, "I got used to them. Through a lot of soul searching…and a little soul selling to Kyoya-senpai…I got used to it."

"Speaking of the host club," I wondered, "What the hell is a host club?"

"Basically prostitution."

"Really?" I didn't think Ouran would allow something like that.

"Kind of," Haruhi explained, "It's more like a place where mostly girls come in to be shamelessly flirted with."

"Prostitution," I saw where she was coming from, "Then, what are you doing with them?"

"Indentured servitude…" she let out a heavy sigh, "Let's leave it at that."

"Hey, Haruhi," Hikaru, I think. His voice gave him away, "Could we…talk to Rei?"

"Try asking her," Haruhi suggested.

"But," Kaoru quivered behind his brother, "She's scary."

"Boys," I insisted, "Come sit with us. It's fine. I wanted to talk to you, too."

"Yes, ma'am." They both quickly chose seats out of sheer terror. Did I really rattle them that bad? I do need to do damage control.

"Relax," I assured, "I just want to talk. And mostly apologize for coming completely fucking unglued yesterday. No sleep will do that. And getting cornered."

"We're sorry, too," Kaoru apologized, "We kind of have a habit of meddling."

"Kind of?" Haruhi stared in disbelief.

"Alright, Haruhi!" Hikaru squeaked, "Just call us out~!"

"Anyway," I sped them along, "Everyone make their apologies?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Knock that shit off," I stopped them, "You both can just call me Rei. I'm not top tier quite yet. Daddy said I had to get through high school first. Then, the upper echelons are mine."

"What are those upper echelons?" Haruhi asked.

"It's better if I don't talk about it," I bit my tongue, "But if you're ever in New York and find yourselves in a tight spot, drop my name and you'll be taken care of."

"In a good way?" Hikaru started.

"Or in a bad way?" Kaoru finished.

"Good," I promised, "Depending on what cop you find yourself face to face with."

"Hopefully, it'll never come to that," Haruhi crossed her fingers.

"I don't know, Haruhi," Hikaru smirked.

"When we're in foreign countries," Kaoru mirrored his brother, "We like to cause a little mischief."

"We can't claim diplomatic immunity."

"Maybe that's for the best," Haruhi rolled her eyes, "Sometimes, you two need to be stopped."

"Kind of like when you randomly assault someone because someone else told you to," I pointed out.

"Hey," Hikaru whined, "We apologized."

"Relax, boys," I teased, "Just giving you shit. If I wanted to, you both could've ended up like your boss, who if I could be honest, goes down like a bag of potatoes. You guys could use new leadership."

"That's what…"

"…Kyoya-senpai is for."

"I figured as much," I flattened out on my desk, "Why isn't he president?"

"Because Tamaki-senpai has the charisma," Haruhi held back a smile, "Sure, Kyoya-senpai pulls most of the strings behind the scenes, but Tamaki-senpai…He's why most of our guests come in."

"And have you guys been together long?" I assumed.

"What do you mean?" she blushed, "We're not together. That'd be ridiculous!"

"Haruhi…" I settled her, "The last person I heard gush like that was my dad about my mom."

"Mine, too," Haruhi nodded, "But that was them. That doesn't mean Senpai and I are dating."

"Hikaru? Kaoru?"

"They totally are."

"Thought so," I giggled. Maybe I will get used to them.

"What about you?" Haruhi took the heat off herself and put it on me, "You and Kasanoda looked pretty close before class today. And that happens with no one."

"Excuse me?" Hikaru perked up.

"What was that?" Kaoru grinned.

Alright, Haruhi. Message received, "There's nothing going on. He's just a good dude."

"Wait a minute," Hikaru wondered, "Kasanoda isn't exactly what we'd call a ladies man."

"That's why we haven't made him a host," Kaoru added, "Among other reasons."

"How did he talk to…?" Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged glances, looking like they were about to explode. Then, they turned back to me, "He doesn't know you're a lady, does he?"

"Why should it matter?" I brushed them off, "We're not even really friends. We just talked about his bike this morning. And about some of the fights we've been in last night."

"Yep," Hikaru threw an arm around my shoulders.

"It's happening," Kaoru did the same.

"Come by the host club after school," they demanded, a bright fire burning in their eyes.

"Uh…" I wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, but what did I have to lose? "Alright. I already planned on stopping by anyway."

"Hey, Haruhi," Hikaru asked, "What's the boss' next class?"

"Literature," she told him, "Why?"

"And you say you're not dating," Kaoru teased.

"Shut up," Haruhi buried her face in her books, "That's something we're trying to keep quiet, you idiots. Did that ever dawn on you?"

When the bell rang, we all parted ways and headed to our respective classes. For the rest of the day, I couldn't help but wonder what Hikaru and Kaoru were getting all excited about. They said it's happening. It'd be nice to know what the hell it is. I'm sure I'll find out in due time. But as the day started winding down, it was time once again to pad up and pair off for my favorite class of the day: Kendo.

"Hey," a strong hand tapped on my shoulder, "You need a partner?"

"Sure," I smiled, "Only if you're ready for another ass kicking."

"Confidence over cockiness," Morinozuka didn't seem like the type to talk much, but his words of wisdom hit me, "Ready?"

"As ever." And so, the two of us duked it out yet again, curious eyes wondering which one will come out on top. Daddy always told me to do my best, but after the attention it got me yesterday, I'm sure I could leave a few spots open. It's up to Morinozuka to find them. With one big swing, he swept me off my feet and down onto the mat, holding me down with his bamboo.

"No hard feelings?" Morinozuka stuck his hand out to me.

"Not at all," I pulled myself up, "You put up a hell of a fight, man."

"You, too," he praised.

"So," I wondered, "Do we go again?"

"Sure."

Although I was positive that I had a permanent sparring partner, other guys were trying to pick fights with me. They wanted to know what it was like to be manhandled by me, I guess. However, I'm no slut. Besides, I knew I could probably beat the shit out of all of them. And where's the fun in that? Either they were stupid or they were looking for their beating. Sick fucking weirdos.

Speaking of fucking weirdos, I followed Morinozuka back to the host club after school. Hopefully, coming in with him with Sunshine on his shoulders will help lessen the blow. Maybe the fact that I lost in kendo can help, too. As much as I didn't want to, I still needed to apologize for being that bitch. He shouldn't have called me princess. But then again, how was he supposed to know?

"We're here!" Sunshine chimed, "And we brought Rei-chan, too!"

"Rei…?" Pretty Boy poked his head out of what seemed to be a small mushroom garden. He's like a meerkat. And much like a meerkat, he hid back in his hole from any predators. Mostly me.

"Hello, Ms. Mendoza," Kyoya joined us, still not intimidated by me. He's alright, "I didn't think we'd be seeing you back here after yesterday's display."

"Yeah," I rubbed the back of my neck, "I, uh…I did get a little out of hand. Where's your boss?"

"He's pouting in his mushroom garden," he directed me, "Tamaki, you have a guest. Don't you think you should see to her?"

"Can I have a security guard, too?" he popped out of his hole again.

"I'm not beating the shit out of you again, Tamaki," I promised, "I just want to talk real quick."

"Well," Tamaki crawled out, "If you just want to talk…"

"Thank you," I sat on the arm of one of the couches, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for yesterday. The adjustment to Tokyo time from New York has been a major pain in my ass. And I guess you were that outlet. And Morinozuka, too. So, I am sorry. That's it. Take it or leave it, but I got other shit to do today and a metric ass ton of unpacking to do."

"Hey, Rei," Hikaru called out to me just as I was getting up.

"We also need to have a word with you." With Kaoru following closely behind him.

"Sure," I let them have this one, "I'm sure my driver's waiting for me, but that's his fault. What do you want?"

"Are you sure nothing's going on with you and Kasanoda?" they asked.

"What?" Tamaki perked up, "Not…that Kasanoda, is it?"

"The very same."

"I don't understand what the big deal is," I threw myself into the couch and kicked my feet up, "So Kasanoda and I are starting to hang out. It's not like the world is coming to an end."

"Rei," Haruhi spoke softly, "That never happens. When I say that, I don't mean it's a rarity."

"Kasanoda doesn't make friends," Morinozuka added, "With anyone."

"The closest he's ever come to that," Sunshine laid his head on Morinozuka's shoulder, "was when he wanted to be your apprentice, Takashi."

"Yeah."

"So," Kyoya chimed in, "This is, in fact, a big deal."

"Maybe it's because I know jack shit about him," I shrugged, "That way, I can't judge."

"Wait a second!" Tamaki plopped down next to me, "This could be an incredible opportunity!"

"No," I stopped him before he got ahead of himself, "Settle down."

"When is the next time you have a date with Kasanoda, Rei?" he asked, already ahead of himself.

"It's not a date," I rolled my eyes, "But he's coming over after school Friday. Why?"

"That gives us two days to form an attack strategy," Tamaki jolted up, "Hikaru! Kaoru! Bring me my whiteboard!"

"Got it, boss!" And there they go. Off to wherever Tamaki kept his whiteboard.

"Tamaki," Kyoya stepped in. Thank God, "Don't you think you should ask about something like that first before you go making plans? There is someone else involved here."

"Oh yeah." Tamaki's so pretty. So pretty…And it's a good thing he's so pretty, "Rei…"

"Yes, Tamaki?" Why did I have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach? Or was it just this guy in particular that gave me bad touch vibes?

"I know you said no to being a host club project," he requested, "But do you think you'd be interested in a little something, something with Kasanoda? You two don't even have to start dating. If other people see him with someone else…"

"Yeah," I scoffed, "The bitch that took down Morinozuka. What a stretch."

"No," Tamaki shook his head, "Do you plan on sticking with the boys' uniform while you're here?"

"I don't know," I thought it over, "I'm sure as hell not going with the girls' uniform. It's fucking obnoxious. Am I a southern belle in the thirties? Am I some sort of Lolita? No fucking thank you. I'll keep the one I got. Why?"

"Because some of this plan hinges on that," he approved, "But maybe if people see Kasanoda hanging out with another person, they'll be less afraid of him."

"Why are people afraid of him?" I wondered, "Because he looks like he could and would kill someone with his bare hands?"

"You…don't know?" the twins looked at me weird.

"We'll leave that surprise for later," Kyoya smirked, his glasses giving off their own reflection.

"But you need to become Kasanoda's best friend," Tamaki begged, "Please? We can't leave a client unsatisfied."

"It does bring our reputation down," Kyoya agreed.

"And it's probably on thin ice already," Haruhi grumbled under her breath.

"Alright then," Tamaki squeaked, "It's settled! Although, you, too, have made a reputation for yourself, haven't you?"

"What?" I giggled, "Because of what happened in kendo? Because I'm the new scrappy American transfer that has publicly said she's busted a man's kneecaps with a baseball bat and kind of kicked the shit out of you?"

"Pretty much," he shuddered at the memory of yesterday, "So! The first thing we work on is your image problem and go from there! If we can project you as more of a soft, sweet, kind individual that's capable of attracting someone as stone cold as Kasanoda, then other people will think he's a good person, too!"

"He is a good person," I pointed out, "People are just a bunch of judgmental bitches and need to suck it up, but that's just me."

"If someone can break through that shell," Tamaki thought, "Then, people will stop being so judgmental and our most difficult case will finally be settled!"

"Kasanoda's a case?" I had a hard time believing Kasanoda got mixed up in host club shenanigans.

"Kind of," Kyoya shrugged, "Tamaki seems to think so and we all just go along with it."

"Whatever," I dropped it, taking advantage of the golden opportunity that may be in front of me, "You know what? If you're wanting to My Fair Lady my ass, Tamaki, I'll do it. Why not?"

"Seriously?" Tamaki perked up, "I thought it'd be more of a struggle, but ok! Yay! We'll start tomorrow!"

Tamaki struck me as the type of person that could be a handful when he had the right kind of energy. And when that energy reaches its critical mass, it's an explosion of Chernobyl proportions. Which leads me to this question: What the fuck am I getting myself into? Don't you worry, Rei. Because as the old saying goes. Quid pro quo, right?

A/N: That's right, Rei. It is quid pro quo, isn't it? That's really weird to say in your head, by the way. Just in case you were curious. Because even sometimes in your head you fuck it up. Much like I did just now. Look, I know this was supposed to go out yesterday, but I didn't have that kind of time or energy, so enjoy today. Now, I'm going to go to bed. So I will see you next chapter. xx