Was the buzz supposed to last this long? We kissed over ten hours ago and I still couldn't shake it out of my head. In Ritsu's defense, it was a hell of a kiss. The one on the roof, the one in the elevator. It didn't matter which. I guess this was the effect of a first kiss that everyone talked about. Although, I always thought it'd be someone back home. Central Park on a summer afternoon. Time Square on New Year's. Never did I think it'd be while I was in Japan.

Then again, that was before I met Ritsu. I found someone who reminded me of home. Little would I know just how much of home he'd have in him. I'm not sure how yakuza works here, but I've grown up in the mafia life. I knew what that was like. It's not like I wasn't used to the target on my back, but some of the other families are not to be fucked with. My own included. Was that how it worked here, too?

Knock, knock.

Oh, son of a bitch. What did I tell them? Call first. Not before noon. That's it. Someone better be dying, on the verge of losing a limb, or in jail. I pushed myself out of bed and grabbed my knife off my nightstand. I could never be too careful. Although, when I checked the peephole, I tossed my knife on the couch and unlocked the door.

"Good morning, Rei," Roy bounced in with a cup of coffee in his hand. He gets to live another day.

"Morning, Roy," I took my first drink, the burn catching me off guard, "Shit!"

"You ok?" he asked, putting my cup on the table.

"Yeah," I recovered quickly, "Burned the fuck out of my mouth. Mother of God, where did you go for that, Hell?"

"The café in the lobby," Roy pulled up a chair, "I'm sorry, Rei. And here I thought I was doing something nice for you."

"It's fine, Roy," I let it go, "You caught me in a good mood, so I won't give you too much shit for it. Not my first time burning myself on coffee. Probably not the last."

"You are in a good mood," he teased, "Did you see someone trip in the parking lot?"

"No," I curled up in my big chair in the living room, content with life.

"Did you get wonderful news?"

"No," I hid a smile from him. He didn't need to know my reasons.

"Whatever it is," Roy insisted, "Keep doing it."

"I'm glad I have your permission." Still not my dad.

"So!" Roy chirped, "What are the plans for today?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "I could stand to go grocery shopping. Maybe I'll have some friends over later."

"That's good to hear," he let out a sigh of relief, "For a while, you had me worried."

"Why?"

"Because," Roy admitted, "I thought you weren't going to make any."

"What do you mean?" I scoffed, "You knew I was making friends. I got Ritsu."

"Is he coming over?"

"No." But we are going for ramen later, "I might have other friends over."

"That's nice," Roy approved, "Can I meet them?"

"No."

"Come on, Rei," he begged, "I got to meet Ritsu last night."

"And if I had my way," I pointed out, "that wouldn't have happened either. Speaking of last night, did you know where I was going to be?"

"Nope," Roy shook his head, "That was one hundred percent coincidence. Yumi is a really big fan of the Gazette, so she and I went to see them. Honestly, I had no idea I'd run into you. That was just a happy accident."

"Depends on your standpoint," I got up from the chair and walked into my bedroom.

"You said you were going to the grocery store, right?" he asked.

"That's right," I confirmed, looking for something to wear.

"Would you care for some company?" Roy offered, "It's no fun to grocery shop alone. And I could carry your bags for you."

"I appreciate the offer," I shot him down, "But I like my solitude in the grocery store. It's my place of zen."

"Alright," he dropped it, "Are you sure?"

"I won't even be gone very long," I decided on a pair of black sweatpants and an old gray tank top. Comfortable, yet good enough to go into public, "Go home, Roy. Go see Yumi. I'm sure you got other shit you could do today that isn't being up my ass. I'm fine."

"Ok," Roy caved, "I'll see you tomorrow then. If you need anything, just call me."

"Got it." Someone's going to have a quiet phone today.

Regardless, I took all of my extensions out and jumped into the shower. Never in my life have I felt so liberated. They were ok while they lasted, but they also itched like a motherfucker. Maybe I should do something stupid and grow my hair out again. It's such a pain in the ass to take care of, though…A decision for another day. I finished my shower, got dressed, grabbed my bag, and was out the door. Fingers crossed that Roy doesn't follow me.

The local supermarket was only a few blocks away from the penthouse, so I didn't need to call Roy. Location is always important when making a sound real estate investment. Daddy taught me that. The closer the property is to things, the better. Although, it'll be more expensive. Well worth it, though. I don't want to have to rely on Roy so much. That gives him the excuse to be around more. He's a sweet guy, but he's…I don't know. Too sweet.

"Hi, Rei," a familiar voice chimed behind me in the produce section.

When I turned around, I couldn't keep a smile off my face if I wanted to, "Haruhi…Always a pleasure to see you. What's up?"

"Doing some grocery shopping before my dad wakes up," she reported, "He has a habit of following me whenever I go out."

"You got one, too?" I grumbled, totally sympathizing with her plight.

"What do you mean?" Haruhi wondered, "I thought you said your dad was still living in New York."

"Not my dad," I clarified, "Roy. He's my assistant while I'm in Japan. He's a little on the clingy side."

"What about you?" she asked, "What are you up to?"

"Well," I shrugged, "I got a new penthouse and no food in it, so…Thought I'd stock up. Not to mention, the chances of me having company later are pretty high. I'd hate to be caught with my pants down. This particular bunch seem to thrive on shit like that."

"I hear you," Haruhi grumbled, "I've been dealing with them longer than you have. I know exactly what that bunch is like. Could you hand me some bananas please?"

"Sure," I grabbed her a bunch that were still a little green. They'll last longer that way. Actually, bananas sounded like an idea.

"But," she put her bananas in the basket, "They do mean well."

"No matter how exhausting they are?"

"Exactly," Haruhi nodded, "Enough about them. How'd it go with you and Kasanoda last night?"

"Last night was so much fun," my heart skipped a beat, "And it was…There was one part that we could've lived without, but what happened after totally made up for it."

"Really?" she smirked, "And how was that?"

"My god, Haruhi," I shook off my swooning, "You're starting to sound like the fucking reset of them."

"Clearly, it wasn't a bad thing," Haruhi figured, "I'm going to find out eventually. I know for a fact that Tamaki-senpai sis going to ask questions. You might as well tell me now."

"It's nothing," I brushed her off, "Really. And I can handle an interrogation from the boys. I've done it before. If there's something I don't want them knowing, they aren't getting it out of me."

"Ok," she dropped it, "But if you ever want to talk, Rei, I can keep a secret."

"Thanks, Haruhi." She's too sweet for her own good. But what can I say? Haruhi's good to me. She always has been.

The two of us continued our light conversation and went back to our shopping. Let's see. I had no intentions on cooking anything big in the next week. Not that I couldn't. Daddy taught me how to cook and I could cook like a fucking dream, but if I want anything to eat, everything good is within walking distance. Which would make going grocery shopping a moot point, but every once in a while, I get the itch to cook something. Although, given that I've been bouncing between school, the host club, and adventures with Ritsu, I don't have that energy in me.

When we got to the counter, Haruhi pulled her wallet out and started counting off money. But then, her face went completely pale, "I'm…I'm sorry. I'm a little short. I could've sworn I would've had enough."

"Is there anything you'd like to put back?"

"Um…" I could see it all over her face. This was killing her. As she looked over her items, she picked out a couple packages of fish, muttering to herself about her dinner plans for tonight being shot down the drain.

"Don't put them back," I ordered the cashier, "I got them."

"What?" Haruhi perked up, "No, Rei. You don't have to do that."

"Shut up," I stopped her, "Put them with my stuff. I'll pay for it."

"Yes, ma'am!" the cashier chimed sweetly, definitely having her customer service face on.

"Thank you," Haruhi smiled a bit, "I will pay you back for it."

"No, you won't," I demanded, "If you try paying me back, Haruhi, so help me God."

"Fine," she let it go, "I will one day without you knowing it."

"Stop," I grabbed my bags and the two of us were out the door.

"Really, though, Rei," Haruhi stared down at her feet, "Thank you. I could've sworn I had enough to pay for everything. I must have dropped some on the way to the supermarket."

"Don't worry about it," I allowed, "Anytime."

"Hey…" she caught up to me, "If you could do me one more huge favor…"

"Shoot."

"If you could not tell the guys about that," Haruhi winced, "That'd be really good."

"Tell them what?" I smiled, "There's nothing to tell. Besides, we keep our secrets locked tight in this house. If I were to tell them, I'd be betraying everything I stand for. I'm no fucking hypocrite."

"Good," she let the tension in her shoulders go, "We have a little time to kill before Tamaki-senpai blows up my phone and begs me to go to your penthouse. You want to come to my house?"

"As much as I'd love to," I admitted, "I can't. I need to get home. There's shit all over yet and I need to do some cleaning. But thank you."

"If you ever change your mind," Haruhi directed me, "It's two blocks down and about six over. The last apartment on the second floor. The name's on the door. You can't miss it."

"Got it," I gave her a little half assed salute, "See you later, Haruhi."

"Bye!" she waved, "And by the way, Rei…"

"If the next words out of your mouth are thank you, I'm beating the shit out of you."

"No," Haruhi promised, "They'll behave themselves. I promise."

Good. Because I don't want to have to get blood out of anything today. I had a gallon of bleach in my laundry room for that, but still. The smell of bleach is pretty potent. And a dead giveaway. I knew a couple cleaners that worked for the family and I didn't have a fan big enough to get the smell out the window. Oh, well. Not that I'm hiding bodies or anything.

Now…What to do, what to do. My penthouse wasn't a total shitstorm, so I had that going for me. Wipe down the counters, straighten the throw pillows up a little, make my bed. Squeaky clean penthouse. I had no doubt in my mind that those boys were going to be thorough. They are a curious bunch. I should probably put my knife away, too. Nothing says warm and inviting home like a sharp tactical knife on the coffee table. But she was a pretty knife.

There. Everything's spotless. It might have taken me a few hours to get everything clean, but well worth it. A clean house is a happy house.

Ring, ring!

Let's see. It's after noon, I'm not in the middle of a nap (Although, I wouldn't mind one. I had energy drinks in the fridge for that.), and he's calling first. Good boy. I trained you well, "Hi, Tamaki."

"Hi, Rei," I could hear the smile and sunshine in his voice, "Can we come over yet?"

"On one condition," I insisted, "You answer a question for me and answer it honestly."

"Deal!"

"Are you already outside my door?" I walked over to my front door and checked the peephole. To no one's surprise, six boys and my best girl friend crowded the view.

"Maybe…"

"Get in here," I rolled my eyes, "The door's unlocked."

They may be morons, but they're rapidly becoming my morons.

A/N: And would you look at that? Rei's got friends! They're adorable. A little neurotic, but cuter than hell. And Rei's starting to see that. She's not getting soft. Oh, no. She'd never do that. But she's definitely coming around to the idea of friendship and relationships with other people. I'm proud of her. She's even putting her knife away when she has company! I'm so proud…*weeps* See you next chapter! xx