This café was getting the better of me. I forgot what it was like to run through a restaurant. Even in this little pop-up, my legs were killing me. I don't know if I'm going to be up for walking around Osaka after this is all done. If all else fails, I know Ritsu can carry me. I'm sure he'd give me a piggyback ride. It's too bad he went back up to our room, though. I'd much rather deal with him as a client than any of the others coming in here. Maybe I'll take a nap after the pop-up closes. Or coffee. THAT'S WHAT WAS MISSING! I had yet to have a cup of coffee today and now, I understand why I've been so fucking testy today! To think, I made it through the entire pop-up without it. How the hell did I do that?

"Excuse me, Rei…" Kyoya summoned me just before we let the last one in, "Could I see you for a moment?"

"Sure," I walked over to the secluded corner with him, "What's up?"

"Some of our usual clients were asking questions about Kasanoda," he reported.

"For…What?" I gave him a look.

"For hosting purposes."

"No fucking way," I scoffed, "Kyoya, I know better. I thought you said those girls never wanted anything to do with someone like Ritsu."

"I'm not lying to you, Rei," Kyoya assured, "I could hardly believe it myself, but they were asking questions. See, sometimes, when we have more…Let's just say intimidating hosts, much like Kasanoda, an object of cuteness and sweetness and purity can somewhat soften that image. For example, the dynamic between Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai. When he's on his own, Mori-senpai can come off as threatening."

"Because he's fucking giant," I pointed out.

"Precisely," he nodded, "However, when he's paired up with someone cute and sweet like Honey-senpai, he becomes the silent protector of the little one. The ladies that asked me about Kasanoda saw that same dynamic with him and you while he was here. They said you seemed much more relaxed around him and he seemed less angry at the world."

"Duh," I rolled my eyes, "He's my bo…"

I shut myself up, nearly covering my own mouth. We didn't exactly discuss those terms yet. I wasn't even sure if that's what was going on with us. But…I mean…It wouldn't exactly be the worst thing in the world. I guess I could call him…That. Kyoya sat back with a shit-eating smirk on his face, "What was that, Rei?"

"Nothing," I shot him down, "He's my best friend. That's what I meant to say."

"Rei…" he wasn't buying it. Shit. Plan B. Looks like I'll have to kill him. Dammit, I left my knife in the room. Too many witnesses anyway, "It's alright. I can keep a secret, if that's what you want. I'm not going to tell anyone that doesn't need to know. I'm still the only one that knows you're a mafia baby. Now, I'm guessing I'm the only one that knows you and Kasanoda are seeing each other a bit more seriously these days."

"Yeah," I caved, "You are."

"How long have you two been together?" Kyoya wondered, genuinely curious. I bet he has files that people don't know about full of miscellaneous information. Little things. Kind of like this.

"I'm not really sure," I admitted, "Maybe a week or so. Somewhere around there."

Then, I could see the lightbulb turn on in that son of a bitch's eyes, "So, you'd say that you're close?"

"Very," I nodded cautiously, "Why?"

"So," Kyoya wondered, "If you asked him to do something, what's the likelihood that it'd be done?"

"Probably pretty high," I didn't like where this was going, "Why?"

"Do you think you could get Kasanoda to join the host club?" he asked, "Just on the days when you're hosting?"

"I highly doubt it," I rolled my eyes. Should've known better, Rei. You're better than that.

"Wait," Kyoya stopped me, "What if I knocked you down to only one day a week?"

"If I ask?" I had to have my bases covered.

"If he says yes." Damn. Kyoya likes to play hardball.

"I could try," I told him, "But I'm not making any promises. Ritsu has a hard limit when it comes to the host club. Even when I bring it up, he breaks out in hives."

"So do a lot of people," he agreed.

"Rei!" Tamaki joined the party, throwing his arms around me, "You did such a good job today! You've done this before, haven't you?"

"I already told you," I mumbled through his shoulder, ready to run him through, "I have done this before. I'm the only one here who had any prior experience."

"Tamaki," Kyoya stepped in for me, "I suggest putting her down. By the way, Rei, how about this for your efforts?"

He handed me a big, white, paper cup. And I thought I was going to swoon, "Kyoya…Is that what I think it is?"

"It is," he nodded, "Flat white, three shots of espresso, mocha creamer, caramel drizzle."

"Yes, please," I gladly took that cup, letting the first drink warm me to my little toes. Mmm…Satisfying.

"Fancy tuna…" Kyoya smirked.

"Fancy tuna?" I wondered.

"Fancy tuna?" Haruhi's ears perked up.

"Fancy tuna…" Tamaki's eyes lit up, "Sorry, Haruhi. We don't have any fancy tuna."

"Aww…"

"The hell are you two talking about?" I squeaked, "What does fancy tuna have to do with anything?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Kyoya brushed me off, "I think it's safe to say we can shut down the café now, don't you, Tamaki?"

"I suppose your right," Tamaki agreed, "Go ahead, Rei. I'm sure you have other plans for today."

"I do!" I already felt a million times better. And now, to go upstairs and add to that euphoria. Once I got to the door, I had my coffee done and started peeling off layers upon layers that this fucking uniform had to it. Off went the vest…Off went the tie…Off went the gloves…Off went the pointy ass shoes…Off went the suffocating button-up…Off went the pants that weren't even tight enough for me. I was stripped down to my underwear by the time I got to my bag and I've never felt better. Although, I feel like if Ritsu hadn't been laying on the bed, there'd be enough blood on the floor to consider this room a crime scene. Fortunately, he didn't see anything.

"Hey, Rei!" he called out while I shut the bathroom door, laying on the cool tile in my sweet state of pure bliss, "You ready to go yet?"

"Give me a second," I sighed out, "I'm having a moment…"

"Would you like me to leave our room?" Ritsu teased, "Maybe put some music on and light some candles? Really make an evening out of it?"

"Fuck you," I moaned into the floor, "I just spent the last three hours without any coffee and dealing with ditzy bitches along with the host club. Fuck you. With a sandpaper covered cactus."

"Ouch…" he winced, "A little harsh, Rei…You alright?"

"I will be," I pulled myself up, "Once I stop pissing and moaning. Can you do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Will you get my makeup bag for me?" I asked, "It's the black and purple striped bag in my luggage."

"You…" Ritsu stuttered, "You want me…You want me to, to, go in your luggage?"

"Grow up," I sat on the edge of the bathtub, "It's not like you're going to run into any of my panties. My makeup bag is in the side pocket on the inside."

"What do you even need this shit for?" he wondered, rustling through my bag, "You look fine without it."

"I know," I admitted, about to take a HUGE jump, "But when I'm out with my boyfriend and away from the host club…"

"With your what now?" Shit. Looks like I dropped that bomb a little prematurely.

"Is that not what we are?" I asked, "Because I'm pretty sure that's what we are."

"Alright," Ritsu dropped it. Was he agreeing with me or completely suppressing that thought ever happened? "As you were saying…"

"Oh," I went on, "When I want us to hang out and be separate from the host club, I want to look more like a girl. Sue me. Not to mention, if you ask me, I look dead fucking sexy in a sharp ass eyeliner and a pink lip. But that's just me, I guess."

"No," he handed me my bag through the door, not even glancing in the mirror. Good boy, "You do. It's not just you."

"Aww," I jabbed, "You think I'm cute, don't you, Ritsu?"

"I didn't freak nearly as bad as what I could have when you called me your boyfriend," Ritsu pointed out, "If I didn't think you were cute, I would've walked out of here."

"And they say romance is dead," I giggled, getting redressed. I didn't bring anything too terribly slutty to walk around town in broad daylight. Although, I did have a short black and white striped skirt that I adored on me and an old Misfits t-shirt I stole from my mom that went so nicely with it. That wasn't too bad. I may not have much for boobs, but those skeleton hands were grabbing something. After a little better contouring and that sharp ass pin-up eyeliner I promised, I had gone from host to ho at the drop of a hat. And I'm not complaining. With a sudden reinvigorated spirit, I was ready to go.

"Is it safe?" Ritsu peeked around the corner, "Are you decent?"

"Yes, ma'am," I did a little spin for myself, "Am I good enough to be seen in public with?"

"Good enough for me," he took my hand, spinning me again, "You look really cute today, Rei."

"You think so?" I smiled, "Thank you. We're going to the shrines today, right?"

"That's right."

"Hold on." I had one thing packed in case of emergencies (or if someone wanted to take me somewhere that required me to cover up anything I may have hanging out) and by the sounds of it, I should probably bring it with. A long, white kimono cardigan was balled up in the corner of my bag, wrinkled all to hell. But it added to its charm. I wrapped myself in it and gave myself one last look, "There. Respectable?"

"You were fine before," Ritsu shrugged, "But if you feel you must."

"Yeah," I looked myself over in the mirror, "We are going to a shrine. Something about going to a shrine when I'm this partially nude seems disrespectful. Like going to church in the clothes you wore the night before that still have last night's sins on them."

"The life you live back home worries me," he took my hand.

"Sometimes, I want to stay in," I told him, "Sometimes, I want to get involved in a back-alley poker game and clean house. Some people knit; some people do coke."

"None of those things relate to each other, Rei."

"Come on."

The two of us slipped out of the hotel lobby without any host club regulars or any Ouran students paying us any attention. Neat! We're safe. No host club shenanigans. No whiny, thirsty bitches wanting my nonexistent dick. Just Ritsu and me. If this trip was this peaceful, I could only imagine when we're back in Hakone on Sunday night. When we got to the shrine, we crossed the footbridge and came up on a row of cherry trees. I reached up for a berry, only to have my hands slapped away.

"What the hell, Ritsu?" I nursed my reddening fingers, "What was that for?"

"Those aren't for you," Ritsu explained, "The spirits that wander through these shrines and through the woods around here are very particular about their cherry trees. Those are their berries. No one is allowed to pick them."

"Alright," I understood. He could've let me down a little easier about that, but I suppose the slap to my hand would get the message across just as well. With the exception of my boyfriend being unnecessarily prickly in the name of my ignorance, everything here was so serene…The intricate carvings on the stones were absolutely incredible. Someone put a lot of time and a lot of love into those, "Hey, Ritsu…?"

"Yeah, Rei?"

"How old are these shrines?" I wondered. These carvings seemed relatively new. I'm sure it's not much more than a few decades.

"Almost a couple thousand years old," he figured, "I think that's what the plaque said."

"A couple thousand?" The oldest building I had ever seen was the Leaning Tower of Pisa and that was only a little over eight hundred years old. This? This wasn't even fathomable to me.

"Yeah," Ritsu nodded, "About that. Why?"

"Just curious." Whoever carved some of these stones have probably had their entire bloodline come to an end already. A sudden chill ran through my body. Although, normally, shit like that would've freaked me out to no end. Instead, the chill turned warm. Like a hug from an old friend. Strange. So, I figured I'd pay it forward. I wrapped my arms around Ritsu's waist, laying my head in his shoulder blades.

"Hello…" he looked down at me, his hands over mine, "What's this all about?"

"Everything's so peaceful here," I sighed out, "This is so beautiful…And I'm so glad we came here."

"My pleasure," Ritsu pulled me around to the front of him.

"Hey…" I asked, "Do you mind if I have a moment alone here?"

"Really?" he wondered, "Aside from that shiny little cross around your neck, I don't see you much as the spiritual type."

"You'd be amazed," I admitted, "I'm one of those books who should never be judged by its cover. As for the necklace, I've had it since my first communion. If I'm not running on Catholic guilt and caffeine, what am I running on?"

"You are a very strange little girl," Ritsu held me tight, "If you want to, go ahead. I'm not going to stop you. It is why most come here."

"Thank you," I know Shinto shrines aren't exactly intended for Catholic musings, but I'm sure it all goes to the same guy. I'm sure my deeply religious great grandmother would be rolling in her grave if she saw this, but as long as I'm still praying, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Sorry, Grandma.

I worry about more than people would imagine. I worry for Daddy as he gets older and his health gets more delicate. Not to mention, the fact that we always have targets on our backs. I'm sure that can't be good for him. Or for anyone in our family. Even the ones we don't share blood with. And I prayed for them. For all of them. For something besides tragedy to fall upon it. We could really stand a win. I could stand a win. I crossed myself and got up from my knees, wiping the dirt and the rocks off them. That was needed. That was severely needed.

When I walked out, Ritsu stood on the other side of the bridge, waiting for me, "Hey…How'd it go?"

"This was a good idea, Ritsu," I laid my head on his shoulder, wrapping myself around his arm, "I needed some good, spiritual cleansing."

"That's good," we started walking toward the exit, "Where to now?"

"I don't know," I checked my phone. Two o'clock, straight up, "We don't have much time to do much of anything."

"You want to grab some food and go back to our room?" Ritsu suggested, "We still have half that bottle of sake left. Might as well finish it off."

"Good enough for me."

And so, the two of us got some sushi and headed back up to our room. For what it was worth, this was just as wonderful as the time we spent in the hot spring. Hanging out in our hotel room might be the best part of the whole Osaka trip. Being able to get a little drunk with my boyfriend on a school sponsored trip? Oh, yeah. I'll take this again. Gladly.

But then, it had gotten to that time again. Our bellies were full of sushi and sake and it was time for us to go home. Although, Ritsu and I were a tad wobbly when we got back on the bus. Not that we wouldn't be able to handle ourselves. We were just off balance. Our homeroom teacher didn't think much of it, so I guess we're in the clear. I didn't need a slap on the wrists for underage drinking. But I'd take the pillow that Ritsu was all the way back.

"Hey, Rei?" Ritsu snuck his arm around me, "What do you think?"

"About what?" I shut my eyes for a moment.

"You and me," he wondered, "Hakone. We'll take the bike. How does that sound?"

"Swell," I gave him a pat on the head, "Absolutely swell."

"Are you feeling ok?" Ritsu picked my chin up, "You look like you're about to throw up."

"No," I shook my head, "Long day. Tired."

"You sure?" he worried.

"I'm sure," I promised. But then, my phone started going off. Awesome. As if it were muscle memory, I got my phone out of my bag without even looking and shut it up, "Hello?"

"Hi, princess…"

"Hi, Daddy!" I perked right back up.

"How you doing, baby girl?" Daddy asked, "Ok?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "I'm great. Right now, I'm on the bus back to Tokyo."

"Where were you before that?" he wondered, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Osaka," I told him, "It was a school trip. It's a pretty place, Daddy. And my god, the shrines…The Shinto shrines were incredible."

"I'm sure they were, baby," Daddy's concern fell into a familiar gentleness that put me at ease, "So, how long until you get home?"

"I don't know," I did some calculations in my head, "Probably by eight or nine. I'm sure it's really early there. What are you doing still awake?"

"What can I say?" he brushed it off, "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd call my favorite little girl in the whole wide world."

"I'm your only little girl, Daddy," I blushed a bit, "Unless you were cheating on Mama, but I know better."

"I haven't even been on a date since we lost Mama," Daddy admitted, "But not a problem. Don't worry about me, Rei. I'm fine."

If he only knew how much I did worry about him, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Positive," he assured, "Maybe I should go to bed. Set your troubled mind at ease."

"Thank you," I smiled in Ritsu's shoulder.

"I just called to check in," Daddy explained, "It's good to hear your voice once in a while."

"I know," I rolled my eyes, "I don't call nearly as much as what I should."

"That's right," he chuckled to himself, "Alright, baby girl. I'm going to call it a night."

"Ok," I let him go, "I love you, Daddy."

"Love you, too, princess."

Click.

"I miss my dad…" I let out a heavy sigh, curling into Ritsu's ribs a little more.

"I'm sure you do," Ritsu wrapped his arms around me, "Why don't you shut your eyes for a while, Rei? I'll wake you up by the time we get back."

"Ok," I felt his lips on the top of my head and melted. I really do like this one. Maybe I should keep him around. Just for fun.

By the time I woke up again, night had fallen over Tokyo and we were already pulling back into the Ouran Academy parking lot. Well…This trip to Osaka was fun, but the thought of sleeping in my own bed tonight sounded fucking heavenly. I waved goodbye to all my friends and jumped on the back of Ritsu's bike. He was my ride here Friday morning, since he was so kind to send Roy home for the weekend. When we got back to my building, I had a lovely thought. Since we were going to be going to the same place in the morning anyway…

"Hey, Ritsu," I rocked back on my heels, "You wouldn't want to do something silly like come up to the penthouse, would you?"

"As if I could say no to that face," Ritsu snuck in a quick kiss, "And we are leaving for Hakone in the morning. We could leave earlier this way."

"You read my mind," I jumped on his back and the two of us took the elevator up to my penthouse. And now that we're somewhat comfortable with sharing a bed now, I don't see any reason why he'd have to sleep on the couch. Besides, Ritsu's really nice to lay on.

I opened the door to a pitch black penthouse. No curtains open. No lights on. Hell, my cable was even turned off. Everything had gone dark. Out of reflex, I slowly pulled my knife out of my pocket and kept Ritsu by my side. I had a bad feeling that shit was about to go sideways and I didn't like it. If it did, I knew he'd watch my back. And I'd watch his. But then, I heard a creak come from my living room chair. And a lone voice broke the silence.

"Hi, princess…"

A/N: *sits back with a shit eating grin on her face* I'm so happy. I'm so very happy. I love this ending so very much. In case you're new here, hi. I'm Lumi and I'm a slut for a cliffhanger. Just be glad I update this story twice a week. If this were the old days where I had four other stories to update, you'd be waiting until Monday, but I love you and won't make you wait that long. You're welcome. ALSO! Because I nearly forgot about this, show of hands, who understands what they're talking about when they say fancy tuna? Because that may be the best part of this whole chapter. But that's all I have to say about that. And I'll see you next chapter! xx