This time was worse. This time was so much worse. I knew what was happening. I could remember what last time was like. But this was so much fucking worse. I finally had Daddy back. He got along with Ritsu famously. Even seeing him go against Kyoya made me smile. But now…Now, he has to go away again. I hated that he was going home when I had to stay behind. It killed me. If I said I hadn't thought about hiding in his luggage, I'd be lying.

The two of us stood at the gate, my face buried in his shoulder. I had very few weaknesses in this world. I don't want my daddy taken away. Not again. I don't want him to leave. Don't make him go away. Every time we stood in the airport like this, I got the world's shittiest highlight reel in my head. Memories of being in and out of a courtroom like a revolving door for six excruciating months burned in my head. All I wanted was for Daddy to stay. Was that too much to ask for?

"Hey," Daddy lifted my chin, revealing my tear stained face. He ran his shirt sleeve over my cheeks, "What have I told you about that crying shit, Reila? I'm not going to be gone forever, baby girl. Before you know it, you'll be on break and you'll be able to come back home for a little while. Then, everything will be ok. You can stay strong for me until then, right, princess?"

"Yeah…" I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold out. I only hugged him tighter, "I'll miss you, Daddy."

"I'll miss you, too, baby," Daddy kissed the top of my head, "I have to go. And so do you."

"Can I come with you?" I crossed my fingers.

"Rei…" he blinked the tears out of his eyes, "Don't make this harder, kid."

"I'm sorry," I shook in his arms.

"I love you, Reila," Daddy gave me one last kiss goodbye, tearing my heart into a million pieces.

"I love you, too, Daddy."

And then, I had to let him go. Every bone in my body ached and I wanted to fling myself into traffic. Right now, I'd kill a man for that bottle of sake Ritsu and I passed back and forth in Osaka. I don't care if it's early in the morning. I needed something to take the edge off. Unfortunately, the only thing I had was a cup of hella strong coffee, my razor sharp wits, and a Roy. And what will no doubt be a long drive to Ouran.

"Hey, Rei…" Roy adjusted his mirror as I slammed the car door behind me, "Are you…"

"One more word, Roy…" I snarled, "One more goddamn word and I swear to fucking Christ, I will kill you. I have my knife in my bag. Do not fucking test me. I will gut your ass like a fucking fish. Do you understand?"

"Got it," he promised with fear in his voice, "Not a peep."

"Good." I was in no mood.

The whole ride to Ouran was dead silent. Roy didn't even have the radio on. Any noise would've just pissed me off anyway. The thought of going to school today made me nauseous. I knew I'd have girls from the host club flocking to me like a crow on a penny. Or worse, I'd have hosts on me, trying to make me feel better, only to make me want them stabbed. I had to go, though. If I ever want to head the family, I had to get through high school first. It's one day. And I'm not hosting after school. I can make it through one day. I hope.

Roy pulled up next to where Ritsu parked his motorcycle and let me out. Ritsu watched and waited for him to drive away. The prospects of me talking without breaking the fuck down were still unheard of. Come on, Rei. Pull yourself together. And you're supposed to lead the family one day? Suppress for now. Break down later. But then, Ritsu had to open his big, stupid, fucking mouth. He had to go and care.

"Rei?" Ritsu asked, "Are you ok?"

"No," my voice broke, a few tears escaping my eyes. I pulled myself together enough to manage somewhat, "But Daddy always said not to show weakness to the enemy, so forget you heard any of that."

"No," Ritsu pulled me into his arms, holding me tight, "Because I'm not your enemy, Reila. I'm always on your side. You know that."

"Thanks, Ritsu," I curled into his shoulder, barely holding on as it is.

"You're welcome," he ran his hand down my back, offering any sort of comfort he could, "No."

"No what?"

"Get on," Ritsu swung his leg over the seat of his bike.

"Excuse me?" I gave him a look, questioning his sanity.

"Get on my bike," he ordered.

"Ritsu," I rolled my eyes, "No. We have to go to school today."

"You're in no shape to go in there, Rei," Ritsu pointed out, "Look, do you want everyone to come down on you?"

"No."

"The host club is like a heat seeking missile for sadness," he explained, "They will be on you and they will not leave you alone until they think you're ok. You don't need that kind of treatment. I know you. You'll end up killing one of them. For their safety and the sake of your sanity, Reila, get on my fucking bike."

Ritsu had a point. I really wasn't in the best shape to go to school today. As quoted last night, I showed up at school horrendously depressed. And no one would be able to blame me. I just had to send my father back to the fucking States and I couldn't get on the plane with him. Although I remember Daddy telling me my education was important, he's also told me that it wasn't worth it if my head wasn't right enough. Not to mention, the thought of having the host club all over me made me feel icky.

"Alright," I threw my leg over and got on, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Ritsu put the key in the ignition and the two of us left Ouran grounds. I can't believe we were ditching. In a way, I could. I knew shit like this was inevitable with us. But I didn't think it'd be so soon. Not to mention, I always thought it'd be because we felt like it, not because I was too depressed to deal with that particular bunch.

We pulled up to my penthouse and went straight upstairs. I couldn't help but ask, "You know, Ritsu, when you said we were skipping school today, I didn't think we'd just hole up at my place."

"This is just a temporary stop," he clarified, "I figured you'd want to drop your uniform. Nothing says we're skipping school quite like still being in the Ouran uniform."

"Good call," I applauded his foresight. It made me curious, though, "Does that mean we're going to stop by your place, too?"

"You don't think I didn't see this coming?" Ritsu scoffed, stripping off his uniform in my living room. Someone was thinking. Ritsu had a tight pair of jeans and a black t-shirt under his uniform. That's my boyfriend. That was the guy I was dating regularly, "Rei, we've known each other for quite a while now. We've shared hotel rooms. We've made out in your elevator. You don't think I don't know where your soft spot is? It's your dad. And it's always going to be your dad. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but your dad is your definite soft spot. And when he goes away, there's no way you're not going to be miserable after something like that. So, if it means taking you away from school for the day, then I'm taking you away from school for the day. He told me to keep an eye on you and I'll be damned if I go back on that promise."

"Ritsu…" If I wasn't already hanging by a thread, the novelty sized scissors just cut the metaphorical thread. I threw myself into my boyfriend's arms, fully breaking down. We're in private. It's just the two of us. And he's not the enemy. He'll never be the enemy. So, it's ok for me to bawl in his arms.

"Go ahead, baby," Ritsu allowed, cradling me on my couch. He knew when to keep his mouth shut, but he knew when to say something, too. I missed Daddy horribly, but after taking a long, hard look of what I got here, I think I'll be ok.

"Thank you," I spoke softly, "Thank you, Ritsu. Thank you for not letting me be alone today."

"My pleasure," he cuddled me, "We don't have to go out today. If you want, we can stay right here."

"No," I wiped my eyes, "I don't want to stay home today. If we're going to skip school, we're going to Ferris Bueller's Day Off this bitch."

"Alright," Ritsu sat me up, "Go get changed, ok? You need any help?"

"Any excuse to see me naked," I kissed his cheek, "I thought you were classier than that, Ritsu."

"That's not what I meant!" he squeaked. But then, he smiled, "Yeah. I guess I do sound like a pervert, don't I?"

"Yeah," I sat back down on his lap, burying my face in his neck, "But you're my pervert."

"Rei…"

"Yeah?"

"Burning daylight," Ritsu shooed me off him, "Go. If you do need help, don't hesitate to yell for me, ok?"

"I won't," I gave him a quick kiss and ran off to my closet. Thank you, Ritsu. This is definitely one of those days that started out like shit and could've gone down a very dark path for me, but you weren't going to let that happen. And I couldn't be more grateful. Now, let's see. How to repay you.

I ran my hand through my clothes with my eyes shut, letting fate make my decisions for me. Strangely enough, I landed on a short black dress with a tulle skirt that I loved more than life itself. Usually, it came out for special occasions, but that's because it wasn't often I wore dresses. Although, since I got to Japan, they seem to have become a staple. Alright, fate. If this is how we're going to do it, I'll take it. I paired it with some knee-high socks and a pair of Maryjanes I kept in the back of my closet for the days where I'm feeling like a baby doll and did a little spin for myself. Not bad, Rei. Not bad. I liked the way my communion cross looked with it. It gave an air of innocence to something that looked dark and a little sinister. Good for me.

"Well?" I wondered, doing a few spins on my way out, "Am I good enough?"

"For what we're doing today," Ritsu took my hand, spinning me once more, "You're perfect. Damn, Rei…Why do you have to be so cute?"

"I'd say ask Mama," I shrugged, "But you can't do that, can you?"

"Not necessarily," he thought, "I mean, if I'm ever in New York, I'm sure I could pay my respects."

"You don't have to do that," I wrapped myself around his arm, "But I do appreciate the sentiment. I haven't seen Mama in a while. I meant to go before I left for Japan, but I was too pissed off at the circumstances to."

"There's always when you go back," Ritsu pointed out, "And I'm sure your mom already knows what you were going to say anyway."

"You would've loved Mama," I grabbed my bag and flung it over my shoulder, "She was the best."

"How old did you say you were when she died?" he asked, following me out the door.

"Little over nine," I remembered, hitting the elevator button, "She died a few months after I turned nine."

"What would she have thought of me?" Ritsu leaned against the back wall.

"Are you fucking serious?" I giggled, "Mama would've adored you! When Daddy said you reminded him of himself when he was younger, that would've been Mama's weakness right then and there. You would've hooked her instantly. If you would've met her while we were in New York, she would've made sure you were taken care of before you left."

"What do you mean, taken care of?" Ritsu worried.

"If you were involved with me," I explained, "Mama would've made sure you left our house knowing how much you were loved and appreciated. How you'd always have a place at her table and a spot on her couch if you needed it. And if you left with an empty stomach, she'd never forgive herself. Even though…Sorry, Mama…she couldn't cook worth a shit, she'd make sure to feed you."

"And someone like that got tangled up with someone like your old man?"

"Yep," I nodded, "They met at a concert in Williamsburg. Local band. Not a very good one, according to Daddy. But Mama was into them. She had gone with a group of her friends and she noticed Daddy and my uncles kind of hanging off to the side. Daddy says they were in the middle of working a deal, but Mama said that was bullshit."

"What was going on then?" Ritsu asked.

"Daddy was trying to work up the stones to talk to her," I hid a smile, "She was the snooty, stick in the ass, country club type. What would someone like her want with a gutter rat like him? She couldn't stick around because she had a curfew, but she bumped into him on her way out. When Daddy took his jacket off that night, he found her number in his pocket. And that's when he thought that maybe there was a little more street rat in her than the stick."

"A real Romeo and Juliet situation, huh?" he got the door for me.

"Oh, yeah," I went on, "Without all the suicide. But all the family drama included. Although, my grandma absolutely fell in love with her as soon as she met Mama. She never had a daughter. All her kids were boys. But when she met Mama, Daddy says he had never seen her so happy. Daddy was the first one to get married, the first one to have a baby. And Mama and Grandma were tighter than hell."

"What?" Ritsu asked, a little off the cuff, "Her own mom was a piece of shit, so she gravitated toward her?"

"Pretty much," I winced, "It's scary how you just hit the nail on the head."

"What?" he gave me a look, "I was kind of joking about that."

"No," I grumbled, "You were right. She is a piece of shit human being. I fucking hate that woman more than life itself. You could put me in a room with Satan, Mussolini, and Mama's mother along with a gun that had two bullets in it. I'd put both of them in her, right between her eyes."

"Jesus Christ, Rei…" Ritsu backed off, "Do you need to talk?"

"Not about her," I shook my head, "I don't want to. That's kind of a sore spot for me."

"Alright," he threw his leg over his bike, "Come on. We got a town to see and a short amount of time to see it in. I know somewhere we can go. And it'll definitely take your mind off things."

"Promise?" I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his back.

"Pinky promise."

Once that engine rumbled between my thighs again, the world outside ceased to exist. I didn't know where Ritsu was taking me and quite frankly, I didn't care. He could be driving me off a cliff right now and I'd have no problem with that. But I knew better. Ritsu's doing this to take care of me in the best way he can. Daddy would appreciate him for this. I know he would. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if this was Daddy's idea in the first place. He knew I'd be bad. I always was after he left. And I'd need to get out of my head for a little while.

And out of my head, we got. I wasn't sure what kind of mystical land Ritsu had brought me to, but the flashing lights and the bright colors were a sight to behold. It kind of reminded me of home, but on a much larger scale. We pulled up to this big, sparkly building where all kinds of bells and whistles chimed from the inside. I don't know what kind of rabbit hole Ritsu's pulling me down here, but goddamn, this is fucking incredible.

"Ritsu…" I blinked the stars out of my eyes, "Where are we?"

"Welcome to Akihabara," Ritsu took my hand, "What do you say we park the bike for the day?"

"Ok," I nodded, turning my attention to that one building, "But what's in there?"

"That's an arcade," he led me inside, "You don't have these where you live?"

"I do," I confirmed, lost in the sweet symphony of chiptune surrounding us, "This is nothing like the ones back home. The ones back home are usually shoved in the back corner of a bowling alley. All the machines are covered under a layer of pizza grease because people don't understand how to respect them. Ritsu, this is fucking amazing."

"What's your strong suit?" Ritsu wondered.

"I don't know," I shrugged, "Side scrollers are my jam, but I love a good racing game once in a while, too. What about you?"

"I kick ass at rhythm games," he told me, "And fighting games."

"Really?" I gasped, "You, on rhythm games?"

"You'd be surprised."

"Can't judge a book by its cover, can you?" I assumed, "Well…Where to first?"

"I'll let you decide," Ritsu allowed, "Whatever you want to do."

"Ok," I took a good look around the room. There had to be cabinets from the last thirty years all over the place. But then, I saw one. The one that could theoretically pull me out of this hellish funk I'm in and don't want to be in anymore, "Crazy Taxi."

"What?"

"Crazy Taxi," I insisted, already halfway to the machine.

"Are you sure?" Ritsu asked, "I mean, there's a million different games in here and you're wanting to play Crazy Taxi?"

"It centers me, ok?" I nestled down in the seat, dropping some money in the machine, "Race me, bitch."

"Alright," he took the empty seat next to me, "No need for name calling."

"Sorry."

We picked our respective cars and started the race. I crush at racing games. That was a hundred percent true. When I was little, I remembered going to this one place in particular in Brooklyn where Daddy and I would easily drop a twenty in the machine and play until there was a line behind us. As I played here, I watched all the pretty environments go by, not even giving the actual race much attention until the 'you lose' banner flashed on my screen.

"What the hell, Rei?" Ritsu looked over at my screen, "I thought you said you were good at these. I lapped you twice."

"Yeah," I noticed, "I just needed a little something, something to clear my head. Just needed to go for a drive."

"Come on," he gave me a little nudge, "Race me for real. I don't want you going easy on me."

"Alright." It was his funeral. Ritsu dropped the money in the machine and we repeated the process. Although, this time, I did go all out on him. And, as predicted, I proceeded to wipe the floor with him, taking in that beautiful 'you win' banner, "You did say not to go easy on you."

"DDR," Ritsu growled.

"Excuse me?"

"DDR. Now."

"I'm sorry," I gave him a look, "Is that some kind of disease or…?"

"DDR," Ritsu demanded, nursing a slight wound to his pride. He got up from his seat and grabbed my arm, "Now."

"Alright, alright," I stumbled a few steps behind him.

"I don't like being hustled, Rei," he growled, "And I hate that I'm competitive. You and me. The DDR machine."

"Alright," I walked up to a brightly colored machine with loud techno blasting out of it. Oh. Dance Dance Revolution. I know this one. I've never played it, but I knew of it.

"This will be a gentleman's match," Ritsu put his change on the machine, "No holds barred. And I'll let you pick the song."

"Aww, Ritsu," I gushed, "That's so sweet."

"Go ahead, Rei," he got weirdly serious about this. Let's see…There was quite the selection here. Although, there was one song that all I saw was candy in the title and I was down.

When the music started, I had never had such a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. I didn't know who this chick was, but she made some music that made me want to smile. And dance. And smile some more. My feet were frantic, yet I watched Ritsu out of the corner of my eye. I've never seen him so laser focused on anything. I knew I failed miserably, but I didn't care.

"Yes!" Ritsu jumped down from the machine with that victory in hand, "I win!"

"Yes, you did," I doubled over the bar, struggling to catch my breath, "Thank you, Ritsu. I needed this today."

"You looked like you were getting tased," he took my hand, helping me down from the platform.

"Well," I fell into his arms, "What do we do now?"

"We got a whole day to kill, baby," Ritsu took my hand, "The world is our oyster."

"I don't know," I sighed out, "Surprise me."

"You want me to surprise you?" he smirked a bit, "Alright. You said you needed a drive, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "But that was just in Crazy Taxi."

"No," Ritsu shook his head, "Let's take one. We could stand to get out of the city for a while. Besides, we are supposed to be in school. It'd be a good idea to go somewhere no one knows our faces."

"Are you saying we go back to Hakone?" I figured, following him out of the arcade. This won't be the last time we see each other, I'm sure.

"Not Hakone," he threw his leg over his bike, "We've done Hakone before. Do you trust me?"

"Depends on the day."

"Good to hear," Ritsu gave me a little kiss, "How would you feel about going up to the mountains?"

"Positively," I nestled my face in his shoulder blades, paying my respects to Meditrina, "Get me the hell out of here, Ritsu."

"It'd be my pleasure."

A/N: Can we take a minute to appreciate best boyfriend ever and chairman of the good boys club Ritsu Kasanoda for a second? Because he's the absolute best and I love him. He knew Rei wasn't going to be ok and some part of him cares enough for her to make sure she's ok again. We all need a Ritsu in our lives. And now, they're abandoning Hakone in favor of somewhere up in the mountains. Where, oh, where could that possibly be? *definitely doesn't already have Friday's chapter done* See you next chapter! xx