A/N: Kira will be a hard nut to crack when it comes to bonding!

Chapter 3: Mission-Impossible

So far, school was going good for Kira. Everyone basically ignored her and the only time she was bullied was when the girls just glared at her. Better that than a drowned cell phone or a dumped book. Now, she just couldn't wait to get home to e-mail her friends and tell them about Japan thus far. She'd leave out the parts of being bullied, though. She didn't want them to hop on a plane and confront her bullies. As she walked with her head in the clouds, she heard a voice call out to her, causing her to stop and turn back to the person who spoke.

"Grey-sama," said that familiar deep voice, and she saw Kyoya Ootori speed-walking towards her. "Can I walk you home?"

"If you can keep up," she replied shortly as he ran to catch up to her.

The two teens walked together silently as a pair of young students ran past them giggling and chatting. Kira made a mental note on how cute the kids were, but she felt guarded with the Ootori boy walking her home. What did he want with her anyways? Was he trying to get on her good side or something? She felt Kyoya staring at her, so she turned to look at him expectantly. His dark eyes were beautiful and thoughtful with thoughts she couldn't decipher by just looking.

"What?" she demanded quietly with irritation touching her voice, her walls coming up. "The staring is creeping me out."

"You have a…good intuition," he commented hesitantly, causing her to arch an eyebrow in amusement.

Was that his idea of a compliment? If so, it was rather odd, not to mention awkward. It sounded like he didn't know what to actually say to girls when he wasn't with the Host Club. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing. Despite being such a charmer in the club, he didn't know what to do when confronted with the real thing. She offered a small smile and gave him a look.

"Um, thanks," she replied dryly, her guarded smile giving her actual feelings away. "I guess…"

When they kept walking, she felt Kyoya's hand lace into hers and that put her off-guard. She stared at him oddly and he merely gave her a neutral look. Is this guy actually trying to pick a fight with me? She asked herself as her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sure, Kyoya was very cute and attractive but she knew you couldn't always trust the cute ones. Her ex was a cute, charming guy but that didn't stop him from being a snake.

"W-why are you holding my hand?" she stammered out, flushing with embarrassment. They weren't close enough to be hand-holders. She barely knew the guy. She couldn't let herself get tricked again.

"It's a safety precaution," he answered smoothly, keeping a firm grip on her hand. "It's so we don't get separated amongst the crowds of people. The streets here get pretty crowded…" That explained it. He was just being chivalrous.

"Ah," was her blank response and she fell silent once more as he led her home.

As she stared at him, she noticed that he was incredibly handsome. His jet-black hair smelled of sweet-smelling products and his glasses made him look as intelligent as he was. He was very tall compared to her and it made her feel safe. That thought surprised her because she barely trusted anyone. What was this Kyoya guy doing to her.

When the two arrived at her house, she walked up to the front door and turned to look at Kyoya, who was about two feet away from her. She wanted to step back but her back would hit against the door if she did. The way he looked at her made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She knew that look. Hadn't he ever heard of personal space? Or did that not exist for rich people? He was making it hard for her to breathe. Noticing her hand was still in his warm one, she repositioned hers to make it look less intimate.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said softly, shaking his hand politely. She averted her eyes so she wouldn't have to gaze into his intense ones anymore.

"You're welcome, Grey-sama," he replied in a charming yet professional tone. The smile on his face seemed genuine enough. He was an enigma, this Kyoya.

"Call me Kira," she corrected, smiling slightly. "It's odd to hear someone calling me by my last name." She felt as if her heart was starting to unclench thanks to him. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

"Okay, Kira-sama," he acquiesced, nodding a bit in understanding. "I suppose you should call me Kyoya since we're referring to each other by first name now. In my culture, calling someone by their first name is a sign of friendship."

"Kyoya," she repeated thoughtfully, nodding slowly. "Well, again, thanks for walking me home, Kyoya." She released his hand and waved at him.

As she turned to go inside, she felt Kyoya's hand wrap around her wrist and she stopped in mid-step. The contact made butterflies flutter around in her stomach and her heart beat faster.

She turned back to look at him in slight surprise. "What is it?" she asked curiously, trying to keep herself from flushing.

"Are you busy this Saturday?" he asked hesitantly, looking a bit flustered. It seemed he wasn't used to asking people on dates. He probably was the one asked on dates rather than the other way around.

"No," she answered honestly, shaking her head, eyes still on Kyoya. She could see the conflicting emotions in his eyes but couldn't determine what those emotions were.

"Would you…like to see a movie with me this Saturday?" he finally asked, sounding a bit shy. "I…want to get to know you more." She could see that his ears were red even though he tried to keep his cool. She didn't expect him to be so direct.

Now it was her turn to look flustered. "Uh, sure," she replied bashfully, keeping a steady voice. "I'd like to see a movie with you. I guess it's a date then."

"Yeah," he said, nodding, with a small smile. "I'll pick you up around five o'clock. Does that seem adequate to you?" Even though he was asking her out, he made it sound like a business transaction. It made her smile in spite of herself.

"Sure," she said in a calm and collected voice, mentally patting herself on the back for not acting like an idiot. "I'll see you Saturday then?"

Kyoya nodded, releasing her wrist, and stepped away from her. "See you then," he said in parting, turning to walk off. "Sayonara, Kira-chan." With that, he was gone and out of sight.

"Sayonara, Kyoya," she said quietly as if to herself, going inside of her house.

When she shut the door behind her, she dropped her satchel on the ground, slid down next to it, and placed her head in her hands. "What just happened?" she asked out to no one in particular. "What the hell did I just do?"

…

As soon as Kyoya got home, he was consulted by his father, who was curious on how school went (aka Kira). The two sat down on the sofa in the living room and Kyoya began explaining to his father of his plans. It just didn't feel right to Kyoya. He didn't like manipulating girls. It just felt like a terrible thing to do. Girls were more emotional and soft-hearted than boys. He felt like the worst person in the world for toying with Kira's feelings.

"I walked Kira-sama home," he announced calmly, his face betraying nothing, "and asked her out for a movie on Saturday."

"Excellent," replied Yoshio, sounding proud for once, glasses gleaming diabolically. "Keep this us and we'll be on the Greys' good side by the end of next week. Has she told you anything?"

"No, sir," answered Kyoya quietly, trying to keep his internal anger in check. "She doesn't really talk that much…at all. She's pretty mute, if you ask me. How do I get to know someone if they don't talk? She's not like how Tamaki was, Otou-san…" More like polar opposites, he added mentally, comparing her to Tamaki, his exuberant best friend.

"Ask her questions and let her answer," was Yoshio's careless response, barely looking up from his book. "The party is this Friday and I want you to stick to her like Velcro, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," replied Kyoya quietly, bowing his head slightly. He wished that God would strike him dead.

"Well, I have work to do," said Yoshio in an offhand manner, leaving Kyoya be.

As soon as his father left, Kyoya felt a pang of guilt bite at his stomach as he thought of the deception he was doing. He didn't mind deceiving boys because they didn't matter much to him but deceiving a girl was a new low, especially when she was a new girl who could probably rearrange his face. Something didn't feel right whenever he deceived a girl, but he had to do it or his father would never forgive him. It was a matter between pride and heart, and Kyoya had to choose pride. Family had to come first.

A shadow fell across Kyoya's eyes as tears welled up in them. I'm sorry, Kira-chan, he was thinking as he fought back the tears that wanted to run down his cheeks. I'm so sorry…

…

Kyoya didn't sleep well that night so naturally he was walking evil at school. He took it out on Tamaki, who retreated like a dog with a tail between its legs, on the twins, who now steered clear of him, on Mori, who merely said nothing because he had to deal with Honey when it came to crabbiness, and Haruhi, who just gave him stern looks in response. Kyoya hated being in a bad mood because it ruined his day and it was draining. Instead of looking weary and irritated, however, Kyoya took on an evil persona called "The Low Blood Pressure Evil Lord" and it kept everyone at bay.

In English class, he practically lashed out at Kira, who, instead of being afraid like most, looked insulted. Of course, Kira, being Kira, snapped back at him and that started a mini war between the two foul mood teens. Kyoya, who was too bloody prideful, didn't apologize at all for acting like a complete asswipe to Kira so that increased the tension by a tenfold.

During the Host Club meeting, he heard a few girls—Tamaki's regulars—talking trash about Kira and it pissed him off. She did not deserve to hear the trash they were saying about her.

"Is it true that she had sex with three guys at a time?" asked one of the girls, maliciously.

"Of course it is," answered another one, cattily. "She also had to have an abortion for getting pregnant—twice."

The girls laughed in malicious delight and it got under Kyoya's skin. The anger he had been keeping at bay during the club meeting returned in a passion. He hated how rude many of the Ouran girls were. They looked down on people who were different than them. Of course, he'd be a hypocrite if he was being honest. Before Tamaki and Haruhi, Kyoya looked at everyone with an ice-cold eye and only saw them as opportunities rather than people.

"Excuse me, young ladies," he said coldly as he approached them with his arms crossed across his chest. "Tamaki and I are against malicious talk and rumors so if you wish to still be allowed here, then don't talk so maliciously of a girl you barely know."

"But she's a bitch," objected one of the girls, flushing scornfully. "She insulted Tamaki-kun!" Ah, so that was it. They were just angry about that awkward first encounter that still made him laugh when he thought about it. The look on Tamaki's face was glorious. He wished he had a camera to keep a picture of it in his black notebook to look at when he felt down.

"Does that give you the right to treat her like trash?" demanded Kyoya moodily, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tamaki no longer cares that Kira insulted him so you shouldn't care either. He even told me that he wanted to try befriending her to make up for what happened the last time." He was proud of himself for keeping his voice calm and steady.

"I heard she whored up to three guys at the same time," said one of the girls in a cruel voice, making his eyes narrow. "Why would Tamaki-kun want to be friends with someone like that?"

Kyoya felt a sudden throb in his temples and his eyebrow twitched. "Don't talk about Kira that way," he groused angrily, fisting his shaking hand. "You don't know anything about her."

Before the girls could retort, Tamaki walked over, looking bewildered at the scene that was unfolding, and looked back and forth between the girls and his friend.

"What seems to be the problem, Kyoya?" he asked seriously, his violet-blue eyes absent of their usual jolly glimmer.

"These girls are spreading malicious lies about Kira Grey," answered Kyoya stiffly, clenching his fists tightly. "You deal with it, Tamaki." He waved his hand in express frustration and turned away to rub his throbbing temples.

An uncharacteristically angry look darkened Tamaki's fair face and his eyes were darkened. "You will leave Miss Kira alone," he said firmly, "or I will not allow any of you back in the host club. It's your choice."

The girls fell into a sullen silence and they decided to keep their mouths shut about Kira, much to Kyoya's satisfaction. Who knew Tamaki could be so firm? Not Kyoya, that was for sure. He never knew that his friend could be so forceful. His respect for his friend rose some degree.

…

After school, Kira was walking home but she was once again accompanied by Kyoya yet they didn't speak to each other. In fact, she tried to walk away from him. His legs were long so he kept up with her effortlessly. He looked at her face and saw the anger and hurt there. The silence made Kyoya feel guilty, so he decided to apologize to her for being such a jerk.

"Gomenasai," he said to her quietly, making her jump a bit at the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry for being so rude to you, Kira-sama."

"It's okay," she replied tonelessly, trying to keep her eyes from welling with tears. "Why were you in such a bad mood anyway?"

"I didn't get any sleep last night," answered Kyoya honestly, "and when I don't get enough, I become evil, so to speak. I know it sounds like an excuse, but it is true."

"You're not the only one who doesn't sleep well, Kyoya," said Kira gently, finally giving him an empathetic look. "I've had insomnia for seven years. I haven't slept truly in seven years approximately." Her gaze was far away as if she was remembering something painful.

"Sorry to hear that," he replied quietly, touching her hand gently. Her heart skipped a beat and her face heated up in embarrassment.

The two walked in silence before they went their separate ways. Kira felt like her hand was empty without his holding it. The thought of being away from him scared her and that frightened her even more. Why would she feel that way for a boy she barely knew? Well, whatever it was, it had to stop now before it got out of hand. She would force the feelings away even if it broke her heart in the process.

A/N: And that's that! Some drama will unfold, I guarantee you! Please R&R!

Words used:

Gomenasai-I'm sorry

Otou-san-Father

Sayonara-Goodbye