A/N I'm back! Sort of! It's been bugging me for many many years that I've never properly finished my fanfics, and I was just wondering what I ought to do with them when Rena-san left a review expressing their doubt as well... so The Falling Year gets the attention first. The chapters are going to become a bit more graphic from now on, I think, so please be advised.

Other than that, enjoy!


5:49 a.m.

The bathroom at La Rue was the epitome of masked simplicity. To casual onlookers, the marble panels on the wall and the white ceramic washing basin was probably just de rigueur, but well-bred people knew to recognize how the styling of the faucet and the knob corresponded and that the mirrors were strategically placed to make the place seem wider than it was. These observations weren't in Kyouya's mind, however, as he dried off his hands and reached for the door.

"Oh! Sorry, Ootori-san." Tenri-san, who was evidently trying to figure out her way into the bathroom, stumbled as he opened the door. Kyouya opened his mouth to form some kind of assurance, but his eyes were attracted to her face so close to his. Her cheeks were flushed slightly pink from the wine, and her eyes shined with laughter. He almost imagined that he could smell her shampoo if he leaned in a little closer.

"Would you like a tour?" were the words that came out of his mouth. His heart beat faster in his chest with foreign impulses.

"A tour?" a charmingly confused smile was on her face.

"Yes," he answered, and their eyes met. An understanding passed.

"A tour would be lovely," she said, and entered as he held the door open for her.

As soon as they were both safely in the bathroom, Kyouya pressed her body against the nearest wall, moaning as their lips met in a passionate kiss. She gasped in audible surprise, and the sound fueled him on. He pulled down her jacket and began to trail kisses down her neck and her breasts, impatiently fumbling with the buttons on her blouse.

"Kyouya," she moaned as he pulled aside her bra to suck more sensitive parts of her breast.

"Hm," he answered vaguely.

"Everyone will wonder where we've gone," Tenri-san said, and an impish grin made its way onto his face.

"Come over here, then," he said, taking her hand. He pulled her toward him and lifted her hips onto the counter before she could respond. Tenri-san's hands frantically undid his belt buckle and his pants as they kissed again and again, panting with desire.

"This will have to be quick," he murmured, nuzzling into her neck. Her fingers ran through his hair, sending shivers down his spine.

"Stop wasting time," she commanded. Another smile made its way onto Kyouya's face as he rolled her skirt above her thighs and gripped her legs on either side of his waist.

"If that's what the lady wishes," he murmured. Without a warning, he thrust into her, reveling in her tight warmth. Tenri-san gasped and pulled him closer, lining their bodies together as one.

"You," Kyouya murmured as he thrust into her. "Are. A. Temptation."

Tenri-san laughed. "Aren't you glad that you gave in?" she asked.

Instead of answering, Kyouya began to move faster, eliciting a loud moan. Her legs around him tightened and he grunted with pleasure.

"Kyouya," she murmured. "Kyouya, oh, Kyouya…"

Kyouya's eyes opened wide before he was even aware of being awake.

The alarm clock on his bedstand told him it was quite before his usual wake-up time. There weren't any early-morning schedules that required him to be up this early. In fact, the alarm hadn't even gone off.

"Oh, Kyouya…"

The memory of her voice in his head brought his attention to the painfully evident arousal below his pajama pants. It had been some time since he had a sex dream. And even then, the dreams hadn't involved any specific women from his daily life, especially not with that much detail from reality. The bathroom, the tiles, the decor, all had felt impossibly real and familiar.

His hand gingerly traced the outline of his erection. Images of her on the sink flashed before his eyes. He'd wanted to turn her around and bend her over, watch her face aglow with pleasure as he thrust into her from behind, but he didn't get to go that far in his dream.

His hand was already making its way up and down his arousal, trying to mimic the sensations from his dream. She'd felt so warm, so inviting. A part of him was aware that thinking of Tenri-san like this might make the weekly meetings with her a little awkward, but he dismissed that thought immediately, reasoning that he could put that dream away in a safe little box that no one had to discover.

"Kyouya."

His breath hitched as he recalled her moans. Her quivers. If only he could hear her moan again. Feel her hair. Caress her skin, grab her hips as they moved in tandem-

With an uncharacteristic groan he came, feeling his hand coat in a sticky proof of his desire. He lay completely still, waiting for his heart rate to come back down. Blood thumped loudly in his ear and his chest fell dramatically with each breath.

Don't indulge in these thoughts again, Kyouya, he told himself. It's a spectacularly bad idea.


11:01 a.m.

Tenri-san, this is Haninozuka Mitsukuni from the meeting a few months ago. I was wondering if you and Hatori Yuu-san would like to join us for brunch at our house?

Mihoko received this text about a week ago. To be honest, she had almost forgotten about getting back to Haninozuka-san, having been thoroughly occupied with the new project. When she told Yuu about it, however, Yuu seemed thoroughly excited about the prospects of visiting the famed Haninozuka dojo and the chance to experience the "upper class lifestyle."

"Imagine, Miho-chan, all the material I could get for my manga!"

Let it never be said that Yuu wasn't a professional.

So she answered in the affirmative, suggesting a light meal, and Haninozuka-san replied immediately with a date and a time.

Thus, the two roommates stood in front of a large, imposing gate.

"Wow," Yuu said. "Do you think all of these people live in places like these?"

"I don't know. What did you say the Haninozuka family was known for again?"

"Security and martial arts."

"Well, I guess those two things don't really go out of demand."

"I guess not," Yuu said. "So… do we just knock?"

"I don't know," Mihoko said, uncomfortable.

But before they could even find the doorbell, the gates swung open, revealing two tall men dressed impeccably.

"Please come in," one of them said. "Haninozuka-san is expecting you."

Yuu made googly eyes at Mihoko before skipping in. Mihoko followed mutedly.

The Haninozuka mansion was a beautiful blend of the old and the new. The Japanese-styled architecture belied simple yet elegant decoration inside, seamlessly blending ornate carpets with traditional furniture. Even Mihoko, who didn't know much about architecture and design, found herself admiring certain parts of the rooms they came across. Yuu, of course, was ecstatic.

"Miho-chan, look at that statue!" she would whisper.

Finally, they were taken to a spacious drawing room, where there was a central table in the middle with couches on either side. As they entered, Haninozuka-san turned his head to greet them. But he wasn't the only person waiting for them in the room.

"Tenri-san!" Haninozuka-san said, waving his arms excitedly in welcome. "Please come in and sit down."

At her name, the person sitting next to Haninozuka-san stirred and turned around. Mihoko's breath hitched.

"You?" she said.

It seemed that Ootori hadn't been expecting her, either, as his eyebrows also went up in evident, but lethargic, surprise. "Me," was all he said, and he adjusted his glasses.

"Ne, isn't that Ootori Kyouya?" Yuu wondered aloud.

"He is," Haninozuka-san said. "And you're Hatori Yuu-san! I'm so excited to meet you, my wife and I are such big fans. I don't suppose I can ask you what the next chapter will be about?"

Yuu waved her hand in experienced modesty. "If only I knew, Haninozuka-san," she said, and they both laughed. Then it was as if they already bypassed all the pleasantries, and began to talk freely about the newest mangas they've read.

Mihoko sat next to Yuu, awkwardly tapping her toes against her shoes. She grew painfully aware of her clothes, having chosen to dress casually for the Sunday meeting with an acquaintance she didn't know quite well. The house itself made her aware of how unfit and modest her dress was for the occasion, but the way Ootori lounged in the chair, looking slightly bored as he sipped his coffee, made her feel the most uncomfortable and awkward.

Why should he even have that effect? She'd only seen him yesterday, because he dragged her to that conference and gave her very few other choices but to present something in front of a bunch of strangers. Something felt a little off when he told her "good job," but things definitely felt a little off when she discovered that Ootori had left without telling her, making her figure out the way back home in a painstakingly old-fashioned way (she asked the person at the nearest subway station). The way he sat across from her, dressed in a casual dress shirt and slacks that Mihoko was willing to bet cost as much as her monthly salary, felt standoffish. As if he were a stranger.

That made her feel more uncomfortable than she expected.

"We're abandoning half of the company," Haninozuka-san said graciously, looking at her and Ootori. "Have you tried the cake, Tenri-san? The chestnut puree is especially delicious."

"Thank you," Mihoko muttered, accepting the plate.

"Say, Ootori-san," Yuu said, not missing a beat. "You and Miho-chan are friends, aren't you? With all the Friday dinners you've shared."

Mihoko turned around to look at her friend. Of all the odd questions to ask him, what was that?

"Tenri-san is a valuable asset to the project," Ootori said, also without missing a beat. His eyes barely flickered when the odd question was thrown his way.

"Then why would you surprise such a valuable asset with a last-minute project and make her stay up until four in the morning?" Yuu said. Ah, Mihoko thought, still quite uncomfortable. The real query behind the question.

Ootori looked blandly back at her like she was a simpleton. It was an expression that he pulled off with far too much experience and ease. "Because she was the most suitable for it."

"You don't think making your employees work overtime is a rude abuse of your position?" Yuu was really gearing up for a fight, Mihoko could tell. She wondered if she ought to intervene, but the foreign atmosphere of Haninozuka-san's house, the delicacy of the china between her hands, and the oddness of seeing the three in this particular situation made her dumb.

"No," Ootori answered simply.

"Ne, Kyou-chan, you really did that?" Haninozuka-san swallowed a large gulp of his cake. "That's not very nice of you, is it? To be honest, though, I guess I'm kind of used to it from you."

"What do you mean, Haninozuka-san?" Yuu asked quickly.

"Well, we used to all be part of a club, Kyou-chan and I and our friends from high school." Haninozuka-san looked quite peaceful as he took morsel after morsel of his cake. "He was the vice president, but he was actually also the treasurer and the brains behind the operation. He'd even sneak ideas around the music room so that Tamaki would find them and come up with outrageous initiatives. Anyway, he used to push us, too. To make the most profit."

"How could you be so happy talking about it, Haninozuka-san? It sounds like he used to abuse you!" Yuu said. Mihoko could not figure out where her voice went. Abuse. Ootori Kyouya. Abuse. Ootori Kyouya.

She didn't know why she didn't agree more strongly with Yuu than she did. Mihoko used to hate the guy, hate him for crushing her business down to the ground, for manipulating her career, and for meddling in things that weren't his business. And now, he was-

She looked at him, still reclining back in his chair, cool as a cucumber, sipping his coffee. He was diligent, driven, and, unlike some others who were also diligent and driven, he had the intelligence to achieve what he wanted. But for some reason, when she saw him, it wasn't Ootori Kyouya, the ruthlessly efficient businessman she saw.

No, she saw Ootori Kyouya, a surprisingly engaging conversationalist who made her laugh with sly humor, a partner that every member of the Project trusted because of his reliability. If Ootori Kyouya promised any one of them something, he kept his word.

She saw a man who saw her worth and made no pretensions about how much he appreciated it.

I suppose that led to my company's downfall, Mihoko thought ironically. Had Ootori been less direct about his appreciation, she still would have her company, be friends with Ichiru and…

She didn't know. She was on a new path with The Project. Met new, hardworking wonderful people. But she didn't start it, and she had no idea where it was going.

"Ne, Yuu-chan. Abuse is a strong word. Even for the Shadow King," Haninozuka-san laughed.

"Shadow King?" Yuu asked.

"Yes, he got that nickname because he'd operate on projects without anyone knowing. It didn't help that he used some underhanded methods to get his way…" Haninozuka-san leaned in conspiratorially. "He even set us up as guinea pigs at a new health resort his family built. I had to escape crocodiles! Crocodiles, Yuu-chan!"

"As I seem to remember," Ootori intervened drily, "you were perfectly capable of breaking the jaws of a dozen crocodiles and incapacitating my family's police, Hani-senpai. If anything, I'd say I made them suffer you."

Haninozuka-san shrugged cheerfully. "Like I said, Yuu-chan. He doesn't push over the boundaries."

Yuu looked seriously doubtful, but curiosity took over.

"So what kind of a club placed all of you at a health resort, Haninozuka-san?"

"Oh, did I not mention it already? We ran a host club."

Two sets of female eyebrows rose.

"A host club?"


2:30 p.m.

A host club. Haninozuka-san had to be kidding.

But oh no, that had not been the case. Haninozuka emerged within minutes carrying several albums, DVDs, and other technologies of the past containing their adventures and events as hosts of Ouran HighSchool Host Club. Mihoko sat in disbelief as Yuu and Haninozuka-san leafed through pages and pages of them in various costumes, sets, and locations, looking as impeccably groomed as one would expect of elite private school kids. And as Haninozuka-san recounted their various exploits, he told them about Suo (a big name that Mihoko had heard of) and his now wife, Hitachiin twins (another big name), his best friend Morinozuka and, of course, Ootori, who listened to all the regaling tales with a rather blank look on his face.

She wasn't sure in the natural light, but she thought for moments that he was blushing.

Chuckling at a particular story that Haninozuka-san mentioned, Mihoko didn't notice as she almost bumped into someone on her way from the guest bathroom, which had been as well-decorated and seen to as the rest of the house.

"Something funny?" Ootori asked her in his typical dry tone.

Mihoko found it quite difficult to wipe the laughter off her face. "Ah, Ootori-san, sorry, I didn't see you there. I was just thinking about what Haninozuka-san said."

"He was exaggerating most of the time. Eight-seven percent. Ninety-one percent, even."

"What, did you keep count of every single sentence he uttered and put them into a spreadsheet?" Mihoko laughed. "It certainly sounds like something you'd do, according to Haninozuka-san."

The flush on his face was definitely real, and for some reason, Mihoko found it was impossible not to tease him just a little more.

"You know, Yuu once dragged me to a host cafe for research, there was some kind of host café involved in her upcoming chapter. I just cannot imagine you working as one."

"It wasn't a café, it was a club."

"You served tea, coffee, and sweet things. That's a café."

"And what," Ootori enunciated. "Makes you think that I couldn't be part of a host club?"

Had Haninozuka-san been present, he would've recognized the challenge in Ootori's voice right away and treaded carefully; competitive Ootori Kyouya made for very difficult company sometimes, despite the entire club's appreciation of his drive.

Mihoko, on the other hand, had no such prior experience to guide her.

"I don't know, you're quite stiff most of the time, you never smile, I can't imagine you saying something like 'I'm so glad to see you,' or 'what would the lady like today?' to save your life."

The look in Ootori's eyes should've warned her.

He took a step toward her, making her smile in bemusement. But he continued to take another step, and she took a step back automatically. He kept approaching her, however, until she felt her heel hit a wall.

"It's quite simple," he said, his voice lower than usual. "You look them in the eye."

It was impossible for her to look anywhere other than his eyes that probed into hers unfathomably. She swallowed, suddenly nervous.

His lips parted, and he looked at her askance, as if he were about to kiss her.

"Now," he drawled, the corner of his lips almost imperceptibly beginning to draw upwards. "What would the lady like today?"

Before she could come up with an intelligible response, Ootori stepped back and turned his head away.

"I've sent you details about a trip next weekend. I'd very much like your help, if you have time."

"You're asking me?"

"Yes, the details are in the email."

"Not manipulating the situation so that I would have to go?"

She couldn't quite see his face from her angle.

"Do let me know by tomorrow what you decide, I'll have to take the extra travel time into consideration."

And then he went into the bathroom, leaving her to go back to Yuu and Haninozuka-san.

Mihoko shook her head. She felt a little lightheaded, and her heart thudded loudly against her chest.

What?