As it turned out, the following day was eventful even disregarding the events of that evening.

Kyoya rolled to the side, lying on his cold, wooden floor. He just didn't have the energy to get up. It felt like he was swirling and suffocating, and the piercing coldness was the only thing keeping him holding onto reality. He cradled his head in his hands, feeling the rivers of pent up emotion streaming through his fingertips. For a moment, he wished he could just rewrite everything.

He then aimlessly put a hand on the ground, running his perfectly manicured nails up the joint between two wooden panels. Everything seemed to be too much for him, but Ootoris were not supposed to show emotion. Emotions were weaknesses, but now Kyoya felt nothing but numbness and his armor was starting to wear thin. He knew if he tried hard enough he could succeed, but how much of him would be left in the end? It was as if he would lose more and more of himself the more he moved on, the more he tried, the harder it got. In the end, he didn't know what he wanted any more. Did he want to succeed over his brothers? He wasn't sure any more and, as an Ootori, he should have been. He felt ashamed of his confusion, even though it was perfectly normal to change one's mind. Thanks to one Tamaki Suoh, his life was in disarray.

The blond had brought emotion and color back into his life, but who said that it was going to be easy to be reintroduced to feelings? Who said it was easy to realize just how numb he felt at times, how broken he was to feel the way he had before? It was a crazy ride, one which became easier as time went on. And then came Haruhi.

The scene morphed from the memory to become something completely different.. "Your brothers both maintained top grades and an impeccable social life as well." His father's voice suddenly rang out. "You must surpass your brothers' accomplishments considerably if you want to impress me, Kyoya. Don't be a disgrace like you have been so far."

"I will not be your pawn and a part of the Ootori Group any longer," Kyoya replied. "I am going to Harvard and plan on forging my own path."

His father suddenly grew angry, but skillfully did not let it show on his face. His words, on the other hand, were calculated to be caustic. "You ungrateful brat. You are the third son. What else is out there for you? You are lucky I even gave you the opportunity to become the heir, because nobody else would even consider you." Kyoya knew from experience what was coming and braced himself. Yoshio rarely hit Kyoya and his siblings, but it did happen if tensions were high and if the transgression was bad enough. In two strides, his father stood before him, one hand raised in the air. Kyoya winced even before the hand met his cheek in a painful slap. He fell to the ground, his glasses flying a good three or four feet away. His father kicked him, causing him to stumble as he tried to get up. "Get up, you worthless pig. How could you possibly think that you would find any opportunities out there?" Then...

He jolted awake, his breath hitched and pained. His chest heaved, desperate for air. He drew his knees to his chest. Breathe. Count. You did it before, and you can do it again. He slowly inhaled and exhaled. Breathe in. One. Two. Three. Four. Hold. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Breathe out. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. He thought he heard a loud crash sometime during all of this, but he was not sure.

When his breathing finally returned to normal, his panic faded into his usual morning irritation. Great, now I'm even more tired than I usually am in the morning. He noticed Tachibana, who had entered his bedroom to serve him breakfast, looking at him with concern. Ignoring the man, Kyoya looked at the (brand new) alarm clock. To his great displeasure, he had woken up earlier than he was supposed to. Also great.

Kyoya's attention shifted from the clock back to Tachibana. "What is going on?" he asked angrily. His voice was gravelly: it was the voice of a person who had just woken up and was upset from the moment he had opened his eyes. His mussed up hair hung in front of his eyes, casting them into shadow. A dark aura completed the demonic image. Tachibana seemed rooted in place with fear and shock.

"Ah, Master Kyoya, I…" The man fell silent again, looking unsure as to how to continue.

"What. Is. Going. On?"

"Sorry, Master. I came to give you breakfast when I heard your breathing grow erratic. I wanted to help you calm down, but I tripped and hit the nightstand. Thankfully, the food is okay." Kyoya mulled this over as he took a piece of toast from the tray Tachibana handed him. That would explain the crash I thought I heard.

"That is terribly clumsy of you. Since you are here, give me my glasses." Tachibana looked even more nervous than before.

"You see, when I hit the nightstand, I knocked your glasses to the ground. In an attempt to find them and pick them back up, I…"

"You what?" Kyoya did not like where this was heading at all, his voice sounding even more angry than usual at that time of morning.

"I stepped on them, sir." Tachibana handed him what were once Kyoya's glasses.

Both of the lenses were broken, one of the temples of the frame was snapped in half, and the other was hanging precariously on the hinge. Absolutely perfect. This is what I needed today, expecially when I have to speak to my father this evening.

"I will wear my contacts to school and order a new pair of glasses. They should arrive in the afternoon. Meanwhile, you will leave me alone." His voice was dangerously low and icy, and Tachibana gave a polite bow in fear.

"Yes, this will not happen again, Master Kyoya," he said before getting out of his bedroom loft.

Kyoya felt drained, but he dutifully finished his breakfast and changed into his uniform. He internally groaned as he looked at his reflection in the mirror after he had put on contacts. His sharply-defined and dramatic onyx eyes, no longer shielded from his glinting glasses, were striking against his pale, almost porcelain-like skin. His raven hair and long lashes only served to bring them out even more. He looked...pretty. Too pretty. Like a fragile, delicate china doll that had been stored in an attic for years, especially as his eyes so clearly showed how broken he was, no matter how confident he had become in what he wanted over the past year or so. He absolutely hated it.

But there was something he would hate even more than showing people other than Tamaki and Haruhi who he really was: missing school. The whole glasses drama had thrown off his schedule, and he was running a good ten minutes late even though he had technically woken up earlier. Of course, he would make it to school in more than enough time, but being behind schedule was still an inconvenience, a fork in a finely-tuned machine. With a sigh, he headed outside.

If Hotta recognized any difference in the teen's appearance, he wisely did not bring it up. Instead, he awkwardly avoided looking at Kyoya for too long. "The Fujiokas, please. There is still some time to pick her up," Kyoya told him. Hotta nodded and quickly faced forward again, as if seeing his master's face without glasses was scandalous. Which, Kyoya thought as the frustration and anger from his rude awakening and the loss of his glasses slowly began to abate, was not exactly wrong. His thoughts and feelings, no longer pointed and sharp, meandered to Haruhi and the Host Club.

He wondered what they would think of him not wearing any glasses. Haruhi, especially, though he did not have to wait long to find out how she would react as the Mercedes pulled up to the apartment complex.

"Hello," she greeted as he opened the door, but then stood there, her mouth open wide. She shook her head several times, as if not believing what she was seeing. "Kyoya! Oh my god. Where are your glasses?"

"Broken," he responded concisely. "I just came to ask if you would like a ride to Ouran."

She gave him a smile. "Sure, let me get my things and we can go. I was just about to get out when you came."

"So, no glasses for today, huh?" she said when she came back out again wearing a coat and her school bag. He chuckled as they got into the car.

"Seems like it, unfortunately." She elbowed him.

"Come on, it's not that bad. Think of the good that can come out of not hiding behind your glasses for a day."

Kyoya thought about this. "Perhaps you are right. If I play my cards correctly, I can use this opportunity to gain more clients." Haruhi deadpanned.

"Not what I was thinking of, but that works. Without your glasses, your looks will certainly gain the attention of even more fangirls than usual." She paused, as if thinking of something. "You know, you don't have that many clients in the first place. Isn't that weird considering the number of fangirls you have?"

Kyoya took out his black notebook. "I use my position as the vice president of the club to limit the number of clients I have. I need to observe and take notes, and I can't do that if I have too many clients. Also, speaking with them too long drains me considerably."

"Ah," she replied thoughtfully. "You know, it seems like your happiness has faded somewhat. It's a shame, because I really liked the sweet Kyoya I went on a date with on Sunday. Though I don't mind you being your Shadow King self as it is also part of who you truly are, I really enjoyed seeing you smile and relax."

"I was acting differently, then, wasn't I?"

"Yeah," she replied with a laugh. "It's like you have a split personality on the inside. One is your sweet and caring side, the other is your evil Demon Lord side. Your external facade, of course, hides both of these in a layer of detachment and charm."

"That's an intriguing notion, in its own way."

Haruhi's laugh grew louder. "It is, indeed. Good luck handling all the attention you'll be getting."

He definitely needed it. As soon as he stepped into his first class, his classmates swarmed around him.

"Ootori-kun, where are your glasses?" the son of a Diet member asked, confused.

The son of a bank manager piped up. "Woah, Ootori-kun. You look great!"

"Kyoya-kun, what happened?" Ayumi's monotone voice rang out.

"Kyoya looks so handsome without his glasses," a fangirl whispered while huddling close to her friends.

Suddenly, a blond appeared in the crowd. "Kyoya! What happened to your glasses, mon ami? Did you break them? Did you have a bad accident? Are you hurt?" Tamaki fussed over him. "Did you hit your head too badly?" The hafu gave him a giant hug. "Please tell me you're okay!" Give me some air, idiot. I was already suffocating because of everyone around me and then you had to come and attack me like that? And why do you always go overboard with your assumptions?

"I did not fall and get hurt. Let go, moron. I have class rep duties in the morning, you know," Kyoya whispered into Tamaki's ears to ensure that the others did not hear.

Tamaki promptly ran to the nearest corner to act emo, and the class went to fuss over him and figure out what was wrong.

Kyoya barely went through his classes and lunch. Whispers flooded every classroom he went to, making it almost impossible for him to concentrate. Tamaki himself was a part of the conversation, his "hushed" voice so loud that Kyoya could only sit and wonder why the teachers never told the class to shut up. Right, they can't say anything when the chairman's son is a part of the problem. Fortunately (or unfortunately), nobody said anything to him directly after that morning. Do I naturally look that angry? But this is just my resting bitch face. That's not good. My emotions are out for the world to see now.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the last bell rang, signaling that school was over and that it was time for the Host Club to meet in the infamous music room. I would never admit it, but being in the Host Club is quite nice. Especially today, as the extra attention I am getting has been annoying me all day. When hosting, I can at least actually make a profit out of it. While hosting, I can almost forget about what I have to do this evening.

"Kyo-chan, you look so different!" Honey exclaimed. Ah, so he and Mori managed to get out of college to come host. Again. "You look angry and scary now," he quickly added when Kyoya gave the lolita a look that was unintentionally even more evil than normal, as his glasses no longer were there to filter his irritation from earlier.

"Yeah," Mori nodded.

Kyoya smirked. "I just thought I'd give my clients something new." Haruhi cocked an eyebrow.

His smirk grew. "Something wrong, Haruhi?" She sweatdropped and looked away.

"Kyoya-senpai, where are your glasses?" Hikaru asked, confused.

"I thought you needed them," Kaoru added.

"Well, I do to a certain extent. I'm not blind without them, my vision's just a bit impaired. I'm wearing contacts now."

When the Host Club opened, the number of new clients were unprecedented. Kyoya was amazingly popular that day, so much so that he actually had to stop writing for more than five minutes at a time. Some of the girls from his class had decided to drop in and check out the Host Club (to see him without glasses, to be exact), and they swooned when he asked them to become official clients. While it was a bit draining, like he had told Haruhi that morning, Kyoya decided to host for an extra thirty minutes to reap more money from an otherwise annoying event.

Of course, he still observed as much as he could, taking notes in his notebook. He found himself glancing at Haruhi every once in a while, silently watching her host. Honey shot him a knowing smile when he passed by to check on how many sweets were left. Honey's clients, not knowing that the look was aimed towards Kyoya, immediately squealed about how cute Honey was.

"Kyoya-senpai sure is popular today," Haruhi observed when the others were done hosting.

"Even more popular than Tama-chan normally is," added Honey, hugging Usa-chan (who was allowed to be out while hosting) and watching Kyoya entertain the last of his guests.

"Yeah," agreed Mori.

"He's like a dark Tamaki," Hikaru remarked.

"Yup. Tall, dark, and handsome," was Kaoru's input.

"Hey, Tono," the twins continued in unison, "looks like you better get Kyoya-senpai to get new glasses, or we might have a new king around here."

Tamaki let out a strangled gasp and ran to the corner. Haruhi sighed and mumbled something about having to go clean the dishes that they had used while hosting. Kyoya internally chuckled at this, and the girl fangirled over his sudden smile.

After recovering miraculously quickly, the blond said something that quickly removed the smile from Kyoya's face. "Have you noticed? All of his emotions now show on his face."

"Yeah, they do, huh?" replied Honey as he gave his stuffed bunny a squeeze. "Do you think there was a development, Takashi?"

"Yes," Mori answered tersely.

"What do you mean development?" cried Hikaru. Kyoya cringed, and the girl looked alarmed. He quickly mitigated the situation with a well-worded flirt and some Host Club propaganda. I have to be more careful. Thank goodness that she hasn't heard what the others are talking about.

"It's not mine to say," replied the lolita as he took out a piece of cake from nowhere and started eating. Tamaki looked at Hikaru warily, and Kyoya did not blame him. When the client finally left, he stood up and joined the hosts.

"I heard everything, you guys know."

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki started, but Honey beamed. "So, did something happen?" the small host asked.

Kyoya looked at Haruhi, who was currently busy cleaning a Ginori tea set. "Yes, you could say that." Honey's smile grew.

Hikaru was livid. "What does that even mean? Wait.." Kyoya again blanched at the twin's words. "You love Haruhi, don't you Kyoya-senpai? And don't lie, your emotions are obvious when you are not wearing glasses."

Hikaru was right. There was no point in lying. "Yes, and the feeling is mutual."

"So you guys are DATING? But what about me, Kaoru, and Tono? We love her, too, and you just took her from us." Haruhi, who had joined them, gasped in surprise.

"Hikaru." Kyoya's voice dropped slightly at the last syllable, becoming something that resembled a croon. The other hosts almost flinched at the sound of it. They had all heard that tone before and knew exactly what it meant: Kyoya only sounded like that right before he completely demolished the person he happened to be debating with. It was sort of like his warning shot, his way of letting his opponent know that he was about to absolutely flatten them, very politely, of course. "Is she some sort of prize to hand to the highest bidder? Because that is what you are implying."

"No, that's not…" Hikaru looked ashamed, while the other hosts looked at Kyoya in shock, though not reproachfully.

"She had a choice, and she chose me. If you have a problem with that, you have both me and Haruhi to deal with." Haruhi took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Kyoya's right about everything he said right now," Tamaki pointed out. "Haruhi chose him, and we need to respect that."

Hikaru paused for a moment before coming up with a retort. "But why would she choose someone like you, Kyoya-senpai? You probably manipulated her into a situation where she had to date you." Kyoya swallowed painfully.

"How could you say that?" Kaoru suddenly said. "That's wrong and you know it."

"Hikaru, do you even realize what you said?" Tamaki asked, shaking his head and giving Kyoya a sympathetic look.

"That's mean, isn't it, Takashi?" Honey added.

"Yeah," Mori replied.

Haruhi's grip on his hand tightened, and fury registered on her face as she added her own thoughts. "Exactly. What is wrong with you, Hikaru? What you said is rich coming from someone who depends so much on the club which Kyoya so diligently manages. He handles all of your shenanigans and makes sure everyone is happy, even when he isn't. He's lived his whole life suppressing his emotions and putting himself second, and when he finally does follow his heart, you act like this?" Kyoya was momentarily as stunned as Hikaru at Haruhi's outburst. If he was emotional, he probably would have cried at how quickly Haruhi and the other hosts had come to his defense. Tamaki told me the same thing when I told him Haruhi and I were together. Before then, I never thought of it that way, but I guess it actually is true.

"I-" Hikaru's cheek flushed with anger and embarrassment.

"And he did not use any manipulation at all. In fact, I confessed to him after he came to my house to comfort me during the thunderstorm a few days back."

"Oh, really? I'm sorry…I guess I was jealous."

"Just because you are jealous does not give you the right to act like that." She's mad, all right.

"You're right," Hikaru admitted. Kaoru went up to his twin and patted his shoulder comfortingly.

Honey piped up to try to dissipate the emotions in the room. "Let's try to be happy for Kyo-chan and Haru-chan, okay? How about you eat some cake with me, Hika-chan? It'll make you feel better!" The lolita took yet another piece of cake from out of nowhere. "We can split this slice in half and share! Wait, but Usa-chan might want some..."

"I'm fine, senpai," Hikaru deadpanned before turning once again to Kyoya and Haruhi. "Just...just promise me that you two will be happy together."

Haruhi grabbed Kyoya's tie and pulled him into a kiss. "I know I will," she answered Hikaru with a soft smile.

Kyoya, Tamaki, Honey, Kaoru, and even Mori smiled in return.