Maddy wasn't expecting the call when it came. Then again, she was upside down leaning off her cousin's bed looking for the pen she'd dropped, and had fell off straight onto her head from her startled surprise when her phone suddenly started ringing in her bra. Rubbing her now aching head, she pulled it out and answered without checking the caller ID.

"'Ello, Madden Aisling speaking." There was no noise on the other end of the line, just silence. "Hello? Heeeellllloooo?" When there was still no answer, she shrugged and hung up.

People are weird as all hell.

With a decisive nod at that thought, she went back to trying to crawl under the queen sized bed in an attempt to find her favorite pen. She had half her body under the bed when the second call came. Still not expecting the sudden loud noise, she jumped and then let out a nasty swear when she bashed her already aching head into the underside of the bed frame.

"What?"

Her answer was short and snappy, and yet again she answered without checking the caller ID.

"Madden come downstairs, there's a business acquaintance here you're going to meet."
Swallowing hard at the edge to her father's voice, she whispered the word yes, cursing herself for not checking and answering in anger, and wiggled out backwards from under the bed. Ever since the last incident with her father, he'd been far more free with his fists than she'd ever believed he would be. Bruises lined their way up and down her stomach from where he liked to hit when he was in one of his new moods.

Blinking away tears and dropping her head to rub at her eyes, Maddy took a few deep breaths and stood up. Her family had been staying in Ireland for the past few weeks on one of their yearly trips to the country. A trip her father always hated with a burning passion and one that put him in a foul mood no matter what was said about it. Maddy secretly believed, although she would never mention it to his face or in his presence ever, that the reason it upset him was because his mother, the woman who controlled their clan with an iron fist, scared him.

Fallon Aisling was an impressive woman. Not tall, but not short, with eyes of steel blue that were always lit with determination and the backbone of a woman who knew what she wanted done and how to do it. Steely gray hair that she kept long and wore in a bun at the base of her neck, laugh lines at the corners of her eyes, and a burning hatred for injustice. Any who had dealings with the Aisling clan knew better than to lie to the little, old lady who could sniff out a lie better than a wolf could catch the scent of its' prey.

She showed the world more steel and backbone than grown men twice her size, and was able to scare off people easier than any of the aforementioned men could. Not that she would ever admit it, but anyone who knew her would know she had a soft spot for the daughter of her most disliked child. The son the family shunned had managed to have a daughter that the family adored.

Maybe it was the unusual hair, or the way her eyes changed with her mood, or maybe it was how she was a little ray of sunshine in the ancient Irish houses that hadn't seen true light inside of them in many years, or perhaps it was the gentle nature with the fiery personality that reminded them a little too much of the little old lady who ruled their house. Whatever the reason, the clan adored Maddy and would at a moments notice rise up to protect her and hers.

It scared Maddy at times when she realized exactly how devoted they were to her, yet when she was visiting and they were showering her with praises as if she was a long lost hero returning from war, she would look at her grandmother, and watch the way the woman's mouth would curl at the corners with a little smile as she nodded her head to Maddy in understanding. Yet she never offered her assistance then, always telling Maddy afterwards that it was best for a little princess to learn on her own. The nickname never failed to make Maddy smile. She adored the family's use of it and the way their voices always wrapped around her name with love and affection. Maybe it was from feeling so starved for it at home, but the love Maddy felt from her family members on this yearly trip made her never want to go back home.

She kept in touch with as many of the family as possible, exchanging letters and emails with those she didn't know as well, and calling those whom she did. No matter who they were in the large, very extended family, every single Aisling or Aisling relative had heard of the little Irish princess with eyes like the ocean and a compassion and a heart to match.

How they're so blind to what really goes on shocks me….

Maddy made her way slowly out of the room, her ever growing nerves causing her heart to accelerate, and she could've sworn she caught the lights flickering behind her as she made her way down the hall, but every time she glanced back they weren't.

Weird.

Focusing on her breathing as she navigated the numerous hallways in the old castle the main branch of the Aisling family referred to as home, she finally made her way down the front stairs and to a small sitting room off to the side where her father always took his guests.

Bracing herself, and sucking in a short breath, Maddy stepped forward and pushed the door open. She didn't know why she always thought the little sitting room would be dark and dismal, it never was and today was no exception. The sunlight streamed through the tall windows to paint itself across the hardwood floors and the cute furnisher that was spread throughout the room. At the moment, it was spilling itself over a couch on which sat a woman with short brown hair and quick, intelligent eyes.

Her father sat on a large leather chair across from the woman with a coffee table separating them.

"Maddy, I'd like you to meet Mrs Yuzuha Hitachiin secretary Chiho. She works for the fashion designer, and has seen some of the pictures that I sent her of you. At my request she has kindly and benevolently come herself to see you and talk to you."

Maddy blinked slowly. This wasn't what she was expecting, and she knew it was horribly unorthodox for the head of a fashion company to send their personal secretary to travel as far as this woman had to see just one girl.

I wonder how much 'e 'ad to pay 'er to come here. Ugh.

At the noise of her father clearing his throat, she smiled as brightly as she could while ignoring the sly look in her father's eyes as he stared at her, and bowed to the woman in a much more Japanese fashion of respect.

"I'm pleased to meet you Chiho-san. Thank you for kindly coming the distance to meet me."

The woman looked pleasantly surprised at Maddy speaking her native language, as well as knowing the respectful formalities, and responded in kind with a sweet smile.

"Of course, I was in the area as it was for a fashion show and was more than pleased to come to meet you as actually just last week one of my models quit due to sudden domestic happiness." Her words were kind, but her eyes were assessing as they ran over Maddy. "You have unusual coloring my dear, not that that's a bad thing, but we see very few people in my line of work with your coloring and fair skin."

Flushing Maddy nodded her head.

"Yes, so I've been informed."

Her father cleared his throat and butted in, reminding both women of his presence.

"Yes, well, Maddy hasn't really done much modeling, but we've kept her slim and I'd like to keep her future prospects of finding a husband wide open and modeling would be a good way to do that straight after high school."

Maddy's eyebrows flew up at that. Not only was he being extremely rude in his address of the woman sitting across from him, but he seemed to be assuming Maddy's future for her. One that involved more fashion than schooling.

And what kind of bloody frickin assumption is he making by sayin' he kept meh slim? A girl doesn't need to be slim or skinny to be beautiful!

She could feel her anger at him swelling, but before either of them could say anything, a phone began ringing, and with a pleasant smile the woman, Chiho, turned and excused herself from the room for a moment to take the call. In the minutes she was gone, Maddy and her father had a silent stare down. The one glaring and ignoring the soft throbbing of the bruises on her ribs, and the other giving her the cold dead stare of a snake. A moment later, the door opened again to admit Chiho.

"I'm terribly sorry about this, but that was a personal call from my employers sons and I have to catch a plane immediately back to Japan. Miss Aisling," she turned to Maddy with another one of those warm open smiles. "This is my personal number, I'd very much like to get in touch with you to talk about that modeling if you're interested in it yourself." The emphasis she put on those last words made Maddy smile because she knew the woman had been able to read her father's intentions easily.

Accepting the card, she reached out and shook the woman's hand, and turned to walk with her to the door after a few more shared pleasantries and showed the woman out herself.

I mean we seem to have dropped a lot of the formalities of one of theses meetings as is, so why not?

Before she could get caught by her father who she knew would demand the card from her so he could make the arrangements, she darted up the stairs to her grandmother's rooms, and saved the number. With a small smile on her face as she glanced at the front of the card where it litted the company's main branch, she felt her smile grow.

Ouran city, right where she needed to be in a few weeks, perhaps she could make this work out if they'd be interested in a bit of a sudden trip from er to come meet them in person about the job.

And without knowing it, unorthodox as it was, Maddy now had the perfect excuse to travel to Japan to see Nala.

Thanks for once dad, you've done something good for me.

And that, was how Maddy began to plan a trip to Ouran, as well as her first introduction to the Hitachiin family company.

**Authors note**

Shhh I know this is a short chapter and definitely not one of my better ones, BUT I needed a way for Maddy to get to Japan and viola! Roll with it this will make sense soon enough hehe! Anyway, we'll be back in Japan with Nala next time I submit a chapter and we'll be sticking with her for a bit, but thoughts and opinions on this chapter anyone? As you all know, I always enjoy your reviews, and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcomed! :D

Shout out to….

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