Authors Note | Hello! I'm back again with another chapter. The beginning is a slow-burn, but soon things will start to pick up! Host Club has officially been introduced in this chapter, so please look forward to more host & rina interactions in the future. Also, turn up, it's my birthday today and I was determined to get this chapter finished. If you're feeling generous, leave me a review as a birthday gift. :) Enjoy!

Imitation IV - the woes of an unsuspecting commoner

Leo's Weekly Horoscope

Things are starting to look up for you this week, Leo! The long month of March is now behind you and spring is bringing a beautiful Cherry Blossom viewing. Enjoy the temperate weather that April has to offer. Get out of your house, enjoy nature, and most of all, live your life to the fullest.

Sugamo - Wednesday, April 19, 2018

Daughter versus Father flash sale shopping was a sport that was worthy of being broadcast on television. Not only did the pantry get stocked with delicious snacks to last throughout the month, but Rina enjoyed almost always coming out on top. The teen wasn't a haggler, but she knew how to choose the stores with the best sale prices. The goal of their little monthly game was to save and return with the most spending money left. In the end, the winner got to keep their change and the losers change as pocket money. Rina wasn't very competitive, but she did know how to make a quick buck, especially against her father.

Morikawa Touma was just as large in size as Rina, but a truly soft-hearted man. His money was usually spent not on their own groceries, but on someone else's. He had a particular soft spot for the elderly, which was the main reason why Rina always manned the Sugamo shopping district herself. With the amount of older generation that often shopped in the district, Rina was sure her father would return with nothing each time. At least this way he would have a fair chance to win their little game; not that he was going to, but still. And it made Rina feel a little better about consistently dusting him in their little game.

As soon as she received the message about the flash sale, she was out of the door when the bell rang and excitedly on her way home. Two-hundred dollars shared between the two, Rina collected her own one-hundred and secured it in her wallet before catching the bus to the shopping district ten minutes from her home.

Now, with the goal of only spending at most sixty-dollars, she was roaming around the store with a cart filled with clearance and buy-one get free items. She had circled past multiple free sample booths a few times and sampled more than her share. If they would let her, she could get full on the delicious treats they had to offer. Even the ones that she had already tried before were readily consumed since samples were a hardcore weakness of hers. There was something about shopping and eating that made the trip that much more enjoyable. She could say it was her biggest strategy; if she was full while shopping, she would feel less inclined to buy everything she saw, especially the items she didn't need.

Checking samples off her mental list of things to do, she went onto the next thing. Wanting to spice up her time alone, which she was definitely not used to, Rina placed a foot against the bottom rack of the cart and pushed off with the other. Carting herself to the end of the aisle scooter fashion, she looked both ways before clearing the way to the next aisle. The girl was so used to being around others that when she had time to herself, she had no idea what to do.

Between working customer-oriented jobs and going to a school where communication was a large part of work ethic, Rina almost felt out of place being alone with no one to talk to. Maybe this cart riding would be a bit more fun if I had invited Mei. The thought did cross her mind, but Meisa knew how to have too much fun and despite being a strong ride or die for the girl, the Morikawa family needed groceries. And clearly, Papa Bear Morikawa wasn't the most reliable when it came to these sorts of things. Therefore, it was up to Rina not to get kicked out of one of her favorite grocery stores.

A few of Meisa's unrelenting habits did rub off on her, so it was still like she was here encouraging all of Rina's terrible decisions. The two could both ride a cart, but the only difference was that Meisa could put all her weight, both feet straddled, against the bottom rack without tipping the ship. Rina, well, Rina hadn't tried for more than one reason. She frowned, looking around, behind and in front, to make sure that no one was around. It's not like she wanted to get in trouble, but she was curious.

She had never tried to ride the cart with both feet before so she wasn't positive that she would tip the cart. This all sounded amazing in her head, and after listening to her emphasized explanation a few times, she thought why not. With too much time on her hands and a chaotic idea in mind, Rina pushed the cart ahead and with the hope that she wouldn't bust her head open, she saddled herself with both feet onto the carts rack.

Successfully, Rina soared down the aisle with grace and might is what she wished she could say, but as soon as she rested all of her weight against the cart it tipped up like a riled stallion and she felt herself falling back. With style, no grace, the girl almost fell flat on her face. Fuck!

The items in her cart collided against one another and in the last second, she clumsily caught herself, slamming the metal trap back onto the floor. She breathed out, holding her chest and glanced around once more. Thankfully, no one was around to see her little mishap. My ankle does hurt a little, though. Rotating her ankle, she winced, feeling where her legs had buckled beneath her as she tried not to fall to the floor with a cart overtop of her. Definitely landed on it wrong.

Lesson learned, Rina limped down the aisle in her wedges, stopping every few steps to roll her ankle and alleviate the discomfort. Grocery shopping had to be finished, so, for now, she would just suck it up and complain to her dad later to wrap it. She would leave out how it happened because how would I tried to ride a cart sound aloud? Dumb is what. Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through the list of things she needed to buy. She had the bulk of the essentials and the next thing on the list was toilet tissue.

Knowing the store's layout as if she worked there, she turned her cart in the opposite direction. The sound of metal clinking against metal had Rina reacting quickly and speaking a soft apology to the person she had just run into. Bowing her head and sparing a quick glance, she moved the cart around to give the other person space to weave around her.

"Senpai?" A soft reply came from the shopper standing diagonal to Rina. The tall teen looked up, expecting to see someone she went to school with, but no such luck. Standing before her was a face that didn't automatically strike her as familiar and Rina looked around to make sure that she was the one the boy had been referring to. There were only a few elderly individuals flocking to the aisle, so Rina seemed to be the only senpai available. The boy sighed, shaking his head before smiling softly.

"Again, Rina-senpai? I didn't think you were this bad at remembering faces." Rina looked the boy up and down, trying to remember who he was because apparently he knew who Rina was. The uniform wasn't a common one. It was blue with hints of purple hidden in the hues. Not too flashy, but recognizable if one knew the school. It looked a bit awkward on the boy's straight A-line body, but he seemed to be comfortable enough. Still, nothing stood out to her by just his fit alone, so she moved on to his face. A mellow, unbothered expression against his face. His face was very round and his features soft, but still she didn't know who.

Those large, inquiring eyes and smooth tone of voice were familiar but the entire combination was throwing her off. "Who?" Rina asked abruptly, lip curved up in confusion and brows furrowed.

Rina was sure this had nothing to do with her inability to remember faces, she was almost certain she had no idea who the boy in front of her was. Now, that left her mind room to wander and start jumping to conclusions. Was this some sort of new scam that hadn't made it to the news yet? Young boys prey on young girls acting as if they are a trusted classmate. Or, young boys act as if they are confessing their feelings to an unassuming young girl to abduct them. So many things were happening lately that either of those thoughts could have been plausible. An image of the headlines formed in her mind and she wasn't positive if she should be honored or not that she was one of the first to experience such a sketchy scam.

Maybe that was why there were so many black suits in the store today. She had enough of the black suits; they were now her least favorite and when she got married one day, her significant other would have to choose a different color out of the dark spectrum. After that entire week that one bodyguard followed her around, she would be fine if she never saw another suit in her lifetime. Not exactly realistic, but anything was possible if she tried hard enough.

"This buffering time isn't helping any, huh? I'm H-"

"I think you have the wrong person, sorry," Rina cut the boy off, turning her cart and hauling ass into the direction that she came from. The boy looked after her with a frown pinching his brows, calling after her but Rina didn't stop or look back.

"Senpai! It's Haruhi," the boy groaned in exasperation causing a halt in Rina's steps as she finally turned to look back.

"False, last time I checked Haruhi was a girl." Rina stayed where she was, cautiously looking at the boy claiming to be Haruhi, the same girl she had met in this very store. The boy sighed, shoulders flopping as he looked down at himself.

"I don't think I look that much different…" The so-called Haruhi trailed off after seeing the look Rina gave. "Okay, maybe I do look a little different, but I'm still your same shopping partner." Rina hummed, leaning against the cart and pushing it closer to the girl. The more she talked, the more Rina realized it was truly Haruhi. The large doe-like eyes and soft features that were all uniquely Haruhi should have tipped her off, but could she really be blamed? The last time she saw her, the girl was wearing a large, flowing skirt and shirt too straight for her A-line figure and her hair was way longer than it was now. Not to mention, she wasn't wearing a uniform that was clearly meant for a male. So, of course, she was a little thrown off.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I think I need to test you," Haruhi laughed nervously but didn't interrupt. "The last time I saw you, which was about three weeks ago, I came to the store wearing something new. What were they and how did I get them?"

Without hesitation, Haruhi smiled, mimicking Rina's actions by leaning against her own cart. "Easy. Luis Vuitton red bottom boots that you bought right off the shelf. You used the money that you saved during the summer," the girl paused, frowning as she thought of the price. "I still think it was a waste of money. They're just shoes, but as long as it made you happy, I guess."

"Oh, Haruhi, it is you!" Rina wailed dramatically, causing the girl in front of her to shush her and apologize to the few shoppers that were standing around. "I thought you were apart of some scam to prey on cute, innocent girls like me." She struck a pose, giving her best doe-eyed look and pout as she feigned innocence.

"I don't even think I want to know what goes on in your head most times."

"Yeah, but I want to know what's going on in yours. Why the sudden change, something going on you want me to handle?" Rina slammed her fist into her waiting palm, to which Haruhi chuckled, shaking her head. Not that the tall girl could actually fight someone, but it was the thought that mattered, right? If anything, she could step on them if they were shorter.

"Well, actually, Senpai..." Haruhi trailed a moment, sighing as if it were a painful memory, "It's kind of a long story..."

Walking side by side with groceries in each of their hands, Rina stared at Haruhi as she tried to digest all the information she had obtained. School had only just started less than two weeks ago, but the girl had already gone through an ordeal and a half. "So, let me get this straight. You got gum stuck in your hair-"

"Unwillingly, but yes."

"You decided to cut it out by cutting your hair off. Which is a terrible idea, you never, never cut your own hair," Haruhi waved Rina's comment off, shifting the bags in her hands as they continued to the bus stop. "Members of a host club..." the inflection in her voice questioned and Haruhi nodded in confirmation. "...mistook you for a guy, you broke a vase that cost $76,184, and now you have to pay that back by being...a host?" Rina wasn't judging, not at all, but for someone as serious about her studies as Haruhi, this all seemed a bit farfetched.

Haruhi peered unblinkingly at Rina and the girl winced, sucking in air through her teeth. "You're in deep, but I guess that does explain the change of appearance," she gestured to the girl wearing the Ouran Academy male uniform. "Not that you don't look cute or whatever. It really does fit you."

"Thanks, Senpai," she laughed, "but it's just clothing. If others find it, they just find out," she shrugged. "It was their fault for assuming, and somehow it worked out in their favor. Either way, I still have to deal with this vase situation somehow, boy or not."

Humming in agreement, Rina watched another car drive past them. It was a nice car. Almost a little too nice to be driving through an area like this, but she shrugged it off. The two girls were almost to the bus stop and the more steps she took, the heavier the bags were beginning to get. "Why was the vase out in the first place? I know from experience that valuable art is not just out on display unprotected."

"I thought that was the whole point of art, to be put on display?"

"Unprotected, Haruhi, unprotected. All I'm saying is it all seemed like a setup, a-" Her mind was busy at work again, but Haruhi shut her thoughts down instantly.

"It wasn't a trap, Rina-Senpai." She shook her head, stopping a few steps away from the bus stop. Rina clicked her tongue, putting her groceries down on the ground and cracking her knuckles.

"Pfft, you're no fun," She crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe it wasn't, but I know when some rich people get interested in something, they get wild. Apparently, they all have an interest in the woes of a commoner." She almost sounded spiteful, thinking of the snake-eyed bastard that made her last week of summer truly one to remember. Not that she was grateful for that, but she knew this was one thing she would be telling her children and grandchildren in the future. Distant, distant future.

As the two girls were talking, a black Range Rover rolled up beside them. A little odd for this area, but initially, Rina paid no mind to it, though she did cut her eyes at it a few times as she listened to Haruhi. The car had completely stopped, and Rina didn't even hide her stare as the tinted window rolled down on the passenger's side.

"Excuse me?" The man called at the two from the car. Though his voice was good-natured and he wore a smile, Rina could tell something was up. "Ah, could I bother you two for a moment?"

At that point, Haruhi's sentence had trailed to a stop. She looked from Rina to the man and back again, opening her mouth to reply, but Rina put her hand out in front of the girl, shaking her head. "Sorry, no Japanese." She shook her head, smiling somewhat apologetically, subtly gesturing to Haruhi to start walking again.

"Oh, well that's unlucky." The man frowned, "Well, unlucky for you." He snapped his fingers, and unbeknownst to the girls, two men had snuck up behind them, gripping their shoulders. "We've acquired the targets, bringing them back as we speak."

"H-Hey, what's going on?" Haruhi tried to yank her arm away from one of them, "Who are you people?"

"Don't worry about us. We're just here to do the transporting." The one who'd grabbed Haruhi spoke. Effortlessly, he lifted her from under the arms and carried her towards the car. Rina's captor didn't have it as easy, though, and only pulled her roughly towards the car. She may have been taller, but he was a lot stronger. The yank of her arm made her drop a few bags on the way, which made a rather nasty look appear on her face.

"Get my groceries or you'll be sorry." Somewhere in her mind, Rina could and couldn't believe that she had decided that now was the one time she would like to speak up. She didn't play around when it came to groceries. At first, the man ignored her, shoving her into the open car right after Haruhi. As he tried to close the door on her, she kicked her foot out, slamming it against the man in protest. "I'm not here to make jokes, you better go get my groceries!"

"Oh, so now you can spea-Ow!" The man jumped back, clutching at his knee, "You brat!"

"Groceries, idiot." Rina snapped at him. The man growled roughly and gestured for his partner to pick up Rina's dropped groceries.

"Can't we just leave this one behind?" He turns his gaze to the leader riding in the passenger's seat, "Or dispose of her?"

"I'll dispose of you if you don't shut up." The leader snapped as the other man brought the groceries around to toss into the trunk. "Get back in your vehicle and follow us." With that, the first man begrudgingly slammed the door closed before Rina could do any more damage to him and walked with a jank limp towards his own car.

"You're fine with getting kidnapped as long as your groceries are brought along?" Haruhi reiterated, looking to her senpai. "...I guess this is the life of a commoner, huh?"

Bunkyo, Ouran Academy - Wednesday, April 19, 2018

As Rina had time to calm her anger during the car ride, the severity of the situation hit her. They were really kidnapped, right in the open, during the day...well, evening, but still, there was plenty of sunlight left. It wasn't like in the movies where they were bound or blindfolded, but Rina couldn't calm her rapidly beating heart. During the trip, Rina sent shifty messages to her father about her whereabouts. Which was odd because weren't kidnappers supposed to take phones so they wouldn't have any source of communication?

"You guys don't seem like very good kidnappers," Haruhi commented Rina's thoughts as the older girl continued typing away her doom on her phone. Choppy messages had been sent to her father back to back, and still, there was no sign of panic, only badly typed replies.

To: Definition of Dork

Father, hello. I require assistance.

Inbox:

Oho no 2day child o me. I am will be winning! :)

To: Definition of Dork

I'm being serious, father. When do I call you father? Never. So this is a serious matter. Please respond.

Inbox:

LOL shore. I knw u are trippin me. U be fine. Ok? C u l8r

To: Definition of Dork

I'm in a serious predicament.

To: Definition of Dork

I've been kidnapped. I'm currently en route to a kidnapping child selling ring and you're doing nothing! Nothing about it! I might not make it home!

Inbox:

Kidnap?

Inbox:

Kindpa... by SALES lol ;) i'mma win this time c u l8r for din and wins

Inbox:

i'm a get new bowtie wit my savins ;D

Rina put her phone down, knowing her father was no longer of help. It was clear she had to strive to be less dramatic when speaking to him...if she ever would speak to him again. The car came to a stop in front of a large building and Haruhi visibly relaxed. The expression on her face wasn't as pinched anymore, but it was stretched with frustration. Rina watched her expectantly, unfamiliar with the place they had pulled up to. "Of course. I don't know why I didn't expect this. I should have known from what happened earlier." Haruhi sighed, unbuckling her seat belt and opening the car door.

Rina reached out, grabbing the girl's arm holding her back. "Um, excuse you, why are you willingly getting out of the car? Don't resign to death so quickly."

"What happens will happen," Haruhi spoke dryly, a wry grin breaking out across her thin lips at the look on Rina's face. "I'm kidding, Senpai. Trust me, we're more valuable to these people alive, surprisingly."

Rina didn't like the sound of that, but decided that this time, she would put trust into Haruhi. After all, these people couldn't be that bad, they did stop for her groceries. The door was opened wider and Haruhi climbed out, Rina's hand slipping away from the girl's arm. The driver gave Rina a nasty look, to which she returned by kicking out a long leg dramatically. The man flinched back, placing his hands over his private area this time, afraid that she would be bold enough to kick him where the sun didn't shine. Instead, she scooted her way to the other side of the car and climbed out, placing weight on her messed up ankle and wincing.

Of course, when she hurt herself she would be taken hostage. There was no way that she was going to be able to run away now; not when she had no idea where she was and had a busted ankle. The building looked more like some kind of castle than anything else, though Rina couldn't recall there being any type of castle or similar architecture in the area-then again, Rina wasn't exactly sure what area she was in.

"What exactly is this place?" Rina questions quietly, "And will I get my groceries back?"

Despite herself, Haruhi chuckled, "It's...well, I guess you'll see." Rina choked out a noise at Haruhi's mysterious reply, narrowing her eyes in the girl's direction. That wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. Not being a fan of surprises, Rina wondered what kind of place this was. Elegant architecture, upscale decor. Was this really a high-end trafficking ring like she thought? It couldn't have been. Not with the way Haruhi reacted.

"Groceries, Haruhi." Rina felt like a broken record at this point, but if she returned home empty-handed, she was going to have a problem with these black-suited idiots.

"I'm sure they'll have them at your home before you know it." Haruhi was completely unconcerned and Rina choked again. They would know where she lived? She didn't like the sound of that, but if it meant getting her groceries hand-delivered, then she supposed it would have to be a risk she would take. Not that she had a choice in the matter, apparently. The men that manhandled both of them walked behind them at a distance, leaving no room for escape.

Haruhi led the pack, walking through the halls with practiced ease. There were too many twists and turns for Rina to remember where they started and where it would end, but what she did notice was the beautiful artwork on the walls. Her attention focused on the passing, pink walls and grand pillars, she didn't realize that Haruhi stopped and Rina bumped against her.

The door they stopped in front of was large and somewhat menacing to Rina who was used to being the large, menacing-looking one. The plaque on the wall next to the door denoted that this was Music Room Number 3, which left Rina to wonder how many music rooms the place had. "Is there a room dedicated to each instrument?" She joked, nudging Haruhi.

The bland, almost innocent look Haruhi gave her made Rina's smile lessen. "There quite possibly might be. You can't be too sure if something's too absurd for this crowd." Not bothering to knock, Haruhi moved to push the door open, though something in her made her stop mid-reach. Instead, the girl side-stepped as the doors were flung open and Rina was, for the second (or third if you counted her cart shenanigans) time that day, assaulted.

"My little girl! Daddy was so worried! What took you so long to arrive," the man grasping her tightly in a hug wailed, refusing to let go. The sound of disgust that left Rina sounded horrendous as she tried to push whoever was holding onto her away.

"Haruhi, you've gotten bigger. Have you grown up?" Tamaki took a moment to take in the girl's appearance. "Wait..."

"My dad doesn't even call me that, so you don't have the right to." Rina snarled, pushing the boy away. "Do any of you know the meaning of personal space, I swear, none of you seem to know what manners are either. And another thing, I-"

"...'ll have to excuse him." Haruhi snatches the boy off of Rina. Rina blinks looking from Haruhi to the boy loose in her grasp. "I didn't think to warn you because I assumed he had eyes, but clearly that was not true."

"You're hurting me!" Tamaki cried out, "Haruhi!" Haruhi sighed, letting the boy go, "I didn't think you'd bring a friend along, a girl no less." He bounced back immediately, taking Rina's hand into his and bringing it up to his lips. The girl laughed nervously, pulling her hand lower each time he tried connecting lip and hand.

"Oh, how I'm so pleased our little girl has such a beautiful princess at her side. Have you been taking daddy's concerns into consideration?" The blonde-haired teen's eyes glazed over at the thought, and his smile was almost giddy. Rina just wanted to know what kind of hell she just walked into.

"I don't know if you're actually complimenting me or what, but I don't appreciate your tone." Haruhi responded, tone even. "What is all this?" She gestured to the two men standing behind them. "If you wanted me to return, you could have, I don't know, asked me instead of what just happened to us."

"I believe we know you well enough by now to know you would not have willingly returned, Haruhi," Kyoya stated, joining the small group at the door. Taking in the two newcomers, Kyoya waved off the guards, relieving them of their duties.

"And what's the fun in that," Hikaru drawled, draping his arms over Haruhi's shoulders, though his gaze rested on Rina.

"Exactly. It's more humorous to see you all riled up...even though your reaction is a bit lackluster right now." Kaoru took ahold of Haruhi's hands, and like his brother, turned his gaze towards Rina.

"We expected more." Hikaru's tone became playfully scolding as he tapped her nose.

"Although, your friend, her reaction was classic. Did you see her face?" Kaoru snickered, covering his mouth with a hand. "And that noise?"

"I suppose all commoners are fun to mess with." Hikaru nodded along with his brother, "It must be the lower-class-ness of it all."

"Haru-chan! You're back! We missed you. Right, Takeshi?" Another blonde appeared seemingly out of nowhere riding on the shoulders of a tall male. He was a lot taller than Rina and she couldn't help but stare, because that didn't happen often. Usually, she was always the tallest in the room, but now she was beaten. Second tallest and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. The behemoth of a man returned her look intensely and she realized she had been staring...like, really staring and she sucked in a quick breath and looked away. That seemed all too familiar. There was no time for getting distracted, she needed to know how the hell she got pulled into this mess.

She was sure it had everything to do with Haruhi, but she just couldn't find it in herself to be angry at the girl. Haruhi was just as much as an unwilling party as she was, if not more and it wasn't exactly her fault. Rina was just in the wrong place and the wrong time it seemed. Her horoscope didn't warn her about any changes in her fortune either.

Rina noticed that Haruhi's uniform matched the other males in the room and that's when it all clicked. This had to be the Ouran Academy that the girl had just finished telling her about with the infamous host club. Their extreme actions were starting to add up to the stories Haruhi told her. A little dazed, and very confused, Rina was pulled inside of the room by Haruhi who went along with the odd motions.

"See, I told you rich people were wild," Rina muttered under her breath. She would've thought Haruhi hadn't heard her if not for the slight smile on the girl's face as they approached one of the tables.

Haruhi takes a seat, though Rina doesn't follow her. Standing off to the side she watched the group interact, and luckily nobody commented on it, instead focusing all attention on Haruhi. "What was so important that this couldn't have waited until tomorrow, Senpai?" Haruhi inquired, looking up at Tamaki who was sitting at the end of the table. He claps his hands and the two identical teens wheeled out a large chart and stand, saluting before returning to their seats.

"We are in a state of emergency, Haruhi. There is no time to dilly-dally when the physical examinations are only a day away. Mommy, if you will." As he spoke, Tamaki slammed his hands against the table, looking as if he was in a space movie where the situation had taken a turn for the worst.

However, that wasn't what struck Rina as odd, although at this point whatever they did shouldn't have been odd. He called for a...mommy? Was that rich speak for, well, something? Rina wasn't exactly sure she wanted to stick around and find out what that "something" was.

The club members turned their attention to the one wearing glasses, and so did Rina, trying to gauge his reaction. He returned her look, steel-grey eyes unwavering before he cleared his throat.

"Yes, very well, Daddy," he looked towards Haruhi. "We are issuing Defcon 5: Keep Haruhi's Gender a Secret. Creative, yes?" Rina was sure his tone was rather sarcastic, but she didn't question it. Something about his entire demeanor seemed familiar, but she wasn't exactly sure what.

While the others chorused agreements, with Haruhi being the sole voice of reason, Rina took a look around the room. All eyes were on the supposed "mother figure", and as much as Rina felt for Haruhi, she knew she couldn't stay any longer. So Rina once again looked around the room with a purpose.

There was only one exit-the door they all had come through and currently, not a soul was stationed by it. A blessing in disguise or not, Rina knew that she only had one chance to escape undetected, or mostly undetected, as the glasses-guy-slash-mom occasionally swept his gaze over to her. Rina didn't let it bother her, taking small, purposeful steps backward. The tiniest click of her shoes accompanying each step.

It sounded louder in her ears than it could have possibly been, especially with all of the yelling and loud talking coming from the group of rich idiots gathered around Haruhi. Slowly, Rina tettered from foot to foot as she made it closer and closer to the door, until finally, her hand was able to grasp the handle.

She looked towards the group, still largely unaware of her disappearance, though that glasses guy only rose an eyebrow in her direction, as if daring her to leave.

So, Rina did what any sensible person in her situation would do. He made a dare, a bet with her and she was going to take it. She pulled the door handle, swinging the door open just enough for her to squeeze through and let it close behind her with a soft click, followed by more the urgent clicking of her shoes as she nearly sprinted down the hall, trying her best to remember the way they had come in.

The talking in the room stopped for a moment as they all looked in the direction of the door. Kaoru's gaze fell to where the new girl had been standing and he raised a brow, leaning an elbow against his brother's shoulder.

"Hm, it seems like we scared our new commoner away. Such a pity," Hikaru stated, a small frown tugging against his lips. Haruhi sighed, wondering if she should follow Rina out. She was positive that she was going to have a hard time finding her way back to the exit, or any exit at all. However, Haruhi decided against it believing that it would cause more harm than good.

"Aw," Honey pouted, laying his head against the table. "She didn't even get a chance to try any of the cake." Sticking his fork into the last bit, he opened his mouth wide and shoved the strawberry shortcake into his mouth. "Wasn't she the one from the party, Takashi?" Honey kicked his feet in his seat, looking up at his cousin. Mori nodded in agreement, face stoic as usual.

"You guys should have left her out of this." Haruhi cast her gaze around the table, "The whole kidnapping thing was really unnecessary."

"Funny you would mention that. Morikawa Rina has already been involved." Kyoya informed her, before confirming Honey's question. "She was indeed the one from the party."

"And the plot becomes more interesting," Kaoru commented grinning. Haruhi sighed, knowing that there was no use wasting her breath. Unfortunately, Rina was in just as deep as she was now, and Haruhi had no idea what party they were even referring to. "This brings us to another problem, however."

"It is safe to assume she's aware of Haruhi's gender and now she knows our Defcon 5 plans." Hikaru drawled, leaning his chin against the palm of his hand in boredom. Tamaki gasped, quickly standing from his seat in shock.

"She wouldn't say anything, would she?" He asked, looking among all of the members.

"Of course not, she already knew, Senpai." Haruhi's words were ignored as the others continued to talk amongst themselves.

"I dunno. Kyoya-Senpai did say she was an issue. She might want revenge or something…" Kaoru shrugged, grinning at the look Haruhi was giving him. The frown on her face warned him to stop, but obviously he wasn't.

"Yeah, and our Precious King did nothing but confirm it. Highly irresponsible if you ask me," Hikaru tossed at the blonde, who grabbed his chest and sank back down into his chair. He was indeed the one to blame, and now Haruhi's secret could be revealed due to spite. From what Kyoya had reported to them, she was less than thrilled at their club's peace offering.

"How could I have let this happen?" Tamaki pulled at his hair, wildly swinging his head back, "We must make sure to bring this Rina-commoner in and deal with her! Operation: Bring in Rina and Deal with Her is on!"

"That's really unnecessary," Haruhi tried once more, but her protests were falling on deaf ears.

"Perhaps Ms. Morikawa Rina is rather the unlucky one," Kyoya smirked and tapped his glasses. It seemed as if this was only the beginning and Kyoya was looking forward to seeing who would win the next move. They each had a chess piece in their corner, after all.