The day sped by quickly, most of the students avoiding Merry while whispering behind their hands. Before she knew it, she was staring at the closed doors of Music Room 3. There was no chatter coming from inside. She glanced at her wrist watch. She was early. Her last class had been close by and she didn't feel the need to primp before going inside like she'd seen some girls doing.

"Well, best to get this over with," she grumbled to herself, pushing open the doors.

The same light blinded her, rose petals brushing against her cheeks and making her nose twitch uncomfortably.

"Welcome, Princess!"

She stared at the boys gathered in the centre of the room, sparkles floating all around them. She swore she saw Tamaki's teeth ping with light. She adjusted her bag straps.

"I'm here."

They stared at her blankly before Tamaki began to laugh nervously. "A-ah, I'm so glad you made it, Merry-chan!"

A light bulb seemed to go off. "Oh!" one twin snapped his fingers in realisation. "You're that scary Ice Queen people are talking about! The one we met on Friday!"

"The Ice Queen has a nasty bite, right, Hikaru?"

"Right you are, Kaoru. But sometimes biting can be fun, don't you think?"

Kaoru blushed and looked away. "Hikaru, you're embarrassing me," he pouted.

Merry raised a brow. Was this something all Japanese twins did? How disturbing.

"I'm glad you came," Haruhi said with a smile, appearing by her side. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you. I was told I would be receiving an apology."
The twins stopped their overly affectionate display to stare at her in puzzlement. In fact, most of them looked at her in confusion. Kyoya sighed quietly and readied his pen and notebook for the blowout that would surely come with Tamaki's ill-thought out plan.

Tamaki fidgeted.

Haruhi glared at him. "Sempai, would you care to enlighten us?"

He broke down dramatically. "We were so mean to her on Friday! It was an awful first impression and I thought it was the right thing to do to rectify it immediately!"

"She threatened to castrate us," Hikaru deadpanned. Kaoru nodded emphatically.

"She didn't want to hold Usa-chan!" Honey input, bottom lip trembling as Takashi pat his head.

"You were being jerks!" Haruhi snapped before adding an acidic 'stupid, rich bastards' under her breath.

Merry cleared her throat slightly. "I… apologise for my behaviour. First impressions were never my forte."

Haruhi smiled brightly, brown eyes closed happily. "We all got off on the wrong foot, ne?"

"But we just wanted to get to know the Princess," Kaoru whined, moving until he was by Merry's side. She tightened her grip on her hard-case.

Hikaru slid to her other side. "Is it really so wrong that we wanted to get to know you, Princess?"

"Stop calling me Princess."

"Nonsense!" Tamaki shouted, suddenly in her face, grinning. "Every woman who comes into our care is treated like a Princess!"

"I'm apparently an Ice Queen. Does that mean I outrank them?" Merry mused. Tamaki looked a little stumped.

The twins cackled, tightening their grip on her shoulders. "We like her!" they both chirped.

Kyoya snapped his notebook shut, tucking his pen into his blazer. "Tamaki, I believe you are right." He turned to Merry and gave a shallow bow. "We were out of line that afternoon. I apologise if we gave you an ill impression."

Judging by the awed silence, Merry guessed this boy didn't apologise often. "I might believe you if you were actually sincere." Kyoya barely twitched. "But I accept your apology nonetheless."

He rose, light flashing off his glasses as he pushed them back up. "I am glad."
Merry held in a snort. Liar.

"Uh… how about that tea?" Haruhi tried again weakly.

Merry glanced at the diminutive boy. He really was a pretty, little thing. She glanced at her wrist watch again. She had some time to spare. "Do you have a spiced blend?"
Haruhi sighed with relief now the topic was on to something neutral. "Yeah. If you'll follow me, Merry-san."

Hikaru wore his contemplating face as he stared at Haruhi and that new girl, Merry. The foreigner barely cracked a smile, though apparently she could hold a civil and entertaining conversation if Haruhi's enthusiastic hand gestures were anything to go by.

That tacky, torn case was tucked underneath the girl's legs. Drat. He glanced at Kaoru whose eyes lit with mutual understanding. They'd have to do something dramatic, but timing was everything. His curiosity was gnawing at him, demanding to be sated!

Tamaki sniffed proudly. "Daddy's so happy! My daughter is finally making friends with a girl! Maybe some of Merry-chan's femininity will rub off on Haru-chan, ne?"

"That chick is the last person I'd want hanging around my daughter," Hikaru deadpanned.

Kaoru sighed, resting his chin on his twin's shoulder. "She's so cold. Ice Queen certainly suits her. And it's only been a day!"

"She's a fast worker," Hikaru nodded.

"Maybe she's just lonely," Honey said around a mouthful of strawberry cake. Takashi brushed some crumbs off his cousin's face, nodding in agreement. "She has to be nice otherwise Haru-chan wouldn't talk to her, ne?"

"Haruhi is a member of the Host Club," Kyoya input, tapping away at his computer with a slight frown on his face. "She understands that we need to keep the client happy, no matter how difficult. It could all be a façade, but none of us will know while sitting over here."
"So…" Kaoru trailed off with a smirk.

"You're saying we should listen in on their conversation?" Hikaru finished, smile matching his brother's.

"No! Mommy's not saying that!" Tamaki grumped. He was ignored.

Kyoya paused his typing for a moment, glancing at them with a bland smile. "Take it whichever way you wish."

Well, if that wasn't permission, they didn't know what was.

Takashi released a small sigh, glancing at Honey whose keen eyes didn't miss anything despite being trained on the cake in front of him.

Their gazes met and they understood each other perfectly.

Something was about to hit the fan.

Big time.

"I'm curious, Haruhi-san," Merry started cautiously. "How did a scholarship student manage to come by such… such…"
"Weirdos?"

"That's one way to put it."
Haruhi laughed and poured some spiced tea into a tea cup, handing it to Merry who accepted it with a soft 'thank you.' "Well, that's a long story."
Merry blew on her tea. "So make it short."
"I broke something really expensive with no hope of paying it off and had to work here to pay off my debt."
Merry blinked, lips against the rim of her cup before she let out a small huff of amusement. "I'm assuming you had no choice, though."
Tamaki spluttered and turned red in the background when Haruhi's head tilted cutely. "Why do you think that?"
"First impression was that you didn't really fit in, but I think I'm beginning to see otherwise."
"Oh?"
"Mhmm," Merry hummed, sipping her tea. She set it down in its saucer with a soft clink of china. "You're the glue in this bizarre family, yes?"

"Glue?" Haruhi laughed awkwardly. "I never thought about it like that…"
"You seem to be ardently level headed instead of overly emotional-," she pointed to the blushing Tamaki, "-mischievous almost to the point of inappropriateness-," she pointed to the twins pressed firmly against each other, "-obsessed with getting Diabetes before the age of twenty-," a casual flick towards Honey inhaling a whole cake by himself, "- or content with being a mute." She swept her hand towards Takashi who was as still as a statue.

"You left out Kyoya-sempai," Haruhi pointed out.

Merry took another sip of tea, nodding slightly. "I did."
"Why?"
"Because he seems like the type a father would warn a girl to stay away from."

"Kyoya-sempai is difficult to read, but he's not malicious," Haruhi frowned, starting to get defensive on her friend's behalf.

"I meant no offence," Merry placated. "Besides, how often do girls listen to their fathers when a boy is involved?"

Haruhi's lips twitched. "I wouldn't know."

"Oh? What's this?" two voices purred, sandwiching Merry into the lounge. "Merry-chan has a crush on the Shadow King?"
"Shadow King?" Merry deadpanned. No one in this club seemed to understand the term 'personal space.'

"Kyoya-sempai," one twin elaborated.

"The Ice Queen and the Shadow King?" the other mused. "Interesting couple but it could work..."
"If they both stopped being so uptight and Hell froze over," one sighed with a shake of his head.

"I apologise to not being up to your standards," Merry said dryly.

A finger was suddenly turning her head towards glinting amber eyes. She still didn't trust them. "You shatter all standards, Princess," he purred.

Her head was turned until she faced the other twin, his hot breath brushing against her lips. "Your exotic looks almost makes me envious."

"Your skin, like fresh café au lait…"
"And your hair, soft and dark like a raven's wings…"

Despite knowing they were spewing pretty words out of habit, Merry couldn't help the heat crawling up from under her collar. She slapped the hand away from her face and rapidly stood, glowering at the smug looking twins. "Please don't touch me again."
"She's so cute when she's flustered."

"Not as adorable as you," Hikaru murmured, brushing his brother's hair from his face affectionately.

"Not here, Hikaru," Kaoru blushed.

"I'm hungry," Hikaru suddenly announced, pushing his twin towards a table overflowing with snacks.

Merry squashed the urge to roll her eyes. She turned stiffly to Haruhi who was glancing between the twins and her with wide eyes. "Thank you for the tea, Haruhi-san." She glanced down to grab her case, freezing when she saw it wasn't there. Her heart sped up. "Where is my case?"

"Um…"
Merry snapped her gaze up to Haruhi. "Where. Is. It?" she hissed, bending slightly to see if it hadn't been accidentally nudged under the opulent sofa. Nothing.

"Merry-chan," Haruhi started cautiously. Words wouldn't come so she pointed towards the other side of the room.

Merry spun on her heel and felt her world tilt askew. The twins had managed to distract her enough to snatch the case from under her and were now in the middle of cracking it open.

Merry didn't think, she only reacted. She sprinted, crossing the distance quickly.

Haruhi scrambled to her feet, running after the blur of pissed off yellow. She knew something bad was going to happen the moment Merry walked through the doors. She should have gently turned the girl away but no, she thought the boys would be able to control themselves.

She could only imagine what Merry was thinking right now.

That case and its contents were obviously precious enough to her that she never let it out of her sight. The girl was just beginning to open up a little to her too. Merry would never trust any of them again after this.

Merry was mere feet away when the case was finally pried open, some of the seaming splitting a little from the harsh tug-of-war the boys had with the lock. The lid had barely been lifted when Merry slammed into one boy's back, knocking him into the mixture of pastries and savouries that were to be served later.

"Kaoru!"

Merry ignored everyone, snapping the case shut and locking it again, her breath coming out in short, sharp gasps as she sunk to the floor, cradling the case to her chest. She knew every dent, scratch and stain on that case since she'd been old enough to walk and talk.

"What is wrong with you?!" someone yelled.

"Me?! What the hell is wrong with the Ice Queen?! We were just going to have a quick peek! We weren't hurting anyone!"
"That's not the point, Hikaru!"

"I'm Kaoru!"

"Not the time, Hikaru!"

Noise descended all around her but Merry didn't notice. She continued to tremble a little, her grip like iron in the hard-case in her arms. A hand hovered over her shoulder and she snapped back into reality. She seethed.

"Don't. Touch. Me."

The hand was snapped back and she raised her gaze to stare into the pale visage of Haruhi.

"M-Merry-chan, I swear I didn't-"

Merry rose swiftly to her feet, vaguely aware of the Host Club playing audience. Kaoru, covered in food, was being looked after by his doting twin. Tamaki was glancing worriedly at her while Kyoya had paused to stare over the rim of his notebook. Takashi and Honey were hovering in the background, looking unsure.

"One thing," Merry muttered, her voice carrying throughout the room. Its acoustics really were beautiful, but she was about to defile them. "The one thing I ask, simple in nature, was completely disregarded. Why?" She narrowed her gaze on the twins. "Why?"
They both grumbled but she could make out a common word used. Curious.

"Y-you took my things, you broke my case, ignoring the one wish I asked because you were curious?!" Her voice rose loud enough to echo off the polished floors. She stared at each of them in turn. "Were you all in on this? Did you all think it was funny?"
"No!" Haruhi immediately denied. "It wasn't like that at all!"

"I am no more than a stranger to you," Merry blasted on, face slipping into a mask of cold indifference. "You don't know me. I don't know you, and after this little display perhaps that's a good thing. Thank you for the tea, Haruhi-san. Everyone… have a nice day."
Merry stalked from the room, slamming the door shut hard enough to rattle the chandeliers.

Haruhi stared after the girl, her chest a little tight before she whirled on the twins. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

They winced. "We were curious!"

"That's not an excuse! Did you ever think to just ask her what was in the case that was so important to her?!" They were quiet. "You have got to be kidding me." She huffed in annoyance. "This is your mess. You've got to fix it up."

"Haruhi is correct," Kyoya spoke up, twirling his pen. "Miss Merry would be an important asset for the Host Club if she were to become a client here."
"Fat chance of that happening now," Haruhi snapped.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "Everyone can be swayed in one way or another."

"She's not some toy or pet," the commoner twitched. "And I wouldn't blame her if she didn't come back."

"You have no idea who she is, do you?" Kyoya mused. "None of you do."
"Merry-chan is a Princess!" Honey chirped from his spot on Takashi's shoulder. "Right, Takashi-kun?"
"Aa."
"All of our clients are Princesses in their own right!" Tamaki crowed before darting to Haruhi and hugging her tight. "Just like my darling Haru-chan!"

"Get off me, sempai."
"Actually, Princess doesn't seem too far off," Kyoya cut in, gaining everyone's short-span attention again. "Her family has ties with royalty, albeit distantly."

"Oh…" Hikaru mumbled.

"Crap," Kaoru finished.

"Watanabe International is a global property giant, dealing with development and real estate as well as dabbling in the energy business. They have many subsidiaries here in Japan too, ranging from steel and timber mills to private Research and Development groups. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if any of us haven't dealt with a company under the Watanabe umbrella." Kyoya's aura seemed to darken as he stared at the two first year brothers. "Merry-san is the sole heiress to the entire Watanabe fortune. I think you're smart enough to figure out what I'm saying."

"Double crap," the twins blanched.

"So," Haruhi drew out, "She's super rich too?"

"Yes."
"But she was so nice! A-and… normal!"

"It could be due to her childhood upbringing," Kyoya speculated. "I'm merely brainstorming, though. I must admit I'm curious. There was nothing about a Merry Watanabe until two years ago when her status as a potential successor was announced to the press during a conference in Spain. There's been no other news since then. How interesting."
"Spain?" Tamaki asked, puzzled.

"She is a hafu, like you, Tamaki," Kyoya explained. "Spain is her birth country. Seeing as the patriarch of the Watanabe family is Japanese, I conclude that her mother was Spanish."

The blonde French-born blinked, his violet eyes wide. "Oh."

"That explains her pretty tan," Honey smiled brightly, sucking on a lollipop.

"Aw, does sempai have a crush?" the twins snickered in sync. Honey ignored them but Takashi stared blankly.

Haruhi finally remembered something, her curiosity getting the better of her. Damn, these rich bastards were bad influences! "Hey, guys?" Everyone turned towards her. "What was in the case?" Everyone turned towards the twins, who glanced at each other before shrugging.

"Nothing that looked real important," Hikaru said.

"But it wasn't something you'd expect," Kaoru continued.

Judging by the gleam in their eyes they were purposefully avoiding the question.

"If you don't tell us, I won't make you any more of that curry you like," Haruhi threatened.

"… It was a violin."

Everyone blinked in befuddlement. Even Kyoya had his brows raised.

Hikaru shrugged again. "Told you it wasn't that important."

Merry's stress-loosened bangs shadowed her eyes as she listened to the Host Club talk outside of the door before she inhaled sharply, her cool countenance returning with a vengeance.

'Nothing important,' huh? She almost dented the hard case with her grip. And that Mommy was a pain in the neck, spouting off his knowledge about her family like that, and bringing up memories she'd rather forget.

She knew he'd be trouble from the first moment his smile reminded her of Ran.

The club didn't know it, but they'd just pissed off the wrong person. They wanted to be sneaky and underhanded? Fine. She could be sneaky and underhanded too.

A gaggle of giggling girls were speeding down the hall towards the Music Room but hushed when she walked past them, her head held high and eyes fierce.

They squashed themselves onto either side of the hallway.

"What a scary face! It's giving me chills!"

"-wonder what happened?"

"-the Host Club couldn't find a Type for her?"

"Impossible!"

Merry stopped, making the entire group hold their breath as she glanced over her shoulder with a piercing gaze. They seemed to freeze into solid, unmoving blocks.

Then she smirked and continued on her way.

The noise erupted the moment she was out of sight, but not out of hearing range. The girls spoke like they were one entity.

"She's so scary!"

Merry barged into the janitors' room, startling Yori into flinging his cards in the air in shock. Isamu raised a brow and Kat looked at her blankly.

"I need another favour."

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