"Ne, what day is it today?"
Friday. That was all he had to replied back to answer the question being posted upon him. However, Yuudai simply ignored the question and turned back to the chemistry lecture.
The insomnia had made him senseless, idle, and ignorant to the events and chatter that occurred before him. And due to the sleepless night, Yuudai had not noticed his friend falling asleep next to him. The silent snores she puffed out of her lungs fell on deafen ears.
Across from them, Kaoru and Hikaru stared endlessly into the blackboard bombarded with notes of chemicals and whatnots. The room was droned with a silence of boredom while the teacher spat out lectures after lectures of boring nonsense to the teenagers. It wasn't like they were paying attention.

And then there was a small and quiet 'click' of a sound. As quiet as it may have been to the entire class, it was loud enough to divert the attention of the Hitachiin twins. Hikaru gently reached down; the small mechanical pencil rolling its way toward him. Kaoru trailed his eyes at his identical brother's movements, only to look up at the culprit who had dropped their pencil. Sleeping peacefully was Akane. Her arms wrapped around each other to form a comfortable nest for her head to rest in. The window letting a gentle breeze in made the brunette stir in her sleep. Hikaru mentally counted how many times she had muttered something in her sleep while Kaoru turned back to the lecture.
It wasn't long until the bell rang and as Hikaru and Kaoru watched Akane panic at the screaming sound, Yuudai quietly made his way toward the doorway. He looked back for a few seconds; not knowing why he did so. He could see Akane being teased by the twins while Haruhi lectured not to do so. But when did guys ever listen to girls?
He shook off the lingering thoughts and made his way toward the bugling hallway. Almost instantly, he could hear Akane scream out for him to stop and instantly, he did.

"Yuu-kun! Help!!! Why would you leave me with these demons?!"
She shouted to him as both twin grabbed her by the forearm and began dragged her off to their torturous club. As they brushed by, he smugly waved her good luck while she mouthed 'NOOOOO!! HELPPPPP!!'

The loud clicking sound of his black formal shoes trailed him as his nudged through the clique of air headed people. He could hear talks of the host club; mostly from the gaggle of girls that stood beside his locker. It annoyed him how moronic the entire population of girls in his school could be. But then again, what more did you expect from a filthy rich school?

"You don't think Kane-kun's a little feminine do you?"
One girl questioned while her friends began laughing at her.

"Kane-kun? No way! He's so masculine!"
A stifled laugh nearly escape from his lips at the phrase the girl had just said. He soundlessly made a mental note to make fun of Akane later on for that.
Pushing the locker door back in place, Yuudai closed his locker only to find that he had slammed it loud enough to frighten the groups of girls away. He could care less though; it wasn't like they could form an intelligent complaint by themselves anyways.

But Yuudai knew, he knew very well, how these were the children of prosperous and prestige families. Oh, but how ironic it was that so was he. Yet at the same time, he found it disgusting how he could be grouped with brainless and gluttonous money-grabbing idiots.
He let out an empty sigh; pity was so out of date. And so, with this thought floating around in his mind, Yuudai aimlessly wondered around the school. Going home wasn't an option -- well it was, but going home would be hell. His worrisome mother and his brute of a father lecturing him nonstop about their family honor being pinned upon him. Oh yes, going home was the best option the teenager had at the moment.
He scoffed at the idiotic idea; still not paying attention to where he was going and who he might bump into on the way of his destined journey.
And then, it happened. He walked right into someone, causing them to fall onto the ground as their books thundered onto them. Ouch.

"I deeply apologize. I wasn't looking where I was going."
He spoke amiably as he began picking the books up for the person. It wasn't until he looked up that he noticed that it was a girl. Oh the irony. He could have laughed but it wouldn't have been polite and the person would have thought he wasn't well in the head.

"It's ok. I wasn't looking either. Anou..My name's Morisato Ayano."

Morisato, Ayano. 16 years of age, blood type AB. Father is Morisato Takeno. Birth mother is Sasami Keiko. Step-mother is a former mistress named Hanasaki Fuyumi. Family business rules over 15 percent of imports from Japan to Europe.
He informed himself as he bowed his head in agreement.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Maaka Yuudai."
He spoke; flaunting falsely polite words before the innocent prey. She only complied with a simple nod while he smiled back. He handed her the massive stacks of books back to her. His long fingers touching her soft hands as the books traveled from his possession to hers; not caring to notice a delicate blush creeping substantially upon her already pink cheeks. No, he did not care to notice whatsoever.

"Well then, Morisato-san, I apologize once more for my inconsiderate actions and I hope you will have a safe trip to your destination."

"T-thank you.."
She whispered in an almost inaudible tone. He courtly bowed in return as the sounds of heels began clicking away at the polish floor. From the spot she was standing from, Ayano stared at the blue jacket back of her classmate. It seem like he didn't noticed her; she was in his class afterall. But then again, no one notices the quiet girl who tends to keep to herself in the back of the classroom. Isolated. Quiet. Lonely. Those were the words that described her so well to the bone. Her fiber of living wasn't an importance to anyone; no one at all.
Her brown eyes lowered themselves toward the marble cold floor. The perturbing thoughts that found themselves in her mind began whispering fatalistic words strung by reality. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to be noticed -- even if it's for one second.
Ayano let out a pitiful puff of air, how can she -- of all people -- be so lewd as to ask for that?
Being quiet and lonely was afterall, who she was. But she wanted to change that persona. She wanted unrealistic attention. She wanted to be surrounded by friends.
But that's what she wanted. Not who she was.
Quickly, she turned heel and began walking down the surprisingly silent hallway. Her reddish short hair trailing behind her; following its master.

Yuudai on the other hand, was already home. True, he had said that he'd rather kill time at school, but there was nothing to do. And while he went to the host club to find and bother his masculine friend, she had threatened to behead him if he did not leave her alone to pay off her debt -- no thanks to him.
He scoffed at what she had said, saying that in defense, she was the one who broke the vase. Why was it partly his fault?
With that, Akane had slammed the colossal wooden door in his face; almost clamming his hands in the golden hinges. He would complain and bitch about it later to her, he decided.

Dropping his black bookbag on to the ground, he stood still for a moment. Something was missing, something very regular was missing. Why was it so quiet in the prodigious home? Why wasn't there any screaming? Yelling? Cursing even? Why?
If curiosity killed the cat, then Yuudai would be next. He creeped quietly to the staircase near his room. The red carpet stained with the rose dye only made him feel more uneasy. Was this a sign possibly?
He shook his head; he was going crazy -- perhaps from the influence of Akane?
Yes, perchance it was her fault again, he thought.
With his hands freely sliding down the railing of the timbered staircase, Yuudai peered down; making sure that whoever was talking downstairs would not notice him.

"I see. So this is an offical marriage agreement then."
The low and blatant voice that belonged to a male was familiar to Yuudai. He knew it was no one else but his father. And next, he heard his fatigued mother speak. Her voice so vague as to the answer of what he had just heard.

"Dear, are you sure? What if--"

"There is no 'what if' in this family. You should know that by now. Understand?"
Slience. And then came the frail and deprecate response:
"Yes Dear."

He didn't want to hear any more of it. He had enough of the same and tiring conversation between his parents. The same old news with the same discouragement his father had given to his mother. He wondered, though, in the depth of his sequestered mind, why his mother had married or even stayed so long in a relationship to be called a marriage, with his cruel father.
And though he thought long and hard about it, only one answer came to his mind. Arranged marriage.
His mother had been such a cheerful and social woman, but then came her 18th birthday and everything that was her, went down the drain to save her family from bankruptcy. So in short, he reasoned, in exchange for her family's lifestyle, she had to give herself up -- literally as well as the essence of who she was.
He really did pity her; the woman he learned to call his mother. But like before, pity was so out of date.
Just as quick as the curiosity came, it went and so did Yuudai. He swiftly returned to his room; shutting the pale white door behind him. He didn't want his parents to know he was already home and had eavesdropped on their conversation. The nagging would never stop then; he imagined dying so ever slowly while his parents -- mostly his father-- stabs him with talks of honor and how he was a disgrace to the Maaka family.
Shuddering at the thought, he picked up the phone only to find that the other line was already picked up and his friend was on the other line.
He secretly smiled; Akane would make him feel somewhat better -- if not worse.

"I told you. You just simply didn't listen baka."
She yelled through the phone line. Yuudai sat quietly in his king sized navy bed. The walls shimmered with the light from the huge chandelier that hung above him. The metallic clock on his pale green wall chimed; it was already 8:30 p.m.

"Aki-chan!! You didn't say that I couldn't bother you when you were 'working'"

"Shut up! I totally did tell you! You bastard! And stop making it sound like I'm a prostitute on a corner!"
He laughed. Ah, Akane, she was beyond a doubt not ladylike. But then, if she was, would she be like the common population of Ouran? Brain dead and money hungry?
Wait, how could Akane be in the least feminine at all?
He snickered at the image of Akane being ladylike. Oh, the world would come to an end before that ever happens.
On the other line, Akane began yelling at him demanding an explanation on why he was laughing so hysterically. He plainly ignored her screeching demand and began telling her about his day only to have her scream
"BAKA!! I'm in the same damn class as you! Why the hell wouldn't I know what happened today?!"

He chuckled in response while she began to converse on another topic.
"So I saw you with Morisato Ayano today, you know, afterschool."

"So?"
A small piece of silence occurred between the two friends afterward. The response Yuudai had given to Akane sounded serious -- unlike his usual carefree behavior. Had she touched something awful with her best guy friend?

"Does she know about it?"

"About what?"
He said flatly on the phone to his friend; turning toward the door to see if anyone was listening from the outside.

"The whole thing with your family and hers."

"Oh."
There was an uneasy sigh from the other line as Akane began to speak again. This time, in a quiet tone.

"So, what do you think of her? I mean, like is she your type?"
Akane questioned; pressing more on the complicated issue with Yuudai. But her friend seem less friendly to cooperate than she had hoped or expected.

"Does it matter?"
The strong blant words that he strung together seem overwhelming to Akane. It made her, in a way, fearful of this dark side of his and how the conversation would affect their friendship later on -- if there was even a 'later on' afterward.

"I-I mean, if you're going to have to--"

"Exactly, I have to. Not want to."
Immediately, Yuudai began to realize that his tone had changed and that, in his own fearful way, he had resembled his father in this conversation. Shit, did that mean he would become a tyrant ruling with fear over someone else's life?
He let out an exasperated sigh. The thought of becoming like the man who he hated the most certainly did not comfort him in any ways.

"Does your parents know that you know?"

"Guess not. I mean, they haven't shown any signs of it. But I'm pretty sure my mom will spill the beans to me first. You know how she is."

"Yeah..."
Yuudai stared at out the clear glossed window, the wind seem to be picking up outside; a sign a storm was brewing?
He waited for any response from Akane, but the lass remained silent also. Maybe she was looking out the window too. It was a habit of hers afterall.

"I think she's pretty."

"What?"

"I said, I think she's pretty. I mean, maybe not beautiful, but if you look close enough, she's really kinda, maybe pretty."
His eyebrows furrowed together in a question mark. Had his friend gotten A.D.D while he had left her alone for a while? Even for a few hours? Then again, she did tell him to leave her alone, so it wasn't entirely his fault.

"Aki-chan, did you get A.D.D?"

"That's just mean. I'm trying to tell you that she's pretty and you go and call me a freakin' retard. What a friend you turn out to be."
She said while he bursted out laughing on the other line. She smiled, at least Yuudai had returned to his usual, somewhat normal state.

"I mean it. She's pretty. Not beautiful, but pretty. Morisato-san that is."
And then came the sigh. The long winded sigh. She could hear Yuudai getting up and sitting on his bed now. The sounds of rustling sheeting made her wonder what in the world he had been doing before.

"Whatever."
This time, she bursted out laughing at her friend. Akane found it quite funny how Yuudai could downsize such a situation. But then again, this was Yuudai -- he was afterall, a strange person himself.
Maybe this was the reason why both of them were such good friends -- because of their abnormal personalities?
Akane nodded her head silently in agreement with the thought; it would be too complicated if she tried reasoning it out more.

"Ojou-sama! Please go to bed!"

"Demo--"

"Go to bed!"
Yuudai snickered as he hung up the phone. The conversation that was occurring over the phone was one to those of a parent yelling at a spoiled child -- in which he did not have any interest in.
But Yuudai wondered, how Akane could be such a carefree person -- in a sense, after everything she had gone through.
Beyond a doubt, he mused delightfully to no one but himself, if and when his world would stop, Akane would be the person who could and most probably be able to wind up the screw for his world to start spinning again.

Yes, when the world should ever stop, Akane would be there for him.