Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

The Music Room

Pride doesn't go down easy. It claws at your throat, trying its hardest to keep from being swallowed. Then, once it's finally forced to stay put, dread sets in with the knowledge of what has been set into motion, and air clogs the throat in the silence that always precedes the chaos.

That was the experience that awaited Kai Takara if he went through with his plan. He thought himself insane for willingly entering into such torture, but he had to keep an eye on the future. He had a purpose. This wouldn't last forever, and when it ended, he would be well on his way to achieving his ultimate goal.

The door to the third music room loomed over him. Gritting his teeth and banishing his pride to the depths of his stomach, he pushed the door open…

-o-O-o-

The host club (minus Honey and Mori) was nearly done setting up. It hadn't taken long, as they were simply wearing their uniforms this day. Tamaki had told them that he felt something big was going to happen, and this was how they could best be prepared.

"What do you think is gonna happen, boss?" Kaoru asked.

"You're acting kinda strange," Hikaru added.

"Super excited…"

"… or nervous…"

"… we can't tell which." At this point, the twins were speaking in unison, leaning over the seated "king" of the host club with matching inquiring expressions.

"Oh, I can't say for sure," Tamaki said with a sigh and a knowing smile. "I just have a good feeling about today!"

"I hope this doesn't have anything to do with…" Kyoya was cut off by the door opening, and the group put on their most lovely smiles.

When they saw who stood in their doorway, though, all of those smiles dropped, except for Tamaki's, which only grew. He jumped from his seat. "Kai!"

The young man they saw was wearing the same uniform they were, but it looked as though he was still working on getting it on. The white undershirt was left unbuttoned nearly down to where the blue jacket covered it, and the dark tie was draped around his neck like a towel. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing the slightly tan skin of his arms. His face was closed off, the only emotion showing being a slight disgust at his own actions. Or perhaps it was the friendliness with which Tamaki greeted him. He stood there looking awkward, something that didn't suit his imposing frame.

The first sound after the shock wore off was that of the twins laughing. "What is he doing here?" Hikaru gasped out between laughs.

"Maybe he came to see the boss!" Kaoru laughed. "Never would have guessed that was his big secret event!"

Kyoya pushed his glasses higher on his face, a frown overtaking his lips. This is odd… "Hikaru! Kaoru! Stop that. If anything, Takara came to see you." He smirked as their faces morphed into disgust, their laughter stopping instantly.

Kai was glaring at all of them now. "I came to talk to Suoh, but if you'd rather I forget your request…" He turned to leave.

"No, wait!" Tamaki called, rushing to his side. A smirk flickered on and off of Kai's face in a blink. Tamaki grabbed his arm and led him farther into the room. Kai glared at the blonde until he released him with an apologetic smile. "Gentlemen, this is Kai Takara. I don't know if you know this, but back when I was doing the recruiting for this club, I asked him to join us."

"What do you know…" Hikaru started blandly.

"… even the king has to accept failure sometimes," Kaoru finished.

Tamaki looked scandalized. "Accept failure?"

Kai grunted. "He hasn't left me alone since."

As the implications of what all this meant sunk in, the attitude in the room became suddenly serious.

"Tamaki…" Kyoya said carefully, looking between the blonde and Kai.

"Boss, you aren't really going to make him a host, are you?" Kaoru asked.

"I mean, look at him. He's got no fashion sense," Hikaru said, sticking his nose in the air.

"And he's a little scary. He might hurt business, you know." Kaoru looked awkward, like he felt bad about saying it. That may have been because of the intense glare he was receiving from the newcomer, though.

"That's not a problem, only the boys are scared of him! He's the 'rogue' type! You'll see; he'll be perfect." Tamaki sighed, pride leaking into his voice. "At long last, we have the final piece of the picture."

Kyoya sighed. "Tamaki, I think we should talk about this…"

"Kyoya, I think you're right, but for now, I'm the king, right? And I want him here. Just give him a chance, see him in action, and if you still aren't impressed, then we'll talk about it." Tamaki winked at Kai. "But I think you will be impressed."

Kai pushed his hair back from his face. "So what exactly am I supposed to do?"

The twins grinned. "You know, boss…" Kaoru began.

"This might be fun, after all."

Just then, the doors opened once more, and the high, excited voice of Honey rang through the room.

"What will be fun?"