Kaoru awoke the same morning, much later than usual. He eyed his surroundings with confusion, not remembering at the moment exactly where he was. His arms stretched out reflexively for his brother, but he felt nothing except the hard, lumpy futon.

'Oh…' it all suddenly came back to him. He was in New Orleans now. He sat up with a stretch, smelling the already hot and humid air. He had slept dreamlessly, but it felt like he hadn't slept at all. After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Kaoru groggily rolled out of the futon and began trying to figure out how to turn it back into a couch. Twenty minutes went by, and he thought he finally had it right. After that, he decided to help himself to the incredibly small shower/bathtub combo. Maybe it was his imagination, but the water almost seemed like it had a yellowish tint. Of course, it could have been the yellow glow of the old, bare ceiling light hanging above his head. He curiously ran his fingers over the decorative tiles lining the wall. They were old and chipped, but everything was clean. He quickly dried off and dressed, frowning at the large scars that served as a constant reminder to his ordeal from a few weeks ago. He'd given up wearing shorts, as there was a particularly evil scar across his knee where they had operated. Upon exiting the bathroom, there was still no sign of his host. Kaoru looked at the clock on the wall; 10:30. His stomach growled, as he was used to eating long before the current time.

He folded the sheets from his bed in the corner and put his ear against Matt's bedroom door. It was greeted with the sounds of snoring. Kaoru looked around and knocked. He was hungry, after all! Besides, no one could possibly need to sleep this late; even the Shadow King would have been up by now! The snoring stopped momentarily at his knock, but then continued. Kaoru folded his arms, wondering what he should do. The obvious answer was, of course, to knock again.

"ugh…wha-?...Yes?" a groggy voice emanated from behind the closed door.

"Oi, Matt-senpai! Breakfast?" Kaoru's voice was pretty hopeful at the prospect.

"Ooooh," Matt groaned, and Kaoru could hear shuffling towards the door. He took a step back as it cracked opened. "Hey, guy…" he yawned sleepily in nothing but boxers. "You're up bright and early, aren't you?"

'What? Early??' Kaoru looked at him in utter confusion, all the while trying not to stare at Matt's body hair. He'd never seen someone with so much of it, except in foreign movies. With the blank stare he was receiving, Matt chuckled, opening the door all the way. He started tripping sleepily towards the bathroom.

"Right, I should have guessed you'd be an early riser. Let me grab a shower real quick, and we'll go grab some grub."

Kaoru didn't reply, quickly trying to translate whatever the hell Matt had just said. It sounded like what he wanted to hear, and he smiled widely. Matt just laughed again.

"Eh, sorry, I'll try to speak better English. Hey!" his face suddenly lit up. "You have to teach me some Japanese while you're here, yeah?"

"Uh, okay!" Kaoru agreed, really only thinking about food. When he heard the shower start, he decided to make good use of his time and found his cell phone. He grimaced when he saw three missed calls from Hikaru already.

'Ah, here we go…' he thought as he dialed the number.

"KAORU!" Kaoru winced as he held the phone from his ear. "What the hell?! I've tried calling you-,"

"Three times already," they both spoke in unison. "Yeah," Kaoru opened the door to the back porch quietly closing it behind him, "I know. Sorry, guess I overslept," he lit a cigarette as he spoke.

"I slept horribly last night, how about you?" Hikaru's voice had calmed.

"Me too. Hey, want to see a picture of where I'm staying?"

"Sure!"

Kaoru snapped a picture on his mobile phone of the living room and sent it.

"Whoa! That's pretty awful, Kaoru! That's worse than where Haruhi lives!"

"I know!" Kaoru's voice was gleeful. "It's fantastic! I totally slept on a hard, lumpy futon, and it was just nightmarish! Just don't show Mom or Dad, they think I'm staying with a respectable foster family."

"Yeah, yeah. Exactly who are you living with again?"

Kaoru told him all he had learned so far about his host, which wasn't much. Hikaru let out an exasperated sigh. "This guy sounds like a real winner," he muttered.

"He's really cool, though!" Kaoru gushed. "He laughs a lot, anyway, and doesn't seem to take anything too seriously. I'm going to buy some new clothes today at some place called…well, I don't remember. I guess it's a shopping center."

"Well, Haruhi and all the others say hi," Hikaru's voice sounded less than thrilled. He had secretly been hoping something would not work out so that Kaoru would have to come back home, but that seemed to not be the case. "Have fun torturing yourself."

"Ok…" Kaoru rolled his eyes at his brother's sudden melancholy tone. He smiled reassuringly, even though he knew Hikaru couldn't see it. "Hikaru, I'll call you every day, I promise. Alright? And I'll send you pictures!"

"Whatever…" Hikaru grumbled. There was silence on the line, and Kaoru began to think his brother had hung up on him. Right as he was about to end the phone call, he heard Hikaru's voice again. "Just…be careful, okay?"

"Of course I will," Kaoru said gently.

"And don't forget about your weekly checkups. Every Monday, you make sure this Matt guy drives you. Maybe I should tell him-"

"I got it, I got it!" Kaoru quickly cut him off. "In fact, I've already told him all about it, so don't worry so much. Besides, he probably wouldn't understand you too well. He only speaks English, remember? I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye."

Kaoru sighed as he tucked his phone back in his pocket. He wondered what Hikaru would think if he knew that Kaoru hadn't exactly told Matt he had a twin brother. He also wondered why he was so reluctant to divulge that information, but quickly pushed those thoughts from his head. He dropped his cigarette in the beer can and turned to go inside, bumping into Matt in the door way. Kaoru jumped back in surprise and was quick to apologize. He hadn't even heard Matt open the door!! How long was he standing there?

"Hey, no problem! Just stepping out for a smoke, and then we'll leave for the day. Sound good?"

"Yes! So, uh, we're eating breakfast out?"

Matt blew a stream of smoke above Kaoru's head. "Yeah, thought I'd give you a little taste of the local cuisine. See what you think." Kaoru nodded enthusiastically. "So, who was that on the phone? Girlfriend?" Matt gave a sly smile. "That look on your face while you were talking, it seemed like someone important."

Kaoru laughed nervously, feeling his face flush a little. He shook his head. "No, no, I don't have a girlfriend. I have a friend who is a girl, but not a girl friend."

"Oh, lucky you then." Matt sighed, looking up. "I sure got one, and she's something else. But you know, she puts up with me, so I guess I'm pretty lucky too. We might see her today, she works at the mall. Come on, let's go."

He slapped Kaoru on the back and they both went downstairs. An older woman in an even older fashioned bathrobe was groggily stirring a pot on the stove. Matt put his fingers to his lips and quietly tiptoed up from behind, and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped straight up in the air with a yelp. "God damn you, you little sh-!"

"Morning, Wendy!" Matt said cheerily. "Come meet my new roommate for the year!"

Wendy stared blankly in Kaoru's direction. Kaoru glanced around nervously before finally approaching her with his hand extended. "Hi, I'm Kaoru, it's nice to meet you."

"Ooooh!" Wendy grabbed him in a big hug. "Come here, sweetness, aren't you just the cutest little thing," Wendy spoke in a slightly raspy, expressionless tone he would soon learn was quite typical of the older generation in the area. It didn't seem insincere, though. "Welcome to my house!"

"Your house?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes, this is my old house, and I just let this bum stay here," she nodded in Matt's direction. "I'm gonna make something special for you guys tonight, so save room for dinner, alright darlin'?" She pinched Kaoru's cheeks until Matt finally slapped her hands playfully away.

"Alright, you old biddy, we're out of here."

"By, now, honey!" she called after them. Matt smiled politely, quickly shoving Kaoru out the front door.

"Heh, sorry about that. She's just the friendly type."

They drove a short distance to an outdoor café. Along the way, Kaoru was very quiet, trying to take in all of his surroundings. He noticed a large canal running right along the street, as well as the different looking trees with long gray moss hanging from their limbs. He'd never really seen moss like that before. Poking around the reeds on the side of the road was a pretty, long necked bird. Kaoru's eyes widened.

"OH! What is that?!" he pointed suddenly.

"That? It's an Egret. They live pretty much anywhere swampy."

"E-gret…" Kaoru repeated, trying to take a picture on his phone, but they drove by too fast. Matt laughed at Kaoru's disappointed look.

"Jeez, you sure do like taking pictures of everything! Don't worry there, guy. You'll see more."

At the café, Kaoru was introduced to something called beignets, which seemed to be fried dough. Whatever it was, Kaoru quickly devoured the plate set before them. Matt stared at him wide-eyed, slowly dipping the one beignet he had snagged in his coffee. "Ok, guess you were really hungry, huh? I know just the thing." He flagged down the server, and whispered something in his ear that Kaoru didn't quite understand. The server glanced at Kaoru and grinned. Kaoru suddenly noticed that a lot of people seemed to be looking at him and smiling in a curious sort of way. It made him kind of nervous. He decided to take a picture of the waiter next to Matt, just to keep himself busy.

"Ah, no, don't take my picture, man!" Matt groaned as the server left.

"Why?"

"Cause I look like crap, that's why!" he stroked his unshaven stubble. "Your friends are gonna think I'm like a cave man or something!"

Kaoru just laughed. "You are, kind of."

"Ouch! So, you're not so sweet and quiet as I thought, huh?" Matt looked at him through squinted eyes, but he was grinning. The server had placed a plate of some strange, wonderful smelling concoction known as Eggs Sardou in front of Kaoru, which he also quickly devoured, but then placed his fork and knife neatly on the plate and bowed his head.

"Thanks for the meal."

"Oh good, that filled you up. Who would have thought a little skinny guy like you could eat so much. I was beginning to think you were gonna break my bank!" Matt sighed with relief as he handed some cash to the server. "Keep the change, there buddy." Kaoru noticed how happy the server looked, and took note that it was good to tip in America. "Come on, Kaoru, let's hit the mall."

Matt put on a happy face, as he let Kaoru drag him around from shop to shop. Now what did this nit-picky shopping remind him of? Oh yeah, Rachel. He glanced back to Kaoru, who was busy holding up a collared shirt to himself, then him, then back and forth, in front of an angled mirror. The shirt was far more expensive than anything Matt ever wore, and he finally ruffled Kaoru's hair with a sigh. "Dude, if you're trying to look like me, I dress cheap, so just get what you like, okay?"

"Ah!" Kaoru acknowledged. He looked put out, though. Matt bit his lip, and looked around for a sales assistant.

"Hey there guy!" he said cheerily to a snobbish looking man folding shirts in the corner. The man wrinkled his nose a bit at Matt's scruffy appearance, but responded politely.

"Yes?"

"My friend here needs help. Could you find some things for him to try on?"

The man grimaced, but once catching sight of the attractive foreigner behind him, quickly agreed. He ushered Kaoru towards the dressing room, and proceeded to hand him piles of clothing over the dressing room door for the next half hour. Matt noticed every pair of shorts was quickly returned, even though he was wearing cargo shorts himself. He knocked on the door.

"Hey, Kaoru, I don't go clothes shopping that often, but you might need shorts. It gets pretty hot around here, you know?"

"No shorts!" was the curt reply. Matt and the sales associate traded glances.

"Well, you hear the man, no shorts!" he reiterated. His cell phone rang and he wandered outside to the main level.

After trying on half the store, Kaoru was finally satisfied with his clothing selections. On the way to the register, he kept throwing accessories on top of the mound the sales associate was already carrying; ties, sunglasses, caps, flip flops. The associate was thrilled as he swiped the credit card. He'd made his sales quota two times over with just one customer! It all took an eternity to bag, and Kaoru could barely walk with all of it in hand. Matt walked back into the store, quickly relieving him of some of the burden.

"Ok, I don't think you'll have to wear the same thing for a year, now. Let's go put these in the car, and then I'll take you to meet the girl."

"The girl?"

"Yup, but don't call her that when you meet her."

A few minutes later, Kaoru was staring at a slender, stormy eyed girl with long dark brown hair pulled up in a clip, dressed in a rather plain, powder blue jacket and short skirt with a name tag that read "RACHEL" in pretty script letters. Kaoru was utterly confused at her professional appearance, given Matt's rather messy style. They really looked like they had no business being together as they stood next to one another. Kaoru, for his part, felt her gaze to be rather cold and calculating at first, as if she were sizing him up for a fight. But her eyes quickly softened after reaching a decision of sorts.

"Oh, wow!" she blurted out.

Matt looked at her with a frown. "What?"

"Well, I just didn't expect him to be this good looking! How old are you again?"

"HEY!" Matt barked. "Settle down, there, missy! You already have a boy toy!"

"Hmph, I've been thinking about trading up!" she sniffed. Matt pouted, and she ignored it. "Hi, I'm Rachel. You're Kaoru, right? What the hell are you living with this idiot for?"

"I wanted to live somewhere else for a while."

"Oh really? What are you running from?"

"Whoa now!" Matt cut in. "We're suddenly getting a little hot and heavy here!"

Kaoru smiled coyly as he answered her. Women were something he was used to dealing with. "I hope to know by the time I leave." She was trying to desperately hide it, but he could see the stars in her eyes.

"Oh, aren't you a little devil?" her voice was flirtatious as she narrowed her eyes.

Matt wasn't really liking this development at all. He turned to Kaoru, befuddled. "What the hell, man!? You've barely said two words since I picked you up!" he emphasized with his fingers, "What's with this sexy act?!"

Kaoru reverted back to his shyer self. "Oh, sorry Matt-senpai," he turned to Rachel. "It is really nice to meet you."

"MATT-SENPAI!!" Rachel squealed as she took Kaoru's hands in hers. "That's the most ridiculously adorable thing I've ever heard!" Kaoru was quickly learning that women here really had no qualms about touching him, even though he hardly knew them. He hoped he wasn't blushing. "Look at your red hair! Matt, why couldn't you have been a red head?! Then our kids would have looked like this!"

"Hey, whoa, whoa, slow down, girly," Matt grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from Kaoru. "Let the guy breathe a little."

They spent the next hour with Rachel, on break from the department store she worked in. Kaoru learned that she was an assistant manager, as well as a senior in college, studying to be an accountant.

"That is really admirable!" Kaoru smiled at her. "Working while you are in school must be very difficult."

"Yeah, I never get to see her," Matt frowned. "That's why you're here! You can be my new play thing!"

"You shush!" Rachel slapped the back of his head. "He meant difficult for me, not you, bum!"

Kaoru laughed. Everyone was so relaxed, it was a great comfort. He slowly felt himself becoming less and less shy by the minute. He looked at Rachel for a moment as she tousled Matt's hair. Her face was really quite lovely. Her body, well, a little more curvy than most women he knew, but then again, she was American. Rachel and Matt suddenly noticed his intense gaze and stopped play fighting.

"Wh-what?" Rachel glanced around nervously, and looked down.

"Your hair, you should wear it down."

"Excuse me?"

"And blue is really not a good color for you at all. It drowns out your eyes. Lavender or green would be perfect!" Rachel and Matt both went slack-jawed, but Kaoru didn't seem to notice. "And that fit is all wrong for you. The skirt is good, but the jacket has no shape at all, it lacks structure."

The look on Rachel's face was bouncing back and forth between irritation and utter confusion. Matt was desperately trying to think of something to say. "Oh!" it suddenly dawned on him. "Your mom works in the fashion industry, right? See, sweetheart? He just can't help himself," he shot Kaoru a meaningful glance. Kaoru startled and look down.

"Oh, I am so sorry! It's just that, you are so beautiful, I thought-"

Rachel needed to hear no more. "You think I'm beautiful?!" she gasped. "Aren't I pretty hefty compared to what you're used to?"

"Hefty?" Kaoru wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Fat," Matt translated bluntly.

"Oh no!" Kaoru began rambling, "I mean, it is the shape, not your weight. You are definitely tall enough. Our models are just shaped differently. Have you ever thought about modeling?"

Rachel just gaped at him for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. "Me? A model? Ok, stop teasing me, it's really not funny. But you're sweet all the same, and I appreciate the compliment."

Kaoru was confused by her answer, but decided to drop it. He mentally slapped himself for even bringing it up. It certainly wasn't something a normal high school student would talk about.

"In any case, I have to go back to work now. Don't get into too much trouble, okay?" She kissed Matt on the forehead, and waved to Kaoru. "I'll see you around, kiddo."

"Bye!" Kaoru turned to Matt, who was waving innocently to Rachel as she walked away. "What should we do now?"

Matt checked his watch. It was one thirty. "Well, it's after twelve, and it's my day off. That means we get our drink on!"

"What? We wear drinks?"

Matt laughed rather loudly. "You're too damn funny, kid."