Back very quickly! And I'm in an extra good mood because I just finished a monstrous essay for AP English summer reading (ugh). I'm tired but happy! Anyway, here is part two, and more thanks to KerrolynWolf:)

(AIKO: (whispering) Go ahead! Submit OC's too! You know you want to!)

Dinner was a mostly civil affair (as civil as a dinner with the entire Host Club present could possibly be), and afterward everyone retired to other rooms of the house: Some families went to check out Kyoya's private art collection, others to the sitting room to chat (and make deals, no doubt).

The Subete Club was working on their own "business." Ariana, Kotoko, and Zura were sitting in a slightly more private room with Emi; Miroki, Akihiko and Taylor were walking around and chatting with Eri. (Matsuko, being the eldest, was engaged in social conventions.)

"That dress is perfect, Eri, where did you get it?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, actually, I designed it myself." Eri said with a modest smile. "I'm really into fashion."

"No kidding, so am I!" Taylor said. "That's so impressive, though! I was expecting to hear the name of a famous designer."

"Wow, thanks." Eri said. "Coming from the daughter of one of the Hitachiin brothers, that's pretty much an honor!"

"Do you plan on pursuing fashion as a career, Eri?" Akihiko asked.

She shrugged. "I dunno. I might, but I also like painting. And gardening. I'll figure it out."

The group rounded the corner into the room where the other group was.

"Oh, hey guys!" Zura said, feigning surprise. "Taylor! I was wondering where you were!"

"Zura!" she turned to Eri. "We're almost never apart." she explained.

"I always found the twin bond to be such a beautiful thing." Kotoko said. She toned it down after Ariana gave her a look. "It's just…so interesting, that two people can be so close from birth."

"It's not always like that…" Eri said.

"Sometimes they drift apart." Emi agreed.

"I can't say it would be that common though." Ariana said. "Look at Hikaru and Kaoru. Each leading his own life, one married with children, but still thick as thieves."

"I can't see how it would be possible to drive me and Zura apart." Taylor said simply.

"Sometimes a wedge is just driven in between, I guess…" Eri said quietly. "Maybe by betrayal…or something…I couldn't say…."

Emi stood suddenly, clearly holding back tears. Everybody looked around in a mild panic. This was not part of the plan. "I never betrayed you!" she cried.

Emi's face twisted with pain and anger in a fraction of a second. "You did! You betrayed me and you lied! More than once! I really really liked that boy, Emi! And you drove him away why?! Why?! YOU STILL WON'T TELL ME WHY! You know what I think? I think you were JEALOUS. That's right! For once all the attention wasn't on you, you weren't the star, and you couldn't handle it!"

Emi's face was covered in tears. "You don't understand…that's not it at all!" she cried.

"No. You've had your chances to apologize. Three years of chances. Don't bother anymore. Just keep on pretending I don't exist! You're happier that way anyway!" Eri ran away, now also crying. Emi got up and ran out in the opposite direction.

Everybody else flopped down on the chairs, speechless.

"Well…" Akihiko said. He tried to continue, but couldn't quite get any more words out.

Miroki started sniffling, and ducked into his shoulder to hide her tears. Taylor's eyes were red too, and she and Zura were hugging each other tight.

"I guess…we shouldn't have tried to meddle with them at all." Kotoko said.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Ariana said tonelessly. "This was my fault. We won't try anything like this again."

Nobody said anything more. They all just…sat.

Meanwhile…

Kyoya was sitting, somewhat relaxed, on a chair across from Norio Maeda in his study. Maeda was a no-nonsense kind of man, his black hair neatly cut, his green eyes always focused. Kyoya had always liked his dry sense of humor, and they got along quite well. They had just been going over some business, which was now concluded, and now there was the mere matter of pleasantries.

"You must be quite proud of your children." Kyoya said. "Your son, I hear, is close to the top of his class at his university, and your daughter Emi is close to the top of hers as well. Especially impressive considering that she's a year younger than the rest of them."

"Yes, quite proud indeed." he replied. "Though I'm sure you're just as proud of your daughter, given that she is, in fact, at the top of that class." he gave a small chuckle.

Kyoya smiled back and nodded. "Yes, I must say I am. I'm proud of all three girls, of course."

Norio nodded and looked out the window. "They have all grown up to be quite lovely. Ariana is a second year now, seventeen years of age, yes?"

"Yes, that's right." Kyoya said. "As of January."

Norio turned back slowly. "I don't suppose you've begun thinking in the ways of her marriage, have you? You no doubt realize that such a tie—to the child most likely to inherit the company—will be a rather important one."

Kyoya frowned. He did not like where this conversation was going. "No, as a matter of fact, I haven't: Ariana is a very independent young woman, I see no need to marry her off right away. And besides that, I trust her judgment."

Norio's eyebrows went up. "You mean to say you don't plan on arranging her marriage? Pardon me, Ootori, I mean no offense, just…it is a rather weighty decision."

Kyoya chuckled and shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it. After all the trouble my wife and I went through with my father—."

"Ah, that's right, I forgot who I was talking to." Norio laughed. "Your wife wouldn't take kindly to such an arrangement at all."

Kyoya laughed outright at the picture this created in his mind. "No, in fact I daresay she would throw me out of the house at the mere suggestion. No, I intend to let Ariana make her own decision—within reason, of course. As I said, she's an intelligent girl—she does take after me, after all—I trust her judgement."

Norio nodded and decided to let the matter drop. "Well, alright…" he stood up and turned to leave. "But I wouldn't put it past my son to try to win your daughter's affections on his own…just a fair warning." And with that, he turned and left.

Kyoya frowned to himself, and turned to stare out the window. He supposed he would simply have to leave it to Ariana to handle that as she pleased.

Later…

Ariana was the only one left in the room where they had all been sitting. One by one, everybody had gotten up, forlornly, and left. She had thrown her sweater to the side and had taken her shoes and glasses off, and was lounging on the couch in only her dress. She had turned the lights off at the first sign she was getting a migraine (a chronic inconvenience she had inherited from her mother) so that only the light from the moon, the hall, and the lamp in the far corner of the room kept her from complete darkness.

She looked up when she heard footsteps. "Oh, I beg your pardon, Ootori." she saw that the voice came from none other than Takeo Maeda. "Am I intruding? I only wanted to get away for a minute."

She sat up and put her glasses back on. "No…that's quite alright." she said. She kept her guard up, the look on Matsuko's face when his name was mentioned in the back of her mind.

"I was pleased to make your acquaintance earlier." he said, giving her a smile that she couldn't say was genuine. "I've heard so much about you."

"Is that so?" she said genially.

"Yes. You have the highest marks of any Ouran student since…well, since your father." he chuckled. "Of course, I couldn't have imagined that you'd be so…beautiful."

She looked at him in surprise for a moment before regaining her composure. "Well, thank you. You're very kind." she said. There was something she didn't like about this guy. There was something of a…slimy quality about him…she couldn't quite put her finger on it…

He chuckled, a dark sound. "Not at all." he said, putting his arm around the couch behind her. "There it is." she thought. She was suddenly very aware of her bare shoulders. She wasn't afraid that he would try to pull anything like that, but the situation still made her rather uncomfortable. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What exactly are you getting at here?" she asked. It was clear to her that this entire conversation was a front for something else entirely. He didn't genuinely think that, she could see it in his eyes: He had an ulterior motive.

He feigned surprise. "What do you mean?"

She dropped her own polite façade. "We both know that this-" she motioned to his arm. "Is not what you came here for. What is it you want, Maeda?"

His façade dropped just as quickly. "Well, if that's what you want." he said. Yes, there it was. He reminded her of a snake. "It's no secret that an alliance between our families' businesses would be quite a powerful one indeed. What better way to do that than with a marriage?"

"You can't be serious."

He took her chin in his hand, and this time she saw something else in his eyes, mixed in with the deceit: Lust? "Why not? You're an intelligent girl. This is the best choice you could make. As for me, well, I know what I'm doing…you are a rather comely woman, after all…."

He was stopped by something akin to a growl. He looked behind him to see a towering figure looming in the doorway.

"Maeda." Matsuko's voice was low and menacing as he walked closer to him. "Maybe you didn't understand…she's not interested in your offer."

Takeo gulped, almost imperceptibly, but Ariana noticed.

"I think it's time you left." Matsuko continued.

"Very well." Takeo stood, his composure seemingly unchanged. But before he left, he turned back to Ariana. "But just so you know, Ootori…this isn't over." he bent close to her face again. "I always get my way."

"What a coincidence." Ariana said, not budging an inch. "So do I."

Takeo's eyes narrowed, but he turned and left, swifty and without another word.

Matsuko was about to say something to Ariana, but they both turned when they heard a small gasp from the doorway. It was Eri.

"Oh my god…" she said. "That wasn't like him at all!"

"Actually, that was exactly like him." Matsuko said to her. "I watched him manipulate everybody in his class for two years."

Eri gasped again, her eyes filling with tears. "I have to…I have to…" she suddenly turned and ran down the hall. Matsuko and Ariana wasted no time in following her.

…

Emi was just leaving the bathroom (after calming herself down) to rejoin the Subete Club, when—

"EMI!" her twin came running down the hallway with tears in her eyes. She put out her arms just in time to catch her in a tight hug.

"Emi…I'm so sorry…I understand everything now…" she looked at her twin, and how confused she was. "I saw Takeo, and he was being so…slimy…I can't even believe…but that's not the point…you've been protecting me all these years, haven't you?"

Emi bit her lip and nodded. "I'm sorry, Eri…I just didn't want you to get hurt. When I found out the way Takeo really was…it really hurt me." she was tearing up too. "I just didn't want to see the same thing happen to you."

Eri nodded. "So…that boy in middle school…?"

"Takeo was egging him on for the family connections…he didn't really like you. He was actually a jerk."

"And you took the blame—for that and so much other stuff—for all these years…just to spare my feelings?"

She nodded.

"But…Emi…I so much prefer this to losing my best…my best… to losing YOU!"

They hugged. At this point they were both sobbing.

"What just happened?" Kotoko whispered.

"I believe we inadvertently succeeded in our mission." Ariana said.

"Go team." Matsuko added, smiling.

At his Kotoko couldn't help but grin. She crossed her arms in victory as she watched the scene before her. Ariana and Matsuko smiled at each other. Miroki jumped up and down and grinned and hugged Akihiko from behind, and Zura and Taylor were hugging and wiping each others' eyes.

Finally, the two girls pulled apart, wiping their tears.

"We have so much…to catch up on!" Eri said between sniffles.

Emi nodded. "Do you want to…go to the art museum together this weekend?"

"I'd like that." Emi said with a smile.

They heard Mrs. Ootori's voice from the dining room. "Dessert is served, everyone!"

Everybody turned and left, Ariana and Matsuko bringing up the rear. Ariana suddenly chuckled to herself; Matsuko gave her a questioning look.

"Nothing." she replied. "Just reflecting on the fact that the first time a man called me beautiful he didn't even mean it."

Matsuko stopped short, his eyebrows shooting up. He turned to her and bent to be on her level. "Ariana." he said, looking her directly in the eyes. "You are beautiful."

She blinked for a moment, her cheeks turning a bit pink. "Thank you, Matsuko." she whispered.

He saw the look on her face. She really didn't know that, and he couldn't believe it. He hugged her close, uncharacteristic for him. And just as uncharacteristically for her, she hugged him back.

Later…

All the families were leaving after dessert. Kyoya stood, watching Ella say goodbye to each at the door.

"So…" Tamaki appeared behind him. "Do we know how they did?"

"I would say remarkably well…look." Kyoya pointed to the Maeda family just as they were walking out the door: Most notably their two girls hand in hand.

"Oh splendid! I am so proud of them!" he sighed and fell silent for a moment.

Kyoya couldn't help but smile as he observed the group in the corner: Kotoko was talking animatedly, a huge grin on her face. She stopped to give Akihiko a big hug after he said something, then continued. Ariana stood next to her, arms crossed listening intently. The twins were on the other side, arms around each other: They said something that made the whole group laugh, then Miroki said something that made Matsuko pat the top of her head.

"So am I, Tamaki." he said finally. "So am I."

Aww, good job guys! Their first real mission a success-if not exactly in the way they planned. I'd love to do more of these, if you guys are up to it! If not, still read and review, and no matter what, you guys are great! KerrolynWolf is extra great! :D WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

ARIANA: It may be a while before FeatherSong's next update. She still has a lot of work to do, and I do plan on making her do it.

(The rest of the Subete Club glares.)

ARIANA: Glare all you want! It changes nothing!

Well, til next time, guys...

-FeatherSong