A Thousand Miles

A/N: Well I'm a little insulted that 33 people at least clicked on the link for my story but no one reviewed. If you read this, review it. I don't care if you say I suck, just review it. Well I didn't like how the last chapter came out really but I think it will turn out better this time. Well here is the next chapter. Please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of the songs that might show up in this fic.

"Normal" Japanese "Italics" Singing in English (center justification). Normal in center justification is singing in Japanese. Regular Italics is thoughts (no quotation marks normal justification). "Italics with normal justification" Speaking in English (though I doubt I'll need it).

Chapter Two: Piano Competition (One Week Before the Party)

It was about a week after Ryu had transferred. He was currently walking back to his dorm room. It was after school on Tuesday and he was returning from the third music room. He wouldn't be at scholl tomorrow because he had a piano competition he had to attend and compete in. He would play the piano version of an American song called Faint. He liked playing the American songs because most of the classics or popular Japaneses songs would have already been played by someone else in the competition. He knew that someone from Ouran would be there as a judge, but he had no clue who it was.

Ryu walked into his room and sat down at his keyboard. He began to play another American song called Ordinary Day. He played while more girls gathered outside his doorway listening to the music.

Back in the third music room...

"So... we still have no clue how to get the two of them back together?" Hikaru asked out loud as the Host club tried to make a plan on how to get Ryu and Ruri back together.

"Well, we have no clue as to what they actually had in common besides music when they were younger." Kyoya pointed out. The others nodded.

"I still can't see how they were actually friends. Narita is so cold and unfriendly but Endo is just the opposite." Kaoru said.

"Well he could have been different when he was younger. He sure looked a lot different." Hikaru pointed out.

"Wait a second. Endo-san stays in a dorm, right? Who does she share with?" Tamaki asked.

"Um... I think Shiga Oki, also from class 1-B." Haruhi said. "I saw them head off in the same direction and Shiga-san said 'let's go back to our dorm room'. So they apparently share a room."

"Then we'll ask Shiga-san if she knows anything!" Tamaki said as he stood up and headed for the girl's dorm.

"Wait. If you go now Endo will be there." Kyoya said and Tamaki frowned and sat down.

"Narita-kun is playing at the American party right? For karaoke just have him play A Thousand Miles with Endo-san singing. She told me that they did that a lot when they were younger." Haruhi said. They stared at her for a moment, not believing that she had forgotten to mention that earlier. Tamaki was the first to speak.

"All right! So we will have them preform together in one week!" Tamaki said excitedly. The others nodded and left.

Then next day Ryu was sitting on the stage playing. He knew the music sounded a bit off; he had been thinking about Ruri again. When he completed his song he stood up and bowed then left the stage and headed for his private waiting room that for this high class competeition he would use. He sat down and flipped on the TV. Suddenly he heard someone knocking on his door. Ryu got up and opened the door.

"Ah!Narita-kun, I thought this was your room." Ryu wanted to hit himself on the head. There stood Tamaki. What he was doing at the piano competition, Ryu didn't know. What he did know was he wasn't pleased to see the idiotic blond.

'What are you here for?" Ryu asked in his usual tone of voice. Tamaki looked a bit hurt and frowned slightly.

"I'm one of the judges. I play the piano, too, so my dad sent me instead of himself to be the judge from Ouran." Tamaki said as he looked happy again.

"And so you are here outside my room why?" Ryu asked again.

"I figured you would be board waiting for the next round by yourself." Tamaki said. "Besides, your music sounded sad sort of. Is something wrong?" Tamaki had heard the slight sadness in the song that made it sound off. He wanted to know why Ryu sounded a bit sad.

"I'm fine. Now if you don't mind-" It was too late. Tamaki had seen the picture that Ryu had brought with him, the same picture of Ryu and Ruri that Haruhi had seen. Tamaki looked at the young boy and girl. Ruri was rubbing Ryu's hair and even though Ryu looked annoyed you could tell he was happy.

"Who's in this picture?" Tamaki asked. He already knew but he wanted to see how Ryu would react to the subject of Ruri.

"Me and an old friend. Now would you please leave." Tamaki had headed for the door and he knew it was Ruri Ryu was thinking of by the way he had softend his tone of voice a bit when he had said who was in the picture. Ryu sat back in front of the TV when Tamaki left and waited the rest of his time in silence. The next song he would play would be a piano version of the disney song I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules.

After the second round the competition would stop for two weeks. Ryu found that he had moved on to the third round and caught a cab for Ouran. He arrived quickly and headed for his dorm. Classes were over for the day and he skipped playing for the Host club because it was almost over. When he got to his dorm he saw Haruhi waiting there for him.

"Oh, there you are, Narita-kun. We didn't know why you skipped Host club."Haruhi said.

"I was at a piano competition. Suou-sempai was there too." Ryu said.

"Oh, okay." Haruhi said and left. Ryu went into his room and fell on his bed. He was tired so he ended up dozing off on his bed.

The next day Ryu awoke to find himself still in the suit he'd worn to the piano competition. He realized he must have fallen asleep when he'd gotten back and began to get ready for school. He headed for the cafeteria to grab breakfast and then headed towards his home room. When he got there he found that, as usual, he was the last one to arrive. He took his seat and waited for roll call. When he sat down Haruhi turned around.

"Kyoya-sempai wants you to also play A Thousand Miles also for the party. You already have the sheet music so he told me to tell you." Haruhi said. Ryu nodded and the teacher shot a look at them that clearly said 'shut up'. The teacher did roll and Ryu sat through another extremely dull lesson.

Later it was lunch and Ryu decided to head to the third music room since he couldn't be alone when he was in his room. After he got his lunch he headed up there and was pleased to see he was alone. After Ryu ate he still had plenty of time and decided to play a song. He found his sheet music for Ordinary Day. He began to play and got lost in the music.

Ruri was walking in the hallway thinking about the pianist for the host club. She suddenly heard piano music and hurried to where it was coming from. She found herself standing outside the third music room. She recognized the song; it was another one of her favorites. Without realizing it she began to sing with it.

"And as he spoke, he spoke ordinary words
Although they did not feel
For I felt what I had not felt before
You'd swear those words could heal.
And as I looked up into those eyes
His vision borrows mine.
And to know he's no stranger,
For I feel I've held him for all of time."

The music stopped. Ryu didn't even turn around when he spoke from his place at the piano.

"I'd rather you not sing and I'd rather you not be here." Ryu said in his usual cold and unfriendly tone. The girl realized that it was the Host club's pianist that was playing in the room. Ruri felt a bit embarressed that she had been singing to the music and was being told off. She decided that the pianist's voice was proof that he wasn't Ryu; it was too cold, completely unlike her old friend's voice that was simply emotionless but not laced with the feeling of wanting to be alone. Ryu heard the sound of hurried footsteps as Ruri walked off. He continued to play until lunch ended. He couldn't help but think that whoever was singing sounded similar to Ruri. But he figured that it was impossible that it was her.

Later when the Host club finnished up for the day Ryu headed for the exit but was stopped by Tamaki. Ryu just stared at him which gave Tamaki chills. Ryu's expression was normally cold and looked like he was ticked off but now that he actually was annoyed he was down right scary; his expression didn't change much, it never did, but his eyes appeared colder than normal. Tamaki backed up a bit before he spoke.

"Just wondering, who was that girl in the picture? I know you said she was an old friend, but what was she to you?" Tamaki asked. He was trying to find out more about his relationship with Ruri. They wanted to make sure that they weren't missing anything that was important and might cause their plan not to work.

"And I would tell you that... why?" Ryu was really starting to get ticked off with this club. They were pains in the ass and he was about fed up with them. Just a few day ago the twins suddenly ambushed him and threw him in the middle of a group of girls who were looking for him. Kyoya was constantly threatening him in very subtle ways. Honey kept trying to make him eat cake, not that he hated cake but it was the fact that he asked so frequently that was annoying. The only two that didn't drive him nuts were Haruhi and Mori.

"Because I'm curious." Tamaki answered. Ryu pushed Tamaki aside and left the room. Tamaki watched him walk off. Kyoya walked up behind him.

"Well, you really should have just had Haruhi ask. Since they're in the same class he might have trusted her more." Kyoya said. Tamaki nodded.

Ruri was walking back up to the girls dorm. She saw someone else in the other hallway and looked to see who it was. It was Ryu, though she didn't know it. Ruri looked at his cold emerald green eyes. He didn't seem to notice her. Ruri walked on. She didn't know why but she just didn't want that boy to be Ryu even though she had spent a good deal of time wishing to see him again. She hurried on to her room.

Ryu was walking to his dorm. when he got there he walked in and flopped on his bed. The voice of the girl who had sung during lunch still ran through his mind. The similarity between that person's singing and ruri's singing was unmistakeable. He ran his fingers through his hair. He was pretty sure that it hadn't been Ruri but hearing that singing dragged up old memories. Ryu let out his breath which he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"It wasn't Ruri. If it had been she wouldn't have recognized me anyhow." Ryu said out loud.

"Who's Ruri?" Ryu bolted up. There was Haruhi standing in his open doorway. She stepped in further. Ryu stared at her, Haruhi just ignored the cold stare.

"None of your business. Why are you in my room?" Ryu asked. He was ticked off that Haruhi was asking about Ruri.

"I was walking by when I heard you talking to yourself." Haruhi answered.

"So that gives you reason to be in my room?" Ryu answered. He wasn't in the mood for company.

"Well you seemed depressed so..."

"I'm fine." Ryu didn't say it but Haruhi could tell there was an implied 'go away' at the end of his sentence. Haruhi left and closed the door behind her. Ryu layed back on his bed for a bit. He soon got back up and did his homework before working on a new American song, well it was new to him atleast. It was called Crawling. He thought it sounded good when he heard the song so he found the piano sheet music. Haruhi stood outside the door listening to the song Ryu was playing. As she walked over to her own room door she hoped that by bringing Ryu and Ruri in the way they were planning that they wouldn't end up rubbing salt in an old but still open wound.

A/N: Well this chapter was shorter than the other one but I think it came out better. I'm begging all of you who read this to review. By the way, by the fact that I'm mentioning Faint and Crawling and possibly Numb soon can you guess what one of my favorite bands is? Well thanks for reading and please review!