The next day was a beautiful fall day. Kaori watched the scenery zip by on the way to school. If the outside of the limo was light and cheerful, the inside was the exact opposite. A dark cloud seemed to hover over all of them as they traveled closer and closer to their second day at Ouran Academy. Dooms Day, Yuki had dubbed it at breakfast.

Arriving at the pink marble steps, the limo came to a soft stop. Yuki made no move to leave the confines of his gloomy thunder cloud, and Hana was busy looking at her nails. Kaori shrugged and exited, eager to be away from Yuki and Hana, both with stony faces. Waiting for either one to get out, she looked between the two. When neither looked her way or even moved an inch, she shrugged and grabbed her school bag. Exiting the limo door being held open for her by the driver, she carefully placed her feet on the sidewalk and checked her skirt for wrinkles. Satisfied, she stepped away from the limo and towards school, glancing back in the hope her two siblings would be behind her. They were not.

She set off on her own up the steps, her bag much lighter than yesterday. As a stipulation, Grandmother had arranged for her to have additional copies of all her books sent to the house so she didn't have to lug them home with her. Her original books were all in her respective classes, where she would use them for the duration of the lesson, then give them to the teacher to store for her.

'As if my new classmates need another reminder of how weak I am' she thought with disgust. Soon, more students were around her, all chatting and casual. She shrank back as more students bumped into her, elbows hitting her or school bags clipping her sharply. The closer to the school, the more she fought the press of bodies to not knock her over. It was a common thing for her. She was so short, and she didn't have much of a presence that people tended to not realize she was there. In a crowd, that could be a problem for her. But she was determined to fend for herself. Squaring her shoulders, she used her tiny but sharp elbows to nudge other students away from her, and it seemed to be doing the trick. Several of the student's eyes widened in apology for not seeing her. A few shot her condescending looks and huffed off, looking highly affronted. It made her laugh silently to herself. Rich kids…

When she reached the doors to the school, she felt victorious for her efforts. Smiling to herself for at least achieving a small victory without aid, she finally entered the building.

"Hello," a deep voice murmured behind her. Gasping, Kaori whirled around. Hand to her heart, she caught a glimpse of Mori before her own movement caused her to stumble and slip. Quick as a whip, a hand grabbed her firmly on her upper arm and saved her from a painful fall onto her bum. Mori slowly righted her with one hand, before letting go and nodding to her. So much for not needing help, she thought.

"Thank you, Mori," she said to him, catching her breath. He nodded at her again in acknowledgment, a tiny smile on his very serious face. She smiled back and reached for her bag, which had slid to the floor. A small hand was already reaching for it, and she looked into the eyes of Huni, who was grinning at her in delight.

"Kaori!" he exclaimed, gripping her in a tight hug. "I missed you! Are you coming to the host club after school? There will be cake! Usachan loves cake. And tea! I love tea. There are so many yummy flavors," he babbled happily, his ever present bunny clutched under one arm. The other held out her bag. She smiled shyly and took it from him. She had understood almost all of his fast Japanese, she proudly noted.

"Yes, I will be attending. It is Yuki's first day, after all. Hana and I are going to be there for moral support," she told them carefully. It was much different talking to real live teens when she had only spoken Japanese with her grandmother or a computer screen.

"Oh, I'm so happy! Did you hear that, Mori? She's coming!" Huni exclaimed, grabbing her arm and linking it through his. He walked them up the grand staircase, Mori following along behind like a dark and silent body guard. Kaori was shocked to realize Huni was as tall as she was. It was a pleasant change to look into someone's eyes without craning her neck. "I love your accent," he told her, causing her to blush.

"Thank you. I try very hard not to, though." She smiled at the boy, happy in his presence. It was just how Huni was. He was a very sweet guy to be around.

"But I like it," he protested. Mori nodded in agreement.

Kaori giggled. "Grandmother wishes to rid every trace of the American accent in my voice. All the better to run a Japanese company," she told them, mimicking her grandmother's stern voice on the last bit.

"Ah," Mori said. He didn't seem to talk very much, she noted.

"My grandma sounds exactly like that, too!" Huni said, giggling. He came to a halt at the top of the stairs. "Well, our class is this way. I think yours in down that hall, right? Do you know how to get there?" Huni asked, releasing her arm. Kaori nodded.

"Yes, it's just to the right. How did you know?" she asked him, puzzled as to how he knew her schedule. Had they been looking into her? It didn't scare her as it should have. Instead, she felt a strong surge of friendship settle in her chest. It was a new feeling, and she almost looked away from the two boys in shyness.

Hunny giggled again and climbed onto Mori's back. "It's a secret," he called to her as Mori retreated down the left hall.

The day flew by. Kaori found she was enjoying her classes immensely. There was something about the Japanese language that was much more beautiful than English. She even loved writing in script, although she had a long way to go to perfect her penmanship.

Kaori was puzzled by Hana's behavior all day. She didn't talk to her crowd of admirers before and after classes, and she snapped a pencil during History. Kaori was concerned for her twin, but Hana wouldn't talk to her.

The one class free of Hana's dark moods was her music class, where she and Mari quietly talked together. She was really starting to like the girl, who was only half a foot taller than her and also extremely shy and quiet. At the end of the class, Kaori was feeling a little overwhelmed. She was already making so many friends, much more than she had ever had in the states. Mari was already feeling like the best friend she never had. And Mori and Hunny…. Well, all she knew was that she wanted to be around them more.

When the last bell had gone off, Hana and Kaori found themselves walking behind a very gloomy Yuki, his hands dug deep into his pockets. Kaori glanced at Hana, whose face was getting a little red. She eyed her twin with some apprehension. Whatever had been bothering her all day was about to boil over. Kaori could see the buildup on Hana's face. Like a flood gate, Hana exploded.

"Oh, stop sulking," Hana burst out, shooting daggers at Yuki. Kaori silently caught her sister's eyes, telling her without words to back off. She scowled at her and crossed her arms, her eyes landing once again on Yuki, who had stopped walking ahead of him. His back was facing them, his fists clenched at his sides. Kaori eyed him with concern, then switched to Hana. Hana opened her mouth and continued.

"You've been in a foul mood all day, and its giving me a migraine! Step up and do what you have to do. Pay off the debt, and move on with your damn life." She chose to ignore the elbow Kaori threw into her ribs. She was just too furious. Kaori huffed, starting to get mad at the attitude Hana was displaying. She had no right to be so upset. It wasn't her that was being forced to join a stupid club. Yuki had the same thoughts, and his feelings clashed in his brain.

Yuki spun around. "Shut it, brat. I don't need you telling me what to do, or showing such a bad attitude. Mind your own damn business. This doesn't affect you at all."

"AT LEAST I'M NOT ACTING LIKE A FREAKING SPOILED BABY! AND IT DOES AFFECT ME! IVE BEEN DEALING WITH YOU ALL DAY! ALL THESE STUPID GIRLS RAVING ABOUT YOU, ASKING ME QUESTION AFTER QUESTION! WHO GIVES A DAMN WHAT YOUR FAVORITE COLOR IS! IM SICK OF THIS WHOLE THING!" she yelled, losing it. Kaori flinched. Several students turned to watch them as they walked by the three siblings, whispers floating in the air. Kaori grabbed both their arms and hauled them into a little alcove, surprised at her own strength. The little alcove held a small window that showed the beautiful walkway behind the school, dotted with fountains and little neat hedges.

"Hana, what is the matter with you?" she exclaimed, hissing under her breath. Hana normally never raised her voice in anger, especially not at Yuki. They would yell occasionally, but never with any heat behind it. "Yuki, that's enough," she exclaimed, getting in between her two siblings. They were both glaring with hatred at one another. Hana suddenly turned away, wiping at her eyes angrily.

"Hana, you need to apologize! This is Yuki's ordeal, not yours. You should be showing him more respect! Plus, if you didn't like all the girls pestering you about Yuki, why didn't you ask them to stop or steer the conversation away from Yuki. I've never known you to let stuff like that bother you." Kaori was slightly out of breath as she stared at her twin. Hana didn't answer right away. She was looking out the window, where there were several students milling about. They all looked like models in a magazine the way they were leaning on each other and posing on benches.

"Damn these rich kids," Hana muttered. She turned to look at the both of them, speaking more clearly. "They can't force you to do something you don't want to do. Who in their right mind would want to be looked at like a piece of meat in a butcher shop? It's disgusting! And what about your basketball? How are you going to be able to join the team with the stupid Host Club?" She had her back turned to Yuki, her fists clenched at her sides. "They have all the money in the world. With all that, they choose to create this ridiculous farce of debts. Why? What is the purpose of torturing you and that poor honor student? It's… cruel!"

Hana stopped, holding back her tears. This world they now belonged to was so out of balance and wrong. She hated that Yuki was being played with like this.

"Oh, Hana," Kaori sighed, sharing a look with Yuki. The anger drained out of him slowly.

Yuki sighed and marched over to Hana, giving her a very large bear hug. "Dummy," he said quietly. "You really are an idiot, you know that?" Silently, his hug said all it needed to.

Hana slowly relaxed and let herself be hugged by him. She had been so worried about him all day. And so angry at these spoiled rich brats who did whatever they pleased.

"Okay, now that we have had our little dysfunctional family time, we really need to be going. Yuki, you don't want to be late for your first day," Kaori reminded him, grinning at the two. Hana shrugged at her and socked Yuki in the side, grasping at a more natural atmosphere. Yuki gasped in pain, holding his ribs.

"Why you little-, "he exclaimed, before being cut off.

"Let's GO," Kaori said, grabbing Yuki's hand before he could retaliate. He took two fingers, holding them up to his eyes and then pointing them at Hana. She laughed and flipped him off. Shaking her head at their weird way of making up, Kaori set off down the hall, Yuki's hand still clasped in her own. Was she the only sane one in the family?

Kaori sat on the same couch from last time, quietly sipping some tea from a little table placed in front of her. Across from her sat Huni, his eyes closed happily as he munched on his fourth slice of cake. The table held tea, a new whole cake, scones, and a little plate of macaroons. Mori sat next to her, sipping his tea quietly. The three sat in peaceful silence, each enjoying the tea and cake. Occasionally, Huni would pipe up and ask Kaori if she wanted any more cake. She would laugh and decline. Two slices was enough for her.

Three girls were watching them from a few seats over, their backs straight with perfect posture, but their lovely faces a mask for anger and jealousy. Each was a respectable daughter from a fabulously rich family. Just looking at them showed their impeccable breeding and perfect manners. That is, what they were showing on the outside was calm, cool and elegant. In quiet little murmurs, they spoke less than kind words. Hunny and Mori were theirs, not this new little twit who looked like a ten year old.

"It's our time with Mori and Hunny," one girl muttered, eyes fixed on Mori's handsome face. She lifted an elegant hand and sipped silently from her tea cup, placing it down gently, her eyes spitting fire.

"She needs to be taught a lesson," the second murmured to the third, who nodded her head with enthusiasm.

"I'll handle it, ladies," the first said, flashing a look at the other two. They instantly bowed their heads respectfully, but their eyes showed their glee.

"Oh, I can't wait! When are you going to do it, Amy?" they asked the girl eagerly.

"After," Amy told them. "Away from prying eyes."

As the three bent their heads together, Mori looked away from the group of girls, his eyes resting on Kaori. His eyes scrunched in contemplation. He would need to keep an eye on her. Girls at this school were much more vindictive than other girls.

Mori watched as she took out her stuffed cat, handing it to Hunny. Hunny was laughing and hugging both stuffed animals, introducing the two. Mori smiled as he watched the two of them together. He felt his protective side increase as he watched over them. Yes, he would have to look out for her. She was… important. He just couldn't understand why. Mori had never felt anything this strong for anyone besides Mitsukuni. It was puzzling. Pushing those thoughts away, he began to plan his strategy to keep the small girl safe from those three.

"Hey!" Hana shouted, glaring from her comfy chair. Two red headed twins grinned at her with glee, holding her school bag out of her reach.

"What?" Hikaru asked her.

"It's not like you have anything to hide in here," Kaoru added.

"You better give that back or I will beat your smirking asses," she shot back, standing from her chair quickly. They both chuckled and dangled the bag just over her head, toying with her. Hana had had enough. Expertly, she flicked her foot up and hooked the strap of her bag. Yanking strongly, the bag was plucked from Hikaru's grasp. She nimbly caught it, shooting a smirk at the shock on their faces.

She strode away from them, a swing in her hips. Both of the twins looked at one another.

"I think-"

"I'm in love." The other finished.

Ok, so some major major apologies for not updating in… *blush*… a whole year. I know. I am so bad! I should have wrote more, but life has thrown some interesting things my way, and truthfully I lost interest in this little fic of mine. I have a curse where I write a few chapters of fics or stories, but then I lose interest or get bored. I get stuck. So, im back to writing this. I hope this writing streak lasts for a couple more chapters at least!

My little sister is still my Beta. Kinda. She still hasn't gotten back to me with her editing, so I might be flying solo from here on out.

Again, please leave feedback in the reviews! They are greatly appreciated!