In the relatively short time Kaoru had known Anzu, he had noticed something: she wasn't very emotional.

Ever.

She would laugh, smile, and it was always genuine, but she seemed to almost always be in a dreamy, deep-in-thought state. Therefore, when Anzu kept her gaze straight ahead, her hands holding her lunch tray so tightly her already pale knuckles had turned into a snowy white, Kaoru knew something was very, horribly, incredibly wrong.

"Are you sure you're okay, Anzu?"

"Hm?" She seemed to revert back to her usual calm demeanor, and she nodded. "Fine." She couldn't hide the voice crack.

Kaoru raised a brow. "You don't seem fine to me." He thought for a bit, and laughed a little as he asked, "Are you actually nervous to meet my friends?"

Anzu thought for a bit, now not even bothering to hide her shaky legs and arms. "I suppose you could say that."

"Don't be," he told her as they approached ever closer to the courtyard where they usually ate. "Believe me; they're strange, but friendly. And you already know Haruhi and me, so that's a third."

Her voice was clipped, and a little harsher than usual. "What are their names again?"

"Hunny, Mori, Tamaki, and Kyouya."

This seemed to only distress her a little more. "And they say they don't know me?"

"Well, I assume," Kaoru was careful to phrase what he said, not sure how Anzu would react now, "I mean, you've ever talked to any of them, right?"

"Technically no, but-"

"Hi Kaoru!" Hunny had looked up from his cake at just the right moment to interrupt Anzu, which irritated Kaoru, seeing as how he was finally going to get to the bottom of the mystery. The little blond boy held his pink bunny closer, tilting his head. "Who's this?"

Kaoru set his tray down and took his seat, motioning to Anzu and introducing her to the others. "This is Anzu. She's in my and Haruhi's class. Anzu, everyone, everyone, Anzu."

The girl gave a small wave, seeming to keep her gaze on the side of the table with Hunny, Mori, and Haruhi, ignoring the opposite end of the table containing Tamaki and Kyouya. Hunny waved back, greeting, "Hiya Anzu! I'm Mitskuni, but you can call me Hunny. And this is Takashi, but everyone calls him Mori. We're seniors."

"Hi."

Anzu nodded, smiling. Kaoru noticed how she seemed to avoid eye contact with Tamaki and Kyouya. When he looked at the two, Tamaki smiled, and Kyouya was….glaring? Why in the world would he already be mad at Anzu? "Hello Anzu, I'm Tamaki Suoh, your Student Council President. What an honor to meet you." He leaned over the table, extending his hand to take hers and kiss it. Anzu looked up briefly, seeming to relax a little. This was a mistake, as she let herself look over and see Kyouya glaring, making her instantly tense again.

"You mean you don't recognize her, Tamaki?" Kyouya asked coolly, raising his glasses, the lenses catching a glint, the air seeming to grow colder.

The blond idiot looked incredibly confused. He looked between Anzu and Kyouya, but came to the conclusion, "No. Should I?"

"Let me refresh your memory." The Shadow King turned to Anzu, and she gulped. Kaoru looked down to see her hands in nervous fists in her lap. Kyouya asked, a subtle, barely there malice to his tone, "Are you still taking pictures for the Newspaper Club, Anzu Koizumi?"

And suddenly, the light bulb went off in Tamaki's head. He went from Prince Charming to attorney, jumping up and pointing accusingly. "You!"

Needless to say, the others were confused. Kaoru asked, "Anyone else need an explanation, or just me?"

"Have you three met before?" Haruhi added.

"Kyouya! She's the one who- oh my god, Kyouya, I almost lost the election because of her! Mommy do something!"

Anzu bit her lip, but turned to the others, and began to explain. "Last year, even though I was still in middle school, the high school Newspaper Club wanted me to take a few pictures for them. Since it was the first time they had ever asked me to, I wanted to make a good impression, and took a lot of pictures. They were covering the student council, so I had to sit in on a meeting, along with a member of the newspaper."

It took a few seconds, but then Kaoru, Haruhi, Hunny, and Mori had the "oh" moment as well. They tried to bite back their laughter, for Tamaki and Kyouya's sake, but the memory was enough to make them burst into fits of giggles. "That picture was hilarious," Kaoru told Anzu in between chuckles, "Tono was totally knocked out, and there was even a little drool and a snot bubble."

Yes, one of the pictures Anzu had happened to take was of Tamaki in his first year of high school, who was only Vice President at the time, having fallen asleep at the meeting. And it was the only proof available that anyone, even Tamaki, could be non-photogenic if caught at the right time. The headline had read "Student Council of Incompetence". The entire article had been an excuse for the Newspaper Club to show the Student Council in a negative light and point out every flaw. They even badmouthed specific members, two of them being Tamaki and Kyouya, who were easy targets due to their first year status. Even though Tamaki and Kyouya still won the elections this year, the article had stirred up a few rumors that were hard to dismiss.

"You almost cost us our spots in the Student Council," Kyouya commented.

Anzu sighed. "I didn't write the article. I took the picture. It wasn't even a good picture, but the Newspaper Club wanted me to give them all the photos I had taken, so I did. I'm sorry if that caused you any problems, because I honestly didn't mean to. I'm willing to make it up to you."

The laughter stopped as everyone waited for Tamaki and Kyouya's response. Tamaki had on a poker face as he asked, "You sincerely didn't mean to cause any harm?"

"Sincerely."

"And you sincerely regret taking the picture?"

"Well-" Kaoru elbowed her, shaking his head, and Anzu got the message. "Very much so," she lied smoothly.

"And you're sincere when you say you're willing to make it up?"

"I'd go so far as to say genuine."

Now it was Kyouya's turn to talk business. "Then I do happen to have one way in which you could make it up. It will involve a little work, and quite a bit of snooping, but I'm sure the others will be willing to help as well. Are you in?"

Anzu thought for a moment. "What do you have in mind?" Her nervousness seemed to have disappeared, and Kaoru assumed it was because she had only been afraid of their reaction. Now that she knew she could deal with it, Anzu was back to her normal self.

"We're taking down the Newspaper Club. They've written one too many lies about the Student Council."

"But they pay me."

"But do they know where you live?"

"…I'm in."

And Kaoru got the feeling they were all in for one very entertaining ride. And maybe second chances weren't as bad as he thought they were.

When Kyouya knows where you live, "no" isn't an option.

This is a relatively short chapter, but I feel like it's better this way. Anywhoozles, next chapter will be Hikaru's exciting Tuesday adventures, complete with Aoi freaking out. Fun stuff.

Also, I'm interested in knowing what you guys thought Anzu's secret was, and what would happen. Hopefully I managed to surprise you guys enough with a new subplot (I guess you can call it) about taking down the Newspaper Club. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns?

I would also like to take this time to thank every single person who has reviewed. Seriously, guys. I didn't even notice, but I've already received 60 reviews, which makes me happier than a Hunny in a candy and cake shop. Just know that while I may not always have the time to reply to every review, I do read what you guys have to say, and honestly, it keeps my motivation to keep the story going really high. Keep being awesome, you awesome people you.

Edit: To clarify, the secret Anzu was going to tell Kaoru was that she was the one who had taken the embarrassing photo of Tamaki, and so Tamaki and Kyouya already knew and dislike her.

Until next time, read and enjoy!