Cookies to everyone who guessed that Nakatsu Shuichi is from Hana Kimi, cause you guys are absolutely right! I luff the guy, and I couldn't resist adding him here. xD

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Watching her expression melt from gratitude to confusion when he told her his name, Nakatsu couldn't stop the more then amused smile from turning his smirk down slightly, before indicating his offered hand again, chuckling when she seem to realize his hand, and took the offered gesture in her own pair of dainty hands, her gold eyes sparkling with sincerity as she introduced herself. "Sohma Yukie, class 2-A. Yoroshiku." And then she trailed off, her head cocking to the left side, before the girl questioned. "I haven't seen you around though…"

Hearing her query, Nakatsu laughed, and rubbed his head of caramel brown locks, before replying. "Lets just say, I don't like to be in the spotlight much." He explained, which was true. Nakatsu was not at all comfortable with attention. And despite the fact that it was hard not to get attention, since he attended Ouran High School, only one of the most prestigious and richest high schools around Japan, he still preferred to stay out of the limelight, in school especially.

"Ah. Wagata." Yukie replied, nodding her head. Kyouya would definitely know who he is, but since he isn't around… I guess making an extra friend wouldn't hurt. Yukie thought, when she heard his explanation, and immediately smiled up at him once she worked things out with herself. "Well, thanks for helping me earlier. Though I frankly have no idea why they just did that." The girl said, thanking the elder boy again, a gesture Nakatsu waved off the moment he heard her words. "Its nothing. But I think I better walk you to your class. No sense in risking another attack, now do we?" he offered good-naturedly, but truth was, Nakatsu knew what those girls wanted. After all, the rumors of Ootori Kyouya and this gold haired maiden's story had spread like wildfire over the past week. He'd have to be living under a rock not to know.

But then again, Yukie's charming, naturally friendly personality made it hard for Nakatsu to resist the natural instinct to want to make sure no harm comes her way after all. Watching her chattering animatedly by his side as they walked towards her class, Nakatsu could guess why someone like Ootori Kyouya would like her. She was a naturally likable person, and her immense naivety just brought out the protective side in most guys, if not all.

"Nakatsu-senpai?"

"Oh! Sorry, I spaced off." Nakatsu looked down when he realized he was starting to go off in his own world. "What is it?"

"We're at my class already. Thanks for walking me here." Yukie replied, smiling up at him. The girl was curious about her new friend, that was for sure, but she'd wait till Kyouya got back before she questioned him about Nakatsu. Besides, he didn't seem all that bad. "I'll come and pick you up after class? We'll have lunch together." Nakatsu suggested with a mischievous wink, a gesture that brought a giggle to surface from Yukie, before she nodded, agreeing, and retreated back to her class.

-x-x-x-

"Demo, Nakatsu-senpai, why haven't I seen you around before?"

They were sitting in the middle of the lunch hall, both with their respective lunches in front of them, Yukie having exhausted her supply of conversational topics, before finally jumping back to a question she had asked earlier before, when Nakatsu had first came to her rescue. At her question, Nakatsu rubbed his head sheepishly, as if contemplating his answer, before finally responding.

"Ano… Lets just say I don't particularly like to thrust myself in the spotlight, and leave it at that?" he tried, repeating his earlier reply to his query. Yukie gave him a raised brow, as if questioning his reason for that, but left it at that, and bent down to take a bite of her lasagna. Truth be told, Nakatsu just didn't feel like telling her that his father was the CEO of the most successful sportswear selling stores around Japan, and he was already in the limelight more often then he liked.

"Would you mind explaining to me the reason why this morning's incident happened? I've heard enough to know that you're practically on every girl's hitlist in school, but I've never found out a reason for it." Nakatsu asked, after a lull for a few seconds, his black eyes flickered up to Yukie, who pursed her lips in thought, before she shrugged. "I don't really know. Though I guess it has something to do with Kyouya-icchi."

"Kyouya-icchi?'

"Ootori Kyouya. My… er, I guess you could call him my boyfriend."

"Oh, the Ootori Kyouya, third son of the second most riches man in Tokyo, and Japan?"

Yukie nodded, before continuing. "And the vice-president of Ouran's Host Club. Never head of it before?" she asked, a little surprised at the idea. Nakatsu blinked for a second, and then suddenly remembered the Host Club of which all females in the school were enamored over. His brows raised, and he looked at Yukie wordlessly for a second, before asking, "And they're out for your blood because of that?"

Again, Yukie shrugged, before replying. "Girls are bloodthirsty animals, you didn't know?" Nakatsu went silent, giving some thought to her words, and then nodded in agreement. "Point taken. I'll walk you to your class later too."

-x-x-x

"Ochuujin-sama, we're here."

Looking out of his car, Kyouya couldn't stop the little smile that curled his lips upwards when he saw the familiar, pristine building that was Ouran High, just as the bell toiled in the distance, a sign he knew signaled the end of lunch break, and time for students to head back to school. Perfect timing. He'd get to walk Yukie back to class then. It was just as well that the last president he was supposed to be meeting in Hokkaido pulled out at the last second because he fell ill quite suddenly. Kyouya was able to return to Tokyo half a day earlier then expected.

"Thank you, Hisama-san. You can return back to the Ootori Mansion now. I'll call for you after school."

And with that, Kyouya closed the door to his limo, and adjusted his glasses, before stepping in to school, his feet quickly carrying him towards the main entrance, before the tall, third son to the Ootori Empire directed his way towards the lunch hall, where multitudes of feet could be heard exiting from. Its amazing how someone could have this much of an effect on Kyouya, and he would die before he ever admitted it, but for the two days he was away, the dark haired second year student had missed Yukie. Terribly, even. Without her constant, easy-going chatter, and her familiar, playful twinkling gold eyes, Kyouya was just that more irritable and that much more impatient, and he was sure he lashed out at anyone who dared to cross his way.

His feet ate up the pathway as he walked deftly and swiftly along the hall, his gray eyes searching the crowd that poured out from the doors immediately as soon as he reached the exit of the lunch hall, eager to pick up the gold head he had came to know so well, but what he saw was definitely not something he expected. His Yukie was talking a guy he recognized to be the son of the biggest sportswear chain owner. His Yukie was walking next to him, looking for the world as if he was her best friend. His Yukie was standing way to close to the guy he had came to identify as Nakatsu Shuichi.

He was going to make sure the bamboozling idiot never stepped foot in his father's office without disgracing himself ever again.

Kyouya's eyes narrowed as he watched the gold head of Nakatsu Shuichi bending close towards Yukie, as if he couldn't hear what she was saying, and suddenly, Kyouya had the oddest notion of wanting to tear the head off of his neck completely, a notion he had no idea of identifying at all. His gray eyes narrowed, as he contemplated on either draining his daily supply of cash, or ensuring no business for his father's chains of sportswear boutique for the next two weeks, but before he could make a decision, the shout of "Kyouya-icchi!" from a voice he had minted, coined and stored away in his mind registered, barely a second before he felt Yukie's arms around his waist, a welcome distraction from the murderous thoughts going around in his head, as he looked down to confirm that it indeed was his Yukie, before returning the favor.

Not that it lasted long. With about a million of different murderous gazes directed at the current scene, Kyouya was quick to release his hold around Yukie's shoulders, and pry her fingers away from his waist. But that didn't mean he was about to hand her off to Nakatsu Shuichi, who coincidently, was standing in front of them, with a very weird look in his dark eyes.

"Kyouya-icchi! I thought you weren't due back till tomorrow?"

Her voice brought his gaze down again, to where he stood barely around the height of his shoulder, his lips curving in to a smile again at the sight of her vibrant features, before he continued to reply. "I finished my work early, and decided to come back." He paused, and then turned to look up at Nakatsu again, meeting his cold, gray eyes with the pair of curious gaze, and feigned ignorance, asked Yukie. "Who is this? And where's Hunny and Mori-senpai? I thought I asked them to accompany you."

"Hunny-senpai fell sick. Their both at home." She replied, and then slipped out from Kyouya's side, before walking towards Nakatsu, and smiled up at him, before introducing. "This is Nakatsu Shuichi, Kyouya-icchi. I'm surprised you don't know him."

"No, I do. It just took me awhile to recollect." Kyouya responded, his tone cool and clipped as he looked at Nakatsu, taking the extended hand, his offer of a handshake was merely a show for the crowds, before Kyouya resumed possession of his hand, his eyes never leaving Nakatsu as he sized the other guy up, and asked. "Yukie, how did you meet him?"

"Oh! Nakatsu-senpai saved me from a rather odd situation this morning."

"Odd situation?"

"A couple of girls ambushed her in a corridor, and threatened her." This time, Nakatsu replied, his tone curt and straight to the point as he spoke. But this time, his words proved of no interest to Kyouya, whom attention quickly shifted to Yukie, his gray eyes scanning her quickly from toe to top, before questioning. "Are you alright?" Silly girl. That's why I told you to stay with Hunny-senpai.

Yukie shook her head, and smiled up at Kyouya. "Daijoubu des, Kyouyachi. Nakatsu-senpai came just in time."

He took one last look at her, confirming to himself that she, indeed, was fine, before taking her hand, and pulled her back to his side, and turned up to Nakatsu again. "I thank you for helping Yukie. But I'll be walking her to her class now. Thank you." Kyouya said curtly, bending at his waist to give a short, simple bow of politeness, before starting to walk. The crowd that had gathered part like the Red Sea as he walked past, but he paid no attention, and only concentrated on making sure he didn't put too much pressure in pulling Yukie so she didn't fall, yet got her away fast enough.

"Kyouya! Yammette!"

After a full minute of dragging her, and making sure they were far enough, Kyouya finally realized Yukie had been tugging at his hold the whole time, and finally released his grip on her. Yukie immediately started rubbing the reddened skin where Kyouya had gripped at, before shooting him a perplexed, odd look. "What's the matter Kyouya-icchi? You don't look all too pleased."

"Don't mix too much with that Nakatsu Shuichi."

"Nakatsu-senpai? Nani? He looks perfectly fine, and his been accompanying me all day."

Somehow, Kyouya felt like biting something. Instead, he just bit back the words he felt like spitting out, and grounded out. "Just don't."

"Demo…-"

"Listen to me for once, Yukie, and don't."

Yukie fell silent, looking at Kyouya through large, curious eyes. She didn't understand his reaction. What was he trying to point out? It wasn't as if Nakatsu was about to kidnap her at any given time. If he was, he wouldn't have helped her in the first place. But then again, Yukie never did get the way a man's mind works. It was one thing she hoped she'll never have to unravel, but now, Kyouya was just confusing her.

"I need to get to class."

"I'll come with you." Hell am I going to let that idiot come near you.