Chapter 2

Kyoya slammed his hand down on the alarm beside is bed. His face was blank as he slowly rose from his bed. Mornings were not good to Kyoya. Groggily, he showered and dressed preparing for another day of school. He tersely walked towards his family dining room and sat down, grabbing a piece of toast and beginning to butter it silently. He would eat breakfast alone again as was his usual custom. Unless it was a holiday his family rarely ate meals together anymore. Occasionally Kyoya shared dinner with his sister. He chewed the toast which was a little dry and began to think about the conversation he had had with Iwate the previous night. Did he have the time or the resources to take on a business venture of his own? He already had school and of course the host club…

He stopped chewing. One thought of the host club and his mind instantly wandered back to Haruhi. The image of her face the night he had her trapped began playing in his mind. He began staring off into space imagining his hands on her wrists. The memory of her skin beneath his fingers was almost too much for him to bear. Kyoya repositioned his glasses on his nose and forced himself to take a drink of water. Pushing his plate away from him he stood up, grabbed his bag and left for school.

School. The actual work didn't prove to be a challenge for Kyoya. However the social aspect was almost too much at times. Kyoya knew everyone at Ouran Academy. He knew whose family was important and whose family only thought they were important. He had enough information to bring down whole empires in his notebook. However this was not his goal. He simply liked to always maintain the upper hand. More often than naught, he did. Before he knew it, classes had ended for the day and it was time to meet with the host club yet again.

Kyoya made his way to the music room. He swung open the door and walked inside, notebook in hand. Being the first one there was not a new concept to him. He looked around, surveying the room's current setup. He had ordered the schools janitors and a few men he hired specifically for the grunt work of the club to put together the room in a Victorian theme. Tamaki had mentioned that he had been interested in giving an English tea party and it Kyoya's idea to suggest a vintage theme. Besides, this allowed him to wear a costume that was a little more to his liking. The room was set up exactly according to the specifications he had given his men. Good. He enjoyed it when everything fell into place. Kyoya busied himself with organizing his papers and files for the day before walking to the door that held the clubs entire costume collection. Today's costumes which were designed by Hitatchiin Yuzuha, hung on a portable rack in the middle of the large closet. The costume consisted of a dark grey suit with a maroon waistcoat a black puff tie and a top hat. Reaching into the pocket of the cutaway jacket, he found a gold pocket watch and fastened it so it lay across his abdomen. After changing into his, Kyoya examined himself in a full length mirror behind the door. He did indeed look to be from another century. The twin's mother was very talented. As he began to plan the clubs itinerary and look over the expected customers the rest of the members slowly began to sift into the room. Tamaki was the last to arrive as usual. Haruhi was by his side.

"Haruhiiiiii you can't be serious! You're not even going to let me see what the dress would look like? No one would know the difference anyways! Besides the bustle wouldn't fit anyone else! Nor would the whale bone corset!"

Tamaki was whining whilst holding onto Haruhi's forearm. Haruhi looked less than moved by his attempts to convince her yet again to wear a dress.

"Tamaki, the words "whale bone" don't exist in my vocabulary. There is no way you'll get me to wear that thing. Besides you guys all get to wear pants. It's not fair that you'd make me wear a dress. That's the end of it." Haruhi smiled at Kyoya as she walked up to him.

"So what's on the schedule today?" She said, cheerfully.

Kyoya tried not to think about Haruhi in a whale bone corset, her bosoms confined in such a way to…

"Kyoya? Are you all right Senpai?"

"Yes, of course" Kyoya said not missing a beat. Cursing himself silently he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with two fingers "Well as you know today is our Victorian themed tea party. Your costumes are all in the closet. Make sure all of your accessories are attached correctly. The tea service will be brought around by the servers at 2. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Senpai" Haruhi grumbled. She walked away towards the costumes and Kyoya watched her as she went. He couldn't help but steal a glance. Without seeming suspicious he returned his gaze to his black book, making notes as he went. He felt a gaze from behind him. Two gazes to be exact. He hated when people read over his shoulder.

"Can I help you two?" He asked dryly.

"No." The twins said in unison. They parted and walked around either side of him until they faced the taller boy, standing shoulder to shoulder. They were almost cat like in the way they moved.

"We just wanted to know if you had fun last weekend." Said Kauru innocently

"We know we did." Hikaru said with a devilish grin.

"And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" Kyoya asked without even looking up from his notes.

"Oh nothing!" They said again in unison and pranced off towards the costumes.

Kyoya suspected that it really was nothing. He didn't allow himself to be goaded into their little games. Every day it was something new. They were always trying to prove that they were one step ahead of the world. They always had the upper hand. Unlike Kyoya they attempted to gain it through trickery rather than preparedness. The only other person who was almost never fooled by them was Haruhi.

After they were all dressed Kyoya surveyed the group silently. Everyone's outfits seemed to match their personalities in some way. Honey was dressed as a news boy wearing knickers and a cap while Morey was dressed as a detective. Both he and Tamaki were dressed as aristocracy and the twins were dressed as motorists, sporting goggles and caps. Haruhi was dressed in a riding outfit. The tight fitting leggings and tapered jacket fit her slight frame marvelously. The pants hugger her body in all the right places. She seemed so fragile. Like a child attempting to masquerade as a grown up. It caused him to stare at her a moment too long.

"Is something the matter with my outfit Senpai?"

Thinking quickly he made up an excuse "Yes. You're wearing your crop on the wrong wrist. The crop should always be held in your right hand."

This of course was a complete lie but there was no way that Haruhi would ever know. She quickly fixed it and straightened her waistcoat. He could feel Tamaki giving him an odd look as he turned about and assumed his position. The servers had all taken their places and small parlor style tables were already set with English style place settings as well as scones and cucumber sandwiches. It was just about time to open the doors and begin seeing guests. Straightening his tie one last time he coughed slightly in his hand, signaling to the doorman to open the doors and low all the waiting ladies to enter and begin their day of chatting, flirting and experiencing thrills they couldn't get elsewhere.

The hosting was continuing as normal. Kyoya had seen 5 or so guests that afternoon and was attempting to do his best not to think of other things. Kyoya didn't recognize the name of his next guest. Her name was Nanami. Hayashi Nanami. To be honest the name didn't ring any bells for him at all which was peculiar for Kyoya. He knew practically everyone who was everyone at Ouran Academy. He put on his most charming smile as the girls began switching hosts. A girl wandered over to his table and sat down. She wasn't particularly special. She had a dark complexion and medium length hair which was half pulled back into a stylish bun. She wore the normal school uniform. So she was a student after all. She extended her hand. Kyoya gracefully swept it up to his lips and gently placed a kiss on her fingers. The girl smiled. There was something strange about her smile. Kyoya sensed an edge of something darker in it. He took a mental note of it and began his act.

The two began to talk about arbitrary things, the weather, classes, and the décor. Kyoya checked his pocket watch.

"That anxious to be rid of me are you?" Nanami asked as a smile played on her lips.

"No no, you misunderstand. I just always like to be aware of the time." Kyoya gave her a full apologetic smile.

"I see. Not fond of being lost? Out of control?" Her eyes seemed to stare directly into him.

"I'm sorry?" Kyoya asked. What was she playing at?

"Oh!" Nanami giggled, her hand over her mouth "You must forgive me. My step father is always telling me I talk too much."

"Nonsense, my lady. I am sure I could never tire of anything that could escape your lips. "With this he gave her a half cocked smile and pushed his glasses up. Kyoya was just giving her what she came for anyways.

"Yes, well he seems to think that this school will teach me a sense of belonging here in Japan. He and my mother just recently married. "

"So you are a new student? If you perhaps need someone to show you around I would be more than obliged. Do not hesitate to ask." Kyoya was laying on the charm a little thicker than usual. It wasn't every day that he met someone he didn't know everything about. At least not at school. "So what does your step father do?"

"He is the chairman of a large pharmaceutical company. You may have heard of him? His name is Iwate Sasake. "Her voice dripped with the innocence of a naive girl. Kyoya had the idea that this was not the case. Not in the least. His mind instantly returned to the conversation he had had with Mr. Iwate the previous night. This girl was obviously here for a reason.

"I see," Kyoya smiled. "I do know of him. He is a partner of my fathers. I have had the pleasure of meeting him quite a few times. Are you enjoying life in Japan? Where do you come from previously?"

"My mother and I moved here from Korea last month. Life in Japan has its opportunities for me I'm sure. The first of which, it seems, is your little school."

"Well I hope you have a fabulous time at Ouran. I also hope you visit us again at the host club. We love to entertain rare beauties such as you." He had to find out more about this girl.

"Oh don't worry Kyoya. I'll be back to check up on you in no time. I believe it's time for us to change hosts. Thank you for spending a little time with me." With that she curtsied, staring Kyoya straight in the eyes, smirking and leaving the room all together.

Her frankness threw Kyoya off guard. It had bordered on the point of rudeness. Could she have been sent here on her step father's wishes? Did she know of the proposal that given Kyoya? He rubbed his chin staring into his empty tea cup deep in thought. His gaze was broken as an eager young woman took the seat across from him. He regained his calm, cool, charming composure and went on with his job.

Kyoya was changing out of his costume when he heard a knock on the changing room door. He opened it, his shirt half on. Haruhi stood on the other side un-phased.

"Can I talk to you Senpai?" She asked

"Haruhi, yes. What is it?" he asked curtly. He pulled his shirt over his other arm and began buttoning it from the bottom.

"Are you ok Senpai? You seem a little…distracted today."

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. It's just, the way that girl was staring at you today. Do you have some sort of history together? "Haruhi asked concern on her face.

"No, why would you say that?" He asked curtly. Haruhi had noticed their interaction? For some reason this bothered Kyoya.

"All right well, if you ever need to talk you've got my number." With that Haruhi left, bag in hand, no doubt heading home for the day.

Kyoya sighed, resting his hand on his forehead. How had he let things come to this? He did not like being toyed with by a girl. He also didn't like the fact that he felt as if Iwate was keeping tabs on him. Letting his anger get the best of him he slammed a fist against the door frame. Running his fingers through his hair he sighed and walked out of the room. He laughed to himself as he thought of Haruhi's offer. What would he say to her? That he was consumed with thoughts of her? That a respected business mogul had asked him to take over one of his father's companies? That would be comical. He imagined Haruhi's face as he confessed his feelings. He imagined that there would be a look of confusion slightly mixed with fear. Perhaps a bit of lust as well? Chuckling to himself he walked out of the third floor music room, the last to leave and flipped off the lights. As he rode in the back seat of one of his father's company cars he stared out the window and contemplated his next move. He would have to change his strategies.