"Toroi! Open the door!"

Oh, God, how did it come to this?

I clenched the cold toilet seat half hoping I wouldn't throw up, and half hoping I would, so the awful nauseating feeling would end already.

I wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the picture itself, really. Kyoya was looking professionally handsome in his tuxedo and bow tie, the diamond ring inside its velvet box was very pretty. Very expensive-looking too. Like something that looked like it came from the same set that Titanic necklace came from.

Then all of the sudden my palms had started sweating and my heart started flipping out and my stomach had felt all funny. So I'd done the only thing I could do standing in the middle of the stairs wearing a lovely kimono with a very lovely man ahead of me holding something very important.

I'd yelled "Excuse me!" and bolted to the closest bathroom (the one next to the living room). I may have had to shove Kyoya out of the way, but really, the way my body had started to react I was sure I'd have puked on him.

Only now I was sitting on the soft bathroom carpet and all I felt was incredibly embarrassed. And terrified.

"I don't think I should go!" I shouted, huddled on the bathroom floor.

I heard a soft click and the door swung open. Hotta stood up, pocketing a few tiny tools, I glared at him- Noel was definitely the last cat I ever rescued for him.

"Hey!" I immediately stood up and straightened my kimono. I was mortified, "Who the hell barges in an occupied bathroom?"

"What do you mean you don't think you should go?" he said, boring those dark grey eyes into my soul. I caught Hotta making a silent retreat back to the car.

I gulped, "Ootori, listen," I said, deflated, "I don't think… we can't do this."

"Do what?" he raised an eyebrow, "This was our agreement, Kotoku. You were the one who insisted we set a date to the wedding and I can't afford it to stretch past the end of the summer-"

I raised a hand, "I can't do this." I bit my lip, it felt ridiculous to be having this conversation next to pink bathroom towels, but then again I felt as if I might throw up any second. "Ootori, I've been so worried until now because everybody hates me that it's only dawned on my now that I saw the… ring." I wrung my hands, "Everyone is going to be there, my dad, my grandmother, your parents, everyone. And I have to look them in the eye and tell them I honestly and happily plan to marry you in four days. I'm going to lie to your mother."

Ooph, definitely going to be sick. Kyoya needs to get out.

As if he had read my mind Kyoya turned around and walked away, he stopped in front of my flower painting. I was a bit relieved because it was easier to breathe the farther he was from me.

Then I asked the question that really bugged me, "What's going to happen when we split and everything gets cancelled? Heck, there are people who are buying us presents. What then?"

He didn't say anything. Just stood there with his back to me and his head down.

I have to admit I felt pretty torn. I didn't know Kyoya for too long but you'd be amazed how much you find out about a person when you're living alone under the same roof with them. He was really hard-working and intelligent. I was sure he could achieve anything he wanted if he set his mind to it. Hell, if the entire Ootori empire ended today, he was the one I put my money on to rebuild it.

Between the two of us, Kyoya had way better fighting chance to get his father's approval than I did mine. And I didn't have two older brothers kissing my dad's ass for more years than I did.

Not that I would ever tell him any of that.

It just made me feel worse because now that he was so close to achieving what he'd been preparing for so long, he'd be set back because I was chickening out of our deal.

But on the other hand, there was Kyoya's sister, Fuyumi, who'd been so nice to me and really expected us to be sisters.

No more Auntie Beebah.

"You're really that confident you can finish your project in four days?" Kyoya's smooth voice interrupted my thoughts so suddenly that I honestly jumped. My foot hurt.

"Y-Yes."

He turned around. His face looked somber. "Then I guess I can speak to my mother about post-poning the wedding. That way we'll have more time to plan our… 'break-up'." He didn't do the quotes with his fingers (because they were in his pockets), but you could totally hear it in his voice.

Since I didn't see anything wrong with this change of plans other than Kyoya's sudden (and unnatural) kindness, all I could do was mumble, "Okay."

Then he walked over to me and said, "I know that you asked me not to touch you, but," he took my right hand, making it all tingly, "you'll have to make an exception tonight." then he raised the ring between his thumb and fore finger, "May I?"

I blinked. If my foot wasn't throbbing I'd say I was dreaming. Not a good dream, you understand, but the real creepy, can't-wake-up, down-the-rabbit-hole dream. Like the time I dreamt I was a duck.

"Well, ahem, I-I guess, since you took the trouble to buy it, I, uh…"

He slipped the ring on my fourth manicured finger.

Perfect fit.

Quack, quack.

"Kotoku?" I realized too late that Kyoya had been saying something.

"Mm?" I couldn't take my eyes off the ring on my finger, it was weird how heavy it felt, I was pretty sure Kyoya was hoisting my hand up rather than just holding it.

"I asked," he said, "if you like it."

What kind of a question was that?

"It's fine, I guess." I forced myself to give a non-challant shrug. It's the most beautiful engagement ring I have ever seen in my entire existence as a woman, is what I wanted to say. But I wouldn't. Not to Kyoya.

"Good." Kyoya said, as if he had just checked something off a list on his head. Then in one swift swoop he took the ring off me and pocketed it.

"Hey!" I protested, finally waking up from under the spell of the ring, "Wha—I said I liked it!"

Kyoya looked amused. What a nerve! Seriously! More than any boy I'd ever met (granted, not many) he's the one that's always popping by my house to laugh at me. The worst bit was that I could feel my cheeks getting all red. Don't ask me why, but I guess the Kyoya-free day may have made me all the more sensitive to his gaze.

"I know. That's why I'm going to give it back to you later when I propose in front of everyone." He said calmly, but his lips twitched like he was holding back laughter.

"Well- I-" I sputtered, my face was burning. He's laughing at me under my own roof! "How the heck am I just supposed to guess that?"

He smiled his small, evil smile. Very distracting. "This is for you to give to me later." He handed me a velvet box. "And this-" he held up a square folded piece of paper, "-is my proposal speech." He gave me a funny look, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Proposal speech? I had to prepare a speech? What kind of party was this?

"Did you write a speech, too?" he asked, his voice still sounding like I was his own private joke.

"Of course I did!" I blurted out. "I, erm, I just have it memorized, you know. And it's very good."

"Really?" he sounded surprised.

"Yes!" I crossed my arms, "I'll bet even you might get a little tear out after you hear it."

"Sounds like you've worked really hard on it." He crossed is arms too.

"Oh, I just wrote what came to me." I said casually.

He raised his eyebrows, "Well, then. I'll make sure to tell my mother. She hadn't included it in her plans."

Shit.

He did it on purpose. I know he did.

I know because he obviously has a sadistic nature. He enjoys seeing me suffer. And I'm not just talking about him making me think I had to write a speech (which resulted in me having to make a speech), or that he gave me a heart attack with the ring popping thing (literally, because something went crazy inside me, aside the guilt). And I'm not even talking about the coming by my house, then saying we're going in different cars.

No.

I'm talking about the limo. A li-mo.

A limousine made sense on my sweet sixteen birthday, when I had all my friends together, and my dad had organized a surprise birthday ball. A limo to go to your engagement party was just cheesy.

Plus, it was messing with my head. I mean, like I said, I really got to know Kyoya those weeks together at the beach house, and I learned to like him. Not like him, like him, of course. That would be stupid. But with all these romantic gestures and his stupid cryptic face I was a little worried my feelings would get carried away with our little plan.

Obviously I didn't LIKE Kyoya. He was a sadistic, manipulative, stubborn control freak.

He'd die alone if he depended on someone liking him.

Still.

I kept the folded piece of paper with his speech unopened. I didn't want to read empty words and start getting stupid ideas. Because I did like Kyoya- as a friend. And by all means, he was going to stay a friend.

Speaking of friends, I was running low on them if I didn't do something fast. Sure, I'd sent apologies by texts, but – weird as it is for a computer geek as yours truly, I felt that it would be more meaningful if I apologized face to face. Which is what I planned to do as soon as I saw them at the party.

If I saw them. They could decide that I just wasn't worth it anymore, they totally could.

After we passed the main gates, where my driver gave our identifications, I was able to see the house all lit up and beautiful. There were flower ornaments in columns on the way to the main entrance, where a lone servant waited for me. He opened the door for me, led me through a beautiful room that had a piano and gestured for me to go outside.

I felt like the cloth under my armpits might start dripping, I was sweating so badly.

You know, I don't actually remember many engagement parties that I've been to. The one that I'm absolutely sure about was my aunt's engagement and I was ten, so my prime focus was stealing sweets without getting caught.

I was so not prepared to what Mrs. Ootori had organized.

Propped up in the middle of the Ootoris backyard was a large and open tent that had flowers and fairy-lights tastefully decorating every square inch, some thick carpet saved all the spiky heel-wearers the torment of sinking their feet on the grass. Tables with long white table cloths were set up strategically with fruit ornaments and drinks. A band was set up too, and a beautiful woman wearing a black dress was singing soft elevator music.

And there were people. A lot of people.

Whom I did not recognize. You'd think that it being my engagement party I'd be sure know somebody.

I felt like I was at the Oscars because everyone was dressed so beautifully. And I didn't see any kimonos.

Correction: I didn't see any kimonos that weren't wrapped around very old women.

Oh my god. Am I in the right place?

I summoned the memory of sweet Fuyumi telling me that it was a very formal arrangement that her mother was putting together, and I tried with all my might to remember if she'd said the word kimono.

Kyoya was supposed to be right behind me, only I guess my driver put the pedal to the metal and now I was here, with all these people in tight circles, speaking to each other and giving me the odd, occasional, why-is-that-girl-wearing-a-kimono-and-who-is-she? look.

Without Kyoya.

"Excuse me." a waiter moved past me briskly, carrying a tray of chocolates. Embarrassed, I moved out of the way and stopped next to one of the flower ornaments. Great, I thought, I'll spend my engagement party as one of the walls.

I looked through the crowd more carefully this time, desperate to find one of my friends, or Grams, or, gosh, even my dad would do.

Then, as if I'd summoned him with my thoughts, I did spot my father. And it was definitely him because he was holding a small plate with selected appetizers.

So, carefully moving away from my sheltering corner, I wove through the crowd and tapped my Dad's shoulder. He stopped mid-chew.

"Risa, what are you doing here?" he asked me after he gulped his half-chewed appetizer. Something I've told him time and time again is bad for digestion. And was really too much. I mean, really. During this whole mess, had there been one conversation with my Dad that didn't start or end with his disapproval?

No, there wasn't. You just can't win with him.

"You're supposed to come with the Ootori boy." He hissed.

"W-Well-" I sputtered at first. what do you expect me to do? Put him on a leash?! "We came in different cars. It's not my fault he's late."

My father just shook his head at me and told me to pull myself together and start acting more ladylike. I was about to explain to him that I was so fed up with having to act all prim and proper that my speech might include claiming my first-born right to inheriting the company, when he changed the subject, "I forgot to tell you about your friend Leonard Green," with effort I remembered about how I'd said that my classmate Leonard was as good as the resumé he'd sent my father, "he's been doing a great job. He even found out that someone's been hacking my e-mail."

Leonard Green was a nosy little bastard.

Then my Dad's mood changed and he popped three entrés in his mouth, "I won't be able to see this through, Risa. The meeting in Paris didn't go all too well, I want to be back there first thing in the morning to renegotiate."

I reached out and patted his arm. Not that I was upset that he wouldn't be there for the whole party, but because without the negotiation in Paris our biggest shot for expanding really was in the hands of an Ootori. In other words, my marriage or my secret project.

That's a lotta pressure for a girl to handle, I'll tell you that.

"Now don't you worry, Risa." My father said, "You're doing great. I've been hearing rumors that you and the Ootori boy have been spending a lot of time together." He smiled, then shrugged, "Some say even too much, but I know my girl." He gave me a look that told me he really thought he did.

Know me, I mean.

While trying to avoid my father's gaze I caught sight of another familiar face in the crowd. "Be back later, Dad." I said as I walked in Chika's direction. She was wearing a sea-blue cocktail dress and was talking to Kaoru.

"Hey, guys." I said, though what came out sounded like a strangled whisper.

Still, they turned to me, looking at me from under their noses. "Hello, Risa-chan." Chika said in an ice-cold voice, "Many congratulations with your engagement."

I blinked.

"May your union bring you many felicitations." Kaoru said.

I felt as if I had been slapped. Did they really want to distance themselves from me so much?

"We must introduce you to Ginto, Risa-chan." Chika said, in a lighter tone.

"Ginto, this is Risa. Risa-chan, Ginto is heir to his father's fruit industry." Kaoru said.

An odd citric smell too over the air, and Chika and Kaoru walked away, "Risa, was it?" I looked up to the young face in front of me. "Are you interested in the fruit industry?"

I had as much interest in the fruit industry as I was in getting married. Which was nil, of course.

But I was still recovering from the backlash of Chika and Kaoru's dismissal, so I nodded and let him drone on about how oranges could cure cancer, or something.

It was like they wanted to avoid any personal conversation with me. They just threw me towards the first person they found.

"…Of course Kyoya could never appreciate this knowledge. He always was a buffoon, even when he was in preschool."

What?

Ginto stopped his monologue and looked at me.

I may have said that out loud.

I cleared my throat, but I felt like a big fat lump had lodged there. "I'm sorry." I said, then not being able to drudge up an excuse, I added, "Excuse me a moment." And walked away.

This needed to be fixed. This needed to be fixed fast. Looking around I managed to spot Izumi. I breathed a sight of relief. Izumi. My oldest friend, she would know. Izumi who looked like a china doll in a yellow kimono and her hair up in two buns. She would listen.

"Izumi?"

She looked at me with a blank face, then gave me a tight smile, "Kotoku-chan," she bowed, "Congratulations on your happy future union."

My heart went tight, Izumi had never called me by my last name, "My what? Izumi, listen, I-"

"Let me introduce you to Suoh-san, he's the chairman of Ouran High School and Academy." Izumi cut through, and gesturing towards some tall man holding a martini glass.

"Miss Kotoku." he said, bowing.

Flustered, I bowed back, when I stood straight Izumi was gone.

"My family has been doing business with the Ootori for as long as I can remember. You are a very lucky woman."

I smiled as best as I could and agreed. Inside I bawling, my great plan of apologizing personally was being severely proven impossible.

I looked up at Tamaki's dad and wondered if it would be weird to casually tell the story about how I met his son. You know, with the volleyball kicked to the head.

"Of course you are also as beautiful as they say." He said in the same tone my Grandpa used to say right before he'd pinch my cheek.

"Thank you." I said, hoping I sounded like someone who was told she was beautiful all the time.

Which I wasn't. Told I was beautiful, I mean.

"Very intriguing this partnership between your families." Mr. Ginto said, "Oil and technology with hospitals and spas. What do you think?"

I know, the possibilities are endless.- is what I didn't say. I learned long ago that 'what do you think, Risa?' is a total trick question, what they really mean is: "What are you supposed to think?"

So I made a funny face, as if thinking was too difficult for me, and shrugged, "Like you said, intriguing."

He looked like he was going to push it further (which would be a first and really bump up my esteem for him), but before he could say anything I felt the big lump in my throat grow larger then snap, and I just couldn't keep up the acting anymore.

"In fact, I think it's a remarkable opportunity for both companies," I hear myself say, "With the Ootoris always pushing technology further for the improvement of their spas, the Kotoku Inc. has the best minds in Japan for the creation of these innovations. Not to mention how it enhances the Kotoku's credibility, and-"

I couldn't shut up. I must've laid out dozens of ideas. And the weird bit was that I kept waiting to be interrupted, to be told not to be silly, to be laughed at. Except, it didn't happen.

When I finally managed to stop for breath I couldn't even hear what Mr. Suoh was telling. He didn't look reproachful. Still, to prevent the venting to start over, I said I wanted to get myself a drink.

Instead, I looked around the room searching for my friends. If I could drill into Mr. Suoh's head that a Kotoku-Ootori partnership was a good idea, I had to be able to drill an apology through them. Only, when I approached Mori, the same thing happened. He treated me with distance and introduced me to some important person, and in my hurt I started talking about all my ideas. Then it happened again with Tamaki and Haruhi, and Riko and Hikaru.

I went back to my spot near the flower ornaments to catch some emotional breath. Not only had I been brushed aside by friends I'd been trying to reconcile, but I had also (for the first time in my life) jumped out of my safety zone and actually talked business with business people. And unlike my father, they didn't tell me my ideas were naïve fantasies of a silly girl.

The negative and positive emotions raging inside were almost too much to bear. I looked up to try and find someone I could pin down and properly apologize to. And in the sea of unfamiliar faces I saw someone looking back at me. I blinked and tried to name the face. She was short and had black spiky hair with two chopsticks holding it in place on the back of her head. She kept glancing from me to her iPad, then back again.

She could be a long lost aunt. Goodness knew I wasn't in very good touch with family aside from my father and grandmother.

Heck, she was my mother for all I remembered of her.

The tiny woman made her way towards me, "Hiiiiiii" she said in a high-pitched, friendly tone.

"Hi." I smiled at her, hoping she wouldn't get upset that I had no idea who she is.

"You're Risa, right? The bride?" I nodded, peeking at her iPad where I saw my high school snapshot. My imagination started reeling and I suddenly had a vision where this small but strong woman informed me that she had my friends and family bound and gagged in a safehouse and that if I wanted to ever see them again I'd go quietly and arrange the ransom.

But it was much, much worse than that.

"I'm Gayle, your wedding planner."

I felt as though I'd been punched in the gut. My mouth fell open but I couldn't scream.

"It is so great to finally MEET you!" Gayle smiled gleefully, "I have to say," she leaned forward, "this is the first wedding I plan where I don't talk directly with the bride." She lets out a tinkling laughter like it's the funniest thing that's ever happened to her.

A weak noise escaped my throat. I think it was a whimper.

Gayle finished laughing and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, "Anyway, I'm dying to check on some of my ideas with you. It's terribly rushed, with the wedding being at the end of the month and all, but there's still time for you to choose a few things, like the flowers and the seating arrangements. I always say: if there's one thing a girl wants to do perfectly is-"

"Pee."

I'm afraid that while Miss Gayle had been blabbering I was in an internal panic searching for an excuse to run away, then I just blurted out the first thing that came to me.

Gayle was looking at me strangely.

"I, ahem, need to pee." I amended, "Excuse me, please." Then rushed towards the house.

I was just making my way towards one of the corridors when I crashed into someone. I looked down to find a bundle of angel-blond hair crushed against me, then two blue eyes looked up at me.

"Honey-kun!" I exclaimed.

"*Aaaah! Ri-chan!*" he jumped back, his rejection was the last straw.

"Honey," I said again, feeling my eyes wet, "What's the matter? Why is everyone avoiding me?"

He started stammering and looking back and forth, "*R-Ri-ch-chan… s-s-so … cute… C-can't s-s-say…*"

"Honey-kun, you'll forgive me, won't you?" I said, sniffing.

His shiny, puppy dog eyes looked twice their size. He opened his mouth, then something just behind me caught his eye, and his face transformed into one of adoration.

"Huh?" I looked over my shoulder.

"Kotoku-chan." A girl about my age had just been ushered in, "I am Reiko. I came in the name of my father. Congratulations on your engagement."

"Reiko!" I gasped. For a girlfriend of Honey I have to admit I expected something much different. She was wearing a cute and simple old-fashioned black dress with skull buttons, which matched her black nails with silver French tips, and a red bow tied her hair.

A rush of air blew past me and when I looked back Honey had disappeared, "Honey-kun!"

A soft gasp drew my attention back to Reiko. She looked forlorn, "Kotoku-chan… did you say- Honey-kun?"

"Um…"

"As in Haninozuka?" her eyes were teary.

I nodded.

"Of course." She lowered her eyes and took something from her purse, "He is such good friends with Kyoya-kun, he was sure to come today." she looked up at me, "I'm sorry, Kotoku-chan, but Honey-kun and I broke up a while ago, he was very upset because I decided to attend college abroad. I don't think it's fair of me to make this special evening uncomfortable for anyone."

"Reiko-chan…" I held up a hand to stop her, then took a good look at what she was holding, "Is that a letter?"

She blinked her wet eyes and looked down fondly, "Yes. I wrote it for Honey trying to explain everything. But I never had the courage to post it."

"Is that green ink?"

"It's part of a very special spell." She explained, though the only 'spell' I knew that involved green ink was one I heard back in high school, where if you write a love letter in green the person you write it to falls in love with you. "Kotoku-chan!" she gasped suddenly and grabbed my hand, "Perhaps it is fate that has decided it!" she pressed the letter into my hand, "You must deliver this to Honey-kun, I beg you."

"Reiko-chan," I hesitated, knowing I was crazy, "Do you still love Honey-kun?"

Her cheeks looked like two red spots on her face, she blinked and a tear rolled over. She nodded.

"Then I think fate actually wants you to give this letter to Honey-kun." With my other hand I pressed the letter into her hand. She hesitated, gripping the letter tightly, so I added, "I also think that your green ink spell will work a lot better if you do." I winked at her.

She blushed even deeper and gave a nervous, but determined nod. "Thank you, Kotoku-chan."

I smiled after her as she disappeared in the crowd, a happy feeling blossoming inside me.

"There you are!" I froze at the sound of Gayle's voice, I peeked over my shoulder and sure enough, there she was, with a cell phone glued to her ear, "Quick question, I've got the cook here, I need to know if we can squeeze in a tasting before the wedding."

There's never a paper bag when you need one.

I'd darted to the first room I found and was curled up in a ball with my back against the wall.

The one positive thing that happened was Honey and Reiko meeting (she never did answer my e-mail), other than that it was all in flames. Especially my foot. All that running this way and that had done a number on it.

I felt something wet fall on my cheek. Thank goodness Sakugawa thought of putting water-proof make-up.

The door next to me suddenly opened. I screamed. Then I saw it was Kyoya.

"What the hell?" he said, still frozen in his frightened position.

"I'll say 'what the hell'" I blurted, hastily wiping away my tears, "Don't you knock?"

"This is my room." He closed the door.

Ah.

"W-well… Still." I said stubbornly.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, "Everyone is looking for you outside."

"Not everyone." I grumbled, thinking of Chika and Izumi. "Plus, I'm hiding from our wedding planner."

"Really?" he asked, "But she's so nice."

"Ha-ha."

"On psycho standards, of course." He added casually.

Our eyes met and we started laughing.

"No, really." He said, leaning against the wall, "I don't know what we'll do if she stays until the end of the party. She just asked me who I wanted for best man."

"That's definitely Tamaki-kun." I said without thinking. Then, gasping, added, "That is, if we were getting married. Which we're not." My face was burning, "Obviously, right?"

Kyoya didn't answer, instead he said, "Aren't you going to get up?"

I wriggled my toes to check if my foot pain was bearable. "Not just yet."

He sighed then scoot down next to me. My heart beat faster at the proximity, I gulped.

"We'll need to do our speeches soon." He said.

I nodded, taking in his strong chin, smooth skin, thunder-storm grey eyes and hair. Hair I suddenly felt like running my fingers through.

"We can do this. We can both make it through this." He said, a weird look in his eye, which was suddenly focused on me, "You trust me, don't you? You know I can pull both of us out of this, right?"

The intensity of his gaze was more than I could bare, I could barely think straight. So I nodded and it seemed to seemed to settle him. Enough that a few moments later he was calling me toroi again and hoisting me up, saying how I'd better have my speech ready.

I was too dazed to slap him.

Of course I trusted Kyoya. Wholeheartedly.

Kyoya's mother is a beautiful middle-aged woman with eyes like steel. When she'd looked at me I felt as though my every pore was being taken into account and labeled.

I knew I shouldn't have worn the purple eyeliner.

"It is an honor to meet you, Mrs. Ootori." I said, bowing nervously.

"I am pleased to meet you, too, Miss Kotoku." She said in an almost bored voice. I opened my mouth to compliment her home, but she had already dismissed me. She turned to Kyoya, "It's time for the toast, Kyoya. Are you sure you're ready?" there seemed to be so many underlying questions in her tone that I wouldn't have been surprised if Kyoya had answered 42.

But he just gave a distracted yeah that made her purse her lips.

Then, after Mrs. Ootori had scrutinized me up and down, she led the way to the small stage where the singer in the black dress stepped down, and my mother-in-law-hopefully-not-to-be announced that the exchanging of rings would begin. All in all, she gave me as much attention as she would have given to a fruit fly.

Now here I was standing in front of at least a hundred people, having to make some speech about how much I loved Kyoya and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

There is one tiny detail about myself I may have left out.

I have a bit of stage-fright.

"Uh… um…I-" I heard my stammering being heightened and echoed over the guests. Everyone was staring and murmuring to each other. I felt as though slugs were slipping down my back.

I gripped the velvet box with Kyoya's ring in it. All I had to do was say some "Roses are red"-whatever and put the ring in his finger. I took a deep breath and heard it amplified by the speakers. I gulped, then the crowd sort of went out of focus and I started to see only a few people, Chika, Izumi, Hikaru, Tamaki, Reiko and Honey, Riko, Haruhi, Kaoru, Mori. I remembered the cold way they'd started treating me. The big fat lump in my throat came back bigger and fatter.

Then everything got very blurry, and I knew I would start bawling up there if I didn't start talking fast.

"Maybe I should start with the speeches." Kyoya said softly into the microphone. But before he drew breath, I grabbed the mike and yelled in a strangled, teary voice:

"GOMENASAI!"

My ears started ringing. I opened my eyes, breathless. Everyone was staring at me in shock, some of them with their hands pressed against their ears.

"I… I'm sorry." I said again, softly. My palms were sweating, "Sorry."

"For heaven's sake! For what, girl?" A brawny older woman upfront said, wringing a finger inside her ear.

"I… I didn't prepare a speech." I said lamely. The woman rolled her eyes. I licked my dry lips, "You see, I'm not very good at writing. Not at all. My friend Yuriko-chan is the one who always helped me with my English homework. She says I have great ideas but terrible writing. I can't put them on paper." People stared back at me blankly, I was full-on crying. "I've been blessed with great friends. The best there are. Izumi, Chika, Riko, you've stood up for me when no one else would, and you girls became my world, my sisters. And lately—" I glanced at Kyoya, "My world has… grown."

I gulped, "I'm not very good with change. I'm worse at it than I am with writing, heh. And when I'm nervous I say things without thinking, and I can hurt the people I care most about because—because I'm so scared of losing them. But this change was good." I smiled, looking at Tamaki and Kaoru and Haruhi, and all of Ouran High School Host Club except their VP who was standing next to me. "I have more people in my world now. People who are incredible and perfect." I wiped away my tears, "I may not know you for so long… but, the truth is, I love you already."

A sort of stunned silence carried on for a bit. Then Tamaki's voice flew over the crowd, "That was beautiful, Risa-chan!" he had his arms open dramatically and tears in his eyes. A nervous sort of giggle escaped my throat as I watched the people I'd made my proposal speech to, clap and cheer.

"Yeah! Risa-chan!" roared Chika, then putting two fingers in her mouth and letting out a loud whistle.

"Ahem." I was surprised to see Kyoya take over the microphone. "We're not quite done yet." He told Tamaki. Then he looked at me like there wasn't a whole bunch of people staring at us, "Risa Kotoku, as your world grew since we've met, so has mine." My face grew hot, he gently picked up my left hand, "And I have had the honor of meeting the sweetest, cleverest, most thoughtful and interesting woman in the world." He blinked and took the big blue ring from its box and slid it on my ring finger, "A greater honor than that is be to marry you, and with this ring... that's exactly what I intend to do."

He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.

About five thousand volts of electricity coursed through every tiny fiber of my body, making me feel every hair on my body stand up on red alert. I couldn't even think.

I really hope my mouth wasn't hanging open.

The sound of applause brought me back to reality, I gingerly took my hand back and managed to put his ring on without touching him so much. People were still applauding. Glasses were raised, drinks were drunk, and really my head was still spinning so fast I didn't stop feeling like I was going to jump out of my skin until we got off stage and Riko wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me down to her height.

"You dummy!"

Which I think was a little hurtful for such a touching moment, but then I didn't care, my heart was bursting with warm joy that I was once again surrounded by all the lovely people I'd met and that they were also happy to be with me.

"It's just an idea we had for you to practice talking about your business ideas." Riko said discreetly.

"Yeah, man, you only ever talk with us when you go to parties." Chika said trying to get a piece of chicken from between her teeth with her fingernail.

"We're so proud of you Risa!" Tamaki spread his arms and smiled at me.

I hugged every single one of them, holding them tightly and laughing at the crazy situation. I mean, here I was at my engagement party and we were all worried about business. But I was also holding on to them tightly because I felt completely light and every muscle had turned into jelly, I felt like gravity turned itself off just for me and if I wanted I turn into air.

The one, solid thing keeping me centered was the kiss Kyoya had laid on my finger, and it burned.