Hanaka returned to school the next morning, elated as humanly possible to be the newest member of the kendo club. Since she had arrived very, very early, Hanaka decided to go to the kendo club room to obtain any new member info. She knocked softly on the door, which she found was unlocked.

"Hello?" she called softly. In the center of the room, a lone black-haired boy was training. At five feet nine inches, the boy was only three inches taller than Hanaka, yet she was a bit intimidated. She was entranced by the way he expertly handled the bamboo shinai sword. The boy, who looked to be a middle-school third year, concentrated on the sword, extremely focused. As he rotated his body to maneuver the shinai, the boy spotted the yellow dress of a high school student. He sheathed the sword and looked up, staring at the girl.

Hanaka felt very scared at that moment. But she needn't be, because…

The boy galloped, yes, galloped towards her and stuck out a hand, grinning.

"HI! I'm Satoshi, the captain of the Ouran Kendo Club! What's up? I'm sorry, I was training and didn't notice you. What's your name?"

Stunned by the torrent of words, Hanaka mumbled out her name, her arm jiggling by the boy's strong armshake.

"Ah! I see. Hanaka Miyano, right? You must be the girl who Taka-oniisma told me about. You want to join the kendo club? That's cool, but are you sure? It's very demanding and difficult. Can you handle it? Actually, you can fence, right? Let me give you a test, okay? I have some fencing swords in the back. It's just so I can make sure that you would be okay in the club. Wouldn't want your pretty face to get hurt."

The boy prattled on and on, but Hanaka thought he was nice. The boy scampered to a closet and returned wearing a fencing uniform, also holding one for her.

"Here. Change into this. Which sword would you prefer?"

"Um, can we duel with sabres? I'm most comfortable with those."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow worriedly.

"Are you sure? Fighting with a sabre requires a lot of speed. Wouldn't you rather use an épée? They're a bit heavier, though… Maybe we should call off the match." Takashi would never forgive Satoshi if he hurt a girl in combat.

Hanaka, however, was a bit irritated now. She had been one of the regional champions back when she trained in Europe. She spoke now, using a louder, more confident voice.

"I think not. I've come all this way. Come on! Afraid of hurting a girl?"

Hanaka then whisked herself away to the changing room, a bit angrily. She quickly stripped down into her underwear and was in the middle of putting on the breeches when she noticed a presence in the room. Slowly she looked up to see an embarrassed Mori looking away. She yelped and jumped behind a locker, breathing heavily. Had he been watching her the whole time?!

Mori was a little freaked out. How could he do something so improper? He had just been changing into his kendo uniform and Hanaka had rushed in and changed. Mori apologized in that low voice of his and exited the changing room, an embarrassed pink across his cheeks.

Hanaka, mortified, changed as fast as she could and ran out to apologize to Mori.

"Mori-senpai! I'm sorry, that was so improper of me. Please forgive me." He nodded, still unable to meet her gaze.

'Oh… I bet he hates me now…' Hanaka thought. Satoshi called to her from across the room and lightly tossed her the sabre, which she expertly caught by the handle. It was as if the sword had been infused with confidence, because Hanaka could feel her insecurities leaving her and strength flooding to her limbs. She looked up to face Satoshi, who grinned at her.

"Taka-onii-sama? Please judge the match!" To which Mori nodded.

The two competitors walked towards each other and shook hands. Then, the duel began. Satoshi, being an A-class student, had been trained well in fencing, and Hanaka did not doubt that his kendo prowess was extensive as well. However, Hanaka was not too bad herself, although she saw a formidable opponent in the middle-schooler. Hanaka deflected many of his attacks and managed to get some in as well. But it soon looked like Satoshi was winning. 'This calls for drastic measures' she thought, and lunged forward with the move called the "flunge," catching Satoshi off his guard. The sabre came into contact with his torso, and Satoshi raised a hand weakly.

"Ah, I see. Taka-onii-sama was right, as always! He's great, isn't he? You can join the club. But I don't know when you should try to train before actually coming to club." Satoshi looked at his brother, who exchanged astonished glances with him. "Please?"

Mori didn't want to work with Hanaka, as he'd already disgraced her improperly. But it was clear that she would be a formidable student. Hanaka looked at him earnestly, anticipating lessons from Mori. She knew her senpai was the national champion, and even though she was extremely embarrassed because of the, er, changing room scene, she knew that if she wanted to gain skill and aptitude, Mori was the person to go to. Mori forced himself to look the girl in the eye and nodded, quickly averting his gaze after. Hanaka had a strong fire in her eye, and Mori felt a little strange to look into those dark brown depths.

"Well, then! Hanaka Miyano, my awesome brother will train you to teach you the basics before your official club intro day. When you're ready, Taka-onii-sama will let me know, okay? You're in good hands. You'll do great! Good luck!" Satoshi earnestly shook Hanaka's hand again and left the go change, as school would begin soon.

A head moved away from the club room window, catching Mori's eye. While Hanaka changed into her school uniform, he went outside, catching a glimpse of another student walking briskly away. He saw no more, but felt somewhat suspicious.

If Mori had seen the window a minute or two earlier, he would have noticed the figure placing a small, black cylinder in the corner of it.

A/N YAY! I think this chapter is a little bit longer than the others. It's okay. OOH! The plot is thickening… Could this be the beginning of a whirlwind romance for Mori and Hanaka? Hehehe. I think they make a cute couple. Wait. Did I describe her appearance yet? If not, I should and I will. Thanks for reading! Please review! (Updates soon… :)