"Where did everyone go?" Yuki asked. It was the next day. Yuki exited the lodge with Kyoya and Karen with their suitcases. Everyone else's cars are gone. "Must be real eager to get home…"

"I'd love to take Yuki in my car, however, it's so tiny. I don't have the room…" Karen explained apologetically.

"That's okay. I can call—"

"I'll take her in my car." Kyoya offered.

"Oh, you're just the sweetest! How lucky for you, Yuki! But I'm the luckiest because I'm marrying this sweet man!" Karen babbled. Yuki snorted.

"You obviously haven't known him long enough. This man's heart is cold and black. Pure evil. There's a reason why he's called the Shadow King." Yuki teased. Karen laughed. However, Kyoya was not amused. "Oh, come off it." Yuki playfully nudged Kyoya in the ribs and strolled over to his shiny Audi.

"I'll see you later! Ciao!" Karen kissed Kyoya briefly before happily skipping over to her cute little beetle bug and drove away. Kyoya unlocked the trunk of the car and got the car heated up as Yuki put both of their luggage in the trunk. Reika hopped in the backseat.

"Can I drive?" Yuki asked Kyoya.

"No."

"C'mon. I'm an excellent driver!" Yuki protested.

"I'm sure your driving is as reckless as your behavior."

"Hey! I bet you drive like a freaking turtle because you're such a tight ass about rules and the law." Yuki retorted.

"If I was a tight ass about rules, you'd be in jail by now. Now get in the car." Yuki gasped. He won this one…Yuki got in the passenger seat. "And you'll be cleaning the dog hair out of the backseat when we get back."

"You're not the boss of me." Yuki snapped.

"Remember, I hold your darkest secrets. I can have you deported back to Japan with just a phone call." Kyoya reminded as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Jackass." Yuki muttered.

They sat in silence except for the sound of the GPS back to Boston. It was snowing lightly.

"It's funny. My ex-girlfriend and my fiancé getting along like that." Kyoya finally spoke. Hearing him say "my fiancé" really struck Yuki. But she forced a smile.

"We have the same tastes." Yuki responded. Silence fell again. "Hey. Everything's awkward. And it's my fault because of the way I acted ever since the night at your party. You know, when I professed my love for you and all that jazz. And then there was that time where I was drunk. I probably said some stupid stuff. So, can we just forget all of that ever happened? I want to get rid of this awkwardness and start fresh."

"That's very big of you." Kyoya replied. "But we really don't have much of a choice, do we?"

"I just don't want our friends to get caught in the middle. If they do, I'll be Kip. Honestly, I don't want to be Kip, unless if I have to." Yuki explained.

"Kip?"

"Chandler's old roommate. He dated Monica, and then they broke up and couldn't stand to be in the same room with each other anymore. Everyone promised they would still be his friend, but he got phased out. It'll only be a matter of time before I lift out if this keeps up." Yuki explained.

"Friends is just a TV show."

"I don't care! It's realistic and it's happening. I want to work this out with you, Kyoya. We both moved on, but I was acting so stupid ever since our reunion. Can't we just forget that ever happened? Just forget everything I said in the past week." Yuki pleaded.

"Yes. So, you don't love me anymore?" Kyoya suddenly asked. Yuki pursed her lips.

"Yes. I don't love you anymore." Yuki lied. She loved him so much. She loved him every second of every day. She loved everything about Kyoya, black heart and all. He means the world to her. Yuki was on the verge of tears, but fought them back. He agreed to forget about it. And now, he doesn't have to worry about Yuki still in love with him, right?

"Go home!" Yuki snapped the following day. The members of the former host club and Hazuki had followed Yuki to her dance rehearsal.

"Oh, come on, Yuki!" Tamaki whined.

"We want to watch you dance!" Hunny added. Tamaki, the twins, and Hunny were teary eyed and giving her the puppy dog face. Quite frankly, Yuki was very embarrassed. Today, she was only in a sports bra and running shorts.

"Please? We'll do anything!" The twins begged.

"No!" Yuki stated firmly.

"You let me watch all the time!" Hazuki pointed out.

"How come you let Hazuki but not us? Pleeassseeeee?" Tamaki asked.

"They're fine. They can watch from the observatory." Mrs. Riley assured, motioning to the room connected to the studio. She's Yuki's dance coach. The wall between the two rooms was made of glass, so you can see through it. It was brand new and just put in only a few months ago.

"But then it won't be a surprise when they come to nationals!" Yuki protested.

"We aren't rehearsing for nationals today. Mr. Donaldson has to come to see some of your old dances." Mrs. Riley said. She opened the door to the observatory where the former host club happily strolled in and sat on the long couch inside.

"My old dances?" Yuki asked.

"Yes. He requested a few group numbers and a few solos, but mostly duets. He's here to see you." Mrs. Riley replied.

"Maybe he's another casting director, Yuki!" Hazuki suggested before she scurried inside the observatory and took a seat next to Hikaru.

"Another casting director?" Haruhi asked, arching her eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah. Tons of casting directors come in to see Yuki. She's guest starred on tons of shows and even did two Broadway shows. She's wanted by everyone. Everyone in the performing arts knows the name Yuki Ikeda." Hazuki explained.

"She's very talented. I'm not surprised." Kyoya remarked.

"Unfortunately, she doesn't want to make a career out of it, even though she's already a star." Hazuki sighed. A tall man with a serious face entered the studio.

"Ah! Mr. Donaldson! Thank you for coming. You can take a seat in the observatory in there." Yuki suddenly recognized Mr. Donaldson. He's the Simon of the dance world. And he came to see her? Now, she was worried. She has to impress him! Nobody impresses him! Yuki did hear of the exception of a girl named Sophia, but still! Yuki's starting to get nervous. What if she forgets the dance? What if she screws up?

"Will Yuki be able to remember her old dances?" Kaoru asked Hazuki. Mr. Donaldson took a seat on the couch. It was a very big couch along the entire wall.

"Of course. Yuki has not once forgotten a single dance. Once she learns them, they're burned into her mind." Hazuki answered.

"That's not true. There are several instances of when she was younger she forgot a dance. She mostly improvised, but you can tell for a split second she blanks out. There was one instance, though, that she panicked and ran off the stage because she couldn't improvise." Kyoya explained, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"How do you know?" Hazuki asked.

"Kyo-chan knows everything." Hunny commented.

"I have her old dance videos from her brothers." Kyoya responded.

"Really?! You must show me! I never seen her when she danced as a little girl!" Hazuki insisted.

"Mrs. Riley, where's the team?" Yuki asked.

"They'll be coming later. I want to run your solos now and have everyone take a break." Mrs. Riley answered. Yuki nodded. "Go to the closet and put on your costume for Universe. We'll be starting with that one."

Yuki nodded and obediently changed into the costume and pulled her hair into a tight bun. Yuki applied some make up like lipstick, mascara, and eyeliner, but she didn't do it so excessively like at competitions.

"She looks like a completely different person." Hikaru muttered as Mrs. Riley prepared the music on the speakers and Yuki waited patiently on the side.

"Yuki-chan looks so cute in that frilly pink costume!" Hunny chimed in.

"I like it when Yuki wears make-up. She needs to wear it more often." Kaoru commented.

"Oh? Do I see a little crushy crush?" Hazuki teased Kaoru. Everyone's heads turned towards Kaoru, who turned bright pink.

"You do!? But that'd be incest! She's your sister! Mommy! What do we do?! What do we do!? I'm glad our son has fallen and chosen a wonderful girl and I could even teach him everything there is to relationships and love! I am the greatest expert on it, but it's wrong! Mommy! We have to set our son straight! As the father, I have the role of doing the punishment! But together we must punish our son and teach him that incest is wrong! Very, very wrong!" Tamaki whined.

"Wasn't it Kyoya who set up Tamaki and Haruhi's relationship?" Hazuki asked. Hikaru nodded.

"I-I'm just saying! I don't have a crush on Yuki! That's crazy! She's like my sister! Wouldn't that be weird if you liked your own sister? It's gross and wrong! D-don'tcha think s-she should wear more make-up? She looks very pretty! I was just making a comment!" Kaoru quickly stammered.

"No need to get so defensive, Kaoru. If you say you don't have a crush on her, then you don't." Hazuki smirked. "He so has a crush on her." Hazuki muttered under her breath.

"You got that right." Hikaru agreed.

"Kaoru! You can't love your sister! It's incest! And it'll ruin everything." Tamaki gave Kaoru a look, and Kaoru understood what he meant.

"I told you! I don't like her like that! I could never! She's like a sister!" Kaoru protested. Tamaki opened his mouth to speak, but the music began playing. In the observatory, they can hear it clearly.

Not only did the studio get the observatory, but it also got stage lights and effects. Yuki danced with the lights on her. It was a cheery song. The dance was lyrical, about a girl who has fallen in love with a man. It's the positive, happy side of love. Yuki's expressions were spot on, and she definitely told that story. Yuki looked at one member of the audience, for he was the only one that was in her head during this solo.

Yuki did a fiery, sassy solo called Caliente. Caliente was nearly entirely in Spanish and had elements of multiple Hispanic dance styles. Unfortunately, though, in Caliente, Yuki bobbled her turns. And it was noticeable.

"Can I do Porcelain Doll?" Yuki asked Mrs. Riley when she finished. "That was my best one!"

"I don't have the music on a disc. It was played by a pianist, remember?" Mrs. Riley responded.

"I can play it!"

"You can't play the piano and perform that solo at the same time."

"Oh, right…Do we have the music sheets?"

"Somewhere." Yuki grinned and spun around to the observatory. She waved Tamaki over. Everyone besides Mr. Donaldson cocked their heads to one side. Yuki pointed right at Tamaki and motioned him to come over. Tamaki got up from the couch and entered the studio.

"What's wrong?" Tamaki asked, approaching Yuki and Mrs. Riley.

"You still play the piano like a god, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't say like a god…" Yuki was shocked to hear Tamaki Suoh act modest. But Yuki knew he was still a brilliant piano player.

"Can you play a song for me for my solo?"

"It'd be an honor, my dear." Yuki grinned and rushed out the room. She returned shortly afterwards, pushing a piano inside. Luckily, it was on wheels, but it was still heavy. Tamaki helped her pull it in and push it against the wall. Yuki dashed out the door again.

"What are Yuki-chan and Tama-chan doing?" Hunny asked.

"I think Tamaki's going to play the piano." Haruhi replied.

"She's performing Porcelain Doll. If you remember, that solo had a pianist play. She's having Tamaki play for her solo." Kyoya explained. Yuki returned looking like an actual porcelain doll carrying music sheets. She handed Tamaki the music sheets.

Tamaki sat down on the piano bench. There is a light on the piano for Tamaki to read the music. Mrs. Riley adjusted the lights and Tamaki began to play. Porcelain Doll was a very intense and dark piece about a girl who feels as though she is a porcelain doll. She feels that all she is is a pretty face. Nothing more than everyone's doll. So, she plots revenge to prove she's more than a porcelain doll.

Yuki was very proud of herself for perfecting that solo. Mr. Donaldson was smiling. Yuki tackled Tamaki in a hug.

"We did it! We impressed him! Thank you so much! This was so much fun! Thank you! Thank you!" Yuki squealed.

"It was my pleasure, princess."

"Am I interrupting anything?" Nick asked, entering the studio wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt.

"Perfect timing. Would you mind running your old duets with Yuki?" Mrs. Riley asked as she turned on the studio lights. Tamaki returned to the observatory.

"Not at all. Aren't those your friends from the party? And Hazuki?" Nick asked.

"Yes. My friends followed me here. And Mr. Donaldson is a casting director to check us out. Karen's fiancé is Kyoya. And then there's Tamaki, Haruhi, Kaoru, Hunny, Mori, Hikaru, and Hazuki." Yuki introduced pointing to each one when she said their names. They all waved in the observatory. Yuki and Nick laughed.

"So, what did Tamaki mean when he said Kaoru would ruin everything?" Hazuki whispered to Hikaru.

"We formed a plan to make Kyoya jealous so he can realize that. If he realizes he's jealous that Yuki's with other men, then he'll realize that he loves her and they can get back together." Hikaru explained in a hushed tone.

"That's a great plan!" Hazuki exclaimed quietly. She jumped to her feet and poked her head out the door into the studio. "Hey, Nick!" Nick was warming up as Yuki sat on the side of the room, drinking water and cooling off.

"What's up?" Nick jogged over to her.

"Do me a favor and take off your shirt, 'kay?" Hazuki winked.

"Sure?" Hazuki smirked and skipped back over to her seat. Nick took off his shirt and casted it aside. Everyone's jaw dropped. Yuki's face turned bright red. Nick had a very well toned and muscular body, complete with a six-pack.

"Wha…why…why did you do that?" Yuki stammered.

"Hazuki asked me to." Nick replied. Yuki gave Hazuki a look. Hazuki returned it with a wink.

"Nice." Hikaru high fived Hazuki. "Look, his jaw is clenched." Hazuki giggled. Hikaru glanced at Kaoru and then sighed. "But now that Kaoru has a crush on her…" Hikaru looked away. "Yuki is still obviously in love with Kyoya. They have chemistry, even if Kyoya doesn't see it. He wouldn't intentionally ruin the plan so he can have a chance with her. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a chance unless Yuki gets over Kyoya. This'll be torture."

"Eh? If Kaoru wanted Yuki, why doesn't he try and fight for her?" Hazuki asked.

"Why doesn't Yuki fight for Kyoya?" Hikaru asked Hazuki.

"Its technically game over. Kyoya's already engaged. That's how it is in Yuki's head. Game over." Hazuki answered.

"Yuki's still in love with him. To Kaoru, that's game over. She's single and if he tried, he might be able to win her over. But Kaoru's not a fighter. He's the kind of person that would rather go without to make that person happy." Hikaru explained. Hazuki nodded.

"This'll be rough for him then, huh?"

"You can't even imagine how painful." Hazuki looked at Hikaru. Hikaru looked pretty upset. He kept looking at the ground, unable to meet Hazuki's eyes. She saw him look over at Haruhi, who is as oblivious as ever. And then it clicked in Hazuki's head.

Yuki and Nick did a lot of duets. They did many romance ones. And the romance ones weren't boring or the same at all. They all had a different story, and they clearly performed it. Sometimes Nick would be in love with Yuki, but can't have her. Or they'd have a crush on each other but their too oblivious to show it. Or Yuki would be in love with Nick, but he hates her. The possibilities are endless, really.

And they weren't just limited to romance. Although it was their strongest, they also did friendship and siblings and other stuff like that. Yuki and Nick were great duet partners. That's why Mrs. Riley pairs them together. And Nick doesn't seem to mind because he still has that crush on Yuki.

"Yuki! Nick!" Mrs. Riley waved them over when they finished their final duet. Yuki and Nick jogged over towards their dance coach. "Guys, if this is the best you got, then you're not going to win nationals."

"What do you mean?" Yuki asked.

"I've seen these duets many times. But every single one today lacked the most important element. Chemistry. Before, you two had it. Now, it's gone. For nationals, you're supposed to be in love! Maybe you two haven't been spending enough time together." Mrs. Riley explained. She thought for a moment. "I've decided. Nick, you live in the dorms, right?" Nick nodded. "And Yuki, you live in your own apartment?" Yuki nodded. "From now until nationals, you will be living with Yuki!"

"What!?" Yuki and Nick cried.

"It's not that I don't like you, Nick, but my apartment's a mess!" Yuki wailed. Nick laughed.

"Are you serious? You're freaking out over that?" Nick laughed. "I'm willing to do it for nationals."

"I am too! But at least give me some time to clean it!" Yuki cried. Yuki was a little uncomfortable. She hasn't stayed with a guy since she moved in with Kyoya. Oh, god.

"Then it's settled! Nick, pack your bags! Come back in two hours to perform some groups with the boys!" Mrs. Riley declared.

The girl group came in. They know that Mr. Donaldson is a casting director, but they didn't know he was just there to see Yuki. Yuki actually found it a smart move. It all motivated them to work hard and do their best to impress Mr. Donaldson. If they knew he was just there for Yuki, they probably wouldn't work hard.

Tamaki was bouncing in his seat when the girls' team performed their French number. It was bright, cheery, and entirely in French. Tamaki understood every word, and was in love with that number.

"Oh, God. The jungle number…" Hazuki groaned as the group performed a jungle-themed dance.

"What? I like it. It's very good." Hikaru asked Hazuki.

"It is so freaking inappropriate. They hardly have any clothes on and they dance like freaking pole dancers." Hazuki growled.

"They do not." Hikaru scoffed. "You're exaggerating." Hazuki rolled her eyes.

And then they did a very intense number having to do with cancer and disease. This made almost everyone cry. It hit them right in the feels.

"Have you guys ever lost anyone to a disease?" Hazuki asked quietly. "I lost my grandparents."

"My mother." Kyoya and Haruhi answered in unison. And then they just realized they said that, exchanged looks, and smiled. Suddenly, they heard yelling. Everyone turned their heads towards Yuki, who was arguing with her teammate, Scarlet.

"There they go…" Hazuki sighed.

"Who's that?" Haruhi asked.

"Scarlet. She and Yuki always constantly bicker. Don't mind her. She's a very bitter person, jealous because of how much attention Yuki gets." Hazuki explained. They watched Mrs. Riley pull the pair apart. They couldn't hear what she was saying.

All of the girls, except Yuki, left. Moments later, the boys came in and Yuki danced a couple of group numbers with them. Tamaki, though, wasn't watching them. He was watching Kyoya. Tamaki grinned when he noticed Kyoya's jaw was clenched.