Ya'll are amazing, you know that? This story has been up for less than a month, and it already has 14 favorites and 10 followers. I can't say thank you enough. So, in place of that, here is Chapter 2! I hope you guys like it!

Chapter II

Kea sighed as she watched the Host Club interact with their customers. She was hanging out in the back, leaning against a pillar. Her arms were crossed under her chest, her right calf crossed over her left shin. Her book bag lay abandoned at her feet.

'So much for being able to study in peace.' Footsteps sounded behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the Vice-President, Kyoya Ootori, standing behind her. 'And this is the guy Yuzuru said I would be a perfect wife for? I don't know if I should be offended or flattered.'

"Is there something wrong, Miss Kea?" She could hear the smirk in his voice. Kea scoffed, looking back at the crowded room just as Haruhi walked back in. Her arms were laden with grocery bags.

"Oh no. I'm perfectly fine, seeing my friend being treated like a slave. Nope! Everything's good. How 'bout you?" She didn't bother hiding her sarcasm.

"Sarcasm won't get you very far, Kea-san."

"Bite me, Kyoya." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his eyes narrow at the lack of honorific.

"Nor will disrespect."

"Where I'm from, we don't use honorifics. So excuse me if I don't use them as often as you do." Kyoya sighed.

"You do realize you are here of your own free will. You can leave any time."

"I'll leave when you treat Haruhi like a normal human being." Kyoya's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? She's simply serving her station. Just because she's an honor student doesn't mean that she'll get special treatment." Kyoya watched Kea's face. To his surprise, she didn't show any surprise at him knowing Haruhi's true gender. "You don't seem surprised."

"At you knowing Haruhi's really a girl? I noticed you said Mademoiselles, as in plural, at first. You only changed to calling her a boy when no one else caught on." Kea looked at him.

"I know all about you and your family, Kyoya Ootori. I also know you have the school records at your disposal." She smirked, pushing off the pillar. "Which is why nothing on me besides my first name, grade, nationality, and gender is in there." She picked up her bag, walking away. "You won't find me as easy to crack as some. That I promise you."

Kyoya watched her walk away, heading towards the abandoned grand piano in the corner. She set her bag on the ground as she sat on the bench. Crossing her legs, she placed a book on her knee, supported her arm on the key cover, rested her chin in her hand, and began to read. From what he was able to tell, it was in English, not Japanese.

"I always welcome a challenge, Kea. That… I promise you."

*/*\*/*\*

Tamaki looked over his shoulder at Kea. She had retreated to the corner of the room, which just happened to be home to a grand piano that wasn't being used. Pursing his lips in a smirk as an idea came to him, he snapped his fingers. Immediately, Hikaru and Kaoru came up to him. Beckoning them down with a finger, he whispered his plan to them. Nodding, they ran off to Kea.

"What was that about, Tamaki?" The blonde looked at his customer.

"Nothing, my princess. You shouldn't concern yourself with trifling matters." The girls swooned. Kea looked up as two shadows fell over her. The twins were standing over her, looking down at her book.

"Can I help you?"

"What are you reading?" Kea snapped it shut with one hand, making them jump.

"Nothing that concerns you." As she stuck the book back into her bag, she caught them pouting. "What?"

"Why are you being so mean?" the one with his hair split to the right complained.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The one with his hair split to the left huffed, crossing his arms.

"You're just like Kyoya-senpai, you know that?" Kea shrugged, leaning against the piano.

"What of that?"

"Well… we were wondering that…" The first one smirked. "Since you're going to be here for a while, you might as well work." Kea lifted an eyebrow.

"Doing what, exactly?"

"You could be Kyoya's assistant." Kea looked at the one on her left. "You look the part, and we have a spare dress in the back for you. Besides the fact that you two seem to get along really well, and we could use the help in managing our club." Both clasped their hands under their chins, pouting.

"Please?" they chorused. Kea blushed at how close they were to her. She closed her eyes, forcefully turning her head away.

"Does Kyoya consent?" That stopped them.

"Uh… well… this is actually Tamaki's idea."

"What is Tamaki's idea?" The twins sprung to the side, identical mirrored positions as they stared at Kyoya. Kea looked up at the bespectacled Host.

"Evidently Tamaki wants me to be your assistant, and he set these two up to convince me to agree." Kyoya hummed, gripping his chin.

"What do you know about running a Club?"

"My father taught me every type of economic philosophy in order to prepare me for anything." Kyoya smirked.

"Very well then. I shall take you on. Let's go." Kea sighed, getting up.

"Fine. Just don't expect me to bend over backwards for you."

影女王

Kyoya looked up from his notebook to watch Kea. She was typing away at the computer, scanning over the documents. Her glasses rested on the table next to her, which surprised him. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't been wearing her glasses while reading her book either.

Once she had consented, begrudgingly he had noticed, to being his assistant, the twins had dragged her into the back to change. Both had come back with bruises on their backs in the exact shape of Kea's shoes. Kyoya didn't doubt them from her kicking them out of the dressing room. He smirked to himself as he looked over her form from the corner of his eye.

It was a similar style to the uniforms of the girls, but the same color as the uniforms of the males. He had put in the request just in case they ever had a Hostess join. Of course, he had only done it to pacify Tamaki, so he hadn't thought it would ever be used. He was genuinely surprised at how well it fit her.

The sleeves the same length as the girl's uniform. The only difference was the lack of cuffs on the sleeves and neckline. Personally, Kyoya didn't like the cuffs. He found they made the girls look too much like secretaries. The skirt of the dress would have brushed along the floor had she not been wearing her wedges, adding to the originality. The uniforms ordinarily stopped at the knees, showing off the stockings and pumps the female students wore.

Kyoya frowned to himself as he remembered he hadn't actually had enough time to see her walking around to see if the length was appropriate. He made a mental note to check that. Other than that, the color and overall style flattered her, accenting her curves and skin coloring. His eyes widened when he realized that he had been, in essence, 'checking her out'.

"Kyoya." Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Hiding it with a soft hum, he lifted his eyes slightly from his book. Kea wasn't looking at him, instead keeping her eyes on the laptop screen.

"Yes? What is it, Kea-san?"

"Why does the Host Club spend so much money on sweets?" Kyoya sighed, standing up. Walking over, he put a hand on his hip while placing his other on the table so he could look over Kea's shoulder. Keeping one eye on her to gauge her reaction, he looked at the screen.

"Honey-senpai is absolutely obsessed with sweets. Candy, cake, cookies… you name it." Kea hummed, sitting back in the chair. Kyoya was mildly surprised at how comfortable she was with having a male so close to her. If he wanted to, all he had to do to keep her in that chair or touch her was lift a hand.

"He's the short blonde one, right?"

"That is correct."

"And he's a noble too, am I right?"

"You are."

"So why doesn't he have his servants make him stuff, and then bring it to school? That way he could still have his sweets, which I can't think would be healthy, and then you wouldn't have to spend so much money on it." Kyoya's eyes widened slightly.

"Unfortunately, he does bring his own sweets." Kea's head whipped around so she stared at him. This close, Kyoya was able to see the faint strands of brown in her irises. He struggled against the urge to look lower.

"So you're telling me that he eats enough to be costing you that much money… and he still eats sweets at home!?" Kyoya nodded. Kea whistled softly, turning her gaze back to the computer. "That kid must have teeth of steel or something."

"Honey-senpai is actually a third-year student. He's hardly a child."

"Well he sure acts like one." Kea stood, grabbing her glasses. "I'm going to get a drink. Care to join me?"

Figuring it couldn't hurt, Kyoya followed her to the kitchen in the back. It was meant for Host Club members only, but, since she was his assistant for as long as Haruhi was working to pay off her debt, Kea was a member as well. Besides, walking behind her gave him a good view of the length of her skirt. Kea grabbed two glasses from the cabinet, filling both three-quarters of the way with water. Leaving one on the counter, she opened the freezer, filling the rest of her cup with ice.

"Aren't you going to do mine as well?"

"I already told you." She stood, taking a sip. "Don't expect me to bend over backwards for you. Besides…" She handed him the glass as she walked out. "I didn't know whether or not you liked ice in it." Kyoya watched her leave, sitting back down at the computer.

"That's an interesting notion, Kea-san."

影女王

Kea sighed, sitting back in the chair. She had been typing away at the computer for an hour now. Turns out, most of the money the Host Club made went towards Honey's massive intake of sweets. She shook her head, looking over her shoulder at the small teen that was rolling around on one of the couches in between two girls.

"What does he do with all that sugar?"

"Who? Honey-senpai?" Kea started, whirling to face one of the twins. From the parting of his hair and his voice, she knew he was Hikaru. He shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Haven't you ever tried to convince him to eat less?" Kea lifted an eyebrow at how quickly Hikaru's entire body paled. "What?"

"Do you know anything about Honey-senpai?!" he whispered.

"Nope."

"Well, for starters, Honey isn't his real name." Kea looked over her left shoulder, mentally cursing at how careless she had been to allow two people to sneak up on her.

"Then what is his real name?" Kaoru smiled. He exchanged a glance with his brother. "What is it now?"

"We'll tell you…" both leaned over her. "If you agree to be our new toy." Kea scoffed, swiftly pushing back her chair. Both stumbled back.

"I'll pass." Kea walked out of the Host Club. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone clearly not Haruhi carrying Haruhi's bag. Narrowing her eyes, Kea shadowed the person.

It ended up being one of Tamaki's customers, a redhead that had insulted Haruhi. Kea's eyes narrowed further. Reaching inside her dress, she brought out her phone from where she had placed it on her chest. Unlocking it, she wasted no time in opening the camera. Snapping a burst of pictures, she captured the moment that Haruhi's bag was thrown out.

"Gotcha."

*/*\*/*\*

Kyoya watched as Kea walked back in. He had noticed Princess Ayanokouji walking out earlier, and Kea following thirty seconds after. He knew it wasn't a coincidence when Kea came back, sat down at the table, and began typing as if nothing happened. And he intended to find out just why Kea had followed the redhead.

Turns out, he didn't have to wait long.

As he watched Kea, he noticed her plug her phone into the laptop. Knowing her disposition, Kyoya knew that if he tried to approach her, she would notice. Instead, he entertained his customers. He had just finished when Kea walked over to him, holding a couple documents.

"I printed out the graphs you wanted." She dropped them on his notebook. He smiled at her.

"Thank you, Kea-san." She nodded, dragging her fingertips across the pages as she turned around to leave. When he looked down to straighten them, he noticed two corners. Each was separate from the other. Curiosity peaked, Kyoya removed the first document. His eyes widened behind his glasses.

'So this is what she was doing with her phone. Downloading pictures!' There were three. The first was of Ayanokouji taking Haruhi's bag. The second was her throwing the bag outside the window. The third was of Haruhi's bag and its contents floating in the pond outside.

Kyoya looked up in time to see Kea duck into the back. He smiled to himself. Replacing the paper over the pictures, he walked to the back as well. Kea was waiting for him, her arms crossed as she leaned against the counter.

"So this is why you left, huh?" Kea nodded.

"Thought you might want to add that to your knowledge about her."

"Do you know anything about her?" Kea shook her head.

"Nope, and I don't care to." Kyoya snickered. "What?" He shook his head.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing if you're laughing." Kyoya pushed up his glasses, hiding his smirk.

"Just that I might actually like having you around as my assistant." His eyes opened slightly to see Kea's naturally pink cheeks red. "You know… the embarrassed look looks good on you."

"Oh shut up." Kea stalked out of the back. "You're just full of yourself." Kyoya laughed to himself, watching her leave.

"Naturally."

影女王

Kea stood in the shadows of the pillar, watching Ayanokouji. It was Haruhi's second day as a host, the third since she broke the vase. To everyone's surprise, Ayanokouji had requested her today instead of Tamaki. Kea had immediately sensed something wasn't right. So, instead of assisting Kyoya, she was shadowing Ayanokouji. What was odd, was that the others seemed to be just on edge as her.

'And here I had them all pinned as idiots. Except Kyoya and Takashi of course. Maybe Mitsukuni. I've got a feeling that that kid is a classic 'more-than-meets-the-eye' situation.' Kea's eyes narrowed as she caught Haruhi's words.

"You're jealous of me." Recognizing the look in Ayanokouji's eyes, Kea sprang out from behind the pillar. Catching Ayanokouji's chair with one hand, she stuck a foot behind a leg and stabilized the table with her other hand. Everyone jumped up, looking at Kea in shock.

"Wha… who are you!?" Ayanokouji demanded. Kea smiled sweetly, straightening. She didn't let go of the chair however.

"Oh, just the assistant manager." The redhead's eyes widened. "But aside from that, are you alright Princess?"

"What?"

"I noticed your chair being moved back rather violently. Also, the table started tipping towards you." Kea closed her eyes, smiling. "I'm sure you'll forgive me for just jumping out at you like that. I just couldn't bear the thought of one of our customers potentially getting hurt." Ayanokouji narrowed her eyes.

"It was no accident." She tried to stand, but found herself unable to push the chair back. Realizing Kea was still holding it, she pointed a finger at Haruhi. "He tried to molest me!" Everything became dead quiet. Tamaki walked over, a surprisingly serious expression clouding his face. Kea backed off, allowing Ayanokouji to stand.

"Do something, Tamaki. Haruhi just tried to assault me, and your stupid assistant manager is defending him!" Kea narrowed her eyes at the girl. When a hand gently rested on her shoulder, she looked up in surprise to see Kyoya standing right behind her. Another hand rested on her opposite shoulder, this one belonging to Takashi.

"I'm disappointed in you." Tamaki's voice wasn't addressing Haruhi. "You threw his bag into the pond, didn't you?"

"You don't know that! Do you have any proof that I did?" Kea opened her mouth, but a slight squeeze from both Kyoya and Takashi told her to stay quiet. She begrudgingly shut her mouth, biting her tongue.

"You know, you're a beautiful girl. But you aren't classy enough to be our guest, dear." Kea's eyes widened. "If there's one thing I know…" Tamaki's eyes hardened. "Haruhi is not that kind of a man." Ayanokouji teared up.

"Why Tamaki?" She pushed passed him, crying. "You idiot!" Everyone watched her leave. Feeling the mood ruined, the other girls dispersed as well, leaving just the Host Club.

"Well then." Kyoya took his hand off of Kea's shoulder. Takashi did as well, albeit much more reluctantly. "I think it's time we let the cat out of the bag, don't you Kea-san?" She looked up at him, slightly confused. "Well… it seems Tamaki is still in the dark about Haruhi." Her eyes widened, before she smirked.

"Right." Walking over, she helped Haruhi up. "By the way, are you alright, Haruhi? The table didn't hit you, did it?" The short-haired brunette shook her head.

"No, but some tea did spill on my jacket." Kea looked down. Sure enough, there was a dark splotch on the right side of Haruhi's uniform. Kyoya appeared, holding a bag.

"This is the only spare uniform we have. Sorry, but it's better than a stained one, right?" Haruhi took the bag, looking inside.

"Thanks you guys. I'm going to go change." She walked in the back. The others followed her, Kyoya and Kea exchanging a soft low-five as they passed each other. Takashi and Mitsukuni, who saw, looked at each other, smirking. They stood off to the side as Tamaki grabbed some towels, walking towards the changing room.

"Haruhi! Here you go." He opened the curtain. "I brought you some towels." Haruhi had just taken off her shirt, leaving her in a camisole. The curtain fell from Tamaki's hand.

Finally… the last lightbulb went turned on.

"Haruhi?"

"Yeah?"

"So… you're a girl?" Kea bit her lip, trying to not burst out laughing. Kyoya pushed up his glasses, hiding his amusement as well.

"Biologically speaking, yeah." Haruhi opened the curtain, now dressed in the uniform of a girl. Tamaki freaked out, fervently scratching his head with both of his hands and screaming. Kea turned away, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Listen Senpai. I don't really care if you guys recognize me as a boy or a girl. In my opinion it's more important for someone to be recognized for who they are rather than what sex they are."

Kea regained control of herself, standing next to Kyoya. He crossed his arms, one of his hands brushing her arm. She didn't let on that she knew he did that. In doing so, he kept the contact with his fingers.

"Well isn't this an interesting development." Kyoya stated like he was observing the weather. Kea just smiled.

"Oh yeah." The twins chorused. They had been the third and fourth to figure out Haruhi's true gender. Mitsukuni was the second, having figured it out when he offered her his bunny, Usa-chan. Takashi placed at fifth, finding out when he had lifted her from Tamaki's grasp after he had started whirling her around. Kyoya and Kea had known from the start, Kea just being able to tell upon looking at her, and Kyoya because he had the school archives at his disposal.

"Uh, I have to say Senpai." Kea watched Haruhi as she tried to get Tamaki to stop freaking out. "I thought you were pretty cool earlier." The affect was instantaneous. The blonde went from shocked to beet red. He backed up, a hand over his face. Kyoya snickered as he leaned down to whisper in Kea's ear.

"Now I could be wrong but I think we may be witnessing the beginnings of love here." He grunted in pain when her elbow dug into his side.

"Oh shut up Mr. Superior-Than-Thou." Kyoya lifted an eyebrow, not understanding the reference. The others crowded around Haruhi and Tamaki.

"Being a host and getting fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be that bad." Tamaki's face turned blue in horror and shock. Haruhi turned around, thinking. "I wonder how I can pull it off... I've got it!" She hit a fist on her palm. "I'll just call everyone 'dude' and 'bro' now." Kea leaned her forehead on her fingertips as Haruhi laughed.

'That won't work in this environment, Haruhi.' She opened her eyes, watching the older girl. 'But… it will be interesting to see how she adapts to her new role.' Kea smiled.

"This is going to be fun."

*/*\*/*\*

Ayanokouji sat on her bed, fuming.

"I swear if I ever see Haruhi again I am going to make him pay!" A knock at her balcony door startled her. "Who's there!?"

No one answered.

Swiftly standing, Ayanokouji flung open the drapes. No one was standing there.

"What?" A glint of white caught her eye. An envelope was lying on the cobblestones. Opening her door, she looked around nervously as she picked up the letter. Turning it over, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The entire envelop was blank. Walking back inside, she sat down at her desk. She slit the seal with her letter opener. Opening the flap, her eyes narrowed further.

A note was enclosed, along with three pictures. Picking up the note, her skin paled considerably. Her hand began to shake as she reread the words. It wasn't like there were a lot of them… only three.

"You wanted proof." was all it said. Not wanting to, but feeling she should, Ayanokouji dumped out the pictures. As like the words, there were only three. There didn't need to be more. Dropping everything on her desk, Ayanokouji tore out of her room, searching for anyone. She came across her father.

"Father!" He whirled, immediately worried.

"What is it, darling?"

"Someone is blackmailing me!" His eyes widened.

"What!? How do you know!?"

"Someone left an envelope on my balcony. You know how I told you about that stupid brat, Fujioka?"

"The one that turned the Host Club against you?" Ayanokouji nodded.

"Well, someone's defending him. They had pictures of me throwing Haruhi's bag into the pond." Ayanokouji clenched her fists. "He's just a second-rate citizen, but he's somehow able to put people against me! I got banned from the Host Club because of him!" Her father rested his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll get to the bottom of this, and I'll have whoever it is punished. Promise." Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he walked away, pulling out his phone as he did. Ayanokouji watched him go… waiting till he had turned the corner before laughing.

"Whoever you are… you made a huge mistake making me your enemy."

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