Just a reminder, I still don't own Ouran. Only the Quints and Kyle. Plus a few more OCs...

(Stephen POV)

"All right, all right I'll do it." I answered as I lazily lounged beside Raku on one of the host club's couches. Hosting may have been canceled today because of Hunny's tournament but I managed to convince Tamaki to let me use the room to call my agent and to spend time with Raku in peace. I held a strand of her hair between my fingers and ignored her blush as my manager continued to spit out what seemed like a never-ending list of chores. "I said fine, and can't you email me the rest? I am still in school you know."

"Sorry Stephen. You just have a lot to do before these teams can have a claim to you. And you want it done in secret which is very strange to them." My manager chuckled under her breath. "They think you're good-looking and they are missing out on a chance to show you off."

"They'll have to cope." I also laughed and then smiled at my girlfriend who shyly offered me one of her own before ducking her head. "And you will have to excuse me. I have class now."

"Of course, Mr. Stephen. Have a good day." And on that note, she hung up.

"Finally!" I announced with a sigh before grinning at Raku. "I thought she'd never leave us alone."

I could see from the blush spreading to her ears that she was embarrassed. "Stephen, please don't think you have to stop talking about business when I'm here."

"But I want to focus my full attention on you," I told her with an earnest smile. "Besides dear, I doubt you want to hear me discussing salaries or which benefits are the best. I don't even want to hear about it even if it's important."

She shrugged and cuddled into my arms. "I don't think it's that boring."

"Oh you don't, do you?" I questioned as my phone buzzed once again. This time I ignored it. "Then are our conversations boring?"

She laughed easily, tossing her head back. "Why are you so interested in that now?"

"Because I want to make sure that I am not boring you. And because you seem down lately no matter what we're doing." I commented casually as if I was talking about the weather. She startled and lowered her gaze to her lap.

Very bashfully, she scratched at the fabric of her skirt. "It's nothing Stephen-san."

"Now I know you're lying, Raku-san. You never add formalities to my name unless you are nervous or stressed." I frowned and let her go so that I could see her better. "What is wrong?"

She put her hands in her lap. "I- Nothing."

My frown deepened but I decided not to press her anymore. My phone started to buzz again, and this time I didn't want to ignore it so I picked it up and apologized, "I'm going to take this."

Raku bit her bottom lip and nodded but said nothing.

So I stood up and answered my phone without looking at the caller ID. "Hello, yes?"

"Stephen, why don't you answer your phone?"

I groaned and wiped my hand over my face, "Sara this is not a good time."

"It's never a good time, look I'm going to be late to dinner. And I'm not actually going to eat with you."

Now she has my full attention. "What do you mean you're not going to eat dinner with us? Are you back in the hospital?"

"No, Ben I'm completely fine. I'm just eating out."

"I thought you were out with Kyoya-san?" As soon as I said that, I was able to connect the dots. "Are you eating out with him? Sara, I am so proud of you!" There wasn't any answer for a long while so I smiled widely because she must be so annoyed with me right now. "I'll let everyone else know."

"Thank you Ben but I only need you to relay the news that I am not having dinner with you all. I should be home by the time you all finish eating." She hung up before I could say anything else. I lowered the phone to smile at it.

Well, this was progress. And according to Suzette's frantic text, she also smiled at him at some point today. I had spoken to her about being nicer to Kyoya because she might be alienating him and he could help in the future. She wasn't very open to being kinder to him, a little too eager to protest I thought.

Maybe I shouldn't have teased her so much.

Now I was feeling much better despite seeing Raku's obvious discomfort today. It was odd but she had been acting like this more and more. I hoped this wouldn't put a strain on our relationship.

(Sara POV)

I picked at the leftovers on my plate with a sort of sinking feeling as Kyoya let the waiter know they could take our plates. With the added information Kyle gave me, I think I might have to change the documents if they said anything other than Suyuri/Soo Jin being my half-sister.

What if I ruined that girl's life?

"Sara-san." Kyoya called over in a low voice. "Are you almost finished?"

Gently, so the fork in my hand didn't clatter on the plate, I lowered the utensil and nodded. With my gaze firmly on the plate, I watched as the waiter took it away silently. I didn't usually feel this nervous, but I kept thinking back to her younger sister.

What was her name?

Min Hee? It was highly likely that she was not my sister, but if the money stopped for Soo Jin what would happen to her younger sister? Surely the low-level job she has with our family was not enough to provide for her.

But my mind needed to be on other things so I dabbed my chin with the napkin on my lap and asked, "Are we leaving now?"

"Soon." He steepled his hands over the table. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you." Without food to push around on my plate, I settled for looking around the room. Kyoya had arranged for a private room for us, and the waiters had to close the doors every time they came in and exited so we always knew when we were able to have company. The room was tastefully decorated; for all the artwork on the wall, they managed not to make it feel crowded.

"Can I say something without you interrupting?" He asked suddenly, drawing my attention back to him. He looked even more serious than usual, with his back rigidly set against the back of the chair.

I pushed my shoulders back and nodded slowly. It was rare for him to ask; he would normally just say or ask whatever was on his mind.

"Don't ask Akito for whatever you're looking for." His voice was low as he leaned over his elbows. "I don't know what you're looking for or what you need, but ask me, not him."

Frowning, I tossed my napkin on the table almost daring him to verbally spar. "Why do you think I'm looking for something?"

"Sara-san." He took off his glasses and massaged his brow. "Don't insult my intelligence and I won't do the same to you."

"Was this why you suggested we have dinner?" I demanded, nearly jumping out of my chair. "To figure out-"

"Sara." His voice hardened as he dropped the formalities. Shivers ran through me as he placed his glasses back on and stilled me with his stare. "I am not your enemy. When are you going to trust me? I really don't think I've done anything to deserve those accusations. Did I take you to dinner to talk to you? Yes, the ride over is not long enough to talk some sense into you-" He held up a hand when I opened my mouth to protest. "No, you're listening to me right now. You can respond when I'm done."

Crossing my arms, I settled for fuming in my seat. Talk some sense into me? How dare he.

"I know you don't trust me, you've made that abundantly clear. I also know you've roped Tamaki into keeping something from me and no, I don't know what it is. He refused to tell me what it was. As he's my friend, I decided to ignore his strange behavior and not look into it. And you-" He huffed, shaking his head before glaring at me. "how is it that you could be so smart and so misguided all at once? Akito is waiting for you to make a mistake. Never mind that you rarely make them but my brother has been watching you closely. I don't want you to get hurt."

My arms loosened as well as my resolve to be angry with him. I wasn't quite ready to fully trust him but he had a point. I was being hasty and my current plan was admittedly very risky and potentially stupid. "Is that all, or do you have anything else you'd like to get off your chest while you're scolding me?"

"Why are you so determined to keep me out?"

"I'm not trying-" The words died on my lips when I realized he was right. He had extended his hand multiple times and every time I slapped it away. I wasn't in any position to reject his help, not when he was willingly offering it. Tamaki and Ben trusted him. "I don't know." I slumped against my chair and looked at the wall next to us, suddenly deciding the pattern of the wallpaper was very interesting. "It's hard for me...to let people in. And I'm used to doing things myself."

"And how has that worked out?"

"You don't have to rub it in," I grumbled. "You're hard to trust when you're so openly proud of using others for your own gain. Who wouldn't be wary of you?"

He sighed heavily. "I've tried to make it clear to you that I wouldn't do that with you. What do I need to do to convince you?"

I turned towards him, trying to interpret his expression. He stopped glaring and seemed pensive but not threatening. "If I told you I need to look up a family medical record, what would you say?"

To his credit, he didn't press me, he only pursed his lips and asked, "How are you sure my family's hospital has it?"

"I narrowed the search down to the Otori Group, I know you have it. I also can't access it and I can't let my father know I'm looking for it." I sighed. "I don't suppose you have access to medical records do you?"

"I might; only if you can promise me that you're actually accessing a family medical record. I still have to be ethical even if it's for you."

Even if it was for me? I blinked slowly as I nodded. "Yes."

"I don't suppose you want to tell me the name."

"No."

He sighed again. "Fine. I'll arrange for it to happen, but we're going to the hospital to do it."

Well, that was easier than I thought. The doors to the room opened and we fell into silence. The waiter brought the check to Kyoya who readily handed him his credit card.

"I could have paid for my own food," I told him as I watched the waiter walk away.

"Did you enjoy the food?" He asked me, completely ignoring my statement. It was times like these that I found him so very infuriating.

I smoothed my features so that I was not tempted to scowl at him. "Yes. It was as good as advertised."

"Then it was my pleasure to treat you." Kyoya met my eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Or am I not allowed to do that per our arrangement?"

"It isn't as if you've followed it to the letter before." I reminded him lightly but was still annoyed that he was paying for our meal. "But thank you."

He appeared to be surprised, but he quickly hid his expression under a cool mask. He coughed into his hand and said, "We should leave soon. We'll need to be quick to our next destination."

"I'm ready to leave. But I suppose you would like to wait for your credit card." I allowed a small smile to play on my lips before looking over where the waiter disappeared. And where he was currently reappearing.

"I hope you and your girlfriend enjoyed your meal, Ootori-san." The waiter said before handing him back his black credit card.

Normally I would hurry to correct him, but maybe I was still in shock from Kyoya's offer to help or maybe I was still thinking about my original plan- whatever the reason I kept quiet and looked at my phone instead.

A few moments passed before Kyoya said anything. "It was worthwhile and filling, thank you. But Miss Kobayashi is merely my associate."

"My apologies, sir." The waiter was quick to say but he took the news seemingly in stride. "Enjoy your evening."

"Thank you," Kyoya responded. Once he left, the third Ootori son commented to me, "You didn't correct him."

It would be unwise to lie to him but even more foolish to explain my reasoning. "You corrected him, didn't you? I was busy."

When I glanced back up he was staring at me with a curiosity in his gray eyes. "I see." He leaned back in his chair and a glare on his glasses quickly covered any other emotion his eyes might have betrayed. Hopefully, he was only curious and not suspicious; especially after our conversation earlier. "Shall we?"

I figured he meant to leave so I nodded before I slid my chair back to stand. "I think so." A plop informed me that my blazer had fallen from the back of my chair and I sighed in annoyance.

Was trusting Kyoya with this any better than trusting his brother? Yes, of course it was. I was almost surprised at myself. Kyoya was right, I was pushing him away with all my strength and it was not worth it.

"Sara-san." When I looked up, Kyoya was holding my blazer and watching me with concerned interest. "Time to leave?"

I nodded silently and stood up without a word. It wasn't hard to imagine him staring at me so I didn't turn his way, instead, I merely held out my hand for my jacket.

To my surprise, I felt him slip my hand through the sleeve of my blazer. Suddenly I felt extraordinarily tired- much too tired to complain or protest and almost grateful for the assistance. Both for the medical record and for the blazer.

"Are you sure you want to go today, Sara-san?" Kyoya asked me as he smoothed the fabric on my shoulders. "I hope I don't need to remind you of the last time you overworked yourself."

"I'm fine." I rolled my shoulders and the weight of his hands lifted. "I'm fine."

"Then we should hurry. I estimate we have only three hours before Tamaki or your siblings interrupt us and where we're going, we'll need to be quiet and quick."

At that, I allowed a small smile that he couldn't see. "I think you're being optimistic." It was almost as if he was trying to get my mind off of our impending task.

"Am I?" He questioned lightly. "I think Haruhi and Tamaki are out 'commoner shopping' today which should amuse him until six maybe and he'll be bored before being home an hour. And your siblings should be pacified with your phone call until after their dinner which if I am not mistaken, ends at seven."

As we both exited the restaurant I noticed some photographers positioned at the entrance. I should purposely pose with Kyoya to throw off suspicion, but to be honest I was having too much fun speculating with him. "Ah, but you forget that my sister has a tutoring session with Hikaru today. And after the mustard incident, I am sure she will have much to complain about."

"Ootori-san! Kobayashi-san!" Some of the reporters called over to us. They began yelling questions at us, but we both ignored them and continued walking with a member of his police force and one of my newly paid guards who were cutting their way through the crowd of photographers and reporters.

How did so many of them manage to come here so quickly?

"I had forgotten to include that in my calculation." Kyoya mused while stroking his chin.

"And that is why I said it was optimistic. And naturally, Tamaki will want to share his latest discovery with his best friend while it is happening." I added with a playful roll of my eyes. Though Tamaki usually tried my patience, I found it amusing how he reacted to commoner food. "I just hope he doesn't ask her what cheese to buy."

"Pardon?" Kyoya appeared incredulous. "How did you know about his cheese obsession?"

"Ootori-san, Kobayashi-san, we must leave now." His police force urged as he pointed to the open limo door.

We both headed for the open door at the same moment, but immediately pulled back to allow the other in first. Kyoya quickly gestured for me to enter before him which I did promptly so my newest guard would not insist again. This one seemed to be more nervous than the others who have worked for us in the past.

Once we were settled and the sound of the crowd was muffled behind the closed door, Kyoya repeated his question. "Did Tamaki bombard you with questions about the different kinds of cheeses as well?"

I nearly groaned, but I managed to hold it in. "No, I'm afraid I may be the blame." He even told Kyoya about cheeses. Why would he do that, the idiot? "I already told him that he could use whatever kind of cheese he wanted!"

"I don't follow...you told him what?"

"I apologize, yes he did tell me about it. But apparently, he wasn't satisfied with my suggestion that any cheese would suffice for a simple sandwich, the buffoon." But even as I call him a buffoon I couldn't help but smile a bit. He was almost like Susanna in that regard. She was also prone to flights of fancy whenever the mood struck her.

But once I turned toward Kyoya again, I noticed that his expression was completely blank. Almost as if he could process the information I just gave him. Maybe he was startled by my use of the word buffoon? I really shouldn't have allowed that to slip out, he was his best friend after all.

"I see." He said after a few moments. The look on his face confused me, he seemed pensive and wary all at once. But once he noticed me watching him he said, "Are you ready?"

Was there really any other answer than "Yes."

Sorry for the wait, everyone! But I didn't expect the summer to be so hectic! I hope that the next chapter will come out soon, but I just have so much on my plate.

Tell me what you think in a review! :)