Chapter 37: Lobelia Girls' Academy Strikes Back!

"Haaaruhi-chan~ Jiiiin-chan~ Pleeease~ come out and play!"

Kyoya rolled his eyes at the childish nature of his friends, but couldn't deny that he wasn't excited about spending another Saturday with Jin. After all, it had been two weeks since she and Honey-senpai had sparred, so the bruise on the brunette's side should have faded completely by now. Enough for him to casually slip his arm around her waist and not worry about hurting her, at least. It had been surprisingly difficult for him to go from almost constantly exchanging physical contact with the girl to very rarely, if at all.

If he hadn't done so, however, Kyoya was 57% sure that he would've lost all self control by now and kissed Jin, witnesses be damned. After the unholy mixture of all the untimely interruptions and 'Go' signs from Jin herself, Kyoya was slowly losing his mind. Perhaps he should just ask her out, and the kiss could spawn from there?

Because, forgetting all of his concerns and personal fears, he did want her by his side. For the foreseeable, and unforeseeable future.

The apartment door opened and Kyoya brought his attention back into the real world. Where an angry looking man they didn't recognize was glaring at them from the darkness beyond the wood.

After staring at each other for a moment, the boys quickly walked away, apologizing for disturbing the man's morning. Kyoya was sure that they had been at the right door, but didn't say anything. Perhaps the Fujioka's had moved apartments without telling them? No, that didn't seem like something Jin would neglect to tell him.

"Hey! Hold on!" The man ran after them, managing to jump in front of their group and point back to the door, "Get back there. Don't act like you don't recognize me, it's Ranka. Even I get stubble in the morning. Get inside."

Not wanting to anger the girl's father (and still wanting to spend the day with them) the hosts obeyed. However, they huddled around the front door, not wanting to be trapped inside should the man turn violent. Mostly, Tamaki was the one who was worried, but Kyoya was also hovering on the cusp of the doorframe.

Thankfully, that concern didn't last. The moment Tamaki offered their present for entering the Fujioka household, Ranka was back into his cheerful mood. He was even squishing Tamaki's face into the floor, which was always a good sign.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I've forgotten my manners! It's wonderful to see you all, of course!" He opened the box and squealed before quickly stuffing half of a pastry in his mouth.

Noting the lack of the female gender in the room, Honey bounced to the front of the group, "Are Haru-chan and Jin-chan home?"

"I'm sorry, boys, but Jin's working an early shift at the animal shelter and Haruhi is out with some girl friends. I suppose you can visit Jin, I'm sure she'd love to see you all, but I honestly have no idea where Haruhi went. Oh, well. Girls will be girls."

Tamaki was clearly downtrodden at not seeing Haruhi today, but the twins quickly scooped him up by his armpits, "Come on, Boss."

"Let's go see, Jin-senpai."

"Maybe they have some more puppies to play with." They pointed after Kyoya, who was leading the 3rd year boys back down the balcony, "Kyoya-senpai's clearly game."

The blond rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, "Alright then. Let's go."

As they went to follow the other three, Ranka hummed around the strawberry flavored mousse, "You know… I didn't really recognize any of Haruhi's new friends who picked her up this morning. She's never really mentioned them before. But then again, she's never really made a big deal about where her friends were from. I guess not even if they attend Lobelia Academy."

All six boys froze.

"Did you just say…"

* Time Skip *

"WAHHH! If I had known why they took Haruhi I would've stopped them! My poor baby girl! There's no telling what they might do to her! Especially if this Benibara is as scandalous as her words! NOOOOOO! "

Hikaru and Kaoru, who clearly can't tell the difference between sharing important information and making a situation seem worse, looked at each other, "Yeah… Benibara was really interested in Haruhi when they met."

"Chizuru was more into Jin, but Benio was all over Haruhi."

"And there's no telling what was going through Hinako head."

Ranka let out a horrified screech before calmly sitting back in his seat, "Well, obviously we're going to have to put a stop to this. I'll help you boys in any way I can. And by 'helping', I mean 'helping-you-find-Jin-and-letting-her-handle-the-rest', of course. We can tag along to watch, but my eldest daughter is really the only weapon we need."

Standing up, Ranka quickly made his way to Jin's bedroom and slipped inside. The boys inched over and peeked in. It was a very simple room, with a dresser, closet, bed, desk, and bookshelf, but the walls had a few drawings stuck to them, and flowers that looked hand-painted dotted every available white space and some that was unavailable. Most of Jin's things were put away, giving the bedroom an orderly look, but there were a few school books scattered on the desk and a jacket hanging off the closet door that made the room look lived in.

Ranka, of course, was making a mess. Tossing things out onto her floor from the closet, creating a steadily growing pile of sweaters, games, and other miscellaneous items.

"Where did she put it? I know she only just got it replaced, but still… For a girl who keeps her room so organized, it sure is hard to find her things… A-HA!"

Stand up, the man held up a brand new metal staff in his hands. Instantly Honey took a step back. Noticing the sudden movement, Mr. Fujioka gave the small boy a sympathetic smile, "Don't worry, Mitsukuni, I don't think Jin will have any intention of using it on anyone. It's generally used as a scare tactic to keep people away or at least at a distance. I don't think Jin will be looking forward to fighting anyone for a while."

Honey nodded and relaxed.

The animal shelter is only about a five minute walk away from the apartments where the Fujioka's lived. That had been one of the big reasons that Jin still volunteered there, long after her middle school had held a volunteer day, where its students could miss one day of school if they volunteered and brought back a signed slip. Ranka somehow managed to explain that whole story to the host club while they were in the process of learning that it was also a three minute run from the complex.

Finding Jin went by much quicker. She was one of the three volunteers in the grassy fenced-in area along the side of the building, playing ball with a couple of dogs. No matter which dog managed to grab the green tennis ball and bring it back, they always dropped it respectfully at Jin's feet before waiting for her to throw it again.

For a moment, Kyoya simply watches her. She looked so much better than the first day she'd left the hospital after the battle. Two weeks ago she had had trouble simply bending over, the bruise along her side too tender to move properly. Not to mention her cheek and knee injury. Now? She looked good as new.

Today Jin was wearing a plain maroon colored shirt with sleeves that went down to her elbows, black capris, and a pair of almost new black converse shoes. And, to top it all off, it looked like she had curled her hair this morning. Just a little, but it was enough to make Kyoya's train of thought skip over the rail once or twice.

Ranka cleared his throat behind the glasses-wearing boy, "We are on a schedule , don't forget."

"Okay! Jin-chan! Over here!"

Jin turns around in what Kyoya could swear was slow motion; her curls bobbing in the breeze. He feels as though his heart stopped.

"Dad? Guys? " Quickly handing the ball to another volunteer, she jogs over with a huge smile on her face, "What are you all doing here? I didn't think you'd be that excited about volunteering again!"

"We need your help."

"Haruhi's been captured!"

Jin's air of peace vanishes with a 'crack', "Captured?"

"The Zuka Club took her!"

Slowly, she turns to her father. "Did you bring it?"

"It's right here." Ranka slips the staff through the chain-link fence, "Go sign out, we'll meet you out front." Jin nods once and disappears back inside the building. Not even a minute afterwards, she walks out the door. Quickly tying her hair up into a ponytail, where the curls cutely fell down against her neck, the girl shot them all a serious look. Even in her cute outfit, she looked like she was ready to kick some ass.

Kyoya's glasses fogged up and he hastily wipes them clean.

"Let's go."

They didn't speak much on the way there, and Jin left the boys without a word at the gate, giving Kyoya a secret hand squeeze before skillfully scaling the the fence and disappearing into the bushes beyond.

Ranka was the only one who was relatively calm about the whole situation, "Well then, we should probably try to find a way inside. After all, even though Jin will no doubt handle the situation flawlessly I suppose we could provide a distraction. If the Zuka Club is so focused on finding us, they won't think Jin is sneaking around." His eyes flickered in Kyoya's direction, and for one crazy moment the ravenet is sure he knew that Jin had been holding his hand not five seconds ago.

Then Ranka looked away, "Now… how should we sneak in…"

"I know! Kyoya! Order us some Lobelia uniforms right now! We're going underco- Yeow!"

"OVERRULED! Men who only cross-dress recreationally are an insult to us professionals. Besides, I've come up with a better idea. All of you, to the front gate!"

The hosts shrugged, not caring to argue. Besides, Haruhi and Jin were intelligent, clearly the rest of their family had to be as well. They began walking, but Kyoya felt a hand fall on his shoulder.

"Not you, Kyoya. I need you to do something… a little different."

"I am slain by this fatal gunshot wound! Alas, I am to draw breath no more."

"Oh, my Lord Frederick!"

"Mary-Anne, with your arms holding me close, all this pain becomes naught. I am overwhelmed… with peace. Lovely Angel, your gaze is my Paradise. And you are the very image of my beloved mother!"

Outside, Hikaru rested his chin on his fist, "Is this really what they're calling entertainment these days?"

"She's sure talkin' a lot for someone who's dying, huh, Takashi?"

"Mmm."

"She sounds like a robot."

Ranka chuckled, "Well, yes. Just another way my two little girls are their own people."

"Hm?"

"I'm sure that by now you've realized that Jin is rather exceptional at the arts. The piano, singing, drawing, dancing… she has extraordinary talent. But Haruhi has always been more focused on becoming a lawyer and being like her mother. So much that, even with Jin to guide her, Haruhi's never allowed herself to broaden her horizons and learn the arts. So she has no talent."

Hikaru snorted, "True. Whoever had the brilliant idea to bring her in as their lead actress needs to rethink their life choices. Uh… hang on, I think she's about to sing."

"NO! I LOVE MY DAUGHTER BUT HER SINGING HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE WORSE OF ALL HER ART!"

Suddenly, a beautiful voice bursts forth from the brunette, rendering them all speechless. Out of the corner of his eye, Tamaki saw Ranka reach down and pinch himself in the leg. Had Haruhi really been hiding such talent from her father? Did Jin know?

And then-

"Oops! My foot!" The plug came out of the wall, forcing Haruhi to stumble as she mouthed the words to a song that wasn't playing.

Ranka lets out a sigh of relief, "Okay… I'm not going crazy."

"They should've kidnapped Jin-chan if they wanted a good singer!"

"If the Zuka Club had even tried to take Jin, they either would've ended up with miscellaneous broken bones or a girl chained to a chair spewing sarcastic comments constantly. There are very few people in this world that don't get along with my eldest daughter, and it would seem that the Zuka Club would be some of them."

The twins shared a look, "But now she's in the building-"

"-with a play about to go on."

"Hm. I told you we wouldn't need to worry."

"HEY! NEWBIES!"

The boys quickly turned around and stood, not wanting to seem like creeps, as the head of the Beni-bara fan club started shouting at them.

"If you want to be a full fledged member, you must keep sync with your fellow fandom! Now, together, LET ME HEAR YOUR CHEERS!"

And they did, with grace and absolutely no dignity left.

* Inside the School *

Why on Earth are there so many students here on the weekend? Is this one of those schools with dorms?

Jin shifted forward to peek out of the metal grate. Not many people knew this from watching action movies, but there was an art in sneaking through air vents. You had to be extremely careful to not accidentally kick the sides or make too much noise as you moved around. How did she know this? There were surprisingly a number of air vents at the Haninozuka dojo. When they were younger, Jin, Honey, and Mori used to play Hide-n-Seek all the time. The air ducts were Jin's favorite place to hide, because if there was even one of them in the room she started in, she could pretty much make it anywhere in the building to hide. But if she made the slightest bit of noise while moving around, then Mori or Honey would just follow the sounds.

Right now, she was inside the theater building where students filled every hall up to the brim. She didn't have much of a choice in how she moved around in secrecy.

Peeking out into the hallway she was hanging over, Jin watched as huge lines Zuka club fans squealed about a play that was about to go on. Jin frowned as they started talking about the 'new girl' who was playing the heroine, replacing someone who had been injured in a crash it sounded like. Soon enough, it became clear they were talking about Haruhi. It took a lot of Jin's self-control to not laugh out-loud. Haruhi? In a play? Singing? How did they even get Haruhi to agree to this? Her little sister knew of her lack of talent.

Well, at least that explains all the students here.

"If that new girl ruins Benibara's play, I hope the Combat Wing will… ahem … 'critique' her performance."

Jin's whole body tensed. They weren't talking about… what she thought they were talking about, right?

I need to get Haruhi out. Now!

* With the Host Club *

Tamaki was the first one who noticed their missing member. Or, well… their third missing member. "Hold up, where's Kyoya?"

Ranka waved his hand. "I sent him off. Don't worry about it."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

"Can't you just tell us?"

"Yeah, this secrecy is getting on my nerves."

"It'll all make sense in a moment."

Honey turned his head to the side. "Wait! I think I see him! Yeah, he's up there!"

Ranka gasped, following the short boy's line of sight. Sure enough, Kyoya was up in the video booth, chatting with some lady. "What's he doing? This isn't what I told him to do!"

"That jackass."

Hikaru and Kaoru leaned against each other. "He'd better not be flirting with that lady or Jin will have a fit when she finds out."

"He's going to ruin everything if the Zuka club sees him here!"

"Why? What did you ask him to do?"

"He was supposed -" Ranka was cut off by a screen dropping down on the stage. A few high-resolution images appeared, and even from the ground, the boys could see the dangerous smile that appeared on Kyoya's face.

"Oh boy…"

Half an hour later, the doors opened for the fans to file into the auditorium. The host club, or what was left of them, and Ranka quickly pressed themselves against the wall to avoid being trampled. Thankfully, the girls seemed so excited for the show that they didn't even notice how six boys were just... standing there. In the middle of a girls-only Academy. Who ever said fanatics weren't good for anything?

In fact, they didn't even notice when one of the boys, the tall blond one, let out a shriek that reached the same note most of them were making.

Tamaki scrambled away from his spot against the wall, trying to shake off the pulling feeling on his pant leg. He nearly screamed again when he saw the fingers reaching out of the air duct that had been just behind him. Shakily ducking down, he looked in and relaxed, recognizing Jin's face in the low light. She was a little sweaty from being inside the air duct for so long, but she was still smiling.

"I didn't realize you could hit that note, Tama-kun. Have you ever considered joining the Opera?"

"Jin?" The other boys crouched down around him, "What are you doing in there?"

"I had to find a good way to sneak around, didn't I?"

Ranka's mouth flapped, "How did you not get lost? Or fall?"

Jin held up her right hand, which had her phone in it, shining brightly in the dark light of the vent, "I sent a text to Kyo-kun as soon as I realized I needed to use these to move around without being spotted. He found me the schematics for all the buildings on Lobelia's campus in less than two minutes!"

Ranka rolled his eyes, sitting back on his haunches, "Of course he did. That boy can't be bothered to follow my instructions, oh no, but the second you need something it's the number one item on his to-do list."

Even in the darkness of the air duct, they could see Jin's blush, "Hey, where is Kyo-kun?"

"Your boyfriend's a Jackass."

"Tama-kun! He's not my boyfriend!"

Ranka rolled his eyes, "Oh, please."

"What? He's up in the video booth when Ranka asked him to do something else! Apparently, if the Zuka club sees him he'll ruin the whole operation. So, yeah, as his best friend I am using my reserved right to call him a Jackass at this moment."

The lights in the theater dimmed and they all turned to the stage, where the curtain was rising. The cheers rose to a roar as 'Mary-Anne' came out on stage, ready to sing the opening song, which happened to be her solo later on at the end. Sort of like the song of the play.

"It's Haruhi's entrance!"

"You can see her? What does she look like?" As the overhead lights moved to shine directly on her face, the boys let out retching noises. Jin hummed, "Not good, hm?"

"Heavy! Your make-up's too heavy, Haruhi!"

The brunette dropped her head to rest against the metal sheet below her, not even needing an actual view of her sister to imagine how she looked like, "Okay… I'm getting her out of there." Wriggling backwards, Jin turned down the duct leading to the right and took off.

Back in the auditorium, the hosts continued to suffer through the play. It was difficult to distinguish between whether Haruhi was actually enjoying herself on stage or if it was just 'theater magic' that made her look more into everything. Either way, they decided to let Jin make the call for when to sneak Haruhi out. Eventually they made it back to the scene they had watched from the rehearsal. Despite her bad acting, it was somewhat impressive that Haruhi had managed to memorize such a long play in a short period of time.

"My love for you… and my desire for revenge… are things not so easily forgotten." Bright lights zoned in on the Host Club. They jolted, backing up against the wall.

Haruhi stood up, shock etched into her features, despite being covered up by twenty pounds of make-up, "Senpai? Dad? Guys? "

She managed to take one step back before Benibara grabbed her wrist, "Right before their eyes I will steal your first kiss. All for the sake of revenge."

"W-what? H-hey, let me go! No!"

Haruhi tried to worm her way out of the taller girl's' grip, but the floor beneath her began rumbling, lifting the two of them up on a high pedestal. The crowd screamed, but it wasn't out of enjoyment this time. Clearly, the host club weren't the only occupants who weren't pleased with the horrible turn of events.

"No, Benibara!"

"You can't actually kiss her!"

"She said 'No'!"

"Just let her go!"

Tamaki ran after them, but not even Mori could jump high enough to grab the lip of the pedestal. Haruhi's knees shook from the height, flashes of memories from their day at the beach flickered before her eyes, making her face drain of color beneath the makeup.

"Now… my love. While we can't be interrupted…"

Haruhi twisted her face away, "You're crazy! Don't! I don't want to- Stop it!"

"You heard her."

Jin dropped down from the rafters right above them. In her surprise, Benio let go of Haruhi and backed up, unintentionally pushing the shorter girl away from her. Haruhi let out a short scream, but Jin quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. The brunettes held each other tightly, Jin's left arm wrapped around her sister while she held her staff in her right hand, fully extended and looking like she meant serious business.

"Stop it."

Everyone faltered, the crowd and other actresses stunned into silence. Smirking, Jin tilted her head towards the audience, so that everyone could hear her, "Sorry, everyone, but I'm afraid I have to interrupt this performance before someone gets hurt. For the…" she gestured the top of her staff towards Benibara, "...one of you who wanted this play to continue where it left off, I'm afraid that's not going to happen. See, I came all the way up here to collect my little sister whom you kidnapped this morning, wash off the clown makeup you put on her face, and take her home where people won't force themselves on her like Barbarians. That cool with everyone?"

"You… you… YOU DARE THREATEN US? DURING OUR PERFORMANCE TOO?"

Unconcerned, Jin starts twirling her staff around, "Uh… yeah! So, if you could just-"

"GET HER!"

Casting her gaze downwards, Jin noticed the combat wing that had been mentioned before. They looked a little unsure, but at Benibara's command, they leapt forward, "We're on it, Benibara!"

Sighing, Jin squeezes Haruhi's hand, "Close your eyes, Haru." The short-haired girl nodded and did just that, trusting her sister to not let any harm come to her.

"Tama-kun!" Jin pushed her backwards off the pedestal and into the blond's awaiting arms. Of course, she sort of crushed him upon landing, but Jin was too busy jumping down herself to worry for her friend. The four girls charged her, and she held her staff in a ready position, "Do you really want to fight me? On the behalf of some girl who doesn't even care about the importance of consent?"

Two of them slowed to a stop, considering her words, but for the two that kept coming Jin quickly disarmed them, knocking them down lightly. She didn't want to hurt them, after all. Just send a little message. Her side twinged, but she ignored it.

"I didn't come here to start a fight. I just want my sister back."

That was the moment Benio decided to jump down into the fray, "No! I will have that maiden's first kiss! In front of your precious host club, too! Vengeance will be mine!"

Jin paused. Tilted her head. "Haru's first… you wanted her first kiss?" Slowly, the girl started giggling. Which progressed to laughter. And that quickly became full on lack-of-air laughter, forcing the brunette to double over with her arm holding her stomach. The auditorium had been thrust back into silence.

"What? What are you laughing at!?"

"Wow. You're a little late to earn that title, Hun."

Behind them the white screen dropped. A small portion of it was covered by the pedestal, but it didn't block the appearance of a snapshot image of Haruhi kissing Kanako from the Host Club's first dance party of the school year. As the congregation gasped, Jin let her eyes fall away from the crazy Lobelia student to look at the photo. While she had missed that big dance and all the drama that had come with it, Haru had told her all about it the moment she could. Even the accidental kiss.

Jin thought the story had been hilarious.

Turning back around, she looked up at the control panel high above the crowd. Surprise, surprise, Kyoya was smirking down at her from behind the glass, the other administrators nowhere in sight. Jin smiled and, in a moment of bravery, blew a kiss in his direction.

She didn't get to see his reaction, Benio's loud shriek becoming the center of her attention, "Don't let her leave! I may not have had her first kiss, but I guarantee you that I will have her next!"

Jin smirked and took a step forward, only to have Chizuru slip in front of her, "Not so fast, maiden , the fun's only just begun. Perhaps while your sister is enjoying a kiss from our President, you'd be willing to share one of your own with our Vice President? Those do seem to be your types, am I wrong?"

"Sure thing, Sweetheart. If Benio manages to get a kiss from Haru, you get yours for free. Sound fair?" Without another word, she swung her staff. The other 2nd year student screamed and fell to the side, giving Jin the opportunity to run at Haruhi. They jumped off the stage and ran up the aisle way, hand-in-hand, with the hosts and the Zuka club hot on their tails. The girls in the audience were wailing, screaming at the Zuka club to forget about the sisters and focus on them instead.

Soon enough there was a solid wall of Lobelia students between the Ouran students and the Zuka club. Jin dropped Haruhi's hand though, right before they reached the doors, "I'm going to get Kyo-kun! Get out of the building now; we'll meet up with you later!"

The others nodded, trying to fight their way upstream through all the students who had been sitting in the back. Jin jumped up on the backs of the chairs, looking up at the control booth. But… it was empty.

"Kyo-kun? Kyo-" a girl ran past her, accidentally brushing against her legs. Yelping, Jin tumbled to the ground, barely managing to scoot over to the wall and avoid being trampled. She pushed her staff back into a shorter length so she wouldn't accidentally stab someone running by, but couldn't help but worry where Kyoya had disappeared off to. Had security gotten him?

A hand gripped her arm and Jin found herself being drawn upwards into a familiar chest. Kyoya smiled down at her, "Were you looking for me?"

Jin rolled her eyes, but was smiling as the boy grabbed her hand and ran for the nearest door.