Chapter 43: Mori-senpai Has an Apprentice Candidate!

Haruhi tilted her head to the side, watching Tamaki and his first guests of the day interact. He was talking in a low voice, slipping into a slightly different dialect that didn't quite fit his french accent. But that didn't seem to matter to anyone else. The girls in front of him still wiggled around in delight. In the end, Haruhi just added it to her mental list of 'Reasons I Don't Understand Other Girls'.

Frowning, she looked down at her outfit. It was a light blue hakama, very loose fitting around her legs and upper body. As she continued to inspect it, something swept against her cheek. Sighing, Haruhi lifted her head, her fake ponytail swinging as it fell back into place. The extension felt weird. Even though she used to have long hair, very rarely had she ever put it up, and never in such a high ponytail. Also, fake hair doesn't feel as nice against skin as real hair. Just a fact.

' Late Edo period samurai'. Exactly how is this appealing to the girls at this school? The brunette plucked at a piece of lint that had attached itself to her sleeve. Why did Renge pick this as our cosplay? I would've thought she'd pick something more… flashy.

Haruhi heard a particularly loud chorus of shrieks and saw Tamaki darkly eyeing a small group of girls who had wandered too close. Her left eyelid twitched and she asked her questions out loud.

"You're serious?"

"Don't you know that a lot of girls are totally fascinated by the late Edo era?"

"Well, Nēchan thought it was an interesting topic when she first learned about it, but other than her I can't say I've noticed."

The twins rolled their eyes, "You and your sister should never be used as an example for the general populous."

"Wait… where is Nēchan?"

Kaoru lifted a hand, pointing over to a far corner, "Where else? The guests have been requesting her and Kyoya-senpai left and right."

True to the redhead's words, the Power Couple was off by their lonesome, standing in front of each other. Or… 'lonesome' was a bit of a stretch. From behind a nearby wall, the 1st year students could see at least seven girls watching them, and there were probably plenty more behind the three other walls that somewhat separated Jin and Kyoya from the others.

Inching closer, Haruhi noticed the way Jin's hands wrung tightly around a broom, her apron skirt shifting as her right foot shifted around the tile. Renge had refused, point-blank, to let the elder Fujioka dress as a samurai. She said it would've ruined the historical aspect of the cosplay, so the tall brunette was playing the role of a maid at the Ikeda Shop, instead.

On a side note, she was also playing the role of a maid who had fallen in love with a samurai. Three guesses as to who was filling that role.

The girls they could see were whispering and giggling amongst themselves as Jin ducked her chin into her chest, having just finished her 'confession'. It had been a really short one. A simple "don't go", but it was efficient and cute. Their audience held their breath as Kyoya cupped Jin's chin, redirecting her gaze back up to him.

"You're a foolish girl… you realize I am forbidden from love? And you are forbidden from loving me?"

Jin's lips trembled, but her voice was steady as she replied, "Yes… foolish."

The brunette looked away, but Kyoya kept a light grip on her face, not allowing her to turn her head. He regarded her for a moment before smirking, more for the benefit of the guests watching their interactions than anyone else's. He leaned in close, reclaiming Jin's attention. They froze like that, making the guest's freeze.

" I suppose that makes me a fool, too. "

One of the girls squealed, a sound mirrored from behind another wall off to the right. Haruhi rolled her eyes before pretending to vomit into the nearest trash can. The twins nodded along with her reaction, but in total honesty they were a little bit impressed. Looks like the Power Couple played the 'Forbidden Love' card just as well as they did… though they'd never admit it.

From the middle of the 'room', the couple was still acting out the scene. Jin blinked a few times, like she was trying to process Kyoya's confession.

"You…. you mean…"

"Yes?" Kyoya moved closer, his hands gently caressing her cheeks.

"Are y - " Jin snorted suddenly, eyes squeezing shut as she pushed one hand against his chest, her other hand attempting to muffle her snickers. Her boyfriend paused, confused.

"Did I say something funny?"

"No, it's just…" she snickered again before gesturing to the back of her head, where her hair had also been pulled up into a high ponytail, "Your hair…" The ravenet frowned, reaching up to smooth out the extension.

"What about it?"

She didn't respond immediately, too busy laughing. The girls around them were talking with each other, a few somewhat disappointed Jin wasn't in character any more, but also a bit curious as to why she'd broken character in the first place. Kyoya's hair? What was funny about it?

Finally, she took in a deep breath, peeking up at the ravenet through her eyelashes, "I just… I'm remembering the last time you had a fake ponytail…" Jin almost doubled over, laughter even louder now that Kyoya's cheeks had tinted pink. Oh… right.

The ravenet made a mental note to smack Tamaki once again for forcing him and the other hosts into dresses, makeup, and long hair last May.

The guests were still watching them, evil curiosity for what made the almighty Kyoya Ootori blush glinting in their eyes. The ravenet was suddenly cautious. If they tried to ask the twins for information… the twins that were grinning widely at him from only a few feet away… he had to change the subject of gossip. Now.

Bam!

Jin's laughter was cut short. She gasped as her back collided with a nearby wall, hard enough to jar her, but soft enough to not hurt. Her wrists were in a tight grip, held high above her head. Half of the music room fell silent.

" AAAAHHHHHHHHH! "

Haruhi ducked her face back into the garbage can as Hikaru and Kaoru rushed to catch the girl who promptly fainted. The others were hopping up and down, screaming and holding each other.

Jin and Kyoya were the only ones who remained still. The brunette's eyes were wide in surprise. She tried to twist her wrists experimentally, but Kyoya held fast, keeping her pinned to the wall. Eventually the surprise faded, leaving only a questioning eyebrow in its wake. Amused, Kyoya readjusted his grip, drawing a little closer so they could whisper.

" I know that you could easily break free, but would you mind playing along for now? "

" Why would I want to leave? I can list twenty girls off the top of my head who would pay good money to be where I am now. "

The ravenet chuckled, " That may be, but I can think of only one girl I'd find pleasure from recreating this moment in a more… private setting. " Jin shivered, breath catching in her throat. Her tongue darted out along her bottom lip, an action that did not escape Kyoya's attention.

"Alright, Lovebirds! You've made your point! Think you can call it a day?"

"I don't think Haruhi ate enough lunch to endure much more of this."

Jin rolled her eyes, the moment gone, "Then maybe Haru shouldn't watch ." Even so, she pushed herself away from the wall, breaking Kyoya's grip on her wrists without much of a struggle. The two exited the make-believe world they'd created for their guests just as Haruhi "recovered".

She wrinkled her nose, "That was quite a history lesson, Nēchan. I was unaware you were actually playing the role of a concubine..."

A mock gasp is her reward, but Kyoya merely pulled out his journal, scribbling down a few notes as he talked, "You can thank Renge for that performance, incidentally. Her idea to not cast ourselves in particular roles was quite the stroke of genius. The guests can fantasize freely today, but they seem to like a little bit of our personal lives to be thrown in, regardless of the… minor historical inaccuracy"

" Minor. Good grief."

"Oh, come on, baby sister!" Jin's smile was trained on Haruhi, but as she spoke her right hand occasionally darted upwards to bat at Kyoya's fake ponytail, making it swing from side to side. "Just because you're outfit actually reflects a specific character doesn't mean the rest of us can't have a little fun with our roles."

"Odd, but I'm still weirded out whenever I see my older sister kissing the scary guy who controls our debt." The taller girl rolled her eyes reaching up to the back of Kyoya's head when he suddenly snagged her wrist for the second time in the past hour. Unconcerned, she met his hard gaze with an innocent smile.

"Does it truly bother you that much?"

She hummed, "Not really. I'm slowly getting used to it actually. It works for you." The ravenet huffed and held their eye contact for a moment longer before releasing her wrist. Though he did offer a miniscule smile when he was rewarded with a kiss to the cheek.

Jin winked at her sister, who was pretending like she wanted to run back to the trashcan, "He's not so scary. And I thought you said you-" Jin stopped. Her head whipped to the right just as Mori grabbed a spear resting nearby and stabbing the point straight through one of the fake walls.

The girls swooned.

The hosts gasped.

"Mori-senpai?"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

"Why the sudden lunge?"

"What's going on?"

Jin walked over to her old friend, the others trailing behind at a safe distance. She raised an eyebrow at Mori who calmly pulled the weapon out of the wood, gesturing her towards it with a slight head incline. The brunette stepped forward to push the wall aside.

"We have a trespasser."

The eight high schoolers looked through the opening Jin had just made. Sure enough, a very angry-looking boy was sitting on the floor, glaring up at them. He was a red-head, but unlike the twin's ginger-orange hair, his was actually bright red. Like a stop sign.

His face scrunched up even more before he launched himself up off the floor.

"TAKASHI MORINOZUKA!"

Everyone but Mori took a hurried step back, and Jin couldn't help but give him credit for sticking with his stoic expression. The mystery boy's face looked bloodthirsty! If Jin had seen someone with that expression jumping out at her, she would've screamed and kicked his face in without a second thought!

"...senpai!" Jin blinked as the boy humbly bowed, face practically kissing the tile, "Please, take me on as your apprentice!"

…

…

…

"Huh?"

Even Mori was momentarily struck dumb (though you had to look really close to be able to tell that's what it was) as the boy kept his position on the floor. Jin stared at the strange boy for a few moments, up at her friend, then back down.

"Maybe we should close up shop… this sounds like another adventure."

* Time Skip *

"Ritsu Kasanoda. Class 1-D. Heir to the third generation head of the Kasanoda syndicate… the most powerful gang in the continental area."

"Huh."

"He was admitted only this past year into Ouran Academy. Bright red hair, fixed expression, and very reserved. Has few friends. His classmates call him 'The Walking Blizzard'." Jin, who was reading the paper over Kyoya's shoulder from her place behind the couch, smiled a little when he skipped over the words that read 'mean appearance', 'bad dreams for three months', and 'end up in the hospital'. Looks like he was learning a few things about hurting people's feelings. She was tempted to kiss his cheek again, but abstained.

"Seriously? Why would a human weapon like yourself want to be Mori-senpai's apprentice?"

Ritsu looked blankly at the six of them. His expression was still hard, but the longer Jin looked at him the less it seemed to be true anger. More… resting bitch face.

Finally he sighed, looking at the floor as he spoke, "Could you not call me a human weapon? Yeah, I may look tough, but that's not who I am. I was just… y'know, born with a mean lookin' face."

"Well at least you're aware of it, Casanova."

"Kasanoda."

"Right, but back to it, Casanova-"

"IT'S KASANODA! DO YOU WANNA DIE?"

Jin didn't even blink when three pairs of hands were suddenly gripping at her skirt and school jacket. Though it was kinda cute how Haruhi started looking around for the blond who had been sitting beside her not two seconds ago.

Immediately the red-head jolted, his eyes widening apologetically before he withdrew back into his seat cushion. The action took the edge off his fierce expression, if only for a moment. "Sorry about that. This always happens! Ever since I was born!" He put his head in his hands, a whole backstory tumbling out of his mouth. The hands released Jin one by one. Hikaru and Kaoru's because they were bored. Tamaki's because he was interested.

Jin amused herself with watching Kyoya attempt to write every detail he could. Every time Kasanoda took a break for effect, the brunette reached down, plucked the pencil from Kyoya's grip and scribbled a word or two he had missed before returning the utensil.

But when Kasanoda mentioned how lonely he was, she stopped. Loneliness. That was something she understood perfectly.

"It's like they forget I'm just a kid, like everyone else. I don't- I just… wanna play, sometimes."

"Play?"

Kasanoda jolted, staring at the pretty girl who had just sat beside him. A small glance to the side told him the other hosts were just as surprised as he was, except for the one brown-haired boy sitting on the other couch. Wait, aren't they siblings? Ritsu didn't pay much attention to the rumor mill at the school, having been a subject of it for so long, but he did know about the two scholarship students. A brother and sister who had top marks in their classes and were extremely popular due to their involvement in the host club. But he couldn't remember their names.

"Uh… y-yeah." He found himself staring into her big brown eyes, and was surprised to not see any fear in them.

"What kind of games do you want to play?"

Another moment of hesitation, "Kick the Can."

She smiled and chuckled, "Pretty awesome game. Good choice."

"Thanks." He tried for a smile, but a cleared throat to his right brought him back to reality, "But I don't have anyone to play with. So… it's not like I can find out for myself. I don't know how to interact with regular people! Morinozuka-senpai… that's why I need your help!"

Jin tilted her head as the redhead turned towards the 3rd year. Why Mori-senpai?

"I need your secret to having so many friends when you're just a mean looking as me!"

Oh… boy.

The ravenet looked flat out offended. His mouth actually fell open as the 1st year continued, "You're expressionless, distant, and hardly ever talk! Plus you've got a mug that looks like a watchdog from Hell, so, how come you've got so many friends? What are you doing that I'm not? Please, teach me your secrets! I'm begging you!"

Jin had her face pressed into the couch arm. She knew she shouldn't be laughing, but Mori's horrified expression was too funny! 'Watchdog from Hell'. Priceless!

" Hey, Takashi? You okay? "

" I'm just a little lightheaded. "

Jin bit down on her fist, somehow managing to stand up and move closer to the others. They were all staring at Kasanoda from his place on the floor, save for Mori who had his face buried in his hands. The twins muttered something about helping out with the redhead's problem as Jin reached the couch. She crawled onto her knees to peek over the back of the furniture.

"Not this time, gentlemen. Kasanoda wants to be Mori-senpai's apprentice, so it's up to Mori-senpai to decide what to do. We shouldn't get involved in this."

Jin raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her sister. Haruhi met her eyes.

Is Tamaki… really not getting involved?

I think so. What brought that on?

Do you think someone talked to him?

I don't think so. If it wasn't you and wasn't me, I doubt it was anyone else.

"Tamaki?" The hosts looked over at Mori, who lifted his head up and shot them all the biggest 'HELP ME' face he could muster.

"Oh, well, if you insist Mori-senpai, I will do whatever it takes to assist you! Now lift your head, Bossanova!"

"Kasanoda."

"From now on, you may address me as 'King', okay, Bossanova?"

"Ka-san- oda. "

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"

"Ah! Yes!"

A slight tap on her side stopped Jin from listening to Tamaki's speal. She glanced down at Kyoya, who was back to staring at his journal. But his right hand was lightly gripping the bottom hem of her jacket.

She spun around to sit properly, "Yeah?"

"It's come to my attention that Kasanoda might not be well informed on what our club entails. He doesn't seem overly familiar with our personalities besides Mori-senpai's. And as he's distanced himself from everyone at this school, it's likely he's out of touch with many of the rumors that circulate the Academy."

Jin tilted her head. All of that may be, but why was Kyoya telling her about this now? Was it really that obvious to everyone else how Kasanoda clearly didn't know her name when she had spoken with him?

Kyoya was quiet for a few seconds. His hand had released her jacket when she'd turned around, but she had grabbed it before he could pull away. The hand was limp in between her fingers as she poked and prodded and bent and traced the lines and joints. He'd always found her interest in fiddling with his hand odd and somewhat cute.

"Kyoya?"

"It's possible he does not know you are 'off the market'."

Jin stopped toying with his pinkie and just stared at him, "Are you… jealous?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He hasn't hinted to being interested in you, yet."

The brunette opened her mouth, but just then Tamaki announced, "I'm not exaggerating when I say that most of Mori-senpai's charm comes directly from Honey-senpai!"

"Say what-now?"

"T-takashi?"

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, NO!" The elder Fujioka jumped off the couch and marched to her old friends, leaving behind an unhappy boyfriend. He thought about what she was about to say before Tamaki decided to start insulting their friends.

"You're an idiot."

Kyoya looked over at Haruhi in surprise, "I beg your pardon?"

"Just translating for you, Kyoya-senpai. You wanted to know what she was about to say, right? That was it. Don't worry, though, she meant it in a really endearing way. She calls me an idiot like that sometimes, too."

He couldn't think of a response.

Meanwhile, Jin had scooped up the small blond boy and cradled him, "Don't you dare start thinking that way! Tamaki is just being a moron!" She glared at her classmate as Honey clutched at her neck. Mori-senpai was on his feet, hovering around the boy and girl with more emotion on his face than she could recall ever seeing before.

Tamaki merely ignored the impending meltdown going on behind him, and continued, "Unfortunately for you, I can't let you borrow Honey-senpai as he's in a long-term lease to Mori-senpai."

"TAKASHI, ARE YOU RENTING ME?!"

Jin released Honey as his cousin yanked him out of her arms, frantically shaking his head. Hands newly freed, the brunette marched over to the others and promptly smacked Tamaki upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Would you quit it? You're gonna give Honey-senpai nightmares about being abandoned!"

"What?"

Jin pointed over to the 3rd years who both looked to be on the verge of tears, "Look, do what you must to help Kasanoda, but try to stop mentally scarring our friends!"

"Oh. Ah… right then. Hikaru? Kaoru? I have a job for you!"

"Big brother Morinozuka! I wanted to say 'Good Morning' to you!"

Jin paused in her walking, hearing Kasanoda's voice carry across the commons. Kyoya and Haruhi took a few extra steps before realizing the third member of their morning commute wasn't with them. They cut off their conversation about the possible rain shower later in the day and turned back around.

"Nēchan?"

"Check it out."

The three watched as Honey greeted the 1st year… and the resulting scary 'right back at'cha Haninozuka-senpai'. Only Mori-senpai didn't cower in fear.

Jin tilted her head. Something was… off. But it wasn't just because Kasanoda wanted to carry Mori's bag to his classroom. She realized the danger exactly three seconds before the flower pot crashed against the cement where Kasanoda used to be standing.

Thankfully, Mori had sensed the disturbance as well, shoving the 1st year away. Jin ran across the grass towards the other trio. Mori noticed Jin's frantic expression as she approached and, on instinct, shot his arm out in front of him, striking the second pot and sending it flying.

The other students were whispering among themselves when Jin finally arrived.

"What the heck was that? " Mori grunted in response, the two of them craning their heads backwards, staring up at the rooftop the plants had fallen from. But there was no one there. Hmmm...

"Mori-senpai, are you okay?"

"You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Come on, up you get." Kasanoda broke off his eye contact with the broken pot and looked up. The Fujioka girl was offering him a hand, like she intended to help him off the ground. He gave her a confused look, though it probably just looked angry to everyone else. Her expression grew pained for a split second, but that was all he needed. She wanted to help, but his scary appearance was making it hard on her.

"No, it's alright. I'd probably just pull you down with me." Ritsu tried to wave her off, but she grabbed his right hand and yanked, pulling him straight to his feet. He stumbled a bit, but then his mouth dropped open. "Wha… How…"

"I'm stronger than I look." She released his hand and looked over at Mori, "And… I've been Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai's friend for a long time. I suppose you could say I've picked up on a few things."

Kasanoda blinked. So… Fujioka was closer to Morinozuka-senpai and Haninozuka-senpai than he'd known. And if she wasn't afraid of him , then she probably wasn't afraid of Morinozuka-senpai when Haninozuka-senpai wasn't around either. Then… oh.

Embarrassment flooded his being. He should've known.

"So, ah… what's your first name? I don't really know."

"Jin. And my brother is Haruhi. You don't have to call us by our last name, that would be confusing."

"Then, Jin-senpai… I apologize if this question is out of order, but are you and Morinozuka-senpai..." He let the question hang, too embarrassed to ask 'are you taken?'

As it was, Jin's face went from its usual light tan into a really dark blush, "What? Me and Mori? No! Wow… you really don't listen to the rumor mill around the school, do you?"

"What? The rumor mill?"

"I'm dating Kyoya Ootori."

If possible, Kasanoda was more confused than he'd been a few seconds ago, "Ootori-senpai? You mean-"

"Me." Kyoya came up from behind the girl, looping an arm around her waist. Kasanoda felt like he'd been hit upside the head with a bowling ball. Ootori-senpai had been the last person he'd expected Jin-senpai to be with. How had that happened? Now he was really glad he hadn't explored further into that little crush of his. Ootori-senpai would've had his head if he'd developed feelings for his girl.

Ritsu shook his head, trying to shake his thoughts back into order, "Okay, whatever. Right now we have bigger issues. When's the next time the host club meets up?"

* Time Skip *

"Morinozuka-senpai has gotten on someone's bad side! I saw it! They're out for him!"

Jin blinked. That's what he meant by 'bigger issues'? Did he not realize how both of those pots would've hit him this morning? As far as she could tell, Mori-senpai wasn't the 'scary-faced' person in danger. Apparently, Tamaki agreed with her train of thought, telling 'Bossanova' to 'not worry his pretty little head about that'. Of course, he wasn't very worried about Kasanoda being injured either, jumping straight into Operation: 'Turn Bossanova into an Angel'. Jin scoffed and plopped down beside her boyfriend, watching as he documented the morning's incident.

"'... Bossanova then proceeded to mistakenly assume that Jin Fujioka was in a relationship with the… wrong ravenet?' Really, Glasses?"

"It's true."

"You're an idiot." She kissed his cheek and stood, wandering over to the whiteboard where the others had gathered. Kasanoda hung back, watching in curiosity as Ootori-senpai didn't move for a while before jumping up and following after his girlfriend. So they really are a couple. That's kinda strange. I wonder how that happened…

"Hey, Kasanoda?" The redhead looked the other way, where the younger Fujioka sibling was smiling at him, holding up a tea tray, "I know it's a little weird talking to the Host Club at first, but you get used to them after a while. That being said… you might want to take their suggestions with a grain of salt. Even with Nēchan over there to get rid of the completely ridiculous ideas, there's only so much she can do, y'know?"

"Well, thank you, I guess. But it's not like I have much of a choice, and Morinozuka-senpai seems to trust them. Um… you're Haruhi Fujioka, right? Jin-senpai's younger brother?"

The brunette smiled a little brighter, "That's right!"

Kasanoda watched as Haruhi set a cup of tea down in front of him, "Thank you, again. But why aren't you helping the others with the plan?"

"They don't need me. And besides, I kinda wanted to talk to you. After all, I was also admitted into Ouran when I got to high school. Guess we're buddies that way."

" Buddies? "

Do I have… a friend now? Why are my cheeks so warm?

"Haruhi, do you like to play 'Kick the Can'?"

"Eh… not my favorite game in the world. But it might be fun every once in awhile. And I'm sure Nēchan would love to play, too." Haruhi turned to face the redhead fully, a huge smile on her face at the idea of playing with her older sister like they used to when they were kids.

Said smile knock the breath out of the other 1st year.

He reminds me of a chick!

"Bossanova!"

"Yes!" Ritsu almost blushed at how high his voice was, but could you blame him? This entire club was giving him the heebee-geebee's! But at least they were gonna help him out, right?

Right?!

Wrong.

Eight teenagers stared, blank faced, at the boy in front of them. He didn't look any less angry or unapproachable than the first time they'd met him… except now he had on a pair of black kitty-cat ears.

"...A cat-monster."

The hosts nodded along with Honey's declaration and retreated into a circle.

"How did that not work? Renge said-"

"Renge's not right about everything, Tamaki." Jin was holding onto Kyoya's black journal, crossing out idea after idea that had anything to do with animal appendages. Their most recent plan had ruined cat ears for her. She refused to let fake dog-tails join that list.

Tamaki shook his head, "But they're the perfect lovely item!"

"Please, be realistic, kitty ears aren't going to change how people perceive him. He still looks mean."

Next item on to-do list: Videotape Kyoya saying 'kitty ears'. Jin muffled her laughter as best as she could, receiving a soft poke to her side as the twins pulled out a maid outfit to drive the nail further into the coffin. At that moment, the brunette was all but certain that the hosts weren't really trying. But they were pushing for something else. She'd have to ask Tamaki about it later.

"Sorry to bother you, but is the Young Lord Kasanoda in here-"

Everyone froze as a strange boy poked his head in, his eyes bugging as he spotted Kasanoda standing in the middle of the music room wearing kitten ears and a maid dress. Jin couldn't help but shut her eyes and wince. Poor Kasanoda.

Immediately the red-haired boy was in the newcomers' face, vehemently denying that the dress was his idea. His face was red, but it was more embarrassment than anger. And despite how the boy he was towering over looked scared out of his mind… when Kasanoda threw the stupid costume off and bolted from the room, the other boy chased after him. Jin tilted her head.

Oh.

" Not an image change… "

Jin hummed softly when Haruhi knelt down beside Ritsu. Her sister hadn't hesitated to be the one to talk to the scary boy while the others waited in the shadows, especially since the Fujioka's both knew that Kyoya would be a little against Jin being in that position instead. Still, possessive boyfriend or not, Jin was glad that her sister was taking the opportunity to be someone else's rock. It was a little bittersweet… watching her baby sister grow up.

She leaned back a little, Haruhi looking away from the sparrow in her palms to tell the tall boy about another bird. One who lived at the animal shelter and was the friendliest bird she'd ever known. Jin felt her boyfriend's chest bounce once with a short chuckle from behind her.

"Look out!"

The couple jolted apart, watching with surprise as Honey jumped out from his own hiding spot to kick a can of red paint that was flying through the air. Jin was immediately on the defence. If the blond hadn't kicked that can off it's original course, it likely would've struck the two 1st years. As it was, splashing the red paint all over her sister was a much better alternative.

Jin looked to her left, where the can had come from. She ran off in that direction, hearing Kyoya follow Tamaki in the other direction instead.

The brunette dashed around a corner and saw Mori struggling to hold down two tough looking guys. Without hesitation, she jumped into the fray and quickly had one of the two in an arm lock. With a nod exchanged between the two students, they half marched half dragged the attackers out into the open, insults and slurs falling from the stranger's lips with every step.

"Is this how you wanna play, Kasanoda? Using dirty tricks?" The rest of the club looked over in surprise at the quartet. Kyoya took a step forward when the boy in Jin's grip tried to stomp on her toes, but calmed down when the offender let out a pained scream. The brunette winked at her boyfriend before returning her attention to the guy at her mercy.

Kasanoda walked a little closer, "What's going on? Did you throw that can at us?"

"Don't sound so surprised! First you kidnap our Gang Boss's kid, and now you've set your lackeys on us! Just give us the kid and we'll be outta your hair!"

"Kid?" Jin jerked the other guys' arm, making him whimper, "What kid?"

When neither of the attacker's answered, the twins stepped in, expertly tying the two up tightly. They took the guy in Takashi's grip first, since he was the one still shouting insults, but Jin's hands were freed frighteningly quick all the same. Sometimes the ginger-haired boys made her nervous with how well they could tie up a person.

"Wait… what's going on?"

"Don't you get it? Takashi was never on anyone's bad side. They were after you." Ritsu gaped, eyes wide as they darted between Mori, Honey, Jin, and the two wriggling balls of rope.

"Me? But then… why… you've been helping me this whole time? Why would you do that?"

Mori exchanged an amused glance with his cousin and old friend before patting the 1st year on the head, "We can tell who the bad guys are." Jin couldn't help but grin at how touched the other boy looked with just one sentence.

Looking past the shocked boy, she saw her sister fiddling with her paint covered sleeve. Another chuckle wiggled its way up her throat before she caught her sister's eye.

Haruhi grimaced, I should probably go change.

No kidding. Good thing there are spares for all of us in the changing room.

There are?

Yeah. With all the spills and messes everyone makes, how could we not?

Fair point.

Need some help?

Shut up.

Breaking eye contact and effectively ending the conversation, Haruhi spun around and started walking back towards the school. She offered a quick comment to Tamaki when he asked where she was going and was released without much of a fuss. Jin felt her lips twitch in amusement when she noticed her own boyfriend cocking an eyebrow at her sister and his best friend. So she wasn't the only one who noticed, huh?

"You dumbasses! "

The group startled at the sudden noise. While they'd been distracted, another teenager had joined their midst and kicked the tied up attackers onto their backs. It was the boy who had tried to chase Kasanoda down when he fled their club room. But he looked furious now.

"Young lor-"

"Shut up! You've said enough today! Don't you get it? I left on my own, and this is why! Now get lost! "

The two did their best to scurry away, but ended up just using their feet to wriggle behind a nearby hedge, as they couldn't crawl to their feet fast enough.

"Tetsuya? What's going on? They just called you…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry to tell you this way, but in all honesty I didn't want to tell you at all. Not until I was sure." The boy knelt in front of the 1st year, ignoring the wide eyes staring at him from all angles, "I am Tetsuya Sendo, son of the Godfather of the Sendo syndicate."

He let out a humorless chuckle, "I was always opposed to the cut-throat ways of my syndicate and how my father handled its business. One year ago, I got into a fight with my old man and… I ran away. It was raining. I've never been as afraid or anxious as I was that day, sitting on a dirty sidewalk without even an umbrella. I had nothing. No food. No shelter. Nothing but the clothes on my back. But no one even bothered to help me. They passed by like I didn't even exist."

Tamaki slipped up behind Jin and gripped her school jacket. The brunette didn't even have to look at the boy to know he was holding back tears as best as he could. And she couldn't blame him. Tetsuya's story was a real tear jerker.

"But then I met you, young lord. You stopped and offered me your umbrella. In that first moment of knowing you I could tell what kind of person you were, despite the stories my father had told me about you. In that moment, I knew where I wanted to be. I joined the Kasanoda syndicate, and you welcomed me with open arms. Young Lord… I know of your self-consciousness and you're sometimes more awkward than most people, but you're also more kind-hearted than most people. And not just me, either. Everyone in the whole syndicate knows. They just don't want to embarrass you, so they say nothing."

Tetsuya shifted forward a little bit, "I hope that you'll allow me to remain at your side, Young Lord. I'd like to become more like you… oh! Almost forgot!" He fumbled with his jacket's pocket for a moment before pulling out a small umbrella and offering it, "Your umbrella! That's the whole reason I came here in the first place! It looked like rain and we can't let our Young Lord catch a cold! Everyone would worry themselves sick!"

For a moment, Kasanoda remained still. Like he was still processing all the information that had been thrown in his face. But then he smiled and snatched the umbrella.

"Right. I'll just keep this on me."

The other boy merely snickered, standing up properly, "Yeah, you do that."

"Um…" the red head rubbed the back of his neck, which was slowly growing redder the more his friend smiled at him, "I should… I should apologize to Fujioka- Haruhi! I should tell Haruhi I'm sorry. It is my fault he got paint all over his uniform."

"Haru-chan's back in the club room. We have a few spare uniforms up there for this reason!"

"Oh? Thanks, I'll be right back!"

He glanced at Tetsuya once again before running off, umbrella swinging around in the air. And while they couldn't see it, everyone could hear the smile in his voice when his new friend asked if they could play 'Kick the Can' later on. Jin grinned and patted Mori on his arm.

"So, was that as bad as you thought it would be?"

The 3rd year grunted, but smiled all the same. His eyes flickered over her shoulder a moment before the brunette felt a hot tickle on her ear.

"Jin… perhaps it should be brought to your attention that Kasanoda is off to see Haruhi who is changing clothes?"

The way the girl abruptly stiffened spoke a million words.

*Time Skip *

"Hey, Haruhi? You in here?"

Kasanoda hummed, glancing around the empty music room. Huh. He's probably in the changing room. The tall boy walked over to the closest of the two sets of double doors. He peeked in and saw only a kitchen-like setting. Shrugging, he retreated and went to the doors in the back. Knowing Haruhi was behind those doors, he didn't hesitate to walk in.

"Haruhi, I wanted to apologize for-"

He stopped. Haruhi's back was to him, showing off a single strip of cloth stretching across her upper back. A bra strap.

At the sound of a new voice in the room, the brunette slowly looked over her shoulder. Her face went beet red and she clutched the singlet to her chest, "G-get out! Stop staring at me!"

Kasanoda could seem to move. He was frozen, eyes wide, mouth agape.

"Ah… AH… MA!"

BAM!

The next thing he knew, Kasanoda was sprawled out on his butt, back in Music Room 3, and the door leading to the changing room was shut. Leaning against it was Jin Fujioka, but it wasn't the Jin that he knew.

Her head was tilted downwards, brown eyes ice cold as she glared at him. Her shoulders were raised, hair tussled a little from the sprinting it had taken her to get there, and expression murderous. But the worse was an acid green aura that was spreading all around her. The color was practically dripping off her, taking on a more evil appearance. Like the dark green of trees in a horror film.

Through his panic, Kasanoda was brutally reminded of an attack dog from her expression.

"That… was a big mistake."