Chapter 51: This is Our Ouran Fair!

"Haruhi? Jin?"

The two girls kept their heads down, mutely pulling on their shoes by the front door.

Even so, they felt more than a little guilty when their father's next question came out very tentative, "Don't you want any breakfast before you go?" For the first time that whole morning, the sisters let their eyes meet. It was painful for them to do so, seeing the hopelessness and worry in each other's eyes, but they couldn't handle causing their father pain.

They hadn't told him yet, anyways.

"No thanks!"

"I'm not hungry, Dad."

"See you tonight!" They smiled at their father in unison, just like the last sentence, hoping it would be enough to cover up just how fake those cheerful words really were.

* Time Skip *

" Jin? " The whispered voice had the brunette blinking in surprise. Twisting around 180 degrees, her brown eyes grew large at the familiar head of blond hair peeking out from behind a nearby column.

"Ta-" she paused, looking around the rest of the hallway. No one else seemed to have noticed that Tamaki Suoh was sulking around in the shadows of the main hallway, and Jin had a feeling he wanted to keep it that way.

No sign of his fiancee , at least.

Walking over as casually as possible, Jin pretended like she was about to admire the view out the window, " Didn't expect to see you here. "

The boy looked away, " I… I just had a request. "

" Oh? And what kind of request would that be? "

" Take care of the Host Club. Please. "

Jin's head jerked to the left, surprised, "What?"

"Please. I've hurt them enough by dragging them into the club without thinking of how it would affect their lives. Now that I'm disbanding the club, I can't just let them handle the backlash on their own… but I can't do it personally. You're the only one I can trust to do this, Jin. Start another club if you have to, but make it well worth their time and family name."

The blond turned his hopeful eyes to the girl, a sad smile tugging at his lips.

"You… idiot. "

His smile dropped.

"You complete idiot! Well worth their time and family name? Are you serious? Did Eclair tell you to say that?"

The blond fumbled, pressing himself closer to the pillar, "No… she didn't. Why do you think she did?"

Jin growls, rubbed the heel of her hand against her forehead, "I'm not quite sure how to break this to you, Tama-kun, but people perceive her as somewhat…" She frowned, chewing at her bottom lip.

Assuming that she'd lost the word, Tamaki forced the corners of his mouth to lift slightly, "Ambitious?"

"'Heinous bitch' is the term used most often."

"Tamaki, what are you doing here?"

Eclair wasn't walking very fast, but Jin had a feeling the girl could move quickly if she wanted to. Whatever, Jin was tired of being pushed around. She wasn't leaving for anything.

Be that as it may, Eclair completely ignored the other girl, speaking directly at Tamaki in a fake-sweet tone, "I thought I made it clear to you last night, Tamaki. You are not to contact any of your old club mates today. We don't want a huge scene, do we?"

For a moment, Jin saw something flickering in Tamaki's eye. A small flame of anger and hurt. And in that moment, she felt hopeful.

But then it passed, and he pulled away from the pillar, "I wasn't intending to make a scene, Eclair. I was simply ensuring that any further decisions on my part would not cause any further harm."

"Further harm?" Eclair's eyes regarded Jin before she smiled condescendingly, "Oh, I see. You expect them all to keep 'playing house' even when you're gone? That the commoner would take your place as the 'patriarch'? Silly Tamaki, have you forgotten that Jin won't be staying at Ouran after today?"

At the girl's words, Jin watched another part of her friend die in front of her, "You said you would forfeit that deal last night."

"I promised that I would think about it, but the truth is, she has broken the rule of employment while being a student at Ouran Academy. She admitted it herself in front of the entire Parlor yesterday. And as your father signed off on that order, once the word gets around to the rest of the school he'll be shamed for favoring the girl. It only makes sense for her to leave before your family name is dragged through the mud…"

Jin knew that Eclair had only just shaved off the word 'again' from the end of that sentence. Another thick, hot surge of pure hate rose up in her chest. She wouldn't be surprised if she looked back at the window and saw her hair up in flames in the reflection.

Probably sensing the rage being directed at her, the French girl smiled gently at Jin, "Something you'd like to say? Did you want to cut off our deal, Miss Fujioka?"

With more grace than she thought she could possibly possess, Jin managed a smile, as plastic as it was, and sweetly hummed, "Va te faire foutre."

She got the exact reaction she wanted.

Eclair gasps, scandalized, before grabbing Tamaki's arm and physically dragging him down the hallway. Jin listens to her rant in French about how vulgar Tamaki's club mates were and wasn't he glad now that she had asked him to disband the club. Her fiance is only looking over his shoulder, sending Jin a look that said, I'm feeling better, but I'm not sure why.

"What did you say to her?"

Jin didn't look up at Kyoya, who had just appeared at her side, when she answered, "Go fuck yourself. Or, a more direct translation: Go make yourself come."

She missed his expression, too busy glaring at the retreating brunette, but knew that he was likely either shocked or simply surprised. She didn't swear in Japanese for this exact reason, but for Eclair, she could bend her rules every once in awhile.

"Come on," he took her hand, "Let's get to the parlor. I'm sure everyone's waiting for us."

"Right…"

"Something wrong?"

"There's always something wrong when Eclair's around."

* Time Skip *

It was hard to focus on anything once they got back to the central parlor. Jin would smile and thank the parents who talked to her or complimented her abilities in and out of school, but in the back of her mind she wished she could be with Kyoya.

Maybe helping him with their little project or just pretending like the world wasn't crashing in around them.

What was worse was that Eclair showed up about an hour into the club period, Tamaki nowhere in sight. Jin was tempted to walk over and smack the girl around until she stopped being such a self centered bitch, but Kyoya gently touched the small of her back on his way to talk to Eclair himself.

As much as Jin hated that her somewhat volatile nature was forcing her boyfriend to deal with such a horrible person, the fact that he was willing to deal with such a horrible person for her sake made her fall in love with him even more.

She watched as Kyoya smiled pleasantly throughout whatever verbal battery the She-devil was spitting at him, but wasn't actually concerned until he turned around and called out for her sister. Haruhi was stiff as she went over to the table, even when Kyoya gave her an encouraging nod in passing. Jin opened her mouth to ask why Eclair wanted to talk to Haruhi, but her boyfriend beat her to the punch.

"When was the last time you looked at the debt you and Haruhi hold?"

She thought about it, "Not… recently. Not since… wow , I don't think I've even thought about it since last year. I stopped thinking of being here as a punishment a long time ago."

"Well, it would seem that someone else has developed an interest in your place." Kyoya held out his journal for her to take. Glancing up through her eyelashes, Jin tried something. She tried to read Kyoya's facial expressions like she could read Haruhi's.

Now, she'd attempted to do so before. Ever since she was little Jin had wondered why she couldn't speak to others with her eyes or read their cheek twitches like she could with Haruhi. It had bugged her for a long time, and eventually she came to resent it. Talking out loud took away the intimacy, and provided room for lies. When she 'talked' to Haruhi, the only way they could hide something from the other was to look away or completely force the idea out of their head. But she could never do the same with anyone else.

Kyoya was the first person she had tried to read in years. Of course, that was quite a while ago, and as she hadn't expected anything of it, she wasn't disappointed when she couldn't. The second time she tried had been when they started dating.

After that, Jin would find herself trying to learn the language of Kyoya's expressions, but it was hard. Worse than learning a language, even, because this was a whole new ball park. There were no books she could read, comparing his expression to Haruhi's was a bust, and if his expressions were a language, than it was a language where the words were always blurred or almost faded out, so she could only catch the barest traces. It was maddening.

Was she doing something wrong? Normally, when she was studying a new language, she'd go along all academic-like until one day she'd find a word that just clicked everything into place, and the rest of the language would spiral out from it. And usually, it was a word that had nothing to do with the other languages she knew. Like, her brain knew she was trying to learn a new language, but it needed something brand new to center itself around.

"Jin?"

Her eyes widened, and it was like seeing a rainbow appear out of nowhere.

There was a slight curl of his lips, on the right, meaning he was a little amused. A small eyebrow quirk. Curious as to why she hadn't taken the notebook yet. Narrowing eyes. Confusion, and a little concern. And… attraction.

Something new.

" I can read you. "

"Excuse me?"

Jin smiled, gently taking the journal and moving closer, "Kyoya… I can read you… like I can read Haru. "

In the split second following her words, the brunette was worried that Kyoya wouldn't find it as cool as she did. There was a possibility he'd be weirded out, or even feel violated. After all, if someone had gone through their whole life hiding their actual thoughts and feelings from the world, how would they feel knowing that their significant other could suddenly see everything?

Stupid, stupid, stupid-

He grabbed her hands, " You can read me? "

Jin swallowed, but nodded. She wasn't meeting Kyoya's eyes, worried about what she might see.

"Darling, please do me a favor, and tell me what you see right now."

Licking her lips, she did as she was asked.

Amazing.

It was like witnessing the birth of a brand new color. The girl gasped, her mouth widening into a huge smile.

"Amazing…"

Kyoya's expression shifted a little.

Beautiful.

Okay, now she was blushing. Looking away again, the brunette noticed that they had gained more than a few eyes with their interaction. Just as Kyoya took a small step forward, she pulled the journal to her chest, trying to ignore just how warm her boyfriend's hands felt above her fingers.

"So… debt, right?"

A quick glance gave her the question, What are you talking about?

Then he noticed the way half of the room was watching with baited breath. He smirked and captured her gaze once again.

Later.

A quick kiss to her forehead and a lingering drag of his fingers across hers, and Kyoya made his way over to the other host club boys, who were chatting with each other over Tamaki's noted absence.

Jin allowed herself to regulate her breathing before looking down at the journal in her hands. Our debt? Why would Eclair be worried about our debt? Because if I'm away, that'll put more money over Haruhi? Like… another twisted punishment?

Deciding worrying about it wasn't going to help anything, the brunette flipped through a couple pages. If she remembered correctly, Kyoya had placed their debt calculations near the front of his new journal, so it couldn't be too far-

She came to a stop, her eyes widening as she read the page.

No way…

Looking back up, Jin watched as Eclair daintily stood up and walked away from her sister.

"Thank you both for all of your hard work." Kyoya was smiling gently as he gained that Fujioka's attention, "After that request from Lady Eclair, your debt to the Ouran Host Club has been paid. You're both free to quit the Host Club, if you wish."

"And what better timing?"

Half of the room glanced over at Eclair's raised voice. She paid them no mind, currently smirking at the back of the head in front of her. Slowly, Jin turned around to face her, Kyoya's black journal still in her hands.

"Better timing for what, dare I ask?"

She smirked and lifted the papers that were in her hand, "Why, since you no longer have a debt to pay with the Host Club, signing these transfer papers will bear no financial burden to your family, should they?"

The bystanders who hadn't been all that interested a moment before were suddenly watching in disbelief.

" Transfer papers? "

" Isn't that Eclair Tonnerre? Why does she have transfer papers? "

" Those aren't for Jin, right? "

Jin clutched the journal in her arms a little tighter, her left hand drifting up to trace the necklace she wore, "Why do you have those, Eclair?"

"To make sure you actually sign them, of course. After this morning's insult, I wished to ensure you wouldn't go back on our deal. Now," she snapped her fingers and a well-dressed man walked over, laying a pen in Eclair's free hand, "Sign these, if you please."

Most everyone in the room gasped -well, most of the Host Club's younger guests were crying- as Eclair placed the papers and pen on a table. Jin slowly moved the journal to her left arm as she walked to the other side of the table. Staring down at the papers, she realized that they'd already been completely filled. All that was left was her signature.

No… this isn't what we planned for.

Tears was already threatening as she shakily reached out for the pen. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her sister and boyfriend in the same place as before. It was clear from Haruhi's expression that she had been expecting this, meaning she couldn't feel any sadder than before. But Kyoya… the only expression Jin could read was shock. They thought they'd have more time.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dear. Were you expecting a miracle?"

Throat tightening, Jin looked back down at the paper. Her eyes flooded when she realized something.

Eclair had written down the high school Jin was being transferred to. It wasn't Higashi High, where Beni and Hiroshi were.

No… she was going to Kaisei Junior and Senior High School.

That's where the Matsumoto triplets went.

She was going right back to her tormentors.

No… please, no.

"Something wrong, Dear?"

Jin bit her lip, trying to stop her hand from shaking as she pressed it to the paper. Slowly, the black ink traced across the black line at the bottom, spelling out her name in elegant and forceful characters. She finished the last line just as a tear dropped onto the page.

Either the room had gone completely silent or the blood roaring through her ears was too loud for her to hear anything properly. The paper was pulled away, Jin's eyes following it as Eclair handed it to the man beside her.

"Thank you for doing business with me, Miss Fujioka. I'll send those in when I leave for France tonight." Her smile was cold and downright evil, "Have a pleasant last day at Ouran Academy."

Jin clenched her jaw as the other girl turned and walked out of the parlor, leaving behind her shell-shocked audience. The doors shut and conversations restarted. A few people tried to approached Jin, but halfway they decided against it. The brunette was back to staring at the table like she'd just signed her life away rather than a scholarship, Kyoya's black journal clutched to her chest like a security blanket. She looked ready to shatter.

Heavy measured steps passing on her left side forced Jin's gaze back up. Kyoya's father paused for a moment beside her, like he was thinking of what to say, before continuing on.

Anger suddenly burned in Jin's throat. A horrible thought had occurred.

What if… Eclair struck a deal with Mr. Ootori yesterday, before she called for me? What if her part of the deal was to get me away from his son?

She spun around just as the older man and the person following him stopped beside Kyoya and her sister. The stranger bowed to Kyoya, so he was probably a member of their family's staff, but Mr. Ootori's back was as straight and stiff as ever.

"When they're young, many assume they have all the time in the world. But really, that is never the case. Don't waste your time with something that will ultimately have no value, especially when you already have a purpose in life."

Jin had already taken a few steps towards the small group by the fountain when Mr. Ootori's words froze her in place. A small, rational part of her brain knew he was referencing to the Host Club, but at the same time she couldn't help but note he could just as easily be talking about her relationship with Kyoya as well.

The ravenet wasn't even looking at his father, instead sending Jin the words ' I'm sorry' over and over again. But she could barely look at him.

Mr. Ootori and his assistant continued walking, leaving a space for Jin to go to her boyfriend and comfort herself… but she couldn't. Just yesterday, that same man had basically given her and Kyoya permission to date, saying that his concerns regarding their relationship not being beneficial to the rest of the family had been unfounded. If he was already going back on his word, possibly only a few hours after he'd said them, then what sort of future did Jin expect her and Kyoya to have with his family? Could she really do that to him?

"You don't know anything about the Host Club."

Haruhi shoved her chair back across the tiles, standing up and marching around the table, her brown eyes piercing the still turned back of one Mr. Ootori.

"Kyoya-senpai works around the clock to make sure that everyone here is enjoying themselves on top of keeping the club on budget and staying on top of schoolwork. Did you ever stop to think that entertaining others might give each of us some fulfillment? How can you possibly say that what we do here is a waste of time when you refuse to look past your own opinion? In case you haven't noticed, you are the only person here who isn't enjoying themselves. Perhaps the problem isn't with the club, but with you. I don't care what you say, I think Kyoya-senpai is amazing… and I can't think of anyone else I'd be prouder to call my future brother-in-law."

Kyoya's father remained still for a moment, as if pondering whether she was done or if he should respond. But then the moment passed, and he kept walking.

Haruhi glared off after the man until he disappeared into the crowd before turning to the boy next to her. Kyoya was staring at her in shock.

"I'm sorry. I was just sick and tired of him bashing you and the club. I couldn't let Nēchan have every word with him."

"You called me… your future brother-in-law?" The small brunette blushed, glancing at her sister, who was also staring, "I didn't think you were one for such… long-term plans within relationships. Especially for your sister's."

"Look, just because it grosses me out when I walk in on you two making out on the occasionally flat surface, that doesn't mean I don't approve of your relationship, or whatever. You make each other happy, and when you're apart you're Hell to deal with. Good enough for me. And you , Kyoya-senpai, don't need your father to decide where you find your happiness. My opinion on you finding it in my sister? Good choice. This is around the time I'd usually say 'be good to her', but I have a feeling you will be."

"Haru…"

Jin was smiling, finally, and held out her arms for a hug. Haruhi didn't hesitate, holding her sister tightly. At the top of the stairs across the parlor, Mr. Ootori watched the siblings interact.

"The Fujioka's, hm?"

* In Music Room #1 *

"Miss, you have a visitor."

Spinning around with a smile and her opera glasses pressed to her face, Eclair spotted her butler standing at the door, "Send them in, please."

The older man bowed, and a familiar face walked into the room.

"Mr. Ootori? Why are you here?" Tamaki sounded concerned, which had Eclair's left eyelid twitch. When was he going to learn that he had no real place in his fiancee's business talks? At least he hadn't reacted poorly to her throwing his phone into the fish tank or fight her when she draped herself over his shoulders. It was an improvement, at least.

Still, she managed to keep her tone just as playful as always when she asked the Ootori patriarch to have a seat. Tamaki, of course, tried to apologize for forcing the man's third son to take part in his silly little club. Sensing Mr. Ootori was about to answer in a way he'd regret later, Eclair dropped her opera glasses to her lap.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

The man's jaw tightened, but otherwise he seemed perfectly calm, "Of course."

"Let's begin with your terms of the contract. Your medical equipment company is about to be bought out from under you by Grand Tonnerre." She hummed, like the idea was amusing to her, "I will divert our company of interest to one of your rivals, so long as the heir is your eldest son instead of your youngest and every member of the Board of Commissioners is approved of by Grand Tonnerre."

"Agreed." Tamaki's eyes were widening as the information washed over him.

Eclair tilted her head, "On a side note, your youngest son has poor judgement when it comes to choosing a bride."

Tamaki stiffened. He hated it when she spoke so poorly of his friends… but he knew it would upset his grandmother if he spoke up about it now.

"I do believe you do not have anything to say in regards to my family outside of a business sense."

"Miss Fujioka couldn't put the pieces together," Eclair continued, like Mr. Ootori hadn't even spoken, "She even saw you leaving our meeting yesterday, and couldn't find the hidden loop. I'd say I was disappointed, but I'd be lying."

Mr. Ootori squared his shoulders, his glasses glaring over as he waited for her to explain.

"Those papers you witnessed her sign earlier this afternoon, they were transfer documents to remove her from Ouran Academy. She'll be attending the public school a town over by next week. I got her to agree to sign them by threatening to pull the plug on your company and leave you bankrupt if she didn't. But she never connected the dots to why we were talking. She agreed to give up her future in exchange for a company that was never in danger... well, so long as our contract remains intact."

Tamaki and Mr. Ootori were staring at the girl in shock. The move was so… underhanded and cruel. And yet Eclair was smiling like she'd just figured out how to trick her parents into giving her another cookie after dinner. She twirled her opera glasses once in her lap before continuing.

"Now then, I will have a favor to ask of you once we finish, but there is one last addendum to your side of the contract that you have yet to clarify."

"Is there, now?"

"Jin Fujioka… and your son."

The man tilted his head down a little, showing off his grey eyes that flashed coldly, "Ah… that addendum."

Tamaki's breath caught in his throat.

* Time Skip *

"You look nice, Jin-chan."

Jin looked up from her seat, trying to force herself to smile at the boys standing in front of her, "Thanks. I like your outfits, too."

Hikaru looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon, and the moment his senpai looked at her lap again he exploded, "What are we doing?! Are we really going to pretend like this isn't happening?"

"Hikaru-"

"No! Everything was just fine until Eclair showed up! She's destroyed everything! First, she takes Tamaki-senpai away! Then she forces him to disband the Host Club! Now she's taking Jin away! And why won't that idiot answer his phone?"

Jin hunched over as Kaoru attempted to calm his twin down, tugging at the white sleeves of her dress. It was a green renaissance gown, with long white sleeves, a nice dark green color for the dress, and a triangle of gold fabric in the front of the skirt. It was beautiful, but she couldn't find herself to care. By next week, she'd be back in public school, with all of her old tormentors, and without any of her friends.

How did this happen?

"Kyoya-senpai? Any luck?"

"No. He's not answering."

"Well, are you really surprised?" Jin tugged at her fingers, "Eclair won. Why would she let us see Tama-kun if she has nothing to gain from it?" Hastily, she rubbed at her eyes. They were almost constantly red now from her limbo between 'almost crying' and 'crying', "I thought… I'd at least get to say goodbye to him. I'm going to miss him. And… I never thanked him."

"What for?"

Jin's smile was tiny and miserable, but she still managed it, "For… everything." Haruhi, who was also in a dress, squeezed her sister's hand. Kyoya frowned before flipping his phone open again and harshly dialing before turning towards the window.

"Hello, Shima? It's Kyoya Ootori. Been awhile, hasn't it?"

The rest of the club stared at him.

" Who's Shima? "

" She's the head maid at the Suoh Second Mansion, where Tamaki lives. "

"He's… how could he be so stupid? " The phone was lowered from his ear, opposing fist shaking with the anger Jin could now see pulsing through her boyfriend, "Evidently, Tamaki is planning to return to France ."

"Huh?!"

"Tama-chan's leaving us?"

"You've got to be kidding me? After all this time and he- It can't just end so suddenly!"

"Hikaru…" the younger twin tried to hold onto his brother, but was brushed off.

Jin walked over to Kyoya, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder just as he pulled the phone back up, "Yes?" She waited as his opposing hand covered hers and Shima continued speaking.

"Do you know when he's leaving?"

Faintly, Jin heard the response, " I believe his flight leaves this evening. "

"Why is he leaving so soon?"

" He would've left sooner, but he said he had to wait until the Ouran fair was ending. "

Jin gripped her boyfriend's shoulder harshly, "Look!" She stepped closer to the window in front of them, her nose kissing the glass. Down below them, a red car was speeding down the cobblestones. A familiar blond head of hair was in the back seat.

"Tamaki!"

"Tama-kun!"

The others rushed over.

"Tama-chan, no!"

"Hey!"

"The Ouran Fair isn't even over yet!"

Kyoya grabbed Jin's hand, "My family's car should be in the parking lot! Everyone, we need to move, now!"

The brunette looked at the couches, spotting her sister still where she'd left her, "Haru! Come on! We're not letting him go that easy!"

The sound of shoes clattering on concrete echoed through the parking lot, pounding in time to the Host Club's heavy breathing. In his head, Kyoya tried to calculate how far Tamaki could've gotten as he and the others finally reached his family's car.

He bent down and stared at the driver. It was his father's driver, but he supposed he could make do.

"We're in a hurry, can you drive us?"

"Uh… I'm sorry, Sir. But…"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Well, you see, I've been given orders."

"Orders? From my father? About what?"

"Kyoya-senpai…"

The boy in purple slowly straightened up, realization washing over him as he turned to face the Black Onion Squad, "Ah, I see. Your orders are to protect Lady Eclair, are they not?" He watched as Hikaru pulled Haruhi behind the twins… but noticed that the other three members of their group had vanished. Silently thanking his girlfriend for her amazing intuition -and distrust of his father- he continued to keep his eyes on the men in black.

"I'm truly sorry, Sir, but the orders come from your Father. We have no choice."

"Damn it!" Kyoya brought his fist down on the hood of the car, hoping to keep himself the focus of the Squad as the biggest threat until Jin and the cousins could unleash whatever plan they'd come up with. He'd only intended to cause a loud noise.

Instead, he dented the hood of the car.

Wouldn't that surprise his father later tonight.

"Sir, we are sorry for the loss of your friend. But this is our job. We will not be fired for disobedience."

The sound of a loud motor suddenly filled up the cavern, coupled with horse shoes and wooden wheels. The guards yelped and jumped out of the way as a motorcycle and horse-drawn carriage barreled down on them. The carriage cut off the four club members from the Black Onion Squad, while the motorcycle powered down on the other side.

Jin removed the black helmet from her head and jumped off the bike, staring down the guards as Mori and Honey handed the reins to Hikaru.

"M-Miss Fujioka-"

"Actually, it's Worthy Matron Fujioka, in case you've forgotten."

There was a simultaneous gulp as the girl grabbed her skirt and ripped the bottom half off without much effort. With the dress now stopping at her knees, she fell into a fighting position, eyes losing their softness.

The guards continued to whisper among themselves as the twins jumped onto the carriage. Jin heard Kyoya telling her sister to go get their Idiot, and she risked turning around.

"Haru? When you find that moron, you tell him everything he needs to know, you got that?"

Haruhi met her eyes, and Jin smirked. She knew what to do.

"Yah!"

One of the guards seemed to snap out of it, "Don't just stand there! Stop that- AUGH!" He never got to finish his commands. Jin had shot forward and grabbed the top of his front plate of armor, throwing him over the heads of the men behind him.

"Next!"

The following minute seemed to take forever. All three of them jumped and weaved and wrecked general havoc among the men in body armor. Jin couldn't tell exactly how many faces she elbowed or chests she'd kicked, all she knew was this was much more therapeutic than breaking the chair 24 hours ago. Honey had said to not go easy on them, and she wasn't planning too.

However, with their combined strength and rage, it wasn't long before they started running out of people to fight. Only when Jin went to punch a guy and almost nailed Mori instead, she managed to rein in her fury.

Haru. Hikaru. Kaoru. They might need backup.

Jumping back on the motorcycle, which she could do much easier now with her torn skirt, Jin grabbed the helmet and went to put it on. But a hand around her wrist stopped her.

Kyoya stared at her, "Please, be careful."

"I will."

He pulled away, and she noticed him wince. Her eyes zipped to the hand that just let her go, noticing the beginnings of a bruise starting up along his pinkie. She glanced at the hood of the car behind him. There was a dent in the hood.

"Did you do that?"

"Ah," he lightly rubbed at his hand, "Yes. I had to keep their attention on me, but I over-"

Jin grabbed the front of his colorful shirt and yanked him down for a hard kiss. He didn't complain, but managed to silently ask what that was for when she released him. Kyoya thought he was getting pretty good at this 'silent' speak.

" That's all manner of hot. " She winked, pulled on the helmet, revved the engine, and took off.

* Time Skip *

It didn't take her long to find out where the plan had gone wrong.

"Hika-kun! Kao-kun!" She started putting on the brakes, spotting the twins limping out of a pumpkin patch. Kaoru waved her off, though.

"No! Go after Haruhi! She took the carriage! I'll get Hikaru to a hospital, but help her!"

"Bring our family back, Jin-nēchan!"

Jin gasped, almost stopping the bike just so she could hug the two boys, but knew she couldn't. Instead, she nodded and put on the power. As the motorcycle kicked up dirt behind her, the memory of this morning stirred in her mind. It seemed like a lifetime ago…

" What, you girls can't talk to your Dad about it?"

" About what?"

" Something's bothering you two, and it's not good."

" Dunno what you're talking about, Silly!"

" I'm just not hungry this morning! You know it happens!"

" You can't fool me, kiddos. Haruhi, the last time you didn't get on Jin's case about not eating breakfast was when your mother died. It took you both a long time before you started eating regularly again."

Jin gritted her teeth and pushed the bike to go faster. This was a much higher speed than she'd ever gone before.

" There are some things in this world you can't change, no matter how much you may want to. Just remember, you have to stay brave, even if it feels like the world is falling apart around you. You've always drawn strength from each other, and people might see that as weakness. But know that what you two have is anything but. The two of you together? The world had better watch out."

Breathing heavily, her hands straining from how hard she's gripping the handles, Jin glances to her right. The road! Just ahead, she sees a small incline. Probably for hikers and the like. Squaring her shoulders, she turns the handles.

If she were any less skilled or had a shorter reaction time, Jin likely would've severely injured herself or gotten her neck snapped. The dirt fell away from the edge of the small trail, tumbling down into the road. Jin barely managed to duck beneath a fallen tree branch. Gravel kicked at the back of her legs, stinging against her skin.

And yet, against all odds and fifteen seconds of her heart hammering in complete terror, the wheels hit the pavement and took off, finding proper grip again.

Just ahead, she saw the carriage and red car down the road, side by side. Shouts slipped past her ears, the barest hints of words tickling her eardrums but not telling her what they meant. Ducking low, she urged the machine faster. The handles trembled beneath her hands. How much gas had been in this when she borrowed it from the basketball team?

Up ahead, she saw Tamaki standing up in the car, staring at Haruhi as she screaming through the wind.

Then she let go of one of the reins.

"Haru!"

Haruhi reached out to the blond, not hearing her sister or the motorcycle over the sound of the carriage and wind. Jin felt her heart jack up another few beats, begging for the horses to remain in tandem and not go crazy with only one of them being held back.

In the car, Tamaki slowly reached back to the short-haired girl. Despite all the danger, Jin smiled. Yes, she wanted to scream, Come back to Ouran! You belong with us!

A loud whinny almost stopped her heart completely. Jin watched in horror as the horses went crazy, just as she'd feared they would. The carriage slammed into the side of the bridge…

Sending Haruhi over the edge.

"Haruhi!"

"HARU! NO!"

Tamaki hears Jin and looks at her, mouth gaping even wider, if possible, "Jin? What-"

"Please! Save her!"

The blond gasps, before he nods and leaps out of the car and over the edge in a perfect dive. Dropping out of view.

Jin can feel the bike beneath her beginning to shake harder, probably not used or intended to go at this speed. She manages to keep her eyes on the road, somewhat, and is met with teary eye contact with Eclair. The French girl is staring at her, looking oddly heartbroken for someone without a heart. She looked down, then turned around in her seat to face the back of her driver.

A flurry of papers exploded out of the car, the wind scattering them across the road.

What?

Jin tilted her head back as one paper flew right over her head.

CRUNCH!

"AHHHHHH!"

The brunette went tumbling head over heels, her world turned upside down as the bike hit the back of the carriage.

"Oof!"

"Jin!"

Pressing herself up onto her elbows, Jin managed to lift the visor up on her helmet. When she saw where she was, she wasn't sure if this was call to panic or thank whatever god existed.

Good news, she had landed on the carriage, on the seats, with no broken bones.

Bad news, she had landed on the carriage, on the seats, with no way to steer.

But who had called her name?

Hauling herself up to see over the lip of the carriage side, she was surprised to see Eclair standing up in the car again, leaning over with concern.

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to distract you!"

Jin pulled her helmet all the way off, which was kind of stupid, but she was also positive that she was succumbing to heat hallucinations from her head cooking in the thing. Except she wasn't.

The carriage hit the side of the bridge once again and she gripped the seat to keep herself from flying out like her sister.

Suddenly realizing how dangerous the situation was, Jin dragged herself up and looked at the horses. They were running wildly, but both of the reins had now dropped into the street. They were still leaning to the left, but that could change at any moment.

Turning back to the other girl, she used her hand to imitate pushing Eclair away, "Go! Get out of here! They could veer towards you at any moment!"

The French girl blinked in surprise, but eventually turned to her driver, "Faster! Get off the bridge!" She turned back to Jin, "Good luck." And sped off.

The brunette wasted precious seconds staring off after the car in disbelief, wondering what had just happened, before she was slammed against the side of the bridge against. Her fingers slid across the wood before she caught herself.

Grunting, she managed to push herself up and over onto the driver's chair, grabbing onto the far side of the carriage with her hands just as it was jarred again. She could see the horses now, and watched as the one closest to the bridge wall get sick of being pushed against it. The carriage jerked across the road until they were running right in the middle. If the car Eclair had been in hadn't sped up, she could've been driven off the road and into the river.

Carefully, the brunette picked her way to the floor. The metal bars holding the horses in place in front of the carriage were wiggling around dangerously, threatening to release the animals into the street. Which is exactly what Jin needed.

She lunged for the one on her right, fingers slipping once before finally getting a good hold on the large bolt. She twisted it to the left, her eyes darting up in front of her. Eclair's car was already around the corner and on the other bridge… but she could now see the turn. It was a large cliff, so no way forward. And the horses weren't slowing down enough for a turn.

The bolt yanked free into her hand, almost smacking her in the face.

The horses whinnied in panic as half of the metal guards fell away. The carriage jumped a little bit, slamming Jin into the floor as the wheels jumped over the bars. The horse on the right tried to pull away from the runaway carriage, but it was still attached to the other horse. Except that one was tired of being pushed around, and held the carriage in the middle of the road. Breathing heavily, Jin turned to the other side, pulling at the second bolt. Every so often, she'd look in front of them. The turn was coming up quickly.

Please please please please PLEASE!

It came loose.

Jin kicked at the frame and it too clattered to the pavement, freeing the horses from the carriage, but not from each other. They ran to the side, slowing down now that a huge carriage wasn't threatening to mow them over. Except Jin was still on it, and it was still moving fast towards the turn. The cliff was growing huge as it loomed ahead of her, ready to crush the carriage into kindling and any dumb 18 year old girl who might happen to be in it.

Quickly, she climbed back over into the back of the carriage. With the horses now behind her, slowing down, she wasn't worried about suddenly veering into the side of the bridge. Except she had a crazy idea about getting off the carriage before something worse happened to her.

She only hoped it would work.

Taking a deep breath, she climbed over the seat she had been sitting in not two days before and held onto the rods on the very back end of the carriage. Lowering herself down, Jin's heart hammered against her rib cage, trying to escape before it's owner could get herself killed. Just before she welled up her courage, she clutched at the heart necklace swinging around her neck.

Please.

"I'm an idiot!" She screamed into the wind before tensing her legs for a jump.

* Time Skip *

"Tama-chan! Haru-chan!"

A small blond blur launched itself at the two wet teenagers who had just crawled out of the river, nearly knocking them back in again.

"Hey, Boss! You're back!"

"Kyoya's driver had a change of heart after he saw the Haninozuka and Morinozuka family in action!"

"Where's Jin?"

All the smiles disappeared as the seven looked up towards the bridge. Their eyes widened at the wreckage of their carriage pressed against the cliff marking the turn. No sign of Jin, though.

"Kyo-chan… look."

Kyoya stumbled towards the group next to the water, not daring to believe it. He walked into the water and threw his arms into the shallows, grabbing onto something rubbery and dark beneath the water. Pulling hard, he watched in horror as the remains of what used to be her motorcycle were dragged onto the sand.

" Was… was Nēchan on the bridge? "

"She went after you."

"On that motorcycle."

Kyoya was shaking, his hands still holding onto the handlebars. From the looks of the vehicle, it had crashed head-first into something. Most likely… due to the wooden splinters in the wheel… the carriage. So either she'd been thrown over the bridge with the bike, or she'd been thrown onto the carriage… both of which were now hopeless wrecks.

"Jin!" He dropped the bike, cupping his hands around his mouth to holler across the water, "Jin!"

" No… no, no, no… "

" Kyoya-senpai, "

"No! She's not dead! Look! The horses aren't there! She got them off of the carriage! She's safe! Jin!"

The others were looking around at each other, wanting to see that someone other than them believed Kyoya's desperation. Haruhi was sniffling, cursing herself for not knowing that her sister would come after her. Tamaki took a step back, slipping on one of the rocks and falling back down in the riverbed. His tailbone hit a couple rocks, but he couldn't even register the pain.

This is all my fault. This is all my fault. This is all my fault.

Kyoya took in a deep breath, "JIN!"

"Hey, Glasses, calm down! I can hear you just fine!"

Everyone spun around, laughing in disbelief and joy as Jin picked her way down the rocky beach towards them. Her green dress was missing, brown hair a total mess, and her arms were scratched up and bleeding lightly. Kyoya couldn't remember a time she looked more beautiful.

Running up to her, he cautiously placed his hands on her shoulders, making sure not to touch her arms, "You're hurt! What happened? Did you crash? How did you escape the carriage? Did you ride the horses? Did you hit your head at all? How badly are you bleeding? Is anything blurry to you at all-"

"Kyo-kun!" She hugged him tightly, "I'm fine . I hit the carriage with my bike, but I landed on it. I unhooked the horses and jumped off just before it hit the cliff. My arms got a little scraped from the pavement. I didn't hit my head. I'm fine. "

"You don't have a good track record with these things! I, for one, am quite sick of seeing you try out hospital beds!" Despite the sharp words, Kyoya's hands were gentle as he cupped Jin's face, "Don't ever do that again. I'm not about to lose you."

Jin smiles, "I'm not going anywhere, Glasses. Promise."

The boy returns the smile briefly before kissing her like his life depended on it. Jin couldn't help but think that if this were a Hollywood movie, this would've been the final scene right before the credits. And they lived happily ever after.

Except this wasn't a Hollywood movie, and her friends and sister had been watching them right up to the start of the kiss.

In an effort to keep the more lewd boys from watching her sister and Kyoya-senpai reunite - suck face - Haruhi gently squeezed Tamaki's hand once he got out of the river again.

"Thank you for jumping after me… I was worried that you might not have."

"What? You really thought that?" The blond grabbed her hands, pulling them to his chest, "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had let you fall by yourself. And… it helped convince me that you all really wanted me back. Jin, I saw her just as you went over. Instead of saving you herself, she asked me to do it. She entrusted me with keeping you safe. That's when I knew that you truly wanted me back."

Across the way, Kyoya had finally come up for air, holding his girlfriend to his chest and looking over at his best friend, "Of course we wanted you back, Idiot. It wouldn't be the Host Club without you."

The others laughed a bit before Hikaru piped up, "Tamaki-senpai, the Host Club is the only thing that made us happy."

"We would still be lost in our small world, without friends, if it weren't for you."

"I'd still be forcing myself to not be happy."

"I'd still be forced to watch Mitsukuni be unhappy, and not say anything about it."

"And that ," Haruhi lightly elbowed the blond before pointing at the embracing couple, " That right there was the direct result of this club. They were both pulled in because of you, Tamaki, and if you hadn't, then that would not even exist."

The French boy looked like he was about to cry, "I thought… I thought I was just making a mess of your lives."

"You didn't mess up our lives. You saved us, Tama-kun."

And then, he did start crying.

"Hey, Nēchan?"

Jin's heart swelled, in the good way this time, "Yeah, Hikaru?"

"What are those?"

The girl looked down at her left hand. She was still holding the papers. The ones she had scooped up off the road as she started walking back to meet with Haruhi and Tamaki when they got out of the river.

Kyoya's grip around her lower back tightened when he saw the signature at the bottom, "Darling… are those…"

"Nothing." She looked up at the boy, her eyes shining, "They're nothing now."

Without further ado, the girl began marching towards the riverbank, ripping the transfer papers in half. Quarters. Eights. And sixteenths, before throwing them into the air like confetti. They fluttered down into the water, sinking or being carried away.

For good.

* Time Skip *

"My, my, my, Darling. You clean up nice."

"Shut up, Dear."

Giggling at the teasing, Jin let Kyoya lead her further onto the dance floor. She was back in a proper dress. Dark green, with fluttering short sleeves and knee-length skirt that made her freshly combed hair look even darker. Her bare arms were washed clean of blood, only small red nicks showing off how rough of a day she'd had.

She smiled broadly as the two danced to the orchestra. Occasionally she'd spy Haruhi being spun around by the other boys. It had been a surprise to them all when Haruhi said she'd announce her real gender to the school next week, but remain in the Host Club all the same. She might become a half-host like her sister, or keep serving to her guests, but either way, the lies were over and done with.

It didn't seem like the girls minded at the moment.

Kyoya pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, chuckling when Jin immediately put her head into the crook of his shoulder and neck. They spun around a few more times, finally allowing themselves to enjoy that the whole mess was behind them.

Or, maybe not quite yet.

"Jin, there's something I think you should know."

"Mm?"

"While I was… working on my family's company," the girl smirked at his word choice, "I came across a few emails. Apparently… Eclair tried to blackmail my father into one further agreement. To withdraw his support from our relationship."

The brunette jerks backwards, her feet halting in the middle of a spin. A flash of panic was spreading through her chest, but Kyoya just smiles gently.

"He refused."

"He… what?"

"The emails I found were Eclair trying to sway him to take up that agreement as well as protecting her and letting Grand Tonnerre run the Ootori Group's medical business from the inside, but he kept on refusing. In the last email, he stated it was the one thing he would never agree to. Apparently… you are 'too valuable' to me and the family for him to agree to split us up."

The two stare at each other for a moment before Jin looks away, "Now I'm embarrassed. I kept on thinking he was a terrible person."

Kyoya chuckled again and pulled her back into step with the song, "My father is a difficult man to understand, remember?"

"Yeah…" Jin smiled up at her boyfriend, then noticed something over his shoulder, "Hmm… want to have some fun?"

"Of course."

Spinning the boy around, she pushed him gently in the direction of her sister, who was reaching out to take Tamaki's hand. Kyoya spared a moment to smirk at his girlfriend before grabbing Haruhi's hand, spinning off with her before she could protest.

Tamaki, of course, tries to chase after them, but Jin steps in front of him.

"Might I have this dance?"

The two pairs dance relatively close to each other, Tamaki and Haruhi glancing at each other every so often. The actual couple also spared each other a few smiles.

Jin hummed and squeezed Tamaki's shoulder, redirecting his attention, "You'll be good for her."

"Yeah? Well, you've been good for him."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything." Jin stopped and kissed the blond's forehead before turning him around just in time to catch her sister. Before they could glare at the couple who had interrupted them the first time, Kyoya and Jin disappeared into the crowd.

They weren't gone for long before the fireworks started going off. Huge bursts of light high above the school. Sighing, Jin wound her arms around Kyoya's neck, her face turned to face the brilliant colors in the sky.

" I feel like I'm dreaming. That I'm going to wake up in a few minutes to find out this day never happened. "

Kyoya smiled, steering her back to face him, " Shall I prove to you that it's not a dream? "

She nodded, and gladly pressed up into the kiss, forcing her heels to leave the ground as her toes stretched just a little more. Everyone around them was too busy staring up at the fireworks to pay them much attention, but they wouldn't have cared either way.

The couple parted, eyes half-lidded in the dim glow of the fireworks as the lights around the courtyard turned off for optimal viewing.

" I don't think I'm entirely convinced. Prove it to me again, Glasses?"

" As you wish, Darling. "

* In the Chairman's Office *

"I'm sorry if my actions caused you concern, old friend. It would seem as though Grand Tonnerre will not be purchasing my company, after all. An unexpected backer turned up and bought the company before Tonnerre had a chance to do so. And the backer said he was turning all the management rights over to me."

Mr. Suoh smiled at the window, watching the fireworks explode in the air, "That was a bold move. Which funds manager was it? I feel like they deserve a personal thanks."

"It was a student investor, going by the name K.O. And while he left his name out of the transaction, it didn't take me long to figure out who he was. Kyoya Ootori… my own son." At that, Mr. Suoh actually laughed.

"Who else? At least we know we don't have to worry about the future. I thought I already knew how brilliant Kyoya was, but he's exceeded even my expectations."

"Too right, my friend. I look forward to seeing how he will manage the company once I officially make him the heir. And I have your son to thank for that."

"Hm?"

"I know now that Kyoya is ready to lead the company, because he's finally found it. Something he values more than running the Ootori Group. He took it out from underneath me by force, and then threw it back in my face to say he didn't want it. And it was your son who lead Kyoya to it. To their little Host Club, to his friends, and to Jin Fujioka."

"Ah… I was wondering when you'd bring her into the conversation."

Mr. Ootori managed a small smile, "I cannot express just how proud I am of Kyoya. He's found an excellent future wife. Jin will make a fine Ootori, and I do look forward to the life they are going to share together. Her family is strong, too. Haruhi, her sister, is just as wily and brave as Jin is. I won't have any complaints in being related to the Fujioka's, or seeing their traits in my grandchildren."

Mr. Suoh smiles and looks at the other man over his shoulder, "You won't, old friend? And what of the Suoh family? What complaints might you have in being related to me?"