This story is from a role play I partook in with Priestess Mayumi, who was also the beta for this story. This is our shared ideas and our shared words, so this story is as much to her credit as it is to mine. Thank you for taking the time to read it!

Kyoya stood at the back of Music Room #3, flipping through his black binder silently. A habitual scowl settled on his lips as he mentally calculated that month's budget. From what he could tell, if they wanted to stay on track with the new school year, they were going to have to sell even more merchandise than the year previous. If he could get a discount from the son of the printing corporation in his mathematics class, then they should be able to sell more catalogs of the hosts with half of the cost.

And, of course, if he could manage to keep the club out of trouble for at least the first month of the school year, then they would avoid a majority of their initial debts. After the utter craziness of his ideas since the first day they met, and all of the schemes that Tamaki had imposed on him the year before, Kyoya had become talented at predicting when an idea could go horribly wrong or when trouble lurked nearby. The trouble he couldn't predict, however, was that Éclair would come strolling in proudly.

She carried herself like a queen, not bothering to wait for an invitation because she didn't need one. The room was crowded, though not nearly as crowded as it had been during the Ouran Fair last year. Although, it was to be expected to see loud, giggling girls swooning helplessly over the hosts.

Éclair surveyed the scene of dizzying color and action through her opera glasses. Her eyes latched onto the lone host leaning against the wall at the back of the room: Kyoya Ootori. A small smirk spread across her features. He was interesting, in a different way than Tamaki was. Where the blond had been loud and carefree and only serious when they'd been engaged, Kyoya had always been stone-faced through it all.

She sauntered over to him, grateful that there were no girls nipping at his heels, and peered at him through her glasses. "What is the great Shadow King doing hiding back here?"

Barely glancing up from his book, Kyoya continued to scribble down numbers in pen. "Observing," he replied simply, keeping his eyes trained on his black book. He, along with many of the other hosts, was not pleased with Éclair's actions at the fair. As such, he was quite irritated at the thought that she may be back to snatch Tamaki away again. But of course, his courtesy as a gentleman when within the walls of the club came first. "It is a pleasure to have you back, Miss Tonnerre. Do you have an appointment with any hosts?"

Éclair's smirk broadened. It was entertaining, in a quaint way, to toy with someone as formulaic and pragmatic as Kyoya Ootori. "As a matter of fact, I do." She took his wrist, the one that held the pen, in an almost playful fashion. "I have an appointment with you, Ootori-san. Surely, you'll be a gentleman and not refuse me." She added, in a tone that brooked no refusal, "Unless, of course, you'd rather I go find Monsieur Tamaki instead."

Kyoya's eyes narrowed for a moment before he heaved a heavy sigh and capped his pen. He adjusted his glasses and looked pointedly at her. "Miss Tonnerre, I prefer that you do not speak to me with such manipulative words." He put on a sudden smile, seemingly innocent at first but quickly melting into a cold tone. "You are a customer, but the moment you step out of line I may have you expelled with the right circumstances. Have you held up your grades?"

Éclair's eyebrow rose amusedly at Kyoya's attempt to intimidate her. "Impeccably so, Ootori-san. At least, that's what the school chairman and entire education board says." She understood that the Grand Tonnerre gave her the clout that was required to compete with the third son of the Ootori Group on an equal footing. "But, forgive me if I came across as too controlling. I am merely the product of my upbringing. I am certain that you can relate to that."

"Mm, yes." Kyoya wasn't about to let the topic of his family life faze him. He guided her back to the business of the room and gestured to one of the rare empty couches. "Why don't you take a seat and I shall pour you a drink? We recently received a new black Pu-erh tea mixed with orange peel, freeze-dried raspberries and cornflower blossoms. According to our other customers, it is to die for."

"It sounds delightful." Éclair gracefully took a seat on one of the empty couches, sitting with her back ramrod-straight. It was very uncomfortable, but it gave her an imperial air, and in a place in which everyone despised her, expressing one's strength was the only way to survive.

As he left to retrieve the tea set from the china cabinet, Kyoya wondered what Éclair's business was being there at the club. He thought that she would have gone straight back to France after losing her fiancé in such a humiliating fashion. Yet she had taken the time to enroll in another year at Ouran Academy. Was she still planning to bring Tamaki back to France with her? For what reason could she possibly have?

Well, there was no use in worrying about that now. He returned and set the embellished cups down gently onto the table. He proceeded to prepare the tea and Éclair watched, having returned to peering at him through her opera glasses. She studied his features meticulously, looking for any sign of emotion, for anything hostile, in the stoic host. Truthfully, Éclair was not very fond of tea. But she wouldn't let Kyoya Ootori know that. No, she wouldn't be the first one to give in.

When Kyoya finished pouring the brew, he turned to her, wearing his false yet realistic smile as he held out the cup. "For you, Miss," he said, speaking in a French tongue. He was truthfully rusty in his French, and his accent was not the way that it used to be, but he could get through the words perfectly fine.

Éclair glanced at him as she accepted the tea. Although it was a given that someone of Kyoya Ootori's reputation would be versed in at least three languages, she was surprised at how well he spoke. His accent was mimicking that of someone raised in France. She took a slow sip as he took a seat across from her on the other couch, purposely opposing the style of the other hosts, who chose to sit closely to their clients. They met each other's eyes, both of them studying the other in a cold, calculating fashion.

Of course, Éclair was not deaf to the gossip surrounding the two of them, as girls murmured excitedly about how someone had managed to get Kyoya to dote on them, or how disappointed they were that it was the embittered Éclair Tonnerre. She supposed that she should feel triumphant, or flattered, but she didn't. In fact, she was only a few steps above boredom, but that could even be considered excitement for Éclair.

She sipped the tea delicately, noting the type and price of the china in her head. It wasn't bad, for tea. At least the taste wasn't sour like most of the other types she had consumed. Mid-sip, she looked paused and grinned slightly before commenting in French, "You seem very intent, Monsieur Ootori. Are you making a study of me?"

"Simply attempting to work out a few problems," Kyoya answered as he sat back. He ignored offering her any desserts. He was never one for sweets and he didn't feel like giving his client the full host experience. He understood that he should not treat the girl so, as he should be an objective host, but he couldn't help it. "For instance, why are you still in Japan? Your job assignment of bringing Tamaki back will not be completed so there is no need for you to stay."

Éclair set down the teacup and subconsciously put distance between the two of them with her opera glasses, like a defense mechanism. "You need not concern yourself with that matter. Despite what his grandmother may wish, I have no intention of taking your dear friend back to France at this time. Like you, I am merely searching for answers." Wanting to obtain the upper hand in the situation, she began probing at his defenses. "Such as, why would a mysterious backer buy a company only to give it back to its original owner?"

Kyoya's eyebrows rose and he crossed his legs; a clear sign of being uncomfortable and defensive. He knew exactly what Éclair was speaking of but he had no desire to discuss it with the likes of her. "I have no idea. Although with the problems with the company, it would be in their best interests to keep the stocks to themselves until problems were solved."

The smirk returned to Éclair's lips. Kyoya's shift in posture and his reading into her vague remark confirmed what she had long suspected: the anonymous K.O. that had bought back the Ootori Group from the Grand Tonnerre stood for 'Kyoya Ootori'. It was hardly subtle, but she suspected that was the point. It was why she had allowed K.O.'s higher bid to go through, even though Grand Tonnerre could have easily surpassed it.

Pleased at having found a chink in the impassible Kyoya's armor, she continued in a hypothetical tone, "I wonder if the backer had something to prove. Or perhaps…there was something or someone they wanted to protect. And they needed the Ootori Group intact to make it happen."

Kyoya gave an impassive shrug as he adjusted his glasses. "It's hard to say. Perhaps it was someone invested in the company who did not enjoy the fact that the company was going under. It may have been someone in the company itself trying to save their job." It was rather a lame excuse, but he hoped that it would move them away from the subject. He did not much care for throwing around discussions about something that they both clearly knew the answer to.

"Perhaps..." Éclair lowered her glasses so that Kyoya could see from the gleam in her eyes that she could read him like a dime-store novel. Returning to Japanese, she changed the subject. "What is there to do for fun around her? I am free all afternoon and evening and I must say that I am quite bored. There must be something entertaining in Japan." She did not much care for Japanese tourist attractions, honestly, and rather wanted something new to discuss. No single conversation topic seemed to be able to hold her attention anymore and without a certain blond to play piano for her to make the hours slip by, the days seemed endlessly full of monotony.

Kyoya, also returning to Japanese, replied, "There are many local attractions such as shops or beaches. If you were willing to travel a bit further, you could visit the Jigokudani Monkey Park, an area of hot springs populated by snow monkeys, or Kiyomizu-dera, an ancient Buddhist temple. If you're interested in Buddhism then you may wish to see The Buddha of Kamakura, an enormous representation of Amida Buddha." Normally these trivial attractions would matter very little to Kyoya, but he had to conduct extensive research when initially befriending Tamaki in their junior high days. Now he probably knew enough about Japan's most famous sites that he could very well write his own tour book.

Going around his answer and cheating her obligation to supply one of her own, Éclair rested a hand under her chin and inquired, "And what place interests you, Kyoya Ootori?"

Was she probing for more weak links? Maybe. Was she trying to gather more information regarding the Ootori's possible heir? Absolutely. In the part of herself that Éclair refused to acknowledge, she knew that she was searching for a lifeline. Something. Anything. And so, she conceded to herself that the score was Éclair – 1, Kyoya – 1. The Shadow King was gaining back the ground that he had previously lost.

"I do have interests, but none that you would enjoy. I focus on my own business and I would prefer to not have someone sticking their nose in it." He smiled again. His position, sitting back with a crossed leg, suddenly seemed more relaxed than defensive. It was hard to tell when exactly the change occurred, but it was very prominent.

"That's a shame." She raised her opera glasses back to her eyes and supplied him with a frigid smile. "I'm afraid that sticking my nose in other people's business is what I am best at." Éclair knew that Kyoya knew that the power balance between them had shifted and that made her uncomfortable. She straightened and her posture became even stiffer than before. "Why do you wish to keep Tamaki here in Japan?"

"He belongs here now. He has grown accustomed to Japan. He wishes to see his mother, but he knows that this is where he belongs…At least for now. He is in love with Japanese food, the sights, the people, and the kotatsu." He sat up, dropping his propped up leg to the floor. "He said himself that he does not want to leave. I am determined to ensure that his wish is granted."

"That is what intrigues me." Éclair cocked her head slightly. "You've said why Tamaki wants to stay, but that wasn't my question, Ootori-san. Your only reasoning is that you want what he wants." Her own posture relaxed slightly in response to Kyoya's change of position. "That seems very out of character for you."

It was very obvious now what she was mining for: she wanted to know the nature of the odd relationship between Tamaki and Kyoya. There was something about their dynamic that she herself had never experienced and it made her curious in spite of herself.

Kyoya paused, almost considering what Éclair said. "Tamaki is the king of this club. The 'heart', you may say. I do not want him to leave, for then the club will fall apart under only my command. However, if he wanted to go and I forced him to stay, then he would be depressed. A depressed Tamaki is just as bad as a Tamaki that is no longer here. Therefore, since he wants to stay and the club requires him to stay, I am going to continue along with the wish." He folded his hands in his lap. "Does that answer your question, Miss Tonnerre?"

There was a brief pause. It was for no more than a couple seconds, but it was enough to offset the mood when she finally said slowly, "Yes."

For the first time, Éclair lay back against the couch, although her posture never crooked. Her mind was revving, creating connections and figuring out the puzzle. The corners of her mouth tugged upward as she came to the inevitable conclusion. Although she did not know how she was to feel about her discovery, it was definitely something that amused her. You care about him.

Kyoya understood precisely what sort of conclusion Éclair had come to. What it was exactly, he could not be certain, but he was sure that it wasn't anything that he could necessarily use to his advantage. Even so, he remained composed and continued with their conversation.

"May I ask you a question of my own, Miss Tonnerre?" His head tilted as though he were trying to study her from another angle. "Did you love Tamaki when you proposed marriage?"

The question spiked a tremor through her body and jarred her so much that she lowered her glasses away from her face to look at Kyoya with her own eyes. Her carefully crafted expression broke away for a mere second as confusion flitted across her features. Immediately, she re-schooled herself, regaining control over her thoughts and body language.

"I…" Truthfully, she was at a loss for words. It made her sick. More than anything in the world, Éclair Tonnerre hated being made to feel vulnerable. For that moment, she hated Kyoya Ootori with every fiber of her being. He had pierced the quiet, uncertain part of her that was buried deep down in her psyche. How dare he? She needed to come up with an answer in order to regain even a crumb of control. With her thoughts still somewhat scrambled, she allowed her honest thoughts to spill from her mouth without filtering them. "Most likely not. I found the idea attractive, and that was all."

A smile tugged at Kyoya's lips. Bingo. Everyone had a chip in their defenses and he'd managed to find Éclair's before she found his. "I was simply curious," he said in response to her near-speechlessness. "But the idea of marriage seems a bit too twisted to be considered 'attractive'. Marriage is a commitment—one of the biggest commitments in life. So what was attractive to you? Was it Tamaki himself? His money? The fame of the Suoh family?" He leaned forward a bit, lowering his voice to a dark yet calculative tone. "Or do you just think of toying with his emotions as a game?"

By then, Éclair's emotions were under control again, but now her eyes were filled with darkness. Kyoya's snide, calculating, manipulative remarks had brought out her dangerous side. This was war. Ice filled her formerly neutral voice and she switched back to her native French. "The Suoh family name and money holds absolutely no value for me. Why would it? It is nothing that I do not already possess. And, as calculating and controlling as I may be, I am not cruel." She rested her pointer finger on the side of her neck. "It would be a lie to say that I had any unique feelings for Tamaki. I barely knew him."

"Then what was your motive?" Kyoya asked calmly, naturally switching between languages. "You conformed him to your will, dangled the one thing he wanted most in the world in front of his face, and for what? What happened or what were you offered that you were willing to go as far as marrying Tamaki?"

Kyoya met her eyes. His were still strangely clear and almost distant, as though the subject they were discussing so intently didn't matter a bit to him. It may have been that he was masking himself to seem that way, or it could have been that he truly didn't care what her motives were. Either way, he was speaking as though this were just small talk.

Éclair's jaw clenched. It was a question that she had asked herself many times since the Ouran Fair and one that she had struggled with. She knew the answer but she had rejected it. Now with Kyoya's almost indifferent expression, she felt as though he were intently trying to make a fool out of her. "If I told you, you would only laugh at me. It is not something which you are capable of relating to."

She almost laughed as she remembered who she was talking to. Why was she becoming so worked up because of someone who couldn't care less? She rubbed her temples as the pressure in her head mounted. The pressure came both from frustration and the fact that she had eaten very little that day.

"Are you feeling hungry?" Kyoya asked, changing both the subject and the language back to Japanese. "I haven't offered you a thing; although I never saw you eat anyway." He stood and gestured to their table of lavish delicacies stacked elegantly. The other hosts were taking them one by one and offering them to their own clients.

Éclair considered declining Kyoya's offer, but ultimately decided that becoming sick from lack of food was more embarrassing than accepting it. "Yes, I am a little hungry." She glanced over the dessert table and her stomach turned at the goods that could make her arteries clog. Yet, it was better than nothing. "What in that massive sugar cornucopia would you recommend?"

"There is a blanc de poire or Fleur de Sel Caramels." The French words rolled off of Kyoya's tongue as smoothly as the sweet chocolate the pears were dipped in. Kyoya put one pear and two caramels onto a small saucer and brought them over to his client, setting it down gently in front of her. "The pear would do well if you are not in the mood for something drastically sweet. The caramels have a rich taste from the chocolate and a salty texture, as they are seasoned with sea salt to counteract the dark chocolate's rich flavor." He resumed his seat across from her and smiled his same heartless smile.

Éclair picked up the pear and took a small bite as she glanced at one of the clocks hanging on the wall. The club would be closing soon and she understood that Kyoya had only offered her food at all so as to still appear as the gentleman in the situation to the other clients. She would also be so busy eating that they would not have to say anything more. And Kyoya would get the last word. Well, she'd be damned if she were to let that happen.

"Thank you for the conversation, Ootori-san. It was most entertaining." She stood and picked up the last caramel. "I do hope to see you again." With that, she popped the candy into her mouth and left Music Room #3.