DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

Summary:
A knight who retired for reasons going ignored returns to Japan to stay with his family that he hasn't seen for three years. Ranka's ecstatic. Haruhi's concerned. The Host Club are intrigued by this stranger. And Xerxes? Well, he just wonders how he can coerce the Hosts in question to cease causing girls to get nosebleeds and fainting, among other things.

Affliction

1. King Hatter, the Mad

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

The group of seven jumped in surprise and turned to face the voice. Haruhi beamed as she caught the stranger's eye.

The first noticeable thing about the stranger was his eccentric choice of clothing. He wore a velvet black colored blazer with matching pants, black leather dress shoes, black silk vest, and a white button-up. While the velvet might've been a bit out-of-place for the season, it wasn't too uncommon. No, what had him stand out were the blue bow-tie with orange polka-dots and the interior of the blazer. It was a dark magenta in color with thick black bars going both horizontally and vertically. Pinned to his left breast was a brightly colored doll. It looked to be poorly made as it was deformed.

The second most eye-catching thing would be his genetic appearance. He was very pale, skin free from mars, blemishes, and other flaws. His hair was white, appearing to have highlights of silver and lavender under the florescent lighting. The one eye visible - his right - was a shocking crimson. It stood out further be being the only thing with any sort of pigment near his face. His hair was pulled back and pinned with numerous silver bobby-pins, leaving long and thick bangs to cover his left eye. One of the pins had a thin, silver chain attached, the links ending just by his ear to form a teardrop. It gave the illusion that it hung from his left ear.

Finally, the third oddest thing was the doll upon his right shoulder. It was blue with thick, long arms and short legs. The hair was long and wavy, chestnut in color, and the bangs were tied with a pink ribbon. Its eyes and mouth were comical and white. There was a larger pink bow tied around the neck, and the doll wore a black coat with white lines crisscrossing it. It matched the doll pin on his chest.

He looked only slightly foreign, hair, skin, and eyes put aside, and young - older than them, for sure - but young all the same. The cub members had the impression that he was an energetic man somewhere in his twenties.

The man cupped his right arm and cocked his head, a thin, barely-there smile resting on his lips. A quiet jingle had everyone's eyes dart to his left hand, of which was wrapped with a red silk, a somewhat large golden bell tied to it. "Ohayo, Haruhi-chan. How do you do?"

Tamaki flinched back, and then his jealously reared its head. With forced smile, he marched forward, movements not nearly as fluid as they usually were.

"My apologies if I seem too forward, sir, but who are you, and why are you in the Host Cub's room?"

The man glanced towards him, smile not fading. "I am here to visit my little sister."

A heavy silence filled the room, but was broken just as quickly as it came. "What?!"

But the female in question ignored her friends and instead moved forward, and was snatched into a hug by her proclaimed brother. "Oh, Haru-chan, you grew so much! How long has it been? Three years? How are you? How's dad? Are you still doing most of the housework? I'm moving back in, so you don't have to do any of that anymore if you don't want to."

When he paused to take a breath, Haruhi seized the chance to speak. "Xerx! I'm fine! Dad's fine too. It's been three years since last week, yeah. Ever since dad started working at that bar, I've been taking care of the house and had to cook and stuff. But I'm alright!"

The man, 'Xerx', snorted. It seemed fairly undignified for him, but it seemed to fit him to be so. He put the girl down - he had lifted her and spun her a few times - but didn't release his hold on her. "You say you're fine, but upon my return I see you have been blackmailed into joining an entertainment committee, specifically a host club. Must I retrieve your payment, as I did for dad?" he said wryly.

The brunette twitched, but otherwise did not acknowledge his words.

"Excuse me," Kyoya started, pushing his glasses up. "But who are you, truly?"

The stranger hummed and turned Haruhi around, slinging both arms over her shoulders and leaned on her. She didn't seem to mind too much. His one eye narrowed, and it made his flighty looks seem dangerous.

"My name is Xerxes Break. I am a worker of Pandora, and am the creator of Xerxes Railways along with Xerxes Medication. As of now I am on undetermined leave with Pandora, and will be working at Ouran Private Academy as their certified doctor. While staying in Japan, I thought it best to visit and stay with my little sister for awhile."

Everyone, bar Haruhi and the newly acknowledged Xerxes Break, went still with shock. Pandora, despite the relatively bland name, was known globally for their dealings with unusual phenomenon, findings of historical events and items that impacted the other nations heavily, and for being the main force to take care of the most worst crimes to man that still remain hidden to the public eye.

Of course, that was only the surface of Pandora, and not even scratched. Aside from the world-shattering revelations they sometimes made, along with the dirtiest work possible being done, they also have a lighter side consisting of entertainment and health. Such was only branched to them by their members, who made it possible for Pandora to have more things to be known for. An example was Xerxes Medication and Xerxes Railways. As their names imply, the extra variety helps Pandora continue to prosper.

Haruhi turned her head a little to look back at him. "So you'll be here until I graduate?" she asks.

Xerxes nodded. "Possibly longer, if I'm not called back in. Well..." He paused here, a thoughtful look passing over his face. "I'm technically my own boss, since my mistress has delegated all work concerning Pandora over to me. Duke Barma's valet has taken my place as valet. I'll likely get sent paperwork, but I won't have to leave Japan."

"Oh you got a promotion?" the brunette seemed to idly point out. "Congratulations. That would mean you're... Baron?"

"No, I've been Knighted," Xerxes smiled. "My rank is Knight now."

"Wow!" Haruhi turned and stepped back a little, a wide smile on her face. "Knighted? That's amazing!"

Xerxes chuckled. "Trust me, to finally gain the title officially, it was so boring. Think of paperwork having been ignored for a month or so, then two to four hour sermons, and having to stand while you're given a lecture disguised as a speech. I thought it would have never ended."

"Sir Break?" The albino man lifted his head to look at Kyoya again, who had moved closer. "If you don't mind my asking, what did you do to become Knighted?"

"Hmm..." The bell on the man's pale hand jingled as he crossed his arms. He quickly dropped them as he spoke. "As I said, I was already a Knight unofficially. I am a retired Teutonic Knight, and am eligible to be put back into the active ranks if I wish it. Hardly any true Knights remain in this world any longer, and those that do are either too old, or have bent to the new ways to bother gaining the respect they deserve.

"You've learned of the Battle of Bear Island, right?" The club members shook their heads, including Haruhi. She hadn't ever been told what her brother had done to become a knight in the first place. "Bear Island, known as Bjornoya in Norwegian, was where I first became a knight. This was... awhile ago. The parts of Norway closer to the North Pole remain stagnate - they refuse to conform to the new modern.

"On Bjornoya, due to my overall skill and mental health, I was delegated as Captain of my... Warband. I was one of the youngest there, but by far the most able in the art of the sword. In short, the ratio of men lost was three to fifty, and that was only because the idiots refused to listen to my... alias."

The twins quickly cut in. "How long ago?" one asked. "And what do you mean by Warband?" questioned the other. And together they said, "What alias?"

Xerxes frowned a bit, face tensing. "...I was not born with the name Xerxes Break. I simply changed my name to that when I joined Pandora, after leaving the Teutonics. A Warband is what I had accidentally called my group and I, and the name just stuck. It's a group of knights typically ranging from three to seven, never more than ten."

The redheads frown also when a question was left out. The albino coughed lightly and moved on before they could ask again. "Bjornoya was where my mark was made. It was at Jan Mayen where I was prior to coming here. It was a much smaller battle, only lasting a week and two nights. If you didn't already know, Jan Mayen is a volcanic island. The volcano isn't dormant. It erupted, and while it completely wiped out our enemies, it took over two-thirds of our own men. I was one of the handful of survivors. Even more knights will die as they succumb to their injuries in Pandora's hospital. As of now, I am the only one to walk, but that isn't to say I came out of it unscathed.

"Jan Mayen resulted in my being Knighted by my will. I had been captured, having been the highest ranking knight on the isle, and had been lost to them for a week. Tricks were pulled out of the book and put into motion, but I refused to give in. I refused to break. I refused to bend. It was only by my iron will that let me last long enough for my men to sneak into the camp and retrieve me. It was directly after that when the volcano erupted. I was Knighted due to the sacrifice I gave for my men, even if the week of torture came up with only ash as my reward."

The teens in the room were now subdued. But Haruhi, when seeing Xerxes gain a faraway look in his eye, nudged him with her elbow. "At least they didn't get whatever they were looking for," she tried. By the small smile she received, she succeeded. It wasn't the first time the man got lost in his memories, nor was it the first time he told her of an event in his time with the Teutonics. Before, the stories weren't nearly as sad or dark, but she's grown, and he's respected that.

"So why do you have a bell tied around your hand?" she asks, bringing the Hosts out of their thoughts.

The albino blinked and glanced down at the object, a smile gracing his features. "Oh, this?" He lifted his hand, a slightly different sound akin to chimes ringing in the room. "It's a souvenir. I would have given it to you, but..."

Haruhi nodded sagely at the unspoken. He got it from the body of a dead man. She wouldn't have wanted it, if she had known, but her brother had always been almost brutally honest with her.

"Don't worry, I brought something back for you and dad, and something to put in mom's shrine. They're all safe. And clean."

"And the get-up?"

He shrugged. "It was my last day in Pandora unless otherwise. I mean, I guess I could've changed when going to visit dad at the bar, but you were closer to the airport than he was. I'll see him when he gets home - since I'm here, I might as well get the paperwork that hadn't been sent over done with."

His red eye scanned the room and lit up when seeing a closet. He walked over and opened it, turning his head to face the room's occupants.

"It was nice meeting you, I suppose, what introductions went one-sided aside. I've heard this club was the main cause for the poor girls of this school fainting, among other things. If they don't lessen, or outright stop, by next Monday, I'll be having a word with the Chairman. Haru-chan, when you get home I'll be making lunches for you and dad tomorrow, and dinner for tonight. Don't worry about helping and just start on any homework you have. I'll help if you need me."

He stepped into the closet and shut the door. The Hosts pause and shared a look that said 'did he really just do that?' Tamaki ran over and ripped the door open, and the others gathered around him.

It was empty, aside from the few things they kept in there as storage.

"...Does he do this often?" questioned the Shadow King.

Haruhi sighed. "Yes. You'll get used to it. Maybe."