A/N: Oh eM Gee! Oh eM Gee! Great news; be sure to read the authoress notes at the end!

-=+=-

Austin's stomach announced its presence with another growl. He urgently pressed against his belly to try and muffle the sound. It gurgled a little more quietly, but the hunger was beginning to get to him.

Crouching behind a bush, Austin stared across campus at the Dining Hall.

Janae had gone in, of that he was sure. He was also damn sure she hadn't left yet. And he was almost certain there was only one way in -and out- of the building.

(on two of these points, fangirls, he is wrong. But I bet you knew that, ne?)

So, it stood to reason that all Austin would have to do was wait until she left, and then he would be rewarded with his meal. All he needed to do was sit it out.

However, he really wished he hadn't left his stuff in the Host room that afternoon. His backpack, his cell phone, his building card, his room key, his wallet…

His stomach interrupted, grumbling with displeasure at his so-called plan.

Absently, he picked up a twig and began to chew, keeping his eyes locked on the door. Any minute now, Janae was sure to leave…

-=+=-

Now, of course you know, Janae was not in the Dining Hall at all. Yes, she had entered the building from the front, in full sight of Austin, flanked by the twins as usual. But she had also left promptly, only pausing to collect her camera from Del.

However, she had not left by the front, as Austin had prepared himself for.

Now, to only have one door in and out of a building is a fire hazard. Austin, typical male that he is, just isn't observant enough to know about or notice the two back doors connected to the kitchen.

Yes, such service doors are typically off-limits, but as a facilities work student, Janae happened to know all about these exits. And when an irate freshman marches through the kitchen, with her head held high and an evil glint in her eye, all the other workers knew better than to try and impend her.

To put it plainly, Austin is, as usual, an idiot, and NOBODY messes with Janae, even when she breaks the rules.

Where are the Hitachiins during all this blatant rule-breaking by Janae, you ask?

They are still in the cafeteria, in the midst of a contest to see who can eat the most disgusting combination of cafeteria foods. There are a ring of students surrounding their table, chanting "Eat! Eat!" at the top of their lungs.

(that actually sounds like a Japanese game show, doesn't it?)

Now, back to the story.

-=+=-

"Let me get this straight." Chaz leans forward in his chair, staring at me with a weird look on his face. "You called me to the Art Barn to tell me my girlfriend has been cheating on me? And that's it?"

I am not happy with this reaction. "That's it? What do you mean 'That's it?', huh? Does NONE of what I just said make you angry?"

"Okay, let's see if I can recap. You say that you saw Bridget grinding with Austin Griffiths at the last rave-a-thon. And that she's fooling around with some guy Brad behind my back?" He crosses his arms. "You sure you've got the right girl?"

I groan to myself. I almost feel bad about ruining his college romance like this…

But then again, all's fair in love and war, yeah?

"Oh, I'm pretty effing sure I've got the right girl." I reach into my bag and pull out my camera. "But why don't you see for yourself?"

I pull up the saved pictures, then toss him the camera. "Read 'em and weep, Chaz."

He smirks at me before his eyes flick down to the digital display.

I almost, ALMOST laugh with utter joy as his face falls in disbelief. Then he frowns, and taps on the screen to zoom in on their faces. Then, he sighs in defeat.

"So how long have you known?" he asks me sadly, as he hands back the camera.

I do my best to look sympathetic. "Not too long. But I coulda told you that she was a major twat from day one."

He stands, flexing his hands angrily. "Thanks for telling me. By any chance do you know where she is right now?"

"As a matter of fact, she should be walking out of the library any minute now. If you hurry, you'll catch her."

He nods. "I won't even ask how you know that. Thanks, I guess."

I throw a fist into the air. "Give the wench what-for, old bean! Tally-ho!"

He stands there for another second, giving me a really strange look. Then he brushes past me and heads out the door. "Whatever. You're really weird, you know?"

"I had an inkling. Now, please, go tell her off."

He's gone. I am so happy, I actually pat myself on the back. "This is working out JUST like I'd hoped."

Appearing from nowhere, Hikaru (or Kaoru?) leans into my field of vision. "So then, is the plan over, Janae-tan?"

"On the contrary, my dear Watson," I say smugly. "The plan has only just been put into motion. Now we sit back and reap the benefits. Also, don't call me that."

Kaoru (or Hikaru?) nods slightly. "Hai."

He does not, however, leave the room. So I try to encourage him to leave: "Is there something you want, or are you just hanging around for show?""Nee, Janae…" (Ah, it must be Kaoru. Only Kaoru would speak so uke-like) "…Janae, do you know what you're wearing to the Sadie Hawkins dance?"

I close my eyes and sigh. I SO don't want to think about this right now. "Gee, Kaoru, I dunno. Maybe I'll decide after I finish with this whole Austin thing and actually get around to, you know, ASKING someone."

He shrugs. "I'm only curious."

"Besides," I continue, "why do you care? You and Hikaru have already been asked." A horrible thought occurs to me. "Oh God, neither of you are cross-dressing and going as a woman, are you? That's too disturbing to think about."

"Oh, don't you know?" He smiles in a way that makes me feel…well, out-of-the-loop. "Well, I'm not going to tell you if you don't know.""Psh, like I care. Run along, bouzo; Okaasan still has a one or two more details she needs to take care of."

Kaoru smiles at me in an upbeat (and entirely infuriating) way. "Did anyone ever tell you that you even more beautiful than usual when you're evil?"

And with that, he disappears.

You know what? Sometimes, I think boys try to throw us women off on purpose. What a weirdo.

But whatever. My plan is beginning to come to fruition; now I'll go and check on Austin's progress in the bushes.

-=+=-

Austin clutched his abdomen and groaned. He wasn't sure how much longer he could wait for Janae to leave the dining hall. His stomach had begun to chew itself with impatience, and he had nibbled enough leaves and twigs to last him a lifetime. Where the hell WAS she?

He was so absorbed with his hunger pangs and watching the door for Janae, he didn't hear the livid clack, clack, clack of two-inch heels approaching him on the footpath.

Two legs suddenly obstructed his vision. "Austin Griffiths, I have been looking for you!"

"Huh?" He looked up in confusion. "Hey, Bridget."

Her eyes were red-rimmed. "Is that all you can say? Don't you even KNOW what has been happening?"

Austin frowned. "Uh, not really. I left my phone in the Host room and Janae kinda went-"

"Chaz just broke up with me!" Bridget exploded. "He said he knew that I've been messing with other guys. And when I told Brad, he said he wanted to keep things casual! Can you believe it?"

"Uhh…" Austin flicked his eyes back to the door. Where WAS she? "Uh-huh. Yeah."

"Austin, you're all I have left." Bridget sobbed. "We're for real, aren't we?"

He craned his neck to peer around her legs at the door. "Hey Brij, no offence or anything, but I'm really kinda busy right now."

That was the wrong thing to say. Her eyes narrowed. "You know what? All men care about is sex. You don't actually care that my heart has been broken; all you wanted me for was when you wanted sex, you dick. Well, you know what?"

Austin leaned even farther over to continue staring at the door, still not paying attention. "Uh-huh, uh-huh."

Bridget stomped angrily. "AUSTIN, you're still not paying attention!"

Austin finally focused on her. "Bridget, I haven't been having a good day. Janae threatened to kill me, and I haven't been able to do anything all day without worrying where she is. I haven't eaten dinner yet because she hasn't come out of the dining hall!"

"Austin, you're a moron," Bridget sneered. "There's more than one way out of the building. And Janae isn't in there, I was in there fifteen minutes ago. By the way, the dining hall closes at 8:00. You're late."

"NO!" Austin shouted in disbelief. He jumped to his feet and shoved past Bridget to try and reach the door.

"Thanks for nothing, Griffiths! We're through!" Bridget shrieked at his retreating back. She turned sharply and click, click, click-ed away.

Austin flung himself at the door, trying to pry it open, pounding against the glass. "Hey, let me in! LET ME IN!"

To no avail; the kitchen staff watched through the window, but ignored his cries.

"Please, let me in! I'm sorry I'm so late!" He rapped against the glass. "Come on!"

One of the kitchen girls leaned up closer to the window. "Do you have your campus card?" she mouthed at him.

His shoulders dropped. "Oh, shit. No, I don't."

The girl gave him a sympathetic look, then turned away.

"DAMMIT!" Austin kicked the wall. "I can't believe I missed dinner! Now I've got to go back to my hall and eat ramen. This sucks."

-=+=-

I wasn't sure she saw me walking past her in the hall. What a different girl she was now! Her head was slumped, her hair was a wreck, her feet dragged on the ground.

With my two little Japanese friends in tow, chatting to each other in their native tongue, I held my head high as we headed towards each other in the hall.

When she finally looked up, I smiled at her in a friendly way.

And when we finally passed, I leaned closer to her ear and whispered,

"Who's the bitch now?"

I didn't turn back as she spun around to watch me walking away. I didn't get to see her mouth drop open, her eyes widen, her posture sag in defeat.

No, those things were related to me later by Hikaru and Kaoru, who watched it with identical smirks on their face.

I didn't look back, and I never will.

-=+=-

Slowly, scuffing his heels in dejection (and still holding his stomach) Austin slunk back to his dorm building (while still keeping an eye out for Janae; she hadn't gotten him yet) and trudged up the stairs to his floor.

Finally, he pushed open his door with some relief. "Hey, what's up Josh?" he groaned. "Man, I have had the worst afternoon of my life."Austin's roommate looked up from an open textbook. "Dude, you would not believe this. Some girl came into the room with two Asian guys, and PAID me to keep quiet about it. She-"

"WHAT?" Austin crouched low and covered his head, looking wildly around the room. "She was here?! She's been in the room?!"

Josh frowned in confusion. "Yeah, she-"

"IT'S NOT SAFE!" Austin shrieked, and ran out of the room, the hall, the building, and dove once again into the bushes. The only place he felt safe.

-=+=-

As soon as we were safely ensconced in my dorm room, I turned on the boys. "Alright you two. Time to come clean. Tell me who's taking you to the Sadie Hawkins Dance."

Hikaru chuckled to himself, and linked arms with Kaoru. "Aha, Janae. I knew you couldn't resist asking after too long."

"Cut the crap. I just wanna know who beat me to it."Hikaru instantly struck a dramatic pose. "Ah, the truth comes out, Kaoru: she's jealous, ne?"

Kaoru clutched Hikaru's biceps. "Jealous? Of little old US?"

I tapped my foot impatiently. "I am going to count to one, and you WILL tell me or I swear I'll tear you inside out."

They laughed together. "Janae-tan, don't be silly. YOU'RE taking us."

THAT made me stop. "Huh?"

"Remember? We never went to Midterm Mayhem because of Geoff-"

"PLEASE," I interrupted. "Let's not discuss that little incident again."

"Well, you never took us, so we figured you owed us one." They shrugged simultaneously. "Right?"

I guess they have a point. "So, the whole time you were spoken for, it was really ME you were talking about?"

"Hai!"

I sigh. Men just don't make no sense. "Alright, fine. We'll all go together."

The boys looked at each other, then back at me. "Promise us." They thrust out their fists and stick out their pinkies. "Yubikiri."

"Oh, alright." I stick out my pinkie finger. "Promise."

We link fingers solemnly. Then the boys pull out and shout, "Yubi kitta!"

And, in spite of how dorky that moment was, I can't help but laugh.

-=+=-

Austin shivered, and pulled one of the garbage bags over on top of him for extra warmth.

Unable to get into the classroom for his belongings, unable to enter his room for fear of whatever traps Janae might have lain for him, he had been forced to seek sleep -and warmth- for the night elsewhere.

The only place he could find was the Dumpster behind the gym. Yes, it was disgusting, but maybe not as disgusting as sleeping in the kitchen Dumpster. At least the only trash in there was Gatorade bottles, sweaty old towels and maybe an energy bar wrapper or two.

Stinky, yes. But things could be worse.

On some level, he surely realized how ridiculous he was being with his efforts to avoid Janae. But in his primitive lizard-brain (standard issue for all men) his logic centers were entirely overridden by his desire to stay alive.

So, stubbornly refusing to let Janae win, he burrowed even deeper among the trash bags, and tried to fall asleep.

The night was cold, and somewhat windy. All was quiet across campus.

-=+=-

I'm up early this morning to run on the treadmill before class. It's quiet here in the fitness room at 7:30 a.m. There are only a couple of other people here with me.

All of a sudden, the smell hits me. I wrinkle my nose and turn around. "Austin?"

Get this: despite the fact that he looks like crap warmed up, and he stinks like Taft after sauerkraut night in the White House, he actually looks happy. Triumphant, even. "Time's up, Janae!"

"Hmm?" I give him as bland a look as I can.

He pumps his fist in the air. "It's been over twelve hours, and you never got me! I win!"

:"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah!" He is totally jazzed. "Dude, you totally fail at being a threat! I am like a ninja or something!"

"So, you think you won then?"

"Of course I did!" He gives me a look like I'm an idiot. "I dove out a window and bruised my pitching arm. I missed dinner and had to eat twigs. Bridget broke up with me, AND I had to sleep in a Dumpster, but the joke's on you, 'cos YOU NEVER-"

He suddenly stops. His eyes unfocus as he replays the events of last night; all I can do is quirk an eyebrow and wait for it to sink in.

"…got me?"

I smile widely. "Give the man a prize! Austin, we really do need to do this again sometime."

"I-I can't believe it." He points accusingly. "How could you do all this to me, Janae?"

"Ah ah ahhhh!" I tisk at him. "Not me, Aussy-boy. YOU did all that to yourself. Because you're an idiot and a dickhead."

"But-"

"YOU chose to jump out a window, YOU didn't work up the nerve to enter the cafeteria until it was too late, YOU ignored Bridget and made her angry with you, and YOU chose to sleep in a Dumpster. YOU are the one directly responsible for everything, not me."

"How-"

"The only thing I am directly responsible for is the damage done to your laundry." I reach into my pocket and toss him the dryer knob. "That's my revenge; I shrunk your clothes. Everything else you could have fixed yourself. But because you're such a typical thick-headed MAN, you didn't. So it's your problem."

He's speechless. All he can do is stand there and gape like a stunned mullet.

"And just FYI, don't bother showing up at host club today or ever again. You're out I suggest you go get your laundry now."

Austin just nods dumbly, turns and shuffles out of the room.

And the victory goes to…ME!

I can't resist: I throw my head back and cackle evilly, clawing my hands in the air. "DAMN, it's fine to be an evil genius!" I shriek, and laugh some more.

-=+=-

"That was Scott and JP with their rendition of the Hamlet Soliloquy. Thank you guys." Janae paused to let the two laughing boys pass her on their way off stage, then lifted the mike and continued. "Now, original poetry by some of the lovely English majors of the Host club."

The college students snapped their fingers as Janae walked offstage, to be replaced by a line of girls clutching sheets of paper in their hands.

The atmosphere was dim, almost mysterious but still with an open air. The bitter smell of freshly-ground coffee mingled with the old leather of the chairs and a hint of body odor. Various paintings in shades of blue hung against every wall and propped against every available surface.

Janae had to admit; Cool Beans wasn't THAT bad a coffeehouse after all.

Looking around, she saw that only Hikaru and Kaoru were surrounded by their usual crowd of lovesick followers. Of the three remaining hosts, Scott and Del were the only other host boys left; Jake hadn't shown up yet.

Yet the girls seemed more interested in the open mike rather than the boys on this little outing. Even the girls that had brought their boyfriends along weren't as item-y as they usually were. Something about the place seemed to bring out the maturity of these college students.

But whatever. Janae shrugged and turned back to her clipboard, wondering vaguely about the open spot for a host. Who would be the perfect guy to fit there?

As she pondered to herself, the building was suddenly cast into brighter light as the door opened and Jake walked in.

"Hey, Jake!" Janae stage-whispered, waving him over. "Glad you could make it!"

He jogged over to her side with a grin. "Sorry I'm late, but I had to go pick up my friend at the airport. I'm really excited for you to meet him; he seemed really interested about the host club thing we've got going on." Jake shifted from one foot to the other. "Hey, did you ever get that thing with Austin sorted out?"

Janae smiled to herself in a rather unpleasant way. "Yes, you could say that particular issue resolved itself.""Oooookay, not gonna push that issue anymore." Jake shrugged. "Anyway, my friend doesn't speak much English; he's bilingual in French and-"

The room brightened again, and a tall figure appeared in the door, silhouetted by the sun. As the crowd began to snap for the last speaker, Jake waved at the man in the door. "Venez ici, Suou!"

The mysterious figure stepped inside, and as the room fell back into shadow, Janae could make out the face of Jake's friend. Faintly Asian, but with blonde hair. Verrrrrry attractive.

"Janae, this is my friend Suou Tamaki. He's half-Japanese, half-French. Tamaki, ceci est mon ami Janae." //Tamaki, this is my friend Janae.//

Suou smiled brightly at Janae, and took her hand. "N'importe quel ami de Jake est un ami à moi." //Any friend of Jake's is a friend of mine.//

Janae failed to be impressed. "Uh-huh."

A coffee cup clattering onto a table made all three of them look up and over.

Hikaru and Kaoru stared in disbelief. "Tamaki?"

Tamaki froze. His featured darkened. "Ajapa-! Akuma ha musubi tsukeru ka? Sore wa aru koto ga deki nai!" //Wha-! The Devil twins? It can't be!//

The twins' faces split into happy smiles. "TONOOOOOO!"

Suou threw his hands into the air and cried, "Iieeeeeeeee!"

-=+=-

"Austin, you're next. Please come to the front and give your speech."

Slowly, reluctantly, Austin rose from his chair and began to shuffle to the front of the lecture hall. The giggles of his classmates made his face turn bright red, and he tried in vain to tug the edge of his shirt down.

"Austin," the professor sighed, "would you please mind explaining what the hell you're wearing?"

"Sorry, sir."As he reached the podium, Austin flipped open his black speech folder. "I had an…incident with the washing machine."

"I see. Well, I'll let you off this time, but if you intend to come to class in tiny clothing from now on, I'm afraid it might begin to affect your grade."

"Yeah, okay." Austin cleared his throat nervously, tried once again to pull his shirt over his bare stomach, and looked down, prepared to speak.

But he stopped. "What? This isn't my speech. I wrote on Grover Cleveland, not…" He paled. "H-Howard Taft?"The professor tapped impatiently on his desk. "Come on, Austin. We don't have all day. Read what you've got and sit down so someone else can have a turn."

As Austin flipped through the folder with increasing disbelief, a handwritten note on the last page caught his eye.

It said, "Okay, so I lied. But now my revenge is complete! Love Janae and the Hitachiin twins."

"S-she switched m-my-"

"Austin." The professor's voice became cold. "Read."

With trembling hands, Austin flipped back to the first page, gulped nervously, and began. "P-President William Howard Taft, in my opinion, was a president that got a lot of things done in his time. Most of the things he accomplished were directly related to his weight. I admire a president that can get a custom bathtub and crane installed in the White House; it is proof that the position of President is one in which a person can accomplish anything they set their mind to."

As the classroom dissolved into laughter and his professor let his head drop into his hands, Austin could do nothing but rue the day he first laid eyes on Janae Thompson.

-=+=-

A/N: I can't believe I finished this before midnight! I'm so happy!

Okay, fist of all, I need to tell you all that today, Dec. 24, is MY BIRTHDAY! I am SO glad I get to share the end of the cliffhangers with you on this special day for all of us!

Secondly, I wanted to tell you I got straight B's this semester! I'm literally relieved that I actually passed every class I took (there were some moments of doubt, but NO LONGER!)

Thirdly, I know I'm behind on the story-end-of-semester versus the REAL end of the semester. I kinda wanted to write you all a Christmas ficlet about Janae and the Twins back at home, but I guess that'll just have to wait until I'm finished with the NEXT chapter, eh? It'll just have to become a "holidays" story instead.

Fourthly, I now must apologise for slaying the Japanese AND French language. I'll try to keep the non-translated stuff to a minimum, okay?

I am glad you guys are enjoying what you have read. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH for your reviews and feedback. Can't wait to share the NEXT installment with you! Have a very merry Christmas tomorrow, and happy holidays to you all!

Kisses!