The Showdown
Chapter 1
Conner and Fowl
Disclaimer: Oops, I forgot. I make no profit off of either Artemis Fowl or Ouran Host Club. Though I do own like four volumes. 2, 3.. 5 and 7, I think. Maybe. I don't know! Stop asking! -whines-

xXx

It started on the evening of June 3rd, at exactly eight o'clock. The Ootoris were just sitting down for after-dinner tea, mostly to discuss things in the medical field (Kyoya always sat in so as to better understand what his family was up to should he need to do damage control for his own plans). Just as Kyoya was sitting down, there was a banging on the front door loud enough to reach them in the tea room.

His father gave him a look, as they all knew only one person in the entire universe who was stupid enough to come to the Ootori mansion at eight in the evening, banging like a maniac. Kyoya sighed and stood, waving away a maid that had been moving toward the door. She bowed and went elsewhere.

With an annoyed tic in his jaw, he went to the door and opened it. "Tamaki, give me one good reason why I shouldn't start looking for a place to hide your body," he growled.

For all of half a second, the irritating blond looked a strange mixture of frustrated and sheepish. Then the frustration won out and turned to full-blown annoyance. "This is important, Kyoya!" he retorted, looking like he was about to have a panic attack (or a stroke; whichever Kyoya could get away with without anyone noticing. Or caring).

"That is not a good reason," Kyoya said, wondering where that gun his father kept by the door had gone.

Tamaki rolled his eyes - he actually had the audacity to roll his eyes at Kyoya! - and crossed his arms. "Seriously. This is worse than... worse than... Than Lobelia. Or the twins. Or my grandmother!"

That gave Kyoya pause. Worse than his grandmother? Better yet, Tamaki was actually admitting (or implying) that his grandmother was a bitch? Fascinating. What could possibly freak the blond out enough to not think the world of his abusive grandmother, even if only for a second? "This had better be good," Kyoya sighed, stepping back to allow the blond entry. He waved dismissively at Akito, his older brother, before leading Tamaki upstairs to his room and out of respectable view.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Tamaki collapsed onto Kyoya's bed (much to his annoyance) and began to babble. "I can't believe it. This is completely horrible. There's just no way... When Tomu told me, I didn't believe him but he proved itandthenIstartedtofreak andIcouldn'tthinkof whototellwhatwouldhappen it'sdrivingmeinsaneandI-"

"Tamaki, I stopped understanding your rapid-fire speech at 'proved'," Kyoya said, assuming a false air of patience.

Tamaki groaned loudly. "Conner," he breathed.

Kyoya's brow furrowed, confusion sweeping his expression. "Conner? What are you talking about? Speak more coherently, you idiot."

Tamaki scowled at him. "One, Kyoya, I am not an idiot. Two, just shut up and let me explain before you interrupt."

Kyoya blinked. He took it back. Tamaki wasn't freaked. He was terrified. So Kyoya remained silent, allowing Tamaki to continue. That would be the best course of action for now.

"I meant Conner. As in Conner Angela. As in the CEO of one of the biggest Western industries ever erected since Alaxander Graham Bell invented the telephone. As in-"

"I get it, Tamaki. Get to the point," Kyoya interrupted impatiently. Of course he knew who Conner Angela was. She was a prodigy, a genius. She was known everywhere, her face was on billboards from here to Timbuktu. She was gorgeous, coveted, loved... Her only downfall was that she was a manipulative bitch that didn't stop until she achieved her goal and she didn't care who got hurt in the process. Many speculated that she was probably a demon. After all, with how famous and loved she was, only a demon could be like that and still be so... well, demonic.

Tamaki stood up and started to pace. "She's moving in on Suoh territory. On Japan."

Okay, now Kyoya understood why Tamaki was so afraid. This was definitely not good. The Ootoris were more or less safe, because Conner didn't deal with the medical field. But she did deal with transport, housing, hotels and technology. Three of which the Suohs more or less ran single-handedly here in Japan.

"Oh."

Tamaki spun to glare at him. "Oh? OH? Is that all you can SAY!" he screeched, face red.

Kyoya glared at him until his stepped down. "Yes. I don't know what to tell you, Tamaki. As far as I know, you're the only one in the club that will be threatened by this."

Tamaki groaned again and flopped back down onto the bed. "I just don't know what to do. Grandmother and father have been in a meeting with the 'round table' since this morning. Arguing. I saw father around one, and he looked older than he's ever looked. Like his charisma was... lacking. He was so tired..."

Kyoya sighed and sat down beside Tamaki. "I'm sorry. I'm sure things will be figured out." His hands were tied. He couldn't interfere. If he did, Conner might target him and the Ootoris.

"I understand," Tamaki said hollowly. He looked deflated from his tantrum. He clearly didn't know what he should do.

Guess this bind was turning out to be something he might not be able to get out of.

xXx

Haruhi sighed as she got home from the store. The summer heat was stifling, and as far as she was concerned, she could do without it. Things had slowed since school was out, though the host club still found ways to annoy her on a bi-daily basis. She didn't particularly mind, but she did wish they'd tone the stupidity down a bit. If only for, like, five hundred years. Or forever.

Shaking her head, she stopped by the mail-box on the wall beside her door and pulled out the four or five envelopes and a yellow folder from Fed-Ex. The folder was addressed to her and she tucked it under her arm before glancing at the rest. Three bills, a letter from one of her dad's friends addressed to both of them (they usually were, but she never read them) and a letter addressed to her.

She grinned. It was from her pen-pal. She'd gotten bored one day a month before school ended and had been going through the magazines on the coffee table in the livingroom. She caught sight of an ad that advertised a pen-pal service. First five letters - both back and forth - were free, then you had to pay a 139Y weekly subscription fee. She'd sent a letter in and gotten one back by a boy with the pen-name "Aurum Potestas Est" (which she'd later learned meant 'Gold is Power').

After explaining that she didn't feel comfortable writing through a service, she got his address and they'd begun writing through regular mail. He actually lived in Ireland, but aside from that, and his apparent interest in gold, she didn't know much about him. Oh, and he was seriously intelligent.

They talked about everything from literature to history to science and she loved every minute of it. He was like a goldmine of knowledge. He knew pretty much everything on anything and vice versa.

Apparently, he found her fascinating to talk to as well, otherwise he wouldn't continue to write.

With a brighter grin upon her reflection, she picked the groceries back up and carried everything inside, quickly putting away the food she bought before setting the bills and her father's letter on the counter and escaping with her things to her room. She ignored the folder, tossing it on her dresser as she shut the door behind her, and immediately began tearing into the envelope of the letter.

Sitting, she began to read the shorter-than-normal letter.

'Hostu-Noh,

You mentioned in your last letter that you liked to read plays. I have quite a collection of Shakespearean plays here at my home; I too enjoy reading them. I do apologize for the shortness of this particular missive. But in the next few days (or perhaps the day you receive this letter), you will be getting a Fed-Ex package. Inside is one of the aforementioned plays; I currently have three copies, not counting the one I am sending you.

For all the birthdays and Christmases I missed not knowing you,

Aurum Potestas Est.

PS: To make up for the shortness of this letter, I have included another of like length with the play.'

Haruhi blinked and looked up at the package on her dresser. After half a second where she merely stared at it in disbelief, she got to her feet and quickly snatched it up. It was indeed from the same PO Box that Aurum usually sent his letters from. Eagerly, she opened the package and pulled out the letter first, unfolding it and reading it.

'Hostu-Noh,

I hope this made it to you. You never really know when it comes to packages. At any rate, I thought you'd enjoy an ironic comedy, so please enjoy The Comedy of Errors.

I hope you like it,

Aurum Potestas Est.

PS: I know I said 'like length'. Apparently, I'm a liar as well as a genius. Ta.'

Haruhi chuckled at that last bit. Ego-much? But still, she did appreciate the gesture. It was very sweet. Shaking her head, she wrote up a reply, thanking him for the gift and expressing her regret that she didn't know what to give him in return (at least, nothing she could afford). She told him about the twins' latest prank on Tamaki, she expressed her concerns over Tamaki's infatuation with her (she wasn't that oblivious), and how Hani offered to give her self-defense lessons because of the mugging that had happened down the street last Saturday. Finally, she ended the letter on a thankful note.

'And really, I do appreciate the gift. It's very sweet of you. Thank you very much. I'll see what I can do about getting ahold of a recipe or two. My Japanese onigiri isn't too bad (though, only my father has eaten it and he spazzes over everything I cook, so there's no telling for sure), so I'll send you the recipe for it and you can make it. Or have your cooks make it. Either/or.

Ja ne,
Hostu-Noh.'

He'd never expressly said he was wealthy enough to have cooks, but he spoke about common things the way Tamaki or Kyoya would (though perhaps with a touch more disdain than either of her friends would), so it wasn't hard to figure out. Briefly, she wondered what he'd think about her deducing the fact that he was wealthy, then shook the thought away, wrote up the aforementioned recipe and fetched an envelope. She put the sealed and addressed letter in the mailbox before starting dinner.

Ranka would be home in an hour.

xXx

Haruhi collapsed into bed after dinner that night and curled up with the play. It was in English, but they'd been writing in English since their third letter, so both knew she could read it easily. She thumbed idly through the pages, smiling slightly, until she came to the back and a small piece of paper fell out. Curious, she reached out and picked it up off her stomach, flipping it over.

'I'll be in Japan from the 2nd to the 4th. If I am not able to meet you before I leave at 9PM on the 4th, I will not be able to stay any longer. Hurry.' There was a hotel address listed as well, but when she glanced at the clock, she guessed the airport would be a better idea. It was already 7:30.

In the span of five minutes, she was out the door and into a cab she'd called over. She paid the fare in advanced and sat back, fingers tapping impatiently as the cab slowly went on it's way. She checked her watch. 7:45. "Can't we get there faster?" she demanded after a moment.

The cab driver quirked a brow at her but shrugged and pulled off onto a side street, where he wasn't stuck behind traffic.

It still wasn't fast enough, and they arrived at the airport five to nine. She burst out of the cab and ran into the airport, only then realizing she didn't know what Aurum looked like. Look for well-dressed people; wealthy, she told herself, scanning the room.

Nothing. Another thought struck her and she went up to a woman seated behind a random desk. "Is there a terminal for private planes?" she asked. Rich people seemed to favor them, after all...

The woman blinked, then smiled. "Oh. You must be the girl he said to watch out for."

Haruhi blinked. "Has he left?"

She shook her head, looking past Haruhi. "Nope. In fact, here he is."

Haruhi stilled, suddenly aware that someone stood behind her. She blinked, wide-eyed, at the woman, who was grinning slightly (she likely thought this was some sort of romantic display, which was so far off that Haruhi nearly laughed at the very thought). Curiously, she turned around and looked up at the vaguely tall boy (well, he was short by Western standards, but about average around Japan). He peered right back down at her, expression closed, bordering on frosty, but she got the impression that he was as curious as she.

Clearing her throat, she asked the blue-eyed, black-haired youth hopefully, "Um... A-Aurum Potestas Est?"

A small smile touched his mouth. "Hostu-Noh? Yes. I'm glad you made it. Did you just get the letter today?"

Haruhi laughed sheepishly. "Well, yeah, actually. I did. I didn't actually look at the play until about 7:30." Give or take.

"Ah. Then that would explain why you're late."

She scowled. "I left as soon as I read the note, smart ass."

"Why thank you."

"Oh, Gods," she muttered, then shook her head and smiled. "So, you have to leave?"

But he shook his head and took her arm, threading it through his as he lead her away from the counter, toward a very big man on the other side of the room. "No. Now I have an excuse to stay. Do you mind telling me your name?"

Haruhi nodded, eying the big man curiously. "I'm Haruhi. Haruhi Fujioka," she said, switching from the Japanese they'd been using to English.

He smiled a little once again. It was a strange, almost knowing, little half smile that lit a devilish gleam in his eyes. She thought about calling him on it, but decided against it. "Artemis Fowl. My name is Artemis Fowl. The second."

xXx

Could that be considered a cliffy? Lmao. R&R!