Chapter 1

I walked into my bedroom and paused at the sight that greeted me. There was open luggage on my bed, and two of my maids were packing my clothes into them.

"Excuse me, what is going on?" I asked.

Nadia, my personal maid, looked up from my suitcase and smiled at me. "We're going on a trip to America. Your father wants to see you in his office."

Stepfather, I thought. That man was not my real father. I didn't care if he did raise me, I didn't like him.

I put my book down on my dresser and walked to the west side of the house where my stepfather's office was located. The door was open, so I stood quietly in the doorway until I was acknowledged.

"Mitsuki, come in and have a seat," he said.

I did what he said, and smoothed my skirt over my thighs, sitting up straight. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"There comes a time, Mitsuki, when every bird must leave the nest. You are twenty-one now, and I believe this time has come for you."

I was nineteen.

"Sir? You want me to move out?"

Where did I sign?

"Not just yet. I have arranged what I think will be a suitable match for you and one that I think will help this family greatly. The head of the Otori family has taken an interest in you, and has contacted me about marrying you to his youngest son who is in Boston at the moment, finishing his final year of college. I am sending you to America this evening to meet him."

I was confused. Our family created weapons technology. I didn't see how marrying into the Otori family would benefit us. They were clients of ours, so I could see the benefit for them, though. We had more money and power than they did, but our businesses were unrelated. However, I knew better than to ask questions.

"Yes, Sir," I said.

"You will make a good impression, Mitsuki. Use those charming looks of yours to our advantage for a change. This is something both sides want, so I am counting on you to make him think favorably of you. If things go well, the two of you will marry after he graduates in May."

"Yes, Sir. Is that all?"

"Yes, you may go," he said. "Here is a file on everything you need to know about him."

He handed me the file, and I got up and left.

I walked back to my room and tossed the file on the bed.

"Did he tell you what this was about?" Nadia asked.

"It's a marriage meeting," I said. "He wants me yo marry the youngest son of the Otori family, Kyoya."

"Do you know him?" She asked.

I shook my head. "No, I've never met him. I have met his father and two older brothers, but he has been studying abroad for six and a half years. He went in his final year of high school, and I guess he liked it enough that he stayed there for college. He is six years older than me, so I never met him in school, either, though I understand he helped start the Host Club. People still talk about the founding members." I opened the file and looked at it. "Yes, he just turned twenty four a little more than two months ago. He is graduating with honors from the MBA program at Harvard. No doubt he is the snooty over-privileged type like my stepfather. He is good looking too, so he most likely has an ego the size of China."

Yes, I knew that I was also among the top 1%, but I didn't flaunt it, and I enjoyed doing things that a normal teenage girl enjoyed. I was also good looking, but I didn't think it made me special like most people did. They were just looks, and they wouldn't last forever.

My obvious half-blood looks had been a thorn in my stepfather's side for as long as he had been married to my mother. I looked Japanese for the most part, though my hip length hair was white-blonde and my almond-shaped eyes were sapphire blue. I looked like my real father, except I was 5'1, and he had been over 6 feet.

My stepfather loved my mother, and for that I gave him credit, but he had made it clear to me from a young age that I was merely accepted as a part of my mother's past that he couldn't get rid of. Perhaps that was what he was getting out of the deal.

"Have you already decided that you don't like him?" Nadia asked.

I smiled at her. "No, I will give him a chance, but it doesn't matter what I think of him. My stepfather has already decided that he wants me to marry him, so that is the end of it. I will do my duty."

Yes, I would do my duty, but I wouldn't go through some grand effort to please him, either. I would be exactly who I was, and he could take it or leave it.

My bags were packed a few hours later, and I was sitting on our family's jet.

"Nadia, I'm going to sleep. Please make sure I am awake two hours before we land in Boston," I said after we got into the air.

"Yes, Madam," she said.

I walked to the bedroom and stripped down to my tee shirt and panties to curl up in the bed. It was a ten hour flight to Boston, and it would be some time in the afternoon when we arrived. I didn't want to be jet-lagged the entire trip.

When Nadia woke me up, I showered and changed into a white cami, a light blue cashmere off the shoulder sweater, a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, black snow boots, and I left my hair down and pulled on a light blue cashmere knitted cap with two pom-poms on top that looked like ears, and a matching scarf.

I took my seat, and looked out the window as we approached Boston. As I expected, there was a few feet of snow on the ground. It wasn't snowing at the time, but it was supposed to snow again that evening. I loved watching the snow fall.

We landed, and there was a car already waiting for us.

While we rode to the hotel, I looked out the window and took in as much of the city as I could. It looked to be a historical city with a modern city built on top of it. I knew that a great deal of American history took place there, but I wasn't completely familiar with the stories.

We pulled up in front of the Rio Grand Hotel, and I was surprised that it looked exactly the same as the ones in Tokyo and New York.

"Don't the Suohs have better imagination than this?" I asked myself as I stepped into the lobby. "Surely they would tire of the same surroundings at every single hotel."

"I don't know, Madam," Nadia said. "Shall I get you checked in?"

"Yes, thank you, Nadia, and please have some tea brought to my room as well."

"Yes, Madam," she said and walked away.

"I understand that the idea of having all of the hotels the same is so that traveling businessmen who stay here often feel as though they are home, no matter what city they are in."

I looked over at the man sitting in a nearby chair and smiled at him. He appeared to be one of those businessmen in question. "Does it work?"

"I certainly think so."

"What kind of business are you in?" I asked and walked towards him.

"Personal security."

He pulled out a card and handed it to me.

"Mr. Tachibana," I said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I gave him my own card.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Koizumi. Are you in town for business as well?"

I nodded. "Yes, I believe that is what you can call it, but I hope to get a little pleasure in as well. I understand that now is the time for ice skating in this city."

"Madam, your room is ready," Nadia said.

"I wouldn't know anything about that, but I hope you are able to enjoy yourself while you are here," Mr. Tachibana said.

"Good luck in your business, Sir," I said and gave him another smile as I followed Nadia to the elevators.

"I don't think you should do that," she said.

"I like meeting new people," I told her. "He knew a bit of history about the hotel. It was interesting."

She sighed and shook her head. "Your father is going to fire me when you get friendly with a kidnapper."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, Nadia. Let's not pretend that I never see the three gorillas following me around everywhere I go. Come on, let's have some tea, and then I want to go outside."

"You are meeting Mr. Otori in an hour," she said.

I frowned. "Already?"

She nodded. "Yes, we are working around his school schedule. He is very busy right now. We are to meet him in the hotel lounge."

The elevator was taking forever and we were joined by another gentleman, who I smiled at as well.

"Why are we working around everyone's schedule but mine? I didn't even hear about any of this until three hours before we left," I said quietly.

"I wasn't aware that you had a schedule, Madam. As you said, you didn't even know we were coming."

I blushed. "I could have had other plans, you know, and what if I had a boyfriend? Shouldn't I be given time to break his heart?"

She laughed and quickly covered her mouth.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What's funny? I could have a boyfriend."

"Yes, Madam," she said, still covering her mouth.

The elevator doors opened, and we stepped in. She it the button for the top floor, and the man behind us hit the button for the floor below it.

"I could," I said.

"It isn't that I don't think you could, but I think if you did, you would have put up a fight about this. It wouldn't matter that doing this gets you out from under your father's control. I just think that if your heart was already attached to someone else, you would run away if you had to. It's a weak argument."

This was why I loved Nadia. She wasn't afraid to be straight with me, and in turn, I could tell her what was on my mind.

"I'm afraid in this case, I am only exchanging six for a half dozen."

"Madam?"

"It's an old expression which means that you can call the two things whatever you want, but they are essentially the same thing. I think if I marry this guy, I won't be much better off."

"That isn't true. Husbands only want children. Fathers want much more."

"What about what wives and daughters want?" I asked.

"What is that?"

"Love, Nadia. Love and affection from someone who cares if we step outside and get hit by a car."

"Your father cares, Madam," she said.

I scoffed. "Yes, I'm sure my father cared a whole lot before he died. My stepfather on the other hand has merely tolerated me until he found a use for me."

The elevator doors opened and the man stepped out.

"You don't really believe that," she said.

I frowned at her. "Yes, I do."

We stepped onto our floor, and I entered my suite, where all of my luggage had already been placed. At least now I knew what took the elevator so long. I took my hat and scarf off, and tossed them onto a nearby chair as I walked to the window and opened the curtains.

It had started snowing again already, so I left the curtains open. As far as weather went, I loved hot summer weather more, but nothing was more beautiful than the falling snow.

"Your tea is here, Madam," Nadia said.

She set up the tray next to the window for me and plated a few sandwiches.

As time to meet Kyoya crept closer, a knot started to form in my gut and my hands began to shake. In all honesty, I didn't want to do this. I was terrified that I was only committing myself to a life of more sadness and misery before I got a chance to actually enjoy myself.

Maybe he wouldn't like me. Maybe a half-blood wouldn't be good enough for him. Maybe I wouldn't be pretty enough or sophisticated enough.

"It's time to go, Madam," Nadia said.

I licked my lips and nodded.

I walked to the elevator, and when it opened, the same man from earlier was in it. I thought it was a little strange, but I didn't have time for him right now. I braced myself against the railings in the corner and tried to breathe.

"Mitsuki, are you okay?" Nadia whispered. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," I breathed. "I'm just a little nervous."

I tried to breathe out my nervousness and fear before the elevator door opened, but I was unable. The doors dinged, and instead of going for the lounge, I headed towards the door.

"Madam?" Nadia called.

I held up my hand to tell her to stay, and kept walking. I walked around to the side of the hotel and leaned against the building. I just needed to catch my breath.

"Isn't it a little chilly to be catching some fresh air?"

I looked over and saw Mr. Tachibana walking towards me.

I smiled at him. "I didn't really notice. I just needed some fresh air."

He took off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. I'm just calming my nerves, that's all. I have a meeting in a few minutes."

"You look scared."

I laughed. "I'm terrified, Mr. Tachibana; I'm terrified."

I paced a little, and took another deep breath.

"Please allow me to escort you back inside," he said.

I nodded. "Thank you." He offered me his arm, and led me back into the hotel lobby. I took his jacket off and handed it back to him. "You are very kind."

He smiled at me. "I wish you the best of luck, young Miss."

I ran my fingers through my hair and straightened my shoulders. I walked towards the lounge and spotted Kyoya sitting at a table near the window.

"I was wondering if you were going to show up," he said when I approached the table.

I bowed and lowered my head. "My deepest apologies for making you wait," I said.

"Please sit down."

I sat across from him, and he poured me a cup of tea.

"Tell me about yourself, Mitsuki," he said.

I blushed. What was I supposed to tell him? Did he really care about my hobbies? "I graduated at the top of my class from Ouran last spring. I was on the swim team and helped them go-"

"No, you misunderstood. I know all of that stuff. Tell me about the you that isn't on paper. What are your hobbies? What makes you happy?"

My mouth opened. No one had ever asked me that before. "I enjoy a wide variety of things from knitting to video games."

He smiled. "You knit?"

I nodded. "Yes, in fact I knitted myself this sweater. I saw something similar in a store, but they didn't have it in a color I liked, so I made it myself. What about you? What do you like to do for fun?"

"I like to paint," he said.

I smiled. "Really? That's interesting. I draw. What do you like to paint?"

"Landscapes, but I think that is because I haven't found a model to sit still long enough for me. I would like to try painting a person. What do you draw?"

"People mostly, but I always give them a fantasy twist of some sort like wings or a tail."

"What would you give me if you drew my picture?"

I looked at him closely. "You have very pretty eyes and a nice bone structure. I would probably accentuate that with pointed ears and long hair pulled back in a ponytail like an elf. I would also draw you without your glasses. So, why did you decide to get an MBA when the rest of the men in your family are doctors."

"It was because the rest of them are doctors," he said. "I felt I would be more useful as a business expert than as yet another doctor. It is something I am talented at."

I nodded. That made sense. "Are you glad that you are almost finished with school?"

"Quite. I saw that you did not enroll in the university. Is there a particular reason for that?"

"My stepfather felt that it was not necessary. He decided that my time would be better spent learning how to become a proper wife."

He leaned forward. "What did you learn?"

I blushed again. Most of the stuff my mother told me had to do with making babies and pregnancy. "How to run a household and support my husband," I said. "I took cooking lessons, learned how to manage household staff; things of that nature."

"I have a sister who entered into an arranged marriage," he said. "I know you are nervous right now, Mitsuki. You are afraid of the unknown and that is effecting your true personality. I can assure you that if we get married, I will not beat you or verbally abuse you under any circumstances."

"Is she happy?" I asked.

"Sometimes I think she is a little too happy, but yes, she and her husband developed strong feelings for each other over time. Do you not know anyone who entered into an arranged marriage?"

"My mother married my father and my stepfather out of love, and my stepbrothers entered into arranged marriages, but I don't really know their wives. My friends who had arranged marriages were betrothed as children and grew up with their fiances. They were either good friends or a couple in high school."

He nodded. "Yes, it is more difficult when it is a stranger, but I hope that we can get to know each other better while you are here."

"I would like that too," I said.

"I would be happy to show you around the city. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see?"

"Is there an outdoor ice skating rink around here?"

"Yes, there are a couple of them. You would like to go ice skating?"

I nodded. "Yes, I would, if that is okay with you. If not, I can go alone."

"I do not know how to ice skate. Do you think you could teach me?"

"Yes, of course I could," I said.

He stood up. "Shall we go?"

"Let me go up to my room and get my ice skates and my coat."

"No need," he said. He snapped his fingers and Mr. Tachibana approached. "Tachibana, please have Ms. Koizumi's maid go and fetch her ice skates and her coat from her room."

"Yes, Sir," Tachibana said.

I blushed and suddenly felt foolish. Of course I was being watched. I was watched everywhere else I went, why not here as well? I shouldn't have been surprised that he would have men here keeping an eye on me and making sure I didn't run. They were probably observing me to see how I acted when I thought no one was watching.

Kyoya smiled at me. "Do you often speak to strange men in hotel lobbies?"

"Yes," I said, embarrassed. "It's just that I like to meet new people, and business men who travel often usually have interesting stories to tell."

"If you like stories, perhaps I can entertain you. For now, let us go ice skating."

I smiled and gave a nod.

Nadia brought me my coat, hat, scarf, cloves, and ice skates, and Kyoya walked me to his car where Tachibana was waiting with the door open.