Kyoya flipped through the file one more time as the car sped toward the hospital. The patient, Hanajima Tezuka was the head of a corporation of several of the top companies in the Japanese entertainment and real estate industries. Her companies had prospered and eventually spread overseas. Unfortunately, the stately old woman was terminally ill, and while Ootori hospitals had kept her alive until now, she was expected to pass on within the next week or two.

Normally, no one from the family would be directly involved, but she had been in and out of Ootori hospitals for about eight years. Her companies currently worked to find land for the Ootori resorts and provided some of the key celebrity entertainment at the resorts. If the Ootoris did not want to suffer, the connection with the Tezuka Corporation would have to survive the president's death. Kyoya's father had decided that his youngest son would be sent to check on the woman and her family every afternoon for as long as was necessary to try to maintain the friendship.

Kyoya flipped the page. The next page of the report detailed the family's history. Mrs. Tezuka had had two children with her late husband. The older was her son, an executive in her corporation. He was currently asking the doctors to move his mother to a hospital closer to his estate so he would be able to visit without traveling far. The doctors were reluctant to do so, fearing that the move would only serve to abbreviate the woman's already short time left. Kyoya shook his head. There was no benefit to moving her. The man either cared enough to come to the hospital in her final days or he didn't. But according to the file, Kyoya wasn't the only one of this opinion.

The patient had also had a daughter. The young woman had eloped with a young banker from the United Kingdom. It was all over the society pages when it first happened about eighteen years ago. The banker had died in a car accident two years later, sending the young lady running back to her mother with her baby daughter in tow. According to the report in the file, the woman had remarried three years ago, moved to Spain with her new husband, and left her teenaged daughter with Mrs. Tezuka.

This young lady was the one objecting to her uncle's request that the patient be moved. She was also; Kyoya had been surprised to learn, the heir apparent to the corporation. He supposed this was one factor in his father's decision to send Kyoya to the family. The girl was seventeen, Kyoya's age. He frowned at the words "heir apparent" Some people had all the luck.

As they approached the hospital, Kyoya looked over the page on the heiress to refresh his memory. Not that it needed refreshing, but this girl was the one he had to make a good impression on to keep the connection alive and stay in his father's good graces.

Melanie Stuart. She went by the name Michiko Tezuka while in Japan. Of course she probably used her grandmother's last name to show her place in the corporation

The Rolls Royce finally arrived at the hospital and Kyoya tucked the file into the briefcase he'd brought along. There was no need to show that he'd been studying it on the way there. He passed the briefcase to Tachibana before walking confidently into the hospital.

Melanie Stuart sat next to her grandmother, obediently flipping through the reports and reading her the key parts. Her grandmother was a creature of habit. She'd gone through reports all through her lengthy infirmity and, as she had so seriously pointed out, had no idea what else she was supposed to do, even if she was in the last days of her life. Melanie was just grateful that they had something they were both interested in to take their minds off the immediate future.

"Here are the graphs for Uncle's accounts. It looks like we're going to have to have him drop this artist after all. Sales are down again and we'd agreed that he wasn't getting any better. Uncle seems to think that he'll make a comeback, and little though I want to demand that he do anything, I doubt it." She explained, spreading the booklet out on her grandmother's lap desk. The older woman nodded.

"Your Uncle thinks a lot of things. Some of them are quite ridiculous. Imagine, he thinks he can overrule us and the doctors to get me moved to be closer to him. I had hoped he'd grow up someday." She sighed, glancing up to see that her granddaughter's gaze had hardened. Good. She'd be ready when her fool of an uncle tried to take the company from her. She wouldn't let him destroy the family legacy. "Have you had a chance to look at the schools near the corporate headquarters?"

"Yes, ma'am. They all seem prestigious enough. Though I must say that I don't relish the idea of going to the same one as my darling cousin." Melanie said, putting the reports away in a satchel at her feet and pulling a stack of thin booklets out.

"Well, that rules out St. Lobelia's Academy, then." The patient said, taking one of the booklets and dropping it into the trashcan next to her bed. "I like the looks of this one. Ouran High School. A number of the children of our business associates go there. You'll have to ask the young man the Ootoris are sending about it when he arrives. He is a student there." She flipped idly through the glossy pamphlet. "Of course, you know that already."

"You don't think that attending the same school as our associates' children will be detrimental to their respect for me? It does emphasize my age." The young woman pointed out, pushing a lock of dark blonde hair out of her eyes. She'd inherited her father's European coloring with a little help from her grandfather's mixed blood. She did not respond to her grandmother's last statement.

"No, I think that it might at first, but when they see your competence it will only serve to impress them that you are as good as you are at running the corporation at such a young age. Besides which, a number of these children-" She was cut off by the quiet ringing of a cell phone on the bedside table. Melanie handed it to her and waited as she listened. A moment later, her grandmother hung up. "Well, you're about to see what I was going to say. Some of these young people are quite intelligent in their own rights. The young Master Ootori has arrived. He's on his way up."

Melanie nodded, taking the booklets from her grandmother and placing them neatly on the bedside table with the phone. This finished, she saw that her grandmother had already taken her pile of thank you cards out of the lap desk and resumed writing cards thanking families for the bouquets that they had sent to her. There was quite a stack, the room that they were sitting in was full of the things, and they were only the ones that had arrived at the hospital since the butler from the nearest of their estates had come three days ago to take the last batch. Melanie picked up the book that she'd been reading and they settled down to wait for the visitor coming.

When Kyoya reached the room he briefly remembered the last time he had seen the patient. He had to remind himself that she would not be the lively, friendly old woman that he had met four years ago. He had also met her daughter on that occasion. The granddaughter had been traveling with her school, so she was still an unknown quantity. Had he been someone else, he might have been anxious at meeting the heiress. But he was Kyoya. He was rarely anxious. He knocked gently on the closed door and opened it when he heard a voice from inside call to him to enter.

The patient was propped up on a pile of cushions leaning against the headboard of the bed. She had clearly just set aside some writing. Kyoya noticed how carefully her hair had been pinned up and how alert her eyes were. At first glance, it was very difficult to believe that she probably wouldn't live to see another few weeks.

"Hello, ma'am, miss. I'm Kyoya Ootori, pleased to make your acquaintance." He smiled. They were clearly going to considerable lengths to conceal the severity of the old woman's condition, even from those that knew of it. It was best to go along with the pretense as well as he could.

"Yes, Kyoya, we've met. This is my granddaughter, Michiko, this is Kyoya Ootori." The young woman stood up, walking forward to shake Kyoya's hand.

"A pleasure. My name is Melanie Stuart. I go by Michiko Tezuka when I'm in Japan, though. Please, take a seat." She greeted him, shaking his hand and looking him directly in the eye.

"I hope I haven't disturbed you two?" Kyoya asked, the picture of concern. The women shot sidelong glances at each other. Neither one particularly enjoyed going through the motions of the niceties that were so important to business, and it seemed that this encounter was going to be purely composed of them. Kyoya caught the look and realized he'd have to try another tack quickly.

"Oh no, of course not. I was just writing some notes and Michiko was just reading." The patient replied levelly. Kyoya was saved the necessity of trying to transition out of the pleasantries by a knock on the door behind him. A doctor came in a moment later.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, but there was a slight abnormality in Mrs. Tezuka's blood work. We would like to make sure it isn't anything to be worried about." The doctor apologized humbly. "It should only take about half an hour. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Kyoya stood to leave, repressing the sigh of relief that had swelled in his lungs. Michiko rose too.

"Michiko, you go get some coffee or tea. I'll see you when the doctors are done." Her grandmother instructed, casting a surreptitious glance at the booklets detailing the schools that they were considering. The indication was understood and Michiko gathered them into her satchel before heading to the door.

"I'll return later to check on you, Mrs. Tezuka. I'm sorry our visit was interrupted." Kyoya bid the woman a careful farewell before following her heiress from the room. "You drink coffee?" He asked pleasantly, falling in stride with her as they walked toward the elevators.

"My grandmother drinks it more than I do. She acquired the taste from my mother when she lived with us. I prefer tea because it's healthier, but I do drink coffee on occasion for the caffeine." She replied simply, carefully not betraying any emotion at the mention of her errant mother.

"That seems like sound logic. Do you mind if I accompany you? I have very little to do while I wait to visit your grandmother again."

"On the contrary, I'm sure you have quite a lot that you are supposed to be doing while you wait." She glanced up at him with an almost teasing smile. "But no, I don't mind. As a matter of fact, I have something my grandmother suggested that I ask you about." She finished as they walked into the elevator.

Did she mean to insinuate that what I mean to accomplish while waiting is what I was sent to do? That seems a little too observant, but she is Hanajima Tezuka's granddaughter. Nonetheless, that would be a bold insinuation. Perhaps she's merely reckless. Kyoya thought as they rode smoothly down to ground floor. His companion occupied herself by placing a cell phone call ordering that her car be brought to the front of the hospital.

"Tachibana will bring my car around in a moment. The café isn't far." She announced, terminating her call as they stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. Caught off guard, Kyoya looked around for his bodyguard. Why would he be bringing her car to the front of the hospital? Much to the young man's chagrin, Michiko caught him.

"Isn't it coincidental that my grandmother employs your bodyguard's cousin?" She asked smilingly.

She planned that. Why did I fall for it? Kyoya mentally kicked himself for a second before answering. "Yes, it is a rather unique coincidence." How did she know about that connection, let alone the fact that Tachibana was on my team of bodyguards?

Kyoya's reverie was interrupted when Michiko indicated the car pulling up in front of the glass doors and they walked out to gleaming white car. His companion handed her bag over to a guard and walked around to the other side of the car. Once inside the car, she began giving directions.

"Tachibana, we're going to great aunt's café." Kyoya caught the slight upward turn at the corners of her lips when she addressed Tachibana. That confirmed it, she had planned her comment earlier. Loath though he was to admit it, it would appear that he had underestimated this girl. This could be interesting. Kyoya thought, already relishing the challenge. If only he'd known what a challenge it would prove to be.

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This is my first Ouran fic. Kyoya is definitely my favorite character. I hope you enjoy this fic. It's going to be ongoing, so don't worry, the other members will turn up eventually. Maybe in the third chapter?