A/N: Wow! It has been so long since I updated this story! I am so, SO sorry everyone! I hope to be better about that this summer. Part of the reason I think I have been...sorta "avoiding" this particular story is that m orignial inspiration for the character of Ari is no longer with me. She...terminated our friendship so...yes. No, it is not an excuse. I hope to get this story moving along. I sorely hope that this chapter does not disappoint! I hope you can forgive me for how long it has been and any grammatical/typing mistakes. I am trying my very bet to catch them as I go, but I am bound to make mistakes. If I find time later on, I will go back and do some correcting. I hope you enjoy the long awaited chapter four!

Chapter Four: The Challenge

A week seemed to fly by. Ari and Rena's popularity seemed to sky rocket. Ever since their performance at the Host Club, people began seeking them out. Arianna adored the attention. She chatted happily with the admirers and would even sing for them if asked. The girls became regular attendees at the Host Club, though they had yet to really show any real favoritism. They talked and entertained the guests almost as much as the hosts. The numbers soared especially on the days they were coerced to sing.

Ari ate it up. Rena not so much.

Rena was excited to be making new friends and meeting new people. It helped her really get into the culture. Everyone was friendly and some even helpful. She found she got along extremely well with Haruhi and would study with him often. Ren was settling much faster than she ever dreamed or experienced. Things seemed to be going great.

However.

Popularity had always been a burden she avoided. She didn't care for it. She could create enough pressure and stress on herself with school work without adding a fickle public to the mix. It was to the point that she couldn't find a quiet place to practice. She was hounded by the admirers. Unlike Ari, Ren refused to sing unless it was a duet. Even then, Ari had to beg and plead. Rena was shy. She didn't really care to be in a constant spotlight. She was just….well, just Ren in the same way Fluttershy is just Fluttershy or Hikaru is Hikaru and Kaoru, Kaoru. It was hard to explain.

During the second week, Rena discovered how to disappear. It killed her not to tell at least Ari, but there were some things that had to be done alone. At the end of the day, Rena quietly slipped into the crowd and dodged between people with expert precision. It wasn't long before she had completely lost track of the Hitachiin twins, Haruhi, and Ari. She was lost in a sea of faces. Her heart beat like she was doing some kind of crime or breaking a rule. She should have told Ari where she was going. It was too late now, though. She could always apologize later. What was that saying? Better to beg for forgiveness then ask permission? Something like that. She'd worry about it later.

Rena slipped past the crowds keeping her head down. It took her longer than she thought to find an empty and seemingly forgotten music room. She shut the door softly behind her letting out a sigh of relief. The fist hurtle had been cleared. Her shoes clack lightly as she walked across the room. The lights came on, alerted to her presence by the motion. The instruments were covered with large, white sheets that told her they weren't used very often. She set her bag down and grabbed the sheet off an instrument. With a swift, fluid motion, she pulled off the sheet to reveal a lovely white baby grand piano. The sheet fluttered to the ground and lay forgotten as she carefully pulled the key cover up to reveal the ivory keys. She held her breath and pressed middle C. The note rang and hung in the air. She smiled. It was in tune. She trailed up one octave, playing the scale. Every note was in tune. She sat down on the bench and did a few warm-ups. She could hardly believe her luck! An in tune piano, no distracting audience…it was perfect.

Her fingers danced over the keys. She played several songs from memory before picking up the folder from her bag. She flipped through a few pages before settling on Toccata fugue in D minor. She took a deep, steadying breath and began.

Ari rushed around the building, searching. Rena couldn't have just disappeared. She had to be somewhere. She was lucky enough to catch the Host Club before the club room began to fill. It didn't take much convincing to get them to help her search. With any lucky, Rena would be found soon and Ari could put her mind at ease. However, until she was, Ari was going to be on edge. There had been some close calls when they had been separated before. The last thing Ari wanted to think about was something happening to her sister. She tried to shake the bad feeling, but it was hard. She needed to find Ren. Then and only then would things be okay.

She buzzed past room after room. She was stopped by some fans and she flashed them a quick smile and wave of hello before pushing on. Each room she had past had not revealed anything to help. Rena had a talent for disappearing, for blending in. A blessing and a curse. It was more of a curse for Ari. It meant that her sister could disappear without so much as a warning. It shouldn't have been so difficult to find one person in a school, but Ren's talent made the task that much harder.

Arianna had finally stopped a moment to catch her breath when the soft sound of piano keys reached her ears. She couldn't quite pick up the tune, but whoever was playing had talent. She strained her ears to get a better sound and tried to follow the sound, but it was difficult and fleeting.

"Hey Arianna!"

She looked up to see the Hitachiin twins waving as they approached her.

"Any luck?" Kaoru asked.

She shook her head slowly.

"None. She couldn't have just disappeared. She has to be here somewhere right? I mean this is a school that screams elite. Some very wealthy families send their children here. Security has to be sufficient enough where nothing could happen, right?"

Her voice gradually got higher pitched and faster. She was fighting back the panic, but it still crept up. What if someone had gotten past the school security and taken Ren? What if something went wrong? What if something happened?

"Arianna take a deep breath. I'm sure she's here somewhere," Hikaru replied putting a hand on her shoulder. "You need to relax."

"Would you relax if it was your brother?"

They didn't reply. Truth be told, if the twins had found themselves in a similar situation, they would have been acting just like Ari if not more frantic. They could sympathize with her. Losing a twin was different from just a sibling. Twins shared a special connection.

"Have you tried calling her? She does have a phone right?" Hikaru asked.

"She's not picking up, which isn't that surprising. She doesn't like to keep it on during the school day. She says it's easier to just focus on one thing at a time. At school, she wants to focus on school, not worry about any possible messages. If there was ever someone to call a truly devoted student, it's her."

"What's the point in having a phone if you never use it?" he asked, annoyance seeping through his tone.

"She does use it. She's just not attached to it like it's the difference between life and death."

He rolled his eyes at her response.

"Do you guys know if there is a music room near here?"

"You're looking for a place to practice now?" Kaoru asked, confused.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I thought I heard someone playing a piano. There's a chance that it could be Rena."

"I think there's one just down this hall."

"Great!"

She took off down the hall with a smile. She really hoped that it would be Rena sitting at the piano. If her sister needed space, she could respect that. It was fine. She just needed to make sure Ren was okay. The twins called after her and one complained about how fast she was running. Despite the complaints, Ari could feel them following her. As she ran, the piano grew louder. Suddenly, it began to grow softer as if coming the end of a song. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she neared the door. She skidded to a halt and held her breath. The twins nearly rammed into her.

"What are you -?!" they began.

She signaled for them to be quiet before she slowly inched the door open a crack. The twins peaked over top of her head into the room, quietly looking around for the piano and the player.

Rena took a deep breath as she laid her fingers over top of the keys for her next piece. It was the most relaxed and at peace she had felt since starting Ouran. Just sitting alone with her music created such a euphoria. She couldn't explain it and didn't expect others to understand it. Music was her world, her escape. It was her constant companion for as long as she could remember. It all began with her mother teaching her how to play. A small, sad smile came to her face as she pressed the keys beginning her next song. The song was fairly new and not as well known as she believed it could have been. It came from a TV. show she had fallen in love with called "Smash" and, although her circumstances were not as unhappy, it was still a lovely song.

"My mother bought it second hand from a silent movie star. It was out of tune, but still I learned to play and with each note with both would smile forgetting who we are and all the pain would simply fly away. Something second hand and broken still can make a pretty sound. Don't we all deserve a family room to live? Oh, the words were left unspoken when my momma came around. But that second hand white baby grand still had something beautiful to give," she sang when the musical cue came.

Her voice was clear and loud enough to be heard over the piano. Her voice mixed with the music she played and filled the room. She could feel herself becoming absorbed and loved it. When was the last time she had been able to sit with her own music, play what she wanted, create and move with the feeling(s) she chose? She loved her sister dearly, but there were sometimes when Rena just needed to be alone with the music and let it take her far away.

"Through missing keys and broken strings the music was our own until the day we said our last goodbye. The baby grand was sent away, a child all alone to pray somebody else would realize that something second hand and broken still can make a pretty sound. Don't we all deserve a family room to live? Oh the words are still unspoken now that momma's not around, but that second hand white baby grand still has something beautiful to give. Through many years the music had to roam until it found a way to find a home. So now I wake up every day and see her standing there just waiting for a partner to compose. And I wish my mother still could hear that sound beyond compare. I'll play her song till everybody knows: that something second hand and broken still can make a pretty sound. Don't we all deserve a family room to live? Oh, the words can't stay unspoken until everyone has found that second hand white baby grand that still has something beautiful to give. I still have something beautiful to give."

She let the last cord hang in the air. True, her circumstances may have not been like that of Marylyn Monroe's like the song describes, but she could certainly relate. It was a lovely song. It did make Rena think of her mother, but she tried to use it as a way to remember the good times instead of feeling upset and lonely. It's funny the way that music can create such a wide range of emotion in a person.

To help shake off the sadness of her last piece, she tried to pick something a little more upbeat, at least in style. She flipped through the pages in her folder before coming to one that she was learning to love. She took only a moment to pose her fingers then began to play.

"Oh. Oh. There's a place that I know, it's not pretty very few have ever gone. If I show it to you now will it make you run away? Or will you stay? Even if it hurts? Even if I try to push you out will you return? Or just give up on me? Please remind me who I really am. Everybody's got a dark side. Do you love me? Can you love mine? Nobody's picture perfect, but we're worth it you know that we're worth it. Do you love me? Even with my dark side?" she sang.

This was exactly what she needed. This would be her escape, the one place she could go in the school to be herself away from the prying eyes of the fickle public, away from the pressures and stress. She could just escape.

Arianna couldn't help but sigh in relief as she watched her sister play and sing. She was safe. Thank goodness! With that knowledge, she could rest easy. Part of her wanted to run in and start singing the second chorus with her sister, but she stopped. She realized Rena must have been trying to find a place where she could be herself, the self that so few even knew existed. If that's what she needed, then okay. Ari could respect that and give her sister this one place. She just had to know Ren was safe.

The Hitachiin twins were speechless. True, they had heard Rena sing before. Even though she chose to only sing duets with Ari, there were parts where she would be singing by herself. However, those times were very different to how she was singing in the old music room. They could even see the change in her posture. She was sitting upright and in proper form for playing the piano, but she seemed more…alive. They had never seen Rena so completely relaxed, not even around Ari. It made her a little more alluring, though neither would admit it.

Softly, Arianna closed the door. She let out another soft sigh and leaned against the door. It took her a minute to remember the boys were there. She couldn't help but smile slyly at them as she took in their expressions.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" she asked. "And you guys don't even know the half of it."

"I don't get it. If she could perform like that, then why is it so different when you two are together?" Kaoru replied in a half trance. "Talent like that isn't just covered up."

The blonde girl shrugged her shoulders.

"Rena has never been the most comfortable in the spotlight. It's…easier for her to just relax and be herself like this," she replied gesturing to the door. "In this way, she can let the music take her wherever she wants to go. Sorta like reading a good book, you know? She just gets lost and completely absorbed. There's no expectation, no prying eyes, no one waiting for her to make a mistake. It's just her and the music."

The twins responded with blank stares. She laughed softly. She couldn't help it.

"It's complicated and I know it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but…that's just the way Ren is. Just because we're twins doesn't mean you can completely understand one by understanding the other. We are still two separate people. The same goes for you guys, doesn't it?"

Neither boy responded. She let out a sigh in response. This was when she could really use Ren. Arianna seldom had the ability to convey meanings and explanations in a way that most people could understand. She was often met with blank stares. Rena was much better at explaining things so that people could understand. Then again, this was probably one of the few things Rena would never attempt to really explain. She had tried to explain it once to Ari. While Arianna understood the gist of what her sister meant, she still didn't fully comprehend it.

"Come on," Ari smiled at the boys, looping her arms in theirs. "Let's head back to the club room. I'm sure you guys have scads of hosting to do."

"What about Rena?" Kaoru asked.

"Don't worry about her. She'll be along when she's ready. I know she's safe now and that's enough."

The twins were a little hesitant, torn between wanting to hear more of the show and trying to pull more information. In the end, they simply walked with Arianna back to the club room. After a quick, mass text, the twins called off the search and the others soon returned to the room full of guests.

Meanwhile, Rena continued to play, oblivious of what had been going on just outside the door to her new found sanctuary. When she finished one song, she would begin another. After what felt like hours (which was really more like one or two), she reluctantly pulled the key cover over the keys, packed up her sheet music, and replaced the sheet over the piano. She left the room exactly as she had found it. She hoped that would be enough to keep others in the dark about it. She knew she would be lectured by Arianna when she found her, but it couldn't be helped. Rena would apologize and reassure her sister that she didn't need to worry. Maybe she would tell Ari what she had been doing later, when they were home, but it would all depend on how sour Arianna's mood was after Ren had disappeared for so long. She really hadn't intended on staying in the music room for so long. She just got a little lost in the music.

Heaving a soft sigh, Rena closed the door to the music room and began making her way back toward where the Host Club met. She could almost guarantee that Arianna would be there. After all, they had spent most of their afternoons there since they first arrived. She made a mental list of music that she wanted to work on for her next escape and where she had the sheet music for the pieces. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she almost past the door to the Host Club. Luckily, she snapped out of her thoughts just in time. She shook her head clear and opened the door to a chorus of "welcome."

"Rena!" Arianna squealed running forward and tackling her sister.

Ren giggled fighting to keep her balance.

"Hey Ari. You seem to be in a considerably better mood than I expected."

"Oh, you mean because you ditched me and had me worried out of my mind because you wouldn't answer your phone, didn't tell me where you were going to be, and I had no idea where you were?" Arianna replied pulling back and putting her hands on her hips.

"That would be the reasoning," Ren replied tucking a stray blond hair behind her ear. "I'm really sorry Onee-chan. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine, honest. I just…needed to get some things done."

Arianna sighed before reaching over and mussing her sister's hair. As a result, Ren batted at her hands and pouted as she tried to smooth in back into place.

"Kyaaa! You're just too cute! I could never stay made at you," Ari squealed squeezing her sister tightly.

"You always say that, Ari," Rena sighed.

"And I say it cause it's true."

"Whatever you say."

"You better believe it."

The girls giggled.

"I'm really glad everything worked out," Haruhi said as he walked over to join them. "Would you like to join Ari and me for some tea, Rena?"

"That sounds fantastic," the girls smiled.

They joined Haruhi at one of the tables and he served them tea. Arianna chatted a mile a minute. Rena and Haruhi could only politely nod along and attempt to make comments when/where they could. It was quickly becoming a habit the way they would sit there and chat. The only time there was really a break was when Ari stopped to have a bit of a sweet or take a sip of tea.

"So, Haruhi, are you ready for that upcoming test?" Rena asked during one of the pauses.

"I'm sure I'll do alright. It'd be easier if I had some more time to study rather than my time being taken up by my club duties," he replied.

"It must be hard to balance the two. I thought it was difficult to balance school and my extra lessons on top of Ari insisting we have a social life. I can't imagine having all the duties of the club on top of scholarship pressures."

"Oh it's really not that bad. I get to meet a lot of people by working with the club. I mean if it weren't for the club I may have never met either of you."

"That is true! And I'm glad we have met. It's nice to talk to someone a little more…down to Earth shall we say? on occasion."

They laughed. Arianna turned to her sister with a pout firmly in place. Rena could only laugh harder at this sight. It wasn't often that she picked on her sister, but when it happened, it was definitely all in good fun.

"Oh I'm not that bad. I'm just…you know, energetic," Ari pouted.

"Ah is that what they're calling it now?"

"You can be so mean, you know that?"

The twin girls laughed again. Haruhi joined in as he poured them another cup of tea. It was a nice calming atmosphere without any kind of pressure. It was what Rena missed whenever she and her sister hit popularity. There was hardly ever a moment where she wasn't in some spot light with pressure to act appropriately. It was different sitting with Haruhi. As a result, the girls often stayed late and the other guests had gone. The sign that the club crowd was beginning to thin was when the others started to join them.

"Hey, when do you two plan of performing again?" Hikaru asked as he pulled up a chair between Haruhi and Rena.

"Soon," Arianna replied just as Rena replied "No time soon as far as I'm aware."

The girls looked at each other. Rena had a slight grimace as Ari bore a mischievous and persuading smile. Ren knew that look. It meant that Ari had something up her sleeve and she was going to do whatever it took to sway her toward her sister's way of thinking.

"Onee-chan…"

"Oh come on Ren! It'll be fun! We've been looking into some wonderful new songs. Couldn't we pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please give another performance? It's so much fun!"

"I'm just not as fond of the spotlight, Ari. I-I'm not ready to perform. Are you really going to force me?"

Rena gave her best upset pout to her sister. She could see Ari wanted to squeal and hug her, but resisted. Damn. That was not a good sign. It meant Ari was dead set in her ways and wasn't going to be swayed so easily.

"Oh come on Ren!" she cried before singing. "A tiger in a cage can never see the sun. This diva needs her stage. Baby, let's have fun!"

"Really Ari, I…"

"What's the matter? Weren't you just practicing earlier?" Kaoru asked sitting between Ari and Haruhi, across from his brother.

Rena tensed in her chair as she turned to face the other brother. She was tense with a mix of fear and anger hidden in her face. She sat straight in her chair. For a moment, her mind had gone blank. She could think of no words to say. How…how could he have known that she had been practicing? That that had been the reason why she had been late? She had been so sure she had been alone when she found the practice room. No one had followed her. She hadn't seen anyone lurking. How could he have known?

"W-what did you just…?" she breathed.

"Oh see what you've done now, Kaoru?" Arianna whined. "Now you've gone and made her clam up. Was that really necessary?"

"What did he do? He just stated the facts. If she didn't want to perform, then why was she practicing? Then again, maybe that's why she was doing it in private," Hikaru added.

Rena rounded on him.

"How could you two possible know? Possible understand…" she shook her head as she pulled back her temper and took a deep breath. "I don't know what the two of you think you heard or saw, but it is very, very rude to go around spying on others. What I do with my spare time…"

"Rena, Imooto-chan, sweetie calm down. It's alright," Arianna soothed putting her arms around her sister. "It's alright. Don't be mad at them. It's my fault."

Rena turned toward her sister, hurt clear in her face as was the sense of betrayal. Ari's eyes welled up with tears. She hated when her sister used "that" look on her. It made her feel just awful.

"I'm so sorry, baby!" Ari cried burying her face into her sister's chest forcing Rena to hold her. "I-I didn't know where you were! I got so worried. They were only trying to help me find you. When I saw you were practicing, I pulled them away and we came to the club. You know I would never betray you in such away. I just…I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

Rena held her sister and finally sighed. She patted her sister's back and rubbed it in soothing circles. She knew Ari had meant no harm and honestly, she shouldn't have gotten so upset about someone seeing/hearing her practice. It had just taken her off guard. She had gone to the music room to escape. The idea of someone having found her so soon had really shaken her. She should have noticed someone had been there. She had been told all her life to be aware of her surroundings and had thought she had done a fairly good job of listening to those words of wisdom...until now anyway.

"Oh don't cry, dear Ari. I shouldn't have lost my temper. It's alright now. I'm not angry. See?" she said lifting her sister's head and smiling. "I understand why you did what you did. No harm is done."

"You…you really mean it?" Ari sniffled.

"Of course."

"Oh Ren!"

Ari hugged her sister making them both giggle. Haruhi couldn't help but smile at their display. It really did remind him of how Hikaru and Kaoru acted, especially for their guests. Yet, with them it didn't quite seem as over the top. Perhaps it was because the girls were so obviously different. Who knew? It was one of those things Haruhi was sure he would never fully understand. For all he knew, if could just be what rich people did to pass the time.

"You still didn't answer us," the Hitachiin twins chimed.

"I practice because I don't want my skills to be lost. It goes along with the saying if you don't use it, you lose it. I love music. It doesn't mean I have to love performing," Rena replied simply with a shrug.

"I bet she wouldn't perform if it weren't for Arianna," Hikaru said leaning back in his chair. "In fact, I bet Arianna is the only reason she sounds half decent."

"Excuse me?" Rena growled.

"Ah I see your point, Hikaru," Kaoru chimed. "It's not like she's ever performed on her own before. She probably never will."

"I am perfectly capable of performing on my own," Rena snapped. "And I have done so before. Not performing around here is my choice. It is because I do not want to, not because I can't."

"Oh, is that so?" Hikaru said with a smirk slowly growing.

"Yes it is. Ari can vouch for me as could dozens of other people who have seen me perform."

"Prove it," the Hitachiin twins said with identical smirks.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Rena, darling, you don't have to just because they are goading you," Ari said as she sat up. "You've got nothing to prove here."

"I think she does," Kaoru countered. "After all, if she didn't, she wouldn't have a problem now would she?"

"You shouldn't goad her. You'll only end up with your asses on the ground," Ari replied.

"We'll believe it when we see it," they replied.

"Fine," Rena snapped.

Hikaru, startled, tumbled backward in his chair. From his spot on the ground, he looked up at her in shock as did his brother. Sure, they were goading and kidding around, but they didn't honestly think she would agree, let alone so fast. The other hosts all turned to look at her as well. Rena stood up and straightened her spine.

"Fine. If you want a performance, then it's a performance you'll get. The only condition I have is that I have sufficient amount of time to prep and it's done my way," she said.

"Oh now you're in for it," Ari said, a smile creeping across her face. "Once Ren sets her mind to something, there's nothing that can deter her. I hope you're ready to eat your words."

"Very well. So, what are the terms of this wager?" Kyoya asked as he opened his notebook.

The Hitachiin twins remained dumbstruck for a moment. Rena simply smiled at them.

"Well boys, what are the terms of the wager?" she asked.

"I know! If Rena goes through with her performance, then you guys have to be our hosts for…two weeks, in and outside of club. Sort of like…our personal tour guides of the school," Arianna piped up.

"And if she doesn't, then…you have to perform for the club for two weeks," Hikaru said getting to his feet.

Rena deliberated for a moment. It was a rather big, no matter how frivolous, bet. If she couldn't pull of her own show, she would be performing for two weeks. On the other hand, she would get the chance to help serve some humble pie if she did. It was nothing against the twins, really. However, she would absolutely love to teach them that the Sky twins were not a pair to trifled with. They adored the Weasley twins, the true pranking masters. The Hitachiin twins were going to learn how to pick their battles. And she was the girl for the job.

"Deal," she said full of confidence as she stuck out her hand to Hikaru.

"Deal," the boy twins agreed, Hikaru shaking Rena's hand while Kaoru shook Ari's.

"Very well," Kyoya said adjusting his glasses. "Let us begin making the proper arrangements."

Yes, things were going to be very…interesting.

A/N: And there it is! Again, I am sorry it has taken so long and I truly hope I didn't disappoint you :/ I love hearing feedback! And thank you so much for reading.

-Rinoa-san