"So she is the one? Hinata, if my memory serves me correct." A push of a finger, glasses glinting calculatingly in the light; underneath, a pair of onyx orbs stare apathetically. "How long has it been, Hinata-san, since we last met? Three, four years?"

There was no response. The girl in question was too engrossed with the details of the floor, her hands subtly clenching the fabric of her kimono- it was much too obvious that she didn't want to be here, sitting her father's office for the, most likely, last time. That is, if the arrangements were to go swimmingly. And they most definitely would- her father wouldn't want it any other way- much to her fortune? Misfortune? She really can't tell anymore.

Her response were a few seconds late, a slight nod of the head and a diminutive whisper of "Four years," as she inwardly berated herself for being so rude to her guest. And not just any guest, either.

"Hmm? Again, please, for I have yet to hear you clearly." Is he enjoying this?

"Four years, Ootori-san."

"Ah, I see. And how have you been since… then?" She really doesn't like this man.

"O-Ok." Damn it, it has taken two years to get rid of that annoying speech impediment. She will not show weakness to this man, of all people. Especially not with her father present.

Speaking of her father, Hiashi has been quiet throughout this little negotiation. It seems he has decided to end his silence with the clearing of his throat- a sign for him to take charge of this conversation now. His deep voice rang with authority. "You are well aware of our deal, Ootori-san. Have you finally come to consummate it, after all these years?"

"Yes, now seems an ideal time."

Hiashi nodded his head in understanding, and turned his head towards his daughter, who sat timidly. Other than her answer to Ootori's question, she has stayed quiet as they discuss her future- her destiny that has been decided four years ago.

"Hinata-san,"

Abruptly, her head had whipped up to the source of the noise. Ootori Yoshio inspected her thoroughly, from the top of her indigo-colored head to her sock-covered toes folded underneath her. A waterfall of the midnight sky cascaded down her shoulders, coupled with her star-bright pearls of pupil-less eyes. Her pale, calloused hands atop her lap contrasted greatly with her kimono of fiery reds and radiant yellows. Although she has a small frame, even with his average human capabilities, he can sense the power within her, locked deep within. 'Yes,' he thought, 'she will do just fine.'

"I do not know whether or not you are aware of deal made the last time I met you. If not, I will remind you- in return for my assistance before, you will come with me and attend Ouran High School to guard my third son, Kyoya."

Her eyes widened marginally, although she should have anticipated this for a long time now. The prospect of leaving her home for the first time for the outside world astonished her. Barely anyone leaves for the civilian world for an extended amount of time- those that do are assigned critical missions meant for ANBU. She gulped.

"I a-agree to your terms, Ootori-san."

He nodded. And the deal was sealed.

Now, she stands demurely in civilian garb, which somewhat reminded her of her old training outfit- a light lavender tank top underneath a gray hoodie. However, these pants- to her understanding, they were called skinny jeans?- are unbearably tight. How can she defend her charge in these movement restricting clothing? Well, at least she was offered these comfortable shoes- Converse, if she remembered correctly- that were okay for running, although they would never hold a candle compared to her old sandals. She will never understand these non-ninjas.

Done criticizing her attire, Hinata chose to survey the room, a guest room of the Ootori estate that she will reside in. It was rather plain-and blindingly white. The walls were a bare white, her bedding were white as well as the queen-sized bed it was laying on, located at the right corner of her room. The drawer across from the bed was white, the nightstand was white, and the curtains of the window next to her bed was- guess what?- white. She almost had enough of that color, having seen it everyday of her life in the clan.

Well, with the amount of time she will spend here, this room is bound to have a splash- maybe a tsunami- of color.

A knock on the white, white door startled her out of her reverie, and she replied with a weak "Come in." A maid came in, with a stoic visage, informed her that Ootori-san has called her to his office and left. Hinata, not wanting to displease her employer, left immediately for the office. However, the moment she stepped out of the door, she recalls that she has no idea where the office is. Berating her for her stupidity, she tried to think of way to get there. She could activate her Byakugan to find her way there, but... how will any of civilians react to her? It's not every day that you see a 17 year old girl with bulging veins surrounding lavender eyes without pupils. Nope, she's not going to risk that. As she pondered solutions to her problem, an unsuspecting hand clamped down on her shoulder. She turned to see the owner of said hand.

Kyoya was rather bored, having finished his homework and financial calculations of the host club beforehand, and decided to head to the kitchen for a glass of water. Now, he could have asked any maid or servant to do it for him, but he didn't want to be sitting around waiting. On his way to the kitchen, he passed by some of the guest rooms. Now, this would have mattered very little to him, since he knows that no one uses any of them, but it seems he was wrong (although he would never admit to it). Standing in front of one of the guest room doors was a girl with her back turned to him, with long dark blue hair down to her middle of her back. It was such an interesting shade of blue that he couldn't tear his eyes away. He never seen hair that color before, was it dyed? 'It must be,' he concluded mentally, 'There is no way that that hair color is natural.'

To prove that he was right, he decided to come a bit closer, quietly so that he wouldn't scare her away. Why he thought she would be scared, he had no idea. Probably it was her posture- it was a bit hunched, as if she was confused, and she fidgeted a little, kind of like a... bunny.

Okay, he is really scaring himself right now. He should probably just get this over with.

He was lucky that he was a full head taller than her, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to determine whether or not her hair was natural- he could tell if there were any tints of blue on the scalp shown barely at the center of her head. To his surprise, there were no signs of any dye used, and, he can't believe that he noticed this, she smelled of nature. The faint scent of trees was present, along with a hint of flowers.

For some reason, he really wanted to see her face, maybe to confirm that she actually existed, that he wasn't going crazy. So he placed his hand on her shoulder, in response she turned to see him and gasped. He had to hold in his urge to gasp, as he set his gaze on those illuminating pearl, pupil-less eyes- and he stresses the fact that she had no pupils because he's not sure if she's wearing contacts, or he really did go crazy, maybe from the lack of sleep or from hanging around those idiots all the time. Most likely the latter. Continuing his observations, she wore, what he deemed, commoner clothing- a gray hoodie zipped up all the way, a pair of skinny jeans- 'Do NOT,' he furiously pounded into his head, 'I repeat, do NOT think about how good her legs look in those jeans.'- and black Converse. Despite how plain her clothing is, he can't help but think how... stunning she looks just by standing there, her mouth still slightly agape from her gasp.

She gasped, she really couldn't help herself. She would have scolded herself for not being aware of her surroundings, and being startled by a civilian of all people, but right now, she's too occupied by the fact that the person in front of her, who still has a hand on her shoulder, was, for a lack of better words... hot. His dark hair was neatly combed, although a few rebellious strands had insisted on staying up, and the color matched his, she can't believe she's using this word to describe a guy, beautiful eyes, which were hidden underneath glasses. His frame was quite lean, not all that lanky, and tall, towering over her 5' 3" body by at least half a foot. He wore a simple white- she twitched- long sleeved button up shirt, with the collar popped up the slightest bit and the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearm, and a pair of black slacks, along with a pair of house slippers. A uniform? Maybe for the school she was supposed to attend- Ouran, was it? She hopes that she will have a uniform like that, it looks very maneuverable.

'WAIT A MINUTE!'

Ouran...

Glasses...

Dark eyes...

Her eyes widened, and she gasped again, "Oh no, my meeting with Ootori-san! I'm late! Oh, what do I do, I don't know where his office is and..." she went on and on, pacing frantically, after removing the hand from her shoulder, as she worried over her plight. It seems that she completely forgot about the attractive male standing not even 5 feet away.

Said attractive male was blinked owlishly, before regaining his composure. A quiet sigh, a push of finger and his glasses glinting in the light, he's ready to go. His objective: calm the strange girl down, and find out what she needs from his father. So, once again, he placed his hand on her shoulder and hoped to calm her down. She jumped a bit, and with a mousy squeak, faced him again, and gasped. Huh, déjà vu. She proceeded to utter apologies at a fast pace, something about "wasting his time," or along those lines. He cleared his throat to get her attention, and she ceased her talking, staring guiltily, which is weird seeing as she did nothing wrong. What a strange girl.

"From my understanding, you are attending a meeting with my father, but do not know where to go." She nodded, and with that, he asked, "Then, do you wish for me to show you the way?"

"Oh! But I do not want to be a burden-"

"Nonsense, why would I leave a lady like you lost? Now come." He outstretched his hand, and was not disappointed, as she placed her smaller, more calloused hand in his. And he proceeded to lead the way.

The walk was awkwardly silent, even though Kyoya had many questions he wanted answered: Why does her hands have callouses? What is she doing here? Is she a commoner? If so, why is she meeting his father? Is her eyes real or is she wearing contacts? Why is her hair such a unique color? But really, all of the questions boiled down into this very important one: Who is she?

However, he never got to ask that very important question, as they finally approached the doors to his father's office. Reluctantly- why so reluctant?- he removed his hand from hers, and nodded politely as she offered her gratitude. Funny, she never squealed or even roused a conversation with him, which is what he expected from any girl that spends time with him. Even Haruhi, the least feminine female he met, would have at least started a general conversation. But no, she remained at his side silent, and from the few glances at her throughout the walk, blushing prettily. He suspected that she was really shy.

He opened the door and let her enter first, like the gentleman he was, and followed her inside. Only because he was really curious, it had nothing to do with worrying about how she would do against his father. Speaking of his father, he turned to his father as he observed him and the girl standing next to him.

"Ah, Hinata-san. I take it that you had some trouble making it here, if my son were to accompany you." Ah, so her name was Hinata? Sunflower, or was it sunny place? He turned his gaze to her, and looked into her eyes, radiantly shining pearl under the lighting. 'Yes,' he admitted, 'the name suits her either way.'

'Ah, I didn't know he was Kyoya! Oh, I must have been so rude, to my charge, no less! Hinata, you dolt!' Her mind was a mess, from her first meeting with Kyoya to now meeting his father. What an embarrassment! 'Play it cool. Do NOT show how much of a mess you are right now!' "Yes, Ootori-san. I was not informed of where your office was, and was led here by your son, Kyoya." 'So far, so good!'

Yoshio nodded, and turned to his third son, who has yet to leave. Well, he might as well kill two birds with one stone. "Kyoya,"

"Yes, father?"

"This is Hyuuga Hinata-san. Her father, Hiashi-san, is... an acquaintance of mine, and he wishes for Hinata-san to enroll into Ouran. However, they live very far away from here, and Hiashi-san has business to attend to. So I offered to let her live with us until she graduates. Now I believe you are 17, correct?"

"Yes, Ootori-san."

"Good. With your talents, you can gain a scholarship and attend the same class as my son. Will there be any problems?"

"No, Ootori-san."

He nodded, and mentally patted himself on the back for making up a plausible story. He couldn't just go out and say she was a ninja, for Kami's sake. Think of what the media will say! Done with his self-congratulations, he turned to his son once more. "Kyoya, please do show Hinata-san around once she goes to Ouran tomorrow morning."

He nodded. "Of course, father."

"Good. Now, I believe it is time for dinner. You two are dismissed."

Hinata bowed and was ushered out of the office by Kyoya's hand on her back. Soon, both left the office.

Both teens stood awkwardly facing each other, not moving since exiting from the office. It was Kyoya who decided this has gone on long enough, and offered to escort her to the kitchen. In reply, she nodded, and followed him silently. Not wanting a repeat of the last time they walked together, he instigated the conversation. "Hyuuga-san, is it?"

Strangely, she flinched at the mention of her surname and nodded. "Yes, Ootori-san."

A twitch. Now he understands the annoyance of being called by a surname, maybe she flinched because she did not want to think of her family? Probably. "Please, call me Kyoya." 'I will NOT be referred to as the same way as my father.'

Another nod. "Then, please call me Hinata, Kyoya-san."

"Alright then, Hinata-san." Does he smell a friendship coming along?

Well, he's not the only one.

...

OwO

This is the longest chapter I have written! Oh wow! Well, want to tell me how much like/love my story? Want to point out some mistakes I made for the sake of bettering myself/this story? Want to say how much you hate this story/me? Then, you should review! Except for the third one, flames aren't welcome. Uh-uh. Nope.

For those of you who know me, I WILL try to update "I'll Watch Over You"! Just give some time... and a way to find inspiration. ^^;

- Failure-chan