We are approaching the end guys. I'm gonna miss this book, but I'm excited at the same time, hold on to your pants, cause this is gonna get crazy!

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I sat in Mr. Ootori's office nervously, it had been a couple of months since I had taken over my family's company, and things were going pretty well. Despite the fact that I was going to school, dating Kyoya, and running a business, I was fine mentally and I any nightmares I had about the past were slowly subsiding.

Today had me really nervous though, I had known for a week that Mr. Ootori wanted to talk to me, but he said nothing about what, so I was left to imagine the worst, which was pretty bad for me.

The door opened behind me and the man that I was so nervous to see walked in and greeted me as he always did, with a head nod. We sat across from each other and he jumped in, "Well miss Soretzu, I've been watching the business, and I must say that I'm impressed. I didn't expect you to do this well. Your family business is thriving and though there are some things I would like you to work on later, I couldn't be happier with how this is going."

"Thank you, sir." I said quietly, then continued hesitantly, "Sir, if I may be so bold, if all you had wanted was to talk about business, you could have done that through an email, why did you really ask me in here?"

"You always have been one to get straight to the point, I have always admired that about you; very well, I want to merge your company with the Ootori's medical company. I see a great deal of benefit if we do that; you see, despite the fact that you technically report to me, if we merged the two companies, then there would be a freer trade between them and less regulations would get in the way." I nodded, I'm sure he had been wanting to do this all along.

"Okay sir, that makes sense, but what would that mean for me?" I could sense a catch and it made me nervous.

"It's nothing major, you would remain in charge of your portion of the company, but the merger would require something a bit more permanent to bind it. The most usual method of doing this is through a marriage."

... I blinked, trying to absorb what he had just said... WHAT?!?!? "A m-marriage, sir?" What was happening with the world?

"Well yes, anything else would require you being replaced, which would be a hassle for me. so I would like to sign a marriage agreement between you and Kyoya, unless of course you would prefer my middle son?" When he asked this, he had a giant smirk on his face, but I could do nothing, I was frozen to my seat and was just trying to comprehend what he told me.

"Miss Soretzu? I know this is sudden, but I truly believe that this would be best for both of our companies, let me grab the paperwork and we can get started."

I finally felt my body start to work again, "Wait sir, what about what Kyoya wants?" I almost yelled as he started to stand.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Kyoya is well aware that my greatest use for him would be a profitable marriage. I'm sure he is prepared for this eventuality," I wanted to strangle the man, did he really only see his son as a pawn to be bartered off? "Anyways, I wouldn't have used you for this if I hadn't thought that you two would be able to work together, honestly, it is just a pleasant surprise that you have done so well."

It was to much to take in, I knew that Mr. Ootori was a bit cold hearted, but I didn't expect this from him, I wanted to believe that he didn't mean it, but I knew better.

"Well Miss Soretzu, here is the paperwork, if you'd just sign here, then you will officially be engaged to my son, we can figure out the specifics later." My mind was numb, I picked up the pen, but froze as I started to write my name.

"Aren't we going to tell Kyoya?" I asked quietly, this could turn out to be a nightmare.

"I believe that I'll leave that to you, you are close enough with my son, so it shouldn't be a problem for you." I gulped and looked down, should I really sign this? Kyoya could hate me for taking away his choice in this matter.

"You do realize that I have the ability to replace you? If you refuse to sign, then I can find someone who will, and they will be married to Kyoya, is that what you really want?" Darn him, I cursed internally.

"Fine, you win this round Ootori." I said quietly, the thought of Kyoya married to someone else broke my heart, I had lost too many people to contemplate that. I signed and then stood up. "There you go, signed and sealed, now if you'll excuse me." I said and briskly left the office before making a dash into a restroom and sliding down the wall. What have I done?

I needed to tell Kyoya, that much was obvious, but I was so scared, I knew that he had so many plans, and I just decided his future for him, I was a horrible girlfriend.

***

The next day was horrible, I spent the entire time we were in class trying to avoid Kyoya. Logically I knew that that was a bad idea, but I couldn't get up the nerve to face him.

We were getting out of classes early because the Fair started that evening. Tamaki had planned out this whole elaborate thing where we would all change costume three times and there would be a carriage at the end of the second day, but I could care less. I basically just followed Haruhi around from thing to thing, trying to decide what to do.

"Uh, aren't school fairs meant to be, I don't know, more about students proudly showcasing unique things they made by hand?" Haruhi asked Kyoya this as she watched the fair being put together by all of the students.

"Perhaps for a mere average school, yes, but, at Ouran, the emphasis is on planning and leadership skills. Keep in mind, most of our students are being groomed in the position of leadership, so they're required to showcase talent for proper mobility not arts and crafts." I nodded and walked away as they continued watching everything going on, which included Hikaru driving up in an elaborate tur of the century carriage with Mori.

"Hey, Ri-chan?" I looked over to Honey and he asked hesitantly, "Are you okay? You've seemed kind of out of it today." He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way to where we could talk in peace. I sighed in relief, I had been wanting to talk about this with someone, but I wasn't sure how to approach the topic.

'I guess I'm not." I said quietly, "Mitzukuni, I've done something that can't really be undone, I've signed away Kyoya's and my future without asking him and I think I would do it again in that situation if I needed to." My head drooped and I sighed.

"Okay? How about you tell me what's going on?" He said gently and I covered my face with my hands, not wanting everyone to know I was breaking.

"His Father gave me a choice of signing a marriage arrangement between Kyoya and I or being replaced as the head of the company and watching him marry someone else. His Father was using us both as pawns and he got satisfaction from watching me struggle. Mitzukuni, he treated both of us like pawns to be moved at his own digression and like our only value was in marrying to get a better profit. I didn't want to sign the form, but he gave me no choice and now I don't know how to tell Kyoya that his future is decided and his girlfriend is the one who took that freedom away."

I sobbed quietly, trying to make it unnoticeable, but all of that faded away when Honey wrapped me in his arms, "It's okay Ri-chan, I think you should tell Kyoya about this soon though, he deserves to know and I think his reaction won't be as bad as you are imagining. This may seem hard right now, but I don't think Kyoya will be as mad as you're saying he'll be."

I laughed humorlessly, "You know, I keep trying to tell myself that, but something inside of me just won't believe it, I feel like I'm sabotaging myself."

"why are you keeping this in? This seems like it's been building up for a while, beyond this one thing. Why are you just telling someone about this now?"

"I guess it's just gotten to a bursting point now, I'm not used to telling people about my feeling, so the idea of going to someone when I'm stressed is kind of foreign to me." I shook my head and Honey smiled at me.

"Well thanks for opening up to me, I'm glad to know that you trust me." I nodded and sighed, surprisingly I did feel a bit better.

***

"Now remember, as part of the Fair, the Host Club will be opened to parents and visitors for the next two days, which means we will need to be even more charming than usual; let's get out there and show our own guests the time of their lives!" I sighed as Tamaki proclaimed this while posing, he was as dramatic as ever.

 I was just glad that my role during the fair wasn't to talk to everyone, but to play the piano quietly, I would only need to talk if someone came up to me between songs; my brain probably would have exploded if I had been one of the Hosts right now.

I played a peaceful mix of Chopin, Mozart, and Handle then moved into more modern composers like Mattia Cupelli and Jon Schmidt. All was going well until there was a resounding smack through the room. I stopped playing and looked over to where Kyoya stood with a hand against his cheek, his glasses on the floor, and his Father in front of him glaring with his hand raised.

I stood and ran to Kyoya as quickly as I could in my bulky dress, "So this is how my son has been wasting his time? You're an embarrassment to the Ootori name; Suoh, my friend, I'm sorry you had to witness that." Why was this stinking room so big?

I made it to Kyoya just as his Father was walking away while talking to the chairman. I lunged for his arm, but Kyoya grabbed me. "Let it go Risa, it isn't worth the fight." I shook myself free and glared at my boyfriend.

"The hell it isn't!" I stared him down, "A parent should never hit their child for something as ridiculous as this, and I refuse to stand by and just let it happen." I spun around and ran to the door where I followed Kyoya's Father out into the hall, he was still with the Chairman.

"Mr. Ootori, may I speak with you?" I said loudly and he turned around slowly, cocking his eyebrow at me.

"Miss Soretzu? I didn't know you were here to, are you wasting your time in this infernal place as well?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about Sir. Let me just say that this 'infernal place' is no waste of time, it is where both Kyoya and I have found a home, because neither of us were welcomed by our families. We find comfort and peace, but it's more than that; your son is the one who keeps this club running, against all odds. He has shown a shrewd business ability that would rival yours, I do believe. Mr. Ootori, Sir, I believe if you actually saw what your son did, you would see him with new eyes. But you won't do that will you?"

"Miss Soretzu, I don't think this is a good time for a pointless rant, but if you would like to schedule an appointment-" He drawled in a bored manner, but I cut him off.

"Perhaps I shouldn't say this, since I work for you and all, but your son is ten times the man you are; he and the other Hosts have taught me that you need to be there for the ones you love, which is obviously a concept you are foreign to. I spent the last several years being abused by my Father in every way possible, and now that I know how much better life can be with people who you care about surrounding you, I won't let that happen to anyone I love. I never would have had the courage to say this several months ago, but you can thank your son for this.

I advanced towards him slowly, rage growing in my eyes with every step, "If you ever lay a hand on your son in a violent manner again, I will not hesitate to hurt you ten times worse, the consequences be hanged. I will work for you, I will manage your company, and I will even gladly go to prison if I have to hurt you, but you should know that Kyoya is the most important thing to me, not business. I suppose I'll play this game by your rules for now, but I will not be a helpless puppet for you and neither will Kyoya."

I spun around without waiting for a reply and reentered the ballroom, where I was met by the shocked looks of all the Hosts, I looked down, "You heard everything, didn't you?" I asked quietly and felt a pair of arms go around me in a hug.

"I've never heard anyone defend me from my Father like that, thank you." Kyoya whispered into my hair and I hugged him back.

"I couldn't stop myself, I saw him slap you and I just snapped." I sighed as he held me and then took a step back, "Kyoya, I need to tell you something, could we talk privately?" He looked slightly confused but nodded and allowed me to lead him out into the garden.

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Second to last chapter is done! Sorry if Risa acted out of character when she faced Kyoya's Father, but I feel like she would never just stand by when something like that happened. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and look for the last chapter soon, perhaps even today!

-klypso01