Forbidden you say? 16

After the Host session ended, the twins and Ryuu were making their way to the front courtyard to be picked up from school. Even though they had all changed out of their fancy-dress, Hikaru and Kaoru were still blushing from the memory of seeing Ryuu dressed as a dashing young admiral. The pale boy, despite the wicked glint in his eyes earlier, still seemed unaware of the full extent of the twins' fascination with him. He smiled and joked along with them, holding their hands, but all the while never noticing Kaoru's awkward fidgeting or Hikaru's lustfull stares. The trio stopped short as they turned a corner. Ahead of them they saw Haruhi Fujioka backed against a wall. An older boy was talking to her, his tone aggressive. Ryuu picked out the details of a stylised tiger on the boys face. He yankes silently on the twins arms, and the three of them fell into hiding behind anything they could find... like Hikaru using a lampshade. The other two didn't notice them. Ryuu strained his hearing.

"-I've seen the way that kid looks at you, he's got bad things in store for you Fujioka!" The tiger-teens growling was causing Haruhi to visibly shake, she wasn't used to so much masculine intimidation.

"B-but the Hitachiin brothers like him... so he can't be so bad... and I met him a few times..."

"That doesn't matter! I heard what he said to you, one more wrong step and your out! You can't let a dog like that run you into the ground, stand up to him! Trust me, both you and the twins would be much better off if that worm wasn't around." The young man glared one last time at the shivering transvestite, then rushed off down the corridor away from the trio's hiding place. Haruhi let out her held breath and straightened her jacket. Without further ado, she stared straight at Kaoru who was carefully hidden behind a flower pot.

"It's alright guys you can come out now."

"But! Haruhiiiii! Kaoru moaned like a little boy who'd just lost at his favourite game," how did you see us? we were so stealthy!"

"Yeah stealthy like Tamaki is good at maths, as in not very." Hikaru laughed at that and dragged his pouting brother forward.

"So Haruhi, you gonna listen to that fearmonger? sounds like he has a thing against our bffl."

"Heeeeey!" Kaoru looked around worriedly," speaking of him, where is Ryuu-chan?" the others looked all ways too, and Haruhi shrugged.

"He was with you guys a second ago... I didn't see him leave."

While the others had been joking, Ryuu had slipped back behind the twins and had run as quielty as a ghost the other way. He neither wanted to face the twins when Haruhi moaned to them about how mean he was, nor did he want to let the TIger-faced boy get away with his duplicity. His actions bordered on sedition! And the scion of the Oda clan would make sure the lesser noble did not go unpunished. Ryuu had memorised the layout of Ouran, so he chose the next best route to the courtyard. He hoped to intercept the boy before he got out into the open where it would be harder to apprehend him. Ryuu was confident he could catch his prey, as he'd always been a swift runner. He swept over the smooth, tiled floor with the grace of a cat, his eyes no longer wise but feral with anger. There! He spied the his target jogging past the next T-junction. His mouth twitching into a predators smile as he rounded the turn and closed in. The other man didn't hear as Ryuu caught up with him metre by metre. Finally, as Ryuu's slender fingers were inches from the other boys back, he turned and looked with horror as Ryuu crashed into him. When the elder boy only whimpered instead of fighting back, Ryuu lost his smile. He had planned to get mauled a bit so that he could blame the fight on the other. With no witnesses, people would have to believe the younger, most likely victim. He quickly rethought his stategy. He untangled himself and acted like he was dizzy.

The boy with the tiger tattoo grinned, oblivious to Ryuu's scheme. Now was his chance to really lay into the little vermin who's father had publicly humiliated his entire clan. Raising his fist, the boy swore loudly as he lashed out at the albino. Too late did he notice the executioners glint in Ryuu's blood red eyes. He couldn't stop his fist, and his cracked against Ryuu's temple. Ryuu rode the blow, turning his head so that there was o risk of serious harm, and he swept the other boys legs from under him. The damage had already been done. Since no one had witnessed the initial collision, it just looked like the Takeda boy had decided to attack Ryuu. With jaws agape, the school governors, all of whom had just emerged from a meeting where Mr Suoh had praised Ryuu generously, started an uproar of protest. One of them took the boy by his arm and they all went back into the office. Ryuu smiled as a female governor apologised to him and asked if he was hurt. He signed to her that all was well, and that he should hurry to catch his ride home. She nodded, and closed the door behind her. Ryuu caught a glimpse of his 'attacker' behind railed at by the governors, and of Mr Suoh looking downcast. The school President caught his prodigal students eyes, and gave a greeting nod. Ryuu flashed his still wicked eyes and strode onwards, his hair rustling in the breeze created by his speed.

"First threat eliminated. Now... to see how much collateral Haruhi has wrought in my absence."