Author's Note: After a long stint doing Hikaru no Go fics only, I've decided to try my luck in an Ouran High School Host Club fic. The first 4 chapters go through most of the series, with entirely new material starting from chapter 5 onward. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy (and if so, please review!). Note: Story from Kyoya's Point of View

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Chapter 1: Tamaki

**There is no such thing as friendship: only non-contractual mutually beneficial partnerships.

**There is no such thing as love: only a social contrivance to excuse the solidification of a mutually beneficial partnership.

At first, he had been nothing more than a picture and a group of words on paper.

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Suoh Tamaki.

Born April 8th, Aries

6 feet tall, Blood type A

Favorite subjects: English, French, World History

Other notes:

Half-french, Half-Japanese

**Heir apparent to Suoh Corporation and Holdings.

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Kyoya frowned as he looked over his notes. Yes, just like that, a bastard child of little importance became heir to one of the wealthiest corporations in Japan. Lucky didn't even begin to describe it. He slammed his notebook shut, lying down on his bed as he stared at the blond boy in the picture.

Yes father, I will make him my friend.

Yes father, I will fulfill my role as third son.

No father, I won't let you down.

Not even in his thoughts could he allow himself to think otherwise. He had been cursed with the intelligence and ambition of a first born, while constrained to forever serve his older brothers. He struggled not to overstep his bounds every day, wanting nothing more than to fight against his status, damned the consequences.

But because he was smart, he knew better than to fight a losing war. After all, not everyone was born lucky. Tossing the picture aside, he closed his eyes, willing sleep to take away his dark thoughts.

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A few hours after meeting the luckiest man alive, Kyoya added two new notes:

-Overly friendly and foolish

*Must invest in a kotatsu

He closed his notebook, forcing himself to concentrate on the blond boy's endless ramblings. Suoh Tamaki was simply exasperating. The boy could change moods in an instant, and had already declared Kyoya his best friend within minutes of the their acquaintance. In a way, dealing with Tamaki was like taking care of a large puppy - one that undeservingly came accompanied with a promising future as a company holder. Fate has a sick sense of humor, he concluded.

Just in case this torture wasn't bad enough, Tamaki had undemocratically decided that the two of them would need to travel around Japan that very weekend to visit the tourist sights. The idea of spending his weekends with the nitwit was aggravating beyond words.

And while he had mentally prepared himself for a weekend in hell, reality far surpassed his expectations. Tamaki's quickly changing moods were accompanied by equally quickly changing interests, which meant that the blond kept demanding more outrageous requests by the second. And while Kyoya was more than immune to the boy's pleading eyes, his father's words were forever ingrained in his mind. He would force a smile and nod, determined to meet all the needs of the exasperating youth.

He prepared for their next trip, studying up on their destination, and the locations of every restaurant, museum, shop, plaza, temple, and concert hall within a 10-mile radius. The tedious process was only aggravated by the doings of his sister, who seemed as incapable of leaving him in peace as Tamaki.

"You seem rather lively," she said, and Kyoya felt the pen in his hand snap. "I'm glad to see it. You really should loosen up". He slammed his notebook closed and stomped out of his own room.

Loosen up. As if he could. They both fully knew that, try as he might, he had a very confined framed to fit. He had been given every color in the rainbow, but a very small area in which to use them.

Unfortunately for his nerves, the next few weeks would be even more trying on his usually unbreakable composure. After spending countless hours slaving away before mindless tourism books and brochures, the ever-oblivious Tamaki simple shrugged the entire trip off, claiming they were much to busy with studies to leave Tokyo.

That afternoon, Kyoya trashed his entire room. Only once every item of clothing had been chucked on the floor, every chair knocked over, did he dare to take a deep breath and meticulously place it all back where it belonged.

Yes, he thought to himself, all I need to do is rebuild my facade. This fool will not conquer me.

Satisfied that everything was as it should be, he went to sleep. Had he been in a more stable state of mind, he would have noticed that not everything in his room had been returned to its original location. A few items of clothing had escaped his notice behind the sofa. His notebook, usually carefully guarded in a drawer, had been left open on the table. Pieces of a broken pen hid beneath an armoire. And though such small details would hardly be significant for anyone else, for Kyoya Ohtori it was a clear indication that something was indeed wrong. Unbeknownst to him, the floodgate had just been cracked.

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Two days into spring vacation and not a word from Tamaki. The few days without the constant demands of the Suoh heir had been a welcome respite. However, his composure would meet its final challenge that afternoon. He was greeted at his home by his sister who ungracefully dragged him by the arm inside, informing him that his "friend" was waiting.

Ohtori Kyoya had always appreciated classical music for what it was: a calculated set of notes performed with mathematical precision. Beyond that, classical music offered him an opportunity to form connections during various social gatherings as it served as convenient conversation piece among the rich, and a strategic device when setting the mood with potential connections for his family.

His first surprise upon hearing Tamaki at the piano was the very fact that the completely irresponsible, foolish, and hyperactive idiot could in fact play an instrument. But no, it was all there. Though his fingers played the right notes, the music carried a depth of raw, uninhibited emotion that categorized everything in Suoh Tamaki. It was irreverent, carefree, compassionate and compelling all at once. It was also frightfully disarming. And while his siblings allowed themselves to cry freely at the beautiful music, Kyoya calculatingly lowered his chin an inch, knowing the reflection on his glasses would hide the tears in his eyes.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried.

After the song ended, he silently led Tamaki to his room where his sister had served some tea. He didn't speak, not trusting himself after that performance. Thankfully, Tamaki was busy enough ranting about his usual frivolities to allow him his silence.

Soon the conversation turned serious. He learned of Tamaki's grandmother, the current head of the Suoh family, and her dislike of the bastard heir. He made a mental note to amend his notes with this new insight. And while it angered him to hear the other speak of his undeserved rise as the heir of the Suoh family, nothing could have prepared him for Tamaki's complete indifference for the title.

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Spontaneous: Arising from impulse. Naturally unrestrained or uninhibited.

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For the first time in his life, Kyoya would truly learn the meaning of the word spontaneous.

Acting entirely on instinct, he lifted the table before him and jumped to tackle the blond boy to the ground. He grabbed the boy's collar in one hand and began yelling at him. He wasn't even fully aware of the words that came out of his mouth, only that he needed to cry out at life's injustice. Yell at the boy who had everything Kyoya had ever wanted without the ambition to take it. Try as he might, he could not understand why Tamaki wouldn't simply try a little harder when the inheritance was almost being handed to him on a silver platter.

It was then that, in a soft and calculated voice, Tamaki unforgiving brought Kyoya crashing back to earth. He felt his entire world stop as he considered the implications of the blond boy's words.

Had he really been giving up?

Could he really put up a fight against his own birth?

And though he sought to deny it, wanting to believe that he had indeed done all he could, at that moment he knew he'd been mistaken.

Tamaki wasn't half the fool he would have others take him to be. He lived every day following his dreams, wherever those might lead him. It took an even greater fool to be born with the skill and intelligence to achieve his dreams and convince himself that they weren't possible. He stood up wordlessly and allowed himself a calculated smile.

Never again father, I've had enough.

Not for me father, I want more.

"So this is the real Kyoya?" asked Tamaki. "Looks mean." In response, Kyoya briskly put his foot down on the boy. But despite the ill treatment, something had been breached between the two of them.

No, not friendship.

After all, there was no such thing as friendship: only established mutually beneficial connections. Tamaki could certainly benefit from the perfect planning and calculating ways of Kyoya. In return, Kyoya was allowed a constant reminder of all he could be.

Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed the story so far! Writing Kyoya's point of view is a bit of a challenge given his perceived aloofness. It doesn't help that I imagine him thinking with big words, which doesn't bode well for my English-as-a-second language vocabulary. Still, it was fun to write and the drafts for the next few chapters are almost done. Anyway, thanks for reading and, if you can, please review!