The Duchess {OHSHC}

Chapter 3

I stared down at the little blonde boy in my lap, my eyes wide in surprise.

I had been expecting Kyoya to get it, or maybe even Haruhi or Mori, but Honey? He got it after hearing the story only once?

I looked into his serious eyes and noticed wisdom and age that far surpassed his physical appearance and normal attitude.

"Honey...?" I asked slowly. "How old are you?"

The boy smiled slightly up at me, tilting his head to the side a little. "On February 29th, I'm going to be eighteen." My eyes widened even more, and I turned to the oldest looking host: Mori.

"Mori, how old are you?"

He stared at me blankly for a second before responding. "I turn eighteen on May 5th."

My eyes widened as much as they could as I looked around at the hosts. After? Honey is the oldest?!

"Ali-chan." His cute voice forced me to look back down at him. His slight smile was gone again and replaced once more with seriousness. "You never answered my question."

I stared down at him for a moment, then shook off my shock and donned my usual smirk again.

"Am I Al Capone's great granddaughter? Yes, I am." I brushed Honey off my lap and stood, then bowed/curtsied to all the hosts. "Alicia Capone, at your service. Some of you-" I looked to Kyoya at that "-may know me by a different name." I straightened up and flicked a strand of long blonde hair over my shoulder. "The Duchess, a name that was passed down from my mother to me."

Kyoya squinted at me. "The Duchess has been known to kill people when things don't go her way."

I raised my eyebrows a bit and looked down at my hands, as if appraising them. "Well yes, lookie here! Murderer hands, how lovely!" I gave the idiot 'king' of the host club as sadistic grin. "And you nearly kissed them."

He paled immediately and fainted on the spot.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch hour, and I sighed. "Shame." I muttered, grabbing my stuff. "I never did finish my lunch." I turned and began to strut out the door.

I waved to the group without looking, and called to them over my shoulder. "Oh, and if you tell the police about our little 'encounter', I'll make sure to personally castrate all of you and tear out Haruhi's ovaries."

I turned as I opened the door, and smiled sweetly at all their pale pale faces. "And the funny thing is, you all know that I will! Ciao darlings!"

With that, I slammed the door shut behind me.

-*-*-*-

My police escort came to pick me up after school, but I smiled sweetly and told her I didn't need a ride back to the hospital (where I had been staying), because I was going to a friend's house. She had smiled, nodded, and drove away.

I sighed as I walked down the streets of whatever city in Japan I was in. "Where oh where is a crime lord to stay?" I mused in a slight sing-songy voice.

I passed an entrance to a large, gated, traditional Japanese estate and raised my eyebrows in slight surprise. You don't see many of those in the city. The sign on the side of the entrance read Kasanoda-gumi.

I squinted in thought. The name sounds familiar... Where have I heard it before?

I shrugged anyway, and pushed the gates open wide.

In the orange-pink light of the growing evening, I saw a man with long, dirty blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail sweeping the pathway that led to an elegant house with a blue roof.

I always loved that Japanese style.

The man took one look at me and his eyes widened before he dropped his broom and ran into the house.

A few moments later, I was surrounded by men, most wearing traditional kimonos, but some wearing normal clothes.

"An intruder!" One shouted.

"Who the hell are you?!" Exclaimed another.

"Don't you know where you are, girlie?!" A third called.

I looked around at them all with a bored expression. "Well, it appears I've stumbled upon some sort of yakuza group. Alright then. Take me to your boss."

One man growled and stepped forward, his hands clutching the sheath and hilt of a katana at his hip. "We're not just any yakuza group! We're Kasanoda-gumi! The most feared and powerful gang in the Kantō region!"

He growled again and his grip on the sword grew tighter. "And no, you may not see our boss!"

I turned my glare to him and moved until my face was only a few inches away from his. "It wasn't a question." I muttered lowly and darkly.

Before he had time to react, I tore the katana from his hands and poised it so that the blade pressed against his neck and drew blood.

I heard gasps from all around me and I donned my usual puckered smirk. "It seems that you don't know who I am." I told them all in an almost proud sounding tone of voice.

"I'm-"

"Alicia..." A familiar voice breathed, cutting me off.

I looked up as the group of men surrounding me parted, revealing the sweeping man standing behind someone who I would know anywhere.

I pulled the katana from the random man's neck and let it fall, along with him.

"Well," I began with a small smile. "I would know that head of hair anywhere."

He stepped into the circle and I smiled a little wider. "Hello Ritsu, I see you let your hair grow. How many years has it been?"

He smiled back at me in that cute little way of his and took another step towards me. "Six. Far too long if ya ask me." I nodded and lifted a hand to run my fingers through his long, blood red hair. "Shame..." I muttered with a slight smirk. "I remember you looked good with short hair."

He chuckled and we hugged each other simultaneously.

"Where's Dame and Dom?" He asked as we pulled away from each other and he began to lead me towards the house. I did a closed eyed shrug. "Hospital." Ritsu raised an eyebrow. "Deal gone wrong?" I nodded and he sighed. "Well then, how's your mom?"

I shrugged again. "Dead." I said nonchalantly. "Died a year after we left you guys. Hey, how's your dad?"

He didn't reply for a moment, as he was opening the door for me like a gentleman. "Retired, living in the main house."

I nodded in thought as we both walked into the house. "Yeah, I thought that this place looked new."

I looked up as the door shut behind us, the sweeper man slipping in at the last moment. Ritsu and I were faced with at least ten men, dressed similarly to the ones outside.

"Guys," my childhood friend said with an evil looking grin and menacing voice. All the men flinched. Hmm... I guess his face did get a little scarier in the past six years...

"Young lord?" The sweeper asked in a calm voice when no one else would even approach the bloody redhead.

Ritsu turned his head to him and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, a sharp grin on his face. "Tetsuya, dinner." He ordered, then turned his mean looking face to all the other men and darkened his grin.

"We're hosting royalty tonight!"