"You purposely took on the villain's character to teach me, right?"

Despite the fact that I had seen through his rouse, I couldn't help but admit to myself that in the moment he flung me effortlessly down to the bed… I had no intention of resisting. Why was that? Even in the half a heartbeat that I thought he might be serious, it never struck me as unpleasant. Leaning over me with his tousled and still dripping hair, I had felt my body tense with anticipation.

Now standing at the foot of the bed with his bare back towards me… I was starting to realize that I might have more than just a friendly interest in Kyoya. The winds began to pick up and howl outside the window and the rain beat down mercilessly against the glass.

Oh no… I hate storms…please don't let it thunder! My heart began to race and my mind began to panic staring intently towards the tempest brewing outside.

"What an unpleasant face. Don't tell me it bothered you that badly." I was brought back to the situation at hand and turned to see Kyoya had faced me to analyze my reaction. His expression was cold and calculating, no doubt trying to maintain control of the situation.

I realized that I had been scowling bitterly at the window, and felt the blood creep to my face. I knew that it was a childish fear, but as with most, it was not something I had chosen, I couldn't help but tremble at the thought of the terrifying blasts to come.

"It… It's not that… I just…When it storms… I…"

CRACK… the thunder slammed down with no warning. With a helpless gasp, I found myself leaping down trying to burrow through the sheets of the bed.

Did I take it too far? She seemed okay a second ago, but now turning to face her in the darkness… I had never seen Haruhi with that frantic expression before.

"What an unpleasant face. Don't tell me it bothered you that badly." As she turned towards me I could tell that her eyes were glistening, and my breath caught in my throat. Please tell me I didn't do that to her. I felt a knot form in my stomach at the thought. I was only trying to help… I felt even worse that part of me reveled in the fact that I could have such an effect on her.

She lowered her head and with a faltering voice she began to mumble, but the only words I could make out were, "When it storms…" She was cut off abruptly by a loud crash of lightning. And in the fleeting moments that the room was lit up, I beheld such a look of terror on her face that I shivered unconsciously. She crumbled to a pile on the bed clutching the sheets desperately.

"Haruhi, don't tell me your scared of thunder?" I tried to keep my voice level, but I couldn't help but be incredulous. This amazing, strong, confident girl who never showed any signs of weakness… was cowering helplessly and trembling violently on my bed. I found myself being drawn in, reaching out to comfort her, "Haruhi?"

She flinchingly looked up to me and was making a visible effort to right herself on the bed. Before she could sit all the way up…

CRACK… She cried out and instinctually leapt towards my outstretched arms. She felt tiny and fragile like a glass ornament that might shatter at any moment. I could feel her clinging to me as desperately as she had the sheets moments ago. As her embrace tightened, I felt her nails dig slightly into my exposed back. I had forgotten I was shirtless, and was suddenly aware of her warmth separated by only her thin pink night dress. I had never been so closely entwined with a girl before and the fragrance of her hair pressed to my chest was making my blood burn in my veins. I had to regain my composure…

We were at the edge of the bed, so I took a seated position pulling her over onto my lap without letting go… not that I could with the grip she had on me. "Shhh… It's okay….I'm here… it'll be okay…" She relaxed slightly and melted deeper into my arms.

The storm raged on and with every thundering boom, I could feel her shivering against me. After a few minutes I could feel her grip loosening and the trembling became less frequent. I lifted my head from where I had placed it against hers so that I might confirm my suspicion… she had fallen asleep. Even though the unrelenting weather still sent her body shivering now and again, her face had become peaceful.

Haaaaa… what a night…I let out a sign of relief. Despite the undeniable tension I felt, the situation had been stabilized.

I can't believe I forgot my lotion! Even with the blessing of good looks, one must respect themselves enough to maintain them, applying the proper effort. Everyone but Kyoya are still feasting noisily in the dining room (And I don't want to risk running into Haruhi there), but I'm sure he'd have lotion I could borrow. Kyoya's room was relatively close to the dining hall, but on the opposite side of the foyer from my room.

Having successfully snuck past the dining room door without notice, I slid open the door to Kyoya's room.

"Kyoya, got some lotion? This sunburn is actually starting to hurt…" It took a second to adjust to the darkness in the room, but when I did… I felt my heart leap to my throat. Sitting there at the edge of the bed with a look of shock on his blushing face was Kyoya… closely embracing Haruhi against his bare chest.

"Kyoya, you…!" I raced towards this unbearable scene, but was stopped short by a menacing glare. Kyoya signaled for me to be quiet, still glaring threateningly. Bewildered, I obeyed and approached as silently as possible.

"She only just fell asleep, and I don't want to have to calm her down again needlessly." His voice was soft, but his tone was demanding. Surveying this scene, as any concerned father might, I noticed the tear stains running down her cheeks and the nail marks firmly dug into Kyoya's back.

"What the hell happened here?" I frantically whispered… A million different scenarios played through my head of how my darling little girl could find herself in such a position. Maybe this nauseated feeling in my gut was fatherly protection, but it irked me to see her in his arms, "Explain yourself, Kyoya!"

"Tamaki, stop overreacting. Let's just say I inadvertently stumbled upon Haruhi's weakness…"

"But I thought you weren't playing the game…"

"Of course not! I already have the pictures, what could I possibly have to gain from participating in such a childish pursuit." Tamaki looked down at the girl huddled against me and then back to me. His implication was clear. "Please, give me some credit. If this was my objective, I could think of far more direct approaches to accomplishing it."

By the look on Tamaki's face, I could tell that this suggestion didn't seem to offer him much comfort. I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts, trying to find the best words to explain.

"It's thunder. She's terrified of thunder. We were just talking when the storm began, and I could tell something was wrong, but before I had the chance to ask, a clash of thunder sent her reeling. Before I knew what was happening she was clinging to me desperately and sobbing…" I hoped that he would just accept this, not really wanting to elaborate on what had happened earlier.

I could see his feature tight with contemplation, trying to fit the pieces together… but it was obvious he knew one was missing. In a tone far more serious than I expected, "I see… but that doesn't explain why you are shirtless."

"Haaaaaa…. "An audible sigh of frustration letting loose, I realized that he would not be so easily appeased. Now that she's asleep, it might just be best to placate him by laying her down on her own. Lifting her gently from my lap, I stood and walked around to the side of the bed. I lowered her softly down onto the bed… but just as I went to pull away from her, her grip suddenly tightened and she began to sleepily murmur…

"Kyoya…please….don't leave me… Kyoya… I need you…" With her last words, my heart missed a beat, and without realizing my own actions, I had already swept her back up into my arms. I looked over to Tamaki to gauge his reaction. When our eyes met, he immediately looked away… frustration and pain written clearly across his face. Without saying another word, he abruptly turned and walked out of the room.

"Ever a drama at the Host Club" I muttered. Exhausted, I dropped back down to the bed, Haruhi still draped across my lap. I could feel the weight of the day pressing down on me, enticing my eyelids to give way. I don't know how long I sat there fighting away sleep's tempting embrace… minutes? hours? I just knew I had to stay awake… she needs me.

I had never known what it was to be needed before. Maybe as the third son of the Ootori family, I had never truly felt like I was necessary… that I was only ever supplementary. Sure, I had been sought after and pursued before… whether it was the kid of some corporate executive trying to befriend me as they had been instructed to do or one of the customers of the host club vying for my attention. But no one ever truly needed me… until now. The thought was a little overwhelming and I felt my stomach knot… but I wanted to be needed.

So I have to try to stay awake… and whatever I do I can't let go of her…

Warm… It's so warm… instinctually I cuddled closer into the source of the heat beneath me. As I nuzzled in, I felt the warmth wrap around me… and embrace me… wait, what?

Upon this realization, my eyes jumped open trying to understand what was going on. It was then that I realized the position I was in. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks feverishly. I was laying on top of Kyoya, face nuzzling into his bare chest, his legs tangled with mine. I unconsciously began to tremble due to the proximity, letting out a small gasp. In response, I could feel his arms tighten around me …

"Shhh… Haruhi… Just thunder… It's okay…." He was trying to comfort me in his sleep. I realized that my mouth was gaping in awe as I looked up to his sleeping face, all of the memories of the previous night flooding back to my mind. I mean, I knew he was kind and sweet, and just never let anyone see it, but I had no idea that he was this tender or compassionate…

My gaze began to wander down from his peaceful face to the lean, toned chest I rested against. I felt the blood draining from my face before proceeding lower in my body. I should not be doing this! My mind cried in disapproval, but it couldn't seem to command my body to move. I then became keenly aware of the discomfort of his hip digging into my abdomen. As I shifted my weight a little to try to relieve the pressure, he let out a low moan. I stopped dead in my tracks, realization slowly dawning over me… the warm heated protrusion against me… was not his hip.

Feeling a little guilty, but at the same time completely fascinated by the feeling of him firmly pressing into me, I shifted my hips slightly again and gauged his reaction. Another low moan, but this one was accompanied by one of his hands sinking down to the small of my back, pressing firmly, as his hips thrust up slightly. My mind flashed blank for a minute, completely intoxicated by his movements and starting to feel a growing ache between my legs. It took me a couple minutes to regain my composure before I understood that my waning self control couldn't handle this position for much longer.

I turned my face up to look his, only inches away… shadows playing across it in the moonlight. With every rise and fall of his chest, I could feel his warm breath upon me, seeping from slightly parted lips. They looked so soft, so inviting… my head was spinning, dizzy from his secure embrace. I was flooding with a rush of thoughts and feelings I didn't fully comprehend. And before I knew what I was doing, I had narrowed the gap between us, firmly pressing mine to his. For a split second I chastised myself, Oh God, Haruhi, what the hell are you thinking! But as I felt the sensation of his lips against mine, I became engrossed, all other thoughts fading away.