"Mi-chan! Come swim with us!" Hunny-sempai calls, waving excitedly from near the water. He's got his trademark inner-tube around him, of course.

"Maybe later, Hunny-sempai!"

Haruhi watches him run at the waves with Mori-sempai. "You should go, Miyu. Just because I can't go in the water doesn't mean you have to sit here, too."

"But, I'd feel bad if I left you here by yourself..." I was looking forward to having fun on this trip, but that's all gone down the tubes since the Host Club's customers are here. Now, how are we supposed to relax? Haruhi can't even go swimming.

"That's alright. This happened last time we were here, too. I kind of expected it."

"But-"

"Go," she cuts me off, nudging me. "We can do something later, after the crowd leaves." It doesn't seem like she's going to give in.

Finally yielding, I get up from under the umbrella. "Fine, but you better believe I'm dragging you back here tonight. A late night swim, just us girls."

She smiles, albeit just a little. "Sounds like fun."

I strip off my cover-up, revealing my deep purple bikini with black stars all over it. The strings are tied securely at my hips, back, and neck. One of my cutest swimsuits, I think.

Haruhi's laughing behind me. "Wait 'til the twins see you..."

"The twins? What about Tamaki-sempai? He's gonna have a heart-attack," I joke. "I can just imagine him saying something along the lines of, 'No daughter of mine is going to parade around looking like that!' "

"Well, if he does see you, good luck." I don't think that was supposed to be funny.

"Luck is for those without skill, dear Haruhi." With that, I shove the cover-up into my bag and start walking down the beach. My long hair swishes as I walk, brushing over my shoulder blades. I kind of wish I had a hair-tie; it's hotter than I expected out here.

Let's see, who to hang out with? Tamaki-sempai's out of the question. He's too busy with customers. Kyouya-sempai's pretty much in the same boat. Hmm... I could go swimming with Hunny-sempai and Mori-sempai, or-

"Miyu?"

I guess my mind's just been made up for me. "What's up, Hikaru? Kaoru?" ...I'm not sure I like the way they're looking at me.

After staring for about ten seconds, they both cross their arms and smirk. "Where are your clothes, young lady?" Kaoru teases.

Oh, boy. Here we go. "Over there." I point towards where I'd come from. "Why?"

They advance a few steps. "Trying to show off for someone?"

"Maybe." Pretending not to notice how hot they look without shirts is harder than I thought it'd be, especially now that they're right in my face.

Hikaru turns to his brother. "Hear that, Kaoru? Who do you think it is?"

"I can't say for sure... Let's ask her, Hikaru."

I could pretend to be annoyed, but this whole scene is making it hard just to keep a straight face.

"Good idea. So, who is it, Miyu?" Hikaru asks. "Who are you trying to impress?"

Ah, the perfect opportunity for semi-disguised flirting. I put on my best innocent look and smile up at him. "If I say it's you, will you tell me if it's working?" Just behind Hikaru, Kaoru's trying not to laugh.

His smirk widens and, after trailing his eyes over me again, he answers, "Oh, it's working."

"Careful, brother. She might just be trying to get out of trouble."

"Kaoru, I'm hurt!" I cry. "Would I lie to you guys?"

They exchange a glance and say without a thought, "Yes."

"Well, thanks. Nice to know you have so much faith in me..." I turn and start walking away, faking anger. And here I thought I wasn't going to have any fun on this outing.

"Don't you turn your back on us, missy!"

"I don't see you stopping me-EEEEEE! PUT ME DOWN!"

"Not until you apologize~!" Hikaru teases, keeping me slung over his shoulder. Kaoru's lost it and started laughing.

"No! Now, put me down! ...What are you doing?" Hikaru's started walking, but I can't see where he's taking me; hell I can't even see his face! "Hikaru?"

"I think you need a little punishment for that attitude."

...This can't be good. "Kaoru! Help!"

He's too busy laughing at my expense to do anything.

"Hikaru, where are you going!" I ask, trying to squirm out of his hold. The sound of the waves is getting louder. "EEEP!" He's slipped me off his shoulder, but now he's holding me bridal-style.

He's grinning down at me, that mischievous glint in his eyes. "You brought this on yourself, Miyu. I even gave you a chance to apologize..." Brought what on myself?

I look in front of him as he walks a little further. ...Oh, man! "No, no, no! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Too late." And then he tosses me.

*SPLASH*

I scramble back up in the shallow water, now completely soaked. The ocean's just a little colder than I would've liked.

Hikaru's standing over me, looking rather pleased with himself, while Kaoru's just coming out of his laughing fit. "Maybe next time, you'll be a little nicer," he taunts, making his way back towards his brother. So he thinks he's getting away with that stunt? Wrong!

I get to my feet and run up behind him as fast as the water will allow. "Don't you turn your back on me, mister!" With something similar to a barbarian battle-cry, I leap at him and latch onto his back, then put all my weight backwards so he loses his balance.

"GAH, MIYU!"

*SPLASH*

Ha! Vengeance is mine!

Hikaru bolts upright, sitting up in the water. He does not look pleased.

"Don't give me that look. You started it," I say with a snooty, matter-of-fact tone. "I was within my rights."

Kaoru makes his way over, a huge grin on his face. "You should've seen your face, Hikaru. Oh, wait... I can show you!" His eyes bug out and he opens his mouth in a silent shriek.

His brother just glares at me while I fall into a fit of giggles. "Shut up. You're still in trouble."

"Oh, please. What else can you do to 'punish' me?"

He looks like he's thinking about it, so I turn to Kaoru, who's... smirking. At me. Umm...

"I know what we can do." And suddenly he's on me, attacking my sides and stomach.

"Ahaha! Ha-stop it! S-Stop! Hahaha!" I try and worm out of his hold before Hikaru joins in. "N-No fair-Ahaha-ha!" I roll to the side and jump to my feet, trying to tread water back to shore before they catch me. Just a little further!

"Oh, no you don't!" Hikaru tackles me onto the sand, his brother right behind him. He picks up right where Kaoru left off, mercilessly tickling near my ribs.

"C'mon, hah-cut it out! G-Get off! Ahahaha! S-Somebody, HELP!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO PERVERTS DOING TO MY LITTLE GIRL!"

Yes! I'm saved!

The tickling immediately stops, finally giving me a chance to catch my breath.

"We weren't doing anything, boss," they both state.

The Host Club's king is practically fuming. "THEN EXPLAIN WHY MY PRECIOUS MIYU IS PINNED TO THE GROUND!"

...Oh, wow. I guess it does look kind suggestive. I'm lying in the sand, Hikaru and Kaoru keeping me there from my sides. I guess I was too distracted by the tickling to notice our position. Hmm, I should probably save them before Tamaki-sempai loses it.

"Sempai, they weren't 'violating' me or anything," I start, still laughing a little. "They were tickling me."

"See, boss? No big deal," Kaoru tries to calm him down.

He stares at the three of us, as if deciding whether to believe us. "Well, it looked like you were sexually harassing my daughter..."

"She started it." Hikaru, I could smack you right now.

"I did not!"

Tamaki-sempai's eye is twitching. Uh-oh. "MY SWEET LITTLE MIYU WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING NAUGHTY, ESPECIALLY NOT WITH YOU TWO DEVILS! DADDY WOULD KNOW IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENED!"

I smirk and lean back on my elbows. "You haven't caught us yet." Then, I turn to the twins. "So, my room or yours tonight?"

"GAH! I'M NOT HEARING THIS!" And he's off back up the beach. "MAMAAAAAA!"

I was wrong; this trip is going to be the most fun I've had in weeks.

"Miyu, I'm telling you, he was-"

"No, he wasn't!" I stop Haruhi mid-sentence. "That was not flirting, okay? That was him being his usual self. They both were!"

She sighs and flops down on the bed. "Why can't you just accept the possibility of him liking you back?"

"Because there is no possibility. He's handsome, funny, even pretty smart, not to mention he can be really sweet sometimes. He could have any girl he wants; why would he like me?"

She stares at me while I look through my suitcase for a clean cover-up. "You don't give yourself enough credit. He likes you; you're just too dense to see it." She eases herself off the bed and, after smoothing her (really cute) pink dress out, heads for the hall. "I'll meet you on the beach, okay? The girls went back to the hotel, so we'll be the only ones there."

"Yeah, okay. See you in a bit." I throw a black cover-up on over the swimsuit I'd worn earlier. So, towel: check. Lanterns, just in case: check. Sunscreen... eh, the sun's setting already. I think I'm good.

I sling my bag over my shoulder and tip-toe out into the hall. Just a short walk to the doors and I'm clear. I just hope no one-

"Going somewhere?"

Damn.

I whip around and find Kyouya, the Shadow King himself. "Do you always have to sneak up on people?"

"I don't sneak. 'People' should be more aware."

Smartass. "I'm meeting Haruhi on the beach. I thought it'd be nice for her to get to swim since she couldn't do so earlier."

"Just the two of you? Are you sure that's wise?"

"We're not even going in deep water. We've got lanterns, and there's a can of mace hidden in my bag, if that makes you feel better."

He smirks a little at the bit about the mace. "I expected no less from you."

...Was that a compliment? "Look, just please don't tell the others. We were kind of hoping to have some girl-time."

"Is that so? Hmm... I suppose I can cover for you if need be." He turns on his heel and goes the other way. "Have fun..."

"Thanks..." That was uncharacteristically nice of him. ...I'm scared. Ah, whatever. Gotta get to the beach.

And so, I creep out of the large building and go back towards the water, keeping my eyes peeled all the while. After deciding that the coast is clear, I drop my bag and stare out at the water.

The sun's just touching the horizon, casting an orange glow that gradually fades to purple over the sky. I haven't seen a sunset like this in at least a year. It's just like when my parents took me to our beach house as a kid. The sound of the waves, the salty smell of the ocean... I miss it. They're always too busy to go, now. If it weren't for the Host Club, I wouldn't get to go anywhere anymore.

Crap, I was daydreaming. The sun's halfway down, now. Where the heck is Haruhi?

I turn back towards the estate, but all I can make out are the rocks around the grounds. Wait... I think I see a person. ...That's too tall to be Haruhi. Oh, great...

I reach into my bag and grab the small can of mace. "Who's there!"

"Miyu? Is that you?"

That voice... Hikaru?

As the person comes down onto the sand, I can see his face, as well as that unmistakable ginger hair. I lower the mace and let out the breath I'd had stuck in my lungs. "Jeez, you scared me. What are you doing out here?"

"Just out for a walk..." He trails off, looking around. "What about you? You shouldn't be out here alone."

I wouldn't be if Haruhi would move her butt. "I was just going to hang out here for a while, maybe get my feet wet. I wasn't planning on swimming or anything."

He's clad in his swim shorts, so he probably had the same idea as me. He's also wearing a black sweatshirt-jacket; the only "commoner's hoodie" he owns. Kaoru has one just like it.

I turn towards the sunset; it won't be much longer, now. Why does it always set so fast? I barely got to watch it...

Sighing, I pull one of the small lanterns from my bag and switch it on, illuminating a small circle around where I am. I set it down off to the side and lay out my towel to sit on.

"Hey, Miyu?"

He was being so quiet, I thought he'd left to go on his walk. "Yeah?"

"Is it alright if I sit with you for a while? I don't want to leave you by yourself in the dark."

He's so cute. How can I say no to that? "Sure, that's fine. Here," I scoot over on the towel to give him somewhere to sit.

"Thanks."

...Oh, my god. Hikaru and I are on a beach, alone, in the dark. The "blushing schoolgirl" part of me is threatening to take over. Haruhi, where the hell are you!

"So," he starts, breaking the stiff silence. "I'm kind of surprised you're out here alone. You and Haruhi were joined at the hip all day..."

"Actually, she was supposed to meet me out here. We were going to swim a little since she couldn't go in the water before. She didn't show up."

"Really? I saw her in the hallway, and she said she was going to find the boss."

...She ditched me? Seriously? "So, she bailed on me to hang out with Tamaki-sempai? ...Awesome." Whatever. At least I get to spend some alone-time with Hikaru. Speaking of which, "What about you? How come Kaoru's not out here with you?"

He shrugs and stares out over the waves. "He said he was turning in early. When I told him I wasn't tired yet, he said I should go for a walk to relax a little." Then, he smiles a little and looks back at me. "This is better than a walk, though."

"I'll say." Insert flirty smile here. "I'm almost glad Haruhi didn't show up."

"Almost? Wow, thanks."

I sigh with false irritation. "You know what I meant. Jeez, I try to say something nice, and this is what I get." Ugh, now it's getting colder. I've got the chills, but I don't want to go inside yet. This is too good a moment to ruin!

"Cold?" Damn him and his observant ways.

"Not really. Why?"

"Liar." He smirks almost knowingly. "You've got goose-bumps on your arms."

"...So?" Please, please don't say we should head back!

He shakes his head, smirk ever-present, and unzips his hoodie. He slips one arm out of its sleeve and drapes half of the sweatshirt around me, keeping the other half on himself. "There. Better?"

Mmmm, so warm... "Hold on." I put my arm through the loose sleeve and lean my head against his shoulder. "Okay, now I'm good." Hey, this might be one of the only times I get him alone. I'm sure as hell going to enjoy it while I can.

"Miyu... Were you serious earlier? About trying to impress someone?"

I'm imagining Haruhi signaling like a madwoman for me to say yes. Maybe I can have a little fun with it, first. "Why?"

He half-shrugs. "Just curious."

Yeah, right. He's never just curious. "...Well, what if I was?"

"A yes or no would be nice," he counters.

...Alright, fine. Imaginary-Haruhi wins. "I was serious."

"And as for who you were showing off for?" I can tell he's smirking. I don't even have to look.

I sigh, feigning annoyance. "As much as I'd hate to inflate your ego, yes, that was true, too."

"Really..." he trails off. I don't like that sly tone he's got.

I look up at him and see that he's grinning like a cheshire cat. "...What are you thinking?"

"That you definitely know how to get a guy's attention."

Now, I'm smirking, too. "It wasn't hard to figure out. You're a pervert, so I used that to my advantage."

"Me? A pervert? Nah, that's the boss. And to answer the question you asked earlier today," he leans down so his lips just graze the shell of my ear. "How about your room tonight?"

Holy hell, I think I'm gonna faint. "Hikaru, if you're joking this time-"

"I'm not." When he catches the nervous look on my face, he smiles for real and adds, "As long as we don't do anything but share the bed, I don't think Kaoru will mind."

That's only slightly less unnerving. Come on, Miyu! You can spin this! Think! "Sorry, but I don't sleep with just anyone. So, unless you see this going somewhere..." I trail off with a coy smile, hoping he'll take the hint.

"Well, that changes things... What about boyfriends? Are they allowed?"

"Why, yes, they are."

"Can I be one of those, then?" I can't believe he's actually holding up an innocent act.

I look up and pretend to think about it. "Well... I'm not sure..."

"Hmm..." He narrows his eyes, like he's deep in thought. "Maybe a little persuasion, then." Suddenly, he leans further towards me, quickly closing the small space between us.

Instead of freaking out like I normally would, I all but cling to the calm, collected mask I'd put on and kiss back. I've thought about this plenty of times, but I never imagined it would feel this way. It's like everything around me is suddenly out in the distance somewhere. Even the sounds of the waves seem like they're miles away.

When he pulls away, it takes a few seconds until I'm completely aware again.

"How about now?" he asks, that adorable smile back on his face.

"How can I say no to that?"

"You can't." And then, he kisses me again.

Meanwhile...

"I guess this will change some things for the club," Kyouya mutters, scribbling something in his notebook.

"Who cares?" Haruhi throws back. "They're happy."

Kaoru nods, turning away from the window. "Mission accomplished, Haruhi. Nice job."

"You, too. Thanks for the help." She glances out the window for a moment, then turns to go to her room. 'You owe me one, Miyu. I was looking forward to that late-night swim...'