Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club © Bisco Hatori.

III.

To the average eye, Haruhi Fujioka was fine.

She participated during class, answering all questions with aplomb and taking her meticulous, detailed notes; her exemplary scores and class ranking remained unchanged. Her lunches were eaten with the added presence of either her fellow hosts or fawning admirers. She attended her after school activities without complaint and performed her duties well—she smiled when appropriate; laughed when appropriate; served refreshments when appropriate; lavished her customers with compliments when appropriate and so on, so forth.

Haruhi Fujioka was not fine.

The signs of her perturbation were minuscule, barely perceptible but they were visible for any willing to pay close enough attention to the Natural Host.

She spaced frequently, large eyes gaining a blurry, unfocused sheen that dulled their brilliance. Her responses to verbal stimuli were delayed by soft, fleeting sighs and light, ephemeral frowns. Her blunt manner of speaking appeared in tact but her flat tone carried a slight downtrodden hint.

On the surface, Haruhi Fujioka was fine.

Beneath that, she was not fine.

She sighed softly as she poured her nth cup of tea for her nth customer.

"Thank you, Haruhi-kun!" The girl breathed, nursing the cup as if it were the finest treasure. "To continue doing this even after what happened, it must be hard for you. If it hadn't been for the other hosts—"

"What? No. No, it isn't difficult for me in the slightest." The Natural Host hummed, lips tilting into a smile. "It wasn't anything serious. Let's talk about something else."

"A-ah, yes. I'm sorry, Haruhi-kun."

"Here, Haruhi-kun!"

She stared at the box in confusion, eyes flickering up to the beaming girl standing before her. "What are these? Cookies?"

The girl nodded, curls bouncing. "Yes! You're always so selfless, thinking of others before thinking of yourself—even at the cost of your own feelings and well being."

She smiled bashfully, flattered. "Well, I wouldn't say that..."

"You're so modest, Haruhi-kun." The girl giggled softly, using a hand to cover her lips. "These cookies are called sablé. They are a French shortbread cookie that were imported fresh from Normandy."

"Fresh?" The Natural Host inquired, opening the tin to look at the simply-shaped treats. "All the way from Normandy?"

"Yes! Mama and Papa have many connections, particularly those with shipping companies." She gestured towards the colorful tin box. "They are flavored with almond—I thought you would appreciate the subtle taste instead of lemon or orange zest."

The brown-haired host's bright eyes twinkled, a tender expression on her face as she bowed at her waist. Her admirer let out a sharp squeal that Haruhi was all too familiar with before the girl began to speak once more.

"To think that someone would insult your refined tastes by presenting you with such garbage! Store-bought tea and a used book?" The girl huffed with hands on her hips. "The nerve of that low-life! The least he could have done was gotten you something of value!"

The pleasant moment had been shattered with but a few words.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she gingerly gathering her belongings. "Yes, well… I have to get going. Thanks for the cookies. I'll make sure to enjoy them."

The curly-haired student made a noise of satisfaction, clasping her hands together and nodding. "I do hope you enjoy them, Haruhi-kun! Just ask if you'd like more of them!"

She inclined her head curtly, tucking the cookies into her bag.

When she arrived to Music Room 3, she silently placed the gift before her tiny upperclassman, a small, tense smile marring her delicate features as he gave her a curious, somewhat concerned stare.

She hadn't wanted them but she couldn't bring herself to throw them out, either.

"It was a good thing that Tamaki-senpai and Kyoya-senpai were there for you, Haruhi-kun! The twins, too! Ah, Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai as well!" Kimiko said, relieved. "You must be so grateful to have such loyal friends."

"I guess you could say that." Her smile, sardonic as she poured herself steaming coffee. "But it was nothing I couldn't handle on my own. Besides, I'm certain Senpai wouldn't do something like that."

"But you're so small compared to that him, Haruhi-kun! Your purity was threatened the very moment he laid eyes on you!" Momoka exclaimed, completely convinced her pale-eyed senpai was a threat.

It irked her. Terribly so.

"I'm telling you, Arashi-senpai wouldn't do that to me—or anyone else." She let out a quiet, exasperated huff as she bit into a wild berry muffin.

"And you're much too sweet, Haruhi-kun! You call him by his first name so casually—as if you're on friendly terms!" Momoka squeaked, her cheeks pinking at the thought. "If you were to encounter him again, you would most assuredly be led astray because of your amiable demeanor! You would be completely at his mercy!"

The Natural Host tilted her head. "And?"

Kimiko gasped, hands cupping her flushed, round cheeks. "Is it that you wouldn't fight if he were to take you away? You would willingly go with him?"

"Sure. Like I said, I know that Arashi-senpai isn't that kind of person. He can be a little quirky but he really is a good person. Everything was just a misunderstanding between us."

The two regulars shared a pensive look, huddling together to whisper words of unknown to each other. Haruhi looked on calmly as she ate her afternoon snack, knowing her two customers would eventually reveal the murmured conversation to her.

Kimiko averted her gaze away, shame taking hold of her features. "Haruhi-kun, are you—? Do you—?"

"Do I what?" She prompted, arching a brow.

"Are you suffering from a sort of traumatic bonding?" Momoka asked lowly, leaning close to the girl host so as to give a semblance of privacy. "Because I'm certain Kyoya-senpai would be more than happy to employ a therapist for your recovery. The Ootori have the most elite medical staff—they should be able to provide all the help needed."

Haruhi placed down her tea cup of coffee and pushed away her plate of half-eaten muffin.

She smiled politely, eyes darkening as she inclined her head towards the two girls. "…Please excuse me, ladies. I have to use the restroom."

Traumatic bonding? She mentally questioned, glaring at her reflection. Are they really that deluded and ignorant of what happened?

Even splashing cold water on her face did little in soothing her ire.

"I'm ill with cold for a mere two days and something like this happens! Are you all right, Haruhi-kun?"

"Renge, it wasn't anything serious. At all." Her eyebrows knitted as she poured a bit of tea into the girl's cup. "It was all a misunderstanding. Everything was just blown out of proportion."

"Really? Because that isn't what the others claimed happened."

"What do they claim?" She questioned sarcastically.

"They say a bedraggled, mess of a boy—more so than Kasanoda of all people—loitered about near the front gates demanding your presence. You obliged, being the kind person that you are. When you arrived, he bombarded you with cheap trinkets of love and you accepted them—again because of your kindness." She took a demure sip, lightly clearing her throat before continuing, "Mistaking your taking of the baubles as acceptance of his affections, he gave a compliment regarding your feminine wiles. Tamaki-senpai intercepted, correcting his mistake of your sex but the vagrant grew belligerent, spouting off some nonsense in regards to Tamaki-senpai. Eventually, he was successfully driven off by the combined efforts of the Host Club and the customers present for the debacle."

Haruhi allowed a beat of silence to pass before replying with, "...Is that what you heard?"

"There have also been some disturbing rumors of you as well, Haruhi-kun. They say that you still speak fondly of the hooligan despite his inappropriate behavior towards yourself and the other hosts. You side with him, despite his slights against the Host Club."

Her lips thinned into a line as she considered her next words. "Renge, I don't know where you're hearing these things but they aren't true. I was there and that story is nowhere near close to what actually happened."

Chocolate eyes widened as the self-proclaimed manager coughed into a handkerchief. "So… Momoka and Kimiko were wrong? You and the hoodlum do not share a forbidden relationship that is frowned upon by civilized society?"

"No, Renge. Arashi-senpai and I don't share anything more than a friendly acquaintance."

A dainty pout eased over Renge's features as she sighed, "…Oh, I see."

The dejection was evident but Haruhi couldn't find it in herself to feel any sympathy for the girl.

She would not be held accountable for any fresh fantasies that would undoubtedly develop and run through Renge's overactive mind.

As the orange hue of the late afternoon filtered into Music Room 3, the day came to a peaceful close.

Haruhi found herself drained, more so than normal. She prided herself on her ability to adapt to stressful, tiring situations but even she had limits on how much she could endure.

She tossed her satchel over her shoulder, words terse as she spoke, "I'm heading home."

The blond Idiot-King perked up at that. "But, Haruhi! We were about to discuss our latest theme! How can we plan when a member is missing!?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes!"

"How? You end up dressing me the way you want, anyways. I don't see how my absence is detrimental to the final decision."

There was a moment of silence.

She took it as a sign that her words were right.

"B-b-but Haruhi!" Tamaki stuttered, large tears welling in the corners of violet eyes. "I feel as if I haven't seen hide nor hair of you, my dearest daughter! I am worried for you!"

"What are you talking about? I've been here every day." She let out a sigh, knowing that her egress would undoubtedly be delayed. "I'm fine. And stop calling me your daughter."

Hunny jumped to his feet, squeezing his beloved stuffed animal in his arms tightly. "But you aren't, Haru-chan! You haven't been acting like yourself—for a really long time. Ever since… Well…"

"Don't beat around the bush, Hunny-senpai! Ever since meeting that guy, she's been acting weird!" Hikaru pushed off his table perch, amber eyes narrowed and arms crossed in a standoffish, frosty manner. "I mean, she even shoved me because of him!"

She suppressed a grimace at the mention of her uncharacteristic outburst of anger. It had been deserved but she wasn't necessarily proud that she had gotten physical with a peer.

Her words, curt as she responded, "I regret getting physical but I'm not sorry about it, Hikaru. You guys crossed a line that day and it isn't something that I can forgive so easily."

"Why is this guy so important to you!?" The elder Hitachiin blustered. "You barely even know him! He got his feelings hurt! So what!? You probably won't even see him again!"

The Natural Host shook her head, eyes narrowed. "That doesn't matter to me. Something like that can't be overlooked—and I won't overlook it. I refuse to."

Unexpectedly, Hikaru threw his arms up with a cry of frustration before stomping away to sulk in the dressing rooms. Kaoru followed shortly after, a look of worry marring his features.

Haruhi could only lift a brow in bewilderment at his behavior. If anything, it was her that had the right to stomp off in aggravation, considering the rather uninformed and insensitive reactions the hosts and her customers were fond of giving lately.

"I recognize that you are upset due to that unfortunate turn of events." Kyoya said after a moment of brief silence.

She nodded mutely.

Surely, Kyoya would be able to give her a sensible riposte.

"However, it was necessary to cover Tamaki's folly." He continued, throwing a sharp glare towards the Idiot-King, who cowered in response. "Your acquaintance ended up being a bit of collateral damage but I fail to see the issue, Haruhi. He doesn't attend Ouran and never will. There's no need to worry for something as negligible as his reputation among people he will never associate with."

She could only stare at him, her fingers digging into her fabric of her satchel.

It seemed that Kyoya too was unable—or unwilling—to express the compunction she so desperately wished to see from the hosts. She herself was not one to wear her heart on her sleeve but it would be absurd to think that she did not feel anything.

The disconnection between the hosts and what had transpired that day perplexed Haruhi.

Guilt had been a rather dominating emotion as of late; helplessness had been present alongside it. Thoughts of her senpai, Arashi, and of how he felt in that moment ran rampant in her mind. Her idleness in preventing that entire disastrous moment followed after her like a vengeful spirit, intent on making sure Haruhi never forgot her transgressions.

She had been guilty, there was no doubt in her mind about that—but so too were her club mates.

Had it not been for their meddling, she would not be suffering the inner turmoil that she had been for the past several days. As well, had she merely intervened—had she simply told the truth—things would certainly be different.

Her credibility within Ouran may have been tarnished but it would have been justified. She had lied; it would have been deserved. When one lied and the truth was discovered, it was only logical that it would negatively impact one's integrity.

Haruhi found her sincerity to be one of her most prized qualities and, despite their idiocy and knack for unnecessary theatrics, she thought similarly of the Host Club.

She had begun to think differently, however. About herself and her peers.

The extent to which they were willing to go just to hide her sex was disturbing. More upsetting still, her own readiness to participate in such injustice instinctively. At the very least, she realized her mistake. Her club mates' diffidence to acknowledge the situation, on the other hand…

"I'm going now." She said, leaving no room for any to stop her departure. "See you tomorrow."

It occurred to her that the simplest solution would be to find Arashi and apologize.

She knew his name, his school, his year and a possible hang out of his. However, she knew little of his after school activities, presenting a bit of a problem—it would be so simple for her to miss him by a few minutes because she wasn't aware if he had any club meetings and, if she did, how long they lasted.

"Arashi-senpai waited for who-knows-how-long just to give me back my things." Haruhi rolled her neck and wiped a bit of flour from her cheek, huffing softly. "Surely, I can wait for him to give him an apology."

"Haruhi, what's that wonderful smell?"

The sound of soft padding entered her ears. She turned her head incrementally, watching her disheveled father emerge from his room. He scratched his chin lazily and scrubbed his bandanna-covered head as he stumbled into the living room. The man released a loud yawn, cracking open a bleary eye.

"They're muffins, Dad."

"Muffins? So early in the morning?" He stopped, hazel eyes stretching open to cover the entity of his face as he beheld the sight. "Wha—? The k-k-kitchen…!"

Haruhi turned.

Covering every possible surface of the kitchen resided muffins of varying flavors, the predominant being that of blueberry.

"…I don't to see the problem, Dad."

Her first stop had been the video arcade.

She had to admit, she felt a bit awkward as she wandered about, keeping her eyes peeled for a glance of Arashi's tall figure or a glimpse of his pale eyes. When she had meandered about for around thirty minutes, she thought it best to ask for any possible sightings.

"Nope, haven't seen him."

"Arashi-kun? No. I wish I had seen him, though."

"He hasn't been here for a while."

"He usually shows up at around this time every other day and stays until about closing time. Yeah, he lingers outside sometimes before he eventually leaves when we lock up."

Haruhi frowned as the worker walked away.

A small piece of information had been given to her about Arashi. She now knew of a time frame that he was likely to appear but he had not shown up for several days, causing her to feel a small bulb of discouragement and disappointment.

Again, waiting for him for a set time every day would be the logical plan and the course she wanted to pursue. On further thought, however, she did not have time between her surprisingly busy days of hosting, studying and taking care of her home.

With a short sigh, Haruhi left.

The hosts walked on eggshells around her.

Tamaki became rather sullen, often going off to sulk in his mushroom corner before and after meetings. Hikaru ignored her and, by extension, Kaoru did as well. Kyoya gazed at her from behind gleaming lenses, expectantly waiting for her to yield to his unsaid order. Only Hunny and Mori attempted to keep up club moral despite the rather dismal turn it had taken over the relatively short span of time.

Haruhi looked on, patiently waiting for the admission of wrongdoing.

Gedo High School had a reputation of being the worst school in Koishikawa, Bunkyō.

While Haruhi was not one to put stock in rumor, it would be silly to think that she had not at least heard them.

According to word, children of lower Yakuza-born families ran rampant, along with those deemed delinquents by society and those with behavioral problems that had no chance of being rectified. All that attended were, more or less, those least likely to succeed in life—or so they say, of course.

Haruhi thought little of stereotypes or generalizations.

Aesthetically, the school had a rather attractive exterior. The pavement was clean, the greenery was taken care of and the building was free of inappropriate graffiti. For the most part, it looked like any other school that was within the residential area of Koishikawa.

What set it apart, however, was the menacing aura that clung to it, sullying the initial innocuous appearance.

"Hey, you." A voice called. "You from Ouran?"

Her eyebrows knitted as she turned her head, eyes settling on the approaching teen. It was a girl, clad in a plaid patterned shirt and button up shirt. On her left breast pocket, there was a crest, marking her a student of the high school the host was visiting. As the girl drew closer, Haruhi couldn't help but feel a surge of familiarity from the Gedo student.

She squinted. "Reika?"

"You know my name?" The teen tilted her head, dark eyes narrowed. "Wait. That voice… Haruhi?"

A light smile pulled to her features as she nodded. "Yeah, it's me."

The girl, Reika, inclined her head, her lips twitching at the corners. "Haruhi. What are you doing here of all places?"

"I'm looking for someone. Arashi Hamasaki. He's a third year here."

"You're looking for Arashi-senpai?" Reika frowned. "I really shouldn't be surprised…"

"What?"

She waved her hand. "Nothing. Anyways, Arashi-senpai comes to school every day but I haven't seen him lately. Eh, that's not really saying much, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Arashi-senpai has the tendency to disappear when people are looking for him. It's kind of like looking at a pot and waiting for it to boil." She let out a chuckle, a smile on her face. "We have a contest to see who can find him for a whole consecutive week. The winner gets to eat lunch alone with him."

"Funny." Haruhi offered a small smile. "So, you haven't seen Arashi-senpai?"

"No—but not for a lack of trying. If it's that urgent, you can ask around for him." Reika jerked a thumb towards the school building behind her. "I doubt it'll do much good with his disappearing act."

Disappointment ran through her.

Her gaze dropped. "Maybe another time. Thanks for your help, Reika."

The brown-haired host turned to leave. She stopped, however, at the sound of Reika's voice speaking out.

"You know… It's because of Arashi-senpai we aren't friends anymore."

Her head turned, lips thinning. "No, it isn't. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves. To persecute someone without proof of guilt is intolerable. I'd rather not be around those that could do such a thing so casually and without remorse."

Reika let out low, abrupt chuckle. "Sitting around and saying nothing is the better alternative, then?"

Brown eyes widened, almost impossibly so. "W-what did you just say…?"

"Nothing, Haruhi." The Gedo student smiled kindly, head tilting as she turned away. "It's just nice to see that you aren't the perfect being you're made out to be."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched the retreating back of her former friend.

"My dearest d—Ah. Wait." Tamaki cleared his throat before continuing, "I-I mean, Haruhi. I would like to request a moment of your time."

She lifted a dubious brow, pausing in packing away her belongings. "What is it?"

"In light of the recent commotion, I would like to offer a heartfelt apology to you." The blond bowed deeply at the waist.

That was unexpected.

The brown-haired girl blinked, taken aback. Haruhi honestly thought that she would not hear an admission of remorse from any of her club mates. To think that it would be Tamaki—the one that started it all—to be the first to approach her with repentance clearly evident in his being; it was nothing less than mind-boggling.

Despite herself, a smile wormed its way onto her face. "Tamaki-senpai… Thank you."

"N-no, it—I am not the type of man to act in such a baleful manner. Kyoya was correct. I overreacted in order to hide my own foolish blunder and, in the process, I hurt both you and another close to you."

"It's nice to hear you say that, Tamaki-senpai."

Though, I'm not all that innocent myself.

His head lifted and, at the sight of the Natural Host's softened features, a faint blush rose to his cheeks. "W-well, I was—Ah, I wanted to take you out."

"Muh?"

"To authenticate my sincerity!" He added quickly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I hear there is a festival to be held in your neighborhood. I believe it would be an opportune time to examine commoner behavior at such an event."

She didn't want to go. Not because of Tamaki—but because of Arashi. The urge to look for him again was strong; just the thought of him was hard to banish.

It was Reika's words that stopped her from refusing. Arashi appeared when one was not looking for him—she supposed her previous encounters with him could stand as justification of that claim. Perhaps going out with Tamaki could help in suppressing the thoughts of her pale-eyed senpai, thereby summoning him for her to give a proper apology of her own.

She hoped that would be the case.

"Sure." She smiled. "It sounds like fun."

From nowhere, the eldest host appeared, wrapping himself around Tamaki.

"We're going to a festival, Tama-chan!?"

"W-wha—No! You aren't but—" The Idiot-King spluttered, flailing his limbs around.

Hunny pouted, his honey brown eyes glimmering with tears. "No festival, Tama-chan…?"

"Tamaki, were you not arranging an extracurricular outing for the Host Club?" Kyoya pushed up his glasses, blinding them with a sharp, threatening gleam. "Surely you would not deprave the rest of us such an opportunity?"

"I would not but—"

"We shall meet up at Haruhi's residence to leave, then." Kyoya nodded his head curtly, jotting something on his notepad. "Perhaps around five in the evening?"

"Wait a moment! I—"

"We're going to a festival, Takashi! Doesn't it sound fun!?"

"Mn."

"I hope they have tasty cakes there…"

"HEY! LISTEN TO ME!"

She shook her head at the silly sight of Tamaki running around in a childish fit, Kyoya watching indifferently, Hunny twirling around happily and Mori entertaining his cousin with short, simple grunts.

"Hey, Haruhi…?"

Ah.

"Kaoru. Hikaru."

The younger Hitachiin fiddled his thumbs. "We, uh, we wanted to say that we're sorry, too."

The elder Hitachiin stood next to her seat, a scowl marring his face as he kept quiet. It was obvious that he did not agree with his twin's sentiment. A sharp elbow jack and a pointed look from Kaoru quickly changed his tune, however.

He turned his head away, lips curled into what looked suspiciously close to a pout. "Yeah, sorry."

"Really?" She couldn't help but ask.

His shoulders stiffened before the tension left with a heavy sigh. "Yeah."

It was comforting.

All the underlying issues had yet to be addressed but Haruhi could wait a bit longer before bringing them up. Even she could not find the energy or will to crush the bloom of happiness that had been absent in the Host Club for far too long.

Maybe this is what I need…

A/N: I'm so very sorry it took this long to update this story. I don't want to make any promises regarding future chapters and I will not offer any excuses for my lack of updates—I will do my best to provide a chapter in a shorter span of time, however.

Not much happens in this chapter. The MC doesn't even show up, though, he is mentioned. We also learn a few minor snippets about him. While I did make out the Hosts to be rather evil last chapter, they do come through—though the apology is probably more to satisfy Haruhi than it is for feeling any real regret.

Good news: this story is now officially a romance between Haruhi and the OC. So be on the lookout for more romance stuffs in later chapters.