Disclaimer…I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters, but I wish I did. LOL.

A/N: Kyoya came in second for the Holiday story poll and here is his story. It will encompass both Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day. And since today is Chinese New Year – HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today we usher in the year of the monkey. Bear with me. This is just the setup and will be 3-4 chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – New Year's Confession

Kyoya Ootori had somewhat convinced himself that holidays – of any nature – were created for the sole purpose of his irritation or torment and his best friend's utter enjoyment. It mattered not that holidays and celebrations had been around for millions of years. No, someone long ago saw into the future and decided Kyoya needed to be teased and lead about by a loony blond halfer.

The latest in Tamaki's crazy schemes – go to the shrine festival for Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year if you will). Okay, maybe that didn't sound like something truly torturous, but this was Tamaki we're talking about. Not only that, but the other hosts would be attending as well. In true Tamaki fashion, he wanted to attend just like commoners. They would wear cheap kimonos, pray at the temple, play games, eat food bought from a stand or cart, and then watch the fireworks at night. In fact, he wanted to be there when the bells rang in the New Year.

Everyone was on board…kind of. As soon as the president of the Host Club had explained his plan, Kyoya noticed a certain commoner face palm right before she groaned. Haruhi had been welcomed (read that as forced) into their fold the year before due to an unforeseen accident which led to quite a large debt. Having paid off the debt the year before, she could have easily left the group and walked away, but she chose to stay and Kyoya welcomed her with open arms (on the inside at least, he did have a reputation to uphold).

The moment she walked through those doors, she intrigued him. Nothing like the other girls in school, she stood up for herself, tried to reason with them, and ingratiated herself within each of the hosts' hearts, capturing some of them without realizing it. Kyoya's included. At first, it was the nuance of her, the intrigue that drew his eyes to her, made him want to tease her just so he could see her reaction; however, soon he found his eyes following her of their own accord. No longer was it about the nuance, but it was about her, her inner strength and beauty. Before he realized what it meant, he had fallen in love with her…or maybe it was just a crush or lust. He had never before experienced anything like any of that, so he wasn't sure. And if he wasn't sure, he wasn't going to confess. There was too much at stake because more than one host had fallen for her natural beauty and large chocolate eyes. Eyes that sparkled when she laughed, held the hint of tears making them appear slightly glassy when she thought of her mother, and were mesmerizing when they were full of steel the moment she was ready to argue or fight for something she believed in. Every day he found out something else about her, and every day it was getting harder to keep his confession to himself.

And just like with almost all of Tamaki's plans, the hosts found themselves at the festival dressed in kimonos and waiting for midnight when the bells would sound and the fireworks would explode. Until then, they would enjoy the vendors and games and anything else they could get into. Haruhi had tried to tell everyone that they didn't have to wear kimonos, but the twins ambushed her at her house with their demonic twin maids who helped her into a winter kimono that was red and had playful monkeys along the bottom and arms. Once again, she had no choice in what she wore. Kyoya almost felt sorry for her….almost. His silent protest died a quick death when he saw her walking down the stairs towards the limo. She looked extraordinary, and everyone told her – everyone except him.

"Haru-Chan, you look so kawaii!" Hunny gushed.

Mori stated, "You look pretty."

Haruhi started to blush, "Thank you Mori-senpai, Hunny-senpai."

"We knew you'd look great in that kimono!" Hikaru exclaimed.

His brother chimed in, "We designed it especially for you!"

Tamaki's jaw had dropped to the floor and a family of ants was just about to enter it when it finally snapped shut. Pulling himself together, he ran towards the brunette and pulled her into his arms hugging her tightly and swinging her around in a circle, "My little girl looks so adorable! You will be the prettiest princess at the festival!"

Seeing Haruhi start to turn an unpleasant shade of green, Kyoya interjected, "Tamaki, put her down. If we are going to make it to the festival and have time to do everything you want, we need to leave." The sun had just descended over the horizon and they had hours before midnight, but he had to do something to rescue her…and to tap down on the flare of jealousy that threatened to rise up within him.

"MOMMY! You're right!" Tamaki yelled directly into Haruhi's ear before setting her on her feet and yanking her into the limo so that she sat right between mommy and daddy. After the others filed in behind them, they were on their way.

As the limo moved towards the shrine Tamaki had selected, Kyoya noticed that Haruhi had a slightly pasty complexion and her breaths were shallower than normal. Was she unwell? Did they take her from her sick bed? As much as he wanted to ask, he didn't, but he would make sure to keep an eye on her.

A good thing he did too. Once they arrived at the shrine and climbed the 50 or so stairs to reach it, Tamaki and the twins were drawn in by the lights and sights around them. They wandered away as if in a trance. Hunny and Mori declared they were going to check out the food stalls (well, Hunny declared), and they left without a backwards glance leaving Haruhi alone with Kyoya.

Plastering on a small smile, Haruhi asked, "Should we followed someone, or was there something you wanted to do?"

His heart was racing, but instead of showing any outward reaction to this felicitous arrangement, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and suggested, "I suppose standing here or returning home would not be an option." Her shocked expression and small shake of her head made him want to chuckle, "Then shall we stroll around to see if anything catches our fancy?"

She giggled. As much as Kyoya always tried to be the epitome of the Ootori family and businesslike, sometimes she could see that sparkle of something in his eyes, and that same sparkle was present now. She wasn't even sure why she was laughing. It just seemed funny to her…until she couldn't breathe. The maids that had helped her to dress had tied her obi too tight around her ribcage and she found it hard to breathe – something she had tried to tell them, but they ignored her. Clamping her mouth shut, she suddenly felt sweaty, hot, and lightheaded. And the last thing she saw before she passed out was the worried expression on Kyoya's face as he tried to catch her.

Sucking in a deep breath, Haruhi's eyes popped open and searched the area frantically. What had happened? Where was she? Suddenly, she remember. She couldn't breathe and then blackness. Feeling someone holding her hand, she looked down and then followed the arm attached to the strange hand up. Kyoya. Her heart fluttered at seeing him and a smile instantly formed on her lips – something it had been doing more often than not lately. She had been waiting to see if he would confess to her, and as of yet, he had not. Normally obtuse when it came to feelings, over the almost two years that she had known him, she had grown to know the man he kept hidden from the world…and she fell for him. His eyes would follow her, his lips would curl in a small smile – not a smirk, not a leer, but a true smile – and he would seek her out to ask her opinion or talk to her when they both found themselves free during club time. Didn't that mean he had feelings for her? Or was she just hoping he did because she had feelings for him? Projection she think they called it.

Wait! She could breathe. She could take a deep breath and it didn't feel as if her ribs would crack under the pressure. Why? Her hands went to her obi and while it was still slung around her midsection, it was loose, too loose to still be tied. "Kyoya?" Her whole question lie there in that one word.

"You fainted from proper lack of air. In order to allow you to breathe, I had undo your obi. Do not worry, we are far enough away from the crowd that no one can see anything. Your virtue remains intact."

"Oh." Why did she feel disappointed? It would have been embarrassing if others had watched Kyoya remove her sash, and if Tamaki or the others had seen…all hell would have broken loose. She shivered at the thought.

Believing her tremor was due to the cold and lying on the near frozen lawn, Kyoya helped her up, "Let me help you tie this again…not so tightly this time."

"You know how to tie an obi?" It was something she had not expected.

"My older sister showed me. We had maids that always helped her, but she wanted to know for herself and forced me to learn with her."

Snickering, Haruhi said, "I can see her doing something like that." She had met his older sister a couple of times in the time she had known him and all Haruhi could think…she was the female version of Tamaki.

He re-tied her obi in record time and made sure it was tight enough to stay put, but not so tight she would faint from lack of oxygen again. "Now, shall we go and find the others?"

That was the last thing she wanted to do. While she loved her friends, she was a woman on a mission tonight. Licking her lips to wet them, she noticed they tasted vaguely like peppermint. She had brushed her teethe long ago and hadn't chewed gum or candy, so how?

"Haruhi?"

"Huh?"

"Shall we go?"

"I like you," she spoke suddenly.

"I like you too. You are one of my few friends," he admitted in hushed tones. He wanted to believe she meant more, however, he would not allow himself to. The Shadow King was scared – not something he would admit or allow anyone else to find out. If he allowed himself to believe otherwise and she meant as just a friend…he would be heartbroken.

Before she could correct his misunderstanding, Tamaki tackled her and swung her around again. Thankfully this time she didn't feel like she was going to hurl due to wearing the equivalent of a medieval corset. And after he arrived with Hikaru and Kaoru, she didn't have an opportunity to tell Kyoya the truth.

"What happened to you?" Hikaru demanded eyeing the Shadow King with suspicion.

"Yeah, we looked back and you weren't there," Kaoru added.

"Did mommy and daughter have a date?" They chortled together. They both knew of Haruhi's infatuation for the club's vice president, and while they were both jealous and a little hurt when they found out, they've had almost six months to come to terms with her feelings. That being said, they still didn't trust Kyoya. He always had an agenda and if something didn't mesh with that, he would discard it. Neither twin wanted to see their friend broken hearted.

"WHAT?" Tamaki screeched. "MOMMY?"

"Don't be an idiot. You were the ones that left us behind. We merely walked around together until the point we could find you."

The blond hesitated before asking, "Do you want to have a date with her?" His barely controlled voice sounded as if it were on the verge of hysteria.

Kyoya's eyes widened. Had Tamaki seen through him? Surely not! He wasn't even exactly sure what his feelings actually were. Luckily, his lenses shielded his reaction, "Why would I want to date her? She's a commoner."

Gasping, Haruhi reacted before she knew what she was doing and slapped him. Her hand stung with the force and his cheek was quickly turning red, but she didn't care and she didn't wait around to see his reaction. Tamaki wasn't the idiot, Kyoya was.