"You do realize that school is ending soon," Kyouya remarked offhandedly. He and Tamaki were dressing in yet another of the Lord's ridiculous outfits. Haruhi and the twins were suspiciously late, and Mori-Senpai and Huny-Senpai had finished changing already. Tamaki looked up from the tie he was tying.
"And…?"
"We're going to college after next year, and Mori-Senpai and Huny-Senpai are leaving this year. By now I assumed you would have at least made some form of complaint that the twins will be the only ones left with Haruhi in a year." Kyouya looked up in time to see Tamaki's jaw hit the floor.
"Or not…" he muttered to himself. "If he didn't think about it… idiot amongst idiots…"
"WHAT?"
"Tamaki, don't tell me you didn't think about this. Haruhi isn't a junior, remember? She and the twins don't graduate next year." Kyouya looked at him in slight amazement. "I knew he was a baka, but I forgot he was this stupid." His mutters did not reach Tamaki's ears. He sighed and walked out the door, leaving the room to the shocked Tamaki.
Haruhi quickened her pace to get away from the twins. They were going on about their latest prank, and she wasn't in the mood for their chattering just then. They were already late and Senpai was bound to be annoyed.
Senpai… he had not called her his daughter in a long time. Ever since that incident with that Éclair girl… he had been acting odd. The hosts kept muttering about a confession and Huny-Senpai had asked almost every day "did he ask yet" until Mori-Senpai told him to stop interfering. Hikaru had been particularly moody, and Kaoru had been avoiding her almost, including her questions. Kyouya was the only one acting normal it seemed…if his usual dark nature was to be considered normal. And even he had given her a look now and then. She was getting tired of all the strangeness and she almost wished she were still in debt…if that was even what this was all about. But she had the feeling it was something else…
She sighed and opened the door to the third music room. Inside stood the hosts and their admirers dressed in some sort of coat and tie get-up, except far too elaborate for her to even begin to guess what the theme was that day. Kyouya looked up from his papers and raised an eyebrow.
"The twins insisted I wait while they tortured someone," she said apologetically. Kyouya glanced at them, and then shook his head.
"If you can get Tamaki out of there, go change," was all he said, obviously not interested as long as he got her business as soon as possible. Well, Kyouya-Senpai was Kyouya-Senpai. The other half of his sentence registered then.
"Senpai won't come out?" Kyouya shrugged, although she saw that glint of humor in his eye. So he'd done something to Senpai…probably something cruel…and he was in his little corner. She let out a sigh. She usually didn't bother with Tamaki's ridiculousness, but she needed to change. She realized she would have to go and do something. "Oi…I'll get him out."
"Tell him he has customers waiting," grumbled Kyouya. Haruhi rolled her eyes and walked into the smaller room where they all changed. Tamaki was sitting down on the floor, his tie undone and rolled in his hands. He looked up when she came in.
"Senpai, Kyouya-Senpai says to tell you that your customers are outside waiting."
"What does that matter…" he mumbled. Haruhi looked at him strangely. This was worse than his usual moodiness. "They're not you…"
"Senpai?" Haruhi asked. She wasn't quite sure what he meant. Or was he saying...
"Mori-Senpai…Huny-Senpai…you alone with those…!" He looked up, obviously distraught.
"Nani?"
"College…Haruhi, promise me…those two… in my absence! You must not forget…!" Haruhi looked at him. She had only caught half of his mumbled sentence.
"Who, Hikaru and Kaoru? But they're… oooh. That's what this is about…you're worried about me being late? Hikaru and Kaoru kept me after classes. Don't worry, I didn't forget about the host club. I'm just a little late." The Prince looked at her and then sunk lower onto the floor. "Oh, come on, I've been late before." She was getting annoyed, and she glared at him.
"Mumble mumble…"
"I can't understand you or help you when you're like this Senpai! Get up! Now what did Kyouya-Senpai do to you to make you like this?!" Haruhi cried, frustrated with his ridiculous self-pity. She was getting tired of this act.
"Haru-chan, Kyouya-senpai didn't do anything," announced Huny-Senpai from Mori-Senpai's shoulders.
"The Lord just realized that they're going to college," started Kaoru, pointing at Huny-Senpai and Mori-Senpai.
"And that you'll be alone with us…" continued Hikaru,
"For a whole year," they finished together. Tamaki rose up slowly, seemingly unnoticed by the twins, who were chattering away about what fun they would have while being all alone, but too bad they had to wait a year. That is, he was seemingly unnoticed until they were hurled against the wall by him.
"Stay away from my Haruhi!" he roared at them. They cringed, then looked towards Haruhi.
"It worked. The Lord is up," they proclaimed.
"Onegai, go satisfy those starry eyed girls outside," Haruhi pleaded, annoyed. She didn't like when the three of them bickered over her. Tamaki glanced up, now angry.
"Seeing as I am unwanted and unneeded, I think I will. It's nice to be appreciated by such beautiful young girls," he said loudly so everyone in the next room could hear him. A few girls swooned as he walked out and put his charming face on.
"Tamaki, let me fix your tie for you…" Haruhi heard as the door slammed closed. She went into the stall and closed the curtain, talking as she dressed.
"What's his problem?" she called to them. Mori-Senpai grunted uncomfortably, and there was silence. Finally, Huny-Senpai spoke.
"Well, he sees us as his family, and we're graduating this year. Also…Tama-chan likes you, but he's too stupid to know it, or say anything about it."
"Of course he likes me…but what's his problem?" she said, thinking. She couldn't remember when exactly she had known. She thought back to all the times that he'd been there for her. He'd saved her life twice, and she'd saved him too somehow. He didn't know what he did for people, and he didn't know when he couldn't handle it himself. He was used to being the hero, and wasn't suited to being saved, but yet when he was saved he still didn't know. He was oblivious to his own talents… and also oblivious to the fact that he couldn't do it all on his won.
She thought back to the first time she'd noticed this. It was back at the beach, when she'd confronted those two who were harassing those girls. She didn't remember what happened. All she remembered was falling, and she remembered as she hit the water she saw a figure outlined in the sky above her. And then she remembered waking up in his arms, and then he set her down and started yelling at her. And then he'd walked in on her and Kyouya-Senpai…talking… and then the storm had hit.
She had been afraid of storms ever since she could remember. And she had always dealt with it alone. She had been brought up to deal with everything alone, as she was forced to take care of her father and herself when she was very young, when her mother died. But he had opened that door and stood there with his hand out… and she'd jumped when the thunder hit...
It had felt good to be held, comforted. She'd never had someone to hold onto, a pillar of strength when she fell. She was usually that person for others, the calm one when everyone else lost their heads. But when she had fallen there was never anyone to catch her…until that day. And he had pretty much kept that promise that he had made. When he lost sight of who he was, the club was always there to help him. But that day she had saved him by reminding him of what he was to everyone. By letting him save her she reminded him that he was the pillar of strength, the one who had saved them all. And she was sure that something had changed in him that day. A small change, but a change nonetheless. She was beginning to try and put her finger on what exactly this change was when the twins sighed and broke her out of her reverie.
"This girl is," started Hikaru,
"Hopeless!" they said together.
"What he means is the Lord loves you," said Kaoru, "in a way that is beyond family love." Hikaru said nothing. She came out with the costume on, staring at the twins incredulously. Did they think she was Senpai?
"I wouldn't say love, but yes, I know…. but why is he so upset?"
"He doesn't know how to articulate what he feels," continued Kaoru, although both twins were looking slightly guilty and uncomfortable. Hikaru turned away. "You see… we were going to make it a contest-" He stopped short. Hikaru looked at him with wide eyes, and Huny-Senpai and Mori-Senpai were staring at him.
"We were going to bet to see when he confessed!" snapped Hikaru, glaring at Kaoru. He bit his lip and fell silent. Hikaru turned back to her. "But this wasn't ours to tell you, and I'm annoyed at you, Kaoru, for telling her."
"Gomen…" he muttered, but trailed off at the end. Hikaru continued to glare at him, and then he too stalked out and slammed the door…right in Kaoru's face. Haruhi watched in horror as Kaoru swung the door open and ran after him, knowing that this time it was not a fake fight, and that Hikaru was truly very angry with Kaoru for some reason. She knew it was not just because Kaoru had told Tamaki's secret as he would be mad at Huny-Senpai as well. It was something about the competition he was going to mention. Huny-Senpai's eyes widened as he looked at the closed door.
"They're fighting for real this time, aren't they?" Hikaru nodded slowly. "Haru-chan…It's all my fault, I shouldn't have said anything…I don't want them to fight. I don't want Tama-chan to be angry…" He paused and looked at her, a thought occurring.
"All four of them like you, you know that right?" Mori-Senpai cocked his head and looked at her too. Her brows furrowed as the realized what he had asked.
"Four…of them? But besides Senpai and as I had supposed, the twins, there's only…" Her jaw dropped. "KYOUYA?!!!!"
The door opened to admit the Shadow King. He looked in on the scene in front of him, then turned to Haruhi.
"What?" he asked calmly. She looked at him, shocked, and then realized she had said his name rather loudly. She looked at him, unable to close her mouth.
"…uh?" was all she could manage. Mori-Senpai looked up, and seeing that his two companions were unable to speak and that Kyouya was not leaving, he realized he had to say something. Haruhi was surprised when he thrust away his taciturnity and spoke.
"Mitsukuni was just suggesting that you shared…. Hikaru's feelings for her." Haruhi looked at him in shock, as she had not expected him to tell the truth either. Kyouya also turned to him. His face remained carefully composed, but then he let out a chuckle. His face was unreadable, and she could not tell if the laugh was fake or not.
"That's all? Haruhi, what do you think?"
"I think he's out of his mind…" she muttered tetchily, but Kyouya laughed again.
"Soka, can we please all go and do what we're here for? The three of them will be fine." Mori-Senpai nodded, then lifted Huny-Senpai and left the room.
"Sorry for the trouble…"
"There's nothing you can do about them graduating. They'll be missed, and we'll loose a bit of business, but, what can I do? As for the other issue…as long as you make a decision soon and don't let it hurt business…I don't care. But think over everything carefully please. Personally, I'm confident enough about who you'll pick that I'm willing to bet against you, even, as I'm sure you don't know what you're going to do yet. But I won't bother, as you don't have the money." Haruhi kept staring at him for a while, and then she too left the room, albeit almost in a daze. She did not see the shadow that passed over Kyouya's face as he watched her leave.