Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club; the rights go to Bisco Hatori-sama. I do, however, own the plot of this story. This work is purely fictional and does not happen in the real plot of OHSHC, except maybe for a few flashback scenes.

Chapter 1 – Midsummer Moonlight

Her Memories…

Memory: The Ootori Tropical Aqua Garden – somewhere in the Jungle.

Problem: Hani was missing, he was engulfed by a giant wave and taken somewhere else; it was (definitely) Tamaki's fault. Mori and Haruhi went to search for him once the rain had stopped.

Slimy brown snakes and snapping crocodiles attacked Haruhi as she tried to follow Mori. She even fell into a deep pond at one point. All of this was because she had decided to help Mori look for Hani. Somehow or rather, it seemed a little too troublesome now, more for her anyway. As though finally sensing that Haruhi – was with him – and was in trouble, Mori stopped and turned around.

"Haruhi," Mori called out.

That's the first time he called me by my name, she thought silently, caught off guard by his voice. She stared questioningly at the Gentle Giant. He picked her up by one arm as though she weighed nothing more than a feather and let her cling to his chest. She flushed a little, realizing that she was a little… happy.

Class finished just two minutes ago and Haruhi was on her way to the Third Music Room. Kyouya had reminded them yesterday that there will be a short meeting about a special event that they were going to host a week from now.

She took her time to get to her destination. Her mind was more preoccupied with trying to decide on what to cook for dinner later. Should I make Katsudon today? I know Dad would like it. I better go to the supermarket later to check this week's special discount items. She continued with her thoughts, oblivious to where she was going when suddenly, there was a thud. The sudden soft impact with something akin to concrete stopped her in her tracks and she staggered back a little.

"What the —" Haruhi looked up to discover that her obstacle was none other than the ever stoic gentle giant. Mori, feeling that something had ran into his back, turned around and saw Haruhi looking up at him.

"Ah, Haruhi," he acknowledged her presence, "Is something wrong? You seem to be out of focus back there. You should look where you were going though." He smiled gently down at her.

"Eh?" Haruhi blinked several times in order to fully understand that Mori just talkedto her, using more words than what she was used to hearing. "Mori…-senpai?" She still had a hard time believing that Mori just talked to her. Then something clicked in her mind. "Mori-senpai, are you… sleepy?" she asked curiously.

"Ah. Now that you mentioned it, I am feeling a bit drowsy at the moment." He laid his broad palm onto her head and ruffled her hair lightly; the rare smile was still planted on his face. It was a sign of affection that didn't appear very often.

"Let's go." He took her by the hand and towed her to the music room.

Haruhi was still shocked and wasn't able to utter a single word out. She just stared at their interlocked hands during the rest of the journey. He's… holding my hand. Mori-senpai… is holding my hand, she said it again and again in her head. I never thought about it before but… Our hands fit perfectly together. A small smile appeared on her lips.

Still feeling dazed – perhaps due to his drowsiness – and unaware of his actions, Mori led the way to the Third Music Room, with Haruhi tagging along behind him. As he opened the door, swirls of rose petals greeted them.

With her hand still in his, he made his way to the farthest red velvet sofa, near the window. He sat down and patted the empty space beside him. "Sit." Haruhi reluctantly obeyed and sat next to him, trying her best not to fidget. The next thing he did really caught her off guard. He laid his head on her lap and closed his eyes and a few seconds later; sleep had overcome him in an instant. Haruhi just stared down at his sleeping face.

Ten minutes passed by.

"He looks really… serene this way…" she muttered absently.

She hesitantly lowered her fingers to his hair, clenching and unclenching her fingers until she decided that it seemed safe enough. So, she slowly but cautiously ran her fingers through his hair, feeling every single strand; soft against the skin of her hand.

He stirred in his sleep by her comforting gesture, and turned his face towards her body. In an act he wouldn't have done if he had been awake, he wrapped his left arm around her waist, a little too possessively. "Haruhi…" he mumbled unconsciously. Haruhi was beyond flustered. Her heart pounded as Mori's arm made a warm impression against her skin through her clothes. Somehow though, a tiny blossom of happiness seeped into her fluttering heartbeats. Gingerly, she continued to run her fingers through his hair with gentle motions, mindful of keeping a goofy smile off her face.

On the other side of the room, Hani grinned happily while enjoying his sweet pastries. He was absolutely thrilled when he saw Mori and Haruhi as they entered the Third Music Room together, hand in hand. He knew his cousin was probably sleepy, otherwise he wouldn't have done what he just did, but he also knew that his cousin liked the shorthaired brunette. Kyouya had also noticed the pair, even though he didn't look up from his laptop, but his fingers were working much faster than before on the keyboard. Tamaki and the twins' jaws had dropped to the floor. Hikaru was fuming and wanted to go over and separate them, but Kaoru held him back, laughing. Tamaki's soul had departed his body in tears and he was now an empty human shell, as he could only stare… in envy.

…Enter Tamaki's Inner Mind Theatre…

"Iyaaaaa! Mori-senpai!" Haruhi complained playfully and turned her face sideways, hiding her flushed face. "Let go of my waist, senpai!" She tried to push his arm away playfully.

"Eh? No, Haruhi. I will not let go." Mori tightened his arm around her and grinned cheekily. His eyes were full of mischief.

Tamaki's mind worked idiotic wonders. This was how he had imagined the scenario had played out from the situation he witnessed five minutes ago. During this – unfortunate mental handicap and what doctors deemed – denial of reality, Tamaki saw (actually, imagined what he saw) Haruhi, his pure innocent daughter's virtue, being corrupted by the third year senior, Morinozuka Takashi.

This wild assumption he made from his stilted idiotic imaginings gave him such a hard blow to his head that it had sent him flying a few yards away with the sudden impact.

Just as he was about to get up from the floor, his imaginations worked their wondrous ways again. This time, Haruhi was in the arms of the perpetrator, Mori. The senior tilted her body at a slight angle and leaned in closer… closer… closer… until they were only inches apart from each other's lips.

"Haruhi…" Mori whispered her name softly.

"Mori-senpai…" she whispered in the same manner as he did.

…Back to reality…

Mori stirred again in his sleep and Haruhi, her fingers still locked in a repeated motion through his hair continued to comfort and soothe him, like a mother would to her child. This kind of gesture reminded her of the time when her mother had been alive. Whenever Haruhi stirred in her sleep, her mother would run her fingers through her hair softly, calming her and soothing her at the same time.

A soft smile lingered on Haruhi's lips each time Mori mumbled something incoherent in his sleep. 'He's been sleeping for a while now…' she silently thought. 'I think I might be here for a while, I don't want to wake him up though. He seemed really tired back then.'

She needed to text her father up to tell him she'd be a little late today. She carefully took her cell phone out. She maneuvered her hand skillfully, so as not to wake the sleeping senior on her lap. With a short text sent, Haruhi took a deep breath as she contemplated something else. Cautiously, her index finger only lingering in the air for a moment's worth, she traced it softly along his jaw line to his cheekbone, repeating the movement. His arm tightened around her waist ever more slightly with the contact as he rubbed his cheek against her thighs in comfort.

Her phone beeped. Deftly, Haruhi read the incoming text message from her father. She thanked him silently as she read his text message, -No worries! I'll cook dinner for myself later. Don't rush home! Take all the time you need, Haruhi!-. Haruhi smiled and tucked the phone away.

It was getting pretty late and school time was almost over. "Haru-chan," Hani whispered softly as he suddenly appeared beside her. She tilted her head slightly and stared at the small senior, looking at him questioningly. What is it? she asked, her eyes conveying the question for her.

Hani held up a paper with his two small hands and tilted his head to one-side. It read, 'Haru-chan, me and the others are gonna go home, 'kay? Will that be alright with you?' Haruhi smiled and nodded in reply. Hani grinned widely and cute pink flowers appeared suddenly from thin air and danced around his chibi head.

He held up another paper, but this time it was smaller. It read, 'Take care of Takashi, ne?' She nodded again in reply. Hani grinned even wider in reply and waved goodbye as he skipped out the door. Following suit were the twins, they waved impassively towards her (well, actually just Hikaru. Kaoru didn't want to but he didn't want to offend Hikaru's feelings) and walked, in sync, out the door; Hikaru was still in his bad mood. Finally, Kyouya, along with the empty human shell Tamaki in one hand (dragged, more like), waved goodbye, smirking for a full two seconds and pushed his glasses up, and went out the door.

The Third Music Room was really quiet now as shadows elongated. The night chased away any traces of the evening sun as a full moon ascended into the sky, a bright and stunning backdrop to the Sakura gardens in the courtyard. An owl hooted in the distance. Haruhi sighed contently and stared out the large window. The soft glow of the midsummer's moonlight emanated through the windowpanes, basking them in its beauty.

The sakura trees swayed gently as the wind blew. "This is really peaceful; the scenery is beautiful too. I can stay like this forever…"

She smiled down at the boy sleeping on her lap. She watched his breathing, it was really rhythmic and hypnotic and slowly her eyes began to droop heavily. Haruhi shook her head lightly, trying to stay awake. She even tried to stifle a yawn, but with no luck.

Alas, sleep overcame her eventually. Her fingers were still through his hair, placing them there before she dozed off. She laid her head back and finally drifted off into her dreams.

It was past midnight, Mori slowly adjusted his eyes to the mild darkness. He wondered where he was for a moment, taking in his surroundings. Just then he noticed the soft 'pad' his head laid on and looked up to see… Haruhi? She was peacefully sleeping with her head in her hand. Her breathing was slow and steady. He then noticed the position he was in; his left arm was around her waist and her fingers were laid through his hair. A slight pink blush crept up his cheeks. He smiled gently at the sleeping girl above him.

How long were we asleep? he thought silently, and then something made him realized. She's still here… Even though she could've gone home earlier… his thoughts trailed off.

Did she stay here… for my sake? She could've wakened me up though… but she chose to stay instead…

Mori was speechless, though this came naturally to him; he was a person of few words. He stared at her questioningly, trying to straighten his thoughts. He slowly pulled his left arm from her waist, careful not to wake her up. Then he lifted his finger and stroked Haruhi's cheekbone softly. Mori froze when Haruhi stirred slightly in her sleep. When it seemed the gesture didn't wake her, he exhaled slowly in relief.

He slowly got up from her lap, being really careful not to wake her. He stretched his body to ease the stiffness of his muscles. Then he turned around to look at her again, studying her in her sleep. Her bangs parted slightly to the right, softly caressing her skin. Her eyelashes were long and thick, forming twin crescent moons on her cheeks. The ends of her hair, which was crushed against the sofa, curled up slightly, giving her a pixie-like look. Her pink lips were parted slightly as she breathed.

She's so… breath-taking.

Mori lifted her up slowly, one hand hooked behind her knees while the other supported her back, and gently laid her down again on the sofa. Now, her body is positioned more comfortably, when she wakes up later, she wouldn't have any muscle cramps caused from sitting for too long.

The red sofa was big enough for two people to lie down. Fortunately, it was also long enough for Mori's tall posture. He lay down beside her and gently lifted her head so he could place his right arm under it. Then he turned his body slowly towards hers and placed his left arm between them. Mori gazed longingly at Haruhi and whispered, "I love you… Haruhi."

Just then, she stirred again in her sleep and turned her body towards Mori's. Mori held in his breathe and stilled his body, wondering whether she had heard his confession. When he was sure she was still asleep, he exhaled in relief though did this nothing to stop his heart rate from increasing. Her face was mere inches from him… and her lips… Mori could only stare and swallow as he watched them parting invitingly when she breathed.

It was what she did next that really caught him off his guard and his heart nearly stopped beating right there and then.

She snuggled closer to his body and took hold of his left arm between them and placed it near her chest. Mori inhaled sharply, he almost coughed but held it in, although his chest was slightly aching from the sharp intake and what with his heart trying to leap out. He could feel her heart beat. Thump. Thump, thump. Thump. Thump, thump. He was somewhat amazed by this and he could feel a smile tugging on his lips. He moved in closer and caught a whiff of her scent. Strawberries, he smiled knowingly, I should have known.

As the time passed by, sleep overcame him too and he drifted off to his dreams with Haruhi snuggled close to his chest.

Author's Note
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, lemme know what you think of it through the reviews! ^^

[Edited: 16th June 2014]
[Edited: 22nd July 2014]
[Edited: 26th September 2014]

[FINAL Edit: 1st January 2015]