The boys had been wondering about Haruhi for a while now. She hadn't been showing up to school lately, and she refused to open the door when they visited her apartment. She made no effort whatsoever to contact them or return to Ouran Academy; not even when they tempted her with fancy tuna or when Kyoya resorted to blackmailing her with an increase in her debt. This only signaled that something serious had happened to her, so the club's worry increased each day.

"I wonder what's happened to Haru-chan," Hunny said as he half-heartedly nibbled on a piece of cake.

It was the third week of Haruhi's absence. Tamaki was pacing around and around, trying to wear a hole in the floor, mumbling frantically to himself. Kyoya was scanning his notebook and his laptop simultaneously; Mori sat silently near his cousin, trying to comfort poor Hunny; and the twins…

"Sorry we're late," two voices came as the door creaked open and shut again.

"The rate of your tardiness has been escalating recently," Kyoya noted, looking up at the lithe-bodied redheads that now took a seat casually at the nearest sofa. Kaoru and Hikaru didn't seem to mind his comment, and only brushed Tamaki off when he began to reprimand them.

The blonde was fretting wildly about 'his daughter.'

"You two," he told off. "Instead of acting so shady all the time, why don't you help us bring back our Haruhi? What's the use of your 'buddy plan' if you don't text her at all?"

Hikaru shrugged. "She's not going to reply anyway."

"How would you know?"

"Hey, she didn't reply to you either, boss. Then again… Maybe that's only because it's you."

While Tamaki was huddled up in his corner of woe, the twins found themselves surrounded by the rest of the Host Club.

"Hika-chan, Kao-chan, I can't believe you guys!" Hunny wailed. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say to Tama-chan! And anyway, isn't Haru-chan your best friend? How come you don't seem to care at all?"

Mori grunted.

Kyoya adjusted his spectacles. "I would've thought you'd be just as worried as Tamaki. Unless of course," the light glared on his glasses. "Unless of course, you two know something about why she's been gone."

Amber eyes flicked toward each other for a fraction of a second.

"Aha!" Tamaki pointed at them accusingly. "I knew that you two had something to do with this!"

"What are you trying to say?" Hikaru stood up defensively.

But their club leader was already off ranting. "…always knew you two were no good, you've probably done something horrible to my poor Haruhi…"

Hikaru snarled and grabbed his twin's wrist.

"Hey! Hika—"

"Come on, Kaoru. We're leaving! I'm tired of being blamed by that idiot all the time!"

He slammed the door behind them.

"Did you see that, Mama?" Tamaki seethed. "Those two—"

"I was merely asking them a question. But you did accuse them, Tamaki."

That sent the blonde back to his dark corner.

--

Hikaru flung his bag on the floor and sprawled out on his bed, finding sanctuary in their room at last. His brother followed suit in a much calmer way.

"What was up with you back there?" Kaoru asked his still fuming counterpart.

"You heard what the boss was going at! Pointing fingers again! I'm sick and tired of it!"

"So am I, Hikaru, but..." Kaoru grimaced a bit. "It is kinda our fault this time."

Hikaru sat up with a pained expression. "You think I don't know that? It's the reason why I feel so…"

He pummeled an innocent pillow before burying his face in it.

Hikaru's voice was muffled. "So what do we do now?"

"You're asking me?" Kaoru put an arm around him before answering quietly. "I don't know."

--

Much to (almost) everyone's delight, Haruhi finally made her appearance the next day. The twins were surprised to see her seat filled when they walked in the classroom. They weren't sure what to say, but words weren't needed. Haruhi ignored them.

She turned up during club hours, too. Of course, Tamaki fussed relentlessly over her, Hunny wanted to stuff her with cake, and the guests were so happy at her comeback that they made quite a ruckus around her. They were all so overcome with excitement that they barely noticed her unusual level of silence that day.

When the last of the ladies had left, the Host Club gathered around Haruhi as they sipped tea.

Tamaki started cuddling her. "Daddy missed you so much! Give me a hug; come on now…"

She pulled away.

"Something wrong, Haru-chan?" Hunny inquired, his voice tinged with childish concern.

"You do look a little off, Haruhi," remarked Kyoya as he scribbled on his notebook. "Should I arrange for a doctor?"

She shook her head.

Tamaki gazed at her with anxious eyes. "Why are you being so quiet today? Aren't you happy to see us?"

Haruhi lifted her brown eyes up at them. When she opened her mouth to speak to the boys for the first time in three weeks, the Host Club's immediate reaction was to choke on their tea.

Hunny clapped both hands to his mouth, Mori's eyes widened, and Kyoya's pen snapped in half.

"You're WHAT?!" someone screamed. But it wasn't Tamaki (who was twitching in a berserk fashion, rendering him temporarily speechless). Everyone's attention fell on the Hitachiin brothers.

Kaoru and Hikaru looked absolutely petrified. Both of them had paled significantly. The younger of the two recovered quicker and found his tongue first after a moment that felt like eternity.

"Haruhi…" Kaoru began weakly. He looked at his brother for support, but Hikaru's face was turning whiter than sheets by the second.

"Could you say that again, Haruhi?" Kyoya cut in sharply. He looked like the only one with his wits about him at the moment.

Haruhi took a breath. "I'm pregnant."

"Who's the father?"

She glowered at the twins in response, and it was like another bomb had been dropped on all their heads. Mouths were gaping and pupils dilated, ears were strained to hear every word.

"Is it Kaoru or Hikaru?" the bespectacled boy pressed on as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Chocolate eyes lowered to the ground. For the first time, she couldn't answer. She couldn't tell which one.

But suddenly Tamaki leapt up, screeching wildly, a butter knife from one of the tables in his hand.

"Does it even matter?! I'll kill them both!"

--

After they had calmed the blonde down (which took a considerable amount of time), Haruhi found herself in the hot seat. The twins had decided to keep their lips zipped, Tamaki was being held by Mori and Hunny under Kyoya's command.

Once again, Kyoya questioned Haruhi. "Kaoru or Hikaru?"

"I don't know," she replied bluntly.

"But you've always been able to tell them apart!" Hunny exclaimed.

"Senpai, it's not a question of telling them apart this time."

Eyebrows were raised at the twins' direction, and Kyoya looked skeptically from them to Haruhi and back, asking a silent question, and she answered it in equal silence.

"Alright we'll leave this here," Kyoya sighed. "Since it's the weekend anyway, we'll discuss matters sometime then."

As everyone stood up to leave, Tamaki gave the two redheads a piercing stare which didn't go unnoticed.

--

Hikaru's fist was clenched in his lap, and he was looking defiantly at Kyoya and Tamaki. His twin brother was staring at the floor. They were in the Ootori estate; the raven-haired young master of the place had talked (blackmailed) them into going there first thing on Saturday morning.

"So, will you enlighten us on this little mishap, or do we have to exert force here?" Kyoya asked coolly.

"What's to explain?" Hikaru snapped, standing up. "You know, this is a waste of time—"

"You're not going anywhere!" Tamaki was livid. "How did it happen?"

"Really now, boss." The older twin managed a smirk. "You want the details?"

Smack.

"Hikaru! Boss!"

Kaoru knelt down beside his brother and was now looking reproachfully at Tamaki, who was cracking his knuckles in a very ungentlemanly way.

"You know you deserve it, you sassy bastard!"

Kyoya signaled him to stop. "Tamaki, there's no need to go overboard here…"

"No need to go overboard?! Kyoya, do you know what they've done to our darling girl?!"

"Actually, I have a vague idea." He faced the twins now. "Kaoru, I think you'd do a better job of telling us the whole story. Please, go on."

Glancing apologetically at his twin, Kaoru started to give the explanation.

It had been the weekend of the finals, he said. He and his brother had the idea of picking Haruhi up and bringing her over to their mansion to do a study group (at this, Tamaki made an impatient noise, but his best friend shushed him). So they snatched Haruhi and brought her over, and they really were studying for a while. They didn't even notice that it had already turned dark outside. When Haruhi was about to go home though, the thunderstorm came up—

"Are you seriously hearing this Kyoya?!"

"Can it. One more interruption from you, and I swear… Continue, Kaoru."

He went on. So, the thunderstorm. Well, they couldn't let her go home then, could they? Besides, Kaoru reasoned, Haruhi was so terrified that they had to carry her to the room (and here Tamaki bit his lip in an effort to not interrupt though he really wanted to burst out in a fit). And then, well… That's where it happened. The two of them got carried away, he supposed.

Kaoru trailed off here somewhat lamely and gave his brother a sheepish glance. Hikaru at least, seemed to have calmed down a bit throughout his twin's account. Kyoya only looked at them both observantly before giving a curt nod.

"Very well then, you may go."

Tamaki was enraged that Kyoya had let them go so easily, but the cool type just shooed him into the car a minute after the twins had left. They had heard the brothers' side of the story; now for Haruhi.

A/N: Hahaha, I could not resist. So, tell me... Is it interesting or what? It's still got some way to go... And since I got no school for two motnhs then you can sue me if I don't update this thing. x]

Oh, and I know the first half might look like some serious drama, but the story will get lighter, maybe after the next chapter. Heehee. ^^

l
l
V