On the Arm of Darkness:

Summary: It was the last thing any of them had expected. They had been unaware of any connection between the two during high school, romantic or otherwise. It was strange enough that she had a romantic connection with anyone, least of all him. However, there she was. On the arm of darkness himself.

A/N: Ahhhh! I love this pairing too much! How many fics must I write until I exhaust my inspiration for it?

... Probably too many. Anyway, rejoice! This fic doesn't involve mythology at all (Well, maybe a mention- it works so well with this couple)! Hrm... unless you consider it a sequel to Portraying Pluto... but I wrote those two in a different style, so probably not.

Ah, one-shots. My one true love.

It wasn't so much that she was with him- alright, it was- it was more that she hadn't thought to tell any of them. When asked, she simply said that it "hadn't come up". How could it have come up? If she didn't mention anything of the sort, how were they to not assume she was still single? Did she not understand what a shock it would be to them to find out the way they did?

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make."

They had all come to the gala around the same time, and had met her on their way to the door. It had surprised them enough to see her there- but if he was going to invite them on no further basis than that they were schoolmates, why not invite her? That explanation had made sense to all of them, though a certain dark haired, glasses-wearing young man had sensed something odd about it. They chattered on happilly enough on their way in. They rarely saw each other all together since the four older ones had graduated. The three younger ones among them were only just nearing graduation, so they saw each other frequently. This, of course, only added to their shock.

"In the past year and a half, I have been happier than I had ever dreamt of being."

It occured to a few of them how strange it was that she was wearing a dress. After all, the man holding this party knew her as a young man, and there were surely students from Ouran at the party as well. How odd, as well, that the man opening the door adressed her with such familiarity, and the title of "-sama". She greeted him by name, surprising her friends further. He asked if he should announce her arrival, and she quickly refused to be announced. She explained that she didn't want a big deal made of her being there. Confusion ran wild in her friends' minds- save for one, who had more or less figured it out.

"I have found the person I want to walk beside forever, in shadow and in light."

When asked if she and her friends would need a guide, she replied that she knew her way around the mansion, and would guide her friends herself. She had been to the mansion before? She had been there often enough to know her way around? When had this happened? They exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, but for some reason did not think to ask her directly. She was greeted warmly by the aristocracy as they entered the gala, and treated like a guest of honor. Little Kirimi rushed over to them in a fit of joy, but instead of adressing Tamaki, as they might have expected, she squealed a happy, "Haru-nee!" Oh, thought her friends, clinging to this for an explanation as she chatted easily with the blonde child, She must have made friends with Kirimi-chan. That explains it.

"And, with the approval of my parents- and the grudging approval of her father- I have asked for her hand in marriage."

Their peace of mind was broken again as Kirimi said, "Onii-san has been waiting for you, Haru-nee! He's right over there!" The lighting in the room was rather dim, which explained how he could be comfortably talking to guests without his cloak or wig. When he looked up and saw her, he shocked them all. A warm smile spread across his face, his eyes softening. He offered a gentle wave, which she returned with just as warm a smile. But what was this? When had they become such fast friends? Such close friends that he invited her to the gala that he was holding to announce his engagement? Her friends did not understand at all. When had this happened, away from their notice?

"She is here tonight as my honored guest, and I would like to present her to you."

She shook her head at this part of his speech, and her friends heard her wonder, "why he had to make such a big deal of it". Did she know this mystery girl? Much to the shock of her bewildered friends, he offered his hand to her, and she rose from her seat to take that hand and go to his side. How could this be? It made no sense at all! There was no way this could be true! Yet it was happening before their eyes: She was holding the hand of the shadows, on the arm of darkness itself.

"Friends and honored guests, I would like to introduce my fiancee, Fujioka Haruhi-san. We will be married following her graduation from Ouran."

"Someone couldn't wait until we had finished college." She added. smiling at her "fiancee".

"Well, you might meet some handsome fool who might try to steal you away while you were at college, and then I'd have to curse him into oblivion. One must move quickly to avoid casualties."

"So you say, Umehito."

She smiled at her good friends, not seeming to notice the shock on all but one of their faces. How could they have predicted this, of all things? They didn't match, it didn't work- right? Did they match, after all?

... She was happy. They supposed that was enough.

Kirimi grinned at the Host Club, saying. "See? Now Kirimi has a princely big brother and princess-ly big sister!"

A/N: If I didn't love using this style, I would hate it. GAH! Pronouns! I think the only people referred to by name in the narration are Tamaki and Kirimi, because it was unavoidable. Still, referring to the entire Host Club with pronouns was what really killed me. Why do I love torturing myself like this? Am I a masochist? A masochist?

Oh, hey- I ended up not referencing mythology! How very odd. Hahhh... It should be illegal how much I love this pairing. Also implied romance. I heart implied or understated romance. Eee!