The wedding reception was larger than she had wanted it to be. But that was to be expected considering it was for Haruhi and that the Host Club had planned it. She got her wish for a small, quiet ceremony, but she had to give in to the demands from the men to plan her reception. Most of the men had at one time or another wished they were the one to stand as her groom, but Morinozuka Takashi was the one to stand there. That was because he was the one who had found out her secret, the one who helped her, and most importantly, the one who she fell in love with.

… Four months ago …

"Haruhi! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you that you got valedictorian. And your speech was awe-inspiring. Just think, even years from now, everyone who had the privilege of hearing it will remember it in their times of trial and take heart."

While Haruhi had come to expect a certain amount of excess from Tamaki and was usually able to ignore his embarrassing antics, this time, she couldn't stop her embarrassment from showing. With the excitement of the last of them graduating, Tamaki was more than a bit hyper. She felt a little better since the rest of the original Host Club were standing with her. They inadvertently provided a bit of screening between her and the rest of the crowd. But even if the other graduating students and their families couldn't see her red face, that wasn't the case for her friends.

"Don't you think you're going overboard, Tono?" Kaoru asked, noticing her discomfort.

Hikaru quickly picked up his twin's cue but wasn't as tactful. "Yeah, do you really think anyone's going to remember a two minute speech during the rest of the excitement of graduating?" He seemed to realize how it sounded and tried to recover. "No offense, Haruhi. It was a great speech and all, but no one ever really remembers these things as anything other than a bunch of people sitting with you while you wait to get a piece of paper that says you graduated. And afterwards, all the presents you get from your family."

It was a bad recovery. Haruhi could only think sourly, Gee, thanks, Hikaru.

Honey seemed to have picked up on her irritation and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of afterwards, are we still heading out for Hikaru and Kaoru's place in a little bit?"

Since it was their graduation, Hikaru and Kaoru's mother suggested they have an extended weekend party to celebrate. She offered their vacation house in the Karuizawa area. It was going to be the last time they'd have a chance for everyone to get together for a trip easily. While Hikaru and Kaoru were still going to be nearby, they had decided that Ouran University wouldn't be the best school for them. They had been accepted to one that had a fantastic fashion department. Unfortunately, it had a slightly different vacation schedule and she would no longer see them every day. However, she knew that things change and life moves on but that no matter what, they'd stay friends.

Haruhi turned to look at Kyouya for the answer to Honey's question out of reflex. Well, he IS the master planner for everyone, she told herself when she briefly wondered why. But she caught him watching her just as he was pushing up his glasses. He looked down at his tablet that he had upgraded to from his notebook since starting college, seemingly to verify information.

Lately, she noticed that he had been paying a little more attention to her, standing a little closer, than normal. Granted, they don't see each other as much since he and Tamaki graduated, but when everyone gets together, he has been acting just a little bit out of the ordinary. She tried shrugging it off, telling herself it was just her imagination, but she couldn't help but be just a little more aware of him now. She wasn't quite comfortable with it, but she figured he had something bothering him and might have been unconsciously seeking her out for some kind of reassurance. Although, why he would seek her out and not Tamaki, she didn't know. Trying to figure it out usually gave her a headache, so she tried to keep the question out of her mind.

Kyouya cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention and pulling Haruhi out of her thoughts. "Yes, if we want to get there before dark, we should be leaving within the hour. I recommend everyone take the opportunity to say goodbye to their families now." With that, he raised an eyebrow to Tamaki.

Tamaki sobered only a bit, and with a cry of "Yes, of course," he bustled off to find his father and grandmother, who were there due to their involvement with the school.

Haruhi quickly left to find her father. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hikaru and Kaoru weaving through the crowd. She wondered if they knew they were being followed by the rest of the crew.

Haruhi was glad that Tamaki was finally acknowledged as the Suou heir, even if his grandmother still had reservations about him. He had started working with his father a few afternoons a week, as his classes allowed, and from what he's told her, he might even be starting a small project of his own soon. Haruhi hoped he'd do well. She really wanted all of her friends to succeed, but he and Kyouya had it the hardest. Tamaki still had to prove to the rest of the company that he wasn't an idiot and that his birth wouldn't bring shame to the Suous' corporation. Kyouya still had to prove to his father that he was best choice to take over the Ootori Empire.

She reached her father, finally, and she wasn't surprised when he pulled her into a joyful hug. He had been doing that every chance he got for the last several days.

"Have I told you how proud I am of you? Valedictorian at Ouran High School!" he asked.

Haruhi smiled into his shoulder. "About three hundred times, so far."

"Well, I am," he chuckled out. Ranka pulled back and looked down at her with a soft smile. "Your mother would be, too."

This, too, wasn't the first time he said that, but it still brought a lump to her throat. "Thanks, Dad." Haruhi gave a sigh and changed the subject. If they kept on it, she'd end up crying, and she didn't want to do that in public. "So, Dad, are you sure you don't mind me disappearing so quickly today? I'm sure I can talk the guys into letting me come a day later, if you want. We're going to be gone for almost five days, so I don't think they'd mind too much."

Ranka beamed at her. "No, honey! Go enjoy yourself! I'll be fine." He paused for a second and then continued a little more quietly, "I know I've said this before, but just remember, you and those boys are growing up. You're not kids, anymore. So please, just remember to act like the responsible person I know you are."

Haruhi sighed again. Apparently, this was a day for repeating himself. She didn't understand why he was emphasizing them growing up, though. She knew it. Hell, she saw it every time she saw the older guys, again. They acted just that little bit more adult than last time, even if it was a little harder to tell with Kyouya or Mori. They always had been mature.

But she once again gave her father the reassurance he asked for. "Yes, Dad. I know we're growing up. Hell, Tamaki-senpai, especially, has worked so hard these past years to live up to his goals. It's hard for me to make the comparison between now and when I first met him. But that's true for all of them. They've all grown up so much in the past three years. I can see it every time we get together. I feel so privileged to see it in them. I just hope that I've matured just as much as they have. I want to be someone that they can be proud of, someone that you and Mom can be proud of. I know that you keep telling me you are, but I want to keep it, Dad. I need to keep growing for that to happen. It's the same for them. So, yes, I know that we're not kids anymore, and honestly, we do try to act that way."

Suddenly, Honey ran up behind Haruhi and spun around with her in his arms, yelling. "Yay! It's almost time to go!"

Haruhi groaned as her feet came back to earth. "Well, usually we act that way."

Ranka just giggled at the spectacle. "I do want you to have fun this weekend, dear. And I want lots of pictures."

"I will make sure you get them, Ranka-san."

Haruhi scowled at Kyouya who had managed to sneak up behind her. She noticed that everyone bar Tamaki had joined her father and her.

Kaoru leaned on his brother's shoulder and said, "So, are we ready to go as soon as Tamaki-senpai gets here?"

Honey nodded his head as he bounced his heels a little, a wide grin on his face. "Uh huh! I can't wait to go! It's been too long since we've gone on a trip together."

Haruhi smiled at Honey. She knew that he was more mature than he was showing right then, actually a lot more mature, but she still enjoyed his enthusiasm.

However, it was Hikaru who responded to Honey. "Yeah, no kidding. Ever since Tamaki-senpai managed to get on his grandmother's good side, we haven't done anything fun."

Haruhi butted in. "Now, that's not true. We have fun when we meet up on the weekends. Or at least I do." The last she said quietly, with no little embarrassment. She hoped that she wasn't setting herself up for more 'pick on Haruhi's poorness'. Although, she had to be fair and say they have gotten a lot better about their assumptions about the 'Commoner' lifestyle. Well, most of them. Tamaki still had his moments of stupidity, but even he was better than he used to be three years ago.

However, this time, the twins decided it was 'aw, Haruhi's being cute again'. They hugged her from each side, squeezing her just a bit too tight.

She managed to squawk out, "Guys! Air!" Then she felt first one, then the other release her. As she was getting her breath back, she noticed that Mori was right next to her. She guessed that he had stepped in to help her out. She almost blushed. He usually waited until she asked before helping her. This time he stepped in of his own accord.

Recently, she realized that she was interested in Mori - for more than friendship. But she didn't know how to act on it. Or even if she wanted to. She wasn't sure just how deep her feelings for him went or if he was interested in her. She just didn't want to jeopardize their friendship. She really did enjoy hanging out with him. So, she tried to act as she normally would. Unfortunately, she did a lot of second-guessing when she was alone.

Haruhi shook herself out of her reverie. She needed to stay in the here and now, especially with her father around. He was a little too sharp, sometimes, for her liking. If he figured out she had a crush, he wouldn't give her any peace about it.

Everyone stood around chatting while waiting for Tamaki to show up. Haruhi couldn't help but notice when Kyouya's phone chimed since he was standing at her side, again.

He pulled it out, looked at it, and sighed. Everyone noticed and stopped talking to look at him. "Tamaki couldn't find us and decided to wait at the cars for us."

Hikaru snorted, trying somewhat to hold in the laughter at their friend's expense. Kaoru had better control, but his amusement still showed. Kyouya looked at them a little sourly. Haruhi could practically read their minds, though, since it was the same thought she had. It wasn't that Tamaki couldn't find them; it was that he couldn't find himself and was somehow lucky enough to make it to the parking lot. She couldn't figure out how he could still sometimes get lost on the same grounds that he spent so many years on. Haruhi could respect a lot about him, but she still winced inside at his bouts of idiocy.

Honey just started jumping around, saying, "Yay! It's time to go!"

Mori stood placidly by, watching his cousin, but Haruhi noticed his eyes crinkle a bit in humor and a small smile form. He may not be showing it currently, but ever since he started college, he had been more outgoing. Haruhi had asked once about that. He said that his mentor had given him some advice. Lawyers were expected to be eloquent, and since nothing comes without practice, he had been trying to speak more. She had been awed by the diligence he put into everything, even down to something as small as that. But today, he was quiet. She guessed there was just too much going on today for him to be comfortable enough to practice.

Everyone said goodbye to Ranka and met up with Tamaki at the cars. Haruhi got into the car with Honey and Mori without much fuss. She had already argued with Tamaki and the twins about which car she would ride in. Her argument, one that Mori and Honey agreed with, was that it would give her time to talk with Mori about college since she would be taking the same classes he did for the pre-law major. She felt lucky to already have an upperclassman she could turn to if needed. She knew the caliber of his intelligence, and the strength of his willingness to help. Not that she felt she'd ever really need his help, but it was a comfort knowing it would be there if she needed it. And her argument wasn't just an excuse to spend time with Mori, as they had talked the entire ride up about what she could expect and what he enjoyed in the department. When she arrived, she felt relaxed and energized, something she rarely felt after spending a large amount of time with the Host Club. She actually felt excited about the weekend.

They ended up being the last ones to arrive because Honey insisted on stopping by a cute bakery they saw on the way. He tried a few of their pastries and ended up buying a number of different ones for everyone to eat for dessert. There were more than enough for everyone, but Mori and Haruhi knew that they wouldn't get stale as Honey would most likely snack for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Because of the pastries, Mori and Honey ended up going straight to the kitchen to put them away, while Haruhi went on to find the rest of the guys.

She wandered down the main hallway and could hear voices coming from a room at the end. As she got closer, she could hear what they were talking about. Apparently, the twins had sent a selection of clothes for her to wear. That didn't really surprise her. She figured the twins and Tamaki had gotten together to try to 'get her to relax', only their way. However, what did surprise her was overhearing Kyouya convincing them not to. He was sticking up for her.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to make a suggestion. Since this vacation is meant for everyone to relax and have fun, we should allow Haruhi to dress as she'd like. She wouldn't be as relaxed or have as much fun if she were forced into clothes she felt uncomfortable in. Allow her to choose what she wants, either from the ones you brought or her own."

She heard the others reluctantly agree. So, while they did leave optional clothing in her room, they didn't mention it when she greeted them. For once, they weren't going to try to play dress up with Haruhi, and she was grateful to Kyouya. She thought that she'd at least look at what the guys brought for her and see if there was something that she could wear to say 'thank you' for bringing her out here.

With how it's starting, Haruhi thought that this would probably be one of the best vacations she's had with everyone.

…

Haruhi shrieked with horror as she flew through the air. She couldn't believe that Honey, of all people, was the one who would do this to her. For no reason. One minute she was sitting under a tree by the lakeside with Mori, Honey, and Kyouya, engrossed in one of the text books Mori lent her from his freshman year; the next she found herself in this predicament. Her landing gave her quite a surprise and she emitted an even louder shriek. She stood up from the soft but cold landing, her shorts and t-shirt soaking wet.

"Honey-senpai!" Haruhi shouted, still in shock.

Most of the guys were rolling on the grass, holding their sides from laughter, but even the normally quiet ones were cracking up.

Hikaru, from where he, Kaoru, and Tamaki had been kicking a ball around, managed to get enough breath to say, "Honey-senpai! That was awesome!"

Honey was also shrieking, but from laughter. "I'm sorry, Haru-chan! I couldn't resist!

The corners of Haruhi's lips started to turn up as she thought about how it must have looked. And a thought suddenly came to mind of how she might be able to get even.

"That's okay, Honey-senpai. I'll eventually forgive you." She managed to get a dejected look on her face and even gave a small sigh. She wondered if she was playing it up too much.

But Honey fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. The smile melted off his face, his eyes filled with tears, and his lower lip started to wobble. "But… but… it was supposed to be funny." And then he started bawling and saying how sorry he was. Mori had stopped laughing but his lips were twitching as he looked down at Honey.

But Haruhi now felt bad about making him upset. She hoped he wouldn't be for long. She held her arms out to him. "No, Honey-senpai. I'm sorry. It was funny. I didn't mean to upset you."

And he ran right into her arms not thinking that she was soaking wet and still knee deep in the water. It was set up perfectly and she couldn't resist. She took several steps back as if he had run into her too hard and fell backwards into the water, taking Honey with her.

Now it was his turn to shriek and her turn to laugh as the cold water hit them.

They sat up and Honey was laughing again. "I can't believe you got me!"

Haruhi was surprised out of her giggles when they were splashed from several bodies hitting the water near them. Haruhi looked over and saw Hikaru and Kaoru had apparently decided to join and had thrown Tamaki and themselves in. Then she heard a shout and another splash. Everyone looked over at the source of the newest commotion.

Kyouya sat up and looked back at the tree where Mori stood grinning. "I'll get you for that, Mori-senpai," he threatened.

Haruhi wasn't sure if he meant that in fun or not, but Mori didn't seem worried. Instead, he joined everyone in lake. He lifted Honey off of Haruhi and threw him deeper in the lake. The twins took that as their cue to tackle Mori into the water. Haruhi was busy laughing at them and didn't notice Tamaki sneaking up behind her. Suddenly, she was flying through the air once again. This time, she came up laughing. She joined in the fun and splashed the closest body, which was Kyouya. That earned her a half-hearted glare and then an evil grin. He retaliated by stalking her. She shrieked again and tried running, but she was in water up to her thighs and breathless from laughing so much and didn't make much headway. He caught her in no time and for a third time she was flying through the air. Haruhi came up laughing still and saw he was laughing, too. She also saw the twins sneaking up behind him, which made her laugh harder. Kyouya turned around to see what she was laughing at and managed to dodge them and got them with a splash in return.

…

Everyone had had fun. Kyouya had even managed to get even with Mori by pulling him unexpectedly underwater. They only pulled themselves out of the lake when their stomachs informed them it was time for lunch. They made their way up to the house where the twins' servants had laid out a buffet on the back patio. Everyone filled a plate and sat around eating and dripping dry.

Haruhi sat back listening to others, just enjoying their company. They were talking about what to do for the rest of the day. Honey had proposed a nap after lunch. Haruhi thought everyone was just as wiped out as she was, considering the lack of vetoes. Tamaki proposed a party when they woke up. Haruhi wasn't sure what he meant by that. Usually, Tamaki's parties involved lots of planning, preparation, and people. They didn't have the time to plan, prepare, or invite, and Haruhi didn't want to have to be around a lot of people, especially after wearing herself out from swimming. Fortunately, the others also seemed to be of the same mind.

Hikaru stated, "Nah. That's just too much a bother."

Of course, Kyouya brought up the planning issues. "Plus, there's no time to do so."

Tamaki defended his idea. "No, I mean we could do a bachelor's party for Kyouya."

Haruhi sighed as she tried to figure out how Tamaki came up with the idea of Kyouya getting married. She glanced over at Kyouya with sympathy until she noticed how he looked. He was sitting very stiffly and pinning Tamaki with a murderous glare. She looked around to see if anyone had a clue to what was going on. Everyone else had the same look of confusion and shock.

Only Honey had enough courage to ask. "Kyou-chan, you're not really getting married, are you?"

That got Kyouya to stop staring at Tamaki and look around at everyone, who were staring back at him. He was sitting so still, so rigid. "Yes, I am, Honey-senpai. This wasn't the way I wanted to tell you guys."

Tamaki was now studying his best friend. "Kyouya," he said slowly, as if he couldn't believe what he heard. He brought the attention back to him. Haruhi started to feel as if she were watching a tennis match. "You haven't told them?"

"No, I have not. I was going to this weekend and give my personal invitations."

Tamaki was now looking shocked at his best friend. "Kyouya! That gives them almost no time to prepare!"

By the looks on their faces, the others were feeling the same confusion and growing suspicion as Haruhi. "Why?" she asked quietly. Kyouya and Tamaki both looked at her. Neither answered and she repeated herself. "Why isn't there a lot of time?"

Kyouya turned his head to look out at the lawn, refusing to look at anyone. She could see the muscle in his cheek clenching. She turned to Tamaki.

"Because his wedding is in two weeks."