Title: Five Hosts Haruhi Never Loved
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club © Bisco Hatori
Characters/Pairing: Haruhi/Five Hosts
Summary: Five different perspectives, all 'what-ifs' and 'maybes' just around the corner.
Notes: Done for a challenge given to me by rosweldrmr on LJ.

1. Haninozuka Mitsukuni:

Taking a large bite out of his cake, Honey looks over at Haruhi who is looking over at Tamaki who is doing some sort of strange flailing thing, talking about something that sounds like red roses and penguin suits. The look on her face makes him swallow with a large gulp, before he takes another bite and declares with a full mouth, "Waiii, cake! Want some, Haru-chan?"

Haruhi finally turns and looks over at him in surprise before it melts away into a small smile. "I'm fine, Honey-senpai. No thanks."

He just holds his fork in his hand a little tighter. "Why doesn't Haru-chan like cake?" He's never asked her before -- enough time, enough work, enough everything -- and he doesn't really know why he does now after all this time -- not enough time, not enough work, not enough anything -- but it just seems so important to ask her now rather than later.

Mori stands silently next to him, watching the exchange.

Haruhi shrugs a little. She looks just enough like a boy to fool everyone else but not enough for him to view her as one. "It's not that I don't... like it," she says, and he knows she's remembering a visit to her house with a strawberry cake. "I just don't love it."

Honey looks at her as if he understands, and he does, and he offers her a plate again, saying, "Cake, Haru-chan?" as if asking if she'll eat it later.

Haruhi smiles again, always does, and sighs a little before she takes it this time. Because she knows he loves cake.

"Sure."

2. Morinozuka Takashi:

Mori watches Haruhi carefully as she dangles dangerously from atop the ladder she had been intent on using to get down the Christmas lights from her roof. It was well into April, they should come down sometime.

It's one of those now-frequent (thanks to Tamaki) visits the Host Club makes to her home. They had just been lucky enough to catch her in the middle of Spring Cleaning.

The others, of course, had been intent -- Flames of Passion and Glitter and Hearts could be seen everywhere -- on helping her.

"No." Her answer was swift and blunt. "I don't want you breaking anything." There was a pause, as if she were thinking of something, before he made out the words that came out in a whisper. "Rich bastards..."

He said nothing, and instead just stood rooted next to the tall ladder in case of emergency --

Sure enough, she slipped, letting out a small shriek of surprise. Instantly he reached up and caught her, eyebrows furrowing.

"HARUHIIIIIII!" Tamaki wailed, running over to them, the other Hosts not far behind him.

"I'm fine," she said. "Thank you, Mori-senpai."

"Ah," he said in return.

After knowing she was uninjured, he let her down.

3. Ootori Kyouya:

Kyouya considers. Looks at Haruhi. Peers down at his laptop. Considers some more.

Knowing full well what he was doing, his fingers move to his keyboard. He types in an extra zero at the end of Haruhi's debt. Large enough to even appear threatening to his eyes.

Glancing up, he watches as Tamaki flashes another dress at Haruhi, who makes a comment about sexual harassment.

He adds another zero, the weight -- guilt? -- making him push his glasses up his face a little more. Tamaki needs so much help.

He calculates the probability of her finding out, and quickly waves that one away. He adds another zero.

He assures himself that there's merit out of this, merit out of making her stay longer than she really has to. It's all for --

"Kyouya-senpai," she calls, walking up to him. "Would you like some more tea?" she asks, showing him the teapot she held.

Kyouya adjusts his glasses again, saying, "Yes. That'd be great." He watches as she carefully pours him a cup. When she's finished, he looks up at her full in the face and says with a smile, "Work hard, Haruhi. Try not to break anything, okay?"

She nods a little, even more determined to walk away. Her faint mutter of, "Evil Shadow King," almost makes him add another zero before she continues on with a, "I will, Kyouya-senpai."

There's a faint memory of the both of them on a bed and in a commoner supermarket where she tells him that he's a Nice Guy and tells his father that she thinks he's Very Admirable.

Sighing, he deletes the extra zeros he'd typed.

4. Hitachiin Hikaru:

"Hey, Haruhi. You sick or something?" Hikaru questions one afternoon in the Third Music Room.

"No," Haruhi answers, not looking at him. "Do I look sick?"

Hikaru eyes her for a moment. "You keep staring at Tono. What'd he do this time?"

For some reason, on Haruhi's other side, Kaoru smacks his forehead.

Haruhi blinks. "Nothing," she said, as if he did Something.

Hikaru frowns, tilting his head to the side. "You don't look too -- why is your face all red? Are you sure you're not sick?"

Haruhi looks up at him this time, clearly not very amused. "I..." she starts, and for a split second, she almost appears nervous. "I don't know," she says, rubbing her forehead as if she has a headache. "Maybe I am."

"Might want to go to the nurse for that."

The mental head banging Kaoru was doing was enough to cause a concussion all on its own.

5. Hitachiin Kaoru:

"I love you, Haruhi... but Hikaru is more important to me."

Years later, he still believes this, not regretting the confession (goodbye). Haruhi had stared at him with a blankness he couldn't read. It was almost fitting.

Years later, he's rich and famous and a skilled fashion designer who works along side his brother. It's always been him and Hikaru from the beginning.

Still, he finds himself... missing her. He knows Hikaru does as well. They both feel incredibly bored in their twenty-five year old selves.

And then, one day, years later, he sees her again after a long absence. She's accomplished something now, dressed up in a professional suit and walking down a long hallway towards him.

A lawyer, he tells himself. Just like she's always wanted.

She sees him, and blinks, walking up to him before saying, "Kaoru," with a faint smile of remembrance. He's happy she can still tell them apart after all this time, and something in his chest stirs at the gesture.

He smiles back a little. All what-ifs and maybes. "Haruhi."

It's almost fitting.