Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC, but I do have a pair of hiking boots.

Haruhi might have been uncomfortable if she had known how closely she was watched by the Host Club.

Then again, perhaps not. She didn't fluster easily, and that trait only grew stronger as she continued to associate with the club. However, she would have gotten upset if she had learned how often their 'watching' crossed the line into 'invading her privacy.'

They all had a justification of some kind. Tamaki-kun and Mitsukuni simply didn't have any concept of privacy. The twins told anyone who would listen that she was "their toy" (and therefore didn't have a right to keep things from them). Kyōya-kun tended to think that everything was his business; Haruhi's business was no exception.

Takashi, however, tried not to cross the line. Like the others, he wanted to know more about her, but he was more concerned with making her happy. Crossing the line from watching to snooping would only make her angry, not happy, so he made do with watching her. In turn, the way he watched her changed.

While they watched and waited for her to smile, he watched and wondered what made her happy.

While they thought of ways to make her stay in the club, he thought of reasons why she might want to stay.

While the others studied her 'common' way of life, Takashi studied her uncommon way of looking at things.

While they all learned to love her, only Takashi learned what she loved.

She loved kindness and consideration; good deeds made her smile.

She loved a little silliness now and then; she was more likely to laugh with fond amusement than with pure humor.

Most of all, she loved good food; it was the only thing that could consistently make her blush.

It took time, of course, for him to understand her, to love her, and to recognise the love he held for her. But once he understood himself, he quietly, unobtrusively entered the race for her heart.

Perhaps 'race' would be the wrong word. In a race, the path to be taken is clearly marked, the trail is free of debris and pitfalls, and the contestants are generally on even footing. This contest was more like an exercise in tracking: the path to Haruhi's heart was hard to find, harder to follow, and almost impossible to finish without some sort of advantage.

Mitsukuni hadn't looked for long before he decided he didn't want to be in the race after all.

Kaoru-kun and Kyōya-kun each dropped out before they'd truly begun, in deference to Hikaru-kun and Tamaki-kun, respectively.

The King and remaining twin stumbled about, blindly following paths they had walked before. They ignored or didn't see the signs telling them they were going the wrong way.

Takashi walked forward confidently. Unlike the others, he had brought a map.

5/27/14

A/N: Welcome to Surprise, the surprise gift fic I've written for CatrinaSL! As of today, we've been writing together for one year. That's right: today is the anniversary of our co-awesomeness. Happy anniversary! :D