A/N: Thank you everyone! I'm glad you are enjoying my first M Ouran story. Not all chapters will have M events, but the first will not be the last. This is set several years after the end of the anime/manga, and therefore, much like my Another Chance story, I am going to take some liberties with their personalities because I think after high school you change and mature. I know I've changed through the years based on situations I've faced and encountered, and just by maturing with time. Also, I will be going to visit my older sister in Virginia for a few weeks. I'll still be writing, but it might get haphazard for a bit. Just wanted to let you know. Enjoy!

PS... My novel is done and back from the proofreaders. After doing some minor corrections, I will be self-publishing this week! I'm beyond excited. As soon as I get it published, I will give you all of the information for those who would like to read it.

Chapter 2 – The Morning After

Haruhi rushed into her quiet apartment and slammed the door shut, trying to shut out the world. If only she could forget what she had done and with whom, it would have been easier to do. It wasn't that she was afraid of getting pregnant, she wasn't. Since Hikaru had not wanted kids right off the bat and she did not want to remember to always take a pill, she started getting the birth control shot once a month. It was easier and fit into her schedule better; and after divorcing her husband, she still got it like clockwork. How could she have gotten drunk and had sex with Chika of all people? The newly engaged Chika?

Sliding down to the floor, she held her head in her hands. How had everything become so topsy turvey in less than 24 hours? Her biggest fear was that now her other friends would turn their backs on her because even she had to admit that her behavior was unbecoming a lady or a host. She snorted at that. It had been years since she had been a host. How long? Eight, no nine years? It seemed like a lifetime ago sometimes. Even two years ago felt that way sometimes. Was it really just under two years that her life started to crumble around her? When she had gotten married to Hikaru, she felt like she held the universe in the palm of her hand. Shortly after returning from her honeymoon, she began the rigorous process of passing the bar, and she had with flying colors. Her internship started immediately, but somewhere in the middle of that year, her marriage had fallen apart and she found herself divorced. The next several months, she buried herself in work and her internship, and just last month, she had become a full-fledged lawyer and accepted a position in the same firm where she did her internship.

Professionally, she shined. Personally, her life felt haphazard and uncertain. One would think that by now, her personal life would start to even out and she could find her footing, but that was not the case. For some reason, she felt like she was walking around on egg shells around her friends and one wrong move would sever their ties forever. She hated that feeling and found herself taking her frustrations out on an inflatable punching bag almost daily. It was a wonder she had not punched a hole through the clown's nose yet.

And now this. She had crossed a line that should never have been crossed. Sure she could pretend that it had never happened, but that didn't stop the guilt from flooding her. Chika had stuck by her and tried to protect her and comfort her, and she had gotten drunk and taken advantage. Granted, he participated in their activities just as much as she had, however, she was older and should have known better. And yet, it was also hard to forget how amazing it felt to be held in someone's arms once again. Surprisingly, after she started to date Hikaru, she found she loved to cuddle, to be held; and lately, she had missed that sort of human contact.

Maybe it was time she started to date again, to try to find love, but then again, she had always felt a little socially awkward and had a hard time deciphering men's feelings for her. That had not changed since…well, since she was a kid. To this day she wondered how she had missed Arai's feelings for her. Not to mention Tamaki, Hikaru during their first year, Mori, Kassanoda, etc. And the list goes on and on. She could read people like a book, but when it came to their feelings for her…she was still a bit oblivious. A bit? More like her radar picked up anything and everything but feelings for her; and the one time she tried to get over her obliviousness and believed a guy might having feelings for her, she fell flat on her face. Literally. It turned out the guy was being nice to her so he could meet her friends and when Hunny showed up to take her to lunch, he pushed her to the side and she fell before anyone could catch her. The result of the entire escapade: two black eyes and a bruised ego. Hunny had helped her to her feet, ignored the other guy, and told her, "Don't worry, Haru-Chan. One day you'll figure it out, and if not, we'll help you." That had been a month ago.

She honestly didn't know if she would ever figure it out, and maybe oblivious was the better way to be. This way, she wouldn't enter into any relationships, she wouldn't fall in love, and she wouldn't get hurt. Her career should be her priority anyway since she was a new lawyer and just starting out, but then again, a job couldn't hold her and it wouldn't listen to her gripe or encourage her when she was feeling frustrated. And the way it was going, all of her remaining friends would be married sooner rather than later.

Shaking her head, she told herself, "Stop it, Haruhi. Everyone gets married sooner or later. You did. Just because it didn't work out for you, doesn't mean it won't for them. You want them to be happy and find love. They will always be your friends...hopefully."

She forced herself to get up off of the floor and take a shower, needing to wash the remnants of the wedding and "after party" down the drain.

Why had it been Chika of all people. The Haninozuka family had always been very kind to her, and always supported her in her dreams and schooling. They even recommended her to her law firm for her internship, and she had betrayed them. "Enough, Haruhi! You were drunk, he was drunk. It happened and it's best to forget it going forward. Besides, he probably doesn't remember anything, and if he does, he probably wants to forget it too. You two are friends and can just move forward from here. That's it. No more, no less. You have a career to think about, and you can't afford to lose focus now."

Stepping into the shower, she refused to think about Chika's mouth kissing her from head to toe. She refused to remember what it felt like when his hands caressed her. She would not allow herself to recall any of the events after the wedding or how it felt to be held, to have sex, and to find comfort in another. All of these things were off limits for the rest of her life.

Elsewhere…

Chika's head throbbed, and he couldn't remember the last time he ever experienced a hangover of this magnitude. Sure in college he had participated in his own share of parties, and had gotten drunk a time or two, but he never let himself get so drunk he lost control and did something stupid. And last night had been incredibly stupid. How could he let himself do something like that? Especially to Haruhi, who was more than likely at her most vulnerable at the moment? He was a horrible man.

Take Haruhi out of the mix, and there was still the fact he was currently engaged to a woman that did not deserve such behavior from her future husband. It mattered not that they had never met, he still should not have acted in such a manner. Getting drunk, having sex with someone who he had not relationship beyond that of friendship…this was not good.

Banging his head against the tile in the shower, he groaned. Unbidden, images of the previous night came rushing to the forefront of his thoughts. He could still remember how she felt under him, the feel of her skin, her lips, her hands, and the sounds she made when they consummated…NO! He mustn't think of anything that had to do with last night after he and Haruhi left the party. Maybe he could just chalk it up to one last wild and drunk night before he took his own plunge. But if that was the case, why did he feel a little guilty doing that?

His head banged again. They had only used protection about half the time last night, and he couldn't even guaranty that they used it properly. What if something happened? What if Haruhi got pregnant? How would he tell his parents? What about Ranka? He was such a dead man. Throughout his middle school and high school years, he touted the Haninozuka way, the code of conduct, and he criticized his brother for not following it. Did he not spurn it and chuck it to the side last night when he gave into temptation and spent his night in the arms of a certain brunette?

What had he done? For some reason, seeing her try to skip the wedding had caused him to guilt her into coming, claiming he and Satoshi would protect her, and then he took advantage of her. He kept giving her alcoholic drinks, kept dancing with her, and when he gazed into her drunken face under the soft lights of the ballroom, he felt the urge to take her up to his room and never let her go. One of his best friends, and he had not cared about their relationship at that point of time. He just wanted her.

Giving into and having one night, might have cost him his friendship with Haruhi. Was he ready for that? No, he wasn't. The first thing he needed to do was to sober up, and when he did that, he would call Haruhi to apologize and talk to her about their lack of preparation for the previous night. He would take full responsibility for whatever consequences they faced.

Something still bothered him though. Satoshi had been there all night, and had even seen him leaving with Haruhi. He knew this because he remembered telling Satoshi he and Haruhi were going upstairs, but his cousin did nothing to stop him. Why? The taller man had not gotten drunk, moderating his alcoholic intake, so why had he not stopped Chika and Haruhi from doing something they ought not to do? It didn't make sense. What had his cousin been thinking? The more he thought about it, the more confused Chika became, and the more he wanted to have a word or two with his so called best friend.

Elsewhere…

Satoshi felt a chill go up his spine and he wondered if that was a premonition of what was to come. Possibly. He hadn't exactly acted like the responsible parent last night and had let two drunk people leave with each other, but he had his reasons, and he would stick by his actions until the death…which would hopefully happen several decades from now.