Kyoya wandered through the empty halls of the school. The sound of the last few students leaving the campus in groups was distant, getting softer as they walked further away. It was this moment, every day, which he cherished. There weren't any classes that he had to be in, nor were there any Host Club members that he had to keep in line. Until he went home, he was free to have time to himself and do what he needed to do in peace.

Right now, that meant getting this talent show off the ground. Settling himself in the library, he began tapping his fingers against the keys of his laptop, Kyoya set himself to the calculations. It would be held in the music room, or outside if the weather permitted. So venue would be free. Refreshments would have to be provided, with no cost to their guests, but if they allowed the students who came from families who owned restaurants to provide the food and drinks in exchange for commercials during their intermission, that too would be free. Equipment was readily available from their movie shoot, so that could also be crossed off the list. Even if they allowed free entry and only sold dvds and other souvenirs, this entire event would be pure profit. Kyoya was sure that Haruhi, even though she was an honor student, wasn't aware of just how brilliant an idea it was, but he couldn't take the credit away from her nonetheless.

The memory of Haruhi's dazzling smile flashed in his mind. But as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. Shaking his head, Kyoya looked down at his computer. With no money to be spent on their part, it seemed that there was nothing he could do tonight. "Guess I'll just go home…" He whispered to no one in particular as he closed the laptop.

As Kyoya left the library, he spotted something unusual for this time of night. Down the corridor was a light, shining through the bottom of a classroom door. Slowly, Kyoya set down his bag and inched forward. Whether it was a burglar, or a student trying to take test answers, he was confident that he would be able to handle the situation.

However, as he reached the door and peeked through, he saw neither. Instead, Kyoya saw a large stack of books piled around a person who had obviously fallen asleep in the middle of a study session. The clothes were that of a male student, so Kyoya wasn't inclined to be especially nice to the person who had intruded on his personal time.

Creeping forward, Kyoya prepared to scare the wits out of the boy. As his shadow fell over the sleeping student, he saw that the person had short brown hair. Immediately, Kyoya knew who it was. Sensing the change in lighting from Kyoya's shadow, Haruhi's eyes fluttered open.

Sitting up slowly, Haruhi blinked sleepily. Looking around, her eyes skimmed over her mountains of books and landed on Kyoya's impassive face. "Ootori-sempai?" She asked, confused. "What are you doing in my house?"

Kyoya did his best not to grin, which was a new experience for him. Unknown to Haruhi, her cheek was covered with the notes she had been writing. "I'm not in your home, Fujioka-san. We are at school still, and you fell asleep."

Awareness filled Haruhi's eyes. "That's right! I completely forgot!" Looking out the window into the dark of the night, she frowned. "It's very late… I hadn't meant to stay this long."

Watching as she gathered her things, Kyoya leaned back against a desk. "What were you doing here in the first place?" He asked, trying to be nonchalant. Club member or not, she was intruding on his personal time. 'Not that I entirely mind.' Spoke a voice from within him. Pushing the thought away, he waited for her response.

Haruhi's movements slowed, and a frown marred her face. "Normally I study at home… I guess I just wanted a change of pace!" Now she smiled, but it didn't hold the dazzling quality that her true smiles did. "If you'll excuse me…" Haruhi ended as she headed towards the door. But, at the last minute, she was blocked.

"Fujioka-san, I do not appreciate lies…" Kyoya said lowly. "As a member of the Host Club, it is your duty to let us know when anything is wrong. I will not allow you to leave this room without explaining what is the matter."

Haruhi stared down at the floor. "It won't affect my work, I promise… I'll still be able to pay back my debt to the club."

"All the same." Kyoya countered. "You alone cannot be the judge of that, so I will hear it. If you wish it to be confidential, I will keep it so."

Haruhi sighed, and sat down at one of the desks. "I couldn't study at home tonight. Actually, I haven't been able to for a few days now. You know that my father works nights, so he's usually not there and I can study in peace." Kyoya nodded, and motioned for her to continue. "Recently, there was a break in… Our apartment was one of them, but the police had already been called, so they didn't have a chance to steal anything."

"Let me guess." Kyoya replied. "Now your father is staying home and you can't study?"

Haruhi bit her lip and looked away "No… I never told my father. And we aren't close to our neighbors, so they didn't tell him either."

"Why?" Kyoya asked.

Haruhi looked back at Kyoya, and he was shaken by what he saw. Her eyes, normally bright with emotion and laughter, were blank. "I didn't want him to worry of course… But, mainly… Mainly I didn't want him to see how I reacted." Haruhi buried her face in her hands and whispered through them. "I'm scared… So scared… I only just happened to have not been home when it happened. I could have been there when they broke in."

"I understand being afraid, but not this much. Not from you, after all of the people and things you've stood up to." Softly, Kyoya tugged Haruhi's hands down and looked into her eyes. "Why are you so afraid?"

Haruhi closed her eyes, trying to block the images that assailed her mind. "My mother was a lawyer. A really good one. But one case was really hard for her. She was trying to convict a criminal, a burglar. But he got it into his head to make sure she couldn't… So he broke in, and whether he meant to or not, he killed her."

All the breath in Kyoya's body left him. He, as well as all of the other hosts and even their guests, knew that Haruhi's mother had passed away. But none of them knew this. Right now, at this very moment, he wanted more than anything to pull her into his arms and comfort her. He had never entertained such thoughts before, so like the thoughts from before, he pushed the notion to the back of his mind.

"If you wish, you may continue working here." Kyoya smiled slightly at her surprised expression. "Typically I am here for an hour or two after everyone else has left, so forgive me if I sound possessive of that time. But, if you wish to be somewhere where you may study in peace, but not be completely alone, you are welcome to join me here."

Haruhi smiled, once again staggering Kyoya with its dazzling quality. "I would like that, thank you."