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Chapter Two: Interrogation

Haruhi didn't want to move - no, scratch that - she didn't want to move towards the table Kyouya was sitting at; any other direction would have been fine. Especially behind her, out of the door, out of the school, towards home and fast.

Just as Haruhi had figured out the quickest escape route out of the building, Kyouya turned to look at her and said in an icy tone, "Please do not waste my time. Sit down."

He motioned Haruhi to take the chair closest to him. Haruhi had no choice but to do so.

Kyoya had his notebook open in his hands as he heard Haruhi pull out the chair. He looked up to see that she had placed the chair as far away from him as possible. He smiled lazily and started speaking, "So. If I remember correctly, you stated three reasons why you disliked being here-" Haruhi turned red again and made sure to look away, "-the first one of them being that you still weren't close to paying off your debt. Actually, you have worked off seventy percent of it."

"Really?" Haruhi asked, really looking at Kyouya for the first time as she tried to decide whether he was bluffing or not.

Kyouya noticed her stare and gave a wicked smile that made the girl turn away again. "Yes. However, you have given Tamaki such a scare today that he might not recover from it for a while, and the host club will lose money because of his absence. I might have to add those losses to your debt. You should check up on him soon and try to talk him out of his shock."

Haruhi nodded, making a mental note to stop by the infirmary on her way home.

"Then there's your second reason. I understand that a quiet person like you hates having to hear so much arguing all day, but, again, I think you have shocked both Tamaki and Hikaru enough to make them stop, at least for a while. They may not dare to bring the matter up again." Kyouya paused for a moment, and Haruhi could feel him looking at her. "And then your third reason-"

"It was a mistake. I- I stuttered," Haruhi blurted out. "I didn't mean to say your name." The girl's blush was heavier than ever, while Kyouya's smirk grew wider and eviler. He leaned slightly closer to Haruhi and purred in a suggestive tone, "Is that so?"

Haruhi backed away from him in her chair, "Yes. I stuttered."

Kyouya leaned even closer. "Are you sure?" he whispered in her ear.

Haruhi panicked. "UM, YES! But, I have to go now- to, um, shop for laundry- I mean, make dinner. So, goodbye!" She sprang to her feet and ran out of the room.

Kyouya rose from his chair slowly, deep in thought. The last time he had done something like that to the girl – during the night at Nekozawa's house - she had barely reacted to him. Even when he had pressed her down on a bed... Something had changed in her. In the best case scenario, Haruhi had developed feelings for him. But the most likely reason was that she had simply grown out of some of her childish naivety and freaked out when someone of the opposite sex came into such close proximity with her. Another possible reason could be that she liked someone else and felt threatened. It could also...

...Since when was the best case scenario one in which Haruhi had feelings for him?

Kyouya packed his things and started walking out. Indeed, he wished that Haruhi Fujioka would be in love with him instead of Tamaki, the twins or anyone else. What would my father say? flashed through his mind, but he quickly switched his train of thought. Kyouya was confident that he would find a way to handle the situation once he figured out why Haruhi had reacted to him so strongly. If she wasn't interested in him, well, he wouldn't have to do anything if that was the case. If she was interested in him, he would do something. Simple enough, since for the moment he didn't even have to think, but only to watch and analyze Haruhi's every move for the next, say, four weeks. That would be child's play.

As Kyouya chuckled to himself, something on the floor caught his eye. Someone has dropped their math book, Kyouya thought to himself, picking it up. He checked some of the first blank pages to see if there was a signature or a name...

Fujioka Haruhi, it said in Haruhi's small handwriting. Now it was getting interesting. Haruhi must have dropped the book while running away.

A nearly demonic smirk found its way to the Shadow King's face. Now he had a great reason to approach Haruhi tomorrow and test her reaction. He looked around the hallway to see if she had dropped anything else and then walked out to the car waiting for him.

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