A/N: We are excited that you like the story. Mori and Honey have a lot of plans for Haruhi and

Satoshi. Enjoy the next chapter and please let us know what you think.

Chapter 2 – Cheering for Love

Haruhi woke up the next morning before her alarm went off. She was excited and over eager to start her

day. Rushing through her morning routine, she was completely ready to go by 7:50 am and knew that

she had another hour before the car would be there to collect her for the tournament. At that thought

her mind raced through others, "Is Satoshi going to be there? Well Honey-senpai did say Haninozuka and

Morinozuka families. Is he competing today? I wonder what he will look like in his gear."

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi forced herself to stop her wandering mind and decided to have a little

chat with herself, "It doesn't really matter if he is there or what he looks like; you need to pull yourself

together. Now is a good time to study." She went and grabbed one of her books and looked around the

room. If her father heard her talking to herself, he might think she was insane; however, telling one's

self to stop thinking and to study was easier said than done, and soon the words on the page were just

black and white specs of nothing.

"Haruhi, are you ok dear?" Ranka asked as he walked out of his bedroom to find his daughter staring

into space. "I wonder what happened this time," he thought to himself.

Haruhi jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find her father standing there

looking worried. "Dad? What are you doing up? I thought you would still be sleeping," Haruhi grumbled.

She hated to be caught daydreaming, and being caught by her father made it even worse.

"Well I got home this morning and got your note and I thought I would get up to see you off. I just had

to see my little girl in a dress and all made up!" Ranka gushed pulling her up from her seat and swinging

her around the room. Finally setting her down, he stepped back and said, "Now let me get a look at

you!" His excitement started to diminish, "Dear is that how you plan on looking today?"

"What's wrong with the way I look Dad?" Haruhi bellowed. Looking down at herself, she couldn't see

anything wrong. The pale peach dress came to just above her knees and had short sleeves with a square

neckline; and most importantly her father is the one that bought it for her. She put a couple of clips in

her hair to hold back her bangs and put on a touch of lip gloss. Before her father got up, she thought she

looked cute, but now she wondered how others would perceive her.

"Well dear, the dress is fabulous, if I do say so myself, but the hair and make-up leave something to

be desired. Come on, we have just enough time to fix it before the car arrives," Ranka declared and

grabbed his daughter's hand pulling her into the bathroom to give her a quick make over.

Haruhi groaned as her father went to work and kept trying to tell him to keep it light. She hated to wear

too much make up and wanted to look like herself when it was over with. Hoping that when Ranka was

done she would not look too made up, she let her father do what he would; knowing if needed, she

would have enough time to wet her hair down and apply soap and water to her face. This was doable.

"There now, that wasn't so bad, was it? I am done and you look stunning!" Ranka stepped back from his

daughter surveying his work. His little girl was growing up and becoming a woman. Handing his daughter

a mirror, he watched as Haruhi's eyes widened in surprise, "Do you like it?"

Looking at herself in the mirror, she had to admit that her father had done a really good job. The ends

of her hair were now curled and actually given a sense of style. Her bangs were still held back with her

clips, but now it looked like it was meant to be instead of just holding back errant hair that was annoying

her. Her make-up was done in light browns and pinks on her eyes making her orbs pop even more. Her

cheeks held the faintest hint of pink and her father left her lips alone since she was already wearing

gloss. She looked like herself, but she looked so feminine. "I wonder if this will get his attention," Haruhi

thought as she handed the mirror back to her father, "Thanks dad. It looks really good."

"Anything for my baby," Ranka spoke softly. The moment was broken when there was a knock at the

door and the older man jumped, "That must be your ride. Do you have everything?"

"Yah dad. My bag is by the door and my cell phone is in my purse which is on the table," Haruhi

responded as she moved towards the door to answer it. Handing the driver her overnight bag, she went

to the living room to get her handbag, "Ok dad, I will be back sometime tomorrow. You have plenty of

food in the refrigerator. Just heat it up. If there is an emergency, I have my cell phone with me."

"I will be fine Haruhi. Now go and have a good time. Tell those cute boys hello for me," Ranka cooed

as he pushed her out of the door. He couldn't wait to hear how the plan went tonight, "Oh such a

handsome young man! They will have cute babies and be so happy together!"

Shaking her head, Haruhi walked down to the car and got in. She truly believed her dad was really weird

and today confirmed it yet again for her, but she loved him and appreciated the fact that he helped her

this morning.

As she arrived at the dojo where the kendo meet was taking place, Haruhi spotted a very eager Honey

jumping up and down next to his stoic cousin Mori. She couldn't help but chuckle a little bit and when

she got out of the car, she was prepared for the enthusiastic hug she received from the bunny loving

college freshman, "Good morning Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai. Thank you for the invitation!"

"Haru-Chan you look so kawaii! Doesn't she Takashi? I am so happy you were able to come!" Honey

declared.

"She does," Mori said simply and offered her a small smile. He was afraid of ruffling her hair since it

looked like she actually styled it this morning.

Looking around, Haruhi didn't notice Chika or Satoshi anywhere. Trying not to sound like she was too

interested, she inquired, "Where are Satoshi and Chika?"

Honey noticed his friend trying to covertly look around, and he immediately knew she was looking

around for Satoshi. Her question confirmed it for him and he glanced at his tall cousin momentarily

before answering her, "Chika is already seated with our parents and Satoshi is getting ready for his

match. He is actually fighting today."

"Oh, it will be nice to see him compete," Haruhi said softly. She couldn't wait to see the youngest

Morinozuka perform. Gazing up at Mori, she asked, "Are you not participating today Mori-senpai?"

"No, today is only for high school," Mori explained.

Smiling at her friend and standard rescuer, Haruhi announced, "Well it will be nice to see your brother

take part."

"Yes, it will. My brother is skilled," Mori said.

"Satoshi is almost as good as Takashi!" Honey declared.

Giggling at her eager senpai, she grinned, "I am sure that he is."

"Come on Haru-Chan, Takashi. Let's go in and get our seats!" Honey decided and started to run ahead

expecting that his two closest friends would follow him.

Allowing Honey to take the lead, Mori and Haruhi followed their friend into the large dojo so that they

could take their places before the matches started. Haruhi had butterflies in her stomach at the thought

of seeing Satoshi in action, and although she kept telling herself to give up on him, she couldn't stop the

flutter and anxious feeling she felt at the thought of seeing him.

When the trio arrived at the seats reserved for the two martial arts families, Haruhi bowed to the

parents of her friends and articulated, "Thank you for inviting me today." She stood straight once again

and offered them a smile.

The matriarch of the Morinozuka family beamed at the young girl in front of her, "We are happy that

you could make it Haruhi-Chan." She knew, as well as the other parents exactly why Haruhi as there and

what the plan was and she couldn't be happier. She loved Haruhi and always hoped that her eldest son

would court her, but it was not meant to be; however, it appeared that her youngest son had feelings

for Haruhi, and wanted her in his life.

"Yes, Haruhi-Chan, I am sure my son would appreciate the presence of a good friend as he competes

today," Akira smiled at his son's love interest.

Blushing, Haruhi said, "Thank you Morinozuka-sama, Morinozuka-san."

Grabbing her hand, Honey pulled her to their seats while giving his uncle a disgruntled look. He heard

his uncle laughing at him, but Honey was afraid that if he didn't get Haruhi away from the parents, they

were going to blow the plan completely. He helped her sit next to Chika as he sat down next to Mori

on the other side of her. Now at least there was a buffer between her and the parents, and the fathers

were on the other side of the row, far away from Haruhi.

When she sat down, Haruhi grinned at Chika, "Hey Chika!"

"Hello Haruhi-senpai. I see you were able to make it. Mitsukuni hasn't shut up since you accepted the

invitation," Chika replied. He still had issues with his brother, but he didn't mind Haruhi being there.

He only hoped that Honey's plan worked. Looking at the petite girl sitting next to him, he wasn't sure

what her feelings for Satoshi were, although he suspected she liked him, but Chika knew his cousin was

completely smitten with her.

"Yes, I didn't have anything going on this weekend, and I have always wanted to see a kendo

tournament. Plus the security in knowing that the others wouldn't be able to bother me this weekend

was an offer I couldn't refuse," Haruhi chuckled earning a small smile from Chika. She knew he was

probably thinking about how this would torture Tamaki if the host club president knew where she was

right now.

"I can't blame you for that one," Chika smirked. He never understood how Haruhi was able to deal so

well with everyone in the club, but somehow she managed to handle and control them most of the

time. Of course there were the times when Tamaki go too excited and she had to be rescued, but that is

the torch Mori and Satoshi took up for her.

Haruhi laughed, "You know you looked almost as evil as Kyoya-senpai right then."

"Did I?" Chika asked dumbfounded. He wasn't sure if being compared to the Shadow King of the host

club was a good thing or bad thing, and when it came to Haruhi it was always hard to tell. He chose to

take it as a compliment. She never meant to be rude, she was just blunt and spoke her mind all of the

time. It was a trait he would admit that he admired in her.

"Haru-Chan, it is about to start!" Honey announced pointing towards the center of the dojo where a

referee walked to the middle of the match.

Haruhi watched over the next few hours as competitors fought for domination. Satoshi was very skilled

and easily won all of his matches. Each time she watched him fight, her breath hitched and her hands

gripped each other in anticipation. One time when Satoshi was hit rather hard by his opponent, she

gripped Mori's arm without knowing it. As soon as he got back up, she released her friend and her hands

were once again in her lap.

Mori had looked at her when Haruhi gripped his arm fiercely, but did not say anything. He knew she was

worried for his brother, and that endeared her to him all the more. Their plan had to work.

It was now time for the finals and the knots in Haruhi's stomach were tight. Satoshi was up against

another ferocious competitor, one that was several inches taller than him. "I hope he will be alright.

Please, let him be alright!" She prayed in her mind as she gripped her hands together once again. A hand

covered hers and she looked over at Chika.

"He will be fine Haruhi-senpai. Just because someone is bigger than you, doesn't mean that they are

stronger or more skilled. He practices every day with Takashi and knows how to fight people that are

bigger than him," Chika explained, but did not remove his hand.

"How did you know I was worried about him?" Haruhi asked blushing trying to fake nonchalance.

Raising an eyebrow, Chika guffawed a little before leaning closer to her so that no one else could hear

him, "You are joking right? You are relaxed when everyone else is fighting, but tense up when Satoshi

is in the ring. Right now your hands are gripping each other so hard; you are cutting off your own

circulation. You have watched him today and you know he is skilled. He will come out the victor in this

match also. As a friend I know you worry for him, but kendo is where a Morinozuka excels."

Nodding, Haruhi tried to relax her hands, but it was not possible; although she felt better with Chika

trying to reassure her and for holding her hands. Turning her attention back to the ring the match was

about to start.