A/N: Okay it's come to my attention that I virtually suck at editing. Thanks to Beelzenefs-curses for noticing the whole Okinawa thing. Alright, pay attention everyone; this is important: They aren't even going to Okinawa- I can't believe I even made such a stupid typo- they are on a train headed to HOKKAIDO. Yes, the Hokkaido that is pretty much at the opposite end of the country, that Hokkaido. And yes, I also realize that it's pretty much impossible time-wise, even if this is fiction, to arrive some place miles and miles away in like, ten minutes. They'd have to at least teleport or apparate, or something. So make a note: they are going from a Tokyo station to Aomori, then from there driving to Hokkaido.

I hope that's cleared up now. Anywayz, Yay for a long(er) chapter! Sorry, I took a bit to post, I was just so caught up in it all. -.-;

Disclaimer: I don't own it, but I love it.

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Chapter 4

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Haruhi would have never believed that someone would have found so many ways to cause trouble on a train before today.

When the conductor announced over the intercom that they were nearing the next stop, Tamaki jumped up and exclaimed, "But we're not going to Fukushima! What's going on?" He paled. "Mon Dieu Are we on the wrong train? Somebody, stop this thing, we have to get off!!" he yelled frantically over the row of chairs.

People turned around to stare at him.

Haruhi gasped and yanked him back into his chair, "Shhh!" she whispered, "Quiet down, you're starting to-"

She was cut off by the attendant who'd rushed over to their row to see what all the fuss was about. "What's wrong? Are you ill? Should I call for a doctor?" the man asked worriedly.

Tamaki frowned, "I demand to know what is going on here! I specifically bought a one-way ticket to Aomori," he waved the slip in his hand heatedly. "And now the conductor says this train is headed to Fukushima? What kind of scam is this?!"

The attendant drew his brows together in confusion. "But this train is going to Aomori, sir."

Tamaki huffed in indignation. "So now you're saying the conductor is a liar? We all heard what he said; that-"

"S-sir, please calm down. The train goes to many stops along the way before reaching Hokkaido. It will reach where you want to go eventually, just be patient."

Tamaki gaped at the man and mouthed "O" as realization dawned on him. He then brightened. "Ah! So this is one of the many methods commoners have developed in order to save time since they are too busy to visit multiple places?"

"Uh," the attendant said.

"Yes, it is all very clear to me now," Tamaki nodded to himself, as if he'd been contemplating it for a while. "This way they can go to as many places possible all in one quick trip. Very clever, "he added to himself.

Since Tamaki was lost in his own wonder of the regales of commoner wisdom, Haruhi took the chance to speak to the attendant. "Sorry about him sir," she apologized. "This is, uh, his first time riding the train."

The attendant laughed nervously. "Th-that's alright. Just try to keep it down and not disturb the other passengers, please." He then bowed slightly and got the hell away from them as fast as his feet could carry him. Haruhi watched as he retreated to the area reserved for the other attendants who were all waiting anxiously. They whispered to one another, shaking their heads and pointing in Haruhi and Tamaki's direction.

Haruhi didn't think she could be any more embarrassed. She turned to Tamaki. "You can't just go around bursting out like that, sempai!" she said angrily. "What were you thinking?"

Tamaki was too engrossed with looking out the window to pay attention to what she was saying.

Haruhi decided not to even waste her breath. She sighed and looked around for the rest of the host club members. Hikaru and Kaoru were looking at a magazine they'd found on the ground earlier together. It was a book of advertisements for a bunch of discount stores. They were held enthralled by the promises of "Extra Low Prices" and "Limited-Time Offers" on mass-produced goods. She looked over to where the other two sat. Hunni was fast asleep, his stuffed rabbit gently tucked under his arm. His blonde hair was tousled, but it suited him. Haruhi smiled to herself. He looked even younger than he normally did when he was sleeping. Takashi sat quietly next to him, carving something into a small block of wood with a wickedly sharp looking knife that made Haruhi wonder where he had acquired such a thing. She didn't even dare to venture why he was carving in the first place. He was enough of an enigma as it was.

Satisfied that they were all properly containing themselves in a peaceful manner, she turned back to Tamaki. He was still fixated on the window, intent on not missing a single tree pass them by. He finally noticed her watching him from the corner of his eye and grinned lazily at her.

Haruhi felt her breath catch. It was obvious to see why other girls found him so alluring. She too, felt the pull on her heartstrings when faced with that captivating smile of his. But Haruhi looked away, reminding herself not to get caught up in his web of attraction, because she at least knew better than that. Tamaki had gotten rendering women speechless down to an art. His boyish smile, those deep violet-blue eyes sparkling in mirth-everything he did was a careful assault on the senses, aimed bringing women to their knees. She pitied the poor girls who succumbed to his mastered seduction. Every look, every touch, every smile- he was naturally aware of how to produce that heart-throbbing effect would snare a girl in his clutches like a rabbit in a trap. In this sense, he had the capacity to be even more manipulative than Kyouya. For all his innocent sincerity, Haruhi knew that he was the most dangerous to her of all.

Tamaki seemed to notice her troubled thoughts and tenderly lifted her chin to his face. "Is something amiss, my lady?" He asked, ever the gallant and chivalrous knight.

Haruhi slapped his hand away. "Stop that."

He raised a quizzical brow. "Stop what?"

"That." Haruhi waggled her own eyebrows. "You know what I mean. Just stop… everything!"

"Everything?" He sounded momentarily bewildered. Everything covered quite a bit. But Tamaki was no man to be fazed by such a request and he said with determination, "V-Very well then! For you, Haruhi, I shall stop the earth and the moon in their orbit, and even bring time itself to a halt if that's what you want! I don't really have the means to do so right now…but,…I'll work on it, Haruhi, truly, I will! And someday, I promise, I will stop it all for you!"

Haruhi burst into laughter. He was as usual, being absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps she didn't have to worry so much about him then. He was an idiot, after all.

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Haruhi awoke as the train came to an abrupt halt. She realized she must have fallen asleep. Haruhi rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Where are we?"

"This is where we get off," Tamaki said, grabbing their bags from above. He extended a hand to help her up.

She took it and nodded her thanks. "Where is this?"

"Hokkaido!!" Hunni burst out from the other aisle. "We're in Hokkaido, Haruhi! Isn't that great?!"

She looked groggily over at Hunni. He was bubbling with excitement, which meant he must have awoken himself awhile ago. It was common knowledge that Hunni needed to take his time waking up; if he was woken up suddenly there was sure to be hell to pay. Grumpy didn't do him justice-he'd shoot flames from his mouth and roar like a dragon if his nap was disturbed.

"Hokkaido, huh?" Kaoru mused.

"Hmm." Hikaru said.

"Why Hokkaido?" Haruhi asked.

"Because," Tamaki said as he led the way to the exit, "Hokkaido is the best place to go for hot springs."

"Says who?" Haruhi wanted to know.

Tamaki furrowed his brow. "Doesn't everyone?"

"There are natural hot springs all over Japan," Haruhi pointed out. "Because of the intense volcanic activity in this region almost every area has at least one hot spring or spa. For that matter, why are we going to a hot spring in the first place?"

Kaoru came up from behind to ruffle her hair. "I think a hot spring trip in Hokkaido sounds rather interesting. Besides, you don't have anything against it, do you?"

"Not really. Though I don't see any reason for visiting one either." Haruhi paused. "But Hokkaido is nice." she admitted, thinking about the abundant seafood it boasted.

Everyone laughed. Haruhi's thoughts were as transparent as the drool on her mouth.

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When they got off the train it was pouring outside. They all quickly ducked under an awning for temporary cover and to decide what they'd do next. The train didn't exactly drop them off right in Hokkaido- it left them in a small fishing village near Aomori which faced the water they'd have to cross to get to the actual place itself. Since Hokkaido was on an island, most people usually flew there. But there were two other methods of transportation available: taking the ferry or driving through the Seikan Tunnel. Tamaki chose the latter of the two simply because it was storming outside and he didn't want to deal with the tumultuous waves trying to toss them overboard. Originally he'd wanted to ride the ferry out of curiosity, (he'd never been on a ferry before,) but when he saw the violent waves crashing down upon the beach, he quickly changed his mind. So Tamaki made a quick phone call and a charter bus owned by the Sou family arrived to pick them up within a matter of minutes. Haruhi didn't even spare a moment to wonder how it had gotten there so fast. She was quickly becoming used to the peculiar impracticalities of the rich, and though she didn't always agree with the way they did things, she didn't really have a say in them either.

The ride up to the ryokan they'd be staying at was, for the most part, uneventful. That is if you called uneventful having Tamaki standing in the front of the bus wearing a uniform and reading from a pamphlet about every single thing they passed into a microphone he'd snatched from the driver like a damned tour guide uneventful. Even though the downpour was so thick, no-one could see what he was gesturing to anyway, he persisted. Haruhi tuned out the sound of Tamaki's voice and wondered why they'd needed an entire bus to carry six people with minimal baggage. It was absolutely unnecessary. A taxi-cab would have been perfectly suitable, if anyone cared to ask her. But they didn't; they just barreled through her input, as usual. Honestly, she wasn't sure how she was able to put up with their arrogance.

"And here, is our destination!" Tamaki cried into the microphone.

Haruhi looked up and heard her intake of breath. She looked outside, her eyes wide with mysterious wonder. Even though her vision was blurred by the sheeting rain, she made out the vast swooping roofs and mountainous valley below and instantly felt the serene presence of nature completely surround her. The ryokan was completely isolated from the rest of the world and felt like it had surpassed time in its pursuit of solitude. It was old, she could tell that much. Perhaps hundreds of years ago, monks had traveled here in search of peaceful meditation. If she were a monk, Haruhi would never leave the place; she'd forever surround herself in the beautiful tranquility freely offered. It was wild, and earthy, and wonderful. "Wow," didn't even cover it.

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A/N: Yay! I think the next chapter is going to be awesome, and I can't wait to start on it! Kyouya finally resurfaces along with...(drumroll)…a not-so-surprising surprise for Haruhi and a few disgruntling developments for Tamaki ! As always, Look forward to it and don't forget to review!

PS: For those of you who think this is turning into a Tamaki x Haruhi fic, think again! I've decided I'm just going to let the chips fall where they may and see what happens. So don't despair just yet if you were expecting it to go differently!!