Her Confession

"Man, I thought they'd never leave." She looked at her two bewildered senpais and chuckled softly at their reactions. "Yes, I heard the whole thing. Do you honestly believe for a second that I thought you guys would leave me alone after you heard I wasn't feeling well?" She watched them both blanch. "Don't worry so much. While I wasn't expecting my phone to go off while you guys were in here, it did a lot to teach me who I could place my trust in. It's amazing how quickly one's true colors arise in the heat of the moment." They didn't relax.

"Haru-chan, please don't be mad. We came in because we were worried about you." Honey's eyes started watering. I knew the difference between his genuine and fake tears. These were true. "We heard your phone go off and they wanted to see who it was."

"Shhh Honey-senpai, I'm not mad. At you two. I know what happened. I also know you tried to stop them. I know who searched and where. I know who didn't search." I reached over and pulled out my phone. Once she read the rest of the message from Mr. K, Haruhi looked back at my senpais, knowing what she had to do.

"Mori-senpai, would you please come over here with me and Honey-senpai? I need to tell you two something and I can't risk it being overheard." He did as she asked and sat at the very edge of her bed. She sighed.

"Closer, Mori-senpai, please." Reluctantly, he came to sit by her on the bed. Honey climbed in his lap and they both turned to her, understanding that this was indeed, serious. She placed the phone on her bed between them and sighed again, mentally preparing herself.

"Before I tell you anything, there's someone I want you to meet. Ritsu, I assume you heard what just transpired?" Her phone came to life at her words. A cute pink-haired girl with long, low pig-tails wearing a lavender nightgown popped up on screen and yawned, tiredly.

"Yup. I was on the verge of going to sleep when I finished my night time routine of making sure E-class was all safe. I noticed your blood pressure and heartrate was increased significantly so I zeroed in right as your Hikaru talked about finding your phone. Naturally I put it on lockdown so that if he did find it, he wouldn't be able to open it."

"Yeah, thanks for that," she replied drily, ignoring her friend's jibe. "I knew I could count on you. I was worried more about what the previews would show but honestly I think they were more caught up on the one from Karma. But back to the problem at hand. I need you to scan the room for bugs or cameras. If you find them, I need them disrupted."

"Just give me one momennnt…done. Congratulations, Haruhi. You are completely bug free. I must say, Fluffy Stag Beetle is going to be disappointed." Both girls started giggling, remembering their money-making etymologist friend. The two hosts just sat beside them, stunned. They couldn't wrap their heads around this new information. Just what kind of phone was this anyway? And where did she get it? "No are you finally going to introduce me to the two hosts that are sitting next to you or not?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just needed to make sure the room was clear. I would not put it past the Hitatchiin twins to bug my room. Anyway, Ritsu, this is Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai. Apparently, I can only trust three out of the six host club members and here are two of them. Guys, this is Ritsu." The girls waited patiently for the two boys to respond. When they continued to sit in their stunned state of silence, Ritsu took it upon herself to continue the conversation.

"Third-years Honinozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi. Both masters in martial arts. Mitsukuni, the known master of Japan in both Karate and Aikido. Takashi, the known master of Japan in both Judo and Kendo. Both had earned the national titles an astounding 10 times each and have earned 7 international titles. One for every year they competed. But neither could hold a candle to the top ten fighters in E-class. It's very nice to meet you both." She smiled and bowed, hoping her last comment would be enough to shock them out of silence.

"Ritsu, that was unnecessary. You know we all, well most of us, stopped fighting after what happened last year. I'm sure our skills are rusty compared to Mori and Honey."

"Be that as it may, I've been watching their fighting styles and analyzing their forms. I can tell you with 57% accuracy that even with your rusty skills, you can beat them both with relative ease." Finally, Honey snapped out of it.

"Ritsu-chan, what do you mean the top ten in E-class? And what do you mean Haru-chan's rusty skills? What skills does she have? Could she really beat us? You said yourself we're the best in Japan." As his excitement grew, so did the speed at which his questions were asked.

Ritsu giggled delightedly. "Honey-senpai, you two are the best in Japan on record. By my calculations, though, E-class has approximately ten students who could easily best both of you in hand-to—hand combat. Assuming they kept up their skills. I know Haruhi hasn't. She's been too busy playing Hostess. So I can't say for sure if she could still hold her own, but odds are in her favor."

"Oh don't worry about that, Ritsu. My skills are as honed and intact as the day we left the mountain. I actually had an opportunity to test them out a couple hours ago on the cliff. Let's just say there are three people who will never drink again and leave it at that." Haruhi grinned, recalling just why they wouldn't be drinking and the look on her face caused Honey to blanch and even Mori's stoic mask to break as his eyes widened.

"Ha-ru-hiiii," her friend whined, "I just got one of them talking! Why did you have to go and scare them again?"

"Alright, Ritsu, I think it's time I told my senpais what really happened in middle school. I'm going to need their help getting out tomorrow to meet up with Da Densest." She turned to Mori and Honey who were still reeling over her last bit of news. When was she on the cliff? Did they want to know what happened?

"Haruhi," Mori started tentatively, "What's going on?"

"Well, it's a long story," she started. "But first I need to have your word as a Morinzuka and yours, Honey-senpai, as a Honinozuka that nothing I say leaves the four of us. You are both men of honour. If I have your word, I know you will not break it. What I have to say is strictly classified information and because of what transpired in my room when all of you were in here, I can trust you with it. But absolutely no one can know I've told you. Do I have your word that you will not reveal what I relay and that you will listen to everything I tell you? It really is a long story and I don't want either of you to fall asleep."

"Haru-chan, of course you have my word. I vow on the Honinozuka name that nothing you say in confidence to us will be repeated by me."

"You have my word of honour as a Morinozuka that under pain of death, your secrets are safe with me."

Heartened by her senpai's longer-than-usual statement, Haruhi smiled gently. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Did you get all that, Ritsu?"

"Yes ma'am I did. Every word recorded and stored in my memory."

"Then I suppose I should start at the beginning of third year in middle school. Do you remember when the moon was destroyed two years ago?" When they confirmed, she continued. "Well, I know who destroyed it. He was one of my teachers at Kunugigaoka Junior High."

She waited again, gaging their reactions. If they expected anything, it wasn't that. Honey covered his mouth with both hands to muffle the loud gasp that escaped his lips, his eyes wider than she'd ever seen them before. Mori's eyes also widened, thought much more subtly and his lips slightly parted. His hands gripped the bedsheets tightly. Haruhi sighed. If they were going to react this strongly to the first, and probably most mild revelation, how were they going to handle the rest of her tale?

"Should I continue? Do you want to know everything?"

They were silent for a minute as they seriously considered her question. Did they want to know? Their friend whom they thought they'd known for much of the last year had already stunned them three times in the last hour. How many more secrets did her little head hold? She could beat them? She knew what blew up the moon two years ago? She was taught by him? It seemed like this was only the beginning, too. But she trusted them. She trusted them enough to tell them this much and was willing to tell them more. Did they want to shake that trust? They had given her their word that they would hear her out though. One shared look and both boys knew what their decision would be. They slowly nodded their heads.

"Alright, you want the whole story? Here it is." So, she told them. She explained who and what Koro-sensei was and how the moon was turned into a permanent crescent. She described the top-secret task they were given and the number of ways they tried to accomplish that assignment. She gave voice to the experiences her former class shared. Their trip to Okinawa, their Kyoto excursion, their villains, their allies, the save vs. kill rift that formed among them. How she really got into Ouran. Nothing was left untouched. Every once in a while, Ritsu would fill in some gaps, like when she got to the space trip that only she, Karma, and Nagisa were a part of.

As the two girls approached the end of their narrative, they started crying together, both remembering how hard it was to finish that chapter of their lives the first time. Having to relive it after so many months reopened the jagged wound and bled it fresh. For Haruhi, it was harder than any of the others. It was like losing him and her mother all over again. The girls told them everything that happened up to that night but neither could bring herself to describe what happened inside that protective shield. They broke down and couldn't continue.

At some point Haruhi had grabbed her phone and was holding it close to her chest, hugging Ritsu. She didn't notice when Honey climbed into her lap and put his arms around her. She didn't feel it when Mori puller her to his lap and wrapped his long arms around them all, resting his chin on top of her head. It seemed like she and Ritsu heard Nagisa's desperate cries fresh in their minds on repeat. And each time it played, they both cried harder. It was a long time before either of them calmed down.