Chapter Three

Love Her

"Hatori!" I heard Shigure call out from the main room.

"Shigure, get off of me. Where's Haruhi?" Taking that as my cue, I waltzed out of the kitchen and took the handsome doctor's hand, leading him outside. I shot a look at the others, daring them to follow us.

When the door was firmly shut, Hatori turned to me and we took in the sight of each other. He had green eyes and black hair. I flung my arms around him like I had longed to do in years, and felt him do the same.

"I missed you so much, dad." He stroked my hair and held me close.

"I missed you too. So what do I have to do to get you to say father?"

"Father doesn't suit you. It sounds cold, like a father who doesn't love their child." I smiled into his jacket.

"Mm, I suppose I do love you. You are in very way my daughter. So who are the gentlemen inside?"

"Some guys from school. Friends. I think I need to tell them the truth." Hatori pulled back and looked at me.

"Are you sure?"

"They're going to find out eventually. It may as well be from me. Then I need to talk to just you guys about you know what." I let out a sigh. "I love you, dad."

"I love you to, except when you call me dad." He kissed my brow.

"You pervert! Get away from my daughter at once!" I turned to see Tamaki walking out of the house. I sighed. Again.

"You replaced me with him?" Hatori asked. Tamaki looked shocked.

"He's not a pervert, Tamaki~sempia, he's my real real dad of sorts. It's complicated." I led the guys inside and motioned for them to sit down. I looked at all of them gathered around the table. It was crowded, needless to say. "Listen, I'm only going to say this once. My real name is Haruhi Sohma." Everyone who didn't know gasped.

Yuki and Kyo got up, Yuki put his arm protectively around me and Kyo stood in front of me. "Why did you decide to tell them, Haruhi?" Kyo asked.

"They would have found out eventually. I'm surprised Kyoya~sempia didn't find out already. You guys are good at covering up tracks." I went to the kitchen quickly and with Tohru's help brought out dinner.

"Ewe... Leeks?" Kyo asked. I glared at him.

"Yes, and you are going to eat them. I can't believe you made Tohru~chan cook special for you. Besides, they're good for you," I told him.

"Fine..." he said and stuffed leeks in his mouth.

"Good boy." I patted him on the head. "Any ways, yes, I'm a Sohma. I don't know how, my parents gave me to the head of the family, Akito, who in turn gave me to Hatori for him to raise. To Akito, I was a pet. People shunned me because of my position, and I ended up doing some horrible things. I did what Akito told me to do, even abusing people."

"It wasn't your fault," Yuki comforted me, squeezing my shoulder. "She didn't have a choice. It was that or be abused by Akito," he explained to the others.

"I remember crying after treating her broken ribs. It was Akito that did it to her, and I had no choice but to let him and heal her afterwords," Hatori said, looking up at me with a sad smile on his lips.

"So the three of them decided to get me out. Kyo's martial arts master and foster dad brought me to Ranka, who had been his friend in college. Ranka's like a second dad to me," I continued to explain.

"So you are actually a rich bastard too?" Hikaru asked.

"No, I don't flaunt my heritage," I told him.

"Rich bastard?" Yuki asked me.

"That's what miss Sohma here calls us when we use our heritage to our advantage," Kyoya explained like the know it all he thinks and sometimes is.

"Should we be offended?" Shigure asked.

"Only if you prove yourself to also be a rich bastard."

"Um, should y-you be calling each other that?" Tohru asked all innocent. I shrugged.

"Tamaki, we should leave. I'm sure Haruhi would like to catch up with her family," Kyoya told the blond idiot.

"Um, yeah." Tamaki led the group out the door.

"Thanks Kyoya~sempia," I called after him. He shrugged. Hani turned and met eyes with me.

"Haru~chan!" He ran at me with tears in his eyes. I went to hold him at a distance before he could hug me, when Tohru tripped and pushed me forwards. Hani tried to catch me, our chests met, and in a puff of black smoke I felt my body transform. I looked into Hani's eyes, which were scared instead of sad. I stood with my front paws on his chest. I liked him, trying to comfort him, and got off of him. I nudged him with my nose, encouraging him to get up.

"Haru~chan?" Hani asked, confused with good reason. I nodded, and he threw his arms around me.

"Guess being a Sohma isn't the only secret that's going to be revealed today," I sighed. "Wow, it's been five years since I've been in this form. It actually feels kinda good." I shook out my coat and everyone admired my shiny fur. I was black, with only one mark on my entire body. It was on my forehead, and unique. It changed shape with the phases of the moon.

"So it's going to be a full moon tonight?" Hatori asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It'll be a good night to go star gazing."

"What does that have to do with anything?" the twins asked.

"Look at her forehead," Kyo instructed them. "The mark changes with the moon. That's how I know that there will be a full moon this morning." They all stared in awe, making me uncomfortably with their gazes. I sighed.

"Where's she going?" I heard Kyoya ask as I made my way to the bathroom with my clothes.

Don't stall! I turned to explain, but it was to late. In another puff of black smoke I changed back. Naked. Dam it, dam it, dam it! I turned beet red and quickly held my clothes over my chest. All the boys turned and Mori covered Hani's eyes. I swiftly put my clothes back and coughed, signaling them that it was safe to look. They were all blushing, and we made a point not to bring what had happened up. We all sat down.

"So you know m background story with Akito, and the curse of the family," I started, and told them the story of the forgotten member of the zodiac, the wolf. "So Friday, yesterday, Akito came to the school." I heard sharp intakes of air from all around the table. Hatori grabbed my hand protectively and comfortingly. I smiled weakly. "He argued with me, I guess he never really lost sight of where I was. He told me I could stay at Ouran, but I was still his pet." Hatori gave my hand a squeeze. "I figured since Akito knew where I was anyways I should come visit. I haven't seen you guys in so long, I missed you." Kyo hugged me.

"We missed you to Moon Drop." I smiled at Kyo's use of his and Yuki's childhood nickname for me.

"So that's why you wouldn't let us hug you. But why can they?" The twins asked.

"They are members of the zodiac. Kyo's the cat, Shigure's the dog, Yuki's the rat, and Hatori's the..." I started before Hatori interrupted me with a glare. "He's a something. Akito's the god figure. So we only transform when a non-member of the zodiac that's the opposite gender hugs us, or bumps chests."

"So what now? I'm assuming we are NOT supposed to know about the family's curse," Kyoya asked, calculating as ever.

I nodded. "I don't know. Hatori might need to erase your memories." I looked down, afraid of their reactions. "I probably won't be able to stay at Ouran, or stay with my dad when Akito finds out,"

"No..." Tohru whimpered.

"Then he can't learn of it," Mori said to our surprise. I locked eyes with him and forced a smile.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy," Shigure spoke out. "As our god we have to do what he says. Haruhi, I need to apologise for hating you for so long. I knew you didn't have a choice." I squeezed his shoulder reasuringly. "Anyways, he will find out one way or another."

I couldn't believe my ears. MY Haruhi was going to be forced out of her home, out of Ouran, and back with that abusive monster. He abuses them, and he's suposed to be their God? I made a promise to myself then and there. I WILL NOT let that monster win. I WILL save her. I WILL save her family, I WILL protect her. Why? Because I LOVE her.