disclaimer: do not own OHSHC on to chapter 4 shall we.... enjoy?!!

Chapter 4: Straws

He couldn't believe the situation. How could he be talked into something like this? He felt as fate was being cruel for doing this to him. Mori knew he could never have her and now she was being dangled in front of him and just out of reach.

Another thing that he couldn't believe he let Huni talk him into was the fact that he should still be near her during the night. He refused but Huni simply stated that it wasn't because he thought she wasn't safe, I mean she was at his house. However, he made his argument to say that she may wake up and get scared not realizing where she was or what if she needed something. And they had to look as convincing as possible. Just like real fiances, they slept together, dont they? Mori couldn't refuse a request Huni put to him anyways, not just out of duty but he thought of Huni as a brother and would do anything for him. Mori agreed becuase he knew he was also right. Just like Huni knew he would. The smile on his face when he went to sleep that night showed victory.

Sitting in a chair much to small for his size he could see Haruhi's sleeping form accross the room. His mind was wondering and looking out of the window he hadn't noticed that she had sat up. For a moment Haruhi was in fact confused to where she was, she started to panic until she noticed Mori sitting in a seat accross the room and looking out the window. Her panic vanished very quickly. What was he doing in her room? She was about to ask when he shifted in the seat and looked directly into her eyes. Through the poorly lit room they stared at each other for what seemed an was the one to break the silence, for him he could have looked into her eyes forever.

"Mori-Senpai... are we at Huni-Senpai's house?" she sounded of sleep. He could see her hair was thrown into a whirl from sleep and she looked flushed from being asleep a moment ago. To Mori she looked beautiful." Again. Torture." He thought to himself.

"Ah." came his response to her question.. Just at that moment they heard her stomach growl. She was thankful it was dark in the room because she was sure she was blushing.

"I guess I'm hungry, arn't I" She stated trying to not sound embarassed. He was rather shocked. The guys had eaten after the meeting and she most certainly hadn't since at least lunch. He felt bad. He nodded and then stood up streatching out of the akward position.

"Kitchen?" He asked and she nodded with a slight smile on her lips. She followed him out into the dark hallway and found it very dark in the rest of the dark in fact she seemed that she couldn't see. She felt Mori grab her hand and the electric shock that coursed through her for the millionth time. It never ceased to amaze her, how much she was in love with him. Haruhi wished she could tell him.

He pulled her along quietly towards the kitchen. Even though she couldn't see she knew Mori had been there several times and knew where he was going. She was comforted by this. The moment his hand had grabbed hers he felt a jolt he also felt her freeze for a moment. He loved the way her hand fit into his and secretly wished he could hold her hand always. What would she think of the plan. Would she be angry that that was what they decided and that it wasn't put to her to decide. He hoped not, he wanted to pretend so that he had this little bit of time just to himself. He knew that was selfish, but was it really if he kept it quiet.

They were both torn from their thoughts when Mori turned the kitchen light on and they blinked to get used to the now bright as sun room. Haruhi could not believe how big the kitchen was. She thought her whole living space could easily fit into it. Haruhi watched Mori walk over to the fridge to find her something to eat. He pulled out some of the left over chicken cordon bleu they had earlier and set about making it for her. A moment later she was sitting at the kitchen table accross from Mori eating her dinner. Some where inside the house a chime rang stating it was now three in the morning. Wow she had slept for a long time. After a couple of minutes in silence She wanted to know what had happened after she fell asleep, better to ask him even if he would give her small answers or even one no or yes answers.

"Mori- Senpai?" she started. "Um, what happend after I fell asleep. I mean to say..was something decided?"

"Ah" was his only reply. He thought they should wait until tomorrow to talk about it. He felt quite akward about the plan and thought better if Huni told her. He hoped she would drop it.

"Well..I know you dont talk much but could you please tell me the plan, Mori-Senpai?" She was confused by the look on his face. It was somewhat confusion mixed with dear-in-the-headlights look.

He sighed." You were awake earlier on the couch." it wasn't a question, the way she worded hers told him she had woken up when they were thinking about what to do about the situation earlier at the school. She quickly nodded. Tricky he thought to himself. He would have probably did the same thing if he heard them talking about him. "Well..They decided that you should stay on at school and host club. They also thought that One of of should play your fiance for a while, to upset the person doing this. meaning that you would wear a ring and act inside and out of school. Since the person seems to watch you everywhere." She would have been shocked that she had just heard him speak so much more than she had ever heard if she wasn't so damn shocked about the plan to begin with.

"And who would be the person playing my pretend fiance?" She asked, he noticed why he was saying the plan that she had gone pale. He got severly nervous that she was going to yell at him and be angry. He didn't want to make her upset. But by all why in the name of god did she have to ask that question. He wanted to avert her anger just a bit when he joked. "Tamaki" she visibly went pailer than before, which he didn't think was possible. Mori smiled just a bit and she actually Laughed.

It wasn't a full on laugh but a whisper of a thank god he was joking laugh. She then noticed that he was rather uncomfortable with the situation. She figured it out and took mercy on him.

"You are to play my fiance, right?" she asked him. He averted his eyes when he answered her.

"Ah." he looked nervous. He didn't want to look into her eyes, but after a moment he did. He was confused that her face was suddenly flushed with a blush and that her eyes showed her relief. He wanted to ask her about it but knew that if he did he would give away the fact that he was in love with her.

When she heard it was him. A thrill went through her, she would get this short time to see how it would be for them. Even though she knew full well it was wrong for her to pretend and it would just hurt her in the end. The relief that it wasn't someone else was great. Haruhi couldn't stop the blush though. O well she thought. Thinking that this would put him in more danger if they make the other person mad, scared her. Her face went from releif to worried.

He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay, instead he reached over and ruffled her hair like he always did and said in a whisper. "I will always protect you." Her blush went from tomato to thought it was really cute and endearing. He had the urge to lean over and kiss her to see if she would get any redder. He thought, but didn't act, as usual.

"So the plan is that you and me are fiances now, Outside as well as inside of school and Host club we are to act as though we are in love and getting married? Well, do we stay here or do we go somewhere else?"

" yeah that's going to be so hard."Both thought at the same time, sarcasticly,not knowing the others feelings. "In love no problem, ending it tough."

"Here" he answered.

She continued. " And then we make this person jealous enough to show themselves so that we can get them, right?" he nodded. "And so what room do you sleep in?" thinking that he was just in her room "and How do we make him jealous and upset?"

He thought better not answer the first one. He answered the second instead.

"Dates" She nodded at his answer. Sure he was going to say that. And since he didn't answer the first question she knew the answer to it. Her room.

He knew the whole plan. Since the person seems to watch all the time, they decided the act should be as convincing as possible night or day. They whole Host Club had decided to have him sleep in her room with her. He tried to avoid that and now look at the situation. He was sitting with the woman he was in love with in his friends kitchen feeling akward because he had to answer the questions he really didn't want to answer. He wished all of it was true though, it would be so much easier. Still sitting accross from each other feeling akward and both wishing that it was real, the silence envoloped them. It was never an akward silence, it was always an understandable and comfortable one. Lost in there own thoughts neither heard Huni-Senpai standing in the hallway at the opening of the dining room. He was smiling furousiously. He thought it was cute that both were trying to hide their feelings and failing miserably but neither of them realizing how the other felt. He knew that his idea was going to go over fine and turned to leave when he heard Haruhi's next question.

"Mori-Senpai"

"Takashi" He sounded gruff. She looked puzzled and Huni was thrilled. " If we are going to pretend you should call me Takashi."

"Takashi" she said and then continued. " Are you sorry that it is you who got picked." She sounded pitiful to Huni, probably worried that she was being a burden to Takashi though.

"No" he stated matter of was nervous though that he wouldn't want to stop "pretending" once this was said and done however. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. The feeling she got was of pure joy. She had to remeber that this was fake and that he didn't really lover her. "Will you marry me?" Takashi asked, very nonchalantly, without emotion.

"Yes." Her answer was said the same way. Huni hearing the answer, turned and hurried back to his room. He gave her the box and watched her opening it. She looked at it for a moment and then slipped the ring onto her ring finger. The ring was of medium size and had smaller diamonds wrapped around the middle one. It felt heavy on her finger. God how she wished it was real. Feeling akward Mori Stood up and walked towards the sink to put away the items she used, He felt joy and had to remind himself it was fake. Turning back to Haruhi, his friend, and now pretend fiance, he asked her if she was now ready for bed. She nodded and stood up. She needed his help once again to get through the house. He thought it was wonderful holding her hand and feeling the ring on her finger under his fingers.

Once in her room again, Haruhi walked over to the giant bed and crawled on. The lights were off. Mori walked back over to the chair, he knew Huni and the others said it would be smarter to sleep in the same bed, but he felt that would be putting her in an akward postion. He decided no matter how much he wanted to pound that small chair into the ground that he would rather sleep in it than make her feel really akward and embaressed. After about ten minutes of it being silent and having to hear Mori-Senpai shuffle around on the small chair she felt bad. She sat up and turned on the small bedside lamp closest to her. He stared at her, and waited for her to tell him what was wrong. Instead of talking she got up and walked over to him she grabbed his hand and pulled he got up and towered over her. A comforting presence she thought. She dragged him back to the bed.

"Look I can't sleep in a giant comfrotable bed while you have to sleep on the smallest chair made for Huni-senpai size men." He smiled at that. "Just share the bed, Okay?" she felt herself blushing again and quickly crawled onto it and over to where the wall and the bed met. Made her self comfortable and pulled the covers up. He looked at her for a moment and then sat at the edge of the bed. After a moment he laid down on top of the covers. A moment later he had the shock of his life.

Aparently Haruhi must have been really tired because before thinking it through she turned over to him. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Leaving a rippling of feeling when she stopped and said. " Thank God it was you." She was staring into his eyes and saw one of his eyebrows arch up questioningly. She noticed what she said and quickly added. " I would have had no peace if one of the twins or Tamaki was the one picked." To efficently change the topic she asked. "How exactly was it decided who would be my fiance, Takashi?"

Leaning over and towards the lamp to shut it off, he turned and tooked at her. "Straws." He answered, the light went off just as her laughter filled the air.

A/N

I just wanted to say thank you for all the comments and reading my story.