Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, Bisco Hatori does.

4

The Child In The Photo

After dinner, while Haruhi cleaned the apartment, she left Aya to play with her new plushie. Aya made him run on the table, then across the tatami mat floor. The golden haired toddler soon got bored, so she headed into the kitchen, to see what Haruhi was doing. Haruhi was wiping the counters, while listening to the radio. It was one of those talk shows, where they had information about current affairs, things in the newspapers, that sort of thing.

"New friend!" Aya said, tugging on her mother's apron.

"I know, Aya, Uma-chan," Haruhi replied. She then moved to near the sink, to wash the dishes.

"Nuu! Other!" Aya said, as she tugged on her mother's apron again.

"Who's that?" Haruhi asked. She thought it would possibly be a new child at the day care.

"Honee!" Aya said. She couldn't quite pronounce Honey yet. "And, Usa-chan."

Haruhi froze when she heard 'Usa-chan.' "It couldn't be.." Haruhi thought.

"Can go toy shop morrow?" Aya asked.

Haruhi would have responded, but she heard something on the radio that caught her interest. "Toy shop tycoon, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, is currently going through a lawsuit with a competing toy company, that stole a design for one of Haninozuka's products. Haninozuka owns the Honey Co toy company, and the chain of Bun Bun Garden stores. His lawyer, Takashi Morinozuka, agreed to speak with us, interview would be are at 10."

Haruhi dropped one of the plates into the sink, smashing it. "No!" Haruhi snapped. She then shouted, "Now, go play!

Aya let go of Haruhi's apron in shock, Haruhi had never shouted at her before. Her lip trembling, tears falling from her eyes. She ran into the living room crying, then shut herself in the closet. Aya sat in the dark closet, her knees resting under her chin, holding Uma-chan with one arm, and sucking her thumb on the other hand. Haruhi instantly felt guilty for snapping at her daughter, because it wasn't Aya that she was really mad at.

Haruhi gently knocked on the closet door. "Aya, I'm sorry, please come out," Haruhi said, her voice sounding soft.

"Go way!" Aya yelled. Then promptly stuffed her thumb back in her mouth.

Haruhi carefully slid the closet door open, then sat beside Aya, she tried to hug the little girl, but Aya wasn't co-operating. Aya refused to move, and even turned her head away from Haruhi. But, she did co-operate, when Haruhi tickled her, and the little girl started giggling.

"I'm sorry," Haruhi said, before kissing Aya on the cheek.

...

"Sorry to disturb you like this, Ranka," Kyoya said, when Ryoji let them in.

Ryoji, Tamaki and Kyoya were sat at the low table, with cups of tea in front of them, that Ryoji had made. Naturally, Ryoji had made the exact kind of tea Kyoya wanted, but because Tamaki opened his mouth, and said he wanted sugar in his tea, he didn't get it.

"No problem, Kyoya, I get so few visitors now," Ryoji said. He then giggle playfully.

"Isn't there anything that you could tell us?" Kyoya asked. He then drank some of his tea.

"Sorry, Haruhi was quite stubborn on the matter," Ryoji replied. He did want to tell Kyoya, but he couldn't go against his daughter's wishes.

"All of us do care about her, and would like to keep in contact," Kyoya said. He was trying to think of a way that he could get the information out of Ryoji, but not seem like a interrogation.

"I love Haruhi!" Tamaki said, stupidly opening his mouth.

Ryoji grabbed hold of Tamaki's cheek. "What do you mean, you love her? Because of you, I haven't seen my precious daughter in person for nearly a year! You have no idea what I'm going through!" Ryoji shouted.

"Ranka... that's my face..." Tamaki pleaded.

"Don't think because you're handsome, that I'm going to forgive you!" Ryoji continued. He then let go of Tamaki's face, and pointed right at him. "This is all your fault!"

Tamaki would have sulked in the corner, but he saw something on the shelf that made his heart skip a beat. It was a picture of Haruhi, holding a little girl. The girl had Haruhi's eyes, and golden hair, and was wearing a party hat. He removed the framed photo from the shelf, to get a closer look.

"Ranka, who is the little girl in this?" Tamaki asked, as he turned around to show Ranka the photo.

"None of your business!" Ryoji snapped.

As soon as Kyoya saw the photo, a glint of light flashed across his glasses, as he pushed them further up his nose. He knew exactly how he could find Haruhi. Tamaki sulked for most of the visit, but he couldn't get the image of that child out of his mind. When Tamaki and Kyoya left, Ryoji saw them out.

"I apologise for taking up so much of your time, Ranka, and I wish you all of the best," Kyoya said, at the doorway of the Fujioka residence.

"No problem, Kyoya, don't be a stranger now," Ryoji said, making sure to ignore Tamaki.

When Kyoya and Tamaki got into the car, they both put their seatbelts on. Kyoya smirked, because with out realising it, Ryoji had given him all the answers he needed. Ryoji hadn't mentioned the child at all, which surely, a photo of a child, that Ryoji kept in a frame should mean something to him. About anything else, Ryoji would dismiss Tamaki, then tell Kyoya, but not about the mysterious child.

"To the hospital," Kyoya instructed the driver.

"Why the hospital, are you sick?" Tamaki asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"Just shut up, I'll explain when we get there," Kyoya replied, in a snappy way. Kyoya removed his cellphone from his pocket, he had some urgent phone calls to make.

...

After being tucked into bed, instead of asking for her usual story, Aya asked for one about horses. Haruhi invented a story about a heroic horse, that saved a princess, which seemed to please the toddler. When Aya had fallen asleep, Haruhi headed into the kitchen, to call her father.

"Dad, I know we only spoke yesterday..." Haruhi began, but was interupted by Ryoji.

"Haruhi!" Ryoji said, his voice filled with delight. "You know I'm always happy to speak to you!"

"Could you spend the day with Aya, tomorrow?" Haruhi asked.

"Of course! I'll come around and pick her up around seven?" Ryoji said, taking into consideration, that Haruhi had to be at work for nine in the morning.

"Thanks. I just have one condition, don't let any of them know you've got her," Haruhi said. 'Them' meant her former fellow hosts.

A/N: Got to love Ranka/Ryoji! The whole time I was writing this chapter, I imagined Ryoji/Ranka's voice as how it is in the English dub. His voice actor is great, and so suits him. Now, we are finally at the spoiler free part of the story now.

Thank you so much to readers and reviewers, you're all awesome! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be sure to get the next one up soon. If any of you have any ideas on how Aya could accidently meet Hikaru and Kaoru, I'd love to see it, because I'm kinda stumped there. Also, if there are any nonhosts that you'd like to see in here, you know where the review button is! Be sure to tell me, because OHSHC has so many great characters, it would be awesome to see what happened to all of them. I'm not limiting to the anime, so manga exclusives are accepted to.