The next week was a strange one for the Ouran High School Host Club. Everyone watched ….every one else.

The Hitachiin twins kept a weather eye out for Kyouya and Tamaki any time either of them approached Haruhi. They also watched Haruhi anytime she was around Mori. Which was distressingly little. Had they missed their mark?

Tamaki, for his part, watched Haruhi as usual. But he also joined her every time she was anywhere around Mori and Hunny. But since she wasn't going around Mori and Hunny much, it wasn't terribly noticeable unless you were watching closely.

Hunny appeared his cute and loveable self, but the twins noticed that on the few occasions that Haruhi was around, he was trying his hardest to leave her alone with Mori. So far, it wasn't working. But, the twins shrugged, that was mostly Haruhi's fault for not going around Mori as much.

Mori was looking at Haruhi a time or three dozen, but only when he thought no one else was watching. And since Mori was very aware of his surroundings and quite quick, the twins were only speculating that he was watching Haruhi so much. But it did seem suspicious to them that Mori's eyes were always traveling away from Haruhi every time they tried to catch him looking. Every time.

Hikaru sighed and turned to look at Kyouya, only to find that the Shadow King was watching he and his brother. He nudged Kaoru, who also looked. They prepared themselves mentally for the coming confrontation as Kyouya walked toward them with great deliberation.

Kyouya smiled slightly as he saw the twins slouch down into their futon acting as if they had no cares in the world. "Congratulations."

Kaoru's eyes widened and he shot a glance to his brother, who looked equally as puzzled. In unison they shrugged. "For what?"

"A job well done." Kyouya said calmly as he took a chair adjacent to their futon. "I see things are progressing nicely. I knew I could count on the two of you."

Hikaru pointed at himself, then at Kaoru even as his brother mirrored the move. They looked at each other and then at Kyouya. Kaoru spoke up finally, after a long moment wherein Kyouya did not explain himself. "What job was that, oh sly one?"

Kyouya tapped his chin quietly as he pondered for a moment. "So, how did you get around your promise to Tamaki? For I can't see you breaking a direct oath."

BUSTED! Kaoru and Hikaru didn't react, they knew better than to give away guilt. Besides, if they told how they'd done it then that trick might not work the next time they needed it. Still, on the inside they quivered just a bit. Tamaki they could deal with, their King was very straight forward. Kyouya was another matter entirely, he was …tricky.

"Oh come now. I knew that if I hinted around that I had ulterior motives for telling Haruhi, or enticing her to ask, that you two would take matters into your own hands." Kyouya paused for his words to sink in, when both twins dropped their jaws, he continued. "With you thinking, correctly, that Tamaki didn't want the information about Hunny's list known then I knew would want to then tell her. Still, I thought you needed a bit of extra incentive."

Hikaru groaned and closed his eyes wearily. "So you hinted that you wanted Haruhi to know, but to twist the information in your favor. To tell her in such a way that she ran from Mori and straight to you."

"Exactly." Kyouya snapped his fingers with a small, satisfied smile. "So, you two went and told her …I presume without breaking your promise. And it's all working out perfectly."

Kaoru sighed and gritted his teeth angrily. "Tsk. Using helpless underclassmen for your dirty work!"

"Since when were the two of you EVER helpless?" Kyouya asked, genuinely amused by that thought.

Hikaru groaned and grumbled under his breath. "You're a jerk. You got us to tell her and now she's running from Mori. Barely goes near him. That doesn't mean she'll choose you though! You haven't won yet!"

Kyouya tsked them quietly. "Watch closer. She may not be going near him, but she's now aware of him. She's watching him."

Kaoru sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees to peer at their club vice president. "You sound like that's what you wanted in the first place." He sounded both accusatory and a bit confused.

"It was, and it still is." Kyouya said blandly, still looking cool and confident.

Hikaru shook his head, trying to think through it all from every angle. Finally he shrugged. "I don't get it. You admire Haruhi as much as the rest of us, admit it."

"I do." Kyouya allowed. "But so does Tamaki and Mori, and even to some extent the two of you. Hunny adores her, but not in that manner."

Kaoru and Hikaru looked at each other, finally they turned and spoke simultaneously. "We give up."

Kyouya shook his head in mock disappointment. "You two look on her as a someone you both enjoy, someone you've even asked your mother to adopt. Sometimes she's your toy, and sometimes she's your trophy, but she's also become your friend. Could she be more for one of you in the future, who knows? Possible, but which one would she pick?"

Kaoru looked upset and shocked as he thought of Haruhi and …himself. Would Hikaru accept such a thing? Would he be hurt, lonely, angry?

Hikaru held his breath as he thought of walking alongside Haruhi while holding hands, all while Kaoru trailed dejectedly behind them. All alone. Hurting and ...alone.

"YOU TAKE HER BROTHER!" They both wept and grabbed each other's hands. "I want her to be happy with YOU!"

Kyouya sighed and took off his glasses. He took out a handkerchief and cleaned them, although they were already spotless.

"You! No you, not me!" The twins kept interrupting each other, both saying the exact same thing.

"Troublesome." Kyouya muttered. "See? She can't choose either one of you until you're both grown enough to accept someone between you two."

Wiping their tears, the twins hugged each other and turneed to stare at Kyouya while sitting cheek to cheek. "So? How does her watching Mori help you win her?"

"It doesn't." Kyouya sighed, replacing his glasses on his nose. "Tamaki and I are …friends. When we first met I wouldn't have thought it possible, but we have become real friends. It was he who taught me that I could excel despite my being the third son. It was he that led me to making friends with the Host Club members."

"You owe him?" Kaoru said slowly, unsure.

"No. I like him. There's a difference. And he's the one that taught me that difference." Kyouya said slowly and carefully.

Hikaru stared at him a moment before speaking. "So, why not step aside and let Tamaki have free reign with her?"

Kyouya smiled sadly. "And watch my friend with the girl I admire? No, I'm not quite that good natured."

Both Hikaru and Kaoru settled down at hearing that. Having Kyouya speak of friendship was …unnerving. Having him admit he hadn't turned soft felt more real to them.

"Besides. Tamaki's feelings for Haruhi are jumbled and possessive. Not necessarily a good thing for a positive relationship. He's taking this whole 'father' business way to seriously too. It's getting a tad creepy."

The twins nodded in mute agreement.

"So. If we can't have her." Kaoru counted on his hands. "That's two down."

Hikaru pushed two more of his brother's fingers down. "And you and our King are out, that leaves only Hunny and Mori."

Kyouya sighed, this time his frown looked a bit pained. "Mori watches Haruhi, and he likes her for who she is. He doesn't try to change her. He doesn't try to possess her. And he's protective like Tamaki, but not in that overly crazed sense."

The light dawned on the twins. "You're pushing them together, because …they might actually work well as a couple?"

The Shadow King paused, he didn't admit to having jealous second thoughts. Ruthlessly he pushed those thoughts aside. "Mori really likes her. And Haruhi actually likes Mori, though not yet in the same sense as he does her. So, a nudge was needed to get her to see what was right in front of her nose."

"But she's not going near him." Kaoru protested as Hikaru nodded, falling in line with their vice president's intentions. Just as said Shadow King had always planned.

"Ah." Kyouya breathed out, looking smug. "If she were unaware of him, she'd be around him as much as usual and treat him as usual. Now, she's not avoiding him totally, but she is shyer about being near him. And …she watches him now, her eyes follow him. Trust me. The plan is working perfectly."

"So, what's next?" The twins asked, once again in stereo.

Kyouya smiled. "I believe that Mori has a Kendo exhibition coming up. It will be just the thing for the Host Club to go and watch for support of one of our members."

Kaoru smiled wickedly. "And get Haruhi to see Mori at his strongest. Nice. It's a simple and uncomplicated plan, not like Our Majesty's usual plans." He said in reference to Tamaki.

"Indeed." Kyouya nodded regally.

Hikaru agreed. "Nothing can go wrong with this."

Hunny burst through the doors of the room in a panic, running around and around in circles crying and moaning. His Bun Bun waved up and down as Hunny wallowed in his misery. "They wouldn't let me go! They wouldn't let me go! I've got to go!"

Haruhi looked up from her clients and rushed over to her distraught friend. "Hunny-sempai, Hunny, what's wrong?"

Kyouya quickly pulled out his cell phone to make a call.

Tamaki rushed over from his own clients, anxiously hovering over Hunny. "Calm down, calm down …what's the matter?"

"Haru-chan!" Hunny's eyes were deep wells of tears, his lips trembling as he stopped and looked up at her. "Mori's dying!"

Tamaki's face melted into a look of utter shock and horror. He stumbled a bit and posed tragically against a small side table, one hand lifted to his brow as he moaned. Haruhi watched in awe. She could see his concern was real, but even so, Tamaki couldn't leave off the theatrics.

"He's not dying." Kyouya broke in, speaking even as he listened on his phone.

"He is! He is!" Hunny insisted, tugging on Haruhi's hand. "Mori was not feeling well and so we went to the nurse."

Haruhi wondered if it was only her that was struck by that comment. If Mori wasn't feeling well, why did BOTH of them go to the school nurse? Never mind, she told herself and focused on the matter at hand.

"It's yuboli, or dang fever I just know it!" Yelped Hunny, making the girls in the room gasp in fear while backing away in horror and making sympathetic noises.

Kyouya sighed and ended his phone call. "It's not ebola or dengue fever. It's appendicitis. Mori's on his way to the finest private hospital in the area. He'll be fine. It's one run by my family."

Haruhi felt the tension around her heart seep away, not even realizing how worried she'd been until the relief set in. She thought about Mori hurting though, and her relief turned into worry once more. "Appendicitis can be dangerous too."

Tamaki, now that his tragic pose was no longer called for, patted her on the shoulder. From tragic to brave, he took a manly pose and sighed. "He'll be fine. And with friends like us he can get through anything."

Hunny was still crying, though he was no longer as panicked and had at least stopped running around in circles. "They wouldn't let me go with him! I only asked that they leave the doors to the back of the ambulance open so I wouldn't feel so closed in as they drove. But they wouldn't!" He ended on a wail of misery.

"Those jerks!" Tamaki shouted, slamming one fist into the palm of his other hand even as Haruhi rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the request. "No worries! We'll travel at top speed and get to the hospital before you know it!"

"Puts a spike in our plan." Koaru whispered to Hikaru.

Kyouya shook his head, the cogs in his mind already turning. "No, our plan just got better."

o.o.o.o.o

Hope you like! And if you did, a review would be welcome always ... LOL