A/N: I absolutely love writing Ranka. I don't get to do it too often and keep telling myself that one day I will write a piece centered around him, but it hasn't happened yet. One day though. Now that they know where she is, they can really start their search. Don't think it will be easy though. Seattle isn't exactly a small city. Enjoy!

Chapter 10 – Alias

Haruhi woke up as a loud annoying beep resounded in her ear. Alarm. Stupid alarm if you were to ask her. She still felt like she needed a month's worth of sleep to make up for the past few days. Why did the Host Club have to show up at that exact moment in time? Why couldn't it have been a day earlier? Or a day later? No… two days later? As it was they had seen her at her worst and probably lowest point, and the fact that Kyoya had been amongst the spectators didn't sit well with her. It goaded her, infuriated her. Although were she to actually admit to it, she was more furious with herself than at them for seeing her in such a state… him to see her like that.

And if she was really honest with herself, she had been happy to see them. Sometime during her first year of high school, they had become her anchor. A second dysfunctional family complete with a father and mother, two brothers, and two neighbors. Or were they cousins? Other brothers? Regardless of Hunny and Mori's position in the family, the Host Club was still a family, and they for a time belonged to her. Of course she didn't want to think too much about the family dynamics because what did it say that she met the man of her dreams, fell in love with him, dated him, and he was the "mommy" of the group?

She couldn't prevent the small chuckle as she stared at the ceiling after slapping the alarm clock silent. Unsure if she had terminated the alarm or given her only a few minutes of reprieve from the annoying sound, she lay there in bed and thought about her friends; and yes, that included Kyoya. This group of men had helped expand her world, shown her things she would have never experienced had it not been for them, and had wormed their way so far into her heart that she couldn't live without them. She could function and she could study and move on through life as she had, but she could never sever ties with them. Her friends were as necessary as air to her. She remembered the fear and anxiety she felt when Tamaki dissolved the club and said he was going to marry Éclair. The overwhelming shock and terror when she had heard that she left. And the resolution she made after watching Hikaru thrown from the carriage. She with the others had brought him home where he belonged. Some thought her actions showed her true feelings for the princely type, and they did. Tamaki Suoh was one of her best friends and she loved him as such… and maybe as a crazy brother.

No, by then her heart had already belonged to the Shadow King of Ouran. Back then she thought it nothing more than a crush; only later would she realize how wrong that assumption was. To this day, her feelings for him had not changed. She was still in love with Kyoya Ootori and she had an inkling she always would be. No other man would be able to compare to his suave, cool, and calculated attitude. Another smile wormed its way to her lips. Kyoya was a lot of bluster. Acting aloof and separate from the chaos that surrounded him, he cared about his friends just as strongly as she did; though he would never admit it. It had taken her a while, but she finally realized it the day he pushed her into the carriage when they were on the verge of losing their leader. He cared. He loved. He just pretended he didn't. Bluster.

Something pulled at her heart strings, her memories, but she pushed it all away. Maybe one day she and Kyoya would find a way to be friends or acquaintances again, but no more than that. However, something always bothered her… if he had left her to be with that one girl, why did everyone keep informing her when he goes to an omiai (there had been at least four she knew about), or when he would have a different date at a party (again at least three)? If he cared about that one girl so much, why so many other girls? Shaking her head, she wasn't about to head down that rabbit hole. If she jumped, she just may find her hopes lifting, her heart beating faster, and when she found out she was wrong, she would be devastated.

Another loud beeping.

Slamming her hand down on the alarm again, Haruhi made sure it was turned off this time and not just snoozed. With a sigh, she rose out of the bed, brushed away thoughts of her friends, and focused on the task at hand. She needed to get ready and then meet the lawyers at the courthouse. This was an opportunity to experience a trial from the inside. The butterflies were doing the rumba in her stomach, yet the excitement she felt overrode any nervousness she might feel. She may be a gopher this week, but it was still a learning experience. She had even been lucky enough to sit in on some of the depositions and mediations… and when all that had fallen through, the law firm had hand selected her to help with the trial.

This was a different kind of excitement and anticipation. The brunette had always felt she was born to be a lawyer and she always got enthusiastic when it came to law. Yes, part of the reason she entered this profession was because of her mother, but it had become more than that. There were times she wondered if her mother ever felt the way she did about law, and a grin would light up her face when she remembered her mother leaving the house to go to work, to a trial, or when she would come home after winning a case. Kotoko Fujioka loved law, and her daughter was taking right after her. Words she remembered her father saying as he bid her farewell at the airport suddenly popped into her head, "You are becoming more and more like your mother every day. She would be so proud of you." That was said right before he pulled her into his arms and almost squeezed the life out of her as he drenched her shirt. It was a good thing she thought to pack an extra in her carryon. Ranka may have been wearing waterproof mascara that day, but the rest of his makeup was anything but waterproof. Yikes!

As she finished getting ready and grabbed her bag, her phone started to ring and she ignored it already knowing who it was: Tamaki. Sometime during his last year in high school, the king of the Host Club had stolen her phone and recorded his own private ring tone, "Haruhi, pick up. Pick up, it's daddy! Daughter, please pick up for daddy!" For some odd reason, she had never changed it and when she got a new phone, made sure it made it to the new phone. After that, the other hosts had set their own ring tones as well. Not all of them were recorded like that, but she never found it in her heart to change the settings.

Right now she was flying high and feeling the buzz of law. She did not want to ruin it by talking to one of the hosts, who were probably scouring the U.S. looking for her. That was the M.O. If she was not where she was supposed to be, they searched and searched until they found her. It was one of the many reasons, she had her roommate lie for her. Off handedly she pondered momentarily if Kyoya was part of the search party, but shook her head to get rid of that silly thought. There was no way he was a part of it… actually that wasn't true. He probably was a part of it because she could picture a set of dog ears and a wagging tail appearing on a certain blond. The others would then turn their own sad puppy dog eyes on him, especially Hunny (that particular host could make almost anyone do what he wanted with a smile or tears), and Kyoya would give in and even contribute to the search. Which is probably why Tamaki was calling. If she got on the phone, the Shadow King would probably be able to tell everyone exactly where she was. Not going to happen. This week she would immerse herself in law and next week, when everything returned to normal and she sat in her small dorm room, she would allow herself to wallow and think about her friends, to think about Kyoya. And perhaps she would even once again pretend that he still cared about her. It had become a habit she had never seemed to be able to break. No! This week was about law and law alone!

Walking out of her room, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and walked with purpose. The Ouran High School Host Club would not find her, would not interfere, and she would not think about them this week! She had purpose, she had a plan, she had… Was that Hunny that just walked out of the lobby? Surely not! Haruhi had walked off of the elevator and she could have sworn her cake loving friend was walking out the front door. No, not possible! And if it was, well… she had taken on a secret identity to further protect herself from being found. Her hotel registration was not under Haruhi Fujioka, but Kotoko Usami. They would never know she was there even if they were in the city; which was a complete and utter impossibility.

Still, perhaps she better dawn her glasses, trench coat, and hat before she walked out of the hotel… but only because it was overcast and a little cool. Not because it was a disguise of some sort.

Five feet away from the door...

Hunny pulled out his phone and dialed his friend's number. When the ringing stopped, he announced sadly, "Sorry Kyo-Chan. She wasn't at that hotel. I'm waiting for Takashi to come back from his destination. I really hope someone else had better luck. Are we sure this is the list of hotels used by the law firm?"

"Thank you Hunny-senpai, and yes. It is a short list, but I am positive these are the only ones they use," Kyoya sighed. He had been able to find a short list of hotels the firm uses for themselves and clients, however, if they had to go to every hotel in the city, they would do it. They would find Haruhi and he would convince her he still loved her. He had purpose and a plan and he would not fail.

"Haru-Chan will know we are looking for her," the bunny loving host stated after a moment of silence. It had been something he had been thinking about all morning and had only shared with his cousin.

"What do you mean?"

"She has been around us long enough, Kyo-Chan! She might be using a false name."

Shaking his head, the bespectacled man wondered why he had never thought of that. "Damn it!" He had to calm down and took in a deep breath, "Let's see if we can find her as is and then we will worry about an alias." He hung up the phone and stared out the window of the car he was in, "Where are you Haruhi?"