A/N: Well looks like Haruhi had to deal with Kyoya a lot sooner than she would have liked, but in the end he was helpful when he pulled out his black book. Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 10 – Moving Forward

Two weeks… it has been two weeks since she last saw Satoshi and now Haruhi sat at her desk attempting to finish up some homework on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, but found herself unable to concentrate. In that time, neither had made the move to contact each other and she couldn't understand why that bothered her, or she didn't want to admit it. She had told herself that needed space to figure things out and now that he was not around her, she should be able to make it through the day without her thoughts straying to him; however, that apparently was not the case. This never happened to her before. Sure the brunette had dated Tamaki for years and a part of her loved him, but she couldn't think of a time when he consumed her thoughts and mind. Why Satoshi? They were barely friends, they came from two different worlds, and he was Mori's little brother… a younger man; and yet, here she was throwing down her pencil and grabbing her head because she could still hear his singing, feel his arms, and remembered that feeling she felt when she realized who he was after the first storm had passed. Her heartbeat accelerating, the flutter in her stomach, the catch in her breath were all attributed to seeing Satoshi that stormy night. Even the twins commented that something was wrong with her when she had met them the Tuesday after the party…

Flashback…

"OUR TOY!" Hikaru and Kaoru proclaimed the moment they saw Haruhi step into the little café they had agreed to meet at (much to the embarrassment of the girl).

Groaning, Haruhi shook her head as she rolled her eyes, "Can you two keep it down? And stop calling me that already!" It was a title she had always found somewhat annoying and for some reason today it grated on her last nerve. Typically she could brush it off, but not right now, not in this moment.

Hikaru was about to continue with his teasing, but there was something in the brunette's tone, something that said she was deadly serious this time. Was this the result of her breakup with Tamaki? The elder twin knew Haruhi would not change her mind about the blond, and yet it looked like it was weighting heavy on her… and if it wasn't the breakup, then something else occupied her mind, "Haruhi? What's wrong?"

Glancing at his elder brother over he brunette's head, Kaoru realized that his brother had sensed it too. Something was off with Haruhi, and like his brother, he could not fathom what it could be unless she spilled her guts. It could be the separation… it stood to reason that after being together with someone for years, it was hard to bring an end to it; however, he had a feeling that it was more than just their goofy leader. Directing her to the table, Kaoru pulled out a chair for her as Hikaru pushed her into the chair. He and his brother took their seats and gave their best friend all of their attention.

It felt almost as if their eyes were drilling holes into her head and trying to read the secrets of the universe, and to be honest, it was a bit disconcerting. Haruhi had not expected the two would notice that she seemed out of sorts, but apparently today their eyes were as keen as Kyoya's. Clearing her throat, she told them, "Nothing really. It was just a bit busy this weekend and the storms were really bad…"

"We thought Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai went to help you," Kaoru stated.

Hikaru inquired, "Did they leave you after the first round?"

"They didn't abandon you in the middle did they?" They asked together.

Haruhi sweat dropped and sighed, "No, nothing like that. In fact, I stayed at Mori-senpai's house this weekend so that I wasn't left alone.

"Well that's good!" Hikaru and Kaoru beamed feeling relieved.

"Yah. I just wasn't expecting them to be that bad or for there to be as many as there were," she brushed off their concern and tried to make excuses.

Something still didn't feel quite right to the Hitachiin twins, but they were going to drop it for now because for all they knew between Tamaki and the storms, it had been overwhelming for her. For now, it would be left alone and they would just give her some space and time to work through everything on her own.

After an awkward pause, Hikaru asked, "How have you been since the breakup? Tono is a little…" He stopped when his brother kicked him in the shin and he suddenly realized what he had been about to say.

A small pang of guilt wormed its way inside her and she dropped her gaze to the table, "I'm okay. I think it would be hard for anyone in our situation. It wasn't that we had a bad relationship, it just wasn't what I wanted or needed. I feel bad that I hurt him, but I think if we had continued, it would have been much worse."

"It's alright Haruhi. We understand. You need to do what's best for you. I think the boss will eventually realize that too," Kaoru said and then cringed a little at his choice of words.

Giving both of them a small smile, Haruhi told them, "I know it will be difficult at first and hard to navigate, but I'm glad I still have all of you as my friends."

"Always!" The twins declared together.

The afternoon was spent talking about anything but breakups and Tamaki, since it was more than apparent that the subject would be taboo and a bit difficult to manage. However, that did not stop Hikaru from bringing up another subject as they were wrapping up their lunch, "So how was the welcome back party? How are Yasuchika and Satoshi?"

Haruhi inhaled her drink and it went up her nose causing a burning sensation, "Huh?"

"Aren't Yasuchika and Satoshi back? We heard they had a party this weekend and since you stayed with Mori-senpai, we figured you went," Kaoru lifted his brow in inquiry. Had they said something they shouldn't have?

Discreetly blowing her nose to get the water out of it, the brunette tried to sound as calm as possible, "Oh it was good. Chika and Satoshi both look good and appear to have had a wonderful time in their year abroad."

To the twins, the answer seemed rehearsed, too structured, and forced. Deciding to tease her for a bit in the hopes of getting some answers, they questioned simultaneously, "Just how good did they look? Do we detect some interest on the part of our dear toy?" They thought she would yell, maybe hit them over the head, but what they got was a red faced stammering friend. Tilting their head to the side, they queried, "Haruhi?"

Haruhi held up her hands and shook them in front of her as if to ward off their advances. She could feel the temperature of her face increase and knew she was probably glowing. In an attempt to get them to drop the subject, she adamantly stated, "There is definitely no interest to be found what so ever. It was good to see them again and they looked like they benefitted from their time away. Satoshi seems to have filled out and looks even more like Mori-senpai. Chika is the same old Chika."

It did not pass the twins notice that she expounded on one description and didn't on the other. What happened this weekend? Kaoru, a little more attuned to those around him, told her, "It's alright. No matter what, we will support you and still be here as a friend. We want you to find the person that will complement you… not matter who it is or where he is found."

Hikaru wasn't as subtle, "Did Satoshi do something to you?"

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi let it out as a tick mark appeared overhead. She suddenly felt embarrassed and irritated, "No, nothing happened at all and there is nothing between Satoshi and I. He is Mori-senpai's little brother and we barely know each other. We are kind of friends, but that's it."

They glanced at each other and then back to the brunette, "We see. If you say nothing, then it's nothing."

"Exactly, it's nothing," Haruhi declared and looked at her watch, "Sorry guys, but I have to get going." She gave them both a hug and then rushed out of the café. It wasn't that she actually had to be anywhere, but she needed to escape. Saying it was nothing seemed wrong somehow, and yet she wasn't ready to examine what that feeling meant or to be interrogated by a couple of precocious twins… regardless of their status as some of her best friends.

End flashback…

"What is wrong with me?" Haruhi moaned to the empty room not expecting an answer.

"Well, I don't know what's wrong with you, but if you give me some clues, I'll see if I can help Haru-Chan!" Hunny chuckled from her doorway.

Whipping around to face the intruder, Haruhi tried to calm her racing heart, which was reacting to surprise and fear this time, "Hunny-senpai? What are you doing here?"

"We are supposed to meet Takashi for dinner. Don't you remember? We sent you a text yesterday and you responded that you would. Since I was on my way home, I thought I would pick you up," he grinned. His friend, who was normally very put together and organized, was actually a bit scatterbrained that evening.

"Oh. Sorry, I forgot."

A sad expression appeared on Hunny's face, "Does that mean you aren't going to come to dinner with us?"

She really hated it when he pulled his trump card like that, but she could resist (though not many could)… if she really wanted to and fought the urge to give in, "No, I'll go. I just forgot about it. I need a break from studying anyway. Is it only going to be us three?"

"As far as I know. I invited Chika-Chan, but he had plans with his girlfriend tonight."

"Oh, okay."

"Did you want someone else to come? I mean we could call the others, or I could call Satoshi if you want," he knew it was cruel, but he wanted to see her reaction to the suggestion. The younger Morinozuka had been going through the motions the last couple of weeks and Hunny was curious who the first to break would be… maybe he needed to give them a little nudge; of course that would be without telling Mori.

"Huh? Oh no! That's fine. I'm sure he is busy and we shouldn't bother him. Just us is good!"

"Okay then Haru-Chan. Well are you ready to go? I know it is still early, but I figured we could all do something together before dinner. What do you say?" Hunny inquired deciding to move forward with the nudge; and if they took the bait, then great, and if not, then no loss.

Standing up, Haruhi grabbed her purse and said, sounding somewhat discouraged, "Yah, let's go. My brain is fried right now anyway."

Unbeknownst to Hunny or Haruhi, Mori had also decided to give two of his favorite people a little push. It was more than apparent to the tall man that his brother seemed out of sorts for the last couple of weeks and Satoshi had even passed up opportunities to hit Chika with a shinai. This was not normal and Mori had a feeling it had to do with his brother's lingering (and maybe uncertain) feelings for a certain former female host. Instead of watching it any further, he would give his sibling the chance to meet with Haruhi in a controlled environment. Knocking on Satoshi's door, Mori walked in when invited and made the offer, "Mitsukuni and I are going out to dinner with Haruhi tonight. Do you want to come? Yasuchika was invited, but he is unable to attend."

Sitting up quickly from where he was lying on his bed, Satoshi blurted out his answer before he even thought about it, "Yes!"

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Mori thought to himself. "Alright. Mitsukuni will be picking her up. I'll tell him to come here after that and inform him that you will be joining us."

"Wait! Now?"

The elder brother crossed his arms over his chest, "We were thinking of taking her out before dinner. The twins said she was down. If you have other plans for the afternoon, you can meet us later."

What should he do? He didn't like the thought of Haruhi feeling down and really wanted to see her, but at the same time Satoshi didn't want to sound too anxious or desperate. She had occupied a good portion of his thoughts since that weekend of the storms and he had missed her. Maybe… and he wasn't sure he was ready to admit this or not, but maybe he liked her. Okay, he had a crush before, but now… now this was different, however, he was not admitting to anything… yet.

Indecision warred on his brother's face and Mori had to restrain the knowing smile. After another minute of silence, he said, "Why don't you deal with whatever you need to so that you can meet us for dinner?" He turned and left the room. The statement could have been taken as dealing with business, but the elder brother had purposely worded it the way he did. Satoshi needed to get over whatever was holding him back or he might lose Haruhi… or at least the opportunity to see what was really there. Granted Haruhi just got out of a relationship and might not be ready for something, but now was the time to be there for her, build the friendship, and show her that he was a contender for her heart; it was not the time to wallow and be indecisive.

Satoshi stared at the now closed door and blinked a few times. What had his brother meant by that? Although it was possible Mori's only meant lie in running errands or something, the younger sibling had an inkling his elder meant something more. Satoshi had a decision to make and he was either going to move forward or he was going to fade into the background. Thinking about the latter caused his chest to ache, while the former made him nervous and scared. Which would he choose? He lay there in bed for another thirty minutes when he thought he heard Hunny's voice and in that instant he knew Haruhi was also there. Jumping up, he flew out of his room and declared to the trio, "I'm ready!" Fear would no longer hold him back.