Chapter 10: The Grand Commoner-For-The-Day-Mission Part 2!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran HSHC.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - sorry I kept you waiting for this one. I've been editing a book and had to put this aside for a little while. I'll update with the third part of the contest this week, promise!

Commoner's Shopping Mall - The Low Blood Pressure Demon Lord wakes up...

'Ah, Kyoya-kun, you're awake.'

Haruhi hunkered down and looked into Kyoya's eyes, her petite face too close to his own for comfort.

'Did you call me Kyoya-kun?' he asked sharply, his heart thumping. 'Last night - did we...?'

Her cheeks blushed pink, and she stood up quickly, nervously playing with the bag in her hands. 'Yes,' she said awkwardly.

Kyoya sighed in relief. 'It wasn't a dream then.' He smiled, pushed his glasses up and stood up straight in one fluid, graceful motion.

'Tamaki-senpai said something about a contest and dragged us both here. I think he called it something ridiculous - like the Commoner-for-the-Day Contest - something like that,' Haruhi reflected, her hand on her chin. 'All five of them are wandering around the mall like idiots. Well, probably not Mori-senpai,' she shrugged.

Kyoya chuckled. 'Ah, I see how it is. You didn't by any chance think to grab my wallet and phone as we were being dragged away, did you?'

'Here,' Haruhi said, reaching into her small tote bag.

'Excellent,' Kyoya cheered up as he took his belongings. 'You are always reliable, Haruhi.'

'Are you hungry?' she asked him, as they wandered through the mall. She was suddenly aware of how they looked together. Kyoya wasn't just attracting attention because of his expensive clothes and clueless questions about commoners, but because he was a good-looking boy, and she looked like his girlfriend. Girls and women alike stared at them as they passed by, and Haruhi heard quite a few of them whispering to their friends. She ignored them, preferring not to know what they were saying. 'Probably that I look out of place walking next to him,' she mused calmly.

They stopped at the same burger joint they had eaten at last time, but this time the situation was different, Haruhi noticed. Kyoya paid for the food and he made sure they sat alone. He moved his legs so that they were entwined with hers under the table, and in between bites he asked her how she had slept, which college she wanted to go to and what her favorite music was, amongst other things. Haruhi answered all his questions, unable to hide her astonishment. He wiped his hands on a napkin when he had finished eating, and took her hand in his, holding it across the table. His fingers were warm and gentle, and he smiled as if he were happy.

'Aren't you going to take notes, Kyoya-kun?' Haruhi asked after a while.

'Notes about what?' he asked, squeezing her hand.

'About the answers I gave.'

'I only do that when I see no point in remembering the details,' Kyoya shrugged. 'In your case, I will simply put my memory to good use.'

'Oh,' Haruhi said, looking down at her plate.

'Although I may write some notes at home, just to be on the safe side,' he added. His eyes twinkled with amusement.

'Kyoya-kun,' she said in surprise. 'You've changed.'

'Perhaps I've just never been in love before,' he murmured, without thinking.

'In love?' Haruhi asked, her eyes widening.

Kyoya couldn't breathe as he looked at her. Was he really in love with Haruhi? He had known he had feelings for her, but he planned on being able to detach himself from the situation if he had to. 'If she doesn't want me anymore...'

Video Game Store, Commoners Mall

'Which one shall we buy, Hikaru?' Kaoru asked, picking up a couple of games from the shelf. 'I like quite a few of these games.'

'They're too easy,' Hikaru complained. 'We get through them too quickly.'

'We should just buy more of them then.' They shrugged at one another, then nodded as if they had made a silent decision.

'Eh? All the games in the store?' the cute girl behind the counter repeated, blinking. 'Is this some kind of joke?'

'No, no joke,' Kaoru replied. 'Can you deliver them to our mansion? It'll be too much to carry.'

'Yeah, right,' the girl laughed, her dark eyelashes sweeping her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut. 'As if guys your age would have that kind of money!' She giggled helplessly, bending over and clutching her sides. 'Ow, that hurts!'

'What would you know?' Hikaru retorted. 'We're - the Hitachiin brothers!' Hikaru and Kaoru linked arms, pushed their faces close together and turned their 'host' smiles on for the girl's benefit.

'Never heard of you,' the girl scowled, her eyebrow twitching. 'I don't care if you're cute, incestuous twins! I have stuff to do!' She turned her back on them, picking up a small hand-held machine. 'Heh, heh,' the twins sniggered, and shuffled after her, peering over her shoulder as she stuck sale price-stickers onto various DVD's.

'Stop following me,' she complained grumpily.

'You can be our new toy, if you like,' Hikaru cackled into the girl's ear.

'Just while our old toy is on loan to a low-blood-pressure-demon-lord,' Kaoru hissed in the girl's other ear. The girl jumped a mile, and stuck a 2035 yen price tag on Hikaru's forehead by accident.

'Eh? Only 2035 yen?' Kaoru burst out laughing.

'What's your name, rude girl?' Hikaru asked angrily.

'Iori Chihiro,' the girl frowned, putting her hands on her hips. 'What're your names? Oh wait, don't tell me - baka!' She pointed a slim finger at Kaoru. 'And yarichin!' She pointed at Hikaru and laughed loudly.

The twins feigned tears. 'Oh, how cruel - what a heartless, insensitive girl, Hikaru,' Kaoru wailed. 'I'll protect your beautiful soul from her evil words, Kaoru,' Hiikaru whispered back as they embraced.

'Eh? Weirdos,' the girl huffed, marching away, her left fist clenched.

'She's immune, Hikaru!'

Hikaru cracked an evil grin. 'Kaoru - we've found our commoner trophy!'

Burger Joint, Commoner's Mall... 'Love?'

'There you are!' a loud voice said, before a cute bundle launched itself into the booth. Honey and Usa-chan were closely followed by Mori, who sat down silently, nodding at Haruhi and Kyoya, who both dropped each others' hands as if they were holding hot potatoes.

'Haru-chan! Look what Takashi bought for me!' Honey brandished a full size katana across the table, and Haruhi jumped backwards, flattening herself against her seat.

'N - not cute!' she stuttered, watching Honey wave the katana around in mid-air, beaming and laughing.

'Mitsukuni,' Takashi said in a low voice. 'Lower your weapon.'

'Ah, gomenasai!' Honey said cheerfully, putting the sword down. 'It's beautiful, nee?'

'Uh...' Haruhi trailed off, not wanting to upset Honey with her real opinion.

'You can put on a demonstration at the next hosting session,' Kyoya said, scribbling in his notebook. Haruhi peered over the table to see him drawing a miniature Honey brandishing his katana at his younger brother, Chika-kun, followed by the words 'heartfelt brotherly conflict = moe.'

Kyoya snapped his notebook shut when he saw her peeking, smiling serenely in the face of Haruhi's frown.

'Kyo-chan,' Honey said, sipping on the strawberry ice-cream shake the waitress had just brought to the table. 'Aren't you going to try and win a commoner trophy?'

Pet store 'Maru-maru'

'Ah,' Tamaki pressed his face up against the glass. 'So - cute...' he whispered longingly at two evil-eyed rats.

'Cute?' a little girl next to him asked. 'They're rats, so they're nasty!'

'There is beauty in all things!' Tamaki declared, offering a rose to the pigtailed little girl. 'Some show their beauty on the outside, but others carry their beauty on the inside. Very few people are fortunate enough as I am, to have both!'

'Wah! Mommy, he's har - harassing me!' the little girl wailed. 'Just like you warned me!'

'No, no!' Tamaki jumped backwards, waving his hands in front of him. 'You've got it all wrong!' The mother led the girl away by the hand, glaring at Tamaki, who stood frozen to the spot.

'Are you okay?' asked a timid voice from behind Tamaki. A plain girl wearing an oversized sweatshirt had witnessed the whole thing. 'Maybe you were just a bit too exuberant, y'know?' she suggested, twisting her fingers in the end of her long ponytail as she spoke.

Her hair was dark, but her eyes were a piercing green, laced with flecks of yellow. 'Cat!' Tamaki said woodenly, pointing a finger, his mouth falling open as if on a hinge.

'Hmm, that's what everyone calls me,' the girl said shyly, twisting her ponytail again. 'How'd you know?'

'Eh...' Tamaki shook his head, trying to get his brain to work. 'Your eyes...' he answered simply.

'You're not from around here, are you?' the girl asked curiously, then blushed. 'Ah, I'm sorry! How rude of me!'

She turned to walk away, but Tamaki grabbed her by the arm. 'Wait,' he said. 'Would you mind playing a game with me, princess? You see, I need to find a trophy...'

Burger Joint

'Eh?' Haruhi repeated sourly.

'Tamaki said we should each find a commoner girl and practice dating her for the day. The owner of the girl who has the best time wins!' Honey explained cheerfully. 'I didn't pick anyone - but I already have Takashi to look after.'

'Ah,' Mori agreed, polishing Honey's new katana.

'Owner?' Haruhi muttered furiously. 'Just what do you think commoner girl's are, anyway?'

'And what is the purpose of this contest?' Kyoya asked. 'Don't tell me, whoever wins must be most suited to dating a commoner like Haruhi, correct?'

'That's right Kyo-chan!' Honey nodded enthusiastically.

'Hmm,' Kyoya said thoughtfully. 'In that case, yes... Haruhi - why don't you be my pet for the day?'

'Pet?' Haruhi's eyebrow twitched. Some things never changed...