Yes, I know that this chapter is a day early. The reason for this is that I will not be at home tomorrow night to upload this chapter, and since it was already written, I didn't see the point in making everyone wait an extra day. The update schedule, however, will go back to normal next week.

I was able to complete this chapter when I did because the due dates on all of my school assignments were pushed back by a few days, due to the teacher who had assigned the work being absent for a while because of track season. So I was able to have I lot of fun writing this chapter, since I was not as stressed out. I never thought I could love track this much! XD

Anyway, thanks so much to everyone reading all the chapters before this, and thanks to all my lovely reviewers! I adore you guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran, Cantarella, Vocaloid, or anything else... Sadly.

Chapter 9

Surprises

It was a clear, windless day, and the sky was a vibrant blue.

The warm spring air surrounded the students of Ouran Academy, as they filed across the school's perfectly manicured lawn, chattering excitedly on their way to that day's first classes.

Tamaki was one of these excited chatterers of course, not that this was at all surprising.

Haruhi listened as he rambled on, but she wasn't listening quite as well as usual, because today, she was deep in thought.

She was wondering who could have slipped that note in her text book, and when.

Because, for someone to put that note in her book, they would have needed to taken the book from her locker... And Haruhi didn't give anyone her locker combination, which made this entire thing positively creepy.

So, Haruhi resolved, since it was probably just a joke- if an extremely disturbing one at that- she would just try her best to forget about it.

"...Don't you think so, daughter?" asked Tamaki in a chipper tone.

Uh oh. Haruhi hadn't been paying attention, and had no idea what Tamaki had just said.

"I'm sorry, what?" said Haruhi, shaking her head slightly.

An expression of concern floated across Tamaki's features.

"I was just wondering if you find the new paint in the library attractive. Are you feeling sick?"

"No," Haruhi chuckled slightly, but the sound seemed all wrong, "I'm just fine."

There was a moment of silence between the two, as they now stood in the crowded school hallway, people pushing their way around them.

New paint? Had they been in the library building recently? Haruhi tried to remember, but her thoughts were swirling. Maybe she was coming down with something after all.

Tamaki was about to speak, but he stopped when he looked over Haruhi's shoulder and saw someone approaching.

Or rather, two someones.

"Hey," said the twins in unison, each one stopping to stand on either side of Haruhi and drape an arm over her shoulder, "Did we miss anything?"

"No, not really..." mumbled Haruhi, discomfort showing in her voice.

"Oh, well that's a good thing," said Kaoru, with a smile.

Haruhi approached her locker, and looked around suspiciously before cupping her hand over her lock so nobody could see the combination she used.

"Man, paranoid much?" joked Hikaru.

Haruhi just shrugged. "You can never be too careful, I guess."

Haruhi pulled open her locker door... and watched as about a hundred roses, in varying shades spilled out and onto the hallway floor.

"Whoa! What's that all about?" cried Hikaru.

The crowd moving through the hallway parted slightly to avoid walking into the pile of flowers that had accumulated on the floor.

Haruhi stared in shock at the flowers.

"Where could these have come from...?"

In fact, Haruhi was so shocked, that she didn't even notice when Tamaki refrained from saying anything.

Haruhi had been pulled out of class and asked to go to the chairman's office.

This was a rarity, aside from the usual awards presented to honor students at the end of the year, so Haruhi was slightly surprised to be called at first. But the, however, she realized that this was probably something about the flower explosion that had come from her locker that morning.

Haruhi made her way into the secretary's office, which was connected to the chairman's office by a large and somewhat imposing mahogany-wood door.

When she walked into the office, however, Haruhi was surprised to see that Tamaki was there, also.

"Senpai... What's going on?" asked Haruhi, staring at the frosted glass window marked 'Chairman' on the door at the back of the room.

"I don't really know," he said truthfully, seeming just as surprised to see Haruhi there as she was to see him.

"It must be about my locker earlier..." mumbled Haruhi.

A kind looking older woman stepped from behind her desk to walk over to where Haruhi and Tamaki were standing.

"Good, now that you are both here, you should go talk to the chairman." said the secretary in a chirpy voice.

Things like this always seemed awkward for Tamaki, because he was the son of the chairman himself, Yuzuru Suou.

"Thank you very much." replied Tamaki, with a dazzling smile. The secretary was immediateness charmed by Tamaki's manners and looks.

Tamaki opened the door to the chairman's office, and stepped aside to let Haruhi enter first.

Once the two had walked into the office and closed the door behind them, Chairman Yuzuru turned in his leather swivel chair to face his son and future daughter-in-law. His hands were clasped together, and a look of tension was plastered on his face.

"It something the matter, father?" asked Tamaki.

Yuzuru's frown deepened.

"I've told you before that 'father' is much too casual. Please address me as 'chairman'," he said. "And yes, something is the matter."

Haruhi shuddered at the grim tone of the man's voice.

Yuzuru continued.

"Tamaki, Miss Fujioka... I have called you here today, because I have become aware of a problem."

Tamaki was shocked. Could his father know about... No, there was no way...

"One of the other students has reported that the two of you are being stalked."

Tamaki had no idea what to say to this. He had thought that his father might have somehow found out about his visit to the school the other night... But this was something else entirely.

Haruhi couldn't breathe. Images were flashing through her mind at full speed. The note, the flowers in her locker... could they have come, not from an 'admirer', but a stalker, instead?

"The student who came to me wanted to report that they had seen a dark car following the two of you to and from school each day. When I asked some of the hired help to pull the security tapes from around the perimeter of the estate, there was also footage to a similarly described vehicle traveling near the estate each day. I am telling you this, as both a headmaster and a guardian..."

Haruhi couldn't believe it. Her blood ran icy.

"That... That can't be true." muttered Tamaki to himself, staring at his father in utter shock.

"So this goes for both of you..." said the chairman, looking at both teens. "Don't talk to anyone you don't recognize."

The man stood at the corner, large sunglasses hiding his face as he pretended to be engrossed in feeding the birds that had gathered on the sidewalk.

She walked by here every day, and in that brief moment, when she would be so close to him, when he could hear her voice, he would remember the days of her childhood.

Oh, why had he failed as he had? Where had he gone wrong?

He stared at the sky, and sighed.

Suddenly, he felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder.

When he turned, the man came face-to-face with a beefy security guard, looking almost comical in his resemblance to a character from a cheesy spy movie. But this was no joke, the guard obviously meant business. He held the man still.

Struggling to free himself, the man looked around to see if there was anyone who could come to is aid. That's when he saw her.

That despicable old woman.

She wore her usual bored frown, but her eyes were lit with an evil excitement. Her voice was cold as an arctic water.

"Do not think that you have been acting inconspicuous. I know exactly what you have been trying to do, and it is in violation of the rules I have set for you."

A slow smile crept over the old woman's lips.

"Breaking any rule is sure to come with consequence."

CH.9/END

Writing the last part of this chapter gave me chills. Why did I have to maker that lady so creepy, anyway?

I know that this chapter was probably kind of dramatic, so I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions on it. Did any of you catch what was going on with Yuzuru's sudden 'talk'? Do you think think that he knows about the 'consequences'?

Thanks so much to everyone who read this chapter, I am so thankful for all of your support! I was shocked when I realized that this story was already on it's ninth chapter, because I am generally a very slow writer.

However, this story never would have gotten past chapter one if it weren't for all of your encouragement, so thanks a million!

-Massie