"Ah, Morinozuka-sama and Haninozuka-sama, welcome!" a voice boomed out. Mori looked up to see a wide-girthed and jolly-looking father figure posing by the doorway.

"Kanazawa-san, arigatou for stopping by to see us despite the short notice." Mori stood up, bowing politely.

"It's no bother at all! In fact it's quite an honor!" he said winking at the tiny blonde standing beside Mori. "It's not everyday that you meet the two most promising martial artists in Japan, ne?"

"So how can I be of service to you boys?" he queried, sitting across them.

"We need to find Kyou-chan!" Honey chirped.

Mori nodded his confirmation.

A shadow passed over Kanazawa-san's face, and he replied with forced joviality, "I wish I could help you, but Ootori-sama left strict orders that he shouldn't be followed."

He sighed. "I even had to call off the bodyguards tailing him," he added in mock frustration.

Mori sensed that the captain had not disclosed the entire truth but he held his tongue. What was about to happen was inevitable; all he had to do was wait.

Honey's face fell with the disappointing news and looked like he was about to cry. "But we have to see Kyou-chan, it's a matter of life and death," he exaggerated loudly, his face clouding over.

Horrified that he was about to cause THE Haninozuka any inconvenience (thereby dishonoring their family name), he shot a helpless look at Mori, clearly beside himself.

"Morinozuka-sama," he pleaded, "a little help please!"

Mori looked on stonily.

"I think you're not telling us everything, Kanazawa-san," Honey accused coldly. "I don't like people who lie to me… lying is bad," he ended on an ominous note.

Sato Kanazawa was alarmed to find that the formerly cheerful boy was transforming into Dark Honey before his eyes. The tales he'd heard about this particular young man's alter ego made his blood run cold. He turned to Mori and repeated his frantic request.

"I'll share everything that I know!" he cried urgently, "Just do something, please!"

"You will tell us what you know," Mori stipulated tonelessly.

"Hai, hai!!" he agreed fervently, willing to do anything to get back into their good graces.

"Where is Kyou-chan?" Honey asked darkly.

"Ootori-sama has been planning to go to a complex they have been developing. It's on an island off the coast of Hokkaido or thereabouts. He probably went there since he had the yacht prepared. That's all I kow," he swore in a remorseful tone.

Honey eyed him steadily for maybe five minutes, deciding that he was telling the truth, he inclined his head; a gesture Mori readily understood.

Looking at the cowering man before them, Mori could almost feel sorry for him. "You may leave Kanazawa-san," he said softly. "Arigatou gozaimasu for your help."

Stuttering another heart-felt apology, Kanazawa backed away and then quickly fled the room.

Now that they were alone, Mori gave Honey a reproving glance and said, "Don't you think that was a bit over the top?" he rebuked gently.

"Not at all," Honey retorted, beaming brightly and reverting back to his normal loli-shota self.

"Now we have an idea where Kyou-chan is," clapping his hands happily. He paused to consider the situation, "But it'll take hours for us to scour the seas for that island… what we need is an aerial view."

Somewhere, a light bulb popped.

"That's it!" Honey yelled animatedly.

"Hai," Mori agreed. "Let's find Tamaki."

"Aaaah…" the Hitachiin brothers murmured, "so that's how you did it." They looked at the twosome admiringly. It was a mystery, but so deep… their senpai's were more complex than they let on.

"And don't forget about my help," Tamaki interjected, posturing and preening for effect. "If not for my brilliant mind, we wouldn't have found the island so quickly."

Hikaru rolled his eyes and muttered, "What are you yammering about tono? It's not like you did anything." The emphasis on 'anything' rang out clear as a bell.

"You just tagged along tono, that's nothing to be proud of," Kaoru blithely stated. "Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai did all the actual work."

Tamaki managed to look both shocked and mortally offended in one go, and sputtered "How cruel!" he cried angrily. "I'll have you know that without my amazing resourcefulness…"

Hikaru stuck a tongue out at their blathering King.

In the midst of the chaos, Honey had quietly slipped away and was currently in the ocean park's coffee shop. He was concentrating on a most important decision, whether he would have the manta ray Popsicle, or the octopus one. Maybe he should have both, as a reward for working so hard. He smacked his lips in anticipation.

"Mitsukuni," a voice sounded above him.

Honey's shoulders slumped. Drat, he'd been found out. He looked up at his cousin and sighed, "I know, I know. We have matters to discuss," he mumbled dejectedly.

"Hai."

Honey glanced longingly at the jewel-colored icy delights, and regretfully bid them goodbye.

"Mitsukuni," Mori repeated.

"Hai, Takashi?" Honey glumly asked.

"You may have one."

It was obvious that the three hadn't even missed them. They were as usual, quarreling amongst themselves and hurling insults at each other.

It was giving him a headache.

"Tamaki," Mori said staring at the blonde junior, who instantly stopped moving when he heard his voice.

He swung his gaze on the twins next, "Hikaru, Kaoru." Mori intoned.

Honey was eating his octopus Popsicle and watching the proceedings in rapt concentration.

The twins halted their actions.

Hikaru visibly swallowed.

Blessed peace.

Satisfied that he had successfully captured everyone's attention, Mori cleared his throat. "Ahem, Tamaki."

Tamaki meekly lifted his head towards the voice, "Hai, Mori-senpai?" he replied, unusually subdued.

"We would like to hear your story," the taciturn host requested somberly.

"Hai, tono," Hikaru reinforced, throwing a heavy arm across Tamaki's shoulders. "We haven't heard your side of things. After raving about your smooth moves and flawless skills, you have to explain to us how you were able to discover the coordinates of the island."

Kaoru wrapped an arm around his waist and sidled closer, "Tono, Hikaru is right. We're dying to hear how you managed to outwit our pet oni," he ended with a sly reference to the errant and absent host.

Mollified by their seemingly sincere words, Tamaki opened his mouth to relate his story, only to have him close it in frustration; as the memory of what had actually happened came to mind.

Looking at their expectant faces, Tamkaki finally understood what it meant to be caught between a rock and a hard place.

Tamaki cringed, turning red as a tomato. So caught up in his thoughts, he failed to notice Hikaru's close scrutiny.

He would never willingly admit it, not even under pain of duress, or even under threat of death that his way of ferreting out the truth had been the least creative among them all. And he would rather die than confess that he had stumbled upon the information through pure dumb luck.

"Tama-chan?" Honey prodded, enthusiastically taking a huge bite of his frozen treat.

He hurriedly wracked his brain for a suitable explanation, one they would be willing to accept. Tamaki immediately discarded the idea of spinning some tall tale since the twins would probably recognize it for what it was, and shoot it down.

Tamaki sighed drearily. There was no getting around it. He would have to expose the awful and bitter reality, baring his poor and traumatized self to the vicious barbs of ridicule the twins would surely inflict upon him.

Finding no other solution, Tamaki reluctantly began his narrative.

"Please, please, please Renge-chan!" he implored wretchedly, ready to prostrate himself before her if needed. "You have to help me! I have no one else to turn to!"

Renge stabbed a critical finger at his chest, "Ohohohohohohohohoho! No good! No good Tamaki-sama! If you intend to play Kyouya-sama's game, you have to do better than this," she chortled as only a villainess can.

"It's impossible to outsmart Kyouya-sama, why don't you just give up?"

Tamaki grabbed at her skirt, hands clenching convulsively in its billowy folds. He slammed his fists against the floor and let out a dreadful wail, "Giving up is out of the question! I'm not about to leave my precious Haruhi in the hands of that dark-haired devil."

He frowned despondently. "That monster is capable of anything!" he reiterated in a near howl, "Anything, I tell you!"

Eying the dejected blonde at her feet, Renge gave an impatient tug to dislodge her clothing from Tamaki's grasp. There was nothing she could do for him. She should probably send him away…

The clock was ticking and he was nowhere any nearer to finding Haruhi. The fact that he was begging Renge-chan for help was proof of his desperation. Tamaki wondered if the twins had any luck… He mentally slapped himself for that ill-omened thought. Just thinking about asking the twins for assistance made his skin crawl.

"Suou-kun," an eerie voice whispered in his left ear.

Tamaki felt his hackles rise at the unnatural tone. He slowly turned his face to the side and…

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!" he screamed, as his nose brushed against the softness of the Beelzenef plushie Nekozawa-senpai carried around with him.

Nekozawa Umehito looked at the milk-faced underclassman, fingering his right ear with an aggrieved air. That girlish shriek of his had surely cost him an eardrum.

"Ne… Nekozawa-senpai," he spluttered nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"Ohohohohohohohoho!" Renge's deranged laughter reverberated in the confines of the room. "Umehito-sama is helping me with my latest cosplay."

"I'm going to be Morganna, a dark priestess of Avalon, and Umehito-sama has kindly agreed to play the part of my prince-consort."

Tamaki stared at the both of them uncomprehendingly.

"Suou-kun…" the creepy voice was at his ear again.

Nani? When did this whack job get here?

"I happened to overhear your discussion, and I believe I can help you."

"Er, that's nice of you but I don't see how you possibly can." Tamaki answered politely, good manners outweighing his obvious fright.

"You underestimate the power of the dark arts," Nekozawa remonstrated dully. He held up the cat doll and waved it gracefully in front of Tamaki.

"Beelzenef is omniscient, he sees all things and knows all things," he chanted monotonously.

Tamaki gulped, unable to take his eyes away from the swaying doll.

"Believe in Beelzenef… the all-powerful Beelzenef… believe…" Nekozawa droned hypnotically.

Tamaki found himself lurching forward, mumbling, "believe… Beelzenef… must believe in Beelzenef…"

Fortunately for him, he tripped on a hard object that had fallen on the floor— which sent him crashing into the wall.

A bit dazed but thankfully unharmed, he picked up the thing that had unknowingly shaken him out of his trance.

It was another Beelzenef doll, a wooden one this time. He grimaced and dropped it on the floor as if it had burned him. Tamaki stood up and dusted himself off. It was time to escape this nuthouse.

The black-robed figure was advancing on him, with Renge and Beelzenef doggedly in pursuit.

Tamaki started walking backward, his eyes darting around the room in search of the exit.

Ah, there it is.

"Well," he babbled inanely, "It's been fun but I really must be going."

They were almost upon him.

"Arigatou for your time! Let's get together soon," he shouted, making a mad dash for the doorway.

"It was absolutely horrifying," he whispered, his eyes misty with remembered terror.

"It's not funny, Hikaru!" Tamaki barked at the squirming redhead acidly.

"It was a most traumatic experience and I'm probably scarred for life!" Tamaki moaned pitifully.

Hikaru was rolling around the floor, clutching his sides and laughing his head off. Kaoru was clinging to a thick pillar, shaking with silent mirth— tears streaming down his cheeks.

Even Mori cracked a smile.

Honey patted Tamaki on the back consolingly. "It is funny Tama-chan, but that's okay. Something good came out of it right? We found the island and we're one step closer to finding Haru-chan."

Finally controlling their reckless hilarity, the twins joined the circle again.

"Yo tono, so what happened next?" Hikaru bit down on his tongue as he felt another round of snickers tickling his throat. He could practically hear them begging to be set loose.

"Yeah, that still doesn't explain how you found this," Kaoru gestured expansively.

Tamaki blinked. Darn it. Maybe he could pretend he hadn't heard them.

"That's irrelevant at this point. What's important is that we figure out where Kyouya will take Haruhi next," he stated brusquely.

"Hai, I agree with Tama-chan," Honey chimed in.

Yes. Mission accomplished. That aside, he continued. "Does anyone have any ideas?" Tamaki asked, talking to nobody in particular.

Without warning, Hikaru's lazy mood vanished and in its place, a furious tempest was about to break free.

"Ano, we know where they're headed tono," Kaoru volunteered hesitantly. He looked at Hikaru, who was studiously avoiding his gaze.

"Hikaru?"

His nails were biting into his palm at the force he was exerting to keep himself from smashing his fists into anything and everything that crossed his path. He had been sufficiently entertained for the past few minutes but the data he had seen was very much on his mind. Hikaru had merely set it aside for a bit, but now that was consciously thinking about it, he found that his rage was relatively close to boiling point. And God help anyone who was foolish enough to annoy him today.

"Yo Hikaru!" Kaoru snapped his fingers in front of his brother's face.

"Nani?"

"Mori-senpai was asking about the file we read," Kaouru stated dryly.

Hikaru's eyes amber eyes gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "I can barely stomach thinking about those words Kao," he told his twin honestly.

"You tell them, please. I may end up chucking that hateful thing in the shark tank, out of sheer spite."

"I don't think I can either Hikaru." Kaouru acknowledged to himself that it was truly a revolting sight. "They should probably just read it for themselves."

Hikaru grunted his assent.

He sat down and turned his laptop on. Tamaki, Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai crowded around him. Hikaru refused to come nearer. Kaoru couldn't blame him; the words were burned into his own eyes too, after all.

"You guys better gird your loins," Kaoru cautioned. "It's not a pretty sight."

Murmurs of 'hai' and 'of course' were buffeted all around.

This was the moment of truth. Kaoru double clicked on the misbegotten file and held his breath.

There it was, in big black bold letters.

Operation: Seduce Fujioka Haruhi (a.k.a Project O.S.F.H)

Ootori Kyouya

"Uuuwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

And the game just went up another level Kaoru thought bleakly, as the Host King's high-pitched screech drowned out the rest of the group's outraged reactions.

A/N:

See? There was a reason why Kanazawa-san tattled on Kyouya! Hahahaha! I just had to include "Dark Honey" somewhere in this fic. :D Besides, cuteness with a secret edge is so much more interesting than plain fluff, don't 'ya think? :P

Thanks to all those who tried to guess what the mysterious acronym stood for, and I do hope you're happy to finally find out what it means! LOL!


Reviews are love, so please... review review review! It gets me fired up for the next chappies! Hehe!

So that's it for now. :)

Oooh... I'll be posting a short flashback on the two things that I'm sure a lot of you are wondering about. :D

Read and let me know what you think. If you liked the explanation, or if not, why.

Thanks again! Until next time!

XXXXX

Sama - (suffix) Formal version of "san." Respectful address towards important persons or those with higher rank

Chan - (suffix) - Informal version of "san." Used to address young children or a term of endearment for family, friends or anyone you are close to. May also be used as a "pet name" (as is the case in this story)

Gomen (nasai) - Sorry/ I'm sorry

Hai - Yes

Ano - "Um" Expression of uncertainty

Tono - Lord/ My Lord

Senpai - respectful title for an upperclassman/ senior

Usa-chan - Rabbit/ Bunny (Honey's stuffed bunny to be exact)

Arigatou (gozaimasu) - Thank you/ Thank you very much

Ja/ ja ne - Goodbye/ See you later

Nani - What

Oni - Demon