I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story as much as I love writing it! I haven't been receiving any notification from FFNet lately for some reason, so it took me a little longer to post this (I generally wait for a few reviews before I post the next chapter if it's done).

Chapter 10 // The Sting of Admission

"Whaaaaaaaaat???"

"I'M TELLING YOU TWO, IT'S TRUUUUUUE!!! OH MY POOR VIOLATED DAUGHTERRRR!!!! I SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH HERRRRRRR!!!"

"Tamaki, I suggest you keep your voice down. The club opens in half an hour and there will probably be customers milling about. Such sensitive information should be kept within these four walls." He raised his eyebrow pointedly at the twins. "And this applies to you two, of course."

"Ah-aahhh, Kyouya-senpai!" The twins pouted indignantly and stomped off, presumably to find their own amusement at the other end of the room.

"I don't have to list the repercussions of one moment's indiscretion, do I?"

Kyouya sighed as he continued typing the latest Host Club designation demographics into his laptop. It was certainly a dramatic way to start the week. Tamaki had burst into the Third Music Room an hour before, only to cling to the walls in melodramatic horror at the news he had received yesterday. He had gazed woefully at Kyouya who figured he was probably bemoaning the fact that his phone call had ended prematurely.

Although he had cited work as a legitimate excuse to get Tamaki's whining off his back, he had to admit that he had been more than a little perturbed at Mori's little sleepover session. His spreadsheets had been far from his mind as he put away his notebooks and shut himself in his living room. He had turned his state-of-the-art sound system on and increased the volume of his favourite arias in an attempt to drown out the incessant noise in his head. Kyouya was rarely disturbed by the events around him, but knowing that the girl he cared for deeply had spent the night in the arms of another was another kettle of fish altogether.

It was beyond disturbing. It was gut-wrenching.

Naturally, the detached third son had not displayed his emotions at all. His countenance had never betrayed him, even when his father had berated him with the harshest of words, cutting remarks that could cause even the most stoic of his partners to cringe. Kyouya had neither flinched nor wavered. He had schooled his expression at his sister's wedding even though he wanted to bawl like a baby, knowing he would not share the same proximity with her ever again. He was steel, because it was advantageous to have such fortitude in his dealings with ruthless businessmen.

He knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that he loved Haruhi in that own warped way of his. He thought himself incapable of the act, but he had miscalculated the effect she had on him. As he stared at the pencil he had broken, scraping their jagged ends along his palm in thought, he had come to the conclusion that he had to wrench Haruhi away somehow if she was to become his.

He glanced at Tamaki, who had retreated to the Alcove and was mumbling incoherently to himself, obviously still traumatised. He appeared ready to dive into the same abyss that had claimed him when Kasanoda Ritsu had unwittingly seen Haruhi in her skivvies, something that no one had ever set their eyes on before. He had blown the entire matter out of proportion of course, but that was just his way of coping with his emotions. There was going to be an issue with him if Kyouya decided to make the first move. He had helped Tamaki bring his message across when Haruhi behaved foolishly at the beach. If another chance came along for such manner of "teaching", he would not hesitate at all. It would not be something born of pure intentions however. He wondered what Tamaki would say if he knew the direction his own best friend's thoughts had taken.

The twins were whispering at the far corner of the room. Kyouya could tell from the sympathetic expression on Kaoru's face that Hikaru himself was having a difficult time of his own. He had known that the latter had a schoolboy crush on Haruhi. It remained to be seen whether he would do anything about it. Probably throw a tantrum like he did the last time with Arai, Kyouya surmised, none too worried about the older Hitachiin. He still had a long way to go for the Ootori to consider him a real competitor.

The sound of the door opening had Kyouya jerking his head swiftly to see who it was.

Haruhi. She walked in oblivious to the gazes of the four club members present.

He would speak with her, both for the benefit of Host Club profits and also for her personal safety. While he was certain that Mori was a gentleman, he knew she needed yet another lecture about her guilelessness with men. "Haruhi," he beckoned and stood. "A word, if you please."

She tilted her head inquisitively, but followed him silently to the change room. He opened the door, ushered her in and shut it firmly.

Then locked it.

"Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi turned her glossy brown eyes upon him, once again with a quizzical expression on her face. "What are you…"

"What needs to be said here, Haruhi," he interjected abruptly, "will remain in this room. You will listen until I am done, after which you are free to express your opinions in any manner you see fit."

She nodded, no doubt sparing a thought for her mounting debt. He congratulated himself on that sheer stroke of genius at the beginning of the school year.

"I heard, Haruhi, from Tamaki, that Mori-senpai spent the night with you in your home after the party, alone. Is that correct or should I assume that Tamaki has once again taken leave of his senses?"

"Mori-senpai stayed," she responded almost immediately. Once again, without guile. What a carefree admission, he thought.

"I see." He had considered the miniscule possibility that this was the result of Tamaki's overactive imagination. Apparently, it was not.

He advanced upon her slowly, with a purposeful expression on his face. Mildly alarmed, she shuffled backwards into the round marble table in the middle of the room. Its cold edge pressed against the small of her back as he stopped a mere hair's breadth away from her. He looked down into wide brown eyes.

The gleam off his glasses was blinding. She blinked as he removed them. "Do you remember that little altercation you had with Tamaki at the beach?"

She gulped and nodded. His fathomless eyes held hers.

"Well, consider this an extension of that lesson," he purred as he slid his arm around her waist and trailed his lips along her earlobe down to her jaw. Her skin was smooth and fragrant. He allowed himself a small extravagance by nuzzling her nape.

Haruhi inhaled sharply and pressed her small hands against his chest in an attempt to push him away. "Kyou…"

That tiny utterance was his undoing. He crushed her against his chest firmly, gazed into her eyes past hooded lids and devoured her lips passionately. Unable to escape, Haruhi remained impassive and let him have his way. When he came up for air, she wrested her arm from the confines of his embrace and took a deep breath.

Then, she slapped him.

Hard.

He released her immediately, the stinging sensation across his cheek causing his eyes to widen. He had lost control, when it was of utmost importance that he remain in control. Where was the Ootori in him? As much as he regretted his lapse in judgement, he honestly relished the texture of her lips beneath his. They were soft and supple, and tasted faintly of strawberries. While Kyouya did not expect Haruhi to return his ardour, he had not expected such a violent reaction. What did you expect? You kissed her, for all intents and purposes to teach her a lesson.

"Haruhi. I apologise." He looked at her, mask once again in place. "That was completely uncalled for."

She was trembling. "I should think so. When I said you were kind the last time, I meant it. However, I have no idea what possessed you to do such a thing. I never thought you would go this far just to teach me a lesson!"

"You need to realise that it is not appropriate for a young lady such as yourself to allow men into your home. It is not safe." He folded his arms across his chest and levelled her with his gaze.

She stared back defiantly. "That was Mori-senpai, in case you didn't notice."

She was extremely beguiling, even when she was angry. Perhaps even more so. "And in case you haven't noticed, Mori-senpai is a hot-blooded male. One who appears to care about you at that." He snorted softly. "Or are your observation skills only operational when dealing with others and not yourself?"

Haruhi blinked. "You mean…"

"Mori-senpai," Kyouya drawled as he once again closed the distance between them, "is in love with you."

She blinked once more. "Ehhh???"

He smiled coolly, leaned down and whispered in her ear. "And so am I."

-----

It was almost as if she had left her physical body and was watching the events unfold before her very eyes. Haruhi felt distinctly out of sorts. In fact, she was almost in another world. It remained to be seen whether it was a good thing. She sneaked a glance at Mori who was once again with Hani in the company of their regulars. He appeared as he always did, quite unlike a person who was supposedly in love with her. Then again, Mori rarely gave his emotions or thoughts away like Hikaru did. The very same Hitachiin who was surreptitiously throwing imaginary daggers at Mori and failing miserably.

So they had all heard. From Tamaki no less, Kaoru had mentioned just as she exited from the change room with Kyouya in her wake. He had strode in the direction of the washroom while she had lingered behind to make the necessary preparations for hosting her clients.

"Are you quite alright, Haruhi-kun?"

She directed her attention to her designator, a feminine little thing in braids. "Ah, not really. I have a bit of a headache coming on." She prayed that the little white lie would not send her into the pits of hell.

"A headache!?!! Haru-chan! Haru-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!" Haruhi winced inwardly as Hani came barrelling towards her, stuffed rabbit in tow. She had no doubt that Mori had heard about her false malady as well.

She glanced at him. He was gazing at her with concern. Then he stood and made his way over. She flushed lightly. The girls around her took that to mean that she was on the verge of keeling over and hovered incessantly. She was about to shout for help when she felt strong hands wrap around her waist.

Of course it was Mori. It was always Mori-senpai who rescued her at times like this. He cradled her to his chest instinctively. "Tamaki, Kyouya. I'm going to take Haruhi home."

He strode to the storeroom where their bags were and scooped up theirs with ease. Clearly, he had no intention of returning.

"Mori-senpai, you can put me down. I can walk."

"No."

Mori continued walking in silence, out the Third Music Room, through the lavish corridors. He had no idea what had transpired between Kyouya and Haruhi, but he knew something had changed when she walked out of that room with Kyouya right behind her. Her countenance had appeared as sunny as always, but her eyes had been troubled. He had deduced that it was quite likely that it had something to do with his little overnight sojourn. The Shadow King probably had some choice things to say about profit and decorum and whatever else. He had not spoken to Mori, however, for reasons unknown.

Haruhi watched in alarm as Mori strode out of the school compounds and down the street. "Mori-senpai, where are you going?"

"To the nearest park. So you can talk."

She remained silent.

"You can't keep anything from me," he continued as if to provide an explanation for his inexplicable behaviour. His arm tightened around her.

He set her down as soon as they reached a secluded spot in the park, by a bubbling fountain. The sound of cascading water was soothing. He sat and gazed at her expectantly.

Haruhi contemplated the extent with which she should explain things to Mori. She wanted to tell him exactly what Kyouya had done, but there was also the issue of what he had said. It would be best not to keep anything from him, she decided firmly after a minute's contemplation. He could practically read her mind and would never be satisfied with mere platitudes meant to assure him of her wellbeing. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Mother in heaven, help me. She inhaled deeply.

"Kyouya-senpai wanted to speak to me. About that night. The one where you stayed over," she began. He nodded encouragingly. "I thought he wanted to give me a lecture about it, or threaten me with more debt should I be less careful with… err… relations."

She stared at her hands in her lap, a little unsure of how to continue and what Mori's reaction would be. His hand reached over and clasped hers, squeezing her fingers gently. "Well… he kissed me. Quite forcefully in fact."

Mori caressed the back of her palm with his thumb. He had sworn to himself that he would not react or say anything until she had finished and by golly he would keep to his word. Even though he wanted to yell at Kyouya and pound the living daylights out of him for taking such liberties with her.

"I slapped him of course," she said almost proudly, grinning although her eyes continued to remain troubled. "He said that I had no concept of male-female relationships and that you are a 'hot-blooded male'. I'm supposed to know better."

He coughed at this. Little did Haruhi know how right Kyouya was. It had taken a substantial amount of energy to keep his hands where they were supposed to be that night. That had worked in his favour, however, since he fell asleep rather quickly with her in his arms. To date it was his most treasured memory. "That is… quite… true, Haruhi."

"Hmm. Now that you've admitted it, it seems like I haven't considered that much at all, have I? I should be more careful. Since everyone worries about me."

He nodded.

"He also told me something else, Mori-senpai." Haruhi slanted him a glance. "He said that you are in love with me. And that he is also."

Mori blinked. "Ah."

He had not expected that from Kyouya. Granted, under normal circumstances, he would have expected him to admit to his own feelings grudgingly, but to declare it? And to declare that someone else loved her? That would work against him, would it not? That was too much, even for the Shadow King. Perhaps the stress had caused him to lose his faculties.

"Is it true, Mori-senpai?"

He swallowed hard. "I don't know about Kyouya. I believe you should take whatever he says about his feelings seriously."

He was hedging, she realised. So it was something Kyouya had imagined then. "What about you," she pressed, "how do you feel? I think I deserve to know, after all that I've been through today."

"I…"

She held her breath.

"It's true, what Kyouya said. I care very much for you, Haruhi." There was not much point in denying it. He was a terrible liar and Haruhi knew him well enough to know when he was nursing a falsehood.

Her curious expression encouraged him to continue.

"You must be wondering why I haven't said anything," he smiled warmly. "Actually, I did not intend to at all." He released her hand. "I would rather you approached me of your own accord. I never want to put you in a position where you feel torn or feel like you have to choose someone over me. I don't want you to experience any guilt. You should be free."

Her eyes widened.

"Of course I was hoping that you would notice. I thought I had made it rather obvious."

She grinned sheepishly and he placed a hand on her head. "It's fine, Haruhi. Cluelessness is endearing. Decide when you are ready or not at all."

Her countenance softened and for once in her life she really truly looked at him.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai."

Author's Note(s):

How shocked were you by the turn of events? That's something I'd like to know, whether what Kyouya did was expected or not. No apologies to Kyouya fans for making him out to be some uncontrollable maniac. Considering he was capable of flipping a table over in Episode 24 when he was upset with Tamaki, I think this guy has got some RAAWRRR inside of him waiting to surface. He suppresses it too much, which is why it comes out... well... wrong.

Poor Kyouya. He's probably kicking himself right now.

Haruhi is still rather clueless regarding her own feelings and Mori is more talkative (because it is about something of import), but he is wonderfully sweet.

More character development and excitement to follow, naturally! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! X3