A/N: Tried to make this slightly more conclusive and fluffy… with the result it's gone OOC. (eye roll) Ah well, please enjoy regardless! And I don't own!"

#05- River

Surprising Things

2,200 words

Kyouya supposed the revelation shouldn't have surprised him. When Tamaki had announced the Host Club would be having an event at a lake, Haruhi had protested even more violently than usual. Even when she had been dragged along, and the twins had thoughtfully provided her with plenty of dark coloured t-shirts so she could swim in them and not give herself away as anything other than extremely modest, she hadn't gone near the water. Many of the designators had wanted her to. Kyouya had enticed her first with a reduction to her debt if she did swam, and then with the threat that if she didn't swim the designators she had today wouldn't be counted.

He had been surprised when she still hadn't given in, and had realised. And she had known he realised, because she told him.

The thing was, Haruhi couldn't swim. She looked out a little wistfully to where the other hosts and the girls were swimming around or splashing in the shallows below the setting sun. She admitted that it didn't normally bother her, but it was something she always meant to learn how to do. Of course, it was too embarrassing to go to her local pool to try and learn in public, not to mention how much it would cost to go every week.

And they were interrupted by some more girls coming and begging her to swim with them.

Kyouya calculated. They had another two days here. He grabbed her hand and hauled her up.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

He merely raised an eyebrow and answered "You think they're going to notice we've gone anytime soon?"

She followed him. This may have been because he was still pulling on her hand; so, naturally, it would have been a silly idea for him to let go. He lead her away from the noise and laughter, to where the river ran into the lake, and then onwards. The trees grew up around, thicker and thicker, the river winding between them, the setting sun casting down between the leaves, which swayed in the wind and caused light and shadows to dance across the slow moving water, turning it golden.

"This will do." He said, calmly letting go of her hand and beginning to take his shirt off.

"Wha-What are you doing?" Haruhi was taken aback.

"Removing my shirt. However, I suggest you keep yours on." He didn't look at her, walking down the bank and wading into the water. "Come on."

"What?"

"You're learning to swim."

And that was the first surprising thing. That he wanted to teach her.

She moved back, shaking her head. "Oh, no."

"You said you wanted to learn."

"But… not here!"

"Why not? We're closed off, so no-one will see; the water's clean and shallow and slow moving… I'd say it's perfect." Kyouya smirked at her. "Unless you're scared."

"I'm not scared of water!" She protested, fiercely.

His smirk widened. "I never said it was the water you were afraid of. Now, come on."

Still, she hesitated. "You're not going to add the price of tuition to my debt, are you?"

"No."

She seemed confused, but nodded and came tentatively into the water. He had never before quite realised the height difference between them. Here, the water was at his waist, but it was almost to her chest.

"Okay." She said, and for a moment he was thrown by the trust in her eyes, but also something a bit cynical, sceptical. "But don't expect much. People have tried to teach me before, you know."

"You'll manage."

And that was second surprising thing. That he was encouraging her.

So thrown was she by this encouragement that she didn't notice him coming close, standing behind her. She noticed, however, how close he was; closer then he had been before, as he took hold firmly hold of her arms and stretched them out in front of her.

"Kyouya-senpai?"

"I'm not insulting you or the host club by teaching you the doggie paddle." He said, matter-of-factly. "You, Haruhi, are going to learn the breast stroke."

"That's what you think."

But he took the same meticulous attention to this as he did to everything else. Already, he was in front of her again, and taking hold of her hands, bending them into scoop shapes.

And that was the third surprising thing. That he was so gentle.

"Right. Now, watch." He said, demonstrating as he spoke. "It's up and out and round and in, up and out- Haruhi, are you listening?"

"Sorry." She said. She had been distracted by the waves his arms were creating, and feeling the small disturbances hit her, and imagining being carried away down the river with them.

"Fine. Pay attention. It's up and out and round- Haruhi!"

She jolted, trying to banish the thoughts of how like a stern tutor he was and pay attention.

"Kyouya-senpai, I just don't think I'm meant to-"

He splashed her.

And that was the fourth surprising thing. That he acted his age.

"No defeatist attitudes." He told her.

"Fine. Then I won't be defeated." She answered, and splashed him back.

It seemed he had not been expecting it, as he stood for a second, dripping, the light catching the water on his body. Then he glared and gave chase.

Haruhi quickly found that running in water didn't really help, and with his quick strokes he quickly caught up, but before he could splash her she tripped on one of the bumps in the river bed. She would have gone under, had she not been caught in wet arms.

"If I let go now," He said, calmly. "You would probably drown."

"Then please don't let go."

He pulled her up instead, setting her back on her feet. "Then, let's swim."

Paying attention this time, she quickly got the hang of the arm movements, and it pleased him. The leg movements were much harder- she could not do them without going under, and Kyouya was fed up of the unpleasantness of his heart stopping every time she did. But, he admired her. She didn't panic when her head went under, just knew all she had to do was stand. And even though she was spluttering, her eyes shone with determination, another battle to win.

Still, after the third time, he decided this wasn't good for her lungs, and came close. "Hold on."

"What?"

"Do you want to keep sinking? Hold on."

Doubtfully, she did, hooking arms around his neck, and he held her waist, just below the water level. Gradually, her legs came higher in the water, she started to get the hang of it. After a while, he let her down, and said:

"Ready to put it together?"

And perhaps many people would have been doubtful. Perhaps many would have been afraid of making a mistake and said no. But she merely nodded resolutely.

Haruhi did not manage it the first time, or the second, or third. Or the fifth, sixth, or seventh times. Or the eighth, ninth, or tenth, for that matter. If anything, she got worse, because she found it awfully distracting that Kyouya wasn't behaving at all as she'd expect him to.

And that was the fifth surprising thing. That he could be patient.

He came to help her again. Perhaps she should have felt embarrassed at being supported in the water, hands on her waist and then right beside her, should she need them. But she didn't. Everything was going into an ardent desire to do it this time; to learn to swim here, now, in the gathering darkness, in a river, with the shadow king. Who was proving himself to be, in many ways, much less a demon than people often saw.

Another failed attempt. She just floundered on the spot unless he held her afloat, it seemed. Slight dejection sunk her shoulders.

"If you're going to give up I'll splash you again."

"It's not easy." She defended, none the less preparing to try again. "My dad can't swim either, my parents never taught me."

"Nor did mine." Kyouya admitted. "I learnt pretty fast, when I fell off a yacht. I was ten at the time. Ironically, before that, I had been terrified of water- I wouldn't go near it, they had a right job getting me onto the boat to begin with. Drowning, water; it was all my biggest fear. Until I fell in, and I had to survive, and I realised it wasn't so bad."

And that was the seventh surprising thing. That he could open up to people.

"Really…?" Haruhi's eyes were thoughtful, far away, trying to imagine yet another side of Kyouya she hadn't seen.

"No, that's a lie, actually." He admitted. "And one more thing."

Outraged, Haruhi turned to him. "What now?"

Kyouya merely nodded behind them, and she realised with a jolt that they had- she had- swum a good ten metres in the course of the conversation, without even noticing. It was that easy.

She smiled at him, and Kyouya carefully filed away the feelings that smile made twist in his stomach for later observation. He had known that she, like him, would be happy at defeating a challenge. However, he had not anticipated her being so happy that she grabbed him around the neck again, almost knocking him over. He stumbled back, but supported her weight.

"See?" He said, satisfied.

"Thank you, Kyouya." She answered, and abruptly let go, still grinning. "Let's make sure it wasn't a fluke though, okay?"

They continued for a further hour or so, practising, until one of them realised how dark it was. They climbed out of the river, and followed it back towards where the lake, and their holiday home, was. Kyouya had a dry shirt to put on, but he noticed Haruhi was shivering, and with nothing to offer her hurried the pace a little. Clumsy as ever, she stumbled in the dark, and he took her hand again, smirking at the quizzical look she gave him.

"You asked me not to let go."

They had emerged now, and the lake was deserted; though lights blared in the windows of the house. There were sounds of chaos within. Presumably their absence had been noted and without either of them to mediate things madness reigned.

"What are they going to think?" Haruhi muttered, not wanting to face them just yet. "Senpai… I want to swim in the lake. While I'm still wet."

He let her go, came nearer to the house, and stood and watched as she determinedly splashed her way out. In an instant, Tamaki was upon him.

"Kyouya?! Where have you been?! I was just coming out to look for you! And where's Haruhi?! What have you been doing?!"

Now, obviously, it would have been a totally un-gentleman like action to tell him the truth; and besides, what was he alluding to? So Kyouya informed him, quite calmly, that Haruhi was swimming in the lake to cool off after an evening of passionate kissing in the woods.

And that was the ninth surprising thing about Kyouya. When he was in a good mood, his sense of humour found a strange way of presenting itself.

He was sure she'd forgive him if she could see Tamaki's face. Naturally, that did not mean she would want to have spent the evening in such a way.

Not that he would have either.

Obviously.

Tamaki's shock had faded enough for him to be preparing to go ballistic when Haruhi ran over, very happy.

"Once round the lake! I know it's not much, but it's a start!" And here was the strange thing about Haruhi. She got very affectionate when she was happy, and grabbed hold of him again. "Seriously, you've been really sweet today. I don't know what's gotten into you, but thank you for everything." In a surprisingly feminine way, she pecked him on the cheek and released him, saying something about needing dry clothes. She calmly greeted Tamaki before heading inside.

Tamaki was still standing there stunned, and Kyouya was trying to stamp his smile down into his usual impassive look.

But the surprising thing about Kyouya was that he didn't try too hard. The surprising thing about Kyouya was that he didn't want to let it end there. He followed Haruhi.

"You impressed me with your determination." He stated. "But you surprised me, doing things by halves."

"What do you mean?"

"That you only kissed my cheek."

And the tenth surprising thing about Kyouya was that he was as forward about what he wanted in a relationship as he was with everything else.

Or perhaps it wasn't that surprising.

What surprised Haruhi, however, was the willingness of both parties to correct her earlier error. Like the estuaries of a river their lives had somehow flowed together, and, for now, she was happy for them to stay there; wide, fast flowing, and carrying them to new places.

But first, she kissed him; properly, on the lips.

And the eleventh surprising thing about Kyouya was that he did not pull away.

But the most surprising thing was that neither of them wanted to.