Wow, I kind of wrote this whole chapter today. I've also been saying 'wow' a lot lately. I blame science class.

Thank you all so much for your awesome-tastic reviews on the previous chapters! I heart you guys!

Here's this week's chapter. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, the song "Cantarella", Vocaloid, or The Mentalist. But you already knew that, didn't you?


Chapter 11

Spark of Interest


Haruhi walked into the grand entrance room of the second estate the next morning, after she had finished getting ready for school.

"Miss Haruhi! Such dark circles under your eyes," exclaimed Shima in her perpetually stern voice, "It looks as if you haven't slept a wink!"

This was true. After her mysterious visitor the night before, Haruhi had not managed to go back to sleep, even after she had securely locked her window and door, and closed the blinds.

This was partially due to a paranoid fear that the intruder would still find a way in, and also because of another feeling...

A twisted sense of excitement.

This feeling was entirely impractical, Haruhi told herself. And yet...

All of a sudden, Haruhi looked sharply around the room, her eyes scanning the massive space for a certain blond-haired ball of energy. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Um, excuse me, Shima..." began Haruhi, genuinely surprised, "Have you seen Tamaki-senpai this morning?"

Shima frowned. "Master Tamaki left early this morning. I thought this was very strange, as he usually waits for you before he departs to school."

This much was true as well. Tamaki would always wait for Haruhi to be ready, and likewise, if Haruhi was the first one ready, she would patiently wait for Tamaki.

Walking to school together was a daily thing for them. It always had been.

"But he did mention," Shima added, "That some friends of yours would be coming to walk you to school today."

Haruhi was still, a perplexed look crossing her face.

"What...?"


"Good morning..."

"...Haruhi!"

Haruhi stared blankly at the twins, who were standing on the outside of the estate's massive wrought-iron gate.

Kaoru was smiling brightly, and standing up straight. Hikaru looked a little less upbeat, slouching with his hands in his pockets, as he wasn't really much of a morning person.

"Um, guys... Not to sound rude, but..." she asked, getting the weird feeling that something was up, "What are you doing here?"

Hikaru raised his eyebrows, and a look of confusion crossed Kaoru's face.

"Suou-senpai called us this morning and asked if we wanted to walk to school with you guys." said Kaoru, who had found the entire thing strange to begin with, since he was sure that Tamaki Suou didn't dislike anyone more that he disliked the twins. So why invite them, unless Haruhi had asked him to?

"Where is he anyway?" asked Hikaru, actually preferring that the youngest member of the Suou family didn't show up.

"He already left..." said Haruhi, wondering what exactly Tamaki was doing, anyway.

Well whatever it is, she thought, it probably isn't anything normal, I can at least count on that much.


As the three first-years walked to school, Haruhi's mind drifted off once again, to the previous night.

That mask... had she seen it somewhere before...? She didn't think so.

And the rose. Something about this strange figure giving her that rose seemed so familiar, but she couldn't place where...

A chill ran up her spine.

"Hey, Haruhi, is everything alright?" asked Hikaru.

Haruhi stopped and turned around only to realize that the twins had stopped a few feet behind her, and she, lost in her thoughts, had just kept on walking.

"Um, yeah, of course," she said, laughing it off, "I just didn't really sleep right, that's all."

You and I both, thought Kaoru, his mind going to the various nights he had spent awake recently, working out a plan of his own...

He looked around, and feigned a look of sudden shock.

"Oh, I just remembered! I was supposed to go to a store around here to grab something for mom before she gets home from her business trip!"

Hikaru gave him a skeptical look. "I don't remember that... And why didn't she just phone and ask the help to do it?"

Kaoru laughed. "Maybe you've been missing out on some of your sleep to Hikaru, if you don't remember!"

Kaoru turned towards a street that turned right, in the opposite direction of Ouran Academy.

"Kaoru, if we go now, we'll be late for school." shouted Hikaru, running to catch up with his brother.

"Not if I go by myself," replied Kaoru, turning to smile at his twin, "You two go on ahead. I'll meet you at school."

Hikaru could feel his eyes widening. It was strange that Kaoru was suddenly showing so much interest in doing things on his own, and Hikaru wasn't at all used to it.

"Are you sure?" he asked his brother, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes, I'm sure!" said Kaoru with a grin, "Now you better hurry up or you really will make Haruhi late!"

Haruhi.

Hikaru turned to her, and asked if she was ready to go. She nodded, and reminded Kaoru not to be too late, before the two set off in the opposite direction from Kaoru.

After Hikaru and Haruhi had rounded a corner and walked out of sight, Kaoru stopped walking,

He sunk down on the front steps of an antique furniture shop, and lit a sly grin slip over his face.

Everything was going according to plan, and maybe, just maybe Hikaru would realize how he truly felt before Suou decided to make his move.


Hikaru didn't really know what to say.

He and Haruhi had been walking in silence for several moments, no sounds around them besides the chatter of other people out walking and enjoying the sunny morning, and he needed something to break the ice.

When he looked over at Haruhi however, he noticed a bothered expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Hikaru asked cautiously.

"Huh?" Haruhi looked up at him, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh, sorry."

"I'll take that as a yes." sighed Hikaru, his tone sounding as it usually did when he spoke to Haruhi, even if he didn't mean for it to be so: Sarcastic and nervous.

There was another brief moment of silence during which Hikaru noticed that he and Haruhi were walking exactly in time with one another. Their school shoes hit the pavement with synchronicity, every step they took.

"It's just.. I'm a little worried about Tamaki-senpai, lately..." said Haruhi, the very worry of which she was speaking apparent in her voice.

Hikaru winced inwardly. The last thing he really wanted to talk about was Tamaki Suou, but since this seemed to be bothering Haruhi so much...

"Why is that?" he asked, giving in the the copious amounts of self torture that were sure to come with this conversation.

Haruhi sighed.

"It's just that... He's been acting really distant lately, and we've been really close ever since we were little. I'm not sure what changed, or even when. I mean, I guess I always kind of thought it would happen someday, but..."

Hikaru could completely relate to everything she was saying.

"Also, I'm kind of worried about something, something that I can't remember."

Hikaru looked sceptically at Haruhi, then spoke, choosing his words carefully.

"How exactly can you be worried about something you don't remember?"

Haruhi suddenly stopped walking and chuckled, her mood seeming to brighten far to quickly to be rational.

"I know, it sounds silly, doesn't it. Lets just forget about it."

Haruhi talked more cheerfully the rest of the way to school, but she was obviously putting on a facade, to hide what she was really feeling.

She wasn't the only one.


END/CH.11


Thank you all so much for reading this. I hope the chapter was to your liking? Sorry that Tamaki didn't make an appearance in this one.

Another thing, I was watching The Mentalist this week, and I found a quote that perfectly fits the previous chapter:

"A good rule-of-thumb is to never do anything that requires you wear a mask."

Sorry, I just thought that it worked.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing this, and I can't wait to hear what you think!

See you next chapter,

Massie