Finally! This chapter took forever to write and plot out but I think I'm as happy with the result now as I'll ever be. If I don't post it now I'll just edit it for the rest of eternity and I would really love to get on with this story. Very long chapter, we finally get the Mori/Haruhi reunion with a MAJOR development at the end of the chapter! That being said, please read and enjoy!


Chapter 12

Reunion

"Mmmmm..." the young girl groaned still in between the waking world and that of the world of dreams. She could see sunlight dancing across her closed eyelids, casting her unconscious thoughts in shades of red and orange. It was a strange combination but the way the sunlight shined on his tanned skin and glint off of his straight teeth made him that much more beautiful to her. She and Mori-senpai were sharing a bento on the campus of the college they attended and though he did not voice it aloud, she could tell he was pleased with the quality of her food because every so often he would grunt a small approval from the back of his throat and in those moments Haruhi felt her heart might burst with a happiness that thoroughly frightened her.

Was it healthy to feel this way? Was it normal? Is this how others felt when they were with the ones they loved or was she delusional? Had she finally succumb to the madness that she tried to battle while in the host club?

Her reverie ended when she felt his rough finger trail down her jaw line. She leaned into the touch, her eyes drifting closed as she indulged in the touch of the man she loved. When he retracted his hand she turned in his direction.

"How long do you think she will sleep?" he said but it wasn't his deep baritone that spoke, instead it was another voice that was familiar but wrong. Not Mori's, not the man she loved.

"What?" she asked, his brows coming together on her forehead in confusion.

He spoke again, this time with a new voice but still not his own. "Who knows she's snoring like a rhino over there. Keep quiet, don't wake her up."

'Hikaru?' she thought.

She stirred, stretching her limbs her mind finally awakening to join the waking world. Her eyes opened slowly, struggling to adjust to the blinding light. A dream... of course it had been a dream. She knew that sort of situation would never become a true reality. How cruel of her subconscious to dredge up such a beautiful scene, one that would never come to fruition. She groaned, rolling over in her bed and straight onto the floor.

"What the hell?" she grumbled.

Sure her bed wasn't very expansive but she did not think it was that small. She had certainly never rolled off it before.

"Uh-oh."

Haruhi finally got her senses about her and took a moment to look around her. She was not in her bedroom, she had fallen off the bench seat in the back of what appeared to be a limousine and ever single one of her male friends, save for Mori-senpai as he was not present, was now staring at her wide eyed like she were some sort of zoo animal.

"What the hell is going on?" she managed to say much more calmly than she could have imagined because the white hot rage she could feel pounding in her head was near unbearable.

Honey was the first to dare to speak, "Now don't be angry with us Haru-chan. This is for your own good." He tried to keep his tone calm and soothing. He could tell that she was beyond angry.

Haruhi exploded, her rage exceeding past the point of her control. "Don't be angry? You kid napped me!" she screamed, "How the hell did you even get into my house?"

At this, Kyoya smirked. "Locksmiths tend to not ask very many questions when you offer them three times their normal rate."

"Breaking and entering is a felony! I'm sure you know that!" she growled at Kyoya.

He shrugged, then yawned, seemingly completely unaffected by the daggers that were shooting from her eyes. He still couldn't believe that he actually agreed to go through with this seeing as there was absolutely no merit or personal gain from this. Except for the fact that two of his best friends may find happiness with each other.


When Honey first told them all his idea and the reasoning behind it, it had caused a bit of an uproar.

"What do you mean Mori-senpai is in love with Haruhi?" Tamaki asked, completely disoriented by the news.

"Takashi is in love with Haru-chan but he hasn't told her yet. I don't know how long he has felt this way for her and he hasn't told me directly but I can tell. The way he looks at her, I've never seen him more at peace than when he looks at her." the golden haired young man said as a wistful smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. It was true, he had never seen his cousin look at another human being the way he looked at Haruhi, as if she were some angel come to earth.

Hikaru scowled, "That's ridiculous! Everyone knows the only person Mori-senpai cares about is you Honey-senpai. There's no way that he has feelings for Haruhi... just no way!" he said vehemently.

Honey's wistful smile quickly turned into a sardonic grin, "Are you telling me I don't know my own flesh and blood?" he questioned in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm.

Kyoya cleared his throat, "Now, now gentleman, let's all calm down." he turned his attention to the smallest in their group. "Honey-senpai, no one here is suggesting anything of the sort. It's just a bit of a shock for the rest of us. After all, this is all news to us."

"I know, Kyo-chan but you see the thing is... I think Haru-chan might feel the same way."

The room was so silent you could have heard a pin drop.

Tamaki swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. Was Mori-senpai the reason Haruhi no longer harbored feelings for him? He never would have imagined it could be so.

Kaoru stayed quiet but looked thoughtful. It was certainly possible that Haruhi could have developed feelings for the stoic man. She had gotten along with him rather genially during their time in the host club and she always seemed at ease in his company. He could easily see that Honey may suspect that Mori-senpai had feelings for Haruhi. He was as protective of her as he was for Honey-senpai.

"Alright, well even if they do love each other, what does Katsu have to do with any of this?" Hikaru asked, more than a little annoyed with this conversation.

"Well Takashi asked me to look after her while he was gone and the reason for that was Katsu. He said he doesn't get a good feeling from him, like sometimes he's trying to hurt her."

"He better not lay a finger on her." Hikaru ground out.

Honey scowled, he completely agreed with Hikaru's sentiment which is exactly why he felt the need to get her out of this dilemma. He knew there would be severe consequences for what needed to be done but he felt they would be worth it if it meant securing her safety.

"He won't have the chance if we have anything to do with it. We all love Haruhi, some more than others." He said, and he couldn't help it as his eyes drifted to both Tamaki and Hikaru. He was aware of the feelings these men harbored for her and hopefully their devotion to this woman would make it easier to convince them of what they needed t do.

"I'm in." Kaoru said, he looked at his brother pointedly.

Hikaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "I'm in, too. I guess..."

Tamaki enthusiastically agreed, Kyoya did not answer one way or another but his silence proved to be his agreement. If he did not wish to participate, he would say so.

Honey grinned, he would be able to keep his promise to Takashi. He would be able to protect their dear Haruhi.


Kyoya broke from his inner musings and looked back to Haruhi. It seemed she was beginning to collect herself.

"What is going on?" she asked once she calmed down, "Why do you think it's necessary to kidnap me?"

Honey couldn't help the small giggle that escaped his lips. Haruhi shot him an icy glare so he took this opportunity to explain not only his actions, but the rest of the clubs actions as well.

"We know that sometimes you would like to spend time with other people but if we all went without you, it just wouldn't have been the same... and I know that Takashi would like to have you there to cheer him on. He would never say it out loud or ask it of you because he just isn't that type of person but I know that he would really like you to be there, Haru-chan."

Slowly, the heat in Haruhi's cheeks began to cool, she had never thought of it that way. She truly believed that her friends were just being selfish and now she was beginning to regret her earlier actions. She should have thought this through more carefully, especially for Mori-senpai's sake. He was always going out of his way to cater to her and she could not even be bothered to give him one afternoon. How could she claim to love him if she was not willing to make even the smallest of concessions for him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered into the still air of the car.

For some, this was only the second time they had ever heard Haruhi utter those words, for one it was one of many but even so, it was much appreciated. They all wanted nothing more than to occupy just a little of her time and in doing so, they could keep her safe as well.

"Oh you!" Kaoru said and just as he lunged to ensnare her in a rib crushing hug, everyone else moved to do the same causing one heck of a collision.

Kyoya suppressed a laugh from his seat, he had been the only one who did not join in the attempted group hug. Haruhi laughed outright at their failure and the sight before her now. Tamaki, Kaoru, Hikaru and Honey were all piled on the floor, one on top of the other having failed in acquiring their target, their limbs tangled.

Everyone returned to their seats, not wanting to risk further injury with another group hug.

Haruhi looked out the window, she did not recognize any of the buildings they were passing by, "Where are we?"

"We're about fifteen minutes from the arena now." Kyoya said as he looked down at his watch.

Haruhi's eyes went wide, "What time is it? How long was I asleep?"

Hikaru snickered behind his hand, struggling to fight back the hysterics he was about to fall into. "You were out for a while... and you snore like a rhino."

Laughter erupted from all of them, even Haruhi could not hold back a few giggles. Her father had told her that she snored rather loudly but she never paid him any mind.

"Well you wouldn't have had to listen to it if you didn't snatch me out of my bed!" She yelled though there was none of her earlier rage in her tone.

Tamaki bounced happily in his seat, it was easy to see he was excited and due to that it was nearly impossible for him to sit still. He was like an excitable puppy, looking this way and that, the big city of Tokyo seemed to hold great appeal for the boy.

"Kyoya-senpai?"

The boy with mahogany eyes looked up from the book he currently had his nose buried in. Just because he was taking this time away from his studies to support his friends did not mean he could forget about his responsibilities completely. His clinical was next week and it would be the most rigorous of his career so far but he felt up to the challenge.

Kaoru had been the one to call his name, he would have known who it was even if he had not looked up, having long ago committed that voice to memory.

"Yes?" he questioned after taking a moment to appraise the other mans appearance. Kaoru's hair was now more of a strawberry blonde rather than the red that it was back in their days at Ouran Academy. His choice of clothing had matured greatly as well, it seemed he now favored dress slacks, cardigans and vests over the t-shirts and jeans he used to wear. It seemed he was more interested in the fashion industry than the modeling industry, he was far more involved in the designing of what he wore than Hikaru was. Indeed, this young man seemed to have quite a promising career ahead of him. Kyoya would not be the least bit surprised to see his designs on the front cover of high fashion magazines.

"How are you liking medical school? It seems a lot different from all the business you used to deal with in the host club." he said, genuinely interested in hearing about his friends life. He wanted to know what had happened in the time they spent apart.

The older boy shrugged, "It's certainly different from the business aspect of things but I enjoy the challenge." he began before leaning in and lowering his voice. He did not want the others to hear what he had to say next, "After putting the pieces together about Tamaki's mothers illness I became engrossed with the idea of doing that on a daily basis. Solving a puzzle to save someone's life. There is nothing more mentally stimulating and truly gratifying in the world than that, I think."

Kaoru smiled and nodded, he had never doubted his senpai's brilliance. He had proven it to everyone time and time again, he always found himself nearly in awe of this man but then he would always remember that behind that brilliance was the sense to use it to manipulate. He knew Kyoya was not a bad person, he just had the sense about him to use others to get what he wanted, a quality that was not altogether bad but he had the capability to be a force to be reckoned with if he had a mind to do so and Kaoru would never allow himself to forget that fact.

"That's amazing Kyoya-senpai, you really are incredible." he said after a few moments, staring down at his hands that rested in his lap. Had he been looking at the bespectacled youth he so admired he would have seen the sweet smile that had settled on his face. An honest gesture, one that was not marred by his usual malice or contempt.

"I'm not sure that I can agree with you now but I do hope to be someday." he replied.

"Kaoruuuuuu..." Hikaru whined his brothers name hoping to catch his attention.

He turned his attention from Kyoya to his other half, the face that looked identical to his but they were two completely different people.

"What is it?"

"I'm bored. Let's play a game!" Hikaru said excitedly. He couldn't remember the last time the entire group had been together in a long time and he wanted to make it fun.

"I don't believe we'll have time for that. We've arrived." Kyoya said, snapping his book shut.

The car pulled up in front of the huge arena, there were already plenty of people ambling around outside by the huge statue in front of the building, a depiction of two kendoka, their shinai's crossed in the heat of battle. It was a sight to behold and Haruhi was suddenly struck with an extreme pang of anticipation and excitement. In just a few short moments she would be able to see Mori-senpai again. Not only that, she would be able to witness his raw power as he truly competed with some of the best kendoka in the entire nation.

The driver came around and opened the door, allowing everyone to vacate the car. Tamaki stretched his long limbs when he got outside.

"Oh, I can't wait! I'm going to watch real samurai battle!" he said, his voice high and tight as he buzzed around the courtyard.

Haruhi rolled her eyes, she knew that he did not truly believe they would be samurai with top knots and katana's she still could not help feeling slightly embarrassed when everyone began to stare. She did not realize that something was wrong until she noticed that everyone was not staring at Tamaki but at her.

She was confused as to why she was receiving such bizarre looks, she looked down wondering what could be wrong and it only took her a moment to register what was wrong.

"I'm still in my pajamas!" she screeched her arms flying to cover herself. Though Haruhi did not wear skimpy night clothes, she was still only clad in a tank top and a pair of shorts, hardly appropriate attire for going out in public.

"I knew we were forgetting something." Hikaru said almost offhanded.

"Did any of you even have the sense to bring me something to wear when you abducted me?"

Instantly Tamaki was at her side, "I did my sweet little girl!" he cried, then pulled a cheerleader outfit seemingly out of thin air, complete with a set of pom-poms.

"I thought this would be wonderful! You can cheer on Mori-senpai and you would look so cute with pigtails." He enthused, his eyes twinkling with his brilliant idea.

Kyoya grimaced at the spectacle, this was going to be messy.

Haruhi stomped on Tamaki's foot quickly bringing his grandiose illusion to a screeching halt.

"Does anyone have any other suggestions?" she asked, praying that any of them had enough sense to offer her something decent.

"I think we can help." Kaoru came forward and offered, he always had a spare outfit in his repertoire and though it may not thoroughly suit her she would at least have something to wear. He handed her a small bag and told her to get back in the car to change and to call him when she was decent. Haruhi nodded her head and did as she was told, after several minutes she called for Kaoru. The golden eyed boy grabbed his brothers arm and towed him along as well.

The only clothes that he had with him were a few articles from the collection he was currently working on and unfortunately it was part of the men's line. The clothes hung loosely on Haruhi's slim frame, she wore a light blue t-shirt and a pair of mens capri's that were so large she looked like she were wearing pants.

"This feels weird." she said, usually she had no qualms about wearing males clothing, it was much more comfortable than womens clothing but what she wore tended to fit a little better.

"I know, just give us a little time to work our magic and I promise you will be happy with what we do."

"Yeah, Haruhi. Trust us a little." Hikaru said and for once Haruhi felt like he wasn't trying to do anything funny or play a joke on her. They were legitimately trying to be helpful, possibly a small gesture of repentance on their part for snatching her away from her home. Kaoru pulled a needle and thread from the messenger bag he had slung over his shoulder, he put on his glasses and got to work. He instructed Hikaru on what he needed to do and shortly Haruhi found herself in a completely new ensemble. The t-shirt had been transformed into a little tank top that Kaoru pinned a decorative dark blue flower on to and though she hated to admit it, it was rather cute. The khaki colored capri's had been hemmed and taken in, in record time. Kaoru added small drawstrings to the bottom cuffs that he tied and secured just below her knees. Lucky for Haruhi Kaoru also happened to have a pair of sandals within his bag that were rather plain but they would do for now.

Hikaru put some light makeup on her face just enough to make her look refreshed and he tied her hair into a ponytail on the top of her head. He swept her bangs to one side and he finished the look with a simple pair of earrings.

"Perfect!" Kaoru said, clapping his hands in front of him as he admired his handiwork. He was rather impressed with himself for pulling together such an appropriate ensemble with what little he had to work with. She looked adorable, refreshed and casual.

The boys held up a mirror so Haruhi could see for herself just how cute she looked.

"Wow, thank you guys. I really appreciate this." she said earnestly.

Each boy kissed one of her cheeks and soon they all joined the rest of their little group.

"Haru-chan, you look cute!" Honey said and he grabbed her hand, holding it as they all walked into the arena. They were all handed a program and Haruhi's jaw nearly hit the floor as her eyes scanned the room, there seemed to be hundreds of young men on several different teams. They all seemed to be running through different series of drills getting themselves ready for the competition ahead. As they moved through the throngs of people Haruhi soon started to recognize some of the boys from Ouran's kendo club and she began to feel a small bit of anxiety. She had not seen Mori-senpai since the day she tried to confront him about their little incident, then there had been the strange phone call she received while he was away where he had asked her if she still loved Tamaki. Indeed, she was feeling mixed emotions about their reunion, she never would have dreamt that she would be uncomfortable in his presence but she feared that may be what would occur.

Honey gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, he could sense her nerves and he could not determine if that was a good sign or a bad one. He hoped it was the former, he wanted Takashi to be happy, he wanted Haruhi to be happy, he wanted them to find happiness together. Over the crowd Honey recognized a head of spiky black hair. He couldn't help it as his pace quickened, he was eager to be reunited with his tall cousin.

He let go of Haruhi's's hand and broke out into a run, "Takashi!"

The tall youth turned, his steel grey eyes falling upon his small, golden haired cousin. He held out his arms to catch him just as Honey launched himself into the air. He caught him easily, holding him up in the crook of one arm as one might do to a small child.

Honey smiled brightly at his best friend, "Takashi! Everyone else came to cheer you on!" he said just as the others made their way to the two cousins.

"Mori-senpai!" Kaoru and Hikaru chorused as they crushed him with a hug.

Mori patted each one of them on the head, his own way of showing affection and greeting them at the same time.

Kyoya greeted the other man with a simple nod of the head and Tamaki congratulated him enthusiastically for his achievement in making it to the nationals. Though Tamaki was genuinely pleased for the other man he was shaken by the mix of comradery and jealousy that he felt towards him because he now knew of the feelings that he harbored for the woman Tamaki loved. He did not want his own unrequited feelings to create a wedge between he and his older friend. In all honesty if Tamaki thought of someone that was more suited for her than he was, it was Mori-senpai and should Haruhi return that man's feelings he would be happy for the both of them. Morinozuka Takashi was a good, strong, capable man, he could give Haruhi the things she needed and that made Tamaki breathe a little easier.

Mori's eyes scanned for the only other person he truly wanted to see, if he could just look upon her face, to see with his own eyes that she was safe and sound he might be able to take a breath that did not hurt again. When he found what he was looking for he could not contain the smile that broke across his face, there she was and she was still in one piece, not broken and battered the way he had found her all those months ago. No malicious presence had made itself known in his absence.

She returned the smile though the gesture seemed small and hesitant, she raised her hand and gave a short wave. "Hello Mori-senpai."

"Haruhi." he greeted, more pleased than he ever thought he could be to just see her again. he had missed her, desperately so in their time apart and though he was reluctant to tell her, he knew it would not be long before he confessed to her in some way.

"Good luck." she said and she placed a small hand on his arm.

He moved his hand and grasped hers with it, he gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

Haruhi's face flushed at the gesture and she moved to run that same hand up and down her arm in an attempt to rid herself of the goose bumps that had risen on her flesh. She was surprised that she had reacted so strongly to such a simple touch but this was the first time since she had realized her true feelings for this man that he had touched her and it seemed to make quite the difference.

Mori spent a few more minutes with everyone as they kept up light conversation, Honey filled him in on the week that he had missed but soon it was time for Mori to excuse himself. The competition was about to begin and although they were not set to compete in the first round it was still good sportsmanship as well as good strategy to watch the other schools.

Everyone wished him good luck once again and he turned his attention back to his students. They all headed for the spectators stands and got seats that were relatively close to the action. Haruhi glanced at the clock on the wall, it was nearly 12:30, the time Katsu was supposed to pick her up for the film festival at. She felt terrible, she could only imagine what he would think of her, he would think she ditched him which was not the case at all and of course the boys had conveniently forgotten to bring her cell phone along so she could not even call him to break the news. She sighed heavily as she settled into her seat. There was nothing she could do now, when she saw him again she would just have to apologize thoroughly.


Katsu stifled the urge to fidget as he drove his fathers Italian sports car towards Haruhi's apartment complex but it was nearly impossible. He was nervous and if he had the time to stop and think about it he might just scoff at himself. This was ridiculous, it was no date he just simply asked her out to keep him company. Definitely not a date so he wasn't sure why he had bothered to buy her flowers.

"Dammit..." he muttered to no one but himself. He seemed to find himself doing that a lot recently, talking to himself. Waging war with his own subconscious.

The one question he found himself asking over and over again was, did he want Haruhi because he legitimately liked her or because he wanted to crush Morinozuka? Each time he found he could not provide a solid answer, he was somewhere in the middle, lost in limbo about his own intentions. It was sad really how far his focus had slipped in such a short amount of time. He needed to reevaluate, to set his sights on his original goal and do anything in his power to achieve it, anything.

As he pulled up to her complex he let go of a long breath one that he hoped would calm his jagged nerves. What was there to be afraid of, she was just an insignificant girl.

'Insignificant?' his mind echoed in question and he shook his head to dislodge the thought.

He ascended the stairs that would bring him to her door and he gave several sharp knocks to the apartment she had indicated was hers. He waited for quite some time with no response. For a moment he believed he may have knocked on the wrong door but once he double checked the address he knew he was in the right place. He knocked again and still all he was greeted by was silence. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. What the hell was going on? They had agreed on 12:30 he was sure of it so why wasn't she here?

Katsu looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet wondering what could have gone wrong. He checked his phone and noted that there were no missed calls from her. He had no reason to believe that she had canceled. He did not enjoy the bitter taste of defeat that was in his mouth at the moment. Why would she deny him now?

It was then that Katsu noticed what could have been his first clue into why Haruhi had seemingly vanished into thin air. Several candy wrappers littered the ground in front of her door, candy wrappers that were all too familiar. They were wrappers from a brand of candy that Haninozuka-senpai seemed to be fond of. It did not take him very long to catch on to what had occurred and where his wayward date may be now. He wasn't sure who it was or why they felt the need to put distance between he and Haruhi but two could play at that game. If Haruhi could not come to him, he would go to her.

The boy took the stairs back down to his car two at a time, lucky for him his car was built for speed. If traffic permitted he could be there in an hour, hour and a half tops. He had never planned on watching Mori-senpai compete but now he had no choice, still he had every intention of making the most of this trip which meant winning one, Fujioka Haruhi.


The noise level increased exponentially when Ouran University was named as one of the final two teams left to compete for the title of national champions and most of that noise was coming from one particular section of the crowd. They had only one more team to defeat and they very well could be crowned with that prestigious title.

Tamaki, Kaoru, Hikaru and Honey all wore large foam fingers on their hands that proudly stated "Ouran #1" on them and they were chastised several times by the referees for being too noisy. Haruhi practically buried her head in embarrassment every time that occurred while Kyoya was somehow able to completely ignore the foolishness that currently surrounded him. This match had the potential to be legendary, there were only two more matches left and one involved the team captains facing off against one another. Mori-senpai would face off against Arima-senpai from Taiyou University, two of the greatest kendoka in the college circuit at the moment. It was much anticipated and it caused quite a series of murmurs to break out when it was announced.

"Who is this Arima guy?" Haruhi asked Honey, she knew if anyone would have the details about him, he would.

"Arima is the captain of the kendo team at Taiyou University, he's been described as one of the best kendoka of this generation. If anyone would ever have the chance of beating Takashi it would be him." he relayed the information he had on the subject.

Haruhi nodded, absorbing that bit of information. She wondered if Mori-senpai felt nervous at all going up against someone whose skill may possibly outweigh his own but if he was there was no outward appearance of it. He looked as calm and unaffected as he ever had. Though Mori-senpai was a large man to begin with, Haruhi always found his gi and hakama made him seem that much larger. She wasn't sure what about this attire made him seem that way, she figured it was probably due to the fact that when he wore his kendo garb she knew that she would soon see the raw power of this man unrestrained and that alone made him appear even bigger than he already was.

The room quieted as the next two opponents to their places opposite one another. They bowed to each other before the match began. Soon after their shinai's flew through the air and the battle began. The kendoka from Ouran University landed the first hit, gaining them a point.

"Yes!" Tamaki yelled, his fist rose high into the air and in his excitement he jumped up from his seat.

Haruhi shot him a dirty look that clearly conveyed the message that he needed to sit down and shut up. He shot her a crooked smile and slowly sat back down.

Ouran got the second point, winning the match. Cheers rose up from the section that they were in and even Haruhi clapped her hands in celebration. It was all up to Mori-senpai now but she believed he would be able to pull it off and bring home the championship. She had the utmost confidence in him and he deserved to be known as the best. She saw the time and the effort he dedicated to this club, to everything he put his mind to. That was one of his qualities that she found so appealing about him, he put a little piece of himself into everything he did.

There was a brief intermission before the final match was to begin, the tall youth sauntered over to his friends one last time before he was due to head to the ring himself.

Everyone wished him good luck once again.

"Do you think you'll win Takashi?" Honey asked, though he already knew the answer he would receive.

Mori shrugged his shoulders, he was not boastful enough to believe that he could win. He was confident in his skill but there were plenty of factors in a match that could sway the final result which was why he needed just a few moments to meditate, so he could clear his mind and his focus.

"I'm a little thirsty." Haruhi said offhandedly to no one in particular. She figured this would be the most opportune time to for her to take care of her thirst. "I'm going to go grab a can of juice from the vending machine. Do you need anything?" she asked, trying to be polite and she instantly regretted it.

Everyone wanted something and of course they all wanted different types of juices and soft drinks. She was not surprised that no one offered to help her gather them all or to cart them back so she left without another word wondering all the while how she was going to be able to maneuver her way back.

She waited in line with the small list she had created, why did rich people always have to be so difficult and inconsiderate? If Mori-senpai were available he certainly would have aided her. She wished the others could be a little more like him but if they were it would make what was so special about him less so. When it was her turn she began to deposit the mountain of coins that were needed to complete the transaction, following that she pressed several combinations of letters and numbers until her pile of drinks were sitting, one on top of the other waiting to be picked up.

She groaned out loud, this was the part she was not looking forward to. Bending down she began to gather the assorted cans and bottles in her arms, doing her best to keep a good hold on them. Once she was completely weighed down with her acquisitions she turned to leave. She only made it about halfway to the spectators stand before two of the cans slipped from her grip.

"Dammit." she muttered below her breath, she didn't know how she could finagle retrieving those.

"I'll get those for you..." she heard but she could barely see around the pile she was already carrying.

"Thank you." she said, truly touched that a complete stranger was bothering to help her.

The person moved to her side, so that she could actually see him. "Katsu..." she said barely above a whisper, completely shocked that he was actually here.

He smiled, though the expression did not touch his eyes. "I'm glad you're okay Haruhi. I didn't know what happened, I was worried..."

Haruhi frowned, had her meddling friends not gotten in the way she would not have to have this awkward conversation with him now. "I'm so sorry, Katsu. My friends... they..." she stopped, not really knowing the best way to phrase this. It certainly wouldn't sound good if she were to tell him that she was kid napped, even though that was the case. "they really wanted me to be here, they didn't exactly give me a choice and my cell phone got left at home, I didn't have a way to call you. I am so sorry." She felt that this was hardly enough but she did not know what else she could do other than apologize.

"I don't think your friends like me very much Haruhi..." he said, sounding far more disappointed than he truly felt. It did not matter to him how her friends perceived him, all that mattered was her opinion. He reminded himself rather harshly that the only reason her opinion mattered was to further himself, to make it to his goal of surpassing Morinozuka.

Haruhi pursed her lips, it was true they were not fond of him at all but for what reason she did not know. The only explanation she could come up with was they were not willing to let go of the dynamic that the host club had created but they were no longer in high school, they were adults and life was no longer the carefree adventure that her companions wanted it to be. To her, it truly never had been.

"Can I help you carry those?" Katsu asked, effectively bringing her thoughts to a halt.

Relief washed over her, "That would be great! They always want something but none of them are ever willing to help. Damn rich bastards..."

Katsu laughed, he took a bulk of the assorted cans and bottles from her grasp, lightening her load significantly. "You know, we're not all like that."

Haruhi nodded, realizing a little too late that Katsu also fell into that category "I know. Mori-senpai is rarely as self-absorbed as the rest of them are. Maybe it's all the years he spent doting over Honey-kun but he always thinks of others first."

The young man wanted to grimace or scream or do anything other than politely smile, the admiration was crystal clear in Haruhi's voice. He could not recall her ever speaking about anyone else in that way. Everyone always talked about Morinozuka that way, he was always being admired, adored, and praised. He hated it.

"Well, we should really get back. Mori-senpai is about to compete." she said.

The pair made their way back to the stands, when they arrived no one looked in their direction, except Kyoya who simply inquired about Katsu's appearance with a simple quirk of his eyebrow. Haruhi shrugged, not really knowing how to explain the other man's sudden presence.

"Hikaru, you got the canned coffee right?" Haruhi asked.

"Yeah" he replied without looking up, he saw the can appear in his peripheral vision and grabbed it. It wasn't until after he had opened it and taken a sip that he realized the hand he accepted it from had far too many callouses to be Haruhi's. His eyes swept up to meet the light brown eyes of a man he did not recognize. The man had several earrings in both of his ears and he wore a simple button down shirt and black slacks. His hair was very similar in color to his brother's but the style was somewhat different.

Hikaru was at a loss for words, "Uh... thank you." he said before putting down his drink and offering his hand for a handshake, "I'm Hitachiin Hikaru."

Katsu took the other mans hand with his and gave it a firm shake, maybe just a little too firmly "Kondo Katsu, nice to meet you."

Recognition flashed in Hikaru's eyes, this was the Katsu he had heard so much about and none of those things had been pleasant. "You too..." he said, without truly feeling that way.

Honey was on his feet in an instant and by Haruhi's side, "Here, Haru-chan let me get those." he said, grabbing the remaining bottles and cans from her grasp. Honey distributed the beverages to everyone then he turned his attention to the person that prompted his helpfulness, "Katsu-chan, what are you doing here?"

Katsu was never very fond of Honey referring to him in such a juvenile way but it bothered him even more to have him do so in front of so many other men. He shared a tight smile with the older, smaller man.

"Well, as you may or may not know, Haruhi and I had plans for this afternoon but when I stopped by her house to pick her up she wasn't home. So, I decided to come cheer on my teammates since I couldn't join them to compete." he explained his appearance at the tournament with relative ease.

Kyoya chose this moment to speak, a definite rarity for him. "How is your injury, Kondo-san? It's common knowledge on campus that you sustained some sort of injury right before the nationals. I am training to be a doctor, if you would like I would be happy to take a look at it for you."

Honey had to suppress the smirk that threatened to break across his face. Kyoya was basically calling Katsu's bluff. No one had seen any evidence of the man's "supposed" injury, in fact no one even knew where it may be located.

Katsu laughed nervously, "No, I had it looked at by a doctor last week, it's my wrist actually. He said I just strained it so if I give it proper rest it will be back to normal in no time."

Kyoya adjusted the frames on his face, "I see."

Haruhi took this moment to introduce Katsu to everyone he did not know, which was a majority of their group. With that complete the referee announced that the next match was set to begin. Katsu took a seat next to Haruhi, leaving her wedged between himself and Honey.

Mori took the stage opposite of Arima, in his kendo gear he very much resembled a true warrior. Haruhi felt a strong surge of excitement as she took in the sight of her senpai about to engage in battle with this other man. She let go of a shaky breath and sent up a silent prayer to her mother to give him the strength to prevail. She truly wanted him to win this so that he could receive the respect and praise he deserved for all of his hard work.

Katsu took a sidelong glance at the young woman that sat next to him, he did not like the shine her eyes took on when she looked at Morinozuka. What was so impressive about that man to her? What made her so infatuated with the things he did?

The referee spoke, "The final match between Ouran and Taiyou will now begin. At the end of this match, we will announce this years national champion!"

Everyone cheered, the room seemed charged with electric energy, two of the greatest kendoka in the entire nation were being pitted against each other.

Mori looked over to the spectator stands where his friends would be, where she would be. His breath caught as he noted the person sitting to her left... Katsu. This took Mori completely off guard, he had not anticipated the other man's presence and it put him on edge to have see him so close to her. He briefly wondered if the other man had arrived with his friends but that was an impossibility. Mitsukuni would never have allowed such a thing and he had not seen the other man before this moment. His instincts were screaming at him to go to her but he couldn't, he was obligated elsewhere, he was obligated to win this match for his team. He noted the other man's eyes were on him now, something in his gaze seemed severe and it set his nerves on fire. He wished his headgear wasn't on so that he could return the gesture.

"Morinozuka-san, are you ready?" the referee asked in a way that made it clear this was not the first time he had posed the question.

"Aa." he replied, more than a little disturbed that he had not heard the question the first time.

The two opponents bowed to one another, a symbol of their mutual respect. When they straightened out, they held their shinai's out in front of them and with the signal from the referee, the match began.

Arima attempted the first strike but Mori was able to deflect the blow easily with his shinai, in doing so he attempted a strike of his own to Arima's chest, however, the man maneuvered out of the way just before the impact could occur.

Mori quickly deciphered that Arima's greatest advantage over him was his speed. Arima was considerably smaller than himself and it happened to work to his advantage because his movements were much quicker and very fluid. Even so, Mori felt he could compensate for this with his strength and the power he possessed. Or at least he hoped that would prove to compensate. He just needed to keep his focus. Arima came at Mori again, this time instead of deflecting the blow Mori pivoted out of the way. Due to the speed Arima over compensated and stepped past Mori, leaving himself completely open on his right side. Mori quickly took advantage of the situation and conducted a perfect thrust to the other mans side.

"Point for Ouran." The referee said, his hand raised in the air indicating the side Mori was on.

The entire host club cheered, while Katsu sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his teeth grinding steadily in his skull. If Morinozuka gained the next point, he would win and it would only solidify in everyone's mind his status as the best and Katsu just could not bear for that to occur.

"Katsu, are you alright?" Haruhi asked, she couldn't understand why Katsu was not cheering for their team. Mori-senpai was displaying great skill and strength and now Haruhi had no doubt in her mind that he would win but Katsu didn't seem to feel the same.

He nodded, however, his grave expression did not change. He had to devise a plan and fast to throw Morinozuka off course. He did not care if he lost the national championship for his own school, if he had to sabotage his entire school he would do so if it meant that for only a second, everyone would look at Morinozuka the way they viewed him, as a failure.

The two kendoka took their positions against one another once more. Mori fully intended to end the tournament here, so long as he could maintain his focus he was fairly certain he could gain the next point and win the match. He could win the national championship for his students. Arima was a fierce opponent but he relied too heavily on his speed which caused his form to be less than perfect, just enough of an opening for Mori to strike again. As soon as one of those moments presented itself he would use it to his advantage.

Mori desperately tried to resist the urge to look over at Haruhi but he just couldn't. He gave a quick glance in her direction, she was still sitting there looking as beautiful as she ever had. She did not seem to be distressed by Katsu's presence so he allowed himself to relax a little. He would now be able to concentrate completely on his match.

This time Mori struck first, aiming a thrust directly at the throat of Arima's head gear. Arima deflected with his own shinai and pivoted around Mori where he tried to strike the left side of Mori's torso. Mori was barely able to dodge the strike and unlike before Arima did not overcompensate with his speed, he was on Mori once again, this time with a thrust. Mori spent most of the match on the defensive, which was decidedly uncharacteristic. He rarely ever found himself in this position but Arima was far more skilled than anyone he had faced in the past five years, easily.

Katsu's fingers balled into fists at his sides. To the untrained eye, Morinozuka was losing this round but Katsu could decipher his strategy. Arima's speed was his greatest asset but it would also prove to be his downfall. In order to be as fast as the other man was, it used a great deal of energy and his strength was slowly being drained away. Soon he would not be able to keep up the pace and Mori would easily be able to gain the next point. Katsu had to do something and he had to do it now.

Taking the canned soda he had, that luckily he had not opened he shook it forcefully a few times out of everyone's view and then he went to open it, pointing it in Haruhi's direction. If everything went as planned this would provide the perfect distraction so that Arima could make his comeback.

Popping the tab, the soda exploded all over Haruhi. Haruhi screeched, not only due to the temperature of the liquid but because she didn't expect for that to happen.

Tamaki jumped up and moved to Haruhi, instantly he had his hankerchief out of his pocket as he wiped away the sweet liquid that now covered the upper portion of her torso.

Katsu grasped Haruhi's hand and began to apologize profusely as if it were a complete accident. He did his best to keep his eyes on her face, his little stunt had the added benefit of soaking through the front of her shirt which now left little to the imagination.

"I'm fine, it just surprised me that's all." she said, her eyes wide as she looked at Tamaki. She found it sweet that he would cater to her in this way after everything she had done to him. "Thank you, Tamaki."

He smiled tenderly at the woman that still captivated his heart, "You're welcome, Haruhi."

Kaoru grumbled, "All my hard work, completely ruined! Oh, this was a really good casual look for you too, Haruhi. Come with me, I know a few solutions that might get the stain out."

Kaoru extended his hand for Haruhi to take and she did, "We'll be right back." Kaoru called behind him as they made their way towards the rest rooms.

"Point for Taiyou!" the referee called out. Everyone turned around in disbelief, everyone except for Katsu who took this moment to smirk to himself.

Someone had actually managed to score a point off of Mori-senpai? This was a definite rarity indeed.

Mori cursed quietly under his breath. It was his own incompetence that had allowed that, his own lack of discipline. One of the very first lessons one learns in kendo is to never take your eyes off of your opponent and Mori had broken that cardinal rule. He could not help it, he had heard Haruhi cry out, he was unable to simply ignore it, his head snapped in her direction to see what was wrong. It only took that split second to give Arima an opening to score his first point. Arima had struck his midsection hard, hard enough in fact to knock him off his feet and force the breath from his body.

He now felt incredibly inept from his place on the floor, there was no excuse for his lack of attention. Even though Katsu was very near to Haruhi and that thought did unnerve him, he knew Mitsukuni would not allow any harm to come to her. He should never have taken his eyes off of his opponent. Now the match was tied, the next point would decide who would become the next national champion and Mori could not allow the other man to prevail. He had to win this, for his students, for the school and for Haruhi. He did not think he could live through the shame of her watching him fail.

With his focus redirected to the task at hand, he felt a surge of determination to win. Returning to his feet he ignored the shooting pain that seemed to be originating from his stomach. He shut out all other distractions, for the first time in months he pushed Haruhi from his mind and focused solely on the man that stood before him. This moment was all that mattered, he could cater to anything else later.

Arima grimaced from under his headgear. He was well aware the only reason he was able to score that point was due to the distraction in the stands. If he could just get to Morinozuka before he got to him, he may have a chance but it would be close. The fire burning in his opponents eyes nearly made him feel weak in the knees.

The final, deciding round of the match began and ended in less than thirty seconds.

The referee took a deep breath before letting his voice ring out, "Point goes to Ouran, Morinozuka Takashi is the kendo national champion once again!"

Kaoru and Haruhi returned just as Mori landed a thrust to Arima's headgear.

"He won!" Haruhi screamed, jumping from the place she was standing.

"He won..." Katsu echoed Haruhi with none of her enthusiasm. How? How had he managed to do it again? Didn't this guy ever fail?

"Takashi!" Honey screamed and ran towards his victorious friend. "You did it!"

Mori removed his headgear and let a smile break across his face, one that he did not restrain. He was elated that he was able to bring his team the glory they deserved and Haruhi had been able to see him win.

The rest of the host club and Katsu made their way down to Mori who was quickly being surrounded by dozens of people wanting to congratulate him. Several journalists attempted to ask him questions, all seemed to be confused when the small blonde that accompanied the stoic youth answered all the questions that were asked. Eventually everyone relented, leaving the group of young people to themselves.

"Congratulations Mori-senpai, it was certainly a close match wasn't it." Katsu said, smiling all the while, that same cocky smirk that he always seemed to wear.

Mori leveled his steel grey eyes on the younger man, "Thank you." was all he said, not bothering to acknowledge the rest of the other man's statement, other than that he did not wish to speak with him at the moment. Truly, all he wanted to do was take a shower and lay down for a while. Now that the high of his triumph was ebbing away the pain from the he blow he had received to his midsection was beginning to radiate and course throughout his entire body.

"Mori-senpai, are you alright? You don't look so good." Hikaru said, moving a bit closer to the man. A cold sweat had broken out on the taller man's forehead and his face looked pale, ashen.

Mori nodded his head, "I just need rest, I'll be fine."

Haruhi did not seem convinced, she pushed herself up on the tips of her toes and pressed her fingertips to his forehead as she was not tall enough to reach her palm to it. "You don't feel warm but you should probably lie down a while." she said, before removing her hand.

Before she was able to completely retract the appendage Mori grabbed it as he had done earlier and gave it another gentle squeeze, "I'll be fine, little one." he told her as he did his best to smile through his pain. He did not wish to worry her.

The tall man brought her palm to his lips and pressed them there fleetingly, then he released her hand after a moment and walked away heading towards the front doors of the venue so he could make it back to his hotel, which was located just across the street.

Haruhi watched him go, her right hand curled into a tiny fist the spot where his lips had touched felt warm. She couldn't help as her forehead creased with worry for him as she watched him walk away. She bit her bottom lip, debating on whether or not she should help him get situated. She looked up to Katsu who was standing next to her, he watched the man go as well but his face was blank, devoid of any emotion at all. Haruhi shivered, wondering how the man could be so unaffected by his senpai's situation.

She shifted her gaze from Katsu to Honey. Honey seemed a little worried but not desperately so and she figured if anyone had a true grasp on how Mori-senpai truly felt, it was him. The golden haired boy looked over to his tawny haired friend, "He'll be fine Haru-chan. He's just tired and Arima did hit him very hard."

"Indeed he did" Kyoya interjected, "He's probably suffering from some internal bruising, which although quite painful, is not lethal."

That bit of information seemed to put Haruhi's mind at ease. She resolved that she would check on him in a few hours.

Someone's stomach growled ferociously, every pair of eyes settled on the smallest person in their group.

Honey laughed sheepishly, "Watching all that fighting made me hungry, I guess. Should we have dinner together to celebrate Ouran's victory?"

Tamaki cheered, "Yes! I think we should have Italian this evening. A romantic meal to celebrate a romantic warriors victory!"

Haruhi's eyes narrowed and she shook her head wondering what in the world Tamaki was talking about. "Doesn't anyone care that we're celebrating Mori-senpai's victory without him?" Haruhi asked, shocked and appalled by her friends behavior.

They all collectively shrugged and Honey said, "He would want us to have fun, Haru-chan! Come on, let's go."

"I believe there's an Italian bistro not far from here, we could all walk together." Kyoya said.

"Wait, I can't go. I look awful." Haruhi replied, gesturing to the clothing she was currently wearing. Despite Kaoru's best efforts he was unable to salvage her shirt due to Katsu's little mishap.

"I'm so sorry." Katsu apologized once again.

Hikaru smiled wide, like a cunning cat. "I think I've got just the thing Haruhi!" he said grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her along behind him. Kaoru stared after them for a moment, his brows coming together on his forehead in his confusion. Then it hit him, he understood what his brother was doing.

"You sly devil! I didn't even think to grab that!" He shouted, jogging to catch up with the other two. "Give us a minute, we'll be back soon!"

Katsu looked after them, completely confused. "What was all that about?"

Kyoya smirked, having already deciphered what the twins were up to. It was a shame Mori-senpai wouldn't be around to see it. He simply shrugged his shoulders, not caring to let Katsu in on the twins plan. It would be more entertaining this way.

"They always run off with her. This is routine." Honey said, busying himself with his cell phone. He sent a quick text message to Takashi, letting him know what the plan was for the evening. Moments later he received a reply, the one he had expected all along. Takashi told them to go along without him and to have a good time.

The minutes ticked by until finally both Hikaru and Kaoru returned.

"Where is Haruhi?" Tamaki questioned, looking around for their missing friend.

The twins grinned wickedly at each other before they moved to the side, revealing Haruhi.

Tamaki gasped, Honey oohed and ahhed and Katsu just stood stunned. Haruhi was wearing the dress that the host club had chosen for her the other afternoon, the very garment she would have worn had she been able to meet Katsu this afternoon for their outing. Her hair was swept up in an elegant, yet simple style with curls framing her face. The boys kept her bangs swept to the side but pinned a pale pink flower in her hair among the curls. They kept her makeup light, knowing that darker colors would detract from her natural beauty and from the beauty of the dress that she wore. Hikaru had also had the sense to bring a pair of matching shoes, a pair of white kitten heels. She looked absolutely gorgeous and for a moment everyone's eyes were on her.

"Haru-chan you look so cute!" Honey squealed, he wished Takashi were here to see her now. Any man would confess his love for her with the way she looked right now.

Tamaki eventually gathered himself enough to smile, he walked up to his ex lover and grabbed her hand. He bowed and kissed the back of it gently, "You look lovely this evening."

Haruhi flushed, she was hyper aware of several people's gazes upon her and she could not decide if she disliked it or not. "Thank you, Tamaki. Hikaru and Kaoru are amazing."

"Yes we are." the twins chorused, agreeing with Haruhi's sentiment wholeheartedly.

Kyoya just shook his head, not offering any commentary at all. "Shall we?" he asked.

Katsu still couldn't manage to work himself out of his stupor. His eyes were locked on Haruhi, he could not believe how beautiful she could be. Morinozuka no longer mattered to him, all he needed was Haruhi and he would have her. He swore it.

"You look incredible, Haruhi." He said and he reached out to run his fingertips down her face.

Hikaru stepped in the way, effectively cutting off Katsu's access to the girl. He hooked his arm through Haruhi's, "Let's be on our way then."

"Yes let's." Kaoru said as he took her arm on the other side.

Katsu did his best not to let his distaste for the current situation to show. He wished Haruhi was on his arm, not those two. He hoped to garner some of her attention while at dinner this evening, with any luck he may even be able to have her attention afterwards as well.

Their mismatched group made their way down the sidewalk, towards the charming little bistro on the next block. No one could have been prepared for what would occur that evening.


The national kendo champion lay across his hotel bed on his back, an ice pack was perched on the man's stomach. Arima's thrust had landed just below his rib cage, a deep purple bruise was already forming on his skin and he was just a little surprised by the size of it. He brushed his fingertips along his skin and hissed, just that minute bit of pressure hurt. Mori had to admit, he felt a bit like a wimp considering this was just a bruise but he knew this was not any normal bump or scrape. Arima had much more strength than Mori ever could have anticipated and there was now physical proof of that upon his body.

He shifted slightly, hoping a change in position would soothe some of the aching in his muscles. Now that he had triumphed he allowed his mind to wander to the one person it always did, to Haruhi. He wished he could have joined them all this evening but he could barely sit up in his current condition and he did not want to worry anyone needlessly. Mori was aware that he just needed a few hours to recover, to allow his body to heal itself and then his injury would be nothing more than an unsightly mark. He still wondered why Katsu had shown up and even though he had been congratulated by the other man he could tell that he had not meant it. If he was not interested in cheering his own team on at their national championship, why would he even bother to show up. He could only assume it had something to do with Haruhi. Mori did not like the other man's increased interest in Haruhi but he had no right to tell her who she should and should not involve in her life.

The boy groaned, he was severely conflicted. He loved her, this he knew and he thought he would be able to gracefully bow out should she choose to spend her time with another but that was revealing itself to be much more of an impossibility than he ever thought, especially if Katsu was the one she chose to spend her time with. He wasn't a bad man, there was just something dark within his soul, something that he was unable to pinpoint but he did not want Haruhi to be around it.

'Tell her.' his mind whispered what his heart was already screaming. He wanted to tell her, lately it felt like the words were trying to claw their way out of his throat, he swallowed against the sensation. They had nothing in common, he could not offer her anything that could truly make her happy.

'You have something in common.' his subconscious interjected and he struggled to name what that common ground was. When he could not provide a proper answer his subconscious answered again. 'Your blood flows through her veins...'

The tall youth sat up abruptly and immediately regretted the action. He gingerly moved his pillows behind him so that he could sit up just slightly and ponder his last thought. So he had shared his blood with her, what did that matter? That was hardly something they could bond over, he had yet to even admit to her that he was her donor. Outside of this common denominator he could not think of any other similarities they shared.

But then again, he and Mitsukuni shared very few qualities and they were able to connect with each other on one of the deepest levels that human beings could connect. Perhaps he was looking at this from the wrong angle. He ran both of his hands down his face in exasperation. He looked over at the clock, hours had gone by and he had received no rest at all. Very carefully he moved to the table lamp on the nightstand and turned it off. He sank down to lay flat on his back once again, after a few moments he closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would come to him soon so that he may feel better in the morning.

Mori was just about asleep when he heard raised voices from the hallway just outside his room. He opened his eyes but sat still in the dark quiet of his room. He was not trying to eavesdrop, especially considering what the circumstances of the argument were likely to be. He had witnessed it several times while accompanying his father on business trips, other men who were not faithful to their wives would bring their mistress' along with them on longer business trips and a few times their wives had come to confront them about their cheating ways. This was probably a similar situation and he did not care to listen to such a thing. He was never able to fathom how one could be unfaithful to the one that they claimed to love. He would never do such a thing to Haruhi. He knew if she ever excepted him he would never desire another woman more than he did her. He would never need another to occupy his time and even though he thought people should have more control over their selfish, carnal desires he knew humans rarely denied themselves such pleasures.

"Haruhi, wait!" He heard from the hallway and instantly he perked up. It couldn't be, it must be some coincidence, some other young woman named Haruhi that the man was calling after.

The young woman spoke, sounding much closer than the male had, "I just want to see how he is feeling. You saw how he looked earlier, I want to make sure he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine. He can take care of himself, you don't have to worry so much about him you know." said the male and this time his tone was a little more forceful and angry.

Mori slowly rose from his bed, there was no mistaking it, the young woman in the hallway was Haruhi, his Haruhi. It seemed Katsu was accompanying her and that thought displeased him, jealousy knotted and writhed in his stomach and he had to struggle to force the feeling down. Once on his feet he stopped, waiting to hear what would happen next. He promised himself he would not interject unless it sounded like Haruhi was uncomfortable or in some kind of trouble. He waited patiently to see what would occur next.

"I want to worry about him." was the simple answer that Haruhi provided, she didn't feel like he deserved anymore of an explanation than that. It was none of Katsu's business who she wanted to care for. Mori-senpai always worried himself over her wellbeing and now she was reciprocating. "If you don't want to, you can leave."

Katsu stood still as she continued on down the hallway towards her senpai's room. She looked like an angel in the dress those annoying twins had put her in. Dinner had been... less eventful than he would have liked. Several times over the course of their meal he had tried to take her hand in his own or whisper sweet words to her but each time he was thwarted by someone. The maniacal twins or the unassuming Honey-sempai, even that bespectacled boy, Kyoya managed to disrupt his attempts to connect with her on a deeper level. It seemed even the waiter was in on the game to keep him from her, he interjected several times to refresh their drinks and take orders. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her and it agitated him that she was so concerned about Morinozuka. No matter how nice he tried to be he could not seem to surpass Morinozuka in any way. Couldn't she tell he was trying to talk to her?

He tried again, running up to her in the hallway. "Haruhi, listen. There's something I want to say to you."

Mori quirked an eyebrow, wondering what Katsu could possibly want to say.

The brown eyed girl turned around to face the boy she was with, she had a familiar sinking feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. This was so very similar to several situations she had found herself in in the past.

"Yes?" she asked but in truth she was terrified to hear what he may have to say. Before now she could just say she didn't want to be in a relationship, she could deflect with that knowing it were true but now... now she would be lying because she did wish to be in a relationship, unfortunately, the man she wanted to be with did not know it.

"Haruhi... I know we don't know each other very well. I wanted you to accompany me to that film festival so that we could get to know each other outside of club activities but that didn't seem to work out." he shifted his weight from one foot to another nervously, "I still would like to get to know you because I think I may be falling for you Haruhi."

Haruhi squeezed her eyes shut tightly, this could not be happening. Not again. Why was it that the one man she ever hoped would confess to her barely spoke more than a sentence at a time? She did not reciprocate Katsu's feelings in any way outside of getting to know him better. She fully embraced the idea of them becoming closer friends but she did not want to be with him, not in that way.

She opened her eyes and repeated the response that she had given to the other men who confessed before him, "I'm sorry Katsu, I don't feel the same way about you and I don't believe that I ever will but I do want to remain friends if that's possible."

Katsu took a deep breath as Haruhi's words of rejection sank in. He wasn't even sure what he had expected her to say but this certainly was not it. He could understand if she had said they didn't know each other well enough and she wanted to take her time, that was why he had posed his confession in the way that he had, but she was not even giving that much a chance, she was just outright refusing him. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, he knew he did not have the right to demand what he was about to from her but he had to know.

"Why won't you even give me a chance, Haruhi? I want to know why!" he demanded, his tone firm but not necessarily threatening.

From his place in his room Mori was debating, should he interfere or not? He didn't like that Katsu seemed to be forcing her to discuss this, she clearly did not sound comfortable. And yet he could not help the morbid curiosity that he also felt. What was her reasoning?

Haruhi's tenacious nature chose this moment to present itself, "That is none of your business Katsu. I don't feel that way for you and no matter how much time passes I will never feel that way. Even if I got to know you inside and out I would never return your feelings."

Katsu grit his teeth as her words tore at his heart, he wasn't good enough, yet again. He did not know why he was surprised by this development but he felt anger burn in his gut as he deciphered fairly quickly on his own why she would not be able to return his feelings.

Morinozuka Takashi.

"Why? Why does that guy get everything that I have ever wanted?" he yelled, his fists clenched at his sides.

Haruhi could see the way in which Katsu was literally shaking with his anger. It seemed he was less angry at her about rejecting him and more angry at some other man. She approached him tentatively, not wishing to startle him.

"Who Katsu? Who are you talking about?"

He ignored her question completely, he took a deliberate step towards her and pointed his finger at her. "You love him don't you? That's why you won't be with me."

The young woman's forehead creased in confusion, she had no idea who he was referring to. He couldn't possibly know of the feelings she held for Mori-senpai, she had not revealed them to anyone.

Katsu took her by surprise when his hands shot out and grasped the tops of her shoulders, his soft brown eyes came up and connected with hers and she could see the pain, the anger, and the helplessness held within them. This only served to confuse her more. "Katsu what is going on?" she asked again, this time a little more softly. She was trying to soothe whatever sort of pain he seemed to be in.

"Tell me, dammit! I promise to let you go if you just tell me that you love him. I know it's him, he always wins. He always succeeds at everything he does. Everyone loves him, nobody thinks he's a failure that he's not good enough. So tell me why he gets everything I've ever dreamed of? Tell me why he even captures the heart of the girl I love!"

Haruhi stood stunned, first he just wanted to get to know her better, now he was in love with her. She shook her head briefly, dislodging those thoughts so she could focus on this moment. "Katsu, I can't answer you until you tell me who you're talking about."

Katsu had enough, the name finally exploded out of him, he couldn't take it anymore. "Morinozuka! You're in love with Morinozuka, aren't you?" he yelled.

Haruhi's mouth dropped open in awe, how had he known?

The man's face twisted in anguish, it was true. Once again he had lost to Morinozuka. There was nothing he could do. He would forever come in second to that man. It was his destiny, to always be second best, to be the loser.

"Since you're not denying it I'll take that as a yes?" Katsu provoked, needing to hear her say the words. He was unsure why he felt the need to torture himself further but he did. He wanted to hear her say it.

The small woman swallowed hard and then nodded, "Yes, I love him." she said quietly. She was feeling an odd mixture of fear and sorrow, she was frightened of Katsu's reaction but she felt terrible for him at the same time.

Katsu seemed to compose himself after another moment, he took a quick glance over her shoulder. His face set into a deep frown, and he when he spoke it was low, almost a hiss.

"Very well then, I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Goodnight." He stalked off in the opposite direction of her, leaving her alone and thoroughly confused in the middle of the hallway.

"Haruhi?"

Her eyes shot wide open as her mind instantly registered his deep voice, how long had he been standing there, what had he heard?

She turned slowly until she was facing him, Mori-senpai was staring back at her a question clearly reflected in his dark eyes.

Haruhi opened her mouth but could not force any words to obey. She felt her body grow heavy as she began to fall to the floor. Her mind was unable to cope with the shock of recent events and she fainted.

Of course, Mori caught her before she could ever hit the ground. He held her gingerly in his arms, savoring the moment even if she had not chosen to be here voluntarily. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and inhaled deeply, indulging himself fully in the soothing scent that this woman carried, before he turned with her and entered his hotel room, closing the door behind him.


Confession! Indirect but it's still a confession. The question is did he actually hear it? You'll find out in the next installment. Things are going to progress between these two fairly rapidly from here on out. I think the next chapter will certianly dabble with adult themes though I am hesitant to put a lemon scene in this fic. Rather, I think I will take it just shy of that, I don't want to neglect the physical aspect of the relationship between these two but I want to focus more on the emotional. Please let me know what you think and review! Thank you all so very much for your patience while I continue to try to weave this story together.