-1Disclaimer:Tis such a bother/ To write such a bother/ So I would not bother. (Apologies for the sorry excuse for wit.)

Dedication:Bluestraws for guessing it correctly! Three cheers!

Phase Eleven: Second Plan

"I really can't get why you dragged me to this place, on this day no less," Haruhi grumbled to no one in particular as she took her time glancing warily around her surroundings. The Host Club had gone on one of their infamous trips to discover common culture, this time in an onsen - a hot spring resort. "I was just hoping to have this day off and have a rest or study to my heart's content, but why, why?"

"Asking that question over and over again isn't going to help matters, " intoned Kyoya from behind her, also a victim of the other club members' constant pestering.

A shiver of unknown origin travelled through Haruhi's spine and nearly made her jump, knowing that he was behind her and speaking that way.

Wait a minute, what did she mean that way? There was nothing so untoward about the way he said it. In fact, it was perfectly perfunctory, as is Kyoya-senpai. She was just overacting on things. Yup, she was. She was just bent out of shape. Due to the others' unwelcome surprise at that. She wasn't really scared that he was so close in proximity, no way. And her unusual lack in grammar was totally…usual.

Oh, for heaven's sake, get a grip on yourself, Haruhi.

"We're here to experience how common folk are in an onsen," explained Tamaki as the whole group went in to be greeted by a neat-looking young lady in a kimono.

"Haven't you been in an onsen before?" asked Haruhi as they signed in the ledger.

"Our families each own a private onsen somewhere in the country," spoke up Hikaru as he wrote his name with unnecessary flourish.

"Yeah, we just want to experience what a commoner's onsen is," added Kaoru.

I really want to punch these rich bastards, thought Haruhi irritably as another lady led them to their rooms. The others won't sue for physical harm but I'm not sure about Kyoya-senpai….

Speaking of Kyoya, ever since he barged into Haruhi's apartment in the middle of the night then left her with her mind positively spinning and her body relentlessly shaking with his unprecedented kiss and confession, he became a bit more subdued even during club hours. For one, he was charming his own customers less and less, and he was always forever absorbed in his ledger or laptop.

Every ten minutes his mobile phone would ring with a particular ring tone (the theme from Disney's Sleeping Beauty - he said that Guinevere was the one who set it, squealing that their story is like a fairy tale, or a nightmare, whatever your opinion is), and he would let it ring for a couple of minutes until his face was a motley of popping veins before answering in a detached tone. Even though this future arrangement between him and the heir to the Jansen Group was chock full of merits, he couldn't bring himself one iota of excitement for it all. Haruhi rather hoped, than thought offhandedly, that he would forget about her and just concentrate on the airhead heiress instead.

Haruhi stopped her thoughts. What would she do if Kyoya did forget about her? What would she feel if he was suddenly so sweet, so caring, so everything he was with her just a few weeks ago to another girl? How would she react seeing that another girl had taken her place?

Well, it isn't like we were a couple from the beginning. He was doing it for money, I was doing it out of…. Out of what, again? Curiosity? No, she was never for snooping around. Experience? Of having a boyfriend? Hell, no.

With all the questions looming around in her already addled brain, her focus was brought back to the ground when their guide showed them to a spacious room down the hall.

"This is where the boys will be staying for tonight," she said politely, ushering them in. It was around twenty jo (tatami mat size), large enough for the six boys, though Haruhi knew that their rooms in their own homes were triple this size.

"What a cute room! It's just like the one we have in the traditional house!" squealed Hunny.

Mori grunted yes.

As expected, it was the twins who first complained.

"This is just a quarter of the rooms in our onsen," said Hikaru as they went in to inspect.

"It can even hardly qualify as the size of our bathroom, even," conceded Kaoru.

"Shut up, you idiots," admonished Tamaki, smacking them with his famousharisen. "I told you there will be no complaining! We came here to enjoy how commoners, who cannot afford the comforts of a private onsen, experience such luxuries! It is a respite for them, who have to have nine-to-eleven jobs on every day the good God has given to be able to afford places like these!"

"Well, for a public one, this place is moderately sized and comfortable enough for the commoners, I guess," said Kyoya.

The lady guide, who was trying valiantly to hide the vein in her forehead, said, "Now, as you are all settled here, let me show the young lady where her room shall be."

"Huh? Haruhi's not going to have a room with us?" wailed Tamaki, crying already.

"That's not fair!" chorused the twins. "Why does she get her own room?"

The lady snapped. "It is hardly appropriate for a young lady to share a room with four gentlemen such as yourselves. We have upheld a high moral conduct in this onsen, and I will not allow youngsters turning this respectable establishment as an orgy! Unless one of you could produce a marriage contract with this young lady here, her room will be kept separate, understand?"

The boys (except Kyoya) cowered in fear as the lady turned into Demon Lord Number Four. (Demon Lord #1: Kyoya; Demon Lord #2: Bossa Nova; Demon Lord #3: Haruhi.)

"Yes, yes, ma'am," blubbered the boys, scared beyond their wits and sweating in their armpits.

"Please call me Akane," said the lady, satisfied that she had hammered them a few pegs down. "I'm Shiroyuki Akane."

"Yes, Ma'am Akane!"

As Ma'am Akane led Haruhi to her own room at the other end of the hall, Tamaki and the others rounded on Kyoya.

"Why the hell did you choose this place, you foul demon!" Tamaki was spitting in his rage.

"I researched a lot of onsen and this one is the most appropriate," Kyoya deadpanned, flicking through his leather-bound notebook. "The other have far too small rooms, incompetent staff, excruciating high rates, and low-class food."

"Oh yes," said Tamaki, quickly recovering. "Remember that this is also for Haruhi, who could scarcely afford something like this! She must have a little luxury every now and then!"

"But wouldn't our private resorts be a bit more luxurious?" asked Hikaru and Kaoru logically.

"That may be so, but we are also in here to observe commoner culture!" answered Tamaki. "This is as much for her as it is for us."

"That's strange," piped up Hunny. "Did you think of Haru-chan when you chose this onsen?"

Kyoya saw through the catch in the question and smiled at his senior. The feared warrior is to be feared in an intellectual level as well.

"The money to pay for this onsen came from the winning bid on Haruhi's eraser," Kyoya said evenly. "It was natural that I think of our…benefactor."

Hunny didn't say anything but inside, he had an inkling of what was going on.

As if I'd let Haruhi room with you idiots….

….

Haruhi's room was a lot smaller than the boys but since it was only her occupying it, it was more than welcome. She had a problem that they would all share rooms but thank goodness that her fears were wrong this time. She was glad that they chose a respectable place for their weird experiments.

"You must be exhausted after dealing with those boys almost everyday," remarked Akane.

"We're all in the same club," clarified Haruhi. "They're a lot more rowdier when in school. They're a real pain but I guess I've gotten used to it. Nothing they do surprises me anymore."

"Oh, what kind of club?"

"A host club."

"My, how unusual. Is it exciting."

"More bothersome than exciting, really."

"Before I forget, there's a yukata there ready for you. You can take a bath after you've settled. The gentlemen you are with requested that you have dinner with them."

"Thank you very much for your help."

"You're very much welcome."

…

"Haruhi, you're also going for a bath?" asked Tamaki as she met up with the others in front of the hot spring entrance.

"Yes, I'm here so I might as well enjoy it," shrugged Haruhi, balancing her yukata and wash basin in her hands.

But as she spoke the perverted trio imagined her, soaking in the bath, a towel wrapped around her nude body, a slight blush forming on her cheeks from the warmth, her skin dripping with water…. A huge step up from their conventional fantasies of her, really.

"How dare you think of your sister that way, you perverts!" screamed Tamaki, blasting them off to outer space with his omnipresent bat-to-protect-Haruhi-from-the-unscrupulous-twins.

"How can you call us perverts when you don't know what we were thinking," reasoned Hikaru.

"Yes, it appears that you were passing the blame on us," said Kaoru.

"In short, you were thinking of Haruhi in a rather shameless way, weren't you milord?" they concluded, closing in on their lord.

"Ah, so that's the truth," said Haruhi, giving Tamaki a look that said her respect for him practically dwindled into nothingness.

"But you can't see Haruhi taking a bath," said Hunny suddenly. "The men and women parts of the bath are separated." He pointed to the entrances that led to the hot springs.

"Haruhi's safe, then," conceded Mori.

"Mori-senpai, you too?!" wailed Tamaki.

While there were quibbling, Haruhi entered the bath, grateful to see that she was the only one there. Undressing in the deserted locker room, she thought that everything as so convenient, for her anyway. Aside from worrying about bunking in with the boys, she was afraid that it was going to be a mixed bath.

Then again, it was Kyoya who arranged everything. He was still a progeny of propriety. Even if it wasn't her, he would make sure that a girl would not be that uncomfortable. Which led her to think what does torturing her with increased debts land in the gentleman's code.

Ah, well. Chivalry is dead anyway.

Haruhi felt around her jeans pocket, pulling out Kyoya's gift. She knew she had to return the necklace one day, seeing as she wasn't his fiancée anymore, and decided that it was the perfect time. She thought about what it meant for her, and for him, and how different it was. She saw it as a promise, he gave it for merit points.

She clasped it around her neck, knowing that an item as valuable as this could not be left just anywhere.

After folding out her clothes in the locker, she washed herself thoroughly before dipping in the hot, calming water. The spring was quite big, and the men's side was separated by a tall bamboo wall, virtually blocking out any prying eyes.

It was heaven to be able to relax in the therapeutic waters, knowing that nothing was going to bother her. A hot bath was good, but this was even better. Haruhi sunk herself deeper until only her nose was seen above the water.

Why haven't they thought about this sooner?

…

As for the boy's side, they had a problem: the actual bathing and washing time.

It was kind of uncomfortable to wash with the others, even though they were friends. Hikaru and Kaoru didn't think it was a big a deal and proceeded to wash each other's backs but for the rest, it was disconcerting. It was traditional to not wear anything, even a towel around your waist and they understood that. For the most part, they had the onsen to themselves and as such, never before had the experience to share.

"So how do we do this?" asked Tamaki. He was French, not Italian, so this kind of thing totally threw him out of the loop. "We just undress and wash in front of each other?"

"That's the traditional way, yes," said Kyoya, taking off his belt.

"What's the problem anyway?" said Hikaru and Kaoru. "We're all men here. We take a bath together every time. It doesn't bother us."

"You're a special case," snapped Tamaki.

"Oh, Kaoru," remarked Hikaru, entwined with his twin. "It's a crime for other people to see what only I should see. I cannot let others take a peek in what is supposed to be mine alone. What if they deign to touch you?"

"Hikaru," said Kaoru, "I'm worried that they might take away the only secret we have left. I don't want to share you with anybody."

Two guys who were in the locker rooms with them barely held their lunches in their stomachs out of disgust at the twins.

They're gay! And incest! With the same face! Their minds screamed.

"I thought that you were into experiencing Japanese culture at its fullest, Tamaki," said Kyoya, wrapping a towel on his waist before removing his boxers. "This is part of it."

"Yes," agreed Hunny, who had a rabbit-printed fluffy pink towel wrapped around him.

Finally, Tamaki relented, doing the same as Kyoya to at least protect what little dignity he had left.

After a long soak in the hot spring, with a lot of noise and chaos and Mori standing guard by the bamboo wall in case the pervert trio wanted to take a peek at something forbidden, they decided that they were already a bit dizzy from soaking too long and wanted to have dinner or play games.

They ran into Haruhi, who was observing a ping pong match while drinking a carton of juice.

"A ping pong match? Sounds exciting," said Tamaki. "How about a round, Haruhi?"

"No, I just prefer to sit and watch," said Haruhi, finishing off her juice.

"Well, how about competing against us, milord?" interjected the twins, seeing this as prime opportunity to tease their lord.

"That's unfair. There's two of you, and one of me."

Manipulation mode!

The twins snaked to Haruhi, holding her face in their hands, caressing her.

"Haruhi, would you like to have a bath with me?" said Hikaru.

"It's allowed as long as we have a marriage contract with us, and look, here it is," said Kaoru, whipping out the form.

To her surprise, it looked very authentic, but it had the twins' names in it as her husband.

"Eh?"

Tamaki seething in rage, grabbed a ping pong racquet.

"You two and me! The one who wins gets to have a moonlit walk with Haruhi by the forest tonight!"

A battle ensued, with Hunny acting as referee.

In the middle of the game, while the four were absorbed in the match, Mori talked to Haruhi.

"I saw a path by the inn that leads to a small forest," he said tonelessly to her. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

Haruhi, surprised at the request, gave her acquiescence. She looked around to see if Kyoya was there in case he overheard, but he wasn't.

Mori led Haruhi toward the rock-hewn path, brushing away low-falling branches and leaves for her benefit in case one snaps and smacks her in the face. The two were pretty silent, Haruhi bit down the urge to ask where they were going but it was Mori-senpai - he wouldn't do anything untoward to her.

"We're here," Mori intoned and Haruhi saw the most beautiful lake stretched out in front of her. The water was crystal clear, sparkling under the scant moonlight like a diamond; fragile pink lotus floated about, their big leaves serving as a resting place for the hopping frogs. A pair of swans glided by before taking off into the night sky, spraying water everywhere.

"How did you know about this place?" asked Haruhi as she squatted by the lake side to observe the lake.

"I asked Akane-san," replied Mori.

Haruhi gave him her biggest smile. "Thank you very much, Mori-senpai."

"Haruhi," he said abruptly. "I know about it."

"About what?"

"About the deal you made with Kyoya. Mitsukuni and I knew from the beginning. It was accidental how we discovered it all. To keep things a bit quiet, we didn't say anything to the others and they don't really know the whole picture."

Haruhi was shocked but then again, she was glad that it was the seniors who discovered and not the hot-blooded trio. She voiced this opinion and Mori smiled.

It was a long time before anyone spoke. They were too taken by the serenity of the area. It felt as if their voices would disrupt the balance held in the place, so they didn't say anything, until Mori grabbed her wrist and led her away.

"It's getting late," he said quietly in way of explanation.

"The others might be looking for us," agreed Haruhi.

But as they were in the middle of the path, Mori suddenly turned around to envelope her in the warmest bear hug she had ever had.

"Mori-senpai?" she asked, confused at what was happening.

"There are times when I observed you in the club," he spoke so softly that she strained to hear. "When you were there, it took everything you had not to look at Kyoya. You get nervous when he's nearby; you can barely speak to him. Haruhi, you have to stop thinking too much about it."

"But how can I?" sobbed Haruhi, finally letting go of her frazzled emotions. She didn't want to cry, not in front of her senpai, not in front of everyone. "It was wrong to think that there was something between us. I was just deluding myself. Our worlds are too far apart. It was useless from the beginning."

"Do you love Kyoya?" His question was so abrupt that it shook Haruhi to the very marrow of her bones.

"I don't know."

"If you're not sure, try to think about it. Focus on everything that's happened then try to think what you feel."

"I just wish…that it wasn't Kyoya who told me all those things, who made me feel as if I were somebody really special to him. I wish he didn't tell me that he…."

Mori smiled bitterly. He cared for her like a little sister, and seeing her broken like this because of a mutual friend cut him deeply. It was as if seeing Mitsukuni getting denied of a very yummy strawberry cake.

"I wouldn't tell you that I couldn't live without you," Mori voiced, trying to comfort her. "Because I could." He held her at arm's length, wiping her tears away with a gentle thumb, caressing her cheeks and staring straight into her eyes with warmth and sincerity. "I just don't want to."

Haruhi wanted to die right then and there. Why couldn't she have fallen for someone like Mori-senpai? Why did she fall for the money-hungry bastard Kyoya?

Wait a minute, did she say fall?

"Don't cry, Haruhi. Tamaki and the others would tear the whole place if they saw you crying."

Haruhi nodded, forcing back her sobs. "There's too much broken property charged to your rooms."

…

Haruhi went straight to bed after her walk with Mori, feeling emotionally drained beyond belief. Not wanting to let the others see her current state, she went to her room, asking if Mori could tell them that she had a headache and immediately went to bed. Mori nodded, also keeping in mind not to let them bother her for the whole night.

Tamaki, Hunny, Hikaru and Kaoru obviously whined in protest, saying that they wanted to play with her. Mori gave Hunny a secret nod which the loli-shota understood.

Hunny could only moan inwardly at the mess their group's in.

…

The figure lay beside Haruhi stealthily, carefully snuggling himself beside the sleeping girl in her futon. He was so quiet that the girl hadn't even heard her room door sliding open and close, or the soft footsteps on the floor.

For a while, he took in her figure, so innocent, so lithe against the soft cotton of her yukata. He wished that for everyday for the rest of his life, he could watch her sleep.

Unable to control himself any longer, he took her in his arms, inhaling her sweet scent, molding his body to fit hers, memorizing every line and plane of her angelic face.

Haruhi felt that she was encased in something warm and comforting, something that made her feel so safe that she didn't ever want to wake up. Then she realized that something was wrong. She opened her eyes to find that she was in the arms of someone she didn't know. She opened her mouth to scream before her nose picked up the scent of the stranger in her room.

"Kyoya!" She knew that cologne anywhere. That scent alone sent her mind spiralling into a vortex again. "What are you doing here…wait! This onsen, this room…did you plan all this?" she whispered furiously.

Kyoya smiled, crushing her further to him. Haruhi swore she saw his eyes glint in the darkness. He bent down and caught her lips in a small kiss that made her heart go overtime. Kyoya noticed the change in her heartbeat, grinning maniacally but not letting her see just how much her reaction pleased him.

"Of course. Now, sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. You need your rest."

"How can I rest when you're here? This is invasion of privacy!"

"I told you that I'm not willing to give up on us. I want to take every opportunity that I have with you. Though this is for just a short time, let me hold you like this."

"You're an opportunist." But she felt her resolve melting away, to be replaced by fuzzy feelings she thought she would never feel again, especially regarding Kyoya. She closed her eyes, clutching his robe. "Just no…funny business…." She yawned.

"No, I just want to hold you." He kissed her forehead tenderly. "Good night, my Haruhi."

She didn't realize as her lips mumbled, "I'm yours."

---

Mori said it! And it was Bluestraws who first gave me the correct answer so this chapter is for you! A lot said that it would be Kyoya, Haruhi or Tamaki, the highest one being Kyoya.

Kyaa! Now I hope you guys realize that this story is just to cater my selfish need to write a plotless story centring on fluff for Haruhi and Kyoya. I reread this chapter to edit and I realized that it was so horrible, but I just so love the last part so much that I pretty much skirted over a lot of parts, I knew that those would bore you as well so I didn't bother adding in or editing it at all. I included the discomfort of having to wash with others in a traditional Japanese bath, even if they are your friends. It really is kinda awkward, especially when they suddenly decide to compare each other's…um…appendages and other body parts.

I love your reviews and thank you so much for the 300-plus reviews! I am so happy! I truly appreciate them all!

Show your love for this story, please READ AND REVIEW! More reviews means more fluff for the two! (Pathetic bribe.)

Rienne :P