A/N: Here we are. The confrontation. Will she listen to him or brush him off? Read and find out.

FYI… I wanted to give all of you fair warning. I am going to be gone a good part of October. I am going to Comic Con in Virginia and will be staying with my sister for a couple weeks. About a week after I get back, I will be headed to the Mayo Clinic for a week. I will be updating, but it will be sporadic. Sorry about that, but it can't be helped. I will be back full time in November.

Chapter 14 – Negotiations Betwixt Old Lovers

Haruhi stood outside the coffee shop for what seemed like an eternity watching her ex as he ordered coffee and then sat down with two large cups in front of him. Part of her felt disbelief that he had actually woken up and arrived early, while the other part of her wanted to continue staring at him, absorbing the sight of him sitting there and actually waiting on her. He came, and she honestly didn't think he would. Maybe, just maybe Hunny and Mori had been right, but there were still many questions and emotions filling the ravine that separated them. She knew her friends prayed she and Kyoya would see each other again, fall madly in love, and magically everything would be perfect again. The only problem with that empty dream, this was real life and not a fairy tale.

Standing outside looking in though, it was hard to convince her heart otherwise. The moment her eyes spotted him standing at the counter, Haruhi had known it was him. And the moment he turned around, she received confirmation to her belief and her heart fluttered with want. Her pulse went wild and her feet wanted to run to him, her arms wanted to hold him; and it took everything in her not to give in to those sudden urges.

She had come early. He had come earlier. She stood in the morning air studying him, unable to tear her gaze away. Was it just her or did he look leaner, dark circles surrounding his eyes like a panda? His eyes were locked on the door, observing each person that entered, waiting for the one he sought, and worried she would never come.

It was time. Taking a deep breath, she followed a sea of people into the coffee shop and when they parted she stood alone at the entrance and slowly made her way towards her old love's table. His gaze was firm and set, and she wondered if her mind was playing tricks on her when she saw desperation in his dark eyes. Most people thought he could easily mask his emotions, but he couldn't always manage that task. His glasses helped shield his eyes, and his eyes were so expressive. If one truly wanted to know what Kyoya Ootori was feeling and to some extent thinking, they only needed to gaze into his deep dark eyes. However, his glasses created a glare so that no one could see his orbs if he so chose, and besides many were afraid to look too closely, but not Haruhi. She had never been afraid to stare into his eyes. They had captivated her. Now that's not to say he hadn't scared her a time or two or three… he had. Threatening her when she first joined the Host Club was only one example, but as she got to know him, truly know him and not just the persona he portrayed to the world, she found herself unable to look away and her heart had been stolen. And there in lie her problem. He had taken her heart and had never given it back.

His smile made her weak in the knees and she almost missed what he had said. Almost. Glancing down at the offering, she sat in the chair across from him and stated casually, plainly, detached, "Good morning, Kyoya… -senpai." There was a pause before the honorific, a sea of silence before she added it, but she had to separate herself away from her wants and dreams and pull back. This was the only way she knew how. Staring into his eyes, Haruhi saw the hurt and disappointment flash momentarily before the shine from the florescent lights created a glare on his lenses and blocked her view of his eyes. Had she only imagined it?

A small nod acknowledged her words. It was hard to form a coherent thought with the brunette sitting across from him. The standoffish approach had been expected, but he didn't realize it would sting as much as it did. Kyoya should have known better.

The buzz of conversations happening around them felt like a thick blanket of tension. Everyone else could speak so freely, and yet, the two former lovers were not uttering even one syllable.

Hunny and Mori had known about the meeting, and understood the need to send the other hosts in every different direction away from this particular Starbucks; however, just because the others didn't know about the meeting, didn't mean they couldn't come and watch from a secret location outside the coffee shop, well hidden away from the couple inside the building. They had decided after the hosts parted ways that they needed to be there as moral support for their friends… and it was a good thing too because things did not appear to be going well inside the restaurant.

"Takashi, should we help them?" Hunny questioned his taller cousin. They sat behind some bushes and were using binoculars to watch their friends.

"No. Let them be Mitsukuni. They need to figure it out for themselves," Mori replied, his hand at the ready to grab his charge before the Loli Shota host ran out if need be.

Without removing his eyes from the couple, the shorter one giggled, "I wonder what Hika-Chan, Kao-Chan, and Tama-Chan are doing right now."

If he was really curious, he only need look behind another set of bushes. The remaining three hosts had thought Kyoya was acting a little funny since the night before, and they couldn't exactly say Hunny and Mori weren't acting odd as well, so they had decided to follow Kyoya that morning. Much to their surprise, so did Hunny and Mori. When Haruhi arrived, it took both Hikaru and Kaoru (and probably help from the kami) to hold Tamaki back and prevent him from storming up to the girl. Normally, they wouldn't have stopped the blond, but something told them this had been a planned meeting and they needed stand back in order to see what happened next.

Across from the trio, Mori answered, "They're in the other bushes."

"Really? Oh no! We need…"

The taller man cut him off, "They are not doing anything yet. We will grab them if they try something."

"Ok, Takashi. I just hope they leave Haru-Chan and Kyo-Chan alone."

"Yah."

Back in the restaurant, the quietness was starting to weigh down on the non-couple. Kyoya knew only had a few minutes of time to convince her, but having her there shooting him an accusatory leer, unnerved him. That being said, if he didn't do this now, he may never get another opportunity. Clearing his throat, he began, "I wanted to talk to you this morning to apologize for…"

"For?" Haruhi questioned when he hesitated.

He cleared his throat again and took a deep breath. It was now or never, and never was not an option. He was the cool host and he could do this! Kyoya began again, "For everything, Haruhi." Just the sound of her name on his lips gave him courage and a small amount of peace. "I wronged you."

"If you're trying to atone for your sins, you're forgiven. I really need to go now," she snapped and started to rise, but a grip on her wrist made her glance at her captor and she returned to her seat.

"I'm not trying to atone for my sins. I would like to make up for what I've done to you, but that is not why I'm here."

"Why are you here senpai?"

That word, that honorific felt like a knife to his gut. "I'm here because I was wrong to let you go."

No, she would not allow herself to feel happy at that statement. She would not allow herself to feel the small glimmer of hope that one sentence tried to kindle in her. It was not going to happen. Trying to pull her wrist out of his grip proved to be futile and instead she distracted herself by taking a sip of her beverage.

"I know that what I did to you was deplorable, and then what I did after should land me in the ninth circle of hell*."

A snort from the brunette made it clear that she might agree with him, but he didn't let that stop him. In fact, he helped him to press on because that meant she was listening.

"I believe Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai explained that the girl you saw me with was an actress and not actually my girlfriend. I was so afraid you would pass on the opportunity to study at Stanford that I took it upon myself to make sure you had no reason to stay. I was wrong, but I didn't want to be the reason you didn't do something or experience everything life had to offer."

"So you didn't believe I could make my own decisions? You didn't think I knew what was best for me? I'm not some child. Tamaki-senpai may call you mommy, but you are not my mother!"

"I am fully aware of that."

Shaking her head, Haruhi studied him for a moment before she lamented, "I just don't understand Kyoya."

The fact she had not used an honorific, ignited the fires even brighter. "There is another reason which the others do not know about."

"Oh really, what's that?" Did she dare believe anything he had said or will say?

"Would you believe me if I said I thought you could do better?"

Rolling her eyes, Haruhi glared, "Your ten minutes are up. Let me go." She tried to pull her wrist away again, but he wouldn't release her. His grip squeezed harder. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to hold her.

"Haruhi, I love you. I loved you then and I love you now. Giving up on us and letting you go was the worst mistake I have ever made, some might say my only one in life. Since you left, I walk through life like a ghost instead of living. I wake up, go to school, go to the hospital to learn the family business, and then I do homework and go to bed."

"Didn't you forget about all the omiai you went to?" Came the stern reply. She hadn't meant to say that and hadn't meant to sound so hurt when she spoke, but the truth was, she was hurt. It tore at her that he went to the marriage meetings.

Sighing, Kyoya closed his eyes and explained, "After you left, I told my father that I would marry the girl he picked for me, and yet, with each girl I met, they didn't live up to my ideal. Most were boorish prudes that didn't have a head on their shoulders, who didn't know how to think for themselves."

"If you were supposed to marry the person your father picked, why didn't you just pick one?"

"I couldn't. I couldn't go through with it. With each girl I met, I thought about all the ways my life would literally be over if I walked down the aisle, and death sounded better than getting married. Surprisingly, my father never pressed the issue and never pushed me to pick one of them."

"So this other reason is because you thought I could do better?" Haruhi asked. Why was she coming back to this? Why wasn't she struggling to get away?

"Part of it."

His soft whispered voice was like a caress to her soul. She shouldn't want to hear more, but she couldn't bring herself to leave… and it was more than just Kyoya physically holding her there. "Why?" Tears stung her eyes. She refused to cry. Not here, not in front of him, and not for him. No more. That was her mantra, and it wasn't working.

Did he dare tell her all? Gazing into her brown eyes that were suddenly wet and pooling with water, he made the only decision he could, "I overheard my father talking to Tamaki's father. Apparently the chairman had received several requests for marriage. He had talked to your father, but Ranka never said anything to you. So he decided to talk to my father since you and I were romantically linked. He asked my father if he was going to permit a marriage between us because if not, there were plenty of families who would which included princes, heirs to large corporations, etc." He looked away and continued, "There is no guarantee that I will actually become the heir and with my father being who he is, he could decide to make me heir one minute and take it away the next. He said he approved of you though, as long as you followed the Ootori rules. I have almost drowned trying to follow what my father wanted and it took an idiot blond to make me realize I could forge my own path. I didn't want that for you. He said he would allow you to be a lawyer, but when children came, you would naturally have to quit practicing and stay at home. Plus there were other responsibilities as an Ootori wife that you would have to fulfill. You deserve more than that, and I wanted you to have everything… all of your dreams. It wasn't until after you were gone that I realized he knew I was standing outside his office the entire time. They both did. It had been a test and I failed, or maybe I passed. I don't know any more. I just know that since I let you go, I have been utterly miserable."

Fury burned within her, "So again you decided for me and didn't let me choose. You can't do that Kyoya. In a relationship it is 50/50 and we have to communicate, but you didn't think I could handle it. That tells me how much you value my perspective and how much you trust me. I have to go."

"Haruhi, please. I don't beg, but I'm begging you. I left the omiai to come looking for you and the others followed me. I had to see you. I was desperate to find you and to talk to you."

"You talked, and now I have to go to work."

"Haruhi…"

She shook her head, "This is important to me. This is what I have worked hard for, what you wanted me to experience, and now you want me to quit? Stop being contradictory!"

"I don't want you to quit, but I also don't want you to walk out that door and leave me behind," he declared strongly. He was willing to fight her if need be to get her back in his life. He might not deserve her, but he needed her.

Ripping her arm away, she gave him a small concession, "I'll call you later. I've got to go." Haruhi left without another word.

It started out as just small embers, but as he replayed her words again and again, hope started to flare and burn brightly. He still had a chance.

The five hosts in the bushes watched as Haruhi left Kyoya sitting at the table. In their minds based on their observations, the Shadow King had lost. There was no future for the couple, and that was heartbreaking. Slowly coming out of their hiding spots, they entered the coffee shop and approached their friend with every intent to console him. They weren't expecting the small smile on his lips.

"Kyo-Chan?" Hunny asked wondering if they needed to call the mental hospital.

Tamaki must have also believe his best friend was close to losing it because he said, "Mon Ami, I know that right now it seems like the world is falling apart, but I promise one day you will find someone."

"Kyoya-senpai?" The twins were a little freaked out by the smile and decided the blow their toy had delivered had put the most feared host in a comatose state.

Only Mori noticed that Kyoya was buoyant and optimistic. He could see it in the Shadow King's eyes, the eyes hidden by his glasses. Placing his hand on the bespectacled man's shoulder, he inquired, "It was a good meeting? She gave you twenty minutes when you were only supposed to have ten."

Nodding, Kyoya finally answered, "Yes, she said she would call me later." It was a small concession, but it held the promise of tomorrow and that was all he needed. She would call, he believed her. They would talk, and he would convince her that he truly did love her and was truly apologetic for the hell he put her through.

Later that night, when the others had finally left him alone and found their own beds for sleep, Kyoya's phone started to ring.

Without waiting for the other person to speak, Haruhi said, "Coffee tomorrow morning at 7:00. Same place." She hung up without obtaining his agreement. Maybe she was testing him. She wasn't sure, but she knew she had to see him again.

The Shadow King set his phone down after setting six different alarms on it and lay his head back on the pillows. For the first time in several months, he was at peace as he closed his eyes.

A/N2: *For those curious, according to Dante's Inferno, there are 9 circles of hell. In order from 1-9, they are Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. Kyoya is saying he belongs in Treachery.