~One week later~

Squeezing Haruhi in a tight hug, Ranka bid his daughter farewell. "Don't be afraid to call or come visit if you get lonely," he told her tearfully, letting go of the hug to look at her again before squeezing her once more. "Gosh, with Mei leaving this evening, it's going to be very lonely…"

"Dad, I'll be half an hour away," Haruhi reminded him, smiling. "Besides, it's only until we get things figured out."

"But we don't know how long that will take." Ranka wiped a tear from his eye. "I love you, Haruhi. Have fun—but not too much fun."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant; there's not much else I can do," she mumbled before turning to Mei.

Mei smiled at the other teen. "Thanks for being so welcoming. I have no idea when I'll see you again, but keep in touch! I don't know, maybe I'll make some baby clothes or something…"

Haruhi softly laughed before picking up one of her bags. "Thanks for not being a terrible roommate. I'm sure I'll have a lot of free time, so let me know what works best for you!"

"Will do," replied Mei. "Have fun."

Haruhi waved at her father and friend and started to walk off, but was stopped by another hug from Ranka. "I'm not ready for my little girl to leave yet," he sobbed into her shoulder, causing Haruhi to drop her bag.

"Dad, it'll be fine," she reassured. "I'll call you as soon as I get there, okay?"

Ranka nodded before hugging Haruhi a final time. "Alright. I love you, Haruhi."

"I love you too, Dad." Haruhi picked up her bag before walking down the stairs to meet the chauffeur.

Haruhi hadn't been nervous about it before, but the ride to the second Suoh mansion gradually made her nerves build up. She didn't know if it was because she was actually leaving home despite not being an adult, or knowing that this meant she'd be becoming an adult before being legally classified as such, but the closer the limousine got to the mansion the more she regretted her decision.

The limo rolled up to the gate, and after pulling through once it opened, pulled around to the side of the mansion underneath a large porte-cochère. After coming to a stop, the chauffeur opened the door for Haruhi. As she got out of the car, a female servant exited the house and met Haruhi at the foot of the stairs.

"You must be Miss Fujioka," she said with a smile. "My name is Itsuko, and I'll be attending to you during your stay. We're delighted you're staying with us for the next few months."

Haruhi forced a smile as she watched Itsuko grab her bags. Oh, god, she thought, what have I gotten myself into?

After they entered the mansion through the side entrance, Itsuko led Haruhi down a long hallway into the oversized foyer, and up the grand staircase to another hallway. This hallway wasn't as long, though, and after barely walking down it Itsuko stopped in front of a large door. "This will be your bedroom," she told her, setting down a bag to open the door for Haruhi.

Haruhi nervously peeked her head inside before entering. The room was huge— size- wise, it was comparable to Tamaki's bedroom, but this didn't make it any less impressive. The white walls were ornately paneled, and the similarly - colored marble floors shined. Large windows stretched from floor to ceiling and made the room feel bright and welcoming. A small couch faced the fireplace, above which a flat screen TV was hung. On the opposite side of the room was a queen- sized bed, covered by a netted canopy hanging from the wall. Next to it was a large armoire, and on the other side was a desk the perfect size for doing schoolwork at. It was unlike any room she'd ever stayed in, and she couldn't help but stare.

Itsuko noticed Haruhi's strange behavior and frowned. "Is something wrong, Miss?"

Haruhi studied her surroundings a bit more. "No, no, of course not, it's just…nothing like what I'm used to."

"Oh!" gasped Itsuko. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel more at home, Miss?"

Itsuko's misunderstanding embarrassed Haruhi more than anything. "No, I don't mean it negatively! This bedroom itself feels much larger than my apartment."

Itsuko looked at Haruhi sympathetically, understanding what this implied. "Well, please make yourself at home. And if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask me. Don't feel like you're inconveniencing me, Miss; after all, this is my job."

"Thank you." Haruhi smiled as Itsuko bowed and exited the room.

Sighing, Haruhi walked over to the bed and sat down. Where's Tamaki? she thought, bouncing up and down a little to try and get a feel for the mattress. I thought he'd be the one to help me with everything… It's unlike him to not say anything if he had other plans for tonight…

Right then the door to the bedroom burst open. "Haruhi!" sang Tamaki, dancing over to the side of the bed. "What do you think? I picked out the second- best bedroom for you!"

"Second-best?"

"Compared to mine." Tamaki continued to smile. "We're going to have so much fun! It'll be like a sleepover every single night, except we'll have our own bedrooms!"

"I can't wait," Haruhi sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, so, dinner's usually at 6:30, and if you tell the chefs you want something they'll make it. If I remember correctly, dinner tonight's supposed to be filet mignon…" Tamaki thought for a moment before finding his train of thought. "Oh, one of the servants will come get you when it's time. You can tell them when you want to be woken up, too, and what time you want to take a bath, and they'll bring you anything whenever you request it—"

"Tamaki, slow down." Haruhi sighed again and stood up. "It's a lot of information, and it'll take me a really long time to get used to this…"

"Take as long as you need. The house staff is really laid- back, and they're always happy to help if you need anything."

"Isn't that their job?"

Tamaki sharply inhaled. "That's beside the point. Anyway, I'll leave you here to unpack and get settled. My room's just right down the hall."

As Tamaki left the room, Haruhi sat back down on the bed before falling backwards. She stared at the ceiling, wide- eyed, before letting out a long, frustrated groan.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

Since the incident with the Host Club at the beginning of July, the Newspaper Club had striven to write only the best material that would make Ouran proud. Gone were the days of mindless gossip and hearsay; the club had shifted its focus over to reporting legitimate stories that would pique every student's interest, not just those interested in poorly written rumors. This tactic was slowly but surely proving to be effective, as sales had climbed exponentially since the newspaper's change of style.

Chikage and Tomochika had gone home early, leaving Akira to wrap up the day's work. As Akira put the finishing touches on one of the featured articles of the next issue, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he called, not even glancing up as whoever knocked entered the room. "Can I help you?"

"No, but we can help you."

Akira looked up at the unfamiliar voice and saw three young ladies in school uniforms that did not resemble Ouran's in the slightest. After staring at them for a few moments, however, he recognized which school they were from.

"Oh!" he exclaimed softly, briefly setting his work aside to converse with the three visitors. "You're from Lobelia, aren't you?"

None other than the Zuka Club approached the desk. "Precisely," said Benio, holding out her hand in a manner similar to the way Tamaki often did. "Allow me to introduce ourselves. We are the ruling council of the Zuka Club, a division of Lobelia's White Lily League."

Akira studied the three's faces hard, and after a moment his memory was jogged. "Oh, you performed at the Cultural Exposition in June! It was very...enlightening."

"We're quite pleased you think so," Benio replied.

Adjusting his glasses, Akira glanced at the time on his laptop. "Now, what can I help you ladies with?"

Benio smirked. "I believe we can provide some information on a particular student of interest."

Akira's eyes narrowed. "What student in particular, may I ask?"

The Zuka Club all crossed their arms simultaneously, each grinning just like their leader. "Haruhi Fujioka."

Akira's eyes lit up from behind his glasses as he prepared his laptop to take notes. "Oh! Many students enjoyed the piece I wrote about the study abroad program in Boston he's currently attending."

Benio, Chizuru, and Hinako all exchanged glances before Benio responded. "I believe you're speaking of the program she's currently attending."

"What?" Akira asked. He wasn't sure if he was imagining things, or if he had just misheard. "I'm sorry, are we speaking of the same person? Haruhi Fujioka's the first-year scholarship student, and he's a member of the exclusively male Host Club."

"Oh, but I believe you're mistaken." Benio relaxed and nodded at Hinako, who produced a manila folder and held it out for Akira. "If you'll read through these documents, you'll see that Miss Fujioka has been keeping her true gender a secret from day one."

Akira slowly reached for the envelope, but immediately froze. "Hold on a second," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know who you people are or who sent you, but the Newspaper Club and the Host Club came to an agreement that we would no longer treat the Ou Spo like a low-class tabloid magazine."

"Let's just put it this way: the St. Lobelia Girls' Academy Zuka Club has strong connections to the Fujioka family." Benio's smirk grew larger. "And I think you'll be happy to learn this information isn't just hearsay, it's absolutely true."

The Newspaper Club president hesitated for a moment before snatching the envelope from Hinako's hand. After removing the enclosed papers, he carefully scanned each document up and down, eyes opening wider and wider with each one he read.

"I guess you...weren't lying." Akira stared at the photocopy of Haruhi's middle school ID card, which boldly stated her sex as female. The other documents, pictures from Haruhi's middle school days as well as some of her in Zuka Club garb, only confused him further. "But...why would he—she—whatever—feel the need to do this?"

Benio shrugged. "Beats me. However, I do know the Host Club is to blame. Take that as you will."

While Akira took time to process what the Zuka Club had just told him, Chizuru smiled. "That's not all we came to tell you, however," said the Zuka Club vice president, placing her hands on the desk.

Akira cocked his head and furrowed his brow. He was already having enough trouble processing the "Haruhi Fujioka is actually female" thing, and he wasn't completely sure if he could handle anything else at the moment. "...Go ahead," he told her cautiously.

All three Zuka Club members stared Akira down, making him sweat. Not only was he uncomfortable with the overall situation, he was also terrified of what this second piece of information was.

Smiling, Benio began. "I regret to inform you—"

"Do you really regret, Benibara-sama?" interrupted Hinako.

Chizuru smiled. "I don't think she does."

Benio glared at them. "—that Haruhi Fujioka is also carrying a rather large problem."

The Newspaper Club president took off his glasses and sighed while rubbing his face. "What, like what you've already told me isn't a problem enough?"

"Well, this particular problem won't really become a problem until after, hmm, I'd say about...ten months." **

Akira glared as he put his glasses back on. "What, you're meaning to tell me that Haruhi Fujioka, the scholarship student and the top of their class, is pregnant? Yeah, right."

Hinako smiled and whipped out a disc. "Fortunately for you, the Zuka Club always films its rehearsals for future reference and quality control," she told him, setting it on the desk. "This one disc provides all the proof you need."

As he slid the disc towards himself, Akira popped open the disc drive on the laptop before sticking the disc in. A window immediately popped open, revealing the dress rehearsal of The Señorita in Reminiscence.

"One hour, 37 minutes, and 52 seconds," Chizuru said.

Akira found the specific moment and clicked, carefully watching and listening to what was going on. Although he didn't understand the context at all, he could tell the person in the ridiculous makeup, ornately- styled hair, and Victorian ball gown was, in fact, Haruhi.

He watched, confused, as Haruhi and who he assumed to be Benio were raised up on a ridiculously tall platform. The two began to lean in for a kiss, and Akira became increasingly uncomfortable.

"Don't!" yelled a voice from off- screen, and Haruhi and Benio stopped short.

"Tamaki?! What are you doing he—"

As Haruhi began to fall off the platform, a large group of men that could only be the Host Club ran onstage. "Haruhi!" yelled a voice as she landed on a crash pad.

Benio walked to the edge of the platform. "Well, I see you all have finally decided to make an appearance."

This time, an unfamiliar man with his long hair in a ponytail rushed to Haruhi's aid. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

Akira stopped, staring blankly at the screen. "The…baby?"

"Precisely." Benio turned around and began to walk away, Chizuru and Hinako following close behind. "You have our permission to do whatever you'd like with this information. You have evidence; have fun with it."

"But—" Akira stood up and started to go after the Zuka Club. "—when was this? Who's…responsible?"

As the Zuka Club exited the Newspaper Club meeting room, Benio looked over her shoulder, smiling slyly. "I think I'll let you figure that out on your own."

The last customers of the day had just left, leaving the Host Club to tidy up and return the furniture back to its original placement. Now that Haruhi wasn't there to keep relative order and (try to) talk sense into everyone, it took twice as long to clean up before the day's end.

A knock at the door caused everyone to pause what they were doing and look up. Kyoya, who was closest to the door, saved the weekly request spreadsheet before setting down his iPad and checking to see who it was.

"Hm?" Seeing the president of the Newspaper Club outside Music Room #3 caught Kyoya a bit off-guard, and he glanced back at the other Hosts before cautiously answering. "How may I help you, Komatsuzawa-senpai?"

"Ootori-kun, can we step outside for a moment?"

Kyoya stepped outside the room and closed the door behind him. "So what did you come here to discuss?"

Akira hesitated. "It's something I believe is of the utmost importance. Would you mind if we went back to the Newspaper Club room to discuss it?"

Kyoya nodded and followed Akira down the hallway, discreetly opening the Voice Memos app on his phone and hitting "record" as he did so.

The two reached the room and Akira shut the door behind them. "I'm going to be very honest with you, Ootori-kun. I feel like I was told this because the people who told me are holding some sort of grudge," said Akira, walking over to the desk and sitting in the chair behind it.

Kyoya was intrigued. "Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you suspect that? Who were these people?"

"They were from Lobelia. Some club called the Zuka Club…"

Kyoya's heart dropped and began racing, but he kept his cool as he continued to question Akira. "Hm, I see. What exactly did they want?"

Akira drummed his fingers on the desk, simultaneously trying to remember and process everything the Zuka Club had told him. "Well, first, they told me Fujioka-san is really a girl..."

First?! Kyoya felt another pang of anxiety hit him.

"They showed me some pictures, too," continued Akira. "Of course, they could have been photoshopped, or actually cosplay or photos from some sort of Host Club event… I didn't really know what they wanted, so I just went along with that they told me."

Kyoya took in this information before continuing with his questions. "And what else did they tell you?" he cautiously asked.

Akira's face twisted into a confused expression. "Then they told me that Fujioka-san is…pregnant?"

That one sentence was the final piece of the chain reaction to set Kyoya off. "They told you what?!" he exclaimed, a tad too aggressively.

"I found it a very strange thing to tell me. If Fujioka-san really is a girl, sure, that would definitely have the potential to start some sort of scandal here, but overall it's no one's business but his. But suggesting a pregnancy?" The president leaned back in his chair. "That honestly sounds more like hatred. Hatred so strong they'd be willing to start a ridiculous rumor."

Kyoya didn't respond, instead allowing his anger to grow.

Akira took notice of Kyoya's silence and the negative vibes that were filling the air. "Ootori-kun?" he asked. "Are these rumors…true?"

Kyoya shot a piercing glare. "I'm very sorry, but I can neither confirm nor deny these rumors."

He very well knew this was essentially confirming everything, but he didn't know what else to do. If he denied it, there was a large possibility of the Zuka Club finding someone else to relay the information to. On the other hand, if he confirmed it…well, that would be self-explanatory. He couldn't just rat Haruhi out like that.

Akira frowned. "Are you sure? I'd certainly like to help if this 'Zuka Club' really has anything against you, or Fujioka-san, or the Host Club. I swear to you, I will not say anything to anyone."

Kyoya sighed lengthily. "Once again, I cannot confirm nor deny these rumors. Thank you for making me aware of this." He abruptly turned around and exited the room.

Kyoya stormed back to Music Room #3, seething with rage. Not only was he furious with the Zuka Club's ruling council, he was angry at himself as well. How had it not occurred to him that the Zuka Club knowing would pose a problem? In his mind, his own negligence was to blame for the spreading of Haruhi's closely-guarded secret. However, he was able to hide his anger until the moment he returned to the Host Club.

He let the double doors slam behind him as he entered, causing the other members to look up. "Kyo-chan?" asked Honey, watching as the other Host walked to the other side of the room. "Are you alright?"

Rather than responding, Kyoya instead allowed his anger to fester, as he clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils. "Dammit!" he shouted as he kicked the wall, leaning his head against it after he had let out all the immediate rage.

Everyone stared at the youngest Ootori in shock before Tamaki cautiously approached him. "Kyoya…? Are you alright?"

Kyoya whipped his head around, eyes glaring. "It's that goddamn Zuka Club," he said through clenched teeth. "They've told them."

"What?" asked Tamaki. "Who? They've told who what?"

"The Newspaper Club." Kyoya grimaced. "They've told the Newspaper Club that Haruhi's a female."

The other Hosts exclaimed in disbelief.

"Not only that," continued Kyoya bitterly, "but they've also informed them that she's pregnant. With proof."

The other Hosts gasped, but Tamaki's eyes went blank. "Well shit."

"'Well shit'?" repeated Kaoru, crossing his arms. "Is that really the only thing you have to say?"

Glaring at the younger Hitachiin twin, Tamaki fell back into a couch, exasperated. "If you haven't noticed, the past three months of my life have been an endless string of 'well shit'. I guess this pertains to the situation, but I really don't understand why Haruhi has to be the one to carry all the burdens."

"Tama-chan, Haru-chan's the girl…" Honey told him.

"I don't mean it like that, Honey-senpai. Everyone can take one look at Haruhi and know what she did, but no one knows what I did unless I tell them! How is that fair? It's both of our faults, but she's the one who has to stay home all day and lie to literally the entire school in order to have a chance of graduating on time. No one's blaming me, and I'm equally responsible!"

"Tamaki, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you just said, but that's not quite what we're concerned about right now," Kyoya told him. "Right now, we need to figure out what exactly the Newspaper Club could do with this information, and how we'll be able to prepare for any backlash..." Kyoya reached for his phone, and suddenly remembered the Voice Memo was still recording. "...However, I was able to record every single thing I was told."

"Kyoya, you're brilliant!" Tamaki enveloped his friend in a sudden hug. "That way, if the Newspaper Club tries to sabotage the Host Club again, we have proof of what actually happened—" He stopped short, realizing what he had said. "—if the Newspaper Club...tries to sabotage...the Host Club…"

"Fortunately, from what Komatsuzawa-san told me, it's the Zuka Club who's doing the sabotaging. They just want to use the Newspaper Club to accomplish the goal." Kyoya pressed play on the recording, and fast-forwarded to the part of the conversation where Akira stated his thoughts on the pregnancy rumor. "It seems he believes everything the Zuka Club told him is a lie, which buys us some time to figure out how to counteract."

While the other Hosts let out a sigh of relief, Tamaki continued to think. "I'll talk to Haruhi about it tonight, and see what she thinks should be done," he said, standing up. "It's concerning her, after all…"

Kyoya cringed and switched over to the Notes app. "Is that really a good idea?" he asked. "Remember what happened last time? We wouldn't want her to slip up and make the situation worse. Besides, she really doesn't need to be stressed about anything, especially if the pregnancy is being considered high-risk."

Tamaki hesitated. "Fine," he admitted as he headed towards the prep room to retrieve his school bag. "I trust that you'll be able to handle everything. We'll talk more about it tomorrow."

Benio, Hinako, and Chizuru watched the scenery as a limousine took them back to Lobelia. "Well, ladies, I think our mission was very successful," Benio said to her peers as she turned to look at them. "If things go as planned, in due time Haruhi Fujioka will no longer be a student at Ouran Academy."

The Zuka Club's celebration was cut short as "what if"s began to be thought of. "How will she continue to go to school if she's raising a baby?" asked Chizuru. "It wouldn't matter if she was a student at Ouran or not. If she has to stay home to take care of the baby, she wouldn't be able to continue her education anyway."

Benio rolled her eyes. "Surely she wouldn't keep it," she said, looking out the window. "The best move for her would be to place it for adoption. I wouldn't be able stand a child who shared DNA with that Host Club idiot. She's too smart and career-driven, anyway."

"But Benibara-sama," argued Hinako, "what if the Newspaper Club doesn't report on the information we gave? Our entire plan will have been in vain!"

Benio scoffed. "Nonsense, Hinagiku. Our insider information is front page- worthy, and besides, the Newspaper Club seemed quite receptive. But..." She flashed a cunning smile.

"... if he isn't going to do anything about it, we will."

** In Japan, pregnancy is considered to last 10 months instead of 9. (which makes sense because 40 weeks = roughly 10 months)

(A/N) Okay so I finished this chapter extra early! My research paper is almost done, by the way—I have one more paragraph of new info, intro & conclusion, and then some editing.

I'm super excited for these new developments! From hereon out, things will be getting a lot more interesting.

Also I made a house in the Sims loosely based off of what I think the second Suoh mansion would look like. You can see Tamaki's and Haruhi's bedrooms, too.

imgur gallery / nJu7UvA