Note from the Author: Yes! Two chapters in one day! I was sure it would take longer than that, but apparently I have horrible judgment. Well, here's the new chapter (obviously) and I think the next one will indeed take a while simply because I haven't started it, and I'm not really sure where to begin...I hope this doesn't mean I'm back into an evil evil writer's block, because I just started getting out of the evil one...hmm. Only time will tell, I suppose. Now, you can interpret this chapter how you wish, but I just had fun with it. Go ahead and think what you will, I won't say any more than that, so I don't give away the chapter, but I just...yeah, I guess I can't really say my "excuse" or I'll give away what you're about to read...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of the characters, no matter how much I may want to.

Haruhi smiled to herself as she walked home from work. Her client had finally started to comprehend the situation she was in, she hadn't gotten a single idiotic phone call that day (at least, yet), and no one from the host club had shown up at all. Yup. It was looking up to be a much brighter day than the one before. She could pretend she had never gotten into the whole mess of her past- at least for today. She could just relax…let her mind calm down. She would deal with it again. After all, she had to. But Haruhi wanted to push that day away for as long as she could.

Haruhi sighed in relief, at the very thought of being able to be stress-free that night, until she turned the final corner. She could see a figure leaning against the wall around her house, and as she drew closer, she knew exactly who it was. Standing only a few yards away now, it was obvious. The look of complete confidence glued to his face. The "I'm-better-than-you" aura. The girl who mouthed the words "oh my God" as she stared at him in awe. Yes. Haruhi knew without a doubt- it was Kyouya.

"Ah, Haruhi, there you are," he said, removing himself from the wall, to stand up straight. Haruhi stared at him in wonder.

"That's it?" she asked, "We haven't seen each other in ten years and that's all you have to say…? Not 'hi' or 'how've you been'? Nothing like that?"

"Well, I don't see why I should, after all, I believe I've been keeping well up to date with your activities. For the most part anyway," Kyouya informed her, leaving poor Haruhi a little frightened, "Which reminds me, I'm terribly sorry about that fall semester your junior year of college. Tragic." Haruhi took a moment to remember what he was talking about before freezing up.

"H-how did you know about that?" she stuttered, trembling furiously. If he knew, how many others knew too…?

"Oh, I have my sources," he finished, fixing his glasses to add to the "knowing" look, "Now, I hope I'm not intruding on anything, but I have important matters to discuss with you."

"I guess you're not…not really…but…" Haruhi started quietly, not wanting to sound rude, but the bad feeling in her gut told her talking to Kyouya about "important matters" is exactly what she had been hoping to avoid that day.

"Good," Kyouya cut her off, "May I?" He nodded towards the house.

"Of course…of course…" Haruhi sighed, walking up to the door first to unlock it, "Make yourself at home…" Her lack of enthusiasm was apparent but it didn't seem to bother Kyouya. As long as he finished whatever business he needed to attend to, it seemed he was satisfied.

Haruhi walked in first, just to hint to him once more that she didn't really want visitors that day- even if it was a friend who she hadn't seen or been in contact with for ten years- though, apparently, he had. It still greatly confused and horrified Haruhi.

"Have a seat," Haruhi said, forgetting any welcoming emotion, throwing a hand towards the couch, "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"I've heard about a recent interaction between you and Hikaru-" Kyouya began, but Haruhi's sudden, fearful yelling interrupted him.

"You heard about the kiss?! How much of my life do you know?!" she shouted, the trembling returning.

"Actually, I didn't know about it," Kyouya informed plainly, taking the seat offered to him, "But thank you for telling me. It makes things much easier." Haruhi wanted to collapse right there on the floor- halfway to the couch. Her knees were about ready to give out, but she held strong till the end and settled with falling back onto the opposite end of the couch from where Kyouya was sitting.

"In regards to this event," he went on, "I'm afraid I wasn't able to catch your reaction to this when being told."

"You came to visit me just for that…?" Haruhi asked, nearing shock. She should've known it would be for something like that. Tamaki saw the whole thing. Tamaki knew Kyouya. Tamaki talked to Kyouya. Of course the infamous Shadow King would find out- some way or the other, and of course he would be here to discuss something ridiculous like that with her.

"Of course," Kyouya stated, flicking his eyes around the room, perhaps the only sign that he was even a little interested in Haruhi's life now, "It's in everyone's best interest to know how you feel towards Hikaru and his confession. Particularly mine."

"How does this concern you at all?!" Haruhi almost yelled, but was too exhausted to raise her voice to "maximum power." Kyouya stayed silent, waiting for an answer. Haruhi sighed and leaned her head back.

"How many people find out if I tell you?" she asked.

"Is it really something that needs to remain hidden?"

"Right now, yes. I still need to think it over."

"All right. It stays with me alone until you tell someone else."

Haruhi thought it over before agreeing somewhat reluctantly. Of course Kyouya was going to turn it into a deal of some kind, this was probably the best offer she was going to get.

"I have one condition, though," Haruhi added, catching Kyouya's interest, "You need to tell me why you want to know. Because to be honest, it's a little weird…"

"Fair enough," Kyouya agreed, "You can say it's for a war I can't lose. You know how it goes, I presume. The side with the most information wins, correct?" Haruhi was left only more confused, but, once again, it was probably the best she was going to get for that moment.

"Well…" Haruhi began with hesitation, buying herself some time, "I…I'm not sure, really. About I feel. I…I think…I think I would accept Hikaru if…if I had never…" Kyouya glanced her way.

"If you had never…?" he repeated, becoming more intrigued and subtly excited with each word.

"If I had never…met Tamaki…" Haruhi finished, feeling her heart start to race as she said the name, "Hikaru's a really wonderful friend, but I just…I want him to be just that. A friend…" A smirk crossed Kyouya's shadowy face. He laughed softly, yet viciously. Haruhi would have felt a bit creeped out, but it was such a familiar feeling, it only made her smile now.

"There…is that what you were looking for?" she asked, looking over to the other end of the couch. She was shaking a little, unused to the feeling of sharing such emotions with others.

"It's exactly what I was looking for, thank you," Kyouya said, giving Haruhi a less malicious and actually borderline sweet smile.

"It feels kinda weird- you thanking me," Haruhi laughed, "It's not really something to be thanked for."

"Ah, but you don't understand the situation I'm in," Kyouya explained, "You have given me a great advantage. I am now confident I will win."

"Kay, that's not fair," Haruhi fought, "You need to tell me what this 'war' is. I told you thoughts my dad doesn't even know yet, I think you could have the courtesy to tell me what this ridiculous 'battle' you're fighting is all about and who it's against." Kyouya pretended to think it over, but his quick rejection made it rather obvious he hadn't thought anything over.

"Well, I suppose I need to be on my way now," he began, preparing to stand up, but was stopped by a picture on the table Haruhi had left sitting out.

"What?" Haruhi asked in confusion, wondering why he had stopped moving.

"Nothing, I just got a little distracted that's all."

"Were you looking at that picture?" Haruhi's voice suddenly leaped from hesitant and shaky to cheerful and nostalgic. "That was on our website wasn't it? That semester we tried to continue the Host Club without Mori and Hunny?"

"I should've known better than to try something like that," Kyouya sighed, "We lost a good amount of the customers due to their loss. Not only their customers either, their friends stopped attending as well. Really, I shouldn't have tried it."

"Well, they told us to right?" Haruhi said, trying to remember clearly, "It's not your fault that semester didn't work out. They were high school girls. Their behavior is unpredictable. I'd like to say I was one, but-" Haruhi laughed sheepishly. "-I'm not sure if I really count." Kyouya smiled almost invisibly before finishing what he began a brief conversation before and stood up.

"I don't want to trouble you any longer-" he started, but before the goodbye was finished, Haruhi jumped up, that happy expression still on her face, ready for more memories.

"Wait! Before you go, you have to see this picture I have! I just found this whole stack of pictures from Hunny and Mori's graduation week, and I found this one of-" Haruhi couldn't finish. A fit of childish laughter stopped her words as she reached for the box she had tripped over only a few days before. Kyouya let the invisible smile become noticeable and went over to where Haruhi was sitting on the floor, kneeling down next to her.

"I don't believe you ever finished telling me what the picture was of?" he asked, still trying to sound professional behind his obvious excitement for reminiscing.

"Oh, right, well," Haruhi began with a playful tone, "It's actually this hilarious one of you. I don't think I've ever seen you look so ridiculous…" She trailed off as she started laughing again. Her hands dug through the box of pictures, with Kyouya occasionally picking one up to ask her "why she had a picture like that", "who took this", or questions of that sort. It took no more than three pictures to have him laughing almost as loudly as Haruhi.

Yup, here I am once again, asking for suggestions, ideas- you know, anything you want to read. I'm starting to get to the point where I write things like this because I can't write an entire chapter that really furthers the main plot and, to be honest, I'd like to finish this baby! Woot! I can feel the end near (as I've said before) but I can't actually get there. Kinda like when you turn your light off at night, but your bed's all the way across the room and you realize "crap...I can't see where it is now..."... ...yeah...kinda like that...