A/N: A lot of you were curious about what was going on with Haruhi, and you will find out the truth in this chapter, and it may shed light into some of her other decisions. I will say that this was not part of the original plan, but as usual things happen and I wind up changing something about the story… in this case a major part. Originally she was going to go off and do an internship or something, but I decided that has been done before and is currently happening in my story Please. So, I decided to change it up a bit, but it still fits with what I have written so far. Sorry now for drama. Enjoy!

PS… The polls are closed and here are the results. The top three were Kyoya with 43 votes, Mori with 30 votes, and Hunny with 7 votes. As such, Kyoya will get a Christmas story and Mori will get the New Year's story. Thank you to everyone that voted!

Chapter 26 – Full Disclosure - Kyoya

"You know, you should probably tell them," Satoshi spoke soft and soothingly knowing that his girlfriend was concerned about the future.

Shaking her head, her face brushed against his soft shirt and she said, "You know what will happen when they find out? I don't think I can deal with them like that. I don't want their pity or for them to treat my father differently. He wouldn't want that either."

"Haruhi, I don't think they are going to pity you or do anything to your dad. I think they will worry and do everything they possibly can to help him get better and to help you get through this, but I don't think they will treat either of you different or look down upon you. Have they ever?"

The brunette pulled back, her eyes wide with shock as she retorted, "Yes, they have! When I started at Ouran, they always felt sorry for me because I was a commoner. When they found out I had never tried ootoro…" She shuddered, "It was still a while before I actually got some, but they made the biggest fuss about it. No thank you." Apparently he didn't notice how the others treated her when she hadn't tried something they had all experienced at least a million times in their lives.

"That was then. This is now. I don't think they will treat you any differently. They are your friends, and if nothing else, they can be there for you and support you. You don't have to go through this alone."

"I'm not alone. I have you."

"Haruhi…" Satoshi sighed. It had been a long standing argument between them. Running a hand through his hair, he dropped it and lifted her chin so that she was looking at him in the eye, "You do realize that Kyoya-senpai probably already knows."

"Possible, but if he did, I think he would have said something to me by now."

"Haruhi…"

She put her hand over his mouth to stop him from saying anything else and asked, "Please? Can we not talk about this right now?"

Leaning down he captured her lips in a kiss and then pulled back ever so slightly, "Fine, but this isn't over yet."

One of the things she loved about Satoshi was his dogged personality, but in this case, she really wished he would drop it. She was afraid, and if she told the others it would make it all that much more real. Too many things were about to change and her mind was aflutter about what to do about everything, and that included her schooling. Taking a semester off wouldn't necessarily hurt her, but it would prolong her time in school, which would increase the time it would take for her to get a job, which would mean that it would take longer before she could support her father. Yes, her father. He had been supporting her and trying to take care of her since she was a little girl… of course the best of intentions with Ranka usually meant that Haruhi ended up taking care of him more than he her; and that was alright. It worked for them.

Breaking away from his embrace, she went to the sink and started washing the dishes. As much as she may not want to face it or admit it, Satoshi was right. It wasn't over yet. She had choices to make and one of them was whether to tell her friends the truth or not, to tell them exactly what has happened over the last year. Part of her wanted to keep it hidden in order to avoid the worry and panic, and yet, she knew it was wrong to keep a secret such as this to herself.

Silently the couple washed the dishes one by one, no words were spoken, both lost in thought, and when the last cup was washed, dried, and put away, Satoshi brushed his fingers over her cheek, "If anything were to happen… They need to know."

"I know they do, but you heard the doctor. This has become a routine procedure and everything will be fine."

"Haruhi…"

"Satoshi…"

"I've never known you to be a coward. They would want to know so that they can help, and if you or I aren't a match, maybe one of them is."

That was something she had thought about more than once, and yet, she didn't want to have to ask them for something so monumental. Just asking would spill the beans and open the doors to a lot of questions. Was she ready for the interrogation that would follow? Still, she knew he was right, and that didn't sit well with her. She hated someone else pointing out the obvious to her when tried so hard to pretend it didn't exist: the elephant in the room. "Can I get through my test on Monday first?" She finally relented with a sigh.

"Already picturing in my head how they will react… yes."

Giggling, she said, "I think you've been around Tamaki too long if you are letting your inner mind theatre influence you."

"Don't pretend it isn't doing the same to you," he quipped and pulled her back into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "When will your dad be back?"

"Next week Sunday. I told him to go and relax. I think he needed to get away for a little bit. He needs to think about himself for a change."

"He cares about his daughter."

"I know, but I am fine. He isn't."

"Why don't we invite everyone over to my house next weekend for a dinner party? That way we don't disturb your neighbors. I do recommend telling Taka-bro, Mitsukuni, and Yasuchika beforehand so they can help control the craziness."

"If we talk to them, we may as well include Kyoya-senpai in the conversation."

"Or we can talk to him first and have him there for the discussion with my brother and cousins."

"I'm surprised you haven't told Mori-senpai yet."

"Nope. You told me to keep it from the hosts and so I didn't tell him. My parents know, but that is because your father talked to them in case anything were to happen to him."

"I know he did!" She groaned, remembering when they found out, the Morinozuka parents made a big fuss. Luckily Mori had been at Hunny's house that day.

"He's just worried."

"So I guess we can call Kyoya-senpai and invite him back over this weekend… if he's available," she murmured. This was not a conversation she wanted to have with anyone, but it needed to be done.

As it turned out, Kyoya was able to come over to Haruhi's apartment that very night, much to the brunette's chagrin. There went her plan of pretending all was right in her world, at least in front of her friends. Once this discussion was done there was no more running or pretending, she had to face it head on.

When Kyoya had received the call from Satoshi asking if he could come over without the others, he knew it had to be something important, and he had an idea what it referred to. No one had missed her odd behavior during breakfast, and the Shadow King was certain this dinner invitation had something to do with that, and he had an inkling about what it entailed. Contrary to popular belief, he did not know everything. He as not all seeing and all knowing, and as much as he wanted to, he did not hack into his family hospital's computer system; however, he had seen the bruising on Ranka's arms and had seen a change come over Haruhi, and if he was right, then this was serious indeed. That being said, he did know a few things. Haruhi had called for an ambulance to take Ranka to the hospital almost two years ago. Supposedly everything was fine, but he could tell he wasn't being given the entire truth. When he asked his older brother, Yuuichi about it, Kyoya had been informed he as not authorized to obtain that information. Since then, the Fujioka patriarch has been to the hospital a number of times. And then suddenly, Haruhi decided she wanted more than to settle about a year ago and broke up with Tamaki. The bespectacled man always wondered if that had something to do with her father's illness. Time and time again, he had to stop himself from asking her, from hacking the computers, and from demanding Ranka tell him. Was the situation so serious now that she was ready to talk? If so, he would listen.

Sitting at the table he had crowded around with the others that very morning, Kyoya studied the girl picking at the food she had graciously made for them, Satoshi sitting at her side like the protector and lover he was. "Haruhi," Kyoya began and when she lifted her head to give him her attention, he asked, "Why did you call me here? Not that I don't appreciate your cooking, but it is more than apparent that I am not here just for a social visit. If that were the case, you would have invited everyone else as well."

The brunette glared at her boyfriend when he poked her in the ribs as she kept silent. Studying the man across from her, she finally spoke, "How much do you know Kyoya-senpai?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I know you and I know you know something, so how much?"

Kyoya couldn't help but grin at her candor and said, "I only know that your father was admitted into the hospital two years ago and has since been back a number of times… more than the norm for someone of his age and health."

"Former health," she grumbled under her breath.

"Excuse me? What was that, Haruhi?"

Glancing up at Satoshi for a second, she grabbed his hand and held tightly before returning her stare to Kyoya and explained, "What I'm about to say, no one else knows with the exception of my father, Satoshi, and his parents. Well, and the medical team."

"Understood," Kyoya nodded, pushing up his glasses with his finger, his interest piqued, or should I say piqued further since he had been curious for a while now.

Satoshi squeezed his girlfriend's hand in encouragement. He knew this was difficult for her because there would be a lot of questions. Why did she hide it? How did she keep it from Tamaki and the others? What is going to happen next? And on and on.

She felt reassured by her boyfriend's presence and continued, "You were right. A couple of years ago, my dad was rushed to the emergency room and he was admitted for a few days. You and most of the other guys even visited before he had been released. Tamaki tried, but never actually made it into the room. I let everyone believe that was the end of it and everything was fine." Clearing her throat, she continued, "While in the hospital, it was discovered that he had kidney disease. He was immediately put on medicine and was told that he could still live a normal life. Well, you know how Tamaki can be, I didn't want to deal with that and kept it to myself. About the time I broke up with him, we found out that the disease had progressed, but was still manageable and the doctors changed some of his meds to stop the progression. I didn't want to live my life with regrets and I knew staying with him would be a gigantic regret for both of us… even if he didn't agree at the time."

"The bruising… I noticed it one day on your father's arms when I met him for tea about a month ago. Dialysis? Normally kidney disease doesn't progress that quickly, as long as you take care of yourself," Kyoya stated, a silent question passing between them.

"Not usually, no, but sometimes it can regardless of what you do to stop it, however, my father also ignored some of the warning signs and waited to go to the doctor, which is why I had to call an ambulance. The meds did not stop the progression of the disease and he was allergic to a couple of the new meds. So about a month and a half ago, he started dialysis."

"Why are you choosing to disclose everything to me now?"

"When he had to start dialysis, the doctors told us to think about a transplant. My dad didn't want to do it because he didn't want this to affect me, and he was afraid that I would be his only match. After a lot of arguing, he finally agreed and they are testing me to see if I'm a match. Satoshi was with us and is being tested as well. I honestly didn't want to tell everyone, but it is getting to the point that it has progressed and is much more serious. I know he has wanted to tell you and the only reason he didn't is because I asked him not to. I didn't want anyone to treat us differently or to hover. I didn't want Tamaki to freak out. I know he would have and when I pictured telling him, I kept imagining him forcing me to marry him in order to ensure my father I had someone to take care of me."

"When you broke up with him…?"

"I had heard my father talking to my mother. I kept thinking what if it was me with a serious illness. We never know when our last breath will come. One thought let to another and I had to ask myself, would I regret anything if I carried on the way I was? There was only one thing I would truly regret: staying with Tamaki. I couldn't do it, and so I broke up with him. My dad regrets not having longer with my mom, and when I thought about it… really thought about it, I couldn't have said the same thing for Tamaki. I would miss him, but I wasn't sure I would regret not enough time as a couple. I know that sounds harsh, but…" Her voice tapered off and she dropped her gaze to her lap.

"When did Satoshi find out?"

Knowing his girlfriend was close to breaking down, Satoshi answered, "I came over one day about three months ago in order to pick Haruhi up for a date and Ranka was really sick. I helped her take him to the hospital. That was when she told me what was going on."

"How did your parents find out?"

"When they made the decision to start dialysis, he called them and asked them to take care of Haruhi if anything were to happen."

Kyoya sat there for a while, the silence a thick blanket surrounding them before he said, "I still don't understand why you kept this from us. We could have helped, however, you are who you are and I know you don't always like to ask for help or to depend on others. We would never look down on you for something such as this."

His words stung and felt like a small slap in the face to Haruhi.

"That being said, I do understand your feelings about Tamaki and his… over reacting to most situations. What do you plan on doing now?"

"Will you be tested senpai?" Satoshi threw out the question before Haruhi could stop him.

"Satoshi!" Haruhi's head popped up and she looked from her boyfriend to her friend, "Sorry, Kyoya-senpai."

"If he hadn't asked, I would have suggested it anyway. Do you plan on telling the others?"

"Yes. We were going to tell Hunny-senpai, Mori-senpai, and Chika during the week after I take my upcoming test, and then next weekend Satoshi was going to invite everyone over to his house for dinner and we would tell everyone else at that time. He thought it would be best to tell certain people early for crowd control."

Chuckling, Kyoya nodded, "I would have to agree with him there." He turned serious and asked, "How is your father?"

"He is worried about me. I just wish he would worry more about himself. I told him he should take a trip, so he went to Karuizawa to help and visit Misuzu."

"He is a parent, so his first thoughts would be of you. They always have been," the Shadow King gave her a small smile. He couldn't say the same thing about his own parents, but he could vouch for Ranka. The patriarch had always put his little girl first and only wanted the best for her. "Why tell me before anyone?"

Satoshi scratched the back of his head, his expression sheepish when he explained, "We were hoping you could be there when we tell my family. Mitsukuni gets a little wound up sometimes and I think he would listen to you if you were there."

"He would also listen to Mori-senpai."

"Not always… not when he gets really worked up."

Nodding, Kyoya adjusted his glasses again and agreed, "Yes, I seem to recall a certain incident when he had a cavity in high school, and there was the whole Usa-Chan going to college argument."

"Exactly!" The couple exclaimed together.

"Alright, I will be there. Please inform me of the date and time for both meetings as soon as possible. Haruhi, I would also like to review your father's case if that is alright. I'm no doctor, but I do know a few things."

Haruhi smiled at her friend, "Thank you senpai. I'm sorry I didn't…"

Holding up his hand, Kyoya stopped her before she could say anything else, "I understand Haruhi, but please remember we are still your friends and are here for you when you need us. As the idiot says, we are a family."

"I know," she spoke softly, tears filling her eyes but not falling. Relief flooded her being as she released the long held secret, and now she wasn't even sure why she had kept it to herself for so long. Her friends would be there for her, and although they may coddle her a little more, be a little clingier, they were still her second family and loved her. She should have trusted them, something she would do going forward.

"Now, shall we finish dinner and discuss the upcoming events, or do we call it a night?"

Haruhi's smile grew, "Let's eat." She didn't know what would happen going forward. Her time would be split between school and her father, limiting her time with her friends, and maybe even cutting ties briefly so that she could care for her father. He would be her priority, however, she had a feeling they would never be far away; and at least now she would not just disappear from their lives without giving them a reason.