Chapter 6:

Chapter 6, A Small Taste

Haruhi let out an annoyed groan. Ever since the meeting had ended, the twins hadn't left her alone about the ride she got to school or her necklace. It was starting to give her a headache and because of their constant questions, she wasn't able to focus on taking notes for class. The only reprieve she got from their questions was during lunch after she had left the classroom since she didn't share a class with them that period. As she walked down the hall towards her classroom she paused when she saw Nekozawa talking with Reiko.

"Hey Nekozawa-senpai, Reiko-san," she greeted calmly.

"Hello, Fujioka-senpai," Reiko returned.

"How are you doing, Fujioka-san?" Nekozawa questioned.

"I'm doing okay," she replied. "Just have a headache from the constant questions from Hikaru and Kaoru. And you can call me Haruhi."

"Do their questions pertain to the Shield you still have wrapped around your body?" Reiko asked, her eyes seeming to take a dull sheen.

Nekozawa looked at Haruhi quickly before his eyes narrowed. "Let us speak in a more quiet place."

Both girls nodded and went out towards the school gardens. Once there, the trio went to sit under one of the hidden marble gazebos in the rose gardens to continue their talk with a semblance of privacy.

"What causes you to carry such a shield?" Nekozawa asked once they were seated.

Haruhi took a breath before starting the long explanation of what happened that morning, not noticing that Reiko had begun to make small symbols on the table. Every now and then, Nekozawa would ask for a bit more detail on certain aspects of the situation as well as a few remarks on how well she handled herself. Once she was done, Nekozawa and Reiko sat in silence.

"You are well connected with your Companion, Haruhi-senpai," Reiko commented.

"Huh?" Haruhi looked at the girl confused.

"You have already established a mental connection to him. Such connections are hard to form, especially so early on in your lessons. It had taken a few years before I had such a connection to mine."

"Th-thanks...I think..."

"It is a compliment Haruhi-san," Nekozawa stated, hesitating slightly at saying her name. "As you may have guessed, Reiko-san has a companion and some skill with Arcana but not much. Though despite that, she is a very gifted Seer."

"Oh," Haruhi mumbled. "What is your companion?"

Reiko moved her sleeve up to show a small bracelet with a couple of charms on in and moved to show Haruhi one of the charms. At first glance, it looked like a rabbit but on closer inspection, it was a fox curled up.

"His name is Kiro," she explained. "He is a three-tailed fox at the moment. Foxes gain tails with each experience and skill they gain. The most they can gain are nine. Each tail is gained after a different set of trials have been completed."

Haruhi nodded in awe. "Wow. That's actually really cool. If you don't mind my asking, how do you have the knowledge of Arcana?"

"My family are the descendants of Gypsies."

"Typically," Nekozawa began. "Gypsy Clans don't use or have Arcana. Their Magic is more like that of the Fae, more druidic than anything else. Bound in Nature and Art rather than the other forms. Reiko's ancestors lived in Romania until the dawn of the 1800s. After that, they began to leave and spread around the world. Some of them came here and gained a slow but steady understanding of the way Arcana is used here in Japan. Once learned, some trained their descendants in the art of Arcana while others remained true to their roots in the Old Magic."

Haruhi nodded and glanced at her watch. "We have been talking for a while...but my watch hasn't moved...did it break?"

Reiko shook her head. "No. I placed a temporal wall around us the moment we sat down."

"Huh?"

"In simple terms, I made time flow differently around us so we could talk in depth without the fear of running out of time."

"Oh," Haruhi utter amazed. "That's a handy thing to know."

"Useful," Nekozawa stated. "But exhausting. Reiko can only hold it up for so long and she is unable to do any other magics while containing a Temporal wall."

Haruhi nodded. "How much longer can you hold it?"

"I can hold this wall for at most three hours," Reiko replied. "The more I practice with it, the longer I can hold it. We have only used 45 minutes."

"I see. Mind if we keep talking until the wall needs to come down? I'd like to know how you've been doing and could honestly use the break away from everything else."

Reiko nodded with a small smile and the trio continued talking, pausing only to eat what lunch they had brought with them. In that discussion, Haruhi had learned a fair bit more about Reiko and Nekozawa. From the last time she spoke with the young Black Magic practitioner, she had learned that Reiko and Hunny had found a better relationship with each other as friends rather than love interests and that she knew a combination of the Old Gypsy Magic and Arcana. She was also able to wield the two interchangeably at a moments notice. Reiko was also on par with Nekozawa when it came to Reading and actually had their senpai beat when it came to Scrying since it was her people that had originally developed the connection to the Psychic Arts. Haruhi also noticed, but didn't voice aloud, that Nekozawa and Reiko would seem to glance at each other secretly when they thought the other wasn't looking. Or would slightly over lap their hands before gently pulling apart.

Soon the conversation turned to their companions and the bonds between them. Nekozawa began explaining the mental connection as somewhat of a telepathic dialog with the companion and that she didn't need to speak aloud when she wanted to talk to Qurdox if she didn't want anyone else to know, all she had to do was focus on the hum of his aura and speak in her mind. Haruhi took in the all of the information shared between them like a sponge sucking up water. Soon, though, it became apparent that Reiko was getting tired and about to fall over.

"That is enough for now Reiko," Nekozawa stated, placing a gentle hand on the girls shoulder. "Let it down and rest."

The girl nodded letting the wall fall and Reiko seemed to slump in her seat before leaning against Nekozawa's shoulder. Haruhi placed a hand on her other shoulder and smiled encouragingly.

"You did well Reiko-san."

Reiko gave a soft smile and a nod. "Thank you Haruhi-senpai."

"I think I said something about you being able to call me just Haruhi," she stated with a laugh. "We're friends after all."

Reiko looked at the natural host with surprised eyes but smiled. "Of course."

"I will see you after you have finished with the Host club this afternoon Haruhi," Nekozawa spoke.

"Okay," Haruhi replied.

"A warning for you Haruhi-san," Reiko spoke before she could walk away. "Be wary of sharp objects during your activities today. Should blood be drawn, you will be shown a world in which you are not yet fully able to understand, but do not fear it. The one to show you that world will guide you with patience, kindness and love."

Giving a small wave at the two Black Magic practitioners, Haruhi left with a slight smile, despite the cryptic worlds of Reiko, and no headache. She mentally filed away what was said to study later.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Kyoya felt his ire rising as Tamaki continued on and on about how it wasn't fair that no one told him about Haruhi arriving early. He had wanted to give her a ride to school that morning and had gone over to pick her up but no one was there. It had taken his chauffeur reminding him that he was going to be late if he didn't come back to the car to continue on. When he asked Kyoya about it, he replied that he had brought her to school early to talk with her about something. When Tamaki pressed to know more, he answered with "If she wants you to know, she will tell you. If not, don't pressure her."

Tamaki began to pout and had to be reminded several times that they were in class and couldn't start growing mushrooms in a dark corner of the classroom or throw a hissy fit since he wasn't getting what he wanted. By the time lunch came around, Kyoya had a major migraine courtesy of Tamaki. He took a deep breath and began trying to list the reasons as to why killing the blond was a bad idea. As the bell for lunch rang, Tamaki grabbed Kyoya by the arm and began to drag him through the halls looking for Haruhi.

"Tamaki," Kyoya warned. "Let go of me or else."

"But mommy," Tamaki whined. "We need to sit with our daughter. We haven't eaten together for a long time and Haruhi wants to eat with her daddy!"

"When exactly was this said?"

Tamaki looked at Kyoya sheepishly. "She...hasn't said it yet...but daddy knows that she wants to!"

Kyoya leveled a withering glare at Tamaki and took his arm back, "I have better things to do than run around the school with you looking for Haruhi."

Before Tamaki could offer any argument, Kyoya's phone rang. On the other end was Tachibana with his report on what was learned from the captive Shadow as well as the report from the Void in Haruhi's apartment. The Shadow that was in captivity had been thoroughly dissected and examined. Unfortunately, there was no trace of the Caster's Magic used to create it left in its body. Such a result usually meant that the Shadow in question had outlived its summoner and was rogue since it wasn't dismissed from the contract binding it to service. Which wasn't a pleasant scenario to consider at the moment. Shadows with no master could walk along a new one without having a connection to them and rogues had no loyalty to anyone but would give information freely if the one asking was able to strike a bargain. Since this one shared nothing, whatever was being offered to it for secrecy was something it either really wanted or needed. As for the apartment, something tried to reenter the residence but was unable to enter due to the oppressive aura of the Void and Mori's bat familiar. The bat took off after what had tried to enter and was still following it closely. From what they could gather prior to the chase starting, the Void had placed a tracking Rune on the small creature for their benefit.

"Good," Kyoya replied. "Keep me informed."

"Yes, sir," Tachibana replied before hanging up.

"Kyoya," Tamaki trilled in Kyoya's ear. "Why do you have something at Haruhi's house? Did something happen to her? What happened?!"

"If she wants you to know, she'll tell you. It is not my place to say."

"But something happened at Haruhi's! We need to make sure she is okay!"

Before Kyoya could say anything, Tamaki had taken his phone and started to make a call to what he assumed was Haruhi's phone. Kyoya tried to take it back but when Tamaki didn't get an answer, he went into "daddy panic mode" due to his "inner mind theater" and started to run down the hall like a madman. Growling darkly, Kyoya ran after him. That moron better not ruin my phone, he thought darkly. Otherwise there will be dire consequences.

To onlookers, it would seem that Tamaki and Kyoya were trying to get somewhere quickly, most likely important; while in actuality, Tamaki was running around looking for Haruhi and Kyoya was following so he could get his phone back as well as give the idiot blond a piece of his mind. Their little marathon took them outside on the paths that would end up in the school gardens. As Tamaki rounded a corner, something collided with him, causing him to loose his grip on Kyoya's phone, and both he and what he ran into fell to the ground.

Tamaki shook his head to clear the dizziness of the collision and saw the object he was searching for. "Haruhi!"

Rubbing her head, Haruhi groan not only in pain but in annoyance when she heard a shrill yell of her name. Looking up, she groaned again at the sight of Tamaki's exuberant smile and overly tear-filled eyes.

"Haruhi, daddy's been looking for you everywhere! Mommy got a call earlier saying something happened at your house and we wanted to make sure you were okay!" Tamaki yelled as he pulled Haruhi into a crushing embrace.

Haruhi was about to yell at Tamaki to let her go but looking behind him made her freeze in fear. She looked on in terror as tendrils of darkness started to swirl around Kyoya, his eyes glowing a dark purple and the markings she originally saw just on his forearms rising slowly up to his face.

When Tamaki didn't get any response from Haruhi, he pulled back and saw the look of pure dread on her face and gulped. He had forgotten that Kyoya was following him and when he looked around, he saw that Kyoya's phone was nowhere near him. Glancing behind Haruhi, he saw one of the ponds that decorated the school gardens and felt dread seep into his body. Slowly turning around, he quickly let out a yelp and tried to hide behind Haruhi but something threw him back.

Sensing the rising malice in the air, Qurdox reformed himself into his living body and wrapped around his Summoner. Although he knew the Shield she had created this morning still stood and would still stand for another two hours, it wouldn't hold very long against an angry half-demon Dark Mage. Wrapping around Haruhi's small body, he let out a low growl in warning. He would rather not have to hurt the young Mage as he was a friend of his Summoner, but he would if it came to that.

"Tamaki," Kyoya growled darkly, his voice almost unrecognizable. "You will pay for that."

"It...it was an a-accident mommy," Tamaki whimpered.

"Accident or not, you still owe me a new phone."

Tamaki let out an audible gulp. Moving back slightly as Kyoya advanced, his back hit the wall of the pond and when he glanced over his shoulder, he began to pale. Sitting at the bottom of the pond, with a few koi swimming around it in curiosity, was Kyoya's phone. Sending a silent prayer to the heavens that Kyoya would be merciful, he turned and let out a shriek as two Void moved over to him and hoisted him up in the air.

"Qurdox," Haruhi called quietly. "Is there a way to calm Kyoya-senpai down? "

"There is not, little one," Qurdox replied. "His ire must be soothed by his own means. And though it is strong, it does not indicate that the young one will be hurt too harshly. "

"Knowing Kyoya-senpai, he will be giving Tamaki a lecture about taking someone's things and about boundaries. "

For the next ten minutes, Haruhi watched as Kyoya did just as she had predicted, while still surrounded by darkness. Qurdox would coil around her tighter when one of the tendrils would lash out but would retract when it got too close to them and would either hit Tamaki or pull back to wrap around Kyoya. After Kyoya was finished, he turned slightly and paused.

To his Void infused eyes, everything was different. If something had any faint trace of Arcana or purity on or in it, it would glow at varying degrees depending on how much was there. When he glanced at Haruhi, he had to resist the urge to shield his eyes. The glow around her was nearly as bright as the sun and just as golden. Around her was a coil of blue-green light that seemed to move like the waves on a beach which he assumed was her dragon Qurdox.

He closed his eyes and began to pull his Darkness back into himself, which was a bit of a challenge because he was still pretty angry with a certain blond but he could hear Tamaki's whimpers and pleading for forgiveness and mercy. Once most of it was pulled back, i.e. the lashing tendrils, his marks and eyes, he took another look at Haruhi and felt a pang of regret shoot into his chest. She's terrified, he observed. Terrified of what she saw. His eyes flicked over to Qurdox's golden and saw the warning. He came to shield her from my anger.

"Apologies," Kyoya stated with a slight bow. "My anger wasn't towards your Summoner but at a certain baka who doesn't respect a person's property nor personal space."

Qurdox coiled once around Haruhi before nodding and returning to a necklace. Haruhi slowly stood and brushed her pants off.

"Are you okay, Kyoya-senpai?" she asked tentatively.

"I will be," he replied. "May I use your phone to make a call?"

Haruhi nodded and gave Kyoya her phone. She watched as he quickly typed a number and began giving orders to who she believed was Tachibana. She stood quietly near by until she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Instead of just turning to investigate, she acted first.

"እንድታገል ( iniditageli ),"* she muttered quietly.

Hearing a stunned wail, she turned as saw Tamaki frozen in place. She gave him a blank look and looked back at Kyoya. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw a small but definite smirk as he spoke on the phone. Once Kyoya had hung up, he gave Haruhi back her phone.

"I am sorry you had to see such a display," Kyoya said to her. "Normally I have better control than that."

"I don't blame you," Haruhi stated. "Tamaki-senpai needed that lecture. I just hope it sticks, though he probably will need it again at some point."

"Unfortunately, you may be right. By the way, that is a good use for such a spell."

Haruhi could hear the mirth in Kyoya's voice as he spoke and she glanced at a paling Tamaki. "I read it in one of my mother's notebook on one of the Tomes she left behind for me. Seemed like something worth trying."

Kyoya nodded. "Indeed but, I am curious. That spell is in Level 3 Conjuring."

Haruhi shrugged. "I'm not sure why all of this comes so quickly to me but I'm not second guessing it. I'm just glad that it works."

"Just don't let it get to your head," Kyoya stated. "Not that I think it would given how you are."

Haruhi nodded and looked at her watch. "I'll see you later. Lunch is about to end."

"Haruhi," Kyoya called with a chuckle. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Haruhi paused and snickered. "Are you sure you want me to let him go? He did make your phone go into the pond. Who knows what he may send next."

Kyoya chuckled. "True but if he isn't in class for our test, I'll have to hear him whine and complain until he gets to take the make up exam."

After a few moments of thought, Haruhi conceded. "መልቀቅ ( melik'ek'i )."*

Since Tamaki no longer had the restraint of Haruhi's spell, his struggle to move despite it sent him flailing on to his face once he was released. Sitting up in shock, he tried to piece it all together in his head as Haruhi ran off with a wave.

"Mommy?" Tamaki asked.

"Come on you moron," Kyoya sighed. "We have a test in out next class and if we don't hurry, we won't have some time to review first."

Picking Tamaki up by the collar of his shirt, Kyoya once again found himself dragging his best friend through the halls.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur for Haruhi after that informative and eventful lunch. She still had to deal with Hikaru and Kaoru asking questions left and right but she managed to ignore them for the most part. Once the bell had rung, signaling the end of class, Haruhi allowed the twins to rush her towards the clubroom. On the way, she gave small little bits of explanation about Qurdox without actually telling them much of anything, much to their dismay. Once inside the club room, Haruhi paused to see Tamaki cowering in a corner, Hunny sitting at one of the tables eating a piece of cake and Mori sitting next to him doing what she assumed was homework from the University.

"Hey Hunny-senpai, Mori-senpai," Haruhi stated with a wave.

Hunny smiled and waved back and Mori nodded in greeting before going back to what he was doing. She walked over to the back room and placed her bag down before heading to the kitchen to get everything ready for club. As she was about to cut a few cakes so that they had ready slices for the guests, Reiko's warning came to mind, causing her to pause for a moment. Her hand hovered over the knife and she shook her head. As long as she was aware of her surroundings and kept her free hand away from the blade, she should be fine but she cut a few more cakes than normal just in case. Once that was done, she began to brew the tea as well as coffee and put it in some of the pots.

She had just placed the last set of cups on the cart when she heard a faint knock on the frame of the kitchen door. Turning, she saw Kaoru standing there with a smile.

"Time to get dressed for today's theme," he smirked.

"We are doing English nobles, right?" she asked.

"Sort of. Each of us is going to be dressed like nobles again but from different countries. Tono is going to be a French Noblemen, Kyoya-senpai is going to be English, Hikaru and I will be Spaniards, Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai will be Russian and Romanian and you are going to be Roman."

"Why so many differences?"

"Because those nations, with exception of Russia and Romania have had a history of Pirates for the theme on Friday. Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai will actually be Soldiers of the Royal Navy against the pirates. You can join them if you want. We had thought about making Kyoya-senpai one but decided that he would make a better Governor or other kind of high up official."

"Sure," Haruhi shrugged. "It would actually even things out if you, Hikaru and Tamaki-senpai were the pirates."

Kaoru nodded. "Okay. Here's your costume."

Haruhi took the clothing bag and left to go change into the clothes given. She had a rough idea as to what they would look like since they had once done a Greek theme in the past. When she got into the changing room, she opened the bag and saw that her costume was similar to what was worn by actors portraying Julius Caesar in movies and historical documentaries. She slowly pulled everything on and sighed. Some times these guys are too over the top, she thought bemused. But I wouldn't want them any other way.

She walked out just as Hunny and Mori walked in and smiled.

"Wow, Haru-chan," Hunny exclaimed. "You look just like Caesar from the history books and movies!"

"I think that is where Hikaru and Kauro got the design," she muttered.

Hunny just smiled and waved as she walked out. Once she left, his smile fell.

"Takashi," he said quietly. "Has your Summon returned yet?"

"Not yet," the stoic host replied. "He has told me where he was led and what has been heard."

"Is Haru-chan in danger?"

Mori nodded and he saw his cousin's eyes flash crimson momentarily. "Whoever is after her, for whatever reason, will know the meaning of pain if she cries."

"Ah," Mori agreed.

Both changed quickly into their outfits before heading out to join Haruhi while the others dressed as well.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

As hosting hours continued, Haruhi slowly began to feel a sense of dread seep into her. Looking around subtly, she couldn't really see anything out of the ordinary. Everyone was having a good time and nothing seemed out of place.

"Qurdox," she called silently. "Something feels wrong but I'm not sure what."

"I feel it as well, little one," he responded. "It also appears as we are not the only ones. The Young Void and the two Vampires seem to have sensed it as well. I recommend that the next moment of freedom you have, go near either one of them."

Haruhi gave a smile to the current group she was hosting as they gave their goodbyes. She glanced at her list and sighed when she saw none for the next few moments. This will allow me to head near the others, she thought relieved. She stood and went into the kitchen to get one of the refill carts and began pushing it around, stopping by Kyoya's table first. It was rare but not uncommon for him to have requests, today was one of the rare few days that he did have customers.

When she arrived, Kyoya gave her a silent nod. The look in his eyes stated that he felt something as well. Under the table, he motioned for one of his Void to blend to her shadow as the shield she had placed on herself that morning had worn off just before hours started. Thanking her for the fresh tea, he went back to his guests with a small smile. She slowly worked her way around the room but the feeling of unease remained. She tried to push it out of her mind as she approached the last table.

"Hey Hunny-senpai," Haruhi stated with a smile. "Would you and your guests like more tea and cake?"

Hunny nodded enthusiastically and a couple of his guests did as well. Since there were no more cakes already sliced, despite her earlier preparations, Haruhi had to cut the one she had on the tray. She smiled as some of the girls spoke to her but kept her focus on cutting the cake. Unseen by Haruhi and the guests, the twins were joking around with a group of girls and slowly getting closer to where she was. Since they weren't really paying much attention, they bumped into her causing her to cut one of her fingers on the edge of the knife as she was about to make another slice into the strawberry cake.

The scent of blood hit both Hunny and Mori's noses at different times. Mori caught the scent first as he was closer to Haruhi and reacted faster. Hunny turned when he saw his cousin move out of the corner of his eye. Mori took the hand with the bleeding appendage quickly and placed his mouth over the cut to slow the blood flow.

Haruhi's eyes went wide as a small jolt went through her and straight to her core as she felt Qurdox pulse under her robes while the girls cried out "Moe". She felt another pulse deep in her being when she felt Mori's tongue graze over her cut. Her heart began to beat a bit faster and a small blush began to form across her cheeks as everything else seemed to drone out. All she could do was feel her heart pounding, Qurdox pulsing against her chest, and a strange warmth begin to seep into her core.

For Mori, his response was nearly the same as Haruhi's. The sound around him seemed to die out and only what was between him and the small female in front of him existed. Since the knife she was cut by still had traces of frosting from the cakes, the sweetness of that along with the tang of her blood nearly made him moan. He felt his control slipping bit by bit as he slid his tongue along the cut and could feel the slight tremors in Haruhi's body as he did so. Her blood had the taste of raw power, and the faint sweetness of the frosting. Her skin itself was like ripe strawberries and cream.

Soon the moment was broken when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Pulling back, he faintly saw Kyoya take Haruhi's hand and use some disinfectant before placing a bandage on it. Turning he saw the concern in his cousins eyes and faintly heard the twins and Tamaki asking if Haruhi was okay.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "It's just a little nick. I'll be fine."

Glancing at the twins, Kyoya spoke with a slight edge. "Be more careful next time and pay attention to your surroundings. Be grateful it was just a small cut and not her whole finger."

Hikaru and Kaoru cringed. "We're sorry, Haruhi."

"It's okay you guys," she replied. "Just pay better attention."

They both nodded and Kaoru took the knife to the kitchen to be washed and get a new one. Hikaru apologized again to Haruhi and offered to get a different cake for Hunny and his guests, who agreed and began asking if Haruhi was okay.

"I'm fine," she stated. "It's not the first time I cut myself with a knife. That tends to happen when you're cooking and get distracted. It will heal and be fine in a couple of days."

The girls nodded and continued to talk to Haruhi as well as Hunny and Mori. Every so often, Hunny would glance at his cousin to see how he was holding up. Mori's outward expression was calm and as if nothing happened but Hunny could see that the little taste he had, had changed him slightly. There was a brightness to his eyes that he'd only really seen in their parents. I better keep an eye on Takashi and Haru-chan, he thought worriedly. I should also ask our parents what this might mean. I hope nothing bad.

A/N: Spell translations.

እንድታገል = Immobilize ( iniditageli )

መልቀቅ = Release ( melik'ek'i )