To Love in Darkness

by Asteral-Dreamer

In one moment, Haruhi's life changed. She learned that she could use magic and in the next she found out that there was a whole other world existing right next to the one she knew that she had only thought was in fairy tails. Now that she sees everything that was hidden from her, what will she do?

12. Chapter 12, A Moment of Peace

Chapter 12:

Chapter 12, A Moment of Peace

Haruhi looked at the sky and gave a soft sigh after rolling her neck slightly. Today had been interesting to say the least. Just yesterday she only had what could be counted as a moderate basis for living but now, now she was part of the elite. In the same social echelon as her friends. She let out another sigh and watched as the clouds floated by.

"Does it bother you? " Qurdox asked.

Haruhi looked into the tree she was laying under and saw her companion curled around one of the sakura branches like a snake. Giving him a soft smile she looked back towards the sky.

"It confuses me more than it bothers me," she replied. "I have spent my whole life as a commoner and I had only really thought that my life would only change just a little once I got a job. Maybe when if I got married but, I didn't expect it to change this much over the course of a few days."

"Life is full of changes. I had originally given up the thought of seeing my dear friend again. I am glad Trekiva is well. I have not seen him in several centuries. Very little time separates us."

"I thought you were older than him by four thousand years."

Qurdox let out a humorous rumble. "To a dragon, four millennia is a very short span of time and dragons similar to myself age much slower than the other dragons, hence our perceived immortality."

"What was Tora-sama like as a child? " Haruhi asked.

"You needn't use formality in reference to him. As for how he was, he was as he is now. He felt drawn to help others in any way he could. In times of old, it was giving Sanctuary to those fleeing the oppression of the other nations or the ruling lords of their territory, giving comfort to families torn by war or giving what medicine he could to the ill. Trekiva always had a strong sense of compassion for people and his appearance as a human made it so that others trusted him with little question."

"Was he happy helping people like that? "

"He felt a sense of accomplishment for being able to help those in need but, he felt sorrow that none tried to learn who he fully was. They just saw a noblemen who really wanted to help and was quite adept at doing so."

Haruhi looked down sadly. "Must have been lonely for him."

Qurdox looked down at his charge with sad eyes. He could tell that she felt a great deal of empathy for Trekiva since she went through roughly the same thing on a daily basis at school.

"Haruhi?"

Turning towards her name, she sat up as she saw Mori standing close by. He was dressed in a sleeveless vest with a white tank top underneath it. He also had on a set of dark blue jeans and some white tennis shoes. She gave him a soft smile, which he returned.

"May I join you?" He asked.

"Sure," she replied.

The smile on Mori's face got a little larger and he walked over. He took a seat next to Haruhi and leaned back against the Sakura tree. He glanced at her as she leaned back to look at the sky. The small smile on his face remained as he gently took Haruhi's arm and tugged her softly. She let out a small yelp as she fell against Mori's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back against the tree, taking her with him. After blinking in confusion a few times, Haruhi looked up. She noticed that she had a better view of the sky and didn't have as much of a kink in her neck from tilting her head back so far or sore arms from holding herself up. They continued to sit like this, listening to the breeze through the trees and the chimes on the walkways. Every now and then there would be the call of small birds singing to each other as well as the occasional tack of one of the bamboo fountains. Haruhi smiled softly and snuggled into Mori's chest as they sat there watching the sky and clouds.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Unknown to the two sitting under the Sakura tree, but known to the dragon lounging in the tree's branches, were several sets of eyes watching from different places. Kyoya, Hunny, Asuda and Trekiva sat in a small room with an open view of the two. Hunny had a large smile on his face while Kyoya, Asuda, and Trekiva had more subdued smiles. Kyoya cleared his throat and Trekiva turned his attention back to the young Dark Mage.

"As we were discussing," Kyoya began. "I help keep track of things for Haruhi and her father. I have since she joined the Host Club although it was for an entirely different reason then."

"The debt," Asuda spoke. "Did it actually take her nearly all of her first year to get rid of it on either aspect?"

"She actually reached Tamaki's required quota before she had the equivalent to pay off the yen debt. She was quite popular with the guests we had and managed to reach the one thousand quota rather quickly."

"So she only perceived the total changes?"

Kyoya nodded. "Yes. Had she asked me directly about her debt instead of trying to math it out herself, I would have told her the exact figures."

Trekiva let a small laugh. "You are a very cunning child, young Ootori. I can see why you have what you do. Does your parent even know how much control you have over him?"

"He does not. He thinks that he has a very generous partner in the Kage Company."

"And it is a well made company at that. There are many in my coven that wish to gain a partnership with you. Mostly sub-companies of my own and a few individual enterprises looking to make a good start. Asuda can give you their information if you would like, as well as my own thoughts about them."

"I am honored."

Trekiva nodded and Asuda handed Kyoya a set of files and began explaining everything they had on the different companies interested in his. While they were occupied, Trekiva and Hunny moved over to the window to watch Mori and Haruhi under the sakura tree.

"It is rare to see Takashi this happy," Hunny said softly. "Especially without me being around."

"The bond between you and your cousin is strong but the bond growing between those two is much stronger," Trekiva explained. "I wonder if she will Awaken her blood or remain as she is."

"Do you have any ideas what kind of changes Haru-chan will go through if she does?"

"It is up to her on how much she changes. With my own change, I did not wish to be bound by the need of Blood. Although I still need it as a basic necessity, I am capable of eating other things as well."

"They just need to be prepared certain ways, right? Takashi and I are like that but that is due to basic adaptation over time."

Trekiva smiled. "Do not undermine Natural Order and Evolution. As part of the need to blend in, those before you began to try and eat the food of humans. Over time, they gained an immunity to the methods used to make the food and passed it along. Now children like you and your cousin can eat as humans do without getting sick."

Hunny nodded and looked back to where his cousin and friend were seated. He was happy that they looked so peaceful, especially Mori. His cousin rarely was able to relax or open up around others, girls more often than not. They always seemed drawn to his stoic and quiet personality and it was always amplified when they were together. When they had started going to a mostly human school, it got a bit worse. Hunny used his naturally cute and hyper disposition to attract a majority of the attention but there was still some aimed at Mori. The biggest concern Hunny had for his cousin was his feeding habits. Mori would usually forgo eating to make sure that he had enough thus causing incidents like the one with Haruhi finding out.

"I hope Takashi starts eating a bit better," Hunny muttered.

"Does he have a hard time doing so?" Trekiva asked.

"No, Takashi eats fine. It's just that he will sometimes give me his packet so that I can be full. I've tried to tell him that I am fine with the packet I have but he usually wins that argument and I end up eating his as well."

"He wishes to make sure that you don't have a lapse at the cost of his own sanity."

Hunny nodded. "I hope that he will start eating his packets more frequently now that Haruhi is with us."

"It may be that he is uncomfortable drinking from the packets," Asuda offered. "There are vampyr like that. I am a good example of such. There are also some who are unable to or unwilling to feed from a host."

Hunny turned to the blood child. "Really?"

Asuda nodded. "Yes. Some vampyr are more comfortable not knowing who is donating to them or do not like the taste of the plastic that the blood is stored in. They will take it more out of necessity or need rather than want. Lady Nenai created a pseudo-tablet for such vampyr."

"Psuedo-tablet? You mean the artificial blood tablets that some hospitals use to boost iron intake in anemic patients?"

Asuda nodded and pulled out a small red and black case from his pocket that kind of looked like a mint tin. He opened it and placed a small light pink pill on the table. Hunny picked it up and looked it over. There was a small number sequence on it and Hunny looked at him confused.

"The number sequence on the tablet indicates the dosage and batch number," he explained. "Each tablet is specifically designed for the person taking it. In my case, I only need to take one of these tablets every three days. There are stronger doses that allow a longer gap of time. The largest dose she current offers to anyone lasts for roughly a week with a proper diet to go alongside it. The smallest dose is taken twice daily."

"That is actually rather ingenious," Kyoya stated as he took the tablet from Hunny. "I take it these are only sold to vampires."

Asuda nodded. "These ones are. She has a set similar to these that are iron tablets for humans who suffer anemia that are more red than these are. The only other difference between the two are the last two letters in the sequence. The pseudo-tablets end in an 'XT' while iron tablets end in an 'AX'. Also, only physicians and pharmacists designated by the facility actually do the refills for either."

"How long would it take to get some of these for Takashi?" Hunny asked.

"He would have to go to the Clinic for a few tests," Asuda stated. "Like I said, each set of tablets is specifically made for each person."

"Is there one near by?"

Asuda nodded. "I'll give your parents as well as his the address along with my recommendation of which Physician to see."

Hunny nodded and Asuda took the tablet back. Once he had the case back in his coat, Asuda went back to his conversation with Kyoya and Trekiva began to explain the tablets to Hunny.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Michiko and Sayuki smiled as they watched Haruhi and Mori sit under the Sakura tree. Sayuki was especially happy since her eldest now knew that there was someone for him and it was someone he had told her he already cared a great deal for. It was her standing worry that her eldest would let his dedication to his cousin keep him from finding his own happiness or at least attempt to grasp it. He had told her about some of the adventures he and his cousin had during their last year in high school with Haruhi and the Host Club. She had thought that the events of at the water park where her nephew got swept away was adorable but she didn't tell her son that. She only told him that she was glad everything worked out well. Glancing at her friend, Sayuki nudged her slightly.

Michiko looked at her friend and saw the gleam in her eye that could only mean that she was planning something. Looking back at her nephew and the young girl in his lap, she could guess that it involved the two of them. Glancing over to their husbands who were in a deep conversation with Ranka, Fernando and Abraham both women smiled softly to each other. Sayuki tapped Hannah's shoulder to get her attention and motioned for her to follow them.

Hannah looked at the two women confused before glancing at her brother. Seeing as Fernando was still in a heated discussion with the other men, she shrugged and followed the female hosts. Once all three of the women were on the covered walkway they stepped into the garden and went to a different area than Haruhi and Mori. They walked towards one of the bamboo fountains and sat on one of the benches near it.

"Listening to them bicker back and forth was starting to give me a headache," Sayuki said as she rubbed her temples. "Normally Akira isn't this argumentative. But considering the circumstances I can agree with some of his words."

"I can understand some of it too," Hannah said, joining the two women. "This country is her home and it has been so all her life. If Abraham takes her from here back to England, she will be lonely and unhappy. Although I think that the offer from my brother gave might be beneficial to her."

"What was he offering?" Michiko asked. "I wasn't really paying attention."

"A scholarship to attend one of our schools in Spain," Hannah replied. "It would give her an opportunity to see how our schools differ from the ones she knows as well as learn a different perspective about the world. He even offered to bring her father and, with your permission Lady Sayuki, your son Takashi."

"Takashi is in college," Sayuki stated. "He wishes to be a Lawyer."

"Isn't that what Haruhi wants to become?" Michiko pondered.

Sayuki nodded. "It is but I think she wants to go the same line as her mother while Takashi would be doing more Corporate cases and things for the family."

"Doesn't your family have a few international exports and deal with some companies from different countries?" Hannah asked.

Both women nodded.

"I would think that a chance to see how Corporate Law is done in other countries would give him an edge and ideas on how to do so for your own, don't you agree?"

Michiko and Sayuki looked down in thought. Hannah had a point. If Mori saw and read about how Law was practiced in other ways around the world, he would have an understanding on why someone does things in their companies in certain ways and maybe even find a few ideas to bring back that would benefit their companies.

"It is ultimately up to Takashi," Sayuki sighed. "As well as Haruhi. I have the feeling that she would like to finish high school here first, though."

Hanah nodded. "I'm sure that fact is being drilled into my brother's head as we speak. But I get the feeling that this is not what we went out to discuss."

Michiko smiled. "You are correct. I was wondering if you would help Sayuki and I do something for Takashi and Haruhi."

"Like what?" the Spanish woman asked.

"Haruhi has had a special place in Takashi's heart for a while now," Sayuki explained. "She got that place shortly after they first met. She needed his help and he willingly gave it. That may not sound like much to you but when those two first met, everyone was under the impression that Haruhi was a boy. The first to realize that Haruhi was in fact a girl was Kyoya, then Mitsukuni, the Hitachiin twins Hikaru and Kaoru, Takashi and then finally Tamaki."

Hannah blinked in surprise. "How did they all figure it out?"

Michiko started to snicker and Sayuki sighed. "Kyoya had known that Haruhi was female the moment she walked in and was introduced as the honor student of Ouran Academy. Since he had access to every student record, all he had to do was place two and two together. Mitsukuni found out when she leaned over to take Usa-chan, a stuffed rabbit his late grandmother made for him. Hikaru and Kaoru learned when they tried to get her to change out of what she was wearing and she forced them out so she could. My son found out when he lifted her out of one of Tamaki's "death hugs" as Mitsukuni calls them. And Tamaki learned her gender when he walked in on her changing from wet clothes."

Hannah face palmed. "How can anyone be that idiotic? He had her in a hug and still didn't notice..."

"Our thoughts exactly," Michiko giggled. "And ever since he found out, Tamaki has been calling her his daughter."

"Much to Ranka-chan's distress," Sayuki added.

Hannah shook her head. It was rare to find someone with that level of naivete. She looked at the two women before her. "What are we going to do for the two children? As it seems, they are quite happy the way they are at the moment."

Sayuki and Michiko looked back towards where Mori and Haruhi were sitting and saw that both teens had small smiles on their faces and were perfectly content to sit and watch the clouds float by.

"Only something small," Sayuki explained. "I was thinking on if she would like to see the rest of the estate's gardens."

"Oh!" Mishiko exclaimed. "We could have a little picnic set up for them deeper in the garden!"

"What kinds of foods do they like?" Hannah asked.

Michiko and Sayuki began explaining the different foods they had been told Haruhi liked by Ranka and the foods that Sayuki knew Mori loved as well. As Hannah listened, she offered to add a few traditional Spanish dishes they might like to try. Soon all three women were moving towards the kitchen with their idea intact. Hannah began talking with some of the cooks about how to make the different dishes she was requesting as Michiko and Sayuki did the same with the others. Soon the kitchen was a flurry of activity and, for the first time in a while, the matriarchs of their respected households where cooking along side the staff.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

Mori looked down at the small figure leaning against him with a soft smile. He had no idea how long they had been sitting there under the sakura trees but as he gazed at Haruhi's sleeping face, he felt only love and peace. Laying back against the tree, his eyes caught the glimmer of Qurdox's blue-green scales and golden mane. The dragon had his eyes closed enjoying the faint breeze in the trees as well as the flickering sunlight through the leaves and flowers. He let his eyes fall back down to Haruhi and closed them, enjoying the soft weight of her small frame leaning against his own, listening to her quiet breaths and steady heartbeat. He had long held a strong liking of her and now, now he could show her just how much he cared for and loved her.

When she had originally walked into the club room near the beginning of his senior year at Ouran, he had felt something pull at him when he saw her. Despite her boyish clothes and messy hair cut, he had a strong feeling that she was indeed female. He was slightly at war with himself as he couldn't really place it due to the others. Tamaki had a tendency to wear colognes and other artificial scents to add to his allure to the guests, the twins had their own unique scent that set them apart from each other as well as the faint pheromone traces they normally exuded because of their demonic heritage. Hunny, Kyoya and himself were the only ones that really didn't bother with artificial smells. Since Kyoya's family were mostly in the medical field, the Shadow King usually had a sterile scent or smelled like faint scentless soaps. He was also a half-demon of the Void and Void didn't have a scent, only a presence that could be hidden. He and his cousin had the same routine as Kyoya in washing with soaps that had little to no smell.

What also kept him from getting a better take on Haruhi's scent that first day was the faint aromas of the flower, cakes, tea and coffee set at the tables around the room as well as the ones flowing in from outside due to some open windows. There was also the statement from Hikaru and Kaoru about her being shy and not very sociable with the rest of her class. Usually all they had to do was be in the room and girls would flock to them, even some of the male students did so. It was just one of the things that applied to them as Incubi. Something that should have clicked, but also threw off his perception, was her reactions around Tamaki when he was teasing, especially when his first attempts were met by her trying to move away until he had her cornered. In her trying to get away from him, she fell back against a precariously placed pedestal and knocked the vase off causing it to fall and break, thus making her a debt to the club. It wasn't until he picked her up to get her away from Tamaki once she called out to him, did everything click into place and he wanted to smack himself when he did so.

A soft smile appeared as he continued to go through each memory he had of her, one of his favorites being the incident at the Water Park that Kyoya's family created for those who couldn't afford to travel to exotic places due to tight schedules or lack of a passport. True, his cousin got swept away because of Tamaki and the twins messing around but he mostly focused on the small bit of time he spent with her in his arms as he searched. She was small and light as compared to some of the other girls he had carried before, she was even lighter than Mitsukuni.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Qurdox sliding out of the tree with a small thump on the ground. Looking to see why the dragon was no longer in the tree, he paused when his mother's soft smile greeted him. He bowed his head in greeting.

"Mother," he said quietly, so he wouldn't wake the sleeping girl on his chest.

"She is so cute when she sleeps," Sayuki smiled. "I can see why Ryoji doesn't want to share her at times. She's too cute."

Mori nodded. "She is. Is there something you need, mother?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could rouse her. Michiko-nee, Hannah-chan and I have a treat for you two."

Mori raised a brow before gently shaking Haruhi. She stirred slightly and slowly opened her eyes. She saw Qurdox laying in front of her and looked up a bit further to see Mori's mother with a soft smile. Turning her head slightly, she saw Mori and a faint blush crept over her face.

"Um," she hesitated. "Hi?"

Sayuki let out a small laugh and Mori smiled. "Sleep well?"

Haruhi nodded.

"That is good," Sayuki smiled. "It is time to eat. Food has been prepared for you."

Both teens stood with a stretch and were about to walk back into the house when the caught sight of Michiko at the doors. "The meal will be held in the gardens."

Mori looked at his aunt cautiously before looking at Haruhi. Shrugging her shoulders, Haruhi turned and followed Sayuki deeper into the maze of flowers, shrubs and trees before coming to a stop at a small red wood gazebo. On the table in the middle of the covered platform were some dishes that she had never seen before but smelled great as well as ones she knew and liked. As she looked over the food, it escaped her notice that there was only two placements set up but Mori caught it and looked at his mother questioningly.

"We wanted you two to have some peace from all of the questions that are sure to come about from our guests," Sayuki whispered so that only her son would hear.

"Wouldn't this cause more questions?" he asked just as quietly.

"Not likely," she explained. "Everyone else believes you two are napping in the garden with her dragon near you."

Mori nodded and moved to sit at one of the two setting and Haruhi soon joined him still looking over the dishes.

"I don't recognize some of these," she stated. "But they smell really good."

"A few of them are native to Hannah's country of Spain," Michiko smiled. "The dish in the middle is called Paella. The base is sweet Jasmine rice mixed with some chicken, white and green beans, peas, carrots with some duck and shrimp. The thin slices of meat is called Jamon which is, in this case, cured pork cut into thin strips and has some Pisto as a side treat."

"We also have some of our own dishes as well," Sayuki added. "We have some shabu-shabu, tonkatsu, and some sushi favorites. Along with some rice and soba."

Haruhi looked at the table in awe. So many on the items on the table she liked, especially the sushi. She was also eager to try the dishes that were from Hannah's country but something made her pause. "How would the dishes from Spain be eaten? I mean some of this could be eaten with chopsticks but not all of it."

Michiko smiled. "We have some forks and spoons set as well."

"Enjoy your meal," Sayuki stated before she and Michiko left.

It was then that Haruhi noticed that there was only two place settings and enough food for two people. She turned to ask why but both women were gone. She turned to look at Mori who had a small smile.

"Mother and Aunt Michiko wanted to give us some peace to talk," he said calmly. "After everything that has happened, I am grateful."

Haruhi nodded and settled back into her seat. She too was grateful for the small break from everyone else. It wasn't that she was meaning to be rude, but dealing with so many people was very tiring. There were times she was so exhausted from doing things with the club that she just wanted to collapse or not go back. It wasn't that spending time with Tamaki and the others was exhausting, well, maybe being around just Tamaki and the twins was exhausting, but being with the others wasn't. Sure, Hunny could be a ball of energy that could wear anyone out but he also wore himself out enough to take a nap; Kyoya tended to stick to himself, interacting with others when needed or when opportunity struck; and Mori was like an island in a turbulent sea. He always gave a sense of peace and order while the others just ran around in sporadic circles most of the time. Hunny had his calm moments and Kyoya's calm was either just before he struck or when he was busy with other things. While with Tamaki and the twins, calm was nonexistent.

Tamaki was a ball of energy much like Hunny but he never stopped to rest. He was always bouncing from one thing to another and the few moments of seriousness where always lost in a sea of scatterbrained-ness unless Kyoya was able to get him back on the straight and narrow. As for the twins, they were conniving little devils, plain and simple. She nearly snickered at the thought because she now knew that was more truth than exaggeration with those two. She looked at Mori and smiled. He returned it and both of them slowly ate the food given to them, falling into serenity quickly with small conversation about how things were going at school for them both and what they were going to do next.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

At the main table in the house, everyone was talking about what had happened earlier as well as what was going to happen. Only the three women, Hunny, Trekiva, Asuda and Kyoya had initially noticed that Haruhi and Mori were not at the table. Since Ranka was next to Kyoya, the Shadow King had quietly shared that both of them were fine and just enjoying a moment of peace away from the loud table. Hunny had a very good idea where his cousin and friend were since he had heard the kitchen staff talk about what his mother and aunt had set up when he went to get a slice of cake before the meal. The women kept the reasons for their smiles mostly to themselves. Although Hannah was the only one to share a little about why she was smiling when she claimed to have helped make some of the dishes on the table, many of which she and Fernando had to explain to their hosts on what they were, how they were made and a easier way to eat them.

Most of the conversations around the table pertained to how everything was going to be set up for Haruhi to receive the dues from each family. It was agreed that she would need a bank account for the money to go into but it was also agreed that the account would not be public unless absolutely necessary due to Ranka's request for privacy. It was openly explained that regardless of whatever blocks were placed, society would figure out who she was connected to eventually. The circles in which they lived already knew who she was by her affiliations with the members of the Host Club and their families but the upper crust would have a field day when it was learned that they had genetic ties to the Detrio, Antiago and Tora families as well. Add on top of that, her ties to the Katayama even though her mother had been disowned by them for, what was agreed to be by all present, a series of pointless reasons.

Abraham brought up the fact that his call to the Historian's Archive yielded that part of the main Estate listed in the Detrio Will would be given to her, as the originally promised land had been redeveloped by the British government, but she would have to go to England to sign the ledgers to receive it and a few other things that the Archive was able to get a hold of before they were lost due to time, raid, and political changes. Fernando had repeated his statement on what the Antiago was giving to her and her father, even with Ranka's protests on not needing anything. Hannah won the argument stating that even though he didn't need the money from them, it was still going to be given to both him and Haruhi as it was rightfully theirs. It was actually Asuda who came up with the plan to let Haruhi have access to everything she was given and keep it from human society as he recalled Kyoya stating that when Haruhi had met both quotas for the Host Club, he had begun to file all of her earning afterwards into a savings account that had compounding interest on it, slowly building the amount in the account over each day.

"Regardless of planning," he explained. "The Vampyr Covens will know about her. Why not use that to our advantage? We keep our secrets even passed the day we enter our final rest. In stating that we want to keep her connections from the mortal governments until she is ready to come out in the open due to her need of schooling and training, it will be kept quiet. She is still young and needs to keep her focus on her lessons, not trying to get out of the spotlight. With just the covens knowing, she will have some breathing room to focus on her studies. It will also give her time to get used to our society and its rules.

"We don't have many but those we do have are set so that we have an easier time living in the modern world. From what I have seen, she already follows the key rules we have despite not knowing them. She is considerate, stands for herself but knows when to step back, and she doesn't let trivial things bother her to the point she explodes."

"Haru-chan does know when to stick up for herself but she sometimes has a hard time backing off unless she knows the reasons why," Hunny added. "The events that happened at Neko-chan's beach house are a perfect example."

Eveyone but the host club members and Umehito looked confused which prompted Kyoya to explain most of what happened, leaving out the full details of what he did to get Haruhi to understand the differences between genders. Once he finished Ranka sighed.

"Haruhi has always been strong minded," he stated. "Just like her mother. At least you were able to help her see what had happened from another's perspective."

"She could have been seriously hurt," Hannah said worriedly.

"You sound kind of like Tama-chan when it happened," Hunny giggled. "We thought so too but Tama-chan was just more vocal about it. We couldn't really blame him, we were all worried. When she understood that, she apologized."

Hannah looked at the Loli-shota with a small glare at the comparison but set it aside. "At least she understood."

"Back to topic," Kyoya stated. "Asuda, your thinking would be beneficial in many ways. From what I know about your society, the Covens would adhere to the request to let Haruhi stay out of the spotlight but only if the ruling members of the Coven agreed as a majority."

"With the requests coming from the Historian's Archive, the Spanish Royal family and the Emperor of the Orient," Abraham stated. "They will listen. Even if only one of us asked this of the Covens, they would give it due consideration given the proper reasons and explanations. First, she is still in high school. Her middle year to be exact, which is one of the most important regardless of nation. And second, she is learning how to use Arcana. That in itself is time consuming and needs the greatest level of focus to prevent injury to herself and others she is learning with. They don't need to know what her accurate standing is with her magic until she is ready."

"Wouldn't they need more reasons then that?" Ranka asked.

"The fact that she is still a student of any kind is enough of a reason," Fernando explained. "Many of us have existed through several centuries and have seen how people take being in the spot lights of both societies. In one or the other, they have some kind of leeway or place of peace where they can go that the media won't follow. In both, they cannot do anything about it and have many incidents where things are misinterpreted or blown out of proportion. Although human society is more intrusive and prone to use lies for publicity than our own, there are still ways to avoid them."

Ranka nodded in understanding. The media, whenever they got their hands on what they thought would be a good story stuck with it until they couldn't get anything more and even then they didn't let go. Sometimes when they ran out of fact, they turned to imagination and that, in a lot of cases, ruined a lot of people. "How long would it last?"

"Until Haruhi herself lets them know she is ready," Asuda stated. "With our society, if you have the truth from the Historians, you are not questioned as Historians cannot lie in nearly any form. The way our gift works makes it so truth is all we can say. We may omit some truths but only to a certain extent and only under very strict perimeters."

"Such as?"

"We may or may not go into full details on somethings," Michiko explained. "Such as if we are learning the truth about a grievous crime. We will state only the necessary details. Nothing else would be added unless absolutely necessary for the sake of the victim."

Ranka's mouth formed an "o" as he understood. The rest of the conversation continued with the layout of plans to help keep Haruhi out of the limelight more so then she already was due to her friendship with the five most prominent families of Japan. Fortunately Kyoya had managed to keep most of that quiet since no one really wanted to piss off an Ootori. Asuda took some of what Kyoya had done already and added it to the growing method to make it so Haruhi only had to deal with a small fraction of what would come her way until she was more comfortable with the idea. Everyone agreed that she should experience a little of what was to come over time, at least until she announced she was ready so that she wouldn't be completely overwhelmed. Once everything was settled, they finished the large meal before going about the rest of the planning.

Most of what they had discussed earlier was finalized and just as they were about to finish the door burst open. Kyoya glanced out of the corner of his eyes and groaned. Of course they wouldn't stay away for long, he thought with a heavy sigh, catching a groan from Hunny. It was a bit of a hopeless wish that they would stay away but I am pleasantly surprised it took them this long to figure it out.

Kyoya turned to face the people at the door and addressed them in a bland manner. "Hello Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru. We were wondering when you three would join us."