Chapter 27:

Chapter 27, A New Day to Pass

Haruhi sighed as she put on the yellow dress that had become her uniform for the school day. Although she didn't really hate the thing, she was uncomfortable with wearing it. Once the dress was on, she slipped into the white stockings and brown shoes. Just as she began tying the little ribbon on the collar of the dress, there was a knock on the door.

"It is open," she called calmly as she finished making the neat little bow.

The door opened to Mori and she smiled softly. Although it had only been a night outside of the Dark Sanctuary, it had been many months inside, nearly years. In that time, she and Mori had been able to learn nearly every facet of how the other was raised and the environment in which they had matured. They had also learned more about each other personally. On one of the nights inside, she told Mori about the dream she had after he first tasted her blood, and each night after he had done so, all the while blushing brightly but maintaining eye contact. He had been shocked and told her that he had the same dream, the only difference being that he knew the location. Mori told her about his initial trip out to that castle and the reason he was there. Haruhi listened with rapt attention and smiled softly.

"Would it be possible to go there again?" she asked. "Under more...passive reasons?"

"Ah," Mori nodded. "I actually have wanted to see the castle again. While we were there, Mitsukuni and I could only focus on our test of control and thus could not enjoy the scenery or the artistry until we had finished the test. We hadn't even had the opportunity to see all of the castle since we had to return home due to the completion of our test and the fact another clan had requested the site for their own test as well. We have not done so yet because of the events in high school. Perhaps when the next break comes, you can come with us."

"I'd like that, and we would be officially recognized as a couple by then too."

Mori smiled softly and gently pulled Haruhi to his side for a gentle hug. With a soft smile of her own, Haruhi returned the hug before both walked out of her room towards the main door of the Sanctuary. They pulled apart as the door came into view and Haruhi mentally called Qurdox to form around her neck as had become the habit over the course of the night. She would let him wander around the large estate in whichever form he chose, the building was plenty large enough to hold him at his full size with yards to spare. Kyoya had even mentioned that it was large enough for him to fly around in if he wanted to. Once the soft weight of the carved jade necklace was around her neck, both walked out to the waiting car where Hunny, Yasuchika, Satoshi and Kyoya were already seated. Their parents had left around the time it was physically nine in the evening. Fernando and Abraham had visited for a short time to learn about Haruhi personally and begin to introduce her to some of the cultures of Europe and how things worked in their native homes. It had been an interesting learning experience, not only about the cultures but also the fact that both men and Hannah had begun teaching her their native tongues. She had an easier time getting the hang of English and was quickly getting the hang of Spanish.

"You okay, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked as she slid into her seat. After the initial meeting upon arrival, she hadn't really seen him around.

"I am better than I was when I first arrived," the bespectacled teen replied. "As for me being awake this early, it is due to the fact that I slept all of yesterday to recover from the last bit of my Flux."

"I am glad you are feeling better. Alyona-sama explained that such Fluxes are common, even in full-born Void and they mostly come about due to great stress or fatigue."

"That is correct and before you even try to apologize, it is not your fault and to be honest, this has been something that was long coming. You are a friend Haruhi and I am protective of my friends, all Void are. I just have a bit more accessibility to things that most of the others of my kind do not."

"Rich bastard," Haruhi muttered loud enough for everyone to hear causing the others with her to laugh.

The car ride was smooth for once, the atmosphere a calm but happy one until they arrived at the gate of the school. Haruhi groaned as she dropped her head into her hands at the sight that awaited their car. Standing at the gate, looking rather frantic and if he hadn't slept last night was Tamaki. Hikaru and Kaoru were with him but seemed a little more sedated than normal. In fact, as Haruhi looked at the twins, she could see the faint dark circles under their eyes indicating that they hadn't had much sleep either.

"I don't think Tama-chan slept," Hunny mused softly. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan seem sleepy too."

"Tamaki probably kept them awake with his incessant worrying about not being able to find Haruhi last night," Kyoya muttered.

"He was skulking around my house last night?" Haruhi questioned incredulously. Normally she would have yelled that statement but since her lessons with Trekiva and Asuda, as well as the other vampires in her company, she learned that such loud outbursts hurt an inhuman's ears. Kyoya wasn't phased by the noise so much but it could be a headache due to the burst of emotions and possibly even a small spark of her own subconscious power. He had told her that to his Void infused eyes, her surrounding aura and power were rather bright and it could flux and lash out like his tendrils in response to her emotions. They also explained that as she came more attuned with her instincts, such outbursts would also give her a headache as well or have the possibility of rendering her unable to hear for a short time.

"Yes. It seems as though he hasn't fully come to terms with the fact you only see him as a friend. As for how I know, I have had a Shade around your home in case something like last time comes about."

Haruhi nodded. She could understand Kyoya having one of his beings at her home, as well as the small security team that he had patrolling the neighborhood. It was like that if any member of the Katayama or other suspicious person came there looking for her or there was some other form of trouble, the Shade would notify Kyoya and trail them for as long as it could or try to defuse the situation before it became a mess. It was also a manner of defense for her father when he was at the apartment alone and not at the Sanctuary. Ranka had politely declined staying in the Sanctuary permanently, or anywhere other than the apartment, until the Katayama was no longer a threat stating that if he went into hiding or just randomly disappeared, then the family would learn something was up and might begin looking for moles inside their little network, thus heightening the risk of exposing the truth about Quin'Derax and forcing them to do whatever they could to get Haruhi sooner, thwarting all of their own carefully made plans.

Trekiva and Asuda had understood Ranka's reasoning, as had Kyoya, so it was agreed that when Alyona had left through the void gate, Ranka would leave as well and head to a late-start at the bar, a Shade driving him in a vehicle that looked like one of the taxi cabs. Although they had understood the cross-dresser's reasoning, Trekiva and Asuda wanted to make sure that Ranka was okay and that nothing like the attack after Quin'Derax had left was going to happen again. Trekiva had asked that Ranka wear a small and simple necklace that had a small ruby tear drop shaped jewel on it. Ranka had initially tried to refuse such a gift but Trekiva convinced him to wear it as it was something that Atsu had made for the children of his line but never had the chance to pass down. With soft tears in his eyes, Ranka promised to never take it off once he had it secured around his neck. What was only explained to Haruhi after Ranka had left was that only the chain was made by Atsu, woven from strands of his own hair and reinforced with his magic; the ruby was actually a crystallized drop of Trekiva's blood with a spell held inside it that would act as a small defensive buffer to anyone with ill intent against the wearer and as a beacon should they be kidnapped. Asuda, Fernando and Abraham also gave a drop of their own blood to the jewel, allowing them to keep a constant vigil on Ranka's well-being. They even had one for her that was woven into a small bracelet that was sitting around her wrist.

Haruhi was pulled out of her thoughts by the door opening and Mori stepping out. She and Hunny laughed softly at the shrill scream from the fan-girls as well as the cries of "Moe" as he helped her and his cousin out of the car with their brothers and Kyoya right behind them. Mori kept a passive face but Haruhi could tell that he really didn't want to let her go or keep playing that they weren't together when they were. Just as he was about to let go of her hand, Haruhi gave it a gentle squeeze and a soft smile.

"It will be okay," she spoke through their bond. "We can tell them later, after things have settled. I am glad it is only most of the Host Club that knows for now. Anyone else and it would be total chaos. If it helps, we can give the statement that we are together at the Halloween Gala. The school will interpret it as us just going out while we and the others will know the truth."

Mori smiled softly and gave a soft nod that was hidden conveniently by Hunny hopping up onto his shoulders. Haruhi laughed softly at the bubbly college student who returned her happy smile as they walked towards the tired trio. When they got closer to Tamaki and the twins, she tensed slight as the exuberant blond ran over but when he went right passed her and straight to Kyoya she looked up at Mori and Hunny to see that they were just as confused. Two of the three shrugged and continued on into the building.

"Kyoya! She's gone!" Tamaki wailed. "My precious Haruhi is gone! I went to see how she was doing after what happened yesterday but there was no one there!"

The others could see the tick marks appearing on Kyoya's head as Tamaki kept ranting at him, shaking him every now and then. When it was becoming clear that Kyoya was about to clock Tamaki upside the head, Hikaru and Kaoru pulled him back.

"Hey boss," Hikaru said, his voice indicating that he hadn't slept much. "If you weren't such a scatter brain..."

"You would have seen that Haruhi has already gone inside with Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai," Kaoru finished.

Tamaki froze and turned to the exhausted red-heads next to him. "Haruhi...is...already inside?"

He got identical nods.

"Then..." Tamaki frantically let go of Kyoya's blazer and begin to try and straighten it out, adding more tick marks above the Shadow King's head.

"Might want to start running boss," the twins smirked as the chuckled tiredly.

With a startled yelp, Tamkai took off but he wasn't running towards the high school. In his fear he hadn't realized that he was instead running towards the junior high thus causing the two Incubi to lean on each other laughing.

"I am guessing his idiocy kept you two from sleeping," Kyoya stated as calmly as he could.

"That and finishing up the design for Haruhi's costume," Hikaru sighed. "Getting the right thread pattern for Qurdox's scales was killer..."

"But we managed to get it right with some help form our mother and grandmother," Kaoru added. "They took over at about midnight and told us to get some sleep. Then Tono called us at four to plan on picking up Haruhi for breakfast before school to discuss the designs and the Gala..."

"I am guessing that wasn't what he was talking about in the car on your way to get her," Kyoya stated again as he began to walk towards the high school.

"Pretty much," they replied, following sedately.

"We have the first layouts done," Kaoru stated. "I know you said Monday next week but we got done early thanks to the help we got. We have the base layouts done and the first frame work in the duffel to try on after club today."

"You have each of ours?" Kyoya asked, noting the bag on Hikaru's shoulder as they walked in.

"Yup," Hikaru sated. "Just the clothes though. We can deal with the added accessories next week."

"That's fine. Head to the club room and get some sleep. I'll arrange it so that you two will be excused until lunch."

The twin red-heads nodded softly and slowly made their way to Music Room 3 while Kyoya quickly typed up the excuses needed to excuse the twins in his phone, as well as sending a small text to Haruhi to get extra notes and assignments for the twins. He got a reply shortly after saying that she would get them and would also check on them at lunch to make sure they were okay since she was worried about them. With a soft smile, Kyoya went to his first class, not once making a mention of where Tamaki was.

*~*0o0o0o0o0*~*

The morning passed easily enough and nothing out of the ordinary happened, much to Haruhi's relief. She made sure to take extra notes for Hikaru and Kaoru in the classes that she shared with them in the morning and was able to get some notes from the teachers for the classes that she didn't have with the twins along with getting the spare assignments they needed. The teachers were kind enough to let her copy notes right out of their books so that she could give as much information as she could to help them with their assignments. When she got the last few notes from their class before lunch, she closed the book and thanked the teacher before leaving with all of her notes. She quickly made her way towards the club room only to be joined by Nekozawa.

"Oh, hi Nekozawa-senpai," she greeted with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"I am well Haruhi-chan," Nekozawa smiled. "I was wondering if you would care to join me for lunch as has been the pattern these last few days?"

"Sure. Let me just get these notes to Hikaru and Kaoru. They are in the club room catching up on some much needed sleep since Tamaki-senpai woke them when they had only been sleeping for a couple of hours due to helping their mother with some designs."

Nekozawa nodded softly. "Would you mind if I join you? I need to speak with Ootori-kun."

"If you want."

With that statement, the two continued down the hall towards Music Room 3 with soft conversation between them. When they arrived at the white doors, Haruhi noted that it was pretty quiet inside. Hesitantly she opened the doors and saw that Hikaru was still asleep on one of the couches with a blanket draped over him, Kaoru was walking out of the kitchen with a small tray of cups and Kyoya was quietly working on his laptop in the back corner. She waved to Kaoru, who waved back once he set the tray down, she walked over.

"I got some notes and the assignments for this mornings classes," she whispered.

"Thanks Haruhi," Kaoru smiled. "Hikaru is still pretty tired. If he doesn't wake up soon, I am going to call mom so she can come get him so that he can get some more sleep since I am already feeling much better."

"Do you want me to get the notes and assignments for the rest of today?"

Kaoru shook his head. "That's okay. Part of the reason Kyoya-senpai asked you to get those for our first classes was because he had exams in his first classes this morning."

Haruhi nodded and gave Kaoru the folder with the notes and assignments. She gave him a soft smile before walking over to Kyoya.

"Kyoya-senpai, Nekozawa-senpai mentioned he wanted to talk to you," she spoke softly.

Kyoya looked up and saw Nekozawa standing at the door calmly. With a soft nod, Nekozawa walked forward.

"My father wanted to thank you for the safe return of my mother last night, she told him about what transpired and he is more than willing to agree to such a venture in the future," Nekozawa intoned.

"Thank you for the information," Kyoya stated. "If able, we can continue with what Lady Alyona suggested in that for one hour each day of the school week and for however long it is desired on the weekends, your family comes to my Shadow Sanctuary for rest, relaxation, and some more in depth Magic practice."

"Mother intoned that time is different in this Sanctuary. How much so?"

"One minute out here stands as one day inside my Vortex. During your mother's one hour stay last night, she spent roughly two months inside. Haruhi, myself and a few others spent roughly two years over the course of twelve hours."

Nekozawa hummed softly in thought as he took in Kyoya's words. Such a time difference could be both beneficial and hazardous if done improperly. Which begged the following question.

"What of its effects to those inside?"

"Physically there would be no outward change. You would age to the time outside of the Vortex. Mentally however, you retain all that you experienced inside. As you can see one of the effects already. Haruhi is slightly more mellow around the exuberance she is usually surrounded by. This morning with Tamaki's raving is a good example as well."

Nekozawa nodded softly with a smile having seen what transpired at the school gates during a scrying session that morning. "So if Kirimi went into your Sanctuary with us and we spent roughly the same span of time as you have, she would still appear to be a six year old child despite being there for two years?"

"Correct," Kyoya answered. "Her mentality might change while inside to flow along with what she has learned. We, among most, understand that an image can determine the difference between death and survival. The more one is likely to underestimate us, the better chances of us surviving."

Nekozawa nodded. "Father, Kirimi and I will join mother on her venture there after tomorrow, rather than tonight to allow us time to prepare for the stay. It will allow for a longer span of time for Kirimi to practice and for mother to instruct Haruhi. In fact, Kirimi is already quite excited about the prospect."

"I will make sure that there is ample room in the Sanctuary. As well as a few areas in which young Kirimi can play as if it were an ordinary day."

Nekozawa nodded his head and Haruhi told Kyoya that she would see him for club and both teens left to enjoy the rest of their lunch period.