Haruhi walked out of her final class of the day deep in thought. "I want to talk to Kyoya about my idea but I also want to be sure he is in the right frame of mind to hear me out. For that matter, I have to be sure I'm in the right frame of mind."

Automatically her feet brought her to the door of Third Music Room. "I was so angry with Yoshio this morning. He slapped Kyoya in public during the Ouran Fair but I didn't think he would stoop to beating his son like it appeared he did, if Kyoya's bruises this morning are any indication. And no amount of makeup could disguise the split lip."

Taking a deep breath before she opened the door, she thought, "I know. I'll ask him to look at my history paper. That should give me a starting point for asking for just the two of us to talk without the others butting in."

Kyoya sat at his usual table working on his laptop. He was doing his best to act normal, but he was seething. He had just checked the balances on his investment accounts and they were half what they had been the previous day. "Hmm, that explains why Father was in such a state last night, demanding that I get my account balances back up to minimum. Does he really think I haven't noticed his 'margin call' withdrawals? I rarely purchase on margin. I prefer tangible property and businesses and voting stock in companies to mere stock market speculation."

Running his thumb over the split in his lip, he thought, "I can't take this situation with Father much longer. Well, at least it has shown me that I no longer wish to become the Otori heir. Not that there's much left but the Otori reputation, and what is left has taken a beating from Father's poor financial decisions. I have no idea what my goal should be now, I just know what it won't be. What will I…how can I…." His thoughts sputtered to a halt as his anger flared again.

Just then, Haruhi entered the room and asked tentatively, "Hey, Kyoya-sempai, would you proofread my history paper before club hours begin? It's about the Great Wall of China and I want to be sure it makes sense."

Shaking himself out of his caustic thoughts, he took the paper she handed him and replied levelly, "Of course." As he started to read, he relaxed slightly and thought, "I'm glad she's comfortable enough with me to ask such a favor."

Haruhi tried not to fidget, watching his expressions—or lack thereof—as he read through it.

A few minutes later, he handed the paper back to Haruhi, smiled and said, "It's very well written. I wouldn't change a thing. You made some very interesting observations about walls and paths."

"That's because of you and your father," Haruhi admitted. "My report made me think about the times you've mentioned feeling like you are following the path set out before you, especially by your father and brothers. Since the path is so narrow, it's difficult to pass the three people ahead of you."

Kyoya was intrigued with the direction Haruhi's comments were taking. "That is an interesting observation. Such a narrow path does limit access to one's goals if others are competing for the same goal and are ahead of you on the same path."

Haruhi nodded and continued, "As I was studying the Great Wall, I thought about all of the walls in China. Most of them were build to protect the crop fields. The walls created paths between fields to get around without damaging the crops. The paths are narrow to allow as much growing space as possible, but the walls had to have a certain height to keep people and animals out of the crops as well as a thickness to keep them from collapsing on themselves.

"The problem is that the walls block the view of what else may be around, whether dangerous or beneficial. The narrowness of the path also inhibits the load a person can carry along the path. Most people just travel the path without giving any thought to the walls. However, there are those who realize that the tops of the walls can provide an additional path, one not as restrictive."

When Haruhi paused for a moment, Kyoya inserted, "That is a very interesting idea. If the walls were a uniform distance apart, they could even become a cart track for moving the harvested crops."

"Exactly," Haruhi responded. "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to express my ideas properly. They made sense in my head but I wasn't sure I could get my point across. Walls have the purpose of being a method of protection, whether by providing a place to hide or a vantage point to evaluate the situation."

Kyoya conceded and added, "Walls are most useful when they connect to create barriers, platforms, or defenses. I used to think of my father and brothers as walls that I had to get around. After listening to your ideas, I realize that they are not walls, just obstacles. They are not willing to provide protection or a vantage point to see the bigger picture. They simply stand in the way, attempting to prevent me from attaining my goal."

Haruhi smiled and placed her hand on Kyoya's arm. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but you need a different goal than being the Otori heir. You know, we in the Host Club are walls as we protect, defend, and support each other. I hope you will allow us to protect and support you as you take good look around."

"What do you have in mind?" Kyoya questioned with interest, taken aback at the righteous vehemence in her tone. "How could she know what I was just thinking? I can't believe I am fortunate to have such a perceptive and wonderful young woman worried about me and my future. I wish—hope- she could be part of that future."

"I hate to see you limiting yourself by your father's expectations. Just like I told him at the Ouran Fair, you are amazing. Just because he wants you to go into medicine-and I know you would be an amazing doctor-that doesn't mean that medicine is your passion.

"Kyoya, I think you would be better suited to business, especially hospitality management. All of your work with the Host Club, all the events, and that time at the resort, tells me that you would thrive on handling all the details and making sure everything goes off without a hitch-and within budget.

"Medicine has too many uncontrollable variables, it would stress you out or drive you crazy," Haruhi explained passionately, gesturing wildly with both hands.

Unsure how to respond, Kyoya simply said, "It's just about time for the Host Club to open its doors. I will consider what you've said." Gesturing to the paper he had returned to her, he continued, "With the thought you've put into it, I expect you will get a very good grade on that paper."

"Thank you, Kyoya," Haruhi replied, patting his arm gently as she turned to head to the kitchen to begin preparing refreshments for the guests. She stopped and turned back. "Hey, Kyoya-sempai, could we talk again after Host Club hours are over? I have something else I would like to talk about."

"I have nothing scheduled for this afternoon so I would be happy to continue our conversation," he replied. "Maybe she's finally going to explain about the law books and the internship. I hope so anyway."

"Thanks, I'll get to work now," Haruhi said, heading for the kitchen.

Watching her go, Kyoya pondered, "Haruhi made some excellent points about walls, narrow paths, and blocked views. The narrow view of my father and brothers is definitely how Tonnere was almost able to buy the company out from under the family. At least I recognized the threat and beat her to it.

"Haruhi's right. We in the Host Club are walls, connected to each other for support and defense. Knowing they will be here for me, I need to jump up on the wall and view the broader world around me. Who knows what opportunities I might find? I'll just have to figure out a way to protect those opportunities from being co-opted by the family and squandered like the company was."

Tamaki watched Haruhi entertain her designates during his breaks between guests. "Father is right. She would naturally be very good match for marriage. It just seems strange to be thinking in those terms about my precious daughter."

Hikaru noticed that Tamaki was spending a lot of time watching Haruhi. "What's he up to? He seems awfully interested in Haruhi today."

Kaoru noticed that his brother was distracted and their guests were beginning to get restless. "Hey, Hikaru," he whispered as he poked his brother in the ribs, "you can tease Tamaki later. The ladies are waiting for our attention right now."

"I apologize, ladies," Hikaru answered smoothly. "I was distracted trying to pick up some pointers from our Prince-type to better fulfill your fantasies." The girls squealed as he gazed into their eyes while holding Kaoru close to his side and ran his fingers through his brother's hair.

Haruhi shook her head at the twins' antics and turned her attention back to the ladies at her table. They were chatting amiably about their plans for the summer, including Kanako and Tohru's wedding.

Honey happily chatted between bites of cake while Mori quietly looked on, their crowd of girls cooing 'kawaii' at how cute Honey was.

Kyoya watched everyone at their respective tables. "I never realized how much I depend on the Host Club to be my anchor in the midst of the chaos that is my family. Maybe this is why Tamaki always refers to us a 'family,' because THIS is what family really should be."

Though he didn't want to admit it, even to himself, Kyoya was distracted during hosting hours. He found his attention frequently pulled to Haruhi as she sat with her designates. "I wonder what she wants to talk to me about. She's chatting happily with the ladies, as if she doesn't have a care in the world. Could I have missed the mark about something being wrong? But what about the law books and the internship?"

As soon as club hours ended and all the guests had left, Tamaki approached Haruhi. "Could we talk?" he asked.

Haruhi looked at him, noting the slight frown on his face. "Sure, Tamaki-sempai. What do you want to talk about?"

Tamaki glance over at Kyoya who was making no move to leave. "I'd prefer to talk to you alone. Can you wait until after Kyoya leaves?"

"Actually, he is waiting for me. I asked for his help on some homework," she responded. "If you want to talk privately, how about tomorrow during lunch?"

"Okay, then. Tomorrow during lunch. I'll find a place where we can talk undisturbed," Tamaki replied. Glancing between Haruhi and Kyoya, he scowled as he turned and left the room reluctantly.

Haruhi watched Tamaki leave, a frown creasing her brow. "I wonder what he wants to talk about? Oh well, I'll find out tomorrow." She shrugged, then turned and walked over to the table where Kyoya was waiting.

Kyoya had tensed when Tamaki approached Haruhi. "What does he want with her?" Kyoya's eyes followed her as they made arrangements to talk during lunch the next day and she bade Tamaki goodbye.

Shaking her head, Haruhi walked over to the table where Kyoya was working on his laptop. "Hey, Kyoya-sempai, do you mind if we sit on the sofa? It make take some time for me to explain and I'd rather be comfortable."

Quirking an eyebrow, Kyoya shut his laptop and moved to sit on the sofa next to Haruhi. "This has nothing to do with homework, does it?" he inquired.

"No, it doesn't," she admitted. Taking a deep breath, she began, "I realized some things during the Ouran Fair."

"Yes, Honey told us about your conversation with him," Kyoya affirmed.

"Well, ever since the Ouran Fair, I've been working on an idea and I need your input—or maybe advice—or help," she continued.

Intrigued, Kyoya asked, "Does this have anything to do with the books on family law and adoption? Or the internship?"

Haruhi's eyebrows shot up. Then she chuckled. "Why am I even surprised that you know about the internship? You'd think by now I would know just how extensive your information network is."

"So, how does family law, adoption, and an internship relate to the events of the Ouran Fair?" he prompted.

"I've made no secret of the fact I don't like how your father treats you or how Tamaki's grandmother treats him. I guess my imagination was working overtime after everything that happened. I've been having nightmares about you and Tamaki being disowned by your families. Even though I know you two are perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves, somehow I was terrified that we would be separated and I would never see either of you again."

Kyoya looked at her with surprise. "She thinks enough of me—well, us—that our disappearance from her life actually distresses her." To her, he said, "I had no idea you felt that strongly about us."

"At first, I thought about asking Dad to adopt you, but I realized that wouldn't work. Your families would probably be vindictive enough to cause problems for any adopting family. Then I realized that the best option would be to create a brand new family—no existing members to be collateral damage."

Haruhi blushed a little as she continued, "After some research and consideration, I thought the name 'Hinan' would work for the constructed family. It means refuge or shelter. The kanji makes me think of a house with a person next to lamppost and a hedge. It has such an inviting look. A refuge is exactly the reason I want to create this family—to be a refuge for any of us that needs it." She handed him a piece of paper. "Here is what it looks like."

避難

Kyoya smiled, "I like the name and the kanji. It's very well thought out. Simply, yet strong."

Haruhi stood up and started to pace in front of the sofa. She gestured to the cabinet where she kept the law books she had been studying. "The books were great at explaining the applicable case law for family formation and adoption, but they don't included anything practical, like what forms need to be files, in what order, and who has to file them.

"That's why I got the internship at the law firm where my mom used to work. Her colleague, Mr. Naruse contacted my dad about whether I would be interested in an internship. I realized that it would be the perfect way to pay for the practical legal advice I needed, so he agreed to provide it in exchange for my work at the office."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "That's very resourceful of you. What sort of help do you need from me?"

She stopped her pacing and faced him. "There are two areas where I think you can be the most help for me on this project. The first one is identifying responsible adults to act as agents for the family. What do you think about asking your sister, Fuyumi, and your bodyguard, Tachibana?"

He considered her suggestions briefly. "They are both very good choices. I will speak to them. Why not your father?"

Haruhi sat back down on the sofa and her shoulders tensed. "He will be one of the agents, too. Most of the documents require two signatures. I figured it would be a good idea to have three agents, just in case one was unavailable in an emergency." Haruhi looked at Kyoya and she couldn't continue.

She was overwhelmed with the vague but oppressive memories of the days following her mom's death. The confusion that mom would never be coming home again. All the people at the funeral expressing their condolences. Then there was the loneliness. All the time she spent alone as her dad worked to make ends meets with random day labor jobs. Shopping, cooking, cleaning—always alone.

Kyoya looked at Haruhi's face and saw the storm of emotions. "Is there a problem with your father?"

Haruhi shook her head. She took a deep breath and looked away. "After meeting with Mr. Naruse, I started thinking about my mom. And then it hit me that I could be all alone if anything happened to dad." Her shoulders hunched and she wrapped her arms around herself.

Slipping his arm gently around her shoulders, Kyoya surmised, "So you want three agents in place, just in case something happens to your father and you need to become part of the new family as well?"

She looked at him with a watery smile. "Thank you for understanding, sempai."

After a brief side hug, he removed his arm. Wanting to distract her from the painful memories and speculation, he prompted, "You said there were two things you needed my help with?"

"Yeah," Haruhi responded. "The other thing is finances. I've taken care of the legal expenses with my internship, but the family will need some way to support itself. You have the best business acumen of anyone I know. Maybe the Hinan family could, for a small fee, act as trustee for any investments you want to keep separate from Otori holdings?"

Suddenly Kyoya grabbed her and kissed her soundly. She pushed him away, startled at his actions. The look of chagrin on his face was clear as he explained, "You just handed me the perfect solution to a dilemma that has been plaguing me since before the Ouran Fair. I've been trying to find a way to hide my investments and financial dealings from my father so he can't squander them, like he did the company."

"Oh," was all Haruhi could think to say in response, as she touched her fingertips to her lips. At first she looked puzzled, then she brightened. "So we have a mutually beneficial situation here. You need a 'shelter' for your investments and the Hinan family needs a revenue stream that could come from acting as trustee."

"Exactly," Kyoya responded. "This comes at the perfect time. I am just about to conclude negotiations on a property that I am purchasing for substantially below market value. It will be released from receivership tomorrow, following the verdict of the trial for embezzlement and fraud by the owners and managers. The court has set the minimum price based on the remaining payment claims from vendors. I plan to place a bid right away. The sale should close rather quickly, I have not heard of any other interested parties because of the scandal."

"What kind of property is it?" Haruhi asked.

"It's supposed to be an executive resort. The week before it was scheduled to open, the embezzlement was discovered when the caterer demanded a substantial deposit on the requested menu for the opening ceremony. There is a main house, a dozen guest cottages, a pool house, gardens, and a variety of outbuildings, including a dojo." Kyoya remarked, "It would actually be a perfect fit for the Host Club."

Haruhi chuckled, "Too bad the Hinan family can't afford it. I hadn't thought about having a physical place for people to live once they were adopted into the family. Thank you for helping me figure out that there are more aspects I need to work out."

Kyoya looked thoughtful. "Maybe it could be my contribution to the Hinan family. Yours is the legal expenses. I'm sure the others will want to contribute once they hear about it."

Haruhi asked, "Hey, Kyoya, you're right. I'm sure that they will all want to be involved. They may have ideas about other questions and issues we need to consider. When should we tell everyone else about the Hinan family?"

Kyoya was inordinately pleased that she was thinking of them as 'we.' Out loud, he said, "This weekend at the Morinozuka Compound would be the perfect time. There will be plenty of time to discuss it and examine the broader implications. I can even make arrangements for us to visit the property on Sunday afternoon."

Smiling, Haruhi responded, "That would be great. I'll pull together some notes about what I know and a list of questions that will need to be answered for the adoption paperwork."

The chiming of the clock reminded them that it was getting late. "Please allow me to give you a ride home. It's getting late," Kyoya offered.

Haruhi looked around the room, noticing how dim the light was. "Thank you, that would be great. Just let me make sure that everything is in order and ready for tomorrow." She walked around the room straightening a pillow here and repositioning a chair there.

Nodding in satisfaction, she returned to Kyoya. "I'm ready."

The ride was extremely quiet as the Kyoya and Haruhi were lost in their own thoughts.

Haruhi couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. "Did he mean anything by it? Or was it just an impulsive reaction?" she pondered. "It seems so out of character for him to act spontaneously like that."

Kyoya scrolled through the messages on his phone but he really didn't register what any of them said. "Why did I do that? Why did I kiss Haruhi? I know I've wanted to, but now she must despise me even more than when I manipulated her with the debt."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Besides, Tamaki is interested in her and he is my best friend. I would never hurt him by taking Haruhi from him. And then there's Honey-sempai, who she may have an interest in."

Kyoya's expression darkened slightly as he ran his thumb across the split in his lip. "I'm a fool to have ever entertained the notion that she could have romantic feelings for me or want to be part of my future. She deserves so much better than me."

Looking out the window, Haruhi's thoughts and feelings swirled like a maelstrom. "Despite the way he used to harass me about the debt, I really do like Kyoya. I guess I've felt that way since that day we spent together at the mall. Could the kiss mean he has feelings for me as well? Or am I just imagining things? Even though I'm not interested in a romantic relationship right now, Kyoya would be worth considering for the future."

The silence in the car was almost oppressive and Haruhi finally had enough. Just before they reached her apartment complex, she turned to Kyoya and laid a hand on his arm to get his attention.

Lost so deep in his own thoughts, Kyoya was startled by the gentle touch on his arm. He put down his phone and looked at Haruhi questioningly.

"Sempai, I need to know. Did that kiss mean anything?"

He looked away briefly, swallowed, and then turned back. "Someone like me doesn't deserve someone as wonderful as you. I should not have kissed you tonight, especially not without your permission. I was just so excited about your idea that I wasn't thinking, just acting on impulse."

Kyoya looked out the window, trying to pull together the shreds of his dignity. "Well, now I've done it."

Haruhi stared quietly at her hands, contemplating Kyoya's words and her own feelings.

Gathering her resolved, she stated, "Why do I have to keep trying to convince you that you're amazing? You are, and you deserve wonderful things. But you didn't answer my question. Did that kiss mean anything?"

Kyoya placed his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. "I do have feelings for you. I've never acted on them because Tamaki is my best friend and I know he has feelings for you. And then I saw you with Honey-sempai the other day before Host Club began. I know that it is ultimately your decision about who you want to be with."

When the car stopped in front of her apartment complex, Haruhi made no move to get out immediately. "Thank you for telling me, Kyoya. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Acting quickly, she kissed him on the corner of his mouth opposite the split, slipped out the car door, and was half way to her apartment before Kyoya realized what happened.

9