Hello! I know it has been a REALLY long time since I uploaded. I hope everybody is doing well :)

I don't mean to get too personal or make excuse, but it has been a rough time for me. My laptop was destroyed for almost a year, I was sick for a while, lost a family member and some other things. I tried my best to write, but it was honestly pretty tough amid everything else going on. Thankfully, life got better and I finally had the motivation and time to finish this chapter.

i hope you enjoy! The next chapter should be the last unless i can somehow squeeze in an epilogue, but I think it should be wrapped up next time.

Thank you for reading!


"Never do that again." Kyoya was walking to the last class of the day after finally catching up to Tamaki. He knew Tamaki tended to be carefree, but he didn't think Tamaki would be so conspicuous about a serious matter.

"Do what?" Tamaki feigned innocence. "I just encouraged you to catch up with an old friend."

Kyoya glanced around to make sure nobody was nearby. "I did what you told me to do…I guess."

"What do you mean by I guess?"

"It's what I did. I suppose." Kyoya said.

Tamaki was still confused. He stopped walking. "Hold on. What exactly did you do?"

Kyoya walked closer to Tamaki, hoping that nobody would be nearby to eavesdrop. "You told me to tell Haruhi I like her."

"And what happened?"

"Haruhi laughed at me." Kyoya began to walk again. It was humiliating to say that out loud.

Tamaki chuckled. "No, really. What happened?"

Kyoya still couldn't look at him, annoyed that Tamaki thought this was a joke.

"Wait really?" Tamaki couldn't hide the surprise. "Why don't you tell me from the beginning?"

Kyoya glanced around again. Seeing his worry Tamaki patted Kyoya's shoulder. "Alright, I can wait until after school if I have to." Tamaki sighed dramatically before they entered the classroom.


"Are you sure you want me to leave?"

Haruhi looked at her dad. He had good intentions, but this was the tenth time he asked her, and she'd only been with him for about fifteen minutes. Haruhi wondered if he would have nagged as much had his partner been with them. They were supposed to have breakfast together, but a last minute emergency in Karuizawa forced him to move earlier than expected. Haruhi barely managed to convince her dad to pack.

"Honey, I can stay another week at the very least. I want to make sure you're okay after the case is resolved." He was up to date about most things (no thanks to Haruhi). He and Yoshio had long since forgotten about their little plan to reunite them, but that didn't mean Ranka wanted to leave Haruhi alone.

Haruhi rummaged through Ranka's closet as he repeated his speech.

"Dad, please." She straightened up to look at him. "I would feel much better knowing that you're finally going to enjoy your life. You've worked so hard by yourself, and I'm just really happy that you have somebody to retire with."

Ranka crossed his arms. "First of all, I never said I'm retiring! Second, I can only feel at peace knowing my one and only precious daughter won't be hurt anymore."

Haruhi crouched down to look at some items on the ground. "I can't imagine being more hurt than I already was." She carefully placed his bubble wrapped trinkets into a box.

Ranka sighed. He knew that deep down Haruhi was probably still hoping that Kyoya was innocent. If he was right, Haruhi could in fact be hurt worse than before. "Haruhi you and I both know that's not true." He taped up the box when she was done. "So, if you want me to leave with a clean conscience, you're going to be honest with me about everything."

"What do you mean?" Haruhi began packing another box.

"I know you've left out a couple of things. Most of what I know didn't even come from you."

"I've told you everything I could." Haruhi said.

"You're trying to keep things inside but it's not good to let your emotions build up."

"I'm not."

Ranka sighed again. He really didn't want to go there but it would be the only way to get Haruhi to talk. "You can't even tell your most loyal confidant, because you're afraid of hurting his feelings."

Haruhi looked surprised. "What?"

Ranka tsked. "Tamaki confessed, didn't he?"

"How did you know?"

"Honey, everyone could see his feelings for you from a mile away. It was only a matter of time. I noticed that things seemed to be different between you two after your trip to Mori's wedding."

Haruhi looked down at the box she was holding. "I honestly didn't know how he felt."

"I'm sure he boxed up those feelings when you started dating Kyoya, but it must have been hard for him. And now you feel...burdened"

Haruhi set the box down. "I know he probably thought it was now or never, but I'm not ready to think about starting a relationship with anyone. It never crossed my mind that he-" Haruhi shook her head. "Even if he didn't feel that way, I wouldn't want to keep bothering him. He has his own life and I hate that I make everyone worry about me so much."

"It's normal that you don't want to worry your friends, but I want you to remember that I'm your father. I'll always be here for you, regardless of how many problems you may have or what is going on in my life."

"Thank you." Haruhi hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry for insisting so much. It's just that the last time you felt..." Ranka's eyes welled up at the thought of what happened. He hugged her tighter.

Haruhi could feel him crying as he hugged her. "If I tell you everything, do you promise to be happy in Karuizawa?"

She felt Ranka nod through his tears. Ranka pulled away and wiped his tears. "But will you really be okay with visiting Karuizawa?" He asked.

Haruhi nodded. "I can't avoid it forever. I'll feel better going to Karuizawa with a purpose rather than going solely to see where it happened." Haruhi's arms instinctively wrapped around her stomach. "It'll be good for me to face it and now that you're going to be there it's going to be much easier." Haruhi said.


"So, you think you're ready for the big leagues, huh?" The head custodian, Mr. Ezaki, asked.

Tamaki nodded. "I think so."

"You think or you know?" Mr. Ezaki glared disapprovingly.

Tamaki backtracked. "No! I mean, yes, I am ready, sir!"

"A little cocky, aren't you?"

Tamaki flinched. "No, sir. I was just-"

"I'm just messing with you." He patted Tamaki's back but didn't smile.

Tamaki smiled nervously while rubbing his back. Damn that hurt. He wasn't sure if Mr. Ezaki was friendly or not.

"You're going to start by cleaning up the lobby, the hallways, and any spill that is non-toxic. There is a general outline of your schedule attached to your cart, so follow it as closely as possible …" The manager listed all of Tamaki's duties. "Make sure to take your break but let me know before going. I'll give you more instructions then." He handed Tamaki a walkie talkie.

"Yes, sir!"

"Load up your cart and get to it. Don't forget to clock out when you go to break. It's your first day, so take your time and be careful, but don't take too long." With a last glance, Mr. Ezaki wheeled out his own cart and closed the door behind him.

Tamaki sighed with relief. He looked around the janitor's closet. It was much bigger than he'd expected. Tamaki loaded his cart and walked out into the hallway. He binge watched all of the training videos the night before. Kyoya told him it would only be a small clinic and Tamaki probably wouldn't need any more training than that. Still, Tamaki reviewed what he'd learned as he walked down the hall.

'Small clinic my butt,' Tamaki thought. Of course, Kyoya measured it with Ootori standards. Tamaki didn't even know where to begin. He was feeling discouraged by the thought of how much of a long shot this plan was. Still, Kyoya never did things without a reason, and he assumed this task wasn't an exception even if Kyoya was losing it.

Twenty minutes later, Tamaki was cleaning a spill. He was trying to keep his eyes and ears open. He was trying to be optimistic, but luck hadn't been on their side lately.

Haruhi flopped onto her couch. She'd cried so much that her eyes felt like weights. Still, she was glad that her dad had been convinced to leave. All it took was seeing her bawl her eyes out and a promise to visit him soon.

Haruhi blankly stared at her television. It'd been a while since she turned it on. She rarely watched television to begin with, but she was still actively avoiding it. Her hand lingered on the remote momentarily. Finally, she grabbed it and tossed it farther away from her. It was probably better to wait another month...or maybe three?

She looked at her ceiling, too tired to do much else. Tamaki wasn't home, so at least he couldn't see she'd been crying again. She wished she had more cases to work on, but her boss thought she was upset about being kicked out of the Ootori group. Even though she insisted that she was ready to pick up the slack, he was trying to be nice about her workload. Why did everybody think she was so fragile? She stood up to grab a glass of water. "Maybe it's because you keep crying, Haruhi." She gulped down the water and stared at her living room. Maybe rearranging it would keep her busy, but there wasn't much to move around anyway.

A sharp ringing interrupted her thoughts. She picked up her phone, frowning when she saw the number.

"Hello?"

"Hello." Kyoya's voice answered.

"What do you want?" Haruhi asked before he could get another word in.

There was a short pause. Maybe he was surprised by her tone. "The group," He hesitated. "The group wants you to take a mental health evaluation to make sure you're reliable." He ended the statement quickly and quietly.

"What?!" Haruhi couldn't say much else. She didn't know what was more overwhelming — the anger, frustration or disbelief.

"They're afraid that you're not..." Kyoya hesitated. He was scared of repeating what they'd told him.

"Mentally stable?" Haruhi finished for him. "Do you realize how stupid that is?"

"Of course! I told them it wasn't necessary but-"

"And why are you the one calling me?" Haruhi interrupted him, uninterested in hearing more excuses.

"They thought it would be better if I told you."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Right. They kicked me out of the position and now they don't want to tell me they think I'm crazy."

"They don't think you're crazy."

"Then why do I need to get a mental health evaluation?" Haruhi didn't wait for an answer. "It would make you look better if they can prove you didn't harm my mental health, right? You weren't there when I was physically in pain, but at least you didn't cause long lasting mental problems." Haruhi rolled her eyes. "That's a stupid argument and I highly doubt it would benefit you."

"Haruhi-"

"Shouldn't your lawyers at least be on the call? Isn't it their job to explain these types of things to me?"

"I didn't think you'd want to hear it from them."

"Well, I don't want to hear it from you either."

"I know, but if you have time you can stop by the clinic today. I already emailed you the address." Kyoya said.

"What if I refuse?"

"I would really appreciate it if you didn't. Can you give me a chance to explain, please?"

Haruhi heard a faint voice in the background. It wasn't Kyoya's which meant he was with someone else. That only served to double her anger.

She didn't try to disguise her emotions. "Even after everything, you can't bring yourself to dedicate one moment to ask me for a favor?" She took a deep breath. Was it even worth her time to get upset about it?

"I'm sorry." There was a pause again. Haruhi looked at her phone to make sure the call was still going. It was. That meant Kyoya was talking to whoever was in the room or had fallen silent for whatever reason.

"It's the bare minimum, Kyoya." Haruhi said even though she doubted he could hear her.

"Haruhi-" Kyoya began.

Haruhi hung up before he could make an excuse. It just didn't make any sense to her. How could a mental evaluation be helpful to his case when it really had little to do with her? If the child was his, it didn't matter if she was mentally ill or not. It was already bad enough they wanted her to vouch for him, as if that would prove he didn't cheat on her. She turned towards her room, longing to just stay in bed and forget everything. Then she looked at her phone, still in her hand.

She let out an annoyed sigh before opening her email inbox. She was too damn nice.


"Now are you going to tell me?" Tamaki asked Kyoya as soon as they entered the club room.

Kyoya looked around, making sure no other host was there. He rarely felt so paranoid.

"I told Haruhi that I have a crush on her and she didn't believe me. She said that I was probably just acting like I did at the beach house"

"The beach house?"

Kyoya forgot they never really explained what happened at the beach house. Tamaki had just assumed Kyoya was a pervert then Kyoya shoved sunscreen into his face and that was it.

"What did you do at the beach house?" Tamaki asked.

"I wanted to help her understand that we were scared when she confronted the guys at the beach." Kyoya replied.

Tamaki frowned. "How?"

Kyoya looked away to set up his laptop. "I pretended to be attracted to her and she called my bluff instantly."

Tamaki didn't look satisfied with the answer but dropped it. "No wonder she thinks you're lying. How are you going to show her you truly like her?"

"I'm not." Kyoya finished setting up his laptop.

"Why not?!"

"Because it doesn't matter. It is out of my system, I'll be over it soon and it would be a waste of time to pursue it further."

Tamaki looked worried. "Kyoya, I've never seen anything distract you this much. Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"I was distracted for one day."

"If you don't count those test scores." Tamaki muttered.

"I'm an Ootori. Rejection shouldn't faze me for very long."

"How exactly did she reject you if she thought you were joking?" Tamaki asked.

"Haruhi laughed at me when I told her. When you left us alone in the cafeteria, she said that she's confused about everything."

"Doesn't that mean you might have a chance?"

"I can't believe that." Kyoya said. "If I do, it'll only make things worse for all of us."

Tamaki sighed and patted his friend's shoulder.

"Besides," Kyoya continued. "Now that Haruhi rejected me, you-"

"Nope." Tamaki cut him off, shaking his head.

"Tamaki, it is much more probable that Haruhi likes you. At the very least, there's a greater chance of that than her somehow liking me."

"No." Tamaki shook his head again. "I can't do that."

"You can try."

"No!" Tamaki repeated, more forcefully. "You're my friend. I can't do that to you."

"Would you do it if I told you, it would help me get over her?"

"Maybe-"

"It'll help me get over her." Kyoya said.

Tamaki shot him a glare. "It's not just your feelings Kyoya. You said Haruhi was confused. If I say something to her, she'll feel worse."

Kyoya turned to his laptop. Tamaki was right. Wasn't this proof that he and Haruhi were more compatible?

"Look, I'll say something to her if she actually rejects you." Tamaki conceded. "But you have to make an effort to get close to her first."

"She already rejected me."

"No, Haruhi said she was confused. She never said she didn't like you, right?"

"I told you-"

"If you want me to tell her I will, but only when she straight up says she's not interested in you. Okay?"

Kyoya stared at his laptop. Wasn't it easier if Tamaki just confessed and received an answer?

"That's the only compromise I'll make." Tamaki added. "If you decide not to get a real answer, I won't even try."

"But, won't you feel upset?" Kyoya asked. It had been one of the main things bugging him. If anyone asked, he'd tell people this was all business, but he couldn't deny that Tamaki was his best friend. If he somehow managed to date Haruhi, where would that leave Tamaki?

Tamaki shrugged. "My two best friends will be happy. That means I'll be fine. If I wasn't prepared, I would have a field of mushrooms grown instead of helping you." He laughed.

Before Kyoya could object again, the twins burst through the doors.

"Hey!" Hikaru exclaimed, red in the face from laughter. "Did you guys hear about the idiot that confessed to Haruhi?"

Tamaki glanced at Kyoya who was stone faced. "Where'd you hear that?" Tamaki chuckled nervously.

"Renge!" Kaoru laughed. "Haruhi was acting really weird in the morning, and she got it out of her. Apparently, Haruhi didn't suspect a thing and still thinks he was playing a prank." Kaoru fanned his face while serving himself some water.

"But seriously, can you imagine confessing to Haruhi Fujioka?" Hikaru burst out laughing again before taking the cup of water from Kaoru.

"They must not be aware of her track record." Kaoru agreed.

"Is it so wrong for somebody to like Haruhi?" Tamaki crossed his arms.

"Of course not." Hikaru wiped away a tear.

"Yeah, Haruhi's great." Kaoru added. "But she can be brutal about love confessions."

"Only an idiot would ask her out without making it super clear that he likes her."

"Idiot indeed." Kyoya muttered.

Tamaki had been glancing at Kyoya throughout the conversation. Kyoya seemed unfazed, but he was sure that this was hurting his pride. "Did she say who it was? Or perhaps what school he attends?" Tamaki asked.

"Calm down, boss." Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Haruhi refused to say who it was. She probably knew you'd go stalk this guy."

"I was not going to stalk them!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Suuuree" The twins teased, before walking off.

"I wasn't!" Tamaki insisted, following them.

Kyoya opened his notebook and clicked his pen. His hand lingered on the page, before he shut the notebook. He resisted the urge to slam his face on the table. He was an idiot! How could he be so impulsive? He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Honey and Mori walk up to him.

"Are you okay, Kyo-chan?"

"He's probably stressing about Tamaki stalking the guy that confessed to Haruhi." Hikaru called out.

Honey seemed surprised. "Someone confessed to Haru-chan?"

The twins nodded, laughing all over again. "Yeah, so there's a whole new law the boss wants to test."

"I do not!" Tamaki protested.

The twins stuck their tongues out at him, prompting Tamaki to chase them around.

Honey and Mori returned to Kyoya. Honey climbed down from Mori's shoulders and sat next to Kyoya. He glanced at the twins before leaning closer to Kyoya.

"Is that what's bothering you, Kyo-chan?" Honey whispered.

Kyoya sat up straighter. "I don't want Tamaki to break a law."

Honey gave him a knowing look. "You like Haru-chan, don't you?"

"Of course not. Why would you even ask me that?"

"Hm," Mori said. Kyoya was startled. He hadn't noticed that Mori leaned down on the opposite side of Honey.

"So, it was you." Mori confirmed.

Kyoya looked back at the twins before looking at his seniors. "No."

"Okay." Honey smiled sweetly. "It must've been Tama-chan then. That's why you're so upset."

"I'm not upset, I'm worried about the repercussions of testing a law."

"Okay," Mori replied. He stood up and let Honey climb back up to his shoulders. "We'll ask Tamaki." They walked off to greet the rest of the hosts.

Kyoya reopened his notebook. He had to make a note not to underestimate their observation skills.

As Mori walked to the group Honey whispered. "He must be really upset."

Mori nodded. "Scribbling."

Honey sighed, looking at Tamaki bickering with the twins. "I didn't think Tama-chan would be better at hiding his emotions."

Mori nodded. "You owe me 600 yen."


Two hours into his shift, Tamaki really felt like he had the hang of cleaning. Except for the frustration of not hearing anything useful, it wasn't so bad.

He looked around at the first of many kitchenettes he had to clean. For a group of doctors, they were pretty messy. There were three doors, one for storage, one leading to a lounge, and one leading to the hallway. He had to deal with the kitchenette before he could even step foot into the lounge.

As he cleaned, he heard a familiar voice. Tamaki straightened up quickly, suddenly alert. Where had he heard that voice? He moved closer to the lounge door.

"You have to make sure there isn't a positive result."

"I understand your concern, but that is up to the doctor's evaluation."

"No, it's up to you."

"I'm sorry. I don't think that's a good idea. They're already investigating the other one."

"I'm the one investigating."

"I'm sure that you're not the only one."

"They trust me enough to believe what I say. Why else would they send me here twice?"

Tamaki frowned. He didn't know what the heck they were talking about, but there was no way it was something good.

He stepped towards the hallway. If it wasn't about Kyoya he would have to stop listening. He looked back at the lounge door. 'That doesn't really matter anyway,' Tamaki thought. 'These people could be affecting somebody's well-being.' Tamaki quietly walked back to the lounge door.

"Fine. How much do you want?"

"It's not about the money, it's about the ethics."

"You're worried about ethics now?"

The voices stopped abruptly, making Tamaki step away from the door. He quickly picked up a rag and disinfectant before heading to the storage closet. A minute or two later he heard footsteps.

"We'll see you later." The lounge door opened.

Tamaki didn't turn, instead choosing to rub the storage closet door with his rag. He could feel someone staring at him. Tamaki felt the urge to run. Even though he was in disguise (a dark wig and dark brown eye contacts), it was unsettling.

Finally, they began to talk again but much quieter.

"We'll finish talking about it later." The first person said.

The second person let out an annoyed sigh but replied. "I told you there's nothing I can do, but I'll see you then."

Tamaki heard a door open and close as he straightened up. He moved over to the sink and began to clean it.

"Excuse me." The familiar voice spoke up.

Tamaki turned around. "Yes, sir?" He was trying his damn best to not sound like Tamaki Suoh.

"How long have you been cleaning here?" The man asked.

Tamaki looked at his watch. "I think it's been about five minutes."

"Hm," The person studied him.

"Is there a problem, sir?" Tamaki asked.

"No. You just look familiar."

"Ah," Tamaki smiled. "I've been told my face is very common. I guess that's because I have average looks." He forced a laugh.

The person looked away, as if he lost interest. "Get back to work."

"Yes, sir." Tamaki smiled and turned back to the sink.

Tamaki's smile dropped as soon as he turned around. The person seemed to linger a bit before exiting. Tamaki let out a sigh of relief. Now he had to decide whether it would be better to stay on task or follow this guy.


"Hi, I have an appointment for five o'clock. My name is Haruhi Fujioka."

Haruhi waited for the receptionist to look up her name. It had been so long since she'd stepped foot into an Ootori clinic that it made her uneasy. She was hoping to have time to prepare before this, but she wasn't sure there would ever be enough time. It was getting easier to talk about everything, but that didn't mean she was fond of doing so. "You can go ahead and sit down. Fill out these documents." The receptionist handed Haruhi a clipboard with a stack of papers. "We'll call you soon."

"Thank you." Haruhi headed to a chair. She diligently filled out the paperwork, thankful for the distraction. She was alone for about fifteen minutes before somebody approached her.

"Hello, Mrs. Ootori."

Haruhi momentarily faltered at the name. When was the last time somebody called her that?

"I'm sorry, my last name is Fujioka." She looked up at the man that had spoken.

"Oh, of course! Please excuse my mistake, Ms. Fujioka."

"What can I help you with?" Haruhi replied.

"I see you don't remember me. I suppose it's because we have only met a handful of times."

Haruhi looked at the man, trying to recall where she'd seen him. Then a lightbulb went off. Haruhi stood up. "I'm sorry it took me so long to recognize you, Mr. Ito."

"It's no problem! It has been a while since we saw each other." He motioned at the chair. "Please sit down. I'm just here to oversee a couple of things regarding your evaluation."

Haruhi was visibly annoyed as she sat down. "You're not planning on going inside with me during the actual evaluation, are you?" Her tone made it clear she wouldn't let that happen.

"Of course not! Our task is to follow up with the doctor. I believe the doctor will review the results with you before speaking to us. It's not that we don't trust you," Mr. Ito assured her. "But, with something so important, both parties have to make sure there's nothing illegal happening."

"Both parties?"

"Yes, Ms. Saito will be sending one of her workers. They should be here soon." Mr. Ito looked at his watch.

"I should've known Kyoya would send someone." Haruhi muttered.

Mr. Ito awkwardly chuckled and tried to move on. "I see you have some paperwork to fill out." He motioned for her to go ahead.

Haruhi nodded and turned back to the forms. Why did Kyoya pick Mr. Ito? From what she could recall he'd been with the company for years and had a high rank, but that didn't mean he was really qualified. If it seemed sketchy to Haruhi why didn't his own lawyers bring it up? Then again, Kyoya wouldn't have sent him without thoroughly thinking it through. Still, why did he think it would be better to send Mr. Ito rather than a lawyer or another doctor? Haruhi tried to stop her thoughts from escalating. She couldn't get caught up in more than necessary. All she had to do was get this over with and go home.

"Oh, there she is!"

Haruhi turned to see a woman walking towards them. As she walked, a kid ran across the hallway making her trip. A janitor that happened to be passing by quickly caught the woman and helped her stand up. The woman smiled as if she was suddenly in awe.

They were too far to hear what was being said, but it was apparently enough to make the woman blush. The janitor's gestures reminded her so much of Tamaki. Haruhi shook her head. Her mind was really everywhere.

The woman finally approached them. "Hello, I'm sorry for the delay back there. I'm here on behalf of Ms. Saito. My name is Sara Abe." The woman held out her hand.

Haruhi forced a smile, shaking the woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Haruhi Fujioka."

"I know!" Sara laughed.

"Looks like you almost fell back there." Mr. Ito mentioned.

"Almost! Thankfully the custodian caught me in time." Sara blushed. She turned to Haruhi. "Has Mr. Ito explained to you why we're here?"

"Yes." Haruhi sat down. "I'm guessing you're both extremely trustworthy."

Mr. Ito laughed. "I would hope so. I've given most of my life to the Ootori company!"

The woman smiled. "It's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"Fujioka?" A nurse called out before Haruhi could ask anything else. "This way please."

Haruhi awkwardly said bye to the two and followed the nurse.

"You're here for a general evaluation, correct?" The nurse asked as they walked.

"Yes."

"Okay. I'm going to go over some basic information with the forms you filled out about your medical history. Is there anything you were unable to write down here?"
"I wrote everything."
"Good. After we review this, I'm going to walk you through a physical checkup and some exercises. This is just to get a general idea of your physical well being. Then the doctor will come in to finish your evaluation. You can sit right there while I transfer your medical records." The nurse pointed at a chair.

Haruhi nodded. She looked around the area while the nurse prepared her things. She was still bothered by Mr. Ito and Ms. Abe. It was easy enough for two high ranking employees to talk to the doctor beforehand. How would they know that nothing bad was happening when they didn't even arrive together?

"Are you worried about the checkup?" The nurse asked while she waited for the computer to load. "It's a really simple process," she reassured Haruhi.

"It has been a while since I've done something like this." Haruhi replied.

"Well, don't worry this will be over before you know it. After all, the Ootori group has the most prestigious medical institutions."

"So, I've heard."

"If anything is wrong with you, an Ootori doctor could find it." The nurse turned back to the computer.
Haruhi couldn't reply. Maybe the nurse wasn't aware of how wrong she was, but if the computer really did download all of Haruhi's medical records, then it wouldn't be long until the nurse found out.


Tamaki tried not to seem suspicious, but he desperately wanted to follow that man. Whether or not it was related to Haruhi, that was a seriously shady business deal. He waited by the door for about a minute before leaving the room. The guy didn't seem to hear him even though the cart squeaked along. Tamaki stopped to clean something whenever he got too close.

They quickly reached a lobby area. The guy headed towards a woman sitting down.

Tamaki inconspicuously watched them while he wiped down some windows.

She didn't look like a doctor, but she did look like…Haruhi? Tamaki almost dropped his rag.

Neither of them took note of him. Then a lady walked in, prompting them to look over. Tamaki was about to hide when he noticed a child run across the hall and trip the woman. Instinctively, Tamaki rushed over to catch her.

"Oh!" The woman seemed to have the wind knocked out of her for a second.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at her in his arms.

"Yes…" She blushed. "Thank you."

"No problem." Tamaki helped her straighten up. "Be careful around these hallways. It may be a hospital, but it'd be a shame for such a pretty person to get hurt." He smiled.

The woman flushed a darker shade of red. "Thank you."

Tamaki said goodbye to her before rushing off and mentally scolding himself. He was sure Haruhi had at least turned to look at him by then and if anybody could see through his disguise it was her. Even worse, he knew that man was staring at him. If he got caught again, there was no way that guy wouldn't get suspicious. As he walked, he looked at his watch then risked looking back at Haruhi. She was now accompanied by the woman as well.

Tamaki walked out of the lobby. There was no way to immediately go back in there without risking suspicion. He walked back to the kitchen area. 'Thirty minutes or however long it takes to clean that kitchen,' he thought to himself. 'Then I'll risk going back.'


Kaoru sat at a table near the entrance of the cafeteria. It was easy enough to enter the news agencies. Unfortunately, it had not been so easy to get any information from his visits to any of them. He just hoped this time would be different. Based on the schedule Kyoya gave him, the reporter he was looking for would walk in at any minute.

As if on cue, the reporter walked in with a woman. "This company is so lucky that I accepted their offer. I expect to get this promotion by tomorrow."

Kaoru stood up to follow him when they were a couple of feet away. He would have laughed if it wasn't so serious. Kyoya said the guy was arrogant, but Kaoru didn't expect to hear it as soon as he saw him.

"Aren't you the youngest team member? Why would they offer you the promotion?" The woman asked, clearly annoyed.

They got in line for food. Kaoru casually strolled up behind them, pretending to look at the menu.

"Isn't it obvious?" The guy rolled his eyes. "I'm the best reporter they have! They're not going to find anyone more valuable than me. Besides, I have news that I'm sure nobody else has even heard of. If they don't promote me, I'll just take a job at Light Publications."

Kaoru was surprised for some reason. Of course, Kyoya knew exactly what this guy wanted. It was all in the briefing.

"Do you really think that'll work?"

"It has to. Nobody else has insider information-."

Kaoru laughed, somewhat meanly. Hikaru didn't let him sleep until he got that sound down.

"Excuse me?" The reporter turned to him. "Did you want to say something?"

Kaoru looked at him. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear that you think insider information is...rare?" He laughed again. Kyoya said this guy couldn't stand being talked down to.

The reporter glared at him. "I'm sure it's more than what you can offer."
Kaoru smirked. "Sure." He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away to look at the menu.

"And who exactly are you to be so confident?" The reporter challenged.

Kaoru rolled his eyes and sighed. "Does it matter?"

"Yes-" The reporter began.

"Let it go." The woman warned him.

"Why should I? This guy thinks he's better than me!" The reporter protested.

"Oh, I'm sure you're at my level." Kaoru interrupted in a taunting tone. "Or perhaps above me since you have insider information?" He smiled in faux friendliness.

The woman glared at Kaoru then at the reporter. "You know what? I'm going back to the office." She shook her head at the reporter and left.

"Oh great. Now you ruined my chances with the cutest girl in the office." The reporter huffed.

"What chances?" Kaoru muttered.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are, but I can assure you, you have no idea who you're messing with!"

Kaoru looked at the reporter with disinterest. "I'm sorry, were we still talking?" At this point the guy was steaming which meant Kaoru was right on track.

"You have no idea what can happen to you if you mess with me. I'm going to be the next editor in chief of this publication magazine, and I'll make your life hell."

"Right." Kaoru replied flatly. "Unfortunately for you, I don't work here."

"I don't care. I'll still make you miserable."

Kaoru smiled. "I'm sure you can make the chief editor at Light Publications miserable." He finally took his hand out of his pocket to give the reporter a business card. Kyoya said that as long as he never explicitly said he was affiliated with the magazine it would be fine. He just happened to have their business card and it really was unlikely this guy could make the chief editor at Light Publications miserable.

The guy sputtered, looking wide eyed at the card. "Wait- no- what? I-"

"Save it." Kaoru interrupted. "Lucky for you, I happen to like aggressive reporters. It means they can get me the news I want. You just have to prove you have something worth my time."

The guy snapped back to his former level of confidence. "Of course, I do, but there's no way I'm telling you without a guarantee of a job."

"In other words, you have nothing of value." Kaoru deadpanned.

"I said I have trustworthy insider information."

"So did every other person I've interviewed and guess what? They weren't worth my time either." Kaoru answered. Kyoya said the guy would take the bait, if only to prove himself superior to others.

"Can you guarantee a position at Light Publications?"

"If you can prove that you're worth it." Kaoru could get him a position at Light Publications, but it probably wasn't the one the guy wanted.

The reporter weighed his options.

Kaoru impatiently looked at his watch." I only have the next twenty minutes free." He added. He hoped he would come off as aggressive as his brother.

"I can prove it." The reporter finally spoke up.

"Great. So, are you going to order, or do you expect me to talk to you without eating lunch?"


Mori sat next to the executive at a shady-looking bar. Kyoya told him that the executive visited the bar at least twice a week after work. According to him, Mori only had to sit next to him while the guy became stupidly drunk. Afterwards, Mori would have to hope the guy was at least sober enough to talk.

Mori had been there for about an hour and the person had downed glass after glass of liquor. Mori only had about another hour left before he had to move on to the next person.

The guy was blabbing away with the bartender, but the bartender didn't seem fazed. Mori didn't know how this person found out about Kyoya's problem. It seemed like he couldn't stop talking long enough to listen to anyone.

Mori glanced at him again before averting his gaze to the wall of liquors in front of him. Perhaps the person was only loose lipped when he was drunk. Why else would Kyoya tell Mori to approach him at a bar?

The bartender excused himself as a group of people walked up to the counter.

"Everyone always leaves me alone!" The man exclaimed with a slur as he set his glass down on the bar counter.

Mori sipped a small amount of his drink, still looking straight ahead.

"Hey, you!" The man pointed at him.

Mori looked over.

"Why are you sitting so close to me?!" The man demanded.

"Sorry," Mori replied before scooting away and turning around again.

"Did you happen to hear what I was talking about?"

It took Mori a bit to decipher what the man said because of the slurring. "No."
"Good," The man laughed.

Mori smiled politely and turned away. It made the man laugh harder. Soon the guy was dying of laughter.

"Whew, that felt nice!" The man wiped his tears. "I like you!"

"Thank you." Mori replied. He was slightly worried about the man's random changes in behavior.

"C'mere!" The man waved Mori towards him.

Mori carefully scooted over. It wasn't so much the stench of the alcohol bothering him, but the knowledge that some drunk people weren't hesitant to pick fights.

"Closer!"

Mori scooted a centimeter closer.

"I'm going to be rich!" The man tried to whisper.

"Really?" Mori asked.

"Because I know something about the ootoros!"

"Ootoros?"

"Y'know the super-rich bastards!"

"Ah." Mori nodded. This dude was so drunk he was mispronouncing the name. "Sounds nice."

"Those bastards have no idea!" The man snorted.

"I bet."

"They think nobody would betray them!"

Mori scanned the people around them. Thanks to the music, nobody was close enough to hear what they were saying, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"The person that told me paid me lots of money to release the news." The man continued, laughing.

"Who?" Mori figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. It was better to get the information as soon as possible.

The man laughed shortly. "Heh, wouldn't you like to know?" He playfully punched Mori's arm. "Oh! You work out!"

Mori rubbed his arm even though it didn't hurt. "You too?"

The man chuckled. "Fine, you win! I'll tell you!"

Mori flinched. "Really?"

The guy turned towards the person behind the counter. "Bartender! Two more of these!"

The bartender gave a thumbs up from the other end of the counter, seemingly relieved that the man had another person to talk to.

"Here you go." The bartender served the drinks and walked away to the next crowd. He hadn't been gone long but it seemed like the executive had told 5 unrelated stories in that time.

"Chug it!" The man didn't hesitate to gulp the drink down and stared at Mori expectantly.

Mori did the same. When he was done his throat was on fire. Even though he knew he had a limited amount of time before the guy either passed out, threw up, or was so drunk he could barely talk, Mori couldn't help but ask. "Why are you telling me your secret?"

The executive chuckled. "I recognize another drunk when I see one! You'll remember about as much as me!" He leaned in closer to Mori and whispered, "That is...nothing!" before hiccupping.

Mori smiled slightly. "You caught me." He hoped the executive was a bit more observant when sober. It had to be obvious Mori was anything but drunk.

"Of course I did! I'm a very important person!"

Mori couldn't help but get goosebumps. This was frighteningly close to what Kyoya said would happen. Down to the details. It made him wonder if Kyoya had been in this situation before.


"Do you have any questions?" The doctor asked Haruhi. She had just gone over her results.

"No." Haruhi responded. It was about the same points as her regular doctor's feedback.

"I would recommend that you take some time off for yourself. Maybe partake in a new hobby or just spend some time doing something you enjoy. It might help with the stress you feel."

Haruhi nodded. "I'll try my best."

"Here is the written summary of what I went over with you. I have signed and stamped my seal on it so it should be good to go."

Haruhi took the paper. "Thank you. It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise." The doctor smiled. Before Haruhi could get up, she continued "Ms. Fujioka? If it is possible," she began. "I would suggest that you only share that information with people you trust. You seem like a very private person. You're also very stressed as it is. You mentioned that this evaluation is for people outside of your close circle, so I think it would be best if you limit who gets the information."

"Thank you for the advice." Before opening the door, Haruhi paused and turned around. "Actually, I do have a question."

"Go ahead." The doctor encouraged her.

"Is there any way for you to give me a document that will serve the same purpose, but make it vaguer? I think this is too detailed for me to be comfortable sharing and I agree that I might fare better if I limit the amount of people reading it."

"Definitely. I'm sorry I didn't think about that before."

Haruhi sat back down. "Thank you." As the doctor typed into her computer, Haruhi felt a wave of dread wash over her. She was a private person; the thought of letting a group of strangers examine her mental health made her feel awful.

The doctor paused her typing and looked at Haruhi. "Are you okay?"

Haruhi turned to the doctor and nodded. "Yes. I'm just a little stressed" Haruhi tried to smile.

The doctor looked worried. "I was told that I would have to speak to some people about your evaluation. I don't want to say anything that will increase your stress. If there's anything at all that you need me to do to make you feel better, just let me know. I'll do my best." The doctor tried to reassure Haruhi.

"Thank you," Haruhi replied. She looked down at her clasped hands. How did she end up here? It used to be hard to make her feel overwhelmed but now that seemed to be the only thing she felt. Despite his flaws, Haruhi would never have believed that marrying Kyoya would lead to all of this. It made her feel stupid for accepting how easy it was.


Haruhi was once again sitting in the room she'd found a couple of weeks ago. After studying the room, she figured that most students at Ouran either didn't know it existed or thought it was too small to hang out in and ignored it. Haruhi didn't really care about why other students rarely ventured into the room, she only cared that nobody bothered her.

Then again, Kyoya always seemed to find her. He said it was by chance that he saw her enter the room once, but was anything ever really by chance when it came to Kyoya? Kyoya always had a plan...but then what was his plan with her? Why did he tell her he liked her?

Haruhi stopped writing as she found her mind wandering to Kyoya again. She groaned when she looked at what was supposed to be her scratch paper for math. She'd somehow managed to write an impressive amount of 'Kyoya's down. She laid her head down on the paper. She had to stop thinking about him! It had been weeks since he confessed. She had only heard from him once when he canceled their tutoring sessions indefinitely and that wasn't even in person. He just sent her a text. Haruhi still got paid so it wasn't so much the money she was worried about, but the fact that she didn't understand why Kyoya was behaving that way. He seemed to be avoiding her in general. Sometimes she would see Kyoya walking down the hall with Tamaki. Every time Kyoya saw her he would turn around, leaving Tamaki to walk alone. It made her uneasy even though Tamaki said everything was fine. Hell, she thought everything would be fine after their conversation in the lunchroom but then it got worse.

"Haruhi."

Haruhi shot up at the voice but didn't get very far before her head bumped against something.

"Ow!" They both exclaimed.

Haruhi held her head. This hit hurt way more than the last one. She looked up to see Kyoya standing over her, holding his nose again.

"Ow." She repeated, rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

At the same time, Kyoya said, "I apologize. I didn't measure the distance correctly." His voice sounded nasal, and he seemed to have trouble talking.

Haruhi looked at the hand covering his nose. Sure, enough blood was trickling down. "Your nose is bleeding again." She offered him the piece of notebook paper. It wasn't the best, but it was something other than his hand and expensive uniform.

"Thank you." Kyoya quickly grabbed the paper and headed to the restroom.

Haruhi watched him walk away. Something was really wrong with him. She could understand his mistake once, but twice? On top of that, he apologized so easily...

Haruhi looked down at the table. "Where's…" She frantically looked around the table again. She gave him the paper where she wrote his name over and over again! Haruhi tried to calm herself down. He did grab the paper. His first instinct had to be to use it as a tissue, right? The blood would soak it and cover it up. Haruhi wasn't entirely relieved. Even though he probably wouldn't see that she had been thinking about him, her work was gone.

When he returned, Haruhi asked, "Can I stop by the host club later to pick up the bill?" She didn't want to ask about the paper just in case he became suspicious.

Kyoya looked at her before carefully setting his blazer down on the chair next to him. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little dazed. The last time his nose bled he'd manage to avoid staining it. This time he wasn't so lucky. His fist tightened around the piece of notebook paper Haruhi had given him. He didn't want to use it as a tissue because it would only make his nose hurt more with the roughness. "For what?"

"For your nose." Haruhi said, obviously confused.

Kyoya sat down across from her. His hand was still balled up. He did happen to see that the paper had writing which made him even more reluctant to use it. "No need. It was my fault."

Haruhi's confusion was visibly increased. "But you billed me last time."

"That is correct." Kyoya replied. He brought his hands down to his lap where he released the sheet of paper. He glanced down. Yup. That was his name. Over and over again.

"So why is it any different this time?" Haruhi asked, seemingly unaware that he even had the paper.

Kyoya's eyes flicked to her again before he turned to his bag. He placed it on his lap and began opening it as he talked. "You hit me last time so of course you had to pay for the damage. This time I made the same mistake, so I'll take responsibility."

Haruhi stared at him, trying to comprehend what was happening. "Is it because I'm not in the host club anymore and I rejected the last offer?" Kyoya slowly removed a packet from his binder. "What do you mean?"

"You don't see a point in charging me because it won't increase any debt?" As Haruhi asked, she realized it didn't make sense, even for Kyoya.

"No. I'm honestly taking responsibility. If you suffer any medical repercussions, please let me know." Kyoya said. He was resisting the urge to get up and just go to the nurse's office. He wondered if the pain was muted with the slight glimmer of hope he felt upon seeing that paper. That meant she was thinking about him, right? "Calm down, Kyoya." He mentally reprimanded himself… or so he thought.

"Do you need to see the nurse?" Haruhi was staring at him.

"I should be fine." Kyoya cleared his throat. "The reason I'm here is to apologize for canceling the tutoring appointments."

Haruhi opened her mouth to ask why he canceled but decided to just let it go. It was probably better not to ask. "Do you want me to direct you to another tutor?"

"No." Kyoya responded immediately. "I only needed time away from you to determine whether your absence from my life was truly the reason for my poor performance."
"So, you were avoiding me on purpose."

"Yes. I needed at least two weeks away from you to truly see if it had any effect on me. I also figured that you would appreciate a break from me." Kyoya knew that he had to stop whatever feelings he had for Haruhi; pinpointing exactly what affected him was a start. However, he couldn't help the nagging feeling that it could possibly go somewhere. After thinking about her reactions and now the piece of paper, it was easy to get his hopes up about what Haruhi might feel about him. Kyoya set the packet down on the table. "This is my latest test score."

Haruhi didn't say anything as he moved. She wasn't really sure whether the sudden "break" from Kyoya was appreciated. After all, she was worried that he was going insane.
Haruhi looked at the packet he set down. "It's perfect." She looked back at him. "Which means…" She waited for him to finish the sentence, but she knew what it would be.

"It wasn't you." Kyoya confirmed.

Haruhi was trying to figure out where he was going with this. Was it to tell her that he didn't actually like her?

"Well, at least not in the way that I previously thought." Kyoya continued. "Now, I think that the reason for my poor grades was my own confusion."

"Confusion?" Haruhi was surprised that Kyoya admitted it so casually. He didn't seem like the type to be open about his feelings.

Kyoya wasn't sure if he really wanted to tell her. He disliked being so vulnerable. It just wasn't Ootori like. He had already admitted more than he thought he would. "I was confused about my feelings for you. I don't know when I started to feel differently about you, but I know they may have…escalated after our 'date'."

Haruhi felt a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"When you left the host club, I felt-" Kyoya hesitated. "Many things. They were all new to me and I didn't know how to deal with my emotions, so my grades plummeted. Then they improved when I was attending my tutoring sessions with you." He paused again, unsure of how much he really wanted to reveal.

Haruhi finally spoke up. Kyoya seemed to be having a difficult time speaking and she was pretty sure it wasn't just the pain in his nose. "I served as a distraction to you, right? You convinced yourself you just needed to talk to me and avoid figuring out your feelings." Haruhi looked down at her notebook, cringing as she spoke. If she was wrong, this would be embarrassing. "When I stopped tutoring you, you no longer had a distraction, so you were stressed out."

When Kyoya didn't speak up she looked at him. To her surprise he was smiling. Without his glasses he usually looked colder, but he looked relieved and almost amused. Haruhi felt her face get redder. "Oh, that's not it, is it? I was just joking, senpai! Hahaha" She nervously added.

"No, you were right, Haruhi." Kyoya finally said.

"Then why were you looking at me like...that?" Haruhi asked.

"Is it a funny look?" Kyoya laughed to himself. He leaned forward to prop his head up. "You were able to figure it out with only a couple of sentences, but it took me so long."

"Oh," Haruhi looked back down at the table. She really couldn't take the look he was giving her. It was making her heart race and her stomach flutter. Not to mention those words! Since when was Kyoya so direct? She wasn't sure she liked the feeling yet.

"The reason for my poor grades was my inability to understand what I was feeling." Kyoya continued.

"And that's not how an Ootori behaves?" Haruhi finished.

"Right." Kyoya said. He could have taken that statement as an offense, but instead he felt amused. "Ootoris know everything, so I was frustrated to say the least. I was planning on just boxing up my feelings for as long as possible, but it was relieving when I finally admitted that I liked you."

"Wait, if you were planning on ignoring your feelings, why did you approach me about tutoring?"

"I didn't."

Haruhi thought back to their conversation. Kyoya was acting strangely and seemed nervous. She recalled seeing him the day she was tutoring another student. Obviously, he wanted to speak privately about being tutored, right? "You didn't approach me to ask about tutoring?" she asked, uncertainly.

Kyoya shook his head. "Tamaki was urging me to ask you out. I thought I'd get it over with because I was sure you'd reject me. Then you offered to tutor me, and I figured I could put it off longer. My grades were suffering anyway so I suppose it worked."

Haruhi sipped her water to avoid looking at him. It was getting hot. That meant he was going to ask her out that day and she had just shut him down! She didn't even know what she would say.

"Anyway, I'm glad to have figured it out." Kyoya added. "Although, I still have to figure out how to get over you and it hasn't been easy."

Haruhi almost choked upon hearing the last part. She really couldn't handle whatever it was that Kyoya was doing. Was his sudden new attitude a good or bad thing for her? "I- um, I'm glad you're back to normal senpai."

"I wouldn't say I'm normal yet." Kyoya said.

"I'm sorry?" Haruhi said with uncertainty.

"No need to apologize. It's my problem."

"Okay, well…congratulations on your grades." Haruhi tried to move on. She quickly began to gather her things. "The bell is about to ring, so, um, before we leave should I cancel your future tutoring sessions?" Haruhi stood up. Haruhi rarely stuttered, but it was hard for her to really think of what else to say.

Kyoya agreed and stood up. He knew it wouldn't be wise to push it.

"Okay." Haruhi quickly leaned down to write a note in her book. She spoke as she wrote. "I will finish up my end as soon as possible and you would only have to call-" She looked up. Kyoya had walked around the table to look at what she was writing. That meant he was right next to her, hovering over her shoulder. "Um, you only have to call this number." Haruhi ripped out the page in her notebook and handed it to him. He was so damn close to her! It didn't help that Haruhi's seat was at the corner of a table and a wall. She couldn't even take a step back.

"Thank you." Kyoya said. He didn't seem to notice the distance, or lack thereof.

Haruhi straightened up which only made it seem like they were closer than before. "Um, I see you finally measured the distance correctly." She gestured at her successful movement without bumping his nose.

The joke seemed to snap Kyoya out of whatever daze he was in. He laughed a little. "Third time's the charm."

Haruhi smiled back. This was so awkward, yet somewhat nice?

"That reminds me." Kyoya held out a crumpled sheet of paper to her. "Thank you for the paper, but I couldn't use it."

Haruhi looked at his hand. Oh no.

"I noticed there was some writing on it." Kyoya added.

Haruhi's mouth felt open. Her ears were ringing. Her cheeks were blazing again. "Did you…" She looked from him to the paper and back.

Kyoya looked amused. "If you don't want it, I'd be happy to keep it."

"No!" Haruhi tried to compose herself. "It has my homework on it." Haruhi grabbed the paper from him.

"I seemed to have read-"

The bell rang, making Haruhi jump. "Nope. See you later senpai!" She quickly rushed out of the room.

Kyoya was left facing the corner that Haruhi was standing at seconds ago. He couldn't seem to get rid of the grin on his face. After a minute he turned to the door but stopped in his tracks at the sight of the host club standing in the doorway. Tamaki seemed proud. Honey gave Mori a dollar. The twins looked pissed.
Kyoya's grin finally fell as he muttered a curse word. Haruhi had managed to escape, but Kyoya would never hear the end of this.


As Haruhi went down the hallway to the waiting room, she couldn't help but wonder if the doctor knew something. She couldn't imagine Kyoya wanting a regular doctor to know the details, but maybe this doctor was trustworthy. Maybe she'd done evaluations for people in similar situations.

Before entering the waiting room, Haruhi put the first folder in her purse. It was hard to fit, but it was better than carrying it in her hand. She held the second sheet of paper in her hand. As Haruhi went through the doors, Mr. Ito greeted her. "Did everything go well?"

"Yes." Haruhi replied. "Is that all you need from me?" She didn't mean to sound rude, but she didn't want to beat around the bush either.

"Nothing except the results." Ms. Abe laughed. They stared at Haruhi expectantly.

"Of course," Haruhi handed Ms. Abe the one paper she was still holding. "This is from the doctor. It has her seal and signature at the bottom as verification."

Mr. Ito and Ms. Abe took turns looking at the paper.

"Was that all she gave you?" Ms. Abe asked.

"No." Haruhi admitted. "But I'm not comfortable with letting strangers read a detailed description of my mental state. That paper should be enough for your case."

"I understand your concern, Ms. Fujioka." Mr. Ito said. "But we need to verify that nothing was falsified or tampered with."

"Rest assured, Kyoya would know whether something has been falsified. But to ease your worry, you can talk to the doctor." She gestured at the nurse waiting at the doorway.

Mr. Ito and Ms. Abe tried to protest, but Haruhi just shrugged them off. "If Kyoya needs anything else, he can call me. Excuse me, I have an important task waiting." Haruhi said before walking away.


An hour later, Tamaki wheeled his cart back into the room. He sprayed the plants with water as he looked around. There was no sign of the man, the lady, or Haruhi. He sighed, exasperated by the absurdity of it. Of course, it was a long shot to get any information this way! There was only so much optimism a person could have! Tamaki wanted to just put the cart away and leave, but he only had three hours left and he still hadn't taken his break. Tamaki moved on from plant to plant, mindlessly spraying water on each. When he was done, he scanned the room again. Still nothing.

Tamaki walked over to his cart and grabbed a sanitizing solution. He walked over to an unoccupied table and began to clean it. As he cleaned, he heard a door open and hushed voices approach. Tamaki moved on to another table and began to clean it while facing the voices. It was that man and the lady, but no Haruhi? He couldn't hear what they were saying, but they seemed upset. They sat down near the door and continued to talk. Tamaki tried to stay focused on his task while keeping an eye on them. He couldn't hear anything, but he figured watching was better than nothing. As Tamaki moved on to taking out the trash, he noticed a doctor enter the room and approach them. Tamaki slowly lifted one trash bag out of the trash can and into his cart compartment. The doctor kept shaking her head even when the man seemed to get more upset. The lady just kept nodding along with a straight face. Finally, the doctor handed each a piece of paper and walked away.

Tamaki quickly moved on to the next trash can. This time he tried not to look at the pair. To his dismay, he heard the man call out to him.

"Excuse me." The man called out. He walked up to Tamaki while the lady walked out of the lobby.

Tamaki turned around. "Did you need help with something, sir?"

The man's frown seemed to get bigger. "You've been following me."

Tamaki put on his best confused expression. "I'm sorry. I don't think I've seen you before."

"You were in the kitchenette, then you were here about an hour ago and now you're back."

"Right…" Tamaki said, as if the man was being weird. "I am a custodian, so I move around often. I apologize if it made you uncomfortable."

"Why would you visit the same place twice within one hour?"

"I don't really keep track of how long I stay in one place. I just follow my schedule as closely as I can."

"Then why were you here earlier?" The man seemed to just get more suspicious as Tamaki answered.

"Um, you said I was here an hour ago?" Tamaki grabbed the sheet of paper attached to his cart. He glanced at his watch. "I was on my way to kitchenette number 4, so I had to cross through this lobby. I stopped briefly to help a lady that tripped."

The man grabbed the sheet from Tamaki and studied it. He still seemed unsatisfied. "It seems to be awfully coincidental that your schedule lines up with mine."

Before Tamaki could speak, he heard Mr. Ezaki call out to him. "Are you slacking off?" Mr. Ezaki walked up to them. "Is he bothering you, Mr. Ito?" He asked the man.
Mr. Ito looked from one to the other. "How long has he been working here?"

"He's a new employee. Is he bothering you Mr. Ito?" Mr. Ezaki repeated.

Mr. Ito shook his head. "It just seemed like he was following me earlier."

Mr. Ezaki seemed confused. He looked at the clock on the wall. "That's odd. I checked his work before coming here and it's all done. He wouldn't have time to follow anyone around. I apologize if it made you feel uncomfortable to see him so often, but we can't change our schedule." Mr. Ezaki was speaking in a polite tone, but it was clear he meant to make Mr. Ito realize how unreasonable he sounded.

"It's hard to believe it's just a coincidence." Mr. Ito rebutted.

Mr. Ezaki remained unfazed. "That is quite unbelievable, but coincidences happen, right?" He laughed.

Mr. Ito looked unhappy, but merely grumbled "Get back to work then." before walking away.

"Of course, sir." Mr. Ezaki replied as Mr. Ito walked off. As soon as he was out of earshot, Mr. Ezaki turned to Tamaki. "Take your break, I'll finish up for you." He grabbed Tamaki's cart.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused." Tamaki apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Mr. Ito has been frequenting this clinic lately. I guess he's never crossed the same custodian more than once."

"He must have important business if he is here so frequently." Tamaki commented.

Mr. Ezaki glanced at Mr. Ito's retreating figure before looking back at Tamaki. "You should mind your own business. Mr. Ito isn't somebody to mess around with."

Tamaki turned to Mr. Ezaki. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Ezaki glanced around before getting closer to Tamaki. "You didn't hear it from me, but Mr. Ito has connections and I mean really powerful ones. The last time somebody questioned him they got fired, so I advise you to keep your head down whenever you see him. You've drawn too much attention to yourself already."

Tamaki nodded in understanding but couldn't help but ask. "So, if he asks you to do something, you should just do it?"

"Yes." Mr. Ezaki replied.

Tamaki thought back to the person Mr. Ito was talking to earlier. "Even if it's something illegal?"

Mr. Ezaki stopped his task to look at Tamaki. "I'm sure you've heard some things today, but be careful of who you talk to. If anybody asks, we don't know anything. We only hear rumors. Understood?"

Tamaki frowned. "So, if I heard that somebody wants to alter the results of test, I should stay quiet?"

Mr. Ezaki's eyes widened. "You didn't hear that."

Tamaki was surprised by Mr. Ezaki's reaction. "But-"

Mr. Ezaki pulled Tamaki to a nearby supply closet and shut the door. "You heard Mr. Ito talking about it?"

"I don't think it's right for us to stay quiet." Tamaki protested.

Mr. Ezaki sighed. "Do you think I haven't heard rumors that disturb me? If we say anything and have no proof except for our word, who do you think gets in trouble?" He stared at Tamaki pointedly.

"What rumors?" Tamaki asked.

Mr. Ezaki sighed again. "It doesn't matter."

"Well, I think it's important to speak up. We don't know who can get hurt by what they're doing." Tamaki insisted.

Mr. Ezaki looked tired. "Look, I've heard about tests being tampered with. You think it hasn't been weighing on me? If I could speak up without a worry, I would. But if I don't know who is being affected, how will I know my job is secure if I speak up? If Mr. Ito can prove his innocence, do you think I'll be hired anywhere else? it's not easy for ordinary people to find a job when they're known for speaking out about corrupt businessmen."

Tamaki was struck. He always knew he had a privilege, but he didn't realize how far it truly extended.

Mr. Ezaki seemed to be genuinely sorry for Tamaki. 'If it'll make you feel better, just know that you can at least keep your job if you don't say anything. We have a decent salary and job security."

"That actually makes me feel worse." Tamaki replied. 'I don't think I can work knowing there are people like that tampering with results."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know that you're not the only one walking around pretending not to know anything." Mr. Ezaki said. "I just wanted to let you know now before you did anything stupid. I've worked here long enough to know that the ones that talk are the first to go." He looked at his watch. "Now hurry up and finish your break. We can't afford to be further behind schedule."

"But-"

"Go." Mr. Ezaki said sternly.

Tamaki reluctantly agreed and stepped out. He felt his stomach rumble as he walked down the hallway towards the break room. How was he supposed to eat knowing that, even with multiple witnesses, the staff wouldn't be willing to speak up?


Haruhi was supposed to be home, but one wrong turn became another wrong turn and she found herself at the Ootori Group headquarters. When she arrived at the parking lot, she sat in her car for a long minute. She was trying to see Kyoya for the least amount of time possible, but something about the sudden need for a doctor's visit was bugging her. The fact that she was even willing to stay in her car so long, just proved to her that this nagging feeling wouldn't go away unless she got an answer.

Finally, Haruhi decided to get it over with. She looked through her car compartment until she found a black card. When they got married, Kyoya gave her a pass that let her enter Ootori buildings. It was so she could visit him without any hassle, but since Kyoya usually didn't have time, Haruhi rarely used it. She didn't even remember why she decided to keep it but hoped it would still work.

Haruhi fidgeted with the card as she walked into the building. She was relieved when the scanner lit up green and opened the door. As Haruhi walked towards the elevators, she couldn't help but wonder why Kyoya was so confused about using a bus card. Using the card to enter the building was about the same as boarding a bus. Then again, Kyoya had limited knowledge about public transportation until he met her. How would he know it was the same?

Some employees momentarily stared at her, as if they recognized her. When Haruhi looked at them, they averted their gaze. Haruhi looked down at her clothes. She couldn't stand out so much, could she? Or did they really happen to recognize her? She pushed the button and waited for the elevator. It was hard to ignore the stares and whispers of people passing by. She entered the elevator with three other employees.

"Excuse me. Are you Mrs. Ootori?" An employee asked. The two other employees in the elevator shot him a glare but seemed interested in hearing the answer.

Haruhi was over it at this point, so she just looked at him and said, "I was."

"Oh." The employee looked embarrassed. He looked at his coworkers nervously, but they looked away from him.

Haruhi turned back to watch the numbers changing on the elevator screen. When the elevator reached Kyoya's floor, Haruhi took a deep breath and exited.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" The secretary asked without looking up. Haruhi faltered for a moment. She wondered why Kyoya replaced his former secretary but was relieved that this one didn't seem to know her.

"I'm here to see Mr. Ootori." Haruhi replied as she approached the secretary.

"Mr. Ootori is out for lunch. I can take a message." The secretary finally looked up.

Haruhi looked at her watch. Kyoya was getting lunch when he couldn't possibly be less busy than before? "Do you happen to know when he'll be back?"

"Well, he's with President Ootori, so I'm not really sure." The secretary smiled, as if that should deter Haruhi.

"Do you mind if I wait for him to come back?" Haruhi asked the secretary.

The secretary glanced at Kyoya's closed door. "It might take long. He just left."

"I have time." Haruhi thanked the secretary and headed to a nearby chair. Like almost everything that day, something about that excuse was bothering her. For starters, neither Mr. Ootori nor Kyoya would take personal lunches during work hours unless it was an emergency. Even then they referred to them as meetings. Either the secretary got it wrong or… Haruhi looked at his door. Could he?

The secretary watched Haruhi. Most people said they were willing to wait but left after the first 10 minutes or so. Finally, she spoke up. "Since you're going to stay here, would you mind watching the office for me?"

"Pardon?"

The secretary continued. "My dad helped me get this job and he promised me that I could take breaks when Mr. Ootori is gone. However, he left before I could ask, and I really need to do something right now."

Haruhi wondered if the secretary and her dad even knew Kyoya. She glanced at Kyoya's office again before looking back at the secretary. "Sure." Haruhi replied. "How long will you be gone?"

"Only ten minutes. I promise!" The secretary happily scurried off somewhere down the hall.

Haruhi stood up when she could no longer hear footsteps. If her idea was correct, Kyoya would be in his office.

She opened the door slowly and cautiously looked inside. Sure enough, Kyoya was seated by the coffee table, furiously scribbling in his notebook. His glasses were set on the table. His tie was loose. Haruhi couldn't help the surprise she felt; it wasn't like Kyoya to look so disheveled, especially at work.

As soon as he heard the door open, Kyoya began, "I know you're new, but I told you not to bother me unless it's an emergency. So, what is it?" He looked up and dropped his pen. He blinked as if trying to get something out of his eyes. He shook his head and muttered something as he put his glasses on. He stared at Haruhi, but still looked doubtful. "Are you really here?" He asked.

Haruhi grimaced. She could still barely believe it herself. Why did she put herself through these things? "I'm coming in."

He seemed slightly afraid as he watched her walk in. "I'm hearing things now."

Haruhi rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her. "No."

Kyoya sat up straighter. "I'm just surprised you're here."

Haruhi walked over and sat down across from him. "So, this is what you do when you want to be alone?" She smiled bitterly. Had he always had this excuse set up when he needed to get away from work or did it happen after she divorced him? "Nobody would bother you if you said you were with your dad. That's why you told the secretary to give people that excuse."

"How did you figure it out?"

"You don't go to lunch so early, if at all. If you were with your dad, it would be a meeting not just a lunch break."

Kyoya was surprised. He usually let his guard down around Haruhi. Maybe that was why he forgot how easy it was for her to figure things out. "I guess you were listening when i talked about work. I thought you tuned me out sometimes."

"I think you were projecting." Haruhi replied.

Kyoya stared at Haruhi. He didn't even care that she was insulting him. Haruhi sighed. "What now?"

"I'm still not sure if you're here or I'm going crazy." He said.

"I think we're both going crazy." Haruhi muttered. "Why else would I be here?"

There was a moment of silence as neither really knew how to continue the conversation. Haruhi was berating herself for thinking this could be anything but another way to hurt her feelings. Kyoya still wasn't completely convinced that he wasn't hallucinating. After all, he'd only slept about an hour everyday.

Finally, Kyoya spoke up quietly. "Just so you know, I came up with that excuse very recently. If I had thought of it sooner maybe you'd be here under different circumstances." Kyoya said, somewhat wistfully.

Haruhi looked around his office as she thought of how to respond. She knew what he meant and hated to admit that he was right. They took every chance they could to be together when they were newly weds. After a while it became more difficult but they kept trying...or at least she did. The more she looked, the more Haruhi noticed things that were out of place. Kyoya's desk was messy, his books were slightly tilting instead of upright. Even his curtains were wide open instead of slightly shut. Haruhi suddenly felt stuffy. Everything indicated that Kyoya was having as much trouble as she was and she didn't want to see it. It was already hard enough to remind herself that he was the cause all of this. How could she possibly think of forgiving him just because she could see his remorse? Before her thoughts could get worse, Haruhi stood up. "This was a bad idea." She said, more to herself than Kyoya.

"Wait," Kyoya finally spoke up. "I haven't been in the best state of mind lately, but you're here for a reason so…please?" He motioned for her to sit.

Haruhi paused for a moment. She really didn't know if it was worth bringing it up, but she was already there. "You said you were going to stop involving me in your problems, but I guess I should've known better than to trust you'd keep your word." Haruhi sat down. "You don't really need my health evaluation, do you?"

Kyoya looked down at his notebook. He was staring but didn't seem to realize it was open. "The team did ask for a mental health evaluation, but it was early on. As in, right after you were voted out of the group. They wanted to make sure that your mental health state couldn't be used against you."

Haruhi crossed her arms. "You mean against you."

Kyoya relented. "Yes. I refused because I didn't see the point. Then I realized it was the only way to get something done without raising suspicion. I set up an alternative, but asking you was the only way to guarantee it."

"So, you used me to get whatever it is you wanted. After everything we've talked about, you thought this was really the best way to get what you want?"

"I wasn't going to involve you, but I can barely go anywhere without raising suspicion. The host club is busy and they're the only people I can really trust aside from you. I wanted to ask you properly when I called, but Mr. Ito walked into the room. By the time he left, you hung up. I assumed you weren't going."

"If you thought I wasn't going, why was Mr. Ito at the clinic to meet me?"

"Well, I initially thought you would say yes, so he was under the assumption that you would go."

Haruhi frowned. "I thought you were intent on asking me for once."

Kyoya looked like a deer caught in headlights. "I suppose I knew deep down that you would go."

Haruhi shook her head. "Fine." She didn't want to spend more time arguing about it. "Just tell me what you wanted. I think I have a right to know."

Kyoya took off his tie. He knew it wasn't strangling him, but it felt like taking it off would make it easier to breathe. "The day before we divorced, I was supposed to be with Tamaki because he agreed to help me understand why you were upset, but the meeting was urgent, so I headed there instead."

"A meeting more important than your marriage?" Haruhi asked. "That's very rare." she said sarcastically.

Kyoya wanted to defend himself, but he knew it was a deserved jab."Mr. Ito found my signature on some documents for a business deal that I never made. That business failed almost at once, and the other company blamed it on the Ootori group. A third party investigated the matter and found the person that signed the documents. The Ootori group still had to pay for the damages, but I wasn't too badly scorned after."

Haruhi's mind was racing. "So…you suspect Mr. Ito of having something to do with that forgery?" She asked. It was a bit of a leap but the only thing that made sense given what they were talking about.

Kyoya almost smiled. Just like in high school, he didn't even need to say it because Haruhi figured it out. "I wasn't sure. I dismissed any possibility of collaboration with that company months before I was fired. Yet my signature was present on legal documents." Kyoya looked stressed as he told the story. "I dismissed the proposal because I knew it would fail eventually. I didn't even know anyone, except maybe you, who could possibly know my signature so well that it managed to remain unnoticed for so long."

"And obviously it wasn't me." Haruhi said.

"Obviously." Kyoya agreed. "The only explanation was that somebody within our company was responsible, or at the very least, enabling it. Mr. Ito wasn't doing anything related to that particular business, so he had no reason to come across it. My brothers dissuaded me from pursuing that suspicion because he has worked at the company for so long. He's proved his loyalty multiple times and my father trusts him, so I dropped it. Then the issue with Emi escalated and I couldn't ignore his involvement anymore. He was the one in charge of supervising the DNA test and I know for a fact that the result is wrong. I know that it could all just be a coincidence, but it's my only lead."

"Well, he's either really dumb or really confident to think he could risk so much." Haruhi said.

"If he's somehow tied to the Satos then I would guess he's confident. Maybe he's certain that I won't be able to prove the test was falsified. After all, it's my word against an actual DNA test result." Kyoya said "I asked you to get the evaluation so that I can observe what he does with your results. I figured that sending him back to the clinic and assigning him other tasks would make him think I trusted him. If he tried to alter any results it wouldn't matter because I personally chose the staff that attended you today."

"And?" Haruhi prompted. She knew he wouldn't have sent Mr. Ito even if he handpicked every single person working that day.

"And, I may have incentivized other people." Kyoya continued. "And, subtly convinced a few."

Haruhi nodded. That sounded more like the kind of thing Kyoya would do. She still had many questions. Her curiosity almost won, but in the end, she was too wary to ask anything else.

"I'm sorry." Kyoya said. "I knew it would upset you and that it was wrong of me to do this without consulting you first."

Haruhi snapped back to reality. "I don't want you to involve me again." Haruhi opened her bag and retrieved the document from the clinic. "Here." She set down a copy of the sheet she gave Mr. Ito. "It's about the same information as when you visited my doctor, so it should be nothing new to you. This is the condensed version that Mr. Ito received. I'm sure he'll want to check with you."

"I don't need the documents." Kyoya tried to give the sheet back to Haruhi. "Part of the reason I refused the evaluation is because i know you're uncomfortable with strangers knowing personal details about you."

Haruhi sighed. "I don't care if you decide to hand it over to your lawyers since it's already done. Like I said, this is an extremely condensed version, so there's not much but a basic guarantee that I'm mentally and physically doing well."

"Thank you." Kyoya said quietly. "I know you're tired of hearing it, but I really am sorry for dragging you into this again. I'll keep my promise."

Haruhi stood up. "I'll believe it when I see it." She leaned down to close his notebook. "I'm going to leave now so you can get back to whatever." She wrung her hands as she walked to the door. They were slightly shaking. She thought it would get easier, but it still took up so much of her strength to talk to him as if nothing was wrong.

"I just have one question," Kyoya said before she could reach the door.

Haruhi reluctantly turned around.

"How did you convince the receptionist to let you in even after she told you I was with my father?" He asked. He didn't know if he asked out of curiosity or in an attempt to end their conversation on a somewhat better note.

Haruhi was a little surprised. Of all the things she thought he would ask, this wasn't one of them. Her surprise must've been obvious because Kyoya continued, "I told her not to let anybody in and I doubt she recognized you as my wife."

"Ex-wife." Haruhi corrected. "But, she didn't let me in. She asked me to watch her desk while she ran an errand and I figured you'd be in here." Haruhi let out a huff of amusement as she recalled what the receptionist told her. Despite how she felt at the moment, it was still one of the most ridiculous things she'd heard. "She said her dad promised she could take a break whenever you were out."

Usually Kyoya would have been annoyed, but this time he barely felt bothered. Maybe it was because Haruhi was the one telling him. "She's Mr. Ito's daughter. I only hired her to make him think I still trusted him."

"What happened to your previous receptionist?" Haruhi was eager to leave but she found herself continuing the conversation.

Kyoya's expression darkened. "I fired her. After we got divorced, she..." he looked at Haruhi and paused slightly. "She was spreading rumors."

"Oh," Haruhi said. She looked at the door, debating whether another question would kill her. She looked at Kyoya. "About what? Me?"

Kyoya sat up straighter. "I'm not going to repeat them, but yes."

Haruhi nodded. "I guess that's why people were staring at me so much." She commented. She turned around to leave.

"If you know who it was, I'll fire them." Kyoya said abruptly.

Haruhi turned around to see if he was, by some miracle, joking. He looked serious. "Why would you do that?" She asked.

"It's bad enough I hurt you. If others are doing it, the least I could do is stop it."

Haruhi almost rolled her eyes again. When they first started dating, there were plenty of rumors about why he would date somebody like her. The rumors got worse when they got engaged. He had offered to fire everybody that engaged in the gossip, but Haruhi had firmly declined. She didn't think it was necessary now either. "Some rumors aren't going to hurt me nearly as much as you did."

Before Haruhi could reach the doorknob, the receptionist opened the door. Haruhi stepped back to avoid getting hit by the swinging door. Unfortunately, the receptionist was holding the door wide open, leaving Haruhi stuck between the wall, the door, and a bookshelf.

"Mr. Ootori, you have a visitor."

Kyoya stood up and walked quickly to the door. From where he was sitting, he only saw the door swing towards Haruhi. He didn't hear a thud which meant she probably didn't get hit, but she couldn't walk around the door either.

"I told you not to let anybody in," he told the secretary as walked looked to the side of the door.

"I know, but it's important." The receptionist said.

Kyoya held onto the edge of the door. "I'll let you know when I'm ready to attend them. Please let go of the door."

The receptionist let go of the door. "Mr. Ootori-"

"Are you okay?" Kyoya asked as soon as he saw Haruhi. He didn't even notice the receptionist was talking.

Haruhi was annoyed and didn't try to hide it. "Just keep your promise for once." Without another word Haruhi walked out.

The receptionist looked shocked when she saw Haruhi and immediately began to make excuses for how and why Haruhi had managed to get in. Kyoya couldn't hear a word she said as he watched Haruhi walk out of the office into Riku.