Author's note: Welcome, dear Reader, to chapter 20! Were you shocked last chapter? I know Kaoru was! Ok, so, little note. This chapter is in a slightly different format, simply because I couldn't bring myself to write several "this one walked out, that one walked in" scenes. It seemed...unnecessary. Sky talks a LOT in this chapter, as well. It's another half-serious, half-fluffy chapter.

Triggers: Mehh...not particularly. A couple of serious things get mentioned, but no dwelling.

I still don't own anything Ouran-related, woe is me. Reviews/PMs are always welcome and appreciated! Enjoy the ride, poppets!


-Honey-

Sky grinned as the blonde whirlwind bounced into the studio. Instead of flinging himself onto her lap for cuddles, he surprised her by actually taking the empty seat facing her. His smile was bright and sunny as always, and she couldn't stop her own from growing broader.

"Are you like, ever not completely and utterly adorable, little bunny?"

He tilted his head, seriously contemplating for a moment. Then another radiant grin erupted, and he nodded.

"Sometimes I'm not adorable at all, Pixie-chan! But usually only if someone wakes me up too early."

Sky snickered a little and shook her head. She had heard of Honey's 'up too early' wrath. The twins and Tamaki were even more afraid of waking him than they were of Kyoya.

"Well, lucky for me I'm not quite crazy enough to wake you early, hrm?"

"Aww! Even if you did, I couldn't be mean to you!"

She laughed quietly and reached out to tousle his hair. He was just too cute sometimes. She glanced at the table beside her just long enough to pick up the box with the stylized rabbit in the center of the Celtic scroll work. With a little smile, she slipped the box into her friend's hands. He traced his fingertips over the artwork before opening it and carefully examining the matching medal inside.

"This is beautiful, Pixie-chan. But I don't understand, why did you want to give them out separately?"

"It's not the gifts so much, especially since they're all so similar. It's more about the words that go along with them. I don't have any big speeches written or anything like that, but there are certain things that I think would be better said one on one. We all spend so much time together, it's pretty rare to get any alone time with any of you."

Honey nodded knowingly. It was difficult, with all the boys jostling for her attention. It was easier for him, since he was always in class with her. But true alone time was definitely...hard to come by. He didn't get a chance to say anything, however. Sky's voice had gone soft, a sweet smile gracing her lips.

"I meant it when I said that you're all my tribe, my pack, but you hold a special place in my heart. You were the first person I truly cared about in over six years. I spent so long building those walls around my heart, and you just knocked them down like they were nothing. You have probably the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met, you're so patient and compassionate. People who don't know the real you probably just see this cute, naïve little bunny, but I can see past that. You see just about everything, and sometimes you know things you couldn't possibly. I've wondered on more than one occasion whether you might be psychic, but I know you're just so much more observant than you'd like people to think."

With a little smile, Honey slipped his hand into Sky's and laced their fingers together. She gave his hand a light squeeze and reached up with her free hand to rub her eye before continuing.

"I think you quite literally saved my life in those first few days. I wasn't actively thinking about trying anything, but looking back... It would have just been a matter of time. You cared about me at a time when I felt completely worthless and shattered beyond repair. All of my boys are precious to me, it's true. But you...you're the best friend I've ever had in my whole life, Mitsukuni."

A few stray tears had managed to escape, and she wiped them away quickly. She cleared her throat roughly, swallowing past the lump in her throat. Before she could manage to gather the rest of her thoughts, Honey had set aside the little box and stood up on his chair. He tugged her to her feet, pulling her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he crushed her head to his thin chest.

It was an odd sensation, her sweet little bunny suddenly being taller than her, but she grinned and embraced him firmly. After a moment she pulled back just enough to breathe and look up at him. His eyes were bright, his smile radiant as he laid his hands gently on her cheeks.

She kept one arm lightly around his waist, her free hand reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes, trailing her fingers through the silky blonde locks. A soft look came into his eyes, a look that she recognized just in time to not be overly shocked. For the second time that day, an innocent kiss was pressed to her lips.

"I love you, Pixie-chan."

"I love you too, Honey."

-Hikaru-

Hikaru gave Sky a quick peck on the cheek before sitting, a little smile gracing his pretty face. Before she had a chance to say anything, he held a hand up and made a light shushing noise. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, but kept silent.

"Thank you, Pixie, for whatever it was you said to Kaoru. He's been acting really weird lately, but it looks like everything's fine now. I'm guessing he finally worked up the nerve to tell you, hrm?"

She blinked for a second. Of course Hikaru knew. Even if Kaoru hadn't told his twin, Hikaru would know anyway. She sighed a little and shook her head slightly.

"Not in so many words, but it came up, yeah."

"Good. I mean, I know you don't like him that way, but it's good that he finally got it out. If he kept it bottled up much longer, he was going to hurt himself."

"I tried to be gentle, I really did. I hope I didn't hurt him."

The redhead popped up and patted her head, then pulled her to her feet for a gentle hug.

"You didn't. Whatever you said, it was just exactly right. He's fine now. So thank you."

She breathed out a little sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him lightly. After a moment, she nudged him back into his chair. She slipped the ornate little box in his hand with a small grin. He was thrilled to see that the design on the lid was not identical to Kaoru's, but rather, a mirror image. The stylized monkey Sky had burned into the wood was in the same pose as the other, just facing the opposite direction.

"Yeah, they're not exactly completely identical. I mean, the medals are, I made sure of that. That way you can still play that silly guessing game if you're wearing them. But you're two separate, unique people. And you're both very special to me, individually."

She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to gather her thoughts. They kept trying to jumble together, and she wondered why. Maybe it was too much caffeine. Before she could manage to sort through the tangled mess of thoughts, something occurred to Hikaru, and he snatched her left hand, causing a startled little squeak to fall from her lips.

"This is how you hurt yourself last week, isn't it? You said you were wood-burning. You got hurt because of us."

His eyes grew dark, but his touch was gentle as he traced the newest scar on her palm. She smiled lightly and gave a little shrug.

"Ok, yeah, I was working on one of the boxes when I burned myself. And before you ask, it wasn't yours, and I'm not telling you which one it was. It doesn't matter."

He made a disapproving sound and shook his head, but she cut him off before he could say a word.

"Nope, don't start. I mean it, it doesn't matter. It's not like it's the first scar I've gotten, precious. Besides, it's not a sad one. I was doing something important for someone special, that's all I see when I look at it. Anything that reminds me of my boys is a good thing."

She turned her hand over and gave his a gentle squeeze. He looked skeptical for a moment, but soon flashed the cheeky grin she was so fond of. She smiled back happily.

"You know, you're a lot more sensitive than you'd like people to think. And no, that's not a bad thing. I actually think it's a wonderful quality to have. I was honestly a bit shocked that you didn't shove me out of the way to take care of Kaoru's hand yourself, that day he punched the cabinet."

"I wanted to, but... I've never seen him bleed like that. I've never seen him so angry, either. I guess I was just too shocked. Lucky for us you're so good at first aid."

Sky watched a shudder run through her friend at the memory, and she patted his hand lightly.

"It was so sweet, the way you stuck so close after that. You're so caring and protective. It's absolutely lovely. I'm so lucky to have such a kind, compassionate friend."

She was going to say more, but the redhead pulled her into a tight embrace. She held her friend close and stroked his hair softly for a moment. When he pulled back, there was a look in his eyes that she was beginning to know all too well. The hell is with the lads today? Maybe I should chuck this lipstick... After a tiny, chaste brushing of lips, he pulled back with a small grin. She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the little smirk that cropped up in reply.

"I love you, Pixie."

"I love you too, Hikaru."

She was smiling, but once he left, she hurried to find something to wipe off the damned lipstick. What was with her boys today?

-Tamaki-

Before Sky had a chance to say anything, the silly blonde hand taken both of her hands in his and twirled her around. She squeaked in surprise, then burst into laughter. His grin was sunny and radiant as he finally let go. He sat opposite her, trying in vain to be still.

"Well. You're certainly hyper today, chardonneret."

"I'm just happy, ma cherie. I love getting gifts. Especially something so sweet and precious from someone so very important."

"Aww. You're so cute sometimes."

"Only sometimes?!"

Sky snickered at the overly-dramatic offended tone and stuck her tongue out at him. He flashed another brilliant grin her way, then settled down. Marginally.

"But, ma cherie. In all seriousness, why did you feel the need to do this privately? It's not like we keep very many secrets from each other."

"It's not anything secret, chardonneret. And honestly, most of it isn't anything that I haven't said before, at some point or other. But it's just easier to say certain things one on one. And you know how impossible it can be to catch any of you alone."

"Well, of course. I can't just let those perverted twins corrupt my sweet little unicorn, can I?"

She broke into giggles at his sincere look. She stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stifle them, but it took biting down sharply to finally cut off the high-pitched sounds.

"No, no. I'm the corrupting influence, remember?"

The blonde made a derisive noise and shook his head. Sky flashed a cheeky grin before handing him the box with the little bird on the lid. Her smile grew as she watched his pretty violet eyes light up with joy while he examined his gift.

"You're just too precious. I love how you're always so excited about everything. You've got this almost childlike sense of wonder, like you're seeing everything for the first time. It's kind of adorable. It's totally sweet, the way you just want everyone to be happy all the time. You know, I really honestly think that you would probably literally give someone the shirt off your back if they asked. You're just so chivalrous and giving. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful person in my life."

"That was lovely, Pixie, dear. And this is a very beautiful gift. Your talent is almost as amazing as your loving heart."

Sky blushed a little, flustered as always by such sweet compliments. She smiled and pulled her friend into a gentle hug. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her firmly. When he pulled back, he laid one hand on her cheek, his eyes soft and his voice quiet, full of feeling.

"Je t'aime, ma belle princesse."

She covered his hand with her own and smiled lightly at the emotion in her friend's voice. There were no theatrics, just pure and simple joy. She leaned in and kissed him on both cheeks, earning a sunny grin. Before she had a chance to move back, he had brushed his lips tenderly, innocently over her own.

Tamaki was blushing faintly, and looked as if he was expecting a scolding. Or perhaps a slap. Sky just shook her head with a little grin and bumped her forehead against his affectionately.

"Je t'aime aussi, mon doux petit chardonneret."

Well. Maybe it wasn't the lipstick, after all.

-Kyoya-

"You look a bit flushed, my dear. Are you alright?"

Sky waved a hand dismissively as Kyoya sat across from her, clasping his hands primly over his knee.

"I'm fine, little owl."

He made a small noise of disapproval, but left it alone. She knew he would be keeping an eye on her anyway, and she patted his hand.

"I really am alright. I'm not getting sick or anything, just a little over-emotional. I'm fine, I promise."

He studied her for just a moment, then nodded slightly. She grinned and reached for the second-to-last box on the table. She set it in his hands and watched his expression as he examined it. His slender hands held the box delicately as he traced his fingertips over the beautiful owl in the center.

"You truly are an exceptional artist. This is lovely."

Sky blushed lightly at the compliment and gave a little shrug, dragging her fingers through her hair. She was thrilled that everyone seemed to really love the gifts so far. She thought that it would have been worth it, even if she'd burned herself on each box instead of just one. She spoke softly as he opened the box to inspect the medal.

"You're all so important, I wanted to do something special. It's not traditional in any way, and I guess it could be seen as kind of silly..."

"There's nothing traditional about you, Pixie, and that's a good thing. But I wouldn't say these are silly. It's an incredibly thoughtful gift."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I racked my brain for ages trying to come up with something appropriate."

"You did a marvelous job. It's rather lovely."

She sighed quietly, relieved. Her hands twisted together in her lap, and she tucked her lower lip between her teeth for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

"You know... That day you told me about the background check, I was terrified. And then just thoroughly confused. I had always thought that, if anyone knew, they'd treat me differently. Like I was bad or dirty, or like it was my fault or something. You were the first person to know everything. I mean, even Mother and Father don't know all the details. But you... You knew, and you still cared, you didn't treat me bad or different."

She sniffed and swallowed thickly, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. Kyoya set the box down and took her hands in his own, holding them gently. His smooth voice was quiet.

"Of course I cared. We weren't so close yet, but you were already my friend at that point. To be completely honest, I wanted to treat you differently. I wanted to hold and hide you, protect you from everything and everyone."

"You're so sweet. You've always been so sweet to me. I'm so glad that you let me see the real you. The kind, compassionate, loving little owl behind the mask is one of my very favorite people in the whole world."

The slightest blush crept up Kyoya's cheeks, and Sky couldn't help the smile that cropped up. She reached out and lightly pinched one pink-tinted cheek, grinning broadly when his color deepened. She stood and pulled him into a firm embrace. He rolled his eyes at her antics, but wrapped his arms around her and held tight for a moment.

"I love you, Kyoya."

"I love you too, Pixie."

She was just about to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head at the last second, and his lips met hers. He pulled back with a rueful little smile, but she just laughed and shook her head, giving him a light, playful shove.

"What is with you guys today? God..."

Ok, so it definitely wasn't the lipstick...


A/N again: So, that was...something. Don't worry, poppets, Sky can't keep talking forever. I was going to put the rest of the lads in one chapter, but I changed my mind. Not to worry, everyone's favorite wolf is coming up soon! Stay tuned, dear Reader!

P.S. - Have you noticed how Sky only calls Honey by his given name a few times? She usually calls him Honey or 'little bunny.' But 'Mitsukuni' is saved for very serious moments. Aww.