Some years ago, Ouran High School

"Senpai, why are we hiding here again?" His hand was wrapped tightly around her wrist as he dragged her through the freshly cut rose maze in the south garden. "This'll be the first place they'll look."

"Ah, but then it'll be too obvious!" said Tamaki as they arrived at the hidden alcove. "This is, I believe, called a double bluff." He pushed her gently to sit beneath the table, completely out of sight.

Haruhi grit her teeth but sat quietly as she muttered to herself, "At least it'll be over in a few minutes…"

And yet, as the midday sun grew hotter in the sky, no one came. A soft breeze tickled the pink rose petals that grew on the walls of the maze, wafting them this way and that.

"They've given up," said Haruhi. "Let's go before lunch is over—eh, Senpai? Are you crying?"

"No," Tamaki whimpered. He rubbed the sleeve of his blazer over his face. "Daddy's just sad that no one wants to play!"

My stomach will growl any second… why did I skip breakfast today of all days?

"I'm going, I'll see you back at school." But as she got up, there was a hand on her wrist again, pulling her down.

"Say, Haruhi. Stay here a little while with me?" A blush crept across his cheeks, probably from the heat of the day. The two of them sat in the shade of the alcove as Haruhi listened, with little interest, to Tamaki's plans of the Host Club.

It had been a month since they rescued the King from Éclair Tonerre, from a life he was being forced into. No one could tell any difference on Tamaki's face, and yet when Haruhi watched him talk about the Club, she knew he was where he wanted to be. Home.

Though these rich kids lived such a different life to her, Haruhi couldn't fathom being trapped in a family that despised your very existence. She knew the love of her mother and father was threaded gently in her every breathe. To not have such wealth embedded within you made life seem awfully cold.

When she asked her question, it came out so suddenly, more an extension of her thoughts. "Senpai, do you hate your grandmother?"

Haruhi instantly regretted it. She didn't want to upset her friend.

Tamaki paused, caught in surprise, before looking up into the sky—its colour reflecting in the pools of his eyes. Birds chirped in the distance and the clocktower chimed the hour. Lunch hour was over.

"She's not had an easy life. I don't blame her for the way she feels."

Perhaps it was the way he could be so graceful in his selflessness, or maybe it really was the heat of the day, but something stirred inside Haruhi. Almost like this was exactly where she wanted to be.

"Haru-chan! Here you are!" Haruhi found herself being dragged out from beneath the alcove by the short third year, Hani. Mori towered silently over the two of them. "Usa-chan was wondering where you had gone."

"What took you guys so long?" said Haruhi, frowning at the twins.

"Oh, we got bored," they said in unison, lifting their hands up and shaking their heads. "And we wanted to eat."

"And I've had no food all day," muttered Haruhi, "these rich—"

"We brought you some lunch, Haruhi." Kyouya appeared from behind the twins, a notebook wedged under one arm and a box of food in the other. "We thought Tamaki might have forgotten about your need to eat."

"Of course I didn't forget!" yelled the King as the rest of the group began to walk away. "Why would you make me sound like a bad father! Wait, are you all leaving me? Come back! Haruhi!"

"Haruhi!"

A hand shook her shoulder vigorously.

"Huh, what is it?" she said, blinking several times before realising where she was.

Back in Sakura Flowers with Miyo, who was holding a bouquet of roses in her hand.

"You drifted off for a while there," said Miyo. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Haruhi cleared her throat. "Yes, absolutely fine."

They had returned here after the previous fruitless visit, and this time Miyo was determined to choose a flower arrangement for their weddings. Though Haruhi wanted to break to her that she wasn't actually engaged to Hikaru, she said nothing. Other thoughts were weighing heavily on her mind and she needed to stay close to Miyo without upsetting her.

Besides, Hikaru was keen to be in on the plan. That was enough.

They wandered around the aisles of flowers as Miyo pointed to a particularly bright coloured arrangement, commenting how they reminded her of home.

"So you're going to live here after the wedding? Will you miss England?" asked Haruhi.

Miyo tucked her hair behind her ears and paused for a moment. "I suppose I will a little. I did grow up there, after all. But it'll be nice to have a fresh start somewhere else, you know?"

Haruhi nodded, though this was not what she wanted to get at. "And your parents will come visit you often, I'm sure."

A chill came over the atmosphere. Miyo traced a finger around a large, blue hydrangea. "I… I don't know. My dad's been prickly ever since we announced the engagement." Her perfect accent slipped a few English words in.

"Prickly?" said Haruhi, feigning ignorance. "What do you mean?"

"When we were dating, he said nothing. He probably thought it was just a summer romance that would disappear. And then, when Kaoru came to our home some months ago, we announced the engagement. He was so upset by this but won't ever explain why.

"I'd have thought he'd enjoy being connected to a successful Japanese family, especially for his business, but somehow that doesn't seem to be in his interest."

"Well," said Haruhi, "I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. I mean, he only wants you to be happy then, he's not interested in fame and money?"

"Perhaps," said Miyo. "But some weeks before we came to Japan, he changed his mind so suddenly. He wanted to be involved, wanted to give me as much support. He insisted we go to Kaoru's home immediately, and there was no time to waste.

"And yet since we've been here, he's been nothing but a sourpuss. Just being so grumpy and… and awful!"

Her cheeks reddened as she spoke and before she knew it, the hydrangea petals had crumpled in her palm.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't even be saying this." Miyo looked up and smiled. "Thank you for listening to me though, Haruhi. I appreciate it."

Haruhi said nothing but smiled back. They continued to meander through the store as her gaze wandered to the back garden, where Takashi had sat in his greenhouse.

Now it stood empty, though blooming with life.

Never in as many years as he'd lived did Kyouya ever think he would be trapped by the four walls of his room. All his life he'd had the freedom to go wherever he pleased, using either his family's name or his own cool charm.

Yet now, he wanted to leave, to oppose Captain Haninozuka's orders, but even the slightest imperious nature he had was extinguished by absolute fatigue.

What was even wrong with him? Why did he seem so… so…

Fragile

No, that wasn't it. He stared at his ceiling from the sofa beneath a thin blanket. He wasn't fragile, and this wasn't a nervous breakdown. He was just stressed.

Yes, stressed. That sounds more like it.

The Captain had phoned earlier—woken him up, more like—and told him he would be visiting with an update. In that time Kyouya had scrolled endlessly on his phone for what sort of news this could be, but of course anything that the Captain would be privy to wouldn't be public knowledge.

You know that, you idiot.

That wasn't the only reason he was glued to his phone. There were still no updates from Haruhi and her supposed engagement, but there was someone far more interesting for the time being. Miyo Fielding.

The name clicked into place during a fever dream as the courtroom was brought back to Kyouya by his cruel subconscious.

Miyo Fielding, Ian Fielding's only child. Ian Fielding, the surprise witness who claimed he had seen Kyouya leave the house of his murdered wife.

This was easily verifiable by Miyo's social media presence. A couple of photos of her parents were found in the feed of recent vacation pictures.

Ian Fielding, CEO of Accenture Electronics, a growing big brand in the UK. And, by what Kyouya could surmise from various company reports available to the public, looking to branch into international commerce. It seemed Fielding had used his daughter's convenient marriage to dip his toes into the Japanese economy.

A spineless man like that would never last.

A firm knock came at the door. Kyouya shuffled to the door and let Captain Hani inside the apartment.

In a previous time, Hani would have bounded in as he clutched a pink rabbit in his arm. Now the short Captain walked with quiet purpose into the living room and took off his hat. He looked around at the empty table and bare walls.

"What, no tea?" said Hani. "Kyouya, you sure have forgotten how to host a guest."

Kyouya frowned before he saw the slight smile play on Hani's lips.

"I'm joking! Here, I brought some cake."

Hani placed two small boxes on the table and opened their lids, revealing a slice of strawberry cheesecake and chocolate cake.

"I don't eat this stuff," said Kyouya.

A slight pout formed on Hani's face. "You need to eat something. You look awful."

"Thanks," muttered Kyouya. He settled himself on the sofa again, still wrapped in the blanket. Massaging his forehead, he took his glasses off and closed his eyes.

"So, what's this update you needed to give me?"

Hani brought a chair from the kitchen to sit across from Kyouya. His eyes sparkled as he picked up the box of cheesecake.

"We've cleared you," said Hani in between bites, "to move back to your own place."

Kyouya slipped his glasses back on. "What do you mean? Aren't I in danger?"

Hani shook his head. "We've been monitoring your stay here and have no evidence of suspicious activity outside and around the apartment."

"It's only been a matter of weeks. Surely they could just be biding their time, whoever they are?"

With the first box empty, Hani placed the chocolate cake box inside it and took a bigger bite than before. He chewed with such gusto that Kyouya wondered if things had really changed at all.

"They could, but they would more likely attack you in your own home than if you were in a police safe house. Our cars have been picking you up every now and then, so it wouldn't be difficult to miss."

Small comfort, thought Kyouya, if I'm going home to be ambushed.

He held on to the blanket tightly. "I'm not a carrot to be dangled on your rope, Captain."

Hani wiped the corners of his mouth and shook his head. "You'll be perfectly safe. We'll station some of our men outside your place, twenty-four seven. But I would suggest you keep your daughter safely away with Haruhi until this is resolved."

"And when will that be?"

Hani shrugged. "We're doing our best, and I'm keeping you as updated as I can." He paused and stared at the empty cake box, buttery crumbs staining the white cardboard. "This may run deeper than you think."

A shiver ran through Kyouya's body, though the apartment was sufficiently warm.

"Just keep your wits about you," said Hani. "We're not out of the woods, not by a mile."

Despite the bowl of steaming noodle soup in front of her, Haruhi had barely acknowledged her dinner. She tapped the table with her fingers as her father fed Yumiko. He looked up and frowned.

"Don't tell me you ate when you were out, I spent so long making that!" Cooking was still not Ryoji's strong point. "Haruhi, what's the matter?"

Wordlessly she reached for her purse that dangled at the back of the chair, clicking it open to fish out the letter from before.

"Dad, what do you think this means?" She slid the paper towards him. "I had Captain Haninozuka look it over, but there were no prints on it besides mine."

"Captain… Hanino—oh, you mean that sweet blonde kid from Ouran? My, he's a captain now?" said Ryoji as he looked over the sheet of paper. "Where did you get this from?"

"It was in the pile of letters in my apartment. Someone clearly posted it through, but it wasn't sealed."

"'You were never meant to be involved'… involved in what?"

"Judging by what's been happening, I'm assuming it's to do with the case." She finally took a bite of noodles. "Neither Hikaru nor Kyouya said they did it, but then again it looks like a woman's handwriting, don't you think? I don't know else would be sympathetic towards me. I highly doubt Yumiko's grandmother would have sent such a cryptic message."

"And what makes you say it was a woman?" said Ryoji.

Haruhi looked up from her food. "The handwriting. It's all curly."

"Is your handwriting curly?" said her father.

"No, but—"

"Haruhi Fujioka, since when did you ever put a stereotype on women?" A sharpness struck his words.

"You mean to say it could be a man?"

Yumiko whined at the disruption of her dinner service, demanding for more food to be sent her way, but no one was listening.

Ryoji pushed the paper back to Haruhi and wrestled a spoon out of Yumiko's pudgy hands. "Possibly. Whoever it was must have pride in their creativity. Someone who takes their time and enjoys the moment."

A chair scraped back. Haruhi swung her purse around her shoulders and grabbed her jacket from the sofa.

"Hey, where are you going? It's getting dark!"

She leant down and kissed Yumiko's head. "Don't wait for me, I'll be back soon. I need to figure this out."

A lightbulb hadn't gone off in her head, but if Haruhi knew better after years of solving her clients' puzzles, was that rarely ever happened.

Sometimes, you had to go chasing after the truth with a hammer.

Takashi watered the flowers in his greenhouse slowly, watching as the slight sprinkles of water could weigh heavily on delicate petals. The evening was his favourite time to tend to his little garden, a space away from the rest of the world. When the store was completely closed, and muted silence permeated throughout the air, that was when his thoughts came alive. They unfurled and bloomed into life inside the greenhouse.

The girls had made a big sale today. They chittered and twittered when he returned at the end of the day, updating the boss about it. Most likely they were after a commission, but Takashi liked to hear it nonetheless.

"And did you hear, Sir, who's wedding it was? None other than Kaoru Hitachiin!" his lead florist had said. "No doubt it'll be a big one, I'm sure we'll all hear about it when it happens. His fiancée? Oh, some British girl. Seems nice enough, though her friend wasn't all that helpful. It didn't sound like she was interested in the wedding."

Kaoru getting married was news to him. He often wondered what happened to the twins after graduating, but Tamaki's death was a blow to all of them. If the Host Club were really a family, then they were still in bereavement. Grief had torn them apart and it would stay that way unless someone could bring them back together again.

A chill spread down his neck. Takashi straightened up and stared at the main store. Its lights were off, and everyone had gone home, yet a faint tapping sound could be heard within. He placed the watering can on the table and turned off the greenhouse's light.

Light from the streetlamps flooded into the store, casting a ghostly glow across sleeping flowers. As soon as he stepped foot back inside, the tapping stopped. He looked around the darkness, taking in each detail, before the slightest figure stood out in the shadows. He started towards it before the tapping started again; footsteps running from him.

He pursued, taking care not to disturb the flowers, but barely broke into a run. He cut off the intruder at the front of the store.

"Takashi, stop, it's me!"

In the silver light stood Haruhi, her eyes glaring at him. She held an envelope in her hand.

"Haruhi."

"The front entrance was still open, so I thought you might still be here."

He glanced at the sliding doors. That was unusual of the girls. Though they liked to gossip, they were attentive employees. They'd never left the store without ensuring the doors and windows were locked up.

"Tell me, why did you send me this?" She held up a paper to him. It had delicate, fanciful writing.

In the gloom he could not make out the words but knew well enough his own hands had not written on blue paper.

"That wasn't me," he said. "Did you come out so late just to ask me this?"

Haruhi sighed and leaned against the wall. "It's been annoying me so much. A mysterious letter from an unknown stranger—it's the last thing I need right now."

A small sound echoed from the second floor, like a cat pushing against the metal railings. It could have been anything, but the chill had not left Takashi. He motioned towards the door.

"I'll take you home," he said.

Haruhi resisted in her usual fashion but Takashi shook his head.

"It's not safe out so late."

After he had dropped her off he returned to the store, knowing full well the cat had no chance to escape.

Some hours later Takashi stood in the viewing garden beneath a cool night sky. He spoke softly on the phone.

"Mitsukuni," he said as he stared at his darkened store. "It is as we thought."