Amber Leaves

by bored411

I died. By cement bag...but how the heck did I end up here, helping Haruhi fish out her bag from the fountain? One incident, and now Kyoya wants me as a host to keep her secret! I'm horrible with people! Guess that just mean's I'll make his life a living hell. MorixOCxKyoya and some OCxOC COMPLETE!

8. Chapter 8

Okay, here it is! the long awaited chapter 8 ^^ i hope you guys like it and, I have a few questions for you guys too.

1: I put the song at the bottom for this chapter and only put the name and the artist. a couple of people have informed me that they think the songs take away from the mood, so I'm debating on either just quoting a small portion of the song in the beginning or just putting the song title and author at the end. I just want to know if you think i should do either one of these or if I should just keep putting songs in like I normally do. The majority wins in this case.

I'll put the second question at the bottom since it has to do with someone from this chapter. But thank you to all you people who review! You all seriously make my day and I've been having some pretty rough days lately, so they're definitely appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own the song (titled at the end), nor do I own any ouran characters. I DO however own my own characters. especially Kohaku and silly little Fu-kun. so no stealing :P

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My God it was cold! I snuggled deeper under my blankets and pulled Fu-kun closer to me. One glance at the clock told me it was way to early to be up on a Sunday. 6:45am. You've got to be kidding me. I'm probably becoming an insomniac at this point. I've only been asleep for about two hours.

"Stupid manager…making the deadline today."

Now, don't think anything crazy. It had been about two months since my last deadline, and the discovery of my broken wrist. Unknown to me at the time, it had just been a sprain but I had made it worse by not caring for it properly. Haruhi was about to break my head open when the doctor told us.

I never even wanted to go to the hospital in the first place, but it was either that or Haruhi said Kyoya was going to look at it. Obviously, I chose to go to the hospital and I think Kyoya's father must've owned it since I never got the bill. Knowing him, he probably just added it to my Host Club debt. What is it Haruhi says all the time?…Oh, that's right-

"Rich bastard." I muttered, rolling onto my back and lying Fu-kun across my eyes.

He shifted and stretched with a yawn before slumping back down. You talking about glasses? I hummed an affirmative and Fu-kun gave a short chuckle. Heh, that's what I thought. I groaned again and rolled onto my side, tucking Fu-kun under my chin. I doubted that I could fall back asleep, but there was no harm in trying. Of course, that's what I was planning, but someone apparently had other plans.

Someone was ringing my doorbell. I ignored it, but whoever it was continued to ring it over and over. Grabbing a shoe from my closet-without leaving the comfort of my bed-I opened the sliding door to my room and chucked it down the hall. It hit the door with a loud 'thud', silencing the person on the other side.

"Shut up! I'm trying to freakin' sleep!"

Just then, I heard a shout coming from the other side of the door.

"Senpai! You told me to come by and wake you up so you could finish your manuscript by the deadline!"

I scrunched up my brows and frowned at Haruhi's voice.

"W-When did I say that?"

I seriously had no clue. I was racking my brain, trying to get it to function this early in the morning, to no avail. The most I could remember was getting up to grab another soda around 3am earlier this morning.

"You told me last night when I brought over dinner! You seriously forgot?!"

I got up and tugged on a pair of baggy cargo pants over the red plaid boxers I was wearing, and replaced my grey muscle shirt with a black sweater; pulling a hand through my hair.

"Sorry. I have absolutely no idea that I said that. I was probably trapped within my own story. You'll find that happens a lot."

She sighed and came in, removing her shoes and rolling up her sleeves as she walked into my kitchen, and I sat down at my table to work.

"Yeah, well, maybe I'll forget to bring you dinner one day."

I gasped and looked at her in fake shock. "You wouldn't!"

She poked her head out of the kitchen with an evil smile. "Try me."

"Haruhi!" I whined, similar to Tamaki.

She just laughed and came back out of my kitchen with two cups of tea and a banana for Fu-kun. I gratefully took mine and sipped it, continuing to type with my free hand.

"How's your wrist doing?"

I looked up from my work and blinked at her from behind my reading glasses.

"It's fine." She gave me a disbelieving look and I turned back to my typewriter nervously. "It, uh, aches sometimes…when I write or type for too long."

I sneaked a peak at her as she nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer, and relaxed. She acts way to much like my mother. I'd start calling her that to tease her, but Kyoya already has that nickname.

"Hey. What time is it?" I asked.

"According to your clock, just after 7:30am."

I nodded, quickly peeling Fu-kun's banana and taking another sip of tea. "Okay. Could you tell me when it's getting close to ten?"

"Sure. I need to leave around then anyway. The supermarket's having a sale and Sunday's are the best days to get discount items."

I suddenly stopped typing and turned to Haruhi, a bit paler that before.

"H-Haruhi?"

"Yeah?"

"Where'd you say your dad was again?"

She raised a bow. "Huh? I never said anything about my dad…but he's at work. I believe he said his boss called in sick this morning."

I face palmed. After all, I just discovered that today's the day the hosts come visit Haruhi.

"Something wrong, Kohaku?"

I shook my head with a sigh. "Nope. Not yet…I suggest you don't plan on doing anything else today though."

"Okay…"

She gave me a confused look, but I just went back to work, making sure that nothing else would distract me since today was going to be a very long day. It wasn't long before I was solely focused on my newest chapter and the words I was typing began to pull me in.

I was no longer Kohaku; a girl torn from her world through tragedy and placed elsewhere to start anew. No. I was now a strong, battle-hardened man-with no memories of who he was-thrust into the depths of a society in search for the very things he had lost. I was fighting the shogun, uncovering memories, some of which I was better off leaving buried.

This particular battle was a hard one. I had been surrounded on all sides, but my enemies were weak and easily defeated. The main difficulty lied with the man in charge, an ex-general in search of power and the complete control of the shogunate. He was a burley man, but I had confidence that I could defeat him. Unfortunately, he had luck on his side and a man from my memories was at his beck and call.

The fight was more than difficult and, despite my skills in swordsmanship, my sickness was making things more difficult than it should be. Blood dripped down my chin and, as a cough racked my form mid-battle, I was disarmed. Forced to the ground, I glared up at my opponent who had once been a friend before my sudden memory-loss.

He raised his weapon, a smirk on his face as he prepared to slay me and I turned away, ready to accept my fate.

"Kohaku! I said we need to go!"

I broke away from my reverie and blinked at Haruhi as she sighed.

"You weren't kidding when you said you get sucked in, were you? I've been calling you for a while now. What were you doing? Slaying evil shadow lords or something?"

I turned back to my typewriter and pulled out the final page, gathering up the other already typed pages as well.

"No. Getting prepared to die, actually." I said with a slight twitch of the lips. "The 'evil shadow lord' hired an old friend who was just about to kill me…but now that you've saved me, Haru-chan, I have a new idea for the next chapter!"

I smiled brightly at her and she returned the gesture.

"You're so weird, Kohaku."

I laughed, stuffing the papers in a manila envelope and grabbing my army green, fur-lined jacket from my closet as I followed Haruhi out the door. Locking it behind me, I hummed to myself as we headed towards the supermarket.

"Ahahaha, is it really that good, Kohaku?"

I nodded. "Yup! That, plus only about two hours of sleep and I'm surprised something insane hasn't happened yet." I suddenly paused. "Oh crap."

"What?"

I tilted my head back and brought my hands up to tug on my hair.

"I just jinxed myself!"

Haruhi laughed. "You'll be fine! Why are you freaking out? It's not like you."

I immediately stopped and stared back at her seriously.

"I got two hours of sleep today. Two. Would you rather I didn't freak out and instead act the way I feel? Because-just so you know- I am not in a good mood at all."

She paled and waved her hands.

"N-No! No. That's okay. Just, uh, go back to being…whoever that was."

I smiled again and she sweat dropped.

"Okay!"

"Are you tricking me?"

"Now why would I do that?" I looked at her innocently and she frowned.

"I know you're smarter than you act, Kohaku. I don't need Kyoya to tell me that much."

"All right. You caught me…but seriously. I'm exhausted so don't be surprised if I get moody later."

She raised a brow. "Well, do you want me to get you anything while I'm at the store?"

I shook my head. "Nah. I'm okay for now. I'll just pick something up later."

"Okay. Just make sure you don't forget. You remember what happened last time you forgot to go shopping, don't you?"

She gave me a look and I shivered as I had a brief flashback.

"I was living off of microwaveable ramen for a week…I never knew I owned so many different flavors."

A small smile began to form when Haruhi smacked my shoulder.

"That's not something to be proud of, Kohaku!"

I chuckled before spotting the supermarket. Walking faster towards the café down the street, I turned around and waved at Haruhi.

"We're here! So I'll meet up with you afterwards, Haru-chan!"

She waved back and shook her head with a grin, and I turned back around. When I reached the café, Kintaro wasn't there yet so I waited in line and ordered and extra large cup of hot chocolate. I took my seat at a more secluded table and tried to relax a bit. I'm so tired. Kintaro better like this or I'll castrate him with a rusty spoon. I smirked evilly at the prospect when he finally walked in and sat down, shuffling warily.

"G-Good morning, Nishimura-sensei."

"And what's good about it?" I glared.

Without delay, he began to wave his hands in apology, stuttering out nonsense.

"I-I'm sorry! You're right! There's n-nothing good a-about today! I-I mean, this morning! I'm s-sorry about assuming things, Nishimura-sensei!"

Fu-kun chuckled quietly from my shoulders. You really messed him up, didn't you? I grinned, sipping my hot chocolate. He's been like this ever since he found out about my broken wrist. It's quite funny, actually. As Kintaro calmed down, I pushed over my finished draft over to him.

"Here's the chapter you wanted. I was going to write more, but I think that that's a suitable ending."

He grew serious and picked up the envelope, quickly reading through the papers inside. It was one of the reasons I liked him. He knew when to get serious. He'll be freaking out and acting childish one minute, but the moment you pass him a manuscript, he'll read it, examine it, judge it. I was actually the one who gave him his big break too. A lot of novelists wouldn't take him because he wasn't professional enough.

It was more of a last chance for the both of us, really. I had sent at least two other managers back to the company after they dealt with my exhausted self. Needless to say, we weren't exactly compatible, and Kintaro actually volunteered to be my manager in the hopes to save his job and prove what he was capable of.

I gave him a pretty awful time too, at first. He seemed like a decent enough guy, but even I had my doubts about how good he was at his job. He handled everything really well though.I glanced at him over the rim of my cup, his eyes analyzing my manuscript thoroughly. He certainly has come a long way from the big chicken he used to be. You sound like an old man looking at his grandkids growing up. I rolled my eyes and Kintaro put down the stack of papers.

"Something wrong, Nishimura-sensei?"

I shook my head. "Not in the slightest. Fu-kun just made a crack about my age is all."

Kintaro stared at Fu-kun, who lifted his head to stare back, before turning back to me.

"Okay then." He never questioned mine and Fu-kun's silent conversations. "I like how you ended it since It is very dramatic and will most certainly bring in more readers."

I nodded. "The only thing that worries me is if you'll shorten my deadline like you did last time."

I raised a brow in speculation and he chuckled nervously.

"I'll, uh, try not to do that this time."

"Good. Anything else?"

He flipped through the papers before shaking his head.

"Not really. You're grammar has always been impeccable as well as your spelling. Do you want to talk about the next chapter though?"

"Hm…" I fiddled with my hot chocolate cup and glanced upwards. "I was actually thinking of adding a new character."

"This far in?" He questioned.

"Yeah. One of my friends unknowingly gave me the idea. The character could be someone from his past that he doesn't remember, but they've been searching for him."

And how would you bring them in?"

"They could save him in the last minute before he dies, Then they could cause the enemies to retreat for the time being and Kaede-kun would be confronted later.

Kintaro thought for a moment. "Seems okay so far…Do you have any ideas as to what the character will look like? Their personality?"

An image of Haruhi passed through my head, but I canceled it out.

"A woman. Definitely."

"Oh? Bring in a bit of romance?"

I nodded. "Perhaps, but she won't be happy with him about forgetting her. It'll most certainly be a rocky relationship."

"Interesting. I'll definitely bring in a new audience."

I smiled, finishing off my hot chocolate.

"You sound like we're making a movie, Kintaro-kun."

He laughed. "Not quite! But it has the potential."

"That is, until they figure out the writer is only 17 and still in high school."

"Don't be like that, Nishimura-sensei! You're the most mature 17 year old I've ever met! You have the mentality of someone at least five years older than you."

Cutting it a bit close there. "Comes with the job, Kintaro-kun." I said calmly.

"Well, if we're done here, I'm sure you have something else to take care of."

We both stood up and shook hands, and began to make our way out when I ran into someone.

"Ah! I-I'm really so-" The moment I looked up, my mouth dropped open in shock at the person standing in front of me. "S-Shindo-kun?"

He smiled brightly. "We seem to keep running into each other, don't we?"

I slowly nodded, still shaken by his sudden appearance, and as Kintaro left, Shindo followed me out.

"W-What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to get some coffee when this pretty girl ran me down." He responded with a grin as my face flushed.

"Stop it." I frowned. "I-I know you're gay, Shindo-kun."

He held up his hands in defeat. "Oh darn. I guess the jig's up, but how'd you find out? Wasn't my charm working on you?"

I shook my head with a smirk, already feeling like he was a good friend.

"Not quite. I actually asked a friend who lives around here if she knew you."

"Really? Who?"

"Haruhi Fujioka. I'm going to meet up with her now, actually."

He smiled brightly. "Ah! Fujioka-san! I remember her. Such a heartbreaker, from what I remember. Boys didn't stand a chance." He shrugged while continuing to smile.

"Yup…Ah!" I said, as we approached the grocery store. "Speaking of heartbreaker, here she is now."

We both headed over and joined her as I reintroduced Shindo.

"Uh, this is Shindo-kun. We seemed to have ran into each other again."

She gave me a look, scanning me up and down.

"You didn't hurt yourself this time, did you?"

I shook my head quickly, making a slashing motion across my neck as Shindo's eyes widened and he turned to look at me.

"You were hurt?"

I smiled nervously. "Nothing too bad. I-I just bruised my wrist a little-"

"A little? You fractured it and since you didn't take care of it properly, you made it worse." Haruhi said sternly, not noticing how she made the situation worse.

"Haruhi." I groaned as Shindo rounded on me once again.

"My God. I'm so sorry, Ko-chan! Why didn't you tell me?! I'll make it up to you. What do you want? Clothes? Jewelry? Dinner?"

I was flustered at his words, but quickly tried to regain control of the situation. "I'm fine, Shindo-kun! You don't have to do anything!"

He grabbed my shoulders and narrowed his eyes at me seriously.

"Absolutely not. It is against my code of honor."

"What are you? A knight?" I muttered under my breath, but he heard and grinned at me devilishly.

"Only if you want me to be, my lady."

I groaned, his actions reminding me of another prince, and that thought smacked me in the face like somebody had slapped me. that's right. I keep forgetting that Tamaki and them are going to be here…And with Shindo tagging along…He could slip up! I have to tell him somehow without letting Haruhi know that the hosts are coming over.

We had already started walking back to our apartments and Shindo was carrying Haruhi's groceries, talking adamantly about their middle school days. My heart ached for a moment as I was reminded that I didn't belong here, but I quickly shoved it to the back of my mind in order to deal with my current situation.

Walking faster to catch up with the two of them, I bumped hips with Shindo, enjoying the grin that spread across his face as he hip-bumped me in return.

"What's up, Ko-chan?"

"Uh…" I glanced at Haruhi and upon noticing her lack of attention towards the two of us, I moved closer to Shindo. "I need to tell you something, but I can't let Haruhi know."

He turned towards Haruhi for a moment before turning back to me with another devilish grin.

"Well, spill the dirt, honey."

He'll really get along well with the twins.Definitely.

"Okay." I whispered. "you know how Haruhi and I go to a rich school?" He nodded "Well, because of how I act and dress, everyone thinks I'm a guy. Haruhi and a few others in a club we're in are the only ones who know I'm a girl."

"I see, but what does this have to do with me? What's the big secret?"

He leaned closer towards me and I continued.

"That's the thing. There's some guys that are going to be at our apartments and I want you to treat me as a guy around them, because a few of them haven't figured out I'm a girl yet and I want them to figure it out on their own."

"And Haruhi-san?"

"She doesn't know that they're coming. Oh! And the three who don't know are thoroughly convinced I'm gay."

"You're kidding!" he said rather loudly, attracting Haruhi's attention.

"What are you two whispering about?"

Our eyes turned to her and I covered Shindo's mouth before he could give anything away. Completely straight faced, I stared at Haruhi.

"Don't the twins and Kyoya think I'm gay?"

She raised a brow, not quite sure if that was what we had actually been talking about, but with my poker face and half truth question, she had no choice but to believe us.

"I'm not sure what Kyoya-senpai thinks, but the twins are totally convinced you're gay…for whatever reason."

I nodded and removed my hand from Shindo's mouth.

"See. I told you so."

He wiggled hi eyebrows with a grin.

"Must be all your feminine features."

I frowned, my mood taking a turn, and walked a bit faster to get ahead of them. "What feminine features?" I muttered.

Behind me, Shindo's eyes widened and he glanced at Haruhi, who shrugged. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and scowled at the self-degrading thoughts that passed through my head. Feminine features? Ha! Doesn't he know you don't have any? You're worse than a man in drag sometimes. You're better off as a guy anyway. It's harder to get hurt if no one finds you attractive.

"Hey!"

Shindo's hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me to face him. I couldn't hide my feelings as good as I normally could, so I kept my head down and my hands fisted in my pockets.

"Hey, look at me."

Shindo tilted my head up and I gave him a weak glare, while his lips turned down slightly in a frown.

"I struck a nerve didn't I?"

His eyes searched mine as I got my voice back.

"Doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Ko-chan."

I shook my head and stepped back from him, determined to have us continue on our way.

"Kohaku!" Haruhi yelled, but Shindo held out a hand to stop her, looking her with a smile.

"I'll take care of this. Give us a minute."

Haruhi reluctantly nodded and followed at a distance while Shindo caught up with me again. He didn't try to stop me this time. Instead, he just walked next to me with his own hands shoved in his pockets.

"I know what it's like, you know; to feel like your body isn't yours."

"It's different." I told him. "Our situations are different. You're gay and I'm just…" I trailed off, searching for the right word to explain my thoughts.

"Lost? Lonely? Trust me, Ko-chan, when I say we're not that different. I'm sure you have it a bit harder than me, but still. We both have friends to help us get through things and if you need someone to talk about this, or school, or whatever, you've always got me."

Him and I had stopped at some point during our conversation, and he pulled me into a hug.

"Don't think too hard about it, Ko-chan, and we'll all find someone who'll love us for who we are." he let go of me and smiled. "And if we don't, we'll always have each other, right?"

I shook my head with a small smile. "You're a good talker, Shindo-kun."

He laughed and slapped me on the back.

"You should see me at school! They can never get me to shut up!"

I laughed with him as Haruhi came over as well.

"You're insane, Shindo-kun!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes as I hung off Shindo's shoulders.

"I'm guessing you feel better now, Kohaku?"

"B-Better? I'm going to h-hurt myself laughing so hard!"

"It wasn't that funny, Kohaku."

I shook my head back and forth as tears pricked the corners of my eyes.

"I-I imagined S-Shindo-kun going to class in drag with Ranka-san!"

Haruhi glanced at Shindo for a second before she too, began to chuckle.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Shindo said, but the grin on his face said otherwise.

Just then, a voice spoke over our laughter.

"Haruhi?"

She turned towards the voice to see none other than the blonde idiot Tamaki. I probably should've started running, but the situation Haruhi was in only made me laugh harder; Shindo-kun practically having to hold me up to keep me from face planting into the sidewalk. Fu-kun ditched me for Shindo's sturdier shoulders and Haruhi gave me a dark glare.

"You knew about this, didn't you?"

"I-I-I couldn't tell! B-But now it's hilarious!"

She groaned with a face palm and turned her glare back towards the hosts.

"Go home now!"

Snapping out of their shock towards Haruhi's clothing, they all gave a thumbs up at her.

"The beauty of simplicity!"

"Shut up! Get lost!" She yelled in return, sending me into another fit of laughter as Tamaki moved on to charming our landlady. Unfortunately for me, my laughter caught their attention and they finally noticed I was there.

"Look Takashi! It's Ko-kun!"

"Ah."

I didn't notice it at the time, having been too busy laughing, but Mori had a slight frown on his face, as did another host. Honey's voice alerted Tamaki and, almost immediately, he was pointing an accusing finger at Shindo and I.

"You! Why are you with Haruhi?!"

I stared back at him blankly, having recovered from my laughing attack but not quite recovering from my previous exhaustion. "I live here, idiot."

Tamaki's jaw dropped in shock. "B-But why didn't you tell us?!"

"You never asked." I replied with a shrug.

I wasn't really in the mood to deal with Tamaki, what with my limited amount of sleep, so I wasn't going to play nice. Besides, it seems I already managed to stump him. Tamaki's mouth kept opening and closing like a fish, trying to come up with a comeback, but instead, changed the subject by pointing out Shindo.

"Then who's that?!"

"This is Shindo Yamanaka my-"

"Boyfriend!"

I turned my head around in shock as Shindo wrapped his arms across my shoulders in a hug; a big grin on his face. Tamaki was in just as much shock as I was, only he was slowly flaking away in the wind. The twins, on the other hand, leaned forwards with eyes narrowed in scrutiny and devilish smiles on their faces.

"Oh? Kohaku-senpai…"

"…found himself…"

"…a boyfriend?"

My face turned a light shade of red and I shook my head back and forth violently.

"No! He's not-"

Shindo covered my mouth with his has, just as I had done before, and winked at me before feigning disbelief.

"Of course I am! How could you say such a thing Ko-chan?!"

I pulled his hand away from my mouth but before I could get a chance to say anything, Tamaki was in my face again.

"Why does this hooligan get to call you by such a name?! Daddy wants to call his son 'Ko-chan' too!"

I flinched at the word 'daddy', but couldn't handle Tamaki's puppy dog eyes.

"Fine! But not Ko-chan…I suppose Ko-kun is okay though."

Tamaki cheered and went to hug me, but Shindo pulled me away and stuck out his tongue at Tamaki's surprised face.

"Mine."

Tamaki then broke down into tears and tackled Haruhi in a death hug.

"Haruhi! That hooligan is taking away my precious son!"

Haruhi tried to shove him off, yelling at him.

"Get off me! Kohaku can like whoever he wants!"

It was then, that she noticed the rest of the hosts climbing up the stairs; Kyoya in the lead.

"The Fujioka family lives in apartment 203 and Kohaku-kun lives next door in 202."

"Don't go ahead of us! Kohaku!" She rounded on me and I stared back at her innocently. "Go stop them or something!"

I shook my head. "Nu-uh. Even you know that there's not stopping them once their set on something. That," I tilted my head towards Shindo, who hadn't yet released me yet. "and I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

She groaned and finally managed to pry Tamaki off her, something I still couldn't do to Shindo.

"Then let's hurry up and get this over with."

We all headed up the stairs and met up with the others as I tried to figure out a way to tell them that Shindo and I weren't together. I don't know why he did that anyway. That idiot.

Speaking of idiots, I raised a brow as Tamaki taught the others how to 'conserve space' by sitting with their knees up to their chests.

"Morons." I muttered, and Shindo chuckled from behind me.

"Now, Ko-chan, be nice."

"Says you." I growled. "You're the idiot who told them that you were my boyfriend. I won't hear the end of it now."

"Aw~ You know it's fun. Just roll with it."

I opened my mouth to get mad at him, but Haruhi called to me from the kitchen.

"Kohaku? Could you help me get cups for everyone while I get started on the tea?"

"Yeah. Coming." I turned to Shindo and growled again. "You're lucky. I may not even have a chance to tell them at this point."

He just laughed and went into the living room as I helped Haruhi locate enough cups for everyone. We were just out of earshot of the others, so when I was trolling through the cupboards, Haruhi took that chance to speak with me.

"So…Shindo-san?"

I groaned. "Not even, Haruhi. That moron just went ahead and said whatever he wanted to. Claims that it will be 'fun'. Che. Load of fun this is turning out to be. It won't be long before the twins start teasing and Kyoya-kun begins interrogating."

Haruhi sighed. "Right. Are you going to tell them it's not true?"

I set the cups I was holding, down and rubbed my face.

"I don't know. I doubt they'll even believe me a-and I don't even want to bother at this point."

She gave me a concerned look and stopped pouring the tea for a second.

"Maybe you should go home, Kohaku. Get some sleep."

As much as the thought of sleep pleased me, I couldn't leave Haruhi here with the hosts and Shindo.

"I can't. I don't think I could even fall asleep if I tried. Not to mention that it wouldn't be very nice to leave you here to deal with all the hosts."

She sighed again, picking up the tray of tea.

"You're too strong sometimes, Kohaku. Too strong…and too stubborn."

Ha! She got you there! I flicked Fu-kun on the nose with a frown, turning back to Haruhi who raised a brow.

"What? He said you were right." I pouted and Haruhi chuckled as we walked back into the living room. She gave me my tea first, along with a chocolate bar she claimed she had been saving for me, for when I come over. Then, she passed out tea for the others as we gathered around the table. I sat next to Shindo with Kyoya on the end, and I suddenly felt that this was the worst place to be sitting.

Kyoya was blatantly glaring at me, not bothering to hide it behind his glasses, and Shindo seemed to only be making things worse by making faces at him and pulling me so close that I was practically on his lap.

"I don't like him." Shindo whispered to me. "Why's he glaring?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he knows I'm lying. Or maybe because some idiot decided to all of a sudden become my boyfriend and is practically pulling me onto his lap, while making faces at him. Or better yet! Maybe he's jealous? Yeah, that's it. Kyoya-kun is jealous and is imagining ways to kill us both." I said sarcastically.

Well…not really 'said'. I was still whispering, but Shindo got the point. At least, that's what I thought.

"Oh? Then let's make him more jealous!"

Shindo literally put me in his lap and pulled me back into his chest with a Cheshire grin, as my face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"You idiot! It was sarcasm! Sarcasm! Let me go!" I whispered harshly at him as Kyoya's eyes narrowed.

"No."

Great. Just great. Not only is Shindo pretending to be my boyfriend, but he's pissing off Kyoya big time. I sighed, giving up. You know what? I don't even care anymore. Kyoya gets mad at me on a daily basis. I'd be better off just dealing with him later.

I relaxed my tensed body and just allowed Shindo to keep me on his lap. I was tired of dealing with all this pent up stress and now, I was going to take this time to just relax. Kyoya could get as ticked off as he wants.

"You pick the first cake, Haru-chan!" honey exclaimed, opening the box of assorted cakes.

Glancing it over, I opened up the wrapper of my chocolate. They don't have enough cakes for Shindo and I. unless Kyoya doesn't take one, but even then, I still won't get one. I don't mind though. I've got chocolate. I snapped off apiece of chocolate between my teeth and watched as Haruhi stared at the cakes, unsure.

"Are you sure?"

I couldn't help but give her a little push.

"Go for it, Haruhi. They offered and nobody's stopping you."

She rolled her eyes. "You always say that, Kohaku."

I shrugged and took a sip of my tea, watching Tamaki and the twins. They should make their own comedy show. They could make millions without having to act any different than they normally do.

"I'll take the strawberry one."

The twins and Tamaki huddled close together and I could practically hear their thoughts. "She's so cute!"

"Ko-kun! You can pick a cake next!"

I blinked at Honey and shook my head.

"Nah. Just give a cake to Shindo-kun. I have some chocolate anyway." I said, snapping off another piece. God, I love that sound.

"Okay! Here you go, Shi-kun!"

Honey passed Shindo a cake as he cooed.

"Aw! Thanks, Ko-chan!"

It was when he pecked me on the cheek, that I frowned and gave him a look.

"Behave."

He just chuckled and smiled at me, so I went back to eating my chocolate; snapping a piece off every time. It didn't take long for us to finish eating, though it was amazing watching Tamaki and the twins pound on the floor when Mori gave Haruhi his strawberries. Fu-kun was happy too since, once Honey saw what Mori did for Haruhi, he did the same for Fu-kun. Unfortunately, none of them were satisfied and they weren't the only ones.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. A light blush spread across my cheeks and Shindo laughed.

"Somebody's hungry!~"

The idiot trio and Honey all turned to Haruhi with innocent looks on their faces.

"What's for lunch?"

I watched as Kyoya walked up to Haruhi.

"Well, we're the ones who have been imposing on you. Why don't we order sushi? Anything you like."

I raised my hand like a grade-schooler, leaning forward so the two of them could see me.

"I don't like sushi."

Kyoya flashed his glasses in my direction and, not wanting to make him angrier than he already was, I held my hands up in surrender as Haruhi sweat dropped. Glancing back at Kyoya, Haruhi frowned.

"I don't want you paying for me."

He simply held up a credit card. "I'm using the money from selling your notebook paper on the auction site."

"That's the same as me paying." She grumbled, but she easily gave up. "Well, I know a good place nearby. I'll go order something. That place is superb, so it'll probably suit your tastes…And you can order something else, Kohaku. They have more than just sushi."

I nodded and kept an eye on Tamaki as he hastily wrote a note and handed it off to Haruhi. Needless to say, she took one look at it and crumpled it up, throwing it into the trash bin. Tamaki went to confront her about it, but it was then that I noticed Honey giving me a look. Lifting a brow, I leaned closer so he could talk to me.

"Do you need something, Honey-kun?"

He bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically. "Uh-huh! Neh, can you cook, Ko-kun?"

I blinked a few times, wondering where this question came from.

"I can cook, but mostly Italian and American dishes. You know, pasta and stuff. I just started looking into Japanese foods, and the best I can do is homemade udon. Personally, I'm better at baking."

I shrugged nonchalantly and he grinned, which frightened me a little. What is he planning?

"Can Haru-chan cook?"

"Y-Yeah. I always eat her food. I love her cooking."

Suddenly, Honey ran towards Haruhi, leaving me there in confusion.

"Well that was odd." Shindo said, just as confused as I was.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! I want to have a meal made by you! Ko-kun too!"

He pointed at me and I waved sheepishly. So that's what he was planning! Little demon.

"Well…okay, but it will take a while if I start now."

"I'll wait!" Honey cheered and the three stooges cried hysterically for not being brave enough to ask themselves. She probably would've said 'no' if it was anyone other than Honey, Mori, or I asking. I thought, finishing off my tea. Looking down into the cup sadly, I frowned.

"Why is the tea always gone?" I half-quoted, and Shindo chuckled.

"I believe the term was rum, Ko-chan."

I shrugged. "Whatever."

"I'll have to go to the supermarket…again." Haruhi said, catching my attention.

"Ah! I almost forgot! I need to go too. Fu-kun's out of bananas and I need to restock my soda, ice cream, and ramen supply."

Haruhi shook her head as the others sweat dropped.

"You really should buy some actual food, Kohaku. You can't keep coming here for dinner."

"Aw!" I whined. "you know you and Ranka-san love it when I come over!"

"That's because if we don't, you'd end up holing yourself up in your apartment and eating junk food for the rest of your life."

"Hm…I suppose that's true."

The twins suddenly shot up, not wanting to be left out.

"We'll go! Both of us!"

"Me too! Me too!" honey called out.

"It might be a good experience."

Kyoya also headed out with the others and Shindo pulled me up.

"Shall we head out, my lady?" He said with a bow and I punched him on the arm.

"Don't call me 'lady'."

He chuckled and went so far as to try and help me with my coat, but I snatched it from him and put it on myself.

"Don't push your luck, Romeo."

"It's hard not to, when you're making it so easy."

I rolled my eyes and stood waiting just outside the door. Shindo, having stopped walking when he saw that I wasn't following, turned around in question.

"You're not coming?"

I shook my head. "It's not that. I'm just-" Hearing shouts from inside, I smirked. "Waiting for someone."

He became even more confused, but came over next to me.

"Who're we waiting for?"

My smile grew. "3…2...1..."

"Ah! Ko-chan! I haven't seen you in ages!"

I was swiftly tackled in a hug, but I returned it with a smile.

"What do you mean, 'ages'? I came over for dinner yesterday!"

Ranka let go and waved his hand. "But that was so long ago~ It's so nice having you around. Gives me someone to talk to."

"Well, thank you, Ranka-san."

He frowned, wagging his finger back and forth. "Now what did I tell you? It's Ranka-chan. Ranka-chan!"

"Yes, yes. Apologies, Rank-chan." I gestured to Shindo. "This is Shindo Yamanaka and, for reasons I still don't know, he's pretending to be my boyfriend, and I've already told you before about the twins and Kyoya-kun, right?"

He nodded, shaking hands with Shindo.

"Yes, I remember. It's nice to meet you as well, Shindo-kun. I trust you'll take care of Kohaku for now?"

"Of course, and I love your outfit, Ranka-san."

Immediately, Ranka's eyes lit up and I groaned, holding my head in my hands. He's already made it into Ranka's good books. Wonderful.

"Oh! Thank you, Shindo-kun! I chose it myself of course, and don't you really-"

"Not to be rude, Ranka-chan, but I suggest you go check on Haruhi. I did hear some shouting earlier and she's taking an awful long time to come out."

His eyes widened and he pulled me in with him.

"Haruhi! I'm home! The boss is feeling quite a bit better so I came back to change and found Ko-chan outside wait-"

Ranka suddenly stopped when he spotted his daughter in a supposedly 'compromising' position with a stranger. I found this quite funny though, and was struggling not to laugh as Ranka hurried over and threw Tamaki into the wall.

"What's wrong, Haruhi? Why are you here all alone? I'm sorry I left you all alone last night. Were you lonely? My boss suddenly came down with a fever."

"Um, what was that sound?" Haruhi questioned, a bit afraid of what her father was going to do to Tamaki. Ignoring her, Ranka went on.

"My left hand hurts, as if I just hit the biggest brute of the century or something. I sure would like a hot cup of tea about now."

Oh here we go. I though, removing the shoes and coat I had just put on. And the shadow queen appears.

"Tea! Haruhi! Do you use firewood to make hot water?! Where do you start a fire?!" Tamaki yelled as he frantically went about trying to solve Ranka's wishes.

"On second thought, maybe I'll have a quick nap."

I rolled my eyes and caught the cup Tamaki dropped as he ran to the closet.

"Futon! I'll get the futon ready! Right! Haruhi! Which is your father's futon?!"

"Speaking of which…" Ranka suddenly rounded on Tamaki, shoving his foot into the blonde's back. "What's this huge, disgusting bug I found? And how is it you're acting so familiar with my daughter?"

I let out a short chuckle, and Haruhi gave me a look.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, you bet I am."

"It is pretty funny, isn't it?" Shindo said, having come in behind me and slinging an arm around my shoulders.

Haruhi face palmed with a sigh and the twins decided to show up and make things worse.

"Tono, what are you doing?"

"Ah, I thought so. It's Haruhi's dad."

Thinking he was being saved, Tamaki called out to them, only to be ignored and stepped on in the process.

"What, did you try seducing Haruhi?"

"Hi! We're Haruhi's best friends, the Hitachiin brothers!"

"I'm so sorry. He's a true womanizer. Nothing but a pheromone machine. He's played with countless women you see."

"Played with?" Ranka said darkly.

"No! I wasn't playing around! I truly…" And here we go. "…regard her as my own daughter!"

The twins began laughing and it was obvious that Ranka thought of him as an idiot, while I just sighed quietly to myself. I always felt bad for Tamaki here. Poor guy not only has to fight Hikaru for her, but he can't recognize his own feelings and has to deal with her dad too. As everyone else came back in, Tamaki took his spot in the closet and I decided to sit by him.

"Kohaku-senpai?"

He looked at me, unsure, and I gave him a small smile to cheer him up.

"It's okay, Tamaki-kun. I think Ranka-chan will warm up to you sooner or later."

"Really?" He asked, looking a little more hopeful now, and I nodded.

"Sure. Why not?"

He threw himself at me in a hug, much to Shindo's displeasure.

"Oh thank you, Ko-kun! I really do hope you're right!"

I chuckled nervously and pat his head as he nuzzled my cheek. As do I, Tamaki. As do I. then, Ranka's voice drowned out everything.

"You sure are a gorgeous group! Which boy should I choose…Just kidding! I already have Ko-kun after all-" Ranka winked at me and I smiled back. "Please feel free to call me Ranka-chan! All right?"

"Wow! It's like a stage name!" Honey commented and Ranka nodded.

"That's right, Mitsukuni-kun!"

"How come he knows Honey-senpai's name?" The two twins questioned.

"Mitsukuni-kun and Mori-kun are third years, and Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun are first years, right? I've heard a lot about you guys."

Everyone glanced over at Haruhi, thinking she told her father, but Ranka quickly dashed that idea.

"Ko-kun tells me a lot when he's over, but Kyoya-kun and I talk over the phone and email each other too. This is the first time we've met in person. You're even more handsome than I imagined!"

"No, no. It's you, Ranka-san, who is beautiful."

I pointed a finger in my mouth and pretended to gag. Kyoya turned towards me though, and I put my hands behind my head and whistled innocently. His glasses flashed and he turned back to Ranka with a grin.

"Thank you for those precious photos you provided the other day."

Tamaki, who had been moping in the closet after Shindo pulled him off me, turned suddenly and grabbed Kyoya's shoulder; a dark aura surrounding him.

"Kyoya-"

Kyoya smiled confidently, bringing his cup up to his lips.

"As long as she's in our club, a precious daughter is in our care. Naturally, it's our duty to give her father a report every now and then. It really should be your job, shouldn't it?"

Tamaki choked, realizing that Kyoya was right but before I could help him out, Ranka laughed; a hand in front of his mouth.

"What an impeccable president! Oh, but you're the vice president. You must have a horribly incompetent president. Ah! He must be too busy wooing the girls, I suppose?"

Tamaki, after being stabbed by so many insults, dove right back into the closet and began making mushrooms.

"Hold it right there, dad!" Haruhi shouted. "You never told me you knew Kyoya-senpai!"

"Well, that's because you never talk about school unless Ko-kun in here, Haruhi."

Being distracted by Tamaki, she turned around.

"Tamaki, will you please stop cultivating mushrooms in the closet!"

"Haruhi…you are.." Having caught her attention, Ranka attacked her, pulling her in for a hug. "So cute when you're angry."

While Ranka was squealing over Haruhi, I was chuckling in the back at the two of them. Apparently, Haruhi did not appreciate that and snatched me up off of the floor the moment she got away from her father.

"Where are you going?" Ranka called after her in despair.

"We're going to the market to shop alone. The two of us will be right back, so behave yourselves."

I stood up after pulling on my coat and boots, waving.

"bye guys! I'll bring you back some ice cream to cheer you up, Tamaki-kun."

The other's opened their mouths in protest, but before they could get a syllable out, Haruhi returned and grabbed my ear.

"Let's go, Kohaku."

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Haruhi! That hurts!" I whined as she pulled me away from the door and down the stairs.

"Yeah, well, you deserve it."

Ha-ha. Shut up.

---

"Haruhi! We'll go!" Hikaru shouted after them as Shindo yelled out as well.

"What about me, Ko-chan?! I want some ice cream too!"

It was too late though, since they could hear Kohaku's wailing fade down the stairs.

"It's okay. One her mind is set, Haruhi won't listen. The same goes for Kohaku too, as far as I can tell." Ranka sighed blissfully. "Even though I respect both of their independence, I wouldn't mind if they'd lean on me sometimes."

Shindo cocked his head. "What do you mean? What about Ko-chan's parents?"

The room grew a bit tense, but the hosts were wondering the same thing; having not heard about what happened to Kohaku's family either, since they stopped playing the game of trying to find out.

Ranka sighed. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I can see you're all good friends to Kohaku and I can see how each of you have influenced him."

The hosts and Shindo waited with baited breath as Ranka paused to sip his tea.

"Kohaku doesn't have any parents. Everyone in his family are gone."

There was a collective intake of breath as everyone took in that information, Honey clutched his Usa-chan closer to him.

"Gone?" He asked. "Do they live somewhere else?"

Ranka shook his head. "No. They're dead, Mitsukuni-kun. Kohaku has no living relatives."

Hikaru looked down, clenching his fists. "That idiot. Why didn't he tell us? Are we not good enough for him or something?"

Kaoru, being the ever concerned brother that he was, tried to calm him down; knowing that that wasn't the reason why Kohaku didn't say anything. "Hikaru."

Ranka sighed, again, pulling a hand through his long hair. "It's not that you weren't good enough for him, Hikaru-kun. Kohaku just has a difficult time expressing himself. He's grown up in a family where he was the one responsible for everything and that can be a lot of pressure sometimes. When he did come to Haruhi and I to tell us about his family, I could see how hard he was trying to keep everything together. When he finally did just let everything go…it was hard to watch just how much emotion he had been holding back."

"Poor Ko-kun." Honey said, tears coming to his eyes.

"I knew he was holding a lot back." Kaoru said. "But I didn't expect it to be something like that."

The others nodded in agreement when Ranka finally tried to ease up a bit of the sour mood.

"He's an amazing kid though. Despite everything he's been through, he's still able to smile and you boy have really helped him to be able to do that. Thank you."

Everyone was surprised that Ranka was thanking them, when they felt they really didn't do anything, but then Ranka went off on a tangent.

"Haruhi is a stubborn one too. She decided on Ouran all by herself. She even applied on her own. Personally, I would've liked to see her attend an all-girls school that has a cute uniform. Somewhere like Lobelia."

The twins sweat dropped, remembering their past experiences with the Lobelia girls. "Lobelia's kind of…" They trailed off and Ranka began again, remembering his adorable daughter in the past.

"The beautiful girl I gave birth to doesn't care about how she looks at all. Even so, I made sure she looked cute all through middle school." Ranka's eyes began tearing up and he fell to the ground sobbing. "But one day, she cut her hair on her own!"

"We know how you must have felt." The twins said as Honey awed sadly. Even Shindo nodded, wondering how Kohaku's parent's must've felt when she cut her hair. Ranka got up though, wiping away his tears as he smiled at the hosts.

"That's why I'm grateful to you. It looks like she's doing well in school. And although she looks like a boy, you see her as the cute girl she is. Isn't that right, Tamaki Suoh?"

Tamaki stopped cultivating mushrooms and popped his head out of the closet in shock.

"Father…"

"But you mistook Haruhi as a boy? And you even smacked her on the head."

And here he goes again. Shindo thought. I see why Kohaku felt so bad for him now. Poor guy's getting hammered.

"I am the most horrible person ever!" Tamaki wailed, running out of the apartment.

"Ah! He's running away!" The twins shouted, preparing to run after him, but Ranka stopped them with an evil glint in his eyes.

"Everyone~ Are you up for some fun?"

Oh!~ I like him. Ranka and I will get along great. Shindo smirked as Ranka told them the plan.

---

Haruhi sighed, either exhausted or relieved that we were finally away from everyone. I, personally, was just glad she'd finally let go of my ear. I rubbed it gently, still feeling the ache from Haruhi pulling on it.

"You okay, Haru-chan?"

"I guess, but I'm just a bit frustrated that dad didn't tell me about him and Kyoya."

I hummed in acknowledgement. "Well, he was just worried about you. It's what they do. Parents, I mean."

"Yeah…"She glanced over at me warily, a look I easily recognized. "You doing okay?"

"Hm." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I suppose so. I mean, I'm not normally one who just goes out and expresses what I'm feeling to just anyone. But I suppose I'm okay." I scratched Fu-kun's head with a tiny smile. "I've mostly gotten over the whole thing, but it's still a bit hard, what with Tamaki-kun playing family."

"Then just tell him not to." Haruhi frowned. "If it hurts you that much, he should stop."

I shook my head. "Nah. If anything, he needs the whole family setting just as much as I do. I can't get into specifics, but we both really understand each other." I smirked, nudging her. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably take him for myself, you know."

"W-What?!" Haruhi's face flushed and I laughed, patting her on the back.

"Ha-ha! I'm just kidding, Haru-chan! No need to get all flustered." I wiggled my brows and she just hit my arm playfully.

"I'm not flustered! I just didn't expect that coming from you!"

"What do you mean?"

I played innocent and curious, but my mind was in total chaos. Memories of friends from my past still haunted me and flashed through my mind, as I was waiting restlessly for the same words to come out of her mouth as they did my old friends'.

"I just can't see you liking a guy."

I was surprised though, when I hear something different.

"I didn't think you and Tamaki-senpai would be that close. Why? What did you think I meant?"

Might as well tell her. "I've had friends back home who've made comments similar to that. Saying that they wouldn't have expected me to say something. They just had…different reasons as to why they said that."

"Like what?"

I bit my bottom lip and her curious face changed into that of a frown.

"Kohaku?"

"T-They said they couldn't see me with a guy."

"What? Why not?"

I shoved my hands into my pockets, looking at the ground beneath my feet. "Because I look so much like a guy."

"But just because you look like a guy doesn't mean you are one."

"Tell that to Kyoya-kun and the twins. Besides, what guy would want to be with a girl who looks and acts like another guy?"

"I'm sure there's someone."

I chuckled sadly. "Yeah right. No one would want me." I said dejectedly.

"Haruhi grew angry and hurried in front of me, keeping me from walking any further.

"Don't say that!" She shouted. "So what if you're a bit boyish? Who cares if you don't like make-up or skirts? There's someone for everyone, Kohaku! Don't give up on finding that person just because your friends are idiots and don't understand you! The Kohaku I know would never give up over something like that! You're your own person! And you shouldn't have to change yourself or act like a girl o find that one special person!"

I had always wanted someone to say that to me. Saying it to myself just never seemed to be enough, and now that Haruhi has said it, it gave me hope. Tears had welled up in my eyes and I let them fall; a smile breaking out on my face.

"T-Thank you, Haruhi." I bent down and hugged her. "You always know just what to say and you're a better friend than any of my old friends." I just wish I could tell you everything. Sorry, kid. Not yet.

I let Haruhi go and wiped my tears, keeping a smile on my face as I took her hand and pulled her along.

"Come on, Haru-chan! We don't want the store to run out of anything!"

She rolled her eyes, but allowed me to continue pulling her.

"Since when do they run out? There's not even a sale going on!"

I laughed. "So?" the I suddenly stopped, Haruhi running into my back.

"What's wrong? Why'd you stop, Kohaku?"

"I forgot to ask Tamaki-kun what his favorite ice cream was."

I heard an audible 'smack' and turned around to see Haruhi with a hand on her face.

"You've got to be kidding me." She muttered.

Walking closer, I leaned over and peeled her hand away from her face.

"You know, Haru-chan, if you keep doing that you'll be killing off brain cells and won't get top on your next exam." She glared at me and I chuckled, letting go of her hand. "It's okay. I'll just ask Tamaki-kun when he gets here."

"'When he gets here'?"

I held up a finger, telling her to wait. Maybe a minute later, someone ran past us, crying and wailing.

"T-Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi questioned, making him freeze and then shuffle behind a pole like he was trying to hide. "You're totally sticking out."

Haruhi gave me a look and I smiled, shoving her towards him and whispering in her ear.

"Go find out what happened. Cheer him up."

She sighed, but went over and asked, as two women paused in their walk to gossip.

"Are they fighting?"

"But it's the boy who's crying."

I smiled and turned my head towards them.

"He had a rough day. Just met her father."

Sensing a possible source of gossip, and a friendly face, they turned towards me looking for more.

"Oh. First time meeting her father?"

"That has to be rough. Especially if he's in this shape."

I nodded. "What's worse, is the poor guy tripped and fell on top of her just as her dad came home."

"No!"

"Yup. His friends, who came along as support, threw him under the bus too. The father's convinced he's a womanizer now."

I folded my arms and shook my head in shame as the two women expressed their pity.

"The poor boy!"

"And such a cute face too!"

I wasn't sure what him having a cute face had to do with anything, but I was interrupted by Haruhi tugging on my ear again.

"It's rude to gossip about others, Kohaku." She scolded.

"Sorry! Ow! I'm sorry!" Haruhi released me and I turned around with a smile, waving a the two woman. "Bye, ladies!"

They blushed a bit and began giggling, when my ear was grabbed yet again.

"Ow! Haruhi!"

"Hmph."

---

As Haruhi dragged Kohaku along by her ear, with Tamaki holding her coat, she didn't notice that they were being followed; not to discreetly either.

"Somehow, together they look like a mother with a crying child, scolding another one." Ranka said.

"But why is milord acting like a little boy?"

"And Kohaku-kun is acting odd too."

The two twins were obviously confused, but Kyoya was lost for a totally different reason.

"But what about us? What is this 'fun' thing?"

"It's a stalker game, Kyoya-kun! Rather…" Ranka pulled down his sunglasses a bit and posed. "I just wanted to walk around in a group of good-looking men!"

The twins easily saw how alike Ranka and Tamaki were and, as much as he would deny it, even Kyoya was beginning to get slightly annoyed at how similar the two were.

"Ah! We're losing them!" Ranka said, seeing the trio they were following round the corner. "Let's hurry up, boys!"

It didn't take long for them to catch up, and it also helped that Ranka knew exactly where they were going, but once they reached the store, everyone began to split up.

Kohaku went off to do her own shopping, planning to meet up with Haruhi afterwards, and the twins took Shindo so he could show them the best commoner goods. Honey wanted to go look at some sweets, so Mori went ahead and took him in a cart around the store. The only ones left together, were Tamaki and Haruhi, and Kyoya and Ranka.

Kyoya was slightly interested in the commoner goods, but Ranka knew that there was something more on his mind. Ranka's eyes trailed over to Kohaku as she trolled through the fruits, checking each one carefully for bruises and other damages. She can be so thorough when she wants to be. Sounds a lot like somebody else I know. Ranka's glance shifted to Kyoya as a small smile began to grow on Ranka's face, having seen Kyoya's gaze on Kohaku.

"Interesting person, isn't he?"

Kyoya, playing ignorant, pushed up his glasses to hide who he had been looking at.

"And who might that be?"

"Kohaku, of course."

"I suppose he can be interesting, on occasion." Kyoya responded calmly.

"Oh hum!" Ranka said. "He's far more intriguing that you think, Kyoya-kun. You'd be surprised."

"Is that so."

Kyoya sounded disinterested, but Ranka could see that glint in his eyes screaming that he wanted to hear more.

"I bet he doesn't tell you anything about himself, does he?"

Kyoya frowned. "No. He claims that he wanted me to figure it out myself, which is quite frustrating."

Ranka chuckled a bit. "That certainly sounds like him…but if that's the case, I'm sure he hasn't told you this either." Kyoya quickly turned to look at Ranka, not bothering to hide his surprise. "Kohaku isn't all that he seems, so I'm sure if you look a bit harder you'll discover something more remarkable than you think. One thing's for sure though, Kohaku cares for you the most out of all the other hosts."

Kyoya's face fell, not really seeing the point of what Ranka just told him.

"I highly doubt that. It's more often than not, that he's hanging around Mori-senpai or Tamaki-kun. He does not care as much as you think he does."

Ranka shook his head. "That's not true. Whenever he talks about school, you're always the first he speaks of and he never speaks ill of you like Haruhi does."

Kyoya's eyes widened. He would've never expected Kohaku to do that, after everything he has put him through. I always suspected that he despised me and was only hiding his information to torture me. But if that was the case, why do this? Is he trying to trick me again?

Ranka's face suddenly fell as he continued the conversation. "I always come home late, because of work and Kohaku always seems to be awake, even when I work overtime. I sometimes wonder if he gets any sleep at all…but, everyday, I'll hear music playing. Just loud enough to be heard through the walls, but not loud enough to wake Haruhi. I can hear him though, just barely. The poor kid cries himself to sleep almost every night, Kyoya-kun."

What? Kyoya didn't know what to think now. This was a conversation he never envisioned himself having, and he had no plans for it. No possible ways to respond to what Ranka had just said, because to him, that wasn't Kohaku. Even Kyoya believed that Kohaku was tougher than he looked. The way he carried himself and the injuries that he just blew off or ignored were consistent with that of a person far stronger than him. So to hear that Kohaku was this…fragile, was a complete shock to Kyoya.

"Do…Do you know why?"

What am I doing? I don't stutter! What the hell is wrong with me?

Ranka shook his head. "I don't know, really. It could be anything with him."

"I understand." Kyoya said, but then he spotted Shindo and something dark and hot began to pool in his stomach. Stirring him up and filling him with unknown anger. "What do you know about Shindo-san?" He suddenly asked.

Ranka, sensing Kyoya's distress, mentally smirked. "I must say, I don't know much…but if you're interested in why he's together with Kohaku, I suggest you go ask Kohaku while you still have a chance. I find, asking him directly is the only way to get him to talk."

Kyoya, losing face for a second, frowned; something Ranka spotted easily. Putting back on his business smile, Kyoya nodded to Ranka.

"Thank you for sharing such things with me, Ranka-san. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a box of commoner's cake mix over there that I am interested in."

Ranka also nodded with a smile and a wave, and as Kyoya walked towards the baking isle-avoiding what Ranka told him he should do-a thought passed through Ranka's head. Smart, handsome, and a business man. A good choice if he actually showed that caring side once in a while, but since he still doesn't know…

"Oh what a hard life you're going to have, Ko-chan. Three boys after you and you're as clueless as my darling Haruhi." Ranka sighed and headed towards said daughter, wishing Kohaku good luck. She'll definitely need it.

---

What do you think, Fu-kun? Chocolate or vanilla pudding? I held a finger to my chin, glancing back and forth between the two choices, before looking up to stare at Fu-kun in question. How about…chocolate vanilla swirl? I slapped myself in the face.

"of course! Why didn't I think of that?!"

A few fellow shoppers stared, but it was simple to just ignore them especially since I spotted the frozen food isle.

"Ah! I forgot to ask Tamaki-kun about the ice cream! Fu-kun! Why didn't you remind me?!"

Don't blame me! I forgot too! I groaned and hurried to the veggies, where I last saw Tamaki and Haruhi. Sure enough, the two of them were over there picking out cabbage.

"Chinese cabbage is cheap." Haruhi said. "Do you like cabbage, Tamaki-senpai?"

"Yes."

"Do you like ice cream?" I asked, poking my head between them, scaring them both.

"Kohaku!"

"Wah! Ko-kun!" Tamaki whined. "You scared me!"

I chuckled. "Sorry about that, but I promised to get you some ice cream and forgot to ask what your favorite flavor was."

His eyes began tearing up again. "Y-You're really going to get me some?"

"Well, yeah. It's tough dealing with parents sometimes. Even more so when it's someone else's."

He jumped me with a hug, as expected. "You're so nice, Ko-kun! I'll eat whatever ice cream you pick, but my favorite is the commoner's red bean!"

I nodded with a laugh, trying to pry Tamaki off me. "Okay! Okay! You've got to let me go so I can get it though!"

"Sorry, Ko-kun!" He apologized as he released me.

"it's not problem, Tou-san." I replied, turning and walking back to the freezer section with a smirk as I heard him attack Haruhi.

"Did you hear, Haruhi?! Ko-kun called me Tou-san!"

And that, dear Haruhi, is revenge for pulling on my ear all day.

"Ah, sweet revenge."

I smiled to myself, pulling my cart along behind me as I reached for the ice cream. Looking through the shelves, I pulled out a pint of red bean ice cream for Tamaki and began trolling for my own favorites. A pint of green tea, another pint of red bean and a pint of plum wine…And now some normal flavors…Let's see…French vanilla, sherbet, raspberry, and…hm, should I get cherry cordial?

I held up a gallon of cherry cordial ice cream, debating on whether I should get it or not. Technically, I had more than enough ice cream, but this was my favorite. The only other problem was, that it was only available in the gallon size and not pint. I frowned in thought as someone picked an ice cream off the shelf next to me to look at it.

"Is that what you're interested in?"

I blinked, before turning and seeing Kyoya, who had picked up the ice cream and was currently staring at the nutrition facts. He pushed up his glasses and glanced-more like glared-at where Shindo was with the twins. Turning to watch the three as Haruhi pushed them out of the store, I answered him.

"Yeah. Is there something wrong with my preferences?"

He seemed almost…angry at my response, but I couldn't figure out why. I mean, we were just talking about my choice in excessive amounts of ice cream, right? Why's he getting all upset? He suddenly put the ice cream he was holding, back, and glared at me dangerously.

"And here I thought you'd be a bit more intelligent than that."

What? What does being intelligent have to do with what ice cream I choose? Ugh. This is starting to piss me off. Scowling, I called him out on it, in no mood to play riddles after how little sleep I'd gotten last night.

"What the hell's your problem?"

He blatantly ignored me and turned around, walking off stiffly and arrogantly. I went to confront him, but all of a sudden, a huge wall stood in front of me. Looking up, I blinked in confusion at Mori's appearance.

"Uh…hey, Takashi-kun. Is there something you need?"

"Haruhi-san told me to help."

He pointed behind me at the cart, half full of groceries, and I nodded in understanding. Haruhi must've told him to help me carry the groceries. I normally get this amount and carry it all home myself as exercise, since I haven't been by the boxing gym as much lately, but I suppose some help would be nice. Especially since I messed up my wrist not long ago. I'll just have to bug Kyoya later.

Taking my cart to the cashier, putting in the gallon of ice cream first of course, I paid and passed off some of the groceries to Mori. He seemed to be zoning out though, and I wondered if I had given him too much or if he was worried about something.

"You okay, Takashi-kun? You seem a bit…distracted."

He looked down at me before pointing at Shindo outside, laughing with the twins.

"What? You want to know about Shindo-kun?" he nodded and I sighed. Maybe I can at least clear things up with him. I can't be too direct about it though, or he won't believe me. "Yeah, well, we bumped into each other a few months ago and just met up again today as I went to drop off my manuscript. Why? Is something wrong, Takashi-kun?" Was I not direct enough?

He glanced down at me again with, what I thought was, a troubled expression. But he turned away too quickly for me to be sure, and shook his head.

"Un."

I raised a brow. He said 'no', but he's not acting like it. There was a loud 'thud' from nearby and I winced as I saw Mori run into a pole just outside the store. Well great, I've somehow managed to tick Kyoya off and upset Mori all in the span of twenty minutes. Why does this always happen to me? I sighed, walking behind the others as we headed back to the apartments; watching the group as they interacted cheerfully with one another.

It was interesting, to say the least, watching them all act like one big, dysfunctional family. And I thought about my own family and what they were doing now that I was gone. They've probably gotten over it, just as I am trying to.

"What are you doing back there, Kohaku?!" Haruhi shouted, hands cupped around her mouth. "All the fun's up here!"

I smiled, forgetting my previous worries and hurriedly caught up with them to join in their laughter. We were soon back at the apartments though and, after enlisting Shindo and Mori's help to put away my groceries, we all gathered around Haruhi's kotatsu and ate the hot pot she had prepared. I helped Tamaki out again as Ranka stacked up a mound of vegetables in his bowl, and got as much meat as I could, passing some to him when Ranka wasn't looking.

After everyone was done and getting ready to leave, my worry returned. Kyoya was the first out the door, only saying goodbye to Ranka; then the twins, who made sure to whisper to Shindo and grin at me before leaving. Honey gave me a hug, thanking me for the pudding I gave him after dinner, but Mori left without so much as a glance in my direction. I was worried for a minute, but didn't get to dwell on it as Tamaki hugged me.

"Thank you." He whispered in my ear as he released me and hurried out the door to catch up with everyone.

I smiled softly, knowing that despite his carefree attitude, he really did care about Haruhi and what her father thought of him. Overprotective fathers are always though, from what I heard.

"Don't I get a hug, Ko-chan?"

I scowled at Shindo's voice and reluctantly allowed the man to hug me.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you for lying, Shindo-kun."

"Darn. I was hoping it would."

I shook my head. "No. Not at all."

He let go and smiled his usual grin, ignoring my tone and heading to the door to leave as well.

"Oh well. Just means we can have more fun later, Ko-chan!"

He waved and turned to go, but I soon remembered that the twins had said something to him before they left. Hurrying outside, I leaned against the railing and shouted down to him.

"Wait!" He looked back at me. "What did the twins say to you?!"

His face lit up and I was actually scared of what he was going to say.

"It's a secret!"

And now I wasn't. I dropped my head on the bar and groaned; Shindo's laughter ringing through the air. Walking back inside, I was confronted by Haruhi, who had easily spotted my angered expression.

"What'd he say?"

I frowned. "'It's a secret'. That's what he said…jerk."

Haruhi sighed with a smile and even Ranka giggled from the living room. Rolling my eyes, I packed up my things, putting on my coat and shoes for like the fourth time today.

"You leaving too?" Haruhi asked and I gave a short nod.

"Yeah. I won't be able to sleep just yet, so I was planning on dropping by the gym."

"Oh…"

She sounded a bit disappointed and I raised a brow at her.

"You want to come?"

Flustered at being caught, Haruhi stuttered and waved her hand erratically.

"W-What? I-I-I can't do that!"

Chuckling, I finished and stood up. "You wouldn't have to do anything but watch, and I'll keep the guys away if that's what you're worried about. Besides, I know you're only trying to get away from Ranka-cha-"

She slammed a hand over my mouth as Ranka poked his head out of the living room.

"Somebody called?"

Licking Haruhi's hand so she let go, I smiled as her eyes widened in shock; thinking that I was going to rat her out.

"Haruhi's just going to come with me to the gym and watch me work out. Is that okay, Ranka-san?"

He smiled back. "Of course! I have no problem with it. Just don't talk to strangers and come home safely or I'll have to come down there and get you myself."

I laughed, shoving Haruhi out the door. "Wouldn't dream of doing anything otherwise, Ranka-chan. See you later!"

"Bye Ko-chan! Haruhi!"

He waved as I closed the door, leaving me to chuckle at Haruhi as she folded her arms and glared at me. I just gave her a grin and stopped by my own apartment, to put a muscle shirt on under my sweater and grab my duffle bag. Walking back out and locking the door, Haruhi followed me as we headed out.

"If you want to listen to music or anything while we're there, help yourself to my bag. I have snacks, water, and my ipod in there. They normally have music playing, so I won't really need it." I said to break any tension.

"What do you do there?"

"Boxing mostly. Mixed martial arts too. Then we occasionally have matches in the ring to prove ourselves or finish arguments."

"Huh? Arguments?!"

"Yup." I said, matter-of-factly. "There's a lot of guys there who argue about who's better and stuff. The owner usually sends them into the ring so they can settle the arguments the old fashioned way."

"H-Have you been in the ring?"

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Well, yeah. I'm the only girl who goes there. I've been challenged a couple of times because they don't think I can take them." I then winked at her. "I haven't lost a match yet."

Opening the door to the establishment, a chorus of people called out, surprising Haruhi.

"Hey, Kohaku-kun!"

I briefly waved and went over to my usual place in the back, stripping off my coat, sweater, and boots. Haruhi fidgeted nervously on the bench next to my bag with Fu-kun curled up on her lap.

"T-They all know you?"

I looked around the room. "Yeah, most of them anyway. There's a couple I haven't seen before, but yeah, they know me."

"They call you 'Kohaku-kun' though."

"Because I told them to." I said as I pulled on my gloves and began warming up. "They know me well enough to know that anyone who calls me 'chan' gets a death sentence."

I grinned evilly as I landed a solid, heavy punch on the punching bag, making Haruhi jump. Stopping the bag from swaying, I gave Haruhi a look.

"Oh, lighten up. Listen to some music or something. I'm sure you'll like something in there."

"Hey, Kohaku-kun!"

I turned at the familiar voice and smiled brightly as I saw the muscled man walking towards me. I swung my hand up and grabbed his, gripping tightly as though we were arm wrestling, before pulling towards him and slapping him on the back.

"How ya doing, coach?"

He laughed a deep, throaty laugh, letting go of my hand after returning the slap on my back.

"Aha! I've been good! It's been a while since I've seen you here though. Where've you been?"

"I had a deadline. I need to get back in shape though, and relieve some stress. You know how it is." I then remembered Haruhi and gesture towards her. "Oh, and this is my friend Haruhi Fujioka. She's only here to watch and get away from her overprotective dad."

I felt Haruhi punch me in the arm and just laughed as she frowned at me; slight shock on her face when I didn't whine about her punch like I normally do.

"Haruhi, this is my coach and the owner of the gym, Tobi Sakamoto."

They shook hands ad I noticed Haruhi wince a bit at the man's strength.

"Weak thing, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's only here to watch, coach."

He laughed again. "Ahaha! I just saw the hair cut and thought she was another one like you. Sorry about that, kid."

Haruhi waved it off as her eyes shouted at me just how uncomfortable she was. Heeding her plea, I turned back to the bag, speaking over my shoulder.

"Go pester the others, coach, and turn up the music, would ya?"

"Oh? Getting serious already, I see. I'll be right on it, but…" He came closer to me and I raised a brow. "Watch out for the two guys in the far left corner. They're hounds."

I discreetly nodded and he walked off, the music being turned up once he reached the small office he had.

"What'd he say?" Haruhi asked. "Hounds?"

"Yup. He's warning me that the two guys are hounds; in search of a fox, but almost all bark with very little bite. Now, if he said 'shepherd' I'd be a bit more worried."

I began punching the bag again, talking as I finished up my warm up.

"'Shepherd' means ex-military, protective, prideful, and quite a bit of bite. I've dealt with an occasional one of those, but they're rare." I stopped and smiled at her. "No worries, Haru-chan. I can easily take care of a hound."

She nodded warily and I went on to do my exercises, drowning out the world around me.

---

Haruhi sat petting Fu-kun on her lap as Kohaku became absorbed in what she was doing. She was a bit worried about the men that the owner had warned them about, but when Kohaku said those last words, Haruhi felt a sense of security surround her. She felt that Kohaku could protect her should those men start anything, but that didn't mean Kohaku would come out unscathed. And that was what she was truly worried about.

As she watched Kohaku punch the bag though, that worry slowly began to fade away. She's really into this. She's so focused, I don't even think that she's aware of everyone around her anymore. This is definitely something she loves to do. I can tell. The smile on her face gives everything away.

It was true too. Sweat rolled down Kohaku's face, but there was a smile there as she punched away at the bag. Every ounce of her being was solely focused on hitting it and Haruhi began to lose track as she switched up her moves; Kohaku mentally planning each one. Left, right, right, left, left, right kick, left spinning back hand, right, jump back, duck, up, another right kick, spinning left ankle kick-

The mantra kept changing, switching between punches and kicks with surprising accuracy and speed. Every one, precise and full of strength and anger. Kohaku was angry now. Even Haruhi could see that. The way her stance had changed into something more aggressive; the way she clenched her jaw; the power packed behind her punches and kicks. Every move Kohaku made, expressed such fury that Haruhi questioned just who she was angry with.

It wouldn't be easy to figure out though, because she wasn't fighting a person. She was fighting herself, pushing herself to the limit and getting angry at her weaknesses. Just then, with a final punch, Kohaku stopped.

Her breath came out sharp, but controlled. The sweat rolling down her body and dripping off the end of her nose and arms. Calming herself, she moved out of her offensive stance and walked over to her bag, pulling out a water bottle and drinking deeply.

"Are you upset about something, Kohaku?"

She stopped drinking and wiped her chin with the back of her arm.

"Yeah. I normally am."

Haruhi blinked a few times at Kohaku's blunt response, not having expected her to actually answer so…truthfully. Kohaku took no notice though, and wiped her face with a small towel as two figures approached them.

"You two need something?" Kohaku asked, not even looking in the two men's direction as she put away her towel.

The first man, taller than the other by a good couple of inches, stood up to his full height and tried to be as imposing and threatening as possible.

"Yeah. I asked where I could get a good fight and they sent me over here. I never thought they'd end up sending me to fight some scrawny chick."

"Then go. I'm not in the mood to deal with a couple of mutts."

Haruhi turned to Kohaku in shock. I-I thought she was trying to get them to leave, not encourage them! The two men glared, obviously not happy about Kohaku's insults, and Haruhi tried to fix the situation before a fight could break out.

"W-What she meant to say is, if you're not interested, maybe someone else will fight you."

Kohaku's gaze shifted to Haruhi; becoming more cautious as she spotted one of the men step closer to her.

"Oh? And what's a cute girl like you doing here?"

Haruhi leaned back on the bench as the man came closer, but Kohaku stepped between the two; an eerily calm expression on her face.

"I suggest you back off before you end up losing some teeth."

"Really? I bet you're just trying to act all tough when in reality you're so scared you might wet yourself."

The man leaned down slightly, holding Kohaku's chin in one of his large hands. Almost as though time had stopped, everyone in the gym were watching to see what was going to happen. Tobi in particular, grinned; tapping one of the other guys and handing him a twenty dollar bill.

"Kohaku's going to knock him flat. Go grab the guys some gear. I'm betting ten minutes without cheats."

The guy nodded and hurried off to get some protective gear, just as Kohaku made her move.

"You have three seconds to let me go before I break your nose."

"How scary." The man replied sarcastically, not moving an inch just to see what she'd do.

"One."

The man returned with the gear, handing it off to Tobi.

"Two."

The group of guys in the building began to surround the boxing ring, awaiting the match that was certainly going to happen, while making bets.

"Three."

Kohaku moved so fast, Haruhi had to actually look at the unconscious man's bleeding nose in order to realize something even happened at all. The moment Kohaku had said 'three', she hit him straight on and broke his nose just as she said she would.

The second man, at having seen what had happened to his friend, went to take a shot at Kohaku. She saw it coming too, but didn't move as the fist approached. She only stared at it blankly, when it was stopped; Tobi having grabbed the man's wrist with a grin.

"Now listen here, Misao. You may be my nephew, but we have some rules here. And one of them, is there are no fights outside of the ring." He passed the gear over to him. "So if you're going to fight, that's the only place to do it."

Tobi let go of his arm, and Misao roughly grabbed the gear and walked towards the ring, giving Kohaku one last look.

"You never told me he was your nephew, coach." Kohaku said, messing up her, already messy, hair.

"Didn't I? Aha! It doesn't matter though. His parents sent him here to get him under control anyway. The boy's a delinquent and needs some authority beat into him. I'm just glad it's you who's knocking him off his high horse. Lord knows he needs it."

Kohaku rolled her eyes and headed over towards Haruhi, who was still shocked at what had happened.

"You okay, Haru-chan?"

She shakily nodded. "Y-Yeah. That just…surprised me, is all."

"Heh. Sorry about that. I wouldn't have made you come if I'd known this was going to happen."

Haruhi closed her eyes and sighed. "No, it's okay. You were right about me wanting to get away from my dad for a while, and I'm actually glad you brought me here. I can see just how much you enjoy it."

They smiled at each other, before Kohaku went back to Tobi.

"Watch over her for me, coach, while I'm taking care of your nephew."

"Sure thing, kid. Give him what for! I got twenty bucks riding on the first ten minutes!"

Kohaku laughed, before stepping into the ring and putting in a mouth guard. She gave a thumbs-up to Tobi and the match began.

---

"What the- Where the hell's your protective gear?!" Misao shouted at me from across the ring, gesturing to his head gear.

"I prefer going without, especially when I'm fighting someone as weak as you."

The man growled and I mentally chuckled. This is what I needed. I needed to think, plan, move. That's why I went to this gym. To get my blood pumping.

"Remember the rules!" Tobi shouted and he hit on old, metal fighting bell, signaling the start of the match.

I wonder how Kyoya would do in one of these. I thought, dodging a punch from Misao and kicking him hard on the thigh. If anything, it definitely makes you think and plan ahead; something he likes to do anyway. Misao aimed a kick at my head and I blocked it with my forearms, ignoring the ache from just how much pressure he put behind it. He doesn't seem like the active type though. But that doesn't mean that he shouldn't try it out. He might actually enjoy taking off his glasses and just roughing it out.

I frowned, spinning and landing a decent kick to Misao's jaw, knocking him to the ground. That sent my mind to an odd place. Shaking off the thought, I looked down at my opponent with a single raised brow.

"I thought you said I was supposed to be the one ready to wet my pants?"

He growled and stood up, immediately swinging a fist at my face that I easily dodged. Anger dulls the mind.

"Oh, come on now. There's no fun in a direct attack. I can read your moves before they even happen, Misao-san."

"Shut up!"

He swung his arm out but instead of punching me like I thought he would, he grabbed a hold of my muscle shirt. Now, I have dealt with rule breakers before and, pulling my shirt to hit me-be it with their elbow or head (both illegal moves)-seemed to be a fan favorite. Thus, I knew how to counter it; without removing my shirt of course.

While Misao expected me to move back, I actually moved forward and dropped to the ground. This, threw him off balance and, with his forward momentum, I was able to put my foot on his stomach and flip him onto the mat. I got up, brushing myself off, when I suddenly heard Haruhi shout.

"Kohaku!"

My mind switched into slow motion as I turned to her, thinking something was wrong. When I saw her pointing her finger behind me, that's when I realized my mistake. Never turn your back to an opponent.

Misao's elbow hit me across the temple and my mind went blank instantly. I could feel myself falling and could hear the voices shouting in the background, but only one stood out above the others.

"Kohaku!"

Ah…I told her not to worry…Best not disappoint! My eyes shot open and my hands stopped my descent, giving me the leverage I needed to deliver a solid kick to Misao's chin. My breathing was ragged and my vision a bit tunneled, but I stood up straight and turned with a huge grin; putting my hands behind my head.

"I win~"

A chorus of cheers rang out and coach ordered a few guys to take care of Misao and his friend, as he collected his winnings. He then came over and help me out of the ring, lightly patting me on the back and giving my head a look.

"Good job out there, kid. How's your head? I'll definitely be sure to give that boy a lesson after what he just pulled."

"I'll be okay, but I'll probably have one heck of a headache tomorrow."

He nodded. "Okay then. As long as you're okay. I'll make sure Misao and his friend apologize before you go."

I gave him a wave and walked over to Haruhi, who'd been waiting for me. Suddenly though, I felt a heavy pain in my chest. I couldn't recall Misao ever landing a hit on me aside from the elbow to my head, so I immediately knew something was seriously wrong. I tried to ignore the pain, but it grew in intensity and, before I could reach Haruhi, I was on my knees clutching my chest. I couldn't seem to catch my breath at all and even I became worried.

Was I going to die? Am I having a heart attack? I didn't know, but the pain was unbearable. Calm down, kid. Fu-kun's voice rand in my head. This is something that needs to happen, but it'll pass. What?…What's happening? Fu-kun, what's going on? Someone has died. A relative from your world. No…

"Kohaku! Kohaku! Are you okay?!"

I could suddenly breathe again and, although some of the pain was still there, it was over.

"Y-Yeah. I…I think so." I muttered, taking her offered hand and getting up.

"What was that? You had me worried! I was thinking you were really hurt!"

"I-I…I don't know." I pulled a hand through my hair. "I-I seriously don't know."

She gave me a worried look as I slowly packed up my bag, still in a daze. Fu-kun…Will this happen every time? Every time a relative back there…dies…will this happen? The ferret scrambled into the hood of my coat, his cold nose brushing my neck. No. I will stop after this one…and I'm sorry, kid.

Haruhi and I left, only being stopped once when Misao and his friend apologized. No words were exchanged the whole walk home, Haruhi seeming to know something was wrong, and we only gave each other brief goodbyes when I shut the door. I took off my boots and turned on some music. Collapsing in the bright red velvet chair, I held my head in my hands and let everything hit me all at once. Tears streamed down my cheeks, pattering onto the floor and I sobbed. My grandmother had just died.

---

"Wherever You Are"

By One Okay Rock

Dedicated to Benetta Eddards

R.I.P

October 15, 1935-January 18, 2013

---

2: Okay. The second question is fairly simple. I want to know if you want to see Misao come up more in future chapters. My friend and I were arguing about it and she wants to see him more, but I feel like another character now would be too much. So we decided to let you guys, my reviewers, make the decision ^^ I would normally make this a poll or something, but most people respond through their review so...yeah.

Anyway, please help me out by answering these questions for me and, just to let you know before I get any questions about it, this chapter is dedicated to my grandmother, who's probably up in heaven camping out with my grandpa.