Sorry about the delay, guys! Thing got super crazy at my house since we're doing additions and school started back up again and camping trips and such. I actually went to a con and got to see the J. Michael Tatum! It was super great!...Ahem...but anyway, here's the next chapter! and it's the moment you've all been waiting for! so please enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Fu-kun, Shindo, and Kohaku.

"Talking To The Moon"
By Bruno Mars

"I know you're somewhere out there
Somewhere far away
I want you back
I want you back
My neighbors think I'm crazy
But they don't understand
You're all I had
You're all I had"

"Somewhere I Belong"
By Linkin Park

"(When this began)
I had nothing to say
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind
(Inside of me)
But all that they can see the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own"

Summer ended and autumn began to approach and with it, came something that would change my life here as I knew it.

Hey, kid. Fu-kun said, and I grumbled. Fu-kun, get out of my dream…I was about to defeat the samurai with my amazing kendo skills…Kid, I…I really need to tell you something…Please.

Fu-kun never said 'please'…at least, never willingly. So I stopped my dream samurai battle and turned to him in worry. What's wrong, Fu-kun? he took a deep breath, unable to face me, which only worried me more. Fu-kun? I knelt down to his level and he gave me a small ferret smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.

You know, I've always known you were strong. You've been through a lot and…you'll probably go through a lot more. You're smart, so I know you'll be okay…even without me. I furrowed my brows, confused and not really liking the way this sounded. Fu-kun, what are you saying? What's going on? He sighed, rolling his eyes. Okay, maybe I should take back that bit about you being smart…Look, kid. I'll be blunt…I'm leaving. I-I don't…Leaving? Why? Is it because I yelled at you? B-Because I really didn't mean it! I was stressed a-and- It's not that. He said, looking away and scratching his head with a paw. I really didn't want this to take this long…

I shook my head in confusion, picking him up and staring at him in worry. Why? I-I thought you were supposed to- Guide you. And I did. He said, cutting me off and looking away again. But you've been here a while and have found your place. You no longer need me around to baby-sit you. T-That's not true! I shouted, panicking. I need you!

He sighed, looking sad. This is why I didn't want to take this long… I realized something then, throat feeling tight with tears. Y-You were distancing yourself from me… because you were leaving? He nodded slowly. I had to, kid. I really like you. Believe me… But- Why are you leaving then?! I-I need you! I called out, tears slipping down my face. H-Hey now. Don't cry. He nuzzled my face as I held him close. Y-You can't leave, Fu-kun. You j-just can't. Who's supposed t-t-to help me figure things out? A-And stop me before I do something stupid? I'm sorry, kid. I don't want to go either, but there's other brats out there who need my help. I only distanced myself to try and make this easier for the both of us. Okay?

He nuzzled me some more, but I couldn't accept it. He was my family and I didn't want to lose him. I didn't want to lose my family again. Please…Please, don't go… He sighed softly. I have to. Just, uh…Look at it this way! You can get a new pet! A cat or dog or something! Maybe a parrot to annoy you just as much as I did! I shook my head. It's not the same…I know I'm being selfish, b-but…but I don't want to lose you, Fu-kun. I-I can't lose anyone else…I can't! What about the hosts? Glasses and Blondie and them? Aren't they your family too? You may be losing me, but you have them, right? I nodded hesitantly, knowing he was right, but still not really wanting to let him go.

He slipped out of my grip though, and scampered away, pausing to look back at me with a grin. I won't forget you, brat! I bobbed my head, wiping my eyes and watching in shock as he went from a ferret to a young kid; him waving as he moved farther away. D-Don't call me a brat! You're just a kid! I shouted, vaguely hearing him chuckle, before everything slipped into black.

I jolted awake in a panic and barely registering the tears streaming down my face as I chuckled bitterly and wiped my eyes.

"Heh, what a dream. Fu-kun, you wouldn't believe…"

I trailed off, not seeing my familiar white companion and worry settled heavily in my stomach.

"Fu-kun?" I looked around my bedroom, but there was no sign of him, so I got up and searched my house. "F-Fu-kun?! This isn't funny!"

No where. I had gone through my entire home, even checking places like the small space next to the fridge, but he wasn't here. My dream came back to me, telling me that he was gone, but I stubbornly refused to accept that and grabbed my dark blue robe and a flashlight, before bolting out of my apartment to try and find him.

By the time I returned to my home, my face was stained by tear marks and there were dark bags under my eyes from the stress of it all. My feet were numb and stung due to running around without my shoes, and the sun was slowly beginning to rise even though I left at around 3am. I realized that I had school in a couple of hours, but my stomach clenched at the idea and I didn't want to go for fear of the hosts finding out about what happened and somehow making everything harder to deal with. Just considering the fact that my dream was true made me want to cry and when I returned to my apartment, imagining Fu-kun scampering down the hall to welcome me home, I knew I couldn't stay here. Not today.

So I grabbed some clothes and changed into a grey shirt, ripped jeans and an oversized hoodie, I left my home-leaving a note for Haruhi, lying about being sick-and pulled out my phone to call the only person I could handle right now.

"Hello?"

"S-Shindo? Is it okay if I…come over? S-Something happened a-a-and…" I wiped my eyes as I walked, struggling to keep from melting into a puddle of tears right then and there.

"Hey, are you…are you okay, Ko-chan? Are you crying?"

"P-Please, Shindo. I-I know you have school, b-b-but-"

"No! Of course you can come over! Anything you need! Do you, uh, want me to come get you?"

I shook my head. "N-No. I-I'm almost there, j-just…I just need t-to talk to someone."

"Right. No problem. I'll, uh, meet you here then and you can tell me all about it, okay? I think we even have some green tea ice cream in the fridge, if you want."

"T-Thank you, Shindo. T-Thank you so much."

"Hey, whatever you need. I love you, Ko-chan, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay."

Once we'd hung up, I felt like my walk was taking too long. Everything seemed to last a lot longer and all I could think about, was Fu-kun. I was numb to everything around me and not even accidentally bumping into someone broke me out of the slump I was in.

"Hey! Watch it!"

Nothing. Nothing mattered without Fu-kun there on my shoulder joking around about something and I very nearly walked right into traffic in my daze, had it not been for a little boy grabbing my jacket with a stern frown on his face.

"You're supposed to wait for the light, mister."

I stared at him in slight surprise as he continued to hold onto the edge of my jacket, despite his mother's worried looks. Once the light changed, he walked me across and stopped to scold me.

"Next time, you wait, mister. Didn't your momma teach you to look both ways?"

"Takeru." His mother lightly scolded, giving me an apologetic but nervous smile.

He frowned up at her. "What?"

"You're going to be late for school."

"…Oh…" He took a deep breath and grabbed his mother's hand, starting to walk away, but looking back at me after a moment. "Be more careful, okay mister? You're momma would be sad if you got hit or something."

I slowly nodded, but he hadn't really cheered me up. If anything, he reminded me even more of Fu-kun and what he did for me. Tears threatened to fall again and I picked up my pace, running now, to Shindo's. I tripped at a point, having not seen a raised part of the sidewalk, and skinned my palms and knees.

I almost wanted to just stay there on the ground and vent my frustration, but I didn't want to just vent. I wanted…no…needed someone to be there for me. So I got up and continued to run, despite my torn up knees and feet complaining, reaching Shindo's house and suddenly feeling self-conscious. Not of my appearance, mind you. No, I felt disgusted with what I was doing. I was skipping school and making someone else miss school because I couldn't handle loosing someone again. I had lost my whole family and losing just one more friend-animal or not-had sent me over the edge. I shouldn't be acting like this. I thought, standing silently on Shindo's porch. I should be numb to it. I-It shouldn't effect me like this…but…I lifted my hand and shakily knocked on the door. It took a moment, one I used to wipe my eyes, but the door opened and Shindo's mother answered.

"Kohaku-kun?"

"H-Hello, Yamanaka-san. I-I'm sorry for making S-Shindo, um, skip."

She looked at me in concern, quickly leading me into the house once I'd removed my shoes, and sitting me down on the couch as she spoke.

"It's absolutely fine. You're obviously having a rough time. You stay right here and I will go get Shin-kun and, oh dear…a first aid kit as well."

She hurried off after having spotted my bleeding knees and I quietly began rolling up my jeans and removing my socks, before she came down the stairs with her bag and Shindo behind her, holding a first aid kit.

"I need to leave for work now, okay?" She told Shindo, pecking him on the cheek. "Don't do anything you shouldn't be doing, and…take care of her."

She spoke to him a little more, too quietly for me to hear, before giving me a small smile and leaving. Shindo came over then, giving me an identical, concerned smile as he knelt down in front of me and began to clean my knees.

"Did you fall on your way here, or did someone save you from getting run over again?" He chuckled, trying to ease up the atmosphere.

"B-Both. A…little boy s-stopped me from accidentally walking into traffic…I wasn't paying attention."

"Hey, come on." Shindo scolded, unrolling my jeans and taking my right hand to clean and bandage it as well. "What's got my Ko-chan all upset? And where's your little ferret friend? You two are always together."

I don't know what happened. One minute, I was doing alright. Numb, but alright. But the moment Shindo brought up Fu-kun, it was like all my walls broke down and a dam burst open all at once. Tears fell down my face and I struggled to keep from outright bawling as I wiped my eyes with my free hand.

"H-H-He's gone…H-He's gone, Shindo. I-I-I don't know w-what…what to do. I-I just…I can't."

"Hey there." He said quietly, pulling me into a hug and letting me cry in his shirt. "It'll be alright."

I shook my head, clinging to him like he was the only thing anchoring me here. "H-He was my only family! W-W-Why do I always e-end up losing e-everyone?!"

Shindo tugged me closer on the couch, burying his nose in my hair. "I'm sorry, Ko-chan… I'm so sorry."

I continued to cry for hours on end and Shindo…I owe him so much. He stuck with me the whole time, never once complaining and only comforting me until I ran out of energy and fell asleep. I ended up staying with him and his mother for a couple of days; though after the first day, Shindo went back to school. And the moments he was gone, were the hardest for me.

Losing Fu-kun, as anyone could see, was very hard. I knew why he left and I truly did understand, but handling the emptiness he left behind was a lot harder than it looked. I didn't want to return home for fear everything would come back and upset me again. Shindo suggested a new pet, but nothing could replace him and I thought that even if I did get a cat or something, that animal would do something that reminded me of Fu-kun and it would be rude, almost, to try and treat an animal like Fu-kun, even though it wasn't him. And I knew that I would be forced to go through the messages that the hosts, no doubt, left on my cell phone in their worry. That alone, had my stomach twisting.

I knew that I couldn't go back. At least, not until I was ready. Not until I could take all of this and shove it to the back of my mind, hide it behind a smile fake enough to keep anyone from finding out how empty I truly was. It was difficult to do and, after three days, I was finally able to gather enough courage to return home and eventually back to school.

Shindo was nice enough to walk me back and the moment I opened the door, I was glad he did. All I could imagine was Fu-kun running to the door and asking what took me so long. I froze and it was Shindo hugging me around the waist and resting his head on my shoulder that snapped me out of it.

"It's okay, Ko-chan. You'll be alright."

I took a deep, shaky breath and nodded, walking slowly into the living room with Shindo after he closed the door. I ran my hand over Fu-kun's ornate red chair with sorrowful eyes, only to break out of my reverie when the loud ringing of my phone came from my pocket. I pulled it out and checked the flashing caller ID. Haruhi's name stared back at me, but I couldn't pick it up and let it go to voice mail, putting it on the kitchen table and going to change before heading to the guest bedroom.

As I wrapped my hands so I could vent a little on my punching bag, Shindo left to the kitchen and returned with my cell phone.

"They're worried, you know."

I started punching, feeling my body tense as I struggled to keep myself in control of my emotions.

"How many?"

"Hm…" Shindo hummed, unlocking my phone and wincing. "76 messages and missed calls. Looks like they were really worried."

"…Play them."

He nodded and did so, letting me listen as each host expressed their worry or scolded me for not getting back to them. And with each message, my punches became more aggressive until my whole body was shaking and I stopped; tears streaming down my face once again as I held the punching bag and placed my forehead against it; Fu-kun's voice echoing in my head.

What about the hosts?…Aren't they your family too?

Shindo rubbed circles on my back as I cried, whispering comforts until I had calmed down. He helped me unwrap my hands and stayed quiet as he helped me up and lightly pushed me towards the bathroom.

"I'll grab you some clothes, Ko-chan. Get cleaned up and…and cheer up. Just a little."

I paused, not looking back as I spoke. "I-I don't know if I can…but I'll try."

He gave me a small smile as he bowed out of the room, and I stripped and climbed into the shower, letting the water hide my tears as I silently vowed to leave everything here and never show anyone just how big the hole in my chest actually was.

The next morning, Shindo was kind enough to walk me partway to school and departing in worry, despite me telling him I would be fine. We had left early so I could avoid Haruhi and get to kendo practice, but I knew avoiding her wouldn't last, just as avoiding the hosts' questions wouldn't last more than a few seconds. Mori was the first able to ask and I slipped on a nervous smile and lied right through my teeth.

"Sorry, Takashi-kun. I got really sick while over at Shindo's and even left my phone at home. Sorry I missed out on kendo practice."

With any trace of sorrow thoroughly locked up tight in the back of my mind, I was able to get Mori to believe my lie and, with his amazing insight, that in and of itself was an accomplishment; though it was one I didn't feel very proud of. Honey was also pretty easy to convince and word must have got around that I had returned, because Haruhi stomped her way to my class the moment the lunch bell rang.

"Three days?! Three days with no word other than a stupid note?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

I held my hands up in surrender, a nervous sweat drop sliding down the side of my head. "I-I left my phone at home, Haruhi. If I had it, I would've called."

"Oh, and Shindo-kun suddenly doesn't own a phone?" She scowled, definitely not pleased.

"I-I don't know why he didn't call." I said, silently apologizing for throwing Shindo under the bus. "I w-was really sick so I was pretty out of it. I'm really sorry, Haruhi."

Her glare softened and she sighed, lightening up. "You idiot. I was worried…"

I gave her a small smile; though internally, I felt sick for lying, "I know. Sorry."

The girls in the room cooed about us making up and the rest of lunch I spent sharing Haruhi's bento, since I hadn't brought anything for myself. The rest of the day though, I felt disgusted with myself for lying to everyone, but when I thought of what would happen if I told them, I mentally justified what I was doing. I can't tell them. I can't…I-I have to be strong. For them…and for me. This sort of thinking filled my mind all day, but when it was time to start hosting, things became a lot harder to hold together.

"Well look who decided to show up today." Kyoya grumbled, pushing up his glasses as I walked through the doors.

"Heh, sorry." I said, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly as the twins ran up, placing their arms over my shoulders.

"Where've you been?"

"Yeah, we called you a bunch of time but you never picked up."

"He's been sick apparently, and left his phone at home while Shindo-kun watched over him." Haruhi said, walking around us just as Tamaki charged forward and grabbed me in a hug now that the twins released me.

"My darling son! I've missed you so much! We were all so worried!"

I don't know what happened, but my façade broke for a moment and I hugged Tamaki back tightly whispering a heart-felt apology.

"I'm sorry."

I felt him tense in surprise, but I quickly pulled away with a smile, my façade back in place. "My bad, Tamaki. I should've had Shindo call you guys or something…So what cosplay are we doing today?"

I looked around to see who'd answer me, but purposely avoided Tamaki's gaze, knowing that he was now suspicious.

"We're wearing bingata today." Kyoya said, scribbling something in his notebook as I stared back in confusion.

"Bin-what?"

He sighed and the twins came up behind me, arms over my shoulders once more.

"Bingata. It's a bright…"

"…colorful, kimono-like outfit…"

"…from the Ryukyu Islands."

I have no idea what they're talking about…best just pretend to have a clue.

"Oh, okay." I said, releasing myself from the twins' grasp. "I'll go ahead and get changed then. Knowing me, I'll probably need help with something."

As I walked to the changing rooms, I missed out on the stare Tamaki was giving me and the short conversation that followed.

(No one's POV)

"Hey, Tono, what's up?"

"Yeah. You're staring at Kohaku kind of funny."

"Have you fallen for him?~" The twins smirked, feeling how the tension in the room rose at their words.

Tamaki blanched. "W-What?! No!" He softened up, glancing at the changing room Kohaku disappeared in. "He just seems a little…off."

The twins looked at each other before back at Tamaki with the other hosts, all wondering what it was Tamaki saw wrong with Kohaku that would make his serious personality come out. Not liking this version of Tamaki, the twins grabbed him under his arms and carried him to the changing rooms.

"You're worrying too much, Tono."

"Yeah. Club's going to start soon."

"And we need the cheerful Tono back."

"Let go of me, you devils!"

"No way!"

As they walked out and the others went to follow, Haruhi wandered over to Kyoya.

"Do you…um…Do you think Kohaku is acting weird?"

Kyoya raised a brow. "You're asking because of what Tamaki said?"

"…Sort of. But don't you think his story is weird too? I mean, even if he was sick, why go to Shindo-kun's? And him leaving his phone is odd. What if his work called?"

Kyoya hummed, the two of them now standing just outside the changing rooms as he thought over what she said. "Hm, while Kohaku's story is doubtful and Tamaki's reaction was strange, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong or strange with how Kohaku is acting."

"I'd say he's hiding it, but…usually when he does something like that, it's pretty obvious he's hiding something."

Kyoya nodded, when an idea struck him. "Perhaps, there is something wrong."

Haruhi looked confused. "Huh?"

Kyoya went to go into the changing room, pausing in the doorway and giving her a serious look. "Where is Fu-kun?"

Haruhi looked down with a frown, thinking back to when she'd see Kohaku today and she realized that, not once had she seen the furry little ferret. Could she have left him at home?…But…she's been pretty upset lately because he's been acting weird and…

Haruhi snapped her head up. "You don't think-"

Kyoya wasn't outside with her anymore, making her cut off before she could voice her concerns. Something happened to Fu-kun…but then…why is she acting like nothing's wrong? Haruhi pulled a hand through her hair with a sigh and went to get changed, one thought passing through her head. Let's just hope my thoughts are wrong.

(Kohaku's POV)

"Mensore!" We welcomed the guests as they flooded in and gawked at our bingata.

I'm never going to get used to saying that word. I mused, smiling and greeting the multitudes of guests I had today; thanks to my absences. They were easy enough to fool into thinking I was okay, but with the variety of fruit being used in our club today, I kept being reminded of Fu-kun. So I decided to switch my focus to something else, namely the other hosts and their goofy ways of entertaining people.

"You look great, Tamaki-sama! What a colorful kimono!" One girl cooed. "It's a bingata from Okinawa, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, princess. Did you know the first kanji of bingata-which usually means 'crimson'-is used to mean 'all colors'? The Ryukyu Islands' royalty have worn bingata since ancient times…" Tamaki brought the girl closer. "…but no matter how many colors I swathe myself in, my heart yearns to be dyed in your special color alone."

"Oh, Tamaki-sama!"

I wonder if he studies these facts and cheesy lines before every cosplay, right, Fu-kun? The emptiness following my thoughts made me remember that Fu-kun was gone, and I grit my teeth to hold back tears.

"A-Are you okay, Kohaku-kun?" One of my guests asked as the others leaned forward in concern. "You suddenly looked a little sad."

"I-I, um…" I swallowed thickly, hating myself for forgetting how intuitive my guests can be. "I just…m-miss Fu-kun." I admitted, picking at my fingernails with my head bowed.

"Is he…okay?"

"H-He is." I said, lifting my head with a nervous smile, feeling another lie sliding it's way through my teeth. "I-I had to leave him at home. H-H-He's…um…a bit…sick."

My voice betrayed me at the end, cracking on that final word and making my guests even more worried as they came over to my couch and tried to comfort me.

"Aw, don't worry, Kohaku-kun."

"He'll be okay."

"Yeah, maybe i-it's just a cold!"

I wish…I wish it was… I mentally cried, though on the outside, I gave my guests a small smile. "M-Maybe. I just n-need to be strong, right?"

It was their turn to have tears in their eyes and they cried about how brave I was to still be smiling despite it all. Every word they said only seemed to make that pressure within me build up, and I worried that I would break before the day was over. Thankfully, the hosts were excellent with distractions and Honey bounded over to me with a tray of exotic fruit.

"Ko-kun! Ko-kun! Do you want to take home some fruit?"

I got up, bidding my guests farewell for now, and giving Honey a smile. "Sure! Is there any pomegranate? Or dragon fruit?"

He smiled brightly, taking my hand and pulling me towards where the others were gathered, stacking fruit on a plate that Haruhi was holding.

"We have pineapples and mangos too!"

"Sounds great! I love pineapple." I chirped, mentally lamenting because Fu-kun likes it too.

"Mm! And kiwi and melons and…" Honey went on to talk about the variety of fruit we had and I quietly listened, grateful for the distraction, up until someone tapped my shoulder.

"Here, Kohaku." Kyoya said, holding out another tray of fruit. "Take some dragon fruit. You too, Haruhi. I don't care for them very much."

"Oh really?" Haruhi glanced at me and I shrugged, taking a piece off it as I did the same. "Hm…the taste is hard to describe, but it's not bad."

"Mm." I nodded, mouth full as Haruhi gave me a look.

"Don't choke, Kohaku."

I rolled my eyes and ate another piece as Kyoya sighed.

"What do you mean, 'not bad'? I don't understand. What's the point of eating it if it doesn't suit your taste perfectly?"

As if the room didn't smell like fruit enough, a strong scent of citrus permeated the air and some unexpected guests walked in.

"Don't make me laugh, Kyoya Ootori." Kuze said, tossing an orange in the air and catching it. "I thought I smelled tropical fruits and look what I found! You're hardly qualified to talk about fruit."

I sweat dropped, chewing on another piece of dragon fruit. Is he really getting all butt hurt over fruit? The others seemed a bit bothered by his presence as well.

"Listen here, Kyoya." Kuze said. "You may not see the point of eating dragon fruit, but it's rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. And that skin you said was inedible is delicious pickled! Your ignorance is appalling, Kyoya!"

"Kuze." Kyoya grabbed a set of prongs and brought over the dragon fruit skins, dropping them in Kuze's bare hands. "You make a good point. Here are the skins. Enjoy."

"You idiot! Not in my hands! Get a container!"

Haruhi brought one over and Kuze gratefully dropped the skins in the plastic box as I silently mused. So…where am I in the plot? It has to in the manga since Kuze never showed up in the anime…Could this be the part where Kyoya and Tamaki… I glanced over at them and felt my eyes go sad for a moment. Fu-kun would know… I frowned, clenching my fists tightly and feeling my fingernails digging into my palms. No…stop it. He's gone. Nothing's going to bring him back so…stop thinking about it…get over it.

"I knew all that!" Kuze's shout pulled me out of my depressing thoughts and I mentally sighed, grabbing a tray of pineapple and eating the small squares one-by-one to distract myself.

The hosts all spoke with Mitsuyama, Kuze's fiancée, but I silently kept an eye on Kyoya and Tamaki; waiting for the moment when all hell would break loose. I didn't have to wait long.

"You are so aggravating! How about it? How about a contest?" Kuze challenged.

"No, thank you." Kyoya replied, a fake smile on his face. "My father taught me not to enter meaningless battles."

"You must compete with him, Kyoya!" Tamaki shouted and I set my tray down, tucking my arms in the sleeves of my bingata.

And so it begins…

"Tamaki?"

"It's sports!" Tamaki shouted, pointing. "Men must challenge each other through sports! They strength their friendships through sweat and clashes of will!"

Already, I could see Kyoya getting frustrated and, despite knowing how this turns out, I couldn't say I wasn't interested in watching Kyoya finally say 'no' to Tamaki.

"Relax, Tamaki. There's never been any friendship between Kuze and me."

"What did you just say?!" Kuze complained, but he was ignored.

"Yes, I see it clearly." Tamaki said, a hand on his chin. "This is a time for sports! Everything just came together in my mind!"

Haruhi seemed to be the only host who knew what was going to happen and wasn't excited about it.

"Huh? No…you can't mean…"

"I hereby propose, that we hold the first-ever Ouran High School Sports Festival!"
"Count me in!" Kuze said, putting out a hand to shake on it, as Haruhi collapsed beside me in despair.

Wearily, she looked up at me. "K-Kohaku…You have to stop them!"

I shook my head. "No can do. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

She seemed to understand that I was telling her that I knew this was going to happen, but all she did was grow more depressed. I simply decided to leave her be and made my way to the changing room to rid myself of the colorful bin-whatever I was wearing along with the others. I was the first one done and sat on the window sill in the silent clubroom, looking down at the fountain below, where I had first met Fu-kun. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes and I took a deep, stuttering breath to keep from breaking down right there and wiped my eyes dry; closing them and leaning my forehead against the window. Fu-kun…

"You seem to be missing someone."

I flinched, having not expected someone to speak, and turned to look at Kyoya; façade back up.

"Hm?"

He eyed me, making me internally squirm, though I was careful not to express it outwardly.

"Your ferret. I'm surprised you're not with him."

It felt like someone punched me in the stomach and all the air left my lungs. He knows…He knows, he knows, he knows! He has to know! I screwed up with Tamaki and now-No. Don't panic. He just wants to know where Fu-kun is. I-I'll just lie like I did to my guests and the others. I gave Kyoya a nervous smile, doing my best to keep from giving him any hints to how I was really feeling.

"H-He's at home. I had to leave him there because he's sick. I, um, h-haven't taken him to the vet though. I-I'll give him a few days to see is he gets better first."

Kyoya eyed me, not even bothering to push up his glasses to hide it, and I looked down at my hands as I fidgeted. Does he not believe me? D-Does he know it's a lie?

"Why didn't you say anything?"

I looked up, confused. "W-What?"

He sighed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I-I, um…didn't want you guys t-t-to worry…" I stuttered out, telling the truth; though 'what' I wasn't telling them was locked away.

"You're an idiot." He told me, but I felt him place a hand on my head for a split instant before the other hosts came out of the changing rooms and it was like the kind gesture never happened.

"Onwards!" Tamaki called out, a finger poised in the air. "To the chairman's office!"

I rose from my place and quickly followed after them, avoiding eye contact with Kyoya for fear he'd find out what I'd actually been worried about. He came too close to figuring out what was wrong and…I just don't want to deal with it right now. Fu-kun's gone and I… I need to get over it! I bumped into someone and nearly fell if he hadn't grabbed my arm to hold me up.

"A-Ah, sorry, Takashi-kun." I apologized with a shaky smile. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Be careful." He said, though I could tell by the slight furrow of his brows that my mask was slipping and he was starting to get suspicious too.

Come on. You can do it. Slip the mask back on. Smile. I did, chuckling awkwardly as I brushed myself off.

"Hehe, right. Sorry again!"

He rolled his eyes with a smile, falling for the ruse. "Ah."

I bounded off ahead of him, deciding to mingle with the small group of girls who had joined us on the way, in fear that the more observant hosts would discover my lies if I wasn't more cautious. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry for long, because we'd reached the chairman's office and Tamaki already brought up the idea of a sports festival.

"Sports festival? Sure. I'll give my permission." Tamaki's father readily agreed, as our group cheered-minus Haruhi and Kyoya. "We've never had one before because parents thought it would be dangerous, but they'll come around if the students request it." The chairman placed his hands under his chin. "However, I'm not very familiar with the concept, Fujioka-san, Nishimura-san. What sorts of sports events do regular schools have? How big should the venue be?"

I blinked, having not expected to get dragged into this, and held up a hand. "A-Actually, I've never been to a sports festival. We don't, um, really get those over in America."

"Really? Well then, Fujioka-san? Should we get the Tokyo Dome?"

Haruhi held up her hands, looking slightly annoyed at the ignorance of the wealth people around us. "The school grounds should be fine. We could play tug-of-rope or have a bread-eating race."

I could imagine the idiotic thoughts that the group behind me were coming up with and I rolled my eyes as Haruhi went on.

"Then there are cheering competitions, relay races, and cavalry battles."

Then came all the questions.

"Hm, I can't make the connection." The chairman questioned. "What's fun about dragging around a piece of rope?"

"H-Huh?"

"And a cavalry battle would require at least 50 horses." Kuze said, also getting interested in this.

"Who wins the bread-eating race? The one who eats with the best manners?"

I sighed quietly. I don't even know about sports festivals, but this is ridiculous. Something tells me that I'm going to have to help Haruhi explain what some of these are.

"Hm, it sounds like anything goes." Tamaki commented, before getting excited. "I'd like to try candy art."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Haruhi deadpanned.

"Yeah, Tamaki. It's not even a sport." I said right after, but they ignored Haruhi and I, and started talking about the cheering competition.

"I think we should do Hamlet for the cheering competition! I'll be Hamlet!"

"No way! Romeo and Juliet!"

"I'll be Romeo and Kaoru will be Juliet!"

"Don't you guys know Macbeth?!"

"Hey! Why would you cheer with Shakespeare?!"

Haruhi gave the chairman an odd look as he daydreamed about Tamaki as Hamlet, but I was more focused on Kyoya, who looked none to happy about our current predicament.

"Kyoya-kun doesn't look very interested." Haruhi then commented, catching my attention. "Do you think it's because he's not good at sports?"

I shook my head. "They're all probably more fit than you think, Haruhi, and even though Kyoya's more of a strategy type, I don't think that's the reason he's not interested."

"Then why?"

Sighing, I shrugged half-heartedly. "Who knows. Perhaps he's just fed up with doing everything Tamaki wants. I'd say, just watch out for the point where he snaps."

I watched Haruhi shiver at those words.

"Y-Yeah, uh, I think I'll try to not be around when that happens."

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good call…Though I suppose it could be the sports. You should just ask him tomorrow or something."

"Yeah, I guess so…" She paused, then looked over at me, suspicious. "What about you? You don't exactly look enthusiastic. I'd think you'd be all over this, whether you knew what was going to happen or not."

I shrugged. "Eh. I may like sports, but a festival with these rich idiots sounds like overkill."

She frowned, that not being the answer she wanted, apparently. "Kohaku, what happened to Fu-kun?"

If I had been eating or drinking, I would've surely choked and even now, I felt that I had taken a second too long to respond.

"Why does everyone keep asking?" I muttered, scratching the back of my head. "He's sick, okay? I left him at home."

My response came out a bit rougher than I wanted and Haruhi gave me a look.

"Okay. No need to get all defensive about it. Sorry for being worried."

"No, Haruhi, I didn't mean-"

"Haruhi! Come explain some of these activities to us!" Tamaki interrupted.

"Coming." She grumbled, walking off and not really giving me a chance to apologize for my attitude.

I lowered my hand that I had reached out to her with, and stared at her back as she went over to join the others and explain things. I felt a little left out and went to join them, if only to get rid of the knot in my stomach, but my phone went off, halting me in my tracks. I pulled it out, not noticing the eyes on me, and lightly frowned at the caller ID.

Daisuke Takahiro.

"I'm just going to, uh…" I looked over at everyone, but none of them were paying attention and I lowered my voice solemnly. "…take this."

Quietly, I left the room and took the call from the movie director, answer the few questions he had and agreeing to join him for dinner to discuss things further, before I hung up and peeked back into the chairman's office. None of them had noticed I was gone and I decided to just head home to get ready for the dinner meeting I'd accepted, because I suddenly felt very much alone. My phone went off once more and I answered it just as I left the school and walked out of the gates.

"Hey, Ko-chan. How are you holding up?"

Just the sound of Shindo's voice made my mask break and I bit my lip as I sniffled and wiped my eyes.

"S-Shindo, I can't…I-I-I can't…"

"Oh, Ko-chan…You're heading home, right? I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Mm…" I muttered, still struggling to keep my tears back.

"Don't worry, Ko-chan. You'll be okay."

(No one's POV)

Haruhi was very worried about Kohaku after she's left early the day before, but she was also upset about how Kohaku had reacted to her question. She didn't have to get snappy about it, but…she mentioned other people asking about it and if something is wrong with her and Fu-kun, then…I guess I wouldn't want to be asked about it much either. Haruhi let out a sigh as she walked out of her apartment and headed over to Kohaku's, knocking since Kohaku hadn't come out for breakfast.

"Kohaku! If you sleep in any longer, you're going to be late!"

There was no response and Haruhi rolled her eyes before using her key to open the door and head in. The odd thing was, there was already another pair of shoes sitting there by the door and it wasn't Kohaku's head that was visible over the back of the couch.

"Oh, hi, Haru-chan!" Shindo said quietly, giving her a smile from over his shoulder. "I would've let you in, but I'm a bit preoccupied."

Haruhi raised a brow in confusion, before realizing what he was talking about now that she'd wandered over. Kohaku's head was resting on Shindo's lap as he lightly brushing his fingers through her hair, completely asleep.

"Is, uh, is she okay?" Haruhi asked, lost and a little surprised at what she was witnessing. "I mean…I know Fu-kun is sick and she's worried about him, but…why are you here? No offense."

"None taken." Shindo said, looking down at Kohaku and smiling softly. "She hasn't told you guys yet, but she's dealing with a lot right now. So you and the others need to stick close to her."

Haruhi frowned in concern. "But why won't she just tell us? We can help."

Shindo nodded. "I'm sure you could, but…until she's ready to accept what happened, you and the others are going to have to figure it out for yourselves. Just…" Shindo sighed, looking up at Haruhi with more concern than she'd ever seen from him. "Just don't leave her alone, okay?"

Haruhi leaned over the back of the couch beside him, resting her chin on her arms. "You really like her, don't you?"

He chuckled lightly, brushing a bang from Kohaku's face. "More than she knows…"

They were silent for a moment, before Shindo grew louder, patting Kohaku's shoulder to wake her.

"Ah! But 'tis such sweet sorrow for my lady already loves another! What chance do I have to steal a heart that's already claimed?!"

Haruhi chuckled as Kohaku rolled over with a frown and clapped her hands rather harshly on his cheeks.

"Do you ever stop spouting such nonsense so early in the morning?!" She sat up and pulled a hand through her hair. "You're worse than that idiot Tamaki." She grumbled, before catching sight of Haruhi and sobering up.

Haruhi ignored her plight and smacked her playfully on the back of the head. "Hurry up. We're going to be late if you don't stop flirting."

Kohaku's face turned red as she quickly stood up and began tugging on her school jacket and tie, ignoring the wrinkles in her pants and white shirt. "S-S-Shut up! I wasn't flirting!"

Shindo laughed, standing as well and wrapping his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. "Aw, it's okay, Ko-chan! It's not a secret that you've completely fallen for me.~"

"H-Have not!" She stuttered out, stomping on his foot and getting out of his hold, skirting around him and grabbing Haruhi and her bag, hurrying out the door. "Bye Shindo! Thanks!"

Shindo just chuckled and grabbed his things, heading out with a smile. You've got some good friends, Ko-chan. You just need to trust them enough to let them help you.

(Kohaku's POV)

I was thankful for Shindo helping me out yesterday and silently vowed to make it up to him. That is, after the sports festival. I was glad that it was happening, since it kept people from asking me about Fu-kun, but at the same time, I knew it was going to cause a lot of problems; especially between Tamaki and Kyoya. But it's a good experience for the both of them, so I can't really interfere much.

I lightly sighed, glancing over the lists of teams and grumbling under my breath. "Go figure."

"Ah! T-There you are, Kohaku!" Haruhi ran up, before slumping over, panting and out of breath. "I've b-been looking all over for you!"

I blinked. "And now you've found me…Did you need something?"

"U-Um, not really…" She looked away and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "I just, uh, wanted to walk to the club with you!"

She's up to something. I mused, eyeing Haruhi as we started walking. Definitely up to something.

"So, um, what team are you on?" She asked as I hid my suspicion.

"White."

"Oh. I'm on Red."

"I know." I said, smirking at her and tapping the side of my head. "Things are going to get a bit crazy since the Host Club is split right down the middle."

"What do you mean?" She questioned as we reached the music room.

"Prepare for the breaking point." I replied, though I only confused her more, no doubt, as I pushed open the doors to the room and Haruhi went to ask Kyoya about his lack of interest in the sports festival.

"Not good at sports? Don't lump me in with you." He replied with a bit of bite to his tone. "I'm just saying I don't see the benefit in competing."

"But Kyoya, if we do well, we'll get more customers!" Honey exclaimed, trying to convince him otherwise, but it couldn't even convince me.

"I'm certainly counting on you and Mori-senpai to excel. I'm planning on selling DVDs of the event." He sighed. "But the sports clubs have the advantage. What's more, there aren't the same incentives as there were at the school festival. Considering the business hours lost to practices, even if we gain a few customers after the event, we still can't expect a profit."

"Then why'd you agree?" Haruhi asked and it was my turn to sigh, stepping over and placing my arm over the back of Kyoya's chair, leaning forward.

"I told you, Haruhi. It's impossible to stop the blonde idiot once he's decided something. Besides, you can't exactly stop it now, especially since the chairman's backed it up. Kind of sucks." I complained. "I have things I could be doing."

"Hm?" Honey tilted his head in confusion. "But I thought you like sports, Ko-kun."

"I do, but it's like Kyoya said, where's the benefit?" I held up my hands in a shrug, walking around to sit across from Kyoya and crossing my legs. "The way I see it, I'm loosing time to work on my manuscript, which means I'm loosing money and possible sleep. That, and I don't really care about some stupid competition to see who's got the bigger dic-"

"Hey, listen to this! It's ridiculous!" Hikaru shouted, slamming the club room door open and cutting me off. "Teams are decided by student ID, so Kaoru and I got put on different teams! Haruhi and I are on Red, but Kaoru is White!" He stomped over to Kyoya, looking cross. "Kyoya-senpai, tell Milord to change the way teams are divided!"

Kyoya sighed. "Tell him yourself."

"Takashi, Ko-kun, and I got split too!" Honey announced. "He's on Red and Ko-kun and I are on White. What about Tama-chan?"

"I don't know." Kyoya grumbled. "He's probably on Red. He wanted to make me White in the team divisions, so basing everything on that, going down the roster-"

"Hahaha! But of course!" Tamaki suddenly shouted, coming out of seemingly nowhere. "I'm chairman of the sports festival executive committee and the vice general of the Red Team! The Red Team is sure to win!"

Tamaki went over to badger Haruhi as I sighed quietly to myself. I really just want this to be over and done with. This whole thing is just going to be a big pile of stress with those two butting heads and I get the feeling that I'm going to get stuck in the middle of it somehow…Don't I have enough things to worry about? The manuscript, the movie script, Mori and Kyoya, the Coach who's dragged me back to the gym to start training for another upcoming tournament, and Fu-kun…I let my thoughts trail off there, not wanting to deal with it right now, and instead turned my attention to the arguing duo.

"Kyoya, you and I are going to fight man-to-man! And thereby deepen our friendship!" Tamaki said loudly, having grabbed Kyoya by the shoulders, but he wasn't having it.

"You're making me participate in this worthless event in the name of friendship?" He growled out, making Tamaki back off nervously.

"And here comes the breaking point." I muttered to myself, though I managed to catch Haruhi's attention as well.

"Huh?"

I nodded over at Kyoya with my head, crossing my arms over my chest. "Watch."

"I-I'm sorry about that, but…" Tamaki backed off hesitantly. "I thought you'd have fun too."

Kyoya stood. "Really? To me, it's nothing but nonsense."

"Kyoya!"

Kyoya sighed yet again, gathering his things and heading towards the door, ignoring Tamaki. "I don't like exerting effort without benefit to me. And I refuse to be the White general. Make Kohaku do it, if you must."

"Oi." I countered, sending a small glare at his back. "I don't exactly care for this whole situation either. I'm with you. I could be doing better things."

Tamaki looked at me with shocked puppy dog eyes, but I turned away and grabbed my own things, following after Kyoya.

"Kohaku! Kyoya!" Tamaki called after us, but we weren't in the mood.

"Tamaki." Kyoya snapped, holding the door open. "Sorry, but I won't play along. I don't like what you're doing."

"Sorry guys." I said after. "There's more cons to this than pros and…" I turned away, feeling that knot in my stomach return. "…and I have a lot on my mind right now. I don't have time to play your games."

I walked out, Kyoya following, and we spent a few moments in silence until we turned a corner and his hand shot out in front of me, making me stop and give him a confused, annoyed look.

"What?"

He frowned. "You're upset about something."

I leaned against the wall, facing him. "Yeah. Same thing you are. I'm being dragged into this when I have work to do."

His eyes narrowed and the hand beside my head clenched into a fist. "Don't lie to me, Kohaku." He growled. "I'm not like those other idiots and I can tell when you're hiding something."

He knows… I quickly shoved the doubts out of my mind and glared at him, though I could feel my legs shaking slightly in fear.

"I'm hiding the same thing I've been hiding. It's not my fault you've stopped trying to figure it out." I bluffed, hoping that he'd accept the half-truth and move on.

His glare hardened and I could see the muscles in his jaw working back and forth. "Don't test me, Kohaku." He hissed at me. "I deal with fake masks and half-truths constantly. Did you think I wouldn't notice yours?"

I grit my teeth, mentally cursing myself for underestimating Kyoya's intuitiveness. No. He can't find out. He can't.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I said, wincing at my stutter and lame excuse.

"God dammit, Kohaku!" He shouted, slamming his fist against the wall in anger beside my head, making me flinch. "Just tell me! I can't stand that look!"

W-What look? What is he talking about? I wondered, turning to him in confusion and worry that, if he found out, who's to say the others didn't.

"W-What are you talking about-"

"Don't give me that!" He yelled, moving closer, eyes boring into mine. "You have bags under your eyes from lack of sleep. You constantly look like you've been crying. You never took Fu-kun to the vet and he's not at your apartment either. I checked."

My eyes widened. "Y-Y-You broke into my apartment?!"

"You're lying to me! Just tell me what's going on!"

"Nothing's going on! I left Fu-kun over at Shindo's so his m-mom could take care of him! I-I just didn't want him t-t-to be alone!" I yelled back, heart pumping a mile a minute as more lies spilled out of my mouth.

Please! I mentally begged a tears threatened to show themselves. Please! Just let it go! It wasn't working though and he grabbed a fist full of my uniform, pressing me against the wall in anger.

"You're lying! Why can't you just tell me?! Don't we mean anything to you?!"

"Aren't they your family too?" Fu-kun's voice echoed in my head, making tears pool in my eyes as I clenched them shut and bit my tongue to keep from saying something I didn't want.

"Y-You do! You guys mean so much to me!" I cried out, feeling Kyoya loosen his grip slightly.

"Then why won't you tell me?" He said, voice softening. "Let us help you!"

I shook my head, turning away with clenched teeth as I pressed a hand to my face. "Y-You can't! T-There's nothing you can do!"

"How would you know?! How would you know unless we tried?!"

"You don't understand!" I shouted, grabbing his wrist in a shaky hand as my eyes watered. "It's not something you can fix! You can't change what's happened! Nothing's going to bring him back!"

Kyoya's eyes widened as I froze, realizing that I had said too much and quickly dropping my hands from his wrist, picking up my school bag that I had dropped at some point.

"I-I-I'm sorry." I apologized, making to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

"Bring who back, Kohaku?" He asked softly. "What happened?"

I shook my head, unable to face him as the tears finally broke free and slipped down my face. "No one, Kyoya. I-I can't."

I tugged my hand out of his and hurried down the hallway, praying that Kyoya hadn't seen the tears and that he wouldn't tell the Hosts what had just occurred. I also hoped that Shindo had dropped by my house as he promised with a carton of my favorite ice cream. Mine…and Fu-kun's.

I couldn't sleep. It was 3:30 in the morning and I was lying in my futon staring blankly up at the ceiling. Shindo had gone home hours ago, telling me that sleep would help, that it was what I needed, but I couldn't even get that far. There was just too much on my mind. What Kyoya had said was really bugging me and I wasn't sure what to think anymore. He's upset. I know he's upset. He wants to know what's bugging me, but…not only is it hard enough for me to accept it right now, but I…sometimes I wonder if he only wants to know in order to figure me out, or if he actually cares.

His expression came back to me then, and I struggled to see whether there was concern behind his angered face. I groaned, closing my eyes and pressing my hands to them. It's so hard to tell with him! He looked angry at first and then started saying 'we' instead of 'I', so maybe he was trying to tell me he cared, but even so…I don't…really want to tell anyone just yet. Shindo understands that and… I sighed, dropping my hands to the side and looking back up at the ceiling. I feel bad for him. Shindo's done so much for me and I almost feel like I'm taking advantage of his feelings when…I don't feel the same. He's like a brother to me and…I've told him that before, but now, I know for sure. I-I…can't love him the way he wants…Though this situation isn't really helping me break away from him.

I rolled over on my side and poked the stuffed lion at my side, knocking it over. And then there's Mori…I mean, I like him, but…lately I've been starting to think that maybe it's only the way I like Shindo. Even Misuzu was saying that opposites attract and, as much as I appreciate Mori's kindness…I just…don't know. Not only that, but that would mean that I really like- I cut my thoughts off as Kyoya's face came to mind and I felt heat travel up my neck. O-Oh no… T-T-That can't be right! He's mean and yells at me and… challenges me, and notices me, and…cares about me… I quickly grabbed the stuffed lion and the stuffed lemur next to it, holding them up and frowning as my eyes traveled over them both.

Hesitantly though, I began to set one of them down and brought the other close, hugging it to my chest like a child as I mentally groaned. I can't believe it.

(No one's POV)

Kyoya looked down seriously at the papers he had in his hand.

"Our first task is to examine the student data for both the Red and White teams. I see a necessity for researching not only each individual's athletic ability index, but also their personality, social interactions, and hierarchical relationships in regards to their extracurricular activities."

"Kyoya-san, what's the connection between social interactions and our team events?" The skinny student council president asked and, while Kyoya was concerned about his team winning this festival, his mind was more focused on what had happened the previous day with Kohaku.

He's hiding something, I know it, but what it is exactly, is the problem. He said, 'Nothing will bring him back'. Who was he talking about? Does it have something to do with the secret that the other hosts know about? It would explain why he would go to that… Shindo instead of us… I haven't been asking about it recently either… Perhaps I should start looking into it more… I can't have our performance in the sports festival effected by his…sorrow. We were talking about Fu-kun too, so perhaps this is about him.

Believe it or not, this was Kyoya showing concern over the white-haired host. He wouldn't admit this to anyone out-loud, of course, but he truly was worried. Especially now, seeing as said host was acting completely normal; as though nothing happened. This frustrated Kyoya because he knew that it was just an act and he was unable to do anything about it so long as he had yet to uncover this giant secret Kohaku was hiding from him.

"U-Um, Kyoya-kun?"

Kyoya shifted his gaze away from Kohaku, who was laughing at some joke a fellow classmate said, and turned back towards the student council president,

"My apologies." He said, clearing his throat, pushing up his glasses and looking back down at his sheets. "What is it you were saying?"

He went to ask again, but a girl from their class came over with some papers, pushing up her own glasses.

"Excuse me, Mr. President? I did a quick analysis of the data, and unfortunately it looks like the Red Team has a slight advantage on athletic ability." She then went to address the president's previous question. "Isn't Kyoya-san taking everything into consideration and creating a strategy that covers psychological as well as physical variables?"

"Exactly." Kaoru piped up. "We're going to attack the enemy's weak points."

Mitsuyama chuckled. "Oh my, that sounds like our diabolic Kyoya-san."

"All's fair in love and war~" Kohaku chimed in, walking past them with a hum and passing some papers to Kyoya. "Here's the ideas on psychological warfare, Kyoya. The list of Red Teammates helped when it came to…certain people."

Kohaku smirked, sending a chill up the spines of two vice captains of Ouran sport teams, who were watching the scene.

"Why do we have a student think tank leading the White Team?" One asked.

"Are you kidding? Didn't you just see that frail-looking third-year? I've heard some rumors that he's super shy, but…he kind of scares me."

Honey suddenly popped up in front of them. "What's wrong? You two look sad. Do you want some cake?"

"Ah! H-Haninozuka-san!"

Kohaku also poked her head between the two with an evil smirk. "No cake? That's a shame. Do you want to sit here and gossip behind people's backs instead?"

The two paled, realizing that Kohaku had most definitely heard them before, and quickly shook their heads 'no'.

Honey's expression darkened as well. "Then shall we started training now? All you guys just sitting there-"

Everyone stood, fearful of the new side of Honey they were witnessing.

"-50 laps around the track!"

Anyone not doing research was sent out to change and begin their training, Kohaku included, and Kyoya narrowed his eyes at her as she ran out with the others, before turning back to his work. I'll work on that problem later.

"We'll concentrate on the early events and the final relay race to earn points." Kyoya said. "We'll also do well with the events right after the cheering competition midway through. In particular, right after the cheering competition, if we choose our players well, it will be a perfect opportunity to accumulate points and trounce the Red Team."

"What should we do for the cheering competition, Kyoya-san?" The student council president asked.

"We have videotaped sources material from commoner schools, so we'll review that." Though Kohaku mentioned not doing the animal outfits, so I'll take that into consideration. "The cheering competition doesn't count toward the point total, so we'll have the most un-athletic students participate in that event."

"Gotcha."

"Um, Ootori-san?" A student asked. "Are we being too conservative in our approach? The other team has Suoh-san on their side. They'll put on a flashy show for sure."

"I'm counting on it." He replied with a smirk. "The Red Team will waste a great deal of energy on the cheering competition. They won't know how to pace themselves. They'll be too tired to do well in subsequent events." His grin grew. "Let's teach that fool he'll never win as long as he never does anything he doesn't like."

On the other side of things, Tamaki was bothering Haruhi and Hikaru with his eagerness.

"Haruhi! Have you chosen your events, huh? How about it? Maybe the bread-tasting contest? Father's been thinking of sneaking in a nice piece of giant tuna in the bread during the bread-tasting contest. I'll call it the 'giant tuna sandwich'!"

"Uh…um…I'm not sure about that." Haruhi muttered with a sweat drop.

"Haruhi and I will do the three-legged race together." Hikaru said, though Haruhi was doubtful about that too.

"Um, that will never work. Your legs are longer than mine. I'll trip."

The two boys ignored her, Tamaki cheerfully giving Hikaru a noogie.

"I see! Hikaru wants to be in the three-legged race! I'll be your partner!" Tamaki pulled him into a chokehold. "Father's super excited! Enter as many events as you like!"

"Enough!" Hikaru complained. "You're even giddier than usual. Get off me!"

"Oh!" Haruhi smiled. "Did you make up with Kyoya-kun and Kohaku?"

Tamaki immediately went to his corner of despair and curled up in a fetal position, a pool of tears underneath him.

Hikaru and Haruhi came over to try and cheer him up as he explained.

"Huh? What? He's been ignoring you in class?"

"So you've been putting on a brave front to hide your hurt feelings…"

Hikaru frowned. "Even if Milord is at fault, doesn't it seem like Kyoya-senpai is going a little overboard? Milord's sill complacency is nothing new."

Tamaki flinched in hurt at his words as Hikaru went on.

"Using Kyoya-senpai as a pretext to hold the festival was pathetic, but you meant no harm."

Tamaki's eyes softened, growing more depressed. "It's probably more than that. He knew I was sticking my nose into his business…And Kohaku…I think there's something wrong."

Hikaru raised a brow. "You said that before. He seemed fine to me. I even saw him laughing with a classmate this morning."

Haruhi shook her head. "No. Tamaki-senpai is right. Kyoya-senpai and I noticed that he was acting weird the other day. We thought it might have to do with Fu-kun since Kohaku said he's been sick."

Tamaki's eyes widened. "Fu-kun is sick?"

Haruhi nodded as Hikaru frowned, not really understanding what the big deal was.

"It's just a ferret. He'll probably be better in a day or two. What's there to be worried about?"

"Fu-kun is more than that to Kohaku." Haruhi explained, knowing that Hikaru meant no harm with his words. "Fu-kun has been with Kohaku since he first got here. They're really close."

Tamaki nodded, eyes narrowed in thought and worry. "Fu-kun is like family to Kohaku, but…I think there's something more behind why Kohaku's acting strangely."

"You think?" Haruhi questioned, wringing her hands in concern. "I mean, his story is kind of off too. He said he hasn't taken Fu-kun to the vet yet and I went over to his apartment the other day and didn't see Fu-kun. When I asked, Kohaku looked pretty upset and said he sent him over to Shindo-kun's so he wouldn't be alone while we were at school."

Hikaru furrowed his brows, lost. "That doesn't sounds weird or anything."

Haruhi looked over at him. "Yeah, but last time I checked, Shindo-kun has school and his mom works. So there's no one home."

Tamaki and Hikaru were surprised.

"So he lied? But why?"

Haruhi shook her head with a shrug. "I have no idea, but whatever's bugging him… it's got to be pretty bad if he's hiding it as well as he is."

"No kidding." Hikaru grumbled. "He must really not want us to know."

Tamaki frowned. "But… we're his family."

Haruhi let out a soft sigh. "That may be true, but sometimes…sometimes people just need time before they can tell someone."

They all nodded with sighs, before Hikaru suddenly remembered something and snapped his fingers.

"Oh! Kaoru told me something weird in class today."

Tamaki and Haruhi gave him a odd look as he explained.

"He said Kyoya-senpai asked him about Kohaku this morning. Something about the secret Kohaku's hiding that only he doesn't know about."

Tamaki couldn't help but grin, whereas Haruhi put a hand to her head and sighed.

"She's not going to be happy if he finds out." Haruhi groaned, calling Kohaku a girl now that it was just her, Tamaki, and Hikaru left in the room. "Especially if she's trying to hide whatever is bothering her."

Tamaki was still grinning and pointed a finger at Haruhi. "Ah, but if he does find out, then everything will be out in the open. Progress could be made then."

Haruhi sighed again, knowing that Tamaki was talking about Kohaku's liking of the glasses wearing host, but not quite agreeing with what he was saying.

"Yeah, but it could cause more harm than good. Mori-senpai is involved in this too, remember?"

Hikaru smirked. "That would be interesting, watching those two fighting over her." He suddenly frowned though, realizing something. "But won't Kyoya-senpai be pissed? I mean, it's one thing to hide something small for a little bit, but hiding something like that for so long?"

Tamaki hummed, placing a finger to his chin in thought. "And with how she was teasing him too…He most definitely won't be pleased."

"You think that's bad. Imagine how upset Kohaku's going to be. She always gets depressed when he's mad at her, but if he's really angry about finding out…" Haruhi scowled. "And adding that to whatever else is bothering her, we'll be lucky if she even leaves her apartment."

"Then we'll just have to make sure they both take it well when he finds out." Tamaki announced with a grin.

"And how are we supposed to do that, Tono?" Hikaru questioned. "We don't know when he'll find out or how."

He smirked. "First thing's first, we need to figure out what she's hiding."

Hikaru and Haruhi nodded, determined, but what none of them realized, was that someone had been standing just outside of the room. He grit his teeth in frustration and anger, clenching his fists at his side, and pulling a shaky hand through his short dark hair before stalking off. Kohaku had been wrong. This was the breaking point.

(Kohaku's POV)

In, in, out. In, in, out. I silently focused all my attention on my breathing, zoning out as I ran ahead of the group of Red and White team members behind me. Honey and Mori were right alongside me, but I hardly paid them any mind. Hm, what do I need to get done this month….The first scene of the movie script is due, my manuscript is due the first weekend of next month, the sports festival is next week, and…I frowned, the image of a furry white rodent popping up, but I shook it off; picking up speed to catch up with Honey and Mori, who had pulled ahead.

I've mostly gotten over it at this point, though what Kyoya said a few days ago was… hard. As long as no one pushes the issue, I can move on. Fu-kun was my family, but just because he's gone doesn't mean I should let that ruin my life. Kintaro's already told me my last manuscript was taking a turn towards a more depressed side. I have to stop letting it effect me so much. Something tells me the hosts are already catching on. I glanced over at Mori and he glanced at me, before we both smiled a bit and went on running. I decided to bring up something though, curious to what Honey and him would think.

"So…what do you two think about all this? Tamaki and Kyoya going at it."

"Ah, youth." Honey hummed, making me raise a brow with a smirk. "But I don't really understand what's going on. Kyoya-kun is stubborn and Tama-chan hides his true feelings…Maybe it's good for them to have it out."

"Yeah." Mori agreed, whereas I shook my head with a small smirk.

"It's always weird to hear you get so serious about something, Honey-kun, but… you're probably right about it being a good thing. It's a good chance for Kyoya to go against Tamaki unrestricted, don't you think?"

They both gave me odd, suspicious looks, but I ignored them and Honey faced forward.

"But the White Team is going to win."

"You mean Red." Mori quipped back, making me chuckle.

"Wanna bet? I'll wager a three-month supply of cake."

"Then I'll wager a three-month supply of chicken feed."

I smirked. "Do I get to join in this bet?"

Mori raised a brow in silent question and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I have enough money to buy you three months of whatever should I loose. I don't write popular novels for free, you know."

"Then three months of before and after school kendo training." He smirked, making me pout.

"Slave driver." I grumbled, but returned my own devilish smile. "But alright. If the White Team wins though, then I want a three-months supply of my favorite soda."

"Okay." He agreed, but what he didn't know was that I already knew who won the sports festival, so I was most definitely getting free soda out of this. Call it misusing my future knowledge or whatever, but even I have to have a little fun sometimes.

Thank you, Bisco Hatori~

"The day has come at last! We have superb clear autumn weather! Great weather for a sports festival!" An announcer said as the Red and White Teams gathered and faced one another. "Now at last, we declare the Ouran High School Sports Festival open!"

The leaders posed-or in Kyoya's case, looked threatening-but that didn't change the fact that I had a really bad feeling about something. I wasn't sure what it was, however, I was worried about the way Kyoya was acting lately. He was ignoring me and, while that's not completely unusual for him to act that way when he's as busy as he is, he's also been running me ragged with various tasks all over campus in preparation for this sports festival! I kind of understand why-we were lacking in the smart-athlete's department-but not one of those tasks did he give me himself. Someone else-usually the student council president or Kaoru-came over and said Kyoya asked if I could do this or that.

I didn't mind, really. After what he did before, I was glad for the break. The running around, not so much. There was just this nagging sensation in the back of my mind telling me that I was missing something. That, and the occasional shivers that racked my spine when I felt Kyoya's gaze on my back. Something's up and I don't like it. I glanced across the way at Mori, who caught my gaze and gave me a small smile that I hesitantly returned. He's been pretty…clingy too. Red Team or not, I've been bumping into him all over the place. It's…odd. A hand landed on my shoulder and I jumped, turning around to see a worried Kaoru.

"You're thinking too hard again, aren't you?" He questioned with a chuckle.

I smiled a bit, rubbing the back of my neck. "Y-Yeah, probably."

"Well, I'm here if you want to talk." He smiled. "Though I suppose we should get through the sports festival first, right?"

"Kyoya would kill us otherwise." I chuckled. "But…thanks, Kaoru. I, uh, might just take you up on that."

We both smiled at each other, myself already feeling better about everything, when one of the sports members shouted over at us.

"Hey, Nishimura-kun! You're up!"

"'Kay!" I called back, running over and giving Kaoru a wink and a two-finger salute. "Gotta run! Quite literally!"

It was true too. I had signed up for the first 100m dash, the 1000m dash, the tug-of-war, and the obstacle course. I personally signed up for the first three, but the last one was a personal request from Kyoya. And by 'personal' I mean he sent the student council president to tell me he'd already signed me up for it. I didn't care too much, but I was a bit worried that I would overexert myself. I haven't just been sitting around after all. Not when I have to train for this and an upcoming tournament. I sighed as I stretched at the starting line. Busy, busy.

"The Red Team isn't faring too well, it seems." The announcer said, catching my attention as I brought my arm across my chest in a stretch. "The Red Team forfeits! The White Team wins!"

I chuckled at Tamaki getting attacked about putting fatty tuna in the bread contest, and got into position the same time I heard a shout.

"Good luck, Ko-kun!~"

I glanced up, smiling with a wave at the cheerful Ranka and Misuzu, warmth spreading in my chest at the knowledge that there was someone here to cheer me on, before the announcer started once more.

"On your marks!"

I heard talking to my right and rolled my eyes at the inattentive Red Team members. Sucks for them if they lose. I mused as the starting gun went off. Sure enough, they were far behind as I took off and easily got first place; winning this even for the White Team.

"Kya! Kohaku-kun!" A group of girls shouted from the bleachers and I chuckled nervously, waving at them.

Don't anyone ever tell me that having fans isn't weird. This much attention is…not my thing. I shook my head and headed over to where the rest of the White Team was, grabbing a jump rope to work out some more and keep my body warmed up for the next race. I could still hear Kyoya and the others in the bleachers above me though.

"Captain, the enemy has self-destructed." Kaoru commented.

"They're silly, huh." Honey also said, making me smirk as I closed my eyes and listened.

"So this is why you suggested starting with the bread eating contest?"

"Kyoya-kun always anticipates exactly what will happen."

Actually, I'm the one who suggested it, but… eh, I could care less about who gets the credit. Besides, this whole arc is supposed to be about him anyway. I stopped jumping rope and grabbed a water bottle, drinking deeply and glancing up at the group to see Kyoya smirking devilishly.

"It's still too early to celebrate. Though the side that breaks concentration first will lose. We'll keep scoring points at the current rate."

I smirked myself, heading over and giving myself a chance to relax. "Don't get too confident. The tides could change."

I expected a snarky reply, but the glare I received from him wiped the smirk off my face and made my heart freeze in fear; my body breaking out in a cold sweat as he turned back to watch the beanbag toss. W-What was that? Did I say something wrong? I glanced at Honey and Kaoru, searching for an answer, but they both shrugged, having no clue what was going on with Kyoya. I bowed my head. I hope it's not because of me not telling him about Fu-kun. It's just… I'm still trying to accept it myself and I feel like, if I tell it to someone, that will make it his…loss actually true.

"Haruhi! Do you know how valuable that fabric is?!" Mei's sudden shout made me jump and I looked over towards where she was at with wide eyes as she shouted at Kasanoda. "Don't just stand there, red-head! Help her!"

Though her shout startled me, I couldn't help but laugh a little as Kasanoda obeyed her and began helping Haruhi gather the beanbags. Mei and Kasanoda definitely need to get together. My laughter died out when I caught sight of Kyoya once more, and I reluctantly got up and went back down to do some light exercising before the obstacle course. Knowing him, he either wont tell me or will wait until after the festival… I just hope it's nothing too bad. I…really like him. I felt my face heat up and rubbed my face with a groan at the conclusion I had come to a few nights ago when I set the lion stuffed animal aside.

"I-I still can't… I-I-I like him?!" I whispered harshly under my breath.

I still couldn't really believe it, but I also knew that now wasn't exactly the best time to think about it and I brushed it of to focus on the festival; not even noticing the person who stood in the shadows, having witnessed what just happened.

(No one's POV)

The Red Team was loosing left and right with Tamaki's blunders and Kyoya's strategic psychological warfare. Already they had lost the beanbag toss and two hurdle races-the third having been lost just now due to the 'bright' attack on poor Nekozawa-but Kyoya wasn't feeling as pleased with these results as he probably should've. He was a bit too preoccupied with what he had heard earlier and was currently glaring at the back of a certain white-haired host as they jumped rope down below.

"Oh, it's the chairman." Kaoru commented, breaking Kyoya out of his staring contest with Kohaku's back. "I thought it was only Haruhi's family, but a lot of parents are here."

"They must be bored." Kyoya muttered.

"Well, my parents both work. How about your family, Kyoya-senpai?"

He sighed, bored. "They would never come. If my parents were attending, I would have used a different strategy."

Kaoru was confused. "Such as?"

Kyoya smiled, glad to get away from his previous thoughts. "I would have made it much more apparent that the White Team's success was due to my involvement. Then let Tamaki take the spotlight in the end."

"I…see." Kaoru sweat dropped, before spotting Kohaku pausing in her workout. "I kind of feel bad for Kohaku though."

"Hm?" Kyoya frowned, not happy that Kaoru brought the host up, but also curious as to what he meant.

"Well, I was thinking about what he could've meant before when he said that he didn't want to participate in this for the same reasons as you, and I don't think that that was the real reason. It just didn't seem like him, you know?"

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "So why do you think he was so against it, if not for that reason?"

Kaoru sighed, placing his chin in his palm as he gazed sadly down at Kohaku. "Perhaps… he didn't want to feel left out. There's a lot of parents here and… maybe he's having a hard time down there. Having no one to cheer for you or congratulate you… He's got to be lonely."

Kyoya scoffed, annoyed at the tight feeling in his chest. "I highly doubt that that's the reason why he was reluctant to participate."

Kaoru frowned slightly, not so sure why Kyoya was acting the way he was. "It was just a thought… Why are you being so hostile over him? I saw you glaring at him earlier too. Did he do something to piss you off?"

Kyoya continued to scowl and went to lash out at Kaoru in his frustration, but he was cut off by the cheers from the White Team. Tamaki had screwed up again and they had just won the candy art competition, now moving on to the cheering competition.

"The Red Team is preparing for their cheer. They moved the stage from the center of the field to the Red Team bleachers at the last minute." The announcer said, causing Kyoya to stand and move closer to the other members of the White Team, trying to forget the conversation he'd just had with Kaoru.

"Will it be Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet?" Mitsuyama chuckled.

"Either way, Shakespeare won't work for a sports festival." Kaoru mumbled, scratching his cheek nervously and sending a brief glance over at Kyoya.

"The Red Team has already lost it's will to fight."

"Whether it's a comedy or a tragedy, it's bound to seem out of place." Honey commented, questioning what Tamaki was up to.

"Yes." Kyoya agreed. "This has been unexpectedly easy."

"Be careful, Kyoya." Kohaku said from down below, smirking slightly and glancing up at them over her shoulder. "As Patrick Rothfuss said, 'Words can light fires in the minds of men'."

Kyoya frowned, not liking what she was insinuating, just as Hikaru walked out and began speaking loudly.

"'O for a muse of fire that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention. A kingdom for a stage, princes to act, and monarchs to behold the swelling scene!'" Hikaru bowed. "'Or may we cram within this wooden o the very casques that did affright the air at Agincourt?'"

"It's Henry V!" Kaoru recognized.

Honey realized this too. "Wasn't Agincourt the final battlefield of the Hundred Year War during the 15th century?"

Kohaku nodded, having come upstairs to join the White Team in the bleachers and enjoy the performance that the Red Team was doing. "Yeah. This is the most famous scene of the play. It's where the king addresses the English army, who lost their morale when faced with overwhelming numbers."

Everyone turned to her in surprise and she raised a brow, folder her arms across her chest.

"What? I really enjoy Shakespeare." She turned away and continued to grumble under her breath. "Can't a person enjoy good literature anymore?"

The members of the Red Team had no idea what was going on, even as Tamaki walked out of the shadows and addressed them.

"'What's he that wishes so?!'"

One person complimented his outfit, but as Tamaki continued, they began to understand.

"'Was that your voice? Rather proclaim it, that he which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart, his passport shall be made. But listen!'"

The Red Team perked up.

"'He that outlives this day and comes safe home will stand a tip-toe when the day is named. Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot…but he'll remember with advantages what feats he did that day: then shall our names.'"

Kohaku smiled. "My favorite part…"

"'And gentlemen in England now abed shall themselves accursed they were not here. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother!'"

The Red Team began to murmur amongst themselves, morale rising and encouraging Tamaki to finish with a grin.

"'Now, soldiers, march away. And how thou pleasest, God, dispose the day!'"

(Kohaku's POV)

Even I couldn't help but applaud the Red Team's performance, before I was heading back downstairs with Honey to warm up for the obstacle course. I was a little achy, something Honey noticed, but I should be good for a few more rounds of extensive exercise. If the boxing gym has doen anything for me, it's making sure that I can last a good while before being incapacitated…though I hope it doesn't come to that point. I sweat dropped as I stretched, before getting in position on Honey's left.

"Wow, what a coincidence." Honey chirped. "You're doing the obstacle course too? Won't you get stuck in the tire tunnel, Takashi?"

I chuckled at the image my head produced. "Oh man, I hope someone gets pictures of that!"

Mori gave me an exasperated look from beside Honey, before looking down at him. "Mitsukuni. How could you go along with Kyoya-kun's strategy? The unfair psychological tactics go against the Haninozuka way."

"Yeah, that's true." Honey said, holding a finger to his cheek as I cut in.

"What? It's not weird that I was going through with Kyoya's plans?"

Mori looked over ay me with a sweat drop. "Not really…"

I pouted. "I'll remember that when you're stuck in the tires."

He paled and opened his mouth to say something, but Honey spoke before he could.

"Kyoya-kun's treachery illustrates how serious he must be."

We turned to him, myself with a small smile to match his.

"Perhaps in his anger, he forgot that he started out saying there was no benefit for him to participate in the sports festival."

Mori didn't respond to that, but I could tell that he understood what Honey was getting at, when the announcer finally spoke.

"Next up, it's the obstacle race! The much anticipated battle between cousins Haninozuka-san and Morinozuka-san! And let's not forget the surprisingly athletic dark horse, Nishimura-san!"

The crowd cheered loudly and it wasn't long before the gun went off and we dashed forward. Mori was in front of me and Honey was a little behind, due to our long strides, but when we reached the first obstacles, I mentally groaned. Vaults? Seriously?

"As we expected, Morinozuka-san clears all three vaults without any difficulty. This doesn't appear to be Nishimura-san's favorite though, and he's starting to fall behind. But here comes Haninozuka-san!"

I frowned at the announcer, hopping over the second vault with a little difficulty, but it was mostly due to the lack of strength in my arms. I should not have trained for as long as I did on the punching bag yesterday.

"Bun-bun jump!"

I watched in shock as Honey cleared all three vaults in a single jump and I forced myself to clear the last vault as he dashed to the tires ahead.

"Impossible! He's a human jack-in-the-box! Maybe the rumors he was a rabbit in his previous life are true?!"

I rolled my eyes at that, easily jumping through the tires and spotting Mori, who had somehow gotten himself completely stuck. Laughing as I passed him, I waved and gave him a smirk from over my shoulder.

"Don't expect any sympathy from me!"

Honey and I hurried to the next obstacle and I mentally cursed my conflicting feelings.

"This is really going to mess with the healthier diet Coach put me on." I grumbled, looking at the cake before me as my stomach growled. "Oh well."

Shrugging, I dug into the cake and had just finished the last bite when Mori ran up, shoving the entire cake in his mouth and dropping the plate on the table in a hurry.

"Cake is meant to be enjoyed or it's rude to the patissier." Honey scolded him as I quickly chewed and dropped off my own plate to chase after Mori.

"I did. It was great." He replied, but we were both running for our lives when Honey started chasing us in his anger.

"I meant…cake should be enjoyed more slowly!"

"It looks like Haninozuka-san didn't like how Morinozuka-san ate his cake, and Nishimura-san is caught in the crossfire! Yikes! I never want to eat a cake in front of him!"

The three of us hurried under a net and quickly crawled out, Honey in the lead and myself right behind him with Mori behind us. The high jump in front of us was the last obstacle and we each grabbed a pole to jump. Honey went first, but immediately, I knew something was wrong as he was facing the wrong way. I went to jump after him, but I was suddenly frozen to the spot as my mind ran a mile a minute.

What do I do? What can I do? If I jump and push him over, will I fall? If I try to catch him, will we both fall? What if I save him and we win? The plot will be ruined! But if I don't do anything, he could get seriously hurt and…I don't want to lose anyone else… I-I can't… I need to move… Move, dammit!"

"Honey, watch out!"

A brush of air rushed past me, breaking me out of my shock long enough to witness Mori jump and grab Honey, landing safely down on the mat below.

"The Red Team wins! The point goes to Morinozuka-san for landing on the mat first! A rare first place for the Red Team!"

I snapped out of my daze and finished the last jump to secure third place for the White Team, before heading over to check up on Honey.

"A-Are, um, are you alright, Honey-kun?" I asked softly, feeling guilty that I had froze up at having to make a decision like that.

He looked at me and grinned with a nod; Mori standing behind him with a small smile of his own. "Uh-huh! Takashi protected me so I'm okay!"

I glanced at Mori in worry and he frowned, silently asking me what was wrong. I chewed my bottom lip and shifted my gaze to a worried Honey, before I took a deep breath and bowed lowly.

"I'm really sorry, Honey-kun!"

"What for, Ko-kun?"

I clenched my eyes shut, still bowing though I could feel my fists shaking at my sides. "I-I couldn't do anything to help. I was r-right there and I-I…I'm really sorry!"

There was a pause before I felt a hand on my head and looked up slightly to see Honey's smiling face.

"It's okay, Ko-kun. It wasn't your fault. And Takashi saved me! So it's okay. You were just scared, right?"

I blushed a bit in embarrassment, not really wanting to admit that I was extremely scared for Honey. "I-I, um…"

He chuckled. "It's alright, Ko-kun. I understand."

"A-Ah…"

He laughed some more at my accidental Mori impersonation, before a teammate hurried over.

"Kohaku-san, it's time for the tug-of-war!"

"Coming!" I said, hurrying off to participate; though my mind still worried over what had just happened and if, at some point, I would have to make a decision like that again. A choice between my friends and keeping everything in line.

I shook the thoughts from my mind as I got ready for the tug-of-war. It wore me out more than I thought and we still lost, but I didn't have time to dwell on it before I was rushed off to do the 1000m dash.

"N-Not…good…" I panted, passing the half-way point in the run.

I should've been good for another 300m…O-One too many competitions, I guess…or one too many sodas…I groaned to myself, struggling to catch up to Kuze and another Red Team member from the track team. Come on. Just a bit further. I had just passed the track member and was pushing my tired body to get even a millimeter past Kuze when the unthinkable happened. The muscle in my right leg tightened to the point of agony and I let out a gasp of pain before crumbling to the ground.

I heard the other runners pass me and the worried calls from the crowd, causing me to peek my eyes open and spot a couple of paramedics rushing to my side. It was a leg cramp apparently, and a bad one at that; seeing how they had to help carry me off the field. There wasn't much anyone could do about it though, so they just laid me down on a bench, gave me water to rehydrate, iced the area, and left someone to massage the stiff muscle.

The White Team members had come down from the bleachers to check up on me and I apologized for losing the race, but they were fine with it and were just glad I wasn't seriously injured. It was nice having people worrying about me like that and it was probably the first time I actually accepted the fact that Fu-kun was truly gone. That there were other people who cared for me. And who would've thought that it would take me getting a leg cramp to figure that out… I chuckled lightly to myself as people started to get ready for the final event, but I caught Kyoya's attention with my laugh.

"Hmph. If you had prepared properly, you wouldn't have ended up in this state."

I raised a brow at his snappy tone. "Oh, sorry Mr. Cranky Pants, but I was a little busy running around the school doing your errands, remember? Though maybe you don't, seeing as you sent someone else to tell me everything."

He glared at me, but I didn't take offense and simply stuck out my tongue and pulled down my eyelid as he walked off; angry no doubt. What's his problem? Sighing, I relaxed and chose to wave off the medic massaging my leg now that it had eased up to a more tolerable ache; grabbing a set of crutches to head up the bleachers and get a better view of the relay that was about to happen.

"Oh?" I hummed, pausing at the top of the steps with a grin. "Looks like they're finally switching in Tamaki-kun."

I made my way over to where Honey and Kaoru were, just as Kaoru called out to Kyoya.

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai! Why don't you drop out from the race?"

Kyoya turned back with a quizzical look. "Huh?"

"Fortunately, the chairman is watching." Kaoru elaborated. "If you act like you planned on giving the glory to Milord in the first place, won't it work to your benefit?"

"That won't fool the chairman. Besides, this isn't about the benefits." Kyoya turned around looking frustrated. "This was about pride all along!"

I couldn't help but laugh as he stalked off, gaining the attention of Honey and Kaoru. "It's about time he figured that out. For being so smart, he's a bit slow, don't you think?"

Kaoru blinked in surprise as I set my crutches aside to lean against the railing. "You knew about this, Kohaku?"

I nodded, looking over at Kyoya as he and Tamaki took their places. "Tamaki is smarter than he looks, Kaoru. You guys should give him more credit. Not just anyone could've come up with an elaborate plan like this to trick Kyoya into competing genuinely."

"Neh, Ko-kun?" Honey questioned, stepping forward with his Usa-chan in his arms. "Then why were you so against participating if you already knew what Tama-chan was up to?"

I glanced back, spotting the other hosts coming over and gave them all a small, sad smile. "I was just…trying to accept a few things is all." I turned back around as Tamaki and Kyoya begun to bicker farther off. "Some things that needed time before I could finally understand what it was that I was looking for here."

"And what's that, Ko-kun?" Honey asked, all the hosts' attention on me as I smiled softly.

"A family…I was looking for a family and someone to care for me." I spun around with a big grin. "It's a good thins I found you guys, huh?"

There was a bit of silence before the twins and Honey dashed forwards and grabbed me in a hug, cooing-or in Honey's case, crying.

"We'll always be your family, Ko-kun!"

"That was so adorable!"

"A-Alright! L-L-Let me go!" I laughed, deciding that it might be better to beg the other two. "T-Takashi! Haruhi! Help me!"

Haruhi just smiled, looking amused. "Nah, I think you need it."

"T-T-Takashi! P-Please!"

He shook his head, smiling slightly as well, so I changed tactics; glancing over my shoulder towards the track desperately. "A-Ah! Look! The race has started!"

That seemed to do the trick, thankfully, and the group focused their attention back towards the two bickering hosts down on the field; who had yet to realize the race had already started.

"Oh? Kyoya-senpai is fighting like a kid." The twins said from either side of me.

"Eh?" Haruhi came over to the railing to look too. "I never knew Kyoya-senpai could act like that."

I grinned. "You should've seen him when we were arguing the one time I showed up at his house without telling him."

"You what?!"

I waved nonchalantly. "I had to bug his father about some business and didn't have time to tell Kyoya that I'd be over for dinner. Needless to say, he wasn't happy and we argued afterwards." Gesturing over at Kyoya's face, I grinned. "He looked a lot like he does right now. You'd think I had done something completely bonkers with how we were yelling at each other. I think his sister actually called us a bickering married couple."

I didn't notice the glances the hosts shared, nor the saddened look on Mori's face, when the announcer spoke.

"The Red Team takes an early lead…Will the Red Team's counterattack carry them through?!"

Haruhi looked over at Tamaki and Kyoya thoughtfully. "Tamaki-senpai said…that at any event, Kyoya-senpai feels the obligation to make the Suoh family look good. It's to his benefit to let Tamaki-senpai win the crown."

"Oh no!" The announcer shouted. "The fourth team runner dropped the baton during handoff!"

"Hm." I hummed, resting my chin on my hand. "He's always wanted to please his father. It's understandable. He just wants to prove that he can do everything his brothers can. That he's capable of gaining acceptance from his father too." I sighed, remembering my past life where I wanted the same thins from my own parents; to know that what I was doing was good enough for them.

"The White Team is catching up…and now…the anchors grab the batons!" The announcer went on, but I ignored him.

"It's tough, feeling like nothing you ever do will be good enough for them. You do everything you can and nothing ever changes…It gets lonely…Things start losing their appeal and you get bored, to the point that nothing is fun or worth enjoying anymore."

"…Kohaku…"

I smiled softly. "That's probably why I pester him so much. I understand him better than he understands himself, because…we're the same…yet completely different. It's probably what I like about him the most though…He's passionate."

"It's…Ootori-san! Kyoya Ootori is the winner! The White Team wins!"

The group behind me started to walk down to the bleachers, but I stayed where I was, knowing that one of them had stayed behind to speak with me.

"You know, I've asked people what I should do about this and I got a lot of different answers, but there's one that sticks out. One that Shindo, of all people, told me… 'Act like I always do and my heart will figure it out for me'. A little cheesy, huh, Takashi?"

I chuckled lightly, but I knew what I was doing now. I knew who I had chosen.

"…It's him, isn't it?"

I nodded slowly, gazing over at Kyoya as he watched the other hosts goof around. "Yeah…I'm sorry."

Mori let out a long sigh as I turned to face him, the nervousness starting to settle in my stomach.

"I-I mean, I like you! You're really nice and kind and understanding, b-but…" I lowered my head and bit my lip. H-How do I say this?

"You don't love me." Mori stated sadly.

I hesitantly nodded, fidgeting nervously. I didn't want to hurt Mori by telling him this, but it was inevitable. Someone would get hurt no matter who I chose and, as much as I wanted it to be Mori or Shindo, there was just something different about how I felt towards Kyoya. The bickering and teasing just seemed normal now and I really enjoyed spending time with him to the point that I worried when he wasn't around.

"It's okay."

I looked up at Mori in shock as he came over and ruffled my hair.

"As long as you're happy."

"Y-You're not upset or anything?"

He shook his head. "I understand. I cannot force you to like me, so I will accept your decision, even if it's not what I want."

I smiled and jumped forward, wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you, Takashi. Thank you for being such a good friend." I gave him a peck on the cheek, face red in embarrassment as I buried my face into his shoulder. "And thanks for liking me so much."

He chuckled, returning the hug and probably very amused at how red my face was. "Ah."

"S-Shut up!" I chided, letting him go and grabbing my crutches to hobble off as fast as a cripple could. "You were just r-really nice about everything, s-s-so I though I'd do something nice back."

He was still smiling as he walked beside me. "Your face is red."

"I-I know! D-Don't point it out!" I whined as we headed over to the other hosts, who caught sight of us and smiled.

"Looks like someone's in a good mood.~" The twins smirked as Honey climbed up Mori's shoulders.

"Does your leg feel better, Ko-kun?"

I nodded with a grin. "Sure does. It's still pretty stiff, but it doesn't hurt as much."

"We should go change now that the festival is over." Haruhi said, picking at her red uniform. "I'm all sweaty after that tug-of-war."

"Mm." I hummed. "Then we can all head home and take some nice showers.~"

"That sounds pretty good."

"Then onwards, men! To the music room!" Tamaki cheered with a pose as everyone headed off, but he lagged behind a bit and gave me a small smile. "Might I have a word with you for a moment afterwards, Kohaku?"

I blinked in confusion, but nodded. "Sure. I don't mind staying after a little while."

He nodded and bounded off to go bother Haruhi, leaving me behind to wonder. What was that all about?

(No one's POV)

Kyoya scowled as he followed the others at a distance, memories of what he'd heard not too long ago popping up now that the sports festival was over and he had time to think.

"She's not going to be happy is he finds out."

"It's one thing to be hiding something small for a little bit, but hiding something like that for so long?"

Kyoya grit his teeth tightly in anger. She, she, she! They were calling Kohaku a girl! That I'm not imagining. But that…that idiot being a girl? It's impossible! He's so…thick! An idiot! He's brash and rough and there's nothing feminine about him at all! There's no way he's a- Kyoya glanced over at said host as she hobbled along on her crutches laughing at something the twins said, and his heart pounded in his chest as he began spotting the small things he overlooked before. Her slim figure, small wrists, wide hips, full lips, feminine smile. Tamaki's words came back to him then, the group ahead of him splitting up in the music room to get changed.

"Love works in strange ways, mon ami."

"Kohaku, he…has that effect on you. He's different from the people we're used to and for you, that's a good thing. It's just what you need."

"Stop trying to find his family background and start looking into who he is as a person. You may find something surprising that you may have overlooked."

Kyoya scoffed quietly to himself, glaring at his reflection in the mirror before him as he adjusted his tie. Overlooked something? I overlooked his entire gender! How is it that everyone knew except me?! And even that idiot blonde hid it from me! Kyoya then remembered a conversation he had with Tamaki.

"What if he was a girl?"

How could I be so thick?! Kyoya mentally scolded himself. He practically spelled it out for me!

"Perhaps you shouldn't worry about his gender and fight for him anyway."

"I would say he's trying to impress you."

"…he sees you as a challenge!"

"…when you are with him, you are the happiest I have ever seen you."

Kyoya growled in frustration. Not only because he hadn't realized that Kohaku was possibly a girl-he still wasn't completely convinced about that yet-but also because he had finally accepted that he felt something for him, only to find out that Kohaku wasn't who he thought he was. He frustrated me to the point where I questioned my own judgment! He made me think I was gay! That I…loved him! He's not-She's not even the same person! Kyoya went to storm out of the changing rooms to head home and try to figure this all out, but the moment he stepped out, he heard voices.

"You wanted to know what's wrong, right?"

Kyoya scowled at the voice, moving so that he could see Kohaku and the person she was speaking to.

"Only if you wish to speak about it. I know it is something that hurts you very much, if you haven't even told Haruhi about it."

Tamaki? But why would Kohaku-

"The club is everything to Kohaku!"

Kyoya clenched his fists as Tamaki's old words echoed in his head. Of course. She's like Tamaki. She has no family, so she clings to the Host Club as a replacement. He looked back over at the two. That's why she's telling him first. Because whatever has been bothering her is something Tamaki alone, would have an understanding of…Though that's no reason why she would've told everyone but me about being a girl. Before Kyoya's thoughts could continue down that line of thought, Kohaku finally spoke up; though her voice was small and sorrowful.

"Fu-kun, he…he's not at Shindo's a-and he's not sick."

Then why has she been lying? Kyoya thought, only for his eyes to widen and his chest to clench tightly as Kohaku pressed her palm to her face and choked back a sob, tears slipping down her face.

"H-He's gone, Tamaki…Fu-kun's gone…M-My only family…"

Tamaki quickly pulled her into a hug and she clung to him as she cried, making Kyoya fell guilty for how he'd been treating her lately.

"I-I've been trying…trying to get o-over it. H-He's just a pet, b-b-but…"

"He was more than that, Kohaku. It's like you said, he was your family."

Kohaku pulled away with a shake of her head, smiling despite the tears still slipping down her face. "B-But he's not my only family now. I have you guys. And…it took me far too long to figure that out…I'm sorry."

Tamaki smiled softly. "And what about Kyoya, mon amie? Have you decided what you're going to do?"

Kyoya tensed, not expecting this change in conversation.

"I-I, um…" Kohaku fidgeted nervously before taking a deep breath. "I already told Takashi and…Shindo already knows, but…I really do like him, Tamaki. I just don't know what to do."

Kyoya's breath caught in his throat and he could feel his heart picking up speed, but there was still a lot holding him back. You can't. His mind told him. She lied to you! What if she's just using you? Can you really trust her?

"My darling daughter's growing up!" Tamaki wailed, his voice cutting through Kyoya's turmoil.

"No! You don't get it, Tamaki!" Kohaku shouted, eyes wide in worry. "I can't tell him! He'll be pissed! He still thinks I'm a guy!"

Kyoya stiffened, feeling his anger returning. So it's true…

"Then tell him!" Tamaki said with a grin. "That way you don't have to hide it anymore!"

Kohaku opened her mouth to say something, but Kyoya had had enough and stepped out into the room, none too pleased about all of this.

"There's no need." He said with a glare as Kohaku turned to face him in shock and fear. "I heard everything."

(Kohaku's POV)

No…No, no, no, no, no! T-This can't be happening! My mind shouted over and over again. He wasn't…He can't know! I-I'm not ready! He's pissed a-and I don't know what to say!

"K-Kyoya, I-I-I-"

He glared at me, making me flinch back. "You lied to me."

"I-I didn't mean-"

"You challenged me to figure it out! You knew what you were doing!"

I took a half step forward, doing my best to try and diffuse the situation. "I was going to tell you!"

"When?!" He shouted back, absolutely livid. "After you forced your way into my life?! After you got in my father's good books?! Or after you confessed how much you like me?!"

"I-I just wanted…" I could feel tears forming in my eyes once more, but I grit my teeth and shoved them back. "I just wanted you to be happy!"

"And look how that turned out." He snarled, moving to leave as Tamaki attempted to stop him and somehow salvage this.

"Kyoya! Wait! At least try to understand! She was just trying to help!"

It was no use though, and Kyoya slammed the doors to the music room shut, leaving us to try and piece our thoughts back together. Tamaki turned to me in obvious worry, but I could only stare at the closed doors, feeling sickened with myself for having caused this whole mess. He's gone…He hates me a-and it's all my fault. I-I should've never come here. I should've walked away the moment I knew I was in Ouran High School Host Club. I-I…I shouldn't have fallen in love…

Tears clogged my throat, but I refused to let them fall as I turned away from Tamaki and hobbled over to my things so I could just leave. I need a break…Maybe I'll ask my sponsor for a vacation or see if there's some international writer's meeting going on or something…but I need to leave. I can't…I can't stay here.

"Kohaku?"

I felt a tear break through, falling onto my bag, but I quickly wiped my face and let out a bitter chuckle as I packed up my things.

"I really screwed up, Tamaki. I tried to tell you. Even if I had told him, it would've ended up like this."

"But Kohaku-"

I shook my head, turning around with a smile, though I could feel it shaking. "It's okay, Tamaki. I-I knew it would turn out like this, so…I'm okay."

He didn't look convinced as I started hobbling to the door, because he knew-just as I did-that I wasn't alright.

"I'm sorry, Tamaki. I don't want to ruin what you have with Kyoya, so could you just…just let him figure things out for himself? I-I can move on, like I always have, but Kyoya…" I let out a shaky sigh. "I'll be okay, so make sure he is…I'll see you next week."

With that, I walked out, doing my best to walk and go down the stairs with the crutches, alone…and broken hearted. I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry.