Disclaimer: I have no rights over any Ouran characters.

Kyoya grinned inside of his helmet when Haruhi's grip on his waist tightened, pressing her even closer to him. He wasn't exactly a big person, tending more towards slim and fit rather than bulky, but he felt very large next to the petite Haruhi.

Something he hadn't really noticed when they'd spent so many hours working together.

He readily admitted that that was a fault of his. When he was truly focused on a task he tuned out everything else.

Now though, his focus was on Haruhi, and that meant he noticed everything about her, not just how she was useful to his task. Hence why he'd offered to give Haruhi a ride home on his motorcycle.

Now that he was thinking clearly, he could look back on the past few months, on all of his interactions with Miss Haruhi Fujioka with a clear eye.

He really had been in the wrong to make those accusations. Especially as he'd had no evidence. With Her he'd had true evidence, he'd heard it come from her own mouth, but with Haruhi he'd made assumptions and let past actions of someone else affect him.

It hadn't been one of his best moments.

Now though, he had a chance to fix that and see exactly where his attraction and interest in Miss Haruhi Fujioka led them.

And he had only Tamaki to thank for that.

Kyoya smiled at the thought of his friend as he weaved around slower moving cars.

Tamaki was a force of nature when he wanted to accomplish something. A very necessary talent when it came to dealing with an Ootori. Kyoya knew he was stubborn and arrogant, it was those skills that had allowed him to come so far. He also knew that those same traits had caused him to distance himself from others.

Until Tamaki came along.

Only Tamaki would be bold and audacious enough to trap Kyoya in his room for hours and teach him exactly how wrong he had been. And only Tamaki would be able to drag in eleven other people to tell their part of the story.

After hearing everything, he'd wanted to die of shame; an entirely new feeling for him. Even now, the shame and embarrassment at his terrible mistake sat under the surface, tainting the pleasure he got from giving Haruhi a ride home.

When he'd first gone to her office he'd only meant to apologize. He didn't think he deserved another chance, not after saying such terrible things and grabbing her. But when he'd seen her, he couldn't help himself.

She'd looked so strong and attractive, standing there in her superbly tailored pantsuit, her eyes full of determination and yet a certain vulnerability. He'd found himself, against his better judgment, asking her out to dinner.

He supposed that when she refused the first time, he could've backed down, but there had been that hint of hesitation before she refused. It had made him want to discover why.

Was it because she didn't want to hurt his feelings?

Or, more likely, had it been because she was still interested?

He hoped the later, but he didn't want to push her and make her uncomfortable. So he'd do his best to insert himself into her life, but he'd back down if she seemed firm in her decision to have nothing romantic to do with him.

Turning off the main road he went down several small streets until he pulled up at her apartment building. It was exactly like the picture he'd found in his investigation – down to the window boxes full of early spring flowers.

She climbed off the back of the bike and Kyoya turned off the engine and put up the kickstand before climbing off himself.

"Thank you for the ride," she said, pulling off the helmet.

He took off his own helmet and set it on the seat before retrieving her duffle from the saddlebag.

"It was my pleasure."

She muttered something that sounded a lot like, "I bet it was."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Surprisingly, she flushed, "Nothing, here's your helmet."

He reached out to take the helmet with one hand, offering her the duffle bag with the other, but when she reached out to grab the bag he didn't let go.

"Haruhi, would you like to grab lunch on Tuesday?"

She glared at him, "I said I won't go out with you."

"I know. This isn't about that."

Well, he was only half lying, since he was trying to insert himself into her life more.

Her glare softened into mere suspiciousness, "Then what is it about?"

"You see, there was this young lawyer at Tachiki and Sons that did amazing work for my family and our company. Sadly, when I went to the firm last week I learned that she had left the firm, deciding to start her own. Now, my family believes in being loyal, and Tachiki and Sons has never let us down, but I discovered that despite not leaving a negative review this young lawyer was going to be punished for doing such excellent work."

She opened her mouth to respond, but he kept going, wanting to get everything out before she interrupted.

"I also discovered that even if I had left a positive review it would've resulted in no real changes for this young, promising lawyer. Due to this discovery I had a long discussion with my father. We decided that it would be best for our zaibatsu to stay loyal to this young lawyer, rather than Tachiki and Sons. To that end I'd like to discuss transferring all of our accounts to Fujioka and Tachiki."

Her eyes narrowed a bit, "Did Tamaki suggest this? Or did you only do this to get me to trust you?"

He shook his head and reached into his jacket, pulling out a sealed envelope. "This was written by my father, it lists what services we'd expect from you if you decided to represent us. You can see by the date that it was written before Tamaki and Company locked me in my room and told me about the Adventures of Haruhi."

"The Adventures of Haruhi?"

He grinned, "That's what Tamaki called it."

She rolled her eyes, "That sounds like him."

"He made your life sound quite exciting and grandiose, I especially liked his retelling, with Zackarie's help, of your fight with some bullies in high school."

Haruhi looked surprised, "They went that far back?"

"Actually, they went even farther. Tamaki found the old Ouran records for scholarship applications. Apparently you hold the record for highest score on the entrance exam."

"Really?!"

"Yes, if I hadn't been so upset and embarrassed at how badly I'd screwed up I would've found the entire thing very entertaining."

"I think I'm going to have to kill them all. I told them not to interfere."

Kyoya couldn't help himself from chuckling at her expression, she looked very cute when annoyed.

"Well, I'm glad they interfered. Since I'd screwed up so royally. Maybe I would've come to realize my mistake on my own, especially as we were going to switch to your firm, but there's no guarantee of it."

"There was also no guarantee we'd accept you as a client. We might still not."

He flashed her his best Host Club smile, "Really? You'd refuse me?"

She rolled her eyes, "You really are full of yourself."

His smile turned into a genuine one, she really did look cute when she was exasperated. Especially when she looked so delightfully mused from taekwondo and the motorcycle ride.

"Miss Haruhi, I do believe I could kiss you right now."

Her eyes widened in surprise and then she laughed, "I think you win the arrogance award, especially as I haven't even agreed to a business lunch, let alone a date."

"Oh, but I know you will."

"And why's that?"

"Because if you were truly against the idea of going on a date with me you wouldn't have agreed to the ride home."

She laughed again, and he found himself even more entranced with the sound.

"You keep thinking that. We'll see if you believe the same after lunch on Tuesday."

"So, you agree to lunch?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

"Why, I do believe you did."

She chuckled, "Goodbye, Mr. Ootori. Thank you again for the lift home. I'll see you on Tuesday."

"Goodbye, Miss Fujioka."

He watched her cross the small parking lot and climb the stairs to her apartment, her ponytail bouncing merrily as she climbed the stairs. He didn't climb back on his bike until her apartment door was firmly shut.

He couldn't wait until Tuesday.

XXX

Haruhi sat at her desk, her head resting in her hand as she stared out the window at the setting sun. She knew she needed to get some work done so she could go home, but she couldn't seem to focus. All she could do was keep replaying lunch from earlier.

Kyoya had been true to his word, it had been a business lunch, with no mention of dates or the past between them, but there had been an underlying tension.

During lunch she hadn't been able to put her finger on why she felt so tense. He had been a perfect gentlemen, and after a bit of small talk about the weather and Reiko's upcoming baby shower they'd had a very professional discussion over the possibility of the Ohtori Group becoming a client of Fujioka and Tachiki.

Now that she was away from him and looking back she thought she had the tension figured out.

She was very, very attracted to him. Both physically and mentally, and he appeared to feel the same way.

Despite him asking her out on a date last Friday she hadn't been entirely sure he was truly interested in her, or if it was simply a way to apologize and feel superior.

But now she had a definite suspicion that it was the former.

She'd seen a similar tension between Zackarie and Mamoru for years, ever since that day she'd first met Mamoru and seen him interact with Zackarie.

The question was, did she want to accept what that tension was, and see if she and Kyoya would do well together? Or did she want to stick to her previous thought pattern? The one where she assumed they'd end up having another fight one day and that their relationship wouldn't last, thus destroying their group of friends.

Usually she was very good at compartmentalizing and pushing certain thoughts away, to deal with at a more appropriate time, but these she couldn't.

She kept seeing his cool smile and expressive eyes as he traded words with her. She kept remembering the motorcycle ride, how she'd felt enveloped in his scent and warmth, even though she'd been holding onto him. And, also, she kept remembering the third time she'd seen him, when he'd been chatting with Tamaki and looking so…human.

Yes, human was the right word.

Kyoya was very good at distancing himself from others and taking up the observers post. That was something that caught her attention back in high school, when she'd first seen him. Even in Paris he'd seemed above the drama going on between Tamaki and Alianore. But when she'd seen him with Tamaki, or even when they'd fought at the restaurant, he'd seemed more down to earth and involved.

Before he'd been fascinating, but now he was real.

And that made her even more interested in him.

A knock on the door made her look up just as Mamoru stuck his head in. He took one look at her and stepped fully inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Haruhi, what's wrong?"

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief and came over to her desk, he leaned against it and crossed his arms.

"It's Kyoya Ohtori, isn't it?"

"Maybe."

"Are you really interested in dating him?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "maybe."

"Well, you could try another date with him. And see how it goes."

"But what if it goes poorly? He and I have many of the same friends. People could choose sides and become divided. It could be terrible. Especially because many of our friends are engaged or dating each other."

He sighed and shook his head, "Haruhi, you really think a break-up between you two would ruin our group of friends? Don't you realize that our bonds of friendship are too strong to let that happen? Zackarie and I let our misunderstandings about our sexual preferences and friendship stand in the way of a deeper relationship for years. If one of us had just spoken up years ago, without being prompted by our lovely group of friends, things would've gone differently."

"Yes, but you two are so right for each other. Everyone can see that. There's no guarantee that Kyoya and I are as compatible."

His eyes widened in amazement as he looked at her, then he threw his head back and laughed.

She scowled, "What's so funny?"

"Haruhi, the same chemistry you see in Zackarie and myself, or Tamaki and Alianore, or even those devilishly scary twins we can see between you and Kyoya. Tamaki told me several years ago that he hoped Kyoya came back to Japan soon, since he wanted him to meet you. Hikaru admitted to me once that you're the only person he'd ever met that could possibly stand up to Kyoya and live, besides Tamaki."

"But…"

"Haruhi, don't worry about us. We're all adults and our friendship will survive whatever twists and turns your relationship with Kyoya takes. Now, it's up to you to decide what kind of relationship you want with him."

Haruhi opened her mouth to respond again, but snapped it shut as she ran through his words. She wanted to dismiss them and fall back on her worries about her friends, but she just couldn't do that.

What Mamoru had said rang with too much truth.

Finally, she let out a huge sigh and slumped back in her chair.

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You're right."

He smiled, "Of course I am."

She chuckled, "Your success with Zackarie has made you arrogant."

He shook his head, "No, my friendship with this rather extraordinary young lawyer has done that." He stood up to leave, "In fact, I'd say it was my friendship with her that helped me find a purpose in life."

Haruhi felt herself blush a bit at his praise, "What about your dream to travel and write?"

"Oh, there's time for that later. After all, the world isn't going anywhere." He headed over to the door, "Have a good night, Haruhi. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Mamoru. Thank you."

He smiled and left.

She smiled at the now shut door and began packing up her things. She'd finish the work later. Right now she felt like a cup of coffee, a slice of cake, and a nice long think.

She needed to figure out for herself just what she wanted from Kyoya.

Actually, that might just take more than one slice of cake.

XXX

Kyoya took off his glasses and rested his head in his hands.

It had been over two weeks since he'd last seen Haruhi and it was beginning to get to him. He couldn't get her out of his mind, but whenever he tried to contact her he was stonewalled. First by that lovely office manager, Miss Watanabe, and then, later, by her new secretary, a Mr. Jeong. He'd finally broken down a few days ago and asked Tamaki for Haruhi's phone number, but he'd been refused.

He hadn't even managed to catch her at her office the couple of times he'd tried. She was always out, and he'd even looked around to be sure she wasn't just hiding. It was like she could read his mind.

And here he thought he'd been doing well. She'd let him give her a ride home and had met him for a business lunch. A lunch where he'd barely been able to stay focused on business and it had seemed like she'd been of the same mind.

Now, it could be possible that he had been reading her wrong, but that wasn't likely, since he was currently thinking straight.

Or, at least, he thought he was.

Sometimes it was hard to think when she was near.

Hell, sometimes it was hard to think because he was thinking of her.

Which explained why he was sitting at home on Saturday evening dealing with work he should have finished days ago. And he had to finish it all in the next hour since he was due to meet Tamaki for dinner and drinks at nine.

He stood up and stretched before sitting back down and putting his glasses back on before tapping away at his computer, trying to push all thoughts of Haruhi to the back of his head.

It wasn't easy, but he managed it for about twenty minutes.

And then the doorbell rang.

As it was Saturday evening and they weren't entertaining, nor was anyone going to be home for dinner, all the staff had gone home for the day.

Kyoya looked at the clock. It was seven-thirty, which meant his parents had already left for their dinner date with another couple, and his brothers had been gone for hours.

Well, he wasn't going to go answer the door. Especially since he'd have to turn off the security, since the house was locked up. It was too much trouble. Whoever it was could just come back tomorrow.

A minute later the doorbell rang again.

His eyes narrowed in a scowl and bent back over his computer, trying to concentrate on work.

But then he jumped out of his seat.

What was that noise? It sounded like a door opening somewhere.

He held his breath, listening for any noise.

Especially the alarm.

When no alarm went off Kyoya felt himself relax. His father always set the alarm when he left the house with no servants in it. If there was no alarm it must be one of his family members coming back.

If he'd even really heard a door. It could have just been his imagination…

He quietly walked over to the door. The well-greased hinges didn't make a sound as he eased the door open. Very carefully he peeked out. The hallway was dim, only a little light coming in from the light down by the stairs. Everything looked to be in order. Not a single vase or statue out of place.

Kyoya slowly started to open the door wider so he could slip out, but then a shout made him jerk, banging his shin on the door as he uttered a rather nasty curse.

"Kyoya Ohtori! Your house is way too big. Where are you hiding?"

The first feeling to envelope Kyoya was fear, but that was quickly replaced by annoyance. Who in the hell was sneaking into his house?

Grumbling he rubbed his shin before pulling the door open wider and headed down the hallway.

Whoever this was, they were going to get an earful from him when he found them.

"Kyoya! I know you're here! Tamaki said he's not meeting you until nine!"

Now that the fear was gone he realized he recognized the voice.

But…no. It couldn't be.

Why would she be here?

Author's Note: Sorry I didn't get it posted this morning. We were in the car before eight and at a hotel in Virginia by mid-afternoon so we could go visit some caverns. We'll be in NYC tomorrow night. But since I had wifi I figured y'all would rather get it tonight. Also, here's an interesting factoid:

Haruhi's new secretary, Mr. Jeong, has a Korean name. Now, this is not a mistake on my part, nor does it indicate that he is not Japanese. In fact, Japan has a population of ~900,000 people of Korean descent. Over half of these people were born in Japan, speak Japanese as a mother-tongue and for all intents and purposes, are as Japanese as I am American. Sadly, the fact that they are not 'true' Japanese causes them to be, in some cases, discriminated against. Go Google Koreans in Japan, there's some interesting reading if you like cultural things and are interested in that part of the world.

Enjoy! :)