Hey everyone! Yes, this update is unforgivably late. To apologize, I'm doing a double update! You're getting two chapters, you lucky things! And they're full of Kyoya being Kyoya, but also really cute as Hana and Kyoya trying to restart the relationship neither of them ever thought they'd need. Enjoy!

Chapter 10-

"Isn't this great, Hana-chan?" Honey beamed, tugging in her sleeve, "She's okay!"

"Mm" Hana murmured noncommittally. Her worry, it appeared, was unwarranted. After the past few hours of being stressed, Hana was just about ready to go home and collapse into her bed. However, she had to put up with Honey's never ending chatter as he blathered to her about how mean his brother was.

Now she and Honey were walking home to her apartment as their mother drove Sakura home. Her mother had offered to take Hana as well, but Hana had refused. She'd claimed that she'd needed the exercise, but in all honesty it was because walking outside during the evenings was a favorite habit of hers. She loved the way the air was so still and quiet, as though even the streets themselves were exhausted after catering to the hundreds who stepped on them.

"Hey, Hana-chan" Honey said, trying once again to strike up a conversation, "Wasn't it cool that all the doctors had the Ootori symbol on their clothes?"

Hana scoffed, "No, not really"

The hospital Sakura had been to was a public hospital, one of the Ootori's charity projects. It was entirely funded by the Ootori for the public, and while Hana could admit that it was an amazing thing to do, she couldn't deny the distaste she'd felt seeing the symbol. It just seemed that today, Kyoya was everywhere.

"Say, Honey" Hana began, "Hypothetically speaking, what-"

"Hana, what's hypothetically speaking?" Honey inquired.

Hana sighed, "It's like, in a fake world, what would you think of something happening?"

"Oh"

"Anyway, in the fake world, if a guy kissed a girl he didn't like, why would he do that?"

Hana could not believe she'd just said that. She really needed to start filtering what came out of her mouth.

"Well..." Honey frowned, deep in thought, then brightened, "I've got it! Why would a guy kiss a girl he didn't like?"

Hana froze. Then turned to Honey. And grinned, "Thanks Honey. You've been a big help"

"I have? Awesome!"

For the first time in a long while, Hana knew what to do.

Well, even if Hana knew what to do, doing it wasn't any easier. As she walked to the Host Club, she silently wondered if she was insane. Because here she was, walking right back into the lions den like an idiot.

Her stomach felt terrible. The sensation was described as having butterflies fluttering, but to Hana the gentle image of butterflies flying peacefully in her stomach was replaced by the image of big, fearsome dragons roaring fire.

Hana swallowed, banishing the stupid thoughts into a dark corner of her mind, and stared at the double doors. Never before had they looked so intimidating, towering over her with the might of a world that she'd never understand, full of people she'd never understand.

It sounded poetic. Hana liked that.

Without giving it another thought, she shoved the double doors open. She'd always visited the Host Club afterschool, preferring to speak to the members when their- 'flirt mode' as Haruhi had dubbed it- was not activated. However, today she'd visited during the lunch break, whilst the Host Club was in session.

"Hello, my darling" Tamaki walked over to her, charming smile on his face, "Are you dazzled by my beauty? Oh, what a shame, to be as-"

"Tamaki" Hana interrupted, smirking, "It's me. Hana"

He paused in his routine, opening his eyes (which had been closed with tears leaking out) then beamed at her, "Hana! What a pleasant surprise. But, um... What are you doing here? Not to be rude, but I doubt you could afford the Host Club's services. You're much too poor. Heck, the last time that happened, you had to date Kyoya for a month to pay him back!"

Hana sighed, "I know, I know, I'm poor. And are those eye drops?"

He recoiled, hand over his heart, "Hana, how could you! To think that these tears of emotion, these pieces of my soul, are fake and that I'd-"

"They're eye drops" the twins intervened, popping out of nowhere, as they always did, "We all use them"

Tamaki tried to speak, but words failed, "I-I... IM NOT A FRAUD!" He glared, pointing to the twins' guests, "Hikaru, Kaoru, back to work!"

"We get it, we get it" they shrugged, walking off.

"The same goes for you, Tamaki" Kyoya said, entering the conversation as he always did; slightly reserved, yet with words of malice that were kindly delivered, "Host Club king or not, you still need to work"

"Yeah, Tamaki" a girl pouted, walking over with an unbelievable amount of sway in her hips, "Don't ignore me for her"

The distaste in her voice was obvious. Hana wasn't surprised; she was used to being looked down upon by her fellow students. Tamaki, it seemed, was, and a flash of something like protectiveness crossed his face before he place a warm smile on it.

Immediately, 'flirt mode', was activated, and Tamaki changed dramatically, "I could never ignore you, my mermaid princess" he whispered, tilting her chin up with one hand and cupping her face with the other, "Not even if I wanted to"

"Kyaaaah!"

"Did you see that? Tamaki is soooo handsome!"

"W-What is this feeling? Is it love?"

"And off he goes again" Kyoya murmured, then turned his head to face Hana as he always did- head on, "Now, Hana, what do you want?"

It was blunt, direct and harsh, the way you would refer to an annoying younger brother. It was also the way Kyoya has always come to speak to her after they had 'dated'. While it was rude, it was Kyoya, and through that she'd learned a big part about him.

Kyoya was only nice if there was something to gain.

"I want to talk to you" she said, sounding equally as bold, equally as sure, "In private"

He stayed silent for a moment, assessing her, then said, "Unfortunately, the Host Club is now in session, and I do not offer my services as of yet. If you wish to speak to me, it will have to wait until all the guests leave. Then, maybe I'll be able to tolerate your presence for one or two minutes, so long as you make it quick"

Hana had expected this, so she'd arrived a few minutes before the bell sounded for the next class. Nodding her affirmation, she walked over to the lounge area and sat down. Coincidently, this area was Haruhi's place for the day.

"It can get hard at times" Haruhi was saying, "But to fill the void in the family that my mother left... I try my absolute best to make her proud"

"Oh, Haruhi, that's so sweet"

"You're amazing, Haruhi"

Hana, already bored, glanced around the room, taking in the scene. Tamaki was dramatically wooing another girl, the twins were playing, 'The which one is Hikaru!?' game, Honey was eating cake, Mori was saying absolutely nothing, and Kyoya...

He was trying to sell a limited edition Host Club photography book to a group of three star struck girls. Somehow, he managed to sell it without seeming like a door-to-door salesman; heck, he didn't even sound like he was trying to sell it at all.

And yet somehow, all three girls walked away with a copy in their hands.

'Reverse psychology, huh?' Hana inwardly sighed, 'When it comes to winning, Kyoya has a million plans up his sleeve'

Kyoya looked over at her, and their eyes met. Realizing she was staring, Hana blushed slightly and looked away.

The minutes passed, as minutes do, and the retarded bell of Ouran High rang, it's repetitive annoying chime driving Hana to insanity. The guests soon left, and Kyoya motioned with his head for her to follow him and they walked into the back room. Hana glanced around, looking at the dusty music instruments, nostalgia mounting. This was where she and Kyoya had made the arrangement a little over a month ago.

"So" Kyoya prompted, "What did you want to talk about?"

There was a resigned way in which he asked, as if he already knew what she was going to say.

"Just one question" Hana started, "Why would you kiss a girl you didn't like?"

He breathed out slowly, "Hana" he said seriously, "How many times must I say it? I do not like you"

"Well maybe you could stop saying it if your actions didn't contradict your actions!" Hana burst out, "God, you've been making me go nuts! First you say you don't like me, then you tell me you'll make me fall in love with you, and now you're telling me you don't like me again! Make up your mind already, you indecisive bastard!"

Inwardly, Hana regretted her words. She'd wanted to be the calm one in this conversation, but for some reason Kyoya frustrated her so much that she always found herself emotional around him.

"Let me explain" he said, speaking slowly, as if to a child, "To start, I do not have any romantic feelings for you. Do you understand? Do you need me to repeat myself?"

Hana's cheeks burned and she sent him a death glare, "No, there's no need for you to repeat yourself. We've established that. Just answer my first question"

"Why I would kiss a girl I don't like? Well, it's simple" and then he said it, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Entertainment"

"Entertainment" Hana echoed, staring at him in disbelief.

"Yes, entertainment" He replied, "You wouldn't believe how boring my life is. If I'm not studying, then I'm in a business meeting pretending to be nice to someone I just really don't like"

"Oh, poor you" Hana scorned, "You've got absolutely everything, life must be so dull. Or maybe" she suggested, pretending that the thought had just come to her, "You're ungrateful, and don't know what's really important in life"

"Maybe I don't" he agreed, and Hana felt that familiar ripple of surprise. Whenever she was with Kyoya, he always managed to say something that would shock her, "But what makes you think you do, Hana Kaneko?"

There was something about the way he said her name that pissed her off.

"For one, I'm not trying to make people fall in love with me for entertainment" she challenged, "And for two, I've lived without the luxuries of having absolutely everything, so I know that to get the important things you have to sacrifice the little things. Just what have you sacrificed, Kyoya?"

He smirked, and stepped forward into her personal space, like he always did, "I've sacrificed many things, Hana" he whispered, devilishly close to her ear, "Things you would never understand"

Her knees were felling weak, and her head felt light, but she fought for control, "And there you go again" she sighed, shoving him away. He stepped back, shock evident in his face. He hadn't expected her to do that, "Whenever you can't think of an answer, you try to seduce me. Well, it's not going to work this time, so can we just have a normal conversation for once?"

He smirked, "What part of our conversations are normal to you, Hana?"

Unwillingly, a small grin crept its way on her face, "What, not taking about the weather isn't normal conversation?"

There was a comfortable silence for a few moments, and then both their emotional barriers were up as they continued, "Look, Kyoya" Hana said, "If you don't like me, then can you not use me as entertainment? I don't enjoy my feelings being used as a toy"

He was silent for a moment, and then he said, "Fine"

She gave him a genuine smile, "Thank you"

He looked slightly taken back, and there was a slight pink tinge to his cheeks. Hana was sure it was a trick of the light. After all, there was no way Kyoya could be blushing, could there?

She left Kyoya in the room with the dusty instruments. She was supposed to be overjoyed, this was one of the biggest problems in her life solved.

So why wasn't she happy?