DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Beta-ed by warmsugar. Feedbacks/reviews/comments are very much welcome!

THE MERITS OF MARRIAGE

By: Kalachuchi

"Penny for your thoughts, Haruhi?"

Haruhi glanced at Kyoya who was busy typing in his laptop across the room. "I was just thinking about the wedding we attended this morning. Kyoya," she frowned, "don't you ever take a break from work? Every time I see you, you're always working."

"I am taking a break," he replied. "What about the wedding?"

"The groom – he's a friend of yours, right?"

"Asao? Merely a business acquaintance. What of him?"

"Well, it's just," she shrugged, "he doesn't seem too happy that he's getting married."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "He was smiling but… he seemed sad."

"You're very sharp, Haruhi."

"Do you know why?"

Kyoya paused. "I think it has something to do with the break-up he had with his long-time girlfriend a week before the wedding. She's a commoner like you, coincidentally."

"Eh? You mean the bride wasn't his girlfriend?"

"No, it was simply an arranged marriage. He just met Hayori-san, his wife, recently. Didn't you notice how happy his family was for him?"

"But why? Isn't that – unfair?"

"You should know by know how rich families think, Haruhi. Marriage is just like any other business venture. When you sign the wedding contract, it's as good as any business deal. It's all about gaining from each other's business status and fortune. After all, why would anyone want to spend their lifetime with someone they can't gain anything from?"

"Well, you're married to me," she pointed out.

Kyoya glanced at her. "That's… a different matter."

"Why is it a different matter?" she persisted.

"Asao is not the kind of person who's willing to do anything for something he wants to have," he continued, pointedly ignoring her question. "He prefers to play it safe. Besides, marrying Hayori-san is the best and fastest solution to the financial crisis their family is experiencing right now.

"Kyoya…" Haruhi blinked. "How come you know all these things about Asao-san?" she asked suspiciously.

"In this competitive world we're in, it's always better to be prepared. And having a few shall we say– sources here and there, doesn't hurt either."

"Ah," she twitched. "So you're still collecting reports about other people."

"Well, it's always a good idea to have an edge over others, don't you think?" He pushed his glasses up.

Haruhi sighed. She watched him quietly, his words still playing in her mind. She got up from the bed and walked towards the coffee table he was working on. She sat beside him.

"Kyoya."

"Yes?"

"Why did you marry me?"

He paused. "Like I said, it's all about gaining what you want or need from the other person."

"But," her forehead crunched in confusion, "what merit could you gain from marrying me?"

"A lot. Your odd commoner ways charm a lot of people, Haruhi, especially prospective business partners. It's not everyday they get to meet a refined commoner like you. You actually give them a different view of your kind. And that is a very useful asset to the company."

"Huh?"

"And of course, we all know what an excellent lawyer you are. I never had any doubts you would reach this status. Being married to you would save me the trouble of finding a good lawyer when the time comes. You wouldn't ask me for payment, would you?"

She gritted her teeth. "No."

At the back of her mind she knew she shouldn't have asked him that question. The conversation was bound to come to this. I guess it's still all about merits, she thought, sighing. Kyoya is Kyoya even after all this time. She thought he had finished talking but Kyoya continued in a deadpan tone.

"And I suppose you'll agree with me that the fact that you are the only woman my father approved of is enough of a reason already."

"Ah… I guess." She blinked. "I was the only one your father approved of?"

"Yes," Kyoya replied wryly. "Isn't that a surprise?"

"Kyoya," she paused. "I've always thought your family was the conservative type, but now that you mentioned it… why didn't your father just arranged a more… profitable marriage for you? I came from a simple family with a cross-dressing father. Isn't that a bit different from the culture you're used to?"

"Very different." He nodded.

"So how come it was okay for you to marry a commoner?"

He regarded her carefully before answering. "The problem with most rich people is their fear of social rejection. They wouldn't want to risk any form of social embarrassment. That is why I strived so hard to become the heir of the Ootori Empire. Do you know why?"

She thought about it. "Because of the bigger share in the family's fortune?"

He blinked. "Well, partly. But mostly because once I become the head of the whole Ootori Empire, I can do whatever I want without having to worry about what others think. After all, who would dare question the judgment of the Ootori heir?"

She nodded. "No, no one would dare do that," she agreed wholeheartedly.

"So when I married you, a simple commoner with no interesting background – " Haruhi twitched, " – no one spoke about it. It's just a pity Asao does not like to plan for the future, which I fortunately did."

Haruhi blinked. It sounded as if Kyoya had intended to marry her way before and that he deliberately planned all of it. Her lips curved in a small smile. Sometimes Kyoya could say such sweet things, unintentionally but that was typical of Kyoya.

"Kyoya, you know – "

A sinister smile crept up his face but was gone so quickly she wondered if she really did see it.

"Besides," he continued calmly, "it's not like you do not have anything to gain from this marriage too."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure Ranka-san would agree."

She straightened up. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you wondering that no one comes to pester him anymore for his debts?"

"No. He already paid all our debts as soon as we got married. And he promised me he won't borrow money from those people again."

"Is that so?" Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "I wonder where the money came from," he murmured lightly.

She blanched. "What do you –"

"And before you forget – " Kyoya turned the laptop to face her. Haruhi stared at the monitor, feeling goosebumps rise all over her skin. An excel sheet with rows of numbers blinked back at her. "You haven't fully paid all your accounts back in the Host Club. If I did not use my position, you would still be in debt until now."

Her jaw dropped. "No way," she exclaimed. "I'm sure I paid all of it before I graduated. You said so yourself."

"That's because Tamaki could not bear the thought that his daughter would worry about money when you should be studying law. So I had to tell you that you had paid all your debts so you wouldn't have to think about it too much. Quite considerate of us, actually."

"But that's – "

He turned the laptop back to him. "Well, I was just pointing out the facts."

Haruhi sighed in defeat. "Sometimes you're too scary, Kyoya."

The sound of typing stopped. He eyed her briefly before going back to work. "So why did you marry me?" he asked, an unusual tightness in his voice. But Haruhi did not seem to notice.

"Well…" She leaned back and glanced at the ceiling thoughtfully. "It's because you proposed to me."

Kyoya coughed. She looked at him in concern.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes."

"You've been working too hard," she gently chided.

"No. I'm okay." He straightened up as he faced her. "Haruhi, most people do not get married just because someone proposed to them. What if I never proposed to you the way I did? What if someone else did it instead, like Tamaki… or Mori-senpai… or Hikaru…" He trailed off, eyeglasses clouding. "Would you still have married for that reason if one them proposed to you instead of me?"

Haruhi cupped her chin. "Eh, well… hmm. Let's see…"

Kyoya stared at her in disbelief. Was she really going to think about it? Somehow Kyoya knew he should feel insulted but Haruhi's bluntness was nothing new to him. It still surprises, yes, but it was something he has learned to accept. He sighed.

"Never mind." He turned his attention back to his laptop.

"No."

He stopped. He slowly looked at her. "What did you say?"

"I said no, I wouldn't have accepted their proposal."

"And why not?" he asked before he could stop himself. The Shadow King braced himself for another expected blunt answer. What would it be this time?

She blinked at him. "Because they're not you."

Silence.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up and faced the monitor.

Haruhi frowned and leaned forward. "Kyoya?" she called in concern.

"Haruhi."

"Yes?"

"I forgot to tell you that Tamaki came by the office yesterday and sent a little gift for you. Could you kindly get it for me? It's in the bag."

"Okay."

Kyoya waited until Haruhi was safely out of earshot before letting out the sigh he's been hiding. An unbidden smile crept up his lips, relishing the warm feeling she had given him.

"Because they're not you."

"That's a rather interesting view, Haruhi," he murmured, smiling. "But the best reason I've heard so far."

"What is this thing anyway?" Haruhi asked warily as she held the bottle in front of her eyes. She was standing by the bedside table. Kyoya craned his neck to look at her.

"According to Tamaki, that's an orange juice."

She stared at the liquid swishing inside the bottle. "But it's color brown."

"Don't act surprised." Kyoya pushed his glasses up. "That's Tamaki's homemade juice. What can you expect?"

"Why did he give you this?"

"He wanted you to be the first one to taste it. It's the first time he ever made something like that, so be kind."

She quickly spun around. "You want me to taste this?" she repeated.

"Well… yes. If I remember correctly, he specifically told me to get your 'commoner's opinion'. Something to do with 'the commoner's simple fondness for drinking artificial flavors'. Or something stupid like that."

She twitched. "Ah, so I'll be the poison tester."

"Don't be too harsh Haruhi. He actually wanted to come here to hear your opinion personally. But I managed to dissuade him."

She frowned, imagining Tamaki jumping up and down as he forced her to drink up. "Thank goodness," she muttered.

"Well, go on," Kyoya told her. "He made that especially for you."

"Why don't you do it?" she retorted, as she glared at him. "He's your best friend."

His glasses clouded. "I prefer tea over juice. Besides, I'm sure Tamaki does not plan to kill you from poisoning."

She cringed. "How thoughtful."

There was really no problem with her tasting something others had worked hard for, but considering that it was Tamaki who made it, her hesitation was, according to Kyoya, logical. She eyed the brown liquid before gulping a handful of air. Kyoya watched her both in fascination and horror as she lifted the bottle to her lips and tasted a few drops.

He waited expectantly.

"Well?"

Haruhi blinked as she glanced at the juice.

"Haruhi?"

"It's good," she finally said. "There's a little after-taste, but it's good." She tried another shot.

"Why don't you try it?" she asked, offering the bottle at him. Kyoya lifted his eyebrow.

"I plan to reach my fiftieth birthday, Haruhi."

She frowned. "Why is it that when I didn't want to drink up, you were so confident about it not having poison, but now you have no qualms about refusing?"

He paused, thinking about it thoughtfully. "Well…"

She sighed.

Kyoya pushed up his glasses before he reluctantly stood up. He walked over to where she was. Haruhi took another gulp as if to reassure him it's safe, before holding out the bottle for him.

"Here."

Kyoya stared at her intently. There was a glimmer in his eyes before giving her a devilish smile.

"Haruhi," he began, voice low, "you're wondering what merit I could gain from marrying you, right? Let's see." He suddenly cupped her chin and caught her lips beneath his. He kissed her gently at first, then with more certainty. He pulled her close as he deepened the kiss. When he pulled back, Haruhi's face was all flustered.

Kyoya pushed up his glasses, his face in full smirk mode.

"I suppose you're right, Haruhi. It does taste good." He turned and went back to his laptop, leaving Haruhi who stared after him. "I'm sure Tamaki would be glad to hear this."

Haruhi touched her lips. She frowned, wondering why Kyoya had to do that when he could easily drink from the bottle. She sighed, unaware that a small smile was creeping up her face.

"Merits, Kyoya?" she murmured vaguely. "See, they are nothing like you."