Ooooooook, please forgive the gap between the first chapter and the rest but my computer's been playing up :P

If you've read this far then hopefully you like it but I'd be grateful for any comments or reviews telling me what you think

Disclaimer: much as I'd love to have the host club locked up in my cupboard, they are not mine; they are Bisco Hatori's. however, if said Bisco Hatori has an extra Mori-senpai hanging about that he's not using id be glad to take him off his hands……

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Kyouya stepped quietly over the door's threshold, his shoes making almost no noise on the thick carpet. The soft click as the door closed behind him seemed deafeningly loud in the quiet room, causing the room's other occupants to turn and look at him. All except one.

Haruhi lay unconscious on the bed; the blankets pulled right up to her chest hiding the bandages that covered the wound in her side. Her head was tilted to one side, hair spread out over her pillow, so that she seemed to be facing Kyouya as the others were, but her eyes were closed. The purple flower of a bruise covered one cheek, a bright stain of colour on her otherwise pale face. Her arms lay by her sides on top of her blankets; one pierced with an IV drip to try and replace the fluids she had lost through blood loss, the other with a cuff that was recording her heart rate on a nearby monitor.

Tamaki sat at her bedside, holding one of her motionless hands gently in his own and running the ball of his thumb softly across her open palm.

After looking briefly at Kyouya, Tamaki turned back to Haruhi and resumed his repeated stroking of her palm.

"Well?" he asked hoarsely, without looking up.

The silence in the room was smothering. Looking intently at the carpet next to his feet, Kyouya cleared his throat. All his life he'd never had a problem articulating his thoughts appropriately but this room seemed like a black void, ready to suck in his every word. His voice came out in a monotone.

"The doctor said she's suffered a great amount of blood loss due to her wound. The knife missed her vital organs but she'll remain in a critical condition for at least the next few hours. Apart from that, she's sustained a badly sprained ankle and extensive bruising to her body and face. There's no telling when she'll regain consciousness."

"But she'll be ok?" Hikaru intoned from across the room. The twins were sitting near the window; Hikaru hunched over so his hair hid his face, Kaoru looking vacantly out of the window. Their hands were clasped between them.

Kyouya nodded solemnly. "It seems so, she was lucky."

From Haruhi's bedside Tamaki lowered his head and let out a soft choked cry of relief.

Hikaru's shoulders started to shake gently. Kaoru turned to his brother and squeezed his hand tighter.

Honey buried his face in his Usa-chan and sniffed quietly.

Haruhi's father was currently away on 'business', the nature of which Kyouya had decided not to enquire into. Since they wouldn't dream of sending their Haruhi away to what the twins insisted on referring to as 'some commoner hospital' where she'd be alone, they had instead taken her back to Kyouya's house, where one of his family's most skilled medical teams was taking care of her.

Kyouya collapsed into the chair next to Honey's and rubbed his temples. He looked up at Haruhi and found he couldn't stand to look at her lying there. She looked so

(dead)

still. So pale. Seeing her lying there in the garden, he'd thought.….. For a moment he'd really thought……

He shuddered and looked away.

"What happened to that bastard?" Hikaru growled.

Kyouya glanced across the room at the twins. Hikaru was looking intently at him through his hair, his face expressionless.

Kyouya sighed and leaned back in his chair, tracing the pattern of the shadows across the ceiling. He could feel Hikaru's eyes burning into him.

"The police have him." he said softly without looking down "That'll have to be good enough."

"You should've let us deal with him…" Kaoru muttered bitterly, casting his eyes into the far corner of the room.

Kyouya looked down at the two boys, slumped sullenly in their chairs and raised one eyebrow inquisitively. "And what would that have accomplished?" he asked dryly.

Snarling, Hikaru exploded out of his seat, which slammed backwards into the wall with a dull thud, and started across the room to Kyouya. Face flushed with rage he grabbed the dark-haired boy's shirt and pulled him down so they were face to face.

"How can you be so calm!?" he shouted. "Did you see her? Did you!? That bastard almost killed her! Haruhi could've…"

"Hikaru"

Hikaru stopped mid-rant and both he and Kyouya turned slowly to Tamaki, who hadn't moved from Haruhi's side. His head was lowered, blonde bangs obscuring his face and his thumb moved restlessly across Haruhi's hand.

He raised his head slightly and looked at Hikaru. "Stop it."

Hikaru stood for a moment, breathing heavily, looking backwards and forwards between the host club's king and the dark-haired boy whose shirt he was holding. Kyouya looked calmly back at him.

He jumped suddenly at a light touch on his arm and looked around, startled, into eyes that were identical to his.

"Let go nii-chan." Kaoru said softly, almost sadly.

At first Hikaru resisted his brother's touch, then relented and allowed himself to be pulled into his brother's embrace where he buried his face in his shoulder.

Kyouya calmly straightened his shirt collar and turned to the small blonde in the chair next to him who had been sitting silently.

"Honey-senpai?"

The small boy looked up at him, his face flushed and stained with tear tracks. His eyes were puffy from crying and shone with tears that spilled out onto his cheeks.

"Hai, Kyou-chan?"

"Have you seen Mori-senpai? I haven't seen him since we arrived."

Honey lowered his head and fidgeted restlessly with the arms of the worn Usa-chan doll in his lap.

"No." he said, his voice hoarse from crying. "I haven't seen Takashi."

He raised his head and looked towards the window, the moonlight casting dozens of tiny reflections in his tear-filled eyes. "But I know where to find him. I'm going to go let him know that Haru-chan's gonna be ok."

He slid off the seat until his feet touched the floor and dragging Usa-chan behind him, wordlessly pushed open the door and disappeared into the dark hallway.

Mori was currently sitting on a couch in Kyouya's family sitting room, his face buried in his hands. The room was dark apart from the moonlight that streamed through the window, casting the room in monochrome colours. The weather outside was beginning to worsen and every so often a cloud would pass over the moon, plunging the room into gloomy darkness.

Mori's hands slid up his face and his broad shoulders hunched over even more as he cradled his forehead in the heels of his hands and looked unseeing at the floor.

(my fault…)

Over and over he heard himself

("I will go with you, to make sure you are alright.")

offering to go with her, to keep an eye on her. And her voice

("No really! It's alright! I'm sure you have clients to deal with.")

telling him to stay, telling him not to bother. That was the last thing she had said to him.

(why did I listen……)

In his mind's eye he could see her; skirt twitching prettily as she walked to the door, hand trailing across its polished wood as she slipped outside. Into the garden.

(why didn't I go check on her…)

Now she was hurt. Hurt badly. And it was all his fault. He had failed to protect her and because he hadn't been there to protect her she was badly hurt. She might even

(oh no please please not that, anything but that)

die.

He let out an involuntary choked cry and twisted his hands into his dark hair. His chest heaved as though his misery were a physical arm, snaking around his neck and choking him.

He had to get out of here.

He straightened up in one movement and walked across the sitting room; his shadow tall and stalking on the far wall. He walked up the hall and pulled open the front door. Stepping out into the front drive he felt the cool night breeze push his hair away from his brow. Hands jammed deep in his pockets and shoulders hunched, he made his way across the driveway, formal shoes crunching on the gravel.

He'd go for a walk, that's what he'd do. He'd go for a walk and try to sort out his head and then…

"Takashi…?"

Mori froze halfway down the wide sweeping driveway, the wind tugging at his hair and to folds of his shirt. Without turning his body around he looked back over his shoulder at the small boy in the doorway.

"Mitsukuni."

Honey stood the doorway, looking even more like a child than usual with his wide, questioning eyes, tear-stained face and Usa-chan doll clutched tightly to his chest. Honey took one step forwards onto the gravel path, his small feet barely making any noise on its surface. He tilted his head slightly to the side and looked up at him with wide, shining eyes.

"Where are you going? Why are you leaving?" he asked quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper. Mori could tell immediately that his cousin had been crying and turned instinctively to comfort him before stopping.

With a barely audible sigh he turned away again.

"Go back inside Mitsukuni." he said quietly, starting back down the path.

He heard Honey's soft cry, followed by the rapid thuds of his feet as he ran forward, throwing up small sprays of gravel behind him. He felt a light tug on his hand as Honey slipped his childlike hand into his large one and pulled him desperately backwards.

"Ne ne, Takashi! Don't leave!"

Mori stopped in his tracks; even in this state he couldn't bring himself to directly disobey something Mitsukuni had asked him to do. He was facing away from Honey, his head lowered so his hair hung down, hiding his eyes.

Honey studied what he could see of Mori's face. As expressionless as it would seem to most people, Honey had been with Mori a long time; long enough to tell what he was thinking without having to hear him say it.

He took one of Mori's hands gently in both of his and walked around so he was in front of him but Mori still wouldn't look at him.

"Haru-chan's gonna be ok, you know." he said softly, eyes never leaving Mori's face. "Kyou-chan said so and he's always right." He offered a weak smile.

Mori's head jerked upwards and he looked at Honey for a moment with wide, disbelieving eyes. He quickly looked away again but Honey knew Mori well and could almost feel the relief coming off him in waves.

Honey tightened his grip on Mori's hand and tugged gently.

"You know, Takashi, it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

Mori's eyes swung round to meet his cousins. Honey was looking up at him intently, looking for once more like the young man he was and less like the child he pretended to be. It never failed to surprise Mori how well this small boy could read him.

Honey smiled at him. "I know you're blaming yourself for this Takashi, but you're the only one. Come on, come and see Haru-chan."

Mori opened his mouth to speak, found he couldn't and closed it again, shaking his head. He turned his face away from Honey and managed to choke out a whisper.

"I can't."

He started to pull away from Honey again, meaning to walk away as he had planned to but Honey held on tight.

"Ne, Takashi, look at me."

Reluctantly, Mori met his cousin's eyes. The small boy's face was set with a stubborn look.

"I won't make you go see her but I will make you stay. Kyou-chan has prepared rooms for us all to spend the night here; he says the weather's gonna get worse overnight so you're not going anywhere. If you still really want to leave in the morning you can but not tonight.

His face softened. "Please Takashi?"

Mori sighed, defeated and looked at his shoes.

"Hai."