Right troops, this story is turning out to be a lot longer than I originally planned it but it seems to be quite well received so I shall continue.

Big thankies to all who have reviewed or will review. I give you my love.

Disclaimer – Bisco Hatori is the genius behind OHSHC, not me. All hail Bisco Hatori!

By the way, the words written in italic and brackets are the characters, innermost thoughts

I wasn't sure if people were getting that……

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Mori wasn't sure how longer he had been standing there; eyes closed, forehead resting on the cool glass of the window pane listening to the rain hit the glass like a hail of shining bullets. He didn't even realise that someone had opened his door and tentatively walked through until he heard the dull click as the door swung shut.

His eyes flew open, seemingly staring down through the window at Kyouya's drowned gardens but they were actually focused on the figure he could see reflected in the glass.

It looked like…

(it can't be)

Haruhi. He could see Haruhi, standing in front of

(it can't really be her)

his door, wearing one of Kyouya's sister's old nightgowns, the white

(you're dreaming again)

hem falling past her knees. One ankle was bandaged up and Mori could even make out the slight bulge in her side where her side was bandaged.

It looked like she was…

(no! you're dreaming again! she's not there! she can't be, she's upstairs in a hospital bed because of YOU)

Mori squeezed his eyes shut and willed desperately for the haunting apparition to go away, to leave him in peace. It's not real…he repeated to himself It's not real, it's not real, it's not…

"Mo-Mori-senpai…?"

His eyes flew open again. He had heard that. He knew he hadn't imagined that tiny, tremulous voice that came from right behind him.

Slowly, he began to turn around. He couldn't help thinking What if I turn around and there's nothing there? What if I'm actually going crazy?

Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and looked at his door. Haruhi looked back at him.

She stood unsteadily on her injured ankle; knees locked together but feet slightly splayed apart. Her slim shoulders were hunched with her hands clutched one in front of the other at her chest, elbows tight against her sides. Her breaths were coming shallow and panicked, causing her shoulders to move steadily up and down. Mori could see that she was shaking.

Unconsciously, his body started forwards of its own accord; meaning to take her in his arms and comfort her but how could he? After what had happened how could he even think of doing such a thing. Through an extreme act of will he forced his arms down to his sides.

"Mori?"

It was no good. He had to look at her face. Otherwise she might just think that he was ignoring her. He couldn't stand to hurt her anymore than already had. But still, how could he possibly look her in the eye? He didn't deserve to talk to her, he didn't deserve to even look at her.

Reluctantly, he raised his eyes to her face, thoughts of his dream creeping back into his mind. Haruhi's blood and mud-stained, tear streaked face.

Looking at Haruhi's face caused such a deep ache in his heart that he didn't think he could stand it.

Her hair was tousled from her restless sleep; stray strands falling into her eyes and surrounding her head like a halo. Her face was flushed; a bruise spread over one cheek and a shallow cut scrawled over her forehead.

He could've handled that. He could've accepted these injuries as being his fault and incorporated them into his feelings of guilt but no pain he could suffer from his guilt came close to having to look at her eyes.

They were wide and frightened; tears welling up at the corners and spilling slowly down her cheeks. Mori could read the fear and pain in her eyes as easily as her could read it in every aspect of her body language; the shaking shoulders, the unsteady legs, the hands clutched desperately just below the neckline of her nightgown.

The worst thing he could read in her eyes was the simple desperation. His heart sank as he realised what she was going to ask him next,

"Mo-Mori-senpai?" She let out a small cry as thunder rolled overhead. Her shoulders hunched over even more and her head ducked down to her chest. The action must have pained her because her hands flew to her side with a short gasp. She stood that way, trembling, until the thunder had passed. Slowly, she raised her had again; fixing him with pleading, tear-filled eyes.

"Mori, please can I stay here with you for a while?" Two more tears escaped her eyes and rolled silently down her face and dropped onto the carpet. She looked at him, begging him with her stare. "……Please?"

Mori had to look away then. He thought he had hurt him more with that softly spoken 'please' than she could have by stabbing him herself. He could have handled it if she'd hated him. If she'd shouted and cursed him and said she hated him and never wanted to see him again he could've at least felt that he was getting what he deserved.

But after all that had happened to her, at his fault, she was actually begging to stay with him… He couldn't stand it…

Haruhi must've taken this silence for an answer because she started backing towards the door, her eyes filled with hurt confusion.

"I-I'm sorry Mori-senpai…I'll go…"

And now she was apologising to him… Her apologising to him.

But still, even though everything inside him was screaming at him that he didn't deserve such favour, he didn't deserve to even look at her… he couldn't bring himself to deny anything she asked of him. He would leave in the morning but for now…she needed him and he wouldn't let her down again.

"Haruhi"

Haruhi stopped and looked up at him, a dim hope beginning to dawn in her eyes. He took a deep breath and held his arms out to her. She smiled and began to limp towards him.

She had only made it halfway towards him when a flash of lightning filled the room with white, blue-tinted light. Haruhi's eyes widened in sudden fear and, using her good leg to boost, she jumped the remaining distance, flying straight into Mori's open arms.

Mori looked unbelieving down at her for a minute before slowly and tentatively closing his arms around her. He held her until she stopped shaking.

She buried her face in the broad warmth of his chest, feeling the smooth material of his shirt against her cheek and smelling his faint musky scent. She could feel a faint stirring as his breath tossed a few errant strands of hair away from her brow. His arms encircled her completely; cutting her off from the outside world.

He'd acted strangely when she came in; almost as if he didn't want to look at her. Still she thought, the thought taking on an almost hysterical edge even in her mind, I suppose I must look a right mess; that bastard Iku messed me up pretty bad. Why would he want to look at me? When he hadn't answered her heart had sank; she'd just made a complete idiot of herself. She would make her apologies and go back to her room, maybe hiding under the bed until the storm blew over. Then he'd held his arms out to her and her heart had sang. She knew he'd come through for her. For now she was just glad for his comfort; for the strength of his arms and the reassuring solidity of his chest.

Pulling back slightly, she tentatively raised her eyes to him, meaning to smile nervously and apologise for jumping on him like that. The smile was just forming on her lips when she realised he was already looking down into her eyes. He looked surprised (well that was obvious she supposed, its not everyday battered girls throw themselves into your arms) but there was something underlying it. His soft gaze contained simple adoration but it was marred with pain and something that was almost……guilt? She frowned slightly and opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when the biggest burst of thunder yet shook the house, accompanied almost immediately by lightning. She yelped and buried her face in him chest again, shaking.

This time Mori closed his arms around her quicker, being careful not to apply pressure to her injured side. One of his arms stretched up her back, the hand gently stroking her hair. He murmured soothingly in her ear, desperate to do anything that might help her. He couldn't stand to see her in such distress and for the first time that night he forgot his guilt in his simple desire to comfort and protect her.

When her shaking had passed, he bent down and as carefully as a person handling a china doll, he picked her up; being mindful of her injuries. She clutched her hands to her chest again and looked up at him. The simple dependency he saw in her eyes caused his heart to throb with another dull ache.

He laid her gently on his bed; she pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him.

"You can sleep here." he said quietly, "I will sit here so you're not alone."

He bent, throwing his suit jacket carelessly on the floor and moved to sit in the chair when he felt a gentle tug on his hand.

Startled he looked back round at her. She had stretched across to grab his hand and the pain it had caused her wound was etched into her face.

"Please stay here with me." she pleaded in a whisper "I'm scared."

She tugged his hand again. Mouth dry, and unable to speak Mori managed to nod and, filled with a feeling of numbness, he sat on the bed next to her, swinging his legs up so they were sitting side by side. Slowly, almost nervously and without meeting his eyes she curled up next to him; head leaning on his chest, one hand gently curled next to her face, legs pulled up so they were lying slightly on top of his own.

Mori had temporarily overcome his guilt-ridden inability to look at her and was staring at her in sheer amazement. A few short hours ago he had been convinced that she was going to die.

Again, he closed his arms around her, pulling her closer to his chest. Haruhi wriggled slightly to get comfortable and sighed sleepily, her eyes fluttering closed."

"Arigato……Takashi……"

She slept. Mori looked in stunned disbelief into the darkness. She had called him Takashi.

Not long afterwards, Kyouya was making his frantic night-time tour of the rooms in search of Haruhi. He opened the door to Mori's room silently, peeking as far around the door as he dared.

Mori was sitting on his bed, back against the headboard and legs stretched out. Haruhi was curled contently in his arms fast asleep. Mori hadn't even noticed Kyouya come in, he was absorbed in looking at Haruhi. He was running one thumb gently up and down the bare flesh of her forearm, looking down at her with a heart-wrenching look of pained adoration. Kyouya smiled and backed soundlessly out of the room to go and call off the nurses who were currently frantically searing the Ootori mansion for Haruhi.