Mischief Mage: I guess it really must be Christmas. I promised that i'd have a chapter out today and i was right huzzah! Anyway, here's the final chapter. Hope that you've enjoyed reading it; i've certainly enjoyed writing it. Thank you for your lovely reviews. I wish you all a safe, joyful, AMAZING Christmas.

'Are you taking the bus home?' Kyouya asked conversationally. He had changed into jeans and a black coat.

'Yeah I think so' Haruhi answered, wrapping a scarf about her neck.

'I'll walk you down to the gate.'

'Oh no, don't feel obliged to–'

'Incidentally, the car will be waiting for me down at the gate.'

Typical Haruhi thought.

Haruhi stood out in the corridor as Kyouya turned off the lights and locked the double doors to the music room. Together they trotted down the stairs and out the school doors into the cold. Her cheeks quickly began to glow with the cold. She wrapped her arms about herself. It wasn't snowing heavily but the little wind present was wickedly chilly.

'I've been told that your father will not be spending Christmas with you this year.' Kyouya said, wiping snowflakes from his glasses.

'Yeah, he's overseas with Susie. What about your family?'

'My sister is staying with her husband's family this year. My brothers and Father are occupied at the Hospitals and would not take part in any festivities even if that were not the case.'

Haruhi's ears sensed the slightest tone of bitterness in his voice. It's the sad fact that the Christmas holiday season, whilst meaning joy for many, is a time of sorrow and strife for others; car accidents, drunken antics, cases of domestic violence multiplying as the unfortunate come to terms with their wretched lives with the only way they know how: hard drugs and alcohol. Needless to say, along with its usual patients, the great influx of additional festive crises would certainly keep the hospitals working on overtime.

'That's not really fair.' She said, hunching her shoulders so that her neck receded further into her coat and plunging her freezing fingers deep into her jacket pockets. She had managed to forget her gloves at home. 'Christmas is about families and time together with the people you love.'

'You are in the same situation as I am.'

'Yeah but…it was self-inflicted.'

Sighing, a tuft of steam curling over itself as it vanished, Kyouya removed his gloves and pressed them into her frigid hands.

'Kyouya-senpai…'

'I would rather not look like I'm walking with a hobo'

Haruhi looked away, a dry smile playing about her lips. So much for Christmas spirit

'Anyway,' he continued, 'it makes little difference. It has been more than two decades since my father celebrated Christmas. It's not a traditional Japanese event to him and if anything it's just a waste of expense. I have not been raised with the customs and therefore lack any of the 'Christmas spirit' which you may be familiar with. So that might explain to you why I alone did not have a gift prepared for you today.'

After from the minor panic at having her mind read again, Haruhi conceded that she had been wondering about that and apologised for not having a gift for him.

'I just wasn't sure what to get you,' she said apologetically, 'I can't afford anything of great value so I wanted my gifts to have a deeper meaning.'

Kyouya didn't say anything. He seemed to be feeling the cold now. The senior's face rarely changed in colour despite having a wardrobe-full of different expressions which he could throw on whenever he pleased. In truth, he was just as much of an actor as the twins. But his cheeks and the tip of his nose were now a shiny pink.

Haruhi pressed on.

'But I know the Ootori family has the wealth and means to get any item that they desire,' she reasoned, 'And you've has admitted to me that you function under a merit system; doing only what benefits you most.'

Haruhi sighed. 'I've deduced that far, but I still haven't managed to define what you count as a benefit worth deriving.'

Openly nonplussed, she looked up at Kyouya as though for an explanation. She was taken-aback to see laughter glinting in his eye and seeping out into a grin.

'You may think that I'm a mind reader' he said, his voice more alike that which he projected when he was amongst customers (Haruhi twitched remembering that she had never told him that he had the uncomfortable tendency to read her thoughts,) 'But as a reader of character your ability seems unparalleled. Not saying that you're correct of course.'

She gave a modest closed-mouth smile.

'So what are we going to do about these presents then?' Haruhi asked playfully, feeling more at ease.

'Hmm?'

'I'm still planning to give you something. I just haven't thought what.' She explained in a rush.

Bringing his now bare hands from his pockets, Kyouya put his thumb to his chin as he thought.

Likewise, Haruhi allowed her mind to wander. She watched her senior out of the corner of her eye. As much as her logical side told her that senior Kyouya only did that which benefited him, part of her agreed with Tamaki-senpai that Kyouya was actually a very passionate person. It seemed to part of her that Kyouya acted upon whim but had the presence of mind to imagine some benefit from what he had done after he had done it. Therefore, he managed to maintain an image of the collected young master whilst not surrendering any natural urges.

After all, he it hadn't been necessary to give her his gloves. Neither had it been necessary to walk her down to the gate; the car could have driven up to the school. He could gain no monetary benefit from her friendship. So there must be another form of merit. The small part of her that was pure in female hormone screamed something incoherent. It made her heart skip occasionally which was irritating. She wished it would stop.

'I've got it.' Kyouya said, snapping her out of her day dream.

'Got what?'

His dark eyes scrutinised her until she remembered, which didn't take long.

'Oh right, the gifts. I'm listening.'

'As my gift to you, I,' he said, shivering hands disappearing back into the pockets of his large coat, 'will invite you to Christmas dinner with me tomorrow night. It seems a wrong to be alone on Christmas.'

The wee bit of Haruhi that liked to play with dolls and gossip screamed a bit louder.

'I thought you said you didn't have Christmas spirit. Liar. And…what would I give you then?' she asked, partly dreading the answer.

'You would accept my invitation.'

'…That's all?'

'That's all.'

'Don't you think that's a bit unfair?' Haruhi asked, brow furrowed.

'In what way? Did I ask too much?' He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye; nothing too worried looking of course.

'No! Just…it seems that my present is overshadowed a bit by yours.'

'Hmmm? You think so? Alright, in that case, I ask you to also wear that dress the twins gave you today.'

Haruhi said nothing. Her mind was racing; someone had kidnapped the real Kyouya and now someone was impersonating him. She could scream…or kick him in the knackers and run…and then scream or–

'What do I need to do to make you believe that I'm being serious?'

Sighing, Haruhi patted her inner girl on the head and admitted that perhaps she had been right about whatever she had been making a fuss over.

'Okay I believe you.'

'So how about it?'

'Yes alright.' She said, wincing slightly as her inner girl squealed loudly and began thinking about what to do with Haruhi's hair and what shoooes. Oh! Oh! And earrings and that she was just so excited.

'Kyouya-senpai? May I ask you one question: What benefit do you get from inviting me to dinner?'

'Back to the benefits? Do you enjoy thinking of me in that way?'

She wished that he hadn't referenced her tendency to think at length about him. It made the now ecstatic girl inside of her blush. Not that it showed on the outside of course.

'You're not answering the question.'

'That's because…'

But Haruhi could see him floundering, for the first time in her life.

'You haven't had time to come up with a benefit to suit what you've done, have you?'

Kyouya managed only to look bewildered.

'It doesn't matter' Haruhi said nonchalantly, walking on. As she took her steps, she knew that inside she had taken a step further in understanding the senior. She chuckled, 'So I suppose I now owe you something for that question?'

Kyouya grinned, 'Indeed, and I know just the thing.'

'And what's that?'

He turned to look at her. She couldn't see his eyes behind his glasses, flecked with snow. But she knew that he was looking straight at her. The glow in her cheeks strengthened as she felt something other than the cold.

'May I hold your hand as I walk you to the bus stop? I need to keep a hold of that glove in case I forget it.'

Again, Merry Christmas everyone!