Ahaha, finally an update. This took longer than I intended. It was supposed to be done in about a week but then my computer crashed so I had to rewrite. -_-

Anyway, I'm not going to go into a lenghty speech so please, review! Hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer :: The usual applies.

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She smiled at Kyoya and turned around, running to the adult in front of the limo just outside the gate.

She didn't bother saying good bye and neither did he.

After all, she wasn't going away for long.

Eight years later

It was a warm summer's day. Outside that is. Inside the Third Music room of Ouran High School, the air-conditioning made sure people forgot that there was an 'outside' to worry about. The famed Host Club had just shut down for the day a while ago and now they were cleaning up the place.

Or rather, Haruhi was.

As she walked towards the kitchenette carrying a strategically piled stack of plates, cups and saucers, she drew to a halt when she heard her name from behind. She turned as much as she could without dropping the pile in her arms that would no doubt cost her both arms that she had on at that time.

Unsurprisingly, Tamaki and the twins were making a dash for her from across the room.

Here we go again, she thought with a slight sigh.

She waited for the three to be within jumping distance from her and then to launch themselves at her.

In the split second before they came into contact with her, she took a step back causing them to crash to the floor in a painful tangle of legs, arms and bodies.

Smiling slightly, she resumed her journey to the kitchenette.

"Haruhi! That was mean!" The three had untangled themselves just as she put the pile down on the counter in the kitchenette.

Now free of her burden, she turned and eyed the three young men in front of her.

"You know well enough that I can't afford to break things that could cost me my arms, legs, and God only knew what else." Was the retort she gave.

"But you didn't have to step away. You could have just…"

"…stepped away? Gee, Hikaru, what a wonderful idea. I'll remember that next time." Haruhi said, her voice dripping sarcasm and dryness.

The older Hitachiin blushed slightly. Not because Haruhi had just insulted his intelligence. In fact, it probably didn't even register. No, he was blushing because Haruhi could still tell it was him even though he and Kaoru had changed hair partings earlier.

"But Haruhi! As your father, I have a right to hug you as much as I want! Plus, a hug makes everyone feel better." Tamaki said, attempting to slither closer so he could hug her.

A soft haunting melody twisted its way around the room just as the King finished his sentence. Surprised, everyone started looking around for the source of it.

Haruhi wondered why it sounded vaguely familiar.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!" She looked to where Honey was standing just inside the door to the Third Music room. He was staring curiously at the brown thing that was her school bag.

Her eyes widened and she walked over to her bag, silently wondering why she was getting the call.

Rummaging inside her bag, she pulled out a slim, sleek, expensive-looking black phone and muttered something under her breath when she saw the caller ID.

"Hello? Ah, yes, it's me." She said, as she turned away from the six boys straining (though not visibly) to eavesdrop on the conversation without actually snatching the phone from her.

"Kaoru?"

"Yeah. Where do you think she got it from?"

"What on earth are you two talking about??" Tamaki was slightly bewildered by the twins' speculative gaze on the back of his beloved daughter.

The said redheads exchanged a look and a shrug before answering him.

"It's obvious, Milord. That's not the phone we got her."

"It isn't?"

They rolled their eyes. Trust Tamaki to be this observant. "No, the one we bought her was a different colour."

"And a different model," Honey piped up from somewhere below their waists.

Nodding thoughtfully, Kyoya studied the back of the Host Club's Princess, his spectacles flashing. "It could be that someone else bought it for her."

"Yeah, like a boyfriend," the twins said slyly, identical smirks crossing their faces in anticipation.

Their Lord didn't fail them.

His eyes widened to a point where they made him look like he was being strangled by something invisible and he opened his mouth to say those predictable words...

"WHAT?!"

His mouth snapped shut. That was supposed to have come out of his mouth but the voice wasn't his. The small group turned to the brunette whose back was still facing them. She seemed much more tense now though.

"What do you mean he's coming here?! Now?? That's impossible, you told me yourself that he can't come in here!" she had started to pace frantically around in circles, chewing on her bottom lip. "You've got to stop him. You know as well as I do that if he sets foot in here it'll be trouble. We've got to-"

BAM!

The door to the room was slammed open. Haruhi tensed even more if that was even possible. Instinctively, the boys moved to block her from whoever or whatever just slammed the door open.

A young man in his early twenties was standing in the doorway panting. He shoved chocolate blonde hair out of green eyes that were combing the vast room frantically for something. He looked as though he had run a marathon, the first button of his black shirt was undone and his tie hung loosely around his neck. His sleeves were rolled up untidily to reveal strong, tanned arms.

Kyoya silently thanked God that club hours were over. If the crazed fangirls had been there, all hell would break loose.

"Tammy! Where's Tammy??" he nearly shouted in his distress at not finding whatever it was he was looking for. He grabbed for the nearest person, who happened to be Tamaki.

"I know she's in here! She couldn't have left so early. Where are you hiding her??" Tamaki sweat-dropped. He couldn't help wondering if this man was a bit wrong in the head, to put it nicely.

A sharp voice rang out from behind them just as the man was about to shake Tamaki by his collar and demand to see 'Tammy' again.

"Adrian, stop it!"

Adrian whipped around, mouth open to fire whoever it was who interrupted him. He stopped short and his eyes widened slightly. Haruhi was leaning casually against the now closed door, arms and feet crossed. But her expression told a different story.

If looks could kill.. Kyoya thought, slightly amused by what he had witnessed so far. He was also trying to ignore the feelings the name Tammy seemed to stir in him. He would be happier if they stayed buried, the feelings.

Adrian's hand flew to his mouth, stifling a moan as he realized what he'd just done.

"H-Haruhi, hi. Didn't see you there when I came in." He laughed nervously, hoping beyond hope that Haruhi wouldn't kill him for his mess up.

She smiled grimly. Apparently, his hopes were not meant to be realized. "Out. Now."

He scampered after her and after they left, the only sound in the room for some time to come was the soft click as the door swung back into place.

The Host Club, for once, were speechless. Nothing of what happened made sense to any of them. This was why they decided that the best course of action was an ancient technique. A proven yet simple method to understanding the situation.

They rushed to the door and pressed their ears against it, for once cursing the fact that the door had to be made of such good quality, thick wood.

Luckily for them, they could hear the conversation because the empty halls outside echoed.

"What do you think you're doing here?" The sharpness in Haruhi's voice hadn't gone away.

"I-I had to. It's important and I couldn't get you on your phone."

"Well, what is it? Did you tell anyone else you were coming here or did you just rush out of the office again?"

Adrian cleared his throat as an answer.

Haruhi sighed loudly. "Then whatever it is, it had better be important."

That was the last thing the six behind the door could hear.

"Milord, what do you think they're talking about?" asked the twins who had sidled up behind him.

Tamaki shrugged, trying to make sense of everything. His eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "I know! Haruhi's real father is in trouble!"

There was a chorus of gasps around him.

"Ne, Hikaru, don't you think it's weird Milord actually came up with something so… probable?" Kaoru asked his double in a stage whisper.

In reply, he got a glare from said overdramatic blonde.

The door opened again and the small group of boys rushed to where Haruhi was standing, her anger almost gone.

"Guys, I have to go back. I'll do the cleaning up tomorrow or you can just add it to my debt." Adrian got her bag while she was talking then stood next to her looking rather sheepish.

"I-uh I'm sorry about the trouble earlier." He ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair. "It's just that I tend to get a little too overdramatic when I'm unsettled as I've been told often." He smiled down almost tenderly at Haruhi who was grinning mischievously up at him.

The twins and Tamaki sucked in their breaths. Could this man be…? No, no, there is no way this man could be Haruhi's boyfriend.

The two turned around and waved as they walked off. A little way down the corridor, aware of the six pairs of eyes trailing after them, Adrian snaked an arm around Haruhi's neck and whispered something in her ear with a smile on his face. Haruhi laughed and turned to plant a kiss on his cheek. She was going to be in for hell tomorrow but she couldn't help herself. It was too fun teasing her friends.

Ootori Mansion

That night Kyoya was sitting at his desk attempting to finish his homework but unfortunately, a pair of big brown eyes kept distracting him.

Sighing, he put his pen down and let his memories take over.

FLASHBACK

This was the last letter he would be getting from her. Though he hadn't known that when he had eagerly snatched it off the stand they had in the hall for letters. He had run up to his room, ignoring his father's calls to go into the breakfast parlour.

Sitting on his bed, he tore the envelope open and pulled out the lengthy letter inside. It smelled of dew, a smell he had always associated with her. Her neat cursive handwriting filled three pages. He began reading as though it was his lifeline.

After reading it, his joy at receiving a letter from her after so long had faded into shock and dismay. She was usually very detailed in her letters and she still called him nii-san after all these years. This time, even though the pet name still stuck, he could sense that there was something wrong. Three pages of tales, all ending with news that tore his 14-year-old heart apart.

Her parting words would haunt him for months to come, and though no changes will be seen on the outside, inside, this young man had learned something valuable.

Hope was just a waste of time.

"I know I promised to come back, and I will. But right now, I'm needed here and until the next time we meet, I cannot contact you. I'm sorry if this sounds cold, nii-san, but believe me when I tell you in all honesty that this is for the best."

XXX,

T

END FLASHBACK

Kyoya sighed again and blinked a few times to get rid of that annoying stinging feeling in his eyes. Ever since then, he'd managed to keep himself detached from people, even Tamaki, to a certain extend.

Until she had come. She was so much like her, that brunette. When he first saw her, he was shocked to see their resemblance. He had wondered about it but had dismissed it after digging around a bit.

There was no connection between the two. Nothing but their personalities and appearance were similar. And with that knowledge, he had felt the hope, the one feeling he had promised to keep under lock and key dwindle again, leaving him with a hollowness that he was very familiar with.

He got up and walked over to his desk. Pulling out the key he wore around his neck, he unlocked the last drawer and slowly pulled it open. He was hit by a waft of dew, soft and haunting. He stared at the stack of letters piled neatly inside. Next to them was another stack of photo. These, he pulled out, looking at each, savouring the sweet memories that came to him when he saw her with that beautiful smile on her face.

Too soon, he reached the last photo. This was his favourite and he spent a long time just looking at it. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and her face peeped out from his left shoulder. Her smile was even more dazzling and even after all this time, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face when he thought of her laughing.

He put the photos back into their drawer. There they would stay until she came back.

One week later

The Host Club was proceeding as usual. Though the number of guests were less, since Haruhi had claimed to be too sick to attend today. Many of the girls commented on this, saying that Haruhi had actually seemed pale ever since the beginning of the week. It didn't surprise them then, when the King announced that their "Natural Rookie" wasn't available today.

Kyoya and Mori were both free, as neither were as popular as the others due to their quiet (and scary) nature. The two dark-haired Hosts sat at a table, a little way from the other tables where their friends were entertaining guests.

Mori's nose was glued to a thick book that he was reading at an alarming speed while Kyoya, being Kyoya, was typing away on his Pineapple laptop. For some time, the only sounds heard at the table were the clicking of keys being pressed and the occasional flip of paper as Mori turned a page.

The general noise in the room dimmed a bit when the door opened. Both tenants of the table did not look up as they had not heard anything.

Being hospitable as ever, Tamaki walked (or strutted, whichever you wish) over to the door and pulled it open completely, revealing the small figure standing there to the whole room.

There were audible gasps as everyone took in the appearance of the girl. She was not a student from Ouran, that was obvious from the lack of the yellow, puffy-sleeved uniform donned by the girls. Instead, she had on a stylish pair of black hip jeans with a silver studded belt. She wore a plain t-shirt that was short enough to reveal a bit of her midriff. Over that, she wore a simple faded denim half jacket.

Tamaki couldn't stop staring. Neither could any of the other Hosts (those that were paying attention). She looked just like Haruhi. Although, this girl had black hair instead of the dirty brown locks that the cross-dressing girl had. She also had on spectacles that looked a lot like the ones Kyoya wore. Everything else about her face was similar though. Even her height was the same!

Belatedly realizing that he was staring open-mouthed at the gorgeous girl in front of him like a moron, Tamaki cleared his throat, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Welcome, princess. How can the Host Club help you?" he gave her his most dazzling smile.

By now, aware of the lack of noise in the room, the two dark-haired boys sitting by themselves had turned to where all the attention was centered. There was a cluster of girls 'ooh-ing' at something. Kyoya got up to go see what was happening when the 'something' the girls were admiring pushed through the group of girls.

Kyoya sat back down. Actually, he fell back down but we all know that Kyoya's more elegant than that. Her eyes scanned the room until they locked with a pair of shocked black eyes.

This couldn't be happening, the bespectacled boy thought almost frantically. He had gotten no warning, no notice at all. He tried to calm himself down. No use losing control in front of all these people, he reasoned silently. He couldn't get rid of the shock in his eyes though. Nor the growing hope in his heart. Maybe... just maybe...

Her lips split into a grin and he was catapulted back in time to when they were still young and could afford to forget everything else. Everything in the room seemed to fade away into the background as she walked towards him. Stopping in front of him, the grin still on her face, she stared up into the glassy eyes of her best friend. She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him. His first hug since she had left years ago.

"I'm back, nii-san," she whispered softly, so that only those who were close by could hear her.

Shaking out of his trance, he slipped his arms around her as well and buried his face in her shoulder, fighting vainly to stop the stream of tears that threatened to spill out when he recognised the scent of dew on her skin. Once he'd gotten them in check, he straightened up again, a soft smile on his face. "It's good to know you still keep your promises, Tammy."

Someone behind them cleared their throat. The moment was lost as Kyoya looked up to see Tamaki standing nearby with the rest of the Host Club behind him. Being the romantic that he was, he had declared that the Host Club would be closed early as soon as he saw the two of them look at each other, causing a lot of moaning and complaining from those who wanted to see what was going on between the newcomer and the Shadow King.

The idiot was grinning like a...well...idiot.

Suddenly self-concious, he begin to pull away, only to have her put a hand on his to stop him. He looked at her quizzically and she smiled up at him. "Nii-san, I need to tell all of you something."

"What is it?" he asked, not really caring since all that mattered was that she was there. She let go of his arm and turned to face the rest of the room.

Her voice was quiet but it rang throughout the room. "I'm Tammy, Kyoya's friend-"

"Of course you are! Why, I've never seen Kyoya smile like that and I've known him for several years now." Tamaki babbled. He was happy for his friend. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong time to show it.

"Milord, shut up will you? You interrupted the princess and you're the one who insists on good manners," the twins chimed.

Tamaki blushed and mumbled something in French under his breath. Tammy burst out laughing, drawing the gaze of all six boys there. She stopped and her smile was wobbly, as though she was trying to control her laughter. "Guys, it's me."

That confused them. They stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Haruhi. I'm Haruhi. Or rather, Tamora Haruhi Brooks." She said, rolling her eyes at the stupidity of her friends.

"WHAT?!?" they stared at her, shocked and speechless. Ignoring the others, she turned to Kyoya who was a little less surprised than the others but was still pretty ruffled. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out, nii-san. I thought it would be pretty obvious." She said, laughter evident in her voice.

Waking up from his stupor, Kaoru spoke up tentatively, "Haruhi, you mean you're not really a commoner?" Haruhi shook her head.

"Then Ranka-san and your mother.." Hikaru trailed off, unable to come to terms with the fact that Haruhi was in actual fact the daughter of one of the most powerful men – no, scratch that, the most powerful man in this day, Darren Brooks. The Brooks family was also an ancient family, their history going back to when before World War II.

"My mother, I didn't lie about. She died when I was young and Ranka is her brother, my uncle and Godfather. Which technically makes him my dad." She said, secretly enjoying the shock on the faces of her friends yet slightly worried to how they will react.

"Haru-chan, why didn't you tell us before?" Honey asked.

The smile on her face faded. She looked at the floor, suddenly finding the plain white tiles extremely interesting. "I couldn't,"she mumbled.

"Why?"

She looked at them again, her gazed roving over each and everyone of them.

"Because I didn't want my best friend to lose everything he had." She said softly.