Ohmygod! I Know, it's been a rediculously long time, and I'm so so so sorry! In less than a month, it'll have been a whole year! Absolutley rediculous and I'm sorry. But I'm back now. One of the reasons it took so long was because I haven't watched an episode of Host Club since probably before I wrote Unknown, and I just couldnt get into the story or the characters. But its 4 am now (what did I once say about my writing at night) and I went back earlier and reread what I'd written so far, and I think I managed to write a decent new chapter. I hope my writing style hasn't changed in the last year or anything.

Just one more chapter now, and I've got it planned out in my head already, and then the epilogue, which my brain is just starting to plan. I have a ton of other new ideas, but I've absolutely forbidden myself from writing anything else until I finish this story, and I mean to finish it. So expect a new chapter soon, maybe not right away soon, but hopefully before my birthday (I'LL BE 16 IN SEPTEMBER!)...in fact, I think I'll get started on it now, maybe I'll force myself to finish it in the next few days.

Anyways, I'm so sorry again, and thank you so much to anyone who reviewd telling/asking me to keep going, those reviews were a huge factor in me getting my butt in gear. I love every one of you!

Brea

Chapter 7

Fires and Parties

If Kyouya let out a gasp as Haruhi's lips descended on his, it was lost to them in the explosion of a loud bang from one of th

If Kyouya let out a gasp as Haruhi's lips descended on his, it was lost to them in the explosion of a loud bang from one of the adjoining rooms. Haruhi had only a second to feel the thin lips of the Host Club's vice president before the two had jumped apart, and the rose was forgotten on the floor between them.

A potentially awkward silence was broken by the entrance of Ginei, the limo driver from earlier that day.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Ootori, I was takin' a short cut to my room through the parlor and accidentally kicked a settee. I hope I didn't disturb you sir."

"It's no problem, Ginei. I was just headed to bed myself. Goodnight, Haruhi, I hope you sleep well." And the cold façade of the Ootori heir returned as without so much as a pause, he turned and made his way out of the expansive library.

Haruhi smiled at Ginei as she stood from her pace, uttering a polite goodnight as she collected her book and followed Kyouya's path from the library.

Ginei smiled as he watched Haruhi leave, waiting for the large doors to click shut before his face fell to a deep scowl and he looked over to where the two had been sitting.

Walking over, he bent to pick something up from the floor, glaring at it before crushing it in his palm and throwing it into the crackling fireplace. The echo of the slamming servants door was all that remained in the room as the rose Kyouya had stared so intently at blackened and curled in the flames.

It was so warm. Haruhi sighed as she snuggled deeper into the soft mattress and heavenly blankets of her bed.

In her dreams, there had been no loud noise, and no awkward silence, and no goodnight. In her dreams, her moment with Kyouya had gone on to last all night, and even though she knew it was ridiculous, Haruhi half expected to open her eyes and see Kyouya next to her, chest bare and sheets pulled around his waist.

Beautiful. And she sighed happily again as she once more began to fall into the arms of blissful sleep.

"Haruhi!" a voice that was not Kyouya's sing-songed her name from the foot of her bed, dragging a bleary-eyed Haruhi from her haze. "Hunny?" Haruhi sat up and let the covers pool around her waist. "What are you doing in here, Hunny?"

"Saying 'good morning'!" The chibi senior climbed over the side of her bed to sit next to her. "Bunny says 'good morning' too!"

"Good morning, Bunny." Haruhi smiled at the plush toy held up to her face and then at Hunny as she quickly woke all the way up and he continued to talk.

"Tamaki wanted to come wake you up, but I made him stay behind. Only, now you'd better hurry or there might not be any breakfast left by the time you get down stairs!"

At this point, Hunny all but pushed her from the bed and towards the bathroom, where Haruhi quickly showered and brushed her teeth. As she emerged from her bathroom ten minutes later, she found Hunny still waiting in her room, obviously having picked out clothes for her to wear.

Haruhi was just pulling on the sun dress the smallest host club member had chosen for her when Hunny spoke again from the other side of her changing screen.

"Haruhi?" She didn't understand why he would sound so hesitant; he'd never had any trouble speaking to her before. "You're not gonna marry Suoh, are you?" Haruhi blanched.

"Where on Earth would you get an idea like that?" Coming out from behind the screen, Haruhi could only stare into the perfectly serious and all-grown-up eyes of her eldest friend. "I just don't think Tamaki is right for you, I don't want you to make a mistake, Haruhi."

Turning away from the mature eyes in the face of her friend, Haruhi's eyes fell in contemplation as she slipped into her sandals. "Hunny, I'm not gonna marry Tamaki. I don't think my even being with Tamaki was ever an option for me." She bit her lip. "Besides, I think I would someday like to marry someone else." She glanced back at him as she adjusted her sandal strap. "Does that sound okay to you? If I marry someone else."

"Only if he's someone I like, Haru-chan." Hunny stepped foreword to hug his friend, before pulling back and looking into her eyes with his young ones again. "So hurry up, we gotta get food!" and grabbing her hand the two were out in the hall and headed for the stairs before Haruhi could even process the conversation they'd just had.

"So what are our plans for the day, Kyouya?" She was peering at him from her spot across the table, her fingers setting down the stem from the strawberry she'd just eaten and her lips red with the juice.

Dude, she asked you a question.

"I think Mom said we were having a party tonight, right Mom?"

Too Late.

Kyouya cleared his throat and glanced at Suoh before looking back at Haruhi. "Yes, I was thinking that since Fuyumi was leaving tomorrow morning, we could all get together tonight. Fuyumi is always talking about wanting to see you more, Haruhi."

Haruhi just smiled as she reached for another piece of fruit from the bowl in front of her, a party sounded like just what she needed. Maybe she'd manage to relax and stop feeling so damn awkward about last nights encounter with Kyouya. Though it would be so much easier if he could manage to acknowledge her a little more than before. They had shared a moment, right? 'Cause right now she was beginning to wonder if she had dreamed that too.

"Hooray, a party! Where's it going to be, Kyouya?" Serious Hunny had not even made a hint of an appearance in the forty five minutes since Haruhi had been dragged from her room, and she wasn't sure whether to be relieved that the conversation was over to be puzzled at what they'd talked about. Obviously Hunny had to have known something, how could he not, he really was much more observant than people gave him credit for.

"I hadn't quite decided yet, Hunny-chan. I was thinking we could go to one of the beach-side cottages. Ginei mentioned that there were a few empty for the month that we could use."

It was at this point that Fuyumi entered the room, in all her social-butterfly glory. "Oh, a party on the beach! I know just the place. You just leave it all to me, Kyouya. Oh, it'll be fantastic." Fuyumi turned to the twins, the only resident fashion experts besides herself. "What do you guys think beachwear or something extravagant? How about a costume party!"

"A costume party!" It was a miracle Mori managed to keep Hunny from knocking the left over breakfast feast from the table in his eagerness. "Oh, I love costume parties! What do you think Haru-chan?"

Haruhi smiled at the boyish teen. "I think it sounds great, Hunny-chan. But I didn't bring a costume."

Kaoru stood up at the end of the table. "Well that's no problem, of course. I know me and Hikaru can find you something spectacular, Haruhi."

"Of course." His twin broke in. "I can see it now, it'll be our finest piece ever, a combination of modern and contemporary, present and past." The rougher twin gave her a toothy grin. "And absolutely perfect, of course."

"Ah yes, perhaps a beautiful Goddess! Oh, Haruhi, you'd make such a fantastic goddess!"

Well I guess Tamaki's happy with the idea.

Of course he is. At least he's paying attention to her.

I spoke to her!

Barely! She's not gonna wait around forever, ya know. Something happened last night, and you're sitting here like it was just another night of Host Club activities.

But it was so much more than that.

So tell her that.

But Kyouya never got the chance to speak to Haruhi as before his very eyes, his plan for a simple beach party with his friends turned into an extravaganza that only his sister, the Hitachiin Twins, and Suoh Tamaki could manage.

That night, after countless costume fittings with the twins and Fuyumi, giving opinions on no less than 78 different types of possible foods, helping Tamaki pick the best balloons, and then being ambushed by a team of stylists hired by Fuyumi, Haruhi was finally alone in her room, dressed and ready, admiring herself in her full length mirror.

The dress really was magnificent, everything Kaoru and Hikaru promised it would be. With a high neck, a corset that actually gave her cleavage, and a thin floor length skirt, the maroon dress with black accents was more than Haruhi could have ever hoped for. Her makeup was done excellently by Fuyumi's stylists, with dark shadowed eyes, pronounces cheek bones, and dark red lips to frame the capped fangs she now sported.

I never thought I'd think it, but I look good as a vampire.

Try as she might, though, Haruhi couldn't manage to fool herself into believing that that was the only thought ringing through her head.

Kyouya has to notice me tonight. There's no way that he can't.

Her train of thought…well, her train of denial…was cut off as there was a knock at her door. Opening the wooden barrier between her and the hall, Haruhi was surprised to find not any of the Host Club members, but Ginei waiting for her. "If you're ready, ma'am, Master Ootori asked me to drive you down to the cottage."

Haruhi was surprised. "Aren't we all going together?" No one had made any hint that they were taking separate cars.

"I'm sorry, miss, Mistress Ootori wanted her brother and the twins to help her with some last minute preparations at the cottage, and Misters Tamaki, Haninozuka, and Morinozuka decided to go along to help." Ginei smiled apologetically at her. "Whenever you're ready to go, Miss."

Haruhi smiled at the young man in her doorway. "Of course, just give me one second." Moving quickly back to her bureau, Haruhi removed a small red rose from its vase and held it up to the side of her chest, comparing its color with the color of her dress. Coming to a decision, she very carefully pinned it to the bottom edge of her corset, over her hip, where it could easily be seen. The little white mark on the rose stood out against her dark dress and she turned back to the door and the driver waiting in the hall.

"Okay, I'm ready now."

Down in the basement garage, The Host Club members gathered, looking over the Ootori's selection of cars at the manor. None of them noticed that a small servant's car was parked out in from of the manor's doors, and none of them noticed the "bell of the ball" climb inside and be driven away.