Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. There would have been romance by now and I would have been rolling in money instead of typing a story on FF.

Move Along by the All-American Rejects

"When all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
and even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through."

Chapter 5:

"How do you know all this?" Kaoru said, ignoring Halley's joke. "I mean, it's just crazy!"

"You don't get it? I'm from an alternate universe! ... sigh, Alright, I'll try to reveal something else about you: Your parents, who are a fashion designer and a computer software designer, are often away. Want more? Tamaki, Haruhi, and your parents are the only ones who can always tell you apart from Hikaru. However, Haruhi is the only one who was able to do that immediately, which interested you two. She is currently your 'toy.'"

To put it bluntly, Kaoru felt naked. It was as though his life was being read like an open book. If this anime/manga did exist, then it probably invades his privacy even more, along with the rest of the hosts.

"You know what, Halley?" Kaoru inquired. "I think I actually believe you." Kaoru couldn't believe the words he spoke merely seconds ago. He thought he was going crazy. But could a lie like that really be made up? She had the information to back it up, too.

Halley was shocked and ecstatic. "Hallelujah! Oh my God, Kaoru, you're awesome!" She hugged him quickly and then continued informing him of the current situation.

"Alright, I don't know when the others will stop the food fight I started, but—"

"That was you!" Kaoru interrupted. "I thought it was the King!" Halley must have been some sort of evil genius, Kaoru thought. He supposed he could deal with it as long as she was not as manipulative and evil as Kyoya.

"Oh, yeah, that was me. I needed a way to talk to you, didn't I? What did you think I was doing while sitting with Honey and Mori? Fawning over their cuteness?" Halley asked.

"Alright, I guess you have got a point. But can I ask why you chose me?"

"Well, see, that's a complicated question. I am most familiar with the Host Club, so I needed to choose from you guys. After I thought about it for a long time, I ruled out Tamaki, Hikaru, and Honey because they would tell somebody. Mori would not be of much use to me and he wouldn't feel comfortable keeping a secret from Honey, either. I didn't trust Kyoya,—No way in hell do I trust Kyoya with anything—leaving the choice between you and Haruhi. I honestly wanted to approach Haruhi first because I knew she would know what to do, but I decided not to. You wouldn't know this, but she is the main protagonist of the series.

"I didn't want to alter the plot too much. The manga actually finished recently, and the anime was finished a long time ago, but I want to make sure the ending stays the same. It's not my creation, so I can't change it just because I can.

"There's another reason, too. I know that Haruhi would have more trouble helping me out than you, Kaoru. Unlike her, you're rich! I was actually hoping you had an extra bedroom or something. We wouldn't have to deal with your parents because they are usually away. I can lie to Hikaru, I guess, too."

Halley finished her explanation and took a breather. "Oh, God, that was a lot of talking."

Kaoru shook his head in disbelief at her behavior. Nevertheless, he considered her plan. "You really thought this through, didn't you?"

"Yeah. So, what do you say? I don't know if we have much time left. There can only be so many hiding spots at Ouran." Halley smiled.

MEANWHILE...

"Kao-Chan's not in the cafeteria!" Honey yelled, who's eyes were now filled with determination.

"He's not inside any of our classrooms." Haruhi mentioned.

"This isn't good." Hikaru replied worriedly. He was pacing around the hallway, wondering where his brother could be. Pacing proved to be difficult though, because he only had on one shoe. He made a mental note to look for it later.

Hikaru had organized the whole search party. It was as if he were the general of a host club army. "Mori-Senpai, is he in any of the bathrooms?" Hikaru demanded. He saw him shake his head. Mori still had a staid expression, but his eyes were full of worry. Hikaru proceeded to stomp his foot on the floor. "Damn."

Tamaki returned, and after he said he couldn't find Kaoru, he began to go over the top. "Should we call the police? What if Kaoru has been kidnapped! He might be dead! Oh, no! I should never have called him evil! What should we do, Mommy?" Tamaki ran to the nearest corner to sulk, but not before he heard Kyouya's voice.

"Calm down," Kyouya ordered. "The police aren't necessary. Has anybody checked the extra classrooms?"

"Oh, no! We haven't." Hikaru said. He prayed that he was there. They could not lose hope yet.

"Yes!" Tamaki returned to his proud self. "That little devil must have hid in the smartest hiding spot in Ouran! I knew he was alive! And evil!"

His response from the whole room was a bunch of sighs.

IN THE MEANTIME...

"I know it'll be hard lying to Hikaru, but, then again, you are in a tight spot, so... I guess I'm helping you out."

"Thank you so much Kaoru! Okay, so when they find us-"

Crash! Kaoru and Halley jumped and saw none other than the Host Club at the door. They had yet to clean themselves, so Kaoru and Halley were amused at how they looked.

Tamaki, in particular, had a triumphant look on his face, as if he had conquered the world. Hikaru was smiling, whereas Honey and Mori seemed relieved. Kyoya was still upset about the money he lost.

Halley covered a smirk with her hand in a bad attempt to keep composure. For some reason, anything involving Kyoya not getting his way was histerical to Halley. She would probably not be seeing that behavior from Kyoya for a while, so she decided to savor it.

Meanwhile, Hikaru was happy to see his identical twin. He couldn't help but hug him, even though he was only getting him dirty in the process. "Kaoru! Why were... You're still here?"

Hikaru had just noticed Halley's presence. Halley raised an eyebrow and nodded. She was amused by the situation.

"Oh."

"So," Kaoru started, "Why do you only have one shoe, Hikaru?"

"That was you?" Kyouya interrupted, rubbing his left arm. "That hurt like hell!"

Halley could not have been happier at the moment. It could be seen on her face. Things were just going her way that day.

Haruhi spoke up, to keep the conversation from getting worse. "So why are you guys hiding... alone... together?"

Halley worried. Admittedly, the situation looked pretty weird from an innocent spectator's point of view. It could easily be mistaken for... something else. With a nonchalant expression, she explained, "Oh, well... uh..."

After noticing Halley struggle to come up with an answer, Kaoru spoke up. "...I ran out of the room to avoid getting covered in food."

"You coward!" Tamaki interrupted, which caused the people in the room to send a harsh glare in his direction.

"Anyway," She continued. "He still got covered in food, so it was kind of pointless..." Kaoru glared at Hikaru. "But he ran into me and explained why he was running. We started talking, and stuff. Oh, and he found out I needed a place to stay."

"So..." Hikaru said, catching on.

"Yup!" Halley hesitantly put her arms around Hikaru and Kaoru's shoulders. "Starting today, we're living together!"