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.

If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz

"Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me"

Chapter 16:

Knock, knock.

"Come in!" Halley hollered when she heard her visitors knocking. She was wide awake and had already changed her clothes and brushed her hair. Halley was sitting on her bed, which was already made, reading a book on the history of Japan.

In came two of the maids, dressed in their traditional blue and white maid outfits. They had long, dark hair and those weren't the only similarities between the two that stood before her. They shared an identical blasé look on their faces that never faltered even once in the time that she had been there.

Halley still wasn't quite used to the depressed atmosphere every time they entered the room. The maids back home were so happy and friendly, she thought.

"Breakfast is ready, ma'am." The two maids said glumly.

Halley's eye twitched as she replied, "Great! I'll be right out!"

They retreated and proceeded to go wake up the twins, who were probably sleeping like a pair of babies.

Halley went outside in the hall a few moments later, and flinched as she heard Hikaru yell in the twin's room. Surprised, she rushed into their room, hoping nothing had happened to them. What she saw, though, was not something she was necessarily prepared for.

Two… identical… shirtless… b... Her mouth dropped as she saw the stunning scene: Hikaru and Kaoru were in their bed, shirtless, and had eyes open wide like a deer in head lights. Hikaru was holding a cell phone, clearly distraught. Kaoru was rubbing his eyes, as if he just woke up.

"Whoa! That wasn't called for!" Hikaru yelled, not ready for her sudden entrance. "And you say that I need to knock?"

Snapping out of her daze, Halley frowned at Hikaru's words. "Hey, what else am I supposed to do when I hear someone screaming? What happened, anyway?"

"Well… Haruhi's missing…"

"My precious daughter!" Tamaki's voice was still screaming over the phone, which made the three of them flinch. He proceeded to babble some nonsense and continue the conversation with the others on the phone (Honey, Mori, Kyouya, and the twins).

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it." Halley said, much to the twin's surprise. Hikaru gave her a sideways glance, whereas Kaoru gave her a questioning look. Halley merely pointed toward the brain in her head in a comedic fashion, which was supposed to tell Kaoru something like I know about this already.

"My lord," Hikaru spoke, "Your voice is way too loud. Just call her cell phone."

"Cell phone? Like Haruhi would possess such a thing?" Tamaki screamed. Halley laughed to herself.

While Tamaki started babbling on about another one of his theories, Kyouya calmly said "Pardon the interruption of your dramatic paranoia, but Haruhi is in Karuizowa right now."

"Karuizowa?" Halley said, playing dumb.

"Yeah, it's this tourist attraction! Mostly rich people are there, though…" Honey explained over the phone.

Tamaki must have been as dumbstruck as he sounded. "Haruhi… bankrupt… got kidnapped… Karuizowa?" He was in a daze.

"Calm down already!" Kyouya said, annoyed. Hikaru and Kaoru nodded at the same time, though Halley wondered why they did so when they could not see them over the phone.

"Yeah! And call us back later. We're done with this conversation." Hikaru said to the others.

"Bye!" The two said as they hung up.

"Geez, the first thing in the morning, too…" Kaoru complained exasperatedly. "Well, we'll see you at breakfast, Halley."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you're in our room and we need to change? That is, unless you want to stick around for that…" Hikaru and Kaoru tempted.

"I'll pass. I don't need to be let down at 8 AM." She winked.

"… Hey!" They yelled.

"Just stating the facts, boys." She winked. "Oh, and I hope this teaches you to listen to me more."

"And what am I supposed to learn from this, exactly?" Hikaru questioned.

"Not to come into people's rooms unannounced, of course!"

Kaoru face-palmed as if right on cue.

"Tch, whatever." Hikaru said, suddenly not in the room to joke around.

"Alright…" Halley said. An awkward silence followed.

"Things aren't the same without our toy here, huh…" Hikaru said seriously to his brother, as if Halley was not even in the room.

Kaoru sent a curious glance in his brother's direction. His face brightened when he came up with a wonderful idea. "Hey! We should visit her in Karuizowa!"

Hikaru's spirits lifted. "Let's do it! I'll call the King after breakfast. Knowing him, he came up with the same idea after we hung up." He laughed.

"Great idea, guys! I guess I'll see you guys downstairs, then!" Halley bid them farewell and left.