A/N: Oh those bad twins... I kind of love them being a little mean though... Anyways, it's a good thing I had this mostly done because I'm so drained right now... I have five fics in progress that I'm actively posting, and I'm about to post another one and trying to get the chapters out is wearing me out... But I'm getting lots of positive responses from my wonderful readers, so ultimately it's worth it!

If you happen to be reading any of my other fics, I probably won't be updating ANY of them until Sunday or Monday because I need a break. I'm sorry about that, but I really just need a few days off to clear my head. I was having some fun on Pinterest earlier looking for funny Ouran pics... That's a good way to unwind right there... Nosebleeds galore! Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, and reviews are always much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Ouran Host Club or Tangled.

Chapter 9: Betrayed

Tamaki sees Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin watching him from shore, holding a lantern that gives off a faintly greenish glow. Tamaki's eyebrows knit together and he frowns.

Haruhi picks up on his agitation and starts looking around. "Is… everything okay?" she asks. The twins have already vanished from the shoreline, so she sees nothing.

"Huh? Oh…yes. Of course. I just…" He suddenly looks very uneasy and he glances down at the satchel.

A short time later, they arrive at the lakeshore and Tamaki climbs out.

"I'm sorry. Everything is fine. There's just… something I have to take care of," he says as he picks up the satchel.

Haruhi stares at the satchel in his hand. "…Okay."

"Don't move, princess, I'll be right back," Tamaki promises.

She wrings her hands as she watches him go. "It's all right, Pascal," she says, sounding as though she's trying to convince herself.

Tamaki finally finds Hikaru, who is whittling a stick. "Ah, there you are! I've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated. You look fantastic, by the way, have you been working out?" Hikaru glares and Tamaki clears his throat. "Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm really sorry about being a clumsy idiot and getting you arrested and all. I feel really bad, so here, the crown is all yours. My way of apologizing." He tosses the satchel to Hikaru and the tiara falls out. "I'll miss you guys, but I think it's for the…" He turns to walk away but finds Kaoru standing there. "…best…"

"Holding out on us again, Boss?" Kaoru asks.

"What?" he asks in confusion.

"We heard you found something," Hikaru said, standing up. "Something much more valuable than a crown."

"We want her instead," Kaoru tell him.

Tamaki's eyes widen in horror.

Haruhi has stood up in the boat and is peering into the foggy darkness, waiting for any sign of Tamaki's return. At last she sees a silhouette walking towards her.

"Ah, I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me," she says with a nervous giggle, trying to play her very real fear off as a joke.

The figure steps through the fog and suddenly splits into two forms, and she recognizes them from the gorge.

"Sorry, beautiful. He did," Hikaru tells her.

"What? No. He wouldn't!" Haruhi gasps.

"See for yourself," Kaoru says, gesturing to the lake.

Haruhi squints and sees a sailboat heading off into the lake and she can just make out Tamaki's white-blonde hair and his slender figure at the wheel.

"Tamaki? Tamaki!" Haruhi exclaims, unable to believe the betrayal.

"It was a fair trade," Kaoru told her.

"A crown… for the pretty girl… with the magic hair," Hikaru adds, running his fingers through it.

"How much do you think people would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" Kaoru asks.

"More money than we can imagine. And it doesn't hurt that she's easy on the eyes either. We'll have some fun playing with you," Hikaru says with a smile.

"No… no please… no!" Haruhi yelps, turning and running away. Soon she trips over a log and sprawls onto the ground, scrambling to free her dress. Then she hears some thuds and grunts, then hears Benibara's voice calling her.

"Haruhi!"

"Beni?" Haruhi whispers, scarcely able to believe her own ears.

"Oh!" Benibara gasps, dropping the large stick that she used to club the Hitachiin twins. "My precious girl!"

"Beni!" Haruhi gasps, running over and hugging her.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Benibara demands.

"What… How did you…?"

"I was so worried about you, dear. So I followed you, and I saw them attack you and…" She stops speaking and shudders, holding Haruhi closer and planting a tender kiss on the trembling girl's forehead. "Oh my… Let's go, before they come to!" she exclaims, jumping to her feet and starting to walk into the woods.

Haruhi doesn't move for an instant, she just gazes out into the lake towards the sailboat and Tamaki. Then she turns back to Benibara, who spreads her arms in an obvious "Beni knows best" gesture. Haruhi bursts into tears and flies into Benibara's arms for comfort.

"You were right, Beni. You were right about everything."

Benibara sighs and strokes her hair. "I know, darling. I know." And with that, the pair steps off into the fog.

Across the lake, the boat bumps into the castle's docks with a thunk. The guards see the boat and hurry down. They find Tamaki slowly regaining consciousness.

"Look! The crown!" one of the guards cries.

"Haruhi…" Tamaki mumbles. Then he regains more of his senses. "Haruhi!"

Several guards swarm onto Tamaki and drag him out of the boat, arresting him. Meanwhile Kyouya is strolling along the lakeshore, keeping a watchful eye out for Tamaki and Haruhi and he hears the struggle.

"No, no, no! Hey, wait, guys, guys!" Tamaki shouts. "Haruhi! You don't understand, she's in danger!"

Kyouya's eyes widen. He looks around and sees Mori and Honey approaching. They also hear Tamaki's shouts, and they look at each other and race off into the darkness.

As morning dawns, Tamaki is pacing around in his prison cell when the door opens and Yoshio Ootori stands before him.

"Let's get this over with, Suoh."

"Where are we going?" Tamaki asks. The guards just stare at him and Tamaki touches his own slender throat in realization. "Oh…"

Back in the tower, Benibara is plucking the last of the flowers from Haruhi's hair and brushing it back to its usual straight golden mass.

"There. It never happened." She starts to walk away, leaving Haruhi sitting there, completely lost in her own misery. "Now, wash up. I'm making hazelnut soup," Benibara continues brightly. Seeing that Haruhi hasn't moved an inch, she sighs with a touch of exasperation. "I really did try, Haruhi. I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark and selfish and cruel… If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine… it destroys it." Her voice has real venom in it, but Haruhi doesn't seem to notice.

After Benibara leaves, Haruhi continues to sit on her bed, staring down at a tiny flag with a golden sun printed on it, a little souvenir that Tamaki had given her and that she had concealed from Benibara. Pascal nuzzles her sympathetically. Haruhi sighs and flops onto her back on the bed, staring miserably at the flag, the last tangible reminder of the most wonderful birthday of her life. Then she notices something strange about the picture on her ceiling…

It has the same sun shape! The same shape that she had never seen until yesterday! Looking around, she realizes that she has subconsciously placed the sun motif all over her paintings, and now she can see them everywhere, and they seem to glow and fill her room with their light.

And suddenly she's hit with a flashback of being a baby lying in a cradle and seeing that same sun shape in a mobile about her crib and the shapes of two figures wearing crowns standing above her, and then she thinks of that mural and the story of the lost princess…

And Haruhi leaps to her feet, running to her mirror, remembering standing in front of the mirror downstairs with that tiara on her head and Haruhi is gasping and she can barely breathe. She clutches the edge of the dressing table, sweat beading on her forehead as she stares at her reflection in utter shock and horror at the realization that has just hit her.