i know, i'm evil. i'm so sorry i havent updated in a while, but i just got a project hauled off on me. :(

dont own!

Chapter 4.

Mori p.o.v

She was looking round the resort with a half incredulous half where-am-I look on her face. It dropped into an 'oh' face the moment Tamaki rested his hand on her shoulder. For some reason, this made me a feel a lot lighter. As Tamaki prattled on about preserving looks her shoulders tensed and her fingers twitched. She would much rather be at home studying in something comfortable than be here in a hideous yellow hoodie and cute green tartan boy shorts.

I felt kind of bad; after all, we did kidnap her from in front of her house. Well, the twins did.

I balanced Mitsukuni on my shoulders, wriggling about to make him laugh, before setting him down and having a drink. In the meantime he ran off to Haruhi, who was being harassed by the Hitachiin twins. I saw her irritation grow as she tried and failed to describe an inflatable kiddie pool to them.

Honey was tugging on her arm to get her attention.

"Play in the current pool with me?" he asked, his brown eyes suddenly huge. There was a tense muscle in her neck as she shook her head no, walking away from Tamaki and the twins, who were being annoying. After a few steps she paused and looked at Honey, confusion written in her Bambi eyes.

"You don't need a float." She said dumbly. Mitsukuni winked at her.

"Just looks cuter this way." He giggled before running off. He ran over to me, in fact, and begged me to play with him in the current pool instead of Haruhi. I didn't have the heart to say no; never did. I glanced over at Haruhi, whose fists were slowly clenching and unclenching, and her eyes were trained on the throats of the three boys arguing in front of her. I patted Mitsukuni on the head before striding over and throwing the girl over my shoulder. She let out a little shriek, causing the boys to pause in their bickering, but by then I had walked away, setting her down in a beach chair overlooking the pool and far away from Tamaki, Kaoru and Hikarou.

Then I smiled at Honey as he floated past me in the pool laughing and waving his arms above his head. He really was cute. I started to swim in the water and felt a small body climb on to my back, and then Honey was laughing and calling out to the others, as I sliced though the water.

Haruhi was still in the chair I put her in when I decided to take a break. I walked over to her slowly and she smiled slightly, lifting a glass. I smiled in return, drinking it and handing it back.

Then with a thump the earth began to shake beneath us and Mitsukuni was gone, carried off by the water. I tried to get to him, but I slipped.

I…slipped. I never slipped. Never. I wasn't like Tamaki; I was skilled in a multitude of martial arts. My senses were so honed even i thought it was creepy. I quite literally never trip. So why did I slip now? Now, when it was most important that I didn't?

Before I knew it, Mitsukuni was gone, swept away by the churning waters of the current pool.

We all began running towards the pool that looked like it was the quickest way to where Mitsukuni had gone. We then ran in the other direction, after being snapped at by alligators.

"Okay, so we can't use that pool." Tamaki panted. We ran towards another place, only for the same thing to happen. After a few more tries we just looked at Kyoya, who unfurled a map. Haruhi's flared nostrils demanded to know why he hadn't done that sooner.

After plotting our route, we set off, to find Mituskuni.

Haruhi stayed near me as we trudged through the jungle, and for that I was glad. I wouldn't be half so calm if it weren't for her. She began to get spooked by the animal noises coming from around us, and once, when the noise was particularly close, she grabbed my hand in a jerky, involuntary move. She let go again almost immediately, but I could still feel the ghost of her warm hand, smooth against the calloused palm of my own hand.

I tripped again, my legs going out from under me, only this time, I was so near Haruhi I sent her careening down as well. she wasn't heading for the soft landing, where her landing pad would be me, however. She was going to fall and smash her head on a raised, rather pointy, nasty looking rock. I rolled twice so that I was once again on my back, only now Haruhi was going to land on me, and that is a good thing.

Her tiny body hitting me at full pelt like that knocked the wind out of me, but if she'd landed on that rock, she would have been very injured, possibly dead. And I couldn't have that now, could I? Not to someone I care about so much.

She looked down at me and I felt her muscles tense. She was nervous, and uncomfortable, so I lifted her off of me, standing as I did so. She blushed as I set her on her feet.

There was an ominous rumble and Kyoya looked at his watch.

"Oh no. It's time for the squall."

We ran towards a gazebo Kyoya said was a little way away, and when we reached it I looked out the window. It felt so wrong not to have Mitsukuni here with me. I was so worried.

She was asking about me, and about my relationship with Honey. I could tell she was surprised about the answer; her toes waggled, just a little. She looked at me before walking over. She placed a warm, small hand on my arm, and I turned to look at her. How easy would it be for me to just lift her up and place her on my shoulders? She was small enough. It felt so strange not having anyone up there.

"It's all going to be alright. He'll be okay." She whispered. "He's a lot tougher than we think he is. And if he gets hungry the trees are full of bananas."

I blinked at her for a second before smiling fully at her. I reached out and ruffled her hair playfully in thanks.

"You're right." I murmured, still smiling. she lent into me and smiled, and her fingers curled. i guess she was so used to holding Mitsukuni by now it felt odd to her too. i wrapped an arm round her shoulders, and watched the rain fall.

When the rain finished I left the group. They weren't going to go looking for Mitsukuni, but I had to. I heard Haruhi behind me, calling my name and promising that she was coming with me. Without thinking, I carried on walking. Then I heard her screams.

I went back and whispered her name. It was the first time I'd said her name aloud. She looked at me in surprise as I lifted her, cradling her with one arm against my chest. She felt so right there; I should have been doing this since the day I met her, a month and a half ago. She placed her hand on my chest, sending shivers down my spine, as I turned and walked further into the jungle, searching for my cousin.

I carried Haruhi through the forest with a small smile on my face. I hope she realised I was going to be doing this a lot more often now. Suddenly there was the sound of many feet pounding against the earth, coming towards us. My eyes narrowed as I felt her tense in fear, and the nail that scratched my chest practically yelled from the top of a mountain I'm scared. What's going on? Help me!

Military men swung down from the trees, and her eyes widened. The men all had guns trained on us. Someone said "target confirmed." Why was my Haruhi a target?

I looked at the twenty or so men who surrounded us with suspicious eyes that were barely more than slits. I didn't like this, not at all.

"Target has been captured by a suspicious man. Target will be taken into custody."

They wanted my Haruhi. They couldn't have her. They would hurt her, no one could protect her like I can, like i do. She wasn't going anywhere away from me.

Haruhi wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing herself closer to me as I tightened my grip on her with the arm I had round her. One of the men made the mistake of grabbing her arm and trying to take her away by force. When she cried out in pain that man went flying through the air to lie, dazed and only semi-conscious, at the foot of a tree. The remaining men then took up stances, guns steady and aimed at us. I took a defensive stance over Haruhi. They weren't going to get her. They weren't going to hurt her. I wasn't going to let them.

Suddenly I heard my and Haruhi's names be called, and I ducked as Mitsukuni came swinging in on a vine, letting go and driving both of his feet into the face of one of the men. He landed like a cat, chuckling darkly, softly. His eyes glinted as he sprang, attacking the others.

It was okay now. I placed Haruhi on the ground, straight faced, as her eyes gave away her shock and awe as she watched my cousin at work. When he had pummeled the last one into unconsciousness he stood.

"You guys ought to be more careful who you mess with." He said, still in his dark tone, not sounding like himself at all. But then he turned to face us and his smile and voice were back. "Picking on my friends is bad!" he cried before launching himself at a surprised Haruhi, who managed to keep her balance whilst catching him. only i saw the way she beamed as she nestled her face in Mitsukuni's hair.

Our names were being called again and then the rest of the host club came crashing through the bushes, relief present on even Kyoya's face when they saw us. Tamaki ran up to Haruhi and gave her u hug, telling her how worried he had been. Kaoru and Hikarou poked at one of the twitching soldiers.

"At least they're not dead." One of them commented.

"Honey must have really been holding back." The other one agreed. There was a sharp intake of breath from Haruhi and then a cry of pain as she pinched Tamaki.

"Holding back?" she asked incredulously. The twins stood and looked at her.

"You mean you don't know?"

"The Honinozuka's are famous for their martial arts, they've trained loads of military, including overseas."

"Yes." Kyoya joined in. my eyes narrowed at his hands resting on her shoulders, but he had been worried to, i guess, so they were alright. "By the time Honey was in middle school he was the national champion of both judo and karate."

"Mori's no slouch either." Tamaki added, and I turned at the sound of my name. Haruhi walked up to me and lifted her arms. I smiled slightly and lifted her on to my shoulders. She squeezed her knees a little around my shoulder. Thank you. For everything. That squeeze said. Tamaki was still talking, and Haruhi was listening to him.

"He won the kendo national championship in his first year of middle school."

Her hand was in my hair then, tugging lightly on the strands. I looked up to see her watching me. Wow. The curve of her lips said.

I wonder what that curve would taste like…

"Takashi!" Honey cried, patting me on the head. Haruhi had let out a bit of a shriek as I ducked down, but she laughed too, so I knew it was alright. "You did a wonderful job of protecting Haruhi!" Honey praised.

After a while he broke the silence. "Bet you were lonely without me though, huh?"

I flicked a glance to the girl on my shoulder. The girl who had not let me feel lonely. The girl who had become almost everything to me.

"I wouldn't say that." I answered, and Mitsukuni grinned. i couldn't help but grin back.

"Let's go to the beach next time!" one of the twins yelled

"Yeah!" the other one said enthusiastically.

"I'd love to go to the beach." Haruhi said from my shoulders.

"The beach sounds fun, doesn't it Mori?" Honey giggled. I glanced up at the beaming and relaxed Haruhi before smiling down at my cousin.

"Yeah."