Haruhi woke up, squinting at the light streaming through her window. As it was a weekend, there was no practice. Only punishment duties for those who'd misbehaved (as in, the twins), or trips into the city, if anyone wanted to do anything but sleep and laze about. Personally, Haruhi thought a trip to the city would do her good. Maybe after her sword lessons with Mori.

Haruhi sat up suddenly, the night before coming back to her.

They know.

And they aren't angry.

She smiled suddenly, the road ahead of her seeming much brighter, now that she had people to walk it with her.

…

"You're getting much better, Haru-chan!"

Haruhi smiled. She'd just gone through an entire set with Mori without falling, dropping her sword, or getting hit. She wasn't good yet, and was still almost constantly defending, but she was making fast progress under Mori's quiet leadership.

…

Much like her first weeks at the palace, the days went by in a blur. But a happy one, this time. She spent her time training or spending time with her friends. The hours were filled with fending off Tamaki's ridiculous familial claims to her and the twins' strange comments and actions, listening to Kyoya's quips and mildly evil comments as well as Hunny's childlike exclamations paired with Mori's monosyllabic responses (in fact, getting to know them, Mori was the least strange. Which was saying something, seeing as he was a strong shadow that said very little. But compared to the over-exuberant, self titled prince-in-shining-armor, the two devils, the dark, ruthless, power – and money- hungry demon prince, and the knight who acted ten years younger than he was, Mori was relatively normal).

There was only one more court-wide event in Haruhi's time as a trainee, the celebration of the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Haruhi spent the time flirting with noblewomen – a feat she was getting less and less awkward at – and dancing – something Kaoru had taken an evening to teach her, mostly for the sole purpose of distressing Tamaki. However, she wasn't able to see Yuki, as the woman had tried a risky jump on horseback the night before the event and broken her leg, which was a shame, since Haruhi had wanted to tell her sister about her friends and their knowledge of her masquerade. It was just as well, though. If the group of them got together with Yuki, Haruhi had a feeling that the twins and her sister would wreak havoc together.

Haruhi fell into her routine. She rolled out of bed at an ungodly hour for exercises, met her friends for meals with practices in between – though, a month after she arrived, the twins went through their tests to become squires, leaving Haruhi the only member of their immediate group still a trainee. At night, everyone met up at Tamaki's or Hunny's or one of the twins' rooms to talk and such. At midnight, she'd meet Mori in secret at the general practice courts for extra teaching, with Hunny coming along when he wasn't too tired. Haru didn't know to what degree she was improving, since they hadn't gone through sword fighting in classes since the day she'd first come to Mori for help. She just hoped her skills would show at her tests at the end of the month.

Despite the stress, the lies, and spending the longest time away from her sister she'd ever had, Haruhi felt herself truly happy. She had friends willing to protect her (that went for all of them. Except maybe Kyoya, unless there was something in it for him), and she was doing something she found she loved.

…

Haruhi rolled out of bed in the morning, feeling a strange sense of excitement mixed with anxiousness and trepidation. Today was testing. It was said that just over half the trainees actually made it through the exams, and the others were sent home, never to fulfill their dreams and aspirations…

No. I will get through this. I haven't come this far for nothing.

... ... ...

Okay, so I wrote this in between studying for an exam and writing a six page essay, so i was kind of stressed :| So it's a bit... yeah.

But please, review, pm me... I'll be around, even if I'm not really doing anything ^^