Haruhi, for once, knew what she had to do. Today was the Hitachiin twins' turn. She had a feeling that it was their turn to do more than just host a sleepover. But she would attend anyway. Hikaru and Kaoru would be heart broken if she didn't turn up after having done so for everyone else. Besides, she wasn't sure if the others even knew what had happened to her at the previous gatherings. They never talked about it. There was a definite possibility that it was all a big coincidence.

Haruhi wanted to believe that, but she wasn't so naive. There was more happening than a few stolen kisses.

She would arrive at their house with the others. She would enjoy the games they played and the jokes they shared. She would likely find herself alone with one twin or the other at some point. And she would figure out why they were doing this. At least she hoped so.

This sleepover started like the last few, much to the annoyance of Hikaru and Kaoru. Shortly after everyone arrived they were lounging around, doing homework. Well, most of the hosts were. Hikaru sat flicking his pen against the table, leg bouncing underneath. Kaoru kept looking around, trying to determine how close the others were to finishing.

"Would you two stop already? I can't concentrate like this! If you're in such a hurry for us to finish then be quiet!" Haruhi was agitated, having been stuck reading the same paragraph in her textbook over and over. She wasn't absorbing any of it.

The twins stopped for a short while, desperately wanting the others to finish, but it didn't last. Before Haruhi had made it to the next page Kaoru had scooted closer to her.

"So, uh, nearly done there?"

"No."

"Do you want help? I'm sure we could help you finish faster!"

"No."

He was silent a moment as Hikaru scooted up to her other side.

"Are you sure you don't want some help? I could explain that whole chapter in two minutes."

"Ugh fine I give up! Why are you two so eager to be done?"

"Yay, Haruhi's done! Time for a game!" Hikaru completely ignored her question, making Haruhi even more suspicious of their motives.

"We're gonna play group charades!" It was easy to see they were both excited. Haruhi didn't see the appeal. Acting like a fool in front of a group of people didn't sound like her idea of a good time. But Hitachiin house, Hitachiin turn.

Hikaru ran to a side of the room to grab a couple bowls filled with paper. "We've already got this game all ready to go! This bowl," he held up a small blue bowl with a handful of tiny sheets of paper in it, "has each of our names written on a piece of paper. For every round we'll pull two names out of it and the two people will have to work together to act out their word or phrase or whatever!"

"And this bowl," Kaoru held up a second, larger green bowl, "contains those words. We had some of the staff come up with them, so we didn't cheat. As a team you're trying to get the rest of us to guess what you're acting out! Whoever guesses right gets a point, and the actors each get a point. If no one gets it then the actors lose a point. Sound fun?" Hikaru and Kaoru wore matching grins.

"That sounds fantastic! Who starts?" Tamaki was just as eager for their game.

"We'll each draw a name for the first round," Kaoru said, gesturing to his brother, "and after that it'll be the actors who each draw a name."

"So here we go!" Hikaru's hand dove into the smaller bowl and came out with a slip of paper. "Honey-senpai! You get to start us off!"

"Yay! This should be fun!" Honey jumped up, heading for the green bowl.

"And your partner will be:" Kaoru took a turn digging around in the bowl. "Kyoya-senpai!"

Kyoya sighed, not at all interested in this type of game. "If I must." He stood and joined Honey who was already reaching for a sheet out of the green bowl.

"This one!" He said, pulling it out. "Come over here Kyo-chan so we can discuss strategy!"

"You only get twenty seconds!" Hikaru yelled in warning. He wanted to get on with it already. The others lounged back on couches and chairs, waiting for the game to begin.

"Okay, we're ready!" Honey and Kyoya presented themselves in front of the group and they began acting.

Honey took an imaginary step upward and then stood still, hands running down the length of something the audience couldn't see and spreading outwards. Kyoya knelt beside him and didn't even get a chance to do his part before the first guess.

"Oh! You're kneeling down before your queen!" Tamaki was quick on the draw, but completely wrong.

Kyoya shook his had, planning to call his friend an idiot when he was no longer mute. Still kneeling, Kyoya grabbed at the air near Honey's feet using his thumb and pointer fingers. He shook it lightly, pulling the air slightly away from Honey and then set it back down.

"Oh! You're providing offerings for your god or goddess!" Kaoru had jumped in this time, wrong as well.

Kyoya reached beside him as if he was picking something up and then slid it into the air he'd just placed down at Honey's feet. Meanwhile, Honey was primping in front of an imaginary mirror. He was twisting this way and that to get better views of himself, and bouncing imaginary curls on his shoulders.

"Honey-senpai is definitely a girl in the scenario. You're such a pretty lady!" Hikaru joked. Honey smiled at him and fluttered his eyelashes, confirming the obvious.

Kyoya had stuck a few more imaginary things into the air by Honey's feet and now brought both hands up in front of his eyes. Concentrating, he brought his hands slowly towards each other, looking like his pointer and thumb were again holding something. The hands touched, and Kyoya looked frustrated, pulling them apart. He repeated the motion.

"You're threading a needle!" Haruhi knew that action well.

Kyoya stopped what he was doing to point at her, so she knew she was on the right track. He took his now successful threaded needle and returned his attention to Honey's feet. The needle made its way into the air.

"You're hemming a dress!" Haruhi yelled, so sure that was it.

"You're sewing a dress!" Kaoru yelled immediately after.

"That's it Kao-chan! You win!"

"Damn, so close!" Haruhi cursed.

"Better luck next time, Haruhi!" Kaoru cried, marking a point for himself, Honey, and Kyoya on a scoreboard.

The two actors made their way to the blue bowl to pick the next pair. It was Hikaru and Haruhi. Hikaru was quick to draw their category, and then smiled. He showed Haruhi, who frowned. "Don't worry Haruhi, this will be easy! Just follow my lead!"

The two stood in front of the other and Hikaru held his hand out, palm up for Haruhi to take.

"You're being a gentleman!" Kaoru laughed.

Hikaru stuck his tongue out in response, and Haruhi took his hand. He yanked her arm, pulling her into him and he grabbed her other hand.

"You're dancing!"

"You're kidnapping her!"

"You're not letting your daughter leave the house dressed like that!"

The last guess had them all laughing, and Hikaru had to stop his action for a second, shaking his head. He pulled himself together and grabbed Haruhi's hands again. He took a step back, pushing her hands, and therefore her, away from him, and then bringing them back together. He did it again, less forceful now that Haruhi was starting to get a feel for the movement. He let go of one hand, lifting the other over her head for her to spin under.

"I said dancing already!"

"You're ballroom dancing!"

"You're dancing partners!"

"First dance at your wedding!"

Hikaru blushed. Hikaru danced to the side and back again, letting go of one of Haruhi's hands. It went flying to the side as they momentarily were facing their audience, and then Hikaru tugged so she would spin into him. He let her spin out again so he could recapture her second hand as he had before.

"Jazz dancing!"

"Swing dancing."

"Yes!" Haruhi was out of breath as she pointed to Mori who had the right answer. "It's swing dancing!" She laughed, having enjoyed the dance more than expected.

Hikaru held his elbow out to Haruhi. "It would be rude of me to not escort my lady off the dance floor." She took his elbow, smiling, and they walked the couple steps to draw the next names.

Tamaki and Mori were up next. They had to act out "asking for an autograph" in which Mori was the cool celebrity, and Tamaki was fawning over him.

"You're meeting your idol!"

"You're having a seizure and the doctor won't help you!"

"You're his biggest fan!"

"You're trying to get his autograph," Kyoya finally said, ending the round.

They played for a couple hours, one crazy performance following another. Honey had to land a plane, played by Kaoru. Haruhi was various attractions in a haunted house, trying to scare Kyoya. Hikaru and Mori walked in a large circle, bobbing up and down while they rode a carousel. Tamaki had to bathe Honey-the-elephant.

In the end, Kaoru was the victor.

"Pool time!" Hikaru declared.

"I didn't know you guys had a pool," Haruhi commented. "I think I'll pass, though."

"You can't pass! Haruhi it's our house, so it's our turn to pick what we do! You did everything the others wanted at their houses!" Kaoru's whine had a point.

"Come on Haruhi. Don't you want to swim with us?" Hikaru joined in begging.

Haruhi sighed, she couldn't say no to them. Besides, she didn't hate any other activity brought on by these sleepovers, even when she thought she would. She had to give this a fair shot too. "Okay," she said. "Lead on to the swimsuits."

"No need! We saved the one we thought you would like before!" Kaoru held out a pink suit, frills covering the top half of the bikini. Haruhi vaguely remembered them showing it to her on a mannequin before.

"Fine, then lead on to the pool," she said, grabbing the suit from Kaoru's hand. It didn't really matter to her what suit she wore.

The Hitachiin's led the way through the back of the house and down to their pool. It would've been dark except for the lights below the pool's surface, setting everything aglow.

"Haruhi you'll have to change in the house. The rest of us will use the pool house." Hikaru directed the others onward to change and Haruhi turned back to the house. She glanced back a few times as she walked, expecting one of the twins to come up with an excuse to follow her, but they didn't.

Haruhi wasn't gone long, but when she returned the others were already in the pool, splashing each other and holding each other under water. Hikaru saw her first, immediately stopping his attack on Tamaki to stare at her. As the rest of the hosts noticed his inaction, they began to notice Haruhi as well. Hikaru and Kaoru had been right—the frills accented her figure nicely—and they couldn't help but look. None of them had ever seen this much skin from their female host.

Haruhi blushed at the attention, and made her way quickly into the pool where they couldn't gape at her.

Kyoya was the first to finally look away, clearing his throat and asking, "So we're in the pool, now what?" They all seemed to have forgotten the fun they were having before their distraction arrived.

"Um, right," Kaoru said, trying to pull himself together. It was just skin, after all. "Up for volleyball?" He swam to the side of the pool and hit a button, causing a net to shoot itself across the pool and latch onto the other side.

"Haruhi is on our team!" Hikaru called, before the others could think of it. "The three of us will take you four on!"

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Hikaru. I'm not very good." Haruhi was backing away from the net, right into Kaoru who had moved behind her. Her heart started beating harder. She was nearly naked, pressed against a nearly naked host, who she knew was going to kiss her. This had to be it!

"That's okay," Kaoru assured. "We're very good." He grabbed her sides to pick her up, and transported her a few strokes across the pool. "You start right here, Haruhi." He let go of her, sliding his fingers across her smooth skin instead of pulling them straight away. Haruhi took a deep breath, relaxing slightly. She felt foolish for her thoughts. Obviously it wouldn't happen in front of everyone else. That wasn't how these situations had been occuring.

Kyoya, Mori, Honey, and Tamaki agreed to the teams and spread out on their side.

It was a silly game. One person would dive for the ball, creating a splash that would temporarily blind their neighboring player, preventing them from getting the next hit. The twins would use Haruhi to distract the other team, laying a hand on her longer than necessary or picking her up randomly. When the other team served they were conflicted, half of them not wanting to target someone they saw as frail and delicate, and the other half wanting to watch her bounce in the water as she tried to hit it back. She rarely succeeded, and Hikaru or Kaoru were always a step away to back her up if needed. So concentrated on trying to help her team, Haruhi didn't notice the other host's motivations.

True to their word, the Hitachiin brothers were good, and soundly beat their opponents. Pulling Haruhi between them, they celebrated with a crushing group hug. "Best two out of three?" Kaoru asked when they let go, grinning at his friends.

"I think that's enough volley ball," Honey said already heading to retract the net. "How about Marco Polo?"

"Yes, the great game of blind exploration! Fantastic idea!" Tamaki was ready.

"Any volunteers to be 'it'?" Hikaru asked.

"Sure, I'll do it," Haruhi said, making her way to the middle of the pool. The others were surprised; Haruhi rarely volunteered for anything. They weren't going to dispute it though. She reached the center and closed her eyes. "Marco!"

A chorus of "Polo" came from all sides of her and she choose behind her at random. She dove backwards, plunging under the water and coming up when she was pretty sure she was near the edge. "Marco!" She yelled as soon as she surfaced.

Their response came, one of them significantly closer than before. She turned in the direction of their voice, head continue to follow their path based on their splash in the water. She swam quickly forward, trying to reach them before the got away. She flailed a bit, not connecting with anyone, and again yelled "Marco!"

The chorus came as always, but so did a whisper from directly behind her, into her ear. She jumped slightly, not expecting the proximity, and spun in place. Her arm connected with someone and she opened her eyes triumphantly. Hikaru wore a sly smile in front of her. He swam a lazy circle behind her again, coming to rest with both hands on her bare sides again. He couldn't get enough of how she felt. Hikaru leaned down to her ear again whispering, "I didn't know how fast you were, Haruhi, but I'm 'it' now. Think you can out-swim me?"

Haruhi shivered at his hot breathe on her wet skin. She pivoted again to face him, pushing off from his chest to get out of arms reach. "Try me," she smirked.

Caught off guard by the challenge, Hikaru could only watch her swim away. "Well?" She yelled back to him when she noticed he hadn't moved.

Hikaru's smile returned and he firmly shut his eyes. "Marco!"

On the game went, each of them trying to relinquish being 'it' as quickly as they could. Hikaru didn't manage to catch Haruhi, and neither did anyone else. She had a way of slipping away through the water without the splash the others caused, making her hard to pinpoint. When she did get cornered she managed to dive behind someone else, turning them into a scapegoat. No one complained when they were used as such, as Haruhi usually grabbed onto them to more quickly pull herself out of harms way.

She was a faster swimmer than the others had any right to expect. This was the girl who wouldn't even get in the water at the Ootori resort. They half expected her to not know how to swim, let alone be good at it. The challenge transformed the game from regular Marco Polo to Marco Haruhi. Only Haruhi and whoever was near her at the time would answer the call of "Marco", giving the seeker a clear direction to find her.

After countless evasive maneuvers, the hosts finally named Haruhi queen of Marco Polo, and called it quits.

"I thought you didn't like swimming!" Kaoru exclaimed as they made their way to the edge of the pool.

"What made you think that?" Haruhi laughed. "My mom put my in swimming lessons when I was really young. We used to go swimming all the time!"

They got out of the pool, grabbing towels to dry off. Haruhi turned towards the house to go change and found the twins on either side of her. "We'll go with you. The maids probably moved your things."

They made their way into the house, Haruhi stopping in the nearest bathroom. "You're right, my clothes are gone."

"They're probably waiting in our room, freshly washed," Kaoru explained.

Haruhi nodded slowly, all too aware that she was now alone with the Hitachiin twins and continuing to move further away from the rest of their friends. She wasn't the only one still in her swimsuit either. Their towels were wrapped around their waists, Haruhi's around her shoulders. She pulled the towel just a bit tighter, realizing it was all that separated Hikaru and Kaoru's skin from hers.

Hikaru noticed the movement. "Cold, Haruhi? Here." He moved closer to her, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders. He rubbed her arm through the towel, trying to warm her. Kaoru moved in as well, snaking his arm under the towel and around her waist.

She appreciated the gesture, even if it wasn't necessary. "Thanks, Hikaru, Kaoru."

They arrived back to the room, finding the twins had been right. Her pile of clothes lay freshly folded on their bed. She grabbed them and walked to her bag in the corner of room. Haruhi bent down, tossed her clothes into her bag and grabbed some pajamas to change into. She had to let go of the towel to move her stuff around and it fell to the ground. She grabbed a corner as she stood and backed right into Kaoru, causing her to drop it again as well as the clothes she'd picked out.

He stabilized her, gentle hands falling on her waist. "Haruhi," he whispered, and her breathe caught. She knew what was coming, and was slightly nervous that she wasn't more dressed. He pulled her back by the waist, moving her away from the wall. Her hands fell on top of his as they moved, keeping them there. She would fall backwards if he let go.

They only went a few paces, giving Hikaru room to step in front of her. "Haruhi," he said quietly, moving his hand to her neck. He traced a finger from her ear to her shoulder, making Haruhi shiver and lean slightly away, giving his hand more room. He snaked his hand around her neck and leaned his head closer, gazing intently into her eyes. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to wait once we saw you in this bikini?"

"Maybe you should tell me what you're waiting for," she answered, knowing full well what they were waiting for. This wasn't the first guy to to pull himself in close like this.

Hikaru let out a shaky breath, but behind her Kaoru had inhaled. Kaoru's hands began moving on her sides, trailing the skin between each half of her suit. "This," Hikaru whispered, planting his lips on hers. The hand behind her neck kept her firmly glued as Hikaru's mouth moved against hers. Her hands came up to his chest, needing something to grab onto. She didn't know what to concentrate on. Her lips, neck, and sides were all tingling, sending constant shivers down her whole body.

Before she could make up her mind she was spinning. Hikaru had let go of her, leaving Kaoru the opportunity to pivot her body to face him. She barely got a breath before Kaoru's mouth descended on hers, using her waist to pull her even more into him. Her hands found their way to his neck and locked together behind it. Hikaru followed closely behind her, leaning down to place kisses along her neck. He opened his mouth and bit gently, causing Haruhi to gasp, pulling away slightly from Kaoru.

The brothers froze in place, recognizing they'd gone too far. The agreement had been just to kiss Haruhi, nothing more. And she had pulled away, meaning they needed to stop. Now. Even if it had sounded like a gasp of pleasure, they couldn't keep going. They wouldn't be able to stop.

They each backed a step away from Haruhi, Kaoru finally dropping his hands from her sides and causing her hands to fall as well. They looked at each other over her, unsure of what came next. Hikaru, closest to her dropped things, grabbed them off the floor and held it out. "Here, Haruhi. You should go change." He gestured towards their bathroom.

Haruhi took her clothes and towel, flushed face looking from one brother to the other. They never met her gaze. "Really? You too, huh?" Haruhi shook her head. "Just take and leave," she muttered under her breath. Haruhi started for the bathroom wanting to cry or scream in frustration; she wasn't sure which. She knew what came next. They would never mention this ever again. It would be like it didn't even happen. But it did! Haruhi Fujioka had just made out with both Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, completing the list of host members.

And it didn't even matter. Not to them, anyway. But Haruhi would make it matter. Before this final sleepover concluded she would have answers, or so help her God she would make them pay. She would make them feel every ounce of loneliness and self-doubt they left her with. She would make them regret this...whatever this was.

Haruhi took a deep breath before returning to the bedroom. She needed to be calm and act like nothing had happened. Just like everyone else. The rest of the club was already there, fully dressed, when she opened the door.

Hikaru wasted no time in grabbing her hand to pull her along beside him. "Next game will be never have I ever!"

"Alright everyone 10 fingers up! We take turns saying something that we haven't done and everyone in the group who HAS done it has to put a finger down." Kaoru explained quickly as he claimed Haruhi's other side.

"When someone runs out of fingers the game is over and the player with the most fingers standing wins! We then have to help them complete something they've never done! I'll start." Hikaru was ready to jump right in, and Haruhi was happy to play along. It was easier to pretend if they were doing something. "Never have I ever lived in France."

"Hey no fair! You can't pick things to target people!" Tamaki was the only one effected by the statement and grudgingly put a finger down.

"Sorry boss, that's exactly how this works!" Hikaru's devilish grin was showing.

Moving clockwise in their circle, Haruhi was next. "Never have I ever had a sibling." Everyone except Tamaki and herself lost a finger, making them both grin. Haruhi was in the lead, the only one to still have all ten fingers.

Next up was Kaoru. "Never have I ever slept in someone else's bed!"

Haruhi's face burned as she lowered a finger. The way he said it made the act seem less innocent than it was. She hadn't wanted to sleep in Mori's bed. She wasn't given a choice. Honey lost a digit as well, but it was a surprise when Tamaki lowered one.

He shrugged, thinking nothing of it. "When I first moved here Kyoya let me sleep in his bed one night."

"I didn't really have a choice," Kyoya grumbled.

"Never have I ever woken up late." Mori moved the game along.

"Oh no that's me again!" Honey was forced to drop another finger, and was shortly followed by everyone but Haruhi.

"My turn! Never have I ever kissed a guy!" Honey stuck his tongue out at the twins who shrugged, each dropping a finger. It was no secret among the hosts that the brothers had kissed when they were younger, if only to see what it would be like.

Haruhi dropped a finger as well, as expected. The surprising response to Honey's statement came from Kyoya, who tried to slyly lower his finger. "Kyoya?" Mori asked, having noticed the movement.

Kyoya grimaced. "There was an...incident a few years ago. It was nothing." He refused to expand his explanation, much to everyone's disappointment. That was a story they wanted to hear.

Tamaki's turn was next. "Never have I ever won a scavenger hunt!"

Haruhi lowered a finger, remembering clearly her prize for winning. She looked to Kyoya, wondering if he had the same thought. He had lost a finger as well, as had Honey.

Kyoya was tied with Honey for last place, both having lost four fingers, and was ready to bring everyone down a notch. "Never have I ever lied to myself."

"I call bullshit! You told yourself the same lie as most of us, Kyoya!" Tamaki wasn't going to let Kyoya get away with that. If nothing else, most of the male hosts had lied to themselves about a very special female host.

"No, I only lied to you all about it. I was well aware of the truth myself, I just found the truth impractical, all things considered."

Haruhi had no idea what they were talking about, but dropped a finger as they were all focused on Kyoya. She had lied to herself plenty over the years, but she found herself spouting more and more lies lately. That kiss meant nothing, those touches were an accident, it isn't worth losing sleep over. None of it was true.

"So high and mighty Kyoya knew before the rest of us, is that what you're saying?" Hikaru was starting to get mad. There was no way Kyoya hadn't lied to himself about Haruhi. He had lied plenty.

"I knew too, so I don't see why it's so hard to believe that Kyo-chan did. He is the shadow king." Honey nodded as he spoke, verifying his own claim.

"But you just put a finger down, Honey-senpai!" They all had at some point during the argument. Kaoru had been keeping silent track of everyone's finger count.

"Of course I did! There are other lies than the one you guys are so hung up on. I used to tell myself that I hated sweet and didn't need them!"

"Ugh, fine, Kyoya can keep his stupid statement. It's my turn again." They had gone full circle back to Hikaru. "Never have I ever cheated at a game to help someone else win."

Kyoya smiled and dropped a finger, knowing Hikaru was using the scavenger hunt to get back at him. Honey had to drop a finger as well, causing the other hosts to look at him for an explanation. "Musical sweets was rigged." He shrugged like it didn't matter.

To Haruhi it absolutely did. If he rigged his game for someone else to win, then he had rigged it for her. Suddenly all her lucky breaks with the music made sense. Did he want the two of them to be in the final round together? Did he plan the kiss? She looked at him, trying to puzzle it out, and he smiled at her.

"It's your turn Haru-chan," Honey kindly reminded her.

Haruhi nodded her understanding. She had to think for a moment to find her next 'Never' statement. "Never have I ever physically picked someone else up."

The guys all dropped a finger, having either picked up a younger sibling, a client, or her at some point. Haruhi thought she saw a slight blush light Mori's cheeks, and she knew which specific time he was thinking about. It almost counted as an acknowledgment in her mind.

It was Kaoru's turn now. "Never have I ever made a pro/con list!" He smiled as only Haruhi and Kyoya dropped a finger, as he'd expected. "That'll teach you guys to target me!" Haruhi just rolled her eyes.

"Never have I ever cried in front of anyone."

Honey frowned at his best friend, lowering a finger as he did. Everyone but Kyoya lost a digit as well. Honey was forced to cheer back up though, as it was finally his turn again. "Finally! I needed a break; I only have two fingers left! Never have I ever told off someone's parent before!" He looked to Mori to make sure he lowered a finger. Mori had defended Honey to his dad when Honey gave into his love of cute things. Everyone else was looking at Haruhi, who had defended Kyoya to his father. She lowered a finger.

Tamaki wasted no time taking his turn. "I've got a good one! Never have I ever kissed more than one person on the same day!"

Haruhi went rigid. They all knew, they had to. Nearly every 'Never' statement had to do with her interactions with one of the other hosts. She slept in Mori's bed, she'd been set up to win two different games that led to her kissing the other hosts, she'd kissed all of them now, including both twins in one day. She'd lied to herself from the very first kiss about various aspects of it. This couldn't be a coincidence!

She had only just kissed both Hikaru and Kaoru, and suddenly Tamaki was looking for a confirmation? All of them were in on this, whatever this was. But how to prove it? She could stop dropping fingers and see who pointed it out. Only Hikaru and Kaoru should know that she had indeed kissed more than one person in a day, so if anyone else tried to correct her, she would catch them.

While Haruhi was creating her plan, Honey dropped a finger. "It feels like you guys are targeting me! I only have one finger left!"

That made Haruhi pause. Maybe they weren't targeting her. Honey had lost the most fingers, after all. Was it just another coincidence?

"Wow Honey-senpai, I didn't know how much you got around!" Tamaki patted Honey on the back, impressed.

But Haruhi wasn't impressed. Would they say that she got around? And what did that make her to Honey, just another notch in his belt? She felt disgusted at that thought. She knew Honey cared about her more than that. She wasn't just a number. She couldn't be.

"Haruhi you- oof." Hikaru didn't get the chance to mention the finger she hadn't dropped. Kyoya had jabbed his elbow into Hikaru ribs as a not-so-gentle hint to shut up. "Nevermind."

That was almost proof. Haruhi knew exactly what Hikaru was going to say, and why else would Kyoya have stopped him if he didn't know. Haruhi held her remaining fingers more defiantly, ready to cheat her way through the rest of this game.

It was Kyoya's turn. He took a glance at Haruhi through his peripherals, thinking. He knew Haruhi should have lost another finger, but wanted to test why she'd refused to cooperate the last round. "Let's see, never have I ever been physically trapped by another person." Kyoya was now openly staring at Haruhi.

Her eyes had gone wide. Memories were flooding her. Laying on a bed, Kyoya towering over her, prickly bushes all around as Kyoya leaned in, a hard wall behind her as Kyoya seemed to completely control every move she made. He'd trapped her many times. He wasn't even the only one.

She dropped the surprise from her face, settling for a neutral expression as she avoided Kyoya's gaze. She looked around to see who else Kyoya's statement had affected, and frowned when she didn't notice a different number of fingers on anyone's hands.

"Oh!" Kaoru wanted to prevent Kyoya's awkward question from ruining the rest of the game. "Hikaru, that's us!" Hikaru looked at him questioningly. "You know," Kaoru threw a significant look at his brother, "we used to play cops and robbers and whoever was the cop would trap the robber!" That was a total lie. The twins had found the game boring and never really played, but Hikaru caught on to Kaoru's antics and played along.

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot!" They both dropped a finger. "And that brings it to my turn again! Never have I ever won a kendo tournament!" Hikaru was trying to keep the mood lighter now. Mori was the only one affected this round. "There we go, about time you're down to one hand, Mori-senpai!"

There was light laughter all around, following Kaoru and Hikaru's lead of trying to bring this game to a more cheerful end. Haruhi didn't join in.

"Never have I ever initiated a kiss." Haruhi slowly moved her gaze around the room landing on each guy as they all were forced to drop a finger. None of them would look at her, and she found it comical that they wouldn't look at each other either.

"So you all knew." It wasn't a question anymore. "Was I just another game? Was this some kind of competition?" Haruhi stood up as she spoke, anger rising. Her hands were clenched into fists at her side. They looked at her then, shocked by her conclusion and unsure how to explain.

"No, Haruhi, that's not-" Tamaki jumped up to explain.

"JUST STOP! No one wanted to talk about it before, right? Well that suits me just fine, because I don''t want to hear it." Haruhi turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Leave her, Tamaki. She needs some time." Kyoya was right, they all knew, but it didn't make it any easier.

Haruhi was running as soon as the door closed. This had all been a big joke to them and as hard as she tried to understand she couldn't comprehend how they could all be so cruel. What had she done to deserve this? Why would they all take turns being sweet and kissing her and muddling up everything she thought she knew. She had wanted their affection. It took her a long time to figure that out. She wasn't just allowing them to kiss her like she had no power to stop it. She wanted them to. Then and now. How could she ever face them again? When she looked at Kyoya she was pinned to a wall. With Tamaki she could hear the sweet melody he created. She was in Mori's arms if she so much as looked him in the eye, and eating a cookie hadn't been the same since Honey's sleepover. And Hikaru and Kaoru's kisses had only just happened but she already knew it would be just the same. She had to get away from them all.

But Haruhi didn't know where to go. She wanted to go home, but in her haste she'd left all her things in the room with the other hosts. There was no way she was going back in there. The second place she thought of was the Ootori gardens. She would love to get lost among the shrubbery right now, but of course, they weren't at the Ootori residence at the moment.

When Haruhi was no longer sure where she was, she stopped. She'd never been in this wing of the Hitachiin estate before, and wasn't even sure if she was even allowed to be. She chose a door at random and found endless racks of clothes. They were covered in dust, obviously having been either rejects or older styles. Haruhi entered and closed the door behind her. It was dark but Haruhi didn't care as she felt her way along various racks. She was getting lost in them, no longer sure which way the exit was, and that was fine with her. She found a wall and slid down it. Her knees came up to her chest and she buried her head in her arms atop them. There, in a dark room of an unknown part of the Hitachiin's home, where countless outfits were hiding her from view, Haruhi told herself she would not cry. Not for this. Not for them.

It was another lie.