The hosts didn't wait long to go searching for their princess. They wanted her to have a minute to herself to hopefully calm down, but they didn't want her to stew in her false perceptions. However, they hadn't counted on her disappearing.
The twins tried calling Haruhi's cell phone, only to find it ringing among her things in their room. They asked members of staff next, but none of them had seen Haruhi pass by. Each of them split up, searching nearby rooms and calling out to her the whole time. Hikaru ordered the staff to search the grounds in case she'd gone outside.
After ten minutes of unsuccessful searching it began to rain. The group reconvened to get updated on the search.
"She's not in any of the nearby rooms or bathrooms," Tamaki said right away.
"She's not in the library or mom's study," Kaoru contributed.
"The den and the parlor are empty," added Mori.
"Not in the kitchen or dining rooms, either," Honey said.
"The staff is still checking the grounds," Hikaru announced. "But I really hope she's not out there, it's really starting to come down." The rain had begun to pound against the roof.
"Well, I don't think she left. All of her stuff is still here so she wouldn't be able to pay for a cab or even unlock her door if she were to make it home." Kyoya's reassurance wasn't as helpful as they had all hoped.
As Kaoru was about to speak up to organize searching the rest of the house, a bolt of lightning lit up the night sky, flashing in their window. They all froze, listening. As if the lightning had summoned it, a boom of thunder hit overhead. It wasn't very loud and ended quickly. Kaoru started to open his mouth again, and another crash of thunder hit. This one was strong enough that they could feel the vibrations from it in the floors.
"Find her, NOW!" Tamaki raced out of the twin's room, followed closely by the others.
There was no organization now. They split up in every direction, some of them going back over the rooms they'd already cleared, wanting to be absolutely sure they hadn't passed over her. They others moved on to other parts of the house. The game room, the living areas, the unused rooms that were mostly for storage; everything was meticulously searched. No cabinet was left unopened, no closet forgotten.
And still, the storm raged outside. Every time they opened a door a flash of lightning would light the room for them. When they tried to yell to one another, thunder kept them from hearing each other. The rain was pounding against the house, seemingly coming from every side, and only hindered their search. If a particularly loud drop hit a window, it would raise their hopes as they rushed across the room, thinking Haruhi had moved, causing the sound. Over and over again they were disappointed, but more importantly, they were panicking. Where was Haruhi?
It was Mori, who caught the lucky break. As he opened a door to a room overrun with clothing racks another crack of thunder shook the house, and a quiet squeak came from the far corner. "Haruhi?" There was no response. He flicked the lights on, trying to see past all the clothes. He took a step in, planning on starting his search where he'd heard the squeak, and another bolt of lightning struck, killing the power. Curses rang across the house as they were all plunged into darkness.
Mori slowly made his way forward, trying to feel his way to his intended corner. When the next bolt lit the room he was able to get a better layout of where he needed to go, and sped up as another squeak followed a loud boom. "Haruhi, I'm coming."
The others would want to know she was here, but Mori couldn't yell for them. He couldn't be the source of a loud noise this close to Haruhi and potentially frighten her more. When he reached the far wall he was able to follow along it to the corner he wanted, relieved when he saw the small bundle on the ground that he'd been looking for.
Haruhi's hands were pressing hard over her ears, her whole body trying to bury itself between her knees. Mori knelt down beside her, reaching an arm out to her shoulder. She jumped at his touch, head coming up to see what was happening. Her eyes widened bloodshot, there were obvious tear tracks on her cheeks. It made Mori feel horrible. This was their fault. All of them.
Haruhi tried to say something, demand he leave her alone, but another strike of lightning and boom of thunder had her closing herself back off from the world.
"It's going to be okay, Haruhi. I'm going to take you back to everyone, okay?" He reached down to pick her up and she started shaking her head violently. She didn't want to be with them right now. "It's going to be okay, Haruhi," Mori repeated, picking her up despite her silent protest.
She had planned on fighting him, but then she was cradled against his chest, and his scent surrounded her. His earthy aroma was so strong here in his arms, it confused her. She loved that smell, but she hated all of them right now. She wanted to keep breathing him in, but she couldn't handle being in this position right now. Why was he always the one picking her up like this?
Another crack of thunder had her burrowing her head into his chest. She couldn't be mad now, she was too busy being scared. His scent helped, so Haruhi focused on breathing. Earth in, fear out; Mori in, thunder out.
Mori had started making his way back to the door as she clutched at his chest. He was glad when Kyoya appeared in the doorway. There was only a silhouette, but Mori knew his friends. "Call the others," he ordered softly, trying not to hurt Haruhi anymore than they already had tonight. "I've got her."
Kyoya pulled out his cell phone, dialing Kaoru's number first. He made quick work of telling the others, and they were all rushing towards Kyoya's location. Mori appeared from the room, Haruhi safely in his arms and Kyoya breathed a sigh of relief. He had believed Mori, but seeing her for himself was completely different.
Kauro was the first to join them. "Oh god, Haruhi-"
"Not now," Mori cut him off. Kauro nodded his understanding.
"Take her back to my room. I'll find Hikaru and we'll get it set up for her." He ran back the way he came, pulling his cell phone back out.
Honey ran past him, joining the group's slow trek back to Kaoru's room. He didn't say anything, knowing nothing he said right now would help. He would have to be a silent support for the time being.
"Haruhi!" Tamaki called when he was close enough to see them. He placed a hand on her arm, hoping to give comfort, but she jerked away, clenching harder to Mori. Tamaki lowered his hand, sad for how upset and frightened she was.
They walked as a group through the dark house, three of them lighting the way with their cell phones for Mori so he could concentrate on Haruhi. He muttered assurances to her every time more thunder hit, trying to keep her tears at bay.
Hikaru and Kaoru were waiting in their doorway for their friends. They had lit candles, allowing the others to put away their phones. They had transformed their room, creating a blanket fort that spanned most of the available floor space. Kaoru held back a flap, showing Mori the entrance. Mori had to fall down to his knees to enter, and then shuffled along inside. When he came to a pile of pillows he sat and leaned against them, lowering Haruhi to his lap. The others had gathered around quickly, all wanting to do something for her.
"Haruhi? We built a fort to sleep in tonight. All the blankets should help absorb the sound." Kaoru placed a hand on her back only for her to shrug him off. His face fell, not knowing what else to do.
The storm had calmed some, allowing Haruhi to release the death grip she had on Mori's shirt. She had no plan of leaving his lap though, still tensing up as the thunder waned. Her eyes remained closed as she spoke. "I don't need your help."
"We're offering it anyway," Tamaki declared. "We'll always be here for you."
Haruhi scoffed, still not looking at anyone. "Haru-chan the storm seems to be settling down. Do you want to get out of Takashi's lap? There's plenty of room." Honey tried to grab her hand but she pulled it away vehemently, eyes finally springing open to glare at anyone in her line of sight.
"No," she answered, tensing momentarily as another soft boom of thunder hit in the distance. "I like how he smells. It's calming." Haruhi would have been embarrassed to admit that a few hours ago, but now she didn't care. She was done with the lies and the secrets. "Unless Takashi wants me to move?" She turned to her earthy friend, losing her glare.
Mori had raised his eyebrows at the admittance, then settled into a soft smile as she looked at him. "Stay as long as you like."
Haruhi lay her head against his chest, ignoring the others for now. The rain was still pattering faintly against the windows and there was always the chance of the thunder renewing its efforts. She took deep breaths, letting Mori wash over her.
The others were muttering to each other, about what Haruhi didn't care, but they were starting to get louder. Apparently they were arguing over what course of action to take with her.
"We have to tell her the truth!"
"We need to wait until the weather lets up!"
"No, she needs to know! It might calm her faster to know what's been going on."
"Or it might freak her out more, sending her further into a panic!"
"I'm still right here, guys. If you're going to talk about me you could at least have the decency to ask me what I want. It's the least you can do, after everything," Haruhi broke in. That shut them all up as they looked around guiltily.
"We might be more inclined to hear your opinion if we didn't think you'd bite our heads off for talking to you," Kyoya explained.
That was fair, Haruhi decided. She sat up in Mori's lap, looking at him. "Thank you Takashi. It helped." She turned to face the others. "Not that I needed help." She climbed off his lap, fairly sure she'd heard the last of the thunder tonight. With a quick glance around, Haruhi found a vacant pillow and sat back against it. It was the first time she'd actually seen the fort surrounding them, and she had to admit the twins did a good job. She could see where the edge of the desk and bed were being used to sustain one side of the fort, and mismatched chairs were holding up the rest. Soft blankets lined the floor and colorful pillows took up at least as much room as the hosts. But it was clear to Haruhi that this fort was all wrong. None of her so-called friends was relaxing into the pillows or enjoying the atmosphere set by the candles. Kyoya wasn't warning against the danger of such haphazard placement of said candles, and Honey hadn't brought any sweets into this haven. Hikaru and Kaoru should've been boasting their fort-making prowess, while Tamaki rearranged pillows into a makeshift throne for himself.
Instead, they were tense and sitting forward. There was worry in their eyes, and Haruhi thought she saw fear as well. Her observation conflicted Haruhi. On one hand, she felt angry and betrayed, used and pointless, and she wanted them to be afraid they would lose her. That would mean they actually gave a damn. But on the other hand, she cared about the hosts more than she ever thought she could and hated to see them distraught, especially when she was the cause. When the storm began, she heard their shouts and knew they were looking for her frantically. So of course they cared, no matter how they treated her thus far. She had to hear them out.
Haruhi looked at Kyoya expectantly. "I'm calm." She couldn't promise she would stay that way once they opened their mouths.
The others were looking at each other, trying to decided who or where they should start. Honey decided to jump in, having wanted to be honest from the beginning. "Haru-chan, we want to apologize for what we've done. We never wanted to hurt your feelings, and we certainly weren't playing a game. You didn't give us a chance to explain."
Tamaki took over. "After Honey kissed you at his sleepover, the rest of us got kind of, well, jealous. We thought, 'Why should Honey-senpai get to kiss Haruhi and not us?'"
"We all wanted to see what it was like," Mori explained.
"So you threw sleepovers and each conspired to get me alone so you could have your way with me?" Haruhi questioned.
"No! It wasn't like that!" Kaoru was quick to defend their actions. "You can't actually believe that we would just 'have our way with you!' We agreed it would just be a kiss."
"You agreed. What about me? Shouldn't I have had a say in who was kissing me? You're supposed to be my friends! My best friends." Haruhi paused to keep herself from crying. "And so much for 'just a kiss.'"
They looked ashamed of themselves, but Hikaru bounced back first. "We are your friends. Always, Haruhi. But we like you as more than a friend. We hoped our actions would make you want something more with one of us. Maybe a stolen kiss would make you realize your feelings."
"You know what else would've worked? Fucking talking to me! You could've manned up and just asked me if I felt the same! I mean, you wouldn't even bring it up after you got what you wanted. I thought I was going crazy some days! I thought I was imagining it! What other explanation is there when someone kisses you and then acts like it didn't even happen?" She felt so frustrated. A few angry tears spilled over onto her face, and she let them roll down her cheeks. Haruhi wanted them to feel bad after all.
"We see now that was a mistake, Haruhi. We thought you wouldn't want us to bring it up," Tamaki looked like it pained him to make her cry.
"And it was supposed to be just a kiss." Kyoya looked down, guiltily. "A simple kiss isn't a big deal. Some of us got a little carried away. You really don't know how enticing you are, Haruhi."
"Did you ever think maybe I didn't want that kind of attention from you guys? Maybe I don't want to be enticing!"
"Your actions said something different," Kaoru whispered.
Honey nodded. "Haru-chan you thought my kiss was a joke at first right? But even so you still reached for me that night. You wanted me next to you."
"What? I-"
"I intended to stay and play piano for just a second, and you chose to stay of your own accord," Tamaki interrupted. "You sat by me on the piano bench and told me that a challenge was worth the ending."
"I didn't mean-"
"When I kissed you, you pulled yourself more into it. Later, you snuggled into my pillow." Haruhi couldn't voice an objection to Mori's observance. He wasn't wrong.
"You sought me out both times Haruhi," Kyoya continued. "You knew where I'd be in the gardens and you came to find me alone. You wanted to win the scavenger hunt, and came right up to me in the end."
"You dug your hands into my chest, and you enjoyed my bite. You wanted more, Haruhi, I know you did," Hikaru explained his case.
"You wrapped your arms around my neck to pull yourself closer. You couldn't get enough," Kaoru finished.
"You can't say you don't want the attention, Haru-chan. Maybe you didn't at first, but you do now."
Haruhi took a deep breath, not wanting to confirm or deny their statements. "It's not for you, any of you, to decide what I want." She tried bringing back the calm she'd felt in Mori's arms, not wanting to yell anymore. "I haven't even figured out what I want yet, so who are you to say I wanted that."
"We're not trying to decide for you!" Tamaki said, feeling like Haruhi wasn't listening. "We did this to help you decide!"
"Not that we need you to right now," Kaoru jumped in. "You can take your time. We just wanted you to know."
Haruhi shook her head in disbelief. "I never knew you were all so selfish. Everything was fine before all of this. Why couldn't you just leave it alone?" She sounded tired when she spoke. "What's supposed to happen now? You want me to pick one of you, and what? You expect we'll all remain great friends, the host club will continue as always, and nothing will change? But nothing can be the same now."
"We've all agreed to stay friends, whoever you choose," Mori reassured.
She looked to Mori beside her, surprised he'd buy into this delusion. "You'll stay friends? How naive." Haruhi decided to be cruel. Maybe it would help them see. She stood at a crouch in the fort and made her way to Kyoya. She surprised him by straddled his lap and then looked to the Host club's king. "Tamaki, can you honestly say it won't bother you if I pick Kyoya?" She looked back to Kyoya, grabbing his hand and placing them on her hips, then running one of her own hands through his hair. "You'll still want to be his friend knowing that I let him run his hands all over me? Knowing that he's the one kissing me, and not you? Knowing that I want him, and not you?" She leaned down and kissed Kyoya softly before pulling away. Kyoya's eyes went wide staring at Haruhi, but a quick glance around confirmed for her that none of them could watch her display.
She rose off Kyoya, returning to her pillow by Mori. "You can't even look at him! None of you! How can you stay friends with someone you can't talk to or joke with?."
Tamaki looked up at her, face tightened by his resolve to make this work. "We'll figure it out. Maybe it'll be weird at first, but this won't come between us."
Haruhi scoffed, shaking her head again. "Fine, let's say your friendships conquer all, and that Hikaru wouldn't completely hate his brother if I picked Kaoru. You're still all forgetting something." She looked around again, waiting for someone to figure it out. "What about me!" She was getting mad again. "You guys did this to open my eyes or whatever bullshit you've been telling yourselves, and at every turn you didn't bother to care how it was affecting me!"
"Of course we care, Haru-chan!"
"You're blind then," Haruhi corrected. "You wanted to take turns kissing me. You wanted for me to decide between you all. You made a pact to stay friends. I wasn't part of any of that. I didn't get to make that vow, and I don't think that I could."
"What are you saying, Haruhi," Kyoya asked for them all.
"I'm saying, maybe you were right, that in the end I enjoyed the rendez-vous." They were listening more intently now, excited that she had admitted what they already knew. "Maybe I like being in Mori's arms, or having Hikaru bite my neck, but now that's all I see. Kaoru, I look at you and I can feel my body pressed against yours and your hands running down my sides. How can I remain friends with someone I've shared these experiences with after I pick someone else? How can I make out with Mitskuni if I pick him, and then try to have a conversation with Takashi all while picturing myself in his arms, pulling myself more into our kiss?"
They were looking down again, finally understanding what she was going on about. "I can't. If I pick one of you, I loose the other five. But hey, at least you will all stay friends." Haruhi turned away from them, not knowing what else she could say.
"I'm sorry Haruhi, we didn't think-" Tamaki was quickly cut off as Haruhi whipped back around.
"No, you didn't think. Like I said, selfish." She had thought of more to say, more they hadn't considered. "And if I choose none of you? I'd have to say goodbye to the host club. I hope my kisses were worth my friendship."
"No, Haruhi, that's not-"
"I'm not finished!" Haruhi was yelling again, cutting Hikaru off. She closed her eyes for a second, taking another deep breath. She needed to say the last thing on her mind. The last thing they hadn't considered. "And what if I'm sick and twisted and didn't want just one of you?" Hikaru and Kaoru shared a look, Tamaki and Honey's eyes went wide, Kyoya and Mori's narrowed. "What if I wanted all of you?" She met each of their eyes, hoping they saw the real possibility she posed.
There was silence following her question as they all thought about it.
"Is that want you want?" Mori asked. "You want all of us?"
Haruhi didn't answer, continuing to watch as the others shared looks or stared at nothing.
"Well, Hikaru and I have always shared with each other. We could maybe share with other people too. Even if it was a person being shared." Hikaru nodded his agreement with his brother.
"If it meant I could have you, Haru-chan, I'd be okay with others having you as well." Honey's face was so honest as he looked at her.
"Yes," Mori agreed simply.
"I suppose we could make that work, if it's what you wanted Haruhi." Kyoya was already thinking of schedules and assigned days to determine who Haruhi spent time with.
Tamaki was the only one who hadn't answered her question. He made his way through the fort so he could sit on his knees in front of her. He took each of her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Is that what you want, Haruhi? Do you want all of us?" His eyes pleaded with hers for an answer.
"Maybe," she answered, not wanting to give a definitive answer until Tamaki gave his.
He leaned forward to kiss Haruhi for the second time in his life. She returned the kiss, closing her eyes and leaning into Tamaki. He pulled back, smiling. "I would be willing to share."
Haruhi glanced around to see the others looking at her. They had watched her and Tamaki, despite their inability to watch her and Kyoya before. It bode well that they were already accepting this and each getting used to the idea of seeing her with the others.
Tamaki backed away from Haruhi, wanting her to have space to think. She looked at the ground, smiling, as more tears made it past her eyelids. When she looked up, the others were concerned, afraid they'd upset her again. "I want all of you."
Concern and worry turned to grins.
"Haruhi!" Hikaru and Kaoru tackled her to the ground. "Our house so still our turn!" Hugging her on either side and making her laugh for the first time in what seemed like forever, Haruhi felt a shift in the atmosphere. The fort felt like home.
