Disclaimer: I do not own "Ouran High School Host Club" or any of the characters in this wonderful manga/anime in any way.

Shelter in the Storm

Previously in chapter four: "Haruhi, you know that Kyoya's private police force was working with the actual police in trying to find the guy that did this to you, right? He got some interesting news this morning, and wanted to share it with us. That's all. There's nothing to worry about." Huni-senpai smiled up at her, but it didn't quell the uneasiness that she felt.

Chapter Five

She let it drop, but mostly because she didn't have the strength to argue about it. As evening neared, Huni-senpai said his goodbyes and left for the dojo. Mori-senpai would be the one to stay with her this evening. "Aren't you going to be tired after having been here all day with me already? If you want to go home, I am ok. They have doctors and nurses here all night, plus I have personally seen Otori private police watching everything I do when they take me out of here for testing. I'll be ok." Haruhi smiled at Mori-senpai to let him know that she was serious.

"Nnh," he replied as he sat back down next to her bed to watched TV.

"Senpai? Are you sure that you don't want to go home and get some rest. You've been here all day. I thought that it was decided that no one would stay for too long in one stretch. Doesn't it start to wear you out being here? I know it does me."

"I want to be here." Simple and to the point. Mori-senpai always kept his words to a minimum and didn't feel the need to unnecessarily fill the silence with chatter.

"Thank you."

"Uhn."

A little later, as they shared an evening snack of lime jello (is it even possible to stay in the hospital without eating jello?) Mori-senpai catches Haruhi staring at him. "What?"

"Sorry," as she looks away, back at the TV. A few minutes later, Haruhi was staring at him again. When he caught her, she looked away. This happened a few time.

Finally, after almost an hour of catching her staring at him, he asks, "Haruhi?"

"Yes, senpai?"

"Is there something you need?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"You keep staring at me."

"Sorry, I … I just … well, I was wondering… what everyone did while I was in the coma. I know that you all stayed with me, and I was never left alone. But what did you do for the time that you sat there?"

"I can't speak for everyone."

"Ok, I understand that. But senpai, what did you do for the hours that you sat with me while I was dead to the world so to speak?"

"Meditated… or prayed."

"Oh."

"They say that someone is a coma can still hear what is said to them..."

"Oh?"

"…So sometimes I would talk to you. And ask you to wake up."

"Oh"

Silence followed. It wasn't a bad think. With Mori-senpai, Haruhi felt like silence was almost as good as talking sometimes. It was peaceful.

"Haruhi…"

"Yes?"

"Did you dream?"

"I don't recall."

"Was it peaceful at least?"

"I don't recall that either. But this is." Her smile was like warm rays of sunshine on a cool autumn day.

"Uhn" He couldn't help but smile back at her.

A little later, "Mori-senpai, what did I miss while I was not at school?"

"A lot of sad and lonely hosts and some lonely guests as well."

Ever the quiet protector, as they prepared for sleep, Mori-senpai tucked Haruhi into bed and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead. The warmth of his breath and the touch of his lips warmed her to the core. It left her feeling tingly and almost a bit giddy. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Not really wanting to let go, but knowing that he needed his sleep as well, she pressed his hand to her cheek and then whispered, "Good night" before releasing him and rolling onto her side to drift off to sleep.

Mori-senpai made his way to the sleeper to lie down. He held his had over his chest in hopes of slowing his racing heart and savoring the tingly feeling in his hand where she had held him. For the first time since she had been attacked, he slept peacefully. Despite the discomfort of the sleeper, there was a warm serene feeling of knowing that she was ok and that he was there if she needed anything. That was all it took for him to fall into a peaceful deep sleep.

It was nearly 4 am when he woke to someone screaming. Haruhi was apparently having nightmares, as she kept screaming, "No! Stop!" and was thrashing about fiercely. Mori-senpai wasn't able to get to the bed fast enough. He had intended to be there to protect her, but if she had gotten to the point of thrashing around this much, he had failed. He tried to calm her down to no avail. The only way to save her from what she was going through would be to wake her, but he remembered horror stories about how you weren't supposed to wake someone sleepwalking. Did this kind of flailing about qualify as sleepwalking? He couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed her shoulders. "Haruhi! Wake up Haruhi! It's over! You're safe! You just have to wake up!"

Her eyes bolted open and her body jerked upright. "He…I…," she sobbed, unable to complete her though.

"It's ok. It was just a bad dream." Mori-senpai pulled her to his chest as she began to sob uncontrollably. Once she calmed down, he released his hold, but kept a hand on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. She just shook her head.

He started to stand when the nurse came in for the 4 am rounds, but Haruhi wouldn't let go of his arm. He hadn't even realized that he had sat down beside her as she tried to comfort her. After the nurse checked Haruhi's vitals, she looked at Mori and said, "If she's this distraught, maybe you could lie next to her and comfort her until she falls back asleep. I won't tell anyone." She smiled at the young man and then added, "It's for the patent's own good. If she doesn't calm down, it could be bad for her. Her blood pressure was a little high just now."

He moved to slide Haruhi over a little bit and turned so that he could lay next to her, one arm under his head and the other resting lightly on Haruhi's waist as he stroked her back. She curled into his chest as she sobbed until she fell asleep once again. Every time he attempted to move off of the bed, she pulled him back in her sleep. Without even realizing it, Mori-senpai fell asleep with Haruhi in his arms. For the few hours that followed, it was the most peaceful and pleasant sleep either had ever had.

Waking up, however, was no so pleasant. Ranka's screams could be heard up and down the hall, causing the Otori private police who were on duty protecting Haruhi to come running into the room as well as several nurses and two doctors. After things settled down, Haruhi finally explained to her father, "Mori-senpai is not the bad guy. He was comforting me after I had a nightmare and was screaming. I am the one at fault because I was crying so hard and wouldn't let him go. I was scared, Dad. He was just doing what you have always wanted someone to do for me… protect me."

The look on Huni-senpai's face was priceless when he overheard only a portion of the conversation. He had come to pick up Mori-senpai for school, and was standing in the doorway when Ranka had questioned the younger man about what he had been doing in his daughter's bed. "Takeshi? You didn't hurt Haru-chan did you? Why was she crying? Why was she scared?" His big eyes growing teary.

"Senpai, Mori-senpai was comforting me after a nightmare. He didn't do anything wrong, like I was trying to tell my dad. He only held me while I cried. But we fell asleep like that, so dad jumped to conclusions when he showed up this morning and Mori-senpai was asleep lying next to me in the bed."

"Uhn," he nodded in agreement with what Haruhi had said. Then he turned back to Ranka and asked "May we speak in the hallway?"

Out in the hallway, it was suggested that once Haruhi had recovered, that she be allowed to take self-defense lessons for Huni's family. "I'd teach her myself but…"

"… you're thinking that she will panic less because I'm not as big as you are, Takeshi?" Huni finished the statement for him. He could see in his cousin's eyes that he was truly concerned with how their friend would react to him in an offensive stance in order to teach her defense.

"Uhn" Mori's ever stoic face showed signs to the affirmative as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"I think that would be a wonderful idea. Have you talked to her about it yet?" Ranka asked, thinking that this had been discussed before.

"Nnh, it came to me last night when she dreamed of the attack again."

"You wanna give her the strength to fight back, ne, Takeshi? If she can defend herself, then maybe she will put that into her dreams too." Mori just nodded.

"I want to help her protect herself, if I… we can't be with her 24/7." He added, looking first to the girl's father and then to his cousin. Ranka smiled at the longest sentence he had ever heard come out of Mori's mouth. And the teen's personal desire to protect his daughter did not go unnoticed either.