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 twelve: Takeshi would not use his position to make the girl give in to his wishes... well that's how he would perceive what his cousin was suggesting. Kyoya however would have no qualms about using such a manipulative move.

Chapter Thirteen

He knew that he would hear an earful when he returned home the next morning from his mother. Maybe his father too. But he would deal with that when it happened. For now, his focus was to make sure that Haruhi was taken care of and protected. They prepared to return to her home when his mother asked why her son would not be home until the morning.

"No, no, no. We can't have that. Surely she would be better taken care of here with the maids than leaving Takeshi to tend to her, not to mention how that would look if anyone found out. We can't have this beautiful young lady's reputation soiled like that."

"Mother, I have no intention of doing anything that would soil her reputation."

"Your intentions carry no weight, what matters is what others perceive and believe. Maybe it would be best if she stayed here for the night. We could have the maids assist if she needs anything during the night. She seems like a fine young lady, we wouldn't want that impression ruined for nothing, would we?" There was no getting past Takeshi's mother. She stood firm, and would not hear of her son staying the night unsupervised with a girl, but in this case it was for the girl's reputation. She knew her son would stand up for himself.

Takeshi called Ranka to make sure it was ok, despite Haruhi's protests that she would be fine if she went home alone. No one would hear of it. Ranka thanked Takeshi for caring for his daughter, that he would expect them sometime the next day, and quickly hung up to get back to work. The all moved to the sitting room and continued to converse until Haruhi started to yawn. Soon after the first yawn was seen, she found herself being shown where the others slept and then escorted to the spare bedroom and clothes for her to sleep in where acquired. She was pretty sure that the shorts that they had found for her where Huni-senpai's, since he was still smaller that everyone else. The maids that tended to her were not quite as obnoxious as the ones that tended to her when ever she was forced to bathe and change at the Hitachiin residence, and for that she was thankful.

As she curled up in bed, she thought back over the conversations that had taken place over the last few evenings. First Kyoya-senpai, then Mori-senpai and Huni-senpai, and now even Mori-senpai's mother all spoke about relationships. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that the world had time traveled back a few months… or maybe forward three quarters of a year. Either way, she would swear that everyone must have Valentine's Day on the brain or something, despite the fact that it was late spring. She was about to drift off to sleep when she heard a low rumbling outside.

No, surely it was nothing, she thought as she tried to calm herself down. It's getting too late in spring, the rainy days are numbering fewer and fewer. Surely it's not going to storm tonight. But no sooner has she tried to convince herself that there would be no thunder or lightning, than a streak lit up the night sky, followed instantly by a deafening clap of thunder. As fast as lightning herself, Haruhi bolted for the nearest door, thinking it had been the door to a closet. Instead she found her self running head-long into a solid immovable object. Immovable, that is, until it registered in his brain what had run into him, the exact object he had been aiming for. Without another second wasted, Takeshi grabbed the petrified girl into his arms, yanked the blanket off the bed, and took both out into the hallway. He sat down on the floor with her still in his arms, and wrapped the blanket around the both of them, whispering soothing words into her ear as he stroked her hair and back as he rocked her. In the hall, there were no windows, and the buffering of rooms from the outside of the house reduced the thunderous claps to mere rumblings. They sat there, rocking as he lulled her into a sound sleep.

Takeshi had not realized it, but he had a witness. Since the guest room was on the other side of the master bedroom, as her son ran past her room to get to the guest room, Takeshi's mother heard the noise inside the house as well as outside. She was about to chastise her son for invading the girl's room when he removed her from the room and cradled her in his arms. She could see the fear on the girls face and realized what was happening. She wouldn't have to instruct her son on how to behave like a gentleman after all. He was protecting the girl he loved from her fears. She watched a few more minutes and then made her presence known. She lovingly stroked the girl's hair and then bent down and placed a kiss on her son's cheek. "If the storm passes soon enough, make sure you put her back in her bed and you return to yours. If not, then make sure that the blanket is wrapped around you each separately. Remember, even the maids might talk, and you don't want to stain the poor child's reputation after all she's been through."

"I will."

She squatted down next to the young couple and stroked the sleeping girl's face. "You know dear, she spent more time telling us how special you were to her, than she did making her point as to why she wasn't dating anyone right now."

"Mother."

"I know, I know. I will stay out of it even though it seems Mitsukuni is rooting for you. Satoshi, as well. But son, it doesn't take a master mind reader to see that she cares for you. You just have to show her that the two of you have already built a relationship. All you need to do is change the title of it from 'just friends' to 'a couple'.

"Did I ever tell you about the commoner that your father fell in love with in high school? She worked at the Ramen shop across the street from your grandfather's dojo. She thinks that commoners aren't such a bad think for Morinodzuka's to marry after all." Takeshi knew that his mother and father met in high school and married right after graduating. He had a strong suspicion that his mother had been talking about herself.

"Mom, how to I let her know?"

"Mom is it? You only call me 'mom' when you really want help. Otherwise I am 'Mother'." She smiled gently at her son. She stopped caressing the sleeping girl's face, and moved her hand to rest on her son's cheek. "Just tell her. If she isn't as thick as a brick, then her reaction will tell you what to do next." She stood, bent down and kissed her son on the cheek again, and silently slipped back into her own room.

"Ehh, the commoner that I fell in love with back in high school, huh? You really do spoil your sons, you know that? How am I supposed to turn them into strong men that can take over my dojo if you keep trying to turn them into simpering wimps?"

"Love does not make one a wimp. Just ask the boys that got beaten by a certain Morinodzuka Akira 28 years or so ago, just because they fell in love with me, a simple commoner." She crawled into bed with her loving husband, confident that one day, the two teens out in the hall would probably be having a similar conversation about a child of their own. "Oh and I will bet you that when you get up for your jog in the morning, that they will both still be out there. I don't foresee him being willing to part with her for the night."