Hard Times

A/N: So here's the latest chapter! ^_^ This one took me three days to get done. It was kinda hard because I wanted to get so much said but the Hosts and Rizu complained that they wanted to rest. :/ Not really, I don't own Ouran High School Host Club and if I did, I doubt I could make it as good as it is. Thanks to lovetoanime, KageNoNeko, freyasakura (and yes! Shinsei Doumei Cross is where I got those names ; I love that series too), .ixos., and Sweet Fragrance for all the reviews. 3 you all. I'm going to put a poll up and I want all of your opinions. Kyoya might need a friend to talk to about those pesky emotions he's been having. And I want you to vote for who he should turn to!

Rizu was glad to be back at Ouran Academy and even more so when the classes were over for the day. She couldn't get over the fact that Kaoru had kissed her. Sure, it was a nice kiss and she could tell he knew what he was doing but there was no reciprocating feelings on her end. Kaoru was nice and she enjoyed hanging out with him and even the rest of the Host Club but she never liked him beyond that. Now to find a good way to let him know, her mind pondered. As soon as the bell had rung, she ran off towards the small park on the campus.

Kyoya, who sat caddy corner behind Rizu in class, stared at her and only diverted his attention when the teacher asked him to answer a question. In his mind, he kept replaying the kiss he accidentally saw. He couldn't find the logic in why he wanted to hit Kaoru and dismissed it as looking out for his older brother. And for a split second, he wished it was his lips tasting hers. Shaking his head, he had started focusing on the Host Club records. Since Rizu showed up, the profits had increase doubly. Instead of the guests feeling like she was an intruder, they welcomed seeing Tamaki's cousin. As he went over how much was left in Haruhi's debt, the bell rang and out of the corner of his eye was Rizu running off. Maybe she can't wait to see Kaoru, his mind thought with a sarcastic tone. As he headed to the Music Room, he was a little surprised to see everyone was there but Rizu.

"Kyoya, don't you have a class with Rizu?" Haruhi asked. "She's normally the first one here." Kyoya nodded as he informed them that she shared his class but he didn't pay any attention to what she did or where she went. Kaoru, sitting next to Hikaru on the couch, frowned.

"Well, maybe we should cancel for the day." Huni said. Tamaki pointed out that it was too late to cancel but that someone should go look for her. He turned to Kyoya and asked if he wouldn't mind. Before Kyoya could protest, Huni and Haruhi agreed that since he didn't have any clients he could go.

-----In the park-----

The cell phone dropped to the ground as tears filled her green eyes. Rizu looked for the nearest bench and numbly made her way to sit down. She had planned to call her grandmother and ask for her advice on Kaoru. When her grandmother's phone rung with no answer, Rizu guessed that she might have forgotten to charge it. So she called Hiro. It was from him that she heard the bad news. Her grandmother, her friend, had passed away over the weekend. She listened, tears building up slowly, as Hiro informed her of their father's plans to fly her back to be at the funeral. The phone slipped from her hand as it hit her, crashing all at once, that the woman who raised her was gone. Her mother was never really in her life due to the circumstances involving her status in the world and when it became to hard for her mother to bear, she killed herself. And Hiro's mother had always looked at Rizu as if she was a blemish in her perfect world. But Rizu didn't need them as long as she had her grandmother. And now she was alone. Of course, I still have my father, Hiro, and Tamaki. But it's not the same, her mind thought.

In was in this state that Kyoya had found her. A strong part of him wanted to comfort her and ask what was wrong while another part, a cold distant one, wanted to chide her for making a public display of the waterworks. As he walked closer, she turned around towards him. Faster than he could say her name, she ran into him. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her head into his chest. A stray breeze sent the fragrance, a delicate cherry blossom mixed with salty tears, of her into his nose. His left arm made its way around her as he tried to steady her and with his right hand, he lifted her chin up.

"I'm...sorry.." Rizu sobbed. "My grandmother... she's gone." Kyoya could feel the pain and sadness emanating her. What is this urge I have to kiss her tears away, to make her feel safe, Kyoya asked. He had hoped that he could think of a logical answer but his mind drew a blank.

"Rizu, do you always run into the arms of the first person you see when you get upset?" Kyoya spoke after allowing her sobs to quiet down. Rizu looked into his eyes, and with a faint reddening of her cheeks, broke from his hold. Wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse, she apologized and then asked if Tamaki had sent him to look for her. Kyoya replied that the whole group figured he wasn't busy enough to look. Looking off, she smiled faintly.

"I'm glad no one else saw me like this. Tamaki would wind up being worse than me." Rizu remarked. "And I don't think anyone else would complain about me running into their arms. Which would mean I'd still be crying when I need to go pack." With this, she started to walk off. Kyoya's hand grabbed hers to stop her. Many words, words which he would never think to utter to someone, twirled around in his head. Her green eyes looked at his, asking what he was thinking.

"I can call my driver and go with you, if you wish." Kyoya said, releasing her hand. Rizu gave him a funny look and then shook her head.

"My father's already took care of all that. I just need to pack my stuff." Rizu replied. "Besides, someone needs to tell the others why I'm going to be gone."

"How long will you be gone?" Kyoya asked, deep in his heart, hoping she would come back. "Tamaki might not be pleased hearing this from a third party."

"I don't know. It depends... My father wants to discuss my arranged marriage plans again." Rizu said as she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess he wants me to hurry up and get married so my mind isn't on my grandmother's death." With that, she said good-bye and headed out. Kyoya didn't stop her this time. He had to assess the strange emotions he's been feeling and she was right. Someone had to break the news to the Host Club.

Back at the Music Room, Kyoya noticed that even the guests appeared to be concerned about where Rizu was. He motioned for Tamaki and the rest of the hosts to close the club for the day. After the guests had left, Kyoya sat on the couch. His face was emotionless as he recounted Rizu's reason for not showing up and ultimately leaving.

"Tamaki, wouldn't Rizu's grandmother be yours too?" Hikaru asked. Kaoru sat next to him, his fingers busily texting someone. Huni, perched on Mori's shoulders, had a small outbust and just now stopped crying. Tamaki was sitting in his "father's" chair. Haruhi, standing next to the twins, looked bummed.

"No, the grandmother Rizu talked about a lot was her maternal one. I never met her but Rizu always talked about how great she was." Tamaki responded.

"Kaoru, who are you texting over there?" Hikari asked his brother. Not stopping, Kaoru replied that it was Rizu. Kyoya, again feeling something he wasn't used to, scolded Kaoru for bothering her while she was getting ready to leave.

"Tsk, Kyoya... You're starting to act like Tamaki does over Haruhi." Hikaru remarked jokingly. Tamaki started protesting that he acted anything like Kyoya. Kaoru frowned as he finally put his phone up and looked at the group.

"Rizu says that if she comes back, it will be at the very least a week," Kaoru stated. "What will we do if she don't come back?" Everyone looked around, none knowing the answer to that. Haruhi enjoyed having a girl to talk to, one who wasn't concerned with money or rank in society. Huni loved that Rizu had started making little outfits for his Usa-chan and Mori was happy that she, besides Haruhi, enjoyed his company not because they were bored or guests, but for who he was. Even if he rarely spoke. Tamaki liked that having his cousin here not only made Haruhi happy and more feminine but because he always loved having his cousin around. Hikaru loved having someone else to help scheme pranks to pull and Kaoru wished he could have another chance to tell her how he felt. Kyoya had mixed feelings; in one way, he thought it was best that she stay away from here because he knew that Kaoru and her couldn't get into a serious relationship due to the small fact that she was arranged to marry his brother. But there was this emptiness he had felt since she walked off; it pained him to even admit that he thought that she could possibly ruin his chances at inheriting the company and a part of him didn't care.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see." Mori spoke, after a moment of silence among the group. "I'm sure she wants to come back."

"Well, I guess I'll be the middle man in talking to her," Kaoru grinned. Kyoya glanced over at him and pushed his glasses up.

"I'm sure we can all call her and talk to her. But, for the guy who kissed her, I'm sure you'd like-" Kyoya started before he was interrupted.

"Kaoru kissed Rizu?!" Tamaki yelled. "How dare you first try to deflower my daughter and then my cousin?!" The sudden outburst caused Haruhi and Huni to hide behind Mori. Tamaki had been angry before at the twins but normally, steam didn't come pouring out of his ears like this time. Kaoru, shooting a dirty look at Kyoya, raised his hands up.

"It was just one kiss." Kaoru shrugged off. "Besides, I don't think she likes me in that way..." This remark confused Kyoya so he asked what Kaoru meant by it. Kaoru replied that the last message he sent to Rizu was about how he felt and her reply stated that she didn't share those feelings. Ha! She's smart in turning him down, Kyoya's mind laughed at Kaoru's misfortune.

"How did you know that they kissed, Kyoya-sempai?" Haruhi asked. The question came out of nowhere but soon the others were giving him the same questioning look. Sighing, he recounted how he was leaving his room to inform a manager about the below par quality of the bed sheets when he saw them kissing. Tamaki had made his way into a corner to sulk when the gang heard him berate himself for letting the twins dress up and sneak into the girls' room. After everything had settled down and Tamaki got over the kissing incident, everyone decided to let Rizu have a breather and handle her grandmother's funeral.