Hey Guys, or, actually whoever's still out there. I wouldn't blame you for never looking this way again. I'm sorry for the wait, but I've had terrible writers block lately, and only just now got over it. I'm on winter recess from school, which means I'm not doing too much, which kills my creativity. But that's all just excuses, and no one needs those.

So, enjoy chapter eight.

The house was cold, though they poured money into the furnace to keep it from being so. Kyoya rolled his eyes and reset the nearest thermostat on his way to his office. His plan was to organize spreadsheets until he fell passed out. He'd turned off his phone as soon as he stepped out of the party. He didn't have the patience to deal with telephone calls, be they personal or corporate. It was better to send them to voicemail then to burn bridges in stress and anger.

The computer whirred to life, bathing his office in the sickly blueish led glow. His office was dark, the curtains had been closed and forgotten long ago, and he simply didn't feel like turning on the desk lamp. It didn't matter, he could type in his sleep if he so chose, the light wouldn't affect him.

Soon, Kyoya was lost in the electronic rigidity of filing. The mind numbing work, where there were no mistakes he couldn't fix quickly took over all his senses, and he lost himself in the hard drive.

Haruhi was surprised to find the front door unlocked. It hadn't looked like anyone was home, and for a moment, she wished Kaoru had stayed with her. But wishing had never brought her anything, so she grabbed the heaviest object within arms reach, and steeled herself for anything. She was Haruhi Fujioka, commoner. She used to walk two miles to and from school by herself, every day. She used to spend weeks on her own, she could handle whatever this night threw at her. Heaven knows she'd handled more in the last six hours then any sane woman deserved. All she wanted now was to go to sleep, and preferably, wake up in a world where stupid misunderstandings didn't happen. A world where she would know what she was getting herself into when she decided to marry above her. But wishing would get her nowhere.

Haruhi climbed the last flight of stairs, and pushed the bedroom door open. She walked straight to the closet and pulled out a nightgown, ignoring the part of her that curled up in agony from simply being in their bedroom, from being able to smell him, or at least, what lingered on the clothing hanging on the other rack in the closet.

She was Haruhi Fujioka. She was stronger then that.

Haruhi threw the red satin dress in the hamper, hoping it would be gone forever when she woke up, and walked into the bathroom to wash her face. She'd never really gotten over how gross make-up felt after it had been on for a while, no matter how many times she'd had to wear it. Once the make-up and contacts were gone, and most of the product had been brushed out of her hair, Haruhi climbed into bed, and buried herself under the blankets.

The first time his computer cried, Kyoya brushed it off as sleep depravation. Stranger things had happened when he was sleep deprived, and one minor abnormality was not going to make him stop.

Then it happened again, and again, until finally, he couldn't take the crying anymore. Kyoya jerked awake, though it took him a moment to register that his eyes were actually open in the pitch black office. His computer had gone to sleep hours ago, probably right after he had. Kyoya didn't see any reason to turn it on again, instead, he wondered what had woken him up.

It didn't take very long to figure out. A large, long crack of thunder alerted him to what sounded like a very violent thunderstorm happening right outside. But it was the next sound that jerked him into action. It was a base, instinctual reaction, because Kyoya was halfway up a flight of stairs before he even realized that what had caused his blind reaction were Haruhi's terrified screams.

His step faltered. Would she even want him to comfort her, or would she reject him the minute he stepped foot in the same room as her.

Another thunderclap tore through the night, and Kyoya was spurred into action again. She was his wife, and he'd been acting like a damned fool lately. Comforting her was the least he could do, and if she wanted to turn him out, she deserved that satisfaction.

He'd been a fool. The knowledge hit him like a wall. Why it had taken him so long to come to that conclusion, he'd never know, but it spurred a deeper desire to make everything up to Haruhi and pushed him towards her even faster.

It was obvious that the sounds were coming from the master bedroom at the end of the hall. A hall that seemed to grow longer, the farther he ran, like some nightmarish hallucination. But he managed to grab the doorknob, which brought reality back into focus, and he stepped into the bedroom.

He stepped inside, tentatively, and looked around. The bed was in shambles, and the couch they'd never managed to get rid of was laying on it's side. Kyoya didn't even wonder why it looked like a tornado had gone through the room, instead, he'd zeroed in on the trembling pile of comforter in the corner.

He approached with the caution one uses when walking towards an unfamiliar dog, ready both for an attack, or acceptance, and hoping for the latter.

He gently pulled the blanket away from Haruhi. Her bright, glassy eyes met his for a moment, before she burst into a fresh wave of tears. Kyoya reached out, rejection be damned, and pulled her towards him. He was surprised when she latched on to him, burying her face in his chest.

"Make it stop." She whimpered, sounding so utterly helpless. Kyoya put his hand over the ear that was not pressed to his chest, as yet another clap of thunder echoed through the house, causing Haruhi to shake, and grope for their discarded blanket. She managed to pull the blanket up over both of them, with some shifting, and a little help on Kyoya's part. Haruhi's breathing seemed to even out once they were inside their little tent.

Kyoya was quite taken with how Haruhi seemed to murmur his name with every other breath.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there, he only knew that Haruhi had fallen asleep, and that it was still dark when the storm passed. Kyoya managed to disentangle themselves from the blanket, and stood without jostling Haruhi too much before making his way to the bed. He set his wife down, and pulled the sheet up to cover her. When he tried to stand up, however, he found that she had kept her grasp on his shirt front.

"Don't leave." She said groggily, not even half awake. Kyoya couldn't help but chuckle at how childish she seemed, though it wasn't a bad thing. The half lucid devotion she had displayed was just the sort of confidence boost he needed to stay.

"I won't." He whispered back, not even sure if she could hear him, before he untangled his shirt from her grasp, and moved to pick up the blanket off the floor, and spread it over the bed. Kyoya quickly changed out of his clothes, and into his own pajamas, before he climbed into bed and promptly fell asleep.

I don't think this story has too many chapters left in it, but no worries, iI have another story that's been cooking up in my drafts folder, so if you like this, you won't have to wait too long for another story.

On another note, I'm changing my pen name, because it's a lie, as I'm not a blonde, and honestly, haven't been one for a few months now. But just look for the Belle, because that'll stay the same.

Let me know what you think of this chapter!

XOXO

Belle