I am so sorry to everyone who has been waiting for the next chapter of this story. I've become busy with some other things and have been neglecting my writing. Hopefully, I can start concentrating on it a little more now. I hope this chapter makes up for all the waiting I've made you do. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story. It means a lot! Manga reader 125, I'm glad you liked it despite it being a little different than you pictured. Nekozawa actually appeared in chapter 2, though it was a short appearance. I would love to have Kasanoda- Bossanova xD- show up too, but I'm not sure just yet... Haruhi needs to be rescued lol. JackoLillie, Thank you very much! That means so much to me! I hope this chapter is just as good as the others. sammydalammy, Somehow, I feel like it would be just like Haruhi's luck to find everyone except who she actually wants to find. I'm glad you're enjoying it! Vatala Darkmist, Based on your last review, I think you're going to like this chapter... Hope I'm right! O_O KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, Yeah... And of course Kyoya will jump at the idea of adding something expensive onto Haruhi's debt xD redmystique, I'm glad you're enjoying this! And your wait has finally come to an end! I hope you like it! MaxIsMe, This isn't exactly what I would call 'soon', but I have finally updated! Enjoy! DominoTyler, Wait no longer! The suspense is over, dear reader! :) Galinda33, I can definitely picture it turning out that way as well... xD , I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

Five

Haruhi was tired and irritated. She felt as if she had been wandering around the mall for hours, though her cellphone informed her that it had only been about twenty minutes. She couldn't fathom how she still hadn't managed to run into at least one of the other Host Club members. She sighed wearily and ran her fingers through her short brown hair. She was just about to sit down and wait again when she noticed a particular store out of the corner of her eyes.

"The bookstore…" she gasped, her eyes growing wide. Hope surged inside of her. Kyoya had mentioned that she would like the bookstore. Maybe they would think to look in there for her. She smiled, finally feeling just a little bit optimistic, as she walked into the store. Not to mention, she loved bookstores and while she was waiting for them, she would be able to browse through the store's collection and find a few books to purchase.

An employee behind the counter smiled at Haruhi as she walked in and welcomed her to the store. Haruhi grinned and thanked the lady, making her way to the lines of shelves in front of her. She looked up at the signs above each section, trying to decide which genre she would look through first. She settled on the mystery section and slipped between two shelves, her eyes locking on the spines of the books before her. She walked down the row slowly, reading each title to find something that stood out to her.

A sudden wail startled Haruhi, causing her to jump and drop the two books she had already selected. She quickly looked around, trying to figure out where the cry had come from, but no one else around her seemed too concerned. If anything, they looked more annoyed than worried. The brunette quickly gathered up her fallen books and stepped out of the aisle, looking for whoever was crying. As she got closer to the sound, she recognized the sound to be that of a child's, which only heightened her apprehension. She rushed towards the children's section of the store, trying to look for the upset child. However, almost as soon as she arrived, the crying stopped.

Haruhi peered around a shelf and bit her lip to hold in a gasp. Standing a few feet away from her was a little girl who looked to be only about four years old. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks tears stained. She was pouting and sniveling, trying to stop crying. In front of her was a teen boy, down on one knee. He was holding one of her tiny hands in his and smiling at her warmly. He was speaking softly, trying to calm her down and keep her from sobbing once again.

"Hello there, little princess," he said gently. "Please don't cry anymore. You have such beautiful eyes and seeing them filled with tears truly breaks my heart." He used his thumb to wipe away any remaining tears on her cheeks. "Have you been separated from your mother?" The little girl nodded and the teen nodded in understanding. "I see… Well, you should probably wait for her here. I know she'll come back to this part of the store to look for you. I can stay with you so that you're not alone. Would you like that?" The girl nodded again and a small smile started to spread across her face. "Great! Can I ask what your name is, dear?"

"Airi…" she replied quietly, swaying back and forth nervously.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Airi. My name is Kyoya, and I promise that I will take care of you until your mother comes back to find you, alright?" Airi giggled and nodded her head, causing Kyoya to smile happily. "Wonderful," he said, giving her head a small pat. "Why don't you follow me? We can pick out a book to read while we wait." He stood up and offered his hand to her.

"Otay…" Airi replied, her voice much cheerful now. She wrapped her small hand around a couple of his fingers and led him to one of the bookshelves, where she started looking for a book she liked.

Haruhi could only stare at the scene before her. She never would have pictured Kyoya to be the kind of person who would be so good with children. Yet, there he was, holding the little girl's hand, helping her find the perfect book. Haruhi looked around to see if she could spot a worried mother, but had no luck. Everyone around her was focused on the books they were purchasing. No one looked like they were missing their little girl. The sound of Airi letting out a squeaky cheer brought the brunette's attention back to Kyoya and his young acquaintance.

They had clearly found a book that Airi approved of and Kyoya was looking around for a place for them to sit and enjoy it. However, not seeing any empty seats, he slid to the floor, gently leaning his back against the shelf, and pulling the little girl into his lap. She settled comfortably against him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Kyoya gave her a small smile and then opened the book. As he read the text, his voice was soft and soothing. He used slightly different voices for each character that was introduced, which often induced giggles from Airi. He pointed to the pictures on each page, explaining what was happening and how it coincided with the words he had read. He answered all of Airi's questions with a patient, gentle tone.

Haruhi was speechless, her mouth hanging open in surprise. She was so used to Kyoya's cool, standoffish behavior that she almost couldn't believe that she was seeing the same teen care for this little girl. It didn't seem possible to her. And yet, one could almost mistake him for Airi's older brother, or even young father. A gentle tap on her shoulder made her jump and she spun around to see a woman with wide, frantic eyes. Haruhi knew exactly who she was before she even spoke.

"Excuse me," she said in a shaky voice. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but have you seen a little girl wandering around? She's five years old with long black hair. She slipped away from me when I was leaving this store and I haven't been able to find her…" There were tears in the woman's dark eyes.

"Actually, I think that's her right there," Haruhi said pointing around the bookshelf she had been observing Kyoya and Airi from. "A young man found her crying and helped calm her down until you came to find her."

The woman gave Haruhi a tearful thank you and bustled around the bookshelf, gasping with relief when she saw her daughter. Airi cried out excitedly and Haruhi could hear the mother thanking Kyoya for caring for the little girl. Airi said a sweet good bye to her new friend before she left with her mother. Haruhi let out a small sigh of relief, leaning against the shelf she had been hiding behind. She was glad that Airi and her mother were reunited.

"Haruhi…"

She jumped at the sound of her name and looked around, trying to find the person who had addressed her. However, there was no one she recognized standing beside or in front of her.

"Don't think for a minute that I didn't notice you."

Haruhi felt chills run down her spine as the voice finally registered in her mind. "Kyoya-Senpai…" she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear her. She figured he must be leaning against the other side of the shelf, since his voice seemed to be coming from behind her.

"We just happened to run into each in here by chance, alright?" he said, his voice low and serious. He was making it very clear that she was not to address the scene she had just witnessed. "We bumped into each other and now I'm taking you back to everyone else, do you understand?"

"Y…Yes, Senpai…" Haruhi stammered nervously. It was amazing how quickly Kyoya had gone from a concerned teen, caring for a lost little girl, to the Shadow King. But she wasn't about to argue with him. She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. When she opened them again, Kyoya was at her side, staring stright ahead.

"Let's go then," he said distantly and he began walking toward the store's exit. He took out his cellphone and began calling the other Hosts, letting them know that she had been found. Haruhi let out a small sigh before slowly following behind him.

Once again, I'm very sorry it took so long for me to update. I appreciate all of your support though. I hope this chapter came out alright! I'm really interested in what you have to say and what you think will happen. Also, suggestions are always welcome! Please, tell me what you think! The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update! Thanks for reading!

Mew Painappuru