Emiya Clan – Ouran 10

Takeshi was sitting back and watching Tamaki and the twins brainstorming more ideas for scaring Haruhi when he felt a presence that raised the hairs on the back of his head. He was trying to identify the magical signature when he heard a series of heavy thumps from the nearby staircase. He turned in his seat to see Hani and Mori barreling past the doorway, the smaller student skidding to a stop in the archway as he caught sight of them.

"Tama-chan! Takeshi! It's Haru-chan!" the blonde shouted. Without any further explanation, without waiting for a response, the blonde continued down the hallway.

Takeshi didn't remember rising to his feet. The combination of the presence tickling in the back of his mind and sudden anxiety for his Ashikabi was enough to send him speeding past the Haninozuka prodigy as he charged the front door. The other three Hosts belatedly piled out the room after him just as he reached the entrance and threw the door open, blinking in surprise at what he found.

Primate Murder at his most intimidating was instantly recognizable, though any questions of how or why the family's guardian was present nearly halfway across the city took a backseat to the fact that his Ashikabi was blindly running towards the beast. All that mattered was that Primy appeared to be in a foul mood and the girl seemed to be challenging his presence. "Haruhi!" he shouted in warning. He was about to put on a renewed burst of speed – never mind that he was trying to keep his abilities secret – when something about Primy's body language clicked in his head.

Although the beast was presenting a fierce expression, the posture of his large form was not actually confrontational. Rather, it seemed to be more of the stance he'd use when in a playful mood, especially when mock-fighting with one of the children. Takeshi finally noticed the Nekozawa's maid and the others huddled together in a nervous ball as they stared at the large, white beast and the seemingly suicidal Host. Primy's ears twitched in their direction, but by then Haruhi had approached within a meter of his position, snapping a finger to draw his attention back to her.

"Hey!" she shouted, "Over here!" She kept her eyes focused on Primy's face as he glared back at her. She held out a hand steadily as if to ward him away, but when Primy did nothing but continue to stare, she flipped her hand over until it was facing down.

"Haru—" Tamaki was quickly silenced as Takeshi slapped a hand over the other boy's mouth. He and the other Hosts had finally arrived and were torn between running forward to snatch Haruhi away from the enormous wolf and remaining silent so as not to suddenly provoke it while she was so close to it. Still, a strangled gasp rose from Tamaki's throat as Haruhi fearlessly stepped forward until her hand was hovering over Primy's nose.

Primy lifted his snout, sniffing at her hand. The motion bumped his snout into her palm, and Haruhi broke into a soft smile as she patted the downy fur. "That's a nice boy," she cooed. She reached further and brushed her hand over the crown of Primy's head, curling her fingers and scratching behind his ears. "Good boy!" she said.

Tamaki's legs collapsed in shock as the large beast crooned at the girl and tilted his head, giving her a better angle. Takeshi would have joined him, but he forced himself back into motion, walking up to Haruhi and turning to face the large creature she was standing in front of.

"Primy," he said as he laid his own hand on the beast's head. He frowned as a large head turned to look at him. "What are you doing here?" Yellow eyes simply stared back at him as Primy simply rumbled in his throat. The low growl turned into a pleased warble as Haruhi gave his head another pat. Takeshi sighed. "Head home," he ordered. He'd have to figure out this mystery later. "Go back to Altrouge-kaasan, Primy."

Primy lifted his head with a dignified scowl, but obediently turned in place. He crouched slightly, then without even a whisper of sound, he was off, bounding off into the street and disappearing from view in seconds. Takeshi turned back to the group, noticing the others were staring at him in various states of shock. Even Kirimi was too surprised to continue crying, though her eyes were welled up with unspent tears.

"So," he raised his voice with a forced casualness. He looked back up at the sky, "That was exciting, but let's head inside before the weather takes a turn for the worst."

ooo

"What were you thinking?" Takeshi demanded. He paced back and forth across the floor, the rest of the Hosts lounging on the various chairs and couches lining the room. "Jumping out like that was reckless and dangerous."

Haruhi glared back at him stubbornly, "I didn't really have time to think. When you encounter a situation like that, isn't it only natural to try to protect others around you?"

"Speaking of which, what was that?" Tamaki blurted out. "Emiya-sempai, you seemed familiar with it... Kyouya! Have you contacted animal control to let them know something so large is running around the city?"

"That," Takeshi interrupted, "was my family's guard dog. He doesn't normally respond to strangers very well, which is why you didn't meet him during your visit. But there's no need to contact the authorities, I've sent him home." He adjusted his glasses and sighed.

Kyouya paused with his phone still flipped open, "Are you certain? Your home is not very close by and we have no idea if it could even find its way back."

"He's smarter than he looks," Takeshi stated. "He'll make it back without any detours."

The Shadow King raised an eyebrow, but pocketed his phone.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," Haruhi said in the silence. "Everything worked out okay."

Takeshi ran a hand through his hair, trying to find the words to articulate the point he was trying to get across.

"Are you a professional wild-animal tamer?" Tamaki asked. "Or are you a martial arts expert like Honey-sempai?"

Haruhi blinked in confusion. "Eh? Well, no... "

"Then why didn't you call for one of us? Honey and Mori-sempai were on the roof. They saw the creature before you even did and were already rushing down to help you." Tamaki leaned forward in his seat to stare at her. "You're just a girl, what were you thinking to face down a wild creature by yourself?"

"Man or woman, what does it matter?" Haruhi glared back at the blonde, then turned her gaze to Takeshi. "Sure it might have been a risk, but if you recognized that dog as yours, Takeshi-sempai, then I don't see why you're so upset."

Takeshi twitched, "It's because I recognized him that I'm upset. Primate Murder is not generally friendly with unknown guests."

"Primate Murder?" she repeated.

He shrugged, "He's a guard dog. And honestly, I would have been much more relaxed about this if some strange guys had shoved you off a cliff."

"Emiya-sempai!" Tamaki said, aghast.

"Regardless, if Primy hadn't been in a playful mood, you could have been seriously injured." Takeshi ducked his head. "I do apologize for that, by the way. I really don't know why he followed me here."

"Haruhi," Tamaki had an unusually serious expression on his face. "I know you were only doing what you thought was right, but please understand you should be thinking twice before jumping into situations like that."

Haruhi had an implacable expression on her face as she looked around. "Is that what the rest of you think, too?"

Kyouya and Mori's faces were as impassive as ever. Hani had a solemn look in his eyes as he clutched tightly to his plush bunny. Hikaru and Kaoru's expressions were unreadable, but were not merry in the slightest. Takeshi's eyes had an oddly haunted look to them and Tamaki had a strangely calm expression. Each of them nodded immediately as she posed her question.

She sighed and rose from her seat, closing her eyes. "Then I'll apologize for causing any trouble." She opened her eyes again to glare at Tamaki and Takeshi, "But I still don't understand why I'm being scolded for something beyond that. Not when I didn't do anything wrong!"

Takeshi sighed and rubbed at his forehead. Tamaki's brows furrowed with sudden indignation. "Is that so... ?"

The blonde stood up himself and posted his fists on his hips. "Then do what you want. I'm not speaking with you again until you admit your error!" He then spun on his heel and marched out of the room without a backwards glance.

The others watched him go, while Haruhi angrily dropped back into her chair.

"Haru—" Takeshi began.

"I don't want to hear it, Sempai," she interrupted.

ooo

"Your move, Sempai," Kaoru said as he handed Takeshi the pair of dice.

Takeshi obligingly rattled the cubes in his hand for a moment before dropping them onto the table. He picked up the small token and skipped it across the board, "Two, three, four..." He leaned forward, frowning as he read the text on the space he'd landed on. " '5 Years Later: You suffer and automobile accident and fracture your left wrist.' "

Hikaru winced. "Nasty," he commented. He rolled for his own piece's movement and read his own fate, " '12 Years Later: Your company goes bankrupt, you're reduced to working as a janitor in a department store.' What the hell? This isn't even funny."

"Nekozawa-sempai, what kind of game is this?" Kaoru complained. "I don't think we've hit a single 'good' result."

"That's because there aren't any," the hooded figure grinned and waved Beelzenef around. "Cursed Life is a game that shows just how despairing life can be, nothing fake-happy like that other Life game... "

"Takashi! In ten years I'll get shorter by two centimeters!" Hani complained.

"Who's rolling for Tono?" Hikaru called out. He looked around, then shrugged. "I guess I'll do it this time. Hm... six, seven, eight... 'Current: You've earned the unending hatred from a close friend, you're massively depressed.' Huh... "

Everyone turned towards the dimly lit corner of the room, where Tamaki was silently curled against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Tama-chan is still depressed he said that to Haru-chan," Hani said sadly.

"Well, maybe he shouldn't have given that ultimatum, then," Hikaru said.

"I can't say I don't understand why he said it, though," Takeshi mused.

"Where is Haruhi, anyhow?" Kaoru said as he rolled his next move.

ooo

Haruhi wandered around in the near darkness.

She had taken the opportunity to head back to her assigned room for a quick shower. Unfortunately it seemed her father had gotten into her luggage after she had finished packing. 'Ranka' Fujioka had always wished for his daughter to dress in a more overtly feminine style, so she was not entirely surprised to find he had repacked her bags full of frilly nightgowns and similar day wear. In the time it had taken for her to change her clothes, the sky had grown dark with clouds and a light drizzle was already falling outside the windows.

There were no powered lights to be seen, though she could see the darkened wall sconces and chandeliers holding light bulbs. Instead, light was cast from a series of spaced out candles, which only served to deepen the shadows and barely light up the hallways enough to navigate by. She could easily imagine Nekozawa-sempai's voice explaining the reasoning for the decor to the others.

Candlelight is highly beneficial to the soul, He'd say. Especially after the filthiness of the daylight, a person can cleanse themselves off and only find their true selves in the darkness. . .

Still, with the way she her mood was right now, she didn't feel like aiding it by wallowing in darkness. Acting on a whim, Haruhi located a staircase heading down into the foundations of the house. Her steps echoed hollowly down the empty stairwell, had she been the type to do so, she would have probably been apprehensive about delving deeper into the darkness. Fortunately, all she cared about that there was enough light even down here for her not to trip over something.

"Should you be down here?" a soft female voice asked from the shadows. Somehow the voice seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it.

Haruhi nearly jumped in surprise, but calmed down just as quickly as she descended the final few steps into the basement. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." It was probably one of Nekozawa-sempai's servants, clearly they were as fond of the darkness as their master was. "I was just wondering if we couldn't turn on the lights. Setting the mood is nice and all, but sometimes Nekozawa-sempai tends to go overboard when he's around us."

"Is that so?" Though she still couldn't see the other person, Haruhi had the impression her hand had been raised to her chin in thought. "Well, if you must, the circuit breaker for this section of the house is over on the far wall."

"Thanks," Haruhi said. Her eyes were gradually getting used to the darkness and she could make out the faint outline of an opened wall panel on the far side of the room. She could also see the tall, willowy figure of a young woman standing in the far corner, but could not make out any further details other than that silhouette. With a shrug, she crossed the floor and felt around for the appropriate switches. Most of them were in their ready positions, but she could feel one large switch toggled to the side, probably the master breaker. She flipped it to the other side and the room suddenly flared into brightness. She heard a scream from somewhere upstairs – quite possibly Nekozawa-sempai – which suggested the lights in the main rooms had also switched back on. She smiled ruefully and dogged the panel closed.

When she turned around, she noticed the other person had vanished somewhere. She glanced around the room, suddenly noticing large crates filled to the brim with odd objects that probably had to do with the occult. A pile of black cloth was bundled around a long-handled weapon that looked to be a scythe, there were more wax candles stored all along the shelves against the walls, along with a few skulls that shone like plastic. An entire skeleton hung from a small wheeled frame in the corner, next to some more black-bundled cloth and what appeared to be a crystal ball. Still, she could find no sign of another exit, yet she hadn't heard the person she had just been talking to leave by any other means.

She simply shrugged and headed back for the stairs without a backward glance. Nekozawa-sempai's staff is weird she thought.

ooo

Dinner was something of an awkward affair.

Umehito Nekozawa had avoided the Club ever since the lights had been restored. The butler Kadomatsu appeared completely disinterested as he served the members of the Club, mentioning that Kuretake was serving Kirimi Nekozawa and Renge their meals in another section of the house. The circumstances definitely helped save any awkward explanations regarding Haruhi's clearly feminine wardrobe, but despite the freedom to talk freely without giving away Haruhi's secret, the general mood amongst the hosts was not a pleasant one.

Haruhi was still taking Tamaki's previous words very seriously. She was uncharacteristically quiet, responding to any comments in short, terse answers despite Hani and the twins' best efforts. She was studiously neutral towards Takeshi, who remained as quiet as he could so as not to further antagonize her. Towards Tamaki, she was curiously immature. She offered him a share of crab legs, but when he gratefully accepted the plate, he realized she had already sucked the meat from them, leaving nothing but the shells. He responded by reaching out for the remaining pieces on her own plate, but withdrew his hand suddenly as she stabbed a fork into the table where it had just been.

That had been the last straw for him. "What is this? Have you been taking lessons from the twins?" he exclaimed.

"Hm? Didn't you say you weren't going to talk to me anymore?" she said with forced indifference.

Takeshi looked over to see Hikaru and Kaoru sharing identical smirks, though they schooled their expressions when they noticed his eyes on them.

"I see you still have no intentions of apologizing," Tamaki growled. "Fine then! I'm going to bed!"

"Ah," Kadomatsu approached the table and bowed. "Then if you will, Honored Guest, I shall lead you to your chambers." He motioned down the hallway, towards a section of the house that still had its breakers shut off.

Tamaki stared nervously into the darkness. "Ah... anybody else feel sleepy?"

Kyouya sighed and dropped his napkin onto his plate, "Yes, yes... Everyone, if you'll excuse me."

Takeshi raised a hand, "I think I'm done for the night as well." He rose from his own chair and looked over the table. "Haruhi-san, you should take it easy and get some rest yourself."

Haruhi waved absently. As the three left, Haruhi's eating pace suddenly slowed, then stopped as she dropped her silverwear onto her plate. "Maybe I should take up some sort of self-defense classes?"

""Hm? So, she was worried about it after all,"" the twins remarked.

"It's not something we normally like to meddle with," Kaoru said. "But honestly? You might think it's cool to be fearless and to have a strong sense of justice... "

"... But even we think you should apologize for your reckless behavior today," Hikaru finished.

"Huh?" Haruhi blinked. "But it's not like I did anything to you guys. I don't understand why Tamaki-sempai is so angry like that, but if it's because I'm too weak–"

"It's not that," Hani interrupted. "He just has a problem with you deciding to risk yourself like that. We all do."

"But..."

"Haru-chan, we were all worried about you!" Hani exclaimed. "We all care about you a lot! You should apologize, to Tama-chan, to everybody! Lots and lots!"

"Worried," Haruhi blinked in surprise. "You were all worried about me that much?"

Hikaru and Kaoru grimaced, ""This girl... ""

"I see," she said. She was silent for long moments as she ran everything through her head. Finally she ducked her head, "I'm sorry... everyone. I apologize for worrying you."

Hani broke into tears and he flew at her with a wail. "Waah! Haru-chan, I forgive you!"

""Yes yes, we'll forgive you just because you're too cute,"" the twins said as they joined in the glomp.

". . ." Mori simply stood next to the group, not joining in, but not keeping his distance either.

A sudden bubbling growl made everyone pause.

"Ergh," Haruhi groaned. "I think something I ate doesn't agree with me... "

ooo

Tamaki rested on the bed provided to him, still fully dressed, with his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, mulling over everything Haruhi had said and done today. Had Takeshi's pet proven to be hostile, her actions would have definitely provided valuable time for the Nekozawa's maid to escape to safety with her charges, at the cost of her own well being. Though her actions made logical sense, he wondered how he could make her see the greater impact such an action would have had on the people close to her.

Tamaki cared for Haruhi, as he knew the rest of the Club did. Though he was the very soul of the Club, defining it and driving its actions on a daily basis, Haruhi could easily be called the heart of it. Though he'd only known the members for a little over a year, even he could see her arrival had introduced changes that would not have naturally occurred. The twins, already on the verge of opening up to the world, had expanded even further. Though it was hard to see, Mori was slightly more open with his feelings, having extended his protective instinct to include her as well as Hani. Hani... well he didn't see much difference in Haninozuka since his own admission to the club. Kyouya was still keeping his own counsel, but Tamaki could see his best friend was enjoying life significantly more since Haruhi had arrived. And though he had barely known Takeshi before his own arrival, Tamaki could see how the disciplined third-year was gradually starting to relax his own strict standards.

Whether she knew it or not, Haruhi had a significant impact on all of their lives. She had to be made to understand that her safety was not something to be taken lightly, that any one of the club members would gladly have jumped into danger just to save her from that fate. Especially him. Tamaki considered her safety and well being to be top priority nowadays. It was the least he could do as her...

He blinked; what was he to her? He knew he cared for her deeply, but it didn't seem like the miscellaneous stories about romance and love the maids of his own household liked to gossip to each other about. He recalled what the twins had said earlier in the day, remembered what Kaoru had implied. He thought of the club as his family? Well, he supposed that made sense. The club was his pride and joy, something he himself built from scratch. He'd watched each of his handpicked members grow and mature in their duties and their lives as they learned to socialize with their customers. It made sense that he'd feel a sort of paternal instinct towards the club and its members.

He cared for Haruhi, the same way he cared for the others. Maybe he was a bit overprotective of her, but that made sense too; what kind of father wouldn't put his daughter first?

"You have a very unusual thought process," an amused voice sounded from above him.

Tamaki's eyes snapped open, then he blinked in confusion. He hadn't realized he'd dozed off. His body felt suddenly heavy and he found he couldn't move, so he looked around as far as he could just moving his head. Near the door, perched on top of the dresser, was a shadowy figure. He couldn't make out much detail in the dim lighting of the room, but he flinched as he saw silver eyes staring back at him.

"Sorry about that," the female voice said. "I don't normally like to peek into dreams, but you were broadcasting fairly loudly."

"Who are you?" Tamaki asked. He frantically tried to raise himself to a sitting position, but his clothes felt strangely rigid and heavy, pinning him down. "What have you done to me?"

"That was a pretty mean thing you said to Haruhi-san," the figure said, ignoring his questions. "I understand overprotectiveness and all, but you shouldn't put any emphasis on her being a girl instead of a boy. Some boys can be stupidly self-sacrificing as well. I know one who turned out pretty well." The eyes softened slightly, but retained their piercing silver shine. "The others seem to have successfully explained their view to her, though. She should be apologizing the next time you see her. But you should also offer one in return."

"I should–"

"You should probably get some sleep." The silver eyes seemed to flash, and Tamaki's body suddenly felt as heavy as his clothes did. "You've had a busy day and you need your rest." The eyes turned upwards at the corners and he had the impression the mysterious invader was smiling. "Sweet dreams~"

Tamaki passed out almost instantly. The figure held her gaze on his still form for a few more moments, then blinked as he suddenly smiled dreamily in his sleep. She closed her eyes briefly and set a pair of glasses over her face, when she opened them again they appeared a soft purple through the lenses. There was a slight sound as Tamaki's clothes reverted from their temporary rigid form, but the blonde continued to sleep obliviously. She dropped down to the ground noiselessly and opened the door, the light from the hallway revealing a tall, slender figure as she exited.

ooo

Takeshi knocked on the closed door and waited for several moments.

"Enter," answered a voice from inside.

Takeshi threw the latch and pushed the door open. "Kyouya-kun, I almost forgot, but Matsu-kaasan wanted me to ask you—" he suddenly froze as he took in the sight of Haruhi sprawled on the other boy's bed while Kyouya stood off to the side. The doorknob creaked as Takeshi suddenly applied pressure. "Am I interrupting something?" he said, his voice artificially calm.

Haruhi blinked, "Eh? Takeshi-sempai, are you okay?"

Kyouya sighed as he grabbed a shirt off a nearby chair and picked up his laptop. "Haruhi-kun apparently had a disagreement with her dinner, the others ran her to the first restroom they could find, which happened to be mine, apparently." He stepped around Takeshi and started walking down the hallway. "We'll discuss this later, I'm going to work on tomorrow's schedule, please try not to make a mess," he teased as he walked off.

Takeshi bristled at the request and all it implied, then shook his head and visibly deflated. Thunder rumbled in the distance and he turned back to face the room, where Haruhi was now sitting up, her feet swinging along the edge of the bed as she looked out the window. "Haruhi-san, did anything else happen with Kyouya?"

Haruhi shook her head. "Nothing much. He was just trying to explain why he felt I should take better care of myself in the future."

"By doing what?" Takeshi fought to keep the anger from his voice, thought he knew it was a useless effort before her. "What sort of explanation involves him being shirtless and throwing you onto a messed up bed?"

"A messed up.." Haruhi's eyes narrowed, "Hey, nothing happened! He was probably just out of the shower when Hikaru and Kaoru shoved me in here. We just talked, nothing more."

Takeshi sighed and walked over to the nearby desk. He sat down heavily in the chair, "I know. I'm sorry. It's just... like earlier today. I was worried about you."

"I know," Haruhi's tone softened. "The others explained that to me too, I'm sorry I worried you." She looked up and stared at him, "You and Tamaki seemed to take it worse than the others, though. Tamaki's just being weird, but I haven't seen you act that way except around your family."

Takeshi raised his head in surprise. "Well, I have a reason to," he snapped. "You're my Ashikabi."

"Eh?" Haruhi's hand rose absently to run across her lower lip, "You mean your condition didn't go away? You're still, um, 'Reacting'?"

Takeshi gave her an incredulous look. "What? No that... it did what it was supposed to. But it's not just that, I also... I mean we... did that!"

"We kissed?" Haruhi blinked obliviously. "But that was just to help your condition I thought. What else do you mean?"

Takeshi let out a strangled sound and rose from his chair in agitation. "You know what? I don't want to talk about it right now. Let me get my head straight first." He spun and headed for the door. "You should get some sleep, it's getting late."

"Ah," Haruhi rose to her feet. "Wait, Sempai—"

Suddenly the window flashed with light, barely a second later thunder cracked through the air as the storm outside reached a new level.

Takeshi paused as he felt a slim hand grab onto his sleeve. He turned around just as Haruhi let go, an embarrassed blush covering her face. "Haruhi-san?"

"Ah, erm." She looked uncharacteristically flustered. "Sorry, it's nothing."

Lightning and thunder boomed through the room once more and she snapped into rigidity, thought she didn't vocalize anything.

"Ah, ahah... sorry," she said. She quickly looked around then headed over to a walk-in closet. "I just remembered something important I needed to do, so I'll just step into here for a bit..."

"Um, Haruhi-san," Takeshi said in confusion. "What sort of business involves a closet—?"

Another boom filled the room as she slammed the door shut.

Takeshi blinked. "Haruhi, are you scared of thunder?"

Silence.

Takeshi stepped over and yanked at the door handle, "Haruhi! Come back out here, it's even worse if you try to deal with it all by yourself!"

"It's okay, Takeshi-sempai," a shaky voice floated from the closet. "I've always rode it out this way."

"...Always?" Takeshi slowly lowered his hand from the doorknob. "Wasn't there anybody to stay with you?"

"My dad's always busy with work," she returned. "Aside from him, who else would be around?" Thunder crashed outside and he heard a muffled squeak.

"Who...else?" Takeshi blinked. "You've always been alone?" She didn't call for help, even when we were right there in front of her, he mused. She's always dealt with things on her own. She's always had to. . .

"You know," a familiar voice said from behind him. "Closets like that tend to have metal linings that run through the frames of houses like these. So it would probably be the easiest place to run into a random lightning bolt—"

Another boom echoed through the room as the door simultaneously burst open. Haruhi literally flew out from the small room and crashed into Takeshi, knocking them both to the ground, flat on his back. He reflexively curled his arms around her body as she landed on top of him.

Thunder boomed again and Haruhi burrowed her face deeper into his chest. "That was a cruel joke," she complained.

The voice from before sounded amused. "But it got you out of there. He's right, you know. You shouldn't have to deal with anything by yourself anymore. You have your Club and you have Takeshi. You're his Ashikabi, that practically makes you family."

Takeshi craned his head back, staring up from the ground at the figure standing over him.

Riko raised a hand in greeting, "Yo, Takeshi-nii."

ooo

"How long have you been here?" Takeshi said carefully. He had to concentrate to maintain an even tone, if he relaxed too much, he'd probably do something he would regret later.

He and the rest of the club, along with a curiously rested Tamaki, were seated back in the main room. Haruhi was seated next to him, not touching him, but closer to him than decorum probably allowed. She was currently wearing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones Hikaru had brought with him, music playing low enough to let her hear the others even while giving her a background noise to take her mind off the thunder outside.

Riko was lying on a couch still recovering from Hannya exposure, so she simply raised a twitching hand towards a pair of redheads. Takeshi slowly turned his head, and the look in his eyes caused Hikaru and Kaoru to cling to each other.

"We'd run out of ideas to scare Haruhi with," Hikaru explained. "So we figured we could ask your sister for advice!"

"We had her number from our visit the other day," Kaoru added. "When we asked her if she had any, she told us she had the perfect idea for what we were doing!"

Takeshi looked back over at his sister, holding the stare until she was coherent enough to formulate a response.

"I was taking Primy for a walk when they reached me," Riko said finally. "It seemed as good an idea as any at the time." She slowly levered herself back into a sitting position. "I snuck into the house while you were all distracted by Primy – that was the funniest thing I've ever seen by the way. I never would have imagined Haruhi would have the guts to just pet him! Anyhow, once I saw that wasn't going to work, I started thinking of some other ideas to try, but then I overheard your arguments in the aftermath."

"But we never saw you anywhere!" Hani protested. "I would have sensed you, or Takashi would have!"

Takeshi shifted his shoulders uneasily. "Riko is very proficient at getting around undetected; she's one of the biggest pranksters in my family. While Karin's are probably more imaginative, Riko's executions are practically undetectable. We still don't know how she pulls off some of what she does."

""Re~ally?""

Takeshi glared at them and the twins subsided. He pretended to not notice Riko holding up a hand to her head and making call me motions with it. He cleared his throat, pointedly looking at his younger sister.

"Anyhow," she continued. "So I heard your conversation, didn't quite like what I heard, so I changed targets."

"To who?" Kyouya said, clearly suspicious.

Riko merely smiled coyly and pressed her hands together innocently.

Somehow, every head turned as one towards Tamaki, who was still looking slightly dazed, lost in a daydream of some kind. He suddenly let out a strange giggle and blood began trickling from his nose.

"What did you do to him?" Takeshi demanded.

"No~othing... much."

""Pervert,"" the twins stared at Tamaki with a look of contempt. ""Nosebleeder! Hentai!""

"Here's what I want to know." Everybody turned to look at Haruhi, who's brows were furrowed in concentration. Her eye twitched as another crack of thunder – loud enough to reach her through the headphones and music – echoed through the room. "So all the weird things you guys were doing to me today, the random places and objects you'd throw at me. Are you saying this all started because you were trying to look for my weak point?"

"Um, I guess you could say that," Hikaru shrugged.

Haruhi snapped her eyes over to Takeshi, "Sempai, please tell me you weren't part of this."

"Of course he was!" Kaoru exclaimed. "Once he realized what the prize was he was all for it, his enthusiasm only second to Tono's!"

"That's—" Takeshi bit out.

"Ah, that reminds me," Kyouya said as he rifled through a briefing folder. He withdrew the stack of photographs and handed them to Takeshi with a flourish. "Your prize, good sir."

Takeshi numbly took the photos, then grimaced as Haruhi and Riko leaned into him to look at them.

"Hey, she looked pretty cute back then," Riko said. Her eyes flicked over to the girl across from her. "You should grow your hair out again, I think it suits you."

"Takeshi-sempai," Haruhi said slowly. "I thought you were better than this. . . "

Takeshi looked around in dismay, from Riko and the twins who were smirking at him; Kyouya's smug expression; Hani's disappointed look that gave Haruhi a run for her money; Mori looked as impassive as ever, but Takeshi detected a faint note of disapproval in his eyes. Tamaki was still in a daze, thought Kyouya had shoved a tissue up his nose.

"This isn't what it looks like!"