Hello all! I've missed you all so much!

My lovely readers, I present you with a new chapter in the wonderful tale of Haruhi and Kyoya...I suspect about five more chapters (or so...).

Enjoy!

Previously...

As he lay there, he felt Haruhi's slim fingers running through his hair, and he knew in that moment that Haruhi could never be replaced. No one knew how to understand him quite like she did. She knew what he needed and when, and he could not have been any more content than he was at that moment. Though...he continued to muse that if the two of them were in this position, but both of them were healthy, dry, and warm, he would possibly never move again. He loved the way her fingers threaded through his hair, stopping every so often to massage his scalp. He loved the small, loving smile she sent him every time he took a peek at her fevered face.

Kyoya gave a contented sigh, and all thoughts of his injuries washed away. That is until he heard the voices.

"There they are!"

"Oh, Kami! Thank goodness!"

"I'm so going to kill that boy..."

"What the..."

Just great...intrude on his Haruhi-time...

And now...

Haruhi

Haruhi had no recollection of falling asleep, and it surprised her greatly when she awoke in a very large and comfortable chair next to her boyfriend's hospital bed. After finding them earlier that day, their worried friends and family members had brought the two of them to the hospital. Haruhi was determined to be slightly malnourished, moderately feverish, sleep deprived, and way too stressed for a normal high schooler; however, after promising to look after herself, she was allowed to stay the night with Kyoya. One of Kyoya's broken ribs had slipped out of its alignment once more, causing him to have breathing trouble. Kyoya's wounds had gotten inflamed, and one of the whip wounds had reopened, causing it to get infected. It was not anything too major, but what had Haruhi worried was Kyoya's overall health.

She looked over to him on the crisp white sheets. He was definitely thinner than he had been before his kidnap. There were also thick bags under his eyes, and she noticed that when he was with her in the gazebo, he seemed to be rather uncoordinated. Haruhi also worried about Kyoya's mental stability. He had gone through something no one should ever have to experience, and he had not said much on the matter since being found.

Haruhi stood from her position on the armchair and stretched her arms over her head. It still pained her to breathe deeply or stretch her rib cage, but she needed to stretch the muscles to make them relax a bit. She leaned over Kyoya's sleeping form and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you, you crazy baka. I'll be right back." She promised before slipping out into the hall.

Haruhi walked all through the hospital, trying to work out how she felt. She figured that all of this was her fault…the kidnapping, Kyoya's almost poisoning, Kyoya's worsening condition…all of the causes for these events pointed directly at her, and she could not figure out what to do. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she continued to think.

"Excuse me…Miss?" A small voice pulled her from her thoughts. She looked down to see a young boy, probably no more than four-years-old, with dark, messy hair, teary eyes, and a hospital gown and pants. He looked rather like a mini-Kyoya, and Haruhi almost laughed at the thought.

"What's wrong?" The boy asked feebly. His jaw quivered slightly. "Did you lose your teddy bear, too?"

"No, sweetie." Haruhi answered, bending down to his level. "Is that why you were crying?"

The little boy nodded.

"How about we look for it together?" Haruhi asked, drying her tears on her shirt sleeve.

"Okay! I'm Isamu…" He said shyly.

"Nice to meet you, Isamu-chan. I'm Haruhi." Haruhi gave him a gentle smile before taking his hand and walking back towards his ward.

"So…Haruhi-sama…why were you crying?" Isamu asked, gripping Haruhi's hand tightly.

"Just call me Haruhi, alright? And there are a lot of things going on in my life right now…" Haruhi told him as they continued to walk.

"Why are you in the hospital?"

"Actually…someone I love is here."

"Oh…are they going to be okay?" Isamu asked innocently.

"I sure hope so." Haruhi answered optimistically. "Or else, I'll have to kick his butt."

Isamu grinned at her. "We should go visit him once we find my bear!"

"If your nurse says it's alright to be out of your room, we can go visit him. Okay?"

Isamu sighed heavily. "Alright…"

When they reached his room, they found a nurse desperately searching for him.

"Oh, Isamu! Thank goodness you found him! We were all so worried about you, sweetie!" The matronly nurse told the pair when they walked through the door.

"I was...I was just looking for my bear..." Isamu told her, still not letting go of Haruhi's hand.

"Isamu, honey...you know your bear went to Heaven..." The woman told him, reaching for his hand.

Isamu shook his head and hid behind Haruhi. He mumbled something into her leg, and Haruhi picked him up so she could hear him better.

"What was that?"

"My teddy went to Heaven with Mommy." He said as he began to cry again.

Haruhi's heart ached for the boy. "What about your daddy?" She asked him.

"Daddy left me and Mommy right before I came out of Mommy...Mommy never found anyone after that...Daddy never loved me..." The boy whimpered as he clung to Haruhi.

Haruhi tried to calm him down, and she glanced at the nurse, who just shook her head.

"He gets like this from time to time. It's just best if the person closest to him tries to talk him down..."

"Isamu-chan...I know for a fact that your Daddy probably loved you very much. How could he not love someone as handsome and charming as you? He'd have to be crazy! And Haruhi would have to kick his hiney, too." Haruhi winked at him, and he giggled slightly.

"Isamu-chan, would you like to hear a story?" When she saw him nod, she continued. "I lost my mommy at a very young age too. Luckily, my dad was always there, but I know that no matter what happens, my mommy loves me very much and is always watching over me. Just like I know that your mommy loves you very much, and I know she's probably guarding your teddy bear until she gets to see you again. Mommies have this super power that makes it impossible for them to leave their children behind."

Isamu nodded at her. His teddy bear was in good hands.

"I have an idea." Haruhi told him before setting him down and taking the nurse into the hall.

"When did this happen?" She asked the nurse.

"About two weeks ago. He was brought in for multiple burns of all sorts and smoke inhalation. The mother didn't make it, and they have no extended family."

"I see..." Haruhi felt a pang of sadness for the boy. "Would you mind if he left his room under my supervision for a little while?"

"I don't really know who you are, Miss. I feel that it would be unwise to allow him to go with a perfect stranger."

Haruhi nodded in understanding. "Call Yoshio Ootori. He can vouch for the fact that I'm not going to steal him."

The nurse's eyes widened as she dialed the Ootori's extension.

"Y-Yes, I have a woman here who claims to be in league with the Ootori family. Her name is..."

"Haruhi Fujioka." Haruhi supplied.

"Haruhi Fujioka. Can you please ask Mr. Ootori if he knows of a person by this name?"

There was a small pause before the nurse began to look very embarrassed.

"Right. Okay, thank you." The nurse turned to Haruhi. "Sorry, Miss. I was just doing my job."

"I understand. Do you think I could possibly take him out for a bit? He'll be back before dinner, I promise!"

"I don't see why not. He's healing fine. Just have him back by dinner…or else!" The nurse took on a playful tone.

"Thank you so much!" Haruhi cheered before running back into the room.

"Isamu-chan! We're going on a field trip, okay?" Haruhi asked the boy, whose eyes began to sparkle.

"You mean it?" He seemed almost hesitant to ask.

"Of course! We have to make a quick stop first, okay? You get to meet my friend."

If Isamu's smile could have gotten any bigger, it would have sliced his face in half. Haruhi watched him gingerly put on his robe before walking back over to her and grabbing her hand. The two exchanged smiles and thanked the nurse graciously before heading on their journey.

While they walked, they engaged in idle conversation, where Haruhi learned many things about this little boy. His father had left the family half a year before Isamu was born, and Isamu's mother had had a rough time dealing with it until her death. She learned that Isamu was four years old, and his birthday had just passed the previous week. According to Isamu, his house in the run-down part of town had been the victim of a vandal who, after stealing what little he could find, set fire to the place. Isamu had watched from beneath the kitchen sink as his mother was knocked out by the criminal. He had seen the man spray gasoline all over the house before lighting a match and leaving the place to burn. The man had yet to be caught, but Isamu understood that miracles happened, and he desperately hoped that his mother's killer would be brought to justice. Isamu talked like his life depended on it, and Haruhi was glad to listen to his babbling, as it distracted her from her own problems.

By the time they reached Kyoya's room, Haruhi was holding a very excited, albeit tired, Isamu. She turned the doorknob, and Isamu's face fell.

"What's wrong with him…"Isamu asked, squirming to be put down so that he could examine the man further.

"He was taken away from me for a little bit, and he was very badly hurt when we found him again. He was having some breathing issues, but I know he'll be fine." Haruhi smiled at the boy, but inside she was hurting. Kyoya was still asleep.

She eyed Isamu closely when he began to poke Kyoya's face, and she chuckled quietly when he began to speak to him.

"Hey, Mister! You have a really pretty lady waiting for you to wake up. She misses you!" Isamu continued to babble to Kyoya's sleeping form, and Haruhi snuck over to her jacket and grabbed her wallet.

"Isamu-chan, how about we leave the nice man to sleep for now? I have a surprise for you!"

Isamu's face brightened, and he raced over to Haruhi and grabbed her hand once more.

They finally reached their destination a bit later, and Haruhi heard Isamu gasp in delight. The store. Granted, it was a hospital store, but it had to have something in it that Isamu would enjoy. Before she knew what was happening, Isamu was dragging her into the store.

"Isamu-chan, wait up!" She laughed as the little boy suddenly got a rush of energy.

He led the two of them to the book section, and began to show her some of his favorite superheroes from the various coloring and comic books.

"Why don't you pick out a few? I'll be right back! Just don't leave this area, alright?" Haruhi told him. When he nodded eagerly, Haruhi quickly made her way to the stuffed animal section.

She scanned the shelves and was surprised at how many there were to choose from. Remembering that she had a child to keep an eye on, Haruhi chose a simple brown and tan bear. It was just a head smaller than Isamu, and it had a kind sparkle in its eyes. When she picked it up, she knew it was perfect. The bear was incredibly soft and absolutely perfect. With a small smile, Haruhi tucked the bear behind her back and made her way to Isamu, who was still trying to decide which books he wanted.

Haruhi chuckled at his deliberation between a Batman coloring book and a set of Batman comic books.

"Why not both?" Haruhi asked, and she saw Isamu jump.

"B-But…you're being so nice to me…and Mommy always said not to let people spend money on me…" Isamu told her, holding his head down.

"Isa-chan…I earned this money, and if I want to spend it on you, then I will. Don't worry about it, okay?" She held out a hand, and Isamu gave her the books.

"Haruhi-sama…er…Haruhi…what's behind your back?" Isamu craned his neck.

"Oh…nothing…" Haruhi told him as she led him to the counter. She kept him firmly in front of her so that he would not see her gift and, once she paid for the items, the pair walked hand-in-hand back to Kyoya's room.

The pair sat on the floor next to Kyoya's bed and took out the coloring book. Isamu immediately started to color in it, excitedly chattering about how much better Batman would look in a pink suit. Haruhi laughed openly at his comment and watched as the boy had the audacity to color Batman's suit a multitude pink shades. Maybe the kid was on to something...Batman certainly did look dashing in pink...

Kyoya

Kyoya awoke to the sounds of hushed laughter and a small child's voice. Where was he? More importantly…where was Haruhi?!

He heard a loud laugh that sounded like that of a little boy. It was shortly followed by a hushed, "Isa-chan…don't wake him up!"

Kyoya pulled his hand to his face as though it weighed a ton and tried to wipe his eyes. He found that difficult to do, seeing as he had a drip attached to him…probably morphine.

"H-Haruhi…" He groaned as he grasped the air blindly for her hand.

If Kyoya had not felt so weighed down, he would have smiled when a warm, soft hand ended his search.

"Kyoya! Oh, thank goodness! How are you feeling? Are you alright? Are you in pain at all?" Haruhi seemed frantic, and Kyoya pulled his hand from hers, placing it on her cheek.

"I'm…fine…" It still hurt him to breathe, and he knew that what he had done was foolish.

"How…how could you be such an idiot?" Haruhi whispered darkly. "How could you be so foolish as to come find me? I've been alone through worse storms. I could have taken care of myself!" Her voice was rising in volume and pitch. "You went and aggravated your condition, you baka! You stupid, selfish baka!" She was crying now.

"I…" He had no answer…why had he gone after her. He could have just as easily called a driver to go find her and bring her back. Why hadn't he?

Luckily for him, a small grunt from behind Haruhi caught her attention. "Oh, Isa-chan! I'm sorry…"

"Haruhi…your face is all red…it looks like your fever came back…" The boy, Isa, told her before putting his arms up to her, an indication for her to pick him up.

Kyoya watched as Haruhi bent down and tenderly scooped the boy up. The boy placed his hand on Haruhi's forehead and nodded lightly, concern knitting his brows together.

"Mommy always said not to get upset…especially when you're sick…" He said matter-of-factly.

Kyoya laughed quietly at the sight. Haruhi, an almost fully grown woman, was being reprimanded for her behavior…by a toddler!

"Don't think you've gotten out of this." Haruhi spat, placing the boy back on the ground.

"Isamu-chan, this is my special friend, Kyoya Ootori." Haruhi told the boy, who climbed up on the chair next to the bed to get a better look.

Kyoya let him poke his face before the little boy's eyes went wide. "You look just like him." He whispered.

What do we think of Isa-chan? Like? Hate? Meh (for now)?

Please leave a review if you have the time! I love reading them, and they really do make me work faster! :)

Love you all!

Ja ne!