Hey all! Sorry for the delay...I didn't mean to let you all down...I've been studying like a beast for these exams...a full week of stuff to do right after break! But at least it's over now...phew!

Either way, I would like to thank a very special guest reviewer by the name of Granted Forever! Thank you random citizen for reviewing so many of my chapters! I truly look forward to your reviews, as they are actual paragraphs. :)

Enjoy this chapter! I'll try to have the next one up in the next week or so...

Previously...

"And Kyoya?" Ranka was at the door, his hand on the handle. "If anything happens to me, I want you to take care of my daughter. You two were made for each other."

He was gone without another word. That statement had sounded a bit ominous to Kyoya, but he brushed it off as stress from the past couple of days.

Kyoya looked over at Haruhi, who was lying on her side, facing him. Her pale lips were parted as she breathed deeply. The corners of her mouth were turned into a delicate smile, and her face looked as though she was at peace in her dream world. Kyoya reached over to her and brushed her fringe out of her face, noticing the heat that radiated off of her forehead. Oh, Haruhi…I'm sorry…

And now...

Haruhi

Haruhi awoke feeling a bit better than she had the previous night. She looked over at Kyoya's bed and saw that he was still asleep. The hand closest to her lay on her bed, as though he had been holding her hand through the night. His brow was relaxed, and he seemed to be in a lot less pain than he had been in the past few days. Though his skin was paler than usual, Kyoya's handsome features still remained the same.

Haruhi stood up from her bed and leaned over her boyfriend, giving him a feather-light kiss on the forehead. Everything she had said yesterday was true. She loved this man with everything she had. She did not want to be with anyone else…ever. And she would be giving Kyoya a strong talking-to once they had both eaten.

In the meantime, however, Haruhi decided she would head home for a shower and as much of a breakfast as she could scavenge. She highly doubted that her father had gone shopping for groceries, as that had always been Haruhi's job in the house. With a heavy sigh and a final kiss on Kyoya's cheek, Haruhi left the rom.

Kyoya

Kyoya did not wake up until the nurse came by with his breakfast. Immediately after waking up, Kyoya looked over to check on Haruhi, and he panicked when she was nowhere to be found.

"Excuse me?" He asked the nurse.

"Yes, what is it?"

"The woman who was here last night…where is she?"

"Oh…she left a little bit ago. She said to tell you she would be back in a little while."

"Oh…" Kyoya turned back to his meal.

By the time Kyoya was finished with his breakfast, Haruhi was still gone and Kyoya was feeling the twinge of loneliness that always accompanied Haruhi's absence. It may have been a side effect of the multiple drugs coursing through his system, but Kyoya was feeling extremely depressed without her by his side.

Suddenly, his door opened.

"Hey, Kyoya! How are you feeling this morning?" Her cheery voice broke through his thoughts.

"I should be asking you that question…" Kyoya responded dejectedly.

"Kyoya? What's wrong? I promise I feel much better after a good night's sleep, nice breakfast, and hot shower. What's wrong?"

"I don't…I just…I don't know…"

Haruhi sat down beside him on the bed. "What's going through your mind?"

"I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I feel so upset when you aren't here. I don't know why." Kyoya growled through clenched teeth. It pained him to admit a weakness this big.

"It'll be okay." He heard her say reassuringly. But the words seemed so hollow to him. When had this started? Why had this started all of a sudden?

Then he remembered…seeing Haruhi interacting with Isamu had stirred something within him that he himself could not recognize. He was in love with the woman sitting in front of him, and watching her with Isamu made him realize just how much he wanted her to be his forever.

"Haruhi…" He choked out, hating how thick his voice sounded.

"What's up?" She answered, placing an arm around his shoulders.

"You know I love you…right?"

"Of course I do! And I love you too. Now what's all this about?"

"It's just that…when you and Isamu were playing yesterday and later when you picked him up…every time he held your hand…I realized that I love you so much more than I originally thought. I know I was a bastard before, making cold remarks and constantly increasing your debt…but I didn't want you to leave and I didn't want you to catch on to the fact that I was completely head over heels for you. It's going to take a while before I can get over that side of me, especially in public, but I want you to know that I-"

He was cut off by a feather-soft kiss on his lips.

"Kyoya, do me a favor? Shut up." Haruhi's warm breath cascaded over his face as she leaned in to kiss him again. "Kyoya…you don't ever have to get rid of that side of you. If I didn't think I could handle it, I wouldn't be with you right now. Even if you hadn't pretended to be indifferent towards me and constantly raise my debt, I would have stayed. You guys are the closest thing to a family I've had in a really long time. I love each of the hosts so much, but you…you aggravating, stupid, jerk-face…" Kyoya winced a little at the insult. "I love you most. If it hadn't been for you, I don't know that I would be here today."

Kyoya grabbed Haruhi's face in both of his hands, reveling in their softness. He kissed her with all of the passion he could muster, and he poured all of the words he couldn't say into that kiss. Their tongues wrestled for dominance.

Suddenly, a cough interrupted the pair, and the two broke apart, gasping for air and wearing matching blushes.

"Well…it's good to see that the lovebirds are doing well and healing." Kyoya heard his father's gruff voice. He seemed to be amused at the situation in front of him.

"Yes, sir. We are doing well." Haruhi whispered in reply, looking at the ground. Kyoya grabbed her hand and squeezed, letting her know that she needn't feel embarrassed.

"Is there something you needed, Father?" Kyoya asked, not letting go of Haruhi.

"I just came to see how the two of you were doing. Is that so wrong?"

Kyoya knew he was hiding something. "But that isn't all, is it?"

"Hm…no. I actually came to talk to Miss Fujioka about her connection to that boy, Isamu Sato."

Kyoya felt Haruhi move to get off the bed, but he pulled her back to him. "Don't leave…please…" He pleaded quietly.

"Of course. What about him?" Haruhi stopped trying to leave, and Kyoya noticed that his father had come further into the room and was perched on one of the chairs near them.

"Let's start with how you know him."

"I…I took a walk to clear my head and found him wandering around the hospital. He said he was looking for his teddy bear…so I took him back to his room. When I saw how lonely his room looked, I thought I could help him out and take my mind off of this situation. So I took him to get some things to do…Is there a problem?"

"Well…no…but there is something you should know."

Haruhi

Haruhi stiffened. She did not know whether the news would be positive or negative, so she was preparing herself for the worst.

"Er...what is it?" Haruhi asked apprehensively.

"It's about Isamu's father. He didn't disappear while his mother was pregnant. Isamu's mother told him that because it seemed easier to believe and easier to break to him."

Haruhi swallowed thickly. "So...wh-what actually happened?"

"Isamu's father...got involved in some pretty bad stuff. He was in a gang. His gang regularly visited the red light district, and he eventually fell in love with a woman in one of the clubs there. He always called for her when the gang was in the area. One day, she came to him telling him that she was pregnant with his child, as she had been reserved only for him singe the first time they...interacted...

"The two eloped, and Isamu's father disappeared from his gang. Naturally, the gang was not very happy about losing one of its most valued members, so they went hunting for him. When they found out that he had a little family growing, they became infuriated. They tried to strike a deal with him that if he left with them and continued to work for them, his wife and child's lives would be spared. Wanting nothing more than his family's happiness, Isamu's father left with his gang."

"I'm afraid I don't see where this is going, sir." Haruhi interjected when Yoshio had taken a pause. "What does this have to do with me?"

"You see, Isamu's father is still alive and still works for the gang. He has made many enemies through his work with his gang, and one of the rival gangs is the reason that his wife, Isamu's mother, is now dead. When someone is in a gang, they cannot afford to have families or have any ties…just in case. Now, you asked what this has to do with you. I noticed that Isamu has taken quite the shine to you…When I visited him this morning, we had a nice long chat about you. He seems to find you a mother-figure, and I thought you might need to know about his past in order to stick around for his future."

"How do you know all of this about him?"

"You mean besides the fact that I'm resourceful?" Yoshio chuckled, making Haruhi feel like an idiot. "I know so much about this seemingly insignificant boy because his father…his father is my brother. Isamu is my nephew."

Well...I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter!

Please review if you get the chance!

And by the way, there's going to be a third one! :D

See y'all later!