Hey all! I hope you guys are having a nice week so far!

I just want to say one little thing before we start the next installment of HSII:DYT...

I HAVE THE BEST REVIEWERS AND FOLLOWERS IN THE UNIVERSE! I seriously love and appreciate each of you, and I cherish every one of your reviews! So thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart! :)

Without further ado, the next chapter of Heat Stroke Two...

Previously...

"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."

And now...

Haruhi

Haruhi gaped like a fish out of water. Isamu, the boy who looked like a mini Kyoya, was actually an Ootori? That explained a lot…

"I only tell you this because his father may not ever come back for him." Yoshio continued. "So the boy is going to need a home or at least a good basis for a family."

"B-But I'm only…"

"I know. You're not legally old enough to adopt him, but I do have an idea. My wife and I have talked about adopting the boy into the family after revealing his true origins to him. However, the two of us are often away either at work or on business trips." Haruhi saw his eyes shift to Kyoya and herself, still wrapped in each other on the bed.

"What do you need me to do…" Haruhi asked.

"You and Kyoya would be his family base. It would not be too difficult, especially considering that school is about to let out for break. All you need to do is continue to be there for him when he needs it."

"Why all of the sudden?"

"He is going to be released in a couple of days, and he will need a place to go. Otherwise, he will be put into the foster system, as he does not have any recorded next-of-kin."

"Why are you telling me all of this? What merit is there?"

Yoshio gave a low chuckle. "You know us too well, Haruhi. I would be very appreciative if you would break the news to the boy."

Of course… Haruhi thought. She was about ready to tell him that he was crazy and that she absolutely would not do such a thing, but she realized that in the long run, this might be for the best. Even if Isamu ended up hating her for a little while after she told him the news, he could not be mad forever. And Isamu being mad would be better than him being heartbroken and in the foster system.

With a heavy sigh, Haruhi nodded the affirmative. "I'll tell him…"

That day, Haruhi met up with Isamu as promised and took him to the cafeteria for some well-needed ice cream. Once they had each had an ice cream in their hands, Haruhi lead Isamu to a booth towards the back of the cafeteria.

"Isamu…there's something I need to tell you…" Haruhi began, watching the boy happily lick his ice cream.

"Mm…what is it?" He asked, a bit of the chocolate confection on his nose.

Haruhi leaned forward and chuckled as she wiped it off. "I met up with someone very important, someone we both know and respect. Do you remember the man who looked like my good friend?"

Isamu nodded, still licking his ice cream eagerly.

"Well, he told me something…it's a good thing…I think."

"Can you just tell me? Quit stalling!" Isamu mumbled. He seemed more interested in his treat than anything Haruhi was about to tell him.

"Isa-chan, once we finish our ice cream, I'll tell you, okay?" Haruhi sighed. She just wanted to enjoy her time with the boy while he still liked her. There was no telling how he would react to her news. So when the boy nodded and continued eating, Haruhi took it as her cue to dig into her ice cream rather than her story.

When the ice cream was gone, Haruhi sat beside the boy and began to clean off his face and hands while she talked.

"Isa-chan, you have to promise me that no matter what I say, you'll stay right here with me, okay?"

"What is it?" His eyes gleamed with excitement, and Haruhi's heart broke a little more.

"That man who looks a lot like my friend is actually…well…he's…he's related to you…and I think I should start from-"

"What? Haruhi, you can't be serious!" Isamu looked as though Haruhi had just told him Santa wasn't real.

"Let me explain…your father didn't leave you because he hated you or your mother. He left to protect you, and he loved you very much. You and your mother meant the world to him, but he got mixed up with some bad people. He didn't want you and your mother to be in danger, and he knew that you two would have been killed if he had stayed. Your father is still alive, but the chances of him being able to come back to you are very little…I didn't want to be the one to do this…"

"You…how do you know…" Isamu's face was red, and it looked as though he was fighting tears.

"That man, your uncle, is your father's brother. He cares about you very much, and he wanted you to know the truth before it became too difficult to break to you. You are a very intelligent young boy, and he wanted to make sure that you would hear it from someone you trusted rather than having to figure it out on your own."

Isamu had wriggled out of Haruhi's grasp and broke out in a sprint…well, a limping sprint. Haruhi was able to catch up rather quickly, and once she jogged up beside him, she scooped him up in her arms.

"Isa-chan, I didn't want to be the one to tell you that." She told him as he fought against her grip. He was sobbing horribly, and his tears were sliding down Haruhi's neck.

"L-Let me…go! I hate you…you shouldn't lie to people!" Isamu shouted, pounding her chest with his small fists.

"It wasn't a lie, Isamu!" She told him, hugging him closer. Eventually, the beating slowed, and Isamu slumped against her, sobbing still.

"He left to protect you, Isa-chan…he wanted to make sure you and your mother would be safe. He loves you very much, I know it." Haruhi tried to soothe him, carrying him towards his room.

"Well, Mommy's dead. And I'm here. We weren't safe…" Isamu said through his tears.

Haruhi said nothing more as she carried him back to his room. She walked in and tucked him back into bed. "I'm so sorry, Isamu…" Haruhi whispered, kissing him on the forehead.

"I don't want to see you ever again!" He wailed as he buried his face into his bear, Kyo.

Haruhi pulled back as though she had been slapped in the face. She walked numbly out of the room and stumbled back to Kyoya's room. When she walked through the door, she saw Yoshio and Kyoya talking about something.

"I hope you're happy, sir." Haruhi mumbled monotonously as she lay back on her bed, her back facing the two men.

"Haruhi, what happened?" Kyoya tried to ask her, but she did not respond.

Why was she always the pawn? She seemed to be in the unique position of always having to break people's hearts. Isamu was a charming boy, and she loved him like a son…now he hated her because Yoshio Ootori was too much of a bastard to tell the boy the truth himself. The first tear fell, followed by several more, and before she knew it, Haruhi was sobbing.

She could not explain her connection to the boy, but knowing that he hated her and never wanted to see her again had plunged a knife into her heart.

Behind her, she heard Yoshio whisper something to Kyoya before leaving. She heard two bare feet hit the tiles and the dragging of an IV pole before she felt Kyoya's warm hand on her shoulder urging her to turn over.

"Please, Kyoya…go away…" Haruhi told him, her voice breaking.

"No. You can't get rid of me that easily. Haruhi, what happened?" He asked her, sitting beside her on the bed and stroking her back.

"He…he hates me!" She wailed as she flipped over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What happened?" He pressed on, threading his fingers through her hair.

"I told him and he bolted…then he said he hated me and never wanted to see me again…"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it. Haruhi, you know how kids can get sometimes."

"He meant it…"

"Well…what did he do when you took him back to his room?" Kyoya asked.

"He cried…a lot…he was wailing…"

"Let me ask you this. What was his object of comfort?"

"The bear…"

"The one you got him?"

Haruhi nodded.

"That proves it. Haruhi, he snuggled into your bear because he didn't know who else to turn to. Small children need something to pour their feelings in to. Because he was so busy being upset at you for bearing the news, he went to the bear instead. He doesn't really hate you, he just needs to let go of his feelings."

Damn…Kyoya had a way of making sense sometimes. She desperately hoped he knew what he was talking about. When she looked up at his face, he seemed pained, and Haruhi remembered that his injuries were still at risk of reopening. Haruhi patted the bed beside her, motioning for him to lie down beside her. As he did, he wiped away her tears with his non-IV hand.

"I love you, Haruhi." Kyoya reminded her gently. "No matter what."

"I love you too, Kyoya…I'm sorry…" With that, a fresh round of tears worked its way down Haruhi's face.

"Whatever for?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"Being such a b-big baby…m-making you come over h-here…when you're hurting…" She blubbered.

Kyoya gave a low chuckle and kissed her on the forehead. "If it meant making you happy, I would do it any time of day, injuries or not."

Haruhi was overcome by how much he cared for her and threw her arms around his torso. "I love you so much…" She mumbled, feeling her eyelids begin to get heavy.

"And I you, Haruhi." He told her, laying down fully beside her.

The couple fell asleep wrapped in each other's embrace and remained undisturbed for some time until…

"Miss Fujioka!" A nurse burst through the door, startling Haruhi awake. Her movements, thankfully, did not rouse her sleeping boyfriend, and she shushed the woman with a finger to her own lips.

Haruhi gingerly rose from bed and followed the woman outside the room.

"What is it?" She asked, still a bit grumpy from having had a very rude awakening.

"It's Isamu!"

Hehe...I thought I was clever because I rhymed in the beginning...

Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Maybe...probably...four or five more to go!

I already started the third part of the Heat Stroke series! Can't wait to start posting that one!

Please review if you have the time! Always appreciated. :)

By the way, I am unsure as to when I will be able to post the next chapter, as I have a Phys Chem exam, A&PII Lab exam, and an ASL exam all on the same day next week...as well as various research projects...(Such is the life of a nursing major!)

Until next time...