It did lighten things up to play kick the can, ultimate Frisbee, and hide-and-seek. I rarely saw Kyoya in a hurry, so it was fascinating when I saw him participate in athletic activities. I expected him to be gawky, awkward. But his competitive nature came out and he moved fast and low, like a graceful jungle cat. We'd done this before, of course—the super-rich host club boys delighted in the childish games they weren't allowed to play in their youth—but I was always amazed at how it changed Kyoya. His normally composed expression was gone. It was one of the few times his competitive side was allowed to show itself. I watched him race toward the Frisbee, leaping to snatch it from the air and pulling down into a protective crouch. Tamaki barreled over him and the two tumbled on the grass, yelling and laughing.

I smiled at the scene. Family. Yes…brothers. That was exactly it.

Then I was snatched up into one of Mori's arms. His bicep flexed against my hair. Honey, seated in his other arm, called out. "We're taking Haru-chan to hide." Mori's long legs strode toward the hedges.

"No fair!" Tamaki cried. Over Mori's shoulder I saw him scrambling to his feet, eyes on us. "Kasanoda," he ordered the nearest innocent bystander. "You're 'It.' Give us a count of one hundred." He didn't wait to see if Kasanoda obeyed, running in our direction. "And outside the gardens is off limits!" he yelled to the world in general.

Seeing Tamaki closing in on us, Mori set me down on my own two feet. "You should run," he suggested. He turned to boost Honey up a large oak tree.

I looked around wildly for a place to hide. I heard footsteps thumping behind me and took Mori's advice a little too late. I only gained a few yards before Tamaki grabbed my hand. Pulling me forward he cried, "Haruhi, in here!" He nearly yanked my arm off as he ducked into a fancy gazebo and slid underneath the table in its center.

More footsteps crunched through the grass. Three pairs of legs appeared by the table. Tamaki looked over his shoulder petulantly. "What are you guys doing here? This hiding place is mine and Haruhi's! Go find your own!"

"That's not up to you to decide," Kaoru told him.

"For that matter," Hikaru added, "how come you have to hide with Haruhi? Why can't she hide on her own?"

"You fool! It's only natural for a father to hide with his daughter."

"I don't see where that's necessary," Kyoya said. He sounded a little put out himself.

"One-hundred!" Kasanoda's voice carried from not far away.

I shushed them. "Be quiet, you idiots!"

The twins wore matching devilish grins as they squeezed in, pressing close to me and Tamaki and wedging us against the middle table leg. The crowded quarters smelled of sweaty boys.

Kyoya walked around the side of the gazebo and folded himself down to sit with his side propping my back. I turned to look over my shoulder at him, finding his face almost level with mine for once. I loved having him near, and my eyes smiled into his for a moment. Then the twins were shoving again.

"Stop pushing so hard," I flung at them.

"Hands off my Haruhi!" Tamaki demanded.

"She's not yours, sempai!" The twins reminded him.

"Then whose is she?!"

I was reminded of Kyoya's words from that night in my apartment: "He needs to realize you don't belong to him."

I'd had it with them talking about me in front of me. I'd had it with Tamaki and his weird daddy claims on me.

"I don't belong to anyone!" I announced. I sighed in exasperation and leaned my head back on Kyoya's shoulder. I felt his answering chuckle.

"Found you!" Kasanoda shouted triumphantly.

We dispersed to look for other players. In succeeding rounds, I managed to convince my 'brothers' I would be just fine hiding alone. But I had to admit, when I was huddled all by myself waiting to be discovered, I did kind of miss the idiots.

The days grew cooler and talk around campus turned to the Ouran School Fair. The various clubs opened to the public to display their unique contributions to the Academy. Our plans evolved from simply hosting guests, including parents and teachers, to numerous costume changes and a final grand ball. It was a lot to manage, and once again the Shadow King was called upon to make visions a reality. He worked harder than ever, spending every spare moment staring fiercely at his laptop. He seemed bothered by something, more stressed out than I'd ever seen him.

Meanwhile, I was getting stressed out by the whole ball scenario. We lowly commoners don't attend cotillion classes.

I tried to find a way to save face. "I should probably be in charge of the refreshment tables during the ball." The hosts were scattered around a conversational grouping of couches hammering out the details for our Fair days. "I'm not much of a dancer," I admitted.

"Not a dancer?" Tamaki said with dismay. "You learned to waltz last spring, didn't you?"

"Sort of. But I pretty much spent the whole time acting out my part in your scheme to get Princess Kasugazaki and Toru-san together." I felt a blush pink my cheeks as I remembered the 'kiss' afterwards.

"Alright then. Just a refresher on the waltz and maybe this time you can learn the foxtrot. Master those two and you'll be as good as anyone there!"

"She'll have to learn the man's part," Kyoya pointed out, looking up from his notes.

The twins jumped in, "And we are the best ones to teach that!" Kaoru put on his host club mischief, murmuring suggestively. "We dance together often, in private. Don't we, Hikaru?"

"Save it for the guests," I told them. "I don't need to dance at the ball," I reiterated.

"Nonsense!" Tamaki proclaimed. "We shall start today."

Checking the time I said, "Not today. It's already late and I need to get at least some studying done. Classes don't stop for the Fair."

"Actually they do," Kyoya cut in. "But not until Thursday."

"Great!" Tamaki enthused. "That gives us three days for lessons."

"I want to dance with Haru-chan!" Honey said brightly.

"Alright, alright," I conceded. Not like they'd give me a choice anyway. "I'll be back tomorrow," I said, gathering my book bag.

I looked for Kyoya as I started for the door. Finding his eyes already on me, I gave him a small smile.