They had to drop Mori off at the dojo as he was training for an upcoming kendo tournament. He actually told Haruhi goodbye, something that made her smile a little, and then the limo was pulling away and she fell back into her thoughts. During the ride she was silent, trapped within her own turbulent emotions. A normal girl, thrown by accident into a world she had no real basis for understanding; was it any wonder she was stressed and confused? She'd never put much stock in dating or romance because they just seemed so...unimportant, really, when stacked against her entire future. And yet here she was, having been kissed (and very thoroughly, her inner voice said cheekily) by not one but two of the most attractive guys she'd ever met. It wasn't the fact that she'd responded that was the problem. Objectively she had to admit that if she hadn't felt something, there would likely be something very wrong with her. No, what upset her so was that Hikaru and Kaoru were her closest friends. She didn't want that to change. But how could it not when any time she looked at them – hell, thought about them – she'd be deluged in the memories of their kisses? And it wouldn't be so bad if, maybe...they actually meant it. Oh, she knew they cared about her. She was their favorite toy, after all. And really, they were good friends. But the overt affection, the cuddling and teasing – it was all just a game to them. And that knowledge hurt far more than she wanted it to.

She was distracted from her depressing thoughts by the warmth of the loli-shota host leaning up against her side and threading his fingers with hers again.

"Haru-chan, don't be so sad. They were only playing."

"Yeah, I know. That's my problem." The words slipped out before her brain could stop them and she nearly choked on her own tongue. "I mean...I..." She closed her eyes and waited for the laughter – laughter that never came. What did was the feeling of fingers on her cheek, carefully urging her to look at him.

"So that's why you're upset," Honey said gently, placing a finger over her lips to stop her from speaking. "I wondered. Is that what's been bothering you these last few weeks, Haru-chan?" Under the comfort of Honey's gaze Haruhi found she didn't have the strength to keep up appearances any more.

"Yes. No. Not entirely. Oh god...I can't do this," she whimpered, closing her eyes to stop the tears she felt building. She didn't see Honey lower the partition between them and the driver, but she heard him murmur something to the man in the front. Once he'd done that he settled back against the seat and pulled her into his arms while she struggled with herself.

"It's okay, Haru," he whispered as he stroked her hair. She shook her head and sat back up and he watched her visibly gather herself, pushing all of her emotions deep inside. She blinked a couple of times before looking at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm okay now." He shook his head, tightening his grip on her hand as she made to pull away.

"No you're not, Haruhi," he said, his voice soft yet certain. He reached up and tapped her temple lightly. "There's more than just the twins and Tamaki in there, isn't there? What's really bothering you?" She looked away, not meeting his eyes.

"Shouldn't we be at my house already?" she asked, seeing unfamiliar scenery out the window. She heard him chuckle.

"I'm kidnapping you for a little bit, Haru-chan. I have something I've been wanting to show you." Her wide eyes turned to him, but he wasn't an expert at playing innocent for nothing. "You...don't mind, do you, Haru-chan?" he asked in a small voice. He knew he had her when she smiled. Not another word was spoken for the rest of the ride, though he kept her hand in his own. Finally the car began to slow before coming to a full stop. Without waiting for the driver Honey let go of her and hopped out of the door, but when he turned back to offer his hand to Haruhi once more it was with all of the grace and decorum of the heir he was. For some reason the gentlemanly gesture made her cheeks heat, a situation that wasn't helped when he kissed her knuckles gently after he'd helped her out of the car. She felt her breath hitch as she looked into his deep eyes, but then he grinned.

"Come on, Haru-chan. Follow me!" With that he was off like a shot, pulling her along with him as they left pavement for grass, grass for a near-invisible dirt path through the trees. She knew he was keeping himself to her slower pace but it didn't feel like condescension; rather, it was with a sense of camaraderie, togetherness. She realized she was giggling and the carefree sound startled her, but something about running for the sheer joy of doing so made her almost giddy. She could see the same enjoyment on Honey's face when he looked over at her.

Without warning they broke from the treeline into a clearing. A single wishing well stood in the center of a wide oval area, the ground covered in soft ankle-deep grass that smelled like springtime. The sun was low, behind the treetops, and the shadows seemed to caress the remaining light with gentle fingers. There were honeysuckle vines climbing over the well and lacing through the grass like party streamers left to decorate a carpeted floor.

"Do you like it?" Honey whispered from behind her, sounding simultaneously proud and unsure.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. She could almost feel him smile.

"Come on. Let's go sit down." He led her over to the wishing well and, in a chivalrous gesture she never expected, whipped off his school blazer and placed it on the ground for her to sit on. He regarded her with a sweet smile.

"So you don't get your pants wet. The ground is occasionally kind of damp." Haruhi couldn't help but smile back, and the shorter host giggled.

"I like it when you smile," he said, waiting until she was seated before sitting beside her, angling himself to face her slightly. "I wanted to bring you here ages ago, but...well, having the entire club here..." he trailed off and she was amazed to see a small trace of pink on his cheeks as he blinked, looking away briefly.

"It really is beautiful. So peaceful," she murmured, and he looked back at her. But it wasn't the cutesy boy host looking at her from beneath those long lashes. It was...well, Mitsukuni. She swallowed hard, her pulse jumping into a swifter rhythm.

"So, Haru," he began, "what's been bothering you lately. I know it's not all because of Tamaki, or Hika and Kao. They're just the visible annoyances you're lashing out at. What's really wrong?" His sincere caring, the warmth in his eyes...Haruhi shattered.

One minute he was trying to find the right words to get her to open up, and the next he was staring in shock as his normally unflappable Haruhi dissolved into tears. The wrenching sobs tore at his heart and he had her in his arms before he knew he'd moved, holding her tight to him as she came undone. He simply sat there, arms full of shaking girl, peppering her hair with gentle kisses while she cried like her world was ending. Neither of them noticed as the sun slipped off to get some sleep, but it wasn't long after the moon began spying on them that Haruhi's sobs became sniffles, tapering off into staggered breathing. She finally lifted her head, shame and embarrassment plastered on her features, but he wasn't having it. When she tried to pull away from him he made a quiet noise, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," she said, her voice full of self-disgust.

"You're beautiful," he replied, taking her handkerchief and wiping the tear streaks from her cheeks. With a quick swipe though the grass he'd dampened his fingers with dew and pressed them lightly against her eyelids, knowing from experience how good the cool moisture would feel on her heated skin. He inwardly delighted in the small sigh of relief that escaped her and resisted the almost overwhelming urge to to drag her back to him. Instead, he waited until she looked back at him before speaking again.

"Now, do you want to tell me what that was about, or would you rather go home?" He kept his expression neutral, letting her decide, not wanting his desperate desire for her confidence to affect her choice. She sat very still for a moment and it felt like she was searching his eyes for...something. She seemed to find whatever it was because she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she looked at him once more.

"My father...he's dying."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

"What were you thinking, you little demons?" Tamaki snapped. He was toe-to-toe with the brothers in the music room, the three of them alone since Kyoya walked out without a word.

"What were WE thinking? YOU were the one that knocked her down – and just HAPPENED to land face-first on her breasts!"

"Well, you two were the ones forcing your kisses on her -"

"I didn't see any forcing, did you, Hika?"

"Nope. Felt to me like she enjoyed herself. A lot."

"How DARE you talk about my precious daughter like that?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird that he calls her his daughter when he wants her in his bed as badly as we all do?"

"I don't know, Kao. You know I've never had a problem with incest." The twins shared a heated glance that only served to rile up their Host King even further. His anger they expected. But the slaps that came out of seemingly nowhere, Tamaki's hand striking first Hikaru, then Kaoru, was so out of character that the three of them just stared at one another, Tamaki easily as stunned – if not more so – than the twins.

"I...my god, I..." he stammered, lapsing into incoherent babbling in French before shutting up entirely. The King of the Host Club was totally horrified at what he'd done. He was so stunned he didn't even revert to his normal corner. And the twins...

"You. Bastard." Kaoru ground out the words through clenched teeth. Hikaru didn't trust himself to speak, or even move. The Hitachiins glared at their leader, violence making their eyes glow. Tamaki, though, had lost all momentum in his shame and slumped to the floor, not even looking up as the two of them walkd slowly to the exit.

He didn't know if they'd heard his murmured "I'm so sorry." But he knew it wouldn't have mattered if they had. Some things just couldn't be fixed with mere words.