Author's note: Slightly short, but it broke better here. :)

"All clear." The short message from Honey didn't take even a second to read...though once more Kyoya hadn't gotten it until several hours had passed from when it was sent. After a long and...interesting...discussion, he and Tamaki had decided that maybe they should hold off on having sex again, that it would be better to take some time and learn how to be together as friends and as a couple rather than letting their libidos do the talking all the time. Tamaki had pouted until Kyoya pointed out that they hadn't banned all intimacy altogether – just no actual intercourse. The entire situation was new for the both of them and whereas Tamaki's optimism could float a battleship, Kyoya was far more pragmatic. He also asked that they not tell anyone – save for their friends, most of whom were far too perceptive to not figure it out anyway. Once they had hammered out a tentative plan, Tamaki had locked his lavender gaze to his lover's dark one and together they had adjourned to the privacy of Tamaki's suite where the Host King proceeded to show the Shadow King just how enjoyable cuddling could be. As such it was already evening when Kyoya had looked at his phone. Relieved that the shopping trip had gone off without a hitch – Honey's message wouldn't have been as brief as it was if there had been any problems – he relaxed a bit further. Unfortunately, as much as he would have loved to stay in the peaceful haven that Tamaki's rooms had become, he knew he had to go home. As expected the blond was both disappointed and understanding, but after extracting a promise from Kyoya that the brunette wouldn't close himself out and if he began to have doubts that they would talk about it, Tamaki let his love leave. The limo ride was thankfully quiet – the silence was a necessity at the moment, really – and by the time he walked in his front door his face was once more the carefully composed mask he usually wore and all of his mental and emotional shields were firmly in place – a fact that he quickly became thankful for.

"Kyoya." The youngest son looked up to see his father standing on the stairs.

"Yes, sir?" he asked calmly.

"I had wished to speak with you yesterday but the servants said you never returned home." That was as much a demand for an explanation as he'd ever heard.

"I was at Tamaki's house, father. He and the Hitachiins had a...disagreement at school yesterday and it upset him badly. I thought it in my best interests to follow him home and make sure he wasn't overly distraught."

"And that required you to stay overnight?"

"We were still talking well after midnight, so he invited me to stay in a guest room so I wouldn't have to call the car out so late. You know how he can be overly concerned for the servants."

"So you slept in until six in the evening?" Kyoya was officially tired of his father's questioning.

"You did say I was to establish and maintain a positive relationship with the Suoh heir." He kept his expression bland as though the topic didn't matter to him in the least. His father blinked once and changed the subject.

"Join me in my study." It was not a request. Kyoya followed his father up the stairs and into the wood-paneled room with its large desk and the single chair that sat in front of it. His father did not invite anyone to his study for cordial visits – if he invited them in at all it was to discuss business. Kyoya smoothly walked to stand beside the chair, waiting until his father had taken his own seat behind the desk and gestured for his son to sit as well. Never one to waste time on preamble, especially where Kyoya was concerned, he got right to the point.

"I've decided it is time for me to begin selecting your bride." Kyoya's heart stopped, though he knew his expression betrayed nothing.

"Father, I still have a year of schooling to complete after this one. Could this not be seen as rushing?"

"The wedding will not be immediately. However, I feel a betrothal would be best settled now before the bride I have been considering makes...other alliances." Kyoya sat quietly, refusing to give his father the satisfaction of his curiosity. After a moment Yoshio leaned back and fixed his youngest son with a calculating expression.

"There is also the fact that the young woman in question will not graduate until the year after you do, and it is a well-known fact that she plans to further her education. I will admit," the elder said with an air of nonchalance that Kyoya knew was feigned, "that in normal circumstances I would never consider someone of such...coarse...background as a suitable partner for any of my sons, but the things she lacks as far as proper breeding and lineage can be overlooked in light of her admirable work ethics and notable drive and determination. And the only remaining stumbling block – her admittedly questionable parent – should no longer be an issue by the time the wedding approaches."

Kyoya could read between the lines better than anyone. He knew his father was talking about Haruhi. Ever since she had stood against the Ootori head in Kyoya's defense his father had been unwillingly impressed by the commoner. The idea of an arranged marriage to the young woman he'd only just admitted he cared for, however, held no appeal. If he were to wed the girl he loved he would much prefer to do so on his own merits and without his father's machinations. And the comment about Ranka not being a problem by the date of the wedding made Kyoya definitely uneasy. Still, it would not be wise to seem too curious.

"Have you spoken with the girl's parents in regards to a possible alliance yet? Common-born or not, I would not like to be accused of an assumed betrothal." His voice was a carefully constructed thing of apathetic beauty, giving no hints of his frantic thoughts.

"I have not. I wished to inform you of my intentions first, to take care of any stumbling blocks on the side of our family." Kyoya translated that to mean that his father wanted to see how much he could unsettle his youngest son. He sighed mentally. Yoshio was nothing if not predictable. It was exactly that characteristic that Kyoya had used to cement his own future. He knew that he had to play along for now. In keeping with that knowledge he adopted a smile that was calculated for best effect and leaned back in the chair.

"I know that you have the family's best interests at heart. I've no objections to any arrangement you feel fit to make."

"Very good," the older man said calmly, but his observant son could see the satisfaction in the dark eyes that regarded him from across the desk.

"May I ask who my future bride is to be?" Kyoya questioned blandly. His father's smile suddenly reminded him of a shark.

"I believe you are already well acquainted with the young Fujioka Haruhi." Kyoya pretended to blink in shock, letting his father have his moment of gloating superiority. After all, it wasn't as if Yoshio would have many more months to enjoy his imagined power over his youngest. Soon the elder Ootori would learn exactly who pulled the strings from the shadows.