She wanted to stay awake, she really did. But being in a private jet, with comfy bench-type seats as well as traditional ones, low ambient lighting, and perfectly controlled air temperature, as well as still being tired despite her short nap...twenty minutes into the flight found a very nervous Mori afraid to even breathe for fear of waking the girl that had, in her sleep, leaned sideways until her head was pillowed on his chest. Honey thought it was adorable.

"Isn't she so cute when she sleeps?"

"Hn."

"She's got a lot of stuff to deal with right now. I hope this trip will help her."

"Me too."

"We're going to have to find some way to keep Tama-chan occupied for a bit this weekend so I can talk to Kyo-chan about Ranka-san." Honey had of course told Mori about Haruhi's father, partly because the two rarely kept secrets from one another and partly because he knew he'd need Mori's help to keep everyone busy.

The flight was quiet from then on, neither wanting to break the peacefulness or risk disturbing the exhausted girl who, by this point, had slid down to stretch out along the bench seat with her head on Mori's leg. As they approached their destination, however, Honey turned to his cousin.

"You should wake her up so she can watch out the window. I know she'll love this view." For a moment there was hesitance in the brunette's eyes but he nodded and turned his attention to the girl in his lap. She'd shifted even closer to him in her slumber, one small hand coming up to rest in front of her face on his thigh, her shoulder snuggled against him. She'd drawn her legs up slightly and he remembered the nearly-inaudible sigh she'd given in her sleep as she made herself comfortable on her impromptu headrest. Looking down at her, he spoke softly.

"Haruhi." No response, unless he counted the slight nuzzling of her cheek against his leg. Honey had moved to a seat across from them so he could watch and see how long it took for her to wake up. Mori gently touched her hand with his fingertips.

"Haruhi," he repeated, slightly louder. This time her eyes began to flutter and she sighed softly. He found he didn't want to resist the urge that was prompting him to brush his hand over her hair, feeling its softness beneath his palm. She murmured something that sounded happy and blinked herself awake. Since she was laying on her side the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the beaming smile of the small host.

"I...did I fall asleep again? I'm so sorry -"

"It's okay, Haru-chan. Takashi and I just thought you might want to see the island from the air."

"Are we that close already?" she asked drowsily, stretching her legs out and arching her back a little to relieve the slight tension in her shoulders from sleeping in one position. She rolled onto her back – and looked up into the dark, steady eyes of her current pillow. His slight smile threw her for a loop and she lay there for a moment just staring upwards. She might have stayed there for a lot longer had her stupor not been broken by a giggle from the blond. With that sound she gasped and nearly jumped out of her seat.

"Mori-senpai – I'm so sorry! You should have told me to move!" He shook his head, forestalling any further protests.

"It's fine," he murmured, and she just gazed at him. He stared back, obviously unsure what else he should say, if anything. Honey decided it was time to save them from themselves. Kindly not mentioning her vivid blush, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Haru-chan! You can see best from this side!" His jubilant voice forced her to break the stare she'd been holding with the tall host and stumble along with Honey to the windows. She never saw the soft smile Mori wore briefly, or the way he watched her as she exclaimed her delight at the scene outside the window. He had no need to rise and join them. He already had the loveliest view he could hope for.

"Is that really it?" she asked excitedly as the shimmery coastline drew closer. "It's beautiful!"

"Yep," Honey replied. "Look down there – those are the cabins we'll be staying at."

"Wow, they're right on the beach," she said with a smile. "Where will I be camping?"

"You'll have to wait until we get down there, Haru-chan," he said happily. She felt a bit disappointed until he giggled.

"Silly Haru – do you really think Kyo-chan would have approved a spot for you that would be visible from the air? Tama-chan would see it when they came in and he'd want to go meet the unknown camper." She saw the wisdom in this and nodded. In the next moment the pilot's voice informed them that they would soon be beginning their descent, so with barely controlled anticipation she took a seat, buckled the safety belt, and tried to be patient.

It seemed to take forever, though she knew it was actually a quick landing, but soon enough the trio had disembarked, been ushered into a car, and were on their way to the beach houses. The car stopped at the end of a road overlooking the beach and Haruhi jumped out only to come to a standstill on the rise, staring down at the pristine beauty before her, soft golden sand caressed by the movements of an ocean so blue it defied the sky. The salt air was refreshing, the smell of the sea mingling with the scents of the thick foliage that flourished on the island. She felt something inside her relax, a tension she hadn't even known she carried until it was gone, and she sighed happily.

"Like it?" She started at the deep voice beside her, looking up at Mori as he joined her in watching the ocean.

"It's breathtaking," she whispered honestly. His dark eyes met hers, something swirling in their depths that she couldn't quite decipher.

"I'm glad." She felt something pass between them, some intangible thing that left her almost as awestruck as the beautiful locale had. Flustered, she glanced down only to find that he was holding her duffel and backpack.

"Um, Mori-senpai, I can carry my own bag. Don't you have your own stuff to haul?"

"Nope," piped up Honey from behind them. "All of our stuff is already here – everyone had everything delivered when we sent your gear. Our job is to escort you to camp." His smile was contagious. "Ready?"

"Absolutely." To Haruhi's shock she was only a short few minute trek inland from the cabins, but the site they'd chosen was very well-hidden and private. In fact, they were walking into the small clearing before she even noticed it was there. She looked around happily at her temporary home. The clearing was a rough circle about thirty feet in diameter, with a freshwater stream near the far edge. It was a natural hollow, with trees and foliage around the entire circumference, but the clearing itself was swept bare of weeds or debris, leaving only a bed of soft sand. It was ideal. She loved it. She saw that all of the items she'd picked out were stacked neatly nearby. With a light heart she headed over to her gear.

"How can we help?" Honey asked eagerly. She thought for a moment. While it was true she was looking forward to setting everything up herself, she knew her friends would want to help. And she had to be honest – it had been so very long since she'd camped that the wasn't certain she'd remember the proper way to do everything. With that in mind she knew it only made sense to let them lend a hand. Mind made up, she turned to the cousins.

"Mitsukuni, would you mind setting up a fire pit?" She walked over and marked out an area in the sand and he nodded happily, bouncing over to grab some tools from the stack of gear (funny, she didn't recall picking out that collapsible shovel...or, indeed, some of the other things she was seeing). She looked at Mori.

"Mori-senpai, could you help me with the tent? I'm pretty sure I remember how, but just in case..." He nodded and together they began to construct her top-of-the-line waterproof dwelling. It was a quick job helped out by the fact that Haruhi remembered more than she thought she did, so in no time at all it seemed she had her tent and her fire pit completed. The main duties done, the three worked in companionable quiet getting everything else arranged to her satisfaction. When she'd put the finishing touches on the organization of her belongings inside the tent and crawled out, she looked around the site and smiled. She was still smiling when she gave them each a hug – Honey enthusiastically returning it and making her laugh, whereas Mori simply embraced her for a (far too brief) moment before pulling away and ruffling her hair. (Was she imagining things, or did he seem nervous around her?)

"Thank you guys so much. This whole thing...it really means a lot to me."

"Of course, Haru," Honey said, his eyes warm. "We just want to make you happy." Mori nodded and glanced at his watch. The blond understood. "However, we still have some stuff of our own to do, and the rest of them should be arriving in -" glance at Mori, "- about thirty minutes, so we're going to let you enjoy your quiet time. Is there anything else we can do before we go?"

"Nope," Haruhi replied cheerfully. "This is seriously perfect. I'll be fine."

"Okay. Hika-chan and Kao-chan insisted on being the first to visit you, but we've all decided it would be best to wait until after sunset, since Tama-chan will be less likely to want to follow after dark – especially if whoever's not here keeps him occupied."

"I can't help but feel kinda bad, keeping this from him and all." Honey had started shaking his head before she finished speaking.

"You need time to yourself to think. And you know what? So does he. Things will work out, Haruhi. Don't worry." He hugged her one more time and stepped back. "Now, you – go relax. We'll see you later."

"Yes, sir!" she said with a smirk and a playful salute, watching them walk out of her clearing and disappear in the trees. Haruhi sighed and looked around at her tidy, quiet campsite once more, feeling a peace descend on her the likes of which she hadn't felt in longer than she could remember.

This is going to be a great vacation!