DISCLAIMER: Welcome to part 2 of Guiding Light! Just a heads up, if you're returning after reading Part 1 when I published it in October, it has changed a lot and has been combined with other chapters. So you might want to go back and read that. Or not. Up to you! :)

Guiding Light

Part 2

...

Kyouya knew he had too much work to do to appease Tamaki's request. Taking a vacation day in celebration of midterm exams passing was out of the question. But he managed to turn it into a workday for himself while finding a practical use for the uncontrollable energy of his friends. They could be test subjects. He could be productive. That was really the only way he could truly justify any semblance of relaxation. And that was how he found himself sipping a drink by the pool while watching Haruhi's unique interactions with Morinozuka Takashi.

While his interest in the new member of their club had been growing, he had been distracted for most of the morning and afternoon. The twins and Tamaki had managed to monopolize her attention and time, as per usual. He hoped this might mean Tamaki was taking his relationship into his own hands, but Kyouya wasn't about to hold his breath. He was typically charged with making Tamaki's big ideas and dreams a reality. Originally that had only applied to weekend sightseeing trips, procuring a kotatsu and the founding of clubs. However, his breadth of responsibility seemed to now cover romance as well; it was another area that his best friend enjoyed fantasizing about but struggled to execute on his own.

Kyouya had spoken with Haruhi briefly. Like on any day she had found her way to his side to inquire about the new predicament she found herself in. Admittedly, he felt a little pleased to see that she didn't appear as exhausted as she had in the past weeks. He could report that to her father, for which he knew Ranka would give him undeserved credit.

"Kyouya-kun..." Ranka had sung over the phone during one of their previous weekly updates, "why do I feel like there is something you're not telling me?"

"You're imagining things, Ranka-san," he had chided, with a smile in his voice.

"Well then, maybe you can tell me why is my little girl looking so tired? Should I be even more worried than usual?" he asked.

Kyouya could hear him pouting through the phone. Never having met the man in person, it would have been hard to imagine. Lucky for Kyouya, he had a more tangible version of Ranka posing as Haruhi's father around him on a daily basis. Tamaki's antics were less justifiable, but the emotional resemblance was often uncanny.

He assured Haruhi's real father that he didn't think he had anything to worry about. He had noticed a shift in Haruhi's behavior within weeks of her joining the club. She was a little less awake. She seemed burdened by something. But he knew, almost as well as her father did, that Haruhi was a practical girl. She valued her independence, but she would certainly confide in her father if something were seriously wrong. It was good to see that the end of midterm exams might have brought her some well-earned sleep. He could always count on her company, and that hadn't changed. While she had clearly grown accustomed to the club, she still sought him out for advice.

When he first began to contact Ranka, his main objective was information with a hint of genuine curiosity. Firstly he needed to confirm her situation: how common was this commoner really? Could she afford to pay at all? However, the scholarship student did catch his interest and as he spoke to Ranka more and more, he grew fonder and more interested in the young woman. His interest was also driven by the hopelessness of his best friend. He was clearly falling for the newest addition to their strange family but was unable to properly express his feelings. This lack of clarity didn't stop him from making it clear that he needed Kyouya's help.

Through the eyes of her father, Kyouya began to see a fuller picture of Haruhi Fujioka: a picture of her that he couldn't capture by scribbling in his black book or during hours of independent research. Her father's adoring perspective had become paramount in his new view of this woman. It was a rare perspective to have, making her unquantifiable in comparison to the others who filtered in and out of his life.

Continuing to charm Ranka and keep him happy was important. They were, after all, having his 15-year-old daughter work off a relatively enormous debt while encouraging her to continue to masquerade as a boy, effectively deceiving all but a handful of people in her life. It wasn't illegal by any means. But the hassle any misstep in managing that information could create wasn't worth the trouble or potential scandal. It was quite a bit easier, and admittedly more amusing and educational, to keep charming her father.

And so, knowing the smitten trio would monopolize her attention, he let his work distract him for the rest of the afternoon. That was until he began to notice Haruhi, Mori, and the number of moments they were sharing together. Each seemed to increase in a certain level of intimacy that Kyouya was pretty sure she had not had with any other members of the club. The initial sharing of a drink wasn't cause for distress. But then there was another exchange between them during the artificial monsoon. Unsettled by his own mixed feelings toward the height challenged couple, he turned his attentions towards finding Huni-senpai quickly so Mori-senpai could be reunited with his cousin and hopefully no longer need his Haruhi to stand in as a surrogate.

But then they were gone.

Kyouya had watched Haruhi interact with other members of their group many times. She almost always seemed to avoid spending unnecessary extra time with Tamaki and the twins, even going as so far as to keep physical distance when possible. The idea of her choosing to be alone with any member of that overbearing trio seemed out of the question. In fact, up to that moment, he had taken it for granted that he was the only member of the club that she ever sat or spoke with on a regular basis. But now Mori-senpai was getting this treatment?

He didn't mind, but he did find it notable. They had both just gone to look for Huni-senpai. Mori out of familial instinct and Haruhi out of empathy with his situation. Which was innocent enough in his mind. Until he put in a request to have surveillance tapes from that day at the park sent to him for further analysis of test run he had executed. The sight of Haruhi in Mori's arms? He still didn't mind. But Tamaki had his heart set on this girl. Helping his friend obtain his unspoken desire would meet challenges if Mori became a rival suitor. He and Haruhi were certainly more similar in personality. But it was early days yet. So he just made a note of it, for future reference.

…

It was his desire to be such a good friend to the enigmatic but romantically challenged Tamaki that put him in the situation he was in now.

Kyouya had been lying on Tamaki's bed for what felt like an eternity. Waiting in anticipation for his best friend to come back at any moment, brimming with emotions about what Haruhi said to him. He was prepared for a story about how, once again, Tamaki failed to win the heart of the girl he insisted on treating like a daughter. That's what always happened. But so far he had waited in vain, and more time passed that he knew Tamaki was sharing with Haruhi. Alone.

Every time he closed his eyes her saw the look on her face. So still and trusting. Bewitching. She bought into almost everything he had sold her thus far. Merit and business and his philosophy for life. And she consented to him, admitting her own mistakes. She listened to the lesson she thought he was trying to teach. But at the last moment, she threw a wrench into the works. She thought he was being kind by playing the villain. If she had put more thought into it, she would be able to deduce that he could have taught her that lesson in any manner of ways. He hadn't needed to pin her on his bed. He wasn't even sure why he'd done it. That came from somewhere else. It was more impulse than he was used to. He never did anything like that.

He was angry. Where was Tamaki? After all of that had happened between the two of them that day, could he still manage to charm this girl? He wasn't that confident in Tamaki's abilities. But as he looked at the clock he doubted his harsh assumptions more and more.

She had been with him, dressed like that, with those eyes.

He felt tired, frustrated, but not ready succumb to sleep. Where was Tamaki? He finally sat up and adjusted his clothing before leaving the room. He could get the twins to deal with it. Whatever was happening in that room, with just a few words, he was sure they would put an end to it. There was no need for him to play the villain for the second time.

A/N: Thank you for reading the second part of Guiding Light. I hope my writing style doesn't bore anyone. I feel like my later chapters will have more dialogue and action. I plan to update at least one more time this month.