A/N: Have I told you all lately that you are great? You are! I got up this morning and checked my stats and for the first time ever my stories (all of them together) had over 1000 views. This was a first for me and made me so excited. Thank you! A huge thank you to mythogeek, mtnikolle, Dessi16, and stylewriter565 on helping me work through my ideas for this story. I have a better idea of where things will head now (but that can always change. LOL). Ok now on to a little business… I am planning a holiday story, but not sure of what pairing to use with Haruhi. I am letting my readers decide. You have plenty of time. I have the poll up on my profile (this is my first one so hopefully I did it right, LOL) and it will be up for the next 5-6 days. My plan is to write the story and have it posted by the 23rd. Let the voting begin.

Chapter 7 – Dinner and Plotting

If there was one thing that the Shadow King prided himself on was having information and being able to plan for anything. That was what made him so good at his job in the host club and what eventually led to him being named heir of the Ootori Empire. Now it would serve to help get Haruhi back in the club so to speak. He knew the twins would be the hardest to crack since they had felt completely abandoned by the one person that had completely crossed over into their world. Tamaki still talked of his lost daughter and hoped one day she would be like the prodigal son and return. Kyoya did not see Tamaki being too much of a hurdle, but when you are Kyoya Ootori, the shadow king of Ouran High School, you plan for ever contingency.

Haruhi and Kyoya pulled up to her apartment and Haruhi rushed out of the car. She told Kyoya she would be back soon and fully expected him to wait in the car. He didn't. She didn't look behind her when she flew up the stairs and therefore did not notice that Kyoya was following her. In fact until she tried to close the door and he put his hand out to stop it, she had no clue that he was behind her, "Kyoya, I'm sorry, I thought you stayed in the car."

"As you can see that is not the case. Now may I come in? I was hoping to say hello to your father while we were here," Kyoya said calmly and watched Haruhi jump away from the door allowing him to enter. He figured with the long absence of the host club, it was probably good to make nice with the overprotective father again, especially after the story that Haruhi had relayed to him. Ranka was probably very leery of any men around his daughter regardless if they are old friends or not.

"Haruhi was that Kyoya's voice I heard?" Ranka said coming around the corner with a towel on his head. When he looked up and saw his daughter and Kyoya standing near the doorway, he screamed.

Haruhi groaned, "I am just going to go get ready for dinner."

"Of course, I am sure Ranka and I can catch up until you are ready to go," Kyoya smirked.

"Yes, yes we can do that! Oh how I have missed all of you boys. Haruhi has not been the same since the breakup with all of you. Of course she never told me anything until much later, but I could tell. A daddy always knows. Oh listen to me, would you like some tea Kyoya?" Ranka gushed as he pulled the younger man into the living room.

"That would be lovely. Thank you," Kyoya said politely as he sat down. He laughed inwardly, "He hasn't changed a bit. If anything he is even more flamboyant than before." Kyoya's previous discussions with Ranka always yielded information for him and of course he supplied the older man with information so that he knew what was going on with his daughter. He realized he kind of missed the talks, but knew he would get over that soon enough. His attention was brought back to Ranka when he entered the living room with the tea service and sat down across from him.

"You have no idea how happy I am that Haruhi has found you, Hunny, and Mori again. She has just been so depressed since everything happened and after she was finally able to get rid of that no good, rotten, disgusting, man, and I use that term very loosely, she threw herself into her studies and has never come up for air. She has no life besides school and work. Tonight is the first real smile I have seen in over a year," Ranka said sadly. He wanted Kyoya to understand that it hurt his baby when they were not there for her. That she did truly love them as her friends and she needed them in her life again.

Kyoya nodded, "We are happy to have her back also."

"Are you really? Did you miss my baby as much as she missed you? I knew you would. She said that none of you would want her back, but I knew that she was wrong. Who wouldn't want her around? She is perfect!" Ranka gushed and then turned suddenly very serious and leaned forward, "He is set to get out in the next month."

Ranka knew that Haruhi believed that Yasu would just leave her alone when he got out because he would be ordered to and there would be a restraining order, but he knew men like that did not give up. Yasu blamed Haruhi for what happened and he was very possessive and controlling of her. He hoped that by sharing this information with Kyoya, the younger man would take the hint make sure that she was protected. She was all that Ranka had left and he could not lose her to her stubbornness. Ranka sighed; she was so much like her mother.

"I already have people checking on all of that for me and do not worry; we will make sure that she remains safe," Kyoya responded just as quietly. He knew that Haruhi would not want the protection, but he thought it was foolish to not use it when it was available. She wanted them back in her life and that came with a few "perks". They would not control her, but they would protect her.

"Thank you. I knew I could count on you," Ranka whispered. His mood suddenly exploded and he was once again the flamboyant drag queen, "So what have you and all of those handsome devils been up to? Is the blonde idiot still an idiot?"

Kyoya chuckled. Ranka always did know how to quickly move past things when he got what he wanted, well except for the subject of Tamaki. Apparently, Ranka still didn't appreciate him too much. "Everyone has been working in family businesses for the most part and Tamaki is still Tamaki," Kyoya said giving Ranka his old hosting smile.

"Well time has been very kind to you! You are still just as handsome as ever and I am sure the same can be said about the others," Ranka said dreamily.

Kyoya shook his head, "I thank you for the compliment."

Haruhi came into the room at that time, "I am ready to go. Dad I will be back later. Let's go Kyoya."

Kyoya looked up at Haruhi who was dressed in a jade green knee length dress with capped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. He was impressed. She looked good in the dress. He gave one last smile to Ranka and stood up telling the father that he would make sure to keep in touch once again. Inwardly he thanked Haruhi's impeccable timing. They went out to the waiting limo and were on their way to Hunny and Mori's house.

When they arrived at the apartment, Kyoya knocked on the door and it was immediately opened so that they could be ushered in by the ever stoic Mori. He gave Haruhi a small hug and nodded to Kyoya. Hunny came bounding out of his room and rushed to his two friends that had just arrived. Kyoya sometimes wondered if he ever came off of a sugar high.

"Haru-Chan your back! Kyo-Chan I am glad you could join us and that you are helping her," Hunny said.

"Hi Mitsukuni," Haruhi said as she hugged the enthusiastic man.

"Of course Hunny, I could do no less when I heard the story. Haruhi and I have reached an understanding," Kyoya said in his normal attitude to the other men in the room.

"Understanding?" Mori asked.

Haruhi let out an exasperated sigh, "Yes, I promise not to fly of the handle and using Kyoya's words, act like a child if I feel like all of you are being too controlling without talking to all of you first."

"Good! You need to make sure you do that Haru-Chan," Hunny said in all seriousness standing next to her and squeezing her waist where his arm was wrapped around her. When they broke apart from the hug, he kept one arm around her since he didn't want to let her go. He saw the small raise of an eyebrow from Kyoya, but neither said anything.

"I will," Haruhi grumbled before her stomach made its own racket.

"Are we ready to go?" Mori said from his place nearest the door. He knew Kyoya wanted to talk, but it appeared that Haruhi's stomach was making some declarations of its own. Since he told his cousin to make sure to get a private room, he knew it would be safe to talk over dinner without being overheard.

Kyoya looked up at the taller man and nodded, "Yes, it would seem that some of us may be more ready than others for dinner."

Haruhi face palmed. Kyoya was still Kyoya. "Let's go then," she mumbled and started walking to the door.

The four of them piled into Kyoya's waiting car and headed for their destination. The car ride was fairly quiet, each person lost to their own thoughts. Periodically someone would speak, but the silence would eventually return. It was not oppressive or uncomfortable in the least, but each person in that car had their own thoughts to work through. When the limo pulled up to the restaurant, the door was opened and the four occupants blinked a little surprised that they had arrived at their destination already. Even the usually observant Mori, had been surprised.

"What restaurant is this?" Haruhi asked looking at the upscale looking establishment.

"This is actually a fairly new restaurant, but it has very good food and good service. We came here for our host club meeting three months ago," Kyoya said plainly.

"We would have gone to my restaurant Haru-Chan, but both of the private rooms were booked for a party tonight. Plus there was a reservation for Hitachiin on the list, and running into them tonight would not be the best idea. So we called this restaurant and their private room was still available," Hunny explained while grabbing her hand and pulling her through the front door.

The small group was immediately escorted back to their room and left to the capable hands of the waiter that would be serving them that night. When the drink orders and appetizer orders were taken, the group was left alone for a few minutes.

"So what is your plan Kyo-Chan?" Hunny said as soon as the door was closed.

"I have set up a dress fitting for Haruhi tomorrow with the twins at 2:00. Will you two be able to attend with us?" Kyoya started. When he received their nods to the affirmative, he continued, "The dress will be the perfect excuse we need to make sure that they have time set aside for our meeting. They do not know that it is for Haruhi. They just know that I am bringing a young lady to be fitted for a dress for a cocktail party that will happen in just over a week."

"Good idea," Mori said looking at Kyoya. He noticed his cousin nodding his head in agreement and Haruhi looked nervous. He placed a hand on her shoulder to let her know that he was there. She turned her eyes to him and gave a small nod.

They were interrupted briefly by the entrance of the waiter with their drinks. He asked if they were ready to order and everyone seemed to know what they wanted except Haruhi. When she looked at the menu briefly, she wasn't sure she should even be there. She noticed the waiter was looking at her and she still had no clue what to order. She looked to Hunny and saw him smile before he looked to the waiter and ordered her ootoro. Her eyes sparkled with the thought of one of her favorite foods that she had not had in so long.

Kyoya looked at his three friends after the door closed again, "I will tell you that this will not be easy. We may have to restrain them in order to get them to stay still long enough to listen. I will have extra men available if needed. I want you two to make sure that they cannot escape and that they do not lash out. You know how Hikaru's temper can be. Hopefully there won't be anything too expensive in that room that he will try to throw."

Haruhi gulped, "Throw? Breakable?"

"It's ok Haru-Chan. We will all make sure that nothing happens. He doesn't throw things at people, normally just at the walls," Hunny said as he grabbed her hand and squeezed trying to reassure her.

Haruhi looked over to Hunny and saw the reassurance in his eyes. He would protect her, he promised. She knew that Hikaru had a temper, but she thought that he had grown out of the throwing phase. "Guess I was wrong about that," Haruhi thought to herself. She squeezed back and didn't let go of Hunny's hand, "Ok."

"Haruhi, the appointment is taking place at the Hitachiin manor. I would suggest that you think about what you want to tell the twins. I don't know if they have other appointments, but they scheduled you for an hour. That should give us plenty of time to get them to at least listen to some of what you have to say. I will not lie to you, this will not be easy. Kaoru will probably be easier to reach than Hikaru," Kyoya explained.

The waiter returned with their appetizers and immediately left. Haruhi was looking down at her hands and noticed that she was still holding onto Hunny's hand. She smiled to herself. She heard Hunny ask her something and looked up. He was gesturing to Mori who was trying to offer her some of the appetizers that came. She let go of Hunny's hand and took some of the offered food.

"Haru-Chan, we will not leave you alone tomorrow," Hunny declared.

Haruhi looked around the table and knew that no matter what, they were all in this scheme together and they would support her tomorrow. She smiled at all of them, "I know. I am just really nervous about it all." Silently she told herself that she was completely terrified of the meeting.

"I understand, but it is a necessary evil. It would probably be easier to convince them if we could get Kaoru alone first and bring him to 'our side', but they do not do anything apart any longer," Kyoya explained. He didn't plan on telling her how bad they took it, but he was sure she could read between the lines with that last comment. He had seen a questioning look appear on her face and knew she wanted to know why they could not meet separately. He needed to explain why regardless of the sting it supplied. The guilty look she acquired told him she understood and it was never his intent to make her feel worse about everything that had happened. She had endured enough, but unfortunately they could not go around these hurdles.

Hunny and Mori both shot Kyoya a hard look. They did not feel she needed to be told all of that. Hunny spoke up for both of them, "Kyo-Chan you didn't need to tell her that."

"I didn't intend to tell her that, but she needed to understand why we couldn't separate them right now. I am sorry for causing you more pain Haruhi," Kyoya apologized. He didn't do it often, but in this case he felt it was probably best.

"I know Kyoya. Thank you," Haruhi said quietly as she poked at the food on her plate.

Silence once again descended upon the group. It was broken when the waiter brought in their main course.

When the waiter left, Haruhi looked up at her companions and took a deep breath, "I know that this will not be easy and I am glad I know why we have to talk to them together. I was actually going to ask if we could separate them when Kyoya said we couldn't. So I would have found out anyway. We can't change what happened. The only thing we can do is move forward and part of that is meeting them tomorrow. If they don't want to forgive me tomorrow, maybe they will have heard me enough to think about what I have said."

Kyoya had a small real smile, "That is what I was hoping for tomorrow."

Haruhi nodded, "Thank you Kyoya for setting this up. Thank you all for listening to me and being there for me."

"We wouldn't want to be anywhere else Haru-Chan!" Hunny said as he stood and gave her a quick hug. He sat back down and gave her a big smile.

Kyoya watched the exchange. He had long suspected the loli shota of the group had feelings for the only female host, but could never make a real determination. Tonight he had all of the proof he needed that Mitsukuni Haninozuka was indeed in love with Haruhi Fujioka. He looked between the two of them and wondered if Haruhi would give Hunny a chance. He felt himself silently routing for his former Senpai.

Mori saw realization dawn upon Kyoya's face and wondered if he would also see jealousy appear. He was pleasantly surprised when there was acceptance and understanding. It appeared Kyoya got over his high school feelings for the girl seated at the table with them.

They finished their dinner with friendly conversation and of course dessert was ordered. Hunny ordered a cake to himself, but offered Haruhi one of the strawberries. She smiled and took the fruit while she drank her tea and ate her ice cream.

When everyone was done and they were ready to go, they all piled into the limo and made their way to Haruhi's house first. Mori and Kyoya let Hunny escort her to the door alone and saw the small kiss he received on the cheek. When he returned, he seemed to be on cloud nine. Mori and Kyoya both smiled and quietly thanked Hunny for going to that café the day before. If he hadn't, they would not have Haruhi back right now and that was no longer an acceptable arrangement to them.

Kyoya dropped Hunny and Mori off at their apartment before making his own way home. He really hoped that she was ready for tomorrow. It was not going to be an easy day for any of them, but knew that it would be hardest on her. He wondered if there were any scare tactics he could employ with the twins to get them to cooperate. He grinned an evil shadow king grin, there might be something he could do to make sure they behaved, at least for a bit. With a quick phone call, he smirked inwardly laughing, "Tomorrow will be a definite surprise to those two in more ways than one."