I impress myself with my quick updates. Thanks so much to my beta who reviewed this in record time ! Wooo (: Enjoy, I figured I would get this up quick so as not to kill you with a cliffhanger. (your welcome)

Chapter 5

I was shocked. How had he known where to find me? "K-Kyouya-sempai?" I said, my voice wobbling embarrassingly.

He walked over quickly. His calculated mask was gone, and in its place was something close to panic. "Haruhi, are you okay?" he demanded, helping me get to my feet.

"I'm f-f-fine" I answered, beginning to shake from the frigid night air.

Kyouya-sempai pulled off his jacket and draped it around my shoulders. I welcomed the heat of his jacket, and tried to wipe the last few tears from my eyes. With an arm around my shoulder, he led me over to the car.

"Shitsuji, bring us home now" Kyouya-sempai ordered the driver.

"What? W-where are we going?" I asked, confused.

"You're coming back to my house, and no, there will be no arguments" he answered, stopping my protests before they even had a chance to leave my mouth.

"Please sempai, I'll be fine. I'll just stay in a motel until I can find something more permanent" I said, finally regaining some semblance of control over my speech.

Kyouya-sempai looked at me with those deep, dark gray eyes, and I knew that the argument had been won. And it most certainly wasn't by me. I stared out the window like a petulant child, unable to show any gratitude to Kyouya-sempai. He was only trying to help me, and I knew that. But I hated accepting charity. Also, him knowing where to pick me up had confirmed my suspicions that he must know almost everything about my past. The big question was, would he tell the rest of the Host Club or not?

"No, I have not told anyone about you, Haruhi" he said, seeming resigned.

How did he always do that, know exactly what I was thinking? It was slightly disturbing to me, and made me not sure if I could really trust him or not. But then again, he could have left me in that park, broken and sobbing. But he hadn't.

I was about to open my mouth to say, I don't know, something grateful perhaps? But Kyouya-sempai silenced me. "We can talk about everything once you've cleaned up and had something to eat" he said.

I nodded my head, knowing that arguing would do absolutely nothing for me. During the rest of the car ride, I was silent, replaying the horrible day again and again. I hadn't even realized that my hands had started to violently shake until Kyouya-sempai put his hand over mine. I looked up at him, surprised, and decided that I kind of liked the feel of his hand on mine. But, just as soon as I thought that, we turned into an enormous drive way, making our way up to an even bigger house.

KYOUYA;

I looked over at Haruhi, unable to keep the worry from my expression. If the contact I had placed in Haruhi's apartment buildings hadn't called me right when the fighting started, I might not have been able to find her in time.

When I had gone to stop her hand from shaking, she looked at me with the most wide and vulnerable eyes I had ever seen. It even hurt me, the cold and calculating man, to see her like this. I was done sitting in the shadows watching her hurt herself more. I was going to set her straight, and then maybe I could stop being so concerned for her. I didn't want to be concerned for her, especially not with the way Tamaki felt about her.

Although Haruhi looked exhausted, she couldn't help the surprise from her face when she saw the house. I examined her profile, and then the rest of her, not in a checking-her-out kind of way, but trying to take inventory of any injuries she may have. There was a red spot on her chest that looked like it was starting to bruise, and scratches all along her hands and legs. I assumed those were from trying to get away.

It disgusted me that no one had even tried to help her as that pathetic excuse for a landlord threw Haruhi around. People are going to pay for that, I thought, clenching my fists. I willed myself to be calm, and had just regained my composure, when Haruhi turned back around.

"This is our stop" I said, getting out of the car.

I walked around and opened up Haruhi's door for her, a gesture she had clearly not been expecting. It irked me that she hadn't thanked me yet, but at this point she must still be in a great deal of shock. She silently strode behind me as we made our way to the house.

"What about your parents?" She asked me timidly.

I laughed, the sound bitter to my own ears. "Don't worry about it" I said.

I could tell that Haruhi wanted to press the subject further, but she thankfully kept her mouth shut. We walked into my house, and I led Haruhi up to the guest room.

"Shower here. I'll leave some clothes out for you on the bed" I said.

She seemed so relieved, and yet, so guarded. It was a miracle the rest of the Host Club hadn't figured everything out. Although I knew that all, except Tamaki, had their suspicions. I went to my room to try and figure out exactly what I was going to do now. I hated being this unprepared. Normally, I had distinct plans that I always curved to my advantage. But today, I had rushed out in the car on impulse after receiving the call that Haruhi's landlord had essentially thrown her out. I put my head in my hands, trying to regain control of this bizarre situation.

HARUHI;

After Kyouya-sempai left the room, I set my ratty duffle bag down and took inventory of the room. I was trying to avoid replaying what had happened in my mind yet again. At this point, I was expecting to wake up from the dream any minute. Surely, I couldn't be so lucky.

I figured I might as well enjoy the dream while it lasted. The room was large, but sparsely decorated. The bed was the neutral colors of black and cream. There was a large, oak desk pushed off to the side, and an impressive amount of dressers lining the opposite wall. There was a bathroom attached to the room, which was a luxury I had not been afforded in a long time.

While the room was lovely and spacious, as was the entire house, it felt…empty. There were no family touches, or anything to make the house personalized. It looked right out of a magazine ad. Ah well, I thought, might as well take that shower.

I wanted to avoid looking at myself in the mirror, but I knew that I had to face myself eventually. I began to undress, and saw much of what I was used to seeing at this point. Bones sticking out against painfully stretched skin, my scar, bags underneath the eyes. But I had many new cuts on my hands and legs from stumbling down the street and running through the park. Last, I looked at where Levi had hit me. It was an angry red at the moment, and the outlines of a bruise were beginning to form. Thankfully, the Ouran uniform would cover it, so I wasn't too concerned.

I hopped into the steaming shower, and felt some of the tension unwind from my body. I knew that Kyouya-sempai and I would have to have a serious talk later. But for now, I felt almost okay. But the moment was fleeting. I still knew that I had no home, no job for the rest of the week, and a lot of explaining to do.

Taking a nice, long, thirty minute shower, I realized that I couldn't hide out forever. I wrapped myself up in one of the soft towels left folded on the counter and walked out into the room. As promised, the clothes were folded up on the bed. I assumed that they were Kyouya-sempai's, since they were much too large for me. I did my best to roll up the ends of the shirt and pants, but they were still much too large.

It wasn't as if it mattered anyway. Although the shower had helped with my overall appearance, it couldn't erase all the skipped meals and sleepless nights. All of the sudden, it was just too much. My life was a hell. Plain and simple. I curled up on the bed, not caring that Kyouya-sempai would probably be waiting for me.

I was so past exhausted that it was ridiculous. These were the moments that made me understand why people committed suicide, and cut themselves. At least physical pain could heal, but how was I supposed to heal all of the emotional scars left inside of me? I thought that being with the Host Club had started to mend them, but I was as screwed up as ever. Tonight had proved that to me.

I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. And I couldn't keep pretending everything was fine. Before I could stop myself, I fell asleep, still crying even in unconsciousness.

KYOUYA;

I knocked on the door once, twice. No answer. I peeked my head through and saw that Haruhi had fallen asleep. I can't say that I was surprised. She had been through a lot, physically and emotionally, today. Even before today, she had been going through a lot of stuff. I don't know how or why she stumbled into our Host Club, but I had to take care of her. I really couldn't say where these overwhelming, protective urges kept coming from, but I wanted them to stop. Now.

I was about to leave, when I saw the tears. Haruhi may put up a half-convincing act when she was awake, but in sleep, she couldn't put on her mask. Her face was strained, and lines were starting to form that were not natural for a sixteen year old girl. Before I could help myself, I walked over to the bed and wiped the tears away. If only I could wipe away all the pain I saw as well.

I left abruptly, refusing to welcome the feelings that were beginning to form here. I would talk with Haruhi in the morning. I could only be glad that it was Christmas break, so there weren't too many obligations for me at this time. I returned to my room, and continued mulling over the problem that was Haruhi Fujioka.

HARUHI

I awoke feeling well-rested, which hadn't happened for a long, long time. I stretched out, enjoying the feel of the soft, cream duvet cover of the bed. My body protested the movement. I was really sore from my mad dash away from Levi.

Just like that, the events of last night came back to me in a rush, and the blissful feelings in which sleep had brought were dissipated. I rinsed my face off in the bathroom, and brushed my teeth with the unused supplies that were there.

Here it was. I couldn't postpone any longer. I peeked out the doorway, looking for any signs of life. It would be just my luck to run into one of Kyouya-sempai's family members. Come to think of it, I had never even heard a mention of Kyouya-sempai's family. I knew that they were involved in the medicine business, but only because the Ootori name was very well known.

I tried to remember where the kitchen was on the way to my room from last night when I ran into someone. He reached out a hand to steady me, and I found myself in close proximity with Kyouya-sempai.

"There you are. I was just coming to get you" he said.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep" I replied, bowing my head down in the picture of submission.

"It's okay. You've been through a lot. Let's go down to the kitchen, and I'll make you some breakfast" he said. And while I normally brushed off people commenting on 'all I'd been through,' but I knew that Kyouya-sempai was actually trying to comfort me. In his strange and somewhat distant way. Although, if the décor of the house was any indication, he didn't really get a lot of love.

I was rather surprised that Kyouya-sempai could cook. He made a simple meal of scrambled eggs, mixed with some herbs, and a piece of lightly breaded toast. It looked delicious, but I wasn't sure how much of it I could eat.

"Eat small bites" Kyouya-sempai advised me.

I did as I was told, and felt my food actually settling in my stomach for once.

"Now Haruhi, we need to talk" started Kyouya-sempai. His tone was all business now.

"First, I just want to thank you for everything. You didn't need to help me, but you still did. And I won't forget it, Kyouya-sempai" I said quickly. It didn't even begin to explain my gratitude, but I knew if I went much more emotional than that, Kyouya would back off.

"I did it in the interest of the Host Club. Your clientele was slowing down, and other members have started to notice how unkempt you are" said Kyouya-sempai simply.

I found myself slightly disappointed with this explanation. I wasn't expecting any sort of proclamation from Kyouya-sempai, but I was hoping for something a little more heartfelt. Instinctively, I slammed my walls of protection back into place. I chastised myself for my stupidity. Of course he wasn't doing this for me. He didn't care about me. This was the perfect example of what happened when you really started to trust people.

"All the same, I am indebted to you even more now" I finished. I really did mean the words sincerely, but there was an unmistakable edge to my voice. I started to get up, so I could leave this perfect house with its hostile demeanor behind me.

"Where do you think you're going to go?" Kyouya-sempai asked me.

The question didn't even break my stride.

"I'll figure it out. I always do" I said. I had been relying on others too much recently. I needed to start regaining my independence.

"So, running away from home, starving yourself, almost getting fired, and getting kicked out of your apartment is what you call figuring it out?" Kyouya-sempai said.

I whirled around, angry and hurt by his accusing tone.

"You don't get to judge me" I snarled. "I've been through a whole fucking lot, and I'm still going, so I don't need your charity or any of your sympathies. Yeah, maybe things are shitty right now, but I'd rather be living in squalor independently than relying on you and your money" I said, saying the word 'money' as if it was another curse word.

My rant seemed to have broken through Kyouya's well-masked control.

"Goddammit Haruhi, you don't even know what you're talking about!" he yelled, running both hands through his hair in an exasperated motion. "You may try to make it seem like everything's fine with you, but I know that it's not. And others are starting to notice it too. I'm just trying to make sure you take care of yourself" Kyouya-sempai finished, seeming to gain some control.

I was speechless. I had never seen Kyouya-sempai get so riled up over something.

"I can take care of myself" I said pathetically. I wasn't even able to convince myself of that anymore. And Kyouya-sempai most certainly wasn't fooled.

"Just sit back down" Kyouya-sempai said, almost pleadingly.

I collapsed onto the nearest chair and held my head in my hands. I didn't want to deal with this right now, any of it. But it was about time that I stopped running away from my issues. I brought my head up to meet Kyouya's eyes.

"How much do you know?" I asked, resigned.

"Just about everything" he said, gray eyes shining with sympathy.

"I'm sorry," I said, unable to keep my voice from shaking. "I'm really, really sorry." And with that, the flood of tears that had been prickling behind my eyes came raining down.

Kyouya-sempai took me up in his arms and hugged me. He didn't say a word, and I was grateful for that. I didn't need him to tell me it was going to be okay, because it wasn't. At least, not in the foreseeable future. I found myself hugging him back, and I knew that things were going to change between us now.

We both pulled away at about the same time. I wiped away the rest of the tears from my eyes and kept them glued to the floor.

Kyouya-sempai grabbed my chin and jerked it up so I couldn't avoid his eyes yet again.

"Don't be ashamed to grieve. The famous poet, Antonia Portia, once said, "Man who does not grieve, hardly exists at all." So, I'm not asking you to forget about it, or move on from it. But accept that this is the way things are" he said kindly, gently.

This was an entirely new side to Kyouya-sempai, but I knew that it wouldn't last. He would return to being perfectly controlled, sooner rather than later.

KYOUYA;

After the painfully emotional scene in the kitchen, I gave Haruhi some time to get her bearings and take a nap. I couldn't believe how unfocused I had gotten. My plan last night had been to convince Haruhi I was only helping her for the good of the Host Club, and to make sure she wasn't struggling for money too much at this point.

But that all backfired. She became so mad that I couldn't help but be angry in return. But just like that, she became distraught and helpless again, all the indignation fading out of her. I couldn't just stand there and let her cry. It was idiotic, allowing myself such indulgences. But seeing her like that, I had to take her in my arms.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I cursed to myself.

From now on, I vowed to be different, less attached to Haruhi. It was too painful, otherwise. Not only was pain evident, but I felt guilty as well. And that did not sit well with me.

HARUHI;

Even though I had only been up for a few short hours, I fell into a deep sleep yet again, but in the middle of the afternoon, I awoke at about six o clock and figured that it was time to get out of here. I wandered around the house, hoping to bump into Kyouya-sempai again. Thankfully, I stumbled upon his room only a few short minutes later. He was typing away furiously at his computer, and I wondered what in the world he was doing.

"Kyouya-sempai" I said hesitantly, not wanting to disturb him.

"Oh, you're awake," he said.

"I think it's about time I left; don't you?" I said quietly. I didn't want to start another fight.

"I found an inexpensive, yet nice place for you to live" he said, getting up from his chair.

"You didn't have to do that," I said, ashamed of the way I had acted, and even more ashamed that I was in such a vulnerable position.

"Yes, I did" he said simply.

So, Kyouya-sempai took me to a new apartment building, in a much friendlier neighborhood. It was still within walking distance from the school, and from work. Even more conveniently, it was right near a supermarket. I couldn't have found anything more perfect had I tried.

I looked over to Kyouya-sempai, gratitude shining in my eyes.

A smile played at the corners of his mouth, and it was a change from the serious, stoic expression that he usually wore. Things had changed irreparably between Kyouya and me, although I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that.

We said our goodbyes awkwardly, and I crumpled onto the single bed in my apartment right when I got in.

Things were starting to look up, or so I thought. Things were still going to be hard, and I had a long way to go until I could even think of recovering. But somehow, I felt lighter. I still carried my own personal clouds, but some of the burden had been lifted.

Your welcome for updating so quickly, it'll probably never happen again so enjoy. For those of you who like Kyouya your welcome ;) And just so you know this is not the end of the story by far. I have many plans (laughs evil laugh) so don't think things are gonna go Haruhi's way all of the sudden. PS. Yes I totally put a quote from Criminal Minds in, be impressed. And if you have never watched Criminal Minds, be ASHAMED. Thanks to all who reviewed, your fantastic ! (: