"You know the drill, right?" Kyoya questioned her.

Haruhi nodded her head.

"Good," he replied and looked out the window. "It's your stop."

Haruhi grabbed her bag and climbed off the limo. She kindly bowed to him. "Thank you, Kyoya-senpai."

"No need to thank me every time," he said. "I just don't want to cause unnecessary trouble for myself."

She chuckled nervously at his reply, knowing that that was going to be his answer.

"I'll see you at school. Remember to meet me at the gates," he said.

"Yes," she answered.

Kyoya nodded his head and rolled the window back up before driving away to the entrance of the school. Haruhi looked on as his car turned the corner and began walking, smiling to herself. Indeed, he drove her to a safe distance away from school and with the time she had left, she could leisurely walk there. She walked to school, waiting for the bell in the clock tower to sound, signaling the end of the day.

"Haruhi!" someone called from behind her.

Haruhi turned around, her short thin ponytail waving behind her. "Hikaru?"

The two twins ran up to her and hugged her enthusiastically as if they hadn't seen her in forever. As always, she was squished in the middle between the two of them and needless to say, she didn't like it.

"Can you two let go already?" she asked.

"Haruhi, where were you yesterday?!" Kaoru yelled, holding onto her tightly.

"Nice way of dodging my question," she commented.

"We should be the ones saying that," Hikaru yelled at her. "Do you know how worried we were? We couldn't get into contact with you at all! Not even your dad!"

At the mention of her dad, she flinched a bit but it was unnoticed to the twins. "I don't think I'm obligated to tell you what happened yesterday."

"You're telling us," the two said with a seriousness.

Haruhi eyed them angrily and sighed. "My dad and I just went out to eat dinner last night since he got a raise at the bar downtown. That's all that happened. You guys happy now? Seriously, you're worrying about nothing."

The two looked satisfied at her answer and she thanked the heavens that the two were born dense when it came to other people's situation. Though she managed to convince the twins, she still had to deal with the three others. She didn't care much about convincing Tamaki but it was the seniors she was worried about. Those two were naturally smart and without a doubt, they would catch on that something suspicious was going on. But at the same time, they were the two that were least to make an uproar about something.

"So many troubles in life," she sighed.

"Well, yeah," the two said by her side, throwing back their hands.

"Life's a game," Kaoru said.

"Got to keep playing it to win it," Hikaru smirked.

"Should've expected that from you two," Haruhi said and the twins grinned in reply.

The three of them walked in through the school entrance and as always, they were eye candy to many of the girls. Haruhi glanced at Hikaru and Kaoru and wondered just what about them made the girls like them. She continued walking and ignored the stares and squeals of the other students, knowing that they were for Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Haruhi, wait up," Hikaru called out.

"Don't leave us behind," Kaoru added.

"It's you two who wanted to be left behind," Haruhi said.

The two looked at Haruhi and then sideways at the girls who were blushing at the sight of Haruhi. Hikaru and Kaoru stuck out their tongues at one another and wondered just how dense this girl was. They were aware that Haruhi was popular among many of the girls but after she began growing her hair out and tied it in a small ponytail that flowed behind her at the back, she grew increasingly popular.

"Haruhi, there's no host club today so do you want to come to our house?" Kaoru questioned.

"Nice idea, Kaoru!" Hikaru gave a thumbs-up to his brother. "Haruhi, come!"

"I refuse," she flatly stated.

The two pouted. "Why? they whined.

"Unlike you two, I have to keep my grades up and there's homework to do. Don't bother me with an idea like that," Haruhi answered. "I'm going home and studying."

"Boring," the two said in unison.

A tick mark grew on Haruhi's head as she slid open the classroom door. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm boring," her mouth twitching.

"Take your seats, everyone," the teacher said as he walked in.

Everyone took their seats and as always, another monotonous day at Ouran High School passed. But unlike the usual days, today seemed much different to Haruhi. After school was over, she was going to go visit her father and that was enough to make her day.

But, what she dreaded soon came. It was her break and Haruhi decided to go stroll around the school, seeing that she had finished her homework earlier on. She just didn't realize that she finished it. As she walked, she looked up and paled. It was Tamaki. But seeing Kyoya next to him, something inside her relaxed. She furrowed her eyes in question and ignored the feeling just now. She had to deal with the annoying blonde-haired person before her right now.

"Haruhi~!" he cried out, tears in his eyes. "I missed you so much, my daughter."

"For your information, I'm not your daughter," she stated. "Let go of me, Tamaki-senpai."

She pushed him off of her and dusted herself. Tamaki looked at her with puppy-eyes but she didn't pay heed to him. She hated people like him the most yet she didn't particularly hate him all the way. Probably because he reminded her of her father.

"Mother, daughter's being mean," Tamaki went flying over to Kyoya for solace.

"That's not my business," Kyoya stated. "How're your classes going, Haruhi?"

Haruhi gulped, surprised by his level of calmness in his voice and at how normal he sounded. As if the two hadn't met since yesterday's Host Club.

"It's fine," she replied.

"What're you doing out here then?" Tamaki asked, curious. "Don't you have classes?"

"It's my break right now. I finished my homework early on so I was just strolling through the school grounds," she answered.

"Is that so, then you want to stroll with us?" Tamaki exclaimed excitedly.

"No," she flatly replied.

"Tamaki, we have our own classes to attend to. Did you forget already?" Kyoya reminded him. "Anymore, and we're going to be late."

Tamaki glanced to the clock tower and seeing the time, he panicked. "Sorry, Haruhi! I have to go! One more thing, I hope your dinner with your father last night was fine!"

"It was," she smiled.

"Good," he grinned back and ran off.

Haruhi and Kyoya were left alone and the two looked towards the ground, looking at everything but each other's faces. Just as the two were about to speak up, they were notified of the approaching seniors. Haninozuka Mitsukuni and Morinozuka Takashi.

"Honey-senpai," Haruhi said. "Mori-senpai, too."

Mori nodded at her while Mitsukuni waved and flashed a bright smile at her. "It's rare to see you here, Haru-chan!"

"Likewise," she said. "Do you two also have breaks at this time?"

"Yup!" Mitsukuni answered for the two of them. "Seniors get a lot of breaks but it's rare for our breaks to be the same. It's even more surprising to see Kyo-chan here."

"Is that a problem, Honey-senpai?" Kyoya laughed.

But, Haruhi knew more than anyone just how forced it was. She could sense how troubled Kyoya was by these two and she guessed that he had told them the lie they had come up with. She looked at the two seniors and just by the looks in their eyes, they didn't buy the story. Haruhi wasn't a fan of lying but in this case, she had to help him out somehow. After what he had done for her, it was obvious that she had to do something for him.

"Honey-senpai, did you know that there's an all you can eat cake eating contest after school later on?" Haruhi stepped in.

Mitsukuni brought his eyes to Haruhi and seeing them beaming, she knew she had baited him.

"Where, where?!" he shouted excitedly.

Haruhi dug out a flier from her bag and handed it to Mitsukuni. He instantly grabbed it, his mouth already drooling as he went up to Mori who eyed his excited cousin with a faint smile. Kyoya was still tense but he relaxed his muscles a bit.

"Takashi, let's go!" the cute senior shouted.

"Yeah," he replied. "Kyoya, Haruhi, see you around."

"Ah," Kyoya smiled. "See you around."

"Try not to eat too much," Haruhi added, feeling sorry for the shop's owner. He was going to lose quite the bit of profit.

"I won't!" Mitsukuni said; it was a total lie.

The two seniors began walking away and the two were about to breathe a sigh of relief until Mitsukuni turned around and flashed a smile at them. It wasn't that beaming cute smile but rather a genuine gentle smile that he only showed to those close to him.

"Kyo-chan, Haru-chan. Though you two fooled the others, you can't fool us," he said.

The two hitched their breaths.

"Don't worry, we won't tell the others. After all, even we don't know what's going on between you two and what had happened yesterday," he added quickly. "Right, Takashi?"

He nodded his head in agreement.

"Though you probably won't tell us what's going on, we do hope that you'll tell us one day," Mitsukuni said with a sad smile.

Kyoya stared at him while Haruhi looked at the floor, both of them in guilt.

"Sorry, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, but it's not the right time to tell you yet. Maybe in the near future but not now," Kyoya replied.

"We don't plan on keeping you out but right now, it's a bit complicated," Haruhi said. "I promise. Soon, we'll tell you everything."

Mitsukuni smiled along with Mori. That was what they wanted to hear. "Thanks, Kyo-chan. Haru-chan. See you guys around!"

With that, the two seniors finally left and the two were finally able to breathe easily. Kyoya released his clenched fists and straightened his uniform. Haruhi patted down her hair and straightened her uniform collar. In the presence of two perceptive seniors, who wouldn't get nervous. But with the tension gone, the two found it easier to talk to one another.

"That was a close one," Haruhi commented. "It's nice that those two are understanding."

"Yeah," Kyoya agreed, seeing the two seniors in a new light. "I thought that the two of them would be like the others, too."

Haruhi laughed. "Kyoya-senpai, you really don't know how to judge people."

"Oh? You want to teach me then?" Kyoya smirked.

Haruhi started sweating and realized the mistake that she had made. "No. Forget I said anything."

Kyoya looked back to where the two were. "But you're right. Those two aren't the type to do things that would annoy and bother others. They're pretty nice to have around in the Club now that I think of it."

Haruhi smiled sweetly and she, too, looked towards where the seniors had left. "They've always been nice to be around. Those are what friends are for, aren't they?"

Kyoya looked at Haruhi in surprise and seeing the smile on her face, he, too, smiled. He chuckled lightly to himself and agreed. "I guess you're right."

"For Kyoya-senpai to say I'm right...is the world going to end tomorrow?" Haruhi mumbled.

"Did you say something?" a dark grin on his face.

"No. Nothing. Nothing at all," Haruhi laughed it off as she walked further away from him. "Then I'll see you later."

She sped off in a hurry with her bag and just as she did, the signal for the next class rang. Kyoya smiled to himself and walked to his own class. For him to agree with someone and say that he was wrong, it was a first. Haruhi Fujioka. Maybe marrying her wasn't just going to bring him benefits, it might even liven up his dull, black and white world.

Just as promised, Haruhi waited outside the school gates. The bell had rung but there were no students at the gate yet besides her for they all had their own clubs to attend to. Haruhi glanced towards the clock tower and furrowed her eyebrows. Just as she was about to mutter to herself where Kyoya was, a sleek black car pulled up.

"Climb on, Haruhi," Kyoya said, rolling down the window.

Haruhi smiled and nodded her head. She set her bag down on the seat and then climbed in. Kyoya sat there, typing away at his laptop, his eyes scrolling the various documents on the screen. The car drove silently by and Haruhi remained silent. She looked up and observed Kyoya seeing that she had nothing else to do.

His long lashes and brown-gray eyes were beautiful and that sharp gaze to them made them all the more mesmerizing. It wouldn't be a surprise if he already had hundreds of women offer themselves to him. He had everything. The status, the wealth, and the looks. Everything that girls ever dreamed of.

Too bad they don't know of his personality though, Haruhi thought to herself as she smiled a little.

"Is there something amusing?" Kyoya asked, not bothering to look up from his laptop.

"It's nothing. Just thinking about things," Haruhi replied.

Kyoya looked suspiciously at her before returning to his work. She may have thought that the only one observing was her but in truth, he was also observing her. His eyes often shifted away from his screen to look at her and seeing those large brown eyes and the way her lips curled up when she chuckled silently to herself, he drew it all in. He gulped and focused back onto his work, reminding himself of his daily tasks.

Haruhi looked out the window and watched the numerous cars and buildings passed by. She liked this silence between the two of them and she closed her eyes, breathing to the rhythm of the car. The clicking of the keys and the occasional bump on the road had her seeping into unconsciousness.

"Kyoya-senpai," she said, her eyes closed.

"Yes?" Kyoya answered, a little surprised that she had called out to him knowing fully aware that he might've been bothered by it.

"Just wanted to say your name," Haruhi laughed.

"Is that so?" he said, an irksome look on his face.

Haruhi immediately apologized, hoping that she didn't offend him and cause something troublesome for him. "Sorry if I bothered you. It's just that the silence was a little stifling," she lied.

Kyoya looked at her worried face and sighed. He closed the laptop screen and shifted his body her way so that the two were facing one another.

"Would you like to talk then?" he asked. "Haruhi?"

Her heart skipped a beat and his, too. Even though he had said her name countless times, this time, it felt special. Haruhi sensed the difference in wording, too, and looked at him. Her name sounded...special. It wasn't like how the others called her but rather, it gave off a rather intimate feeling. Haruhi. The way he called her name, she couldn't get it out of her head.

"H-How many minutes until we arrive?" she quickly changed the subject of the sentence.

Kyoya blinked and looked towards his watch. "Around ten minutes."

"T-Thanks," Haruhi stammered and looked away, trying to hide her blush.

Kyoya noticed it and mused to himself. The way she tried to hide it made it all the more amusing. He could see why the other hosts took such interest in her. Her courageous yet timid self was one of her attractive sides and right now, she looked like a naive little bunny. It made him want to tease her a bit.

"Since tomorrow's a weekend, how about we go out shopping for your supplies, Haruhi?" he smirked.

Haruhi flinched and refused to face him. "Sure."

"You do realize it's rude to not face the person that's talking to you, right?" Kyoya said. "Shall we teach you etiquette over the course of the next few weeks?"

Haruhi turned around and her face was back to normal. She had quickly calmed herself down and noted to herself that she was just overthinking it. Kyoya was her upperclassman and moreover, there was no way that he would take an interest in her. Their relationship was just that of an upperclassman and underclassman. With all the events happening, the surprise must've taken a toll on her.

"Either way, I have to learn it, right?" she said.

Kyoya, seeing the amusement, leaned back and nodded his head. "I don't know when but sooner or later, you're going to have to debut in society."

"On your father's order?" she questioned.

He grimaced and looked at her, her face blank. She knew the strained relationship between him and his father and knew how much he hated talking about his father. Yet, here she was, mentioning him as if it was nothing. He smiled.

"Correct," he said. "So I advise you to quickly learn the manners and the functions of high society so as to not sully the Ootori Group's name."

"Do I have to debut into high society?" Haruhi groaned, hating it already.

"You have to. Even if we're husband and wife in name only, you're still the wife of the third son of the Ootori Group."

"But we're just fiancees right now."

"True but let me remind you that you only have two years left. After you graduate, you'll officially be my wife in the papers."

Haruhi looked down knowingly. Two years. She didn't care about the marriage itself since he had already done so much for her but what she was worried about was if she would still be able to do the things she wanted to do once she married him. She looked back up at Kyoya who was looking outside at the pedestrians with a blank gaze. Moreover, what if she came to love someone else?

She was snapped out of her thoughts at Kyoya's sudden words.

"We're here," he said. "Let's go."

She removed the thoughts from her head and smiled. "Yes."

Seeing his lean and supportive back, she smiled. She decided. She decided that in the near future, she won't love anyone. To repay him, she was willing to do so. Love was meaningless to her and even if she did love someone, she wasn't sure that she would be able to devote everything to him. That's why this marriage was fine to her.

"Kyoya-senpai," she called out.

"Are you just calling me because you feel like it?" he asked, the two of them stepping into the hospital.

Haruhi chuckled slightly and shook her head. "No. Just wanted to say that I'll be with you every step of the way."

He looked questioningly at her and seeing the smile on her face, he smiled, too. The two walked to the VIP patient room and entered, side by side to each other as the door opened, allowing them in.