Chapter 45: Tamaki's Unwitting Depression!

Kasanoda couldn't do anything but stare in horror at Jin Fujioka. Her glare had reduced her big brown eyes to only the narrowest of slits, which were currently attempting to char off his face with sheer force of will. The staring contest went on for five seconds as Kasanoda struggled to force out half-formed words. The words that morphed into an actual scream at the sound of a heel clicking against the tile floor in his direction.

The boy tried again as he scrambled backwards, "M-my… ba-b-" He backed into something solid. Looking up, he was met with the twins staring down at him.

" PEEPING TOM! "

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

His shaking legs refused to lift him to his feet, so Kasanoda settled for crab scuttling away from both the redheads and steadily approaching female. Their combined glares sent a shiver all the way down to Kasanoda's tailbone. He felt lightheaded.

"I-It was just an accident! I swear it! It all happened so fast I swear I'm not a pervert!"

A short blond suddenly appeared in front of him, nearly scaring Ritsu out of his skin.

" Of course you would say that… "

" ... a sure sign of a guilty conscious. "

Oh god. Oh god. Ritsu was unsurprised to find himself praying at a time like this. Now, not only was Jin staring at him like she wanted to redecorate the walls with his insides, but Haninozuka-senpai was joining in with her?

"S-s-so… Haruhi is… a girl?"

The four hosts surrounding him flashed red glowing eyes, snarls kicking up another notch. "How much of her maidenly incognito did you see..?"

Ritsu swallowed, then decided being truthful would be in his best interest, "I… she was changing… and I kinda saw… her underwear?"

" YOU SAW MY BABY SISTER'S UNDERWEAR!? "

The windows were still rattling from Jin's shouting when one of the twins grabbed Kasanoda from behind, "We're left with no choice then!"

"Time to induce amnesia!" He screamed again, trying to cower behind arms that were being held down. The twin still in front of Ritsu lifted a metal bat and reeled back, Jin watching from over his shoulder with a sadistic grin on her face.

"That's quite enough, Hikaru. Leave assault and battery to the professionals."

At Kyoya's insistence, the twin holding the bat immediately handed it to Jin who took his place, holding the bat in a death grip as she smiled maniacally. Kasanoda's life flashed before his eyes, but he only reached his middle school years when Kyoya spoke up again.

"Jin, Darling, if you kill him I'm afraid we won't be able to bail you out of jail for quite some time."

"Tsk." The girl snarled but tossed the bat to the side. She turned around and stalked over to her boyfriend's side, "You're right, Dear. Forgive me; my emotions are getting the best of me right now."

"Understandable."

"Hey! Would you two stop being so calm about this? The Boss is so in shock he can't even move!"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at the dead-eyed blond before readjusting his glasses, "I am aware, but we must play this smart. Kasanoda." The red head flinched, "Since the proverbial cat is out of the bag… let's talk."

The Power Couple locked their gaze onto Kasanoda at the same time, and he could swear his entire being was starting to burn away from the intensity.

Kyoya had started his own aura to match his girlfriend's. A dark purple that was tinged black around the edges. Kasanoda thought the best description for it would be of the fires most likely to be lit in the deepest pits of Hell. And it only got worse when it started mingling with Jin's, swirling around like two of the world's deadliest poisons... coming together to make something unholy.

The good news was, Kasanoda was not longer quite as shocked that the two of them were together. They looked very much like the iron-clad rulers of Hell. Kyoya Ootori, with his cold eyes and ruthlessness. And Jin Fujioka, with her boundless anger and cruel determination.

Jesus, how had he ever doubted it?

Kyoya smirked, "Haruhi is compelled to hide the fact that she is female due to certain... mitigating circumstances that bind both her and her sister. And while we can't physically force you to cooperate, exactly, there is something I would like you to bear in mind. Coming from the sort of family you do I'm certain you hear all sorts of juicy little rumors… enough to know what is true and what is not. Take the Ootori family's private police force, the Black Onion Squad. It is said they can be mobilized against our enemies in the blink of an eye."

Jin's grin had grown to 'Cheshire Cat' levels by the time Kyoya was back to smiling pleasantly, "You have heard of them… right?"

Inside Kasanoda's head, he had a sudden realization. So this is why they were so confused when I called Morinozuka-senpai a watchdog from Hell! It's because he's not… HE'S JUST THE DISTRACTION SO EVERYONE AT OURAN DOESN'T NOTICE THE HOST CLUB IS COMPOSED OF HELL'S ROYAL COURT!

The changing room door burst open, "Guys, knock it off! Stop scaring Kasanoda! You too, Nēchan! He only saw my bra clip, and I'm sure he's more embarrassed about it than I am."

She didn't look happy about it, but Jin did lower her hackles. The green aura retreated a little bit, but stayed out just enough to contently weave with Kyoya's. Nodding her head, Haruhi turned to the other 1st year and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry about all of that. I forgot to lock the door, that was my bad."

"Uh…"

"Look, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I was a girl just yet. I'd like to do that myself when the time is right, if you wouldn't mind."

"Sure! N-no problem!" Ritsu managed to force out. He was pretty sure that Haruhi's offer was the only one in his best interest to come of this intervention, so it wasn't like he could refuse anyways. But on the other side of the spectrum…

"So… now that you know Haruhi's a girl…"

"Are you planning on developing a crush anytime soon, Bossanova?"

"A what now? "

"Nēchan!" Haruhi quickly jumped to Kasanoda's defense once again, grabbing her sister's left arm before she could launch herself at the poor boy, "The twins are just being stupid, let's just… go home! And that goes for all of you!"

There was a great deal of mumbling from everyone at Haruhi's demand, but Kasanoda took off like a shot. With their reason to stick around now gone, the hosts slowly began to pack up. Haruhi shook her sister's arm, interrupting the glare she was sending after Ritsu's vapor trail, "Come on, Nēchan. Kiss your scary boyfriend goodbye and let's go home before you kill someone."

Not entirely happy but not willing to upset her sister either, Jin took in a deep breath and focused on calming down. Her aura dissipated completely as she pressed a quick peck against Kyoya's lips before following her sister out the door, leaving her boyfriend behind to deal with his disintegrating best friend.

The two girls walked down the hallways of Ouran in tense silence. Jin was glowering darkly at the tiles passing beneath her feet, knowing the route out of the school well enough to not have to watch where she was going.

After two or three minutes of the awkwardness, Haruhi cleared her throat, "Nēchan?"

"Mm?"

"I just want you to know that I could hear you guys from inside the changing room."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And if you and Kyoya-senpai start calling each other 'Boo' and 'Bae', I may hang myself."

Jin's face went completely red, her anger at Kasanoda briefly forgotten, "W-what?"

"' Darling '? ' Dear '? When did you two start using pet names for each other?"

"Haru! It's not like that!"

"Do you think Kyoya-senpai would ever call you 'Baby'?"

" Haru! "

"No? Yeah, a bit much for him. 'Babe'?"

" Shut up! Before someone hears you! "

Haruhi smirked as her sister began hauling her down the school hallway, "What about 'Sweetheart'? That would work. 'Sweetie'?"

Sudden inspiration caused the smirk to turn downright evil, "' Mommy '?"

" When did this turn into a sex thing?! "

Overnight, the weather decided to reflect Jin Fujioka's mood and turn frosty.

She mournfully stashed away her bike in the family's storage space by the back of the apartment complex and dug out the winter apparel in exchange. She and Haruhi arrived at Ouran wearing scarves and gloves and winter coats, both of them rushing into the school building to escape the cold temperature.

In her haste to warm up, Jin nearly ran right into Kyoya, who was waiting for her just inside the front doors.

"Good morning." He caught her right before she fell on her face, "You're running later than usual." He exchanged a nod with Haruhi before the shorter girl hurried off to her own side of the building, calling out a goodbye to her sister along the way.

Jin replied before turning back to her boyfriend, "C-couldn't bike to school today and the station was p-packed." She put her gloved hands on his collarbone, stretching for their 'good morning' kiss when she paused. Her eyebrows knitted together, staring at her right hand. Before Kyoya could ask what she was doing, Jin slipped her glove off and replaced her hand.

"You're warm."

"My car is typically warmed up before I even set foot in it on days like today. Must better than walking from the train station, I hear."

Immediately the brunette shifted closer, pressing her newly bared hands in between their bodies to warm them up. Humoring her, Kyoya tugs Jin to the side of the hallway and holds her close. One hands goes to her lower back, the other strokes at her hair. Which is cold. Ice cold, in fact, against his warm fingers. He frowned when he noticed something missing from Jin's ensemble.

"Why don't you have a hat on?"

"C-couldn't find it." Now that various parts of her were warming up, the cold parts were becoming much more prominent. Thankfully, Kyoya's whole person was radiating a comfortable level of heat. She sighed softly as the tip of her cold nose buried itself into the crook of Kyoya's neck and shoulder. And even though she knew it probably wasn't all that great for him -she felt him shiver when she did it- Jin didn't hear him complain.

All around them, passing students pointed them out and cooed about the cute scene. The girls especially. A few were taking pictures and comparing them to Renge Houshakuji's Moe Moe Ouran Diaries depiction of the couple. Some of the art was spot on with this exact moment! It was no surprise, really. KyoJin was like their own reality fairy tale: Soulmates from different worlds who met by circumstance.

Can't get much more Disney than that.

Jin, of course, didn't pay the whispers any attention, finally putting a little space between her and Kyoya now that she felt a little warmer, "Sorry for treating you like a personal heater." The ravenet smirked, using his left hand to cup Jin's cold cheek. The girl sighed against his palm, turning her head towards the warmth.

The smirk wavered, "You're still cold."

"It'll pass. Ouran's heating system is marvelous."

"Hmm," Kyoya cupped her other cheek, stroking her cheekbones with his thumbs and determinately ignoring the students melting over the action across the hall, "As much as I hate to ruin the moment and make you upset, we do, unfortunately, have something to discuss before class."

Instantly, Jin's eyes were open and trained on him, "Discuss what? Why would it upset me?"

"Kasanoda."

"Oh." She glared at his collarbone, "Right."

"What did you think I was going to talk about?"

Jin shrugged, shifting her head so Kyoya's hands cupped around her cold ears, "I dunno. Overheard one of your fangirls say something about your father. I didn't listen to her, really, but…"

Kyoya shook his head, a small bittersweet smile on his face. He placed a gentle but quick kiss to the girl's perfect forehead, meeting her confused expression head on, "I promise you, Jin, you don't need to worry yourself about my father no matter what others may tell you. However, I am worried about you for today. Kasanoda will, most likely, be returning to the club room this afternoon. Will you be alright with that? I could request that he not visit until a week has passed, if you wish to let the situation settle down a little more."

"You're so cute when you're sweet." Jin took Kyoya's hands in hers, removing them from her face entirely, "But, no. I'll be alright with it, I guess. I can't stop Kasanoda from talking to my sister, and I can't stop Haru if she wants another friend outside of the Host Club. I'd be more concerned about Tama-kun not being civil."

"Is that a promise that you'll play nice today?"

"Not entirely. I'll defend my sister to the death, and Kasanoda knows it. So, just as long as he's afraid of me, I shouldn't have to worry about it. On the other hand… I won't rule out letting loose a punch or two."

Kyoya regarded his girlfriend closely. Her eyes were fixed on his school jacket's lapels, hands playing mindlessly with his own. She was much more nervous and irritated than she was letting on. Whether it was for Haruhi's benefit or her own or perhaps even Kyoya's, he knew Jin would be in full 'Mother Hen' mode come hosting hours.

Adorable.

Deciding that she needed a break from her serious attitude, he pulled his hands out of her grip and grabbed both ends of her 'Hufflepuff' scarf instead. Jin was able to look at him in curiosity for a second before he was tugging her up gently for a short kiss.

She giggled against her will, "Idiot."

"What happened to 'Dear'? I quite liked that."

Jin's face flushed and she spun around, "We should probably get to class." She started walking away, with Kyoya's sleeve pinched between her thumb and forefinger, and determinedly avoiding his confused expression.

As you wish, Darling.

* Time Skip *

"I'd like to request… Haruhi Fujioka."

Jin gritted her teeth as the girls around the room gasped in shock. As much as she'd expected it, seeing that Kasanoda had feelings for her sister in real life irked her in all the wrong ways. But it was only partially because of the incident from yesterday...

STOP BLOWING HOLES IN MY SHIP!

Jin looped her arms underneath Tamaki's arms just before his knees gave out. Renge, of course, was popping up out of the ground, her eyes shining with glee as she rallied the other guests around her. So… they all thought Kasanoda was gay. And now they were obsessed with him. And Haruhi. Together. Instead of Tamaki and Haruhi. Selective attention, much?

The brunette rolled her eyes as she eased the blond to the ground, his back against a pillar and out of sight from his otherwise 'occupied' guests. Just another reason I don't understand girls.

"Exactly what has the pillar done to be the source of such a glare?" Jin jumped, surprised to hear Kyoya's voice just behind her.

"What?"

"You were glaring at the pillar. I wanted to know what it had done to offend you."

"Oh." The girl frowned and looked around the pillar, watching as the host club's guests stared at Kasanoda and her sister, " It didn't do anything, but I needed to vent my frustration somehow."

"Oh dear, what's gotten under your skin this time?"

"I don't understand how some girls can be so obsessed with relationships that they aren't even in. Or, okay, fictitious or celebrity relationship I can understand a little. If the people are unobtainable, then what's the harm? But relationship in their own school? You can think it's cute, I guess, but obsessing over it?" She hesitated at her boyfriend's smirk, "What?"

"You do realize that all of my guests are obsessed with our relationship, correct?"

The brunette crossed her arms and leaned up against the pillar, not reacting when Tamaki began cuddling her leg like a security blanket, " Not all of them. "

"Are you speaking of the six guests our relationship cost the club?" Jin's head lifted, her eyes widening as Kyoya began flipping through his black book, "Yes, there were a few guests of mine who were… less than thrilled once I was 'taken off the market' as it were, but while we lost six guests who could not come to terms with reality, the club also received a sudden spike in girls who wished to speak with the hosts strictly around our relationship. A good majority went to the two of us, of course, but there were plenty who went to Haruhi and Tamaki, and the other four boys received similar jumps in popularity."

Jin's lips parted as her boyfriend made a few marks to the page, "Since we, as hosts, are often viewed by these ladies to be just as unattainable as whom you call 'celebrities', it's not as strange as you make it out to be. And, if I may point out, their obsession with our happiness was a great boost to the club's sales. Quite a few have requested drawings of the two of us, even though they're aware you don't take requests. Perhaps if we had led them on for a little while longer…"

"If you two had waited any longer-"

"-Jin-senpai would've received you wrapped up in a bow with mistletoe dangling above your head for Christmas."

"Courtesy of everyone in Ouran Academy."

The tone in the twin's voices was too sharp to qualify as teasing, but Jin knew their irritation was not with them. Leaning away from the pillar as far as Tamaki's grip would allow, she curled her lip at Kasanoda's failed attempt to keep his cool around her sister. And couldn't those girls shut up?!

"Kyoya-senpai, get him out of here!"

"He's getting along with his goons, he has no reason to be here!"

Kyoya smirked, flipping to another page calmly, "On the contrary; he's a paying guest. He has every right to be here."

"Your girlfriend probably thinks otherwise."

As one, all three boys looked over at Jin, who continued to face the two on the couch. A few seconds passed by before she pressed her face against the pillar, right hand coming up to pound at the marble.

"I. Want. To. Hate. Him. But. I. Can't. "

"WHY NOT?!"

The girl growled and pretended to bash her forehead against the stone, "How. Many. Friends. Does. Haru. Have. At. This. School?"

Hikaru stomped his foot, "Plenty! She doesn't need another one!"

"And he's scaring the guests!"

"Oh, I think not." With the tip of his pen, Kyoya pointed towards the girls who were screeching over Haruhi and 'his' special guest. Almost half of them were on their phones, too, calling in their friends from their lessons and other clubs. No doubt in about five or so minutes the place would be overrun.

The twins looked down at the boy whose face was halfway covered with Jin's skirt, "Hey, Boss, are you done being shellshocked, yet?"

"We could really use our ' King ' right about now."

The four looked at the boy expectantly. Usually, calling him 'King' got him to snap out of every funk he managed to get himself into. It was like a fail-safe reset button. Unfortunately, he just gripped the black fabric tighter, a soft whimper escaping with every exhale. Jin was now efficiently pinned, her skirt drawn so tightly around her legs that she couldn't escape his hold on her. But she simply patted his head softly.

"There, there, Tama-kun."

The twins grabbed the blond by his shoulders and tried to haul him away. Jin squeaked, her hands grabbing at her skirt's waistline, "W-wait! Guys, stop! He's still got a grip on my skirt! S-stop!"

Groaning, Kaoru leaned down by Tamaki's ear, "Unless you want Kasanoda to catch Jin-senpai in her underwear, too, I suggest you let go of her."

The blond didn't show any sign of understanding other than letting go of the brunette's skirt, but that was enough for the 1st years to toss him out onto the front lines. He began walking like a robot towards Haruhi as her sister struggled to pull her skirt up. Jin's face was completely red, though she was glad that her white button-down was big enough that it had remained tucked even when her skirt had dipped a few centimeters.

She felt the blush spread down her neck when she turned around to see Kyoya awkwardly looking away.

"Um…"

"I saw nothing. No need for you to be embarrassed."

"Then why are you?"

The boy didn't answer, but she couldn't help but note his slightly pink cheeks.

" That. Moron. "

Jin cleared her throat and shifted closer to the twins and Honey-senpai, who had joined them in watching. Hikaru yanked out his cell phone and began punching at the keys. He only waited for about three rings before they saw Tamaki pick up.

"Earth to Boss: Snap out of it! The longer you sit there like an idiot, the worse this situation becomes for all of us! Now, listen to me carefully… do you want Haruhi and that two-bit thug to hit it off? If you let that happen, she'll spend the rest of her life as a MOB WIFE! "

Jin, though she was still a little embarrassed by the skirt incident, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Hikaru's statement. Yes, Kasanoda was doing his best to flirt with Haruhi -however poorly- but in the end she wasn't very concerned about the two of them actually getting together. He didn't really seem like Haruhi's type. As much as he was a sweetheart beneath that scary face, he was also in a dangerous line of work and was going to make his living based on fear. Having seen Jin faced with fear and bullying her whole life, it was unlikely Haruhi could live surrounded by that for the rest of her life.

Even so, it got Tamaki to snap out of it.

By breaking his phone into little pieces.

Oh boy...

" DADDY WON'T STAND FOR THAT! "

Haruhi's eyes widened and she craned her head over the back of the couch, pleading with her eyes for Jin to step in before Tamaki could do something crazy. That was his crazy voice, after all. She was shocked when she instead saw hesitation in her sister's eyes. What? What was she hesitating for?

For her sanity, Jin quickly changed her mind once Tamaki pretty much ripped Kasanoda off the couch, dragging the heavier boy as far as he could from the brunette before standing him up. The blond whipped a finger in the red head's face and shouted.

"As her father, I FORBID YOU FROM SEEING HER!"

Jin paused, only a few steps away, and face-palmed. Tamaki… you complete dunce.

"Wait… as her what? You do realize that's not possible, right?" Jin's hand moved down to cover her mouth, shaking her head as Tamaki got a panicked/far away look in his eyes. "Are you married to her mom, then?"

"Um… no."

"Did you adopt her? Her sister?"

"...No."

"Did you raise her?"

"That was more… Jin."

"So you aren't her father." Tamaki's lips puckered, like he had just swallowed an entire lemon's worth of lemon juice. Before he could fall flat on his back in a dead-faint, Jin slipped over and caught him once more. With a sigh, she looped her arms under his arms and around his chest, dragging the humiliated President away.

"Jin-senpai," she paused. Kasanoda hadn't moved from the spot Tamaki had hauled him too, so when he spoke his voice now reached the rest of the room, "I've noticed you staring at me and Haruhi a few times today. Did you... really raise Haruhi?"

The brunette paused, thinking the question over, "I suppose so. I did my best."

"But you're only one year older. That hardly gives you any right to control Haruhi's life… wouldn't you agree?"

Ritsu's eyes flashed as he turned to face the girl, ignoring the wary expression on her face. Finally, he wasn't making people afraid and the people who had helped him were now angry with that? All because of a stupid mistake? And even Jin, whom he'd thought would be much more fair about the whole thing, had only glared at him throughout the day! How was that fair?

"Because you are not Haruhi's mother. "

Honey gasped, arms nearly popping Usa-chan's head off.

Mori's eyes widened, frozen half-in, half-out of his seat.

The cell phone tumbled out of Hikaru's hand, his and his brother's jaws dropped.

Kyoya froze in place.

Haruhi's hands went to her mouth.

Thud.

Tamaki didn't even react to being dropped face first on the floor.

Immediately, Kasanoda realized he had stepped over some sort of a boundary line. Jin, his senpai, was staring at him as though he had physically backhanded her across the face. All of the girls surrounding them had gone quiet, not daring to even whisper among themselves. The excitement had disappeared.

One glance at the barest hint of a tear in the corner of Jin's eye told him he had really fucked up.

Suddenly, Jin's hands clenched into fists. Her usually soft brown eyes shone with murderous intent as she stepped over Tamaki's collapsed form. She wasn't smiling creepily at him like yesterday, but that somehow made it worse. This anger wasn't maniac. It was intentional.

" No ," she whispered, " You're right. I'm definitely not Haru's mother. I'm just the big sister. Nobody important. "

"I… I didn't mean that."

" Yes you did. You said that to hurt me. You said that as if I haven't been there for her our whole lives. Our mother died when we were young, and Dad had to work double shifts most of our lives to support us. I was all she had."

"I-I didn't know!"

" I am her confident, secret keeper, advisor, caregiver, best friend, big sister, and only sibling. I kept Haru at an arm's length when we went to school so my tormentors would never think to change targets. I sang her lullabies when she had nightmares. I made her lunches on the days when there was only enough for one. I protected Haruhi with everything I did, and didn't, have. "

The two were now nose to nose, and even with the anger burning it's way out of the girl's body, Kasanoda couldn't stop staring at the single tear collecting in her eyelashes, " But you're right. I have no authority to try and guide my baby sister through her life because… as you've made quite clear already… I am not her mother. "

The girl spun around on her heel and walked away, grabbing Tamaki by his wrists and dragging him away. She blinked and quickly wiped the resulting tear away. Around the room she could hear the girls whispering thoughts on what she had said to the red head and giggling, not having a clue as to what had really gone down between them.

Jin deposited the blond behind the pillar again and licked her lip, avoiding the concerned looks of all the boys around her, "I… I need some air. Give me five minutes alone, please." And she left.

"Hey… Kasanoda." The boy looked around in fright. Haruhi was standing there, looking at the ground. "Why did you say that to Nēchan?"

The boy swallowed, "I swear I didn't know about your mom… I didn't know! I didn't mean it! I thought… I thought it was like what Tamaki-senpai was rambling on about."

Haruhi rubbed at her right arm, "It's something that's still a little painful when we bring it up. It wasn't your fault that you didn't know about our mom."

"Could…" now it was Ritsu's turn to look away. How can I ask that of her? I hurt Jin-senpai and Haruhi with my carelessness. Maybe I really am a monster.

"You want me to tell you the story, huh?" Panicking at the girl's capability to read people's intentions, the boy tried to say no, but Haruhi merely touched his forearm, "Listen, Nēchan needs some time to calm down. I should be able to tell you the story before then, and you can apologize. Nēchan's not one for grudges, and she knows that you didn't know. Once the shock's worn off and you tell her you're sorry, she'll forgive you."

"Okay."

Haruhi lead the Class D student back to their couch just as Tamaki slowly pulled himself out of his most recent freak out. As his vision refocused on reality, the first thing the blond noticed was his best friend's gaze fixed on the doors leading out of Music Room 3. Then on Haruhi and Kasanoda talking quiet-like on the couch. The other hosts looked like they'd just come back from a funeral.

"Wha' happened?"

"Casanova… said something he should've left alone."

"Let's leave it at that, Boss."

Nodding, the blond attempted to sit up, but only managed his elbows, "I need… I need to sort this out."

"Sort what out?"

"Supposing I'm not Haruhi's Dad," he pressed his hand over his forehead, eyes going wide as he considered his next words carefully, "then, why is it I find her so utterly adorable? When she's with other boys, I become jealous… but I have no right to be so protective of her. And I'm not her sibling either, like Jin, or have their history..."

Kaoru suddenly leaned forward, a calculating expression taking over, "Oh, really? Then what's was with all those times you said 'nobody gets to marry Haruhi', 'nobody is allowed to see her in a cute swimsuit', 'no one is allowed to kiss her'... shall I go on?"

"Um," Tamaki went a little red, "I just wanted to preserve her innocence."

"Preserve, huh? Interesting. So, you're saying you don't want her to grow up. You don't want Haruhi to change from what she is right now. And this 'family' setting is what's making that happen, right?"

Hikaru looked up at his brother. What's he going on about?

"I… I-I don't quite follow."

Kaoru's jaw dropped. He looked up sharply, "Kyoya-senpai, you want to weigh in on this? Please tell me I'm not completely crazy."

The ravenet was still staring at the doors, so the younger twin sighed and switched to a softer tone, "Kyoya-senpai, Jin-senpai will be okay. She said five minutes. It's been three. If she's not back by 3:24, you can go look for her."

Finally, the glasses wearing boy looked away, thumb flicking along the edge of his journal, "You're right. My apologies... I must be smothering her."

"I don't think so. You're just worried, we all are, but please be our voice of reason for another one and a half minutes."

Kyoya's mouth twitched into what was almost a smile, "Very well. Yes, you do have a point. Tamaki is delusional, anyone could see that just by spending five minutes with him, but I never thought he was this stupid."

"Yeah, Tama-chan's completely blind when it comes to himself and his own feelings! I wonder why he's so good with helping others figure it out?"

On the other side of the room, Kasanoda was cradling a warm tea cup in his hands, his heart heavy, "Oh, I see."

Haruhi sighed, reaching out to pat the boy's shoulder, "Like I told you before, you didn't know. You didn't mean to set her off. You thought she was being unfair to me and herself, so you spoke up. In any other situation, I might've thanked you for it, but you should apologize as soon as- Nēchan?"

While the two groups had been talking, Jin had slipped back into the music room. She silently sat down on Haruhi's right side, hands in her lap. Once more, the room quieted.

Kasanoda swallowed. Jin's eyes didn't look red or swollen from crying, so that was a good sign. But she wasn't showing a lot of emotion either. He wet his lower lip, well aware that a certain glasses-wearing boy was probably drilling holes into the back of his head.

"Jin-senpai?"

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to attack you so personally. You didn't deserve it. I was just mad and you took the hit and-"

"I forgive you."

Ritsu blinked, almost dropping his tea cup, "Wait, what? Really? Just like that?"

"Yeah. You didn't know. It's not fair of me to hold you to those words when I didn't trust you with the whole story. It's my fault." The brunette looked over at the boy on the other side of the couch, "You're a nice guy, Kasanoda. I know that. How about we forget about what just happened, alright?"

The boy nodded, even though all three of them knew that he would be beating himself up about that sentence for a long time. It made Jin feel a little bad knowing that, but at the same time she felt it was a good learning lesson. If he wanted to have friends and keep them, he couldn't just throw his anger around at people carelessly.

Haruhi smiled a little bit, "You know, now that I'm thinking about it... Nēchan, you did sort of take on a mother-like role for me. Yeah, I never took you as anything other than my onēchan, but you cooked for me, helped me with my homework, cuddled with me when I had a nightmare. You're more like my surrogate mom than your boyfriend is."

Jin couldn't help but snort out a short laugh. Even Kasanoda chuckled.

"And I suppose Tamaki-senpai acts a lot like Dad. If it weren't for a few things like their age and hair color, they could almost be mistaken as twins."

Jin raised an eyebrow. Welp, there's no way Tama-kun didn't hear that. Which means he's probably snapping out of his latest melt down. I should go back over there. Kyo-kun's probably worried about me anyways.

"You two keep talking. I need to go tell Kyo-kun I'm alright."

Haruhi nodded as Jin slipped back across the room. Tamaki was kneeling down in the middle of a makeshift circle of the other hosts. Kyoya was watching his blond best friend with an amused expression, "And... we've lost him yet again."

"You're surprised?"

At her sudden appearance, Kyoya went from amusement to worry in a split second, though the only things that gave it away were his eyes and his arms dropping to his sides, "Jin? Are you-"

"I'm fine , Glasses. Like I said: Five minutes. I forgave Kasanoda. It was a little bit my fault too, for not telling him."

"You are far too forgiving."

Jin shrugged, "I gave up on grudges a long time ago. They take too much of a tole on my mental and physical health to really justify them any more." Kyoya's eyes narrowed a bit, but before he could ask another question the guests let out a massive gasp. The hosts looked over at the only occupied couch. Had he just confessed? Haruhi looked a bit confused, so maybe?

Kasanoda seemed to think similarly, blushing and looking away, "I-I mean, if you want that, that is."

Despite everything that had gone down in the past 24 hours, Jin felt her heart go out to the poor boy. She'd felt just as terrified the night she and Kyoya became a couple. Right after she'd kissed him for the first time and thought she had seriously misread the signs. It was a really nerve wracking moment, and Jin hoped Haruhi would let him down gent-

"Absolutely! That way you and I could get more acquainted!"

Jin's hands came up to her mouth, pressed palm to palm in a prayer position and just barely touching the tip of her nose with her fingers. Oh boy... oh boy... I know that tone. Kasanoda just leave it at that! She doesn't understand! Haru doesn't understand you're talking about 'more than friends'! The room went quiet, hearts thudding in time as the class D student leaned closer to the girl at his side.

"Fujioka-san, I…" Thump, thump, "I… I just wanted to tell you…" Thump, thump, "I just wanted to tell you… that I'm…"

Jin's eyes shut right as Haurhi smiled, "That you're really excited to have someone you can relate to! I know I am, a conversation like this is a rare treat for me. I think we'll be great friends!"

"Great… friends?"

Taking in a deep breath before letting it out, Jin reopened her eyes. The guests were watching with sad, disappointed faces as Haruhi smiled at her 'friend'. Kasanoda looked like someone had just strangled a kitten in front of him. The tall brunette leaned up against the pillar and shook her head, a hand coming up to her forehead. You know, I'm no longer quite as shocked that Haruhi rejected Hiroshi's confession. How is it she can never tell when someone's interested in her?

Suddenly, everyone in the room was rushing Kasanoda, offering to be his friend and crying at his ordeal. Even the twins and Honey were crying, offering games and Usa-chan to try and cheer up the shellshocked boy. Mori, Jin, Kyoya, and Tamaki were the only ones not crowding the couch.

"He's going to be just fine."

Jin nodded at Mori, then pressed her fist to her mouth. There was a small smile trying to fight its way onto her face, and she was attempting to repress it. The situation wasn't really all that funny, but still...

"This amuses you?"

"No! I mean... yeah. It shouldn't, but my sister just unknowingly friend-zoned someone. As much as my heart breaks for him, it's kinda hilarious. I'm sorry, don't tell Kasanoda!"

Kyoya offered a smirk before looking down at his friend, who was staring at the large group in confusion, "What's the matter, Tamaki?"

The blond hummed, tilting his head a little, "When I think about how Bossanova must've been feeling... my heart goes out to him." He hummed again, unaware of the knowing looks being passed around him by his friends.

* Time Skip *

"I'm glad it's warmed up since this morning." Jin glanced up at Kyoya out of the corner of her eyes, "You know, I really thought you would've wanted to sit out of the games for today. Maybe be our referee..."

"I couldn't let you hide all by yourself, now could I?"

Rolling her eyes at Kyoya's attempt to pretend he didn't want to play the game at all, Jin hummed softly to herself as they strolled through the maze. It was actually pretty peaceful out here. Just the two of them, the barest sound of laughter echoing in the distance as their classmates played the 'commoner' game. When was the last time she and Kyoya had gone on an actual date date? There was the time they went momijigari, but that was way back in early October. Recently... it was that coffee shop a block away from Hōmusuītohōmu. Kyoya had surprised her and taken her out for coffee during her lunch break. That was last week.

A light squeeze to her waist brought Jin's attention back out into the real world.

"You stopped humming. Where's your mind now?"

"Just thinking about the last time we had some time to ourselves."

"If I do recall, I suggested another date only a few days ago. I've yet to hear your answer..."

Jin sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder, "Kyo-kun, I think it's really sweet that you want to take me to the Universal Studios in Osaka, but..."

"But what? I know how long you've wanted to go see their Harry Potter world. It's not nearly as crowded now as it is in the summer."

"It's so expensive, Glasses! And I know you're going to try to buy the expensive souvenirs that I personally can't afford and there's no reason for you to waste that sort of money!"

"I'd hardly call it wasting... but what if we came up with an agreement? I pay to get us in, buy the food, and I'm allowed to procure one gift for you if I so choose. Does that sound fair?"

Jin was still blushing faintly from the 'hardly call it wasting' bit, but she nodded and shifted more comfortably against Kyoya's side, sighing as his arm tightened a little around her waist, "I think we can work something out."

"You have this Saturday off, correct?"

"Yeah, and it's supposed to be sunny that day. Saturday it is, I guess."

With a kiss to her temple to seal the deal, the two continued walking along. Jin wondered briefly why Kyoya never wrapped an arm around her shoulders or at least held her hand more often, but brushed it off. Kyoya wasn't really the type to do those overly affectionate/carefree versions of contact. The waist thing was a little more hidden, intimate, and also sort of claiming.

The thought ended as she, Kyoya, and the twins came upon Tamaki and Haruhi's hiding spot. It was another gazebo. Noticeably smaller than the one they'd been in when the club dealt with the Newspaper club just before summer break. The blond and brunette were huddled underneath and looked up at them in surprise. Then Tamaki frowned.

"What are you guys doing? Go away! This hiding place is only for Haruhi and me!"

"Oh really, what kind of rule is that?"

"And why do you and Haruhi always have to hide together in the first place?"

"Idiot! It is perfectly normal for a father to hide with his daughter!"

"Some might argue you on that."

Jin smiled and crawled underneath the table, tugging Kyoya along behind her, "You realize I'm the only one here actually related to her, right? I'm pulling rank on you, Tama-kun."

"Then why is Kyoya here?"

"Boyfriend rule. Don't you know 'Kick the Can' and 'Hide and Seek' are relationship games? When one of them is 'it', they look for the other one first before anyone else, and when neither of them are it they hide together."

"And make-out." The twins tacked onto the end, crawling in between Tamaki and Kyoya, but quickly began attempting to climb over the blond to get to Haruhi. Thankfully, that distracted Tamaki from freaking out over their comment, instead deciding to rage-whisper at them to go away. Haruhi, however, gave her sister an 'are you kidding me', look.

Oh please, I'm not going to make-out with him while you're here.

So you do make-out with him.

Usually when you're not around.

Usually?

You did see us that one time, remember.

Why'd you have to remind me?

And then there was that time at home. You got home earlier from the store than I anticipated.

THAT'S why you changed into a turtleneck sweater?

It was kinda cold that day... but yeah.

Haruhi started pretending to puke into the bushes surrounded the six of them when Kyoya tugged Jin backwards into his lap, " We need to conserve space. "

" Uh, huh. "

" Though, I am curious about this game that we're playing. "

" Curious? About what? "

" Well, for starters, why even kick the can? "

" Hey, get off me! Nēchan, help! "

Jin lifted a foot and gently shoved Tamaki off her sister as he and the twins rolled around in the grass.

" Next time, you and I are hiding by ourselves. These guys are too noisy. "

" And that's your only reasoning? "

" Shut up, Glasses. "