//Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.//

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

VACATION TIME

"It's a crisis!" Asami screeches as Tamaki launches himself onto her bed causing her to topple off. Salem and Tink hiss, jumping off the bed. Gremlin cracks open an eye to lazily stare at Tamaki while Snowball and Kiki both swipe at Tamaki. Tamaki ignores the upset cats. "Haruhi is missing!" Asami stares up at the ceiling with stars swirling around her head. "I must call everyone and alert them to this tragedy!" She groans while slowing getting up. She watches as Tamaki rapidly types away on his phone. He waits a minute for whoever to pick up. "My daughter... My daughter is missing!! I can't get in contact with her! She must've been kidnapped! Contact the police! Mobilize the self-defence army if it becomes necessary!!" He continues on a tangent as she rolls her eyes at him and gets up. "That's right! Ever since the first day of summer vacation, I've tried calling her home many times every day! I can't even get in touch with her dad's workplace. It must be that they weren't able to pay their rent and were forced into slavery! If that's not it, then they must've run away during the night!" He passes. "Cellphone? Like Haruhi would possess such a thing. Ah...I know. Among commoners, there's this secret society called "midnight fleers"..." She raises her hand and backhands him. "Asami! How dare you hurt me during this trying time?" He cries out. She takes the phone and hears the panicked voices of the other host club members on the line. She puts it on speaker.

"Don't listen to this idiot. Haruhi is perfectly fine." She informs them, frowning at Tamaki. "She's on vacation."

"Correct, Haruhi is in Karuizawa right now." Kyoya chimes in.

"Huh? Haruhi... being bankrupt... fled at night... got kidnapped... and is in Karuizawa right now?" Tamaki sputters.

"V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Vacation. Not kidnapped." Asami grumbles.

"Kyoya! Arrange for all of us to go to Karuizawa!" Tamaki shouts, rushing towards the phone.

"I don't think Haruhi would appreciate us ruining her vacation." Asami sighs. "It's bad enough she has to deal with all of you all school year. Let her have her break from you. Plus do we not remember how our last surprise went?"

"Ruining?! A break?! My daughter will be overjoyed to see me."

•••

"Haruhi!! Are you all right?! Daddy's here!!" Tamaki calls to Haruhi from a helicopter loudspeaker. Asami peeks over his shoulder to see the glowering Haruhi on the ground.

"Oh yeah, she absolutely looks overjoyed." She dryly states.

•••

"My... What a lovely bunch of cute boys! And a lovely girl! Are you all Haruhi-chan's acquaintances?" Asami observes the inn, raising an eyebrow at Haruhi rushing toward them with an angry look on her face.

"I tried to stop this from happening." Asami immediately puts her hands up and takes a step backwards. "This is not my fault." Haruhi shakes her head in disbelief.

"It's always your fault." She scowls at Asami.

"How?" Asami gasps, placing a hand over her heart in hurt.

"Because you're related to him," she points at Tamaki, "and he's the one that comes up with these plans. You need to sedate him."

"Where am I going to get a sedative?" Haruhi gestures to Kyoya and Asami deadpans. "No."

"A fluttering crossdresser..." Tamaki mumbles.

"Just call me Misuzu-cchi, okay?" Misuzu smiles.

"He used to work with Ranka-san at their bar." Kyoya informs everyone.

"How do you stalk everyone that we run into beforehand?" Asami questions. She wonders if his glasses are secretly like Tony Stark's where it gives him all types of information.

"Why do you know this?" Tamaki asks simultaneously.

"Yeah, really." Haruhi comments.

"I started running this place two years ago. It was my dream, you know? To own a cute pension like this!" Misuzu claps their hands.

"But... why is Haru-chan working here?" Mitsukuni asks.

"Since Ranka-san went on a staff trip, he was worried about Haruhi being all alone, so she's being taken care of here." Kyoya, once again, informs everyone this.

"Did Ranka tell you this himself?" Asami inquiries. Tamaki and Haruhi look expectedly at Kyoya but he ignores them.

"Oh, don't say "taking care". This place isn't affluent enough to employ staff yet, so Haruhi-chan coming here has really helped me a lot." Misuzu states. "She's really a good worker. I feel kind of bad for her since her salary is low. Ah, isn't this apron on her cute? I made it myself."

"On that, you did a good job, Misuzu-cchi!" Tamaki gushes. Asami backhands him again. "Why?!"

"In hopes that one day, my backhands will make you normal."

•••

Asami smiles in thanks as Kaoru hands her a cup of tea. She takes a sip and is surprised to find that it is exactly to her liking. She glances at Kaoru, wondering how he knew her tea order. "A part-time job, huh?" Kaoru asks.

"So that's why you refused a trip to Bali with us." Hikaru comments. "I still don't understand why you said no." He says to Asami who merely shrugs.

"We asked you both to come to Switzerland with us, too." Mitsukuni states. Takashi nods his head in agreement.

"Well, I don't have a passport." Haruhi points out and pauses to look at Asami. "Do you even have one?"

"I don't recall," Asami states.

"Which is why I put forth the idea of using one of my resorts for a cheap price." Kyoya raises an eyebrow at Haruhi. "Which Asami even agreed to." Kaoru, Hikaru, Mitsukuni and Takashi frown at her.

"You chose Kyoya over us?" They all seem very offended by this.

"He's my fiancé. Am I suppose to say no?" Asami grumbles.

"Ngh...! Why have you all asked Haruhi and Asami out in private like that? So it's fine if you guys all get to have fun? So you all don't have any sense of solidarity?" Tamaki falls to his knees. "I, as club chairman, worked very hard every day to come up with plans on how we could all have fun together..." Asami pats his back in fake sympathy.

"You turned off your cellphone, right?" Hikaru asks.

"Yeah, none of my messages were sent." Asami pouts. "I sent you some funny TikToks."

"You can't do that." Kaoru scolds Haruhi.

"But it's bothersome. I get notifications at all hours of the night," Haruhi shoots a glare at Asami who innocently sips her tea.

"Huh?" Tamaki hobbles over to the table. "You... have... a cellphone?" Asami snorts in her cup at how clueless her brother is.

"Yeah, she had a really old one. We're lending one of ours to Haruhi, though." Hikaru explains.

"I might add that this is a buddies-only phone." Kaoru smirks.

"My lord, you're a senpai, so..." Hikaru shrugs with a matching smirk.

"You can't be apart of it," Asami comments.

"Buddy?! That's so cool... Then, I'm in your daddy-buddy category --" Tamaki gets cut off.

"There's no such buddy category." Haruhi sighs. "And if there was, only Asami would be in it." Asami pumps the air in victory. "Anyway, can you all please go home? I'm going to have to meet you guys every day again once the new semester begins." Asami whsipers, "I told you so," to Tamaki. "Everyone has the right to spend their holidays however they want, right?"

"Academy Rules, Item 9. "A student is forbidden from taking on part-time jobs."" Kyoya informs her. Asami frowns and goes to correct this because only full time jobs were forbidden, but Kyoya reaches under the table to squeeze her hand. Asami notices the side glance he sends her and observes the gleam in his eyes. 'Oh,' she rolls her eyes and squeezes his hand back before releasing it, 'he's manipulating her into letting us stay.'

"Huh? Umm... Really?" Haruhi blinks in school and glances at Asami.

"I have no idea." She lies. Haruhi slumps in defeat.

"Did you know? That person is doing part-time work without the school's permission." Hikaru says.

"My, what a courageous person." Kaoru teases but his face seems tense as he stares at Kyoya.

"Coming to Karuizawa on occasion to escape the heat is a pretty good idea." Mitsukuni comments.

"We're tired of foreign countries, too." Kyoya adds.

"Indeed, everyone has the right to spend their holidays however they want...Therefore, you have no right to stop us. We shall be staying at the pension as VIP guests then." Tamaki announces. He gets heart eyes and sick smile on his face which informs everyone that he is having one of his perverted fantasies about Haruhi again. In a flash, Asami backhands him. He lays on the ground crying in pain.

"You're going to give him brain damage." Kyoya muses.

"No possible, his brain is already damaged."

•••

"I'm sorry. I'd love to let all of you stay, but there's only one guest room left." Misuzu explains.

"Just one room? Very well. Then I, as club chairman, shall represent the club and --" Tamaki gets cut off.

"Boo... Tama-chan, that's cheap." Mitsukuni pouts.

"So it's fine if you get to have fun? So you don't have any sense of solidarity?" Hikaru crosses his arms.

"I wonder who was the one complaining about that just a moment ago." Kaoru frowns. The twins exchange a look and grin. Asami sighs and nudges them harshly in their sides. She sends them a look, knowing their scheming faces.

"I'm a cheap person? I'm someone that's fine with keeping all the fun to himself?" Tamaki repeats in shock.

"Hey, hey, my lord. I thought of a pretty fun game. Would you like to take part?" Hikaru asks.

"It's called "Competition for the Guest Room - Refreshing Part-Time Job in Karuizawa"." Kaoru says.

"We'll work one day at this pension that is desperate for manpower right now." Hikaru continues.

"And whoever makes the most favorable impression on Misuzu-san gets to become the guest here." Kaoru finishes.

"Interesting! Good, good! Let's go with that proposal! Yes, if the refreshing kid that I choose stays here as a guest, then the popularity of this pension will rise as well! No doubt about it!" Misuzu excitingly agrees.

"We look forward to working!" The twins shout.

"Work very hard, then! I won't be treating you as a guest until I make my decision." Misuzu comments.

"Haha... How fun..." Haruhi grumbles. "Asami, I don't mind if you want to stay. I have a double bed so you can just sleep with me."

"Yay, sleepover with Haruhu!" Asami cheers, glomping the girl while evilly smirking at Tamaki. "What a great opportunity to deepen our bond!"

"No!" Tamaki shrieks. "I will win this refreshing challenge and deepen my bond with Haruhi!"

"Good luck!" Asami chuckles darkly and drags Haruhi away from the boys.

•••

Tamaki works on fixing a fence while Mitsukuni eats cake at his side. "This is the first time I've ever held a hammer in my hands."

"Working sure is tough." Mitsukuni says.

"Hey, you there! No complaining. Minus three points." Misuzu shouts.

"What?!" In his surprise, Tamaki accidentally smashes his thumb with the hammer.

"You look pathetic right now, so another minus... Hm?" Mitsukuni steps in front of Misuzu and tries to look cute. "Acting cute doesn't work, either."

Hikaru and Kaoru greet guests inside. "Hi... and welcome!"

"We... have reservations for a room here."

"Ah, yes, yes, we've been waiting for you!" Hikaru smiles.

"Enjoy your stay here, okay? Now we'll take you to your room." Kaoru grabs their bags and leads them to their rooms.

"Fufu... A bit arrogant in their attitudes, but since you can't really hate them, refreshness rating, plus five points." Misuzu muses. "Ah, Takashi-kun. That table isn't really stable. Could you go fix it in the backyard?" Takashi picks up the table. "Fufu~! Nothing unnecessary in his actions! Refreshness rating, plus five points!"

"Umm, what's this refreshness rating?" Haruhi asks, walking towards Misuzu.

"Fufufu... Haruhi-chan, what do guests want from this Karuizawa?"

"Umm, the coolness... or something?"

"Not just that. The refreshing breeze that they can't experience when in urban areas, the refreshing scenery here, and last but not least, the sight of refreshing men~!! Everyone comes to Karuizawa in search of this refreshing feeling! This is a competition for how much they can appeal this refreshing feeling to girls that come to Karuizawa!" Misuzu gushes.

"He's really enjoying this...And... this horribly reminds me of someone..." Haruhi grumbles as she imagines Tamaki. Haruhi sees Kyoya sitting by Asami, partaking in tea. "Kyoya-senpai, you're not going to take part in the game, huh?"

"Yeah. Even if I win, there's no point in staying alone in this kind of pension. I'll just watch this show for a bit, then I'll just go to the summer house here." Kyoya informs her.

"Summer house? Your family's, Kyoya-senpai?"

"That's right. Everyone has one in this area." Haruhi deadpans. "And about this refreshness competition... Who do you think will win, Haruhi? How about a bet?"

"No bets." Asami scolds him, slapping his hand lightly. Haruhi watches them with narrowed eyes. Ever since they became engaged, Asami and Kyoya spend a lot of time together and seem to becoming more comfortable with one another.

"No, thank you. I have no clue at all." Haruhi says but inside, she silently hopes Kaoru and Hikaru win so she can push Asami to Kaoru for a bit tonight.

"Really? It's quite easy if you just think about it. First, Honey-senpai. Visually, he's more cute than refreshing, so he's out. Tamaki is refreshing if he does nothing, but he's getting way too worked up for this competition... so he appears quite sultry. Just looking at it, the winners should be Hikaru and Kaoru..." Kyoya muses. Takashi chops a piece of wood and girls swoon. "... but there's a long-shot entry."

"Plus twenty points!" Misuzu shouts at Takashi.

"So Mori-senpai?" Haruhi asks.

"But if Honey-senpai drops out of the competition, Mori-senpai will probably quit as well. He's only participating along with him." Kyoya comments.

"So in the end..." Hikaru pops up out of nowhere.

"... we're the winners." Kaoru finishes.

"Ah, I just noticed, but the guest room that's available is a single, so it's not possible for both of you to stay there." Haruhi comments, subtly giving a look to Hikaru so he'll hopefully give it up to Kaoru.

"Ah, don't worry. We'll bring a bed from our summer house." Hikaru shrugs.

"If that's not possible, we'll just find a way to sleep together."

"Oh? You two really are always together." Haruhi raises an eyebrow at them.

"Well, yeah."

"We were born together, and we didn't have any other friends."

"Until a few years ago, we thought everyone else in the world was an idiot." Kaoru smiles at Asami. "But now there's three of us." Hikaru nods in agreement.

"Ah, I see..." Haruhi nods her head.

"But...if it's you, we'll let you join, Haruhi. Let's sleep together from now on, the four of us." Hikaru grins, wrapping an arm around Asami and Kaoru.

"No, thank you." Haruhi shakes her head.

"I don't think we have a bed big enough for the four of us." Asami states.

"That's okay, we'll buy an Alaska King sized bed." Hikaru comments.

"The contest is not over yet. I have many ways to make this game more interesting." Kyoya muses.

"What's this? Kyouya-senpai, you're going to side with the lord?" Kaoru gasps, tightening his hold on Asami with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Kyoya narrows his eyes at Kaoru and lightening is seen between them by everyone but Asami. Haruhi blinks in shock, slowly turning her head between the two males.

"Even so, we're not going to lose." Hikaru snarls. Kyoya merely smirks at them.

•••

At the pension. Tamaki finishes fixing the fence poorly. "Boss, the fence repairs are complete."

"Your job is not refreshing at all. Minus three points." Misuzu says. Tamaki goes into a depressive slump.

"He desperately put all his efforts into being a refreshing person and ended up doing a lousy job with his actual work." Haruhi observes. "Is he just stupid?"

"Yes." Asami replies.

"He never did a part-time job before, to begin with." Kyoya informed them. Hikaru and Kaoru play with a watering hose.

"Ah, the water is cold!" Kaoru laughs.

"Sorry, sorry. Look, the watermelon is cool enough, so let's eat it with our guests!" Hikaru laughs.

"Kyaa~! How refreshing!" A group of girls swoon. Tamaki falls to his knees in despair at the thought of losing. Asami pats his back in for sympathy.

"Even before I say your goal is set too low, can you not behave so pathetically?" Kyoya asks.

"Ngh... Kyoya! Can't you understand the feeling of being a family man with his daughter?"

"I'll lend you one bit of knowledge."

"Cheating," Asami fake coughs.

"This is something only you can do. But you can't choose the wrong piece to play." A light bulb goes off above Tamaki's head. He grabs Asami's hand and rushes into the pension.

"Hey, I don't want to help you win so you can be a pervert with Haruhi." Asami sniffs but follows her brother to the piano. They sit down next each other and she glances at him. They exchange a smile and begin to play Fantasia in f minor by Franz Schubert. She closes her eyes, allowing herself to move with the music. She does not notice the large groups of people trickling in from outside to listen to them play. Misuzu watches them with stars in his eyes. Tamaki closes his eyes and joins his sister in focusing on the music. At this moment, winning isn't on his mind. He's simply enjoying a moment with his sister.

Outside the pension, two guests open the window to their room, but one knocks over a vase accidentally. "Watch out!" Kaoru gets Haruhi out of the way. The vase cracks gassing the ground.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you okay?!" One of the girls shouts.

"It was close, but we're safe. Right?" Kaoru checks on Haruhi.

"Ah, yeah, thank you." Haruhi nods her head.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru runs up to Kaoru. Kaoru feels his face and notices a cut. "Kaoru, you got a scratch on your face!"

"Yeah, I got cut a bit." Hikaru pulls Kaoru into a tight hug. "Hikaru?"

"Don't scare me, man." Tamaki and Asami walk outside to see what is going on.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine."

"Bravo~!! Bravo~!! Refreshing brotherly love is so wonderful!! Misuzu-cchi is too touched!! The winners are the Hitachiin brothers!!" Misuzu cries, blowing into a tissue. Asami observes the twins and frowns when she notices how shaky Hikaru seems. This was not planned, despite what Haruhi says.

•••

Asami knocks on their door and waits for one of them to answer. Hikaru opens the door and Asami quickly pushes through to see Kaoru sitting on the bed. "Are you okay?" She asks, rushing over to him. She gently cradles his face in her hands and furrows her eyebrows while looking at the bandaged cut.

"I'm fine." Kaoru assures her.

"You're lucky you didn't get more injured." She lightly slaps his hand. "Don't do that again. You had me worried sick." She turns and pulls Hikaru into a hug. Hikaru freezes, startled at the suddenness of it. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" He scoffs and tries to wiggle out of her hug, but stops when she glares at him.

"I saw your reaction." She states. "This was not planned out, this was an actual incident." The twins stare at her in shock at how well she knows them.

"I'm okay." Hikaru sincerely says. She nods her head and releases him before jumping into their bed. She settles down in the middle, pulling out a dvd from her pocket.

"We finished our Twilight marathon so you know what's next," she grins and reveals the dvd, "Star Wars!"

"Are we watching in chronological order or how they came out?" Hikaru asks as he sits down next to her.

"Chronological, of course." She scoffs and gives the dvd to Kaoru who rushes to put it in. "I've always dreamt about being a sith."

"Should've known, you're full of emotion and sin." Hikaru snorts.

"Like you would be a Jedi." She raises her eyebrows at him. "You're Jabba the Hutt."

"Excuse you? I am obviously Obi-Wan Kenobi." Hikaru reaches behind him to grab a pillow and hits her with it.

"Oh no, you didn't." She gasps, quickly grabbing a pillow and returning the hit with one of her own. The two begin a pillow fight as Kaoru watches them from the TV with a smile on his face. "Kaoru! Join the dark side!"

"No, Kaoru, stay with me on the light side!" Hikaru protests. Kaoru reaches down and grabs a pillow that fell to the ground. Hikaru and Asami pause their fighting to stare at Kaoru, waiting for him to choose a side.

"I'm sorry," he sighs before grinning evilly and rushing to hit Hikaru, "but the dark side is just too tempting!" Hikaru shrieks in betrayal as he gets attacked by Asami and Kaoru.

•••

The next morning, Hikaru wakes up on the floor. He gets up and yawns, rubbing his eyes. He pauses when his eyes land on Asami laying across Kaoru's chest, snoring away. He sneakily snaps a picture before pushing Kaoru off the bed which woke both of them up.

"Wakey, wakey." He teases. The two roll their eyes at him as they get up as well.

"Asami, there you are." Haruhi heads toward them with a frown. "I was worried, you never came to bed last night."

"I'm sorry, Haruhi." Asami smiles apologetically. "I got caught up watching Star Wars with the twins and fell asleep there."

"In their room?" Haruhi asks, glancing at the twins with narrowed eyes. "You two better not have done anything inappropriate with her." She locks eyes with Hikaru who gives her a thumbs up, thus informing her that their plan to push Kaoru and Asami closer is working.

"Get us breakfast, please. I want some toast with Brest butter and Garnet-sealed syrup, okay?" Hikaru asks.

"I'll have egg with bacon and Bisley brand cereal. The one with dry fruits in it." Kaoru asks.

"Wait! We don't have that on our menu!" Haruhi informs them. Tamaki smacks Hikaru and Kaoru on their heads.

"Don't ask from the unreasonable, you evil brothers." Tamaki scolds. "You think you guys have become some sort of rich nobility now?"

"Well, we are." Hikaru says.

"Heck, you're one, too." Kaoru points out.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This is the general rule. When in Karuizawa, enjoy what Karuizawa offers. This is an iron rule." Tamaki unveils a Karuizawa breakfast. "Here are Jerseys sterilized at low temperature and some juice produced in Shinshuu!Also, this combination of highland vegetables and salmon smoked with chips from the cherry blossom trees the locals are proud of is a delight. For these baked Campagne, enjoy these homemade jams that bring out the original taste from their ingredients."

"Why is he such..."

"... a Nagano maniac all of a sudden?" The twins ask.

"He came too early in the morning, so Misuzu-san taught him." Haruhi sighs.

"During the time you guys were dozing, I even made a guidebook for our training camp. An act of consideration from your chairman here." Tamaki shows them his masterpiece.

"You really have a lot of time on your hands." Haruhi observes.

"Haruhi, during this camp period, do not treat me as a senpai. That's the first item on the rules."
Hikaru looks through the guidebook.

"What's this? For rule #5, you wrote "wake up at 6 AM"." He says.

"You think Kyoya-senpai and Honey-senpai are going to abide by that?" Kaoru asks.

"You think I'm going to abide by that?" Asami raises an eyebrow and smiles in thanks as Haruhi hands her a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of tea. Tamaki cries in fear.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, my lord." Hikaru winces.

"That must've triggered some bad memories." Kaorh says. A boy walks into the pension.

"Good day! Arai Grocery here!"

"Yes, thank you very much. Oh, are you a new part-timer? A high school student?" Misuzu asks, going over to grab the supplies.

"Yes. I'm helping out my family's business during summer vacation."

"My, how refreshing!!
Haruhi-chan, bring this to the refrigerator, okay?"

"Huh? Haruhi, as in... Fujioka Haruhi?" Asami perks up and glares at the boy.

"Ah... Arai-kun?" Haruhi says, taking a double look at the male. Tamaki looks back and forth between Haruhi and Arai, while Hikaru and Kaoru fix their gazes on Arai. Asami takes a gleeful bite of her bagel, early awaiting for the jealous monsters to rise in Tamaki and Hikaru.

"Um... Are these your friends?" Arai inquires.

"Yeah. These three are my classmates at high school, Asami, Hikaru and Kaoru. And this one is..." Haruhi begins.

"Huh? Ahh!" Tamaki interrupts, flustered.

"... my senpa... ah..." Haruhi hesitates. "... just someone I know," she finally says. Asami chokes on her bagel, coughing rapidly as Kaoru worryingly pats her back. She covers her mouth and tries to stifle her hysterical laughter at the depressive cloud forming above Tamaki's head. Misuzu, catching the dramatic moment, plays a dissonant chord on the piano, enhancing Tamaki's shock.

"Misuzu-san... Please don't do your own sound effects for my moment of despair," Tamaki pleads. Haruhi goes to sit down to catch up with Arai, while the other Host Club members sit nearby.

"We haven't seen each other since middle school graduation," Haruhi notes.

"You cut your hair. That's such a waste," Arai comments.

"Oh, I don't like him." Asami whispers. "Don't comment on Haruhi's appearance!" She shakes her fist at him from afar.

"You think so? After cutting it, I actually think this way's much more convenient," Haruhi replies.

"Have you gotten used to life at Ouran yet? Do you still meet up with people from middle school?" Arai askes.

"Yeah, kind of. Like, Kazumi calls me a lot," Haruhi says.

"Oh? Haruhi's friend from middle school, huh?" Kyoya interjects.

"That guy hasn't contacted her since graduation. You don't call that a friend. You just call that a former middle school classmate," Hikaru remarks cynically.

"Mm?" Kaoru added, inquisitively.

"You say these people are in the same club as you. What's the club?" Arai asks, curious.

"The Host Club..." Haruhi says.

"Oh, wow, the softball club!" Arai exclaims, misunderstanding.

"Hey, Haruhi! You think you can just stop working like this?" Hikaru shouts, annoyed. "There's someone slacking off from their work here!"

"Hikaru!" Asami hisses, reaching over to backhand him. "What is your issue?"

"Misuzu-san gave me a break!" Haruhi defends herself. Tamaki, sitting nearby, is tearing pieces of paper and putting them on the ground. "Senpai, can you not increase the amount of trash here?" Haruhi scolds him.

"It's not trash... It's a home for a hamster..." Tamaki mumbles.

"We no longer have a mommy, we have a pet hamster now." Asami snickers while forming a makeshift water bottle for him to drink from.

"I think Tamaki stopped being our mommy when you and Kyoya got engaged." Hikaru snaps. "You're our new mommy, mommy Asami."

"Don't call me that," Asami wrinkles her nose at that.

"Senpai, you don't have a hamster," Haruhi points out.

"I'm not your senpai... I'm just something you know..." Tamaki laments.

"Hahaha! People from Ouran are so funny!" Arai laughs.

"Erk..." Tamaki groans.

"I heard it was a school for the elite and had an image that it'd be a different world," Arai admits.

"It's a different dimension all right," Haruhi agrees.

"To tell you the truth, I thought you'd have a lot of hardships going to that kind of school. I've been worried all this time. But I'm glad you look so cheerful," Arai confesses. Haruhi smiled. "Huh... A-Ahh... But I wasn't the only one worried. Everyone was," Arai continues.

"What's he trying to do? Is he going for the 'refreshing and pure' path? The refreshing competition ended last time already," Hikaru mutters, skeptical.

"Jealous?" Asami leans over and whispers in Hikaru's ear. Hikari wickedly glares at her and she hides behind Kaoru.

"You guys seem to be quite critical," Kyoya observes.

"Heck, this guy obviously has a crush on Haruhi," Hikaru states bluntly.

"Huh?" Arai is taken aback.

"It feels kind of disgusting when it's so obvious," Hikaru adds.

"Ahh..." Arai sighs.

"Hold it right there, Hikaru!" Haruhi interrupts, exasperated.

"Huh?" Arai looks confused.

"You're the one acting like a jerk right now!" Haruhi scolds Hikaru.

"Ahh, it's okay, it's okay. It's true that I had a crush on you, Fujioka," Arai admits. "But yeah, I've already been dumped," Arai concludes.

"What?!" Tamaki and Mitsukuni exclaims simultaneously.

"What?!" Haruhi echoes.

"Why are you acting surprised?" Kyoya asks, bemused.

"Yeah, did you reject him without knowing what you were rejecting?" Asami asks.

"Hey, person called Arai-kun, when did this happen?" Tamaki demands.

"It happened around a year ago," Arai recalls how Haruhi took his confession as his want to get a scholarship into Ouran. Haruhi is dumbstruck by the memory.

"Yeah, that's my girl. Always focusing on the studies and not boys," Asami rubs her cheek against Haruhi's head while glaring at Tamaki.

"Haruhi... You destroyed this young man's purity with that kind of lame joke?" Kyoya teases.

"No, I just never realized that's what he meant..." Haruhi explains. Haruhi turns to Arai abruptly. "I'm sorry!" Haruhi bows deeply.

"What? Am I being dumped again? Hahahaha! Don't worry, don't worry. It's past me already, and the fact that she didn't realize it meant that she wasn't interested in it, either. But I like Fujioka's gentle but farseeing eyes... and that when you talk with her, she just looks straight at you. I've always liked those aspects of her," Arai confesses.

"Ah... Ahh! You think so much about my child! Don't worry. Your brave story will not be forgotten!" Tamaki exclaims dramatically. Hikaru, clearly irritated, sips his drink. Kaoru and Asami exchange a wince, knowing that his mood will likely ruin the day.

•••

All the Host Club members, except Hikaru and Kaoru, sit together at a table with Arai.

"Wow, your middle school field trip was to Kyoto? It's so uncommon to have it inside the country," Mitsukuni says.

"No, it's quite normal for commoners," Arai responds, smiling.

"Yeah, I love Kyoto, too!" Tamaki chimes in enthusiastically.

"I was also forced to accompany him on account of his interest in touring temples," Kyouya remarks dryly.

"My field trip was for the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo." Asami reminisces. "My friends stole a painting and we got arrested. Then I found out I was kidnapped. Good times." She sighs happily. Everyone stares at her before simultaneously electing to ignore that statement.

Kaoru watches from a distance, feeling left out. "Hikaru, what are we going to do? They seem to be having fun there. Shall we join?" he asks his brother.

"No, it's freaking obnoxious. Now Asami's getting friendly with him so easily. Is she stupid or what?" Hikaru grumbles. Kaoru frowns.

Tamaki notices them and calls out, "Hey, Hikaru, Kaoru."

"Hm?" Kaoru responds, curious.

"You guys, come over here, too. It's a very rare chance to hear stories about Haruhi's middle school life," Tamaki invites warmly.

Hikaru scoffs. "I'm not interested in hearing them! Heck, isn't it just stupid? I have no clue why talking about past events is any fun!"

Arai looks confused. "Huh?"

Hikaru continues, anger evident in his voice. "Does that guy not realize Haruhi doesn't see him that way?" Haruhi stands up from the table, her face set with determination. She steps towards Hikaru and slaps him across the cheek. Asami covers her mouth in shock.

"That's not for you to decide, Hikaru. I'm not going to tolerate you insulting my friends anymore!" Haruhi declares fiercely.

Hikaru recoils, stunned. "Ngh... What... who cares about anyone else? Aren't we your friends?!" he shouts, his voice breaking. Hikaru turns and storms off, his emotions in turmoil. "Ngh... Ugh!"

"Hikaru, wait up!" Kaoru calls, running after his brother.

As the twins head up to their room, Tamaki watches them go with a sigh. "Their world is still so narrow..." he murmurs, shaking his head. He pauses when he sees Asami rush after them with a concerned expression on her face. "Maybe not that narrow," he smiles in hope that Asami can make Hikaru see reason.

•••

In Hikaru and Kaoru's room, Hikaru sits on the bed, fuming, as Kaoru enters with Asami close behind.

"What was that? You got pretty heated there. Going through youth?" Kaoru teases.

"You were pissed, too," Hikaru snaps back.

"Not as much as you," Asami comments.

Kaoru shrugs. "I believe I was more rational than you were."

"Ngh..." Hikaru grunts, frustrated. "Why are here?" He glares at Asami. "Shouldn't you be with your new friend, Arai?"

"He's not a friend, you are." She comments with a frown. She says standing by the closed door as Kaoru sits on the bed next to Hikaru.

"Forcing your own selfish feelings onto others like that... That's like a child's behavior. Even Haruhi would get sick of it."

"I can't help it! I don't know what it is, but I was really pissed inside," Hikaru admits, his anger giving way to confusion.

Kaoru sighs. "Anyway, let's go apologize to that Arai-kun."

•••

Later, Arai prepares to head back to work. All the Host Club members, except Hikaru and Kaoru, gather to see him off. Asami continuously glances at the door, waiting for them to show up.

"I'm sorry, Arai-kun," Haruhi says, looking genuinely remorseful.

Arai shakes his head. "It's okay. It seems like I did something that rubbed him the wrong way."

Kaoru, dressed as Hikaru, comes outside. Mitsukuni notices him first.

"Ah, Hika-chan," Mitsukuni says cheerfully. Asami narrows her eyes at 'Hikaru.'

"My bad. Sorry," Kaoru apologizes.

"Don't worry about it!" Arai replies with a forgiving smile. "Bye then, Fujioka. See you guys around."

As Arai leaves on his bike, Mitsukuni waves enthusiastically. "Bye-bye! Hahaha! Fufu... Hahaha!"

"Kaoru," Asami calls out,

"...why are you pretending to be Hikaru?" Haduhi finishes.

"Huh?" the Host Club members murmur in confusion. Haruhi pinches Kaoru's cheek.

"Hey, what happened to the scratch on your cheek?" She asks.

"Ow, ow, ow... I took care of it with a stick concealer," Kaoru explains, wincing. "Hikaru's temper doesn't seem like it's going to get better anytime soon. Therefore, Haruhi, I need to ask you a favor."

"Huh?" Haruhi responds, curious.

"Can you go out on a date with me all day tomorrow?" Kaoru asks, a playful glint in his eye. Asami freezes, her heart hurting at the thought of Kaoru going on a date with Haruhi. Did he finally see her as a lost cause? Is he moving on? She rips her eyes off of them as Haruhi hesitates to say yes.

Haruhi in unsure why Kaoru is asking this considering she knows he likes Asami. She glances at Asami, seeing the jealous expression on her face and says, "yes." Maybe Asami will finally act on her feelings for Kaoru and break her engagement with Kyoya off.

•••

The next day, in town, Haruhi is dressed up for her date. Hikaru arrives to get her. "Sorry for making you wait," Hikaru says.

"Huh? What's up with Kaoru?" Haruhi asks, confused.

"He's sick." Hikaru explains how Kaoru woke up with a cough.

"What shall we do? Go home?" Haruhi suggests and feels much better that Kaoru is not actually taking her on a date. While she wants Asami to figure out her feelings for Kaoru, maybe going on a date with her crush to make her realize them isn't the smartest idea.

"No, I'll be his substitute and accompany you for the day. That aside, your look..." Hikaru trails off, noticing her outfit.

"Ahh, does it look weird?" Haruhi asks, self-conscious.

"Nah," Hikaru reassures her.

The rest of the Host Club watches Haruhi and Hikaru's date from inside a cafe. Asami hides her squeals of excitement in her hands. Tamaki attempts to go to Haruhi but is stopped.

"Hold it, my lord! They'll find out!" Kaoru cautions.

"Why did Haruhi have to end up going on a date with Hikaru? How did yesterday's flow of events develop into something like this?!" Tamaki frets.

"This could be Haru-chan's first date!" Mitsukuni exclaims.

"How sweet!" Asami gushes. "I'm pretty sure this is his first date too!"

"Gahhh! Hikaru, the unforgivable! Besides, what's with her outfit?! It's super cute! Really super cute!" Tamaki rants.

"Ahh, that's all Asami and my make..." Kaoru explains. After asking Haruhi out, he pulled Asami aside to explain everything. Asami agreed to pick out the clothes that the maids should force Haruhi to wear.

"I did good." Asami puffs her chest out confidently.

"You really did, Ami-Chan! You're like a fashion designer!" Mitsukuni gushes. Tamaki pouts as the rest of the Host Club members move onto the street to watch Haruhi and Hikaru.

"That's not fair, not fair, not fair!" Tamaki laments.

"Oh shut up," Asami rolls her eyes at him, "maybe gather the courage to ask Haruhi on a date then." Tamaki sputters at that.

"My lord, you know... I think it's a really good thing that Hikaru has something new he cherishes," Kaoru says thoughtfully. "For us, we've never cherished anything but each other. We didn't care about what others thought about us, which is why we have such self-centered attitudes now," Kaoru explains. "I learned to cherish someone besides him," he glances at Asami who is happily showing the other outfits she nearly chose to Kyoya. "Now it's his turn."

"So you guys were aware of it," Tamaki muses.

"Hikaru was especially childish. He could just let his emotions take over. But while Hikaru doesn't realize it himself, he really likes Haruhi a lot. Yet, all he knows is to force his own feelings onto her, and it turns into a child's desire to possess her entirely," Kaoru continues."Even if he wants her to acknowledge him, he doesn't know how to communicate that. If he really wants to become her friend instead of seeing her as a toy, he needs to respect her. This appropriate way of 'having a relationship with someone' is something I think Hikaru needs to learn," He concludes.

"Wow, Kaoru..." Tamaki is impressed.

"In other words, this date is really a test for Hikaru to establish the concept of being thoughtful of others, huh?" Kyoya remarks.

"How thoughtful!" Asami expresses.

"Yeah, so please don't interfere with them," Kaoru requests.

"Then shouldn't we not follow them in the first place?" Tamaki questions.

"But we have to witness such an interesting event with our own eyes..." Kaoru argues.

"Ah..." Tamaki sighs, looking up to the clouds in the sky. Asami, Kyoya, Mitsukuni, and Takashi walk ahead.

Elsewhere in town, Haruhi and Hikaru stop to plan their day. "So where do you want to go, Haruhi?" Hikaru asks.

"Kaoru said he'd take me around, so I didn't think about anything. You?" Haruhi replies.

"It's not like I have anything to do in Karuizawa now... Ah..." Hikaru trails off. "Then how about the outlet mall in front of the train station? Clothes are cheap there," Hikaru suggests.

"It's fine, but do you need to buy any clothes?" Haruhi asks.

"No, I don't buy my clothes there," Hikaru responds.

"I don't need any, either," Haruhi says.

"Damn, this is bothersome," Hikaru thinks to himself, frustrated.

"Misuzu-san said the weather might take a turn for the worst. I hope it's not a thunderstorm," Haruhi comments. Asami frowns, worrying about her friend's fear.

"Who cares about the weather?" Hikaru snaps, looking away, irritated.

"Oh," Asami winces at that, "how does he charm anyone?"

"Damn it, this date isn't heart-throbbing at all! He's so unsociable, and he calls himself a Host Club member?! Switch with me, Hikaru! I'll escort her instead!!" Tamaki exclaims.

"Then there's no point!" Kaoru counters.

"Then Kyoya! You take on the role of a punk and pimp on Haruhi! Then make Hikaru save her!" Tamaki suggests.

"Talk nonsense when you're asleep," Kyoya responds dryly. Asami snorts at that.

Suddenly, Mitsukuni walks by with an ice cream cart. "Ice cream, ice cream! Does anyone want ice cream?" he calls out. Takashi sprints and pulls Mitsukuni away just as he's passing Haruhi and Hikaru. "Stop it," he says firmly.

"That old guy just looked like Honey –" Hikaru begins, turning to see that Haruhi is gone. "Huh?" He looks around.

"Ice cream, please," Haruhi says, approaching the cart.

"Ahh! Hey, Haruhi! Don't just leave like that!" Hikaru calls out.

"They say the ice cream here is famous," Haruhi explains. She gets some ice cream and holds it out toward Hikaru. "Here, have a bite first," she offers.

"If it tastes bad, you're getting a punishment game," Hikaru warns.

Tamaki appears with a second ice cream cone and pushes Hikaru out of the way. "What a cute little girl. Here, have another one for free," he says to Haruhi.

"Thank you..." Haruhi says, taking the ice cream and licking it. "Delicious!" she exclaims.

"You're right. It's better than I thought," Hikaru admits, taking a lick of his ice cream.

Kaoru berates Tamaki from inside the ice cream stand. "They were getting into a good mood! Why did you have to interfere?! You fool!" he scolds.

"Tamaki, you ruined it!" Asami whines.

"Umm..." the clerk murmurs, confused.

"You think I can allow that kind of couple-style eating?! Indirect kisses are not allowed!" Tamaki protests.

Haruhi and Hikaru continue on their date. Haruhi picks out a small tray of seasoned yams. "These are seasoned yams! How uncommon!" she says excitedly.

"Seasoned vegetables are so lame. Who cares about them?" Hikaru grumbles.

"Here," Haruhi says, holding out a piece of yam for Hikaru to taste.

"Ah..." Hikaru eats the yam. "Even though it's good..." he admits grudgingly.

"I'd like two bags of these, please," Haruhi tells the clerk.

"Thank you very much," the clerk replies.

"You should buy souvenirs on the last day, don't you think? You're going to be in Karuizawa for a while, right?" Hikaru questions.

"This is a gift for Kaoru," Haruhi explains.

"Huh?" Hikaru is taken aback.

"You know, we could go on a longer trip with everyone some other time. We'll just look around the shops in this area and choose some gifts for Kaoru," Haruhi suggests.

"How do you know I'm irritated over Kaoru?" Hikaru asks, surprised. Asami whispers, 'she's so observant.' The other host club members nod in agreement.

"Just guessing," Haruhi replies with a smile.

"What..." Hikaru is at a loss for words.

"Come on, let's go," Haruhi urges, continuing down the street.

"Heh..." Hikaru follows after her, and the two visit various shops.

"We take our eyes off for a second and now they're getting into a good mood!" Kaoru observes from a distance.

"Although I'm not quite sure Hikaru's the one doing the escorting," Kyoya remarks.

"That's okay, some men need a women in their lives to take lead." Asami comments, licking some ice cream.

"Here, you got some ice cream on your cheek." Kyoya sighs, reaching out with his finger to wipe away the ice cream lingering on the side of her lip on her cheek and licks it off his finger. She blushes and looks away from him while Kaoru fumes in the background with Mitsukuni and Takashi sending him pitying looks. Kyoya smirks at Kaoru when Asami is not looking.

"I guess the ice cream smoothed things out after all!" Mitsukuni exclaims.

"No, I don't think so," Takashi counters.

"Let's head back. If we blow our cover here, then everything goes down the drain. There's also someone who can't hold on much longer," Kaoru decides.

"It looks like so much fun... So lucky... So lucky..." Tamaki laments as they leave. Asami silently prays for whatever higher being there is that Hikaru does not act like a bastard and is nice to Haruhi when the thunder comes in.

•••

Later, back at Pension Misuzu, Tamaki, Kyoya, Asami, Kaoru, Mitsukuni, and Takashi wait inside as it rains hard. "That lightning was pretty big," Kaoru notes.

"I wonder if they're taking shelter from the rain," Mitsukuni muses.

Tamaki paces around restlessly. Misuzu notices. "Tamaki-kun, you're being so restless."

"I'll go get them—" Tamaki starts, but the phone rings, interrupting him.

Misuzu answers the phone. "Hello, this is Pension Misuzu. Ah, Arai-kun! What's the matter? Huh? You're asking where Haruhi-chan and Hikaru-kun are?"

"Ngh...!" Tamaki exclaims, anxious.

Misuzu listens. "Mm... Mm, I see. Hikaru-kun should have his cellphone, so I'll try calling him." She hangs up and explains, "It seems when they were in front of Arai-kun's store, Hikaru-kun went back and left Haruhi-chan all by herself."

"Ah...!" Tamaki and Kaoru react simultaneously.

"Then she went for him right afterwards, but this rain started pouring down, right? And that's why Arai-kun called, since he's worried," Misuzu adds. Tamaki pulls out his cellphone and dials.

"You fool! Just shut up and go back to look for Haruhi!" Tamaki's shouts into the phone. "Who in the world would leave a girl behind in this rain?! Listen, Haruhi is scared of thunder! When thunder strikes, she gets so scared that she isn't able to move! Before you start getting so good at being jealous, be more thoughtful of your companion!" Tamaki hangs up.

"What a bastard," Asami sighs.

"Yeah," Kaoru mumbles, "but he's going to go back for her and then he'll learn how to cherish someone."

"I hope you're right." Asami leans against Kaoru as they stare out the window at the storm. "I think it's going to take Hikaru a while to truly realize his feelings and actually act on them."

"Yeah," Kaoru agrees, glancing down to observe the beauty of Asami, "it took me a while."

"Hmm?" Asami glances up at him. "Did you say something?"

"No," Kaoru shakes his head, "nothing." 

•••

The next day, at Pension Misuzu, Arai arrives with a watermelon. "Hello~!" Misuzu greets.

"Ah, Arai-kun!" Haruhi exclaims.

"I brought a watermelon! Our watermelons taste great," Arai announces.

"Wow, that's big!" Mitsukuni says, eyes wide.

"That's what she said." Asami snorts.

"Splendid, indeed," Tamaki agrees.

Hikaru approaches Arai but hesitates to speak. Arai offers him the watermelon. "Heh... Here!"

Hikaru takes it. "Heh... Thanks."

Kyoya and Kaoru watch the interaction from the second-floor walkway. "By the way, about yesterday's date battle plan... Did you not consider the possibility feelings of love could develop from this?" Kyoya asks.

Kaoru shakes his head. "It's still too early for that. Hikaru's an idiot."

"Oh, hey! Let's cut open the watermelon!" Tamaki exclaims, eager to move on.

"Well, our club is full of idiots," Kyoya remarks. He pauses to stare at Asami who is happily splitting some watermelon with Mitsukuni. "Asami will not choose you in the end," this startles Kaoru who turns to stare at Myoua with wide eyes. "I suppose I should say let the best man win, though I do believe I'm already quite a bit ahead of you considering we are engaged—and with her family's approval. You will never get that." He smirks at Kaoru before heading downstairs to join the group.

Kaoru clenches his fists as he watches Asami holds out a piece of watermelon for Kyoya to try. Kyoya ensures to lock eyes with Kaoru, holding Asami's hand to steady the food and takes a slow bite. 'Oh,' Kaoru narrows his eyes, 'this is war.'