At what price,love?

Chapter 12

It was the morning of the wake. Because Haruhi was the only close family member Ranka had, she would have to carry out all of the rites herself. She was already exhausted and numb. The next two days would be hell. And she was the kind of person who wouldn't - couldn't - bring herself to ask for help. But the hosts figured that if they didn't offer to help, she couldn't turn them down. So they just assigned themselves Haruhi duties. Honey and Mori had taken her to the mortuary last night to help her with the preparations, Kyoya and Tamaki had spent the night on her couch last night so she wouldn't be alone and they were now waiting for the twins to come and bring her breakfast, allowing them to go home and get dressed. Because of his promise to Ranka, Kyoya really felt that HE should be the one to escort her to the wake, but that arrangement would have left the twins sleeping alone with her in her apartment. Which was NOT going to happen.

Tamaki bounded out of bed. Kyoya hated morning people.

"Commoners are so clever - they can hide a whole bed inside a couch. Like a futon with springs!" Tamaki appeared delighted.

"Like a futon with nails sticking up. How did they convince people that torture device constituted a bed?" the Evil Low Blood Pressure Lord snapped back.

"Was the princess bothered by the pea?"

"The princess was bothered by a watermelon. The floor was more comfortable."

"It's not my fault you rolled out of bed."

"I didn't roll, I was pushed."

"How would you know? Were you awake when it happened?"

"As a matter of fact, I was." And indeed, he had been lying on his half of the uncomfortable "full" bed (seriously? Full sized for what? A dog?) thinking that if the blond idiot hadn't been there, Kyoya would have gone and curled up next to Haruhi in her bed. But then that's precisely why the blond idiot had stayed the night. He hadn't missed the exchange yesterday. As they lay on the hide-a-bed the night before, a silence hung over them. "That was a ring you put on her finger at the hospital."

"It was a cheap piece of costume jewelry from a tourist shop. Just colored glass and plated white metal."

"Why would you buy her something like that?"

"Because she wanted it."

"Please don't do that to me again. I'll get there ... I will. But I'm not there yet."

Kyoya rubbed his forehead at the memory. Fortunately, Tamaki took it for morning grogginess.

"Go take your shower. I'll start the coffee."

Tamaki was right. Shower and coffee helped. But as he sent the blond down the hall to the bathroom, he called back "No singing in the shower. The walls are thin and Haruhi's still asleep."

"What make you think I sing in the shower?"

"Because that's the sort of mental defect you morning people have."

Kyoya hadn't brought a blow dryer, so he was towel drying his hair before putting on his shirt. He'd packed it neatly, but somehow it was still wrinkled when he pulled it out. How annoying. It wasn't what he would be wearing to the wake; he was only wearing it to go home in to change, but even so. He'd just slipped it on, without yet starting to button it up when the twins knocked bearing breakfast. He unlocked the door to let them in.

It was not the twins.

It was a stuffy-looking middle-aged woman. They stared at each other in surprise for a moment. "I am looking for Haruhi Fujioka," the woman said.

"She's still in bed. May I help you?"

The woman's glance raked over the half-dressed teenaged boy who, based on the early hour, the rumpled shirt and the damp hair, had clearly spent the night. "I am her Aunt Rei. You will inform her I am here."