Chapter 7a: Spies-The Morinozuka Residence on the Haninozuka Estate

(A/N: These parts of chapter 7 will be from three different points of view each time. Inside the house, Kyoya's thoughts looking in, and Unnamed Guy [I promise I'll actually get a name for him at some point] watching. I'm using lines to separate them. This one has a bit of an intro beforehand.)

On those rare occasions when Kyoya couldn't figure out what was going on and what he should do about it, he went to the balcony outside his room. Shifting into the form of a raven, he streaked across the sky shrieking his frustration. Normally he would quickly stretch into the sky before diving into the forests and swerving between the branches and trunks before returning to his balcony for a deep sleep. Tonight was certainly not a normal night. After his regular flight was completed, Kyoya still felt too wound-up to sleep so he flew towards the other hosts estates to watch their nightly dealings, one of his favorite pastimes and amusements. (A/N: Kyoya is such a stalker peeping tom).

He landed outside the window of the library next to Mori's room. Looking in he found Mori and Hani meeting in Mori's favorite corner of the library. Hani sat on an armchair that swallowed him whole even as he was swallowing a mountain of cakes. "Mitsukuni." Mori finally interrupted. Hani paused in his cake inhalation.

"I know Takashi. We need to figure out about Haru-chan. Kao-chan and Hika-chan can cheer her up and Tama-chan can distract her. Kyou-chan can help her learn defenses and can figure out what's happening to her. I don't know what we can do. We can't protect her from whoever is hurting her. I don't know what we can give Haruhi Takashi!" Hani sniffled through tears.

Mori reached towards Hani and placed a hand on his head for comfort. "Comfort. Friendship. Love."

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Kyoya nearly fell out of the tree when he heard what Mori had said. Proud though he was at their confidence in his abilities, the pressure to fulfill their expectations was nearly unbearable considering the pressure his family had already put on him and the pressure of his complex engagement. To hear that Mori and Hani loved Haruhi should, logically, not have bothered Kyoya. He attributed the upset feeling to shock at the revelation and the anger to his Ohtori pride being wounded by having another express interest in his fiancé, or soon-to-be fiancé. Mori must have meant as a little sister or a close friend he thought to himself before absently flying to his next destination.

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Another crystal shattered against the mirrored wall. First that Mori brat dared touch my Haruhi and now he thinks he can love her when he can't even resist her unconscious power fluctuations? Impudent weakling. He and that little runt won't be a problem but the thought that they even consider themselves worthy of being beside my Haruhi is repugnant. I will not allow her to be taken from me again. Not ever! I've waited so long. I suppose I can't fault them for being taken with my precious, perhaps they only need a warning. Perhaps I should send them a dream to let them know that Haruhi is mine and that I will not tolerate their interference. If they try to touch her something worse than a dream will be waiting. I could hear myself chuckle as I began my dream weaving.

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At the Nekozawa residence:

As happened every night, the cat doll Nekozawa carried everywhere became alive and spoke to him. "Umehito. He's gathering power and help. My brother's already taken over most of the underground. He's looking for his mate. I must have failed in completely destroying the Fujiwara line when I attacked the mansion after the desecration of my two other brothers, the Lord of Shadows and the Lord of Sleep. That they would destroy their own ancestor and use a marriage union to lure my other brother into their trap…despicable."

"Bereznoff, Lord of Night, surely there is another way other than destroying the girl, whoever she may be. If what you've said is true, that they are equally powerful, then we should use her to subdue him. Killing her would only incur his wrath and he would probably destroy all of humanity."

"You have a point. We should begin looking into the most powerful families to see if she was hidden within them. She will be about the right age for High School now. Given her power level she must be in Ouran at this age. Keep tabs on that Host Club, it's the most likely place to find a powerful female as they all seem to gather there."

"Yes my lord."