A/N: This is an idea that has been festering in my head for a while. I have written the entire story already, so hopefully I will have a fairly regular update schedule. I know that arranged marriage is a really common trope for the Kyouya/Haruhi pairing, but it is something I have been wanting to play with. I hope you enjoy it and please review, all reviewers will get a PM with a sneak peek at the next chapter.

"You may now kiss the bride."

The words of the priest were nearly drowned out by the applause, the cheers and the clicking of cameras. A society wedding was always a major event, and an Ootori wedding was the epitome of such. It seemed like every paper in Japan had sent a photographer. But what did the flashing images see?

The best man, his usual charming grin edged with the bitterness of an unacknowledged failure, a chance noticed too late. The twins holding one another in the close comfort of a shared world. Huni and Usa-chan in identical suits. Mori watching over them all with a gently blank expression.

And Kyouya, no longer a high school student but forever the Shadow King, adorned in a tailored suit and a smile to match as he lifted the veil and gave his new wife a kiss for the cameras.

And what of the bride? Haruhi Ootori, one time Fujioka. What were her feelings on the matter?

Ah, that was something that the cameras would be able to see.

Six months ago

"Haruhi, baby, don't worry about the dishes right now. Come sit over here. There is something I want to talk to you about.

Haruhi looked up from where she was gathering the bowls, surprised by her usually jovial father's suddenly serious tone. She put the stack down and asked "what is it?" her tone careful.

Ranka found his courage deserting him. As much as he thought this was a good idea, it was simply not something he knew how to bring up now that the moment was upon him. "Well you see, I got a rather interesting phone call last week…"

"Was it from the university? Did I get the scholarship? Dad, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Haruhi might have descended into a fit of babbling, but Ranka interrupted her.

"No honey, it wasn't from the university." He felt bad when her face fell, but her questions gave him the idea for a segue. "Don't be sad baby. What if I were to tell you that there was a way for you to go to any university you wanted without having to worry about fees?"

Her face was blank with disbelief. "Have you gone insane?"

"No!" Ranka looked aghast.

"You robbed a bank then." Haruhi sounded completely serious as if she was talking about something commonplace.

"How could my cute daughter think such horrible things about her own father?" Ranka said between stage sobs.

"Cut that out and get to the point," Haruhi said, more sharply than she had intended.

"Oh yes right. The point." The tears stopped immediately. "Well, the phone call was from Yoshio Ootori."

"Kyouya-sempai's father? What on earth did he want?" Haruhi had had next to no dealings with the man, but she knew enough not to trust a word that he said.

"He had a proposal, you see. He… wantsyoutomarrykyouya." He rushed through the words, putting his hands up instinctively to shield his face and hoping she wouldn't be mad enough to kill him. He still had so much to live for.

"WHAT?!"

End flashback

It had taken a long time for Haruhi to be convinced that this was the best option for her. She had gone through all the stages: depression, bargaining, anger, more depression, denial, even more depression and finally, after much soul searching, acceptance.

That is not to say that she was happy about the situation, in fact she was downright pissed off at times. She felt like no one spared a thought as to what it was that she was giving up. They were caught up in their multifarious responses, from shock (the customers of the host club) or anger (Tamaki, though she didn't try to understand why) to untainted joy (Huni and her father). They all seemed self-absorbed, wilfully ignorant of the struggle that she had gone through. Unaware of her grief.

She was doing the one thing that she had always hoped would not be required of her to achieve her dreams.

She was trading her freedom for a future, happiness for financial security.

A/N: Yes, I know that chapter was short, but I am trying something different. Rather than agonising over whether a chapter is long enough, I am just going to write them and let the events dictate how long the chapter needs to be. That way the chapters, though shorter, will be easier to write.